And the Awards Go To...
My task, once I received my "Thinking Blogger Award," was to choose another five bloggers who make me think. That was hard, very hard. I know quite a few blogs, and read about 80 on a regular basis. The blogs I chose have had a positive impact in my life, beyond blogging.
• B12 Partners, by Seth Anderson, a.k.a. Swanksalot. Seth taught me most of the tech stuff I know, taught me how to say "No," and was my first link in Gringoland. A Canadian via U.of t. at Austin, based in Chicago, his B12 Partners reflects the variety of interests he has. From politics to music, Dylan Zappa and Tropicália, for example, to photography, his photos are fantabulastic, B12 Partners is an engaging blog. I was very impressed with its organization and style.
For all B12 Partners is and for all Swanksalot has done, for readers and for me, Seth Anderson gets the Thinking Blogger Award.
Swanksalot and I am part of a delicious network, which is where all these links come from. And Flickr, and last.fm, and Mybloglog.
The other winners on my list are:
• Andre Dahmer with his ... a lot of stuff. He is a cartoonist on the Net, with his Malvados.com.br. Along with the strip, mostly in three parts, there is the expression of the day, a sentence uttered by a Malvado ( Meanie) and then a llot more, including a blog. The blog is a blend of journal/communiqué to his readers, news of events involving other cartoonists, and some links of foreign artists in the visual arts realm.
But that is not all. Andre Dahmer also makes part of the non-profit group, not an NGO, Rio Body Counts. They don't want money; they want reports of deaths due to crime in Rio de Janeiro State. This iniciative is a first in doing something concrete about Rio's pitiful situation. They say: "We don't believe in a peace with vigilance; we want social inclusion.
He has a comment box called "False Democracy," which reveals the amount of patience he has, as readers feel they can diss anybody. His blogroll is called "Dangerous Links."
Andre Dahmer has given me many lessons on life. He is patient, resigned, but carries a resolve to live life in a simpler way, looking at the brighter side of it. His mixture of work ethics and angst is a model to me. I couldn't leave the creator of Malvados off my list. I hope his paintings on canvas become as popular as the comic strip.
• Alexandre Inagaki, with his Pensar Enlouquece blog.
His blog was the first blog for grown-ups I read. His carefully crafted Portuguese, his detailed accounts filled with links impressed me so much I declared in a board I wanted to write like him. My dream was to be a link in his blogroll, a dream that came true on Christmas Day. HIs was tough love, but boy oh boy, I learned a lot. He is a visceral part of the new portal of blogs, Interney.net, which houses 20 blogs.
• Eudes Honorato with his Rapadura Açucarada. has been my closest friend in Blogolândia. I admire him for many reasons. Eudes is a survivor. He comes from the 'burbs of Rio, which means he was very poor. He went out to a factory at an early age. I believe it was comic books that saved his life, somewhat like drawing saved R. Crumb's.
One day nearly a year ago, I saw my readership grow, and grow, day after day. It was Eudes who had been promoting my stories, and had created my banner! He is generous this way.
We met in Ipanema, I had the chance to know his family, aunt and beautiful wife, it was great. He's from the northeast, where everyone is strong, so it is said. What I know is he stuck to his guns last year, when my blogs were vandalized, and he continues to help me, with wisdom and love. Now he has a board on comic books, and I am happy for him. He doesn't make any money with his Rapadura.
• Gabriela Zago, a serious babe from Rio Grande do Sul, a student of journalism and law, publishes her Ius Communicatio on a daily basis. Gabizago is part of my groups, Flickr, delicious, Mybloglog, last.fm. She is very energetic, her posts are short and varied, many are related to law. Her determination is an example for me to follow. She entered some contest to write a novel in English in so many days, 50,000 words. She finished her contest and she works so much, I feel inspired. In addition, she is cautious, which is good, for I am not. I just joined Stumble upon, I guess we will see each other there!
