http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/index.htmlBlog Newsencarlo@carloblackmore.comCopyright 2006 Carlo2006-08-17T18:22:48-04:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 Fri, 18 Aug 2006 16:33:39 -0400carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-08-17T18:22:48-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-46http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-46Project Runway, Episode 6. Alison Kelly was sent home instead of Vincent Libretti with the judges' admonishment for making her model look "unflattering" and "plus-size". Here is a side-by-side comparison of the designs from Alison (left) and Vincent (right) over the past 6 episodes. Mind you, Kayne was let off the hook for his green-nightmare on the strength of his entire work of designs over the previous 5 episodes. Alison's body of work surely deserved the same consideration – especially when compared to Vincent's previous efforts. Episode 1: Room-innovation challenge Episode 2: Miss Universe challenge Episode 3: Dog-owner challenge Episode 4: Team challenge Episode 5: Icon challenge (Farrah/Twiggy) Episode 6: Recycle challenge (Alison, Vincent, Kayne)]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-08-16T12:42:05-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-45http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-454 things that you may not have known about her. Caren quickly responded with her collection of fours – likely she was sitting at work trying to pass time – love ya Caren! So being the dutiful big brother of course (and to prove Caren WRONG) I had to contribute my own unknowns, which may not be so unknown to certain people. CAROLINE: A) Four jobs I have had in my life: 1.... Manager B) Four movies I could/would watch over and over: 1.... C) Four Place you have Lived: 1.... Columbia, SC D) Four television shows I love to watch: 1.... Girlfriends E) Four places I have been on vacation: 1.... msn.com 2.... G) Four of my favorite foods: 1.... spaghetti H) Four places I would rather be right now: 1.... luxury hotel room I) Four friends I think will respond: 1. ...CAREN: A) Four jobs I have had in my life: 1.... Willows Hotel B) Four movies I could/would watch over and over: 1.... Butterfly Effect C) Four Place you have Lived: 1 .... Oberlin, OH D) Four television shows I love to watch: 1.... E) Four places I have been on vacation: 1.... Vacation F) Four websites I visit daily: 1. google.com 2. myspace.com 3. actone.com 4. msn.com G) Four of my favorite foods: 1.... lucky charms H) Four places I would rather be right now: 1.... hot shower I) Four friends I think will respond: 1. ...CARLO: A) Four jobs I have had in my life: 1.... D'Arcy digital designer B) Four movies I could/would watch over and over: 1.... Love Actually C) Four Place you have Lived: 1 .... back to NYC D) Four television shows I love to watch: 1.... Inside the Actors Studio (Bravo) E) Four places I have been on vacation: 1.... England (island) F) Four websites I visit daily: 1. apple.com 2. macnn.com 3. nytimes.com 4. microedge.com G) Four of my favorite foods: 1.... Julia's Apple pie H) Four places I would rather be right now: 1.... playing tennis I) Four friends I think will respond: 1.]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-08-09T16:08:02-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-44http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-44"Teaching Remedial Decency", on the lack of core decency within the American military and current White House administration. "There's no way to teach someone not to shoot an unarmed woman or child. If somebody doesn't already know why they shouldn't murder a baby, it's not clear that a refresher course will help.... The problem with brushing up on core values is that if you don't know them by a certain point you can't learn them." I'm not sure if I believe in some innate deadline for learning value and decency – but it is obvious that our current crop of leaders (and therefore maybe the majority of constituents that elect them) lack the basic morals that foster respect and decency towards all people; even those who don't think, vote, or live as they do. Another example of this deficiency was displayed by Senator John McCain last night on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. When asked for his opinion of the Middle East crisis between Israel and Hezbollah – he argued on behalf of Israel's actions that there is no "moral equivalency" between the 100 Israelis killed by Hezbollah intentionally, and the 600 Lebanese killed by the Israeli army by accident. He went on to enlighten us of the greater impact Israel's 100 has on its smaller population (I guess it's good to see his outspoken empathy for at least one minority group). I don't care what political party you align yourself with – whether your flag has stars or crescents – whether you're an elephant or jackass or both – WE (all of us) are in a SAD place when the organized killing of hundreds of people is rationalized away in percentages and ratios as accidents or collateral damage. 