Happy New Year! The Huck Upchuck is back!

Let this posting be the first of the New Year's Resolutions that follow:

I resolve:

1. To blog again.  My goal is to average one blog posting per day.
2. To tweet more.  One tweet per day.
3. To read 52 books over the course of the year.  That's an average of 1 book per week.
4. To exercise a minimum of 30 minutes per day, even if that exercise is modest.
5. To write at least 100 pages of a book project (whether academic or fiction).
6. To write 12 poems.  That's an average of 1 poem per month.

There's a lot more I want to get accomplished this upcoming year, but I think I'll just stick with these goals for now.

2015 will be an exciting year.  Squirrelly Girlie the Elder will become a High School Senior and will be  applying to colleges.  (Which means that we'll be visiting colleges.)

Squirrelly Girlie the Younger will become a teenager and will be entering the 8th grade, which means applying to High Schools.

My better two-thirds will be looking to ramp up her pottery business, and I'm on board to help out with that.

I will also likely be going in for another knee surgery (most probably to repair a torn meniscus).  But, on the bright side, I might be able to start playing racquetball again.

Also, I think a lot will happen in the realm of national politics, so there should be some juicy political blogging ahead as well.

And, who knows?  Maybe the Saints will pull their act together and make another run at the Super Bowl.

Stay tuned and visit often.

Back to Upchucking

Well, it's been a long, long stretch of emptiness on the Upchuck. I think I'm missing it a bit. In a way, I've kinda substituted Facebook for blogging. Doing so has its merits, for sure. I have a ready audience of some 800+ readers through my FB friends. And my blog type status updates on FB are guaranteed to elicit response from at least a core group of folks. However ...

I'm not so sure I like using Facebook in this way. I also like Facebook just as a way to keep up with friendships and family; and my blogging style can be kind of alienating to some folks on Facebook that does some damage to my friendships on FB. For instance, since I really heated up my polemics on FB during the Presidential election campaign, I've noticed that my FB friends numbers have dropped a bit. Just a handful or so, but it's something I noticed. And I don't really like it.

I think why I'm bothered by this is that a lot of my FB friends are on the opposite end of the ideological spectrum, and these are people whose company and camaraderie I have enjoyed for over 30+ years. Many of my High School buddies are conservative. Many of my childhood friends from elementary school and the old Kenner/Metairie suburbs are conservative. And I like them all. They are really good people at their core. And I don't like to think that they maybe find my politics a bit distasteful, off-putting, and perhaps even offensive. Now let me say that I am by no means apologetic or sorry for my politics, and for expressing them publicly and forcefully; but I am bothered by the idea that I may be pushing myself in the faces of those good people who might prefer not to be subject to my rants. So, I think I'm just going to do my best to try to keep my politics here on the Upchuck, and to try to minimize that stuff on Facebook.

All this to say that I'm putting the Upchuck back into business. I make no promises as to how often and frequently I will be putting up blog postings, but I'm going to try to keep my rants here for the most part. I may link to my blog from FB; but I think that provides enough distance and remove such that my FB friends won't feel so directly besieged by my rants, such as they are.

And I welcome any who want to engage me to do so here.

Blogging Self-Nudge Update

Lately, I haven't really had much to say or write about on the blog, so most of my postings have been rather perfunctory just to keep up with my blogging Self-Nudge.  And I'm a bit behind on that front, too, though not too far behind that I can't catch up and still adhere to my blogging self-nudge guidelines.

That said, I think what all this is telling me is that it's time to declare a hiatus to the blogging self-nudge at the end of this month, which is just as well, since I'll be gearing up for some work-related travelling in the months of March and April and probably won't be able to blog that much on the road anyway.

So, heretofore, I formally declare the end of my obligations under the blogging self-nudge arrangement starting with March 1, 2012.  I am still obligated to meet my quota through the month of February or else pay the price if I don't, but February will be the last month of my self-nudge obligation until I decide to re-institute it.

That doesn't mean I won't be blogging.  I will, if for no other reason than to chart progress on my New Year's Resolution; but I won't be subjecting myself to the pressure to put up posts just for the sake of it.

Busy, Busy

Life has got me by the cojones these days, and so I haven't found much time to delve into the blog with any kind of substance or gravity. I have a lot of things swirling in my mind that will find expression on the Upchuck, but probably not for a bit. So, given that I am still operating under my blogging self-nudge, my meeting this obligation is more than likely going to be done by light and fluffy stuff. It counts, according to my blogging self-nudge rules; but it's going to meet the bare requirements, I'm afraid. Not to worry, though, I still plan to keep the blogging self-nudge going, primarily as a matter of discipline. So stay tuned and be patient, for which I thank you in advance.

