Count Bobulescu

I hate it when people post stuff not of their own creation, without links, so call me a hypocrite......... From this morning's Quartz Daily Brief email........

The commentary below appears to have escaped from behind a paywall. I lifted it in its entirety from another site, because there was no link, and even if there was a link.......... The Financial Times has an opinion writer named Philip Stephens. It expresses a viewpoint with which I concur. Opinion Brexit After Brexit, Britain will be a rule-taker The salutary parable of the noisy lawnmower and the chlorine-washed chicken Philip Stephens My favourite story of Brussels barminess is the one about the noisy lawnmower. During the 1980s, the EU took it upon itself to impose a decibel limit on motorised grass-cutters. What better proof for suspicious Brits of European megalomania than this intrusion into the very garden sheds of our green and pleasant land? Never mind. Britain, we are told, is taking back control. After decades as a rule-taker, it will rise again as a rulemaker. Such are the delusions of Brexiters. Through a British lens, things European are rarely as they first appear. Taunted by what was then a small band of Tory Eurosceptics, the foreign secretary Douglas Hurd ordered an investigation into the origins of the directive. The news was not good. The episode was not after all a Brussels power grab. Ministers had backed the European Commission’s initiative. Worse, they had proposed it. They had then expended considerable political capital to force the measure through against German opposition. We are talking, by the way, about Margaret Thatcher’s government. The rationale, it turned out, was hard-headed self-interest. Germany, a nation renowned for its tidiness and thus a lucrative market for lawnmowers, had blocked imports. German machines were quieter than most, so the Bonn government had set a national noise restriction to lock out the competition. Only an EU directive (permitting a higher decibel level) would allow British companies a foothold in the market. Thatcher’s government had deployed the same strategy to open up EU markets to the roar of British motorcycles.Free-enterprise Brexiters railing against supposedly excessive EU red tape have never understood the relationship between common rules and open markets. Liberalising trade across national frontiers requires shared standards to ensure a level playing field. The single market has had great success in promoting trade because the EU has been able to harmonise the rules. Once a small sect, the Tory party’s English nationalists have now stormed the ramparts of government. These Brexiters are intent on making the same mistake about the rules under which Brexit Britain will trade as they once did about lawnmowers. Rule-taking, they intone, is for sissies. Unshackled from the EU, Britain will create its own standards and norms. They are wrong. The simple fact is that in today’s global economy, rulemaking is the property of the most powerful players. If you are one of the world’s biggest importers you can insist others meet your standards. Likewise, if you have a serious grip on a particular industry you can set sector-wide norms. The EU, the US, and, to varying degrees, China, Japan and India all fit this bill. Britain is not big enough. Within the EU it has been at once a rulemaker and a rule-taker. Outside, its only real choice will be between whether it should accept rules from Brussels or elsewhere. Brexit will make trading with the EU more expensive and troublesome. But the bloc will remain Britain’s most valuable export market. Manufacturers that want to sell their products into the single market — and that means most companies of significant size — will be obliged to continue to abide by Brussels’ rules even as they lose friction-free access. Small companies can do as they please — unless they want to join any supply chains crossing EU borders. Britain will be able, it is true, to make its lawnmowers even noisier if it so chooses. No one in the union will buy them. The same will apply to products falling within the tens of thousands of regulations covering just about everything from food hygiene, environmental protection and vehicle safety standards to data transfer requirements and consumer protection. Service businesses likewise. Unless they want to give up on the European market, the suited professional classes will be obliged to keep up with EU benchmarks. The only thing that will change is that British ministers will no longer take part in setting them. Ah, I hear nostalgists for the Anglosphere say. We can sign up instead for American rules. True enough. In some cases this might even make sense. Brexit is an opportunity to dismantle the panoply of taxpayer-funded protections and subsidies paid to farmers. There is cheaper produce available on world markets. Washington has already said a bilateral trade deal will depend on better access to the British market for America’s industrialised agriculture. The government could swap European for US standards. Personally, I have no quarrel with rules permitting chlorine-washed chicken and hormone-fed beef. It would be barmy to leave the EU and keeping paying out to farmers. The switch, though, would kill exports to Europe. And even the most ardent Brexiter may struggle to portray as taking back control the appearance in supermarkets of chlorinated chicken. The Bank of England seems to think there are one or two areas of financial services where Britain has sufficient clout to be an international rulemaker. Maybe. But financial institutions are already voting with their feet by heading to Dublin, Paris and Frankfurt. The lesson here is that national sovereignty is illusory when separated from the power to act. This extends beyond trade. Britain can take back control of its borders only with the willing collaboration of the French authorities at Calais. Lawnmowers or chicken, the one certainty is that post-Brexit Britain will play by someone else’s rules.

