The Rosebud Collection

What this is all about

2010-03-19T20:36:00.000-07:00

This is a showcase for blogs that interest me. I add blogs strictly according to my own personal whims. There is no official theme to this collection, but the blogs will predominantly be Canadian and about politics, religion and social issues.

The selection will be biased to the right of the political spectrum, but blogs of many political persuasions will be included.

A re-launch of sorts

2010-03-18T22:15:00.000-07:00

I decided to launch this blog because I was using it as sort of aggregator for blogs that interested me. I used to operate Opinions Canada, but I decided that I wanted to do something different.

This blog does not have a theme. It's mainly about the blogs in the sidebar. I love reading blogs and discovering new blogs, especially those that do not belong to the major aggregators.

I simply wanted to highlight blogs that interested me, whether I agreed with them or not.

This is about my tastes, my whims, my preferences. The only rule is what I feel like adding to the blog list.

So far, I keep track of over 200 blogs. Some of them I agree with, some of them I don't.

The point is not to agree. It's to publicize and provoke debate.

test#2

2009-12-17T07:53:00.001-08:00

test #2

test

2009-12-17T07:46:00.001-08:00

test

2009-11-16T10:05:00.001-08:00

test

About admission to Opinions Canada

2007-08-29T20:26:00.000-07:00

Today I added Canadian Medicine to the aggregator. It's not specifically a partisan blog, but I thought it would be of interest to political bloggers, since medicine is a political issue.

The blogs I include do not have to have a strong partisan, ideological or electoral slant. Blogs that deal with social issues and current events that would be of interest to political bloggers are acceptable.

Blog Additions

2007-08-17T20:49:00.000-07:00

For future reference...

I tend to add blogs on the weekend when there are fewer people reading. If you see numerous postings from the same blog on the aggregator, do not be alarmed....I may be adding new blogs. When I add a new blog, the aggregator publishes all the blog's most recent posts.

How to get Summaries to show up (Wordpress)

2007-06-29T13:40:00.001-07:00

If you have a Wordpress blog, and your summaries aren't showing up, here is what you must do:

Click on "Options"

Then "Reading"

On the "Reading" page, go to "Syndication Feeds"

There are two choices: Full Text or Summary.

Click on "Summary."

Thank you Sandy for that information.

New Blogs....minor service disruption

2007-04-24T13:49:00.000-07:00

I will be adding new blogs on Friday evening sometime after 6 pm Eastern. New blogs will bump off the posts that are already published. I apologize for the inconvenience.

If you would like to add your Canadian political blog, please email me. Be sure to include "Opinions Canada" in the subject line.

Vendredi soir après 18h00, je vais ajouter des nouveaux blogues sur l'aggrégateur. Les billets déjà publiés disparaîtront pour faire place aux nouveaux billets. Desolée pour l'inconvenient.

Si vous voulez ajouter le vôtre, envoyez-moi un email avec "Opinions Canada" comme titre.

Service disruption on Friday

2007-03-27T14:09:00.000-07:00

Sometime during the day on Friday, I will be adding new blogs. The new additions may bump posts off the aggregator as their feeds spool through. I apologize for the inconvenience. Depending on the number I get and various other factors, it could take an hour or more.

Blogposts and the Blogroll

2007-03-23T13:47:00.000-07:00

I've received some comments regarding the aggregator.

I try to keep an eye on blogs and whether they spool or not. If you only post less often (like once a month) it takes more time for the aggregator to spool your message. However, the blogroll on the sidebar updates immediately. This is so readers can be alerted that your blog has been updated, so they don't have to wait for the message. It's just another way to alert the readers of what's new on the Canadian political blogosphere.

Even if you post every day, it can take a few hours for posts to appear. Please note that the aggregator updates at around :25 past the hour.

Update

2007-03-09T17:14:00.001-08:00

There are now 206 blogs on the Opinion Canada blogroll.

Thank you all for being part of it!

