The Turning Point

The good news: The economy is starting to turn around. It will be a while until we're in full recovery mode and until job growth really starts to kick in (probably not until 2010), but the worst is finally over and things will gradually begin to improve between now and the end of the year. This is good for those of us leaving school and finally entering the job market.

Look for President Obama, who has only been in office for 60 days, to take credit for this recovery and somehow attribute it to the trillions of dollars that haven't even been spent yet. And look for the media to give him a pass on this.

My hope is that things improve rapidly enough that it will erode Obama's "disaster/crisis" mandate for the trillions in new spending proposals and allow voters to realize that none of what Obama is proposing is necessary or beneficial. It is tragic that the administration feels it necessary to burden us and future generations with massive amounts of new debt when we could have come out of this mess just the same without Washington spending even a dime.

The bad news: once banks start lending again and the expansion takes hold, we are going to have inflation, the likes of which haven't seen since the 70's.

364 More Days!

St. Patrick's Day has come and gone and the post-parade depression has commenced. That being said, it's time for our annual review of the St. Patrick's Day season. Leave your review in the comments section.

Luck of the Irish

I was able to get off of work and will be in attendance tomorrow.

John Stossel's Bailouts and Bull****

Below are a few segments from an hour-long special that aired last night on ABC.

Have a great weekend...

Savannah Morning News

SavannahNow.com continues to be the most poorly designed website on the internet.

T-Minus 4 Days

Weather.com
Tue Mar 17
Mostly Cloudy
Hi: 70
Lo: 49
10% chance of rain.

Accuweather.com
Tuesday, Mar 17
High: 71 °F RealFeel®: 70 °F
Partly sunny
Tuesday Night, Mar 17
Low: 50 °F RealFeel®: 47 °F
Partly cloudy

It looks like the luck of the Irish will prevail once again, but keep saying your prayers!

T-Minus 5 Days

Weather.com
Tue Mar 17
Scattered T-Storms
Hi: 64
Lo: 42

AccuWeather.com
Tuesday, Mar 17
High: 66 °F RealFeel®: 64 °F
Mostly cloudy with rain possible
Tuesday Night, Mar 17
Low: 47 °F RealFeel®: 42 °F
Clear

Last Night's Forecast:
SVA Sing-A-Long was nice.
The beer at SVA was more expensive than Pinkie's
Schiv wore the green jacket.
Shane celebrated.
Sauers06 was there too.
Snuffy & JJH4 made their stage debut at KB's.

Ryan Adams and Mandy Moore Get Married

I'm not sure how many of you listen to Ryan (not Brian) Adams' music, but in general it's really good. Regardless, it looks like he and Mandy Moore got married by a probate judge in Savannah the other day. Hopefully this doesn't influence other Hollywood hipsters to do the same. I like Savannah without Paparazzi and minimal liberalism.

The Whopper Bar

Taken from http://www.inquisitr.com/19632/whopper-bar/:

The Whopper Bar: All Beef

To be clear, the Whopper Bar won’t actually be serving alcohol — but it will be serving plenty of beef. The Burger King venture will offer Whoppers, Double Whoppers, and Steakhouse XT burgers, along with new Bourbon Whoppers, Three-Cheese Steakhouse XT burgers, and Pepper Bacon Steakhouse XT burgers. Each will come with options for 22 different toppings. Among the choices: guacamole, smoked bacon, or steak sauce.

A “Contemporary” Edge

The first Whopper Bar opens today at the Universal CityWalk in Orlando. Its look is totally different from the typical BK, as seen in the photo above: The bar boasts an open kitchen, a bar-like countertop, and a whole new color scheme. Employees will also wear different uniforms, matching the red, black, and gray restaurant design. Burger King hopes the updated take will give its brand a new “contemporary” edge, representatives say.

Whopper Bar Plans

Burger King is planning six more Whopper Bars around the globe by the end of 2009, with the next set to open in Munich over the summer. Los Angeles, New York and Singapore will soon see locations as well. Eventually, the company says it could open as many as 500 of the units around the world in everywhere from stadiums to casinos and cruise ships.

*edit: I know the picture gets cut off. This formatting sucks.

T-Minus 6 Days

Weather.com
Tue Mar 17
T-Showers
Hi: 71
Lo: 49
40% chance of rain

AccuWeather.com
Tuesday, Mar 17
High: 62 °F RealFeel®: 58 °F
A morning shower in spots; otherwise, cloudy
Tuesday Night, Mar 17
Low: 43 °F RealFeel®: 36 °F
Partly cloudy and windy

ONE MORE WEEK!

T-Minus 7 Days

Very conflicting reports

Weather.com
Tue Mar 17
Hi: 68
Lo: 45
60% chance of showers

AccuWeather.com
Tuesday, Mar 17
High: 70 °F RealFeel®: 68 °F
Plenty of sunshine
Tuesday Night, Mar 17
Low: 36 °F RealFeel®: 33 °F
Clear and colder

To multiply wealth by dividing it?

