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IRON BLOGGER
It’s the blogger battle of this or any other millennium! Both our combatants are youthful Sydney-based media professionals whose sites were launched in March; both are hosted by blogspot, and both use Sitemeter counters. Both have pictures. And both are prepared to kill as many people as it takes – or twice that amount – to achieve supremacy in blogging’s furiously-contested newbieweight division. Ladies and gentlemen, presenting …
Media background: Sydney Morning Herald, Engineering Consent, Counterspin, ZNet Australasia
Writes about: The “war on terror”, “democracy”, “terrorism”
Signature move: scare quotes
Mission statement: “I want this blog to be, soon enough, an essential stop for news and views you won’t find anywhere else, a challenge to the mainstream media’s primary reliance on US sources and a community who believes that people of conscience need to be more active in disseminating dissenting viewpoints.”
Daily average page views: 271
Daily average visitors: 157
And opposing the mighty Loewenstein …
Media background: ABC, Entertainment Tonight, Nine Network, Investigate magazine
Writes about: TV, movies, wrestling
Signature move: celebrity photographs
Mission statement: “I watch eight hours of TV every day and I watch at least two movies a week. I’m more committed to watching, analysing and devouring TV and movies than anyone else I know. And I love it.”
Daily average page views: 258
Daily average visitors: 132
So far Loewenstein’s rapid left-left-left combinations have him marginally in front (13 page views, 25 visitors) but anything could happen between now and midnight on November 27, when the Australian newbieweight champion of 2005 shall be declared. Will Loewenstein run up a massive hit count through links from Tim Dunlop, Mark Bahnisch or Kevin Drum? Will Horton’s pop-culture savvy attract the notice of Spin Starts Here, Jess, or Cathy Seipp? Might either achieve an across-the-blogosphere KO via the equivalent of, say, a Rathergate?
Nobody knows! I encourage supporters of both Shelly and Antony to resort to any means in pursuit of victory (defined, for the purposes of this contest, as leading in both average visitors and page views by the specified cut-off date). A $250 cash prize will be personally delivered to the winner, along with a cheap hat. In the event of a split decision (one wins visitors, the other page views) $125 will be presented to each bloodied contestant. Let the battle continue!
(Note: I’ve removed my permalink to Shelly’s site, and will not link to either contestant during this bout aside from periodic updates that will link to both. Contest void if either blogger employs a counting method other than their original Sitemeter. Blatant bogusness will result in disqualification. I remain open to bribery attempts from Shelly’s hot girlfriends.)
At least LOEWENSTEIN’s is trying to fit in. His Bio picture has him lounging like a junior Hugh Hefner in some sort of velour pajama top. Cool….....
Posted by Wallace-Midland Texas on 2005 04 10 at 12:47 PM • permalinkLoewenstein’s got some serious work cut out for him if he wants to win the battle of cleavage.
Posted by Jim Treacher on 2005 04 10 at 01:04 PM • permalinkSHOCK HORROR BLOGGING SCANDAL!
“Anonymous sources at Dissociative Press have identified Australian blogger Anthony Loewenstein as the “unnamed man” in the company of Time’s Richard Corliss while the dissipated American journalist rhapsodized about porn and hookers.”
Australian blogging experts have yet to weigh in on the question of how this will affect Loewenstein’s blogging prospects…
Posted by richard mcenroe on 2005 04 10 at 02:38 PM • permalinkPS: Just had a stroll around Loewenstein’s blog…he really likes to harp on the idea that journalists should be “questioning authority” at all turns. Maybe at some point between now and 2040 he’ll figure out you should also have a clue about the subjects you’re questioning them about, or the whole exercise inevitably comes across as only so much juvenile attention-seeking. Or that there are usually two or more sides to be questioned, and that agreeing more with Bush and Howard than with, well, whoever’s important in the ALP this month, doesn’t automatically disqualify people from being good journalists.
But hey, we all know you can’t be a real journalist/actor/artist/college professor/etc. if you’re a righty, eh Antony.
“The revelations in Fast Food Nation was startling, such as detailing conditions at slaughterhouses in the US where meat for fast-food hamburgers is sourced. Schlosser’s damning report explained the abuse, and often death, of migrant workers for the so-called enjoyment of a greasy meal. And this was just the beginning of his trail-blazing journalism.”
Say what you will, Tim, the man can write. Startling revelatons! Detailed conditions! Trails blazed! Meat sourced!
So Anthony’s self-proclaimed mission is to blaze trails in uncharted jounalistic territory, eh?
And that amounts to “I’m courageous because I’ve got a crappy little blog”, “I believe everything Robert Fisk says” and “It’s all about oil!”?
The only uncharted territory Anthony has had contact with is between his ears.
Posted by Dennis The Peasant on 2005 04 10 at 09:21 PM • permalinkSorry, James, couldn’t hear you. I was unwrapping my deluze Double Bacon Cheeseburger…
Posted by richard mcenroe on 2005 04 10 at 09:47 PM • permalinkI rarely read lefty blogs but I thought I would take a took at Antony’s blog out of curiosity.
His latest post quotes Tariq ” victory to the Iraqi resistance” Ali and the previous refers to the Israeli security barrier as “The apartheid wall”. Well there’s all my prejudices confirmed!
It’s the last time I will contribute to his site metre statistics.
Can anybody seriously imagine a blog like Gorilla in the Room getting traction in Australia?
