Object lesson on spam: I publicized the jbowcarnival@yahoo.ca e-mail account on Friday. About thirty hours later, I received my first spam (your typical fleeing Nigerian dictator one). Just goes to show how much garbage there is flowing about the Net.
I am honoured to host this week's segment of Carnival of the Canucks, the showcase of what's going on in the Canadian blogosphere. Thanks to all who have contributed suggestions for links. I thought I would peruse Jim Elve's Blogs Canada to get some link ideas. After all, how many Canadian blogs could there possibly be?
(James blinks)
So, this list is going to be more arbitrary than comprehensive. I'll tend to stick with the blogs that I know, and hunt around a little and see what catches my fancy. If you have any problems with the arbitrary nature of this week's Carnival, you are invited to send an e-mail of complaint to David Janes, as well as your own application to host the Carnival one day. There are entries available in late February and March, I believe.
Anyway, on with the show!
Writers and Poets and Scribes
Canada is blessed with writing talent. To get the conflict of interest out of the way early (and because I honestly think you might like it), I recommend you take a trip over to my wife's blog. Her first book of poems has been well received and she continues to work on her second, a book of Biblical poetry. Powerful stuff. Read Bone Pastor, Leah Names Her Sons (and the notes) and Suffrage to Water. She has just posted a revised version of Proverbs 30
Still with writing, local boy Onion Boy wants us to 'write about something you experienced but write about it from the perspective of someone else; about a day like this...' Take ten minutes. Go.
Barbara Fletcher, the Narcoleptic Muse of Toronto, is Asking For Change on a Sunday Afternoon.
And to close out the writing and poetry set, I offer you Wood S. Lot. I just offer it to you. Go read it. It's good.
Politics and Politicos
From writing to politics, I'm pleased to say that Canada has political blogs to stand up to the best that Andrew Sullivan, Instapundit or Tom Tomorrow have to offer. Our debates are worth watching. Warren Kinsella (scroll down to January 17; Warren seems to be using his own home grown blogging platform) gets into an argument with David Janes about gun control. Warren is passionate in his beliefs, and David responds cooly. This reminds me of my college days and Usenet before the newsgroups became too flooded. Another plug for Warren's blog, by the way. It's ecclectic and inciteful (and insightful) and not all about politics (just mostly). It's a daily read on my blogroll.
Andrew Spicer has, in my opinion, the best blog on Toronto political issues. He had a close vantagepoint during the municipal election and he's keeping his focus, covering the critical 2004 budget negotiations and expressing his views on photo radar (a good idea, but bungled).
Don's friend Bear posts at Revolutionary Moderation, comparing and contrasting the Alberta Liberals with the federal breed, and wondering where the progressives are. Don talks about Shiela Copp's flirting with the NDP.
Actually, say what you like about Jack Layton, he's still caused the biggest buzz around the NDP in almost eleven years -- and more buzz that's ever surrounded any drive to unite the right. In the Canadian blogosphere, the story attracted the attention of Jim Elve, Matthew at Living in a Society and even Jay Currie. Paul Wells offers up insights into the media coverage. I don't know; would this qualify as our first blog buzz story? At least Don at All Things Canadian is paying attention to the Conservative race and POGGeh is enjoying the Conrad Black scandal.
Master H at his Battlefield gets to meet Jack Layton himself. Another sign that Jack works well reaching out to the common man.
We pay attention to American politics too. A lot of attention. As I was writing this blog entry, I stumbled upon the shocking results of the Iowa Democratic Primary here and here, scooping the news I would have expected to have come from here.
Michael Demmons of DiscountBlogger may be a Canadian (New Brunswick) ex-pat in Atlanta, GA, but that doesn't keep him out of this list, and it doesn't prevent him from having an opinion on American politics, either. Here's his take on Bush's Faith-based Funding Initiatives.
It certainly doesn't keep the Dominion Daily off the list.
I have to split this post in two, so to check out some more carnival links, here and here.