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."

~~~~~ Dr. Adrian Rogers, 1931

A Whole-Hearted Thank You From a Half-Irish Heart

As you may have noticed, I have a St. Patrick's Day problem.

My obsession with this holiday is partly overcompensation for the lack of Irish heritage on my father's side of the family. There are plenty of Flemings from the old sod, but my father's family most likely did not come from Ireland. I can, however, trace my mother's family back to my great, great grandfather, James Whalen, whose arrival in the States from County Wexford coincided with the Great Famine. My grandfather, William Whalen, was proud of his Irish heritage but he did not take part in the revelry of St. Patrick's Day. Therefore, my mother never had any Irish traditions to pass down to me.

It was because of my friends that I discovered the magic of St. Patrick's Day. Growing up with the Leonards, I was practically adopted into their family, much the same way Tom Hagen was taken in by the Corleones. I can remember going to the very first Irish Festival at Grayson Stadium with the Leonards. In addition, Stephen welcomed me to join the Flags of Ireland in the 6th grade. That was the first year I ever marched in the parade.

At BC, I became friends with Mike and Patrick, both of whom have Irish roots on both sides of the family tree. Mike invited me to join the Parade Committee with him in 2005. In 2002, Patrick invited me to my first Clan-na-Erin breakfast. Tom Coffey was the guest speaker, Joe Welch impersonated Father O'Brien, the bar was open and I was hooked.

Now, I am marrying into a family with a rich Irish tradition and I hope to pass this along to a future generation of Flemings. If I am lucky enough to have a son, I can't wait to see him march in the parade as a Benedictine Cadet and to bring him and a few of his friends to their first open bar St. Patrick's Day breakfast. I guess a daughter would be okay, too.

I look forward to celebrating St. Patrick's Day with all of you for many years to come.

T-Minus 8 Days

Conflicting Reports.

From AccuWeather.com

Tuesday, Mar 17
High: 72 °F RealFeel®: 71 °F
Times of clouds and sun

Tuesday Night, Mar 17
Low: 38 °F RealFeel®: 40 °F
Mostly cloudy


From Weather.com

Tue Mar 17
Showers
Hi: 68
Lo: 49
60% chane of rain

T-Minus 9 Days

Tuesday, Mar 17
High: 72 °F RealFeel®: 70 °F
Warmer and humid with rain

Tuesday Night, Mar 17
Low: 50 °F RealFeel®: 54 °F
Periods of rain

It's time to bring out the rosary beads.

Things I Hate, Volume I: Places that Only Serve Pepsi Products

It happens every time you decide to hit up Taco Bell or Arby's. You're happy because you've been thinking about that Baja Chalupa all morning or you can't wait to devour a Chicken Bacon & Swiss combo. You place your order, pay the cashier, then, as you walk away from the register with your drink cup, you look to your left and it hits you: you should have just gotten water because this place only serves the worst kind of beverage possible: Pepsi products.

And for whatever reason, fountain Pepsi products taste even worse than bottled ones. Combos at Taco Bell normally include those huge drink cups, which at first makes you think you're getting a good deal, until you realize you're only going to be sipping on 24 ounces of the pure carbonated nothingness that is Diet Pepsi.

Now before I begin a typical Ryan or Snuffy-style rant about some little uninteresting nit-picky pet peeve concerning food/entertainment that really has no impact on anyone's well being in the grand scheme of things, let me make clear that Diet Dr. Pepper is entirely exempt from this criticism. I'm not even really sure if Dr. Pepper is considered an actual Pepsi product or if it just happens to conveniently exist alongside the others, but it gets a pass here because it's damn good and made in Texas. This dawned on Chick-fil-A, a stalwart Coke partner and ally, when it added Diet Dr. Pepper to its lineup a few years ago.

Back to my original point, it is clear that Pepsi is symbolic of everything that is wrong with the world. It is the Sega Genesis of soft drinks. Not only is it Yankee, but it's always trying to desperately one-up and out-advertise Coke by mocking Coke's conservatism. It is forced to rely on "extreme" and "hip" marketing tactics to compensate for and cover up what is obviously a far inferior product. It pitches itself as "New Age" and the "New Generation's" drink of choice. Most recently it has even tried to cash in on Obamamania with these new "Hope" billboards. Thatta way to further alienate clear-thinking Americans like me. Good job.

And Pepsi's contamination of society is more widespread than you think. Not only does it infect otherwise respectable establishments like Sbarro, KFC, and Pizza Hut, but typically any restaurant west of the Mississippi or north of Virginia will only serve Pepsi. Next time you're in Vegas or anywhere else out West you will always get the "We don't have Coke, Pepsi's okay right?" question from the server. It's just as bad, if not worse, than discovering the absence of sweet tea anywhere south of Jacksonville. Water obviously ends up being the only real choice in these circumstances.

Finally, back to the Obama thing, it's clear Pepsi's deficiencies parallel the new administration's. It demonstrates how just because something is new does not make it good or right. Flashy advertising, glitzy marketing tools, savvy product placement, and polished delivery techniques do not make what you're ultimately trying to shove down our throats (socialism) taste any better.

T-Minus 10 Days

Tuesday, Mar 17
High: 67 °F RealFeel®: 66 °F
Mostly sunny

Tuesday Night, Mar 17
Low: 46 °F RealFeel®: 45 °F
Partly cloudy with a couple of showers; warmer late

YAY!

If Pat was Grand Marshal...

T-Minus 11 Days

Tuesday, Mar 17
High: 67 °F RealFeel®: 62 °F
A couple of morning showers; otherwise, mostly cloudy

Tuesday Night, Mar 17
Low: 38 °F RealFeel®: 31 °F
Rain

Oh shit.

Happy Birthday to Me

UPDATE

I ordered the NY Strip, medium rare, "Oscar-style" with a crab cake drizzled with remoulade sauce on top of a bed of asparagus (thanks for the tip Hank). We had the blackened scallops for an appetizer and ordered a side of the roasted garlic mashed potatoes. It was definitley a Top 5 meal.

T-Minus 12 Days

Tuesday, Mar 17
High: 61 °F RealFeel®: 62 °F
Sunny

Tuesday Night, Mar 17
Low: 43 °F RealFeel®: 41 °F
Partly cloudy

T-Minus 13 Days

Tuesday, Mar 17
High: 70 °F RealFeel®: 71 °F
Times of clouds and sun

Tuesday Night, Mar 17
Low: 47 °F RealFeel®: 46 °F
Partly cloudy

This makes me feel much better.

Your First Official St. Patrick's Day Forecast

Courtesy of AccuWeather's 15-Day Forecast.

Tuesday, Mar 17
High: 61 °F RealFeel®: 52 °F
Partly sunny

Tuesday Night, Mar 17
Low: 34 °F RealFeel®: 24 °F
Clear and cold

This makes me a little nervous.

2 Weeks Notice!

Irish Sing-A-Long Trivia 2-24-09

What tune did McNamara's Band play at funerals?

3 More Weeks!

Response to Santelli

According to creepy-looking Chuck Todd of NBC, this was the Administrations response to Rick Santelli (the video Patrick posted below):

"The stuff that I've heard from the White House and people that have talked to me about this, you know, they -- I think they're kind of laughing that they're getting lectured by a trader, in their minds on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. And it's like, you know, this is -- you know, they're sitting there going, it's like -- to take the real criticism where this was coming from, the idea that, hey, are -- are you helping out people that, you know, should be punished, the fact is, they say, look, we are helping out people that should be punished, and we wish we could punish, but that isn't our role. Our role is to try to create stability in the economy and in the housing market."

What? What does any of that mean? Who do they wish could be punished?

Irish Sing-A-Long Trivia 9-23-09

What prompted Clancy to lower the boom?

O'Brien's Our Man

O'Bwien's ouw man.
He'll ably wepwesent the whole Iwish clan.
He'll lead the best pawade in the land,
As only he can.
We salute O'bwien our man.

Irish Sing-A-Long Trivia 2-20-09

What did Mrs. Finnegan serve at her son's wake?

Rick Santelli: Silent Majority Spokesman

