License plates are a little bit of cultural identity, that reflect either the message the state wants to convey or some individual preference if you have vanity plates. This does not apply to most countries in Europe, where there is very little variation in the plates. You just get whatever the state decides you should have. In the US on the other hand, states have their individual license plates, each with the individual message. North Carolina claims to be the "First in Flight," New Jersey makes sure everyone knows it's the "Garden State" and Colorado has a mountainscape on the plates. Alabamans suffer from falling stars; as a friend of mine said, "That's why all the people are leaving Alabama; the stars keep falling on their heads and they're getting hurt." (Best rendition of the song I know is Sinatra's 1957 version on the "A Swingin' Affair" album. The Louis & Ella version is great too.)

Once every so often the plates will get redesigned, and the state of Kentucky took this opportunity to show how friendly it is. Yes, it's that friendly. Soon most cars in the Bluegrass State will have plates with psychotic smiling sunrises staring out at you, making sure you know they're friendly. I've never been to Kentucky, so I can't comment on the friendliness of people there. The only connection with Kentucky is Jim Beam or Wild Turkey Bourbon, although I still prefer the product of Tennessee, Jack Daniels. Curiously, their site has an option for displauing information in Czech and Turkish in addition to more widely spoken languages such as English, Spanish and German.

What's up with the blue grass anyway? It's also mentioned in the song "You're in Kentucky," which I know from a great recording by Rosemary Clooney on the "Dedicated to Nelson" album. The Nelson here is Nelson Riddle, one of the great arrangers of American music in the 1950s and 1960s. He arranged many of Frank Sinatra's greatest hits, including his theme song "I've Got You Under My Skin." The 1956 arrangement for the "Songs For Swingin' Lovers" album has pretty much been the definitive version of the song. Nelson worked with many of the great singers of the Great American Songbook, and apart from Frank Sinatra, many of his best arrangements were for Ella Fitzgerald. The Gershwin Songbook is a fantastic work of art, as are the albums "Ella Swings Brightly With Nelson" and "Ella Swings Gently With Nelson." As is often the case, during his lifetime Nelson Riddle never got the recognition he deserved, and it's only now that his great contribution to American music is being recogonized.

After a great dinner with great steak and a great Bordeaux, the appropriate thing to do is to have a shot of Jack Daniels now. Cheers!