It Was 83 Years Ago Today...

On December 30, 1922 the USSR was established

In post-revolutionary Russia, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) is established, comprising a confederation of Russia, Belorussia, Ukraine, and the Transcaucasian Federation (divided in 1936 into the Georgian, Azerbaijan, and Armenian republics). Also known as the Soviet Union, the new communist state was the successor to the Russian Empire and the first country in the world to be based on Marxist socialism.

During the Russian Revolution of 1917 and subsequent three-year Russian Civil War, the Bolshevik Party under Vladimir Lenin dominated the soviet forces, a coalition of workers' and soldiers' committees that called for the establishment of a socialist state in the former Russian Empire. In the USSR, all levels of government were controlled by the Communist Party, and the party's politburo, with its increasingly powerful general secretary, effectively ruled the country. Soviet industry was owned and managed by the state, and agricultural land was divided into state-run collective farms.

In the decades after it was established, the Russian-dominated Soviet Union grew into one of the world's most powerful and influential states and eventually encompassed 15 republics--Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Belorussia, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. In 1991, the Soviet Union was dissolved following the collapse of its communist government.

It Was Forty Years Ago Today...

...when the Beatles released the greatest album of all time. Before things got weird, but after all the poppy stuff, there was Rubber Soul.

How Sweet It Is

The Cadets beat Country Day 61-53 infront of a highly partisan crowd at Armstrong yesterday.

Maybe I didn't get a 1400 on my SAT, and maybe I didn't get a scholarship to Washington and Lee, but I went to BC, where the students actually show up at basketball games and raise hell. Today's article doesn't talk much about it (although last year's went into great detail), and I wasn't there (had to work) but supposedly after each Country Day's player name was announced before tipoff yesterday, the 200+ Cadet student section would yell in unison: "hey (name), YOU SUCK!" as the player walked across the court to shake hands with Coach Cannon.

Country Day's students, as usual, did not show up at the game. They were too busy growing out their hair, studying for their SATs, reading Maya Angelou books for AP English, watching Laguna Beach, and trying to act "laid back."

Thank you so much BC, for being the only school in Savannah that still gives a sh*t about anything. This is why, despite Kelly Burke, rising tuition, and other administrative missteps, you remain by far the best high school in Savannah, and America.

Bush is Drunk

No, this is not a political posting. Lord knows that I'd rather be watching The OC (Happy Chrismukkuh, on that note) than the news. This is a link to a video that slows down a press conference video to make Bush appear like he's been reliving the glory days in the Memorial Stadium parking lot.

http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2685392?htv=12

Serious question, though: Are presidents allowed to get drunk? What if Bush picked a random day next month to drink himself to sleep at the White House and that night a major terrorist attack happened? Honestly, I'd like to know the course of action from that moment.

A Festivus for the rest of us.

I would like to be the very first to wish you all a very happy Festivus. Festivus is celebrated every year on December 23rd. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this holiday, I'll explain.
On the TV show, Seinfeld, Frank Costanza (George's father) created this holiday to combat the commercialization of Christmas. It's origin is explained in this conversation between Frank and Kramer.

Frank Costanza: Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reached for the last one they had, but so did another man. As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way.
Cosmo Kramer: What happened to the doll?
Frank Costanza: It was destroyed. But out of that a new holiday was born . . . a Festivus for the rest of us!
Cosmo Kramer: That must've been some kind of doll.
Frank Costanza: She was.

There are four main elements to the Festivus celebration:
The Festivus Pole: The Costanzas' tradition begins with a bare aluminum pole, which Frank praises for its "very high strength-to-weight ratio." During Festivus, an unadorned aluminum pole is displayed. The pole was chosen apparently in opposition to the commercialization of highly decorated Christmas trees, because it is "very low-maintenance," and also because the holiday's patron, Frank Costanza, "find[s] tinsel distracting."
Festivus Dinner: The Festivus dinner menu is flexible, but it should consist of filling, non-holiday comfort food (no turkey, duck, goose, or ham).
The Airing of Grievances: At the Festivus dinner, each participant tells friends and family of all the instances where they disappointed him or her that year.
The Feats of Strength: The head of the family tests his or her strength against one participant of the head's choosing. Festivus is not considered over until the head of the family has been pinned to the ground. A participant is allowed to decline to attempt to pin the head of the family only if they have something better to do instead.

Happy Festivus, everyone.

Savannah

I apologize for not posting anything yet, I've not even had a chance to read anything posted, much less write anything.

I now have the latest reason for my reassurance in the greatness of Savannah: IKEA is building a 1.7 million square foot distribution warehouse on 115 acres at the Savannah River International Trade Park. This is going to bring 15,000 more 20 foot containers through the Port. Keith Keller, IKEA North America's Distribution Services president, had this to say: "As one of the fastest growing ports in the country, Savannah offers the long-term capacity, infrastructure and geography that we were seeking to complement our distribution presence in North America. A Savannah-based distribution center will help IKEA ensure our stores continue to offer well designed and functional home furnishings at affordable prices." (source- Atlanta Business Chronicle) IKEA is following Target and Walmart with putting a distribution facility at the Port.

"With Katrina aftermath, many meetings will be relocated to Savannah and the Golden Isles, and that hurricane will also boost container traffic at the already-booming Port of Savannah," said UGA economist Jeff Humphreys, director of the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the Terry College of Business. (source- Atlanta Business Chronicle)

Compare home prices as well: Charlestown's average home price in 2004 was $307,400. In Atlanta, the average price in 2004 was $303,000. In Jacksonville, the average was $290,778. Savannah's average home price last year was $247,375. (source- Savannah Chamber of Commerce)

Oh and for silver lining, since the above is so horrible, Savannah's employment is forcasted to rise 2.5% in 2006.

