From this vantage point, Codevilla was able to get a close look not only at the international relations elite, but at the entire American ruling class, from which the former are overwhelmingly drawn.

FORBES: Move up http://i.forbesimg.com t Move down

But the ambitious Midlands club, who are backed by multi-millionaire Cecil Duckworth, can now look forward to rubbing shoulders with the English elite.

BBC: SPORT | Rugby Union | English | Worcester gain promotion

"When no-one else would look at Apple, we were there, " says Elite founder Thomas Armes.

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Messi can look to top-ranked tennis player Rafael Nadal as another elite athlete who was reserved when not playing, spoke mostly Spanish and had trouble attracting deals outside of Nike and several regional agreements.

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After the French and Dutch votes, anything smacking of an elite-driven attempt to circumvent the popular will would look awful.

ECONOMIST: Dead, but not yet buried | The

All our family acquaintances have followed the same path: their youth spent trying to make the most of their intelligence, squeezing their studies like a lemon to make sure they'd secure a spot among the elite, then their entire lives wondering with a flabbergasted look on their faces why all that hopefulness has led to such a vain existence.

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It suffers from much condescension of the elite who celebrate classical music, classical dance and theatre but look down upon Bollywood films as vulgar, common and highly unrealistic.

BBC: How Bollywood mirrors Indian realities

But that misses the larger point: that America's economic elite, wherever one may find them and whatever they may look like, have become increasingly detached from the Republican Party.

ECONOMIST: The country-club vote