Ibidem is Latin for “in the same place,” and usually shortened to “ibid.” in footnotes to say “go see that place I just referred to earlier”. Which is appropriate for this weblog, since it’s got links a-plenty. Jesus Gil is a U.S. expat journalist living in Madrid, Spain. His blog is links to news about global politics, culture, religion, the occasional meme, and of course soccer. (His blog’s URL is a tribute to Madrid’s soccer — er, football — team. I also take it that “Jesus Gil” is a pseudonym, and that he is not the same Jesus Gil who is the president of said team and who was recently jailed for forgery and embezzlement.)
Ibidem has a variety of news sources, with many (not surprisingly) from Europe, and so has links to articles that I wouldn’t ordinarily find. His coverage of the recent tanker spill off Spain was really good. As with most news blogs, I enjoy ibidem most when it’s got commentary on the news, as well as the links. He’s got interesting opinions and it would enrich the site if he shared them more often. Occasionally there will be a more personal essay, such as his advice on tipping in Spain or a conversation with his son about skeletons that gets him thinking about innocence and imagination.
The design is functional, but nothing special. It’s not going to win any awards. But it’s legible and appropriate for the site. Ibidem includes a lengthy list of general blogs and another of religious blogs, especially Catholic ones. He has comments, a search function (using Atomz, which I use too — it’s easy!), a Daypop search bar, and on online referral log (using this script — for an alternate one try yaywastaken). He also has the “links open new windows” checkbox from randomwalks which really should be standard on all blogs.
In all, I’d say Ibidem is worth checking out for its interesting perspective on the news. Plus, where else are you going to read about Madrid’s soccer team?Ibidem