The Coughing Dog

From the archives: Client 9 and Phil Went Skiing

2012-01-11T15:43:00.000-05:00

During the early fall, Client 9 and I decided to take a ski trip. Not one where we'd fly in some where, ski and fly out. And certainly not one within driving distance of our home bases on the East coast. We flew into Denver, rented the biggest car they had and set off. This is our trip.

Special thanks to Kinsman, Stevan, the Prospector's Hotel, the desert and Will for putting us up along the way and to Snipes, Nate, Katherine and Will for joining us for pieces along the way. It was memorable.

From the archives: What is this Russia?

2012-01-11T11:33:00.000-05:00

TCD's baseball beat writers typically cover the Yanks and Sox. Our Mets guy quit in 2008. It's not often we talk about the Cubs - and this video isn't really about the Cubs at all anyway - but in the spirit of introducing diversified baseball coverage we give you a typical Cubs fan.

Opening Day: The Cubs biggest fan from WBEZ on Vimeo.

Unreal haircut...

2012-01-11T10:08:00.002-05:00

And he owns a football team!

From the archives: Distinguished Middle School Dance Songs

2012-01-11T10:03:00.000-05:00

Last week, while I was doing a little grocery shopping, I picked up on Chris De Burgh’s “Lady in Red” playing in the background. I grinned with amusement as it took me back to those semi-awkward, fully sober, Middle School dance days. I began to think of some of the prime slow dance songs from back in the day and recalled a few good ones:

Chris De Burgh - Lady In Red: The inspiration for this post. Not a nice guy - check out "personal life" on his Wikipedia page. What a dick.

Boys II Men - Bended Knee: Pretty much the gold standard for slow jams at the time. Now usually heard at the NH State Liquor Store.

Richard Marx - Endless Summer Nights: More of a feel good 80s song but I bet this was played at least once at a dance.

Bon Jovi - Always: This song wins the Cal Ripken award. Played at every single dance.

Bryan Adams - (Everything I do) I do it for you: Really cheap song.

Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven: No comment necessary other than your night is over after this.

Any others? Let us know...

From the archives: TCD Friend Griffin Post Living the Dream

2012-01-11T10:02:00.001-05:00

Pillows and 'Pow in Jackson...

From the archives: Weekend Inspiration

2012-01-11T10:02:00.000-05:00

From the archives: Thursday Night Sweet Tune/80s Shredding Inspiration

2012-01-11T10:01:00.000-05:00

I thank Frankie Ford each morning for this song and George Lopez each viewing for his cameo in this movie.

From the archives: Deconstructing the standard news segment

2012-01-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

From the archives: Jobs

2012-01-11T09:56:00.001-05:00

From friend of TCD, Manny.

From the archives (but still relevant): Health Briefing

2012-01-11T09:56:00.000-05:00

The key takeaway from the health briefing about my upcoming school-sponsored Asian adventure.

From the archives: Ridiculous Sick Nasty Hockey Goal

2012-01-11T09:55:00.000-05:00

For serious. Top dog on the drop.

From the archives: What lurks beneath

2012-01-11T09:54:00.000-05:00

New York Harbor holds some deep dark secrets. New York mag dug a bit deeper into them this week with an online feature detailing the bizarre, valuable, scary and ugly.

Check out the whole article here, and some highlights below...

3. A 10,500-Mile Gas Main
That groove on the riverbed is a pair of 24-inch gas mains, laid down in the fifties, that—believe it or not—constitute the business end of a network of pipes that runs all the way from the Gulf of Mexico. (Gas takes roughly a week to make the trip.) This pipeline and another at 134th Street supplied 367 billion cubic feet of gas last year—about half of what we used. Since 9/11, the points where it comes ashore have been patrolled daily.

14. A Piano and a Dead Giraffe
The Army Corps of Engineers, charged with the task of scooping up floating debris, once fished out a grand piano. Another time, they found the corpse of a giraffe that had fled a circus.

23. 1,600 Bars of Silver, Weighing 100 Pounds Apiece
In 1903, a barge in the Arthur Kill—the oily, mucky arm of the harbor between Staten Island and New Jersey—capsized, spilling its cargo of silver ingots. It carried 7,678 bars; about 6,000 were recovered soon after. The rest are still down there. At today’s prices, they’re worth about $26 million. Every now and then, someone tries to find them. So far, no luck.

From the archives: NFL All-Criminal Offensive and Defensive Lineups

2012-01-11T09:53:00.000-05:00

The fine folks at Infojocks put these two graphics together, you can find full-size versions by clicking here.

From the archives: Don't Ever Give Up

2012-01-11T09:52:00.000-05:00

I won't be posting a lot of serious content on thecoughingdog but after watching the Georgetown game on ESPN tonight, they replayed Jim Valvano's memorable speech from the 1993 ESPY Awards. Sick with bone cancer and noticeably exhausted, Jimmy V spoke of the need to live life with emotion and the importance of making each day a "full day." Jimmy V died 8 weeks after this classically inspiring speech.

From the archives: Native American Style

2012-01-11T09:51:00.000-05:00

Jared Allen is a sweet dude. Watch him kill this Elk with a spear. I wish this savage played for the Patriots.

