I’ve been on a blog-reading/discovering RAMPAGE this weekend. In between cleaning, seeing some apartment way out west, having a drink with a friend visiting from Portugal, I have had this insatiable desire to read and find more and more blogs. It started with reading the Accordian Guy who lives in Toronto and is quite a household name for some circles. Then the Canada theme continues with Raymi, who I actually became curious about because of Bunny McIntosh and her whimsical interview with Raymi. BUT IT DOESN’T END THERE. Oh no… I re-discovered Patrik’s Sprawl, a PhD student somewhere in Sweden, no less. After a clicking around a Prisoner’s Blog, which is not written from prison, but in fact a blog consisting of letters from a prisoner, I read Bitch PHD, and then ended up at another one of those NYC blogs. Needless to say my eyes are tired, and I’m now thinking I must stop spending so much time reading these, and get into my new book “Post Office” by Charles Bukowski as recommended by one of his biggest fans at Busblog.
This reminds me of that explanation I’m always giving to people who ask me “Where do I find blogs?” The response goes something like this: “There are quite a few ways to find blogs, the most obvious is just to do a google search for certain topics or blogs, but a very common one is the BLOGROLL. Think if it as a bookshelf in someone’s house. When you go to visit someone, especially if it’s a friend or someone who’s taste or style you admire, you might look at the bookshelf to see what they are reading, and then proceed to seek those books yourself. A blogroll – or list of blogs – is similar. You like someone’s writing, so you think.. “hmmm.. let me look at what he/she/it reads. And so you may become a reader of those blogs as well, and it just snowballs from there. Trust me… I rolled one of those big cartoon snowballs this weekend and read all kinds of crap. Mostly entertaining crap, mind you.
Before I drop the subject… the reason I have time for this is largely due to bloglines. If you’re not using bloglines or some kind of news/blog/rss reader I highly recommend looking into it. Its the idea of new information, new posts, coming directly to YOU instead of the impossible task of taking the time to manually go to each URL and check if there’s anything new. I read my newspapers, check TV listings, read blogs, READ MY NEW COMMENTS, check the weather, all using bloglines. It even includes LiveJournals which is beautiful because of my many LJ friends and family who can now all be found in my (fed)blogroll.
It’s disappointing to be reminded of the lack of memory in mass media and politics. Not only are the same mistakes repeated (war, genocide, etc) but so often facts are simply forgotten. I’m referring, in this case, to Kofi Annan’s statement that the invasion of Iraq was illegal. Illegal because it was done without a UN resolution and therefore in violation of the UN Charter. Now this bit of info shouldn’t surprise anyone, because it was known even BACK THEN. Yet a year and a half later, Kofi says this and its news and some people are shocked. Of course it is and was illegal according to the UN charter, and as I love to mention.. the consistently disrespected but still technically in effect, Kellog-Briand Pact, which outlawed the use of war as a tool for doing anything.
At this point you mind be shouting “that’s your opinion.” And to some extent you’re right… but it is a LEGAL opinion based on my interpretation of international law. And I’m not alone.
Today’s Music: Jimmy Eat World – Clarity (cause they’re in town right now)