You have got to be kidding me

What happens when you take a Democrat, and put him in North Dakota? Think about it - putting two bad things together? Look at this blog:

anangrydakotademocrat.blogspot.com/

This is called, well, An Angry Dakota Democrat. Pathetic? Yes. So if you put two negatives together, you get a positive, like in math, right? As you know the proverb, two wrongs don't make a right. And it is certainly true here.

As you know, I am a Republican. I don't like Democrats. I can bash Democrats all day long. So I need not do so.

Instead, I will bash North Dakota.

Ever been there? If you answer "no" like most of America, you aren't missing anything. I went there in 1980, when I was 9. That probably will be the last time I will go back there. There is absolutely nothing to see there, except for the badlands, and Teddy Roosevelt's ranch. I saw both, so no need to return.

My grandma came from there to Seattle about 1936. She still thinks the place is wonderful. But she never returned (as a resident). Kinda shows how wonderful it is, huh? I went to the family farm, and all I remember is that there was so little water, due to the drought, one could not take a bath. And the distant relative, about my age, was wearing a "Grease" t-shirt, all the time, that was greasy - because it had not been washed. Ok, someone who married into my family to get the farm - long story. Anyways, the farm is long outside the family, and is probably leased. It is near Makoti, which really is not a place where you would want to go.

My grandma still thinks so highly of the place that she gave me a "Scenes from North Dakota" calender a few years ago. You know how most scenery calenders have pretty scenes from around the state (or city)? Well, this one doesn't. I am not making this up. It was twelve ugly scene of this hellhole. Anyways, it sat around my house, until my brother from Colorado came, and saw it sitting around, and asked if he could have it because he had no wall calender - and I let him have it (why through something useful out, no matter how ugly)?

Before I go, his assessment of high gas prices is wrong - it is all supply and demand. And this ignoramus thinks ANWAR oil will last only three months? This is the first time I have heard a figure this low - not even National Geographic has this low a figure, which is increasingly becoming an anti-ANWAR pro-global warming exists propaganda rag.

In sum, I do not have a high opinion of this blog, and grade it accordingly

Grade: C-

Sunthing

Here is a blog that you are lying if you say you understand everything in it:

sunthing.blogspot.com/

This is a blog of a chick who writes mostly in her native language, which is either Turkish, or Hungarian, or Finnish, or Swedish, or Mongolian. I have no clue. It isn't something I recognize.

Her blog is devoted to showcasing her literary talents. And she does a clever job with mixing pictures and her postings. Unfortunately, I cannot read most of it, but sometimes she posts in English.

At one time, there was a nomenclature in the literary world where one would have to write stories in journals (that no one would read), work you way up in the journal world, and eventually you would be able to start writing novels to be published. Which largely do not sell - unless you were Stephen King, or Danielle Steele, or another big-name author. Now, there's blogs. She might have a future and become some kind of national literary hero, like Shakespeare, or Pushkin.

One other thing - notice the cursor becomes a sun as you move it around.

Overall a good blog, even though I have not a clue what she is talking about. But I guess Turks need to have someone write blogs for them, too.

Grade: A

What the fuck???

In my first post, I noted that Iconoclast (klucko.blogspot.com) was the greatest blog ever created. You would be insane to disagree.

If you read this blog, it was something else, and changed to Iconoclast. There was no knowledge of this blog, so plagiarism cannot be credibly alleged (plus, the url is klucko, the internet name of the greatest and most wonderful person on the internet):

iconoclast.blogspot.com

This is called "Iconoclastic ramblings". It is awful.

First, there is nothing iconoclastic on here. It just states a bit of crazy leftwing theory - and the left today is really presenting nothing that really challenges the status quo - well, it does, but he does not present it.

Plus, there are only eight posts. While this is fine for a new blog, this blog started during the Clinton administration. Before the election 2000 fiasco. And, there is almost a four year gap in the postings.

The key here is incompleteness. Over a four year time you should have a lot more in the blog. While he might have discontinued in 2000 or 2001 (there is even a huge gap between that year) he obviously forgot it and decided to use it again. As it is incomplete, with no clear direction, or content for that matter, I will give it the grade such incompleteness deserves.