From the archives: It is cold but nobody really cares

2012-01-11T09:50:00.000-05:00

Well done, Matt and Kim.

From the list of 'things we should have all seen coming'...

2012-01-11T09:49:00.000-05:00

It turns out there's no profit to be made from pouring sand into the ocean.

Now that the boom has gone bust, both in Dubai and in the United States, Dubai is stuck with a glut of real estate that no one wants to buy or rent. Creditors and markets had always assumed that when push came to shove, its oil-rich neighbor Abu Dhabi would bail out Dubai. But that assumption was called into question this week, and the resulting fear that Dubai might not be able to pay its bills sent a wave of uncertainty rippling through markets just as investors thought the worst of the global financial instability was over.

Read the full article here if you want deeper anxiety about the global economic crisis:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/28/business/global/28dubai.html?hp

From the archives: ULTIMATE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL ON WHEELS | THE 1970’s VAN CUSTOMIZATION CRAZE

2012-01-11T09:48:00.000-05:00

This blog is outstanding...some of the funniest/best photos of 70s era vans. Go to it...

http://theselvedgeyard.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/ultimate-rock-n-roll-on-wheels-the-1970s-van-customization-craze/

Here's a sample...

From the archives: Free Tunes For Your Manic Monday

2012-01-11T09:47:00.000-05:00

Nothing says "suck" like the Monday following the Superbowl. Fortunately the dudes at The Hood Internet have salvaged the day for us with their Mixtape Volume Five. I've posted a few individual hood tracks on here before, but this one is roughly an hour of continuous good times with hip hop/indie fusion. Enjoy and download here.

The Drake x Birdman x Delorean track is my favorite so far.

From the archives: No Mas Presents: Dock Ellis & The LSD No-No by James Blagden

2012-01-11T09:46:00.000-05:00

This video is nuts! It depicts the day that Dock Ellis threw a no hitter with a head full of acid.

Mandatory golf equipment

2011-06-01T12:47:00.002-04:00

This is something that I will be trying to pick up. Beers just do not stay cold in the golf bag, but now our problems are solved! I can hear C9 calling in the order now. Great production quality here too:

JC Penney does not give a F

2011-05-26T16:04:00.003-04:00

This JC Penney ad is taken from the Lowell Sun. Yes, I seriously typed that.

I'm not making this up.

We All Make Mistakes...

2011-05-25T11:49:00.004-04:00

Some bigger than others.

Still looking? Look at what should be, "University."

Jaydiohead + Subvoyant

2011-05-22T11:00:00.000-04:00

The Hood Internet does XX w/ Freddie Gibbs, Elizabeth Harper and Telli

2011-05-18T22:32:00.003-04:00

Look for a new album with original work dropping soon...

The Hood Internet - VCR (feat Freddie Gibbs, Telli of Ninjasonik, Elizabeth Harper of Class Actress) by gsw

Swiss Air

2011-05-18T14:31:00.003-04:00

This past weekend 51 year-old Swiss adventurer Yves Rossy became the first dude (or dudette) to jet-pack over the Grand Canyon. Apparently the flight, originally scheduled for Friday (the 13th I might add), happened Saturday because Friday was deemed too "risky." Apparently human flight over the Grand Canyon became less risky overnight, and Rossy boarded a chopper from which he launched out of in his jet pack and flew for about 8 minutes. Overly edited Breitling-sponsored video here.

A film about the simplest of life's pleasures

2011-05-17T19:12:00.003-04:00

And some bonus footage about the simplest of life's clothing options.

The old hidden ball trick

2011-05-16T14:38:00.003-04:00

60% of the time, it works every time:

When keeping it real goes wrong

2011-05-13T12:55:00.005-04:00

Stan Grossfeld/The Boston Globe

Eric Torpy asked an Oklahoma District Judge for a sentence of 33 years, rather than the 30 that the judge was prepared to give him for armed robbery and two counts of shooting with intent to kill. The judge gladly gave him another three years to honor the request. Why did Torpy (that's really his last name) want 33 years instead of the original 30? His favorite basketball player growing was Larry Legend, and Torpy wanted to honor him by getting his sentence increased to 33 years. Torpy keeps it real.

Read the full article here.

The Great Flushing Heist

2011-05-12T12:01:00.000-04:00

Former Los Mets equipment manager Charlie Samuels has been charged with stealing $2.4 million worth of Mets memorabilia during his 30+ year tenure as clubhouse manager. For a franchise that has exactly one highlight since Samuels began working for the club in 1976, this begs the question of exactly how big was his haul? Allegedly the 1986 World Series jersey he walked out with is only worth $7,500. Did he steal the entire locker room? Did he kidnap Bobby Bonilla? Is he hiding Shea Stadium somewhere? NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly put it aptly when he said, "this is a case of the equipment manager leading the National League in steals." Take that Jose Reyes.

For more on the story, check out the Daily News.

Thanks to Daily Tailgate for the pic

The Bluest Water I'd Ever Seen

2011-05-11T23:53:00.000-04:00

New track and video from Teen Daze

Teen Daze - The Bluest Water I'd Ever Seen from teen daze on Vimeo.