Another Good Con Blog

It's always nice to find another academic, especially one who represents a reasonable and thoughtful conservative viewpoint, who also blogs.  Professor Mondo, whose blog I found through Morgan Freeberg's House of Eratosthenes blog (another usually reasonable conservative), has been nice enough to include the Huck Upchuck on his blogroll.  Although I do try to be a nice guy (and I've returned the favor to Professor Mondo by listing him on my blogroll) I can't claim to be reasonable and nice all of the time (As some of my regulars will confirm, I am prone to get excited on occasion and to spout off irresponsibly and carelessly at times); but I do appreciate that Professor Mondo's style of writing and thinking (kinda cerebral) matches my own.  Anyway, check his blog out.

Good Con-Blogging

If you are a regular Upchuck reader, you will know how much I admire and respect Andrew Sullivan. Sullivan considers himself a conservative, though the rightwing in the U.S. considers him a rabid leftist. I think any person who understands the intellectual principles and foundations of conservatism would see quite clearly that Sullivan's conservative credentials are real. So, reading Sullivan has given me a sense of what good conservative blogging can be. Along those lines, I feel the need to mention another good conservative blogger: Rod Dreher, who used to write and blog for the National Review, and has moved through a variety of other writing gigs only to land up blogging now at The American Conservative. I've always liked Dreher, not least of which because he hails from my home state of Louisiana, though he hasn't lived in the Sportsman's Paradise for a while now. He blogs much more from a faith-informed perspective; but he's not a religion blogger. And I am intrigued by his "Crunchy Con" legacy. In any event, he will be a regular read of mine, and I encourage any who want to get a glimpse into rational and respectable conservative thinking, to read him.

How The Huck Upchuck Blogs

Bold and Free.

Luke 19:39-40

39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

Know this, and be forewarned. A lack of transparency and a culture of secrecy is the hallmark of cowardice. The Huck WILL Upchuck!!!!

Social Media and Social Justice

One of the things that came up in my panel at the Rising Tide 6 conference yesterday was the value of social media as a way to counteract the narratives and modes of thinking about news and information that we get through corporate media and other institutionalized sources of information. And I kept pondering how powerful social media has become as a very effective way to push back against these other, more established and controlled forms of information dissemination.

I'd like to take a moment to link this notion of Social Media back to the controversy over at St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church. It seems I have created a bit of a firestorm with my blog posting. I won't hide the fact that I had hoped and intended to stir the pot and, perhaps, upset the cart a bit. But that firestorm has also produced a flurry of comments directed to me (both publicly and privately) that I expected, but really not to the degree to which is has actually taken place. Some of the comments are very supportive of my posting and express agreement with both its tone and its content; but other comments I have received have called me out and expressed disappointment with the tone of my posting.

I think in both instances, my use of the blog (and Facebook as the distribution network for my blog posting) shows the power of social media in dealing with a very particular issue that I believe is a matter not only of justice/injustice, but also an issue that is fraught with a lot of personal baggage. Being sensitive to this personal baggage side of the equation is something to keep more in mind. But what I really want to address is the power of social media in this instance to push back against the unhealthy tendencies of organizational secrecy and group exclusion. Some may ask me why my blog post was necessary. To that, I would answer (1) that it was the only path to have my voice (and that of anyone else who might share the opinions expressed through my posting) considered in a process of deliberation that was closed off and kept hidden from a community that had every right to know about what was going on; and (2) it was the only way that I could see to hold power in check, to demand public accountability by powerholders, and to force transparency and openness in dealing with conflict and division.

The success of this use of Social Media? I know it got the attention of people in positions of power who weren't so interested in hearing from legitimate stakeholders who didn't have the power. I know it has elevated the issue of transparency to another level. I know it had some effect on making marginalized voices relevant to the issue at hand. I know that, even though it won't change the ultimate outcome of this particular issue, it will force the community to operate in a different way. Social media has that kind of power to effect organizational change, and even policy change. Secrecy, backroom deals, and keeping unpleasant things out of the eyes of public scrutiny are not possible in this age of Social Media. I happen to think that this is a good and healthy thing. The fewer people that are kept out of the loop among who have an interest in how certain things go down in organizations to which they belong, the better off that organization will ultimately be. What does it say when a person in a particular community committed to community-decisionmaking writes to say that the first notice he/she is getting of his/her community leader's departure comes from a blog posting? I'll tell you what it says: it says that certain members of this community are disenfranchised and kept out of the loop, that such community members have been marginalized. And that is an issue of social justice. But Social Media, at least, can work towards ending this disenfranchisement, this marginalization. And maybe it will even spur democratic action. So, for these reasons, Social Media is good and can lead to successful outcomes.

