In the case of a tie, I’ll randomly draw a name.

Send entries to matt @ itsgully.com or comment below.

The bartender friend

For some, a bartender friend is often the crucial cog of the well-oiled machine, but they can also gum up the works and complicate things. This friend always has access to inexpensive liquid to fuel nights of gentlemanly adventure, as well as a venue from which to provide said liquid. The bartender friend has what can often appear to be a magical power, that is, the instantaneous reduction of a $60 bar tab to a mere $20. This is a true win-win situation, you end up paying for one out of three drinks, while you throw a generous tip your friend’s way. Plus, he’s always around and ready to party if your girlfriend breaks up with you or if your dog died and you want to pour one out for poor old Roofus.

The doctor friend

These friends are here to provide invaluable medical services. Have a weird mole? Call Tommy. Sinus infection? Tommy. Sprained your ankle because your bartender friend Paulie gave you one too many, give Tommy a call, he’ll take care of it. It’s also possible you assisted a damsel in distress and by doing so, injured yourself. Once again, the doctor is there to write a prescription if you need it or even sew you up.

The lawyer friend

The lawayer friend is usually around to help clean up any messes that you get yourself into. More often than not, it’s usually the result of the bartender friend once again giving you too much. Maybe you needed to use the restroom and could not wait until you got home and decide to pop into an alley — which is dangerous for multiple reasons — and a police officer sees you, the lawyer friend is there to make sure this matter goes away quickly and quietly.

I’m sure we can think of other friends every guy needs, but I think this sums it up fairly well.

The WSJ article also noted, not surprisingly, that “Mr. Zindani’s comments highlight a deep mistrust that Yemenis have toward the U.S. and its recent overseas actions. Many people here believe that U.S. troops, fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, are waging a war against Muslims, not terrorists.”

While the comments do suggest a mistrust of the United States among Yemenis and many in the Middle East, they also highlight a need address the systemic, root causes of violence. Whether the causes are rooted in economic disparity, political strife, or fundamentalists twisting a religion to achieve their own misguided agenda are not exactly clear. What is clear however is that our initial reaction to call for direct or indirect military intervention may not always be the best solution. Such action could undoubtedly lead to further misunderstanding, miscommunication and a worsening of relations. More important to the long-term stability is the building of meaningful relationships built on trust and respect. As the article smartly points out, building those relationships with individuals such as Mr. Zindani, could go a long way in changing minds and stemming violence.

Do not confuse this as a free pass for Mr. Zindani as serious questions remain including whether or not he has supported or encouraged extremism and violence. Instead, we should use Mr. Zindani’s invitation as an example of a potential opportunity to increase dialogue between two groups that may not always see eye to eye.

Before 2009 was over, I was already thinking about paying more attention to music, especially to help myself understand the various aspects of pop culture I had ignored for nearly 25 years. In a sort of strange coincidence, I received a copy of the latest Spin Magazine courtesy of Lollapalooza last week. I’m not sure how they deemed I was worthy of such a gift, but thank you.

Music always confused me. I never understood why people were so vocal in support or opposition of particular artists or songs. Why would I care what you think of a song? I often viewed music as a highly personal experience subject to countless variables, most important of which are our ears. Like color, tastes and smells, we experience sound in a unique manner. What sounds good to me, may sound terrible to you. However I decided to take a new approach to interpreting the musical opinions of others. I realized that music reviews are similar to tasting notes of scotch or wine,  which are essentially one’s interpretations of the elements and flavors that make up the finished product. While some liquors and wines can have flavors similar to citrus, vanilla, coffee or tobacco, similarly, an album may have influences of Simon and Garfunkel or the Clash. We’ll see if this approach is helpful, it’s certainly already changed what I think of music reviews.

In the meantime I’m going to cruise through Spin’s 40 Best Albums of 2009.

Technorati ZR3SY4TR2952

If you’ve visited BeautifulPeople.com, this stock photo from iStockPhoto should look familiar as it is the same photo BeautifulPeople uses on its front page.

As an up-and-comer on the global social scene, I figured I needed to be a part of this “exclusive group for beautiful people.” I became especially intrigued after I read “5000 Festive Fatties Expelled From BeautifulPeople.com.” Such a headline made me believe this site is just teeming with beautiful people who like to like to be you know, beautiful and stuff. If you’re wondering who started this, it’s these guys.

I moseyed on over to BeautifulPeople.com and signed up. During a sort of 48-hour trial period, my photo would be voted on and the masses would decided whether or not I’m “beautiful.” This photo should be familiar to my hordes of Twitter followers. If Jersey Shore, Facebook and HotorNot.com had a child, BeautifulPeople.com would be it. I’m praying no one there finds me beautiful.

After signing into my trial period, I figured I would peruse the site, expecting tens, if not hundreds of thousands of beautiful people. It’s not quite what they advertise. The “Browse” section had sixty or so pages of members, and according to my rough calculations this figures out to be 300,000 or so allegedly beautiful people, a far cry from the claims of more than 500,000 members.

Kudos to the founders for royally screwing up. I noticed several messages and chats complaining about the plethora (tens of thousands) of “fake” accounts for the “real” members to rate. Good job. Sure, the press release generated buzz for your site, but by doing so you’ve alienated your paying customers, bogged down the site (it’s terrible) and as a result, your service is a complete joke.

My photo is currently being ranked at 4.92/10. Which translates to 49.2 percent of people think I’m “beautiful.” Just .9 percent more and I declare that a majority of people believe I’m “beautiful.” I’ll be, without a doubt, canceling my account.

I’d like to thank @charlotterunco for alerting me to the glory that is BeautifulPeople.com

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