Obama’s “historic” win

The New Neo Posted on by

Obama won enough delegates yesterday to almost certainly become the 2008 Democratic Presidential nominee. A number of articles about that fact make use of the word “historic.” Indeed, it is.

Of course, if Hillary Clinton had won the nomination instead, it would have been equally historic. Obama would/will be the first African-American to secure the Presidential nomination of either major party, but Hillary would have been the first woman. And, if the two manage to unite the ticket as running mates, it will be doubly historic—or perhaps even historic squared. Continue reading →

Hillary, the VP spot, and that bucket of warm whatever (is she better off with Obama or without him?)

The New Neo Posted on by

Even a decisive win for Hillary today in both South Dakota and Montana—which is unlikely, but which could cause the superdelegates to think twice about Obama—might not save her Presidential aspirations.

Hillary’s goose appears to be cooked. The fat lady is starting to practice her scales. The writing’s on the wall.

But what about the Veep spot? Can Hillary stomach being number two to Obama’s number one? And can he stomach having the Clintons under him? Continue reading →

Those fashionable stars: whatever were they thinking?

The New Neo Posted on by

I don’t know about you, but it always puzzles me when women who could look good in just about anything choose clothes designed to make them look as bad as possible.

Maybe it’s just too boring to look fabulous all the time. Maybe it’s the need to have that certain trendy edge.

But, whatever were these particular “stars” (not that I’ve ever heard of most of them) thinking when they chose their ensembles for the MTV movie awards (a ceremony I haven’t heard of before, either)?

First up we have a look I recall from the early-to-mid 60s—that’s the part of the 60s that wasn’t really the 60s, but rather the 50s morphing into the 60s. The design was called the balloon back then, and it was one of the most unflattering ever, featuring a puffy tucked-under skirt.

Now it’s been updated and made even uglier by a puffy balloon top as well: Continue reading →

The WaPo has a surge of its own—of reason, regarding Iraq

The New Neo Posted on by

Yesterday’s WaPo editorial, “The Iraqi Upturn,” is an indication that improvements in Iraq have gotten so noticeable that even the MSM is having trouble maintaining its denial of that fact.

The subtitle of the piece acknowledges as much when it says [emphasis mine]: “Don’t look now, but the U.S.-backed government and army may be winning the war.”

Now, why do you suppose the Wapo would jokingly caution its readers not to look, as though viewing news of success in Iraq requires a person to glance away or to peek through the fingers as though repelled by a sight in a horror film? Shouldn’t the news be welcome? Continue reading →

Academia: a self-perpetuating closed shop

The New Neo Posted on by

We’ve all heard of the obfuscating fog of war. Yesterday there was an article by Crispin Sartwell in the LA Times entitled “The Smog of Academic Consensus.”

Sartwell notes that the University of Colorado is proposing to endow a chair in “Conservative Studies,” much like those for other special interest minority groups. This is not as peculiar as it may seem at first blush: in academia, conservatives are most definitely a minority. And this particular university may be trying to make up for such previous affronts to critical thinking as its former professor Ward Churchill, who became chair of its Ethnic Studies department despite a singular lack of credentials, qualifications, or even basic common sense.

How much of a minority are conservatives in the field of higher education? Continue reading →

Forget the Tupperware—let’s have a miracle fruit party

The New Neo Posted on by

It’s called miracle fruit, and it seems like something out of Brave New World. It’s not an item engineered by modern science, though, but an African berry that’s been known to Westerners since the 18th century.

Recently it’s become the sensation (literally) at parties where guests pop one in the mouth and then revel in the fact that such low-cal, ordinarily sour foods as citrus wedges, Brussels sprouts, mustard, vinegars, and pickles eaten within an hour or so afterwards become overwhelmingly sweet. Continue reading →

Obama’s not a detail man: is this the real end of history?

The New Neo Posted on by

Obama’s fast becoming nearly as famous for gaffes as Yogi Berra. But Berra’s often made sense; Obama’s never do.

That said, not all of Obama’s errors are created equal. Some fall into the category of slips of the tongue—after all, even his enemies don’t really think Obama believes there are 57 states.

Obama’s most recent error—which concentration camp his uncle (actually, great-uncle) helped liberate—has been blown way out of proportion. As soon as I heard the story, I was nearly certain it was basically true but that he’d gotten the camp wrong.

This is not a case of “lying,” as some have charged, nor of course did Obama’s uncle serve in the Russian Army, as some tongues-in-cheek have suggested. But still, the mistake is a bit more disturbing than his “Heinz 57 states” error. Continue reading →

Bush and McCain, Obama and et al: in a shadow

The New Neo Posted on by

There used to be no love lost between Bush and McCain. But paradoxically, the war in Iraq, which divided Bush from much of the nation, caused McCain to come closer and to even defend him.

Now McCain is in an odd position re Bush. He knows about Bush’s high unfavorability ratings, but he also knows that Bush is the nominal head of the Republican Party and still able to raise money from the base, which McCain sorely needs. He also knows that Obama is hot to taint him with the brush of “McCain is just another Bush,” because if successful that approach would be the best way to defeat McCain in the fall.

And so when McCain joined with Bush for a fundraiser and yet barred the press, Obama lost no time making the connection: Continue reading →

Popular vote reigns supreme for the Dems—as long as it’s expedient

The New Neo Posted on by

Even though I was a Democrat at the time, had voted for Gore and disliked Bush, in the spine-tingling days of the back-and-forth after the 2000 Presidential election I recognized that whoever played the best game in overtime would win.

The election, as far as I could see, was a dead heat. Who actually won would be determined by a series of twistings and turnings, some of them legal, and each man had as good a claim as the other. When Bush won, although I was bitterly disappointed, I did not feel cheated. He had gamed the rules the best, and if Gore hadn’t been able to do so then he deserved to lose. Continue reading →

“Caught” in mid-air

The New Neo Posted on by

David Parsons is not a well-known dancer/choreographer, except among dance aficionados. But his company, which I’ve followed for decades, is most definitely worth watching.

In 1982 Parsons choreographed a solo with strobe lights known as “Caught.” I’ve seen it about four times and it never fails to astound, nor does it pall. One of the reasons I attend performances of his dance company so often is in hopes that this piece will be danced that particular night.

And so I thought to check out You Tube to see whether there’s a video that “catches” the dance’s essence. The following is the best I can do. It’s only a minute long, and the fun (and the strobe) doesn’t really start until halfway into it, at around 36 seconds. What’s more, the illusion on a small two-dimensional computer screen has nothing like the impact of the three-dimensional kinetics on stage.

But it’s still pretty amazing: