Pen-Elayne on the Web

Liberal Coalition Top Ten
Week of 6/18 thru 6/23/06

Damn, two weeks in a row that a Liberal Coalition member has unexpectedly lost their mom. My deepest condolences go out to Jane Hamsher and her family on the loss of her mother Greta. I found out a little bit late via other blogs because Firedoglake's RSS feed hasn't worked in about two weeks (if I can't read an RSS feed I usually can't keep up with a blog). In fact, Bloglines has exclamation points (indicating feed errors) next to lots and lots of blogs this weekend. On the one hand I'm grateful because it means I've finally caught up with my blog reading (as well as much of my away-from-keyboard comics reading; I'm up to the last of the Superman titles in my alphabetical plow-through of our DC comp boxes); on the other hand I'm sure I'll have lots of catch-up to do as the new work week begins. Here's what caught my eye from LC member blogs this past week:

• Amy celebrated her third blogiversary. I can't believe my fourth is coming up in a few months...

• Bora has instituted Friday Weird Sex Blogging, which ought to be about as fun as when birds do it, bees do it PZ Myers does it; and reports on his friend Kevin's surveying adventures in China.

• Echidne reports on her recent trip to the estrogen plateau in Wingnuttia, muses on community building in the blogosphere, and tries to break down the latest kerfuffle between insular right-wing bloggers and insular left-wing bloggers. Given that a private mailing list can often be antithetical to a feeling of community, my only reaction to this whole flap is to recall the first rule of private mailing lists, which is that you don't talk about private mailing lists. (But if you're really into this inside-baseball type stuff, Steve Gilliard is involved in the controversy as well.)

• Kathy is going to graduate classes more or less in my neighborhood! Okay, a half hour bus ride away, but I swear I can still feel her presence...

• Keith updates us on the latest rumble between science (Stephen Hawking) and religion (the Pope). Ho'od win?

• Kenneth gives some excellent advice on how to increase blog readership and carve yourself a worthy niche in this big ol' tent - blog about local politics.

• Michael gives us a helpful and horrifying translation of a current GOP propagandistic talking point. And Mustang Bobby bids us beware every time the propagandists point their fingers at "some" people.

• Rivka reminds us about the dangerous and humiliating jobs that many Americans no longer do.

• Scrutiny Hooligans are the best kind of hooligans, except maybe for the Hamburg Umsonst (I wonder if they're operating during the World Cup?). This kind of superhero stuff is right up Heidi's alley, so I expect it's only a matter of time before The Beat returns from Charlotte and investigates. Screwy also reinterprets the Pledge of Allegiance.

• Lastly, as you might expect, Trish has been following the Darren Mack case.

Less than 150 new posts showing up on Bloglines, then back to finish up my DCU reading and onto Vertigo and Wildstorm...