Grade: F

Historic Computer Images

Today I go into a blog that is about computer history:

ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/

I am old enough where the terms "computer" and "history" are oxymoronic.

This tells about the early days of computers. I think it's kinda interesting. Shows how much computer technology has changed. In fact, it is said there is more computing power in one of those musical birthday cards than was in the whole world prior to 1950.

Not on the site is the "future" of home computing, circa 1954. Is the steering wheel the device the mouse replaced? Oh yea - Fortran being easy? I remember that when I was in Russia in 1994, that is what they were using for their school computers - when we were way beyond that (and ten years before this) - but somehow they all have become hacking experts.























Grade: A-

Human Rights in Illinois

Here is a site focused on gun rights, largely in the state of Illinois:

concealcarry.org/

While having the URL of a traditional website, it is a blog. Devoted to gun rights, although it sometimes gets off topic and is more of a conservative punditry site.

Given that the mainstream media is almost uniformily anti-gun, this proves that the new media outlets have to provide the fodder for pro-gun positions. People have an irrational fear of guns - "because they are designed to kill" (well, duh!) - so they wish to ban all of them. However, those whose activism is focused primarily on anti-gun efforts take the most dishonest position for almost any group of activists on any issue. Both pro-lifers and pro-choicers have more honest arguments, both pro-death penality and anti-death penalty people have more honest arguments, both single-payer advocates and traditional free-enterprise health care advocates have more honest arguments. The only people who are more dishonest are communists. And no, the anti-global warming crowd is not being dishonest, because much data that would support their position is being suppressed, and no honest debate has had the opportunity to present itself here.

So, despite the fact that statistics show that armed societies are much safer than disarmed societies, the gun-grabbers choose to ignore all this data and insist on grabbing our guns. Actually, they lie. They first demand registration, saying it will not lead to confiscation. Once that is done, they push for confiscation. They abuse their trust, millions of gun-owners know this, which is why the NRA is one of the largest advocacy groups in this nation. And, intestingly, while the left advocates for human rights and social justice, they ignore the fact that depriving one of the means for self defense is a gross human rights violation (de-clawing cats is considered an animal-rights violation), and an oppressed, armed populace is in the best position to correct social injustice.

Now, enough of my own advocacy. I return to reviewing the blog. This site only provides anectodal stories. Nothing new is revealed. We pro-gunners already know the arguments. Other groups, like the NRA and Jews for the Protection of Firearms Ownership, do a much better job of providing arguments in their literature.

Also, too narrowly focused on Illinois. Illinois is one of the most anti-gun states - one still cannot get a concealed carry permit here, and it has some sort of registration, and it has gun-control advocacy politicians (as opposed to anti-gun politicians who merely provide a vote for the anti-gun position). And yet again, I get alerts from the NRA telling everything that is bad regarding Blagojevich and mayor Daley. The NRA does a better job.

Thus, despite my agreement with the position of this blog, it is not really that good of a blog, other organizations do a better job at presenting all the arguments, and I must give it a lower grade than I would really like to.

Grade: C+

Blooks

Like this blog, here is another blog that has to do with blogs themselves:

selfpublishblook.blogspot.com/

Until now, I had never heard of a "blook". Hmmm...I must still be back in the stone ages, now known as the 20th century.

He describes this site, titles as "Self-Published Blooks", as:

"Blogs are like water, books are like stones, two are different media forms for our creativities. This is my project to document how to turn our blogs into books, or 'blooks' "

Apparently, this is a site that is still in development, as the author keeps providing information, for those who want to publish the stuff they put on blogs.

Having been reviewing these things over the past month, I can say that most blogs should not be published as books, because much of what is in the blogosphere is garbage. Anything with less than a "B" grade should not be published. Most blogs involve either a. Personal Observations that have little interest to 99.9% of the population; b. Uninformed and uneducated opinions about politics, sports, etc., c. Somebody who is too cheap to pay the $150 to "Go Daddy" to get a real website so they have to advertize their stuff on Blogger instead, d. pictures about ones boring, ordinary life (which should not be published until you are maybe 85 years old), e. juvenile postings, or f. other reasons I cannot think about right now.