28 Civilian deaths from just one raid in Qana, Lebanon last Sunday included: one 75-yr old, one 68-yr old, one 65-yr old, one 55-yr old, one 45-yr old, one 45-yr old, one 39-yr old, one 31-yr old, two 30-yr olds, one 25-yr old, one 17-yr old, two 12-yr olds, two 10-yr olds, two 9-yr olds, three 7-yr olds, two 6-yr olds, one 4-yr old, one 3-yr old, one 2-yr old, and one 9-month old. That same weekend Hezbollah launched a record 156 rockets into Israel – no Israelis were reported killed. Three days later Hezbollah launched a new record of 230 rockets into Israel killing one person. If it was never clear enough why Martin Luther King, Jr. insisted in the power of non-violent resistance, it's clear now! I have never been more proud of the civil-rights movement as I am today. For generations, minorities in America stood against this country's oppression, bigoted laws, atrocities and murders without once resorting to firing a rocket or dropping a bomb. King didn't draw his line on a map or with a flag, he drew it with plain ol' human decency. We miss you Martin.]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-08-07T10:37:46-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-43http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-43The Dave Matthews Band is quite familiar with the powers of seduction and inspiration. The magnificent quintet rocked my soul from 8 to 11 Saturday night on Randall's Island. Like pied-pipers, they lured the entire audience over a cliff of lullabies and ballads and "crash"ed us into the waves of their perfectly melodic jazz-rock anthems below. Weeeeeee! was the sound I seem to recall hearing the crowd scream on our way down. Here's what we got to hear during our fall... One Sweet World [] Crash [] Grey Street [] Idea of You [] Hunger For the Great Light [] Pig [] What Would You Say [] So Right [] Cortez the Killer (with Warren Hayes) [] Dancing Nancies [] Warehouse [] Rhyme and Reason [] #34 (with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones) [] Ants Marching [] Sister [] Slow Rider [] Stay 5 years ago in October 2001, in a different display of seduction and inspiration, Apple first announced at a special event following it's annual worldwide conference (WWDC), the release of the very first iPod (the one that i have at home). I was in my office at D'Arcy Advertising following Steve Jobs' presentation online. There was speculation of Apple getting back into the PDA business to compete with PalmPilot by bringing back a better version of a retired device – the Newton – which had failed 7 years earlier before PDAs were so popular and when cell phones were still a novelty. But by 2001, after returning to Apple, Steve Jobs had already seemed to do miracles for computing since the release of the iMacs, iBooks, G2 and iTunes; so perhaps Newton could be resurrected too. So by this time, Apple events had earned a reputation to expect the unexpected. And then right in front of everyone, Steve starts talking about how important music is and having the perfect match for the iTunes Music Store and how nothing in the market even comes close to satisfying what people really want - technically or stylistically - and then he digs into his pocket and pulls it out - the iPod. And just like that, a company and brand that was the love of only a few geeky artists, designers and musicians, became an overnight star to the world. Today at about 1pm (10am California time) the 2006 WWDC will begin. And I'll be at my G5 Mac online watching Steve and Apple do what they do so well - seduce, satisfy, inspire and maybe make history again. []]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-08-04T15:35:06-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-42http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-42(photos courtesy of this week's NY Times and Metro) This week, I finished reading Barack Obama's book Dreams of My Father. By the way it's great to see that he has joined the iTunes ranks and is offering a perodic podcast from his new office as the State Senator of Illinois. His book was an eloquent insight into his life's journey from Hawaii to Indonesia to New York to Chicago to Africa as the son of a black father and white mother from Kenya and Kansas. It stirred in me a reflection of my own struggles about the shade of my skin and the tree from which my family branches. It reopened dialogues within me that I have repeatedly left unfinished. So much so that I have to wonder why it seems instinctive for me to take notice of newspaper photographs? Am I just an observant artist by nature or have I become a scrutinizing minority by nurture? Why am I tempted to critique society's dictionary and draw attention to all the associations of the word black with bad and the word white with good. Why do people prefer to be caught in a little white-lie as opposed to a bad one. Why