Restaurants Choose Their Customers

2011-05-11T12:09:00.000-04:00

An interesting little article highlights the fact that restaurants are consciously trying to pick their customers.

Who do they want? Smaller parties.

Apparently the average spend per diner is higher for smaller groups and the average time at the table is shorter.

It's pretty intuitive, but I hadn't thought about it before.

Cool...Seinfeld puts all of his standup online

2011-05-06T13:44:00.001-04:00

From Mashable:

Jerry Seinfeld has launched a website, which serves as a warehouse for pretty much everything he’s ever performed.

JerrySeinfeld.com went live Friday morning with three short comedy clips — “The Fattest Man in the World” from The Tonight Show in 1981, “Do the Horses Know They’re Racing?” from a 1988 HBO special and “No Room in the Newspaper” from The Tonight Show in 1990.

The site is taking an unusual approach to offering the content by running just three new clips per day. The clips, which range from 30 seconds to two minutes, will be available for only 24 hours and then will be replaced with three new ones.

On the site, Seinfeld explains he’s offering the site to young would-be comedians. “Somewhere out there are 10-year-olds just waiting to get hooked on this strange pursuit,” he writes. “This is for them.”

Seinfeld’s straight-to-the-fans media model comes after Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park launched South Park Digital Studios, a joint venture between the two and Comedy Central in 2007 that made all their work available online. Meanwhile, the model of treating comedy bits like songs by cutting them into bite-sized digital pieces has been employed by Sirius XM’s various comedy channels for some time. And just this week, Pandora also added 10,000 such bits to its libraries.

Happy Fridis

2011-05-06T00:18:00.001-04:00

Edwin van Cleef - Lisztomania (feat. Jane Elizabeth Hanley) by Edwin van Cleef

Rest In Peace Maggie

2011-05-05T11:35:00.000-04:00

We had to put our dog Maggie to sleep on Monday night. I've been a mess ever since - can't believe how much I loved that dog. In her honor, here's a re-post of the canine commandments. I'm so thankful I read this before her death because it really struck a chord for me and I spent the last weeks of her life saying a proper goodbye. We always honored the commandments, but we really honored 8, 9 and 10 in the last few weeks.

History will NOT Repeat Itself

2011-05-05T08:49:00.002-04:00

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the Bruins are to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. This is because of goaltending. All good teams that make deep runs into the playoffs have solid goaltending. The Bruins are solid in that area, the Flyers are not.

Check out these stats:

Game 1
Boucher (PHI): 18 saves, 5 GA, .783 SV%
Bobrovsky (PHI): 8 saves, 2 GA, .800 SV%
Thomas (BOS): 31 saves, 3 GA, .912 SV%

Game 2
Boucher (PHI): 32 saves, 3 GA, .914 SV%
Bobrovsky (PHI): 6 saves, 0 GA, 1.000 SV%
Thomas (BOS): 52 saves, 2 GA, .963 SV%

Game 3
Boucher (PHI): 16 saves, 4 GA, .800 SV%
Bobrovsky (PHI): 7 saves, 1 GA, .800 SV%
Thomas (BOS): 37 saves, 1 GA, .974 SV%

Philly is so weak on goaltending at the moment that they have a "goalie by committee," where Boucher usually starts (Bobrovsky will probably get the start tomorrow) and then when he lets in too many goals, they put in Bobrovsky. But as you can see, neither goalie is playing at the level that Thomas is playing at, which is a big part of the Bruins' success in this series. Thomas has more saves (120) than both Philly goalies combined (87) and his save percentage has been climbing despite the .912% he posted in game one.

If this trend continues for the Flyers in the crease, expect to see the Flyers on the tee in the greater Philly area.

Biggest backpeddle

2011-04-29T08:06:00.002-04:00

Members of backcountry.com's list serve received an email that began like this last evening:

We messed up. Yesterday, as the people of Alabama dealt with the devastating aftermath of an intensely damaging and life-taking tornado, we neglected to put a stop to the distribution of an email with the header: "Mother Nature hates you. Deal with it." This was extremely insensitive and offensive, and we are so sorry.

The tornadoes that ravaged the South are absolutely no laughing matter, but atrocious timing and a complete lack of control of email marketing on the behalf of a respected online retailer is. Write that down.

Classic Sugarloaf

2011-04-28T15:42:00.003-04:00

My Buddy's uncle is a ski patroller up at Sugarloaf. Below is his patrol report from his final patrol of the year last Saturday.

Missed a good one Saturday! Winds went to 70 at times, icy as hell, after picking up about a 90 foot debris field on Candyside from a dead birch that could have killed someone, I pulled a woman out of the woods off of King's with about 150 of rope - she got blown off the trail, woods were all ice. Blockhead (another patroller) had another who had taken snowboard off, wind started to blow it off Hayburner, she went for it and went about 200 feet on the ice in the glade bouncing off of trees - possible tibial plateau and a shoulder. So the lifts all went except for 3t - they decided to run a cat for the 40 people skiing. Tote road was still a giant sheet of ice, a 30 mph side slip if you wanted. Finally mother nature thankfully finished us off in style with some lightening - closed 3:15.

