http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Wed, 21 Sep 2005 17:14:11 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/09/21/171411.php Blog BlokeThe FBI is looking for a few good men. Dicks need not apply. Osama is nowhere to be found so Bush pulls another fast one and declares war on porn. Bush was recently quoted as saying: "Heck, we gotta have a war we can win. It's good for the country's morale and makes me look busy".Bush went on to add that America needs a diversion from Iraq and New Orleans, and so he decided porn was the logical choice: "The time has come to clean up the internet from pimple-faced terrorist geeks who have nothing better to do than gawk at air-brushed cyber-chicks and make fun of me in their blogs."Evidently the real impetus for Bush's change of strategy is his anger with bloggers. And this time he means business: "We're gonna root them out, and attack all the ISP's that harbour them, and all those who have linked to them."Bush's bravado knows no bounds, and as if that weren't enough he went on further to say: "We will smoke them out from behind their computers. We will capture their IP addresses dead or alive" said Bush.According to sources the FBI has even partnered with the RIAA and Disney because of their vast expertise in tracking down and prosecuting cyber criminals. "Their days are numbered. If they think they can run and hide from the United States and our allies they will be sorely mistaken".Crikey. I don't know about you but I'm uninstalling Kazaa tonight! Here's a tip from the FISK. Call your broker right away and buy stock in Playboy magazine. Circulation should see an immediate and HUGE increase in size. Because size is everything.Washington Post: "I guess this means we've won the war on terror," said one exasperated FBI agent, speaking on the condition of anonymity because poking fun at headquarters is not regarded as career-enhancing. "We must not need any more resources for espionage.""The FBI is joining the Bush administration's War on Porn. And it's looking for a few good agents. The new squad will divert eight agents, a supervisor and assorted support staff to gather evidence against "manufacturers and purveyors" of pornography -- not the kind exploiting children, but the kind that depicts, and is marketed to, consenting adults.""Among friends and trusted colleagues, an experienced national security analyst said, "it's a running joke for us." A few of the printable samples:"Things I Don't Want On My Résumé, Volume Four." "I already gave at home." "Honestly, most of the guys would have to recuse themselves." Gosh I feel safer already!``` Would you believe it? As I was writing this piece the site went down.``` This article is provided courtesy of the daily FISK! All rights reserved. chked:NB Politics36591@blogcritics.org Wed, 21 Sep 2005 17:14:11 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/08/07/211231.php Blog BlokeAuthor's Note: Perhaps all the flak over the president's comments is due to the words "intelligent design" and "Bush" being used in the same sentence? ``` Hell, if you can't see it, and if you can't measure it then it ain't there. Everybody knows that.We teach our kids real scientific theory not faith, so there's no way that 'Intelligent Design' claptrap is gonna be taught in our schools. Hell, no.We teach our kids about real stuff that has been proven under strict scientific conditions and stood the test of time.I doesn't matter to me that most theories are replaced every few years. At least it's done by real science.After all, we teach our kids about important things like the big-bang theory and gravity and such. What's that you say? Gravity is an unseen force? Ok, I admit we can't see gravity but we can still feel it's effects. Right? And just because we can't see it don't mean it ain't there.Ok wait a sec. I think I see where you're going with this so stop messin' with my head. The next thing you're probably gonna tell me is the big-bang never really happened.Excuse me? Who lit the fuse? Well, just because we don't know who started it don't mean it didn't happen. It was probably that great cosmic arsonist in the sky or something.I mean... say again? What is the universe expanding into? Talk about an exercise in semantics. No way I'm going there bud.Ok, maybe I see your point. Come to think of it, scientific theory is kinda like faith. Both take a little bit of "faith" to believe in. Then again, I never was a gambler. May the force be with you.This post also appeared at the daily FISK. Politics33800@blogcritics.org Sun, 7 Aug 2005 21:12:31 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/07/30/212257.php Blog BlokeIt was a humiliating end for the London terrorist suspects. Would-be martyrs becoming humiliated flashers paraded in all their glory for the whole world to see.So much for going out of this world in a blaze of glory to meet Allah. Question: If they are really hard-core terrorists, why didn't they just blow themselves up or go out in a hail of bullets? "Mohammed! Take