In the anti-theft pharmacy

The New Neo Posted on by

Where I live, I sometimes see certain products under lock and key in pharmacies and supermarkets. But it’s not too many things, and it hasn’t really impacted my shopping much.

But visiting relatives recently in certain cities where the practice is widespread was a sobering experience. It seems to have gotten worse in recent years, to the point where at least half the products in a drugstore are displayed locked behind hard see-through plastic, with little buzzers here and there for calling the attendant to open the magic doors.

It’s a depressing environment that changes the entire shopping experience and made me think twice and three times about whether I wanted to buy anything, or just order it online. Talk about low-trust societies! And it does no good to go to another store; they’re all like that in these municipalities.

It’s also strangely random in terms of what products are chosen for this treatment. For example, in one store the vitamins and supplements and hair ornaments were mostly out in the open, despite being relatively expensive. Only one brand of vitamin was locked up, and it didn’t cost more than the others. At the same time, many low-cost items like my toothpaste (about two dollars per large tube) and those little cotton pads for removing makeup (two dollars for a package of eighty) required the attendant to be summoned to unlock the case and get out the precious commodity.

Go figure.

I think we’re morphing into a society in which brick and mortar store shopping is a thing of the past.

Roundup for the first day of 2026

The New Neo Posted on by

(1) Mamdani is sworn in as the mayor of New York. Hard to believe, but true, with the following cast of characters and in the following setting:

The 34-year-old Queens state assemblyman was sworn in on a Quran as the city’s 112th mayor — and its second-youngest — by state Attorney General Letitia James on Thursday morning below City Hall Park in a grand, abandoned old subway stop with his wife, artist Rama Duwaji, by his side.

There will be another ceremony, too, with another setting and a slightly different cast of characters:

Mamdani’s subway station ceremony — a small event with few members of the media in attendance — will be followed later Thursday afternoon by a jubilant block-party bash, where thousands will watch outside City Hall as US Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) again swears in the new mayor.

(2) More on the Iran protests, with some deaths reported:

Deaths were reported in Lordegan, Kuhdasht, and Isfahan, though casualty figures vary between state media and rights groups.
The Revolutionary Guards said one member of its Basij paramilitary unit was killed in Kuhdasht, with 13 others wounded. Rights group Hengaw identified the man as a protester, contradicting official claims.

What ultimately happens depends on how willing the protesters are to risk being killed, how many there are, and how willing the authorities are to crack down violently.

The Iranian president has this to say – too little, too late, and missing quite a bit:

If people are dissatisfied, we are to blame—not America or anyone else.

It is our responsibility to manage resources properly, improve efficiency and productivity, and solve the people’s problems.

Our failures are the result of poor management.

(3) Trump is pausing federal child care payments to all states while fraud investigations proceed. How big will the scandal be revealed to be?

Shipwreckedcrew summarizes much of the information about the Minnesota fraud cases so far.

(4) And then there are the voting laws in Minnesota, which allow an especially generous form of address “vouching”:

A controversial Minnesota election policy that allows a single registered voter to “vouch” for up to eight people seeking same-day registration is under fire amid the state’s massive fraud scandal tied to the Somali community there.

Under Minnesota law, the registered voter must go with the person or people they are vouching for to the polling place and sign an oath verifying their address, according to the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State.

“A registered voter from your precinct can go with you to the polling place to sign an oath confirming your address. This is known as ‘vouching.’ A registered voter can vouch for up to eight voters,” the website reads.

More at the link.

(5) Many are feared dead in a New Year’s Eve fire at a Swiss report. Horrible:

The Crans-Montana resort is best known as an international ski and golf venue, and overnight, its crowded Le Constellation bar morphed from a scene of revelry into the site of potentially one of Switzerland’s worst tragedies. …

Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV they were inside when they saw a male bartender lifting a female bartender on his shoulders as she held a lit candle in a bottle. The flames spread, collapsing the wooden ceiling, they told the broadcaster.

One of the women described a crowd surge as people frantically tried to escape from a basement nightclub up a narrow flight of stairs and through a narrow door.

I would think there would be better laws in Switzerland – of all places – about egress from a basement nightclub venue.

RIP.

New Year’s Eve – what are you doing?

