[snow falls] and all is at peace - except for skidding cars crashing

Coming home earlier today, some Russian folk music was being played in the car and the snow started falling lightly outside - a very Russian scene indeed.

There's no doubt that the slightest amount of snow transforms not only the viewable scene but the atmosphere becomes hushed too and a surreal effect replaces the usual city noises - people appear silently through the whiteness and pass, one's feet can't be heard and it's a strange feeling.

Unfortunately, birds become disoriented and hit windows as well, there is general mayhem on the roads and it's best to be either on foot or on the tram.

I could spend hours gazing down on it all from this warm flat but alas, there isn't time. I have to blog about it to you.

[education today] pistol for the teacher

It used to be "apple for the teacher". Of course this story below was a one-off, of course it couldn't become the norm:

An Oregon high school English teacher will not be allowed to carry her gun to school, a state circuit court ruled on Friday in a decision closely watched by both sides of the gun debate.

Shirley Katz, who has a legal permit to carry a concealed handgun, argued she needed the Glock semi-automatic pistol to protect herself from her ex-husband.

The teacher had support from pro-gun rights groups. In light of multiple school shootings, some gun advocates have argued that teachers, and maybe even students, should be armed to prevent such tragedies in the future.

Of course it couldn't become the norm. Could it?

[birthdays] double whammy

Belated birthday wishes to two lovely lasses - one in Canada and one in Wales.

To JMB and to Liz - hope it was everything you could have hoped for. Come and blow out your candles, girls!

[pet parade] please send your entries

Readers, readers, I need your pets! Please send photos to:

nourishingobscurity@gmail.com

The event is:

The Personal Pet Parade

Yes, I know the name's changed - I just thought I'd be able to cajole you into playing a bit more if we made it PC non-competitive. Pets can be anything from your hedgehog [above] to your spouse or even your children.

Go to it rightly and may scallops rock yer tadger.

[arnie] how to sue america

So much going down in these few lines.

Two years ago, California passed legislation requiring car-makers to cut vehicle emissions by 30% by 2016. But for the measure to take effect, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must give its approval.

An EPA spokeswoman said the agency is planning to make a decision on the legislation by the end of December. In April, the US Supreme Court ruled that the EPA, which had challenged the California law, was wrong to say that it did not have the power to regulate exhaust gases from new cars and trucks.

So, to simplify this, Arnie wants enviro-regulations in place, a traditional Democratic policy area. The White House doesn't want and the EPA is stalling, claiming it has not the power to approve, which it quite clearly has, as it says it will at least countenance the approval in December.

Question – why would Arnie, a Republican, pressurize the Federal Government, which is also Republican, in such a public way? Possible answer – he's looking beyond Bush.

But what if the Republicans don't get back? Then Arnie will be dealing with Hillary from a traditionally Democrat state. Arnie wishes to keep his job.

But what if the Republicans do get back? Then Arnie's going to need his own state to back him to survive and the only way to do this is to cut deals with the Democrats.

How do you read the move?

[2007 weblog awards] look back bewildered

From our more narrow UK perspective, these awards were of particular interest.

For a start, these were the ones which kick-started Blogpower into being and that particular group has gone onto bigger and better things.

Then there was Iain Dale's own comment, which was probably accurate:

The American Weblog Awards are, apparently, a big deal. This year they have a Best UK Blog category, in which this blog features.

One year ago, I complained that they weren't transparent in the nominations phase, although the voting itself utilized an excellent engine. That they have included UK and other country sections this year is commendable for a start.

By contrast, the Annual Blogpower Awards for 2007 were quite transparent in the nominations but the poor voting engine caused them to become, as Mr. Eugenides put it, in his usual inimitable fashion, “a p-s-ing contest” - to see who could p-s- the furthest.

I fear that that's also what happened with the Weblogs although having now been part of the process, I can see more clearly where Kevin Aylward is coming from and perhaps it's not the fault of the administrators themselves but a basic flaw in the whole nature of awards.

Nominations Phase

There was clearly no small resentment that some of the bigger UK blogging names like Mr Eugenides and Ellee Seymour, for example, weren't there and yet the Pub Philosopher, Baggage Reclaim and yours truly were. These two bloggers themselves, I hasten to add, said not one word.

Though eternally grateful for the nomination but refusing to concede I was unworthy, yet it does seem a bit puzzling to be ranked alongside Guido, Iain, EU Referendum and yes – the inevitable Neil Clark.

