Leaders of the Pack

This weeks photos are being released into the wild as we speak, so here is the ladies version of who is in the lead, and who is trailing hopelessly behind.

	Manish is going for the gold this year, with an impressive and thick beard engulfing most of his face. Watch out Matt, he may look innocent but Big M is on the attack!
	Matt, the reigning champion, is doing everything within his power to defend his crown. Rumor has it that he was spotted at the seaport wrestling tourists for cash, which may have boosted his manliness rating but also re-enforced the idea that he was a homeless man who couldn't afford a razor.
	Newcomer Justin C is showing some promise this year with a very dark full beard. He loses manly points for a trimming penalty but don't underestimate his beard-growing power. Just don't get on his bad side or he may roundhouse kick you with those fancy boots.
	Last year's Metro Award winner is bringing it this year with a well-groomed but very full beard after only a few weeks. Don't insult his manliness or he will try his jiu jitsu moves on you!
	Does Matt know he is supposed to be growing a beard? We aren't sure if he is actually participating in the competition at all. Time to stop playing crossword puzzles and step it up!
	Let's face it, the guys with lighter hair like Peter have it tough. The same amount of hair just doesn't register since its so light. We've never seen a blonde burly man, but maybe this year will be different. Maybe not.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Who is the Manliest of Them ALL?

The competition is starting to get intense with some leaders beginning to emerge. The burly man competition is sure to be the most controversial this year over the issue of trimmed vs. au naturale beards. The judges will have to make a decision on this one soon. There is no doubt going to be a showdown in the near future between the trimmers and true burly men, who have suffered through their itchy faces without flinching or whining. This is what true men are made of and I am confident that the judges will rule in favor of those macho men who don't care that they have been mistaken for homeless men over the weaker bunch, who are worried what strangers will think.

A real man would laugh in the face of anyone who dare question his beardly intentions and does not succumb to the pressure of the outside world. Only time will tell who will have what it takes.

To Trim or Not to Trim?

So Ladies, since we are the official judges of this competition, how do we interpret the rule #3.3 (source:http://mancember.com) "Sales and Operations staff are permitted to shave and trim their beard under the chin for a clean appearance on days when meeting with clients. Business cards may be required for verification!" ? Do we demand business cards from the offenders or do we allow them to proceed with their trim and proper neck hair?

I am of the opinion that we should allow them to proceed with the competition (with proof of client meeting of course) but render them ineligible for the "Burly Man Full Beard" since no self-respecting burly man would care what others think of his manly mane!

What do you think? Leave a comment below to vote.

Macho Macho Men

Mancember is back with a vengeance this year, after a year hiatus. Mancember II: The Revenge is already one week underway! The guys launched their new site today at http://mancember.com so take a look at the line up and let us know what your predictions are.

We predict a few more weeks of itchy, scruffy faces! Hopefully in the next few days, a leader will emerge from the pack. At the moment, it is hard to tell, although past performances indicate that Mike V, Matt M, Matt C and Kevin K are all likely to be in the running for the big win. Only time will tell. Stay tuned!

The Verdict is In

The competition concluded yesterday and winners were chosen. Without further ado, may I present to you, the MANcember Super Macho Tuff Beard Competition Winners and their awards:



The Tween Award(s)

Special for all our disqualified participants.

Awarded to: Gary, Michael G, Marc, Brian



"Please come back in a few years when you are ready to compete with the REAL men."

---

The Most Likely to Be Mistaken for a Bum Award

Awarded to: Travis



Correction: this should read "Your lack of grooming makes one wonder if you live on a bench."

---

The Metro Award

Awarded to: Brent



"Your beard looks like it gets pampered on a daily basis."

---

The Shameless Self-Promotion Award

Awarded to: Charles



"You have no problem selling yourself."

---

The Second Place Award

Awarded to: John S



"We regret to inform you that you have come in second place, yet again."

---

The Worst Beard Award

Awarded to: Dickie



"We regret to inform you that the lunch lady has a better beard than you do."

---

The Style Award

Awarded to: Mike V



"You have more style than all the other guys. At least you think you do."

---

The Burly Man Award

Awarded to: Matt M



"Your beard is the most Burliest, making you the Manliest by far."

---

The Best in Show Award

Awarded to: Matt M



"You have proven to be the Manliest Man of MANcember."

---

Photos of the final round will be posted soon on the MANcember official site.

In the Final Hours

The competition is almost over and the men left standing are competing fiercely, doing everything within their power to get an edge on the competition. The display of machismo has been overwhelming, while each tries to force some extra beard growth from the overflow of manliness he exudes. It all comes down to what one can accomplish in these final hours. Displays of manliness we have witnessed include, but are not limited to the following events:

• We heard rumor that Matt stood on a competitors desk and roared while beating his chest, to show just how superior he really is.


