Juxtapositions

One of my hobbies is spotting retail outlets which have two unrelated and odd product lines. I remember well the central Wellington retail outlet for native American artefacts which was also a computer ink cartridge shop. In New Brighton in Christchurch there is a TV repair and gardening outlet. I have seen others, a fish and chip shop that sold sewing supplies is the one that comes to mind.

I'm thinking about these juxtapositions as I am watching the second series of Blackadder, (potato - the episode where Blackadder hires Capt Redbeard Rum to take them on voyage to discover new lands with the hope of marrying QE1 if he makes it round the Cape of Good Hope) as I read the results of the US Democratic primary in South Carolina. Obama has trounced Hillary Clinton and the pundits are blaming Bill and his aggression and noting that Obama has carried 49 % of the youth vote in the Democrat turnout, 24 % of the white vote and a good proportion of white males as well.

Blackadder and the US election system are both farce.

• The US election goes for a year before the election and in the event the popular vote is an irrelevence in the contests to elect delegates to the electoral college who actually make the decision. As seems evident, Al Gore beat GW Bush last time, based on gerrymandering, democratic voters being thrown off the role by Jeb Bush in Florida, and voting machines which didn't work.


• Blackadder is a parody which makes interesting observations about history, actors, elections, kings......


• Barack Obama and Blackadder look very similar according to my small TV and little computer. BarackAddmada


• They're both entertaining to watch.