2BS Blog - This is it.

Team helmets from the New England Patriots (L) and Carolina Panthers are displayed with the NFL’s Vince Lombardi Championship Trophy at a morning press conference about Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston, January 30, 2004. The NFC champion Panthers meet the AFC champion Patriots for the NFL World Championship at Reliant Stadium in Houston, February 1. REUTERS/Jeff Mitchell



AFC Champion New England Patriots middle linebacker Tedy Bruschi stretches during practice in Houston, January 30, 2004. REUTERS/Mike Blake



Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme stretches during the team’s Super Bowl practice in Houston, January 29, 2004. REUTERS/Shaun Best



Carolina Panthers head coach John Fox, left, and New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick shake hands during a Super Bowl opening ceremony honoring some of the greatest Houston athletes Monday, Jan. 26, 2004 in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Bob Jones.

so i go to the gas station
and buy a drink and some chips
the total came to 3.24
i hand him three
then a quarter
he tries to sidetrack me
“do you want a bag for that”
“no i dont want a bag” i say
I wait
he looks
I say
“don’t you owe me some change”
i know its a penny but jeez
give it to me freak

This has to be the craziest picture I have seen in a while.. There is so much going on. I know nothing about it or why it is or how it is. Can someone explain what’s going on?

The Coast Guard Cutter Wire, a 65-foot icebreaking tug homeported in Saugerties, New York, makes its way through an ice flow in New York Harbor, January 28, 2004. As severe ice conditions still exist in the Northeast, Coast Guard ice breakers have been working continuously, keeping waterways open for maritime traffic. Picture taken January 28, 2004. REUTERS/USCG/Mike Lutz

I am disappointed. I thought we were going to get a lot of snow and we didn’t. I’m definately asking for a refund. We need like 7 feet of snow so that I have to literally dig myself out of my house. Pathetic.

German fifty pfennig coins destroyed in a “decoiner” are pictured in Dortmund January 28, 2004. Germany is using the decoiner to destroy some 98,500 tons of the former German currency following the launch of the euro on January 1, 2002. The company Eurocoin has so far destroyed 6.8 tons in the state of North Rhine Westpalia. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender

City cracking down on parking in fire lane
CHRISTINE MARGIOTTA , The Saratogian 01/27/2004

SARATOGA SPRINGS —Some Broadway employees who park on Long Alley have recently found $50 tickets for parking in a fire lane tucked under their windshield wipers.

City police have issued 13 parking tickets for fire lane violations so far this year, eight of which came from Long Alley, Assistant Police Chief James Cornick said Monday.

Some employees protested the tickets, saying Long Alley is blocked at the northern end by a street gate, two trash bins and a sizable snow bank, making the street inaccessible from the Seasons In Saratoga home decorating store parking lot on Broadway.

‘You can’t say it’s a fire lane because (the trash bins and snow bank) are there,’ said Kim O’Reilly, an office assistant at Bonacio Construction on Broadway. O’Reilly no longer parks in the alley since she received a parking ticket last August, she said.

But those who obstruct Long Alley’s fire lane will still get tickets regardless of the barrier at the end of the street, fire officials said Monday.

Though fire code states ‘fire apparatus access roads shall not be obstructed in any manner, including the parking of vehicles,’ Seasons in Saratoga property owner Chris Armer can put up a barricade to keep nonpatrons from parking in the private lot—he just needs to make sure firefighters can cut the lock, said Lt. Pat Rocco of the Saratoga Springs Fire Department.

In addition, Armer must keep the area plowed and remove the trash bins, both Rocco and Fire Chief Bob Cogan said.

‘The lane can be blocked, but it has to be a barrier we can deal with,’ Cogan said.

Armer could not comment because he was out of town, store employees said. Fire officials plan to discuss the issue with Armer when he returns later this week.

The alley obstruction is only one of many compounding factors adding to the ongoing downtown parking problem. The lack of parking compels people to park in fire lanes, in front of fire hydrants and within loading zones, causing safety hazards, Rocco said. In addition, new tenants on Broadway compounded Long Alley’s vehicular congestion, making it difficult to adhere to the 20-foot minimum unobstructed width the city fire code requires for all fire lanes.

