Merci, Sheri!

Merci, Sheri! Gather round, folks. Sheri de Grom has awarded me (and four others) the Liebster Blog Award! The other four nominees are Mae Clair, David N. Walker, and my good friends Charlie Fox and Joe Giacalone!

Now I must confess that I had no clue what a Liebster Blog Award was so I Googled it and came across a wealth of blogs, various “Liebster Blog Award” images and rules. How to confuse me …

What it comes down to is that each nominee in turn recommends five other blogs. According to some bloggers the blogs cannot have more than 200 followers and according to others they have to be blogs you read very frequently however, they cannot be famous. Now, how to define famous …

My definition is going to be of “the one word explains all” variety. To quote Frasier:

Frasier: Oh well! Oh my God, fancy seeing you here!
Maureen: Hey, Frasier Crane.
Frasier: Oh, you remember me?
Maureen: Come on – sixty-two in a forty-mile zone with a half-naked girl in the backseat?
(Frasier chuckles, but Martin looks shocked)
Frasier: Roz.
Martin: Oh.

One word “Roz” is all it takes to place the comment in proper context with history, implications, and downgrading the sensation to normal proportions. So unless you are in the “one word explains all” famous category, I consider you a possible nominee!

After I had that defined (at least for myself) I stumbled on another problem. Less than 200 followers …

Now this may sound easy enough but if a blog is not part of a blogging community (such as Blogger or WordPress with those words in their URL) or, the blog does not displays a “who follows this blog” app in the margin, how do I find out the real number of followers?

So here’s what I will do: I am going to nominate five blogs that I read frequently and I think that they are not “one word explains all” famous. If it turns out that you really are so famous please take no offense or, as much as you want!

And now … *dramatic drum roll* … and a hush fell over the audience …

My nominees for the Liebster Blog Award are:

1: Chris Gee over at the Sussex Police’s website and at Tumblr blogs about his every day experiences as a Scenes Of Crime Officer in the UK. He writes about the emotional unseen damage that is not restored as soon as broken glass is replaced (“More than just a smashed window in 3 parts) and I like his posts about arson scenes.

2: D.P. Lyle, MD’s “the Writer’s Forensics Blog” has a wealth of information for authors who want to get the details right. Doc answers questions ranging from what medical problems might plague a 16th century female dwarf to life saving blood transfusions in the 15th century.

3: Marcus L. Schantz does not update his blog weekly but when he does it is a piece worth reading. His blog “Chicago Criminal Defense” takes you through trial preparations, court dynamics, and closing arguments. And you know that a case is not over till the summation! The case of Kenneth Green and his post on driving while black are Schantz’ signatures.

4: Emily Webb has been addicted to true crime books ever since she was nine and it shows. On her blog “True Crime Reader” she explores book after book. Some of her book reviews tie in with cases I have on DCC. For example, Emily reviewed “Young Blood; the story of the Family Murders” and of course that is linked to the disappearances of the Beaumont Children. Through Emily’s blog, I get ideas for books I should explore in my next visit to the book store.

5: Kristina Killgrove over at “Powered by Osteons” combines my love for archeology and forensics. In her post on Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo, Dr. Killgrove gives a brutally honest opinion on the latest developments: “Facial reconstruction of the skull of Lisa Gherardini will not give us any information whatsoever about her life or the painting she posed for. Sure, osteological analysis may reveal some insight into her diet, her health, or her behavior, but these data will be difficult to contextualize because of the lack of analysis of other skeletons from the same time period and location. Exhuming Lisa Gherardini and studying her bones will sate our need for osteobiographies of famous people of the past.  And it will almost certainly bring more tourist dollars to Florence, especially if the skeleton goes on display.  But it won’t contribute anything substantial to forensics, archaeology, or art history, so I still don’t see the point of disturbing the Mona Lisa.” I also like her posts about the Maya ruins and “Witches & prostitutes in Medieval Tuscany.”

Again, I wish to say “Merci, Sheri!” for the nomination and for reading my blog.

Congratulations to all my nominees! If you have the time, please do recommend five blogs and place those bloggers in the spotlight.

Cheers!