Competition

Two days after 28-year-old parolee Evan Spencer Ebel was killed in a shootout with police, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper went on TV and said, “I felt like I was caught in a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from. All these things were happening to people that I loved. And they didn’t seem to be connected in any way.”

Rand Paul’s rare 13-hour “talking” filibuster last Wednesday on the Senate floor protesting the nomination of John Brennan for CIA director reinvigorated the the debate over US drone policy internationally — and now domestically—for policy makers and informed citizens alike.

Buzzsaw takes a sip of Ithaca’s margaritas

We are three days into the SAC-D (Steroid Anonymous Chairman Decathlon) and the race is heating up. With current chairman, Mark McGwire retiring in July, Lance Armstrong has taken a lead over current second place racer Barry Bonds in an event designed to decide who gets the top spot of Chairman of the Steroid Anonymous. Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun are in third and forth respectively. Armstrong pulled ahead during the 30 mile Bike Race, an event Armstrong scoffed off as “child’s play.” The notorious biker finished the race in 36 minutes.

Yesterday’s “Diabetes Run for the Cure” charity run was marred for many by the competitiveness of one participant. Greg Sanders, a local history teacher arrived to the starting line, located in Ithaca’s scenic Cass Park, a full hour early. He then proceeded to warm up for 40 minutes, eat a Gatorade fuel gel, listen to “Eye of the Tiger” on his Zune Player four times, eat another Gatorade fuel gel and yell, “Whose house is this?!” to no one in particular.

I write you a hundred words to tell you I love you

Goldfish are fickle beasts.
At the slightest upset they leave this world for
wherever the souls of little carnival prizes go.

The french fork. The hulihee. The carnie. The duck tail. The anchor. These are not cleverly named sandwiches at the local indie deli; they are a few of the many titles for modern facial hair styles. Yes, facial hair — beards and mustaches and sideburns. Not only has the list of facial hair styles vastly expanded, but actual facial hair competitions have recently become a growing trend.

Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina to Italian (Florentine) parents, presents himself as a humble servant of God, refusing pleasantries and extravagance. He cooks for himself, rides the bus, lives in a regular apartment, and has announced his dedication to social justice and human rights, implying that he intends to focus the Church’s efforts toward this end.

When a red carpet interviewer approached The Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney at the Grammys this year, Carney was asked whether he believed tween heartthrob pop sensation Justin Bieber deserved an award that evening. Carney replied, “He’s rich, right? The Grammys are…for music and not for money. And he’s making a lot of money. He should be happy, I guess.” The Biebz retorted via twitter, and so the gauntlet was thrown.