Free Republic

TEHRAN, Jan. 15 - Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a vice president of Iran until his resignation last fall in protest against the new hard-line Parliament, is that rare reformist who has kept alive the movement's promise for open communications with the public. For more than a year, Mr. Abtahi, a midranking cleric who has been a close ally and confidant of President Mohammad Khatami, has kept a Web log to share his views and reach out to others who use the Internet. Mr. Abtahi spends much of his time in his office in the heart of an affluent neighborhood in northern...

Jason Apuzzo and Govindini Murty, who brought us Hollywood's first conservative film festival has just announced their new blog. Libertas Check it out, they have great plans for the future. DoctorZin

[Members of the Traditional Anglican Ping List know that I post material from many sources, which has been steadily growing over time. A couple of Anglican/Episcopal blog lists were recently posted online; after going through them all I have added a few to my list, and have posted the list of primary sources on my Traditional Anglican Directory and Resource page at http://trad-anglican.faithweb.com/, the URL I keep in my tag line. The following is the list posted online. Happy reading -- and if you encounter sites I should know about, please FReepmail me. --sionnsar]

This blog is dedicated to all things related to being a continuing Anglican/Episcopalian. It will serve as a place to discuss issues such as liturgy, theology, philosophy, ethics, ecumenicism, and more as they relate to "continuing" Anglicanism. It will also serve as a place to discuss these issues as they relate to other christian traditions. Now, for those of you who do not already know, let me tell you something about continuing Anglicans. We are "continuing" because the idea is that we are "continuing" the orthodox Christian faith that was once delivered to the saints. We are Anglicans because... [This...

On Tuesday Markos Moulitsas Zúniga of the Daily Kos, the most trafficked blog on the web, attacked me personally and erroneously for having written a column in the Union Leader (Manchester, NH) in which I defended New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary. "The author is a Republican, and a consultant. He stands to lose lots of cash if NH loses its leading role," he wrote of me in his weblog.

Hugh Hewitt announced on his show today that he will be appearing on FoxNews O'Reilly Factor on Friday January 14th at 8pm eastern to discuss his new book 'Blog'. Order and read reviews of his book on Amazon

One gee-whiz product on display last night in the ballroom of the MGM Grand Casino signaled where the personal publishing trend known as blogging is headed. Think video. Think regular Joes and Marys acting like Dan Rather, broadcasting personal video newscasts from their kitchen counters and living room sofas. Mark Randall, founder of Serious Magic, shows the video-creation screen of his new video-blogging software program, which generates a personal video that looks much like a regular TV newcast ....

Sorry to interrupt.... long time... first time... yadda yadda. Just recently moved to North Korea on the Potomac, er... Maryland and was wondering if there are any blogs covering the local conservative efforts. One of my neighbors told me that flying the colors in our new 'hood was a sure way to get people mad. So I'm thinking of getting a large weatherproof flag and tacking it to the roof. Anyway.... Any links would be nice.

I did a Google search for the word "blog", limited within the past 3, 6, and 12 months. The number of hits for each time period are as follows: In the past... Hits 3 months 20,400,000 6 months 19,400,000 12 months 21,900,000 What's wrong with this picture? Well, the hit number for 6 months doesn't make any sense. How could more pages have been updated in the past 3 months than have been in the past 6 months? Is there something going on that I'm not getting?

NEW YORK - Readership of online journals known as blogs grew significantly in 2004, driven by increased awareness of them during the presidential campaign and other major news events, according to a study released Sunday. Twenty-seven percent of online adults in the United States said in November they read blogs, compared with 17 percent in a February survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. Blogs that cover the tsunami disaster and relief efforts are bound to boost readership further, said Lee Rainie, the project's director. "The tsunami is one of those cataclysmic news moments where lots of people's...

I've just created a blog. There isn't much up except a piece on the November elections and some thoughts on poker, but I'd love to get a few people over there to check it out. The link is http://thecliffsofinsanity.blogspot.com/

The ranks of print, web and broadcast pundits and journalists continue to be decimated by enemy action as the war progresses. The total number of casualties are becoming almost uncountable, and are overwhelming the limited field emergency facilities. This reporter got a first-hand view of the devastation and tragedy in a visit to a typical field hospital. At the entrance the doctors, assisted by editors, are performing triage. They quickly sort through the injured, making snap decisions to place them in three categories: those who can be quickly bandaged up with some minor counseling and facts, and sent back to...

