The Sweet 16 will play out tomorrow. Today we find out who joins @abuaardvark, @stcolumbia, @naheedmustafa, @joshuafoust, @dandrezner, @DaveedGR, @astridhka, and @blakehounshell in that illustrious round.
North
(1) @attackerman vs. (9) @AdamWeinstein
Judges: 4-1 for @attackerman (80% of judges’ vote)
Popular vote:
@attackerman: 150 (70%)
@AdamWeinstein: 64 (30%)
One seed @attackerman cruises to the Sweet Sixteen, despite hardly acknowledging that the tournament is going on. Will the overall top seed be able to continue advancing effortlessly all the way to the title?
(4) @glcarlstrom vs. (12) @smsaideman
Judges: 4-1 for @smsaideman (80% of judges’ vote)
Popular vote:
@glcarlstrom: 95 (54%)
@smsaideman: 80 (46%)
@glcarlstrom takes the popular vote, but 12 seed @smsaideman continues to impress the judges with his hustle, and it’s more than enough to get him into the Sweet 16.
(3) @will_mccants vs. (6) @chrisalbon
Judges: 5-0 for @will_mccants (100% of judges’ vote)
Popular vote:
@chrisalbon: 113 (60%)
@will_mccants: 76 (40%)
The judges all paid respect to @chrisalbon…on their way to voting for @will_mccants, who rolls to the next round, despite @chrisalbon’s better showing in the popular vote.
(2) @intelwire vs. (7) @AzmatZahra
Judges: 3-2 for @AzmatZahra
Popular vote:
@AzmatZahra: 203 (63%)
@intelwire: 121 (37%)
121 votes would be enough to win the popular vote in most races, but not against PBS’ @AzmatZahra who managed to mobilize a whopping 203 votes. With 3 out of 5 judges on her side too, she takes this contest.
West
(8) @tweetsintheme vs. (16) @zoonpolitikon
Judges: 3-2 for @tweetsintheme (60% of judges’ vote)
Popular vote:
@tweetsintheme: 137 (55%)
@zoonpolitikon: 114 (45%)
@zoonpolitikon’s Cinderella run is cut short as, despite putting up a good fight, he is edged by @tweetsintheme in both the public polls and the judges’ votes.
(4) @jeffemanuel vs. (12) @JimmySky
Judges: 5-0 for @jeffemanuel (100% of judges’ vote)
Popular vote:
@jeffemanuel: 104 (56%)
@JimmySky: 83 (44%)
In a virtual replay of the North bracket’s @will_mccants vs. @chrisalbon results, all of our judges give respect to @JimmySky, but end up casting their votes for @jeffemanuel, who takes the popular vote as well on his way to the Sweet 16.
(6) @max_fisher vs. (14) @laurenist
Judges: 3-2 for @laurenist (60% of judges’ vote)
Popular vote:
@laurenist: 109 (57%)
@max_fisher: 81 (43%)
Another 14 seed, another smart and snarky woman with development chops, another Cinderella story continues. Like @astridhka yesterday, @laurenist overcomes her higher-ranked opponent to keep the dream alive.
(2) @texasinafrica vs. (10) @azelin
Judges: 4-1 for @texasinafrica (80% of judges’ vote)
Popular vote:
@texasinafrica: 160 (64%)
@azelin: 89 (36%)
@azelin gets a lot of respect, but it’s not nearly enough to overcome the momentum of powerhouse @texasinafrica, who wins comfortably to advance.
North Brackets
@aelkus
(1) Attackerman-more humor, diversity of subjects, etc, than Weinstein. That being said it was a very tough choice, since Weinstein seemed to engage more with readers.
(2) SmSaideman—managed to do a lot of good tweeting while preparing for ISA, which is a very big challenge. Also brought his academic knowledge base to bear on Twitter.
(3) William McCants, for having a cat icon, managing to stay civil in a debate with Greenwald, and twittering very well on a pre-eminent international security issue.
(4) azmatzahra-for very useful links, snarky commentary, and playing close to the vest with intelwire.