Not sure how much longer this guy will last at NBC if he keeps talking like this.

Irish Sing-Along Trivia 2-19-09

I'm going to try to make this a daily post leading up to St. Patrick's Day. Questions will deal with popular Irish pub songs. We'll start off with an easy one.

Who threw the overalls in Mrs. Murphy's chowder?

Vox Gems: 2/18/2009

"OK, President Obama, I've been out of work for three months and have no health care. When will I get my unemployment raise and free health care? I need it now, not next year. Anything else free you got, like food stamps or cheese would help. If you got wine to go with that cheese, I'll take that too. And they're taking taxes out on my unemployment. How crazy is that?"

"Every time the gas stations raise the price of gasoline they are putting a nail in the coffin of the economy. They should be prosecuted for treason."

Top 5 Inconveniences on St. Patrick's Day

-Finding a decent place to pee pee.
By decent I mean not having to wait more than 20 minutes to enter a porta-potty that has a nearly full waste container with a giant turd sitting on the top covered in what appears to be bird seed. And not trying to sneak a leak in the thin bushes in the square, because you know someone is going to expose you for laughs.

You have to seek out the one person in the group who is the inside toilet man. This guy has confidential intelligence on the one porta-potty or corner dumpster that the other 399,999 revelers downtown somehow missed. When you get back to your drinking spot, and someone asks you where the best place to pee is, you shrug and say, "Anywhere."

-People stealing beer from your cooler.
You were smart. You went to Kroger the night before and bought a case or more of beer that tastes less than it costs. Bought the bag of ice, and most importantly, found a way to get the cooler to the square. That means either you lugged the bastard there or some poor soul who is too nice agreed to bring it for you.

Then your friends' creepy other friends just start reaching into whatever cooler, just because, "Hey, bra, whatever. It's Saint Patty's Day." No asking, no thanking. Just a lowlife vagabond skating through life mooching off intelligent, prepared individuals.

-Females.
We like the better looking gender hanging around, fixing the sausage ratio. They look pretty in green and sunglasses. But they have trouble adjusting to the conditions and checking their high maintenance at the door. Where we deem it acceptable to urinate, they feel like they can stake out some magical, cleaner piss pot. When we're hitting our third wind at 5:00 p.m., they start pouting like they lost the Sunday school Easter egg hunt. Guys who now live all scattered around in Georgia get one guaranteed day to hang out like the good ol' days, and Jessica wants to go home at 3:00 because "her head hurts."

-Acquaintances
Don't get me wrong - one of the best parts about March Seventeenth is seeing all those wandering souls from your past who look fatter, older, and definitely weirder than they used to look. But God knows you can't remember the names of some of these sons of bitches. "Hmm. Your face is definitely similar to one I recall when I was a senior, and you were perhaps a sophomore. We may have even had a ten minute conversation in 2001 about something." He remembers your name as if it were written on your forehead. Just try your best to flash that little smile of recognition, say something crude that gets a pity chuckle, shake hands, take a drink, and mosey away.

Equally uncomfortable is the complete opposite situation. The acquaintance who is really good friends with one of your friends. You've met on several occasions, know exactly who he is and what his job is, but the guy will cheerfully introduce himself every year. Seems like a nice guy.

-Visitors
It's a given that we all despise out-of-towners like the good little isolationists we are. They crowd our streets and bring in an odor of douche so strong it cuts through the parade horse poop. However, this element of the crowd is consistent and predictable, and so I don't consider them to be a top inconvenience. I believe the last spot is more appropriate for the out-of-towners we actually know and unleash unto the festivities. Even more specifically, the ones who have never been to Savannah.

They ask you about the best bars to go to, the best square from which to observe the parade, so on and so on. Always full of questions, these people. Now you have to play host, desperately trying to slice up your time between these visitors (usually people you already see too much of anyway) and the Savannah folks. Their typical impatience forces you to realize that maybe not everyone is that interested in standing around for ten hours outside of a circle of guys who tell obnoxious inside jokes and pretend like your visitors aren't even there. To hell with these people. Hire a tour guide next time.

New Deal

No, not like FDR's New Deal. This one is cheap and actually works. McDonald's has 2 sausage egg mcmuffins for $2.50 right now.




You won't even have to eat lunch.

One More Month!

Shenanigans tonight at Kevin Barry's!

Top 5 Potential Guest Speakers at the Irish Hurricanes Breakfast

1. Steve Carl - Yeah, he's got two first names. So what? BYOMP. (Bring your own military protractor.)
2. Bill Curley - Not the former Boston College basketball star. I cannot substantiate that point any further.
3. Conan O'Brian - I actually sent an email to Late Night a few years ago, inquiring about Conan's availabilty to speak at a future breakfast. I never got a response.
4. Matt Ryan - Irish, Catholic and now a Georgia resident. Why not? Plus, he would be with guys his own age.
5. Kenny Powers...

"Top Five Personalities you will see on St. Patrick's Day"

1. Chris Connolly- You can not have the Sinn Fein, or the parade for that matter, without this masterpiece of a legend. With an endless array of one-liners second to none (the topic was covered in a previous post) only Chris can walk the entire parade with a plastic cup full of Jim Beam, and spike the cup on the asphalt at the foot of the grandstand, as if he scored the winning touchdown for the Super Bowl.

2. Kevin Hagan- 250 lbs of pure smiles and sweat bearing down Abercorn. Sure, it's a comfortable 65 degrees at 11:23 a.m. on March 17th, but Kevin will make you think it's 105. All the girls love him, all the guys admire him.

3. Jimmy Ray- "I'm not a bad ass, but I can be." The nicest and funniest guy you'll ever meet. Never been married, rules the KofC. Anyone who knows anything befriends this giant of a man. Sits on the visitor's side of BC football games alone, just so he can watch the game in peace. For the past decade or so, Jimmy has been commentating with the local news stations during the parade. You'll hear comments like... "That's my cousin walking bye!" And my favorite, "That was one helluva-ball-playa-fo-Benedicten." After the parade, you'll see Jimmy at the KofC bar, cracking jokes about the Marine Corps. At two o'clock the same night, you'll see him with two ladies on his arms... wearing a tuxedo.

4. T.P.- Thomas Powers, Pat's Uncle. A jack of all tricks. The red laser light pen, the $5 on a string (An increase from $1 because of inflation.), fake teeth and googly eyes. The entire Clan Na Erin breakfast ridicules the happiest man in America each St. Patrick's Day morning. Why? Because they're jealous.

5. Rick Schwartz- Drunk as hell, working the route with the Parade Committee with his white coat, green pants, and a gigantic cup full of Makers and Coke. No one can out drink him this day. He tends to attract Marines into a brawl at McDonough's around midnight of St. Patrick's Day.

Top 5 types of ladies you see on St. Patrick's Day

1. The Local- Dressed in their green best, these have been to every parade and have seen it all. Many can hang with the boys until the wee hours....or not.
2. The Rookie- These are usually attending their 1st parade, and will act like it. It's a marathon girls, not a sprint. They will not make it late into the night unless they get a chance to pass out for a while.
