Elizabeth David on Food and Wine

Rereading Elizabeth David's classic 1959 essay, An Omelette and a Glass of Wine:

Although there are those who maintain that wine and egg dishes don't go together I must say I do regard a glass or two of wine as not, obviously, essential but at least as an enormous enhancement of the enjoyment of a well-cooked omelette.

We are not in any case considering the great occasion menu but the almost primitive and elemental meal evoked by the words:  Let's just have an omelette and a glass of wine.

One of the main points about the enjoyment of food and wine seems to me to lie in having what you want when you want it and in the particular combination you fancy.

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Sam Harris on the Reality of Islam

Sam Harris writing on the TruthDig website:

It is time we recognized—and obliged the Muslim world to recognize—that “Muslim extremism” is not extreme among Muslims.  Mainstream Islam itself represents an extremist rejection of intellectual honesty, gender equality, secular politics and genuine pluralism.  The truth about Islam is as politically incorrect as it is terrifying:  Islam is all fringe and no center.  In Islam, we confront a civilization with an arrested history.

The idea that Islam is a “peaceful religion hijacked by extremists” is a dangerous fantasy—and it is now a particularly dangerous fantasy for Muslims to indulge.  It is not at all clear how we should proceed in our dialogue with the Muslim world, but deluding ourselves with euphemisms is not the answer.

Let us now acknowledge the obvious:  there is a direct link between the doctrine of Islam and Muslim violence.  Acknowledging this link remains especially taboo among political liberals.  While liberals are leery of religious fundamentalism in general, they consistently imagine that all religions at their core teach the same thing and teach it equally well.  This is one of the many delusions borne of political correctness.

The world, from the point of view of Islam, is divided into the “House of Islam” and the “House of War,” and this latter designation should indicate how Muslims believe their differences with those who do not share their faith will be ultimately resolved.  While there are undoubtedly some moderate Muslims who have decided to overlook the irrescindable militancy of their religion, Islam is undeniably a religion of conquest.  The only future devout Muslims can envisage—as Muslims—is one in which all infidels have been converted to Islam, politically subjugated, or killed.

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A Notorious Romantic Contradiction

By the essence and nature of existence, contradictions cannot exist.  If you find one, check your premises.  You will find that one of them is wrong.
Ayn Rand, 1957

Let's have a look at two well-known truths which apparently form a contradiction:

• Women like the bad boys
• Women want to partner/marry/have-children-with nice guys

On the face of it, this is clearly a contradiction.  Perhaps some women want one or the other.  But in my experience, many women want both.  Quite the conundrum.

So is it possible to construct a scenario where women can want and have both without the existence of a contradiction?

What if a woman believes that she can change him?  Him being the chosen bad boy.  Well, people do believe all kinds of crazy things.

Or, what if the woman knows she cannot change him, but what she really wants, what she secretly desires, is that he will voluntary give up his bad boy ways - for her.  Then she can have both her bad boy AND a nice partner sans contradiction.  Hey, she might even let him keep his Harley.

Both of these scenarios go a long way towards explaining why otherwise smart women continuously date cads.

Let me tell you a happy/sad story about my friends, Mr. & Mrs. G.  Now, when Mr. G. was a young man, he was a first class bad-ass.  We'll leave it at that, but we all know the type.  He met the future Mrs. G. in school and they dated on-again, off-again through high school and college.  While Mr. G. was a real jerk, future Mrs. G. thought he was just dreamy.  Dangerously dreamy.  Okay, first rule above:  Check.

Today, Mr. & Mrs. G. are in their mid-forties, have been married twenty-plus years, and have two teenage daughters.  Now, here's the thing:  Mr. G. is one of the nicest guys I know.  Second rule above:  Check.

What happened to the jerk?  Well I'll tell you.  He changed.  I know this couple pretty well, and there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that he changed for her.  And, he's not faking it.  He wanted to make her happy and hold on to her long term.  They will both tell you so.

So what is the point of this story?  That women can have both?  No, absolutely not.  Because Mr. & Mrs. G. are the exceptions.  Sure, they exist (this is a true story) and we might all know similar people, but here's the thing - they are not the rule.  That is why this is a sad story.  Women believe that this is, if not the rule, at least possible.  And that they too can be the exception.  Women over-estimate their ability to have both.

So because women cannot change him and because most-often he will not change for her, we get a lot of sad, sometimes even abusive, relationships.  And to make it worse, many times these same women bring this same mindset to their next relationship and it happens all over again.  Different jerk, same result.  Imagine that.

So my dear women readers (if I have any left), would it not be easier (and better odds) to just start with the nice guys?  Yes, yes, I know:  Too safe, too boring; where's the danger, where's the excitement?

Besides, you are clearly the exception.

Have a nice day.

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Price Signaling as a Quality Indicator

Firms often use pricing to signal product quality to potential customers. That is, people assume that if a product costs more, it must therefore have a higher quality. Firms know this, take advantage of it, and price accordingly.

Now we all know, sometimes we get what we pay for and sometimes we do not. Odds are if you buy a Lexus sedan you will get a better driving experience than if you buy a Ford. Therefore, millions of us are willing to splurge on a Lexus or a BMW.

But what happens when we pay the higher price only to find the product quality does not live up to our expectations? Well, we feel cheated. Generally, these firms, or at least these particular products, don’t stay around long.

However, what happens when the consumer has limited information or knowledge about the product by which to judge the quality? And worse, even after purchase may not be perfectly able to judge the quality of the product. This can be caused by customer inexperience or transaction complexity or even hidden factors. Economists call this Asymmetric Information.

In this case, should the consumer use price as a measure of product quality?

Regardless of how you answer that question, people do it every day. That is, even without knowing a great deal about a product or service, people will still assume that higher price means higher quality.

Over the long run this is not only bad for the consumer, it is also bad for the firm. The firm will get a reputation for offering a weak value proposition.

What's more, this state can only last as long as customers, or new customers, remain uninformed. If the market or product becomes easier for the customer to understand, the firm will have to adapt to the new reality, or die.
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Berman on Islamic Terror

From The New York Times Magazine

Paul Berman:  The Philosopher of Islamic Terror

23 March 2003

(Archive)

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