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According to Sifry’s Alerts, there are now nearly 8 million blogs out there, and the growth trend shows no signs of abating. “[I]n the last 20 months,” says Sifry, “the blogosphere has increased in size by over 16 times.” We, alas, are today only highlighting four blogs — approximately .00005 percent of the total, for those of you paying attention. (We should note in our defense, however, CJR Daily managing editor Steve Lovelady’s speculation that “7 million of the 8 million [blogs] are the diaries of 13-year-old girls.”)
Anyway, just to prove we’re not willing to pander, we’re going to skip the Hillary Duff gossip and instead head over to the blog of Norman Geras, who took a critical look at the Guardian‘s editorial on Paul Wolfowitz’s World Bank nomination. One line in particular — “Some worry that his strong emphasis on human rights may complicate relations with China” — got to Geras, who quotes a reader:
“Unbelievable sentence — that an emphasis on human rights disqualifies you for a job. Er, if Nelson Mandela was being proposed, would his strong emphasis on human rights be a disincentive to appoint him, according to the Guardian?!”
From media criticism to, well, more media criticism: The Liquid List gives us a screenshot of CNN.com this morning, which featured as its main photo Jose Canseco on Capitol Hill, and included among its top news the sale of Toys ‘R’ Us, updates on Robert Blake and Scott Peterson, and details about “American Idol” making “its first major cut.”
“ANWR. Social Security. Decreased life expectancy due to childhood obesity. Wolfowitz. Bolton. Italy leaving Coalition of the ‘Willing.’ Syrian intelligence agents leaving Beirut. Darfur still genocide. Americans still without healthcare. Wars. Wars. Wars. Poverty,” writes the Liquid List’s Oliver. “And this … is CNN?”
On to St. Patrick’s Day, which this year falls on the same day as the opening of March Madness, a happy confluence that makes this just about the best day of the year to call in sick and settle in at a nice, cozy bar with a few televisions and a good variety of ales. For the gastronomically inclined, Venomous Kate offers recipes for baked corned beef and Irish coffee, with this introduction:
Top o’ the morning ta ye on this glorious St. Patrick’s Day. Sure’s and yer prolly wonnerin’ how best ta cook tha’ slab o’ corned beef ye picked up at market this week, ‘long wi’ a headda green cabbage, hopin’ to feed the wee ones while yer green beer buzz wears off. Right, an’ ta trick is ta start cookin’ now so’s ye don’ hafta sober up afore dinner.
But Big Arm Woman probably won’t be firing up the oven this year. She offers up some consoling words for all you St. Patrick haters out there, in a post titled “Not Irish. Not Catholic. Not Interested.” She adds: “[I]t’s snowing, I gave up alcohol for Lent and I’ve never been a fan of green beer anyway, leprechauns suck, clover holds bees that can end up squished between toes and fingers (voice of hard-won experience here), Lucky Charms cereal tastes like crap and I’m sleep deprived.”
We fall somewhere in the middle of these two — but we’re certainly happy to get the rare opportunity to write about people who disagree on an issue associated with a color that isn’t red or blue.
–Brian Montopoli
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