Nevertheless, there are some blogs that are focused on a single topic that interests it's own niche. I note that in today's post, there are seven types of blogs, according to Nora Paul of the Institute for New Media Studies, but she ignores the rare blogs that are not focused on a community, but are topically focused, that do not fit in one of the seven categories.

This site is not for everyone. It is, however, for those who engage in blogging. Despite the fact that there is a publishing overload, this is a useful resource to get those bloggers to reach a greater audience with their blogs are. There is a clear need out there for this blog.

Grade: A

Stoopid Criminals

Some say criminals are geniuses. I am not making this up. Others say they generally have low IQ's. This makes more sense. Here is a blog to prove it:

www.stupidcriminalfile.blogspot.com/

In my opinion, criminals should be made fun of, besides being punished. This blog focuses on those criminals who get caught while being stupid. Basically, nominees for the Darwin Awards. Some of these criminals do things so stupid, it boggles the mind. Like reporting stolen pot (actually, I didn't find this here). Or trying to steal a car and then asking the victim for directions. Or robbing a bank next to a police station. Or trying to hold up a gun shop (probably not here, but this happened in Renton).

This certainly does not glorify crime, like some in our culture do, but does it's part to demean it. The humorous stories add to the blog. A pretty good blog.

Grade: A

Stats, Stats, and More Stats

Most would consider the following site, it's a numeric life, a pretty boring site:

numericlife.blogspot.com/

Actually, it is a random gathering of recent social science statistics. And interestingly, a big focus on how lifestyle affects health. Sociologists - the ones who are not devout socialists, (those practicing "conflict theory") that is - have for a long time emphasized this fact our health is largely affected by our lifestyles. Although there is a lot not having to do with health, and there is a bit of faux humor statistics - although this is not a humor site.

The dominant feature of this site is it's neutrality. Which is what one would expect from a site devoted to statistics. There appears to be no hidden agenda in making this blog.

However, the topics are too scattered. While the site can make up for this fact by being entertaining, it is not. It could make up for this fact too by having a greater focus, and presenting statistics as some kind of theme, but it does this neither. Essentially, it is a social-science-statitics-lite source - and there are tomes much thicker in statistics. In other words, it is a simplified version of what a sociologist professor could present in an huge, arcane book (to keep up with his publishing). Nonetheless, it is a source worth consulting if you ever need to obtain this information.

Grade: B

Board Game Design

While computer games have taken over our spare time, people still like board games. Here is a site advising how to design them:

jbdgames.blogspot.com/

It was people with obscure ideas like these is one of the reasons why blogs came into existence. However, I do not recommend this for the general public - it is too arcane for the average person.

However, if you are into board games, and the theory, or if you would like to design one, this site if for you. So you should check it out.

The narrow interest of this site, without providing something to make it exciting, gives it a lower grade than I would normally give it.

Grade: B

Classic Cartoon Review

Throughout entertainment history, there have been reviewers of movies. But, cartoons were ignored - until recently. Here is a site devoted to reviewing the classic age of cartoons:

classiccartoons.blogspot.com/

It was basically my generation that took cartoons more seriously than prior generations did - and seriously consider reviewing them (although FDR was a big fan of Mickey Mouse cartoons). I think this guy calls himself "Duck Dodgers" (from the 21st Century, as a well known Daffy Duck parady that was in a cartoon or two). Despite the passage of 60 years, many of these cartoons are still considered funny - showing the magic of Mel Blanc.

Despite the fact that Micky Mouse launched the Disney empire, the Loony Toons are now considered the giants of the era. Maybe this is because CBS had two hours of 1950's and 1960's era cartoon re-runs every Saturday morning. But this guy reviews others from this era, going all the way back to the Wilson Administration with a review of the Krazy Kat cartoons (I didn't know cartoons were around this long!). However, most of the cartoons reviewed are from the 1930's and 1940's.

For some reason, he likes to review Ren & Stimpy, which I don't know why they are here (considering they started in the 1990's). And no Mickey Mouse, either - although they were not as entertaining as WB cartoons. He also reviews some obscure ones, ones that are forgotten.