So possible final run of the season for sweep- Gondi from crosscut. Wind 50 blowing straight down the trail, visibility when there was some, 30', full pack on. Pushing off from spillway crosscut, could not see the end of the ice sheet as it disappeared into the fog and blowing snow, it felt like jumping off a bridge into a cloud not knowing what is below.

At the base, about twenty cars in the lots, trees leaning over, branches snapping, wind screaming - couldn't go home fast enough.

For those of you unfamiliar with Sugarloaf, the weather could be impeccable where you are and just downright shitty up there. Lots of wind. Lots of ice. Lots of flat light. I still love the place.

The Case of the Missing Puck

2011-04-28T15:17:00.003-04:00

AP Photo/Mel Evans

The puck that scored Patrick Kane's game winner for the Hawks in the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals is missing. Nobody knows where it is. The CEO of Harry Caray's restaurants has offered a $50K reward for it. The FBI even got involved. These are the facts. This is the story.

Thanks to Big Kat for the content.

Social Media Empowers Everyone, Unfortunately

2011-04-28T09:39:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Big Slim for the content here. Read through the "The Best Obnoxious Responses to Misspellings on Facebook," there are some great ones. My favorite is below:

Full post here.

Flava Flav's Chicken Joint Shuts Down

2011-04-25T21:56:00.003-04:00

Well damn. The man I had really come to admire, the man who embodies the American Dream, the man who still, at the tender age of 52, wears a giant clock around his neck is shuttering his fried chicken restaurant after only 4 months.

The joint (as I'm referring to it) was opened in Iowa with "a business partner he met through a connection in Las Vegas." Shit, if Flava Flav and some unnamed person from Vegas (who hangs out with Flava Flav) can't successfully open a restaurant in America's heartland then what hope do any small business owners have?

Anyway, according to Flava, his chicken "ain't no joke." And he brags you could compare it to KFC any day. Too bad then, if it came in a giant bucket with crippling diarrhea and a triple bypass on the side, then he's right, who could have told the difference?

Great Article: Walking the Fairways with Fowler

2011-04-22T14:41:00.002-04:00

22 yr-old PGA pro Ricky Fowler is showing some real maturity not only on the golf course but also by embracing his role as a role model. Read the article below on his latest work with the Caddy for a Cure organization.

Russ Holden

PGA TOUR Charities: Walking the Fairways with Fowler

Speaking of getting crushed

2011-04-21T14:03:00.003-04:00

These refs are pretty epic:

Fine line

2011-04-21T09:01:00.000-04:00

At first I was disappointed in the NHL for fining and suspending Steve Downie for his hit on Ben Lovejoy while not suspending Raffi Torres (who had just returned from a lengthy suspension for a prior incident) for his hit on Brent Seabrook. But then I realized I hate the Pens (Lovejoy's team) and like the Hawks (Seabrook's team) and just wanted Downie's hit to be deemed legal as some sort of shot at the Pens. In retrospect, however, Downie clearly leaves his feet after carrying significant speed into his hit, while Torres coasts into his brutalization of Seabrook. As in all sports, the NHL is seeking to crack down significantly on concussions and thus hits to the head. But hockey cannot, should not, and will not be deprived of dude's who skate with their heads down getting crushed.

Anyway, have a look for yourself. Both pretty savage. Downie first, Torres second.

Free Curren$y

2011-04-20T23:42:00.003-04:00

Not cash but a free EP from the New Orleans rapper. A nice way to end your April 20th. Stream and download here.

Quote of the day

2011-04-20T15:50:00.001-04:00

"The Black Eyed Peas are launching a music academy, which reminds me that I need to start my Navajo-language veterinary school."

- Bridger Winegar

Nice try though

2011-04-20T12:57:00.002-04:00

In an attempt to overshadow the fact that there still might not be a season come September, the NFL is hawking these sweet scheduling graphics depicting the air travel of your favorite team. With the exception of a cross country, almost cross country and two mid country trips, the New York Football Giants have a pretty East Coast centric schedule. Tasty TCD matchups vs. the Pats Sunday November 6.

D Rose had an ok season

2011-04-20T09:36:00.001-04:00

More of the NBA on the take

2011-04-19T12:28:00.003-04:00

We all remember the Tim Donaghy scandal a few years ago, but anyone who has watched an NBA game within the last year or two (especially a playoff game) has seen their share of strange calls.

Unfortunately for the Mavs, Danny Crawford is officiating their game tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers. Why is this unfortunate? The Mavs are 2-16 in playoff games officiated by Crawford. Eight of those 16 games were lost by 10 points or less (5 of those 8 were games lost by 3 points or less).

Read the full article here. Not that I care about the Mavs, but I do watch the NBA and this really makes you wonder. If you've ever watched a C's game on Comcast Sportsnet, you know that Heinsohn feels the same way.

50 ugliest cars of the past 50 years

2011-04-19T11:57:00.001-04:00

Somehow Crash's did not make the list. A sampling of those that did is below.

The Red Sox

2011-04-18T00:14:00.001-04:00

This time is different

2011-04-17T21:46:00.003-04:00

"We're living under double-digit inflation, huge balance-of-trade deficits, and a serious energy problem. The current action of both the bond market and equity market bear me out."

