Comments on: Changing skill set in the oldest profession in the world http://alifinmath.wordpress.com/2008/03/11/changing-skill-set-in-the-oldest-profession-in-the-world/ Mostly quant stuff with occasional digressions Fri, 16 May 2008 10:30:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU By: alifinmath http://alifinmath.wordpress.com/2008/03/11/changing-skill-set-in-the-oldest-profession-in-the-world/#comment-148 alifinmath Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:23:14 +0000 http://alifinmath.wordpress.com/?p=242#comment-148 This is an addendum to a comment in my post that the physical is only one component in a transaction between a high-class call girl and her client. I was discussing this with a pal of mine yesterday and he mentioned an old short story by Woody Allen: "The Whore of Mensa." I searched for it online and found it here: http://woodyallenitalia.tripod.com/short-uk.html It's about girls who sell their ability to chat about matters intellectual to customers who are deprived of such pleasures. It's absolutely hilarious and I'll get a printout for myself. Oh, and before I forget, here's a male being used as an intellectual whore: http://www.intellectualwhores.com/whyiw.html This is an addendum to a comment in my post that the physical is only one component in a transaction between a high-class call girl and her client. I was discussing this with a pal of mine yesterday and he mentioned an old short story by Woody Allen: “The Whore of Mensa.” I searched for it online and found it here:

http://woodyallenitalia.tripod.com/short-uk.html

It’s about girls who sell their ability to chat about matters intellectual to customers who are deprived of such pleasures. It’s absolutely hilarious and I’ll get a printout for myself.

Oh, and before I forget, here’s a male being used as an intellectual whore:

http://www.intellectualwhores.com/whyiw.html

]]> By: alifinmath http://alifinmath.wordpress.com/2008/03/11/changing-skill-set-in-the-oldest-profession-in-the-world/#comment-147 alifinmath Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:27:05 +0000 http://alifinmath.wordpress.com/?p=242#comment-147 I'm not au fait with how drug money (and money from other nefarious activities) is moved around. I do know it probably runs into trillions every year. And I recall a US GAO report of 1995 claiming Citibank was the world's premier money-laundering organisation. And I do know only a small percentage of these flows are ever detected.If my information isn't obsolete, any wire transfer of over $10,000 is reported by the banks to the Feds. So at one time, people were doing multiple transfers of sums a bit smaller (say, $8,000). The world is awash with hot money. I just don't know how it's done. Generally the Feds turn a blind eye towards prostitution and money-laundering (there's so much of the former going on that trying to eradicate it would be similar to reimposing prohibition). The story I've heard is that Wall Street types pressed for inter-state prostitution to be made a federal crime and then pressed the Feds to go after Spitzer. There may be different accounts circulating. I'm not sure what the exact charge against Spitzer is (if any); it seems to be more a case of flagrant hypocrisy. If he had been a Wall Street-friendly Republican type, probably nothing would have happened. After all, Craig is still a senator. I’m not au fait with how drug money (and money from other nefarious activities) is moved around. I do know it probably runs into trillions every year. And I recall a US GAO report of 1995 claiming Citibank was the world’s premier money-laundering organisation. And I do know only a small percentage of these flows are ever detected.If my information isn’t obsolete, any wire transfer of over $10,000 is reported by the banks to the Feds. So at one time, people were doing multiple transfers of sums a bit smaller (say, $8,000). The world is awash with hot money. I just don’t know how it’s done.

Generally the Feds turn a blind eye towards prostitution and money-laundering (there’s so much of the former going on that trying to eradicate it would be similar to reimposing prohibition). The story I’ve heard is that Wall Street types pressed for inter-state prostitution to be made a federal crime and then pressed the Feds to go after Spitzer. There may be different accounts circulating. I’m not sure what the exact charge against Spitzer is (if any); it seems to be more a case of flagrant hypocrisy. If he had been a Wall Street-friendly Republican type, probably nothing would have happened. After all, Craig is still a senator.

]]> By: Chris Prouty http://alifinmath.wordpress.com/2008/03/11/changing-skill-set-in-the-oldest-profession-in-the-world/#comment-146 Chris Prouty Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:04:06 +0000 http://alifinmath.wordpress.com/?p=242#comment-146 Ironically, their meticulous bookkeeping will likely be their undoing. The Feds famously broke the mob not by convicting them on the basis of murder, extortion, loan sharking, etc, but instead on charges of tax evasion. I'm surprised high-buck criminals haven't figured it out yet: if you're moving millions in illicit funds, the only acceptable medium is cash or precious metals – and for God’s sake don’t document the transactions. As an aside, I've read that drug traffickers are increasingly using Euro notes because 1) they are worth 50% more than dollars and 2) they are issued in 500 Euro denominations, a practice that was discontinued in U.S. currency specifically to discourage the transmission of drug money. Ironically, their meticulous bookkeeping will likely be their undoing. The Feds famously broke the mob not by convicting them on the basis of murder, extortion, loan sharking, etc, but instead on charges of tax evasion. I’m surprised high-buck criminals haven’t figured it out yet: if you’re moving millions in illicit funds, the only acceptable medium is cash or precious metals – and for God’s sake don’t document the transactions.

As an aside, I’ve read that drug traffickers are increasingly using Euro notes because 1) they are worth 50% more than dollars and 2) they are issued in 500 Euro denominations, a practice that was discontinued in U.S. currency specifically to discourage the transmission of drug money.

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