The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
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    Best o' Dag 2014 - Seeking Nominations

    By Michael Wolraich on Tue, 12/16/2014 - 2:47pm | Potpourri

    Hello folks. Our old friend Wolfrum passed on a splendid invitation to me yesterday. In the early-ish days of the blogosphere, a writer named Al Weisel launched a faux-conservative blog under the pseudonym Jon Swift. His hilarious, award-winning satire quickly propelled him to the top ranks of the blog community, but he generously supported smaller bloggers struggling to gain an audience. One of his outreach projects was an annual competition called, "Best Posts of the Year, Chosen by the Bloggers Themselves."

    Weisel sadly passed away in 2010, but Batocchio the Vagabond Scholar is keeping his tradition alive. Batocchio has invited us to submit a nominee for the best blog of the year. In the spirit of Al Weisel, I would like to pass the honor of choosing a dagblog champion to all you dagbloggers out there. Please plunge into the archives (here and here) to select your nominee for best blog post of 2014. You may nominate your own work or someone else's.

    Based on the nominees and comments in the thread, our distinguished panel of judges will select the top candidates, and we'll have a blog vote. The winning post will be honored here at dag and sent on to Batocchio. We'll also run a secondary competition for best Creative, so make your nominations.

    Let the nominations begin!

    Topics: 
    Potpourri

    Comments

    This is sweet.

    I nominate Mr. Smith and specifically his latest gift to all of us.

    I asked him to relate his old plays...etc...and he gives this recitation of pain and life and keepin on...in his last post, memorably.

    http://dagblog.com/arts/torturously-terrific-friday-afternoon-haikulodeon-19112

    This is just a taste.

    Read the guy!

    The guy is good!

     


    by Richard Day on Tue, 12/16/2014 - 2:55pm

    I gotta add this as the greatest line of 2014 and it is from Mike M and it involved a discussion I had with THE MIKE about idiots who rule us:

    We were discussing Gohmert and Mike M added this to the discussion:

    He seems like the kind of guy who can tell me who Ben Gossy is and why people are so mad at him.

    http://dagblog.com/reader-blogs/you-are-attempting-argue-above-your-weight-18545

    I have no idea why, but MM had me laughing so hard at this stupid stupid line and I still laugh every time I read it!

    the end

     

     


    by Richard Day on Tue, 12/16/2014 - 3:19pm

    Glad to have amused, sir.


    by Michael Maiello on Tue, 12/16/2014 - 9:38pm

    I think I deserve an Honourable Mention just for *NOT* posting during 2014. Think of the children saved in Africa, the carbon not emitted into the atmosphere, and the high blood pressure around here avoided. Perhaps a Dagmother Teresa award, similar to hockey's Lady Byng Trophy for good sportsmanship.  (oh oh, now Quinn's going to rise from the embers... #OOPS)


    by PeraclesPlease on Tue, 12/16/2014 - 3:31pm

    hahahhahaha

    that's all i got

    hhahaha


    by Richard Day on Tue, 12/16/2014 - 3:48pm

    Wonderful! Much needed change of pace from all the doom and gloom. A few questions, though ...

    Are all nominations for both categories to be posted on this thread? For general Readers Blogs, are only those "front-paged" eligible? What's the deadline?

    (We've missed that cheeky avatar!)


    by barefooted on Tue, 12/16/2014 - 4:03pm

    Hi Barefoot, let's make the deadline this Sat, Dec. 18th. Any blog post at dagblog is eligible.


    by Michael Wolraich on Wed, 12/17/2014 - 3:32pm

    Would that be Thursday, Dec. 18th, or Saturday Dec. 20th? wink


    by Verified Atheist on Fri, 12/19/2014 - 8:28am

    Wow, I can't imagine how I could come up with one "Best of the Best" from this bunch.  They're all so talented in their own way.  I'm going to enter the Way Back Machine and see what I can find.  Should be fun.


    by Ramona on Tue, 12/16/2014 - 5:07pm

    Oh, I just cannot keep away from this.

    I have to shut down for a couple of hours.

    But your Granddaughter, has got to have the numbers.

    I mean day after day and week after week, she reigned.

    Besides, the top ten or twenty or thirty....who cares?

    We have a nice blog site here.