Excerpted from a Business Week article originally published on August 13, 1979. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Possibly the worst item for sale on Craigslist today

2011-04-15T14:49:00.004-04:00

http://boston.craigslist.org/nwb/pet/2326963431.html

Just weaned rats (NH)

Date: 2011-04-15, 1:27PM EDT
Reply to: comm-4vpjk-2326963431@craigslist.org ^{[Errors when replying to ads?]}

I have a bunch or ratties ready to go hairless,rex,dumbo rex dumbos normals and others
priced from $3-$15 ea looking for something special please ask for more info please email pics are available

Location: NH
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

A friend of a friend -- Cullen Winkler | See.Me

2011-04-15T13:48:00.000-04:00

A friend of a friend of TCD is in an art contest with other NYC artists and needs some votes. Help him out by clicking the link below which will take you to his portfolio where you can vote:

Cullen Winkler | See.Me

KC at its Finest

2011-04-15T10:40:00.000-04:00

Friday

2011-04-15T10:02:00.001-04:00

Reblogged from yeahimashley.tumblr.com

Tragedy Averted For Local Youth

2011-04-14T14:52:00.006-04:00

We typically don't post stories with this serious of subject matter, but this one really hit home.

Brockton, MA (AP) - A seven year old boy was at the center of a Brockton
courtroom drama yesterday when he challenged a court ruling over who should have custody of him. The boy has a history of being beaten by his parents and the judge initially awarded custody to his aunt, in keeping with child custody law and regulations requiring that family unity be maintained to the degree possible.

The boy surprised the court when he proclaimed that his aunt beat him more than his parents and he adamantly refused to live with her. When the judge suggested that he live with his grandparents, the boy cried out that they also beat him. After considering the remainder of the immediate family and learning that domestic violence was apparently a way of life among them, the judge took custody of him.

After two recesses to check legal references and confer with child welfare officials, the judge granted temporary custody to the Boston Red Sox, whom the boy firmly believes are not capable of beating anyone.

Thank you to KO for sending this along.

It's gone too fat...I mean far

2011-04-14T13:52:00.003-04:00

As read on Connecticut's THE HOUR online

BROOKFIELD (AP) -- A panel of arbitrators will recommend in June whether a Brookfield High School math teacher should be fired for asking an overweight student if he ate his homework.

Wonder if this exact kind of thing happened with the math teacher at Crested Butte Academy in the latter half of the last decade?

The rest of the article makes this dude out to be a complete a-hole - he is batting over .500 (18/32) for his career in terms of annual reported inappropriate incidents - but it is kind of amusing when the teacher flips the oldest homework excuse in the book on the student.

The Best Kind of Palsy

2011-04-14T10:33:00.003-04:00

During one of the many snowstorms in the Northeast last winter, I hurt my wrist while trying to get my car out of the driveway. It has gotten a lot better since then but when I try to put weight on it while it's bent, it hurts a little bit. So the other day, I went to WebMD to see if I could diagnose the issue (which I am sure is just a mild sprain, but I wanted to see if there were other possibilities).

One of the possible conditions that came up was "Saturday Night Palsy." I had never heard of this term before but it sounded pretty awesome. Clearly, there is nothing funny about palsy, which is essentially paralysis of a body part, but there HAD to be something cool about SNP. WebMD would not go into specifics on what SNP actually is (probably because it was coined in the basement of an off-campus house in a college town), so I had to dig a little deeper. After entering SNP into the Google machine, I found this definition, "The term Saturday Night Palsy refers to nerve damage that can occur if a drunk person falls asleep with the back of their arms compressed by a bar edge, bench back, or like object." I think it's safe to say that we've all been there.

MTA's best

2011-04-14T09:07:00.000-04:00

Official "conductor" hairdo

If that's right, I don't want to be wrong

Elm City sunset

Lightning Strikes!

2011-04-13T20:44:00.004-04:00

A strong thunderstorm rolled through NYC last night and someone was able to capture the Empire State Building get struck by lightning three times.

The Honey Badger

2011-04-13T18:31:00.002-04:00

Please watch the first 30 seconds of this:

Now watch all of this:

World's biggest aircraft

2011-04-13T14:00:00.000-04:00

Hughes H-4 Hercules
Airbus A380
Boeing 747-8
Antonov An-225

Opiuo "Robo Booty" - I dare you not to get down

2011-04-13T13:31:00.001-04:00

Wow...the original version I posted had a few VERY questionable moments. Safe for work, home and kids below.

Preemptive Caption Contest Winner

2011-04-13T11:45:00.000-04:00

Strange photo from The Atlantic's In Focus Signs of Spring photo essay, but the caption really brings it home:
"A Canada goose nests in an urn as a deer keeps a watchful eye at Forest Lawn cemetery in Buffalo, New York April 8, 2011. For at least four days, the buck stood guard near the nest of the goose as she sat on her eggs inside a large urn at the cemetery, home to the remains of President Millard Fillmore and rock icon Rick James."

Rick James, bitch!

Seriously, bro?

2011-04-13T08:52:00.000-04:00

TCD staff conference calls

2011-04-12T11:18:00.000-04:00

Exhibit similar tension, often about the same topic...

Land ho!

