Archives for February, 2008
Photo Friday: Fuzzy
jordoncooper.com vs. warrenkinsella.com
Warren Kinsella posted about the Top 25 Political Blogs yesterday and mentioned what I said here. My comment was that I think his ranking is hurt by bloggers who are still linking to www.warrenkinsella.com/musings.htm which was his old web location instead of linking to www.warrenkinsella.com which is his new one (it took me a couple of months to change my link so I am not judging anyone). A quick look at Technorati shows 1,213 links (or as Technorati says, “blog reactions”) to his www.warrenkinsella.com and another 530 links to www.warrenkinsella.com/musings.htm. Google’s algorithm shows 2,010 links to his site from both blogs and other websites. (of course those numbers will be one behind as soon as I hit publish)
On the other hand, jordoncooper.com has 1414 total incoming links on Technorati and oddly enough I beat him with 2,050 links on Google.
What’s the point of this? 1) It shows how flawed most web data analysis is because the number of readers or linkers does not equal influence. A better metric would be how far does ones ideas travel and who is reading one’s blog instead of how many. Also my links come in from areas a long ways away from politics in Canada, mostly from church leaders and pastors with some sports blogs tossed in for good measure. Another way to look about it, when I write something brilliant, Mike Duffy doesn’t hang on every word.
Of course links and clicks are often used out of context and even if they were, I liked what Warren wrote here.
Here’s one of Warren’s truisms, then: legitimacy is not found in numbers. Rightness does not equate with popularity. You can be entirely, utterly alone, as Jesus Christ was in the end – as the other prophets were, like Mohamed and Moses, at key moments in their lives – and still be irrevocably right.
So how does all of this relate to web stats? Because, for me, this blog stuff is worth doing because (a) it is truly DIY punk rock journalism, and (b) it is a literal extension of diary writing. Personally, it permits me to write in a way that newspapers and magazines – having quit or been fired from not a few – never permit me to write. It allows me to write as I am writing right now – and then, three inches later, link to a hardcore punk band I currently adore. I do it, too, because I am – when you distil me down to my base elements – a diarist. I am alleged to have been writing 1,000 words a day since I was eleven years old: it is as fully part of me as is breathing, or Slurpees.
This made me ask why I keep this site going. It isn’t a money maker. Despite my bluster, there is no jordoncooper.com media empire coming. I find myself using Twitter more and more which doesn’t have stats and I have no idea if anyone is reading my most random and random thoughts. Yet at the same time I enjoy writing complete thoughts in 160 character or less and find it even more fun reading political campaign coverage in 160 character or less.
I think the reason I keep this blog is it is a place that I can explore new ideas that I am thinking about and a borderline extrovert, it allows me to process and get feedback. The random links here and there get formed together later on and occasionally become and idea worth caring about.As I have written before the person who probably influenced my thinking and writing this blog is Thomas Homer-Dixon and his book, The Ingenuity Gap which is the idea that the problems and issues affecting us are far more complex than we often understand. I think my keeping this blog is my part of exploring and understanding the world around me (which does at times include sports).
I’m Not Running for President, but…
Michael Bloomberg’s op-ed in the New York Times. He gives a pretty good (but sad) explanation of why change won’t happen
The changes needed in this country are straightforward enough, but there are always partisan reasons to take an easy way out. There are always special interests that will fight against any challenge to the status quo. And there are always those who will worry more about their next election than the health of our country.
These forces that prevent meaningful progress are powerful, and they exist in both parties. I believe that the candidate who recognizes that the party is over — and begins enlisting all of us to clean up the mess — will be the winner this November, and will lead our country to a great and boundless future.
The question is the President of the United States powerful enough to take on the special interests and a Congress and Senate that is worried about re-election more than the country. When I hear Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton bash NAFTA to appeal to Ohio voters, and John McCain suck up to the right wing of the Republican party, I start to lose faith that anything will change.
Kindersley
Yesterday I took a road trip with my boss to the town of Kindersley, 2 hours out of Saskatoon for some meetings with a variety of social aid agencies serving the area. We had three spread out meetings which meant that with travel, it was a 14 hour day but the meetings were good and I learned some stuff and met some great people.
