Blogging is an interesting phenomenon. Anyone can do it. Looking around at other's blogs while trying to decide what this is blog is going to be makes me really appreciate the diversity of people's thoughts, dreams, and viewpoints. To me that is what diversity is all about. The word diversity has almost become synonymous with affirmative action. It seems that all corporate diversity programs are run by minorities. On blogs all ideas are equal. They can be equally inane or boring or brilliant. I have no idea, nor do I care, what the race, age, nationality, sex, or sexual preference of the blogger is unless he or she makes a point of telling me. If the blog is interesting I will read it. It is great we have true diversity in the blogging world. It would be totally boring if it weren't. Too bad the real world doesn't work this way. There are professional writers and journalists populating the blog world. Some are well known like Andrew Sullivan and Dave Berry. Reading them assures you of getting good, interesting material. I really enjoy a couple of them - one called Electrolite by Teresa and Patrick Neilsen Hayden. They are involved in the publishing world and I haven't taken the time to run down what their exact calling is. Their blog is always interesting. They post a topic and there is ususally a large number of comments attached to them. Unfortunately most responders are totally in sync with the Haydens and post either what appear to be low-grade fawning posts or posts that try to show how witty and urbane the poster is. Nothing posted is up to the quality of the orginal post that the Haydens come up with most of the time. I enjoy posting there because my viewpoints are usually the exact opposite of the viewpoints of the majority of the posters and the Haydens who are unabashedly liberal. Once I enter the fray it gives the posters something to focus on instead of their brilliant ideas. They attack me. Usually me personally and not my ideas or facts. I do not have the writing skills to stand toe to toe with those who argue with me, but I will respond vigorously as best I can with misspelled words, dangling participles and sentence fragments when I am right. If you haven't tried blogging and are interested in it go to www.blogger.com and sign up. It is free. It is fun.