Monday digest

- Can you believe the guy who screwed this play up on Thursday night was a first overall pick in the NHL?!?

- I think a lot of the fuss over Barack Obama is hype. Nominating him would be waaaay too premature, given his lack of demonstrated political acumen on crucial issues like this and even if Hillary, like her co-front runner McCain, is seriously flawed. On the Republican side, a big part of me is thinking that dark horse candidate Newt Gingrich may surprise some people, especially given that Congress is now led by individuals who measure success by good intentions rather than real-world results.

- Here's a good look at how hip-hop culture contributes to the glorification of violence in urban communities.

- This Kennedy-penned article suggests that Venezuelan oil wealth can be put to good use by poor New Yorkers warm at night, despite the anti-American rhetoric of the Chavez regime. And why isn't there any drilling going on in Alaska again?

- Yikes - more than ever, it's time to pay off the credit card!