Hero worship never had it so good

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There was actually someone from the class who was so excited that he didn't sleep the entire night before. And, to top it all off, he never got to ask a question. The picture is also not very good unfortunately, but this one is a bit better:

For all you non-capitalists out there, the older man in the middle of the picture is not one of the 2008 MBA class, he's Warren Buffett. Getting to listen to and ask questions of the richest person in the world, the undisputed Heavyweight Champion of Capitalism, is pretty close to a religious experience for a class of 90 corporate acolytes. It's like meeting the Pope. To hear the Pope talk about how he figures selling a family business to a private equity buyer is a bit like selling the painting you've been working on your whole life to a porn shop: "they buy it, make the boobs a little bigger and the lips a little redder, and then put it in the window for sale again. Another porn shop comes along, buys it, makes the boobs even bigger, and bam, it's back in the window for sale again in a couple years." Or, my other person favourite: "I don't need due diligence to tell me if a company is worth buying. You talk with someone and within 5 minutes I can usually tell if there's a deal to be made. It's like a 350 pound man walking through the door: I don't know if he's 350 pounds or only 300, but I certainly know he's fat."

I heard the words "folksy" and "down-home" used later on to describe him...

But really, I found it extremely interesting. He was very up-front in his comments, willing to discuss anything, and extremely articulate. Charming. We were all thoroughly charmed.

I will blog more now. I didn't like blogging in the month of May for some reason. I think I was burned out. I'm less burnt now... the char is wearing off.

- i