Lizards who Blog

As an aficionado of the amazing Little Green Footballs site, I am adding a new feature to this humble blog. It is the Scaled Legion Blogroll. I respect each author and hope you will enjoy perusing their literary and political efforts.

Radiant

Where is Radiant Times????

Just busy finishing up the last homework assignments before I graduate next week. I'll be back in blogging splendor then. Thanks for the patience.

Bloggers for Fitness

We love to sit in front of the computer, but we need to take care of ourselves and stay healthy.

Here is your invitation to join the Bloggers for Fitness:

YOU'RE INVITED TO JOIN THE PRESIDENT'S
CHALLENGE!

I have started a group for Bloggers to take the President's Challenge
together:   Bloggers for Fitness    and you're invited to be part of it!

WHAT IS IT?
The President's Challenge is a series of programs designed to help
improve anyone's activity level. Joining a group is a great way to make
staying active easy.

To learn more about the President's Challenge, go
to:
http://www.PresidentsChallenge.org

WHY JOIN?
Staying active with
others can be a lot of fun. They'll help keep you motivated - even when
you don't really feel like it. Groups are a great way to meet new
people. There are even programs for people at different activity levels: the
Active Lifestyle program aimed at beginners, and the Presidential
Champions program for those who are already active.

Signing up for a group
is simple. And there's no limit to how any you can belong to. You can
join or leave at any time. All you have to do is register. It's quick,
and there's no cost just to
participate!

-----------------------------------------------------------------

HOW TO JOIN:

1) Go to
http://www.PresidentsChallenge.org/login/register_individual.aspx

2)
Fill out the registration form.
 * Be sure to include the following
info during registration *

Your Group ID Number: 57647

I made this group public so you should have no trouble joining.

3) After registering, start logging
your activities. As you log activities you'll be able to track your
progress toward winning a President's Challenge Award or Medal.

Good luck!

Radiant Times



-----------------------------------------------------------------
              
-- The President's Challenge --
                   
http://www.PresidentsChallenge.org

Still under scrutiny by Kos

The Kos bloggers are not letting go of the Howard Kurtz story, thinking it is an opportunity to bring down a journalist with whom they disagree.

At least this time in quoting me, they are not talking about me in a creepy fashion as they describe my musical specialty. Helping young people get through the voice change during adolescence so they can have a lifetime of singing beautiful music is neither weird nor perverted.

I am of the opinion that you have to do what is best for your blog. If it pleases your readers to focus on small potatoes like Howard Kurtz when there are bigger issues happening - global warming, when the war is going to end, the terrible choices we have for president from both political parties and stuff like that, then I begin to suspect that you are small of mind and heart. I don't care how popular you are on the blog list.

Thanks to Mark of News Corpse for standing up for me

Astroturf Blogs?

So, now all new bloggers who comment politically are writers of Astroturf blogs?

Does this mean that our views are not important? Does this mean that the things we write are not relevant to the political and social situation in America?

What is an Astroturf blog? Wikipedia's definition is:

In politics and advertising, the term astroturfing describes formal public relations (PR) campaigns that seek to create the impression of being a spontaneous, grassroots behavior. Hence the reference to the "AstroTurf" (artificial grass) is a metaphor to indicate "fake grassroots" support.

I can see cracking down on fake blogs. My blog was quoted with another, probably fake, blog last week in the Washington Post article by Howard Kurtz. The potentially fake blog, "Political Retch", has very little information. At least the creator had the wherewithal to make a second posting - just as inflammatory as the first - to try to legitimize his (Bobby G.'s) place in the blog world. I was not proud to be in the same article with him.

But as for new bloggers like myself, don't brush us off. We see the potential of this medium to reach the millions who wander into cyberspace for up to date information - not really trusting the main stream media. Since we are local entities, our influence may not be national ( unless we get lucky and get national attention like I did). We have strong opinions, and most of us are intelligent and very articulate.

Take heed. New bloggers are real grassroots, not Astroturf.

I got lucky again

First comments from this humble blogger were printed in the Chicago Tribune.

Then Yesterday this humble blog was mentioned in the Washington Post!!!

Strafing the Speaker by Howard Kurtz

What am I? A Media Magnet? Hardly. I just hit a few pertinent news nerves and someone noticed me. But it does make a newish blogger kind of happy, even if the links to the blog come from people who think I'm an idiot.