2011-04-11T22:22:00.007-04:00

On the Great Circle route of the North Atlantic - the preferred course of air and sea travel between the East coast of North America and Europe - sits a narrow sandbar 26 miles long. Sable Island is located 150 miles off the Nova Scotia coast at the edge of the Continental Shelf and breaks sea level in the shallows of the northern Atlantic brought to surface by the confluence of the warm Gulstream current and the cold Labrador current and some funky underwater geology.

With the exception of a weather station, some lighthouses, a select few scientists, a herd of wild horses and a continent's worth of shipwrecks, there's not much else on Sable. I've always been fascinated by this spit of sand, so it was a special moment when I flew over it at sunset Thursday night. The crappy iPhone photos don't do the remote beauty of the place any justice, but it's a cool site to behold if you have occasion to pass by or over it.

PS - American Airlines sucks

Quote of the day

2011-04-08T15:22:00.000-04:00

"'Aaeeeyyy! Wrongamundo! Give me your money!' - Fonzie Scheme"

- Samuel Littenberg-Weisberg

New Beastie Boys - (double click to watch full screen)

2011-04-08T13:27:00.006-04:00

Wow - Ad Rock, MCA and Mike D are back ... with an all-start cast of clowns to promote their new album ...

Left Field Pics

2011-04-08T10:29:00.008-04:00

These are completely out of left field but funny at the same time:

Plenty more at the Chive here.

Solar Cheaper Than Coal in 2 Years - Then What?

2011-04-07T11:41:00.000-04:00

Fast Company posted yesterday that Solar power is projected to equal Coal power in terms of costs* by 2013. At that point, in a sane world, we would not install another Megawatt (MW) of Coal power. Yes, we still need Coal for back-up and consistency (solar is not a reliable 24/7 power source), but you'd have that in place with the now redundant coal plants as we install more and more solar power. I think this is actually already happening in California, and I'd be shocked if California ever built another coal power plant.

But will it spread to the fly-over states, the ones that don't believe Global Warming is real, the ones that have major coal-mining industries, and the entrenched business and union interests that go along with them? I'm not so sure.

This is where our innate resistance to change collides with a Pareto Optimality. We'll be able to get incredibly clean power on the cheap, save the environment, save lives, save money, and we'll come up with a bunch of excuses why we shouldn't do it. I'm sure the Koch Brothers will play a role in convincing the public that solar power isn't a good alternative to coal, not even when it's cheaper.

As a reminder, courtesy of Seth Godin, here's how many lives Coal power costs us relative to other energy sources.

*The caveats are that it is equal if you're a big, West coast utility that can by solar panels at volume and can install them in an area with ample sun.

2011 Masters Preview

2011-04-06T20:00:00.007-04:00

For as long as I've been a fan of the game of golf, I think I've held The Masters as my favorite sporting event of the year. The purity, magnitude and tradition, along with the confirmation that Spring has arrived, make The Masters the greatest golf tournament in the world. The 75th playing of The Masters (and 26th year of Jim Nantz covering it) will undoubtedly be compelling as the green jacket and the #1 world golf ranking are both up for grabs. And while Spring could bring the rebirth of Tiger's winning ways, there are young careers that could blossom right before our eyes with a Masters win. Without further embarrassing myself with shitty puns, I'll give you my 2011 Masters contenders:

Favorites:

Phil Mickelson: Not a whole lot to say here. Clearly likes the course as evident by his 3 jackets. Hits the long and high drives, putts well and has perfected the "I appear carefree but am totally locked in and kind of a dickhead," look

Lee Westwood: "Westy" as his mates call him, has played very well in recent majors and has had success in Augusta with a runner up finish last year. Laser focus and a big game make him one of the favorites. Looks like Kevin Youkilis.

Nick Watney: This may come as a surprise to a few people but I truly think Watney can win his first major here. 5 top 10's this year along with two rounds in the 60's last year makes me feel good about his chances. Much better at his job than his cousin hers.

In the Hunt:

Matt Kuchar: Former Masters low amateur, Georgia native and overall chill dude, Kuchar has a great shot to be wearing Sunday green. I thought he was the best player on tour last year and he has 6 top 10s this year. One of my favorite players on tour, I'd love for Kuch to get loose out there.

Bubba Watson: Another one of the good guys, Watson absolutely blasts drives, has a nice putting touch and is confident to hit any type of shot. The lefty reminds me a lot of Phil, except Bubba seems like a genuinely nice guy.

Graeme McDowell: I'm not sure if G-Mac was player of the year last year but I hope to hell he was. Was truly impressive winning the US Open and made a crucial putt to win the 2010 Ryder Cup for the Europeans. An avid tweeter and pint swiller, G-Mac will be good for a few good twitpics regardless of the outcome.

Tiger Woods: Always a threat to win the tournament. No personality. His balls tend to stray in to hazards.

Sleepers

Freddie Couples: More of a legit contender, Freddie can easily shoot a round or two in the 60s. The major question: his back. The not-major question: his level of chillness. Best looking swing in the tournament.

Ryan Moore: Another dude from the Pac. Northwest, Moore has two top 15's in 3 starts at Augusta, a storied amateur career and sartorially pays tribute to Master's past. You can tell that he holds this event on a pedestal and would look great rocking a madras tie with his green jacket.

