kucinich's website has just added a section w/ testimonials of people who have switched from dean to kucinich ... some of the issues they bring up: they were turned off by the lack of grace in dean's comment about (and attempted recovery from) courting those who show the confederate flag, his slickness and the appearance of pandering to voters at the expense of a firm stance, his 100% NRA approval, and his talk about foregoing federal campaign financing, and turned on by kucinich's positions on global trade (i.e. getting out of NAFTA), support of gays and lesbians, stance on iraq, and perceived sincerity. on the local front, the kendall cafe just closed ... this boston globe article has some interesting things to say about why ... sad. Club owners say it's been a brutal year to stay in business. The soft economy, the smoking ban, the fallout from the tragic Warwick club fire, and even the Red Sox's playoff run (which kept more people at home watching the games) have all spelled headaches for club owners. And fewer local musicians have much drawing power -- radio stations now mostly support national rather than local acts, and many record labels have disappeared or merged and don't have the resources to be supportive. ... The closing of the Kendall and the House of Blues (which will become a franchise, family-style barbecue restaurant known as Brother Jimmy's) comes at a time when the high cost of living has also caused fewer young people to stay in the city. There was a 15.8 percent drop in the number of 20- to 30-year-olds in Greater Boston between 1990 and 2000, according to a joint report issued this week by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and the Boston Foundation.