your clothes off! Come out with your hands on your head!" neighbors quoted police shouting to one suspect."I have rights!" the man screamed back.Later, neighbors said, the man protested that he was scared to come out in his underwear. "How do I know you're not going to shoot me?" he asked in a voice that one neighbor said sounded petrified and as if he were fighting tears." Could it be that life is really more precious to them than we are told? Or perhaps there is no mold for the terrorist that we can conveniently characterize? Or is it possible they may have apprehended the wrong people? Knowing how governments will go to great lengths to quell mass hysteria and keep business as usual, I suppose anything is possible. More fodder for thought.No matter how you look at it, it certainly doesn't fit the demonic profile that we are fed in the local news channel...that all terrorists are mad jihad killing automatons eager to move on to the next world.Was this a public relations coo de'tat for the British government, or did they jump the gun and arrest the wrong people? Or is the face of terrorism much more complex than we initially thought?This article also appeared at Political Football. Politics33401@blogcritics.org Sat, 30 Jul 2005 21:22:57 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/07/20/173828.php Blog BlokeJames Doohan (Star Trek "Scotty") passed away today much to my personal sadness. You see it wasn't that long ago when I had the pleasure to meet Mr. Doohan, although our first close encounter almost ended up in a head butting.I had business (no I didn't have to go to the toilet) in an old mansion where a movie shoot was happening. Despite the fact they were ready to roll the cameras they let me through. After completing my errand, I was descending a winding staircase that had lighting cables strewn all over the steps. Because of all the cables I had to look at my feet so I wouldn't end up taking the short trip to the bottom. There was a bunch of actors standing there dressed in butler's uniforms, and about half-way down I heard one of them shout "heads up! I looked up to find myself staring eyeball-to-eyeball with James Doohan, who just happened to be doing the same thing coming up the staircase. We narrowly missed a collision in mid-flight.In my astonishment all that I could muster was "beam me 'down' Scotty". I know, I'm sure he's heard similar versions a million times before but it seemed appropriate at the time and it did get a chuckle out of him.Later, I met him outside again, and we shook hands. I thanked him for all the pleasure that he had given me with his wonderful character "Scotty" and told him what an honour it was to meet him.What a sad day for his fans. Let's hope James will be beamed up to that great starship in the sky where all good trekkies go. "Aye captain".This post also appeared at the daily FISK and Political Football. Video32898@blogcritics.org Wed, 20 Jul 2005 17:38:28 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/07/16/165440.php Blog BlokeIt's beginning to look like we're making progress. The tide may be turning against the terrorists but there's no reason to gloat.An encouraging survey reveals support for Osama bin Laden has dropped significantly in pivotal Muslim countries, while support for suicide bombings and other acts of violence has also "declined dramatically". "Most Muslim publics are expressing less support for terrorism than in the past. Confidence in Osama bin Laden has declined markedly in some countries, and fewer believe suicide bombings that target civilians are justified in the defense of Islam," the poll concluded.That's good news but should also be a wake-up call for policy makers. The reason that bin Laden and his ilk became popular was because of perceived injustices by the western superpowers. He became their champion against the bullies. A sort of warped version of the Robin Hood syndrome. Public opinion, as fickle as it may be, will generally swing in favour of the "perceived" downtrodden victim. "The one exception is attitudes toward suicide bombings of U.S and Western targets in Iraq, a subject on which Muslims were divided. Roughly half of Muslims in Lebanon, Jordan and Morocco said such attacks are justifiable, while sizable majorities in Turkey, Pakistan and Indonesia disagreed. Yet, support for suicide bombings in Iraq still declined by as much as 20 percent compared with a poll taken last year."The "liberators" were caught in a quagmire and soon became "occupiers" in the eyes of the Iraqi populace and sympathizing nations. But Muslims and non-muslims alike are suffering at the hands of the terrorists. Muslims are being targeted in their own neighbourhoods, as evidenced by the recent London bombings. Or the car bombing of a soldier handing out candy to children.The combatants use palatable words such as "collateral damage" or a "necessary sacrifice for the greater good of the whole". But in the public's view it's all bullshit.The simple fact is you make friends by