Officials said employees from Roohan Realty made the majority of complaints to the fire department about the parking tickets. Owner Tom Roohan agreed with fire officials, saying the parking crunch was ‘not a brand new issue.’

Deputy Mayor Alicia Wardell said Monday the city is researching possible funding sources to help combat parking problems and is fielding other possible downtown parking deck locations.

©The Saratogian 2004

Now I wish I didn’t immediately pay this ticket.

Grounds crew workers touch up paint on the Super Bowl logo during media day at Reliant Stadium, ahead of Super Bowl XXXVIII, in Houston, Texas, January 27, 2004. The game is scheduled for February 1. REUTERS/Mike Blake



Technicians install a goalpost during media day at Reliant Stadium ahead of Super Bowl XXXVIII, in Houston, Texas, January 27, 2004. The game is scheduled for February 1. The stadium has a retractable roof, which is in the closed position. REUTERS/Shaun Best

ESPN Research

1. This marks the first time ever that both Super Bowl teams take their name after a state or area, not a city.

2. Only two teams have ever won a Super Bowl while committing more turnovers than their opponent (Colts in Super Bowl V, Steelers in Super Bowl XIV).

3. The Panthers defeated the Eagles in Philadelphia for the NFC championship. It’s worth noting that the last three Super Bowl champions all won their conference championship games on the road.

4. The Panthers will be the fourth different opponent the Patriots have played in a Super Bowl (Bears, Packers, Rams, Panthers).

5. Carolina will try to become the fifth first-time winner in the last five Super Bowls (Rams, Ravens, Patriots, Buccaneers).

6. A Panthers win would make the Patriots the sixth different franchise to lose three Super Bowls.

7. Who knows, He Hate me could become, “He’s the MVP!” There have been seven kickoff returns for touchdowns in Super Bowl history. On the contrary, the Super Bowl is still waiting for its first punt return for touchdown.

8. Eight of the last nine Super Bowls that happened two weeks after the Conference Championship Games have been decided by 10 points or more (only exception was Super Bowl XXXII when Denver beat Green Bay 31-24).

9. If the Panthers win Super Bowl XXXVIII, nine different clubs will have walked away with at least one championship in last the 11 seasons.

10. A Patriots win would make them the 10th franchise to win two Super Bowls, and …

11. ... would make the Panthers the 11th different team to lose in the last 11 Super Bowls.

12. Tom Brady’s jersey number—the most popular number worn by a quarterback in Super Bowl history.

13. Peyton Manning didn’t reach the big game, but this is the 13th straight year a Tennessee Volunteer has reached the Super Bowl (Shane Burton and Deon Grant of the Panthers).

14. The Patriots enter the game on a 14-game winning streak, a single-season mark only topped by the undefeated 1972 Dolphins who scored 14 points in their Super Bowl VII win.

15. The Panthers are the first team to reach the Super Bowl just two seasons removed from going 1-15.

16. If Brady wins the MVP, he will be one behind another quarterback that he has been receiving favorable comparisons to: Joe Montana (who wore No. 16).

17. Jake Delhomme becomes the third quarterback in Super Bowl history to wear No. 17 (Billy Kilmer, Doug Williams).

18. Delhomme will try to make the Panthers the 18th different franchise to win a Super Bowl.

19. Brady and Delhomme better start practicing saying, “I’m going to Disney World.” A quarterback has been the Super Bowl MVP 19 times.

20. The Patriots and the Panthers have won a combined 20 straight games entering the Super Bowl (including playoffs). That is the most ever in the Super Bowl era.

21. Both teams feature top defenses. The lowest scoring Super Bowl was Super Bowl VII when Miami and Washington combined to score 21 points.

22. Twenty-two of the previous 37 Super Bowls have been played on grass fields. This may become the first to be played on a grass field indoors (though the NFL wants to keep the roof open).

23. Half of 46: Jake Delhomme becomes the 46th different quarterback to start a Super Bowl. Forty-six is also the amount of points New England gave up in its first Super Bowl vs. the Bears (with a 46 defense).

