Thinking Blogger Award

BobG, the wise and brilliant proprietor of Sweet Spirits of Ammonia has cordially nominated me for the Thinking Blogger Award! This prestigious honor goes to the bloggers the current holder believes most inspiring to intelligent thought. While I may doubt Bob`s judgment in selecting me :), I cannot argue with the person who selected him; Bob has one of the best sites on the internet, a true intellectual pioneer. I will do my best not to soil his reputation, will try to put out a blog worthy of the honor he has bestowed upon me. Thanks, Bob!

The award is supposed to be prominently displayed, but the antiquated abacus that I operate, perhaps in conjunction with my rather feeble skills, keeps giving me an error when I try to insert it, so I would like to ask everyone to go here to view the award.

I have the rare priveledge of knowing many very bright and thoughtful bloggers, and my choice is a difficult one. I decided to nominate those who are more active, the daily reads (or nearly so). I`ve also chosen to go with those blogs which offer an eclectic mix, with essays rather than strictly news.

Now, I would like to nominate the following:

1.Static Noise

Craig Willms doesn`t post every single day, but most days will find some gem from Craig`s unique perspective. He never fails to get my mind working, and he is a credit to the craft of blogging. Be sure to check out his artwork, while you are there. Also, his brother puts out a fine blog although he updates it sporadically.

2. The Return of Scipio

Mike Austin is a history teacher and Indiana Jones-type adventurer who spends his free time hunting Mayan ruins in the jungles of Central America. When he`s not fighting off snakes and scorpions he`s writing one of the best blogs on the internet, one that should not be missed. His views are always carefully reasoned and peppered with historical anecdotes. A must for those interested in history or anthropology.

3. GM`s Corner

GM and Woody coauthor a terrific blog, full of humor, serious issues, and just plain good sense. They manage to ferret out stories I have never seen elsewhere, and they write with imagination and style. This is definitely a daily read!

4.The Paragraph Farmer

Farmer Pat plants the intellectual seeds, and then harvests a bounteous crop of good sense at this site. Different from the everyday blogs, Mr. O`Hannigan deals with topics not usually covered by the mundane wordsmiths of our day. There is a heavy Catholic flavor to this blog, and Patrick often studies topics related to the Catholic Church and general world events. A very intellectual blog.

5. Free Citizen

This excellent blog is a bit slow in updating, but always inspires a good pondering. Proprietor Steve Rankin is one of the best political observers around, with an encyclopedic knowledge of the institutions which dominate our political landscape. Always a worthy read!

For those of you I have nominated, please pass on the favor, nominating 5 worthy bloggers yourself. Link to this post to explain the details, so they know what to do when elevated to this exalted position. Proudly display the Thinking Blogger logo (if you can) and encourage your nominees to do likewise.

Once again, I would like to thank Bob for this honor!