Maintenance Friday, March 9th

2007-03-08T17:51:00.000-08:00

Please note that on Friday, March 9th after 6:00 pm Eastern, there will be maintenance to add a bunch of blogs to the list. Regular blogposts will be bumped off the aggregator as new feeds are spooled through. I apologize for the disruption. On a positive note, you will be able to discover some new blogs.

Blogs that I want to add to Opinions Canada

2007-03-07T11:40:00.001-08:00

Every now and then, I search the Canadian political blogosphere for blogs I can add to Opinions Canada.

Most blogs don't include an email address. So I can't contact the blogowner.

Now, I *could* put a message in the comments section of the desired blogs in question.

But that's a bit gauche. Not to mention, kind of spammy.

This may seem an unorthodox way to get the attention of potential members of the Opinions Canada blogroll, but I figure this is the least "spammy" way of doing it.

The following is a list a blogs I would like to add to the Opinions Canada blogroll. Hopefully, through a Technorati search or word of mouth, the bloggers will be informed and, if they so choose, they can contact me and give me permission to add their site.

Now, if you blog is not on the list, don't feel hurt. While I won't add extremely objectionable blogs, or vulgar or racy blogs, chances are, that's probably not why I didn't list you. I probably didn't list your blog because :

When I visited your blog, you hadn't blogged in the last week (I like my potential candidates to be current

I didn't get around to visiting your blog

So if you're not a White Supremacist, you don't use the "F" in every other sentence, and you don't pictures of Sunshine Girls (at least not frequently), and you're a Canadian political blogger, you're in.

Oh, and I'm only listing about ten per blogroll. I only have so many hours in a day.

Anyhow, on to the blogs:

Liberal:

apply-liberally.com

audacious ontology

blevkog

Cerberus

Colby File

Cowboys for Social Responsibility

Rolling Back the Tide of Extremism, One Post at a Time

Canada's Debate

Vijay Sappani

Western Grit

Just a note: I had emailed Jason Cherniak. I never got a response. There could be all kinds of reasons why he didn't get the email or didn't respond. I'm not trying to make him look bad, I'm just explaining in case anyone is wondering.

Conservatives:

The Langhjelm Letter

Rempelia Prime

Le Québec de Sébastien

The Raging Ranter

TheoCon

Canadian Blue Lemons

Dispatches from the Socialist Gulag

Right in Manitoba

BC Tory

The Christian Conservative

NDPers:

Canadian Observer

Dipper Chick

Euston Manifesto

Relentlessly Progressive Economics

Sean in Saskatchewan

So if you own any of the above blogs and would like to join, please contact me. If you know the people who own those blogs, and please pass this message on to them.

Readership is starting to pick up

2007-03-06T18:37:00.000-08:00

The readership is starting to pick up on Opinions Canada.

I noted that one hit came from the Toronto Star. Interesting, interesting. No House of Commons hits, yet.

Technical tip

2007-02-05T19:19:00.000-08:00

If you do not think your posts are appearing on the blogs aggregator, you can help speed up the process by pinging Feedburner.

Enter the URL of your blog in the box, then press the button.

This will alert Feedburner to go get your posts. This also helps if you're anxious for a post to appear, and you want to make sure the feed is alerted.

Apologies for the technical issues

2007-02-03T22:24:00.000-08:00

At the time of posting, there appears to be a malfunction. I apologize for the situation. I will investigate it and try to resolve the situation.

UPDATE: The situation seems to be fixed.

The Aggregator now updates at night

2007-01-30T21:27:00.000-08:00

You might have noticed that OC wasn't updating past 11:00 pm Eastern.

Well, the problem has been fixed. It will now update...I'm thinking it will be all night, but I have to check tomorrow.

Opinions Canada has a new URL!

2007-01-27T21:12:00.000-08:00

I just purchased a new domain name for Opinions Canada:

http://www.opinionscanada.net

Linking to it would be really appreciated.

I'm very excited about this new development. I think it'll make marketing the ag a bit easier.

Also: my computer has been repaired, and I am now adding new blogs.