This brings one back to the menage et twa of an earlier era. The cartoons probably provide better commentary on society than the movies of the era themselves do - after all, cartoons were shown at the beginning of movies, and during this time, people did not go to the movies for social commentary - they wanted pure entertainment. So a funny cartoon could be put at the beginning of a movie, people would laugh at their own society, and then watch the movie - probably forgetting the cartoon. Yet they were still doing this into my childhood - I remember going into a movie in 1982 and watching a new Woody Woodpecker cartoon (one I had not seen in before in syndication, the art was fresh, so I assume it is new, but I am not going to look it up).

Even in our era, cartoons provide commentary that cannot be presented elsewhere - South Park, Beavis and Butthead, and the Simpsons are a few. This is because it is possible to be extremely outlandish in a cartoon on a cheap budget - after all, all you need to do is draw something - or you can do things that are not technologically possible yet. So you can provide commentary that is not possible to do in a movie.

He provides a lot of clips, so you must be patient. And then he provides good commentary. He also sticks to the subject.

This is an excellent site, one of the best I have reviewed to date. So I grade it appropriately.

Grade: A

Mingle!

No, the following site is not a dating site, it is something else:

http://www.mingle.com/blog/

This is a site about what it is like to engage in entrepeneurship. Basically, it is a pain in the butt. And then there are the government pressures, the employee pressures, the market pressures, etc.

I really don't feel like delving into this and making all kinds of inappropriate comments, like I usually like to do on this blog. It is a very good blog - providing insite that you really cannot get anywhere else - so I really do not need to.

Grade: A

The Very Silly Blog

This blog is more silly than funny:

verysilly.blogspot.com/

All this blog is about is:

I'm blogging this at

Over and over again. There is nothing else to this blog. Literally.

What makes people do this?

This falls under the category of abstract art.

Grade: C-

Hahahaha Hawaii

Here is a photo blog:

funnyhawaii.blogspot.com/

From what I can tell, it is about Koreans on tour. Of the United States. And the oodles of pictures they took.

They appear goofy. But I don't think it is funny. But that is because I am an American and I don't understand Korean humor. Just like I am an American and I don't understand what they fuck the British think is so humorous about their humor.

Most of it is in Korean, so I cannot make heads or tales of what is going on. If this were a bunch of Americans taking pictures, I would think "I don't give a rats ass about what you post on the internet - why are you taking up so much storage." Same with this site. But since it is from a different culture, I can go here and say I got my "multicutural experience" for the day. I can thus make myself appear more sophisticated than I really am. Just like all those intellegentsia types who guzzle up everything foreign they can get their hands on (to make it appear they are really smart) so they can hide the fact that their level of intelligence does not match the number of university degrees they have (usually in such things like sociology, ethnic studies, religions studies, art history, etc.). And I don't have to watch some stupid foreign film to do so.

Maybe you can figure out what is so funny here?

Given that this is ordinary people taking ordinary pictures, doing goofy things, and I can't read Korean to see if there is actually substance to these photos, I really see nothing that makes this blog stand out from the rest - except for the fact it is from another culture, which there are lots of those out there anyway.

Grade: C

Love is Never Wrong

This is a blog from a "man-hating bulldike", of "The tales and misadventures of Kelly"

kelliebean.blogspot.com/

So I went there, thinking that there is bigotry involved. There is not. Instead, this is by-and-large a personal blog.

This is someone who called herself a feminist - then decided to change her label to humanist. There are a lot of personal postings here, and some political commentary. Regarding politics, she states that she was dropping out of leftwing politics "because some of my views are rightwing". - whatever is meant by that down under (in Australia). By reading the blog, it is pretty difficult to pigeonhole. So I can neither glorify it or make fun of it.

No consistent theme on this yet. No real original ideas. The humor is from elsewhere. No dynamic prose. But there is some potential on this - the author is just 21, so she has time to develop fresh ideas, a good prose, or other things that make a blog worth reading.

Grade: C+

Steve Swain's Blog

Here is a personal blog that is somewhat interesting:

stevenswain.blogspot.com/

This is some guy in Virginia who writes about personal observations. Mostly cultural issues. And largely about fashion.

And boy, does he like to write!

Fortunately, unlike a lot of personal blogs, he does not get too involved in his personal life. Which is good, because most people have lives that really are not worthy of being read.