being nice, not by blowing them up, and that will be the fatal undoing of al Qaeda.The results, which also reveal widespread support for democracy, show how profoundly opinions have changed in parts of the Muslim world since Pew took similar surveys in recent years. The poll attributed the difference in attitudes toward extremism to both the terrorist attacks in Muslim nations and the passage of time since the U.S. invasion of Iraq.In May 2003, many Muslims "saw a worldwide threat to Islam and [bin Laden] represented opposition to the West and the United States," said Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center and project director. "Tempers have since cooled." It is all about perception of grievances, the realities of war and perhaps most importantly, who claims the moral high ground. Ironically, bin Laden has been so successful as a terrorist that he is now looking like the big-bad wolf in the eyes of the Muslim world. Accordingly if we play our cards right, instead of unifying the Muslim world in a jihad it could all backfire on him. Because the simple fact is most Muslims are intelligent and decent people.Augustus Richard Norton, a Middle East specialist at Boston University goes on to say: "These are eye-catching results, but not surprising". "Muslims, like non-Muslims, are plugged into the world. . . . It is one thing to be caught up in the supposed glamour of attacking the superpower or global bully, but it is quite another to have to pay the consequences economically, politically -- not to mention personally. This is what has happened in places like Indonesia, Morocco, Pakistan and Turkey, where many people now see extremist Islam as a threat to their lives, not a fantasy game of kick Uncle Sam."Some will argue this is proof positive the Bush administration policy of brute force is beginning to work. But we can see there are other forces in motion.Everybody loses in war. People are beginning to understand the insanity of it all, and to that end the platitude "violence begets more violence" rings even more loud and true.This is not an opportunity for the Bush administration to gloat. It is an opportunity to show grace under fire. That will be a tough pill to swallow for those who believe force is the only answer. But when everyone knows you have the big club and can wield it, which do you think will have the bigger impact? Teddy Roosevelt said it best -- "speak softy and carry a big stick". In the end the real victor will be the side that wins the hearts and minds of the people, and that takes time, patience, tolerance, education and perhaps most important of all - forgiveness.This article also appeared at Political Football.Edit: LM Politics32701@blogcritics.org Sat, 16 Jul 2005 16:54:40 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/07/14/144522.php Blog BlokeHome-Grown Terrorism:Call 1-800-TERROR and Free the Culture of Paranoia. Before the recent London bombings we thought we had all the answers covered. But today's news reveals the plot has somewhat thickened. That nice clean-cut boy next door you watched grow up, who played with your kids and broke bread with you could be the next terrorist in the making.If the thought of that prospect doesn't give you goose bumps then perhaps blood no longer courses through your veins.Until recently it seemed that the majority of terrorists (or at least the 9/11 bunch) were imported Saudis posing as international students on temporary Visas.So we reasoned all that we had to do was pass a law to take away civil liberties, build an impregnable wall around our borders, and scrutinize (profile) those temp Visas a little more closely. After all, it was just an immigration problem, right? Stop importing the terrorists! Send the troops over to their homeland and pound them into oblivion. (Woops, sorry Iraq... the Saudis are untouchable). Teach them a lesson so they won't try it again. Simple. Problem solved.Unfortunately the reality is there is nothing we can do to stem the tide, and simple answers will no longer suffice. Religion it seems (at least for some misguided fanatics) is thicker than blood or nationality, and much stronger than steel. We can no longer afford to live in denial, insulated from the realities of the world that we now live in. Smart bombs and a few kick-ass marines aren't going to make terrorism go away. Nor is it just some news item in a far-flung land with a strange name. It is now in our very own backyard.It is a fool's game that accepts the notion we can live in self-imposed armed encampments we call home, somehow comforted in the knowledge that watchful cameras monitor our every move, on every street, on every corner.It is not enough, and recent events have shown that it does little to prevent the crime. But it does aid in capturing the perpetrators after the fact. Some consolation for the dead and the dying.Our lives have been forever changed. Never again will we casually nap on the bus, the subway, the train as we make our way back home after a hard day's work. One