@Ali_Gharib
(1) @ATTACKERMAN vs (9) @ADAMWEINSTEIN
This was a tougher one to call than many might expect from the seeding. Sure, @Attackerman’s twitter feed is a must-follow, and it’s full of modest pronouncements about working relationships with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and other less important news of the national security world. But @AdamWeinstein played with #tfc12 a little better — he called it up and rolled it between his palms and build a little Bibilical triceratops out of it. My dad, though, was in L.A. in the ’60s and worships the John Wooden heyday of the Bruins, and @Attackerman just happened to pick the right day to humble-brag about the former Lew Alcindor writing under the same masthead. He takes it.
(12) @SMSAIDEMAN vs (4) @GLCARLSTROM
@Glcarlstrom forgot to participate for most of the day, which made this match tougher than it probably needed to be. His twitter is great, too. But @Smsaideman, who also had limited output because of meetings, really went after him for sleep and was hungry for a competition, even suggesting extracurriculars
(6) @CHRISALBON vs (3) @WILL_MCCANTS
How do you judge a match between two people you know, like, and have accompanied through the rigors of traditional American beer-drinking rituals with? I’ll tell you what you do — you put aside that @Chrisalbon is one of the best Twitter accounts out there for generalized world info and, most notably, his shouldn’t-be-a-niche specialty, and you give it to @will_mccants for knowing that the way to a man’s #tfc12 vote is shamelessly working your way slowly through his burly beard. Congrats, @will_mccants.
(7) @AZMATZAHRA vs (2) @INTELWIRE
@Intelwire was engaged in the competition enough that usually the high seed would prevail, especially from such an invaluable tweeter. But @Azmatzahra raked in endorsements, and had quippy comebacks defending the honor of public broadcasting, and so takes the day.
@jeffemanuel
I’ll leave the fanfic and photo montages to my esteemed judging colleagues and cut straight to the chase here: four matches, eight excellent competitors, and no dead weight. So, without further adieu:
@attackerman vs. @adamweinstein
Adam Weinstein initially referred to this battle with overall #1 seed Spencer Ackerman as a “David versus Goliath” showdown, though he quickly amended that, saying “Actually, given our last names, it’s Lil’ David vs. Big David.” He sent out a handful of half-hearted tweets mentioning #tfc12, but for the most part his feed was all-Trayvon Martin, all the time - though his employer, Mother Jones, sent a tweet to its 120,000 followers asking them to vote for Adam. Ackerman, on the other hand, was his usual self on twitter, hitting topics from Blackwater to the transition to ANSF in Afghanistan to the Obamacare hearings — and he didn’t feel the need bring @Dangerroom or @Wired into the fray, choosing instead to beat back the plucky challenger on his own. Vote: @attackerman
@smsaideman vs. glcarlstrom
Not only was the higher-seeded Carlstrom largely absent from Twitter today, but he admittedly forgot about the competition altogether until afternoon Eastern Time (the only time that really matters)! It’s almost like he has a day job that requires time and attention. @smsaideman, on the other hand, has been prepping the twitterspace for this fight for days, handicapping his chances and practically begging for the judges in this matchup to forego their prejudices and embrace the wonder that is Harry Potter (and Harry Potter role-playing). Saideman’s hard work won him a round one upset against Yemen expert @gregorydjohnsen, and though I find Carlstrom an indispensable presence on twitter day in and day out, I have to reward the canuck’s legwork once again (not to mention his twitter feed, which is both humorous and high quality). Vote: @smsaideman
@chrisalbon vs. @will_mccants
This is the first of two very difficult matches to judge. Albon’s body of work is absolutely excellent, as are those of his kitchen appliances (though the whole “getting a PhD and a real job” thing has slightly crimped their collective lately). McCants, on the other hand, is a constant source of information, knowledge, perspective, and unique wit. Pretty much the only way that he could lose my vote in this battle of two must-follow tweeters would be by changing his avatar to something insufferably horrible, like a cat. Surely he would never do such a—-well, dangit, that’s exactly what he did. A cat, Will? Really? Jeez. However, if I’m picking ten twitter feeds that can’t be done without, McCants is definitely one of them — and in Twitter Fight Club, that should be enough to let him advance. Vote: @will_mccants
@azmatzahra vs. @intelwire
And here we have the second of two incredibly difficult matches to judge — and indisputably the most entertaining battle of the day (with @chrisalbon vs. @will_mccants coming in a close but clear second). @azmatzahra is another indispensable source of information and perspective on Twitter, and her feed today was an excellent example of her usual output. However, like @will_mccants, I would include @intelwire on any shortlist of twitter feeds that absolutely can’t be done without. The volume of information that comes through his feed daily — both news and commentary — seals this one in his favor, even though he claims to hate Mr. Rogers (what’s next? hating old people, puppies, and kids?). Vote: @intelwire
@RBStalin
Greetings. There’s no time for greetings. Some of my fellow judges have written opinions favoring the performance of contweetstants during the period of judgment. As a demonstrably purer and more disciplined arbiter - a torch-bearer of a millennia-long tradition of objective judginess, if you will - I will be considering the Twitter-corpus, as in habeas corpus, or at least parts of it. We will select and dine on choice corpus-bits.