Ways to support Opinions Canada

2007-01-24T20:30:00.000-08:00

Many people have expressed their appreciation for Opinions Canada. If you want to support Opinions Canada, here are some things you can do:

* Bookmark it, or even better, make it your start page. Visit at least once a day.

* Visit the blogs on the blogroll.

* Link to OC on your blog or website.

* Many of you are probably members of political or activist email lists and message boards. Post a link for OC and inform them of its existence. Encourage them to visit. Encourage bloggers to join.

Note: I do plan to buy a domain name for this, it's just that I spent quite a bit of money to remove the ads from the site. I need to spread the pain a bit. :D

My computer is still in the shop

2007-01-24T20:27:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to say: I am still on an old computer using dial-up. I will process your requests to be added. I appreciate your patience.

Apologies for the absence

2007-01-22T18:52:00.000-08:00

I am sorry for not having added your blog yet, if you are waiting for inclusion. My computer is in the repair shop. It will be at least two days before I get it back. Right now, I am using an old computer with dial-up. It's much too slow to be of any practical use.

I am keen to add your blogs to the queue. I ask that you be patient. I thank you for your support.

Boxes embedded in one another

2007-01-16T13:55:00.000-08:00

Okay, so at time of posting: 4:55 PM Eastern, there seems to be a glitch in the display. I've seen this before. I think it will resolve itself. Please come back later!

Hopefully, we can find out what causes this-- what a pain!

Another way to support Opinions Canada

2007-01-14T21:48:00.000-08:00

Hi all

I'm delighted at the amount of support I've received for this project.

If any of you are wondering what little extra you can do to support Opinions Canada, then I suggest clicking on at least one headline per visit. Many people have site counters that count referrals. If a blogger sees he is getting traffic from Opinions, that his material is generating interest, that will create all the more dynamism and goodwill for this project.

Myself, I don't always click on news stories-- sometimes I'm just happy with the headline and the first few lines, and knowing what's generally on the minds of bloggers. That, unfortunately, doesn't let the blogger know his material has generated interest.

FYI: Aggregator updates and misc. info.

2007-01-11T11:58:00.000-08:00

Hello all

I just wanted to let you know that I've calculated the aggregator updates about once an hour. Note the time on the "headline"-- that's the time it updates. At this point, it updates at 23 minutes past the hour, but that can change with server outages, etc. But when you check the aggregator, check also the time. The next updates will be one hour from that time.

I'm still having issues with some blogs don't that publish summaries. Or sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. I can't figure it out.

If you have a blog on Blogger (blogspot), and you go to "settings" then "site feed". In Basic mode, set "Allow Blog Feed" to "Full". In advanced mode, set "Blog Posts Feed" to "Full". These are the best settings for this aggregator's service.

Future Plans

2007-01-09T21:02:00.000-08:00

Okay, so now we have upwards of 90 blogs. Things are going well.

Right now, I'm focused on the recruitment aspect of this project.

Eventually, I do want to get a domain name for this page. It's just that--- I sort of do this in my spare time!

I also want to work on the aesthetics a little. Personally, I like simple designs better, as long as there's a little colour: easier to load, less hassle for the surfer. Plus there's the hassle of disrupting surfing by messing up the layout and colours during the "renovation" phase.

There are blog feeds that don't publish the summaries. I don't know what that's all about. Sometimes the summaries publish, and sometimes they don't. I will do my best to get to the bottom of that situation.

Repeat posts

2007-01-08T11:49:00.000-08:00

Hi all

The aggregator seems to publish the same posts even after they've already appeared on the aggregator.

Which is nice, except for those whose posts get pushed down.

I'll investigate that.

I've emailed

2007-01-07T21:40:00.000-08:00

I've emailed.
I've emailed.
and I've emailed some more.

I feel like I've been to every blog on the blogosphere. (I know I haven't).

A good percentage of blogs out there don't have email addresses on them.

I just want to reach out and offer and invitation.

