Tops of '05

Docopenhagen posts its Top 50 videos and vaults into the ranks of fun music blogs. (You can even watch each video right then and there, yahoo)

WOXY's archived broadcast of the the top 97 albums of the year still hasn't been taken down, so you still have time to listen...>>>>

Blustery day

It was sunny, calm and pleasant when I walked out the door this morning. Then as I turned the corner, BAM! The winds picked up, leaves swirled under a black sky, the clouds started spitting rain and then it turned into SNOW! A 64 mph gust was recorded at Denver International Airport and a 75 mph gust at Chatfield Reservoir. The UPS guy said the wind blew the packages off his dolly and he had to run after them. An hour later, Denver was fine again.

Free fireworks 12/31 in Denver, downtown. Midnight and 9 pm

Best New Year's Eve show: New Pornographers/Rogue Wave @Metro in Chicago! $60 though

Hear sound clips from Biblically Correct Tours' trip through the Denver Museum of Nature & Science _ and read one museum official's responses here

New York Times disses figure skating outfits. "Figure skating, in particular, remains a mystifying holdout of supremely bad taste in sports..." says Guy Trebay. Slam! More

Snowboarders: Now there's a fashionable set. Though I don't know any guy who'd actually wear this stuff out.

photo by cnote

Ho, ho, ho (Ha, ha, ha)

Here are some actual news releases I received this holiday season. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
_________________________________________________

~Cricket Customers Can Now Text Message Their Christmas Wishes To The Jolly Man in Red at SANTA ~

In a recent statement, Santa Claus has recommended that all the boys and girls throughout the country stop addressing envelops to his workshop and start text messaging him directly.
___________________________________________________

From: B. McD... [I did not make up his initials!]
Sent: Monday, December 19, 2005 9:56 AM
Subject: THE CHRISTMAS PRESENT NOBODY WANTS

Dear XXXXX,

Big holiday dinners have an unspoken dark side: the gastrointestinal distress that results from getting stuffed on fatty main courses, buttery sides, and creamy desserts.

Flatulence, irritable bowels, heartburn, indigestion, and growling guts are all conditions that can be treated without polluting our bodies with antacids and other over-the-counter drugs that, for many people, don't even work.

Interview Bill Downs, one of the world's leading experts on diet and digestion....

To arrange an interview with Bill, please contact XXX XXXX at 610-642-XXXX xXXX, or XXX@GregoryFCA.com.

Thank you for your consideration!
_______________________________________________

-----Original Message-----
From: Brian M...
Sent: Monday, December 12, 2005 1:56 PM
Subject: WHY CHRISTMAS STINKS

Dear XXX,

Those big family dinners we enjoy at Christmas have an unspoken dark side, one that's among society's last taboos: the flatulence that results from gastrointestinal distress.

Instead of spreading Christmas cheer, we're spreading Christmas gas...

________________________________________________

Sent: Tuesday, December 06, 2005 10:57 AM
Subject: GASTRO EXPERT OFFERS TIPS FOR AVOIDING XMAS INDIGESTION

Interview Bill Downs, one of the world's foremost experts on diet and digestion, and find out how your audience can avoid this year's holiday eating hazards. Bill can provide a wealth of suggestions that will help people keep their taste buds and their digestive systems happy during (and after!) their big holiday feasts.

Downs has over twenty years of expertise in diet, digestion, nutrition science, and biological chemistry...

Downs can also discuss:

* What holiday foods are most likely to cause indigestion
* Why people tend to get gassy around the holidays
* What's the best way to tell someone they have offensive gas
* How to survive holiday feasts without over-stressing your digestive system
* How to control indigestion over the long-term
* What causes flatulence (farting)
* Why farts are funny to everyone except the person suffering with them

Monday morning catchup

It's that time of year again when The Associated Press polls its media members to compile the top 10 news stories of the year. Here's the AP's suggestions. Lo! What story here is not like the others?????

