District of ContentionDistrict of ContentionA place for audacious disputation and candid discourse! Musings of two young professionals on separate ends of the political and professional spectrums - makes for some good readin! Articles
The Name Game
2008-01-21 03:47:00 We’re sitting on our couch this evening watching the AFC and NFC championship games, and the topic of conversation turns to crazy names to call our kids after we realize that there is a player on Green Bay named “Atari Bigby.” I wonder what was going through the Bigby’s minds when they decided to name little Atari….like….was he born when Atari was all the rage? Was it the toy that people would wait outside of stores for 2 days to buy, and would have sold on eBay for $1000 if it existed back then? Were Mr. and Mrs. Bigby in the middle of a heated game of pong when she went into labor? Hicimus was saying that he will name his kid “Sega Hickey,” I settled on “Nintendo Darmody” and Frank is going to go with “Wii Benenati,” which I think is the best one of them all. Don’t you wish that you sat on our couch and were able to partake in these intellectually stimulating conversations? More About: Game
GObama!
2008-01-13 03:10:00 Watch this video and tell me that Barack Obama is even on the same level of the other presidential candidates - this powerful speech after being defeated by Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire was so powerful and inspiring that you would have thought he won. It is my contention that Barack Obama is the best person to represent the United States and mend the wounds inflicted by the current administration - both internationally and here at home. The truth of the matter is that I don’t care of his beliefs are more liberal than mine, I’m willing to forgo having a conservative president in the house if he can unite the country at home, improve the economy, and most importantly, improve our reputation abroad. I haven’t seen a presidential candidate of this caliber yet in my lifetime, and I like what I see. I hope that the rest of America agrees. Lastly, since “change” has become the cornerstone of this year’s presidential election, I want to suggest somet...
Burger King - Home of the Brilliant Marketing
2008-01-13 01:47:00 In recent years, Burger King has really revamped it’s marketing and advertising efforts and it would appear that it’s paying off, as the once struggling company is now profitable again and is actually recommended by some stock analysts b/c it has been performing well on the NYSE - I would argue that the increased popularity of the chain is certainly linked to their beefed up marketing efforts - the “King” who runs around in old football footage, climbs buildings in NYC like Godzilla, and tempts housewives to run him over with their minivan; and now a “whopperfreakout” campaign in which actual customers reactions are filmed when they are told that BK is “discontinuing” the whopper. It’s really quite compelling and it’s cool. I think that one of the most challenging things about marketing is probably getting people to go to a website when seeing a commercial on TV, but Burger King does a good job of building some intrigue and... More About: Marketing , Home
Idiots in New Hampshire!
2008-01-09 05:53:00 I don’t even know where to begin here. There is just so much to say. Tonight Hillary Clinton won the highly coveted New Hampshire Primary, narrowly beating the heavily favored Barack Obama by about 3 percentage points. This is astounding for a number of reasons :1) New Hampshire residents are known for being pretty savvy voters, rarely allowing themselves to be “snowed” by a slick talking (or should I say slick crying?) politician; 2) Polls leading up to the NH Primary predicted a double-digit blowout in which Barack Obama was the victor over Hitlery. 3) The media had all but hung Hillary out to dry - predicting that her staff were going to jump ship in droves and that the windows at campaign headquarters would be boarded up by the day after the NH primary. Alas, Mrs. Clinton gets to stand victorious at the end of the evening - Ms. “Ready for Change” giving a huge hug to Chelsea and Bill before stepping to the podium wearing the same ridiculous outfit a... More About: Idiots
Iowa Caucuses have spoken!