Note: While there is a significant Canadian presence in the competition, the remaining Americans may want to reference Wikipedia for an explainer on this “habeas corpus” concept.
///// @attackerman vs. @adamweinstein /////
Speaking of habeas corpus, Spackerman’s wife works for an organization possessing what some might call an unseemly obsession with the concept. He himself is responsible for some (notable?) journalism at the intersection of defense, civil rights, and the law. Were one to judge the entire body of Spackerman’s work, one might be somewhat-to-moderately impressed. It is possible his primary venue is a blog this judge calls a must-read, including for defense insiders. It is also possible his personal blog is one this judge recommends to those of his friends and coworkers who have the (metaphorical) balls to read it.
I come not to praise Spackerman’s journalistic corpus, but to bury it. His tweets on the other hand…are pretty good? Not as engaged or interactive as he once was. Still prolific. Should probably follow, if you’re into the whole NatSec thing. Feel free to ignore his unbelievably obnoxious New York sports tweets.
Weinstein (speaking of explainers)…also a national security reporter? For Mother Jones. His bio reads that way, but if I’m real (and I AM REAL) he is far more engaged on domestic issues than national security, at least on Twitter. Weinstein’s non-twitter works are also prolific. It’s hard to make a comparison after this award that Spackerman pulled in, but Mother Jones is an indisputably important part of the fifth estate, and Weinstein has been no small part of that during his tenure.
VERDICT: I lean upset like Michael Jackson in “Smooth Criminal”. There’s no doubt in my mind that Mr. Weinstein’s more recent engagement with the twitterverse has been superior to Spackerman’s. However, like Season Two of Top Chef (“It’s a cooking contest and he didn’t cook anything!”) I have to give this to Spackerman for the simple reason that this tournament is about national security tweeters, and by that metric he is more indispensable than Mr. Weinstein. I may or may not completely disregard this in further judgments.
///// @smsaideman vs. @glcarlstrom /////
I’ve been following Carlstrom for a long time and Saideman for only a matter of days. Here’s what I’ll tell you right off the bat. When Carlstrom tweets, he looks like another dude in a nondescript location* saying some stuff in 140 characters or less. Saideman, by contrast, when presented with a writ of habeas corpus, responded with “AVADA KEDAVRA!” While this represents a certain misunderstanding of the concept, it definitely gets my attention.
* Nondescript location: some pile of rubble in the background. Body armor worn.
VERDICT: This is a tough call but I have to give this round to Carlstrom. There’s a reason I, as a NatSec-focused Twitter-user, have been following him for as long as I have. Also he did not try to kill me with magic.
///// @chrisalbon vs. @will_mccants /////
McCants is no fool. Not only did he follow me on this, the dies irae, he also pointed out my long-established YTMND profile link to his followers. Readers of my judgments, however, know I have turned from flattery to duck fat to, now, I suppose, Latin comprehension as the currency with which my judgments can be moved.
What can I say about Will McCants? Will McCants is very tall; I keep hearing how awfully tall he is. Everyone he meets mutters “Tall…” helplessly the way Fooly Cooly characters carry on about eyebrows.
Albon, on the other hand, is best known for autonomous appliances - with which your humble* judge disavows any involvement - swarming Twitter at unfortunately decreasing regularity.
