Word: contrarians
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Some former Perot associates and admirers think his primal instincts are opportunistic and contrarian. Says John White, the Harvard professor who was Perot's chief economic adviser last year: "Sure he's sounding more Republican, but all he's doing is getting to the right of Clinton. If Bush were still President, Perot would be talking like Bill Clinton." Nothing about Perot's politics is simple except his determination to impose his agenda on the system. Doing that requires subtle maneuvers and temporary alliances, as those Republicans now dallying with him will discover when he tires of the romance...
...contrarian will point out, reasonably, that if you don't insist on Denali, you can have the rest of Alaska's mountains to yourself. Complete solitude is a little harder to find in the Lower 48, but it's there, at least in the West. If you are willing to carry your house on your back, turtle-fashion, the entire Western high country is yours for ski mountaineering. Perhaps because tent, stove, food, fuel and avalanche beeper weigh 65 to 70 lbs., you and your partner are likely to have the horizon to yourself, with (the thought occurs spontaneously after...
...China's leading paleontologist, Dong Zhiming, believes some meat eaters too may have been caring parents. In fact, he takes the contrarian view that Oviraptor, a toothless predator whose very name means egg stealer, is the victim of a bum rap. The sharp-clawed creature has been found in close proximity to nests not because it was poised to devour unhatched babies but because "it was the mother and was protecting them," says Dong...
...billionaire contrarian has bad-mouthed most of the particulars in Clinton's economic plan, especially the short-term stimulus package. The White House response has been muted because the Clinton camp wants neither to alienate Perot by bickering with him nor to puff up his ego by trying to address his complaints. But its tolerance of Perot's opinions is wearing thin. Last week George Stephanopoulos, Clinton's communication's director, called Perot "a good sound-biter" who lacks a cohesive program of his own. For now at least, Perot has assumed the role of opposition spokesman, in part because...
...less contrarian was Karan's approach to the hosiery business. In 1987 the designer became convinced that women would spend more money if they could find heavier, more opaque pantyhose to cloak the sags that most female flesh is heir to. The product that she and her licensee, Hanes, came up with was nearly twice as thick and twice as expensive as usual hose. "Everyone here thought we were on drugs," recalls Hanes vice president Cathy Volker. But the gamble paid off. Customers recognized the superior quality and paid for it. This year the business is likely to gross...