Not talking about money has always struck me as particularly wrong. How else are you supposed to know what to do? I don't know exactly how much my brothers or their wives make, because they don't want to say, and this strikes me as exactly wrong; even if the information is somewhat confidential, am I not a confidant? Not talking about salaries in my competitive field (software) seems especially silly because demand is high and we aren't really competing against each other, just against the perceived market rate.
Most Europeans know nothing about either American presidential candidate other than that Obama is closer to the mainstream in EU politics than McCain. For emphasis, the people I talked to are generally much smarter and better read than the average European (such is the nature of the conference). To say they know nothing about US politics or history is an understatement - even for our UK cousins. Over the years (and conferences) I have developed a 60-second "elevator pitch" about federalism and the US political system. On US involvement in world history I have an extra minute for the English (who love to kill the French) and the French (who love to kill the English).
* Gossip is another issue altogether. I hate it like the plague; you are supposed to hate it but I had to learn the lesson more specifically. I learned that lesson in college when I turned a close friend into just-a-friend by talking loosely. I'm still loose with my own "secrets" but I guard others' jealously. As a bonus there is a balancing mental and moral reward for taking secrets to your grave, even trivial ones. Also, many "secrets" are just "embargoes" - e.g. a friend told me "I'm going to marry that girl" and I just had to say nothing for a year. Easy peesey.
** This note attached to nothing. The British and Germans have never heard of Hayek and the French have never heard of Tocqueville or Lafayette. I'm sure I've never heard of some major French or British figures but these guys were so major big in revolutions and conflicts that I am shocked that the names never come up. For instance to no Frenchman does "Lafayette, Nous Voila!" mean a damned thing, and it damned well should.