November 10, 2004 October is Koufax Pledge Drive month
Pre-Koufax Beg-a-thon
During the last Koufax Awards, we were able to squeak by (with lots of slow loading) under our old system. This year, due to the growth of the blogosphere, we anticipate much greater demand, and so will have to update the servers. Wampum has always been a labor of love, and we've never asked for contributions to run the site, but if we want to be prepared for the expected onslaught (without painful site loading) we are passing around the hat just this one time.
Thanks to all in advance.
Update:I've moved this post off the front page, but have put a permanent link up. We're making progress, and I want to thank everyone who has contributed to make the Koufax Awards more accessible this year. Please, however, continue to give, as we are no where near our fundraising goal, and will have to front the money (which means a rather sparse Christmas for four little Wampumlings.)
Posted by MB Williams at November 10, 2004 11:53 PM | TrackBackEven though I got beat out in the 2003 Best New Blog and Best Blog categories, I feel obligated to help keep the Koufax tradition alive, so I threw a few bucks in the kitty. Please don't tell my wife--I'm going to be a starving artist/academic next year and really should be saving my pennies, but I just can't stop myself! :-)
Posted by: NTodd at November 6, 2004 08:01 PMThese are the recognized liberal blog awards. Dwight, Mary Beth and others put an incredible amount of time in culling through recommended blogs to make the nominations, in tallying the votes, answering questions, moderating comments and hosting the whole deal on their dime.
Having won both years as "best single issue blog" I am immensely grateful to them. Please help them out and keep the tradition going.
Posted by: TalkLeft at December 4, 2004 01:01 PMI threw in some change. Good luck with it, and to all the lefty contenders!
Posted by: oyster at December 4, 2004 04:06 PMGee, maybe you wouldn't have so many server load problems if the frickin' spam monkeys would crawl back under their rock! In a perfect world, you could just send a bill to "flowers," rather than ask for donations.
Posted by: rod at December 8, 2004 04:44 PMRod,
The load generated last year saturated our uplink, which ironically prevented any compute-bound forms of attack from manifesting.
The load generated a week ago didn't even register on our new uplink, but it was manifested as a compute-bound server.
There are many different forms of dos and ddos, and many resources to trigger fatal contention for, or exhaustion of.
That said, the business models of Microsoft and the ISPs have to change if "the frickin' spam monkeys" are ever going to be abated. I could build a more failure resistant logical host for "wabanaki.net", but we're not a mission critical operation, like a political campaign site that is both critical to a campaign and a (il)legitimate target of attack -- as Al Jazeera's (unfortunately implemented on MSIS) site was at the onset of the current military adventure in the Gulf.
There are several things profoundly wrong with the ACL-less writable url model. The subject of a reasonable technical paper, which ISPs and blog tech vendors, such as blogspot, will ignore.
Posted by: Eric at December 8, 2004 05:04 PMCan someone please tell me why the Koufax Awards are named after Sandy Koufax? I was a great fan of his, but I'm totally unaware of what political or social views he held.
Thanks,
Bill Blum
He was the greatest lefthanded something or other.
When will the awards start?
Posted by: David Weman at December 13, 2004 11:33 AMBill:
It was my twisted sense of humor. He was, in my estimation, the greatest lefthanded pitcher of all time and the awards are for the best of the lefty blogosphere so ....
David:
We were waiting for you to ask :> It looks like today is the day.
Posted by: dwight meredith at December 13, 2004 01:16 PMGreetings,
Well, well, well, you want to hear from the unknown masses spread far and wide throughout our country, the individuals serching for truth, and community, and hope in information, in communication, in a forum to plan and release!!
Best Blog: Dailykos
best blog: James Wolcott
Posted by: dr wu at December 14, 2004 11:17 AMI would like to nominate The Sound of the Crowd at http://blogs.ink19.com/soundcrowd/ as a blog Deserving of Wider Recognition.
Posted by: Agavar at December 15, 2004 02:59 AMBest groupblog: A Fistful Of Euros
Best new blog: Manic Net Preacher
Posted by: Frans Groenendijk at December 15, 2004 06:19 AMI nominate I SCREW REPUBLICANS. www.iscrewrepublicans.blogspot.com
Male prostitutes screwing prominent republicans in humiliating ways to further lefty causes is nothing but funny.
Devon
Posted by: devon winslett at December 15, 2004 06:43 PMMy Blog nominations:
Best Blog - Suburban Guerrilla http://suburbanguerrilla.blogspot.com/
Most Deserving of Wider Recognition -
Suburban Guerrilla
http://suburbanguerrilla.blogspot.com/
Best Writing - Suburban Guerrilla
http://suburbanguerrilla.blogspot.com/
Best New Blog: Musing's musings
Best Commentator: Bryan, now with his own blog, Why Now?