wary eye left open, forever vigilant, on the lookout for that one individual who doesn't seem to "fit in". No longer will we come home to our dinner, sit in our favorite cosy chair and indifferently watch the news of atrocities around the world, dragging our weary bodies to the perceived safety of our warm beds and sweet dreams.All that has been forever changed in one swift, apocalyptic moment. George Orwell's classic story of "Big Brother" forever watching; a society of lost liberties and mass paranoia has now become a self-fulfilled prophecy instead of a work of fiction.Think of it. The rallying cry of Bush and Blair after 9/11 was "FREEDOM"! And we have the temerity to smugly laugh at the Chinese building the great wall of China. At least the Huns were still on the other side.So what do we do now? Drop smart(er) bombs on London suburbs to kill the monster within! Yeah, right.Isn't it a little like trying to kill cancer when it is no longer localized and has travelled throughout our entire body? We medicate ourselves with mass radiation even though we know it is too late and won't work, only to end up dying by irradiation (or codeine) overdose.The Japanese call it hari-kari. Or, to put it more succinctly - death by stupicide. Whoa, I think I'm having an epiphany!Ironic isn't it? It's time to rethink this folks.P.S.: For all those hardcore paranoid types out there you can always place a call to " 1-800-TERROR ". Fink on your neighbour, your best friend or even your family. Go ahead, you'll feel a whole lot safer. It's pay-back time for those meddling in-laws.This article also appeared at the daily FISK. Politics32570@blogcritics.org Thu, 14 Jul 2005 14:45:22 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/07/03/202747.php Blog BlokeThe Live 8 Concert came and went with the usual fanfare.Googling the news pulled up items like: "Best Concert Ever," or "20,000 Visit Moscow Red Square."That's all very well and nice, but should not the headlines be reading - in the grand scheme of things will the concert really make any difference in stamping out poverty? Instead of headlines like, "Bono fired up a huge London crowd yesterday, singing Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." Or, "Bob Geldof and Paul McCartney... wave to the crowds at the finale of the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park."It's too bad the Pope doesn't offer sainthoods for entertainers. But then again they did make Paul a "Sir" didn't they, so you never know. Must have had something to do with improving Britannia's GDP and all that. Maybe money can't buy you love Paul, but...Past Live Aids have raised money and political awareness for poverty in Africa. But this time around with all those aging rock and rollers hobbling on stage all that they are really raising is the dead.Unfortunately that is the real legacy of this concert. A last hurrah for senior citizen rockers trying to prove they can still shake their booty with the youngsters. Or to provide exposure for the up-and-commer/wannabes trying to out-do their mentors.Now don't get me wrong. I enjoyed the music as much as anybody. It was great to see Roger Waters "tear down the wall" and reunite with Pink Floyd. Roger Daltrey and the Who proved that old farts who wanted to "die before they get old" have still got what it takes. Lucky for them not all wishes come true so they could spend all that money in their golden years of retirement. Unfortunately for the rest of us who purchased their music we will actually have to work until we are old (or die).But I digress. I really do hope that some good will come out of the concert. But I'm not that naive, and I've lived long enough to know there's more than meets the ear... er, I mean the eye.So who are the real winners with these concerts? Could it be the entertainers who give their "free" time to resurrect or promote careers at the biggest venue of all time, but rarely reach into their own pockets where it really hurts? Too bad for Michael J that he was busy getting off child molestation charges (hee hee hee). I mean really, Geldof's claim to fame was reminding me that "I don't like Mondays". If it weren't for live-aid we would all be singing "what about Bob". For crying out loud even George Michael pranced on stage harmonizing with McCartney to the tune of that ancient Beatles' ditty "Drive my Car."Bottom line is, in the long term will it really make any difference or is it just shameless self-serving promotion? Beep, beep'm, beep, beep yeah!" Need I say anymore?UPDATE: Sir Paul McCartney landed the headline spot at Live 8 after threatening not to perform at all. But the music was really great wasn't it? Shiznit.This article also appeared at the daily FISK. Politics31993@blogcritics.org Sun, 3 Jul 2005 20:27:47 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/06/28/200340.php Blog Bloke No Swearing Allowed No, I'm not talking about profaning the courts. Or then again...What I am talking about is the Supreme Court's decision today that says the Ten