...and I thought gettin' "wikied" was good

To Whom It May Concern:

The United States Library of Congress has selected your Web site for inclusion in its historic collections of Internet materials related to Election 2008. The Library's traditional functions, acquiring, cataloging, preserving and serving collection materials of historical importance to the Congress and to the American people to foster education and scholarship, extend to digital materials, including Web sites. We request your permission to collect your web site and add it to the Library's research collections. We also ask that we be allowed to display the archived version(s) of your web site.

The following URL has been selected:

www.2008.yanquimike.com.ar/denver.htm

...and I'm in wikipedia, tambien. Way to much for my travel stomped brain right now.

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Bloggers play key role at Denver convention

DENVER, Colorado (AP) -- The age of mom-and-pop pundit shops has arrived at the Democratic convention.

Bloggers are here by the hundreds, getting better seats and more respect than they ever have in their rather short history.
Mike Skowronek is a cattle rancher in Argentina. Mark Brooks is a retired land surveyor from Virginia. Vera Starbard works in public relations in Alaska.
They are among the bloggers writing furiously from the convention floor or from a big tent with leather couches a mile away.
Bloggers say there's a hunger for personalized information tailored to specific audiences. Watch a bloggers convention roundtable »
That's why Skowronek's blog, www.yanquimike.com.ar, is catering to U.S. expatriates in Buenos Aires, and Starbard, 26, is focusing on matters of interest to native populations in Alaska with alaskareal.blogspot.com.
Many people catch up with the host-city site www.squarestate.net to see what's happening with convention logistics and local flavor.
Don't Miss
Election Center 2008: Democratic Convention
Meghan McCain writes book, blogs about her father
And thanks to a post on www.keystonepolitics.com, convention-watchers learned that Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey couldn't drive to the arena for a TV interview because his van didn't have the right security pass.
"Running late, he jumped out and started on foot for a security checkpoint that shimmered in the heat a 15-minute hike away," Greg Palmer wrote. "'It's blue-collar to walk in,' Casey joked. He was right on message."
Gina Cooper, a former high school teacher in Memphis, Tennessee, who founded Netroots Nation, a community of bloggers, said the welcome mat for bloggers points to a changing culture.
"There's a different set of expectations," she said. "Regular people expect to have access."
Democrats issued about 120 credentials for bloggers at this year's event, three times as many as they did in Boston in 2004. Hundreds more are here on their own.
When Republicans convene next week in St. Paul, Minnesota, there will be almost 200 credentialed bloggers, up from 12 at the convention in New York four years ago, GOP convention spokeswoman Melissa Subbotin said.
"Technology is playing an important role in this convention, moreso than ever before," Subbotin said.
The Democratic convention set aside a "Blogger's Lounge" at the Pepsi Center. The room, located down the hall from dressing rooms for the television networks, has work space and TVs broadcasting convention speakers.
The bloggers also have floor passes they can share for half-hour turns, and sometimes a chance to interview convention speakers and pose for pictures.
Out of the 120 blogs credentialed by convention officials, Democrats selected 55 as the "state blogger corps," to represent 54 states and territories and Americans abroad. They have access to the convention floor and get to follow their state delegation.
One result is a lot of valentines from bloggers wowed by speakers and VIPs. Their own message tends to be on message with the party's, and pictures come with captions such as "Senator Jim Webb and a very thrilled me."
"It's been a lot of fun," said 52-year-old Tom Noyes, whose www.tommywonk.blogspot.com site was chosen from Delaware. "First of all, the Delaware delegation was moved from the back of the floor to the front when Joe Biden was tapped as Obama's running mate. It's a great view."
For the bloggers who don't have a pass to the Pepsi Center or prefer to stay away from the long security lines, local groups and blog supporters created "The Big Tent." The two-story structure feels more like a garage than a media center, with leather couches and a bar serving microbrewed beer.
Markos Moulitsas, 36, founder of the Daily Kos Web site and one of the tent's organizers, said about 500 blogs were given tent passes and more wanted in.
Bloggers at the tent, who mostly write for left-leaning sites, said they were more interested in sharing interesting political stories for their sites than getting the big scoops of the day.
"What made me get into blogging was wanting to have a voice in politics," said Brooks, a 51-year-old who describes himself as breaking the mold of what people might imagine as a typical blogger, making time to garden in the summer and spend time with his family.

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Heading Back

Even with Denver's top-notch mass transit system, each of the four days of the convention entailed miles and miles of walking ...getting up early ...staying up late for parties and slow video uploads. I don't think I could have covered a 5th day.

I think we got what we came for: to show you what it would be like to come to a major political convention and the sights and sounds and surroundings that don't generally show up on television and in newspapers.

