Brains for lunch
We were, in blog parlance, first "tagged" for the meme "Blogs That Make You Think" many moons ago by our friend Cookiecrumb, and then we got poked again and again. Thanks to all those kind enough to credit us with being thought-worthy, as we — OK, I — more often feel like a news-synthesizing robot incapable of making an original observation. That's why we read the blogs below:
Eating Liberally: Kerry Trueman, aka Kat, combines wicked snark with informed commentary in a spicy sauce that guarantees no informed eater will be left behind. And who doesn't love photos of posed garden gnomes, ceramic kitties, and Fisher Price little people?
Blog for Rural America: Technically this blog from the nonprofit Center for Rural Affairs is a group one, but it's Dan Owens we admire for demystifying the sausage-making process of the Food and Farm Bill, and for his occasional incendiary rants. It's worth mentioning that both Kerry (above) and Dan are blogging about the Farm Bill over at MyDD.
Sugar Mountain blog: We don't know how hog farmer Walter Jeffries manages to take care of his animals, run his direct-sales business, build a new house, and blog regularly on all of the aforementioned plus the evils of the National Animal Identification System, but he's consistently fascinating, whether on piglet castration or LEDs for the home.
No Impact Man: Writer Colin Beavan's quest to cut his family's carbon footprint to a size 0 has been well covered, and mocked by plenty, but we still find it inspiring. If every American implemented just one aspect of NIM's radical life change, we'd be weaned off fossil fuel in no time.
The Complete Patient: David Gumpert is a BusinessWeek columnist who's fallen into a vat of unpasteurized milk and doesn't seem interested in being rescued. His coverage of the E. coli outbreaks, the states' crackdowns on raw-milk distribution, and his current search for lower-hormone goatmilk are informed by a journalists' keen eye for facts, but with a pleasingly personal point of view.
Group blogs that feed our minds regularly and serve as role models:
Gristmill: There's no better place to keep up on environmental news and science, and laugh while you're doing it. David Roberts, you're our hero.
Treehugger: Love the variety within the environmental movement, the range of topics and perspectives that come in from all over the globe.
Worldchanging: Like a more in-depth Treehugger, appeals more to our geeky & wonky sides.
Broadsheet: Making feminism fun again. Rebecca Traister and the other broads keep us informed, angry, and amused about the world's treatment of women.
BoingBoing: Everybody's favorite directory of unusual things makes us think mostly about how truly bizarre the world is, as reflected in the Internet's freak show mirror.