McCants is no more responsible for his height than Albon is for his possessed appliances. This begs the question if either man contributes to Twitter in any way and if either deserves to be in the contest at all, let alone advance. Given such a dilemma I was forced to resort to a tie-breaker, which helpfully came in the form of this tweet:
@will_mccants: i’d like to make fun of an academic book or article by @chrisalbon but I can’t find one. #tfc2012
I DON’T EVEN CARE IF THAT’S ACCURATE
VERDICT: WILL MCCANTS
* Read: fantastically narcissistic.
///// @AzmatZahra vs. @intelwire /////
I’m going to make this short and to the point. Invoking precedent from round one, what shall be hitherto referred to as the DR J JOYNER rule…
VERDICT: J. M. Berger takes this round and the basis of being a HIGH-VOLUME (38,000+ tweet) NatSec feed I have been following for a long time and have never had the urge to unfollow. Azmat Khan works for an outstanding organization and has a quality tweetstream you should be following if you aren’t already, but this round must go to Berger.
Were it not for the DR J JOYNER rule I would have to remind the readers that it is select bits of the corpus on which we are focused, and, well, Mr. Berger has irrefutable facial hair. Facial hair…
@SecurityScholar
Round 2, North Quarter. An excellent field to judge. What was I looking for? Snarky research and well-researched snarks. That is, feisty horn-locking and below-the-belt jokes as well as interesting #linksthatmakeyougohmmmm NatSec tweets over the past 24 hours. I haven’t had this much fun since discovering this:
@attackman vs @adamweinstein
Spencer Ackerman and Adam Weinstein, two excellent NatSec reporters of Danger Room and Mother Jones, respectively, who regularly light up my Twitter feed with moar reading and all-round snarkiness. Despite being NatSec tweeters, on the day of judging both were taken by social issues with @attackman pondering Obamacare and @adamweinstein handling #Trayvon. Props to @adamweinstein for live-tweeting #Trayvon justice protests outside the Supreme Court and sticking the boot into Twitter about shutting down racist accounts, but props to @attackman for keeping up the NatSec tradition of, you know, being a NatSec tweeter and engaging consistently.
TOTDs:
attackerman (@attackerman)
3/27/12 5:28 AM
Oh yeah no big deal Kareem Abdul-Jabbar just wrote an op-ed for @wired, happens every day. t.co/7mKHwD39
attackerman (@attackerman)
3/27/12 5:28 AM
Hey, teenagers who answer phones for Senate offices: take some pride in your work! #old
Adam Weinstein (@AdamWeinstein)
3/27/12 6:07 AM
Man, hell hath no fury like an anonymous angry white dude with dial-up. #WhatILearnedThisWeek
Overall, I awarded it to @adamweinstein for strong performance on covering #Trayvon, referencing #TFC12, and wearing a hoodie.
@smsaideman vs @glcarlstrom
The Academic and The Journalist. Both excellent tweeters of the world, International Relations Professor Stephen Saideman with interesting analysis from the inside and Al Jazeera reporter Gregg Carlstrom providing essential analysis from the ground. @smsaideman got in with an early h/t to his Aussie judge and attempted to pull the heartstrings by claiming his grandmother is about to die (seriously, Stephen, you should know better … and use the dog next time). @glcarlstrom, seemingly having forgotten about #TFC12, rolled in with some late Canadian-bashing of his opponent to keep him in the running. @smsaideman tweeted hard, engaging his followers, dropping the ol’ 1,2 in self-deprecating humour and snarkiness but keeping up intense discussion on IR issues. @glcarlstrom had tweeted some feisty reporting on security issues and some cultural FYI tweets earlier in the day but, on balance, was not as consistent as his competitor.
TOTDs:
Stephen Saideman (@smsaideman)
3/27/12 5:41 AM
Ok, I think I prefer the pornbots to the walmart/ipad-bots. ktyvm
Stephen Saideman (@smsaideman)
3/27/12 9:59 AM
Token Aussie tweet for my aussie judge in #tfc12-Aussie case was most surprising of all ones studied for contingents in A-stan. 1/2
Stephen Saideman (@smsaideman)
3/27/12 10:00 AM
Aussies actually were quite casualty averse but sneakily so by using SOF heavily, restricting conventional infantry. #tvc12 pander FTW? 2/2
Gregg Carlstrom (@glcarlstrom)
3/27/12 5:15 AM
Dirty tricks! Just what you’d expect from north of the border RT @smsaideman: @glcarlstrom well then, vote for me #tfc12
Gregg Carlstrom (@glcarlstrom)
3/25/12 2:02 AM
I actually just interviewed someone who used the word taqiyya in a non-ironic sense
For his true competitive spirit, unashamed IR nerdiness and AUS-philic tendencies, I awarded the round to @smsaideman.