Liberal Buzz Words.

Liberals are like frat dudes; they say certain words to feel apart of the gang. Here is a sample of liberal buzz words that I've noticed in UGA's paper daily newspaper The Red and Black.

Progressive
Disenfranchisement
Multicultural
Inclusive
Disadvantaged
Diversity
Acceptance
Tolerance
Transgender (What the hell is that?)
Discrimination
Equality
Solidarity
Awareness
Offensive
Empowerment

Disclaimer: The list is not exhaustive by any means.

Braves Update

If you have any self-respect, you are curious as to what has been happening with your Atlanta Braves since the season ended. Never fear, for I am here for you.

Rafael "Fookie" Furcal = gone. The Dodgers got a new GM who is spending the big bucks, and in the case of the ol' Buckhead Booze Bandit, he shat out a wee too much. Catfish Face wanted to stay where he has been his first five years of his career, but the Dodgers are getting serious about building a good team this year.

Edgar Renteria - our new shortstop. We completely ripped off the Red Sox by getting this All Star in exchange for a prospect. This prospect, Andy Marte, has been hyped up a lot, but he could only play third base, and Chipper isn't going anywhere. In fact, Chipper volunteered, for the second year in a row, to reduce his salary so that we could spend more money elsewhere. Renteria didn't have a great year for Boston, but they gave up on him too easily. They just lost Johnny Damon to the Yankees, so next year they will be as worthless as TC trying to get muscle definition from his workouts.

Dan Kolb, the worthless sack who ruined many games and John Smoltz's 2005 win count, got his ass shipped back to Milwaukee. To further prove how bad we wanted to get rid of him: the pitcher we got in exchange wasn't even offered a contract by the Braves.

The Braves are up for sale. Hopefully we will get a human owner; anything would be better than being owned by some faceless corporation who could care less about winning as long as there is profit being made. A bigger budget would be great, but the White Sox won this year with $70 million - 10 million less than what we have now.

Now our biggest issue is getting a closer. They are seriously considering trying Reitsma as the full-time guy, but if you're like me, you'd rather see Ms. Dolan up on the mound. Beware the Jane Train.

Thank you, friends.

Today is truly a proud day for me. I could not have asked for a better Christmas gift. I'd like to thank my new collegues here at BMBS for giving me the opportunity to contribute my thoughts to this fine blog. You will not be disappointed.

Hey Joe

Joseph Wood attended St. James Catholic School, where he graduated in 1997. He then went on to attend the best high school in America (surprise, surprise) Benedictine Military School. While at BC, he coined what would become one of the most popular phrases used at high school parties when girls showed up - "Put out, or get out." He was also on the 2000 region championship football team his senior year. In 2001, rumors circulated connecting Wood's identity with The Sixth Man. These allegations remain unconfirmed.

Upon graduation, Wood joined TC at Play-it Again/Pro-Play sports. He also played bass for Arm the Bears, a progressive art rock trio. Joe then went on to attend Georgia Southern University in Statesboro Georgia, where the only "Happy Hour" left is the 60-minute drive on I-16 to Savannah Friday after class.

It's Spelled "Doggy" Style

I really hate me some UGA fans, but this is actually pretty funny. Well played. Kudos the the girls that played along.

What about Wood?

I received the following message from Joe Wood via facebook earlier today:

It's time.

I'm going to present my case to become a BMBS contributor. Please post the following.
Since December of 2005, I have been a devout follower of BMBS. I fell I would make an exemplary contributor to this fine blog. I recall now the second post of BMBS:

"Qualifications for membership in this elite club will probably include but may not be limited to: graduating from BC, being Irish (except Arvind Raman), liking Savannah, thinking it is better than Charleston, not using the words "dude" and "like" more than necessary (which means never), and not being from the metro Atlanta area."

I meet most of not all these criteria. I graduated from BC, my mother's maiden name is Murray, I love Savannah as my home, Charleston sucks, I have impeccable grammar and syntax, and I would rather be homeless than live in Atlanta.

True, there are some skeletons and, possibly even worse, not a single pair of boat shoes in my closet. Here they are:
1. Yes. I dated a girl from Savannah Christian in high school. She was nice though, y'all met her.
2. I did not remain in JROTC for my senior year. I was too busy getting paid to play football.
3. I left the St. Patrick's Day parade early. My girlfriend at the time was with me and the weather was miserable. I did stay to see the Cadets march, and that's the real reason there's a parade in the first place.

That is all I have to say. Merry Christmas to all.
-Joe Wood '01

Please let me know what ya'll think, either through email or comments. While I have never listened to 311 and I think soccer is gayer than Ricky Martin wearing Hollister drinking a Smirnoff Ice in Buckhead, I think Wood would (haha) still make a fine addition. He has been our most avid follower since day one, and I think he's made a decent case. That having been said, I still don't want BMBS to eventually go the way of "Who's Who Among American High School Seniors" either. If we let Joe in, we need to limit things after that. So let me know what we should do. Thanks.

Sound Adjudant's Call

BMBS would like to welcome its newest contributor, Thomas Clouse Madison III.

TC graduated from St. Peter the Apostle in 1997, where he led the football team to an undefeated record. He hung out with Pat Maher and Chris Murray as well. He then attended Benedictine Military School as a third generation cadet. There he served as Student Senate Vice President, shotput superstar, outstanding senior, National Honor Society treasurer, and Brigade S-1. He bought beer for us when we were 16, because he looked 24.

