Saturday, January 20, 2007
Midways Time
On the Moneyed Midways, which gleans posts from management, finance, and business-related blog carnivals, is up at Political Calculations.
Inside Straight
If you are considering an escape to Las Vegas, Inc. magazine has assembled some great suggestions from insiders.
Reading Wall Street
Stephen Frey gives his top five list of books about Wall Street.
I've only read The Bonfire of the Vanities and Liar's Poker. Each is outstanding.
I've only read The Bonfire of the Vanities and Liar's Poker. Each is outstanding.
Quote of the Day
That which is not good for the beehive cannot be good for the bees.
- Marcus Aurelius
- Marcus Aurelius
Friday, January 19, 2007
Great Writing Appetizer
There was a desert wind blowing that night. It was one of those hot dry Santa Anas that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight. Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands' necks. Anything can happen. You can even get a full glass of beer at a cocktail lounge.
- Raymond Chandler, short story "Red Wind, 1938
- Raymond Chandler, short story "Red Wind, 1938
Did You Hear the One About the Horse and the Chicken?
For a brief, early weekend, humor break, check out this video and keep an eye on the horse and the chicken.
Tuition Blues
Forbes looks at America's most expensive universities.
What's missing is the significant extent to which grants and scholarships are available.
What's missing is the significant extent to which grants and scholarships are available.
Masochism Update
From an interview in The Independent (via The Australian), author Martin Amis on the apologists of the Far Left:
QUESTION: What is the most depressing thing about Britain you have observed in recent times? And the best?
Amis: The most depressing thing was the sight of middle-class white demonstrators, last August, waddling around under placards saying, We Are All Hezbollah Now. Well, make the most of being Hezbollah while you can. As its leader, Hasan Nasrallah, famously advised the West: "We don't want anything from you. We just want to eliminate you."
Similarly, when I went on (BBC television program) Question Time the other week, a woman in the audience, her voice quavering with self-righteousness, presented the following argument: since it was America that supported Osama bin Laden when he was fighting the Russians, the US armed forces, in response to September 11, "should be dropping bombs on themselves". And the audience applauded. It is quite an achievement.
People of liberal sympathies, stupefied by relativism, have become the apologists for a creedal wave that is racist, misogynist, homophobic, imperialist and genocidal. To put it another way, they are up the arse of those that want them dead.
[HT: Tim Blair ]
QUESTION: What is the most depressing thing about Britain you have observed in recent times? And the best?
Amis: The most depressing thing was the sight of middle-class white demonstrators, last August, waddling around under placards saying, We Are All Hezbollah Now. Well, make the most of being Hezbollah while you can. As its leader, Hasan Nasrallah, famously advised the West: "We don't want anything from you. We just want to eliminate you."
Similarly, when I went on (BBC television program) Question Time the other week, a woman in the audience, her voice quavering with self-righteousness, presented the following argument: since it was America that supported Osama bin Laden when he was fighting the Russians, the US armed forces, in response to September 11, "should be dropping bombs on themselves". And the audience applauded. It is quite an achievement.
People of liberal sympathies, stupefied by relativism, have become the apologists for a creedal wave that is racist, misogynist, homophobic, imperialist and genocidal. To put it another way, they are up the arse of those that want them dead.
[HT: Tim Blair ]
Let the Customer Pick the Flavor
I had a conversation today that reminded me of a lesson learned years ago:
You don't want to be pushing Rocky Road when the customer wants plain vanilla.
That concept is simple but it can be baffling for those of us who have a passion for certain topics. As quality zealots, we find it difficult to understand why a person of discernment would prefer plain old anything when they can also have a new, improved version.
The typical exchange goes like this:
Customer: "I'd like some vanilla ice cream, please."
Zealot: "That's a good choice but our chocolate is fantastic and it is even better with marshmallows."
Customer: "I think vanilla will hit the spot."
Zealot: "The nuts! Did I forget to mention the nuts? Rocky Road also has nuts in it! The total taste combination is really quite amazing. Let me get you some Rocky Road."
Customer (Still patient but glancing at the door): "No thanks. Vanilla will be very nice."
So we give a small sigh and scoop up the vanilla and worry about the customer's judgment.
It's our own judgment we need to consider.
After all, the customer didn't request rat poison or ground glass. We were not attempting to push them out of the way of a speeding train. A person asks for a perfectly fine product and, like a dolt, we keep insisting on our choice, not the customer's.
And then one day we finally realize a core business truth:
The customer determines the market for a particular product. Not the professors. Not the critics. Not the scientists or analysts. It is the customer's choice.
You'll find plenty of people who will want Rocky Road, but always be prepared to sell vanilla.
You don't want to be pushing Rocky Road when the customer wants plain vanilla.
That concept is simple but it can be baffling for those of us who have a passion for certain topics. As quality zealots, we find it difficult to understand why a person of discernment would prefer plain old anything when they can also have a new, improved version.
The typical exchange goes like this:
Customer: "I'd like some vanilla ice cream, please."
Zealot: "That's a good choice but our chocolate is fantastic and it is even better with marshmallows."
Customer: "I think vanilla will hit the spot."
Zealot: "The nuts! Did I forget to mention the nuts? Rocky Road also has nuts in it! The total taste combination is really quite amazing. Let me get you some Rocky Road."
Customer (Still patient but glancing at the door): "No thanks. Vanilla will be very nice."
So we give a small sigh and scoop up the vanilla and worry about the customer's judgment.
It's our own judgment we need to consider.
After all, the customer didn't request rat poison or ground glass. We were not attempting to push them out of the way of a speeding train. A person asks for a perfectly fine product and, like a dolt, we keep insisting on our choice, not the customer's.
And then one day we finally realize a core business truth:
The customer determines the market for a particular product. Not the professors. Not the critics. Not the scientists or analysts. It is the customer's choice.
You'll find plenty of people who will want Rocky Road, but always be prepared to sell vanilla.
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