There you have it, friends. As always, feel free to share your take on the tournament. Enjoy the weekend whether you'll be watching or not.

Photo from masters.org

Everybody IS working for the weekend

2011-04-06T12:33:00.003-04:00

Farley and Bodhi absolutely crush it here. Check out Meyers right after Farley rips the shirt off, the dude is trying SO hard not to laugh.

This sounds familiar

2011-04-06T11:32:00.006-04:00

A description of recent revelry on UConn's campus following the school's NC2A hoops championship, courtesy of ESPN.com...

Police said one car was flipped and a couple of fires were started in dumpsters. A couch was set on fire and a car was overturned at an off-campus apartment complex. State police say a crowd of 200 or so had gathered, and some were throwing bottles at troopers. Dogs were used to disperse the crowd.

Good people of New England, we've seen an April couch fire related to an intercollegiate athletic victory before. 83.5 Harpswell Road? April 2005?

Nefarious characters abound in this shot. Is someone wearing a Charlotte Hornets jersey? Orange Crush obviously making an appearance. Seeds, are those goggles? Pam Cakes, take off my Sydney sweatshirt. And, most importantly, is that T-Mac's wife on the phone in the extreme right?

Aftermath showed up, too.

Skip to my ace

2011-04-05T23:25:00.003-04:00

I see your Lefty between-the-trees Master's shot, and raise you Vijay's across the water.

And, no, I can't explain what happens on the first dude's attempt. Does it hit a rock? Have some ridiculous English on it? The last dude makes the right move by not even trying.

Is there anything more frustrating than how long CBS makes you wait for this?

2011-04-05T09:52:00.003-04:00

Yes. When they make you wait a half hour for One Shining Moment only to have Jennifer Hudson singing instead of silky smooth Luther Vandross. At least they brought the Vandross version back this year. Anyway, behold what is undoubtedly the best sports montage.

I wonder if Nantz is in Augusta yet?

PUTS down under...

2011-04-04T06:07:00.004-04:00

Summers coming, kick it off with some People Under the Stairs coming from Aus -- drinking lots of Coopers beers...

Sunday Night

2011-04-03T17:02:00.000-04:00

Thank you to Benjamin for the heads up on this.

Easily Amused

2011-04-01T13:38:00.006-04:00

Hipmunk's Pedestrian Guide To US Cities

2011-04-01T11:34:00.000-04:00

All looks right to me.

From the Hipmunk blog.

Great travel site too.

Hunter S. Thompson Interviews Keith Richards

2011-03-31T20:48:00.001-04:00

Just as you might expect...

Check part II and a little more background here.

Panic City

2011-03-30T15:32:00.005-04:00

OK, I borrowed some more material from barstool.com, who borrowed it from Daily Mail (so I don't know if this is at all true or not). Anyway, an 8 ft. wide, 300 lb sting ray jumped out of the water and landed on a woman who was on a sightseeing boat off the Florida Keys. Apparently these eagle rays jump out of the water to try to shake off parasitic fish that cling to them, and they can get 20' above the surface, but I guess they always jump twice. Jenny Hausch caught a big one on the second jump; it knocked her clear to the deck and pinned her down. The fish (I assume it's a fish) was flailing around on top of her while trying to get back into the water, two crewmen had to lift the thing off.

That is the definition of a panic attack. Imagine if that happened to you? You go down to the Keys and charter a boat to check out the marine life and get some sun, and then you get a 300 lb. sting ray in your lap.

You can't help but think of what happened to Steve Irwin in this situation. That barb in the above picture is deadly. Ms. Hausch is lucky to be alive.

Gentrification & White Flight Explained

2011-03-30T11:47:00.001-04:00

A brilliant cartoon from tom Toles, way back in 1998. See full-size image on Flickr

HT: Yglesias

Come out come out wherever you are

2011-03-30T10:05:00.002-04:00

Remember way back in 2010 when a HUGE deal was made about census participation? Results may seem dubious, but methods seriously suspect.

NYC? Despite setting a record for its population, the Big Apple feels under counted. So New York.

Nationally, the neon sign outside check-in blazes VACANCY at (mostly secondary) homes all over this land. Overall, 13% of US homes are vacant, with the states of Vermont (20.5%), Florida (17.5%), Arizona (16.3%) and Alaska (15.9%) propping up that average.

Crushingly for TCD, Maine lead all states with a vacancy rate of 22.8%. However, that figure is misleading, as are many in the final results. The census lumps together second/summer/ski/beach homes with all others, including homes that have been sold but not occupied, empty homes for sale or rent, and homes used by migrant workers. Basically, anything other than a primary residence is considered vacant and thus counted in the same way, regardless of the difference between a foreclosed property and one that simply isn't someone's permanent residence.

When the second home phenomenon is adjusted for, Maine is reasonably on par with the least vacant state (Connecticut at 6.1%) at 7% vacancy. The left tail is comprised of California, Iowa, Illinois, Virginia and Washington, all at 9.2% or lower.

Interesting article on it all here. And if you think Maine has it bad, check out the story from a little place called Asssssspen.

We all know Tiki Barber is making a comeback

2011-03-30T07:55:00.001-04:00

This is why it's not with the New York Football Giants.