@chrisalbon vs @will_mccants
It’s not even fair to ask someone to judge this showdown. Chris Albon and Will McCants are solid experts in their respective fields of governance/global health and CT/terrorism/jihadism, regularly providing useful links and oh-so-snarksome tweets. I love cats #fulldisclosure. In a sneaky PSYOPS move, @will_mccants literally “got his game face on” by deploying Puss in Boots as his competition avatar. Looking at their tweets for the day, @chrisalbon was tweeting hard, from trash talking his opponent, dropping Senegal and James Cameron with SeaQuest DSV reference (I saw what he did there) to beefing up with solid NatSec focussed links. @will_mccants gets props for targeted NatSec tweeting as well and mixing it up with good engagement with followers and a Star Wars reference. The exchange between these fine competitors provided some of the wittiest, snarkiest and yet heartwarming TOTDs. Observe:
Will McCants (@will_mccants)
3/27/12 4:31 AM
@intelwire for you, i’m gonna break out the Green Giant pic. Ho ho ho mother$@%$%$
Chris R. Albon (@chrisalbon)
3/27/12 5:05 AM
Add glitter and @will_mccants’ book is like an Islamic version of Twilight. #TFC12
That’s like an academic equivalent of a kick to the nuts. With … glitter.
Chris R. Albon (@chrisalbon)
3/27/12 5:15 AM
If you read @will_mccants’ book backwards, it’s a call for white power, but let’s face it, then you’d have to read it. #TFC12
Will McCants (@will_mccants)
3/27/12 5:32 AM
i’d like to make fun of an academic book or article by @chrisalbon but I can’t find one. #tfc2012
Oh snap! Finally:
Chris R. Albon (@chrisalbon)
3/27/12 5:32 AM
And finally, if you are one of the nicest guys I know and one of my closest friends, you are definitely @will_mccants. #TFC12
Nyawwwwwwwwww. Gentlemen, it was a pleasure but there can be only one. And by a (cat)hair, it goes to @will_mccants for a marginally stronger performance on the day for expertise-focussed tweets.
@azmatzahra vs @intelwire
Another competitive duo. The indomitable @FrontlinePBS journalist Azmat Khan and the prolific terrorism/jihadism expert/author J.M. Berger are both solid tweeters who have provided me with fascinating links and analysis. Today was no exception. With twitzophrenic skeelz, feisty @azmatzahra switched between mercilessly calling a jihad against her opponent and showing her softer side with tweets on child soldiers, acid attack victims and other human security issues. @intelwire fought back with a solid performance of NatSec tweets on a range of issues from Afghanistan, nuclear weapons, and global operations while trash talking and engaging followers. Props to @azmatzahra for RT-ing other journalists’ articles but props to @intelwire who, on the day of competition, RT-d @azmatzahra ‘s work!
TOTDs:
Azmat Khan (@AzmatZahra)
3/27/12 8:08 AM
@intelwire Last week you called me “genteel” (bit.ly/GV53ZZ), this week it’s “evil genius.” Only certainty? You’re a flip-flopper.
Azmat Khan (@AzmatZahra)
3/27/12 7:19 AM
#TFC12 I hail from Parachinar, where my people take on the Taliban t.co/ClXisWFq so a vote for the other guy really is a Taliban vote
J.M. Berger (@intelwire)
3/27/12 8:33 AM
@AllThingsHLS I have conceded @AzmatZahra’s superior acquaintance with the crawling blasphemies of the shapeless Elder Gods. @will_mccants
I found this really, really hard to call. Both are excellent at what they do. But I award this round to @azmatzahra for keeping the “fight” in TFC.