is there no such term as black-lie? Is there some inside joke I don't know about that would mock me... "hahaha, c'mon Carlo, what other color would a bad lie be?" Why does it stand out to me that every kid growing up knows what color hat the bad guy wears and what color hat the hero wears. Why does it draw my attention every time I see a young black girl get on the train with her cream-faced baby doll, yet I constantly keep missing the young white girls on the bus who are cradling their brown-faced dolls? And why does any of this matter for anything? Perhaps all of that will have to wait for another day – whew! – can't you feel the mercury creeping higher just from all the black text in these paragraphs? Ahhhh - that's better. Well, thankfully today seems to be the beginning of relief for Gotham...]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-07-31T16:33:43-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-41http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-41Sarah McLachlan's "World on Fire" and Paris Hilton's "Stars are Blind". World on Fire spends its 4 minutes illustrating the alternative benefits of a music video budget ($150,000); in a world where mothers work all day for the same amount of money I make in the time it took me to type this article – just to send their sons to school. Stars are Blind spends its 4 contemplating the cosmic scale involved in earning Paris Hilton's beach-perfect companionship and adoration – "real love" as she calls it. A contrast of even greater proportions on any scale, is the 12,000 reviews on iTunes that Stars are Blind has received so far, compared to World on Fire being reviewed a whole 17 times to date. Well, perhaps that's perfect. Because more and more on this planet, it feels like our last hopes are coming down to 17's having to make a difference against 12,000's.]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-07-28T17:24:14-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-39http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-39JesusforJews was able to throw a wrench at Julia and I so quickly is beyond me. These Christians have apparently caught on to the latest trick in advertising and marketing – when you need a fresh angle all you have to do is... reverse the words in your name... Oh, also ditch the old-fashioned bible-font, and add some hip NYC subway graphics, and you're on your way to a marketing campaign that no one can refuse! One question though – when does the Jesus for Jews for Jesus campaign launch?]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-07-27T16:53:55-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-38http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-38Damien Rice, and followed by Fiona Apple – the park was filled with unadorned ethereal vocals and musicianship. Julia and I camped out on this little hill of grass behind the stage. And for the hour or so, the melodies bounced through the trees just passively enough to make it seem like the city had switched to some enlightened society of music listeners who had made it law for contemplative soulful minor chords to always accompany pedestrians on their midtown commute home. I don't know what it was – maybe running into Yayoi Kobayashi (oops, I mean Mrs. Yayoi Pellerin), and her new husband, on the same patch of grass, or maybe meeting up with Julia's friend Sonel and her boyfriend Matt – that made the evening feel so omnipresent and perfectly in harmony. As if this was the way weekday evenings should be spent every week. Old friends, new friends, a park, an Apple, some Rice.]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-07-25T11:06:44-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-37http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-37iCal can be found in Wired magazine. But throughout the past year, Apple has proven its genius beyond just one elegant detail of iCal. From the introduction of "cool white" into the visual sense of the planet; to the meteoric rise of the Apple i -brand. From the announcement of the first video iPod; to the expansion of iTunes to include a growing library of movies and television programming from every major network. From natural synergies with the likes of a href="http://www.apple.com/ipod/ipodyourcar/">BMW (and now almost every major automaker), Motorola, and most recently, Nike; to slugfests with major music industry labels to protect their level playing field pricing on iTunes . From consistently raising the bar of innovation with new Mac software; to quickening a pace of PC/Windows assimilation that was already leaving Microsoft in the dust and stumbling towards obsolescence. All of these developments have been playing out like an epic Greek drama, complete with tragedy, redemption, ceremony, deities, villains, heroes, and even chorus (that's my role). And it has been quite an act. Stay tuned for what promises to be a fabulous show.]