Possibly this was because the awards are American and I do cater for American topics of interest more so than many of those on the list. Possibly it was the Americans' opinion of who is a top UK blog. At least that's one explanation.

Voting Phase

This is where the problem lay and continues to lie, suggesting that for next July's BP Awards, we have to find a solution to the flaws in this phase.

Keving Aylward touched on it himself when he wrote:

This is a viral event, and sites that do a better job of turning out readers to vote tend to do better. We've seen all sorts of campaigning tactics over the years and based on what I've heard many of the same tactics are being employed again this year by various sites.

The process was particularly noticeable in the Funniest Blog Award [in which certain of us were going for Jon Swift], where the leader, Sadly No, quoted this explanation, by Freep, as to what was going on:

The DUmmie FUnnies are under a bigtime attack by an organized campaign by the Leftwing Blogosphere to keep us from winning as FUnniest Blog in the 2007 Weblog Awards. Late yesterday afternoon the DUmmie FUnnies, thanx for the most part to Freeper Power, was leading in that poll by almost 700 votes. Then the Left got desperate. They just can’t tolerate a blog, dedicated to mocking and satirizing their many foibles to win that award. Therefore, led by Sadly No! and the Democrat Underground, a host of leftwing websites is now targetting us by urging their readers to vote for Sadly No! in the FUnniest Blog category.

By the way, 134 comments alone on this post shows the strike power of the Americans, something only Fawkes and Dale can really match over in the UK, [maybe EU Referendum but don't quote me].

Now I'm going to come clean here. I could have used multiple IPs and had the use of another computer altogether, which I didn't have at the time of the BP Awards.

What I did have then and now was a pool of people to draw on. If I'd put the url to all my girls plus my clients, each of whom would have brought their offices into play, my friend and I estimated, conservatively, that it would have come to a shade under 300 people, if we'd put our hearts into it.

Assuming 6 votes in that time, I could have called on about 1700 votes under these rules, plus the 130 odd genuine votes, plus about 12 from me.

That might have “won” me the award. Why not to do it? The truth now? Three reasons:

1.We were on a four day holiday during the awards period and it would have been pushing it uphill to utilize all those people and I just didn't want to;

2.Iain Dale stood above it, I noticed and didn't actually canvass for votes, even though he admitted the prestige these awards enjoyed. It seemed a higher thing to do, particularly in light of N3 below;

3.People like Neil Clark and their devotees who came over here and told me this about my vote:

I look forward to reading your excuses for this pathetic perfomance. Neil is now on almost 750 votes. Just wait until Latin America kicks in tonight - you only have about three hours to wait.

then go on to say, in answer to some folk who sprang to my rescue:

That's why he's [referring to me, of course] got less than 120 is it? I have decided to toss a few votes Bright Meadow's way. That Pub Philosopher bloke needs to come in last for having too much gob.

“Toss a few votes”? Don't think this requires much further comment, except to wonder if they really think this is what blogging is all about.

Some readers were puzzled by my singling out of the egregious Clark so to learn more about him, see Stephen Pollard's old site and maybe Mr. Eugenides for dessert, then for an update, go to the Devil's Kitchen and you'll get the general idea.

Next stop is Prodicus, who also draws in the mysterious footballer loving chick Kickette and with this girl, I just don't know what to think.

She really does add piquancy to this next section.

What is a good blog?

If we 10 are the best the UK has to offer, then the question of what constitutes a “good” blog is particularly relevant.

Must it be political? Perhaps DK and Prodicus are judging in terms of political comment, perhaps not. Perhaps there's a case for saying that a blog by a girl who loves footballers and is read by a Kickette Army of girls who love reading about footballers is every bit as “good” as the more visible DK.

To be “good”, need that mean high traffic alone or must there be some sort of product of a more “elevated' nature? I confess I don't know the answers to these questions.

Pointers for the Future

Looking at the next BP Awards, perhaps we should only have a nominations phase, with no voting phase whatsoever. It would be administratively easier, wouldn't drag these things out so long and provided they were adequately advertised beforehand, seem to be the best solution to the problem.

Finally

Thank you to the mystery people who nominated me in the first place and to those who clicked away in my defence throughout. I hope I didn't disgrace you, despite Exile's scathing remark and it was a certainly a useful experience for the next Blogpower Awards, although I'll not take an active part in their administration.