Bye Bye Bloglines - sob

Sad to hear that Bloglines will be shutting down its servers, just over a week away, on 1 October 2010.

I've used Bloglines as my primary blog reader for some years. Sometimes a simple uncluttered interface can be so much easier to use than something that tries to do all the bells and whistles.

Unfortunately this blog, or at least the counter of subscribed readers is going to take a hit with bloglines shutting down. Around half of my subscribed readers (22), at least according to feedburner stats, use bloglines to read this blog.

So dear readers I would appreciate it muchly if you were able to transfer their subscriptions over to another blog reader. Thanks to a recommendation of a friend I am trying out Google reader. This link shows you how to download your subscriptions from Bloglines and upload them into Google reader, so you don't have to go entering all your blog subscriptions in again.

Another option is to subscribe by email. If all else fails put this into your blog reader.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/JoeHendren

Since Bloglines came along all those years ago, it is clear that blog readers have fundamentally changed the way people read blogs. While they certainly make it more convenient, I suspect they are one reason the smaller blogs do not get as many visitors as they used to, and don't attract as many comments. I am comparing the situation to when I first started blogging over six years ago now, and even saying that I feel old. Despite this I suspect the advent of blog readers has increased readership overall.

Another change, which I am not sure is for the better is that some blog readers have presented only the first few lines of a post as a teaser, rather than the entire post. Some blog owners have adopted this format so that readers are forced to click through from a blog reader to the site to read the entire post. In some cases this may be motivated by wanting to keep their visitor count up. Personally I find all these click throughs annoying - if I want to read something I want the entire post on screen thank you very much. Sometimes I don't bother reading blogs that force me to do a click through to read anything. Even Public Address!

It is also possible this 'teaser' culture has encouraged people writing on blogs to structure their posts more like news stories.

Be interested on peoples thoughts on these blog related ramblings. Also interested to hear what other blog readers people use, and how they find them.

Kia kaha Sue, we will miss you

On Friday Green MP Sue Bradford announced her retirement from Parliament. While she expressed a little regret she that she would not have the opportunity to change things for the better as Minister of Social Development or Minister of Housing, I hope Sue leaves Parliament with her head held high.

Some ministers manage to go through their entire ministerial career without even passing one significant bill. Some even manage to pass no laws at all. Yet Bradford as a backbench MP, introduced three private members bills in one parliamentary term, and succeeded in having all three passed into law. Bradford proved you didn't have to be a minister to get things done.

A significantly greater number of 16 and 17 year old workers will now be paid adult rates for an adult job, following Sue's bill that sought to remove youth rates. The bill as passed got very close to achieving its goal, despite significant opposition from senior Labour party ministers. Again, thanks to Sue, mothers in prison will now be able to keep their babies with them for up to 2 years.

Her most controversial and significant achievement is the Child Discipline Act which removed the defence of 'reasonable force'. Child abusers were using this defence in court as an excuse for excessive violence towards their kids. In the future I suspect many will look back at this debate in bewilderment and wonder how on earth a small number of small minded (so called christian) conservatives were so successful in hijacking the debate over the 'anti-smacking' bill. Bradford's opponents were never challenged on their wider agenda - promoting a narrow view of family values where the wider community has no say in the education and development of the value systems of children (this aids indoctrination).

In an interview with Katherine Ryan on Nine to Noon on Friday, I thought Sue identified a key insight about this debate. Radio NZ only keep interviews on their website for a week, so I retyped Sue's words as I thought they deserved more than being wiped off the internet after only a week. When asked how being on the front line of the debate over Section 59 bill had affected her Bradford said:

"I have no regrets, I am really honoured that I was able to play the role in this very deep controversy."

"It has hurt me and saddened me. I think what has affected me most, when I think back on again quite recently, is the violent minds and natures of some of the people who are so keen to retain the legal right to assault their kids as part of bringing them up, that that kind of psychological violence is then directed at people like me who are the champion of the other side."