The problems with Social Media? It can be insensitive and manipulative, not to mention hurtful, too. Using Social Media on behalf of justice, to the degree that it is effective in giving voice to the marginalized, is certainly much more likely to produce and enhance friction. Let me parallel a mantra floated by Ed Chambers, who himself was borrowing from part of Saul Alinsky's organizing philosophy: where there's friction, there's heat; where there's heat, there's pain; where there's pain, there's change to mitigate the pain. So the use of Social Media is much more likely to cause pain, albeit in the interests of change on behalf of justice. And even though the cause of justice may be worth the pain, that doesn't mean the pain isn't real and that its consequences aren't real.

But, on balance, I tend to value the positives of using Social Media on behalf of issues of justice and to give greater voice to the marginalized.

Blogging Sabbatical Coming to an End

As my one or two regular followers know, I have been on a kind of "blogging sabbatical" for the past six months or so. Actually, I can't say that I've missed blogging all that much; though I have missed it a little.

The time away was refreshing in many ways. It really is an intense time-suck. And I haven't actually had much disposable time as of late. But I've had enough, so that's just a bit of a lame excuse. My hiatus has really been more about blogging fatigue and a diminished interest. It's as simple as that.

All that said, I still very much value blogs. I read Andrew Sullivan daily. I check in periodically with a few other national blogs. I keep abreast of the NOLA blogosphere. And I really enjoy those moments when I come across funky new blogs or re-engage with blogs of friends and acquaintances that I find immeasurably enjoyable to read and which give me unique insights into the windows of the minds, personalities, and souls of people I respect and admire.

I also have blogging to thank for some new friendships (that's you, Eric!) that have lasted over the years and which have undoubtedly enriched my intellectual life. I've even had the chance to meet in person and break bread with some very nice folks that I came to know initially through blogs.

So, I have a fondness for the medium for reasons other than as an outlet to upchuck my opinions and rants (though that has always been a nice release, too!).

All of this is to say that I will be recommitting myself to The Huck Upchuck starting now, but really in earnest at the start of the month of August. And to hold my blogger feet to the fire, I will be re-instituting my blogging "self-nudge" to re-start in the month of August. (Interestingly, that whole idea was a product of an online book club experiment that emerged out of my blogging; and the actual book that gave me this idea came from my online friend, Eric, who I met through blogs and who was part of that original online book club!)

In short, my blogging sabbatical is at an end. The Huck Upchuck is back! Let's see how it goes ...

Blogging

I want to be blogging. I really do. And lord knows there's not a shortage of stuff to blog about. (And I still owe folks a review of Lonesome Dove!) But when push comes to shove and I open up the Blogger "new post" screen, all my initiative and enthusiasm for blogging just withers on the vine. And it's not even that it would take a lot of effort. The blogging mojo just isn't there. I'm not gonna give up on the medium, and I'll keep trying to motivate myself, but I just wanted to let folks know where I am and what's up.

Blogging Self-Nudge Update

Starting on August 1, 2009, I engaged in an experiment to try to hold myself accountable to an average of one blog posting for each day of every month according to the terms outlined here. I am proud to say that I have kept faith with my self-nudge pledge since then. However, in accordance with the rules that I outlined in my self-nudge experiment, I am hereby announcing that I am relieving myself of the obligation to adhere to the self-nudge conditions. This means that if I don't make the monthly average of postings the self-nudge requires, I am not obliged to pay the penalties for failing to do so. But, I should say that I plan to continue blogging at the same pace. I just want to see if the "self-nudge" has created a sustainable habit. If I find that my blogging really slips off, then I will likely reinstate the self-nudge arrangement. But for now, I think I am ready to test whether or not my blogging habits have really taken root such that a nudge is no longer required. For those who have followed my self-nudge journey and have been holding me to it, thanks for being part of it. Again, this doesn't mean the end of blogging for me, not by a long shot -- just that the self-nudge experiment is suspended. So, please keep coming back for more Upchucks. I promise they'll keep coming. Oh, and Happy Halloween!