3. The Cougar- I use the term loosely, as they aren't necessarily single or looking for action. These are the more mature ladies that have usually applied lipstick to their face with a paint roller and are looking to kiss any man in the parade that can still hold himself up. Have been known to reek of Mad Dog 20/20.
4. The Flasher- You'll see these creep up to Bay Street to catch a glimpse of the parade before returning to their element on the river. They are more than willing to bare it all, usually at their boyfriends encouragement. It's all fun and games until they're yanked down by the SPD and get to make that call to their parents.
5. The Token- These usually don't want to be around a mass of people in the first place, and are forced to follow their boyfriend and his friends around all day and watch them get hammered, while all they can think about is getting home to their cat(s).

Top 5 St. Patrick's Day Smells

5. Horse squeeze on hot asphalt
4. Funnel Cakes
3. Corned beef hash
2. Flat beer
1. That smell that occurs when you sip your cheap liquor and the smell of scrambled eggs wafts into your nostrils causing that quarter-stomach-turn.

Top 5 Items Bought From Street Vendors

Expanding on Joe's Top 5...

1. Silly String
2. Fake/Candy Cigarettes
3. Stink Bombs
4. Poppers
5. "Invisible Dog" leash

Top 5 St. Patrick's Day Knick-Knacks

5. Big green horn.
4. Green and white Dr. Seuss-type hat.
3. "Patrick was a saint, I ain't" t-shirt.
2. Three-feet tall inflatable hammer.
1. Green beaded necklace with prominent Cannabis leaf.

Top 5 St. Patrick's Day Sounds

1. Bagpipes
2. Kazoos
3. Police sire chirps
4. Snare drums
5. Dinosaur calls

Top 5 St. Patrick's Day Traditions

1. Pinkie Master's before the parade.
2. Open-bar breakfasts.
3. Chipewa Square after the parade.
4. BC boys getting kisses.
5. Green grits.

Top 5 Things To Do on St. Patrick's Day If You're Not Irish or Catholic

1. Pretend you recognize someone from BC who recognizes you

2. Pretend you aren't some rootless mutt with no ties to anything, really

3. Pretend that your BC ring isn't killing your fatter finger

4. Pretend that everyone you're waving to while you're marching cares that you're waving to them (fairly easy after heavy a.m. drinking)

5. Pretend that you have the stamina to suddenly be able to drink as much and as long as your red-faced, Catholic mick friends (difficult)

St. Patrick's Day Top 5's

With only five weeks to go until the most important day of the year, it is time to start posting some St. Patrick's Day material. Ryan started off the 2009 season with his five week's notice. I will periodically post Top 5 lists of various items relating to St. Patrick's Day in Savannah. I challenge you to do the same. I am also going to reach across blog lines and invite OIA and OITO to do the same.

Slainte,
Snuffy

In Five Weeks

The Assault on Saving, II of II

I left off yesterday arguing that consumer spending is the result of economic prosperity instead of the cause. The misunderstandings surrounding this issue are like most in economics: people are short-sighted and only tend focus on what is seen in the immediate sense, not on what is unseen. This is why it's not immediately apparent how savings are what fuel greater economic prosperity that later allows for more spending and higher living standards.

To illustrate, let us consider the story of two friends: one is named Hank, the other Snuffy. Snuffy and Hank must both be blessed by the luck of the Irish because an anonymous wealthy benefactor at Blessed Sacrament School has passed away and left both with an annuity of $100,000 in dedication for their lifelong service and support of that renowned institution.

Snuffy is a lavish spender with the new income. And he spends not only based on desire, but on principle. He is a firm believer in the theory that every penny must be spent or else goods will accumulate and people will be out of work. So he goes all out in redecorating his home, and buys a few luxury sports cars and a yacht. He dines at the finest restaurants, drinks top-shelf liquor at elite establishments, and goes on numerous vacations at exotic locales. He buys the finest diamonds and jewelry for his girlfriend. He tips very handsomely and keeps a large staff of chauffeurs and servants.

In this way, Snuffy feels he is not only serving his own immediate wants and desires, but is helping others through his generous spending. And it certainly appears this way, because Snuffy is extremely popular with the Lexus car dealers, the bartenders at the Mansion, the bellhops at the Westin, the strippers at Temptations, the wait staff at Ruth's Chris and the Yacht Club, and the entourage he keeps. Everyone around Snuffy see him as a public benefactor for his liberal indulgences. His extravagance keeps these people fat, happy, and employed because he pays for their services; that is what is seen.

Hank, on the other hand, is an entirely different story. His spending habits are quite austere. Unlike Snuffy, Hank decides to only spend half ($50,000) the income each year. Sure, Hank splurges on the occasional Outback steak or Captain's Platter at Hilliard's, but for the most part his spending habits remain the same as before the bequest. He lives a much more modest lifestyle and is rarely seen making it rain at the jewelers, the nightclubs, and the strip clubs. He still eats bologne sandwiches, sneaks peanuts and Sam's cola into the movie theatres, and brings flasks into bars. For this reason, many view Hank as overly stern and stingy. With Snuffy being the city's Santa, Hank is seen as its Scrooge. By withholding potential spending dollars, he deprives retail and services sector additional income or employment; that is what is seen.

But what of the $50,000 Hank chooses not to spend? Where does it go? Does he just stuff it under his mattress or allow it to pile up in his closet? What happens to it? This is the part of the equation this is not seen. Hank decides to take his cash and deposit it into a savings account at First Chatham Bank. And when Hank does this, the Bank uses that money to loan to businesses. The businesses can employ Hank's savings in a variety of ways: maybe as short-term working capital, maybe to expand production, maybe to invest in new and better equipment, maybe to hire additional workers.

In this way, saving is really just another form of spending. The chief difference is the spending Snuffy engages in can be easily seen with the naked eye, while the result of Hank's investing is harder to grasp because it goes unseen. When people like Hank save, it increases the supply of money capital in the economy, which lowers real interest rates. And when interest rates are lowered, it allows for the production and purchase of capital goods like new houses, factories, office buildings, equipment, and high-tech tools. Businesses are more willing and able to invest because loan payments are cheaper than before. More projects can now be undertaken because interest payments no longer exceed the potential and projected revenues from such projects.

20 years pass. The trust fund becomes exhausted. Snuffy, having spent every dime, is now broke. His former colleagues now think of him as a fool, and he begs his friend Hank for money, who is meanwhile rolling in dough from the interest income he now receives from his investments. And not only has his fiscal prudence secured his own personal financial well-being, but his savings have provided and will continue to provide better, high-paying, and more productive jobs.

In this way, Hank has done far more good for the economy through saving than Snuffy did with his spending. When a company invests in new equipment or better machines, it helps raise living standards by lowering the costs of production. There are two ways in which this happens: (1) workers are provided with higher wages, because they are now able to produce more per hour and thus create more value for their employer, and (2) it allows the business to reduce the price per unit, which translates into more money into consumer's pockets. So not only is Hank's personal income and wealth greater than Snuffy's, but he has added to the economy's productive capacity while Snuffy has not.