Bradford confirmed she had received death threats and "really nasty emails". She also expressed some dismay that:

"(In) our country, so many people are so fundamentally violent in the way they see the world; and the way this reflects on how they view their children as property. Anything I've done to be able to help to begin to shift that culture seeing our children as property, seeing our children as worth less than us adults to see our children as less than human in some way that we should be able to legally hit whack them etc as part of bringing them up. I just hope we continue to change that culture."

It is an irony that in the same day Bradford spoke these words, the right wing of the blogosphere went out of their way to demonstrate their accuracy. Just take one look at Whale Oil or the comments on Kiwiblog to see violent minds at work. That said, its good to see both Farrar and Whale Oil have spoken out against the death threats.

While Bradford was talking about the controversy over the Child Discipline Bill, I could not help but think her words are also relevant to the issue of Palestine. In defending the right of the Israeli state to make indiscriminate and disproportionate war on Palestinian civilians, there are indeed some who appear to direct psychological violence against those who dare to question the motives behind Israel's actions, and highlight the daily injustice metered out to the Palestinian population. Responding with an accusation of 'anti-Semitism' in this context is nothing more than the actions of a psychological bully who in practice is cheapening the cause of genuine cases of anti-Semitism in this world.

PS: I would have posted this in the weekend but for losing the first version of this post thanks to a computer crash, arrghh!

Auckland blogger drinks

Just got back from the Auckland blogger drinks. Honestly I wasn't sure what to expect - I welcome debate, but I didn't want to be the only lefty there. I need not have worried.

Blogger drinks turned out to be a lot of fun and far beter than I expected. I admit get bored if I am at a pub and the conversation remains banal for too long - but here were lots of lovely people who appreciated talking about ideas and real stuff - so Joe was happy. I wondered if I came accross as more serious than normal - usually Joe does not need much excuse to be silly :)

As I walked in I attempted to locate the blog drinkies, only to realise I could not recognise anyone. I walked out to make sure it was the right pub before walking back again to the large group down the back. Thanks to Scott and Gooner for idenfitying me as a lost blogger and confirming I had the right place.

Good to put some names to faces, particurly good to finally meet some of the people who have commented on my blog over the past two years or so. While I hate to single people out, it was particularly good to meet Rich, Paul, George Darroch, Pamziewamzie and Jordan - only because I have been reading your writing (on and off) for what seems some time now, so its good to finally meet you.

Also good talking to Sonic about the Scottish Socialist Party. New blogger Ryan from Born on State Highway One had a bit to say - which bodes well for more interesting blog posts! Always good to meet another fan of Bertrand Russell.

New blog Mirage Media on attitudes to mental illness

New media watch blog Mirage Media includes a great post about the census worker who was forced to resign from his job after it was discovered that he had previously escaped a murder charge on the grounds of insanity (he killed three members of his family). Mirage Media points out insanity is not an easy defence - less than 1% of those who claim insanity in murder cases escape conviction on these grounds.

Strictly speaking, the census worker had no criminal convictions to disclose, and therefore no grounds for losing his job. The Mental Health Commission regards the case as a breach of the human rights act and is taking up the issue with the Human Rights Commissioner.

"Praising_idleness" of Mirage Media takes Radio Live breakfast host Martin Devlin to task for dismissing the possibility that a "murderer" should be allowed to get a job after 13 years of rehabilitation.

"Devlin often makes the assumption that mental patients are intrinsically morally corrupt. In his eyes, mental health patients are 'bad eggs', and should be stripped of basic human rights. He willingly ignores evidence which illustrates mental patients too, are victims of their illness. That they can be rehabilitated. And they are no more likely than anyone else to commit an act of violence in the first place. Instead, he maintains a bigotry which perpetuates a sceptical untrustworthy view of individuals with mental illness."

Actually there is considerable evidence to show that those who experience serious mental illness are, on average, more likely to be victims of violence than its initiators. A 2005 study found that one forth of individuals with severe mental illness were victims of violent crime in the previous year, eleven times the rate of the general population.