The Huck Upchuck Toasts The Daily Dish

Andrew Sullivan is celebrating 10 years blogging at his site, which he calls "The Daily Dish." Today, Andrew has been featuring reactions to his 10-year blogging anniversary from around the blogosphere. So, I thought I'd throw my two cents on the table. I'm just a small-fry, occasional blogger; but I've been at this blogging thing fairly consistently myself for more than 8 years. It's worth noting that the very first sentence of my very first blog posting (Wednesday, August 14, 2002) reads:

My foray into web-logging owes much to Andrew Sullivan, who I consider to be THE pioneer of the medium.

I've been reading "The Daily Dish" nearly every day since it started 10 years ago. Occasionally, I write to Andrew Sullivan to share my thoughts and discoveries with him. (One time, in the early years of his blogging career, Andrew even kindly wrote a personal email back to me.) And what a thrill it has been on those few occasions, even as recently as this past summer, when Andrew considered what I had to contribute worthy of publishing on "The Daily Dish" as a reader comment or contribution.

As for my own blogging, I can't claim that it has made much of an impact in moving issues and debate, even local ones; but I can say upon reflection that it has also not been insignificant. For instance, when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and when the levees failed to hold, blogging was what ended up being the glue that kept my professional and intellectual community together. I crafted a blog which served as the unofficial website of my place of employment, the Stone Center for Latin American Studies at Tulane University. That blog was crucial in pulling our scattered diaspora of faculty, staff, and students together. That's just one example. I've also used (and continue to use) blogging as a pedagogical tool. I don't want to belabor the point, but I just wanted to say that blogging has enriched my life, and I like to think it has made some small positive impact on the world in which I live. It has certainly given me joy and happiness over the years. And it all goes back to "The Daily Dish." Thanks, Andrew.

The Impersonal Internet and Political Discourse

I have to agree with conservative blogger and pundit Conor Friedersdorf, who had some interesting and astute comments about how ideological passions expressed through the impersonal (and sometimes even anonymous) nature of critical commentary on the internet aren't really reflective of the character personality types of the people making the comments. Friedersdorf's comments are made as a partial defense of talk radio listeners, but the examples he uses to make his point really come from an evaluation of his critics who post exceedingly harsh comments online about him and some of his positions. He claims that when he makes the effort to engage even the harshest of his critics in a more personal and direct way (and with respect), these critics generally tend to soften up by being forced to acknowledge (or at least directly confront) the humanity of the person on the receiving end of their harsh critical commentary. He writes:

The whole enterprise [of personally, respectfully, and directly engaging his critics on Mark Levin's Facebook page] was grounded in the assumption that Internet commenters aren't always being real. That is to say, if you read an Internet comments section, and see content that seems like it couldn't have been written by a reasonable person, what's happening is often that whoever wrote the remark wasn't intending to stand behind the literal meaning expressed, so much as engaging in a sort of game where what you do is produce zingers or blow off steam.

It isn't an approach to politics that I like, and it exacts a cost on the rest of us who take a more earnest approach, but I'm paid to engage in political conversations. I tend to hold my colleagues in media to a lot higher standard than people who haven't spent a lot of time thinking about political discourse. They've got other jobs! (Sometimes when I write non-media professionals who've criticized me in particularly harsh terms, they seem genuinely surprised to find out there is actually a human being who writes the stuff that appears under my byline on the Internet.)

Engage the authors of these sorts of comments regularly and you'll find that they're actually a lot more reasonable than their Internet personalities at first suggest, and particularly worth speaking with because they're exactly the kinds of people who don't share my assumptions.

I have to say, as someone who frequents the comment boards of conservative blogs and websites, that this would be my evaluation, too. And, of course, when I think about the people I do know personally (relatives and close friends) who are ideologically polar opposites of me, it is actually the norm that ideological difference doesn't get in the way of friendship, respect, and camaraderie. When you get to know someone in a much more human context, what is actually much more real about life and shared human experience melts away most knee-jerk hostilities to ideological or political positions. Humanity and civility almost always trumps ideological rigidity and rancor.