The New Neo Posted on by

And me? Glad you asked.

This year I’m visiting relatives and there’s actually a party tonight.

Staying up till midnight is ordinarily no problem for me, since I’m a night owl and always have been. Actually, even when young, I had somewhat of an aversion to New Year’s Eve. To the idea of a night when you were supposed to have fun or else. A reminder of the speedy passage of time. With alcohol drinking. And the obligatory midnight kiss, which wasn’t a fun moment if you didn’t like your date.

Once or twice I went to Times Square to see the ball go down in person and not just on TV. Curiously, those were some of my better New Year’s Eves. Maybe it was the people I was with those nights. We ate at Tad’s Steaks, just for laughs, but Tad’s wasn’t bad at all.

And six years ago the very last Tad’s in New York City closed down. I had no idea any of them had lasted that long.

So let’s drink to Tad’s:

The cafeteria-style chophouse is known for hawking inexpensive meat-and-potato dinners on red trays — meals that cost little more than $1 each when the first one opened in 1957. A steak lunch today can be had for as little as $9.

At its height, Tad’s had eight New York locations out of 28 nationwide. But come Jan. 5, 2020, the red neon sign in the window advertising “broiled” steaks at 761 Seventh Ave. will go dark — as will the vast grill that played host to smoky “steak shows,” where dozens of cuts could be grilled at once during the thick of lunch hour.

Happy New Year, everyone! I’m very grateful for all of you. Here’s to a wonderful 2026, full of love, joy, and good health!

[NOTE: Much of this appeared in previous posts.]

Bye bye 2025

The New Neo Posted on by

When I look back, I see a cycle of upswing that began in July of 2024 with Trump’s near-miraculous survival of an assassination attempt and then his election, which continued in January of 2025 with his inauguration and his subsequent frenzy of activity to undo some of the worst policies of the Biden years.

But then in September of 2025 it seemed that a new cycle began with the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Those two assassination attempts – one failed and one horrifically successful – seem like bookends to me. Since September of 2025 the right has seen a slight fracturing that doesn’t bode well for the next election, and a rising general restlessness and dissatisfaction.

For me personally, this year has brought some very serious illnesses of friends and loved ones, and although most of those people are now holding their own, that aspect of things has been difficult and remains so.

On the other hand, I take tremendous joy in my grandchildren and am very grateful for their existence.

And I am very glad to have finally finished the Vanderleun poetry book. That certainly was a learning experience.

Let’s hear it for 2026. I wish health and happiness to you and your families and friends, and plenty of good things for this country and the world.

The ten best movies of 2025

The New Neo Posted on by

None.

I haven’t seen a single movie that came out in 2025. If you have any nominations for the “best” list, be my guest.

But I was thinking – what are my ten favorite movies of all time? That’s a difficult task, but a lot more fun. So here they are, in no particular order:

(1) Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet (1968). Saw it in a movie theater when it came out; wide-screen. Immediately loved it and still do today. An inspired idea to cast actual teenagers in the lead roles, but it wouldn’t have worked so well if these particular teenagers hadn’t been excellent actors and physically beautiful. I cried all the way through it and still do.

(2) Groundhog Day (1993). Funny, poignant, and ultimately philosophical. I’ve written about this film many times on the blog.

(3) The Lives of Others (2006). Brilliant reflection on life in East Germany under surveillance and the constant threat of surveillance.

(4) Wuthering Heights (1939). It’s schmaltzy, it doesn’t follow the book much and softens the Heathcliff character a great deal, but Olivier is young and riveting and the music gives me chills.

(5) The Wizard of Oz (1939). Magical, then and now. As a child, I felt the change to Oz and color film was the best thing ever, and Ray Bolger’s dancing wasn’t far behind. Did I appreciate Judy Garland’s phenomenal singing? Probably not. But I do now.

(6) The Great Escape (1963). Saw it in a movie theater when it first came out. I was old enough to understand and appreciate it (including the male pulchritude on display) but young enough to be shocked at the ending.

(7) Ballad of a Soldier (1959). A Russian movie, it came to this country during the Khrushchev “thaw.” A relative took me to see it – in black-and-white and with English subtitles – in a Manhattan movie “art” theater. It remains extraordinarily touching. Another one that makes me cry and cry.

