General Blog Favorites

I've finally completed my 'non-NEA blog roll' listing in the right-hand column. Although these blogs vary in content, format and style, I picked them because I find them refreshing. In particular, I picked each blog primarily for the following reasons:

Bainbridge--Corporate law professor`s ability to select and dissect a variety of news items (I've only followed past posts by referral--not with any consistency)

Countercolumn--National Guard Reservist and financial news writer; dissects media treatment of military-related stories including their mistakes in reporting simple things such as rank, unit and military policy on public record (I've been following this blog since shortly after its inception in 2003).

Good News from the Front--as the name implies, this site compiles the good news from the front lines of the War on Terror through collecting information from several sources including both larger and lesser-known press outlets; extremely comprehensive, it provides the context often lacking in large press, headline articles that are short on space (This site was inspired by Arthur Chrenkoff who initiated both series "Good News from Iraq" (Part 35 = 44 pages) and "Good News from Afghanistan" (Part 16 = 43 pages) to supplement and provide context to the violence that is regularly covered through the larger press outlets.  I've been following Chrenkoff since his start and the amount of effort invested is in itself impressive).

Instapundit--Run by Glenn Reynolds, news columnist; collects a variety of links to reports and commentary on the web (I've been following for a while, probably since mid-2003).

Iraq the Model--one of the first Iraqi blogs along with Salam Pax, Healing Iraq, and Baghdad Burning; provides extensive list of Iraqi blogs and a great place for providing context to the events on the ground (I've been following since it's beginning in March 2003).

Michael Yon--self-embedded journalist in Iraq doing the type of reporting most journalists aren't willing to do these days; in face of the risks, the reporting Mr. Yon has produced is invaluable, insightful and can be found nowhere else (I've been following since Spring).

Oxblog--some guys studying overseas at Oxford I guess (just started reading and seems to provide an interesting collection of commentary and analysis).

Power Line News--a new site connected with Power Line, a "conservative" blog; collects the most recent links of other "conservative" blogs, a sampling of news from the press, and links to press from around the world (I've been following for as long as Instapundit, although the News site is brand new).

Radio Blogger--publishes word-for-word transcripts from talk radio and TV interviews, along with running commentary; leans strongly "conservative" (I've only been following since being in Arizona where I found Hugh Hewitt on the radio).

Real Clear Politics--fantastic site for concentrated news links for daily press articles and on specific political topics, such as state and federal elections, and aggregated poll results (became aware of this site along with Instapundit).

The Atlantic Review--formed by three former, German Fulbright scholars who carried out their scholarship activities in the USA. This site is meant to lean on that US experience to more even-handedly explore cross-Atlantic relationships. (I've only recently discovered this blog).

The Buzz Machine--started by Jeff Jarvis after 9/11, has focused most recently on "new media" developments and efforts to leverage "new media" for the greater good of society; commentary is also made on current events in this context. (I stop in here almost daily for a different perspective versus the "conservative" sites).

The Daily Demarche--formed by Republican foreign service officers in the State Department; interesting perspective on the inner workings of the Department and international events (I've only recently started reading on a regular basis).

The Fourth Rail--so far, the best War on Terror military analysis I have come across, especially put in context of other international issues; managed by five bloggers with extensive experience in both the private and government sectors--USA and overseas (although I only came across this blog recently, the best post for me so far included a flash presentation capturing a couple weeks of military action using maps and bullet-point commentary).

The Volokh Conspiracy--a blog with a collection of commentary by practicing lawyers and law professors from schools such as George Mason, UCLA, Temple and Duke. Often provides the nuts and bolts of legal issues confronted by the branches of government in addition to legal commentary (I come back to this blog off and on depending on current events).

Thomas P.M. Barnett--in my opinion, one of the true visionary thinkers of our time and fortunately a workaholic; doing some cool spin-off work in realm of "resilient organizations." (I have been following since late 2003, early 2004).

That's it for now. I don't plan on creating a huge list since I myself don't enjoy scrolling through huge blog rolls looking for something new to read. Many of my friends might not enjoy my taste in blogs, but these are there for you to explore and decide on your own their value.