Sir, in some quarters, many quarters, including Schloss Bobulescu, comments such as yours are considered blasphemous. Other teams may lie, steal, and cheat their way to victory, but the Red Devils are never awful. Repent!

While I agree that we're headed to a cashless society with all the privacy issues and more, that entails, I think there is merit in these laws. I assume there are limits and exceptions. No suitcases of cash at the car dealership. On a side note, I once ordered a substantial amount of Euros from by bank. I assumed it would be delivered with their next cash drop. When I went to pick it up they just handed me an unopened Fedex envelope. Imagine if Amazon had to get paid that way......

Tweaked, much appreciate the "highlights". I came of age with the "Busby Babes". Don't have a whole lot of time in my life for sports right now, but I'll tell you this: If you post more highlights, I'll promise to never ask Don to replace you as a moderator.

Rumors abound in the UK that Brexit leader Nigel Farage (that"s Nige to you and me), may be about to be caught up in a EU Russian Money Laundering Investigation. His former assistant has already been convicted of money laundering in the US and cut a deal to avoid up to 23 years. UK press is much more constrained by libel laws than US, hence the headline is posed as a question. Is Nigel Farage about be arrested?

Several votes scheduled in Westminster in about 10 days. Not May's deal. No deal, Attempt a modified deal, Ask for an extension of time, and some others. Not certain whether any, some, or all will pass. There is some sentiment in the EU to granting an extension, but no agreement on for how long. If that scenario were to materialize there is also sentiment in the EU that says the longer the time granted, the more we must insist that the UK, hold EU elections which are scheduled for late May. In such circumstances, the elections themselves could become a defacto 2nd referendum, or they might actually hold a 2nd ref in conjunction. It's all still to play for.

On the plus side, after 200+ years Roederer is still family owned. When they bought Scharffenberger they took the brand off the market because of confusion with Schramsberg. Better them than one of the big corporates.

Interesting read from NPR. Republicans Support Warren Proposal

Interesting, and sparse, as I recall. I couldn't figure the economics of it.

This has been my only recent breakfast experience, and for a chain it exceeded expectations. Food and pricing good. Service friendly, but slooooow. First Watch Menu

As to where it goes from here........I don't currently know enough about the topic to have a strong opinion, but am having to learn. I suspect that the current backlash against big tech may eventually lead to an EU GDPR (lite) style regulation in the US. The jury is still out on whether or not it has been a success. Coincidently, I read recently that in 2017, before GDPR, Google paid more in fines to the EU, $5B, than it did to the rest of the world in taxes $4B.

This is a little tangential to the foregoing, but stick with it. I'm Irish, and generally a fan of the various EU healthcare services, but truth be told haven't had much interaction with any of them. The Countess who's American and had been a fan of British TV long before I met her, recently stumbled on a Netflix series called Embarrassing Bodies. It's British, and it's reality TV, which she normally dislikes. The premise is stupid. People with ailments that were supposedly too embarrassing for them to mention to their doctor in private, are now going to be exposed for all on national TV. You can guess what comes next. Andy Warhol 15 minutes......... At some point in the consultation the doctor will ask how long have you had this condition? Answers range from six months to sixty years. The Countess has on several occasions expressed disbelief that a modern European would live x years with y problem and not immediately seek treatment. When I found myself explaining that under these various EU systems health care is sometimes, (maybe often) rationed, and that many people living under such systems are often conditioned, or condition themselves to believe, if it's not free it's not available, even if it is available under supplemental private insurance, I started to have a new appreciation for the US system. I also for the first time recognized a downside to the single payer option that in the past I have maybe been too quick to dismiss, the self censoring of options. I fully accept that the cases highlighted on this show are likely the worst of their type, and am mindful of the maxim that hard cases make bad law.