(8) The Sixth Sense (1999). Yes, it’s probably gimmicky. But what a twist! Best twist ever.

(9) Some Like It Hot (1959). Another film I saw in a movie theater when first released, and I was almost undoubtedly too young for it. But it’s one of the funniest movies of all time, and I got the humor – for the most part.

(10) Marriage Italian Style (1964) (note: not Divorce Italian Style). Loren and Mastroianni. Do not – I repeat, do not – get the dubbed version; only the subtitled version. Loren is at her funniest and yet most moving. Mastroianni does what he does best: playing the charming heel. All wrapped up in a satisfying plot.

I can easily think of others to add, perhaps just as worthy. But that’s my first take, and I’ll leave it.

Note what’s left out: Citizen Kane and The Godfather, both of which leave me cold. Gone With the Wind, which has its pluses but just isn’t a favorite for me. 2001 definitely might have made it, but probably belongs somewhere in the top twenty instead. Same with Rebecca, Jane Eyre, and Splendor In the Grass. Nothing in the Star Wars genre would ever make the cut; I saw the original in an LA movie theater with the sound cranked up to painful heights, and otherwise it bored me tremendously. I have a distinct fondness for Scorsese’s After Hours, but again it probably should be in my top twenty rather than top ten.

Demonstrations in Iran – once again

The New Neo Posted on by

We’ve seen this before, over and over: the people of Iran against the mullahs, the stirrings of hope and defiance, and the suppression of the movement.

Is there any reason to believe the cycle won’t simply repeat itself this time? Turning points in these sorts of revolts tend to occur when the police or military turn on the regime and refuse to enforce order. I haven’t read any sign of that happening in Iran right now, but when it occurs it can be sudden.

Meanwhile:

Independent analysts warned the unrest reflects deeper structural strains. The OSINT research group SpecialEurasia said in an assessment on Tuesday that Iran’s internal stability has reached a “critical threshold,” citing the convergence of currency collapse, renewed international sanctions and chronic water and energy shortages. The group noted that the participation of bazaar merchants, traditionally a pillar of regime support, signals declining confidence in the state’s economic management and raises the risk of prolonged unrest.

There’s also this news:

Reports from across the country indicate that shop owners in other cities, including the western city of Hamedan and the southern island of Qeshm, have also joined the protests by closing their stores. Slogans such as “death to the dictator” and “Seyyed Ali (Khamenei) will be toppled this year,” referring to Iran’s supreme leader, were heard in Qeshm and Zanjan, according to reports. …

Video and pictures coming from different cities in Iran show a heavy police and security force presence at the ongoing protests, with some video showing the police using tear gas against protestors.

That last paragraph – not a good sign.

The fraud scandal grows and grows and grows

The New Neo Posted on by

It is already so large that I can’t cover all the angles. Luckily, I don’t have to, because a roundup will serve.

(1) Excellent point:

If welfare and redistribution were really about helping people, then their proponents should care *more* about fraud. That’s money not going to the stated purpose of these programs. Their hostility to all scrutiny proves their stated goals were always lies. It’s just patronage.

(2) And from Stephen Miller, about the reporting on the subject:

I guess the question is why did the New York Times allow a kid with an iPhone to put millions of eyeballs on this instead of them.

Journalists would love to answer this question but they can’t. It’s lunacy. It’s industry suicide because they don’t want to called racist by their colleagues and they don’t want to do anything that might prove Donald Trump’s administration right on *a thing* like *anything*

(3) Transparency, not:

Stunning – it appears they have taken down the license look-up website so Minnesotans can’t see who the Medicaid service providers are or what licensing violations they may have.

(4) As Minnesota goes, so goes Ohio>?:

After the fraud scandal in Minnesota, a TikToker decided to investigate daycare centers in Ohio, which has the country’s second-largest Somali population.

By plugging the addresses into Google Maps, he discovered that many of the buildings didn’t look like typical childcare facilities—lacking playgrounds, proper signage, and even having blacked-out windows.

(5) DHS is investigating suspected fraud sites in Minnesota.

(6) Is this magnitude of fraud a possibility? I don’t know where the figure is coming from. But there’s little doubt that we’re talking about a very large figure:

It’s a very real possibility that the United States is looking at over $2.5 trillion/year in fraud from state and federal entitlements.