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-07-24T21:55:51-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-36http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-36When approached for comments after losing a crown which seemed certain to be hers – Miss Uranus broke into a flood of tears and heartfelt protest, which cannot be repeated here... there was no translator available. Scandal continued – when immediately after Miss Uranus bounced of the stage Miss Puerto Rico fainted. There really are no words for the spectacle that is the Miss Universe Pageant (produced and owned by Donald Trump). Without wanting to insult the many women of the pageant who are probably very beautiful in ways that the pageant could never do justice to – I mostly direct my comments to the people who first established and continue to sell this event to our society... 1) I would like to see proof that the other worlds in the Universe actually declined an invitation to the pageant. 2) On what grounds were "Miss Galaxy" and "Miss Solar System" rejected as a name for the pageant? 3) Donald Trump is not allowed to spend any further money on Miss Universe while any of his new properties fail to meet New York City's Green Building Initiative standards.]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-07-21T18:35:43-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-35http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-35Microsoft has announced that before the end of 2006 (probably for the holiday season) it will take on the daunting task of launching a device to rival Apple's iPod. "Zune" will be a media device player that will also work seamlessly with an online service similar to iTunes. HAHAHAHahaa! My goodness... WHAT on earth is a Zune??? C'mon Microsoft, how do you plan on making a dent into the culture, genius and cachet that has become the realm of Apple and iPod? How can you even hope to create an experience that has won fans the world over for it's cool and simplicity factor? From the get-go, the name "Zune" makes absolutely no sense on a consumer level next to Microsoft's other lifestyle offerings – MediaCenter, XBox, Origami, et. al. Compare that to Apple's consistent, easy-to-understand positioning – iMac, iBook, iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes, iPod. If you have a game console called XBox; why not name your media or music device XMed or XClip? The very announcement of yet another hopeful Microsoft product, while its long-awaited new operating system Vista still only delivers delays and cutbacks, seems to confirm the eminent doom of Zune. Bill, Steve, or whoever is in control out there in Redmond, have we learned nothing from the cunning mysterious, last-minute, surprise events that have become synonimous (if not predictable) with Apple's new product launches? Apple has set a new benchmark for creating hype – and even more important – getting everyone else to believe that hype by delivering on it. Microsoft's inability to quicken pulses, satisfy hopes, execute the obvious, and empathize with the intangibles of organic elegance and basic consumer perception is what persists at Microsoft and holds back the lumbering giant from ever becoming a star, idol or icon. But ya gotta love how they keep trying :)]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-07-20T15:12:44-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-34http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-34www.fueleconomy.gov I put together this image of oversized SUVs and ultra-efficient cars to illustrate and imagine the potential for our nation's roads if we ever decided to take over-dependence on gasoline seriously. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS (per year) 3 Hummers = 31 tons 4 MINIs = 25 tons 4 Prius (not shown) = 14 tons 6 SmartCars (electric) = 0 tons ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So apparently Toyota has reversed its reversal - and found its way back onto the road toward electrics and true-hybrids. Rejoice! Toyota had seemed to be making fabulous strides forward in emissions reduction when it introduced its Toyota Prius hybrid car – and thankfully that progress seems to be back on track. When you compare Toyota's efforts to US automakers continuing to make lazy legislation and persisting to be the odd-ball in the march to smarter technology – as shown by the arrival of the new cute and tiny electric DaimlerChrysler SmartCar in the U.K. (while even the gasoline version still remains absent in the U.S.) – it becomes more horrifying and obvious that the problem seems to be with us the American people, plain and simple. And not with alleged economic concerns or some phantom costs of technology!!! What is wrong with us? See if you can make any clear and actionable sense out of our President's position on energy consumption and conservation. Also, a description and breakdown of vehicle Emssions Standards.]