Some of you may have noticed that I haven’t been around much, lately. Life stuff, work stuff, you know the drill. But this weekend at the WisCon feminist SF convention I and the other Angry Black Women promised unusualmusic that we would return from our life implosion-based quietness and begin contributing again. Not that she hasn’t been doing a fabulous job here. I don’t tell her enough how much I appreciate her hard work.
So, the first step on my end is to get back into reading blogs again on a regular basis. But since I’ve been out of the habit I only have a few core blogs on my list when I know that I used to read more. Plus there are new blogs that I haven’t come across but I’m sure are wonderful. So I’m humbly asking for your suggestions.
Tell me what blogs you read and enjoy or that make you think or even that make you angry. I’m looking to add blogs that deal with race and/or gender, but those blogs don’t have to be political (often they are, but it’s not a requirement). Group blogs, individual bloggers, the whole gamut. And, of course, political blogs. Also, art, music, or writing blogs by people of color and/or women.
Leave suggestions in the comments, and don’t be afraid to suggest your own blog. There’s nothing wrong with self-promotion!
And now a word from our sponsor...
| Your ad could be here, right now. |
What Blogs Should I Read?
My favorite blog is LessWrong.
Interested in a few from the other side?
Neptunus Lex is a milblogger who until recently was a carrier pilot and a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy. He requires civility in the discourse he allows. You’re going to hear a certain amount of talk about aviation topics, but he and his commenters hold forth on the politics and social topics of the day. There’s a definite military bent to the viewpoints of many there as you might expect, which is quite useful if you have no military expertise yourself, especially on the matters of Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, etc. I like SondraK and Maggie’s Farm on his blogroll. His archive has some tremendous stories about his life and times in the Navy, and what it’s like to serve our country. Some of them are “war stories” about the stunts that he and his colleagues used to pull, but some of them are quite serious tales about the work – and the hazards – in the service.
Michael Yon is an ex-Green Beret who has embedded numerous times in Iraq and Afghanistan. He’s in Thailand now, covering the events there directly while also publishing about the war in Afghanistan. Which, BTW, he does not think is being run correctly and for which he blames the General in charge. This is not an armchair blogger; he writes and photographs almost all his work from the field. He’s an excellent photographer. He has both praised and crossed swords with those in charge of our activities in the Middle East; in fact, he’s on the outs with the General currently in charge in Afghanistan as I’ve noted. Michael is one of the very most famous of the milblogs.
Villanous Company is written by Cassandra, the wife of a senior (she won’t say how senior) Marine officer who has been on multiple deployments. She occasionally talks about her experiences as the spouse of a career military officer but that’s not her main focus. Social and political topics are the main thing there. I don’t know if you would consider her a feminist, but she thinks she’s pretty damned empowered. There’s generally at least one current post on how she sees the roles of men and women in society.
Grim lives up in Tennessee, I believe. He prefers a rural life but is no yokel. He served in Iraq and while the military comes up now and again this is not a milblog. Literature and music are often subjects of his posts – as occasionally also is the use of weaponry, often but by no means always firearms. If you want to buy a good knife, or a good horse, ask Grim. He also gave me a hell of a recipe for cornbread in a Dutch Oven.
ER Stories
Dr. Whitecoat’s blog
Both of these blogs are from emergency room doctors. They’re well-written.
Cakewrecks.com/
Because who doesn’t like seeing pictures of terrible cakes? Plus, on Sundays, she posts really phenomenal cakes.
Free-range Kids
Different perspective on the whole “stranger-danger” phenomenon.
Last Psychiatrist A blog from a practicing psychiatrist. He can get hung up on narcissism, but has insight into the way Big Pharma works that you might not consider otherwise.
Postsecret I doubt anyone hasn’t heard of Postsecret, but I’m putting it here just in case.
Most of these at least touch on politics in some way, although that’s not their main point. Alas is pretty much the only blog I can come to for politics that doesn’t turn into a raging shitstorm in the comments. I get so tired of seeing “teh stoopid” on the internet that I’ve given up on most other political blogs.
I recommend The Agitator for American justice system atrocities.
And I’ve been spending a lot of my online time at Less Wrong, too.
Another possible suggestion:
The GiveWell Blog, a blog by the employees of GiveWell, an organization that tries to evaluate charities in the hope that people can be persuaded to donate their money to where it will have the biggest impact. (Start here.)
You should read my blog: prosebeforehos.com — I also recommend Juan Cole and Reddit politics/LGBT