We also have our candidate, Barack Obama and it's onto victory in November. GET YOUR ABSENTEE BALLOT NOW.

The convention was filled with stirring moments from the podium and being on the floor was and nothing short of an incredible experience. The perspective from my perch with the Democrats Abroad Delegation and my access to virtually any part of the big show was really overwhelming. I'm very grateful to the Democratic Party Committee Abroad for selecting me as their Official State Blogger and I hope that I've served them well.

I've really got to mention that the City of Denver handled flawlessly the sudden landing of thousands of delegates, reporters, tourists, police and protesters. Almost without exception, those invaders behaved themselves as well. Many hundreds of police were imported from towns all over Colorado to augment Denver security... something that unsettled visitors and Denverites but in the end they battled nothing more than heat and boredom. Restraint and tolerance prevailed. Most local residents that I met were happy about hosting the convention and actually curious as to whether or not I was satisfied with the city and the experience. A goodly number of others, however, were down right angry at the incredible impositions they were forced to endure: the closure of major thoroughfares like Speer Boulevard and I-25 not to mention the downtown streets that could open or close at any moment. Denverites took it in stride but, like me, probably couldn't have taken much more.

The weather was spectacular, in my opinion. Although each day had it's hot moments with clear skies and intense sun, the dryness of the air kept it remarkably comfortable. The evenings were much cooler and really quite beautiful. The weekend before had been rainy and two tornadoes touched down to our south but the open air venue for Obama's acceptance speech remained dry.

Entonces, tired and tanned, I head back home to mi Buenos Aires, querido, no worse for the wear. And back to working to ensure that every US citizen gets to cast an absentee ballot.

Thanks for watching! And thanks to zannel.com's PoliticsBlue for helping me tremendously with bringing you videos of the convention experience.

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Crossing Over

Man, what a transition. It's been over 3 years since I've been in outside Argentina... then the moment I clear customs in Atlanta I get the news that Joey Biden is the pick for veep! It's already shaping up to be an interesting week judging from the first day.
Having expected a bit of culture shock, I fortified myself with a tremendous slab of Argentine grass fed beef tenderloin and a bit of malbec on that sunny winter yesterday before I took off from Ezeiza ...boarding like the Beatles up the stairway off the tarmac with quite a few yanquis cheering about the beach vacation plans they had made. By the time I landed in Rio at 6pm it was dark and warm and humid. Really hard to believe how bad the Rio airport is (that's the last I'll say on that subject.)
Observing Brasilieros in their own country I was surprised at how much they remind me of yanquis, both nationalities are louder than porteños and much more open in their conduct, I noticed for the first time.
I also learned that Portuguese is not "Simply Spanish, badly spoken, as my mother-in-law considers it. Because it was obvious that I was from the US they couldn't understand why I was speaking Spanish rather than English ...after about an hour, neither could I.
But for all their boisterousness, when the airport baar big screen showed Maurren Higa Maggi nailing the gold for the long jump everyone was strangly reserved ...maybe they figured all along that she was going to win.
And nobody called anybody you che!
The flight to atlanta was the beiginning of the "compression:" into US life. Now, I'd always known that coach passengers were not allowed to use the Business Class sh**ters. What was new to me was the directive fromthe flight deckthat this policy was to "preserve the security of the cockpit as per the TSA." We were also warned that any congregating near the coach restrooms would be dispersed ...as per the Homeland Security Administration. Christ. What have we become. On the ground and just past customs, more weird things that I noticed any you probably don't anymore: The Wall Street Journal in color, English language TV without subtitles ...and no $2 bills! Back in Baires, a two is your friend! When I got $4 in change at the airport bar ...it was four bills; blew my mind for a moment or two.
And I gotta stop hording ones!
Back with an update from downtown Denver soon.

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Joe Biden's in and so am I

I don't know who wouldn't have surprised me for VP ...but Biden still caught me off guard as I came thru customs in Atlanta and saw his mug on the big screen. Personally, I was a Biden fan for many years ...not so much for the last few. Let's see how he wears on us.

I feel like Hemingway standing at this internet kiosk (they say "papa" always did it standing up) but I am very grateful for the facilities. I'm surprised that the Brasileiros haven't upgraded Rio airport.

I'll be boarding for Denver in about an hour... More to come.

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Interview a Delegate in Denver!

What's green, speaks 12 languages, and travels 125,000 miles to cast half-votes?

If you guessed Democrats Abroad, you're right! And since every ball game needs a program, I think it's time for me give you our lineup for next week.