One of the highlights of the trip was seeing the Salvation Army Thrift Store in Kindersley. I am not a big fan of thrift stores in general although Wendy buys a lot of clothes at Value Village for Mark but this one was different. While many are over glorified junk yards, this one was actually a place that one would want to shop at and had a small army of volunteers making sure appliances, televisions, electronics, and other things were good quality, getting tested or fixed, and clean before it was sold. If there was the perfect business model for running something like that, I think I saw it yesterday.
It was a long day but I was encouraged to see people coming together in a community to make sure that people are taken care of.
Maybe not my best decision ever…
Considering this photo was of the sharks that I was swimming with in Bahamas (just call me the Shark Whisperer), this story is a bit unnerving. (we were doing the same thing but with a company called Stuart Cove). We actually signed a waiver saying that if I was attacked by sharks, no assistance would be given and if I made it back to the boat, no medical help would be administrated. (here is another photo of the sharks)
Top 25 Canadian Political Blogs
and for some reason I make the list. I beat Garth Turner out narrowly and for some reason I beat out Warren Kinsella but I imagine that has more to do with Google not clicking into the fact that his URL of his blog has changed recently with many people linking to his old URL.
I am not really a political blogger but in the spirit of being ranked, here is a great story about Barack Obama and his apology to local reporter.
Update: Some more thoughts related to the post are here.
Technorati tags: Garth Turner, Warren Kinsella
Meme
I was tagged by Warren Kinsella and since I haven’t done a meme in a very long time…
Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
- The highlight of my television watching year is the NFL draft. This is more of a reflection on the current state of television than anything else.
- Despite being from the prairies, I live for watching the America’s Cup. I learned to sail in grade 11 and would love to do it more often but I live in Saskatchewan which is not known for producing many America’s Cup skippers. Part of my fascination with the America’s Cup is that it is the only sport where lawyers seem to have an active role in deciding who wins the thing as evidenced by the recent brouhaha over the 33rd race rules.
- I hate scalloped potatoes. Many people have said, “Wait until you try my recipe.” I have and I didn’t like yours either.
- The first movie I ever saw in the theatre was Star Trek: The Motion Picture when I was five. I am not saying it was a bad movie but thank goodness for The Wrath of Kahn.
- I am a terrible batter at slo-pitch. Despite being big and tall and outfielders move backward when I get to plate, I am a pathetic hitter. A couple of years ago I was even having contact problems… at slo-pitch. I am fine defensively but who wants a single hitting first baseman? There can only be so many John Oleruds in the world. The odd thing is when I am standing in front of a 80 mph fastball in the batting cage, my swing sorts itself out and I can hit fine for power.
- I have never been able to get out of the water while water skiing. This makes me a popular guy to be in the boat. I can drive, help people out of the water, make sure the soda is covered with ice and I don’t need my turn behind the boat.
Six others to tag?
I need a lawyer
Not for myself but I need someone that five or six times a year I could e-mail or talk over a scenario and either be given a quick opinion or send me to the relevant section of Saskatchewan law for the correct information I would really appreciate it. I have access to counsel or really serious stuff but occasionally I would like to quickly be explained how a Saskatchewan law works (criminal and family law in particular) for work. I don’t even really need an official opinion but just an explanation of how certain laws work in certain situations. If you know of anyone who would be interested, e-mail me at jordoncooper AT gmail.com. Thanks.
Contextless Thoughts
- It’s been two weeks of this flu and I still feel miserable but am feeling better. If I keep getting better, I may start blogging again but you never know.
- I was listening to the head of the Baptists rail against John McCain the other night. Apparently he committed the unforgivable sin, he voted to preserve the right for the Senate to filibuster once and this somehow attacks families and the church in the United States.
- I am kind of indifferent to a McCain presidency but this is an interesting take on the story the New York Times ran about him and the lobbyist and an op-ed from the Times wondering why the Times even ran it.
- The one thing I will miss if Obama wins the nomination is that Maureen Dowd won’t have the Clinton’s to kick around any more. Frank Rich gets in a couple of shots as well.
- One thing worth considering in Saskatoon’s efforts to tear down the Barry Hotel. Where will the 100 or so people who call that place home go? Many are suffering from addictions and while the Barry is not what I would call home by any stretch of the imagination, where do people who are not at a place of dealing with their addictions live? Saskatoon has a 0.4% vacancy rate right now. I am not saying that the Barry shouldn’t be torn down (from what I have read, it would be almost impossible to save) but there are a lot of hurting people who are not benefiting from Saskatoon’s boom.
