A Modest Milestone

Sometime yesterday this blog delivered its 100,000th page view.

For some blogs, that's a good week, or even a slow week. For me, that's nearly six months of traffic. Still, it is far more cumulative traffic than I would have expected back on June 1 when I posted my first entry. These are real page views, actual pages read by actual human beings (the count excludes things like graphic files and queries from "bots")

I don't receive any tangible compensation for doing this, I don't even have a tip jar button. My only reward is the joy of expressing myself and the pleasure that any performer, artist or writer gets from the favorable reaction of their audience. So thank you all for visiting, for reading, for writing back. If I've made anybody laugh or think, or imparted any knowledge, it's been worth it.

Let me also acknowledge those who (unknowingly) inspired me to do this: Blog Father Howard Fienberg, Blog Mother Susanna Cornett, and the many others who have encouraged me with links and kind words, most notably Charles Johnson, Bill Quick, Glenn Reynolds, Tim Blair and Damian Penny. And last but not least a thank you to my most frequent reader ... my mother. Hi Mom! and thanks for being my number 1 fan.

And here's a recap of my 10 most widely read entries to date:

Arafat Bombs, Europe Pays A translation of Die Zeit's article on EU funding for the Palestinian Authority terror machine.

The Berlin-Berkeley Axis Last week's incident where some anti-Israel "human rights activists" interfered with the exercise of my free speech rights by stealing and destroying my camera.

Psychotic Death Cult Photo Album A collection of photographs celebrating murder and destruction, from the Hamas' own web site

With Unyielding Faith Part 2 of Die Zeit's series on EU funding for Palestinian terrorism.

Earth Calling Amiri Baraka My telephone interview with the other-wordly poet laureate of New Jersey

It's the Oil, Stupid My Mideast peace plan: confiscate and internationalize the Saudi oil fields.

Saddam's Personal Physician Debunking some pro-Saddam junk science from brainless doctor Helen Caldicott.

Comedy Tonight Ray Hanania, the Arab-American comedian initially portrayed by the press as a victim of discrimination at the hands of Jackie Mason, turns out to be not an apolitical victim of "discrimination", but an outspoken activist, polemicist, inaccurate columnist and rationalizer of terrorism.

Moral Equivalence Down Under Australia's ABC continues to report on the imaginary massacre in Jenin, long after everyone else concluded that there really wasn't a massacre.

My Saudi Pen-Pal (part 2) In my final e-mail exchange with an officer at the Saudi Embassy in Washington, DC, we learn that the Saudis denounce all forms of terrorism, but that suicide bombings against Israeli civilians are not considered terrorism.

Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at November 27, 2002 01:43 PM