     


    by Richard Day on Tue, 12/16/2014 - 5:19pm

    I was thinking the same. That guest blog was fantastic and is my first choice.


    by trkingmomoe on Tue, 12/16/2014 - 6:01pm

    ??


    by Ramona on Tue, 12/16/2014 - 6:16pm

    C'mon people. So far, the only nominees are a creative, a one-liner, a Peracles' lack of posts. OK, here's my list. There are so many great candidates, but I felt that these really stood out with timeless resonance beyond the daily news grind. Let's have some seconds or nominate your own!

    (These are blogs only. I haven't had a chance to go through creatives. And I leave it to DD to select the Day-ly Line of the year.)

    2/18 Doctor Cleveland: An Armed Society Is a Bloody Society

    2/23 Michael Maiello: Generation Wuss

    ​2/26 Richard Day: Bad History Month

    4/17 Michael Maiello: Freedom to Defend

    4/23 Wattree: The Statue of Liberty Wears Shackles

    7/02 Barefooted: Personnel File

    7/03 Doctor Cleveland: Religious Freedom vs. Religious Privilege (Or, Franklin vs. Penn)

    7/07 William K. Wolfrum: True Personhood

    7/17 Elusive Trope: Footing the Bill for Assisted Suicide

    8/02 NCD: GOP Border Campaign Plan on Cruz Control

    8/05 Doctor Cleveland: The Other Two Sides in Israel and Palestine

    8/28 bslev: Tough Choices -- Facing Genocide in the Levant

    9/09 Jolly Roger: Losing Our Heads (Here, in Iraq, and in Saudi Arabia)

    10/04 Ramona: Hey, Democrats, You Want to Win? Try Being Democrats

    10/11 tmccarthy0: Magical Karmic Raises Are Only for Women!

    10/12 Hal Ginsberg: Don't Sell. Buy!

    11/19 coatsd: The Mid-Term Elections: Taking The Longer View

    11/19 Oxy Mora: Personas Eat Policy Wonks for Breakfast

    11/22 Ramona: John Kennedy's Death and How It Changed Us


    by Michael Wolraich on Wed, 12/17/2014 - 12:38pm

    You mentioned a couple of ones that  I was going to nominate, like Wattree's Statue of Liberty Wears Shackles blog.  I'd also like to nominate Doc Cleveland's blogs about Shakespeare.  Ramona's "Will the Real God Please Stand Up?".,  Richard Day's Mort, George and Robin. Michael Maiello's The Intellectual Heft Behind Broken Windows and your own Why America Cannot Stop the Slaughter in Iraq

    But these are just a handful of blogs, chosen by going back and trying to remember which ones stayed with me or made me think. There were so many others that I would have to spend the next week just going through the archives.  The truth is, there are so many really great writers here,  it seems a shame to single any one of them out.  They all enlighten me, challenge me, amuse me and, at times, comfort me.  Who could ask for more from a blog-site?   Can we find a way to submit the entire site for an award?

     


    by MrSmith1 on Wed, 12/17/2014 - 1:26pm

    You get an award just for the comment.


    by Oxy Mora on Wed, 12/17/2014 - 3:52pm

    I probably had too much cough syrup, but damn...this is pretty funny.

    You are a nice person and you make me laugh.

    but you do not make me laugh at the expense of other people.

    I love you Oxy and I do not mean any other ....I dont know. hahahahah


    by Richard Day on Thu, 12/18/2014 - 1:59am

    Hey, the feeling's mutual. Let's fight on, Day.


    by Oxy Mora on Thu, 12/18/2014 - 12:52pm

    I would like to nominate Doc for, "An Armed Society is a Bloody Society". And not just because it's first on the list. To me this piece meets the highest standards of what I think of as the five essential components of this medium. Topic, Brevity, Impeccable Prose, Pace, and an Ending which ties it all together and nails the message.


    by Oxy Mora on Wed, 12/17/2014 - 4:34pm

    I keep having these tech probs that relate to my pc and not this blog.

    But I went back to this old blog about Bad History Month.

    This probably is the best blog I ever wrote.

    Here are these great writers and they are published writers.

    Sometimes, the laity get a chance.

    Thank you for acknowledging this attempt by a nobody.

    I was thinking about Eric who will show up and say these marvelous things to me.

    Again, thank you for the opportunity to just speak my mind, however little it may be.