...and don't forget, Yanqui Mike is not the only Democrat abroad available to you during the Democratic National Convention in Denver next week: I'll be sitting next to some pretty heavy-hitters... including 8 Superdelegates.

Democrats Abroad will have 22 delegates each with a half vote, bringing the organization's total votes to 11.

Any one of those people make for fascinating interviews.

Frinstince, Dems are looking to leave a big mark in November's election ...but a very small carbon footprint.

The "Green Delegate Challenge" was sponsored by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Convention organizers. Every single member of the Democrats Abroad delegation is participating in this effort to make the 2008 convention an example of environmental concern by obtaining carbon offsets for their travel.

Here's a list of the Democrats I'll be sitting with next week:

The Supers:

• Christine Schon Marques, Chair, an American living abroad in Switzerland, committed to Senator Obama
• Toby Condliffe, Vice Chair, an American living abroad in Canada, committed to Senator Obama
• Robert Bell, DNC Member, an American living abroad in Canada, committed to Senator Obama
• Connie Borde, DNC Member, an American living abroad in France, committed to Senator Obama
• Leo Perez Minaya, DNC Member, an American living abroad in the Dominican Republic, committed to Senator Clinton
• Liv Gibbons, DNC Member, an American living abroad in Ireland, committed to Senator Obama
• Theresa Morelli, DNC Member, an American living abroad in Italy, committed to Senator Clinton
• Brent O'Leary, DNC Member, an American living abroad in Japan, committed to Senator Obama

From the Americas:

• Rhoda Green, an American living abroad in Canada, pledged to Senator Clinton
• Howard Feldstein, an American living abroad in Mexico, pledged to Senator Obama, Chair, DA Mexico
  

From the Asia-Pacific region:

• Carolyn Sauvage-Mar, an American living abroad in India, pledged to Senator Obama, Chair, DA India
  

From the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region:

• Robert Bragar, an American living abroad in the Netherlands, pledged to Senator Obama, Chair, DA Netherlands
• David Munir Nabti, an American living abroad in Lebanon, pledged to Senator Obama, Treasurer, DA Lebanon
• Monica Faith Stewart, an American living abroad in South Africa, pledged to Senator Obama, Vice Chair, DA South Africa
• Shari Temple, an American living abroad in Germany, pledged to Senator Obama, Vice Chair, DA Germany.
• Margo Miller, an American living abroad in the United Kingdom, pledged to Senator Clinton, Immediate Past Chair of Democrats Abroad UK
• Allin "Chip" Seward, an American living abroad in France, pledged to Senator Clinton
  

the At-Large & PLEO Delegates and their alternates:

• Jo-Ann White, an American living abroad in Italy, an at-large delegate pledged to Senator Clinton, Vice Chair, DA Italy
• Gil Carbajal, an American living abroad in Spain, pledged to Senator Clinton, Vice Chair, DA Spain
• Ken Sherman, an American living abroad in Canada, an at-large delegate pledged to Senator Obama, Vice Chair, DA Canada
• Geoff Berlin, an American living abroad in Ukraine, an at-large delegate pledged to Senator Obama, Chair, DA Ukraine
• Sandra M. Loridans, an American living abroad in Mexico, a PLEO delegate pledged to Senator Obama
• Alternate: Georgia McCauley, an American living abroad in the Philippines
• Alternate: Brooks Emerson, an American living abroad in Turkey, pledged to Senator Clinton
  

DA is also send these Standing Committee Members:

• Credentials: Anthony Sistilli, an American living abroad in Italy, committed to Senator Obama, Chair, DA Italy
• Rules: Adrienne Jones, an American living abroad in Canada, committed to Senator Obama, Chair, DA Canada
• Lynn Forester de Rothschild, an American living abroad in the United Kingdom, committed to Senator Clinton.
• Delegation Chair: Christine Marques, International Chair
• Delegation Page: Jake Klonoski, a member of the US Navy working for NATO and stationed in Afghanistan, originally from Oregon.

All of these good folks are available for interviews in Denver ...just contact Jody Couser, Press Officer for Democrats Abroad at pressofficer@democratsabroad.org

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...goin' to Denver

Argentina Represents the World at the 2008 Democratic National Convention!

In the next couple of days, until the end of the month, yanquimike.com.ar will redirect to our Special Convention Edition that will provide me some badly needed ease of connectivity to report back to you from the 2008 Democratic National Committee ...where yer humble blogger was selected to represent every Democrat Abroad on the planet.

If I haven't well explained that particular honor or the way it was bestowed on this blog... forgive me; I still can't quite believe it so I probably haven't given you a good description of it.