Upon receiving his diploma from Benedictine in May of 2001, Madison was awarded a special internship/fellowship opportunity at Play it Again Sports, later Pro-Play Sports. He housesat for the Hjortsbergs during the summer of '01 as well. He then attended Georgia State University, where he received a degree in real estate. He is currently the only person I know in our class besides Brooks that holds a real job.

Madison currently resides in Atlanta with his girlfriend and Arvind. They have 1 dog, Budweiser.

Thank you

I feel so honored to be invited to be a part of your wonderful blog. Arvind told me last night that he read the past four months of the bmbs blog while he was at work, and he wanted to start posting again. Pat: I don't know if you want him to do this. See, I was thinking he could be more of our Computer Technition (because I haven't talked to Doan in a while. We can settle with an Indian, right?)

What do you want me to bring to this blog, pat, stephen, tim, will, ryan, michael, and whoever i missed? Arvind? did you kick him off or something?

Reincarnation

It's my first day back at the SAGIS office and, as usual, I have nothing to work on. Googling my own name, I stumbled upon the homepage for William Fleming High School in Roanoke, VA. Check out their mascot. The Colonels! Weird, huh? The school is named after a Scots immigrant who served as a surgeon in George Washington's regiment during the French and Indian War and later as a Colonel in Dunmore's War. He would later become a member of the General Assembly, a state senator, and even served as governor of Virginia for a brief period.

If anyone is contemplating what to get me for Christmas, visit the Colonel's Corner and order me a hoodie.

VanGorder in at GSU

I laughed when I first heard VanGorder's name in the mix to replace Mike Sewak at Georgia Southern. VanGorder left UGA to become a position coach in the NFL, with the hopes of becoming a defensive coordinator and then landing a top-notch head coaching job at the 1-A level. Taking the GSU job seemed like a step sideways, if not a step backwards, but certainly not a step forward. There are rumors that part of the deal was for GSU to make the transition to 1-A within the next five years. I don't think it will happen that quickly, but this hire is a strong signal that the administration is ready to take the next step.

Van Gorder has not hired an offensive coordinator yet, but he has already made it clear that the days of the spread option are gone. Installng a "more multiple" look, as he put it, is essential to recruiting the offensive talent necessary to compete at the next level. The transition will be tough these next few years. The administration will have to exercise patience, as it will take time to get the right personnel for whatever offense VanGorder plans to use. The house-cleaning at Nebraska is a good indication of what will probably happen.

Is this a good hire? It depends. If Georgia Southern is committed to making the leap to 1-A, then yes, they made an excellent choice. If they are content to stay at the 1-AA level, then I don't see any reason to scrap what has been the trademard of Georgia Southern football.

For Pat. A follow up.

As of Thursday, president Bush received a report from a committee he created on reforming our current tax system. From his previous speeches and debates, all believe President Bush's intended result fromt the committee would be a total scrapping of our current Federal Income Tax Code. The Committee was intended to suggested either a simple flat tax system or national sales tax system. Either choice would effectively lower taxes for all Americans yet still increase income tax revenue for the nation. No so. In the spirit of "diversity", the President appointed an eclectic array of Senators to man the committee. Not only were RINOs present, but Demes from all walks of life were also invited. The result is shameful. I don't not believe the results were W's intentions, and God knows these suggestions will not pass in Congress. But here's a synopsis of the Committee's findings. If we keep electing politicians only concerned with keeping their jobs, this is the result.

(I've copied a lot of this stuff from website I forgot to hyperlink.)
Neither flat nor fair, the panel's two plans propose income-based systems with three and four income-tax brackets, with top tax rates of 30- and 33-percent, respectively. That's a modest decrease from today's top bracket of 35 percent, but even that niggardly flattening of the tax schedule came to the panel as an afterthought. The President's directive had been to keep both plans revenue neutral---drawing no more or no less tax revenue than the current system---and this, they eventually realized, necessitated a lowering of the rates. (Even John Maynard Keynes, father of that child demand-side economics, maintained that 25 percent was the highest tolerable rate for income taxation.) Where did the panel find the savings for this act of benevolence? By ending federal deductions for state and local taxes paid, stripping tax-free provisions on employer-provided medical insurance, and chopping off home-mortgage deductions at the knees. Proposals of this sort can only be interpreted as tax increases on the middle class. The primary reason for the panel's failure is its composition.

Clearly, the President's plans for dynamic change in the tax code have been sabotaged, but why would an administration that purported to be so serious about tax reform entrust the job to a panel of pantywaists? Was it really nothing more than a hollow exercise?

But there is a glimmer of hope. A far more legitimate effort comes from Jim DeMint and Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Senators who---in the best tradition of the Palmetto State---are willing to put their money where their mouths are. In response to the President's Adivisory Panel debacle, Senators DeMint and Graham have offered a plan to eliminate the personal-income tax completely, replacing it with the afore mentioned national consumption tax. Unlike most fair tax plans, however, the tax burden is equally distributed between businesses as a value added tax (VAT) and consumers as a national sales tax. Both the sales tax and the VAT would be a comfortable 8.5 percent, eliminating not only the income tax, but capital-gains taxes, the death tax, and taxes on Social Security benefits---not to mention the awful association we Americans have long had with April 15th. Sen. Graham came on board with the junior senator's plan because it would place U.S. and Chinese goods on a level playing field. "Now the Chinese goods would have to be charged the consumption tax just as American-made products would be," says Graham. Sen. DeMint, meanwhile, points out that the VAT would be "very visible to the final end-use consumer."

