Blogger Diversity Is Apparent Today: Iraq, GOP Privacy, iPod Hi-FI, Women Taking Control, Islamist Manifestos....

Today's one of those days when you skim the topics, issues, people and sources that bloggers are opining about and you realize what an increasingly huge, diverse place the blogosphere is...

Live, from Iraq
As Americans continue to lose confidence in President George Bush's ability to deal with the war in Iraq, the continuing Katrina aftermath and other issues, bloggers in Iraq, especially today's No. 3 top blog post from Iraq the Model, give a disturbingly real sense of what it's like to live in that country. "Prepare for going back to your hole Saddam," writes Omar, on a day when bombings prevented him from going to work so he watched Hussein's televised trial instead, "but this time, nobody is going to pull you out.

Technology...both ends of the spectrum
Now that Apple's Steve Jobs has announced his company's newest products, a multi-media Mac mini (today's most-shared link) and a Hi-Fi iPod stereo box (today's No. 2 and No. 4 top blog posts), let's just say some Apple fanatics will be happy for more months to come (while some are underwhelmed). But all is not well in the land of technology, as today's top blog post from Think Progress reveals. Seems the GOP in Minnesota is using a CD to track and log its members' opinions...without their knowledge. Mike the Mad Biologist notes that NIH researchers, if they engaged in the same violations of privacy, would face fines and jail time.

Women take control
Now that South Dakota is in line to take the hardest line on abortion, women are taking control, as evidenced by today's No. 5 top blog post from "Molly," who notes that women historically take health issues into their owns when the medical, legal and legislative professions abandon them. Her abortion manual is one such attempt. "Click. Print. Save," advises one LiveJournaler, while not endorsing do-it-your-self procedures. Important information, says Gramina, for those who consider South Dakota "the canary in our national coal mine." But a commenter on Bubba's blog finds the information irresponsible.

The new itnernational threat: Islamism?
Today's most-shared news story comes from a fairly new source: the Danish Internavisen Jyllands-Posten, where a group of authors/scholars have signed the Manifesto: Together Facing the New Totalitarianism. BlogPulse's Conversation Tracker finds an intension discussion around the manifesto in just a few day's time.

Oscar hunk buzz...
How is "The Daily Show's" Jon Stewart faring in discussion about other leading men for this year's Oscars? Quite well, thanks, according to today's BlogPulse Spotlight.