It's court and then Kobe for me today. Let's hear what you have to say, there's lots more going on in the world.

TBogg, one of the funnier and wittier bloggers in blogtopia, has this beautiful and moving tribute to his father who passed away this morning. I felt like I knew his dad by the time I was done reading. I hope you'll take a minute to read it.

TBogg doesn't take comments, but you can send a condolence e-mail to him at tblogg@hotmail.com. Or send him something from his Amazon wish list to lift his spirits. RIP Mr. TBogg, Sr.

What's on your mind? I'm finishing an article for the Denver Post on bloggers covering political conventions and preparing for some cable shows later today on Kobe Bryant and Scott Peterson. And I just put my house on the market and forgot how much time it takes to get it ready to be shown on a few hours notice. So, whatever topics strike your fancy, jump right in.

There's not just one, but a whole bunch of internet cybercynics satirizing the candidates and elections. In addition to those mentioned in the article, there's Tom Burka of Opinions You Should Have, who was one of the Boston DNC bloggers. Comic relief provides a welcome respite to the depressing news we come across every day courtesy of the Bush Administration.

How to start your day with a positive attitude.

1. Create a "new folder" on your computer.

2. Name it "George W. Bush".

3. Send it to the trash.

4. Empty the trash.

5. Your computer will ask you: "Do you really want to get rid of "George W. Bush"?

6. Calmly answer, "Yes", and press the mouse button ....

[hat tip to ZGM]

Interesting article in the New York Times about teachers who are increasingly using weblogs as a teaching device--with students from the second grade up. It's a tool that already has moved far beyond the individual classroom:

Some social studies classes at Hunterdon Central Regional High School in Flemington, for instance, are using a blog to study the Holocaust with high school students in Krakow, Poland.

Happy Third Blogiversary to Instapundit. Instapundit was one of the first blogs we began reading regularly, and Glenn was an especially gracious, early and frequent linker to TalkLeft. You'd be surprised at some of the important issues we agree on....but not if you knew deep down he has a libertarian heart. He's not the ultra-conservative many on the left make him out to be, although, on the war and Kerry, I sure wish I could change his mind. Hey, he even said he might vote for Gary Hart if he ran. In any event, no Instapundit-bashing allowed in the comments. At least not today.

Drug War Rant is celebrating its first blogiversary. Pete writes the best blog devoted to the insanity of the drug war. If you haven't been reading him, you should start now. He's just started an election guide that tracks the candidates' positions on drugs.

If the drug war is your topic, also don't miss Last One Speaks, by Libby Spencer. Libby is now doing double duty blogging politics for the Detroit News.

And congrats to Eli at left i on the news who just celebrated a first blogiversary.

And of course, there's Skippy, who not only turned two recently but hit the half-million visitor mark as well. And he got a bloglift- (y.w.c.t.p.) -not only does he not use caps, he now uses different colors for letters in the same word. And he's still funny.

Kevin Drum, Whiskey Bar, Juan Cole and Daily Kos on blowing the cover of Pakistan's undercover agent to prove the Administration's terror threat was real.

Eric Alterman's new Think Again column at Center for American Progress on the opportunities missed and flawed coverage by big media at the DNC in Boston.

The response of the legal and medical communities to the Abu Ghraib scandals and the Bush Administration torture memos.

Roger Ailes (No, Not that one) on Alan Keyes.

Left Coaster on whistleblower and FBI translator Sibel Edmonds.

Whiskey Bar again on the slow rate of job growth under Bush. More here.

Norwegianity on religion and genocide--and here on Sgt. Joseph Darby who spilled the beans on his fellow soldiers at Abu Graib.

Political Wire on three of the latest polls showing Kerry ahead of Bush. And, this interesting note:

Meanwhile, while a majority, 54%, believes that the Bush administration would not "use a terrorism alert for political reasons," 38% think that the alerts might be used for political reasons, with 7% undecided.

Sentencing Law and Policy for the latest Blakely rulings.

Say hello to the Electoral Vote Predictor and What It Is Today.

Too much court today...missed the whole day of news. Let's hear what you have to say.

For two years, TalkLeft has published using the "editorial we." There have been many reasons for this, not the least of which is the "six degrees of separation" I hoped to keep between the blog and my law practice. Nobody should seek my legal services because they like what I say on TalkLeft. One has nothing to do with the other. In fact, clients should beware any lawyer who interjects his or her political beliefs as to what the law should be in an argument to a court. If you want the law changed, take it to Congress, not the courts.

I also use the "editorial we" because TalkLeft speaks from the viewpoint of many, although certainly not all, criminal defense lawyers, whose top priority is defending the citizen accused. The main reason criminal defense lawyers comment on cable news shows and give interviews to the print media is to enable the public to view laws and court proceedings through the lens of the Constitution. "We" has a lot more impact than "I" in this regard.

Of course I realized that blogging at the DNC in Boston would call more attention to me, Jeralyn, and that while my identity as TalkLeft's creator and principal author is readily available though TalkLeft's "about page," that after the DNC, more people would associate TalkLeft with me. I decided it was worth the risk because the opportunity to go to Boston was such a special one. And now, it seems like that's exactly what has happened. Other bloggers are now referring to TalkLeft as "Jeralyn"--see here and here and here.

Many readers have criticized TalkLeft's use of the "editorial we" in the past and I've always found that the reasons stated above justify disregarding them. Now, I'm not so sure.

So, as an experiment, even though it seems unnatural, self-absorbed and insanely non-private, I'm going to post for a week using "I" instead of "we." It's only an experiment, so don't go ballistic if I change back to the more comfortable "we" next week. Our contributing blogger TChris will continue to post as TChris--unless the Supreme Court agrees to hear his Blakely case, in which case it may be months before he has time to blog again.

Hey, if Atrios can come out of "the closet,", so can I. Feel free to let me know in comments which way you like it better--"we" or "I." Everyone's opinion matters here.

Lots of new folks we've discovered to give a shout-out to today:

Green Pass by Zoe Vandervolk, whose day job is to work as an intern for Gadflyer. She also studies statistics and music at Harvard. We talked to her a lot at the convention, she's great friends with Jesse and Ezra of Pandagon, and she got frustrated having to be careful what she wrote on Gadflyer, so she's created her own blog.

Newsfeed: Submit your blog and help spread the word.

NEWSFEED is for bloggers, news junkies, commentators, drudgereporters, and all who take interest in the wild world of news reporting. 1,000s of news sites, culled every day for the most interesting reading.

Fafblog, also blogging on the convention and related matters.

TalkLeft hit 3 million unique visitors today--with almost 5 million page views. We converted TalkLeft to a weblog on June 15, 2002--just about two years ago. (Here's our pre-blog look.) We never dreamed so many people would read us. Thanks to every one of you. And a big thanks to TChris who has become an invaluable contributor to TalkLeft.