• An ultimate-fighter-style showdown was spotted between Mike V and Nick B in the kitchen at lunch time.


• Travis and Peter took over the hallway in a duel to the death over who is really the tallest.


• Brent and Jared have been displaying their machismo in a side competition to see who can pick up the most women in one lunch hour.


• Zack was spotted driving a herd of Yaks toward the NYSE.


• The sales area has been turned into a weight-lifting competition floor with Steve trying to bench-press his entire team at once.


• We caught Charles rummaging through Dan I's desk looking for the coveted flannel shirt, which is the source of his beard-growing power.


• Meanwhile, Kevin reportedly bought a giant axe at the Fulton Street hardware store and tried to chop down the Seaport Christmas tree, Paul Bunyan-style.


• Monty was seen beating up the Santa at the Seaport Mall because he was insulted by his fake beard.


• We hear that this afternoon, the rest of the competitors will be participating in a steak-eating contest, which will be followed by a beer-chugging competition. More details on that as they unfold.

It seems to be a free-for-all over here today. Lets hope we all make it to the competition tomorrow! More on the riot that is our office has become in the coming hours.

Rumor has it

On this last Monday of the competition, we have some disappointing news for beard fans everywhere.

• As predicted by the WOT early in the competition, former leader Marc has officially been disqualified for unauthorized shaving. This is a shame because he was definitely a contender for the Gold. We have learned that he apparently does not have what it takes.


• Brian has also been disqualified. It seems that he has succumb to the wifely pressures and shed his beard over the last weekend of the competition. It is clear that he also does not have what it takes.


• Michael G was disqualified late last week after "getting permission" to shave for a meeting, although he was not granted permission from the WOT, who are obviously the ones in charge. Congrats on a job well done, but this is a competition and you are still out.

So that leaves us with 4 disqualifications in total. It is coming down to the wire. These last 3 days will separate the men from the boys. So who is in the lead these days? Lets give a brief overview of the remaining competitors that seem to be neck-and-neck for the lead:

The Burly Man full beard - Will be judged on fullness, length, texture, and overall Grizzly Adams appeal. No Trimming Allowed!
In the Lead: Matt M, Mike V, Kevin, and Tony

Style - Will be judged based on creativity, originality, and shock value.
In the Lead: TBD on Thursday Morning. Who will have the craziest beard of all? Maybe we will see some of these:


Worst beard - Will be judged on color, patchiness, inconsistency, and Shaggy from Scooby Doo similarities.
In the Lead: John S, Dickie, Peter

Sanctuary for Families: An Appeal to our Female Readers

The competition is surely underway, with the men battling it out and trash-talking each other along the way. But how is the competition going as far as its true purpose -- raising money for Sanctuary for Families? Has anyone been campaigning to raise money or are they too busy focusing on the manly portion of the competition? (Not to insinuate that they have not raised any funds -- we do not know the status of these efforts to date.)

We women can also participate, not to compete in the hair growth department, but in raising money for this wonderful organization that is dedicated to assisting battered women and their children.

Sanctuary for Families envisions a society in which freedom from domestic violence is a basic human right. We are dedicated to the safety, healing, and self-sufficiency of battered women and their children. To that end, we offer a broad range of high-quality services including shelter, legal assistance, and counseling. We work to end domestic violence and its far-reaching impact through outreach, education, and advocacy, and to create a world where every woman and child lives with dignity.

To make donations on behalf of the ladies, please donate online and indicate "TalkPoint - Women of TalkPoint" in the "How did you learn about Sanctuary?" section. You can visit their website at www.sanctuaryforfamilies.org for additional information.

Send this to every woman you know and help us raise money for battered women and their children!

Beards Look Good

I think some of these men look better with beards than without. Especially Marc E, Marc S, Greg J, Richard T, and Matt M. What does everyone else think?

1 Deleted Comment

Anonymous said...
Let she with unusual hair cast the first stone.

Shaved legs are a relatively modern phenomenon. Hem lines rose somewhat during the roaring 20s, but dropped again in the '30s. It was the shorter skirts and nylon shortages of World War II that bared female legs for the first time and brought shaving into the main stream.

Since female leg shaving is a recent trend (not even 100 years old) and still largely concentrated amongst English-speaking women, I am surprised the ladies of TalkPoint have managed to avoid their obligation to the children. While they blithely judge those who have and have not participated, they collectively shirk their responsibility to trash the razor for the kids.

I call on my female colleagues to immediately cease shaving their legs, as an act of solidarity with the men who bravely persevere to help those less fortunate than themselves through the sheer magnitude of their machismo.