Commandments cannot be displayed inside courthouses because they violate the doctrine of separation of church and state.The decision was split so closely that even the supreme court itself doesn't really know what to do with this conundrum.Time and again the courts have made clear they have an aversion to anything that smacks of 'religion'. So I'm a-thinkin' maybe we should get rid of the swearing of oaths as well.Indeed, what is the point if there are no 'absolutes' to swear by? On your mommas' grave perhaps? And what does the judge think of all that cussin' going on. I say let's be rid of it once and for all!I mean, really... the western world's legal system 'was' based on certain moral precepts (theft, murder, etc.) from the ten commandments (notice that I used 'was' instead of 'is'). Trying to separate law from religion is like separating the... well, church from the state. Make sense? I'm glad it does to you because the whole notion is contradictory to my sensibilities.Questions: Is this just another example of a social trend that can't see the end beyond the means? Is it a decision trying to strike a fair balance, or is it just another anti-religion decision? Or, how can you find balance and justice in a world with no absolutes to judge it by? On the whims of a partisan judge perhaps?This article also appeared here Politics31733@blogcritics.org Tue, 28 Jun 2005 20:03:40 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/01/25/020726.php Blog BlokeThere Goes... Johnny! Johnny Carson, the man who shared more of our bedrooms than any other late night entertainer has died from emphysema - an unfortunate result of smoking all those years. Recent photos showed him looking overweight because he finally kicked the smoking habit, but apparently it was too little too late (although he did live to a ripe old age of 79).So here's the paradox. You stop smoking to avoid dying of cancer or lung disease, but you get fat and run the risk of stroke and heart disease. What a conundrum. Death sucks.I recall watching Johnny as a young child. Sitting on the family sofa and watching my parents laugh, not quite understanding the jokes myself, but joining in the laughter just the same. When I became an adult I watched the show occasional out of curiosity (or insomnia), but not really becoming a steady fan. Nevertheless, I couldn't help but like the man and I am sad to see him go.Watching the news interviews of those who knew him, some would say the man was a saint. While others (like Dick Cavett who worked for him as a writer) say he could be tough. The truth I'm certain lies somewhere in between. What I recall the most about the man and his humour was his telepathic turban-toting character known as "Carnac The Magnificent", who could divine answers to questions sealed in envelopes. If the audience booed any of Carnac's responses, he would fight back saying something like:May a love-starved fruit-fly molest your sister's nectarines.May a diseased yak squat in your hot tub.May you get your first French kiss from a diseased camel.May a desert weirdo lower his figs into your mother's soup.May the Shah of Iran seek refuge under your sister's skirt.May your prize bull hate cows.May a crazy holy man set fire to your nose hair.May your only daughter take up with a yak of another faith. May a crazed lizard unravel your underwear.May your Perrie water be secretly bottled in Tijuana.May a desert nomad do a desert no-no to your sister.May a diseased Holy man soil your shelf paper.May a weird holy man with a rash play with your face.May a queasy camel freshen up your mother's evening bath.May your platform shoes fail you in a camel pasture.May a sick yak leave a gift in your sock drawer.May Orca the Whale relieve himself on your carpet.May a camel with a weak kidney condition find your Hope Chest.May a weird Holy man use a Black & Decker tool on your only sister. May the winds of the Sahara blow a scorpion up your sister's caftan.May a nearsighted sand flea suck syrup off your short stack.A typical skit would open with announcer Ed McMahon stating "I have in my hand an envelope, a child of four can plainly see these envelopes are hermetically sealed. They've been kept since noon today in a mayonnaise jar on Funk & Wagnalls' porch. No one-but one!