« Heavy Turbulence and the Planes Crashed in the Desert | Main | The Neverending Story »

April 03, 2009

Comments

USA! USA! USA!

#1 v #8
J. Ludwig Riediesel - I was very close to going with my cousin Ben, but I chickened out.

#2 v #7
Captain Tichenor - The Tich!

#3 v #6
Jasper Bridge - I'm glad Jasper won't meet Tichenor until the finals. Those are my guys!

#4 v #5
James Higgins - I can't let Freud coast on his name and bloated ego. This is a beard contest.


#1 v #8
J. Ludwig Riediesel

#2 v #7
Cole Younger

#3 v #6
Jasper Bridge

#4 v #5
James Higgins

#1 v #8
Benjamin J. Coleman because i like cheating with photoshop - you could say i do it for a living.

#2 v #7
Captain William Tichenor because he's not trying to beef up his beard with any other areas. He doesn't even have sideburns.

#3 v #6
Pesach Wolf Cotlarsky because it's well-groomed. Great beards come with great responsibility

#4 v #5
James Higgins because that Freud guy is trying to showcase the fancy mustache part of his beard a little too much for my taste.

1 over 8
2 over 7
6 over 3
5 over 4

I forgot to "verify" my earlier, wittier, elabote-er post.

#1 v #8
J. Ludwig Riediesel
You can tell he takes great pride in his grooming.

#2 v #7
Captain Tichenor
I think the eyebrows give him an edge. It's probably my fave facial hair in the competition.

#3 v #6
Cotlarsky
I like Jasper's beard, but I've gotta give it up for the Jews. After all, we pioneered facial hair!

#4 v #5
Freud
I may not agree with his theories, but that is one fine moustache.

J. Ludwig Riediesel - Authenticity, people. Ludwig has seen some crazy shit in his time, you can see it all over his beard.

Captain William Tichenor - The other guy's beard is a little...emasculating? Plus, I like the idea of Billy's beard bobbing up and down as his jaw moves while speaking.

Jasper Bridge - You can't see it in the photo, but clearly he has a twinkle in his eye. This makes up for the drably colored (but otherwise impressive) beard on this fella. Happy grandpa vibe.

Sigmund Freud - I can't help it. I like the "vibe" of a fastidiously kept beard. It shows a man is careful and exacting, which usually results in superior personal hygiene and a sharp wit. And occasionally a legacy of psychological research.

Ludwig - This a strong #1.

Tichenor - He looked directly above people's eyes when he talked to them.

Jasper Bridge - little do we know, a native bird of Oregon is talking to him slightly off camera

Higgins - A little more back story about J Higgs. This original "Dugger" patriarch married the daughter of his neighbor, Maria Forkin, at age 14. She tried to run away several times so she could be with her siblings and dolls she loved only to be returned by her father. Maria Forkin Higgins had her first child at 14 and last child at 47. Higgins legacy is truly one shining moment in our family history.

This is intense!

No big surprises yet. Jasper is making a good showing. Freud is hanging tough. Some of these votes are completely insane.

I got rid of the annoying security question -- I don't want to disenfranchise people for poor computer usage.

Higgins was nuts. Having an 18th child at age 47 in the 1800s is like a Kamikaze mission.

My relatives are quite upset that I did not participate in this competition. Maybe next year!

1v8 = Hands down #1 Ludwig
2v7 - #2 Tichenor - it is a cool name, he was a capitan, beard seems to have required lots of work and I am geting sweet vibes!
3v6 - #3 Pesach - clearly a well-kept beard where as Jasper is just all over the place. Have some pride in your beard.
4v5 - #5 Higgens - Higgens gets my vote not so much for his beard but for his eyes. His eyes are staring directly into my soul. This guy is a legit legend!

What a group of good looking men!
#1 vs #8: Ludwig! That there is an honest looking man.
#2 vs #7: Tichenor! That beard goes on for miles.
#3 vs #6: Jasper! What kind eyes!
#4 vs #5: Higgens! He just looks really annoyed; a quality I personally bring out in men.

#1: J. Ludwig
#2: Captain William
#3: Pesach Wolf
#4: James

#1: Sorry, Ben. As much as I am impressed and envious as hell of your (sole living) beard, I have to tip my cap to Herr Ludwig. His beard is truly "diesel" (couldn't resist). It has not just size, but layered depth and dignity.

#2 Aye, aye, Captain, your beard gets my vote. It reminds me of an upside-down spruce tree. It is well formed and tidy. Must have been the damp sea air that gave it so much body.

#3 This call was much tougher to make. But my vote goes to Pesach (what a great name!) for his beard's neat, purse-like shape. "He's a very clean old man!"