Fact of the matter is: a few months ago this blog was chosen from among the finest expat blogs in the world (and believe me, some of them are my heros) to represent Democrats Abroad from the floor of the convention as part of DNC Chairman Howard Dean's experiment of placing a blogger with every delegation from every US State, possession, and territory. Democrats Abroad holds the same status within the Democratic Party as the aforementioned ...so we get one too ...and I'm it.

It's been a crazy busy month so I still have lots of little details to wrap up ...but we're gettin' there.

I'll be tremendously wired to you all for the entire convention week... including a US cell phone number (720-878-1918) that you can call at ANY TIME WHATSOEVER ...for brickbats or bouquets or just to make sure that I'm covering what you would like see and read.

Likewise, your comments or emails to letters@yanquimike.com.ar will get your message across.

Should be lots of pictures and video and text as I wander the Great Hall and the environs of Denver in any case ...but I would LOVE your input/feedback. So gimme!

Look for the "redirect message" soon. Wish me luck.

Mike

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Weekend Brunch in San Telmo

Here's something I hope takes off! Honest to God brunch at what has to be a ¼ of the Sheraton price... complete with bloody marys and mimosas made with fresh squeezed OJ (Screw the food! Let's drink!)

Our friend, Eve Hyman has partnered with her friends at Restaurant Macama in San Telmo (great people, by the way) to bring you what you crave: Proper Brunch.

Now I know, I know... what a non-Yanqui Mike thing to say. What a typical tourist-like longing for things in Buenos Aires to be like they are back home. "What did you ever leave Chicago for, Mike?"

But wait a minute. Every tourist, traveler, expat, immigrant ...anywhere in the world ...from anywhere in the world ...is granted one exemption from cultural immersion:

it's ok to wake up in the morning and want
to eat the food your mother served you.

Not that my mother served brunch! Don't get the wrong idea here! But all the ingredements are basically there: yer eggs, yer sausage, yer hashbrowns, yer toast, yer pancakes, yer vodka, yer tomato juice ...all the stuff that our splendid porteño hosts can't believe that we eat while still in our pajamas! Imagine the Argentine fascination with not only getting to see us eat that stuff for breakfast ...but getting to try it out themselves!

This weekend was the maiden voyage for Eve's new ship ...and I'm so disappointed that I wasn't there. Oh well, she said there were a few kinks to iron out... but she also said it was "yummy"!

Here's the lowdown, Brown: the current menu (probably due to expand at any moment)

* two eggs any style with hash browns or breakfast potatoes (sauteed chunky with onions and tomatoes) plus sliced avocado
* omelette with choice of mozzarella, queso macina, roquefort, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, peppers, ham, spinach, chorizo
* 2 pancakes served with honey or caramelized sugar syrup
* pancake tatin (apple baked-in)
* mimosas, bloody marias, tornilladores

Eggs Benedict is on the way, I'm told. And dig the precios: $16 peso plates, $18 for omelettes and $15 peso tragos.

Better get there before the bored-out-of-their-skulls San Telmo Market crowd catches on to it... you'll never get in the place when that happens.

Currently serving Sat/Sun from 11am to 4pm.
Restaurant Macama
Perú y Brasil
San Telmo
4361-3983

If I'm in town this weekend, I'll see you there ...and I'll sign-up any yanquis for their absentee ballot for November.

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Viral Video... pass it on

A Very Special Drinking Liberally Tonight:
...we'll be registering and requesting absentee ballots for all US Citizen of ALL parties and persuasions.

As always: Sir Will's Pub, San Martín 678, microcentro, entre Viamonte y Tucuman, beginning at 7:00pm.

Come on down and have some fun as well.

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Today at Noon

Register and/or request your Absentee Ballot to vote in November's election.

Click here to to GIVE to the Democrats Abroad Argentina GOTV Fund.

Thanks,
Mike

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Maybe you just need a little juice...

Tuesday 4:00 to 6:00pm

Get Your Absentee Ballot! ¡YA! ¡Basta de boludeces! It's AUGUST already! Get up off yer duff and order your absentee ballot NOW. Tick-tock, baby!

Just because you THINK you're registered, doesn't mean that you ARE registered. Check it out! Find out! Send in your registration again ...it's not against the rules!

Maybe you think that just because you ARE registered, your ballot will be automatically sent to you... WRONG. You have to request an absentee ballot to be mailed to you ...so that you can mail it back to the US.

Don't even think about voting at the US Embassy ...that's for civilized countries ...like Argentina!

So what do you do? Go get some fresh squeezed and meet the lovely and talented troops of Democrats Abroad Argentina's Voter Registration Committee THIS TUESDAY, August 5th at PURA-VIDA Microcentro, Reconquista 516! Don't delay getting your ballot any longer.

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