Semi-Daily Journal

I think she's right. We tend to forget about products that have become cheap through productivity increases. There is little fuzz about ignition plugs or even cpu-speeds today. Aestethics is part of what there will be left.

Virginia Postrel's new book concerning aesthetics is just about to be released. If it's even half as great as her previous,"The FUTURE AND ITS ENEMIES: The Growing Conflict Over Creativity, Enterprise, and Progress:---it will be utterly fantastic. Also, Ms. Postrel now lives in Texas, and that probably has raised her I.Q. at least another 50 points! Now she will be really brilliant.

This is somewhat off topic - unless you see salad ingredients as part of the stock market, maybe it is closer than I thought.

Anyway, except for a rare dip into the 8900's or so, the stock market has pretty much stayed at 91-9400, for almost a year (with an occational upswing into the 95-9800 range for maybe a week or so). This seems rather odd, considering all the factors out there that could potential effect the market (war, poor economy, a very very long list).

It is almost as if an unseen force was acting on the market to keep it from potentially diving or at least from taking hugh swings, as though to keep the public at calm.

Is there enough capital out there in few enough hands to do this kind of control of the market, (assuming they were working together).

The European markets are also in this kind of limbo, so it would seem that it is a group that would extend beyound any national boarders.

I realize this is kind of tin hat sounding. But for the volitility of the world right now, the market just seems to be stuck in a very narrow range.

“It is almost as if an unseen force was acting on the market to keep it from potentially diving or at least from taking hugh swings, as though to keep the public at calm. “

Well, at least you are not directly quoting from the “Protocols of Zion.” I hope in the near future, however, that you might be able to think of a more plausible conspiracy theory. These so-called "unseen force(s)" are real live men and women who are putting their funds where their mouth is. In other words, they lose money if they invest incorrectly. How many people do you know who are willing to lose large sums of money merely to help the Bush administration?

What's interesting is that McDonalds has skipped the vegetarian trend (ala burger kings veggie burger) and has gone straight for the low carb crowd with these salads (the grilled chicken bacon ranch salad is delish as well). McDonalds and Hersheys will win big by being the first to cater to this growing and increasingly aesthetic population.

"Anyway, except for a rare dip into the 8900's or so, the stock market has pretty much stayed at 91-9400, for almost a year (with an occational upswing into the 95-9800 range for maybe a week or so)."

Huh? The Dow hit a low of 7501 back in March.

As for McDonald's, they have been saying for about six months that they are making the transition away from being a strictly growth company. Among the changes that they are making is upgrading the menu, and focusing on employee retention in order to increase transactions per hour at peak times.

>Arugula and radicchio

Having lost most of the debates in the political arena, liberals have won on their strongest point, cuisine. Nowadays you can get a cappuccino at a truck stop.

Aubergine

Uh, this is an odd group of comments, but:

I'm not sure about arugula, but "balsamic vinegar" is not difficult to afford. No doubt to DT's delight, the term balsamic vinegar is unregulated, and hence has no meaning whatsoever. Therefore, a product that takes years, even centuries, to make has been conflated in the public mind with caramel-colored white vinegar with enough artificial flavoring (and sweetening - love that American sweet tooth) to vaguely resemble the real thing (which most Americans wouldn't recognize if they tasted it).

I appreciate DT pointing out some suspicious implication of international banking conspiracies, but as for his question about people being willing to throw away money to prop up Bush, might I remind him that $2000/plate dinners for Bush now consist of boiled hot dogs on supermarket buns? As in, $.17 of food in exchange for $2000. These folks must be getting _something_ for propping up the Admin with their hard-earned (cough, cough) money.

The real Balsamic vinegar costs a lot, but it's worth every penny.

"Me, I'm fascinated by the fact that McDonalds can afford to put arugula and balsamic vinegar on its ingredient list: it's not an eleemosynary institution, after all."

Someone besides me will be wondering...

eleemosynary, adj.
1. Of, relating to, or dependent on charity.
2. Contributed as an act of charity; gratuitous.

Others have beaten me to it: the stuff that goes by the name of 'balsamic vinegar' in the US, for the most part, is dross. Fortunately, EU regulations mean that there are quality standards that a product has to satisfy in order to be called 'balsamic vinegar of Modena' within the community area.

As for arugula, which I see is what we call 'rocket': well, it's actually pretty cheap and easy to grow and harvest -- especially compared to iceberg lettuce -- seeing as it doesn't require lots of watering or excessive refrigeration after being picked. You can grow it in your garden, and I'd recommend it. It's just that being bitter and peppery, as opposed to crunchy and tasteless, there never was much demand in the Anglo-American market until recently. Call it trickle-down from the chardonnay classes.

>> Also, Ms. Postrel now lives in Texas, and that probably has raised her I.Q. at least another 50 points!

Let's go for a double-dig, and say that Texas is one of the few states to which Ms Postrel could move without her arrival lowering the average per capita IQ. Hoorah for dynamism!