West Brackets
@hayesbrown
Match 1: @zoonpolitikon vs. tweetsintheme
I have to put it right out there. As a former 16-seed, my heart automatically goes out to @zoonpolitikon. He’s faced a tough road. And he did so with more snark than I would have expect from someone who blogs in German. His attempts at slandering @tweetsintheme were impressive, particularly for someone living in Switzerland. But then again, he did manage to pull off the upset I so badly wanted.
@tweetsintheme, on the other hand, is a prolific tweeter. This man knew what a Sahel was before you did, and he isn’t afraid to show it. He’s a pretty stand-up guy, too, from the interactions I’ve had with him at various tweetup. Granted, the guy has managed to not follow me, even when facing my wroth. So clearly, his self-preservation instinct isn’t high, a flaw that will surely cost him in later fights.
In this instance, I’m going to go with the one who knowingly pandered sci-fi goodness to me: @zoonpolitikon.
Match 2: @jimmysky vs. @jeffemanuel
I could go the route of seemingly everyone else ever and make fun of @jimmysky’s being in the Air Force. But I’m afraid of heights, so what do I know? @jimmysky is a great follow, who is always been all smart on defense acquisitions, which you would think is an oxymoron of a sentence. He dresses his kids up as superheroes and once called me the “UN wunderkind”. So I clearly have a bias.
Speaking of bias, I never followed @jeffemanuel until Twitter Fight Club started up, and he’s a definite change of pace from my normal stream. Having now broken outside of the liberal bubble, I see myself interacting with @jeffemanuel frequently in the future, as he seems like a man who is okay with a firm discussion without resorting to attacks.
The back and forth between the two was pretty heated early, but dipped into vast swathes of politeness later on. While it shocks me to do so, I’m actually going to say that of the two of them, in terms of sheer informative output, @jeffemanuel had the better day today.
Match 3: @Max_Fisher vs. @laurenist
Oh goodness. @Max_Fisher, as editor of Atlantic International, is what most nerdy young bloggers aspire to be when we grow up. He writes about cool things. And gets PAID FOR IT. Will wonders never cease. He came out of the gate swinging this morning, declaring Russia the number one reason that we aren’t invading Syria. He was…disagreed with. Proving he isn’t invulnerable.
@laurenist on the other hand was pure snark today. Well, purer snark than normal. Colombian-grade snark. She took the attack to @Max_Fisher early and often, pursuing votes with zeal. She spent some of her time in New York City today sitting in on a class of @abumaquwama, so I’m pretty sure she got some beard-by-proxy action going on.
Despite the fact that the former could one day land me a sweet gig, I’m going to have to hand this bout to @laurenist.
Match 4: @azelin vs. @texasinafrica
Clash of the experts. I was one of the few (okay, many) granted access to @azelin’s account before he unlocked it for this competition. I have to admit, though, when it comes to counterterrorism, I’m no newb. But this guy is at a whole other level. His stream is constantly putting out high grade information on terrorist networks I can’t feign pronounce. If you need an expert, you’ve certainly found one.
Unfortunately for him, however, he’s got serious competition when it comes to @texasinafrica. Dr. Seay don’t play. She doesn’t just know a lot about one country, or even region. No. She knows the whole. Damn. Continent. And can speak on it with a winning wit and sarcasm. She even followed me after a long drought. But….and this is a big one….she didn’t pick Michigan State for the Final Four. Even if she was right, her glee in making that choice wounds me deep.
In the end though, despite her betrayal, it’s Africa uber alles, and @texasinafrica takes the win for me.
@HerbCarmen
Be sincere; be brief; be seated. - FDR
8. tweetsintheme vs. 16. @zoonpolitikon
Keine Bilder von Katzen.
My pick: @tweetsintheme
12. @jimmysky vs. 4. @jeffemanuel
I enjoy following these gentlemen and patriots. Tough to vote against @jimmysky but overwhelming volume of excellent tweets by @jeffemanuel earns my vote, despite an avatar aiming an AK-47 painted like a VFC-13 F-5F Tiger.
My pick: @jeffemanuel
6. @max_fisher vs. 14. @laurenist
Drones. Hellfires.
