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SCP will return in full effect on Jan. 5th. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Festivus & A wonderful New Years Eve.

Also, while waiting for SCP to come back, check out a piece I've written at the Ace Weekly blog.

A "slow" Saturday morning challenge

This morning I crossed a great news article from The Wall Street Journal if a meal for two can be made with fresh, local and "slow" foods with a $20 budget.

Slow foods is a movement focusing on "good, clean and fair" foods counteracting fast food and fast life, promoting local farmers and responsible guardians of the environment.

As the WSJ reporter successfully completed the $20 Dinner Challenge at the Slow Food Festival in San Francisco, creating slow food meal on a minumum budget, I'm going to give the challenge a try locally. Buying slow foods is not new to me, visiting the Lexington Farmer's Market almost weekly, supporting local growers (though I do wonder if is going to be a tough task to make a complete slow food meal on a skim budget).

I'm going to try to follow the same shopping list that the WSJ reporter had and report later today if I accomplished the $20 Dinner Challenge.

KY Delegates take the state motto with a grain of salt to Denver

Isn't the state motto for Kentucky, "United We Stand, Divided We Fall?" I would think that the Kentucky delegation would taken that in consideration during the roll call vote Wednesday afternoon at the Pepsi Center- unifying the vote for Sen. Obama. But now the Kentucky Democratic delegation has the dubious distinction of the state casting the most votes for Sen. Hillary Clinton during the roll call.

I guess Kentucky will jump aboard the "unity" train twenty years from now?

"I want to be in Kentucky when the end of the world comes, because it's always 20 years behind" -Mark Twain

Unity- the word, its just a fad in Denver

After watching this ABC News video clip on how deep the K Street lobbyists have the hand in the DNC convention's cookie jar with Super Bowl-style lavish parties and events for Democratic hot shots, I wonder how serious Howard Dean and the DNC big wigs are about unifying the Democratic Party and Sen. Obama's ban on accepting lobbyist (corporate) cash?

Its All About the Benjamin's!!!

(BTW, Jerry Lundergran was the bouncer at a party hosted by CSX Railroad, throwing weight around with a ABC News cameraman; but got footage of Lt. Governor Dan Mongiardo enjoying a good time on the railroad's tab!)

Designated Hitter

The earliest recollection I have of former President Bill Clinton was when he appeared on the Arsenio Hall Show, his famous saxophone performance in 1992, making him "certified cool."

Besides seeing that memorable late night television event, I remember that same summer, seeing and hearing television coverage of then-Arkansas Governor Clinton speaking at campaign stops, a speaking style between a southern Baptist minister at a revival and a car salesman on TV- something that energized you to do good than evil and buy a brand new car. Hearing him speak, lit the fire in you that good is over the horizon; there's a reason to go vote for him.

That summer, I attended with my grandfather, the annual National Urban League conference in San Diego, which is a campaign stop by default for presidential candidates. That is where I, the first time got to see President Clinton in person, remembering instead of being at a campaign rally though a summer revival and at the end, the crowd left energized and optimistic. What I saw on television was real!

I hope later this evening when President Clinton speaks in front of delegates in Denver, he will bypass the first two days of feel-good, preaching to the choir speeches at the convention and be his old self, the southern gentleman that will call John McCain by name and tell why McCain is the worst choice for American leadership. Clinton needs to put George W. Bush on the chopping block, show how in eight years, Bush has turn a surplus economy into a deficit; how U.S. has become a international embarrassment and led American soldiers blindly into a no-sense military invasion.

President Clinton, again show America that we have something to be energized and optimistic about- Barack Obama.

America's Third-World City

I'm glad that New Orleans, America's third-world city was brought to attention at the DNC convention. Many outside of the continuing disaster zone believe that New Orleans is back to its old self though its far from that. As residents say they still are without basic necessities we take for granted- banks, grocery stores, gas stations- this issue should be a priority for the Obama administration.

The DNC convention soundtrack

I'm watching the DNC convention coverage on C-SPAN, I'm loving the live cover band that they have at the Pepsi Center in Denver, playing Earth, Wind and Fire's That's The Way of the World. Wow- ten points for the DNC!

Side note: I will be blogging while watching prime time speeches all this week.

Obama campaign strike (data mining) gold!!!

Senior Obama staffers hit gold in the last couple weeks, doing the closest thing to selling snake oil.

Promising Obama supporters and in the closet Republicans, that they would be the first to know who would be Obama's vice presidential pick before the fourth estate could find out, millions text their cell numbers into the Obama campaign.

The campaign has hit data mining gold!! Now Sen. Obama's veep pick came out early this morning before supporters will receive his promised exclusive text message, the campaign has millions of cell numbers to bombard with campaign text messages until November.

With a lot of voters that still have mistrust in campaigns and politics in general, I hope this bright though slick move does not disenfranchise some in November.

Obama/Biden!!!!

Early Saturday morning (I got my first text at 1:11 am EDT from a Obama staffer), news outlets stated that Sen. Obama's vice presidential pick is Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.).

I give the Obama campaign credit for keeping the veep lid tight as long as they did though it would been great if they were able to follow through with their text messaging campaign, supporters scooping the press.

Biden wasn't my strongest veep pick, though will have assets in the foreign policy arena, military affairs and won't be a "yes-man" in the Obama administration, but challenging Obama on his policies and choices for the country.

Biden, a longtime DC Beltway insider, will help fill in Sen. Obama's experience gap in foreign policy may garner votes from middle-leaning Democrats (Hillary supporters) and some republican voters. His experience on Capitol Hill, will be an asset to guiding the administration through the Hill and with constituitional issues such has the Supreme Court, judicial nominations and legislations, Biden is a benefit.

I'm glad I did vote that way...

Election Day 2006, I voted early that November morning, then my usual routine at the time, I had a hazelnut white mocha at Starbucks before heading to work.



While enjoying the drink and reading the day's newspaper, candidate Jim Newberry was making his final rounds before election night, stopping at the downtown Starbucks; with his small entourage, seeking votes.



Approaching me in a tan overcoat, "Hi, I'm Jim Newberry, I hope I can get your vote today." I didn't have the nerve at the time to tell him I already voted, voting for his opposition- the incumbent.



Two years later, after the Communist-style destruction of The Dame, Buster's and historical Morton's Row, I glad I voted early that morning.