firedoglake

i blog and i regularly read a couple of blogs. i highly recommend both.

i guess it was in the year leading up to the 2006 election when i first started consistently reading a blog. the blog was www.talkingpointsmemo.com, which in those days featured content almost strictly from founder joshua micah marshall. i think tpm, (as it has come to be known,) has revolutionized journalism, (in addition to threatening the world of print journalism.) i used to listen to al franken's radio show regularly and marshall was a regular guest, hence, i became a reader of marshall's blog.

blogs had been around a while at that point in time but to marshall's credit, i had not become a regular reader of any of them. i had been a regular reader of the la times once upon a time but that was probably 10 years ago now since i came to see it as an inferior product.

nowadays there are a variety of sites i visit on the internet randomly. but only one blog i read religiously. it is firedoglake, (at www.firedoglake.com.) tpm has become so dense with information i have come to visit it sporadically, sometimes not for a couple of weeks at a time and other times several times daily if they are on the cutting edge of a story as they often are. but for consistently clear and concise interpretations and commentary on the news of the day, fdl is a great choice.

they have several bloggers. my favorite may be eureka springs because she conveys warmth in her posts so i often feel like i am reading a friend. however, for sheer insight, no one beats ian welsh. i believe ian is canadien but he is severely attuned to the american political landscape as well as our economy.

firedoglake is also a community so if you register with them you can comment on posts. i tend to lurk as it is called, which simply means to read the comments without commenting, but i am registered and i have commented a few times. if you ever go there i am registered as iconoclasm12, (in case you see me.)

besides all the politics, (where fdl will absolutely keep you informed,) some of the bloggers will post links to music or cartoons or any other oddball thing. i remember clicking on fdl once maybe a year ago and seeing the most amazing picture staring back at me. it was from a live rock and roll show at amherst college or somewhere like that from back in the late 80s. the blogger was bragging that he or she was actually there and took the photo i was gaping at. s/he said s/he was proud to say she was actually there, unlike the thousands who claim to have been there.

it was fugazi and the stage in the photo was perfectly lit so there were shadows and yet, an amazing clarity. more importantly there was action everywhere in this particular photo. the singer had sweat dripping off of him and the guitarist was practically moving in the still shot. i'll never forget that photo even though i know the way i remember it is likely flawed in multiple ways.

still, firedoglake is a smart blog and you might consider visiting it. it's good. other than that. . .what's on your mind tonight? :-)