If Bush Lied...

...then Clinton lied.

For Pat.

From Southernappeal;

The House voted Thursday to preserve tax cuts for investors through the rest of the decade, safeguarding the centerpiece of the Republican tax agenda in a $56 billion package of tax breaks.

The bill, passed 234-197 along mostly party lines, would keep the 15 percent top tax rate for capital gains and dividends in place in 2009 and 2010, two years after their scheduled disappearance at the end of 2008.

The Republicans are still weak. Initially, the RINOs boulstered elimination of the capital gains tax... but we'll take all the breaks we can get. Right Pat?

The good thing about keeping some capital gain tax alive is to ensure that old Yankees from the Landings will keep paying Hancock Askew & Co. to plug in their menial capital gains into a computer every Spring.

RECOGNITION OF STAFF SERGEANT GEORGE K. GANNAM FOR BEING AWARDED A PURPLE HEART FOR HIS SERVICE IN WORLD WAR II -- HON. JACK KINGSTON

HON. JACK KINGSTON OF GEORGIA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Tuesday, November 14, 2000

Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, today I recognize a great American hero, from my district Savannah, GA, George K. Gannam, for being awarded a purple heart for his service in World War II. We should all stand up and applaud Mr. Gannam for his dedication and service to our country. He was a brave and heroic man and deserves to be recognized as such.
Mr. Gannam was killed in the Japanese attack on Hickam Field on December 7, 1941. He was the first person from Chatham County to die in World War II. An eye witness reports that Mr. Gannam received mortal wounds while assisting other airmen to remove airplanes from a burning hangar during the height of the attack. Medical records indicate that Mr. Gannam died of multiple shrapnel and machine gun bullet wounds. As a result of his heroic actions he was awarded a purple heart.
The American Legion Post #184 in Thunderbolt, GA was named after him. This is a great recognition and will help keep his name alive for years to come.

Gannam Day 2000 Remembered

Under the provision of AR-145-2 and by direction of the Senior Army Instructor, the following JROTC medals are awarded as indicated:

American Legion Post 184 God and Country Award:
CDT/LTC John Patrick Holland, Jr.

George K. Gannam Award:
CDT/SSG Michael Hotard


















And the crowd goes wild!

This just in from Stateboro.

Via email from Dennis Leonard:

Statesboro, GA (AP) - A seven-year-old boy was at the center of a Statesboro courtroom drama this week when he challenged a court ruling over who should have custody of him. The boy's parents had a history of beating him, so in keeping with child custody law and regulations requiring that family unity be maintained to the degree possible the judge initially awarded custody to his aunt. The boy surprised the court when he proclaimed that his aunt beat him more than his parents and he adamantly refused to live with her. Some investigation revealed he had been telling the truth, the aunt was indeed terribly abusive to the boy.

When the Judge suggested that he live with his grandparents, the boy cried out that they also beat him - a claim which investigations proved also to be true. After considering the remainder of the immediate family and learning that domestic violence was apparently a way of life among them, the judge took the unprecedented step of allowing the boy to propose who should have custody of him.

After two recesses to check legal references and confer with child welfare officials, the judge granted temporary custody to the Georgia Southern Eagles football team, whom the boy and the court both believe are not capable of beating anyone.

Several producers and technicians from ABC Sports, as well as thousands of football fans, have written a letter to the judge on Saturday, confirming this.

The young man is planning to move in to Paulson Stadium on Monday.

For Will.

Starting in the steamy summer of 2001, Will and I were employed by MACCOM Inc., a division of Big Ed McCuen Enterprises. Big Ed paid us a humble wage of $8.00 per hour. Not a lot, but respectful for a college kid summer job in Savannah.

During that glorious summer, I noticed a detrimental habit of our old buddy Will. No, it wasn't the endless shopping expeditions in Bluffton, SC. Instead, beginning at least one our before our lunch break, Will would begin brainstorming for the most tasteful, bountiful, and jovial place to eat lunch. Always and most assuredly, Will picked a place that costs no less that $6.50 and as high as $11.00 per lunch. And as J. Patrick Holland can attest, this lunch hour spending pattern has yet to cease for Will during summer work.

In contrast, I would brown bag my lunch every day. This usually consisted of (but not limited to) a bologna sandwich with mustard, pretzels, an apple, a coke, and a Little Debbie (preferredly Fudge Rounds.) The cost of my brown bag lunch was no more than $2.00 per day.

As the summer progressed, Will can tell you that I became more and more infuriated at his irresponsible lunch hour splurges. Now, I know what you're thinking... Stephen is a tight wad and doesn't like to have fun. I agree. But, the point of this post is to show how much money Will and the world can save by brown bagging one's lunch.

Hypothetically, lets say Will brown bags his lunch for the next 30 years with 20 bagged lunches per month. You can expect the rate of return from some alternative investment to be 6% annually. Finally, lets say "eating out" lunch price is a modest $6.50.

Will's lunch savings could be worth $88,133 after 30 years.
This assumes that you save an average of $4.50 per lunch ($90.00 per month.) The savings are then invested in the 6% rate of return investment.

Note To Self

Don't ever leave your car at Coach's Corner overnight.

Patrick's 2005 Guide to the Holidays

Starting today, millions will flock to their nearest Best Buy, Wal-Mart, etc. to stock up on Christmas gifts. This always results in gridlock traffic near the shopping malls and hour-long waiting lines at cash registers. After months of intense research, I've come up with a plan of how to alleviate this madness:

Don't buy anything for anybody.