2008-01-04 04:03:00 Gentlemen, start your engines!!!!! The Iowa Caucuses , as unconventional as they may be, play an important role in identifying the front runners of each political party and this year election year, the people in the red state have chosen Mike “no-one-knew-who-i-was-2-months-ago ” Huckabee as their Republican candidate of choice, and Barack “I might just become the first black president of the United States” Obama. Personally, I don’t think that Huckabee is much of a surprise - Iowa is chalk full of good Christian folks, and who better to represent them than an Evangelical minister? Obama, on the other hand, is a huge surprise and one that I think is indicative of the fact that America wants someone they find trustworthy and genuine over someone with exceptional experience. It is also nice to see that Hillary was unable to continue steamrolling - bye bye Hillary!!!! Exciting stuff indeed! Onward to New Hampshire! -Hoser More About: Spoken , Iowa caucuses
A Happy New Year Indeed
2008-01-01 21:38:00 Well 2008 has arrived and we at the DoC had a party to ring in the new year last night - good times were had by all who attended….particularly enjoyable was the all-inclusive karaoke party segment during which guests belted out the lyrics of Journey, The Boss, Bon Jovi, and various other closing time songs from the bar. When the clock struck 12, the champagne bottles were popped, I put my monogrammed bathrobe and signature TopFlite hat on, and the festivities continued. Certain attendees got a wee bit drunker than others and he has provided us with quite possibly the quote of the year, on January 1 - quite impressive: On recapping his torturous night of vomiting, said partygoer says: “I woke up and my tongue was on the lip of the toilet bowl and I was drooling…..Oh, and I also pissed myself; Man that sucked - urine everywhere - on my tongue, in my pants….Fuck this, 2008 sucks.” How can you beat that? More About: New Year , Happy , Happy New Year , Year
A good new wave….
2007-12-30 01:59:00 “Thrash Unreal” by Against Me! is a track that is getting a lot of airtime up in Canada at present, and I can see why; it’s kind of got some Dropkick meets Killers vibe and I’m diggin’ it. Enjoy…. More About: Good , New Wave , Wave
Oh Caaaaanadaaaaa…..
2007-12-22 23:17:00 My home and native land indeed, and every time I come here I always go back south thinking that it’s almost time for me to move back to Canada permanently. My suburb of Mississauga is now a buzzing metropolis, with tall condominiums popping up all over the place, big businesses establishing their Canadian headquarters’ here, and a whole slew of multiculturalism that really makes meeting new people easy and interesting. But no matter how much I love being here with my family and childhood friends, there is always that one thing that reminds me why I love the United States as well: TAX. At one point in time, my father was paying an income tax rate of 49% of his salary - 49%!!!!! That’s outrageous! Today, my father came home from the beer store (we government run “beer stores” here, you can’t buy suds anywhere else) and said, “Man I miss the states…guess what I just paid for 48 Budweisers……$72!” I chuckled and told hi...
Maybe my degree wasn’t a waste….
2007-12-12 06:54:00 Today my father told me about a crime committed in our suburban city of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada that involved a 57-year old man being arrested for strangling his 16-year old daughter to death after a long-term dispute over her unwillingness to wear the traditional female head covering known as the hijab to school every day (she was in 11th grade). Follow this link to read an article about this horrible crime. Quite frankly, I find this specific topic to be very fragile and delicate. As someone who has Muslim friends, I have come to realize that Muslim people are still people, and therefore they have the choice to interpret their religion as they see fit, which unfortunately results in terrible situations such as this one sometimes. One of the most notable things about the story above are the comments below it. There are comments from Christians and Muslims, in many cases going back and forth with one another, expressing their opinions, and it’s interesting. Many non-Mu... More About: Waste , Degree
Techy Morons
2007-12-09 20:28:00 This afternoon Nati and I are sitting on our couch watching football and having a conversation via GChat - we are morons. me: lol noted NATI: lol? me: hahhaha NATI: im sitting right next to you me: `i know - i can smell you More About: Morons
Modern Media: Devil’s Advocate or simply the Devil?
2007-11-28 05:17:00 Today I’m reading CNN.com while eating lunch and I see a headline that says something to the effect of: “Obama: Too Honest About his Drug Use?” For those of you unfamiliar (a.k.a. living in a cave) Obama recently spoke at a high school where a student asked if he’d ever taken drugs. Obama responded that he had experimented with drugs at a point in his life but that it was a mistake he made in his youth. An honest, straightforward answer - that is, after all, what Obama is known for. The media is now asking if Obama should have been LESS honest about his prior experiences taking drugs because it sets a “bad example” for kids. Mitt Romney added his two cents to this as well, saying that Obama should have been more vague and dodged the question, of course, he didn’t say it like that. All I can say to this stupidity is that the poor bastard just can’t win! First he’s not tough enough, so he starts being tougher. Then he’s TOO h... More About: Media , Simply , Modern , Devil , Advocate
Rocky 270
2007-11-28 03:24:00 I’m back on the working out/eating healthy/ taking care of myself bandwagon - yes, I picked the holiday season to do it; dumb, I know. Tonight I did a pretty solid workout (for me, anyway) and I was e-mailing two of my buddies - Nati and Pell - to share my pride and satisfaction and I figured I might as well share it with all you loyal DoC’ers as well, since many of you are friends of mine, or Nati’s, and thereby de facto friends of mine. Here it is: Subject Line: Rocky 270 This movie starts a new trend, one in which sequels go DOWN in numbers. Gentlemen, this evening I put on my sweats, pulled up that hoodie, and ran to the gym. got there and saw that the elypticals were all in use, and instead of standing around waiting, I rode for 20 minutes on the bike at level 12 w/ an average heartrate of 165. Then, the elypticals were still full, so I went and banged out 3 sets of 12 on the bench (115 lbs, laugh away). Then I hop on an elyptical and do 35 minutes at leve...