24. The lucky number for both the Panthers and Patriots. Both Ty Law and Ricky Manning Jr. wear No. 24 and had three interceptions in the conference championships

25. The team that scores first is 25-12 in Super Bowl competition. However, the team that has scored first has lost the last two Super Bowls.

26. Active players on the Patriots and Panthers have combined to win 26 Super Bowl rings (23 Patriots, 3 Panthers).

27. Expect a blowout in this year’s Super Bowl. Twenty-seven of the previous 37 Super Bowls played have been decided by more than seven points.

28. No team has scored exactly 28 points in a Super Bowl, but teams getting over that plateau are 20-1 in Super Bowl play (only loss: Cowboys in Super Bowl XIII).

29. The team leading at the half has won 29 of the 37 Super Bowls played.

30. This is the first Super Bowl in Houston in 30 years. The last time was Super Bowl VIII when the Dolphins defeated the Vikings 24-7.

31. The Patriots are looking to become the first team to win the Super Bowl after being shutout in Week 1 (They lost 31-0 at Buffalo).

32. Super XXXII ended the NFC’s 13-game win streak in Super Bowls. Including Denver’s upset of Green Bay, the AFC has won four of the last six Lombardi Trophies.

33. The team that gains the most total yards has won 33 of the previous 37 Super Bowls.

34. Last year’s Super Bowl MVP wore No. 34 (Dexter Jackson of the Buccaneers). Could the Patriots Chris Akins be this year’s Dexter Jackson?

35. The last Super Bowl quarterback to wear No. 17 was Doug Williams. He led the Redskins to 35 first-half points in Super Bowl XXII.

36. Of the 43 Patriots that played in their Super Bowl XXXVI triumph, 26 are still with the team.

37. Of the first 37 Super Bowls, only one has been won on the final play of the game. Will Adam Vinatieri make Super Bowl XXXVIII another one to remember?

38. Stephen Davis must carry the load for the Panthers to win. Speaking of carries, the most ever in a Super Bowl is 38 by another one-time Redskin: John Riggins in Super Bowl XVII.

Tricky ‘MyDoom’ e-mail worm spreading quickly, Worm launches attack on site for Unix-owner SCO Group By Jeordan Legon CNN full article

Hackers unleashed an agile worm Monday—using a sneaky, fairly new tactic to get unsuspecting computer users to diffuse their malicious code.

Dubbed “W32/MyDoom” or “Novarg,” the worm circulated so fast anti-virus firms quickly raised threat warnings to “high” saying the bug was one of the worst in recent months.

The worm is contained in e-mails with random senders’ addresses and subject lines. While the body of the e-mail varies, it usually includes what appears to be an error message, such as: “The message cannot be represented in 7-bit ASCII encoding and has been sent as a binary attachment.”

Symantec Security Response – W32.Novarg.A@mm

So be careful with your email stuff.

A cow walks along the river bank by India’s historic Taj Mahal at Agra. A diamond trader in India’s western state of Gujarat has been feeding up a cow for the last 17 days—not to get more milk but to retrieve the 1,722 diamonds the animal swallowed by mistake.(AFP/File/Rob Elliott)

The AccuWeather national forecast for Monday, Jan. 26, 2004, shows a complex storm will bring snow to the Midwest and Northeast today. A widespread ice storm will cover the Ohio Valley, the Virginias and North Carolina. Bitterly cold air will continue in New England and the northern Plains, and snow will blanket the northern Rockies. Showers will occur in western Washington and Oregon. (AP Photo/AccuWeather)

It was so cold in Montreal I can’t even try to explain it. Sara and I were somewhat limited to how much time we spent outside because of the overwhelmingly cold environment that we decided to spend a weekend getaway on. More later but.. Damn.

We were told it was 45 at one point. We weren’t sure if that was Farenheit or Celsius but:
-45 degrees Celsius = -49 degrees Fahrenheit and
-45 degrees Fahrenheit = -42.778 degrees Celsius
so either way thats freaking cold.

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