I did not read much of his posts - there is far too much to read, and I don't have a lot of time - but he does seem to add something to the blogosphere. After all, not a lot of blogs dedicate a lot of space to malls - at least of those who are not pimply-faced 14 year olds! A person of his age has more perspective to say something useful about malls and fashion.

The weak spot on this blog is it is focused too much in one aspect of life - fashion and malls - but it is not totally dedicated to it. So the grade is affected somewhat. However, he is being honest in that he is not trying to be something he appears not to be.

Grade: B

One about Nashville?

Here is a blog that showed up on "Blogger"

nashville.modearkansas.com/

This is about the Nashville neighborhood. This is someplace in Tennessee. No, this is not about the only thing Nashville is known for - "country" music - but that is about all that goes on in Nashville.

The main question about this blog is the following: Why?

In any case, the only thing good about Tennessee is the way they vote - you might disagree, but that's because you're wrong. Nothing good ever came from that state. Not it's music. I like cowboy music, I like bluegrass music, but mixing the two together doesn't lead to a Reeses (sp?) Peanut Butter Cup-like mix - meaning something better. Instead, it leads to this crap called country music, which has now morphed into a musical form that is nothing more than scaled down rock. Sure they sing about things I like, but I cannot stand the sound. I'd rather listen to a Swedish metal band like I'm doing right now - who probably want to expropriate my wealth and force atheism down my throat like they all want to do in that country - than listen to someone preaching my politics with bad music behind them. And, no, Elvis isn't from Tennessee - he's originally from Biloxi, Mississippi.

Remember, the Klan started in Tennessee, too. And do they hide Nathaniel Bedfort Forrest, the founder, in shame? No, they confuse this uber-bigot with Robert E Lee and put him in a place of honor and still celebrate his birthday every single year. That's because they probably still love his racial views - it wouldn't surpise me if they still do. Even Algore participated in Nathaniel Bedfort Forrest day!

The culture? Besides generally being good Christians, and the fact they like guns, what else is there to honor? What else is there to do in that state besides get drunk?

The climate? Why would you want to live in a humid climate that has a lot of creepy-crawlies?

In any case, we need to get back to the blog. All they write about here is about happenings in Nashville - which really is not relevant to the scheme of things. I cannot figure out what this blog is about. Which really doesn't matter because they people from that state generally have nothing to add to an intellectual discussion anyway.

I did see something about touring the Arkansas Wine Country. I have never heard of wine tours of wineries who only produce box wine. Coming from an area with a lot of wineries (the Sammamish region), it might be interesting to see what a winery is like that produces this slop.

You might be reading this by now thinking "this nut is totally judging this place, wrongly, on preconceived notions!" True, I have never been near the south, and know few southerners. But that shouldn't mean I have no ability to make highly educated judgements about them. As Rat Scabies once said about Led Zeppelin "Led Zeppelin! I don't need to hear their music! All I need to do is see their picture to throw up!" Granted, he was wrong about Led Zeppelin, but this underscores an important point about making character judgements about a volk.

In any case, this really isn't a bad blog, nor is bigotry promoted. So the grade is a moderate one.

Grade: C

My Locks

Check out this blog:

blackluvdmom.blogspot.com/

It appears this chick has a blog devoted to her hair. 'Nuff said.

Grade: C

The Google Doctor

Curious about health? Try this site:

dr-razavi.blogspot.com/

This is a site, by a medical doctor I presume, that brings up various health/medical topics. Which is good, for we need to have medical information accessible on the internet.

From what I can tell, she gives us information on how to live healthier lifestyles. Largely, common-sense stuff. On various aspects of life. Like what to do, what not to do. And she explains the consequences of not following her directions.

Initially, seems to be a moralizing site, but moralizing keeps us on the straight-and-narrow. Somewhat boring, but then again, health is not an exciting topic.

Grade. Very borderline: A-/B+

Job security for me

I adjust claims. If there are no accidents, I have no job. So, in a sick way, this site should make me quite happy:

crash-photo-weblog.blogspot.com

Yes, an original blog. But, this is too new. Probably will be more - but no evidence yet of any staying power. Even if the author gets these pictures off of MySpace pages, it is much harder to find pictures of this theme by doing a Google or Yahoo search than my last blog review of a blog that was almost entirely pictures. And, the people are anonymous, too.