This is why a nation's wealth and prosperity depends not on the public's willingness to spend money on consumer goods, but on the amount of accumulated capital the public has at its disposal in its production of such goods. This is why it makes little sense for our government to continue coercing consumers to engage in spendthrift behavior (just so we can get nice, big, fat GDP figures!) instead of allowing the market to adjust and the economy to recapitalize itself. By continuing to inflate the currency and holding down nominal interest rates (now at a ridiculous 0%), people have little, if any, incentive to save their money. Washington is doing everything in its power right now to turn us into a nation of Snuffys, but the road to prosperity lies in having more Hanks.

The Assault on Saving, I of II

Nowhere else in the free world are the rhetorical obscenities necessary to justify radical economic fallacy so flagrantly on display right now as in our nation's capital. Nowhere else but in a political setting can good so easily be viewed as evil, can vice be so suddenly transformed into virtue; can common sense so quickly be chastised as ignorance.

I am talking of course, of the political establishment's all-out war against thrift in the current economic mess. In the stimulus debate going on right now, there is deep disdain for giving out tax refunds because, God forbid, the people might actually just "save" some of it. And that's bad news! We can't have that! We can't allow selfish private citizens to think only of themselves instead of the common good during these rough times! We can't have miserly taxpayers hoarding dollars into their bank accounts! This is proof, the president said last month, that only government can truly look out for the common good and get money circulating again to create jobs! Right?

So, the politicians and so-called "economists" who say and publish whatever is necessary to win their favor reason that the "wise" course would be to "get the biggest bang for the buck" by spending the money on government make-work projects, food stamps, and unemployment benefits. This, they claim, will have a so-called "multiplier effect" because it will force dollars to "circulate" out in the economy in and endless process that will create an infinite number of jobs! Yay! The public workers will most certainly get some cash, and then they'll turn around and spend it at the grocery store, so that the grocery store's employees can get cash and spend it on new DVD players, so that the DVD manufacturers will get paid and spend it on new cars, so that the automakers can go out and purchase new houses! And the boom never ends! Thanks to government spending, we'll just have a never-ending, "trickle-up" spiral of prosperity! Anyone who's watched CNN, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, ABC, or read any major newspaper has been subjected to this drivel on a daily basis.

Nevermind that it's equally imaginable how the public worker, like the refund recipient, could also decide to save a portion of his income. Maybe he won't go out and buy that flat-screen. Maybe he'll just sock it away like all the other stingy taxpayers would have. I guess in the minds of the business journalists and exhalted economists, the public worker is somehow "different." He's just going to be inherently generous with his paycheck for some reason, it's presumed. How or why, I'm not sure. Like the several other "crises" we've experienced these last 6 months, we just have to take them at their word, I guess. And we know how that usually turns out.

But this is all beside the point. The theory that we can somehow spend our way into prosperity not only seems just a little too good to be true, but it contradicts and violates everything common sense has told us for thousands of years. Since time immemorial, the virtues of saving over spending have been preached. Since ancient times, in every successful religion, culture, and tradition, thrift and industry have been exalted while prodigality and waste have been chastised. Since grade school, our parents have always lectured us to keep whatever and whenever we can, and to spend less than what we have. Only in Washington, D.C. are such established truths and proverbs perverted to serve the ends of the political class and their addiction to spending other people's money.

So, as I'll demonstrate in tomorrow's post, politicians and media pundits are putting the cart in front of the horse when they say things like "consumer spending drives the economy," because saving is not the enemy of economic growth but is in fact its very source. Stay tuned as we will see how a simple short story can illustrate this truism and thoroughly dismantle Keynes' alleged "paradox."

The Show About Nothing

I was a Freshman at BC when the last episode of Seinfeld aired May 14,1998. Little did I know back then that this show was truely a gem that will be carried on for many generations to come. I really didn't start to appreciate the cleverness of the show unitl I was well into my college education at GSU.

Now almost eleven years after the finale it has many phrases that are still used today, like "Not like there is anything wrong with that", Yada Yada Yada" and "Shrinkage". What is your favorite?

The 2nd Annual Gael Force Run

It's that time of year again. As St. Patrick's Day draws near, so too does the Gael Force Run.

This year's race is scheduled for Friday, March 13th at 6:30pm and will follow the parade route.

There's a twist this year: everyone begins at the start with a full beer. Racers cannot leave the starting line until they have finished their beer. At the finish line, each racer will grab another full beer and must finish it before they can be counted as finishing the race.

Whoever finishes in last place must buy a round of beers for the top 5 finishers at the post-race social at Pinkie Masters.

Also, we are getting t-shirts made, so the entry fee is $10.

As tradition dictates, creative Irish attire must be worn by all contestants.

See y'all there!

Delirium of the Brave - The Movie

No, a production of the quintessential Savannah Catholic novel is not in the works...but what if it was?

Your job is to help cast the movie. I will list the major characters with a brief description. In the comments section, list which current Hollywood star you think should fill each role. I am assuming you have all read the book. If you have not, you will be suspended from posting until you have completed the assignment.

John-Morgan Hartman
The novel's protagonist. A young man who leads by example. Brigade Commander of the Benedictine Corps of Cadets.

Ann Marie Kerry
John-Morgan's sweetheart and an SVA girl. Beautiful and would make a good wife.

Charlotte Drayton
John-Morgan's summer fling. A Country Day girl from a wealthy family. A fast girl.

Tony O'Boyle, Jr.
The novel's antagonist. Aggressive and power-hungry. Knows what he wants and will step over anyone to get it. Start QB for the Cadets.

Bubba Silverman
One of John-Morgan's life-long friends. Happy-go-lucky. Jewish.

Mike Sullivan
Another of John-Morgan's best friends. Big and rowdy. Enough personality to fill the room.

Lloyd Bryan
First black student to attend BC. Incredible athlete. Devout Catholic. Becomes friends with John-Morgan, Bubba and Mike.

John Hartman
John-Morgan's father. A level-headed newspaper columnist.

Tony O'Boyle, Sr.
Young Tony's father. Taught young Tony everything he knows. A social-climbing politician.

Al O'Boyle
Big Tony's brother. The Victory Drive Slasher. Semi-retarded. Big and burly. Does not know his own strength.

Best BC Teachers

I think it's safe to say we have an unhealthy and unusual obsession on this blog with high school and the romanticization of things that happened 10 years ago in general. But seriously, who cares. That's what you get for going to the best high school and being from the greatest city in America.

I felt it was long past time to name the best teachers on Seawright Drive. I could substantiate these rankings by listing academic reasons why each teacher deserves to be on here, but that would just sound really gay. Plus, different teachers are good for different reasons (Tvrdy, for example, makes this list for entirely different reasons than, say, Curley does).

1. Coach Yeckley
2. Mr. Graham
3. Fr. Jeff
4. Coach Curley
5. Mr. Tvrdy

