Jockeys don't count

Doing some research for the Barguments iPhone App (set aside 99 cents now!) and came across this gallery on boston.com that makes for an easy Bargument:

Name the best short athlete of all time?

And yes, the definition of short will be part of the Bargument. Does it get measured on a sliding scale-- would significant skills be given more weight or a severely short person, or should you simply judge the entire pool of short athletes on an equal basis?

Barguments on Google

I know that headline sounds naive -- look, I'm on The Google! -- but I actually just discovered that Barguments itself is on Google Books. That is, you can read pages from the book. Now, this isn't a particularly long book, so Google is giving away quite a bit here. But it's pretty cool. Take a look, then do the right thing and order one.

CNBC throws out a random bargument

For some reason, Chuck Norris is interviewing Michael Eisner on CNBC. I couldn't bear to watch and figure out why the online segment is headlined by this bargument:

Who would win in a fight between Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee?

I don't think even die-hard Republicans are going to bet against Lee on that one.

Left-handed Whoppers

Burger King has a knack for pranks: remember the meat-scented body spray it revealed a few months ago, which prompted tons of stories by tut-tutting reporters amazed at the new low. (The best jokes are ones the media report on but don't get.)

Burger King lands low in this great list of all-time April Fool's Day pranks. I think it deserves higher billing. To actually have customers show up at Burger King asking for left-handed Whoppers? Brilliant.

Check it out here.

Woody or Coach?

That was the inscription the Barguments Blog used for the copy loyal reader, fan and fellow CGSC member Marie Perry offered to take to the world-famous Cheers bar in Boston. (It's really the Bull & Finch.)

Thanks, Marie! No Barguments fan has ever taken the book so far. And I know your authentic Bawstun accent convinced them to give Barguments good placement at the bar.

(I'm voting for Coach, of course. Everyone is, correct?)

A Bargument ripped from today's headlines

Big layoffs and cuts announced today at the Barguments Blog's day job, The Miami Herald. This includes a pay cut for the BB, which will be matched by an equal cut in fixed expenses on the BB's part.

Which will force us to consider this actual bargument: Would you rather give up Internet or cable television?

To me, this seems like an easy one. I drop cable. You can watch so much television on the Internet now, it's an obvious trade. But it sure isn't as convenient. You've got to log in, you've got to find the right show, you've got to hook-up your laptop in a decent place to watch, plug in the speakers, etc.

I know, I know... watch through an Xbox or something. We do hook our laptop up to our TV, but that brings its own logistical challenges. Which brings us to a frightening thought: our remote no longer having a function.... We've grown so close.

Obama Bush hug -- Classy or Annoying?

One milestone seems to have been missed this week among all the pomp, circumstance and history: America's first post-inaugural presidential hug. When President Obama wrapped his arms around former President George W. Bush's back for a quick squeeze, it marked the first time that history has recorded more than an emotional handshake between president and predecessor.

This captures a trend that's always bothered me -- guys shifting from handshake greetings to hug greetings. It's a quick hug, I know, sort of a slap on the back. But still -- it's too much. Family and long-lost friends? Fine. But for a friend you saw just a week or a month ago? When did a handshake not become enough for that?

And not everyone qualifies for it, making it even more awkward when you're greeting a group. So the close friend gets a hug, but what do you with the fairly regular acquaitance who's standing next to him? Upgrade to the hug, or make his lower-tier status clear by switching to the shake?

These are protocol questions regular guys face regulary, and now it's reached the presidential level. This may have been Barack Obama's first serious mistake in office.