This will restore the moral authority of the Women of TalkPoint to maintain this blog, and will significantly reduce if not eliminate the trysting in the stairwells.
December 11, 2007 6:59 AM

no bossing us around.

Who is the Manliest of them all?

Heading into week two, the competition is getting fierce. Some contestants just may not have realized what they were getting into and are contemplating throwing in the towel early. Who is man enough, and who is just not?

There are some who have already proven that they are manly enough to wield a mighty beard and have shown they are fighting for the coveted Chuck Norris T-shirt, though many have already proven to just not be man enough for this challenge. As we all now know, one "man" was disqualified only days into the competition, for shaving at the prompting of his wife to look presentable for church. This comes as no surprise as the very same Gary "Gnocchi Smuggler" Marrero gave up only days into is year's Fatty Fat-Off competition as well, failing to resist the temptation of the Seattle Burger and Curly Fries.

Today let's take a look at those other "men" in the office who opted to not participate at all. Were they not even man enough to stand up to their wives, girlfriends and peers and say "I AM A MAN AND I WILL PROVE IT WITH THE MOST MANLY OF ALL THINGS -- A BEARD, DAMMIT!"? These offenders have been broken into two categories, those who refused to shave and those who refused to stop.

The "My facial hair is too pretty and I am not man enough to shave it off" offenders:

* Patrick "Skywalker" Muckian
* John "Raspberry Beret" Reis
* Aaron "Little League" Barry
* Rogers "Blue Demon" Collier

The "I am not man enough to grow a beard so I won't bother embarrassing myself by trying" offenders:

* Jim "Small Fry" McAloon
* Jim "The Painter" Cheney
* Joe "K-Fed" Lopopolo
* Dash "Teen Wolf" Castator
* Nick "Squirrel Nuts" Evans

You, my friends, have proven to not be man enough! And after the second weekend of the competition, we will keep an eye out to see if anyone else will succumb to the wifely pressures and give up forever on proving themselves to be a "real man!"

Gender Benders

It's Monday morning, and I am excited to see everyone with beards. It's like having a whole slew of fresh faces in the office. I'm starting to feel a little left out. I can't help but wonder, if a woman wanted to join in the contest badly enough, could she grow a beard? Aside from hormone overload or freakish genetics, can a woman grow a beard by sheer willpower alone?

Maybe.

According to Milkmen: Fathers who Breastfeed, author Laura Shanley's husband David used "power of the mind" to will himself to nourish their newborn. I know many of you are wondering if something as beautiful and miraculous as this could be a once in a millennium event. But I assure you, David is not the first!

Widower Learns to Breastfeed
A Sri Lankan widower has attracted the attention of doctors for his ability to breastfeed his young daughter.
Mr B Wijeratne, from Walapanee, near Colombo, took to breastfeeding her soon after his wife died three months ago while giving birth to their second child.

His elder daughter, 18-month-old Nisansala Madhushani, was so used to her mother's milk that she would not take formula milk.
Mr Wijeratne told Sinhalese language newspaper Lankadeepa: "My child would reject the powdered milk I tried feeding through a bottle.
"Unable to see her cry I offered my breast. That's when I discovered that I could breastfeed her."
The 38-year-old's ability to produce milk was noticed by doctors at the government hospital in the town of Kurunegala.
Dr Kamal Jayasinghe, a spokesman for the hospital, said: "Men with a hyperactive prolactine hormone can produce breast milk."
His younger daughter, who has still to be named, has taken to powdered milk.

Where there's a will, there's a way! Now, who has the will?

Is there such thing as facial lice?

I don't know about you ladies, but I am getting a little grossed out by all the itching and scratching going on over here.. Can you get lice on your face? Do we need to be concerned for the children?

Who is in the lead?

After the first week of the competition, what everyone wants to know is "Who is in the lead?" After covertly surveying the office, I think that there are a few contenders that seem ahead of the pack. While some beards are coming in patchy, slowly or not at all, it seems that Brent, Tony, Marc, and Mike V. have had extensive beard-growing experience and are neck and neck for the lead. But its early in the game and they should watch out for newcomers Travis and Matt C. who are trailing close behind.

Also, rumor has it that Gary has already been disqualified for a penalty due to unauthorized shaving, and that leader Marc is considering dropping out of the competition!

If you can't grow 'em, judge 'em

The Women of TalkPoint are opening a new annonymous comentary blog to discuss the progress of the Macho at TalkPoint. We'll keep a close eye on the beards, and keep you updated on who's bringing top dollar, who's growing sexy patches of scruff, and who's best in beard. Check back for daily updates!