Posted by: Mustang Bobby at December 16, 2004 11:10 AMBest Blog: The Sideshow (Avedon Carol)
Best Group Blog: Corrente
Best Writing: Digby
Best Single Issue Blog: Angry Bear
Most Humorous: Bob Harris
Most Deserving of Wider Recognition: Surburban Guerrilla
Best Expert Blog: Juan Cole
Best New Blog: James Wolcott
Best Series: David Neiwert/Orcinus, "The rise of pseudo-fascism"
Best overall: Daily Kos
Most deserving of wider recognition: Max Speak / Roy
Edroso
Most humorous blog: Chase me ladies, I'm in the
cavalry
Best writing: Billmon
Best humorous post: Chase me ladies, I'm in the
cavalry: Hitchens' Double Bluff Irony Impasse or
Insipid Pundit.
Best expert blog: Max Speak / Brad Delong
Blog nominations:
Most deserving of wider recognition : The Bonassus
Best visual bricolage: Notes from Somewhere Bizzare
Posted by: josh simpson at December 17, 2004 02:36 PM
Most Deserving of Wider Recognition:
Vox Digitatus
Judicious commentary, and wide-ranging references to other articles.
A post there in need of wider recognition: proposed Constitutional amendment.
Posted by: NotMax at December 17, 2004 04:30 PMIs there a way to donate without using paypal? I gave hundreds of dollars to democratic candidates through their web sites last cycle, but none of them used paypal. I have reasons for distrusting paypal, and if there's an alternative, I'd prefer to give that way.
Posted by: pontificator at December 18, 2004 12:58 PMBest blog: Cosmic Iguana
Best writing: Steve Gilliard
Most deserving of wider recognition: Xymphora
Most humorous: General JC Christian
Best single issue blog: Talk Left
Best series: "The rise of pseudo-fascism", Orcinus
Best commenter: Elaine Supkis at Angry Bear
Best expert: Angry Bear
Best blog: TPM
Best writing: Kevin Drum
Most deserving of wider recognition: Smythe's World
Most humorous: Roger Ailes
Best single issue blog: Talk Left
Best series:
Best commenter: David Ehrenstein
Best expert: Juan Cole
Best new blog:
Best series: Steve Gilliard's 37-parter on colonialism, no question. Shows why anyone with a brain should be opposed to the war in Iraq.
Posted by: JD at December 20, 2004 11:58 PMMost Deserving of Wider Recognition: Suzette Haden Elgin for her excellent linguistics commentary
Posted by: sara at December 22, 2004 06:04 AMMost Deserving of Wider Recognition : Left I on the News
http://lefti.blogspot.com
Posted by: Sy at December 22, 2004 05:59 PM:::::Tossing cash into kitty:::::::
Here ya go - well deserved ;)
Moi
Posted by: Moi ;) at December 23, 2004 03:16 PMFor your consideration:
The Timeline of Terror Alerts and the Chart of Terror Alerts vs. Bush Ratings that we put together this past summer at JuliusBlog has been chosen by The Nation has as #8 of their Top 10 Outrages of 2004.
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/outrage?bid=13&pid=2087
In addition, according to Blogpulse, which measures online activity in the blogosphere, our Timeline of Terror Alerts was #20 of the TOP 50 Top Blog Posts Cited in 2004:
http://www.blogpulse.com/2004_review/2004review_blogposts.html
;-)
Posted by: Julius Civitatus at December 28, 2004 12:18 PMWhat exactly do you need money for? Are there prizes (besides pride)?
Maybe if you were able to explain why we should caugh up our hard-earned money, more people would be willing to dig in and show a bit of love.
Posted by: xp at December 28, 2004 04:13 PM
Best Series: Thoughts from Kansas www.jgrr@blogspot.com
Pre-election posts, on a local Congressional race with subjects that resonate nationally. Incisive writing, great information.
Best New Blog: or
Most Deserving of Wider Recognition:
Thoughts from Kansas www.jgrr@blogspot.com
Awesome writing, fascinating range of subjects. Josh's Nov. science posts weave tales about science philosophy, art and more. Loved: Belief in Things Not Seen, A Vision of the Future, Human Achievement, Synchronicity.
Nomination for Most Deserving of Wider Recognition and/or Best New Blog: "Thoughts from Kansas" http://jgrr.blogspot.com
In particular, see the hauntingly beautiful writing on science, society and art in "Human Achievement," "A vision of the future" and especially "Belief in things not seen", all at http://jgrr.blogspot.com/2004_11_01_jgrr_archive.html
Best Series: pre-election postings on a congressional race in Kansas, also at "Thoughts from Kansas" http:jgrr.blogspot.com
Posted by: Neal at December 29, 2004 05:26 PMI was a nominee for Best New Blog last year and a finalist for Best Expert Blog as well. I'd like to nominate my blog for Best Expert Blog this year for my writings about the fathers' rights movement and custody cases. I'd also like to nominate my blog for Best Series for my posts about fathers' rights activist Lowell Jaks who kidnapped his son. He was finally arrested in the Dominican Republic and spent nearly a year in jail. The boy now resides with his custodial mother.
