Friday, October 8, 2010

P.J. O'Rourke and Politics As Ususal

Now with the elections California elections coming up next month we are getting our fill of October surprises.
We've got perpetual candidate Jerry Brown, or possibly his assistant, caught on an audio tape calling Meg Whitman a whore. Then we've got, Gloria Allred, promoting herself as usual, while creating a Nannygate scandal for Whitman.
In other words here in California it's all politics as usual.
So, I was happy to accept an invitation to an event a block away from my office at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel to hear P.J. O'Rourke speak about politics and his new book.
I've been a fan of O'Rourke since the 1980's when I read his "Holidays in Hell" and I've been reading his books ever since.
"Don't Vote it Just Encourages The Bastards" is a very amusing book that manages to mix the serious political theory of Adam Smith, Thomas Paine, John Locke and Thomas Jefferson and their ideas of power, freedom and responsibility with the verbal game Screw, Marry, Kill.  O'Rourke, now the H.L. Menckin Research Fellow of the Cato Institute,  is above all a humorist and a clever chronicler of the political evolution of the baby boom generation.
Needless to say I laughed a lot and I enjoyed myself thoroughly.
So what did I wear...yes the all important question.
The usual 100 plus carats of diamonds of course
No not really, it was a bit much for lunch
Instead in theme with the Cato Institute, I chose the Saint-Gaudens 1924 Liberty Gold Coin set in a Modernist Pendant
here's the detail
Commissioned by President Theodore Roosevelt in the early years of the 20th Century to beautify American coinage, renowned sculptor Auguste Saint-Gaudens set about creating the now famed Double Eagle series. The face of the coin features a beautifully crafted Lady Liberty stepping out of the sun and bearing a staff and olive branch. The word "Liberty" stretches above her head framed by 48 stars which represent the states in the union. The reverse is inscribed the words "United States of America" and "Twenty Dollars" which arch over the finely detailed figure of a bald eagle in flight. Radiating lines, representing the sun, seem to emanate from the words "In God We Trust" inscribed at the bottom of the coin.
(nice description isn't it...that's the kind of fine work we do at Beladora)
and a bunch of gold bracelets 
The first week of October started off with an unseasonal rainstorm.  I was so perplexed by this phenomenon of nature that I was muttering to myself "what does this mean?" like the double rainbow guy
Now, thank god, the sky is clear and we are going to have hot sunny weather again. 
Happy Friday everyone.