I have even had the opportunity to meet personally a couple of individuals for whom my ONLY contact and relationship with them initiated in the heady oppositional and impersonal medium of blog comment boards. And these meetings were intended to be social and pleasant encounters - usually going out for a bite to eat or for a drink. Without exception, these individuals, who can be quite persnickety and antagonistic on the blog comment boards, are some of the most friendly, pleasant, reserved, and modest people in person. And when that shared personal moment passes, and we're back to our contact being filtered through the blog comment boards, the tone of our relationship is markedly changed. We just aren't as eager to jump down the other person's throat, even when we vigorously disagree on a point. And it's all because we now have this shared human moment that we can't ever shake. We simply know that who we are as people just doesn't match how we come across on blog comment boards, and that the "real" people we are simply matters more in determining how we relate to each other in any other context from that moment on. I frequently have to remind myself of this when I read very strong criticism of my comments, even ones that are intended as personal, ad hominem attacks. And though I'm not immune to losing myself in the heat and headiness of some exchanges, too, I do think that I have become a bit more circumspect and sensitive to my online behavior towards ideological rivals because of this understanding.

Blogging Self-Nudge Update

Well, folks, I did it. I made it through exactly one year under my blogging self-nudge pledge. I have to admit, it hasn't been easy. And some postings were just cheap throwaway links or one-liner comments or YouTube clips, etc. But they were all acceptable postings under the agreement I made with myself. But some of the postings were things that I put some thought into and am still proud of having written them. Some of them were controversial and some were silly. But they were all mine and the experience has been a good one.

Right now, I am considering whether to take a break from the blogging self-nudge, and I have until the end of the month to make a decision. I'm leaning towards keeping it operational, just because I really think the idea of the nudge works. The incentives undergirding it were, at times, the only things that got me to put something, anything, up on the blog. But I'm not sure if I ought to give myself a little break from it. If any of you have any thoughts about this whole experiment and if a break is warranted, let me know what you think.

Regardless, I do enjoy blogging. It's a way for me to vent. It's also a way for me to get challenged and to be kept intellectually grounded and honest.

Anyway, just wanted to note the milestone here and to say that "nudges" do work. I'm a believer. In fact, I'm even thinking about starting up an exercise and weight-loss "self-nudge," too. I just have to think about it realistically in a way that is both healthy and reasonable. I don't need to lose a lot of weight (my goal would be about 20-25 lbs.), but I do need to exercise more regularly. If I do get that self-nudge in place, I'll let you know.

In the meantime, try a self-nudge! I highly recommend it.

Update on Right Wing News Commenting Issue

A week or so ago, I was having trouble posting comments at conservative blogger John Hawkins's site Right Wing News. Given that I have a history at this site of having been banned from commenting (and while I was in Mexico, no less), I wasn't sure what was going on this time around. Of course, I assumed something innocent was at the root of the issue; but, given my history there, I had that shred of a doubt.

So, I wrote to John Hawkins about it. And I have to say that John Hawkins was prompt, gracious, patient, and helpful about the whole thing. Although we never did find out what the problem was, Mr. Hawkins responded to and followed up on every single one of my emails to him. And that's something, given how popular his blog is and how time-consuming it must be for him to go through all his emails. I am now able to post comments on his blog from my room in Mexico. This leads me to think that perhaps the issue had something to do with the wireless ISP I am using here in Mexico. I'll probably never know what that momentary situation was all about (and I'm certainly not technologically savvy enough to explore it and figure it out on my own); but I do know that John Hawkins was a superb professional about it. And I just wanted to point this out because I think Mr. Hawkins deserves this acknowledgment -- especially from me, one of his critics who has had a bumpy past with him.

Blogging Self-Nudge Update

Last August, after reading Dick Thaler and Cass Sunstein's book Nudge, and feeling a bit disappointed in the laxity of my blogging at the time, I was inspired to try out a "self-nudge" to get me blogging more consistently and frequently. So far, the experiment has been quite a success. I have met my self-nudge target for every month since then. And I am pleased to say that SarahPac, the Vitter Campaign, and the RNC are none the richer for it. But what I am most proud of is that I have managed to meet my goals for almost a year. And with my commitment to the conditions of the self-nudge for this new month of July, I am poised to make the one-year anniversary mark successfully and without a single interruption. Sure, I have sometimes put up some throw-away postings to make my monthly goals; but I gave myself the leeway to do this. The fact is that I thought that I would have actually done much more throw-away postings than I did. So the self-nudge really helped in making me not only post on the blog regularly, but also to post more substantive entries than I think I otherwise would have done. I'm pleased with the whole experiment and can recommend the whole "nudge" concept to anyone who wants to learn about it. Not only is the thesis of Thaler and Sunstein's book persuasive; but I am living proof that it actually works. THOUGHT: I wonder if I brought this to Thaler and Sunstein's attention, would they highlight it as an example of the validity of their theory. That's an idea I think I might explore! Anyway, let the self-nudge blogging continue and I'll be preparing a celebratory moment when I hit the July threshhold mark, thus completing one year of blogging self-nudge success!