Honorable mentions: LTC Owens, Coach Orsini.

What's your list? And please no negative stuff. While I'd like to think nobody reads what we say on here, history has shown that's not always the case.

Snuffy's Food For Thought

Lee McCurry played varsity basketball at BC.

Happy Birthday Phil

On this day back in 1951, Philip David Charles Collins, was born in Chiswick, London.

Phil comes from an era when pop stars actually wrote their own music, and it sounded good.

Here are lyrics from my personal favorite.

(Phil begins...)

Easy lover

She'll get a hold on you believe it

Like no other

Before you know it you'll be on your knees

She's an easy lover

She'll take your heart but you won't feel it

She's like no other

And I'm just trying to make you see

(Now for high pitched black guy, Philip Bailey...)

She's the kind of girl you dream of

Dream of keeping hold of You'd better forget it

You'll never get it

She will play around and leave you

Leave you and deceive you

Better forget it

Oh you'll regret it....

Awesome.

It's Official

Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid think they know how to spend $1 trillion better than 300 million private individuals do. Kudos to the House Republicans, all of whom opposed the measure.

Street View

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The Stimulus Package Ruse

by Walter Williams.

Here is what my George Mason University colleague Professor Richard Wagner wrote, which was published by Office of the House Republican Leader: "Any so-called stimulus program is a ruse. The government can increase its spending only by reducing private spending equivalently. Whether government finances its added spending by increasing taxes, by borrowing, or by inflating the currency, the added spending will be offset by reduced private spending. Furthermore, private spending is generally more efficient than the government spending that would replace it because people act more carefully when they spend their own money than when they spend other people's money." A short translation of Wagner's comment is: There is no Santa Claus or Tooth Fairy. Let's examine the ruse.

Suppose the value of all that we will produce in 2009, our gross domestic product (GDP), totals $14 trillion. There cannot be any disagreement that if Congress spends $4 trillion, of necessity there is only $10 trillion left over for us to spend privately. In other words, if Congress is going to spend $4 trillion, it must find a way to get us to spend $4 trillion less. The most open and aboveboard method to force us to spend less privately is to tax us to the tune of $4 trillion.
You might say, "Congress doesn't have to tax us $4 trillion. They could tax us $3 trillion and run a $1 trillion budget deficit." You have that wrong. There is no way for Congress to spend $4 trillion out of our 2009 $14 trillion GDP by getting us to spend only $3 trillion less privately. It has to be $4 trillion less. Another method to force us to spend less privately is to print money and inflate the currency. Rising prices reduce our ability to spend privately since each dollar we hold will not buy as much. Another way is for Congress to borrow, thereby reducing our ability to spend privately. By the way, all of this means that in any real economic sense the federal budget is always balanced. That is, if Congress spends $4 trillion we must privately spend $4 trillion less whether it is accomplished through taxation, inflation or borrowing.

The stimulus package being discussed is politically smart but economically stupid. It's that bedeviling, omnipresent Santa Claus and Tooth Fairy problem again. Let's say that Congress taxes you $500 to put toward creating construction jobs building our infrastructure. The beneficiaries will be quite visible, namely men employed building a road. The victims of Congress are invisible and are only revealed by asking what you would have done with the $500 if it were not taxed away from you. Whatever you would have spent it on would have contributed to someone's employment. That person is invisible. Politicians love it when the victims of their policies are invisible and the beneficiaries visible. Why? Because the beneficiaries know for whom to vote and the victims do not know who is to blame for their plight.

In stimulus package language, if Congress taxes to hand out money, one person is stimulated at the expense of another, who pays the tax, who is unstimulated. A visual representation of the stimulus package is: Imagine you see a person at work taking buckets of water from the deep end of a swimming pool and dumping them into the shallow end in an attempt to make it deeper. You would deem him stupid. That scenario is equivalent to what Congress and the new president proposes for the economy. A far more important measure that Congress can take toward a healthy economy is to ensure that the 2003 tax cuts don't expire in 2010 as scheduled. If not, there are 15 separate taxes scheduled to rise in 2010, costing Americans $200 billion a year in increased taxes. In the face of a recession, we don't need that.

(Remember, government spending needs to be reduced in proportion with tax cuts... increased government spending is only a tax increase for future periods whether it be in the form of increased income tax rates, borrowing, or printing money.etc)

Snuffy's Food For Thought

Have you ever noticed how time drags on when you're at work, but flies by when you are home, sick?

The mother of Pat Holland's future children.

Patrick Holland's Future Children

Augusta International

I have a feeling you guys are really excited to see this guy at the Masters.

Logistics Question

This morning I was flossing with my little, dainty girl hands.  No problems.  Smooth operation.  Then I wondered how T.C. flosses.  Can you fit this big paws in there?  Or do you have to use one of these?

Snuffy's Food For Thought

You know things are bad when Country Day is having financial problems.

Against the Stimulus in 45 Seconds

Also, I understood Mr. Obama to say that under his leadership, we will enter a new "Era of Responsibility." Can someone explain to me how spending over a $1 trillion we don't even have is "responsible"? I really need some of his supporters to help me out with this because I'm deeply confused.

Lie to Me

If you have watched Fox recently you have seen the commercials for a new show called "Lie to Me."  It follows a team of people who can supposedly tell by a suspect's mannerisms and behavior whether or not they are lying.  This is the worst premise for a show I've heard in a long time for one simple reason: it's actors acting like they are lying.

On the other hand, this would have made a decent reality show to air with Cops and America's Most Wanted.  Showing actual suspects and their accounts of what happened, trying to determine for ourselves if they are telling the truth, and then at the end they reveal how the case was ruled.  Obviously, we wouldn't know for sure if they were lying unless they ended up confessing, but it would be intriguing to see if justice was served based on what we are shown.

Well, at least it would have been more interesting than seeing actors shift their eyes, tap their feet nervously, or stutter.  Jesus Christ, that is stupid.

How To Give A Real Inaugural Speech

In Requiem: The Bush Presidency

I first heard of this man at the age of 16 during my junior year of high school. I knew I was conservative by that point, and I knew I certainly hated Bill Clinton and just about everything he stood for. His ambivalence; his double-speak; his slick but sleazy delivery; his gutless, triangulating, finger-in-the-air, let's-take-a-poll and-please-as-many-people-as-possible-without-really-doing-anything response to just about every major problem facing the country at home and abroad really aggravated me (does anyone remember those days now?).

America, it seemed, was long overdue for decisive action, for moral clarity, for strong leadership. It had been 12 long years since Ronald Wilson Reagan's conservatism had departed from Washington and many saw W. as his reincarnation. The Right salivated over this prospect at the dawn of a new millennium, with endless opportunities and a Republican Congress to boot. I was one of those people, 100%.