I've followed this rule for the past 22 years; trust me, it works. I never face the problems that plague our society each year in shopping malls, because I simply don't go to shopping malls. I do get irritated, however, when I want to buy something for myself during these next few weeks. Then we have problems.

Anyway, this Christmas, like the previous 21, I'll just give my mom a hug instead of a gift and give her the whole "true meaning of Christmas is about love and not commercialism" crap, and it'll work. It always does. And it should. I don't expect gifts from anyone else, so why should anyone expect gifts from me? And plus, I always know what I want. I never have to worry if the gifts I pick for myself are the "right" gifts or not.

Over these next three weeks, I'm going to do everything I can to act in my own self-interest. I'm going to try my best, at least once a day, to stop whatever I'm doing, and go out of my way to do something for myself. Whether that be making a trip to Dairy Queen, gambling double on bowl games, or ordering a liquor drink at the bar instead of Miller Lite, I'm going to make sure to look out for #1 above all else. I advise each and every one of you to do the same thing. If we all work together, this will be the best holiday season yet.

Reliving the Past

Came across yet another riveting new column today at Fratty.net on why the 80's ruled and why the 90's sucked, and how, over the past few years, things just may finally be trending back in the right direction.

Facebook

For a few weeks now, pictures have been circling the email chain and message boards alike of these girls that sit in the front row of FSU games dressed to the nines. Since the Stew gave me access to his facebook password a few weeks ago, I have discovered Facebook gold. I implore you to look up Jenn Sterger at FSU and look at her pictures. Probably the best facebook profile....ever. That is a preview:

The Books Are Open

Saturday afternoon, Mike somehow cut his toe and got a few tiny spots of blood on the carpet. If you didn't know, Mike freaks out about carpet. So, he got out his bottle of spot remover and went to work immediately. Being the absent-minded retard that he is, he left the bottle of spot remover and the paper towels he used right there, in the middle of the living room floor. The carpet is also covered with golden strings of pom-pom, the result of Tech's loss to Virginia on Saturday.

The over/under on Mike cleaning up his mess is 5.5 days from Saturday, with Thursday being the fifth day. What say you, BMBS?

"Shadowfax, show us the meaning of haste!" ~Gandalf the White

I found this Lord of the Rings profiling test. Apparently, I like to eat all day, smoke weed, wear no shoes, and grow frat boy hair.
Hobbit

To which race of Middle Earth do you belong?

I Can Fix the World

I have recently become inspired to branch out a bit from BMBS and create my own spin-off blog entitled "I Can Fix the World." I figured since I am right about everything and I have solutions for all of the world's problems, I should probably share that with everyone.

Even Robin had his own adventures apart from Batman. Even Nick Everhart dabbled in imagination away from Steven Watkins.

http://icanfixtheworld.blogspot.com

A Seafaring Lock of the Week

Navy@Notre Dame(-23.5)

Take the Fighting Lamar's and the points on this one folks. The 41-game Notre Dame win streak will end tomorrow at the hands of a Cadet. Being Catholic I hate to pick against Notre Dame and will go to church this Sunday and ask for forgiveness, but BC Pride>Notre Dame victory. Look for Lamar to have a huge game against a pathetic Notre Dame defense. I am guessing maybe 450 passing yards and 276 rushing with 8 TDs. This victory will immediatly vault Lamar into the front of the Heisman race. Lamar will then part the Red Sea and turn water into wine.
Predicted Score:Navy 120 Notre Dame 7
Notre Dame's only TD coming off of a Samrjidjariaufidaerha reverse.
Here are my predicted scores if Navy would play any other team in the country tomorrow:
-Navy 57 USC 2
That safety was not Lamar's fault( it was the backup QB)
-Mini-Lamar's 18 Mike Ditka 6
-Giant Lamar 14 Hurricane Katrina 13
-Lamar with two hands tied behind his back 62 Camden County 6
He's just got their number what can I say.
-In a Tag Team Match: Lamar and Mini-Me are victorious over Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior.

By the way, do you remember when Lamar got the Finnacharo Award and started crying in the Well.

BC has finally made it to Hollywood.

Remember the big dude who was BC's linebacker in '98? Hint: his father was grand marshall last year.... Thats right Will, its Eamon Sheehan! Well, first he went off to Yale on a football scholarship, and now he's a starving actor. Check out his new movie Red Thread. Although the movie is only independent, I can't believe this crap! I don't remember how I found out about it, but Eamon as lost his screws. Leopold Stratton is the producer. Apparently, Leopold is big time... and he's also a fellow BC graduate from the same class as John M. Owens III and my uncle Lloyd Saunders. Coincidently, Leopold owns Leopold's on Broughton Street (the ice cream place.) Ryan, can we expect you to make it to Hollywood as well?

The "Will Shouldn't Bet Anymore" Lock of the Week

Since Will looks to be retired from the lock of the week, I am going to have to pick up the slack. Being that I am 3-1 on BMBS(with the UCF and West Virginia game postponed).
BC(-5.0)@UNC

BC has had a few extra days to prepare for this game since they played last Thursday. Playing in Chapel Hill will be a cakewalk compared to last week in Blacksburg.
BC 30 UNC 10

"The Time is Now"

On this day, 25 years ago, Ronald Reagan was elected 40th president of the United States in a landslide victory over Jimmy Carter. My parents voted for Carter. On a side note, they also hold degrees from Armstrong. Anwyay, Reagan is to the conservative movement what Herschel Walker is to Georgia football. David Boaz, president of Cato, a libertarian think tank, has a great article on this.

