The New Hampshire Tidal Wave

This is the shortest time ever between the Iowa and New Hampshire caucus and primary. This is important for the two winners of Iowa for a number of reasons. First off is the limited memory of the American voter. In the past thirty years the winners of Iowa have only won New Hamsphire 50% of the time.

Now we have a short 5 day window and Obama and Huckabee are still fresh on the minds of the voters. Both can also be considered somewhat of underdog status. You know David vs. Goliath.
Woe to Mrs. Clinton. Iowans called her cold and "she is not warm and fuzzy" like Obama, Edwards and the Huckman.

Another advantage to the front runners and winners of New Hampshire. Super Tuesday is now Super Duper Tuesday with many more states holding primaries. Combine the early Iowa and New Hampshire dates with a shortened cycle of primaries and the whole nomination thing can be over in the next thirty days.

It does not bode well for Mrs. Clinton. The right side of the program is still wide open. However Rudy stands little chance against Mc Cain, Huckabee and Romney's backyard.

Pharisees In The Modern World

History repeats indeed and is alive within the walls of the enlightened.

During the time of Jesus the religious righteous were known as the Pharisees. They would be known today as "holier than thou".

Today's' holier than thou are the sociologists and liberals in academia who dictate through state mandates school curriculum's, environmentalists who some how know how to walk more softly on the earth than the rest of us, and media whores.

Lets' face it we cannot even watch the weather without being told how to dress in warm and cold weather. And how often the weatherman is wrong!

Slippery Sidewalks and No Art Decks These Walls

As an update to yesterdays post on the Athens Cultural Center. It is snowy and cold in Athens on New Years Day 2008. The sidewalks in front of the empty storefronts on Second Street in Athens are ice covered and hard chunky snow is blocking the street at the end of the sidewalks.



Also there is little art in the "Cultural Center". A photo of a boat yard which has been there all summer remains along with a painting of a nude visible to the children walking to Animal Crackers Pre- School a few doors up.



The Renaissance crowd says the arts are growing throughout the Hudson Valley. Well the arts related jobs are not. I often peruse craigslist a somewhat artsy friendly bulletin board looking for writing and photo assignments. Simply click on the New York Page and look for listings in the Hudson Valley (aka the new suburbia and commuter mecca), the Catskills (i.e. Woodstock) and you will find few viable listings for this new economic engine that will save us from the computer chip fab plants.



Forget about even finding listings in the depressed upstate and southern tier region.



The pipe dreaming arts and latte' crowd has a lot of proving to do. Everyone likes a nice sculpture, photo or painting.



However looking at art hanging in windows does not an economy make.



Another old time river town Catskill boasts nine art galleries now. But a drive down Main Street among the white lighted trees shows all the shops closed by 5 except for a well run home furnishings store who gets it.

OPen late during the holidays and pretty Christmas music playing for folks on the street to hear.