My pick: @laurenist
10. @azelin vs. 2. @texasinafrica
Africa matters and @texasinafrica knows what matters. @azelin’s manipulative cat avatar worked….for @texasinafrica
My pick: @texasinafrica
@johnsonr
General comment: I’m over babies, cats, and puppies. Enough. That said, I’m not going to be asked back to judge another round after these pics hit the net, so you guys do whatcha gotta do.
@zoonpolitikon vs @tweetsintheme
@zoonpolitikon Adds snark to his commentary of nuclear negotiations. He tried to smear his opponent, but given last week’s trash talk, his efforts came off almost, well, adorable. That said, @zoonpolitikon tapped into my previously unpublicized, but irrationally strong love of all things Mongolia. Have you been? No? Then shut up. It’s freakin’ awesome. Where else have you seen this?
Mongols. Go Green.
Why do they need solar power, you ask???
To power their camel-mounted satellite dish so they can watch the Olympics, of course. No lie. So shut up. Mongolia wins. (Told you it was irrational.)
Sorry @tweetsintheme. I was with you ‘til the death blow. You engaged other folks on twitter, always have interesting commentary, and seem totally cool. But, you know. Mongolia.
@JimmySky vs @jeffemanuel
Clearly I’m judging this match because someone at Gunpowder & Lead hates me. I love @jeffemanuel (in a completely professionally appropriate / I know he’s married sort of way. Geez, people!) He’s smart, he’s engaged, and he’s just cranky enough to avoid both the Charbydis of tool-dom and the Schylla of dickiness. And, as we established this weekend, he brings me new followers every time we tweet each other, which really doesn’t suck. Today he totally wore me down – I don’t have time for silly things like counting, but the man tweeted a boatload. Check it out. An actual boat would nearly capsize under the weight of his tweets. There was even some nonsense about his taking time for a bike ride, but I don’t believe him. I’d link to the tweet, but I can’t find that needle in the haystack.
But I love me some @JimmySky too. First, he’s one of the only guys in Round 2 who’s confident enough not to change his profile pic. WYSIWYG. Done. No silliness. So refreshing. Making me cry with the whole Captain America thing was a tricky move, but luckily it came after I was safely away from the office. If that had come over lunch, it would have been an immediate disqualification. That said, in his blizzard of tweetiness, @jeffemanuel re-tweeted the tear-jerker, so your gamble would have washed itself out.
At the end of the day, I have to vote for @jeffemanuel. I don’t agree with everything he says, but he’s thoughtful, courteous, and comprehensive. He’s who I hope to be when I grow up…
(…minus the ‘roid rage. This guy, not @jeffemanuel, who I’m sure is all natural muscle. Hey, he’s holding a damn AK. You’d say the same thing.).
@texasinafrica vs does it really matter?
@TEXASinafrica. ‘Nough said (Remember, Rule #4). The thing is, she’s not pandering to Texas; she’s been Texas for far longer than she could have possibly been trying to suck up to me. In fact, I didn’t find out about @texasinafrica from twitter fight club, or national security, or anything obvious like that. I first learned about her from my sister, who does nothing remotely security-related (no, Laura, now is not the time to argue that point. Just let me have it). So she’s a professor: check. FROM TEXAS: all the checks anyone needs. Who my sister follows: Family Check. Who focuses on Africa:
(yeah, we were that close. Oopsy!). Extra checks.
And, because I forgot all about these pictures, but just rediscovered them looking for something suitably “Africa” and they scream to be shared with you:
(that’s right. I just did that.) This one was taken seconds later and is even better:
LIKE A BOSS.
Let’s see if the #tfc12 editors let these past QC. Are they more offensive for their pornographic nature, or for perpetuating the stereotype that Africa is nothing more than safari? Polling is now open.
Winner: @texasinafrica. Come on.
@laurenist vs @Max_Fisher
I’m inclined to like @laurenist – she’s got an insane fan base, she’s super smart, and, well, that’s enough for me. But I’m a cranky about some things, and proper grammar is one of those things (I know I started that sentence with a conjunction. Leave it.). While @laurenist was reminiscing about some random thing I didn’t understand that involved Tony Blinken’s dad, she dropped this grammar grenade. She also spoke TRUTH.