That is, if looking at accidents is your kind of thing.

Grade: B

From "The Best Blog Ever"...to the worst blog ever

Here is a site that should be totally banned:

www.barrynet.com/

This is Barry Manilow's webpage. Ok, not a blog. But so sick and disgusting, it is controversial, and controvery needs to be discussed. However, when it comes to Barry Manilow, there is only one opinion that is inarguably correct 100% of the time - evil.

My 9th grade Math teacher taught me two things: 1) Algebra, and 2) Barry Manilow is the worst thing since sliced bread. He is definitely evil. You can tell by the fact that when you look on his website, he totally looks possessed. From his pictures, I can see that he looks like a demon took him over. There is a legend that who we know as Adolf Hitler was not really Adolf Hitler, but some demon who possessed him in one of his drug induced states while he was practicing black magic in Vienna circa 1907 (hey - I am not making this stuff up! You might not believe the legend, but there is no dispute that the legend itself exists). So maybe the Adolf demon possessed Barry?

20 years ago, there was a study of two cats, with headphons on, listening to music. One was listening to Motley Crue (ok, an embarassment in itself). The other was listening to Barry Manilow. After 48 hours, the cat listening to Barry Manilow was screaming "Kiss the Devil! Kiss the Devil!" or something like that. There is indisputable proof that this experiment took place, for it was in the comic strip "Bloom County." (I have all those books, and maybe someday will scan it in).

Recently, Barry Manilow topped the charts in the UK. And people think we should be more like Europe. This is the sole argument why we should not be like Europe.

One summer, I took over a paper route for a friend. I also had swim practice every day, too. So my mother had to drag me to get the paper route done on time (and I would much rather have not had her along and done it myself!!!). She had to have her nefarious "easy listening" station on, at that time, KOMO AM 1000 (hence vastly improved as a news format - actually, any format would be a vast improvement over this crap). I had to listen to this garbage - and half the station seemed to be Barry Manilow tunes. This was by far my worst summer ever.

Barry Manilow is about 60 years old. That means it will not be much longer when he will be in hell. The level that was too low for Dante to describe. The level containing Lawrence Welk, and will also some day contain Jon Bon Jovi.

Grade: F

A blog that is misnamed

Here is something that is a pretty good blog, though inappropriately named:

jackiethegreatest.blogspot.com

She calls it "The Greatest Blog Ever." That is totally wrong. The greatest blog ever is Iconoclast.

In any case, it's still a pretty good blog. I normally do not get into personal observation blogs - because most people's lives are pretty boring, and they don't really know how to write interesting things - but if you have a boring life, and can write, you can spice it up. What can be more boring than being a graduate student in mathemetics?

Well, the blog author has found a way to make personal observations funny. And I like her attitude, too. And her politics. Oops - that's a no-no when it comes to grading.

In any case, if you want to check out a personal blog, this is one to check out. Unfortunately, since this is not all that original, there is a limit to the grade I can give it.

Grade: B+

Orbusmax

Today we review another Drudge Report drone, Orbusmas:

www.orbusmax.com/

This is kinda a Drudge Report, but with a Northwest Twist. I.e., he focuses on northwest news.
However, it isn't up to Drudge quality, nor does it sink as low as the Drudge Retort.

First, he does acknowledge Drudge - in big letters at the top. There is a similarity in the format - three columns. And like Drudge, it is conservative-leaning. There are some differences, though (besides being northwest-focused).

First, there is no link to several billion columnists. Instead, there is a page linking to several blogs. Overwhelmingly conservative, mind you, but not totally (for example, he references horsesass.com, but he forgets the Daily Kos). This is not like the Drudge Retort, for which I cannot find a single non-liberal-left-progressive site.

And, he appears not to be maintaining this at the rate of Drudge - sometimes, he advises he will be down for a day, and asks you to check the blogs. But he is honest in this regard nonetheless.

While this knocks down the grade, there is a bit of Northwest schtick at the bottom - a similar feature that the Drudge Report and Drudge Retort lack (he links to SkyHighAirlines and the exploding whale story, for example). So that gives it a bit of uniqueness.

