• CCS was at tax cap with +4.27% (last year voters sunk a 1.8% inc.) #518vote budget cuts 17.1 staff, extracurrics, and 1/2 of sports prog
    May 15th via Twitter
  • #Cambridge school budget (failed 1st time last year) passes by healthy margin, 780-427; two educators win empty board seats
    May 15th via Twitter
  • Budgets at Hoosick Falls and Cambridge Central schools both pass, as do bus props, etc. #518vote
    May 15th via Twitter
  • Plenty of activity at HFCS; concert, art show, voting, and BOE meeting. Local school election results 2nite from #Cambridge & #HoosickFalls
    May 15th via Twitter
  • Morbid obesity kills famously fat cat - Times Union http://t.co/VuZm463y
    May 7th via Twitter
  • The Barackness Monster ain't buying it!
    April 25th via Twitter
  • Spit out that chew and get yo mouth checked foo: free oral cancer screenings thru month of April http://t.co/M5Djk6ru
    April 7th via Twitter
  • Building stuff was easier in the'40s: furniture store owner wants 2 rebuild 19' ladderback landmark, expects resistance http://t.co/UzJQF077
    April 7th via Twitter
  • Local NY municipalities largely don't heed open meeting law amendment to post info online http://t.co/2ZeCwKVs Does your's?
    April 7th via Twitter
  • Bennington Vt Big Bros Big Sis celebrates 25th "silver" anniversary of Bowl fer Kids event by raising $50k http://t.co/dI9PG36n
    April 2nd via Twitter

Puppy Bowl II

Last Sunday, February 5th, millions crowded around their TVs to watch one of the most highly anticipated televised events of 2006. The three hour spectacle promised hard-hitting action, and it delivered. The halftime show was an exercise in brilliance: tightly choreographed and packed with dazzling displays of ability and daring. Yes indeed, Animal Planet crafted another masterpiece with Puppy Bowl II.

Broadcasted before, during, and after that “other bowl” on Sunday, Puppy Bowl II was the animal-lover’s extravaganza, featuring upwards of two dozen puppies playing on a miniature football field. Tons of puppy toys littered the field: stuffed animals, squeakers, knotted ropes. Of course, the most exciting thing for the pups was each other. They all varied between two and a half to three months old, and nipped, jumped, rolled, chewed, pawed, humped, sniffed – and occasionally – peed their way through the three hours. (More involved bowel movements warranted a “Puppy Penalty,” in which gameplay was halted and the offending object removed by a referee.) Lest the puppies be tired out through three hours of play, about half of them were always backstage, (which was – you guessed it – a mock locker room) where they had access to food.

On the field, to combat dehydration, lay two bowls of water, one in each end zone. This also gave way to one of the more interesting aspects of Puppy Bowl II – the “Bowl Cam.” The bottoms of the water bowls were plexiglass, with a camera placed underneath. This allowed the viewer to get a firsthand view of the puppies’ wet noses, and their drinking techniques. Some placed a paw inside the bowl, while others were able to get enough grip by leaning over and into the bowl. Captivating.

The only reprieve? The Bissel SpotBot Kitty Halftime Show – a half hour of kittens playing on a cat jungle gym which was lowered into the center of the “stadium.” This was a delight to animal lovers of the feline persuasion, but everyone could appreciate the hilarity of the halftime finale, when confetti was dropped. The kittens were frightened.

By this point, you might be questioning the sanity of the producers of this special, but make no mistake – it was quality programming. At any one point in time, there would be ten or so pups on the field, and the camera would be sure to follow the most action going on, which usually centered around a few choice miscreants. Barry, a three month old miniature poodle, caught a lot of attention, including several slow-motion replays, which were done before each commercial break.

And yes, as befitting any large televised event, there were commercials geared specifically towards the Puppy Bowl. Major sponsor ads were plastered around the playing field, and during commercial breaks, they brought out the ads. Subaru was one such high-profile company, Pedigree was another (and it was what the pooches ate in the locker room). Yet another big sponsor was Brissell, which makes vacuums. Apparently, “Puppy Penalties” are not limited to on-field accidents.