Maybe Tony is more sophisticated in the ways of blogging than I, but what short of a complete government lockout keeps any blog from getting traction if enough people think its author has something to say?
Posted by richard mcenroe on 2005 04 10 at 10:26 PM • permalinkAdam B — Do what I did. Click on Shelly Horton twice.
Posted by richard mcenroe on 2005 04 10 at 10:29 PM • permalinkJesus Timmy what are ya doin to me?
I’m relying on others to tell me what’s on Anthony’s blog because there is nooo way I’m going to look and add to his site meter count!
And also I’d rather die than read a left-wing-whinging-velvet-jacket-wearing-nancy-boy blog.
But seriously NOVEMBER 27 for a decision??? I’m from the MTV generation and my attention span won’t stretch that far. By then I’ll have worked on three shows that were axed. Can’t we just make it a month?
shellyonthetelly.blogspot.com
(is that cheating?)
Posted by Shelly on the Telly on 2005 04 10 at 11:23 PM • permalinkSo, is anyone planning on challenging anything Ant has to say on his blog? Or will the monkeys be contend to tut-tut and haw-haw from the avaries yet again?
Posted by Dreyhammer on 2005 04 11 at 01:25 AM • permalinkDreyhammer — “Aviaries,” sweetbuns. And as far as challenging anything Tony says, I don’t see a thing over there that hasn’t been said again and again and again on one lefty blog or another, and rebutted again and again and again… Now while grand old lefties like Saul Alinsky may have championed repetitious, insincere “dialogue” as a valid technique for the movement to leech away the energy of its opponents, the rest of us recognize it now for the bad Aria da Capo road show it is, as the left demands attention to its idle, superficial intellectual conceits, blissfully ignorant of the true tragedies their insular little fantasies are causing. Best to point, laugh and — dare I say it — move on.
Besides, we’d rather give the hits to the hot chick with the low collar.
Posted by richard mcenroe on 2005 04 11 at 02:14 AM • permalinkMore OT stuff. This is hilarious:
Habib sacked lawyer over tax
MAMDOUH Habib has told friends and supporters he sacked his lawyer of three years, Stephen Hopper, after he discovered he would lose almost half the $140,000 he received for a 60 Minutes interview in income tax.
Posted by Art Vandelay on 2005 04 11 at 02:57 AM • permalinkAnt’s been prattling on about Saddam and the missing WMD (see, he’s not so bad) and points the WMD finger at the US and Agent Orange (bad bad very bad); hey Dregramper could you tell your organ grinding mate that hes got his apples mixed up with his oranges, again?
I dont want to comment on his site as it may further inflame his already dangerously inflated ego. Plus I might catch something uncurable
MAMDOUH Habib has told friends and supporters he sacked his lawyer of three years, Stephen Hopper, after he discovered he would lose almost half the $140,000 he received for a 60 Minutes interview in income tax.
And they say there’s no justice! I love the Tax Office - well, at least until my next return is due.
Posted by DropDeadUgly on 2005 04 11 at 03:34 AM • permalinkAnd as far as challenging anything Tony says, I don’t see a thing over there that hasn’t been said again and again and again on one lefty blog or another, and rebutted again and again and again…
And always remember, that’s what passes for “disseminating dissenting viewpoints” by “people of conscience” if you’re a lefty. (He’d fit in well with the irony-impaired street theater guys a few threads down.) I agree, best just to let him live out his delusions of grandeur without interrupting the cocooning process.
And let’s be content with the fact that Blogspot is pretty obviously a step or three down from his previous gigs. :) That pesky market at work, dontchaknow.
Hello, Shelly!
I just bookmarked your site. I’ve never taken a bribe, but there’s always a first time. Since I live out of Australia, this may be a problem for your hot girlfriends. Accordingly, tim should raise the prize to $1000AU; PayPal does charge a fee, y’know!
Pajama wearing lefty bloggers wheezing out the same old talking points will have to dig deeper into their pockets, though. I’m easy and cheap, but I do have my standards.
Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 2005 04 11 at 06:44 AM • permalink“A $250 cash prize will be personally delivered to the winner, along with a cheap hat.”Hey, Tim, will that be a ‘magic’ hat?
Posted by Jabba the Tutt on 2005 04 11 at 09:41 AM • permalinkCB — Of course, a prime tenet of lefties is that trying to qualify performance is harmful to the self-esteem of the less-advantaged. Looked at in that light, a Site Meter is probably arrant racism and cultural imperialism…
Posted by richard mcenroe on 2005 04 11 at 10:11 AM • permalinkMake sure you open a window before you visit Loewenstein’s blog, because it’s liable to suck all the air out of the room.
Posted by Jim Treacher on 2005 04 11 at 12:19 PM • permalinkYou know, at some point Antony Loewenstein had to pick up that picture of himself and say, “Hey, this is a really good one. I’ll use this one.” The implications are frightening.
As far as his career in the U.S. goes, I’m betting he’ll be on “What Not To Wear” before he makes “Hannity & Colmes”. Although it should be noted that a tinfoil hat would coordinate well with the gunmetal grey velvet jacket he has on.
Posted by Dennis The Peasant on 2005 04 11 at 01:30 PM • permalinkFirstly, don’t worry JF, I read your site.
Secondly, that photo of Mr. Lowenstein had me pissing myself with laughter. You can almost imagine him humming “luck be a lady tonight’ and growling at the mirror as he put on his tinfoil suit. As for that pose, ha! Dr. Spock meets inner urban wanker. Pure gold.
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