Trish Wilson's Blog
http://trishwilson.typepad.com/blog/
Lowell Jaks/ANCPR
http://trishwilson.typepad.com/blog/lowell_jaksancpr/index.html
Best Blog:
Skippy the Bush Kangaroo
Most deserving of wider recognition:
BusyBusyBusy (Elton Beard's site)
Most humorous:
Roger Ailes the Good One.
Best Overall Blog by a Non-Professional
Suburban Guerrilla
http://suburbanguerrilla.blogspot.com/
a few for your consideration for best blog:
therawstory.com
seriouslythough.com
thoughtcrimes.org/mt/
Best new blog: princeton progressive review. Heck, they found progressives in Alabama to write for them. And they're funny. Sometimes they diary at Kos, which is how I found out about them. http://progrev.blogspot.com/
Posted by: newbie at January 12, 2005 10:07 PMI think there should be a special award for Billmon, something like "best burn-out" or "best missing-in-action."
Come back, Billmon !
Posted by: Ty Lookwell at January 13, 2005 03:07 AMBest blog, I feel:
http://lyingmediabastards.com
Posted by: Mark McLaughlin at January 17, 2005 10:17 AMGreat discussion. Just a slight change in the subject. You may be interested in one of these seasonal tax topics:
Federal Income Tax - Federal Income Tax - http://federal-income-tax.irs-us.net ;
HR Block - HR Block - http://hr-block.irs-us.net ;
Income Tax Filing - Income Tax Filing - http://income-tax-filing.irs-us.net ;
Income Tax Online - Income Tax Online - http://income-tax-online.irs-us.net ;
Income Tax Preparation - Income Tax Preparation - http://income-tax-preparation.irs-us.net ;
Income Tax Return - Income Tax Return - http://income-tax-return.irs-us.net ;
Income Tax Software - Income Tax Software - http://income-tax-software.irs-us.net ;
Online Tax Filing - Online Tax Filing - http://online-tax-filing.irs-us.net ;
Online Tax Prep - Online Tax Prep - http://online-tax-prep.irs-us.net ;
Online Tax Preparation - Online Tax Preparation - http://online-tax-preparation.irs-us.net ;
Online Tax Return - Online Tax Return - http://online-tax-return.irs-us.net ;
Online Tax Service - Online Tax Service - http://online-tax-service.irs-us.net ;
Online Tax Software - Online Tax Software - http://online-tax-software.irs-us.net ;
Tax Calculator - Tax Calculator - http://tax-calculator.irs-us.net ;
Tax Cut - Tax Cut - http://tax-cut.irs-us.net ;
Tax Deduction - Tax Deduction - http://tax-deduction.irs-us.net ;
Tax Filing - Tax Filing - http://tax-filing.irs-us.net ;
Tax Forms - Tax Forms - http://tax-forms.irs-us.net ;
Tax Preparation Service - Tax Preparation Service - http://tax-preparation-service.irs-us.net ;
Tax Preparation Software - Tax Preparation Software - http://tax-preparation-software.irs-us.net ;
Tax Preparation - Tax Preparation - http://tax-preparation.irs-us.net ;
Tax Programs - Tax Programs - http://tax-programs.irs-us.net ;
Tax Refund - Tax Refund - http://tax-refund.irs-us.net ;
Tax Return Preparation - Tax Return Preparation - http://tax-return-preparation.irs-us.net ;
Tax Return Software - Tax Return Software - http://tax-return-software.irs-us.net ;
Tax Return - Tax Return - http://tax-return.irs-us.net ;
Tax Software - Tax Software - http://tax-software.irs-us.net ;
TaxCut - TaxCut - http://taxcut.irs-us.net ;
Turbo Tax - Turbo Tax - http://turbo-tax.irs-us.net ;
TurboTax - TurboTax - http://turbotax.irs-us.net ;
Thank you for your interest.
Hi MB Williams!
I see you get lots of spam like I use to, so if you like a copy of my big MT Blacklist, let me know, and I will email it to you, because I found a great way to use it!
I hope you are having a happy new year, with lots of fun, and clean socks!
Have a nice weekend, and good luck with the Pre-Koufax Beg-a-thon!
Posted by: Rockchild at January 21, 2005 12:50 PMOnce the nominations close, will you have automated software to do the votes?
If you don't have it yet but will get it, could you do IRV voting or something like that? It isn't necessarily a lefty thing but it would be appropriate if you can practically do it.
[no. ebw]
Thanks for hosting the awards.
I'm an old fart technophile from Australia, but I really do love cruising all the sites of the American left.
It has been a relief to see that even in the face of Fascism, there are still good Americans who fight the right with the best of weapons; logic and humour.
I know he's politically incorrect, but I still love bartcop - I'm sure there's a good man there, even if the fight has bent him a bit out of shape.
I wont cut and paste my bookmarks, but the following are consistently informative, funny and creative.
Jesus General
Allhatnocattle
The Funny Farm
Aintnobaddude
Mykeru (what a writer)
Thanks again