    Oh I could go on and on and of course, it is so difficult no to. hahahaha

    This is really nice of you to cite me.

    I had to say something.


    by Richard Day on Fri, 12/19/2014 - 12:51am

    I've checked out Vagabond's list of best blogs for some years now. I found some sites that I've gone to for years. The list's purpose is to help other bloggers increase traffic. While it's an honor to who ever is chosen, mainly it's an advertising ploy. Since I generally support more people posting here at dagblog I support this advertising ploy. So what ever blog is picked I'd suggest thought is given to attracting people who might add to what this site offers. While we have many good blog post writers one of the best thing about dag imo is the long form discussion that takes place. Chose a good blog, but also look for one that has a good discussion underneath it.


    by ocean-kat on Wed, 12/17/2014 - 3:41pm

    That's a great point, ocean-kat. I would also add that headlines matter. A catchy headline/topic is more likely to attract to readers. So quick, someone blog about kim kardashian sex with kittens leaked pics!


    by Michael Wolraich on Wed, 12/17/2014 - 4:04pm

    Because his piece is simply bigger than the words used to write it, I cast my vote for The Statue Of Liberty Wears Shackles by Eric Wattree.


    by barefooted on Wed, 12/17/2014 - 3:55pm

    That's a great criteria. And you deserve a special award for the fine heartfelt blog that got most of us here thinking about why we do this anyway and how important it is.


    by Oxy Mora on Wed, 12/17/2014 - 5:02pm

    Watree Statue of Liberty blog - who the heck knew those dastardly French put shackles on the Lady? Could she be.....you know.....black? (& Did they have a permission slip from us to do that?)


    by NCD on Thu, 12/18/2014 - 12:59pm

    The actual model for the statue was the wife of the inventor of the Singer Sewing Machine.  They lived in Paris at the time.  It was a gift to celebrate our freeing the slaves.


    by trkingmomoe on Fri, 12/19/2014 - 8:39am

    Okay, this is my first take on the GREATEST LINE OF THE DAY!

    Thank the almighty that Mike W gives us time to think about these things over the last calendar year! Really!

    Great. First I find out I don't like sex, then you stick a song about a cat named Dog in my head.

    (MISSY)

     

    http://dagblog.com/reader-blogs/columbus-discovered-america-18934

     

     

    Columbusing is used to describe the mistaken belief that you discovered something when you really just ran into something by mistake.

     

    (RMRD)

    SUPRA

     

    LULU ON VASCO DA GAMA

     

    http://dagblog.com/reader-blogs/columbus-discovered-america-18934

     

     

    AUSTIN TRAIN ON MORT, GEORGE & ROBIN

    http://dagblog.com/reader-blogs/mort-george-robinn-18798

     

    FLOWER ON CEREAL KILLERS

    http://dagblog.com/reader-blogs/rachel-maddow-new-cop-show-18748

     

    OXY MORA ON THE FLAT CHESTED

     

     

    There has never been a flat chested research assistant.

     

    http://dagblog.com/reader-blogs/journey-19109

     

    ARTAPPRAISER

     

    WHAT THE HELL DID I MISS AS A PARENT?

    NOTHING! Seems to me: JUST THE OPPOSITE: YOU GAVE HIM THE SAME FREEDOM TO EXPLORE THAT YOU HAD AS A KID! And look how you treasure those memories to this day!

     

    http://dagblog.com/reader-blogs/old-memories-1878

     

     

     

     

     

    NCD?

     

    Are wisdom teeth intelligent design? Did God love oral surgeons?

     

    http://dagblog.com/reader-blogs/consensus-18416

     

     

     

     

     

     

    TORTURE

     

    http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2014/12/why_americans_support_torture_we_accept_the_abuse_and_cruel_punishment_of.html

    HERE'S DUCKY

    Well... Ya' know Dick . . .

    Here's a little more about America's false sense of history...

    A majority of Americans still believe the fairy tale that Paul Revere rode all alone through the night screaming, "The British are coming!"

    ~OGD~

    I think 'they' are referring to some English porn film....

    (ME

    http://dagblog.com/reader-blogs/americas-false-sense-history-18235

    FLOWER AGAIN

    Sacking Baghdad wasn't enough for these goons.

    MISSY

    Great. First I find out I don't like sex, then you stick a song about a cat named Dog in my head.

