For Vermonters Only- Progs, Spin, and Flour- a trip through the Blogosphere

Just doing a little catching up on my blog reading today, and I notice that both Odum at GMD and Philip at VDB have must read posts up. Both, oddly enough, focus on the Progs.

I've been WAY out of town lately, so I missed the the cute little story about how City Hall Progressives have had their little fingers in the Ward 7 ballot box...that is really fun (like lemon juice poured in an open cut- that kind of fun). As Philip points out, there are good reasons to look askance at this from a political standpoint (Progs can occasionally form unholy alliances on the City Council with the GOP to block Democrats)- but even if there is nothing untoward about all this, as City Hall types maintain, there is just something ICKY about the whole thing that stinks like Katherine Harris.

Meanwhile, over at Green Mountain Daily, Odum takes to the Pollina Campaign to school about their lack of ability in the spin game. There probably is nothing wrong about Pollina's business dealings, but it LOOKS shoddy, and that maybe enough to give Governor Jim's attack dogs the edge.... Odum's nifty little piece and the resulting discussion is well worth a read. (Also, I know radio voices, it's my stock in trade, and I think Odum is a natural on VPR- check it out...)


Last but not least, Ann Zucardy has an interesting piece on her "Shortblog"- Ann's blog is one of my favorites, because it combines a certain amount of marketing for her company with a certain amount of general or personal subject matter- and it's an interesting confection (plus, the shortbread is really, really good and fun to send to people- so I don't mind that fact that her blog is, as it is meant to be, a way to market the stuff).

As a baker and a small business owner, Ann writes about the rising cost of food staples (such as flour and butter) and how they are going to herald a price increase. It's not only relevant to every one who eats bread, pizza, or anything else made with flour- but it also raises the question in the hearts of those of us who are dependent on small, entrepreneurial Vermont Businesses for our livings: how much trouble are we about to be in?

Not always fun to read about, but nice to know that a trip around the Vermont Blog-o-sphere can lead to some thought provoking material.

Thanks guys!