My favorite part is the 1983 speech he gives at Notre Dame, predicting the collapse of the Soviet Union. Everyone thought he was crazy at the time, the press mocked him, and even his advisors told him not to include it in his speech. Anyway, it's a good read, ya'll should check it out.

In Defense of "Gouging"

Big oil companies like Exxon and Shell have reaped enormous profits over the past few quarters in response to higher gas prices, prompting many in Washington (particularly Democrats led by Senator Clinton, but some Republicans too) to call for a "windfall profits tax" on firms making over what they perceive to be a "fair" amount.

This is a great move politically; unfortunately it makes no sense economically.

Profits are the rewards that firms receive for taking risks. Tax those profits, and those firms will have less incentive to pull more oil out of the ground, making oil prices rise even further. Is this what we want?

Many on the left claim that oil companies are charging high prices for gas simply because they're greedy. Greedy they may be -- who isn't? But the fact of the matter is these firms have no control over the price of gasoline. Over the past 3 weeks, gas has dropped about 50 cents or so. Why is this? Are they just all of a sudden "less greedy" now than they were last month? How about in January of 1999, the month I started driving, when oil was at $12 per barrel, and 88 cents at the pump. Were the now-greedy oil firms just deciding to "be nice" back then? In September, after the hurricane cut refining capacity, gas skyrocketed to $4. Next September, assuming there's no hurricane, will firms raise the price to $4 again? NO, because there'll be too much oil flowing around relative to demand. They can try to raise the price, but it won't work.

Two simple words decide the prices we pay at the pump: supply and demand. High prices and high profits are what make companies drill more, find more supplies, and, ultimately, give us more gas, which lowers prices. Unfortunately, thanks to government regulations, the last time a refinery was built in this country was 1976, and we're not allowed to drill in Alaska. Thanks Sierra Club. Thanks John Kerry. Thanks for simultaneously preventing companies from increasing output while at the same time bashing high prices that are the very result of those restrictions. Thanks for doing what your party has done best since the Great Depression: passing illogical legislation that hurts the people it intends to help.

"The first lesson of economics is scarcity: there is never enough of anything to satisfy all those who want it. The first lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics." - Thomas Sowell

Finally, a website we can identify with...

Conservative t-shirts for people of the correct mindset:

Who's Bad - Regenerated

There's a new reason to see Who's Bad



No more Thug MJ. This time we get a bona-fide Las Vegas Michael - "The World's #1 Michael Jackson impersonator." Plus we can really enjoy ourselves this time knowing that America's justice system determined for a fact that he's normal...

Will's Sure Way to Lose Money of the Week

Record: 3-5

This Week's Lock:

Georgia
vs.
Florida -3.5

Finally, one for the Georgia fans of the BMBS nation. The Bulldogs are still a tremendously talented team without Shockley under center. Joe Tereshinski does not have to win this game. The defense and running attack will set the tempo. Georgia will win as long as JT3 doesn't make any big mistakes. He had nearly an entire game to work out the kinks against Arkansas and Richt has surely opened up the playbook for him this week in practice. The biggest advantage Georgia has over the Gators is Brandon Cotu (sp?). You can count on at least three points everytime Georgia crosses the 35-yard line. Dawgs by 3.

Was It Over When the Germans Bombed Pearl Harbor?

All is not lost for the Cadets just yet. A win over Jefferson County would land us in the playoffs for the first time since 2001. Beating a ranked, undefeated team on the road...sound familiar? Don't think BC can do the impossible twice? Well, I've invited a few guest speakers to convince you otherwise.

Bluto: What the fuck happened to the BMBS I used to know? Where's the spirit? Where's the guts? Huh? This could be the greatest night of our lives but you're gonna let it be the worst. Oh, we're afraid to go with you, Bluto. We might lose. WELL JUST KISS MY ASS FROM NOW ON! NOT ME! I'M NOT GONNA TAKE THIS! THE LINEBACKER? HE'S A DEAD MAN! RUNNING BACKS? DEAD! QUARTERBACK?

Otter: Dead! Bluto's right! Psychotic, but absolutly right. We've gotta take these bastards. Now, we could fight them with conventional weapons but that could take years and cost millions of lives. No, in this case, I think we have to go all out. I think this situation absolutly requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part.

Bluto: And we're just the guys to do it. LET'S DO IT! GO! GO! GO! AHHHHHHHHHHH!

Is this Legal?

I am borrowing this post from Southern Appeal.

The Carolina Postdoctoral Program for Faculty Diversity; The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill:
As part of a continuing commitment to advance underrepresented scholars in higher education, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is pleased to announce the availability of 6 positions in the Carolina Postdoctoral Program for Faculty Diversity. Postdoctoral Scholars will spend essentially full time on research, but will be allowed to teach no more than one course per year. Applications for study in any discipline represented at the University are welcome. The Department of Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill strongly encourages candidates interested in political science to apply. The stipend will be $35,625 per calendar year. Health benefits are available. Some funds are available for research expenses, including travel. Minority students who will have completed their doctoral degree no later than July 1, 2006, and no earlier than July 1, 2000 are eligible to apply.

Why am I prevented from applying? Is this legal?

If only Savannah had a China Town

Heinzer's three minute course on how to become bilingual.
Read the English translation and then say the Chinese words OUTLOUD for proper enunciation...