- While spring break is nice if you have the money to get away or have a parent who doesn’t have to work, does anyone think of the impact of elementary school vacations have on single parents. I am friends with a single mom whose salary this week is almost exclusively going to childcare. She is making it on her own but school vacations make it very hard for her to get even a bit ahead. There seems to be an excellent opportunity in there for a church to step in to make a difference in a neighborhood.
- Speaking of single mothers, I was listening to a church leader screaming about single parents, “shacking up”. For once I would love the discussion be less about sex and lust and more about how hard it is for a single parent raising kids alone. I am just saying there is something wrong with the discussion as it is currently framed.
- I understand that when governments change in Canada, some things also will change but one should let Google know. Almost all of the Government of Saskatchewan sites that I have found in Google are 404′d or moved. Most of the sites are URL changes and still have the same content which could have been done without breaking links or upsetting Google.
- New Jersey Institute of Technology completes perfect NCAA Division I basketball season :: Apparently someone thought that having the worst basketball team in history of Division I basketball would help enrollment. The Highlanders were also the only Division I team this season with more turnovers (577) than field goals (550).
- “If adventure had a name, it would be Indiana Jones.”
10 Things That Won’t Change with the Next President
2. The partisan divide: Politicians have been promising to bridge the divisions in Washington ever since Aaron Burr shot Alexander Hamilton. It’s a lot harder than it looks.
Contextless Links
- It’s funny how many times I have heard (or used) the phrase, Nogoalov in the last couple of weeks.
- Michael Silver on the rather odd ritual called the NFL Scouting Combine
- Larry Lessig to run for Congress?
- Thoughts on choosing board members
- Pernell Goodyear is blogging again
- Darryl Dash’s thoughts on his theology pub in T.O.
Photo Friday: Art
Mark outside the Mendel Art Gallery in Saskatoon.
Life Around Here
I am still sick. Not as sick as I was last week but still pretty sick. I have had a couple of 18 hour naps and I still can’t shake the fever/chills cycle I am in. Wendy and Mark are pretty sick as well although Mark is getting better.
On Monday I managed to have supper with Jared Siebert who was in town doing whatever it is that denominational stooges do for a living (changing paradigms I suppose). I don’t know if we got anywhere in our plans for world domination but we did enjoy some nice seafood at Red Lobster. I give a shout out to Red Lobster as the restaurants I have eaten at lately in Saskatoon have been horrible and it is nice to have had some nice hot food that wasn’t burnt.
Saints Peter & Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church
View from the side
View from the front
I have been fascinated with Saints Peter & Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church since I first saw it years ago but I had never taken any photos of it until today. It is a cross shaped church that is similar on each side and the front. I went looking for this history of the church and the architect information but I couldn’t find it which is kind of too bad as it is one of the more unique buildings in Saskatoon. Some of the other photos I took today can be found here.
Day 5
Well, this is day 5 with this virus. On Thursday the doctor told me to go home and sleep it off until Sunday and that is pretty much what I have done. I was up and about the house for a couple hours yesterday which was the first I have been in days. Tomorrow I am preaching at the Saskatoon Free Methodist Church which oddly enough doesn’t list service times on their web site (and they start at 10:30 instead of 11:00 a.m.) Not that I have a lot of options but I should be strong enough to get through a 20 minute sermon. They have heard me speak before so they have low expectations.
Wendy has the virus now and so does Mark so we are all doing wonderful. Even the dog is sick. On one hand I am glad that it is the long weekend and I don’t have to miss any work but c’mon, I finally get a long weekend to do nothing but chill and I am so sick I can’t get out of bed.
Our Cabin Weblog- Recently listened to music
- David Gray – Be Mine October 19, 2008
- David Gray – December October 19, 2008
- David Gray – Knowhere October 19, 2008
- David Gray – Real Love October 19, 2008
- David Gray – Last Boat To America October 19, 2008
- Recently additions to my library
- Rediscovering Church: The Story and Vision of Willow Creek Community Church by Lynne Hybels October 26, 2008
- The Teeth of the Tiger, A Novel by Tom Clancy October 26, 2008
- The Agenda Inside the Clinton White House by Woodward Bob October 26, 2008
- The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You by John C. Maxwell October 26, 2008
- The Sum of All Fears by Tom Clancy October 26, 2008
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