American Gangster? Try American Garbage….
2007-11-20 03:52:00 Did you watch the link above? If you did, you probably think “Man that movie looks so cool!” That’s what I thought when I saw that trailer. The fact of the matter is that this was one of the most disappointing movies I’ve ever seen: the whole, long 2.5 hrs of it. Nati and Dunkel both felt the same way - sorely disappointed. This movie had the potential to be really cool, much the same way that Breach did, but because there was no character development, and no real “plot,” the movie failed to captivate the audience. I have no idea how it got a 79% “fresh” rating at www.rottentomatoes.com. Furthermore, I take issue with the fact that the movie practically glorifies a ruthless drug kingpin responsible for destroying the lives of so many people by bringing pure heroin into this country and making it available to the poorest of people, further ensuring their lives never improve. I give it a C. More About: American , Gangster , Garbage , American Gangster
Funny Last Name = Funny Campaign Ad?
2007-11-20 03:30:00 The Washington pundits are all talking about Mike Huckabee’s recent ascent to the top of the GOP presidential candidate mountain. He’s currently sitting at #2 amongst the top 3 Repubs running for the hot seat, and perhaps humorous, genuine, and unique campaign ads like this one may be reason for it - after all, who doesn’t love Chuck Norris? In all honesty, I wonder if some old conservatives in Iowa might not think this is the dumbest Campaign ad ever, but people my age won’t…perhaps this is Huckabee’s version of Clinton’s Sax performance on MTV? Who knows…bottom line is that I kinda like Mr. Huckabee and this ad shows that he’s got a sense of humor, something that can be overlooked rather easily in debates and other avenues of coverage. Two thumbs up for Huckabee. More About: Funny
American Apparel
2007-11-18 02:21:00 “I don’t shop at places like Polo, Gap, Banana Republic, Hollister, Nike, because I refuse to be a posterboard for brand names. To hell with corporate America. Fuck the man. Instead, I think i’m going to go to American Apparel and buy clothing that has no label, but is just as much of a “brand” as those I refuse to buy” This is the logic that I believe the common American Apparel shopper uses. Honestly, no offense readers who consider themselves “hipsters” (cough cough, Zach, cough cough) but this place just reeks of hipster fashion and attitude. I was introduced to American Apparel in Kingston, Ontario, Canada while visiting friends of mine who said “Let’s go to American Apparel!!!! Liam, you must love this place.” Not quite. From what I gather, this place basically makes money hand over fist by offering a bunch of cheap, crappy clothing that is simple and has no brand, for the price of clothing that is better qualit... More About: Pare
Apple generation
2007-11-14 05:28:00 In 1984, Microsoft came out with the Windows operating system for the personal computer. People were amazed. I remember in 1993 when my father brought home our “IBM Aptiva” personal computer, complete with AOL Dial Up internet and this “awesome” new technology called a “word processor.” Yep, those were the days…when one company could simply create a groundbreaking new technology software application that changed the lives of millions. Nowadays, some 14 years after my first “PC,” I am typing this blogpost on a Mac Powerbook G4 that I purchased my senior year of college when I realized something: “Mac’s are fuckin’ cool!” Yes the Apple Macintosh has come a long way from the boxy Lisa, it is now a computer company renowned for it’s ability to marry functional simplicity with aesthetic beauty; a music player that has become the highest selling of any company; an industry-shaking “cell phone&rdquo... More About: Generation
For the LAAAAAND of the FREEEE…..