1) Thats not right............... Sum Ting Wong
2) Are you harboring a fugitive................. Hu Yu Hai Ding
3) See me ASAP................. Kum Hia Nao
4) Stupid Man.................... Dum Fuk
5) Small horse.................. Tai Ni Po Ni
6) Did you go to the beach?.................... Wai Yu So Tan
7) I ran into a coffee table............ Ai Bang Mai Fa Kin Ni
8) I think you need a face lift...................... Chin Tu Fat
9) It's very dark in here........................... Wao So Dim
10) I thought you were dieting.................. Wai Yu Mun Ching
11) Tow away zone....................... No Pah King
12) Hiding...................... Lei Ying Lo
13) He's cleaning his automobile................ Wa Shing Ka
14) Your body odor is offensive........... Yu Stin Ki Pu
15) Great................... Fa Kin Su Pah

If you think this is offensive, go recycle and save the spotted owl. Get a life hippie.

Will's Not-So-Lock of the Week

Last Week: I don't even know why I continue to do this.

Record: 3-4

This Week's Lock:

USC -30
@
Washington

Ty Willingham: Molder of men and annual 31-point loser to SC. Trojans by 31.

Why is Africa Poor?

Econ professor Don Boudreaux sums it:

The people of Niger are poor not because that country is densely populated. (It's not: it's population density is nine persons per square kilometer.) They are poor not because of drought; not because they lack resources; not because Americans and Europeans are rich. They are poor because, for example, local regulations stipulate that companies must give all employees six weeks and two days of paid vacation a year. Not surprisingly, there are almost no employers in Niger.

Commerce is the foundation of civilization, the font of prosperity, and the key to peace. Niger's government -- either because of foolishness or evilness (take your pick) -- squashes commerce in that country. No amount of aid, mosquito nets, op-eds by Sachs, or serenading of Bono and Paul McCartney will do Nigeriens any good until commerce is allowed to flourish there.

Amen. Let's go out and vote for Hilary Clinton in three years and make America the next Niger.

Rumblings From Mordor

A new force is rising in the Middle Earth that is west Chatham County. Savannah Christian has unveiled the master plan for its Chatham Parkway campus, beginning with the construction of a new state-of-the-art athletic center. Other projects include a new high school and lower school, with the middle school moving from DeRenne Ave. to the current high school.



















This is obviously of major concern to the BMBS nation. For years, BC has been able to raid Savannah Christian for a large amount of students, including many good athletes and all-around elitist assholes. In the future, the Lee McCurry's of Savannah might choose to stay at Savannah Christian. Also, public school kids that are tired of being thugs and Country Day kids that are tired of being fags might view SCPS as a better opportunity than BC. The Raiders have raised the ante. It's up to the two towers of Bobby and Tommy Cannon and the rest of the fellowship of the ring to ensure that BC remains the king.

Habemus Bondam

This guy (Daniel Craig) will be the new James Bond. As you may know, I’m a huge fan of the Bond series, especially the Sean Connery films and the first three Pierce Brosnan ones. The last Bond flick, however, was one of the worst movies of all time. With “Die Another Day,” the writers/directors said it was time to “bring James up speed with the 21st century,” whatever that means. So they “modernized” the series (always a bad idea) with Matrix-like camera angles, ridiculous, off-the-wall, cartoon-like special effects, and interracial love scenes that made even Lenox Square Mall jealous. This was the writers' way of saying “hey, it’s 2002, and we’re in the real world now, deal with it." There are a million other things I hated about the movie, particularly all the precedent it breaks with from the past 20 films in attempt to be “creative” (which it fails miserably in doing), but I won’t waste your time here.

Long story short: this is a free country. If you want to see the Matrix, then go watch the Matrix for Christ’s sake. If you want to watch Vin Diesel and Triple Z or whatever, then by God go out and rent Triple Z. But leave James Bond alone. The new film will be an adaptation of author Ian Fleming’s very first installation in the series, Casino Royale. Please don’t ruin a classic.

Name that Landmark

Yep, you guessed it, it's the Deschutes Fire Tower.

For you boys down at Southern...

There's yet another movement to pass a new flag for the State of Georgia.














The flag has been dubbed "The Prettiest Little Flag in the Country" by the man himself.

Will's Lock of the Week

Last Week: Sorry, Vandy. Some things never change.

Record: 3-3

This week's lock:

Bowling Green -23
@
Buffalo

Doug Weathers may not know how to spell Buffalo, but he could probably tell you that the Bulls are terrible. Through five games, Buffalo is averaging a mere 6 points per game. On the flip side, Bowling Green is one of the best offesive teams in the nation, racking up 43 points per game. You do the math. Bowling Green by 35.

Down For the Count

Wittle Mikey had too much to dwink wast night.

Will's Lock of the Week

How does Dave Wannstedt (sp?) keep getting work?

Record: 2-3

This Week's Lock:

LSU -15.5
@
Vanderbilt

There was a huge bandwagon crash in Nashville last weekend as Vandy reverted to their old ways and blew an opportunity to open the season at 5-0 for the first time since the Swingin' Medallions started playing rap songs. LSU is still pissed about losing to Tennessee, even after drubbing Miss. St. last weekend. LSU by 24.

Leonard Rules

Given the history of athletic prowess in our family, there's a good chance this guy is related to us.

Update from Waynesboro

Honestly, who cares about Brookwood-Parkview?

The Burke County Bears currently lead the Mustangs 14-0 at halftime. Listen live over the internet on South Effingham's flagship station.

I'll post a final score as soon as it's over.

My last post on Katrina.

It's been a while since the Louisiana local governments failed to take responsibility for their actions. Now its time to laugh about it. Go here... http://www.maconracers.org/forum/showthread.php?t=2615

Good stuff.

A Walk on the Supply Side

Democrats, like Bill Clinton, continue to come out of the woodwork and bash the Bush tax cuts. “I got a tax cut I didn’t even ask for, while millions of Americans are struggling just to get by.”