The story suggestions:
__Terrorist bombings in London transit system kill 52 commuters.
__Pope John Paul II dies; Joseph Ratzinger succeeds him as Pope Benedict XVI.
__President Bush's approval ratings drop to lowest point as troubles multiply.
__AFL-CIO splinters after rebel unions bolt the federation.
__Hurricane Katrina worst in record-breaking season; at least 1,300 die, New Orleans floods.
__Two U.S. Supreme Court vacancies open with O'Connor retirement and Rehnquist death.
__Despite peace talks, huge toll from violence continues to rise in Sudan's Darfur region.
__Iraq: U.S. military deaths pass 2000; constitution adopted but insurgency persists.
__Former WorldCom, Tyco executives sentenced to prison for corporate crime.
__Major League Baseball proposes tough steroids penalties after many abuses revealed.
__CIA leak scandal: Cheney aide Lewis Libby indicted; prominent reporters entangled.
__Urban violence flares for weeks in France's immigrant-filled suburbs
__Former Klansman convicted in 1964 Mississippi civil rights killings.
__Yearlong relief and recovery effort in aftermath of Indian Ocean tsunami.
__Israel withdraws from Gaza Strip; tensions with Palestinians persist.
__Michael Jackson acquitted on child molestation charges
__Syria withdraws troops from Lebanon; blamed for killing of Lebanese ex-premier.
__Arrest, conviction in Wichita's brutal BTK slayings.
__Afghanistan holds landmark legislative elections, but violence escalates.
__Bitter controversy over removal of brain-damaged Terri Schiavo's feeding tube.
__Oil prices set record highs.
__London beats Paris, New York in bid to host 2012 Olympics.
__Cindy Sheehan, mother of U.S. soldier slain in Iraq, galvanizes anti-war movement.
__Drug giant Merck faces multiple suits over painkiller Vioxx; cuts thousands of jobs.
__House Majority Leader Tom DeLay indicted in campaign finance scheme.
__More U.S. airlines file for bankruptcy protection.
__Earthquake hits region along Pakistan-India border, killing more than 87,000.
__Saddam Hussein goes on trial in Iraq for charges including mass murder and torture.
__President Bush picks Ben Bernanke to replace Alan Greenspan as Federal Reserve chief.
__Chicago White Sox win their first World Series since 1917.
__British Prime Minister Tony Blair wins third term, but popularity dips.
__Nations worldwide gird to battle avian flu.
__Three blasts at Jordan hotels kill 60 people; Al-Qaida claims responsibility.
__North Korea, Iran resist international pressure to curb nuclear activities.
__Dramatic economic growth in China, India, far outpacing Western nations.
__Massive liabilities revealed for pension plans covering 44 million Americans.
__Tornado kills 23 in Indiana.
__Food shortages affect 5 million in Niger, other southern Sahara nations.
__Multiple controversies over alleged abuse of foreign detainees by U.S. forces.
__Advocates of "intelligent design" challenge the way evolution is taught in schools.
__German elections end in near-deadlock, force awkward coalition of rivals.
__Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon leaves Likud Party; early elections likely.

OK, maybe the White Sox one is weird too, but let me just say, MJ better not make the top 10.

The newspaper up in ski country likes to round up what people do to try to ski free or to get to off-limits powder. Here's some tricks from the people who got caught: Story.

Holiday spending empties the wallet, but it's all for a good cause. This nifty article puts yearly spending in perspective and shows how you can squeeze something extra into your budget with just a few changes in your buying.

Hegemony?

As if Starbucks and McDonald's weren't enough. Spin it

On a separate note, are you done shopping for the holidays? Yuppster.com has suggestions for gifts. Although sometimes just being in town is gift enough. Especially if you can cook. And clean. And pick up after yourself. For the rest of you, go to yuppster.

Go Denver

There's a Denver connection to Regret the Error's correction of the year:
The Denver Daily News would like to offer a sincere apology for a typo in Wednesday's Town Talk regarding New Jersey's proposal to ban smoking in automobiles. It was not the author's intention to call New Jersey 'Jew Jersey.'

More at Regret the Error.

Updates

"Brokeback Mountain" opened over the weekend, when it was named the the Los Angeles Film Critics Association's choice for best movie of the year, and took in $544,549 in a mere five theaters, The Associated Press reports. It was based on Annie Proulx's short story, posted on The New Yorker site.

White supremacists rally in Toledo, Ohio. Opponents counterprotest. Story.

Protesters mourned. Story.

Mistrial in Vioxx trial.Story. We'll be keeping an eye out for interviews with jurors. Let us know if you see one!

Barnett

Colorado has canned former Northwestern coach Gary Barnett (that's how WGN said it, or something close). But let's not dwell on that. Where is Barnett headed next and who does CU's AD have in mind to fill Barnett's spot? AD Bohn seemed to hint he already knows a perfect match. Please post your comments.

Holiday shopping

Fashion Denver's Snow event features DJs, two fashion shows, and lots and lots of local designers showing off jewelry, purses and clothes TOMORROW. Cost is $5, with proceeds going to the Denver Rescue Mission. Get ideas for gifts while supporting a good cause and local designers. If you can't make it, Fashion Denver's Web site has links to most of the designers so you can take a look online.

Beastie Boys

Did you know...Beastie Boys are gettin' their own worldwide radio show.
And it ain't on satellite -- XM or Sirius
It's on Little Radio of course.
Starts Thursday, noon PST, if you're curious

Rogue Wave

Rogue Wave's lovely in-studio performance for woxy.com is available on demand, along with the performances from The Wrens, The National, Say Hi To Your Mom, Jem and others on the Lounge Acts page at woxy. Hear Rogue Wave talk about space camp.

How sexy are you?

Or, well, how sexy is your job? Salary.com says...