Most of the news focuses on Washington and Oregon, and a bit on Idaho, but it doesn't matter, for no one cares what goes on in that state. Unlike Drudge Report, however, local news sources are less bias than local news sources, and you can get most northwest news off of local papers and the websites of news channels. This may not be the best site to start your northwest new search. Nonetheless, these sites are not as comprehensive for northwest news. Thus, there is some ambivilency here.

Grade: B-

Drudge Retort

Yesterday, I covered the Drudge Report. Today, I cover the Drudge Retort:

www.drudge.com/

The Drudge Retort is a misappropriation of Matthew Drudge's original report. While it could be along the lines of something like The Onion, it is not. Instead, it misappropriates the name, it look vagely similar to the format of the Drudge Report (although with a yellow background), and it links to other stories. But if you expect this to be a spoof of the Drudge Report, it is not - in my opinion, it is a misappropriation.

First, there is the name. The Drudge Report is named after Matthew Drudge. So what did they do? They used the name, the format, and the idea, of Matthew Drudge. But is anyone associated with the Drudge Retort have the last name Drudge? Not according to the contributors. Had they obtained this URL a few years later, there may have been a good argument that there was trademark infringement - which may have happened, I do not know.
However, this does not matter anyway, because everyone knows to go to drudgereport.com, rather than drudge.com, to get their news.

Secondly, there is absolutely no acknowledgement of The Drudge Report. But since Matthew Drudge is so well known, it is not needed.

In addition, while they provide links to several columnists, all those columnists appear to be leftwing columnists (and bloggers). No one in the middle, or to the right. And, at one time, there was a meter indicating the number of days Bush had left in office - meaning January 20, 2005. Since he won re-election, kinda a moot point.

It is my impression that this started out as a spoof, as I remember it five years back. We appreciate humor and spoofs on these blog reviews, like The Onion. However, when the spoofing stops, and the misappropration begins, that is where we draw the line.

One more thing: Notice the contributors on the Editorial Board (something the Drudge report does not have). You will see the name Jayson Blair. Does this name ring a bell? He is the guy who created the scandal with the New York Times a few years back where he essentially made up stories and got them on the front page. If this is the same Jayson Blair, I certainly would not want him anywhere near my editorial board - no matter how much he agrees with me.

This is nothing more than juvenile antics. In college, plagiarism and making stuff up got you to flunk the course. Since this is not a spoof, it does here also.

Grade: F

The Big Kahuna

Today, I cover the blog of the most famous netizen, Matthew Drudge:

www.drudgereport.com/

Some may argue this is actually a website, but according to an expert, Kim Komando, it constitutes a blog - and the most visited one at that.

The Drudge Report not only pre-dates blogs, but it almost pre-dates the World Wide Web (if it's called that anymore). It started out with email postings in 1994 (supposedly on the old usenet groups); I remember receiving forwards of them. And they constituted largely celebrity gossip, something that still has a large part of the report. I suspect he got interested in politics by covering the Clinton scandals, which were themselves celebrity gossip.

Matt Drudge is part anchorman, part gossip columnist, part muckracker. He has become the leading news person of the day. And imitated, too - I will post a couple more in the next couple of days. While beloved of conservatives, per Wikipedia, a UCLA professor found that this site actually has a slight left-wing bias (!). However, not only do conservatives go there daily to get their news fixes, but so do moderates, and some progressives. And while a conservative on some issues - he really has not come out with a full Drudge platform - he does say things that are not in line with the conservative movement. His opinions are independent of any movement.

The concept is real simple - find an interesting article, post the headline, and provide the link to the story. Some say that there is little-to-no original journalism that Drudge provides, but it doesn't matter - he is often the first to break news, which is really what matters. And, if you want to look elsewhere for news, he has links to all the major news sites, plus the sites of several prominent columnists, on all sides of the political spectrum.

The Drudge Report is so huge, it will take a long time for something else to overtake it. Walter Cronkite argued that America needs an anchorman today. By the fact that so many people visit the Drudge Report - due to simplicity and convenience - Matthew Drudge has pretty much become the anchorman of my generation. Which Mr. Cronkite, because he belong to different era (and has an inability to understand this era), has an inability to perceive. Sorry, Mr. Cronkite, that this anchorman has been identified (somewhat mistakenly) with the right.