    (MISSY)

    http://dagblog.com/reader-blogs/columbus-discovered-america-18934

    Columbusing is used to describe the mistaken belief that you discovered something when you really just ran into something by mistake

    RMRD)

    SUPRA

    LULU ON VASCO DA GAMA

    http://dagblog.com/reader-blogs/columbus-discovered-america-18934

    AUSTIN TRAIN ON MORT, GEORGE & ROBIN

    http://dagblog.com/reader-blogs/mort-george-robinn-18798

    FLOWER ON CEREAL KILLERS

    http://dagblog.com/reader-blogs/rachel-maddow-new-cop-show-18748

    OXY MORA ON THE FLAT CHESTED

    There has never been a flat chested research assistant.

    http://dagblog.com/reader-blogs/journey-19109

    ARTAPPRAISER

    WHAT THE HELL DID I MISS AS A PARENT?

    NOTHING! Seems to me: JUST THE OPPOSITE: YOU GAVE HIM THE SAME FREEDOM TO EXPLORE THAT YOU HAD AS A KID! And look how you treasure those memories to this day!

    http://dagblog.com/reader-blogs/old-memories-1878

    NCD?

    Are wisdom teeth intelligent design? Did God love oral surgeonshttp://dagblog.com/reader-blogs/consensus-18416

    TORTURE

    http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2014/12/why_americans_support_torture_we_accept_the_abuse_and_cruel_punishment_of.html

    HERE'S DUCKY

    Well... Ya' know Dick . . .

    Here's a little more about America's false sense of history...

    A majority of Americans still believe the fairy tale that Paul Revere rode all alone through the night screaming, "The British are coming!"
    ~OGD~

    I think 'they' are referring to some English porn film....(ME)

    http://dagblog.com/reader-blogs/americas-false-sense-history-18235

    FLOWER AGAIN

    Sacking Baghdad wasn't enough for these goons.

    At least the delusional visions of conquest are now confined to our own shores.

    http://dagblog.com/reader-blogs/traitors-our-midst-18158

    At least the delusional visions of conquest are now confined to our own shores.

    http://dagblog.com/reader-blogs/traitors-our-midst-18158

    See, I would recite the lines from AA and Mr. Smith and Mike W and Ducky and Momoe and Cville and Oxy and Ramona and all my friends here at DAGBLOG...and I would miss some things.

    I have to say that Cville and Ramona and Momoe and Mr. Smith and Artappraiser kept me keepin on...and I shed a tear thinking about it.

    There are other great lines and I will search some more. My productivity has declined over the years.

    Personally my pains over the last couple of months have turned into aches, which I can handle.

    What Mike W enabled us to do was to take some time and we still have 14 days by my count to review this site.

    Oh and I do not care what anyone says, Mike M gets the comedic line of the year!

    the end, for now

    Oh but context more than counts.

    A line is important if it is put in context and there again, I GO ON AND ON AND ON


    by Richard Day on Wed, 12/17/2014 - 5:16pm

    Maybe it's just me, but I still think blogging should be judged differently than other forms of writing. Including being different from op-ed and from spinmeister-ing for  cause. I value it least when it's just another guy/gal thinking they can do better than the paid op-ed writers out there on the week's top news or promoting a certain agenda. I value it the most when it takes people's thoughts on the recent news to a whole new level and pulls the discussion up on the same several notches to a point where those who like to bray simplistically or propagandize on topic drop out of the discussion feeling it's over their heads, leaving the more thoughtful to play.

    Elusive Trope does this:

    When Society is Insane

    For me blogging is less about skillful writing, it's about sharing your thoughts skillfully. Like the best diaries on paper used to, the ones that eventually got published. A person sits down at the end of the day to gather his/her thoughts....


    by artappraiser on Wed, 12/17/2014 - 5:50pm

    But I should admit that I am only sure enough to nominate in another category:

    Best Commenter,

    that one is a no brainer:

    moat

    (Who, darn it, doles out his rare comments like rare pearls, there should be an alert service for them.)


    by artappraiser on Wed, 12/17/2014 - 5:55pm

    Oh I love Moat and I missed him.

    He is back, at least I think.

    And he loves Mr. Smith.