If you could pass on my email address: goss98@yahoo.com to any Canadian political bloggers of your acquaintance who'd like to be added to Opinions Canada, I'd be really please. Ask that they send the blog name and URL. I'll take care of the rest.

Thanks.

A New Pet Peeve

2007-01-06T22:49:00.000-08:00

I've visited dozens-- maybe over a hundred blogs-- to try to invite bloggers to the aggeragator.

My new pet peeve is bloggers who don't leave an email address to contact them.

Okay, I'm not entitled to an email address.

It's still frustrating.

If you know of any political bloggers who might be interested in this, give them my email address goss98@yahoo.com and tell them to send the URL of the blog.

I'm trying hard to reach non-conservative blogs. It's been a bit of struggle.

Future plans

2007-01-05T14:40:00.000-08:00

I plan do put a "yellow sticky" on your blog's name in the blogroll so that when people put their mouse over the name, they will have some idea what your blog is about.

I have a "hierarchy" in my head. I will categorize them first by Party affiliation.

If there's no obvious party affiliation, I will designate them by blogroll/or ideological affiliation, e.g. so-con, progressive, feminist, environmentalist, etc.

And if I finally run out of ideas, I'll just put "eclectic".

Just so people have some idea of the kind of political universe they are about to enter.

But it'll take a while to implement the changes. I also have to burn feeds for blogs that provided their own. Not to mention continue recruiting. Have people email me if they want to submit their blog. Take a look at the blogroll. It's very eclectic. All kinds of people submit their blogs. I'm especially inviting those who don't have an email on their profile. I can't invite you if I can't contact you.

UPDATE: On the display size

2007-01-05T14:09:00.000-08:00

Hi all

So I figured out how to create summaries for your posts, but now I will have to burn feeds for those who sent their own feeds.

In the future, I may not require people's own feeds. I have more control over the details if I burn my own.

I will get around to re-sizing the boxes, so that it doesn't look so bulky.

Re-sizing the display boxes in the aggregator

2007-01-05T12:35:00.000-08:00

Hello.

You may have noticed that the boxes to display the summaries are much larger.

This is because YouTube videos would overflow onto the next box. So I made the boxes big enough so that wouldn't happen. If I ever figure out how to partially hide the videos, I will make them smaller. I think it's better if the boxes are summaries, not re-productions of the posts. I want to encourage people to go visit the blogs.

This also means I will be a bit more strict with images. If the image is partially covered, it's not so bad. Now that I have to see everything, I want to make sure it's not completely beyond the pale. But I don't think it will be a huge problem in the future.

The Opinions Canada Blog

2007-01-05T12:32:00.000-08:00

The purpose of this blog is to report information about the functioning and goings on of the Opinions Canada political blog aggregator.

This blog will contain rules, technical updates, explanations and notes useful to the bloggers who are taking part.

If you are a Canadian with a political blog, and it's not extreme (i.e. White supremacist, islamofascist or advocating pedophilia or anything similarly beyond the pale) please contact me with the name of your blog, the URL, your name and the feed (if you have one).

The Rosebud Collection

What this is all about

A re-launch of sorts

test#2

test

test

About admission to Opinions Canada

Blog Additions

How to get Summaries to show up (Wordpress)

New Blogs....minor service disruption

Service disruption on Friday

Blogposts and the Blogroll

Update

Maintenance Friday, March 9th

Blogs that I want to add to Opinions Canada

Readership is starting to pick up

Technical tip

Apologies for the technical issues

The Aggregator now updates at night

Opinions Canada has a new URL!

Ways to support Opinions Canada

My computer is still in the shop

Apologies for the absence

Boxes embedded in one another

Another way to support Opinions Canada

Blogroll Code

FYI: Aggregator updates and misc. info.

Future Plans

Repeat posts

I've emailed

A New Pet Peeve

More links to Opinions Canada needed

Future plans

UPDATE: On the display size

Re-sizing the display boxes in the aggregator

The Opinions Canada Blog