Now you know why I haven’t posted much recently. After months of contemplation and planning, I have decided to run for local office. My campaign website is at MikeAllen.com and contains my details on my priorities and background.

In deciding to run for alderman (what we call our city council members), I decided it was time to not just talk about public service but to perform public service. In short, I want to make a difference in my life. I want to leave my community in better shape than it is now. I want it to be a place where my children will want to call home when they establish their adult lives. That, in a nutshell, is why I am seeking this position.

Since the election I’m sad to say I have written only two posts. My absence was not pouting or being a “sore loser.” It was simply a time for me to refocus on new ideas and catch up on work that I had overlooked for so many weeks in the run-up to the election.

As some of you know, I’m the founder and president of Shopping-Bargains.com and, given the huge impact of Christmas shopping on sales in November and December, it has been very hard to find time to step away from work to write. I have no shortage of ideas though and am chomping at the bit to write again.

What I hope to write about in the future includes the following topics:

• How to win elections (almost) all the time
• What should conservatives do under the shadow of Obama?
• Should conservatives show they care and express feelings?
• The power of ideological persuasion over just “getting votes”
• A vision for the future – a positive alternative to liberalism

I invite you to ask questions of me using the comments section below. I won’t promise to reply with a post to all questions but then again I might. You’ll never know if you don’t at least ask.

So, in closing, I thank each of you for your patience during my absence. I appreciate your support and your loyalty over the past few months. I look forward to helping form a logical and compassionate response to the liberal ideas around us. I also seek to convince people on the merits of conservatism instead of simply touting the party line.

Last month on my company blog I wrote about the power of a creative idea matched with a little innovation and a lot of entrepreneurial effort. The creative effort I highlighted resulted in VanityKippah.com, a site that sells political yarmulkes or kippahs. Their flagship products are the Obamica and the McCippah. They also have a line of kippahs for the prospective first ladies.

I know the founder of this company, Shmuly Tennenhaus, and can tell you he is incredibly creative, innovative and funny.  Since I had expressed so much enthusiasm about his business idea and blogged about it, he offered to send me a McCippah. I thankfully accepted and have been spotted wearing it on quite a few occasions since receiving it last week.

Tennenhaus was also our guest on the weekly Red Hat Blue Hat podcast of which I am a regular commentator. This week’s podcast is entitled John McCain vs. Barack Obama: Battle of the Kippahs and is much more light-hearted than usual. Interestingly, Tennenhaus reveals which kippah is selling better (the answer might surprise you).

My point of this post is to share some fluffy news on a more personal level. I hope it encourages people to pursue their innovations and aim to be upwardly mobile. Innovation, creativity and hard work can take you all the way to the top.

It seems to me that there is no shortage of outrage over Michael Vick’s abuse of dogs. Everyday it seems that more people are coming out of the woodwork to add their voice to the uproar against him.

Frankly, I’m glad to see people outraged by wrong. However, I’d rather see this collective outrage focused on different areas of abuse right now. For example, why is there not massive outrage over terrorists who kill our soldiers in Iraq? Why is there not a public outpouring of outrage over child molesters and porn pushers? Why are people not outraged by abortion in general or partial birth abortion specifically?

It seems to me that people want to reserve the hottest part of Hell for Michael Vick while largely ignoring other far worse offenders. From everything I an tell, Michael Vick hurt animals but not people. Yes, he was cruel to dogs and was involved in illegal dogfighting and gambling and I have nothing positive to say about these actions. They were wrong. But to treat him like the scum of the earth when other more dangerous criminals are pampered is just wrong. (For example, where was the public outpouring of outrage over Scott Petersen who barbarically murdered his wife and baby? And there are dozens of other public examples.)

I’d like to see some of the public outrage currently being trained on Michael Vick refocused on bigger problems and bigger culprits. After we have properly addressed the murderous thugs, terrorists and abusers of children in the world, then we can turn our public anger on the Michael Vicks of the world without looking like hypocrites.

Several months ago I saw a Dove video that was part of their “Campaign for Real Beauty” and it opened my eyes to new ways that technology has been used to alter our perceptions of beauty. This video took an average looking woman and did a time-warp makeover that transformed her into an amazing beauty. But it didn’t stop there.

Next the graphics designers took her image and enlarged her lips, lenghtened her neck, altered the shape and placement of her eyebrows, modified her shoulders, enlarged her eyes and performed other artistic touches that took her beyond the God-given features of any woman. The final shot zooms out from a public billboard showing the published results of their work.

It’s an amazing video. I was impressed with the well-done and tasteful makeover. For the record, I do support enhancing beauty using makeup and hair treatments (within moderation). I was initially shocked at the photo makeover though and felt that it went beyond reasonable editing to remove blemishes. I’m not saying that no photo should ever be edited or touched up, but it seems a bit dishonest to use marketing tactics to alter women’s (and men’s) perceptions of what beauty should be — especially when this level of beauty is not attainable in reality for anyone with any product they are selling.

I think this video should be “required viewing” for every teenager and adult, especially those who are vulnerable to the marketing and media definitions of beauty. It’s also worth periodic re-viewing to once again remind oneself that not everything in print and online is not a true representation of reality and should be evaluated carefully before being accepted.