2007-11-14 02:42:00 And the home, of the, insatiably ignorant. These are my thoughts after reading an article by Joe Klein in this months’ Time Magazine entitled “Hit Her Again!” This OpEd comments about what’s become national chatter amongst talking heads in the media: Can Barack Win if He Doesn’t Start Fist-fighting with Hillary? The overwhelming consensus among media minds is that it is impossible for Barack’s popularity to climb in the polls so long as he’s not beating up on the she-devil who currently leads the pack (that’s another issue I won’t address here…) Joe and I see eye-to-eye on a lot of points in his commentary, but the one that struck me the most: “Obama assumes a maturity in his audiences, and in the press, that simply may not exist.” You said it Joe! In the same issue of Time, Maria Shriver points out that she decided she would never return to TV Journalism/Media once she saw the craze over that dim-witted bimbo ...
Stupidity on a Metro Train
2007-11-14 02:18:00 Washington, DC has a FANTASTIC subway system that is clean, efficient (they have digital screens that tell you when your next train is coming), and easily accessible. Once on them, however, you look for the maps and you notice that the map is shrunken to barely legible text in order to make room for MASSIVE instructions on what to do in the event of a terrorist attack, or train accident. Tell me, Mr. Metro Man, what piece of information is going to be more useful to riders on a daily basis, thereby making larger display more sensible: Detailed plans on how to escape in the event of an accident? Or knowing how many stops away you are from your own without having to put your head over the shoulder of the smelly person sitting in front of the map? I realize that this is all a part of our government’s strategy to scare the bejesus out of us on a daily basis to remind us that 9/11 happened, and therefore the Iraqi invasion is justified, but come ON! This is senseless even by bureauc... More About: Stupidity , Train , TRAI
How do I do this again?
2007-11-14 02:06:00 Alright so yeah it’s been a long time since I signed on and promised more to come from the DoC crew in the coming month, more than a month ago…and you can call us liars, or lazy bastards, losers, or whatever else you will. After a trip to Arizona this week, I have plenty a contention for you fans, after riding planes, trains, and reading the Washingtonian, Fortune, Forbes, and Time Magazine issues for November. Get ready for an onslaught…or maybe just one or two posts
Crabby Airlines Employees
2007-10-17 23:00:00 This past week I was in Canada for Canadian Thanksgiving (2nd Monday of October), and because I was taking a week off, I decided to save the $400 I’d normally spend on a direct, guaranteed flight and opt for the standby option that I can take advantage of because my Mother is an airline employee. Needless to say, I’ll never fly standby again after spending 7 hours in the Chicago airport getting bumped from 3 flights, only to finally get on the last one. At least I got on (and first class at that The purpose of this post, however, is to point out how the customer has been forgotten by airlines as of late - perhaps because airlines have had to cut so many costs since 9/11, they actually resent the customers for getting “fair fares,” but if money’s the issue, shouldn’t they be thankful? This past Monday, I overheard gate agents saying “Please do NOT come and speak to gate agents, as we do not have the answers for you - just sit down and we&rs... More About: Airlines , Employees
Ebs and flows
2007-10-17 22:46:00 What’s up people - Hicimus pointed out that it’s been some time since Nati or myself posted anything on here and just wanted to apologize for it. I assure you that there is more good DoC action in the pipeline, and I will do my best to write some more stuff soon. toodles Nati+Hoser
Rant of the Day
2007-09-21 23:12:00 Here’s to Frank, for an astute observation and a funny one at that: NATI: so many people on this planet suck ass no more survival of the fittest everyone lives now 90 percent of the earth sucks at life who should be dead, but are alive due to technological advancements made by that 10 percent of people who are fit to survive its totally weak More About: Rant , The D
Pure hilarity
2007-09-21 18:07:00 Grape Stomp It’s Friday… enjoy your day even more with this hilarious clip (make sure the sound is up) (More BLOGS to come soon, we promise!) More About: Pure
Patriots as kids
2007-09-19 16:50:00 Coach, Wrong Ball I bet Bill Belichick is the coach of this team, too. Bunch of cheaters! More About: Kids , Patriots , Riots
My Friends Know Me Well….
2007-09-13 21:51:00 Me: Mark said that it confuses him that I say I want to go to fogo when I also say that I want to be healthy hicimus: well you contradict yourself on stuff like that all the time “i do not want to spend money…oh a gold plated toilet i need that” -Hoser More About: Friends , Well
Hooters for all, or for some?