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-07-19T11:46:12-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-33http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-33"This is what a Feminist looks like". Of course me being me, I didn't want to wear such a bold statement without possessing more substance on the subject. So the last couple of weeks my research into feminism led to discovering a branch of feminism known as Ecofeminism. So Julia gave me a book to read, titled "Ecofeminism and the Sacred". I had no idea that there was a movement that articulated the state and woes of humanity and nature so richly and competently. The fact that ecofeminism is not more at the forefront of political and social discourse is what gives rise to my anger and confusion. Deep down I have thousands of words and images brewing – in need of emittance. But right now the flood of perspective is a little overwhelming. Something needs to done and said and sang and echoed. But by whom? And when? And at what cost?]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-07-17T10:29:11-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-31http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-31quesadillas, jazz, Meryl Streep, sun-tan lotion, a bottlecapper and a Crobar all have in common?... They were all part of my great weekend. When a weekend starts off with listening to live jazz at the Kitano with Julia – you know it's gonna be a good weekend! The Kitano really knows it's jazz and just for good measure they throw in some pretty good quesadillas with a chipotle dip. The Devil Wears Prada is a good movie and worth watching on the big-screen. Not for any mind-bending special effects or the such; but seeing Meryl Streep pull-off a flawless performance of a risky and tricky character is quite a sight to behold and deserves all the vertical and horizontal attention a movie-screen offers. Unfortunately, Crobar's performance for Topher's birthday night, was not as flawless. Stef's friend did his best to party the night away at one of NYC's premier party spots – but Crobar was not up to the challenge. We had fun in the hip-hop room and the main dance floor, but the music never reached that next level of funk and groove that keeps you going for hours. My favorite part of the weekend though was going to Lido Beach with the BFF Crew (Julia, Lauren and Allison). I'm a simple man, the ocean, the sand, Julia in her yummy Banana Republic bikini, that's pretty much all I really need to enjoy a Sunday afternoon. Sure, I could throw in the BBQ wings, Guinness, and Ralph's Apple Crumb ice; but that's really just bonus stuff :)]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-07-13T12:47:55-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-30http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-30Blewish Entertainment's "July 4th Weekend" home-movie... you put a whole bunch of work into producing a cool home-dvd with soundtrack + title screens + sound-fx, et cetera; then burn several dvds. Only to realize afterwards that you left out scrolling credits at the end and a perfect opportunity to overlay a penguin clip onto Stef's Jeopardy scene, grrr. There's always something that you forget to do when the doing is made so simple and enjoyable I suppose. Why couldn't dvds be wi-fi enabled so I could just wire the revision straight to the individual dvds now? C'mon Apple, get workin' on that.]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-07-12T19:23:30-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-29http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-29SpongeBall SquareSets of NY Urban Volleyball league and Playas of BigCity Volleyball league have been so kind to let me join their rosters this Summer. So far SpongeBall is off to a great start with a 3-0 record and Playas is off to a shakey start with a 0-3 record — but I expect that to improve drastically as the team coalesces.
STAY TUNED on this page for score and match updates. Karate at SEIDO has taken a fabulous turn since Julia decided to join — having her smiling face glowing in the dojo may turn out to be the best and most satisfying surprise of the Summer... at least that's what the odds in Vegas are listing :) And to continue the athletic theme... World Cup football (also known as soccer in America) concluded this past weekend. Italia upset France in a final that was decided by penalty kicks (5-3). There's nothing quite like seeing the East Village pubs overflowing with folks cheering at every approach or corner kick. Especially when those cheers are in French and Italian. ZiZou, many think that you let France down — but we feel your pain — or perhaps Marco Materazzi of Italia is feeling a little more pain :)]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-07-05T16:40:39-04:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-32http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-32Newsday: where several interviewed NYC residents were quoted as saying... "My favorite thing about America is the opportunity to do and be