In response to an email from Praising_Idleness Martin Devlin said "Hmmm Somewhere in the middle lies the answer? I actually think we almost agree.. Thanks for your mail son...". In other words Devlin completely failed to engage with the issue. "Somewhere in the middle lies the answer" reminds me of the sort of meaningless nonsense that might come from the keyboard of Peter Dunne. Why is it those who attempt to position themselves in the so called "centre" of politics so often end up sounding intellectually and morally vacuous?

Welcome to the blogsphere Praising_Idleness :)

Categories: Media, Mental Health, Human Rights, Discrimination

New leftie blogs

While some established blogs appear to have gone quieter over the past month, some new leftie blogs have suddenly jumped out of the woodwork.

Over at Capitalism Bad, Tree Pretty, Maia provides a feminist perspective on current events and industrial issues. With 'Feminist of the Day' she celebrates the contribution of people who have improved the lives of women and humanity in general.

Len Richards envisages a newsoc where a co-operative basis for organising human life will put human needs before profit-driven greed. Instead of the 'market' deciding, people should decide through democratic participation at all levels (Hat tip Span)

With the VUWSA presidency soon to pass into the safe neo-Marxist hands of Nick Kelly, Jeremy Greenbook is now the Aucklander at Large. I don't think Jeremy's new blog has been inspired by that ancient so-called-3D-movie, Gorilla at Large, but I have been known to be wrong :)

Following his campaign for Labour in Rakaia in 2005, Tony Milne now posts his thoughts on I See Red. With his blog Tony looks to explore the emergence of the 'majority diversity coalition of 21st century New Zealand'.

Maria Von Trap discusses politics and current events alongside some 'slices of life'. Some of her travel stories are wee gems! Rest assured, there appear to be no Julie Andrews WAVs hiding behind Maria's URL, so there is no need to far, so far away to run.

With Progressive Essays, C Simmons shares his thoughts on 'socialist and progressive politics'.

SNAP provides an anarchist perspective on political and industrial news, courtesy of the Wildcat Anarchist Collective of Wellington. In a recent post Sam Buchanan says the anarchist critique of the Green party is less to do with their participation in elections, and much more to do with their acceptance of capitalism (Hat tip NRT).

New blog - Chris Ford - Alliance Dunedin South Candidate

Alliance disability spokesperson and Dunedin South candidate Chris Ford, now has a blog.

http://www.chrisfordalliancedunedinsouth.blogspot.com/

Add it to your links, and you won't have to retype the long url! :)

Life and Death in the blogsphere

Over the past month a number of authors of established blogs have decided to give up blogging, while a number of new blogs have sprung up out of cyberspace. While Xavier of About Town has decided to give it a break, I do hope he springs up again on another blog sometime in the future.

While I recognise blogs with a daily posting frequency do get read more widely and more often, I do wonder about how sustainable this is. Over a year a great number of things in a person's life can change, most notably the time spent in wage slavery employment, that can adversely affect the amount of time a person has to research and blog. Of course there are some very notable and worthy exceptions, such as DPF and No Right Turn, who have managed to post frequently without blogburnout.

Blogs are very similar to other publications such as newspapers and magazines - a great many start in a blaze of enthusiasm, only to run out of puff after a few editions. On starting this blog just over a year ago, I aimed to post two or three times a week - an average I have, by and large, been able to maintain.

I see little point in a blog that just parrots other blogs or the general media. Many of my postings are things I have been mulling about for a couple of days. IMHO the modern media too often falls into the trap of simply reporting a constant stream of 'facts' as they appear at the time, without analysis or contemplation, when such activity is often the key means of identifying the meaning and purpose of current events.

For me, blogging is a hobby that fits in well with my other interests. I find blogging a useful way to collect my thoughts on a particular issue, and speaking more personally, I use it as a means to fight an inbuilt perfectionism, a character flaw that makes it hard for me to write anything, even when I really want to. I sometimes use my blog like a public sketchpad - a couple of my entries I have extended into longer articles that have been published elsewhere.

So despite recent incidences of linkdeath elsewhere in the blogsphere, this blog is set to continue.