Good riddance.

Metric System Adoption Approaches 100%

2011-03-29T11:48:00.001-04:00

Only a few backwards countries are still holding out (3 according to this map).

Click the map for a bigger version, though I think you get the point.

Lefty

2011-03-29T09:18:00.004-04:00

With The Masters right around the corner, I thought I'd post on Mickelson's 2010 victory. Lefty has owned Augusta as of late; we all remember his first win in 2004 (and the scene at J.R. Maxwells), but his win last year was something else. He shot a 67 on Sunday to give him -16 over the tournament, and pulled off one of the best shots in Masters history from the pine needles on 13.

Hong Dong cha ching

2011-03-29T07:34:00.000-04:00

Pictured below is Big Splash, or "Hong Dong" (Chinese name). The tibetan mastiff sold for 1.5 million United States of America dolla dolla billz (or 10 million Chinese yuan) at auction in Qingdao, China. TCD loves dogs, but $1.5 mill is is not a cheap chow, even for a pup that fetches 150 c-notes for a hump sess. In technical terms, that means it can fetch a $15,000 stud fee.

Novak Raises A Good Point

2011-03-28T23:57:00.004-04:00

Doubles tennis gets next to no love in terms of TV time, but some of the most entertaining points can be found in doubles matches. Check out this point from over the weekend in Key Biscayne. This adds a little bit of love to my love/hate opinion on Djokovic.

The Brothers Munson Pull a "Bait and Switch"

2011-03-28T12:21:00.002-04:00

Jose Canseco was supposed to fight in a celebrity boxing match over the weekend, only he didn't show. Instead, he sent his twin brother Ozzie to the match. Fans cracked the code by pointing out differences in the tattoos on the fake Canseco.

Apparently Ozzie has filled in for Jose at autograph signings and things like that, but this is the first time that Ozzie has ever tried to fight in his brother's place.

I have two questions:

1.) Typically, a bait and switch is when an inferior product is being advertised as the real thing. In the case of the Canseco brothers, isn't this pretty much a draw?

2.) What kind of life are you living when you can spot different tattoos on an imposing Canseco?

Not Too Much To Ask From Man's Best Friend

2011-03-28T11:47:00.001-04:00

We are dog lovers here at The Coughing Dog (it's right there in the name after all). This list is very sensible and a great reminder that if you're a dog owner, you've signed up for a lot of responsibility, but it's definitely worth it.

From the Cool Dogs tumblr feed.

Infographic of the day: Death rate per watts produced

2011-03-28T09:11:00.003-04:00

Take a look at this. As the media tries their darndest to make us panic about Nuclear fallout all over the globe (cue Fox 25 news last night "how much radiation is in Boston's water?! Watch tonight at 11.") the reality is that there are much deadlier forms of energy out there. The chart below, courtesy of The Atlantic (via Bill Doyle), shows the death rates per watts produced. Ummm...

A little more color: "Seth Godin puts nuclear power's danger in perspective. He notes that for "every person killed by nuclear power generation, 4,000 die due to coal, adjusted for the same amount of power produced"

Caption Contest

2011-03-28T00:54:00.006-04:00

Winner gets a regular Anna's burrito and a low five from me.

Planet Firsts

2011-03-27T22:47:00.002-04:00

Big Wave and I were watching some Planet Earth Sunday night - Mountains (awesome) and Caves (kind of gross, actually) - and were remarking how the script loves superlatives and the mention of filming/wildlife firsts. "The most secret cave" stood out. So did the litany of firsts that occurred in the filming of the snow leopard hunt. Admittedly, the snow leopard business is ridiculously awesome, but honestly shut up and let me watch the cat try to take down the goat. Even you, David Attenborough.

For a proud list of all of Planet Earth's firsts, check it.

Goodfellas - Copacabana Tracking Shot

2011-03-24T19:43:00.002-04:00

Just awesome.

Badass historical relic of the day: Benjamin Franklin's Daily Schedule

2011-03-24T10:02:00.002-04:00

Also from Flowing Data:

I bet Franklin LOVED "overlooking my accounts" during lunch...that action just makes me panic as C9 is well aware.

Infographic of the day: World Gas Prices

2011-03-24T09:46:00.002-04:00

This excellent graphic is from Flowing Data (click the image to view in full):

One note, I'm buying all of my gas in TJ from now on. Arriba!!!!

Old Tyme Hockey

2011-03-24T08:46:00.004-04:00

Huge game at the Garden tonight, Montreal is in town and all the media can talk about is the Chara-Pachioretty incident from a couple of weeks ago (Pachioretty tried to turn the corner up-ice on Chara by the boards, Chara dumped him in but unfortunately Pachioretty hit the turnbuckle -- full post here). These babies are available now:

Available at hubhockey.com here

Sell crazy someplace else

2011-03-23T11:23:00.003-04:00

We're all stocked up here.

In a speech on World Water Day, Chavez made the astute observation that life on Mars existed and was destroyed by capitalism. Wait. What?!?!

"I have always said, heard, that it would not be strange that there had been civilization on Mars, but maybe capitalism arrived there, imperialism arrived and finished off the planet."