I liked my post Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi, which is why I submitted it to the Watcher of Weasels for the weekly council vote. Despite having done so, though, I had very low expectations that it would win, let alone garner any votes. Amongst the quality political and social analyses that counsel members write every week, it was a bit of a self-referential rumination about the role of professional women and mothers, and I didn’t think it compared that well to what the others contributed. Imagine my surprise, therefore, to check out the vote outcome today and to discover that, not only did I get votes, I won!
Second place amongst council-authored articles went to Done with Mirror’s After Iraq, in which Callimachus which gloomily (and, I think, accurately) predicts a bloodbath in Iraq following an American pull-out, with Americans engaging in much ineffectual gnashing of teeth and self-loathing. It’ll be Vietnam/Cambodia all over again, only worse (this is me talking, not Callimachus) because we will not only have hurt our friends and humiliated ourselves, we will be more vulnerable than ever before.
On the non-council side, first place went to Blackfive’s COIN: the Gravity Well, which explains very lucidly theories behind counterinsurgency warfare, and second place went to Laurie Kendrick’s God Called, an imaginary dialogue with God on the line that looks at the nature of faith.
As I say every week, these are just the four that were lucky enough to rank. Without exception, the articles listed at Watcher of Weasel, whether they win, place, show or have no ranking at all, are worth your time, since they will open your minds and fill them with good stuff.
Filed under: Watcher of Weasels
Congratulations on the win! I loved the piece because it was such a wonderful mix of the historical and contemporary. Nicely done!
Congratualations on the win. It was an excellent piece!
lauriekendrick.wordpress.com
I’m glad I was mistaken Book, because I had thought Laer’s posting of the numbering system was your rank, and I said that your post did indeed deserve a higher place than eighth. Which seemed weird given how there should be enough history buffs to be interested in the time period, which led to me commenting on Laer’s post that there wasn’t enough ancient history buffs!
Another great underdog story, eh Book?
Y. read the nominations, in which you were listed 8th. I’ve tried to figure out how Watcher lists the nominations, but have yet to ascertain a pattern.