No matter your opinion of Drudges' opinions, there is no argument that he is one of the most influential newsmen of the day. While no longer really that original, it was original when it first started on the web, and originality plus influence plus audience is what earns high praises on this review.

Grade: A

Indienation

To show my multicultural side, I now present a blog from the turd - err, third - world:

indienation.blogspot.com/

This is a blog about bands. Apparently so, because I don't speak Brazilian, Portugese, Samba, or whatever they speak in Brazil. All I can tell is that the bands probably suck, in that Pearl Jam is appears to be rated highly, and I don't like Pearl Jam (and neither did Kurt Cobain). Also, there is a guy with a suit on, in front of a drum set - which usually indicates a swing band. I think swing music should be permanently banned as the devil's music.

In any case, there is also a "Rock Brazil" post, too (they have rock down there?) . So maybe there is something decent down there. From what I can tell, this is an ecletic choice of bands, which I have never understood eclecticism in musical tastes.

Since I don't speak the language of the author, I really have nothing else onto which I can rate this blog. So I give it the following grade:

Grade: C-

Globetrotter

Here is something a little more interesting than the last one:

aloneconformist.blogspot.com/

Defined as "Basketball worldwide...sort of"

This site is devoted to basketball...sort of. Just like he states. However, he apparently does not argue from a standpoint of expertise, but uses it to make off-color remarks.

Hence, even though I do not like basketball, I like it.

I have skimmed thru this site, and notice little use of statistics, or predictions based upon fact. Instead, it is more of a fun read. Especially over the last four months, when he makes comments about the NBA dance girls (especially the Rockets ones, so I suspect he is in Houston).

Covering basketball is nothing original. And he presents no new insights about reporting basketball (as if I really have the expertise to determine useful basketball knowledge from garbage). But the layout of the site, plus his writing style, and his focus, makes this site worthy of going to.

Grade: A-

Not in my lunch box!

Vegan Lunch Box:

veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/

Who could get excited about a lunch box? Not I, nor are most Americans I suppose.

To be a vegan is analgous to being a militant athiest - as opposed to a vegetarian being analgous to an agnostic - you are so virtuous in your belief, you have to run around and try to convert everyone. There is no middle ground. Even if you use distorted propaganda, as this person does in "Why vegan?"

Yes, putting pictures of your kid's lunch box on a blog every day to show vegan diets can be relatively normal (actually, another misrepresentation, see below) is rather innovative, which goes a long way in Eric's Blog Reviews. But there are problems here.

First, I will interject my opinion. Humans are primarily herbervious animals - I say primarily. We need a bit of meat in our diet-maybe one helping a day, or two, if you count animal by-products. We were made so it is possible to injest meat. Some peoples, like Eskimos, have survived on an almost all-meat diet (but granted this is a very poor diet). Meat is not a poison for humans. Therefore, avoiding any and all meat and animal by-products results in some very malnurish humans - unless you have a degree in nutrition to figure out how to balance all this out (which most people do not have the time to get anyway). Vegetarians can have balanced diets without much education, but for vegans, it takes a lot of effort.

However, as many a person has said to many a teacher "you cannot grade on opinion" so I shall not do so. Instead, I will grade on other aspects of this blog.

Primarily, the fact that it is boring. For something designed to convert the unwashed, it does a poor job of doing so. For a long, long, time, there have been more exciting things to do than to look at a lunch box every day.

This can be overcome with clever writing and/or sarcasm. But, coming from a perspective of a person who is a product of the Tri-Cities (so-named because they try to be cities), an area about as exciting as Stockton, California, the ability to present exciting, or humorous, prose, does not present itself. Instead, it is dull and uninspiring.

If you presented an exciting topic with this writing style, you could get away with it and have people of differing viewpoints come to read your blog regularly. However, with this writing style, the only people you will preach to is the choir.

As I noted above, innovation in blogs gives high points. However, the inability to present boring subject manner in an entertaining format reduces that grade it should be given.

Grade: B+