So did @Max_Fisher. He covered Libya, China, South Sudan, North Korea, and said what I can’t about a certain political moment that occurred today (think I’m going to link to that? You crazy. #dropsmic #walksaway). I’ve got to give it to @Max_Fisher for breadth, depth, and his general ability to make me smarter. And yes, I’m voting for him even though he can’t be bothered to follow me back. So there’s that. @laurenist, I’m buying you a drink at the tweetup next week. You’ve earned it.
@shephardm
16 vs. 8
@zoonpolitikon vs. @tweetsintheme
Naturally inclined to go for underdog & a strong start for @zoonpolitikon, with props for kitten photo and Canada cage match. Besides, any chance to use this photo… (BREAKING NEWS: #TFC12 has hit Eastern Mongolia. http://pic.twitter.com/pltif03L). But @tweetsintheME was competing from Ottawa, aka: the-town-that-fun-forgot, so that deserves some bonus points. And even though he succumbed to cheap Canuckistan currency bashing, he had me with his original Boko Haram analysis. He sticks with what he knows and he knew it before the rest of us.
12 vs. 4
@JimmySky vs. @jeffemanuel
Was not @JimmySky’s best Twitter day, except the RT of fact that Jenna Talackova, Miss Universe Canada finalist, was disqualified for being transgender. He apologizes saying he was “working to secure the nation’s critical cyber infrastructure” .. Excuses, excuses. Now @jeffemanuel on the other hand, is the Jack Bauer of tweeting, so prolific that there’s no way he eats, sleeps or goes to the loo. I couldn’t keep up because like @JimmySky I was busy securing Canada’s national security. I dunno. Voted @jeffemanuel.
6 vs. 14
@max_fisher vs. @laurenist
Killer match. “The Henry Kissinger of the zombie apocalypse..” TM by my friend @Scott_Gilmore certainly gave her early lead. Also, who doesn’t like short shorts? But @max_fisher’s retorts and analysis hard to beat and imagining Cheney doing Aztec time travel I think gave me an idea for a novel. In the end it was @max_fisher headshot – it’s like he’s daring you to not vote of him… or auditioning for next Twilight series.
10 vs. 2
@azelin vs. @texasinafrica
Very entertaining and pulled me both ways. Wanted to vote @texasinafrica because heart in Africa and national security boys club needs some shaking up. But no one can deliver geek jabs like @azelin & he gets extra points for Arabic & posting stuff that SITE makes you pay for. I’m also unfairly influenced by fact that I know if I call him for interviews he will always sound like he just woke up. @azelin, shukran.
@timmathews
In @zoonpolitikon vs @tweetsintheme, I declare @tweetsintheme the winner.
I regret to say that I have no basis upon which to vote for a continuation of @zoonpolitikon’s Cinderella story. His exchange with @tweetsintheme was a mix or cordial and good-natured ribbing. On the other hand, @tweetsintheme was not itching for a Twitterfight either. But, I give the edge to @tweetsintheme because he at least engaged in (albeit rational) debate with @ggreenwald, perhaps one of the greatest Twitterfighters in history.
In @jimmysky vs @jeffemanuel, I declare @jeffemanuel the winner.
This match, too, was essentially a lovefest. @jeffemanuel gets the edge because while he lobs little more than polite nudges at his foe, he at least takes time in between projects to take swipes at other ideological foes. @jimmysky seems overly preoccupied with work or something.
In @max_fisher vs @laurenist, I declare @laurenist the winner.
Did either of these two get the memo that they were facing off against each other? There was hardly any mention of one by the other, and definitely nothing rising to the level of twisticuffs. In this instance, my vote is determined solely by who was the lower seed. If you’re going to advance, then you need to earn it and justify it. Both failed, but the higher seed should justify its position by adhering to a higher standard. @laurenist wins by default.
In @azelin vs @texasinafrica, I declare @texasinafrica the winner.
Although there was little in the way of twisticuffs between the two, @texasinafrica did utilize the underhanded tactic of shamelessly praising me and encouraging others to hire me. Well done. She should be imitated and listened to. @azelin retweeted the plug, but this was like being the brown-noser who merely brings his teacher an apple. @texasinafrica’s effort was more analogous to bringing the teacher a plate of bacon. I declare @texasinafrica the winner and I declare bacon to be delicious.