I read last year that Silver Diner was attempting to move up market, whatever that means in the diner world.

Mitchell's a knowledgeable guy. He used own/run The Chesapeake Wine Company in Canton. I believe he opened a 2nd store somewhere in Baltimore. Guess it didn't work out. AFAIK there were some shenanigans over that Laurel license. HT initially said they would operate the store. Then HT got bought by Kroger who backed out. The developers applied to Annapolis for, and received six on-premise "special district" licenses. The developers then went back to Annapolis the following year and successfully sought to convert one on premise to an off premise. As I understand it, the developer rather than the store and restaurant operators owns all the alcohol licenses, and the licenses are valid only for that location, meaning if the store or restaurants decided to move across the street, the licenses stay put, for the developer to dole out to new tenants.

I'm scandalized at the thought that I share a forum with someone who might smuggle wine into a movie theater. 😀 That said, I think cans will gain acceptance like screw caps, slowly. From an environmental standpoint they are superior to bottles.

Good news.

Britain's best selling political/satirical magazine Private Eye, which steadfastly ignores the interwebby thing, and seen its sales increase, has, since the 1960's run a series of maybe 15-20 regular mini sections that poke fun at the misuse of language in various aspects of life. Colemanballs: is named after a BBC sports reporter who mixed metaphors. Birtspeak: for convoluted jargon, named after BBC boss who was an accomplished practitioner. The flowery output of authors, journalists, and wine critics turns up regularly in Pseuds Corner. Solutions is devoted to the unimaginative use of the word in corporate speak. They also have a series of amusing euphemisms, and running jokes. Regular readers will immediately understand the term "Discussing Uganda" or "having discussions of a Ugandan nature". Famous people drunk in public are described as "tired & emotional". It came about because on the night of JFK's assassination the deputy Prime Minister was commenting on TV while over the limit. Following complaints, the next day his office issued a statement that he had been "tired & emotional". The young mistresses of older men, are known as "the gorgeous pouting miss....".

Just as all cognac is brandy, but not all brandy is cognac, so too, all bespoke is tailored, but not all tailored is bespoke. One is a subset of the other.

I've seen use of the stat that the top 1% pay 40% of all taxes. What I haven't seen, even allowing that it has been reduced to the legal minimum, is what % of all income the top 1% earn. Plus, that 40% presumably includes more than just income tax. I hope the poor are not also paying wealth taxes.

No question the debt problem is getting worse, but economists are not yet up in arms. Most counties have a debt to GDP ratio in the 80 to 120% range

First, a little fun....... An NYT opinion piece written a few weeks ago by an Indian writer who (with good reason) doesn't hold the Brits in particularly high regard......... Malign Incompetence of British Ruling Class

Let's hope the Guv isn't so distracted he forgets to sign it.

Yes, not to be confused with this Astor , still there in the Giant SC. Last time I was in it looked liked it hadn't changed much since the 1880's, and similar for the Giant. There are some modest plans to redevelop that SC, adding residential, but beyond that I don't think they amount to much The old Laurel Mall next door was pulled down and rebuilt with a Harris T. and a new wine store that was built specifically for HT, but they chose not to operate it, and it went to an independent operator. It was the first new liquor store in PG since the mid nineties. It required some legal ju-jitsu in Annapolis.

The first MS I knew, Keith Goldston told me circa 2001, that certification was worth six figures. I got an advanced something or other from WSET in the mid 90's. Never did me much good.