2007-09-11 20:46:00 Everyone loves boobs. Whether you are a male (like my counterpart in this blog who sees it as his number one priority in a companion), or female (like someone who always asks if another certain someone did his chest workout that day), we all are intrigued in some capacity to that part of the human body. Because of this, we have people waiting through two hours of a crappy movie in hopes the star will take their shirt off, strip clubs to allow married men to view non-married boobs, or restaurants (and now an airline) that advertise them in a rather obvious synonym. So what am I talking about here, really? Well, after playing a nice round of 18 holes this past weekend, the two authors of this blog alongside two friends decided to grab a bite to eat at Hooters in Rockville, MD. In between explaining to the waitress the difficult order of 4 waters with a coke and the arrival of our wings, a family birthday party entered to our rear - and with that a light spirited and cynical deba... More About: Some
GuidoLicious
2007-09-10 16:40:00 So last weekend I went up to New York for Labod Day Weekend to hang out with college buddies. I stayed on Long Island with my buddy Seth for the entire weekend and was given an opportunity to check out the “Guid olicious” lifestyle that is so prevalent on Long Island. Seth took me to a place called “Montego Bay,” otherwise known on the island as “Monguido Bay” and I was amazed at all the gel, ripped dudes, fake tans (not to mention breasts), and overall Italian Guinea Testosterone that was swimming around the place. Now, I’m of Italian descent, but I don’t live it up like these bambino’s do…this morning our good buddy Zach pointed me in the direction of a YouTUBE video that he thought I’d find amusing….he was right…below, for your viewing pleasure, are two short clips highlighting what it was like to hang out on Long Island at a big huge beach front bar. and and this one is just hysterical - if you&rsq... More About: Guido
A Pearl of Wisdom from Andy M
2007-09-06 03:53:00 I have a friend named Andy . Andy is a funny kid, and while I haven’t seen him since he moved to Charlottesville, VA after graduation some 2+ years ago, his away messages frequently make me laugh out loud, so I decided I’d share them for you in a segment I like to call, “A Pearl of Wisdom from Andy M” Dear Morons Who Bought An Iphone The Second It Went On Sale, They’re now $200 cheaper. You could have waited 3 months and saved $200. Simple economics From, Andy That’s pretty funny. HOSER More About: Earl
Rap-a-Tap-Tap
2007-09-06 00:09:00 It is widely known that I detest modern-day hip-hop, with it’s annoying and repetitive beats and catch phrases that are barely even English, let alone meaningful in any way. Everyone who reads this blog knows that I long for the days of Nas, Tupac, and Biggie rapping about real stuff, even if I don’t agree with their messages, they had talent and that cannot be denied. Nowadays you’ve got a whole bunch of idiots running around with platinum diamond encrusted chains just saying the same crap over and over again - F That. Friend of the DoC Markizzle Kanarizzle (representin’ West[chester, NY] Siiiiiiiiiide!) pointed me in the direction of this version of a Lil Jon song that is much more constructive, even if it is exaggeratedly corny: Another rap, from the ever credible king of hip-hop is “I Can” from NAS - it received criticism for being corny or cheesy, but the messaging is really positive, and the flow is so smooth that you can’t help notic...
“I’m not gay; I never have been”
More articles from this author:2007-08-29 03:44:00 Oh Larry Craig, you poor delusional pervert… Honestly, what ELSE can go wrong with the Republican party? I mean let’s recap: Powell resigns, Ashcroft resigns, Tom DeLay is a dispicable shady bastard, Duke Cunningham who had a “bribe menu” that he supposedly allowed companies to choose from in exchange for cash, and he’d then vote the way they wanted; Michael Brown’s clusterf*ck of FEMA, Rumsfeld resigns, the Libby ordeal, Karl Rove resigning, Tony Snow resigning, Alberto Gonzalez resigning, and most similar to this scenario, Marc Foley resigning after performing lewd acts with a page….I mean seriously…who else is left? When are Condi, Card, and Cheney (who shot a man in the face, may I remind you!) going to announce they, too, are resigning, to leave G-Dub in his rocking chair with a shotgun sitting on the porch of the Whitehouse waiting for 2009 when the Democrats will take over the oval office (God help us there too….) But ... More About: Been 1, 2, 3 |
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