That’s more than next year’s estimated federal budget deficit.

This is a national security issue.

(7) Glenn Reynolds observes that, so far, there’s no evidence that Walz has committed a crime, and so he probably can’t be tried for anything. But this is what Reynolds says about the press coverage:

… [W]ith Walz on the Democratic presidential ticket in 2024, why did no national or local “mainstream” journalists look into all this?

Given the previous prosecutions [in Minnesota is similar fraud cases years ago], the background of a state’s governor on a national ticket should be a top priority for any honest press.

(I know, haha, I said “honest press.”)

Even now, Minnesota press isn’t covering this story.

Shirley’s findings [and video on the subject] went uber-viral on social media — but the Minnesota Star-Tribune and St. Paul Pioneer Press have said not a word about his post as I write.

Marjorie Taylor Greene is the Liz Cheney du jour

The New Neo Posted on by

All it takes is to become Trump’s enemy, and the MSM will give you the sympathetic star treatment.

From Ace, a post entitled: “As Predictable As the Setting Sun: After Conspiracy Theorist and Lunatic Marjorie Taylor Greene Turns on Trump, the NYT Offers Her a Puff-Piece with an Attempted Glamour Shot.” In the Times article, Greene gives them the Trump-dissing quotes that earn her new respect from the Gray Lady: a lot about Trump and Epstein, plus the standard charge (one that usually comes from the left) that Trump will never leave office.

Is a Greene gig at MSNOW on the horizon?

She adds, just to top it all off:

I’ve seen a bunch of America Last accounts attacking Tucker so I’m making it clear that I’m proudly friends with Tucker Carlson.

He is a man of sincere faith, loves his family, and our country.

America First is winning.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

My opinion is that Greene, Carlson, and their allies on the “woke right” are trying to take over the GOP and replace MAGA with themselves – much like what the Democratic Socialists have done quite successfully to the Democrats.

Hail Somaliland

The New Neo Posted on by

A fascinating move by Israel:

Israel’s recognition of Somaliland landed like a dropped plate in a room full of diplomats pretending not to hear the crash. Somalia protested. The Arab League scolded. Turkey and Egypt warned darkly about precedent. The African Union fretted about stability. Western officials whispered about process. All the usual theater. What none of them wanted to say out loud was the obvious truth staring back at them. Israel did nothing radical. It applied the rules.

For thirty years Somaliland has functioned as a state. Not a slogan, not a cause, not a grievance economy. A state. Permanent population. Defined territory. Effective government. Capacity to conduct foreign relations. The four tests of the Montevideo Convention, met quietly and consistently since 1991. Add a fifth fact that the convention does not even ask for but history does. Somaliland has committed exactly zero acts of international terrorism. No hijackings. No embassy bombings. No exported jihad. No global fundraising networks laundering blood as politics.

The article goes on to state that Palestine, the darling of so many countries around the world who have recognized it as a state, lacks characteristics of effective government (unless the aim of effective government is terrorism):

[“Palestine” has no] defined territory under sovereign control. No effective government with a monopoly on force. No independent foreign policy capacity. No coherent administration. Plenty of armed factions. Plenty of glorified murder. Plenty of international terror. And yet that project is treated as sacred, inevitable, untouchable. …

Israel’s recognition of Somaliland … says something deeply offensive to the professional peace industry. Sovereignty is not a vibe. It is a performance. You earn it by governing, not by suffering louder than your neighbor.

Leave it to Israel to point out the contrast.

And from Roger L. Simon:

According to Grok, “Somaliland, a former British protectorate, has maintained relative stability, its own currency, passports, elections, and government since 1991, in contrast to ongoing instability in Somalia.” …

In fact, their residents have been photographed waving the Israeli flag after their country’s leader signed agreements promising Israeli aid for agriculture, health, technology, and economic development.

Is this another important avatar of Netanyahu’s “New Middle East?” It could well be, but in the short run, it certainly will make life extremely difficult for the Houthis with the possibility of Israeli jets parked three hundred miles from their shores. Say goodbye to the terrorists’ control of the Gulf of Aden with its proximity to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Let’s hope so.