#4 you may accuse me of bias, but I honestly think Freud edges out Higgins for the overall shape and contour of his beard. True, his Rollie Fingers-esque stache might be playing tricks on my subconscious, swaying my mind in his favor. But Freud's beard has more of that spruce thing going on, and I can't get enough.

l. Captain Ben has to get my vote. After all he only is able to grow that beard because of me. And after only 2 months. What a guy!
2. Capt. Tichenor not only for the great beard but because I never could resist a sea-faring man.
3. It's got to be Jasper Bridge, for the gentle eyes, but also the beard reminds me of shredded wheat, and I love shredded wheat.
4. In contrast to my vote in #4, Freud's tidy black beard reminds me of a dark haired- bearded man I used to live with and remember fondly, so I have to go with Siggy.

Amazing turnout!

Right now the only close contest is between Pesach and Jasper. They're separated by a mere 3 votes.

20 hours left, anything can happen.

1. This is a tough call, and as much as I would like to encourage all the young men who can to follow Ben's example, I am won over by Ludwig: his piercing gaze, the wave of his locks, but especially the full, long beard with its twisting contours. Ludwig gets my vote.

2. If this were a contest of who has the toughest beard to match his tough character, well then, Younger would surely win this one, but there's just something about Tichenor's flapping beard, unanchored by a mustache, like a flag on a mast. Big-eared, sharp-nosed Tichenor gets my vote.

3. Both these men have won my heart. Such wonderfully different beards and expressions. I think I'll let the season decide this one for me. Pesach is for Pesach. (And you know he would never let the matzah crumbs make a mess of his finely groomed facial fibers.)

4. First let me express my utmost respect for Higgins' strong square specimen. My vote is for Cousin Freud, however, not because of nepotism, mind you, but because, whenever I look at my therapists' beard, I know Cousin Siggy had something to do with it. That is pro-beard influence on a historical scale. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2399206855 (Although Cousin Scholomo got it wrong on at least one occasion: it's not penis envy, oh no, it's definitely beard envy!)

A Curious Sequence of Events:
So, this is not a vote, but the story of a little adventure that began as a result of this contest and I want to share it with you all. As I was searching online for the genealogical ties that bind me to Siggy F. I found the posting below on a JewishGen.com (you'd have to sign in to see it, so I'm pasting it here instead). I have to say, it was the most bizarre experience reading about my own family from a total stranger. I contacted the poster, and she is the niece of my grandfather's cousin, Harry. He's 96 and still alive. Who knew? And all because of a beard contest (I wonder if Harry has a beard)...

Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2005 02:02:39 -0500
From: Renee Steinig
Subject: Rabbi Samuel ARJE of Prague

I am researching the descendants of Zvi Hersch ARIE and Chane ROSENBERG, whose five known children were probably born in or near Zaleszczyki, Austria (now Zaleshchiki, Ukraine) in the 1860s-1880s.

By 1930, one of the children, Samuel ARJE, lived in Prague, where he was the rabbi of the Smichov Synagogue. Samuel and his three sons were able to escape to England but he reportedly returned to Prague to serve the Jewish community right after the war. Later he went to Palestine/Israel and was a professor of Egyptology. At one time he served as a British Chaplain in Palestine.

One of his sons returned to Prague after the war and lived there until the Soviet invasion in 1968. Another son settled in Israel and one remained in England, where he at one time worked for the BBC.

Does anyone recognize this family?

Thanks.

Renee

Renee Steinig
Dix Hills (Long Island), New York, USA

This blog is changing lives.

#1 Riediesel - an old soul, clearly. Ben's soul is just too young

#2 Tichenor - hands down

#3 Jasper Bridge with the kind smile

#4 Higgins, because Freud gets way too much attention as it is.

Pat U. is my mom! But rules are rules, and she voted late, so her votes are being discarded. This feels terrible, but I have no choice.

The polls are closed and the votes are being counted and re-counted. Look for a post about the Final Four later this evening.

I think John and Seth should start growing their own beards and be done with this ersatz contest of manhood. C'mon, boys! I'm pretty sure Seth already has a beard, but it could definitely be hoarier. John, you gotta convince your wife to let you get your Marty Stouffer, "Wild America" beard going again. (Speaking of Marty Stouffer, do you all remember when he adopted a Grizzly cub and nursed it through the winter? I loved that episode.)
This is a very political vote between two friends' ancestors. I don't think I can do it. I'm sorry.

Johnny Ghost

I'm sorry but I vote for Ludwig. No hard feelings ok?

XOXO,

J

The comments to this entry are closed.

Smiley face