    At least I know where to find him!


    by Richard Day on Wed, 12/17/2014 - 6:04pm

    I second that nomination. Where can I sign up for that alert service?


    by barefooted on Wed, 12/17/2014 - 6:16pm

    I've driven myself crazy trying to go back and read dozens of posts to try and figure out which one is the best.  I'm not gonna do it!  There are too many that are too good and many, many more that are good, and many that are wonderful.  I can't and won't choose.

    Just so you know, I've officially taken myself out of the running. (Not that I'm the best because I'm not.)  Battochio invited me to send along my own favorite blog post and I did, so I wouldn't want to be included twice.  (After winnowing it down to a few possibles, I chose my piece on Cliven Bundy.  It was a toss-up between it and the piece on the snake-handler or the piece on Ted Nugent.  I was going for ludicrous, I guess.  Ha!) 

    I think that's what you all should do here--be your own best judge.  I think each of you should set aside your natural "aw, shucks" inclination to diminish your own talents and just go for it:  Choose your own favorite dagblog post of 2014 and submit it here.  Then let the judges decide which of them should be the dag representation.  (I don't know who the judges are so don't try to bribe me.  I'm pretty sure Michael W is one of them, though.  Work on him for a while.)

    (What do you think, Mike?  Would that work?)


    by Ramona on Wed, 12/17/2014 - 8:03pm

    I kind of like this idea.

    How in the hell can I nominate myself?

    Besides folks like you would underline something I wrote.

    Anyway

    The best thing I wrote so far in six plus years has got to be about Columbus:

    http://dagblog.com/reader-blogs/columbus-discovered-america-18934

    I  have never achieved 9000 hits, ever.

    And it was fun.

    I have other blogs that I love, but damn!

    I HAVE FUN HERE AT THIS SITE AND IT IS BECAUSE OF FOLKS LIKE ROMONA.

    HA


    by Richard Day on Wed, 12/17/2014 - 8:21pm

    Well, I can't give you 9000 hits retroactively, bit I agree that it's a good one!  If it's your favorite, it's in!  Because you said so!


    by Ramona on Wed, 12/17/2014 - 9:22pm

    I cant help this.

    I had no idea the Beatles actually did this!

    hahahahah

    But this is how I think about you!

    the end


    by Richard Day on Wed, 12/17/2014 - 9:56pm

    LOVE the Beatles!  That is so cool!


    by Ramona on Wed, 12/17/2014 - 10:23pm

    Wolraich: The Valkyrie's Lament

    Cleveland: Religious Freedom vs. Religious Privlege

    ​I also loved Doc's series on academic careers as trying to act for a living and any time he writes about Shakespeare.

    I'd second all Wolraich's nominations.​

    You're all great.  We publish a lot of stuff.


    by Michael Maiello on Thu, 12/18/2014 - 6:27am

    I would like also to nominate Maiello for "A way back book review: the mouse that roared." It's a little gem that is of the timeless category and I love the title. 


    by Oxy Mora on Thu, 12/18/2014 - 2:08pm

    I wish there was a special award for this comment thread!  One of the best I've seen anywhere, any time.  What other blog has comments like these?  None.  Dag is indeed one of a kind, and if I could nominate the entire website I would do it.  It deserves an award of some kind, just for drawing and keeping the kinds of writers we have here.

    You guys are simply the best.  Each and every one of you.  Judging is so hard because we have some of the finest writers writing here.  We're a small group, but the talent is outstanding.  Looking back on some of the links reminds me all over again of that fact.  This is wonderful.  Really.


    by Ramona on Fri, 12/19/2014 - 7:47pm

    Then it's settled. This is the winning blog!


    by barefooted on Fri, 12/19/2014 - 9:01pm

    I'm really quite serious about this - is it too late to choose it?

    It's perfect -- it showcases some great posts, and some pretty great folks along the way. I can't think of a better representation of Dagblog.


    by barefooted on Fri, 12/19/2014 - 9:11pm

    I agree, barefooted, obviously!  But what they're looking for is the single best post from a blog in 2014, chosen either by the bloggers themselves or by readers. 

    But I still think Dagblog doesn't get nearly enough attention, considering the wealth of talent here.  Wish I know how to promote it better.


    by Ramona on Sat, 12/20/2014 - 10:19am

    I am a fan of Mr. Smith.  I look forward to every Friday evening and read his little poems. 


    by trkingmomoe on Fri, 12/19/2014 - 8:52pm