anything you want EXCEPT be a criminal or break the law of course." And guess what the one thing these people would change about America was? "Absolutely nothing!" They think it's fine just the way it is. "So far, so good" one 81 yr. old woman was quoted as saying. Well thanks to the red, white and blue, I had the opportunity to spend my weekend with a slightly less brain-washed crew. 3 days in Long Island, spending quality time in Long Beach, Lido Beach and a BBQ at Lauren's place, conversing on topics such as penguin mobility, video camera LED specs, gymnastics, culinary techniques, etc. Top that Newsday Granny!! Stepping out of character in honor of the star-spangled weekend, I lugged around a digital video camera to captured some the days' moments to remember the grandeur a little better. And sufficiently in character, I've published an edited version of the video at Apple's iTunes music store. Enjoy Besides celebrating the Independence of this perfect nation in the arms of my girlfriend – there were plenty of other fireworks to go around. Courtesy of luminous souls such as Sam (when she wasn't watching World Cup), Nanna (and her 7 foot tall tales), Gunny Scarfo, and the man the myth the legend, Mukesh Vasvani.]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-03-23T10:16:04-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-28http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-28GORILLA-HUNGARIAN 2 for the Division 6 crown. Expect solid all-around strategy from both sides of the net - with a slight 'ed'vantage to Gorilla.]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-03-21T10:55:00-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-27http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-27carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-03-17T16:33:05-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-26http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/page9.html#unique-entry-id-26carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-03-17T15:59:45-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-1.html#unique-entry-id-24http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-1.html#unique-entry-id-24GORILLA MANICOTTI vs Tuesday Nights With Henri At PS 163 (97th Street & Amsterdam Ave.)]]>carlo@carloblackmore.comNEWS2006-03-10T12:16:50-05:00http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-0.html#unique-entry-id-23http://www.carloblackmore.com/carlo2006/page9/files/archive-0.html#unique-entry-id-23FOOD FIGHTERS TAKE A BITE OUT OF MANICOTTI LYCEE, NY (AFP) - There was an upside, then there was a downside then there was an upside again. Last night before their game, the Gorilla Manicotti team players witnessed a stunning upset for first place rival Hungarian Billionaires Club. Losing two of three games to Gorilla’s next week opponent Net Assets, the Bills set the stage for Gorilla to take sole possession of first place. “Looks like you guys won the division,” admitted Hungarian Jim to Arthur after their second game. Then it was time for Gorilla to claim their prize: division supremacy. Prancing on the court, knowing their division rivals had dropped two, Gorilla went into the first game confident that they would mop the floor with the Food Fighters. However, they weren’t prepared for an opponent that brought such team spirit with them. The first game started out fine. Gorilla had built up a decent enough lead to not be concerned. However, the Food Fighters slowly chipped away, and got louder with each point they took from Gorilla. Gorilla attained match point, but could not finish. With a chance to put the game away, Joey put up a bad serve and turned the ball over. On the ensuing possession, Food Fighters took the game 16-14. Tremendously disappointed with their efforts, Gorilla got the fires in their bellies lit for the second game. They put together the kind of beating that should have been handed out in all three frames. Winning it by a score of 15-6, Gorilla pounded their opponents and gave them what they deserved. A good solid loss. However, the spirit of the Food Fighters last night was indomitable. Psyched about taking one from the mighty Gorilla, they were pumped for more action. However Gorilla once again got the better of them. Playing like a well-oiled machine, Gorilla bumped, set and spiked everything that came to their side. It was the kind of team play that makes you sit back and say, “boy, that’s team play.” The victory was solidified and the final score read 15-11. With 2 losses from the Hungarians, Gorilla Manicotti moves into first place once again by themselves. A happy ending for all parties involved. The playoffs are clinched. But what about the bye? NOTES & QUOTES: Next week, Gorilla will face a formidable opponent in Net Assets, who knocked Hungarian Billionaires out of first place. Carlo took pre-game footage with his kickarse camera. At the end of the very late night, he was heard asking the team, “Anybody need sugar?”]]>