Bloggers offer witness accounts, ways to help quake and tsunami victims 2 hours, 50 minutes ago NEW YORK (AFP) - Blogs from around the world are offering instant witness reports from the region affected by the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami that the traditional media cannot match, as well as links to relief groups for readers seeking to provide immediate help. AFP Photo Blogs became an important means of communication and information following the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in the United States. The phenomenon has now reached global proportions with the explosion of Asian blog sites and sites dedicated...

IF OLD MEDIA--the "legacy media" of the big papers and old networks plus the newsweeklies--was a city and not simply a set of gasping institutions, it would look like Stalingrad circa 1944. Parts of most of the virtual buildings are still standing, but the devastation is pretty complete. And the pummeling just keeps coming. On Sunday last, Power Line's John Hinderaker undressed the New York Times biggest big foot, Thomas Friedman, for all the blogosphere to see, The Belmont Club was scissoring the Associated Press's credibility, and I was pointing out the many defects in a Washington Post front-page story...

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. HE lives at the law firm, blowing off his wife's dinner parties, not to mention the birth of his son. He finds no satisfaction in his work, but he is trapped by his high salary and partner title. He disdains everyone lower in the hierarchy: the smarmy $2,400-a-week summer interns, the idealistic associates who want to help poor people on company time, the associates who have the audacity to become pregnant and his incompetent secretary who broke the crystal plaque he received from a client. He is, in short, a petty, cynical, sexist, miserable, overpaid corporate creep. He...

One of the most frustrating things for bloggers to do on a regular basis is to explain to non-bloggers what blogs are, why they are important. All to many times when a blogger says to a non-blog - "Have you read my blog?" - the only thing they get in return is a glazed over look. Events in this last election did infact change some of that - BLOGS got some air-time because of the way they were able to factcheck the mainstream media into oblivion. Some would even argue that had it not been for blogs - Dan...

Time Magazine names Powerline's trio of lawyer-reporters "bloggers of the year," and the next day the Washington Post announces the purchase of Internet news site "Slate." What's next, the acquisition of RealClearPolitics by the Wall Street Journal? That would make huge sense, so don't rule it out. What 2004 will be remembered for in the history of journalism is the rise of the blogs --independent citizen journalists working off of websites they update frequently. I have written an entire book on the subject which will be available shortly in bookstores and from Amazon, but the end of year is a...

THE HEART OF AMERICA Via Seamus, this email is a thank you from a Marine Gunnery Sergeant in Iraq. It was sent two days ago: Just wanted to write to you and tell you another story about an experience we had over here. As you know, I asked for toys for the Iraqi children over here and several people (Americans that support us) sent them over by the box. On each patrol we take through the city, we take as many toys as will fit in our pockets and hand them out as we can. The kids take the toys...

The 'cost of transition' is the latest buzz phrase bandied about by Democrats. Social Security was once referred to as 'the third rail' of politics. For non-New Yorkers this typical Eastcoast shorthand phrase needs explanation. New York Subways are electrically powered in three rails including a ground rail track. When an unfortunate victim, either accidently or deliberately, falls from a loading ramp and touches the third rail he is grounded and immediately fried. Such has happened to many reformers over the past half century. The opponents of change now have come to the hard reality that Americans want a discussion...

Saturday, December 11, 2004 · Last updated 9:34 a.m. PT Man or machine? Rossi-Gregoire recount prompts dispute over accuracy By DAVID AMMONS AP POLITICAL WRITER OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Humans versus machines? No, it's not an old Schwarzenegger sci-fi flick, but a high-stakes dispute in the often strange world of Washington politics. With the governor's race hanging in the balance, an unprecedented third vote count is now underway in the state's 39 counties - by real live human beings this time. The two previous tallies, both by machine, showed underdog Republican Dino Rossi to be the winner by the tiniest margin...