Why Dogs Rule

The world is divided into two kinds of people - dog people and cat people. From the perspective of a dog lover, cats are fickle, selfish and undependable... while dogs are loving, brave and utterly loyal.


Confirming those stereotypes is this AP story - Dog Saves Man in Fire Blamed on Cat.

GREENVILLE, Maine (Oct. 10) - Thumper, a black Labrador retriever, is getting credit for saving a Greenville man when a fire swept through his home. Roland Cote said his wife and their 7-year-old grandson were away when the blaze started early Sunday in a converted two-story garage. He said Thumper grabbed him by the arm to wake him, leaving just enough time for him to dial 911 before fleeing the fast-moving fire. While the dog is the hero, a cat is the bad guy in this story. Cote said the fire marshal investigator believes the blaze was started when Princess, the family cat, tipped over a kerosene lantern. Cote says he and his pets escaped safely, but he says Princess did get her tail singed by the flames.

What do you cat people (you know who you are) have to say about this?

March Madness - Ready for the Final Four?

No, not that Final Four. I'm talking about the Final Four of the Pan American Intercollegiate Chess Tournament.

I love cheering for the underdog so it's no surprise that this story caught my eye. Apparently, Miami Dade Community College has beaten out a number of schools to reach this point, including Ivy League schools like Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth and Northwestern.

Here's a quote from the story.

"They're formidable players," said Jim Stallings, University of Texas-Dallas' director for chess and education. "You can't just take anybody for granted in this tournament, because they are the top four U.S. teams."

They accomplished this even with setbacks like having one of their players bolt for University of Maryland, Baltimore County, lured by the promise of a scholarship. Aren't there rules against this kind of tampering?

Beating out Ivy Leaguers has to be somewhat equivalent to George Mason beating out powerhouses UConn, UNC and Michigan State in last year's NCAA tournament. (As a GMU grad, I had to find a way to work last year's Final Four run into this post).

Like I said, I love cheering for the underdog, even if the "sport" is intercollegiate chess. Do you think it'll be on ESPN?

I Could Have Been a Contender...

There are world championships for soccer, ice skating, gymnastics and even chess – so, why not the universally popular “Rock-Paper-Scissors”?
Apparently, 500 top players from around the world gathered in Toronto this past weekend to compete for $8,840 prize and title of world champion.

The winner was Bob Cooper, a 28 year old sales manager from London, UK.

The tournament had all the attributes of high stakes championship play, including teamwork, trash talking and intimidation.

Players will have to steel themselves against psychological pressure as players typically form teams to rally each other ”The team will surround the arena, provide moral support and usually try to intimidate the opponent," said Graham Walker…co-author of "The Official Rock Paper Scissors Guide”

Sadly, ESPN chose not to carry the event...but you can read about it in this news account and also at the World RPS site.