-knows its contents. In his mystical and borderline way, Carnac will now ascertain the answers having never heard the questions." Carnac then placed the white envelopes to his forehead to sense the answers to the questions within. The following are some examples of the answer/question exchanges: Answer: The Moonies. Question: Name the religion that drops its pants?; Answer: The Zip Code. Question: What do CIA agents have to remember to go to the bathroom? Answer: A pair of Jordache jeans and a bread box. Question: Name two places where you stuff your buns?;Answer: Ovaltine. Question: Describe Oprah Winfrey in High School; Answer: Fondue. Question: What do you get on your Fon if you leave it out all night?; Answer: Ben Gay. Question: Why didn't Ben Franklin didn't have any children? When the announcer Ed McMahon said, "I hold in my hand...the last envelope." The audience usually cheered, as if to say "Thank God this skit is over." Like yours truly, you also must have your own cherished memories of Johnny Carson. Whatever they are no doubt you will share my sense of loss as we reflect on the passing of a TV icon. There goes Johnny....via Blog Bloke and the Bloke Report. Video24659@blogcritics.org Tue, 25 Jan 2005 02:07:26 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/01/07/214613.php Blog BlokeThe recent Asian Tsunami tragedy is unprecedented in modern history and of truly Biblical proportions. Thanks to technology, never in the history of mankind has the world witnessed such an epic event.Like most of you, Blog Bloke has been doing his bit to raise awareness of the full scope of this tragedy and to aid the victims. Here you will find a collage of stunning videos and photos of the killer tsunami plus ways that we bloggers can help.Tsunami Disaster: How You can Help Global aid organizations have launched urgent appeals for donations to help survivors of Sunday's Indian Ocean earthquake disaster More than 140,000 people are confirmed killed by the waves and millions more are homeless. Many governments and organizations - including the US, Canada, Australia, the EU and UN are sending aid. The UN has warned that supplies are urgently needed to support the survivors and to try and prevent disease which could double the death toll. More info can be found at BBC News and a list of organizations where you can give aid.Killer Tsunami Video and Pics To really understand the full power of nature nothing can compare to pictures, so the Bloke has provided some of the best video footage available on the net.Waxy.org has a great collage of amateur video. More can also be found at: Waves of Destruction, Reasons Unbeknownst, Yahoo Video Search, Austin Blog, The Statrix, Who is Ronald, Eric Moore, BRTurbo Find books about Tsunamis and EarthquakesTsunami Earthquake: Natural or Created? Journalist Andrew Limburg for Independent Media TV reports a series of events that led up to the 9.0 earthquake off the coast of Indonesia which suggests that it could have been man-made. "This all could be an enormous coincidence, but one must look at the information and choose for themselves whether there is anything to it. What is interesting about this is that the same place where the whale beachings have been taking place over the last 30 days is the same general area where the 8.1 Australian earthquake took place, and this is the same area where they are doing these seismic tests. Then 2 days after the Australian tectonic plate shifted, the 9.0 earthquake shook the coast of Indonesia." ...More at Independent Media TVMore Tsunami Video A bystander looks on as bodies recovered from under debris are cremated near the sea at Nagapattinam, India, one of the many places hit by the tsunami. Stunning Tsunami Pictures Stunning pictures show a tsunami crashing into a beach on Thailand's Phuket Island.Tsunami Carnage Photos of the Tsunami aftermath.Satellite Images of Tsunami's PathSatellite Images Depict KillerTsunami's Path and DevastationNew amateur video from Indonesia Maps of disaster area Videos from the scene How you can help the disaster victims Bloggers Helping Tsunami Victims Blog Bloke has a personal interest in the killer tsunami tragedy. I have walked on some of the beaches that were hit and friends and family that live near there. Thankfully, none of them were victims.Be it the latest pictures, information on the death toll, names of missing persons, aid agencies accepting funds or links to sites providing news about relief and rescue missions - Bloggers are playing a big part.Information about the tsunami came up almost immediately after the seismic waves hit the shores, simultaneously as news broke over news channels. Some of the more popular sites include Tsunami Victims which continues to have an exhaustive list of agencies all over the country and other nations involved in relief work. The Tsunami Blog provides the latest information not only on the victims or relief avenues, but also scientific facts about the phenomenon.Chennai's Kiruba Shankar has been consistently blogging about tsunami and relief since December 26. Coordinating with Ganesh Rupya has welcomed online donations and the team has so far managed to collect up to Rs.35,000.As bloggers we have a unique opportunity to help. Whether it be writing posts to raise awareness or giving out of our pockets for aid, we can all do our part help these tragic victims. And let us not forget the orphans who will be left behind long after the news broadcasts have moved on. As many as half of the victims were children and those who are left behind will be preyed upon by child-trafficking gangs. They will need our continued support, and the Bloke asks that you not forget them....via Blog Bloke and News Blog Politics24021@blogcritics.org Fri, 7 Jan 2005 21:46:13 EST