I also loved Governor Bush simply because his style was so unlike Clinton's. His conviction, his swagger, his cockiness, his simplicity, his don't-really-give-a-damn, shoot-from-the-hip, cut-taxes-and-everything-will-take-care-of-itself, even-though-I-constantly-stumble-over-words-I'm-still-right-and-better-than-you style of rhetoric really won me over because it reminded me of someone who graduated from BC (or maybe, subconsciously, my father). Clinton could eloquently prattle for hours on end without missing a beat, yet no one in his audience could grasp what he really meant or what his positions really were. By contrast, Bush could stumble over a few short, choppy sentences yet you still understood exactly where he was coming from every time. This resonated with a lot of folks, and while he didn't win the popular vote in 2000, it's the reason he did as well as he did at a time when Democrats were presiding over a surging Dow Jones and the longest peacetime expansion in history.

It soon became apparent, however, that aside from issues of style and the initial tax cuts he gets passed, Dubya wasn't like Reagan at all. It's kind of like when you first get to Georgia and notice how all the fraternity guys wear boat shoes, polo shirts, and khacki pants. "Wow, these guys look and dress normal like they could have gone to BC. I bet they're cool." But then, for various reasons, you soon realize these guys have very little, if anything, in common with you, and that they give people that do dress normal a really bad name.

In his first term alone, W. more than doubles federal funding for education, pledges trillions into new welfare and healthcare entitlements, pours billions more into foreign aid programs, oversees a dramatic expansion in farm subsidies and corporate handouts, and clings to a self-professed philosophy that "when somebody hurts, government has got to move." It is true that in foreign affairs, he deserves lots of credit for demonstrating ballsy resolve in the weeks and months following 9/11, something Al Gore probably wouldn't have shown. But that ballsyness goes too far in pursuing what now looks to be a war of choice in Iraq and years of nation-building and an over-extended military, things Bush railed against during the 2000 campaign.

By 2004 many of us were agitated, but were told to grin and bear it because the alternative was far worse and that these compromises were necessary to win a second term that would truly enable the administration to carry out its "real" goals: downsizing the federal government, implementing a flat tax, slashing spending, and privitizing Social Security. The first part of this was true: John Kerry's stances were far worse. But the second part never even came close to materializing. Instead, all we got was more of the same.

I don't think Bush deserves a whole lot of blame for this country's bellicosity in the wake of that fateful September day during his first year. We all felt something had to be done after nearly a decade of fruitless half-measures. The days of bombing an aspirin factory or lobbing a cruise missile into some tiny tent in the middle of the desert were over, and action had to be taken. We were undoubtedly right to go into Afghanistan I still think we made the right decision invading Iraq and removing Saddam Hussein given the intelligence reports and what we thought was true (the presence of WMD) at the time. Knowing what we know now, would it make sense? Of course not. Trillions of dollars and thousands of American lives needn't be lost just so we can go around the world "spreading democracy" in places filled with irrational and ungrateful fanatics that will never get their act together.

Where Bush deserves tons of blame is on the domestic stuff, and what should have been achieved. Not since the 1920's has so much opportunity been wasted by a Republican president. Other than the supply-side tax cuts, which do deserve some credit for igniting a robust expansion between 2002-2007, he did not advance any semblance of a true conservative agenda on economic issues at a time when his own party controlled both houses of Congress. He was not able to effectively communicate a coherent message on what should have been key policy initiatives. He sat back and allowed the opposition and liberals in the media to dominate the discussion. He rarely exercised any form of restraint when spending other people's money, and never showed any skepticism toward government power. Alongside his colleagues in Congress, he instead abandoned much of what Republicans used to stand for.

How will history judge this man? I have no idea. More generously than right now? Probably. Almost certainly. But he's still the main reason why the party brand is in tatters and will remain that way for some time. Because of him, an entire generation of voters will predominately vote Democrat for decades to come. Because of him, many see the GOP as the party of big government, authoritarian federal mandates, corporate welfare, bailouts, foreign adventurism, and nanny-state socialism.

It's true that others will continue to see Bush and Republicans as evil "free-market," "far right," "trickle-down" ideologues. They blame capitalism, greed, and oil companies for our current troubles and see higher taxes and more labor unions as the way out (yay! let's create more GM's!). But these people have always been around, have always been wrong, and can never be reasoned with. They are the sorry folks that voted for Mondale in '84. They are the ignorant, partisan, Paul Krugman lackeys who remain firmly convinced that FDR somehow "got us out" of the Great Depression and that only through more bureaucracy, higher tax rates, and another trillion-dollar New Deal can the economy recover and can America become a "great" country again, and by "great" they mean more like France. Unfortunately, while a minority voice, their viewpoints constitute the false history now being written in the pages of Time, Newsweek, and even The Economist. They declare Bush's presidency the final demonstration that "small government" is bad and that the "free market" is dangerous and has miserably failed. Yet government has nearly doubled in size since Bush's arrival and our economy is in many areas substantially less free.

The bad news (or good news, if you're pulling for the Republicans), is that much of Obama's agenda promises even more of the same mistakes that Bush made on even a larger scale. Trillions in new spending. More entitlements. Additional bailouts. Maybe this will open voters' eyes a bit and help them realize that Democrats are just as bad, if not worse, and that we can't spend our way out of problems by creating make work projects or mailing out checks from the treasury. However, unlike Bush, Obama will have the media on his side and will always be seen as a compassionate figure with the best of intentions.

Has George W. Bush been the worst leader this country has ever seen? No, we've had far worse. But his 8 years illustrate the failures of a governing strategy that must never be repeated. With W. gone, we can hopefully redraw that line in the sand proclaiming Democrats and only Democrats to be the party of big government.

New Merchandise

These new bumper stickers available at Cafepress recall the BC-Savannah High rivalry days.



And, if you're really old school, the same sticker is available in Cherry Red, which was BC's original color during the height of the rivalry in the 30s and 40s:

Two More Months!

For those of you in town this weekend, the monthly Club Seventeen meeting will take place at Kevin Barry's tonight. If you have not already started your alcohol tolerance preperation for St. Patrick's Day, I suggest you start tonight.

Dear Mr. Stastny

My letter to Anthony Stastny, sports editor for the Savannah Morning News.

Mr. Stastny,

I noticed an inconsistency in the the basketball stats column this morning. Cody Padgett of Calvary is listed as the area's leading scorer with 371 points in 16 games for an average of 24.7 ppg. If those numbers are correct, his real ppg average should be 23.2, but that is besides the point (no pun intended). The second leading scorer is Jibri Bryan of Benedictine with 293 points in 11 games for an average of 26.6 ppg.