Throughout it all, was cheesy light jazz playing, a crowd roaring, and “camera flashes” from the mini, mock bleachers (judging by which, I’d say that attendance was fairly high this year). There was also an announcer who spoke during specific moments, such as a penalty or replay, or a shot of the locker room. All of this was in contrast to the first Puppy Bowl, which was a bit more spartan in contrast.

Even so, the original Puppy Bowl last year netted over five million viewers. This year is bound to have met, if not topped, that number. Puppy Bowl II was first aired at 3pm, and then re-shown at 6pm, 9pm, and 12am EST. And if you weren’t able to catch it, you can buy the DVD online. Three hours of puppies playing might just be the most innocent and lighthearted fun that many of us have had in awhile. And really – who couldn’t resist?

Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl II website – includes overview, film clips, and the ability to vote for MVP (Most Valuable Puppy).

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Share The Wealth

Perry Bible Fellowship

It’s a really amusing comic strip. Flipping through the archives, every single one elicits at the very least a chuckle. Check the archives, or even the front page of his site — the guy is a pretty gifted artist (Cool!).

Courtesy of Emptor Fugit.

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Four Things Meme

I don’t usually partake in such trivialties (*cough*), but I liked this one courtesy of Snooble. So I’ll do it.

All are in order of significance. Except for the four places I’ve lived (chronological). And the four bloggers (random).

———

Four Jobs I have had

1. Clerk at USPS
2. Cleaning office building

Right. That’s all I’ve got. In my defense, both were hard work and paid well.

Four Movies I can watch over and over again

1. Apocalypse Now (best war movie, period)
2. Requiem for a Dream
3. Repoman
4. Dr. Strangelove

Four places I have lived

1. Arlington, VT
2. Greenwich, NY
3. Ithaca, NY
4. Freiburg, GER

Four TV shows I love

1. The Simpsons
2. Six Feet Under
3. Scrubs
4. The Office

Four places I’ve vacationed

1. Amsterdam, NL
2. Seattle, WA
3. New Orleans, LA
4. Acadia, ME

Four of my favorite dishes

1. Stir fry
2. Wraps (particularly hummus or falafel)
3. Subs (guess it’s not a “dish”, but)
4. Vegetable lo-mein

Four sites I visit daily

1. white male consumer
2. BBC News
3. Newgrounds
4. Gmail (boring!)

Four places I would rather be right now

1. Amsterdam, NL
2. S. America
3. Oregon
4. London, UK

Four bloggers I’m tagging

1. Bakshi (do it!)
2. Gooie
3. Nick
4. Tiffany (& Matt) (good luck with the move!)

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The Most Depressing Day – Again

One year ago on this day, I blogged about how January 24th was found to be the most depressing day of the year:


Misery is expected to peak on Monday, as 24 January has been pinpointed as the worst day of the year.

January has been long regarded as the darkest of months, but a formula from a part-time tutor at Cardiff University shows it gets even worse this Monday.

Foul weather, debt, fading Christmas memories, failed resolutions and a lack of motivation conspire to depress, Cliff Arnalls found.

A year later, I think it’s still true. The weather has been foul, and my motivation is zilch, although debt, Christmas memories, and failed resolutions are not the source of my sour mood today. What about all of you? Is this ‘worst day of the year’ stuff correct, or just sham science?

I just noticed that last year, the 24th fell on a Monday. I wonder if this has any bearing on the topic at hand? Are Mondays worse than Tuesdays? Better?

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Wuh Oh!

whitemaleconsumer.com (visitor statistics for this month)
Top 30 of 54 Total Domains

# // Hits (%) // Files (%) // KBytes (%) // Country

13 // 74(.25%) // 51(.26%) // 81(.02%) // US Military

24 // 26(.09%) // 26(.13%) // 42(.01%) // US Government

Better get the paper shredder ready.

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You Thought MINIs Were Small..

Check out these “microcar” videos at the Microcar Museum website. Really entertaining 8mm and 16mm films of these little ‘Peel’ things.

After looking around the site, I really want to visit this museum now!

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Blonde Joke

I’m not one for blonde jokes, but this one courtesy of Bakshi just takes the cake. A must read.

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