Veracity Stew

One of the best new blogs coming out of New Orleans is Veracity Stew. It is not only aesthetically pleasing in design, but it's got great local and national coverage and commentary. I just found out that one of my friends is co-owner and co-editor of this new blog. The folks at Veracity Stew make a great addition to the local NOLA blogosphere and should be welcomed by one and all among the local blogger community. I've already exhorted my friend to attend Rising Tide V, so as to get more plugged in and involved. Check out Veracity Stew and welcome them to the community. The more local voices in the blogosphere, the better!

Banned Again from Right Wing News?

[UPDATE THE SECOND: Thursday, June 24, 2010: 5:45pm CST: After posting the last update, I sent an email to the blog owner explaining the situation. He very promptly and kindly wrote back asking a few questions and letting me know that he had no knowledge of any ISP blocks of me or the ISP that I'm using. I replied, thanking him for his quick response, and gave him some of the information he asked for; and I presume he will be checking into it. It could be something on my end, but the problem still persists. When I'm in my room, I can't post comments; but when I'm accessing the site through another ISP, I can post comments. One thing I'm thoroughly convinced of now is that there was no intentional ban/block going on -- at least as far as the blog owner himself is aware of. And that's all that matters, really.]

[UPDATE: Thursday, June 24, 2010: 12:35pm CST: I'm happy to report that I am able to post comments at Right Wing News at another location with a different ISP. Therefore, the only logical conclusion I can draw is that some overzealous moderator blocked comments coming from the ISP that I am using in my apartment/room here in Guadalajara. What is a bit unsettling is that the comments that I posted under my usual moniker via that ISP were very mild. It does make me think that someone at RWN has a happy "trigger finger" in banning mildly critical commentary when it comes from a source with which they may not be familiar. What I wish had happened is that the person who blocked this ISP thinking someone had maybe hijacked my account would have at least written to me seeking clarification. As it stands now, with the ISP in my apartment/room blocked, the place where I most regularly access the internet is now off limits to commenting on RWN.]

Not sure if I'm having a bit of blog banning deja vu, or if it's just a browser issue here in Mexico; but I can't seem to be able to log into, nor am I apparently able to post comments to, the conservative blog Right Wing News. I find it strange because I was able to do so just a few days ago; but seem not to be able to now. A few years ago, also while I was in Guadalajara, Mexico, I was banned from Right Wing News. Nothing I've posted in the comments this year even approaches any kind of bannable offense. And I frankly care much, much less now than before, simply because I don't find myself drawn to the site as much as I used to be. And I imagine that, with the blog's new comment management program, the reason for my inability to log on to the site and post a comment to it is probably much more innocuous. It could be that the ISP from which I am accessing the internet, since it's from Mexico, was flagged as suspect. And, of course, I don't usually post from Mexico, so maybe someone at RWN who is tracking these things is under the impression that the user name under which I normally post comments has been hijacked by an unfriendly person from Mexico. It seems to me that this would be very easy to do through the new commenting system at RWN, so I wouldn't blame an over-vigilant moderator who doesn't know that I'm currently in Mexico. Oh, well... I plan to take my laptop to another location where I can access the internet via a different ISP, and we'll see what that brings. Otherwise, I'll just have to wait until I return home from Mexico to truly test out whether the ban/block applies to my account at RWN or whether it's just someone blocking an unfamiliar and foreign-originated ISP from commenting. Honestly, my criticisms at RWN so far this summer have been so mild that I can't believe it would have warranted any banning or blocks. It could also be that my use of a new browser (Safari), which I've started using instead of Internet Explorer since I recently made the switch from a PC to a Mac laptop, when coupled with the foreign ISP location, raises even more questions of legitimacy. When you add all those things together, maybe some moderator over there at RWN thought it all seemed too fishy and moved to block access to RWN's comment system for the ISP that I'm using. Anyway ... I'm making no accusations just yet. I'm just noting something interesting. Let's see how it plays out.

Rising Tide V Conference

Read this, and register now.

Rising Tide Conference

Just a heads up that a group of NOLA bloggers is once again planning to launch the 5th annual Rising Tide Conference this coming August. It's still early, but mark your calendars and save the date. More information can be obtained here. I'll be there and I encourage you to try to attend, too.