As I looked at the other statistical categories, I noticed that every other category was ranked by average per game, not by the raw total. So, why is Cody Padgett listed ahead of Jibri Bryan, when Bryan is averaging 3.4 ppg more than Padgett?

I will not hide the fact that I am a BC alumn and an avid fan of the Cadets. Adam VanBrimmer and I exchanged a few emails not too long ago after his column about Calvary gaining ground on the public schools. Calvary failed to live up to the hype by losing to Windsor Forest, again, by 17 points. Then, this morning, I noticed the discrepency in the stats and Rich McGowan's column about the "Calvary Crazies."

I am not sure why the Savannah Morning News has this love affair with a 9-7 Calvary team, when there are several more deserving teams in this area, including the Benedictine Cadets.

Snuffy P. Smith

This shit is getting ridiculous.

Fleet Foxes

My favorite new band from 2008, Fleet Foxes, will be playing SNL this Saturday.  So, if you like a lot of harmony, Beach Boys, CSNY, that sort of thing, check them out.  Hard to describe their sound properly.  Here are a couple of their videos.

Gran Torino

Gran Torino might not have that much action, as far as gunplay and explosions, but there's a lot of tension and menace.  Clint Eastwood is a serious hardass, and it's easy to buy his over-the-top portrayal of a racist, grizzled Korean War vet.  There's a suprising amount of humor, often coming from the "Did he just say that?" angle.  The best stuff comes from the ways he tries to teach his wuss of a neighbor how to act like a man.

The movie takes its time but never feels like it's dragging.  Its biggest weakness is the sub-par acting of the supporting cast, and it's obvious that Eastwood hired amateur actors to play his Hmong neighbors to have them feel more authentic.  The brother and sister are piss poor at acting, but good at portraying obnoxious Asian stereotypes.  The only authenticity I'll give them is that I felt like I was living next to Tech's campus again.

It all leads to a logical, yet surprising conclusion which really sends the movie into Very Good territory.  If you're wary of Hollywood ramming a "lesson learned" sermon down your throat regarding Eastwood's character, rest easy.  It never patronizes us by forcing us to believe this crusty bastard suddenly decides to stop using racial slurs and being distrustful of others.  The change we get is natural and welcome.

El Pollo Loco

Everything was terrible. One item stood out:

"The Ultimate Pollo Bowl"
I could have made this at home. I could pour some instant brown rice into a bowl, then hand it to you.

T E B O W

Here are some quotes I recall from last night's bowl game commentators:

"If you were fortunate enough to spend five or twenty minutes with this young man, your life would be better for it."

"He traveled with his parents doing missionary work.  He lived in an orphanage.  He spent time in a leper colony!"

Tebow = Bill Brasky?

National Championship Prediction

As a college football observer, and a resident of the city of Jacksonville, I have seen the craziness of all the Gator fans here. Believe it or not, I look at it as breath of fresh air. As some of you know, I have been a Georgia Tech fan since the late 80's and I have endured a 5-15 record against the Dawgs during this span. I do not consider myself a Gator by no means, but this could be one of the fastest and most dynamic football teams I have seen in my short life.

At the end of October, I made my way to Gainsville to watch the Gators trounce the Kentucky Wildcats 63-5 on a cool, overcast day in the sunshine state. In person, my eyes have never seen football players run circles around the opposing team so much. In a span of 3 Kentucky possessions there was 2 blocked punts, and 1 blocked field goal that lead to a 42-3 halftime lead. Now, this in no way will happen to the Sooners. But, don't be surprised if a blocked punt or a punt return touchdown by Branndon James occurs at a crucial point during the game.

If your not a fan of offense, don't even bother to tune in to this Touchdown show. We all know it is Heisman winner against Heisman winner or Tool vs Tool. However, these are two amazing QBs that can will their team to victory, and it has happen time and time again. Bradford will throw for 300 plus yards with three touchdowns to give his team a fighting chance. His two interceptions will be detrimental to his team's hope of claiming the BCS. Tebow on the other hand, will throw for 215 with two rushing and two passing touchdowns with no picks.

Also, before I make my prediction look at these scores the Big 12 has produced in the bowl season:

Mizzou 30 NW 23

Oregon 42 Olk st 31

Miss 47 TT 34

Texas 24 OSU 21

The four other giants of the Big 12 have put up sub par performances against the Big Ten who have not come close to touching the SEC in their history. Everyone can also point out the Mississippi upset over the Gators and connect it with Texas Tech losing to Oklahoma, and say I am wrong. Fla's lost to the rebels was a aberration, and it is evident with their stellar play since. I want some opinions on this game from everyone! My prediction is speed kills, and the only way the Gators lose is if Tebow rides a bus to the game and gets motion sickness.(A problem he has according to the Fl Times-Union)

Fl 45 Olk 31

"He could be one of the best to come out of Savannah."

Former Savannah High football star dies.

Other than Hank and some of the boys over at OIA, most of you probably don't remember Mede Lewis. The title of this post is the truth. However, the key phrase is could be. He certainly had the talent, much like Murdock Ferguson did on the hardwood, but he could not live above his environment. It's a shame how much talent is wasted in this city.

My Favorite TV Show of 2008

Battlestar Galactica. 

Though this show debuted in 2004, I put this as 2008 favorite because I caught up with the DVDs this year.  This version is almost entirely different than the Battlestar Galactica of the early 80s, and is darker than any other sci fi show.

The basic premise is that humans created sophisticated robots who rebel and nuke their planets all to hell (yes, very much like Terminator).  The only humans who survive are the 50,000 who were on spaceships when the attacks happened, and they're on the run.  Also, the robots look like humans, and some of them may think they are human until their programming switches on.  So, any of the main characters could be bad guys. 

You have prejudice - I understand.  Yes, these things are true about it:

-It is science fiction

-It is on the Sci Fi Channel

-The humans are not from Earth

-They are in space on spaceships

Do you like Star Wars?  Because Battlestar Galactica is way less geeky sci-fi than that.  There are no Wookiees, Ewoks, talking catfish, talking obese lizards, talking ghosts...in fact, there are no aliens at all.  

Do you like the Terminator movies?  BSG also has killer robots that look like humans, including hot chicks (yes, I deliberately used Tricia Helfer's hot picture to help sell my post).

How about 24?  BSG is the only other show that handles controversial political topics and sometimes is even ballsier than 24.

Lost? BSG also handles a large cast of characters who are so well written and acted that you forget your bias against "sci fi."

Of the three people I have persuaded to give this show a chance, all three have become huge fans.  It has better action, acting, and writing than most shows on TV.  

2008 MOTY Winner: Jack Holland

A special congrats to a dear friend, cousin, and sportscaster: John Joseph Holland IV has officially won our annual Man of the Year contest. After a total of 60 votes cast, Jack coasted to victory with a comfortable margin last night, garnering 56% of the vote over Jason's 44%. I've had the pleasure of knowing Jack since the age of 2 and I can tell you he is one of the humblest people you'll meet. So he'll act like he doesn't know what you're talking about when you go to congratulate him on this most prestigious of accomplishments. Kind of like Reardon. Anyway, thanks to all who participated and congratulations Jack.