First of all, anyone that didn’t want their taxes cut can be my guest and send a personal check to the federal government in the amount of the difference they’re saved by the rate reductions. If you trust the government to spend your own money so wisely, go ahead and give your money back. Second of all, as a result of the rate reductions, which are giving people more incentives to save, work, and invest, federal revenues are higher than when Clinton left office. Third, entitlement spending on healthcare, welfare, and education has more than DOUBLED under Bush (source=www.omb.gov). Midway through Clinton’s term, the unemployment rate was 5.6% (September, ’95). Any guesses as to what it is right now in September of ‘05? 4.9% (source=bls.gov). So I’m confused, there’s more money in the treasury now, MUCH more of our tax dollars are going to the poor and to education, the black homeownership rate is at its highest level in history, the unemployment rate is lower than Clinton’s average, and yet "this is the worst economy since the Great Depression" - John Kerry, “George Bush hates black people” – Kanye West, and "Bill Clinton was the first black president” – Jesse Jackson. Is there any rationale for these kind of statements? Any actual real facts to back them up? Oh yeah, I forgot, there is one huge fact: George Bush has an “R” next to his name.

What else do black leaders want Bush to do? Do they want him to go to each black person's house in America individually, hug them and watch "Martin" with them? How many more dollars do they want us to throw at the problem?

Again, I'm no Bush cheerleader. There's a lot he's done that I disagree with (particularly the out of control spending, most recently illustrated by an FDR-like response to Katrina). But next time you see an Eminem video or hear John Kerry on CNN, remember that these people probably have no understanding of supply-side economics.

Stew's Lock of the Week

St. Paul's Lutheran School -8

@

Blessed Sacrament School

Don't expect the Lutherans to be as fiery as they were when the 95 Theses were nailed to Wittenburg Cathedral some years ago. This new program has yet to prove itself.
The Irish have at the helm a former tail back, one Tommy Butler. His tenure as AD has seen the rebuilding of a once declining program. Not only have the BSS boys for years fueled the machine that is BC, but they are playing in their own back yard... Daffin Park.
This Saturday's game at 10:00 a.m. is to be a cake walk for the Mighty Irish by 16.

Note: The game will have Kevin Sheehan working the chains.

Will's Lock of the Week

Last Week:

Wow! Didn't see that coming. Virginia Tech got happy-go-jacky on the Yellow Jackets like a donkey eatin' a waffle! I quit watching at halftime, but I think the Hokies' defense and special teams scored 28 points. They sent the rest of the conference an invitation to the ACC Championship party. It said, "BYOB: Bring your own BOOYAH!"

Record: 2-2

This Week's Lock:

Pitt
@
Rutgers -1

Are the Panthers really getting a point against Rutgers?!? I know Pitt is down this year but they can't be that bad. Take Pittsburgh but buy a half-point just in case. I say Panthers by 8.

Note: This game is Friday night, so jump on it now.

BC vs. BC

The Cadets will rest this weekend as they prepare to take on Burke County (4-1) next Friday at Memorial Stadium. Let me make something clear, because I want to give everyone fair notice: attendance is required at this game. Not only is it homecoming (which, by the way, comes from the Old Medieval English term meaning "HOME" "COMING"), but there's a lot on the line. The Cadets need a win here to keep their playoff dreams alive. To say Burke is merely a formidable opponent is an enormous understatement. The only team they've lost to is Thomson (30-14), a perennial AAA powerhouse. This Friday they play South Effingham, and the outcome is obviously of great interest to us.

I know there are tons of more important things going on for lots of people that weekend, doing things with "friends" that I'm sure they'll still have 30 years from now. Fraternities. Girlfriends. Many, for example, are going to Knoxville. Cool. That's really hard to do. I'm sure you'll really separate yourselves from the other 100,000 rednecks there. I'm watching that game too, on this new thing they got now called a television.

Anyway, you can find me at 6:30 on Oct. 7 in the Paulson parking lot blasting oldies music, downing PBR, and making huge, unsubstantiated claims about how this is the biggest game of all time (like last weekend). But let's face it, it really is.

Colonel Fleming, we'll need a "word of the week" to repeat starting Monday.

Great Quotes

To sum these two quotes up; a welfare state is bad... very bad.

"The principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale." ---Thomas Jefferson

"I find no warrant for such an appropriation in the Constitution, and I do not believe that the power and the duty of the General Government ought to be extended to the relief of individual suffering which is in no manner properly related to the public service or benefit... The friendliness and charity of our countrymen can always be relied upon to relieve their fellow citizens in misfortune. This has been repeatedly and quite lately demonstrated. Federal aid in such cases encourages the expectation of paternal care on the part of the Government and weakens the sturdiness of our national character, while it prevents the indulgence among our people of that kindly sentiment and conduct which strengthens the bonds of a common brotherhood." ---PresidentGrover Cleveland

Stand in the Place Where You Are

Thanks for the link Stephen. I'm gonna be gay and jump in here and do mine too. A few of these questions are slanted, and some of the famous people's positions are flawed (Hillary Clinton, for example, is no different than Darth Vader, and Bush is no Reagan economically), but otherwise a good quiz. Bottom line: anyone with a rating of less than 80% economic permissive will be booted off this blog.

You are a Social Liberal (63% permissive) and an... Economic Conservative (93% permissive) You are best described as a: Capitalist Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid

Profiling

You are a Social Conservative (30% permissive) and an... Economic Conservative (91% permissive) You are best described as a: Strong Republican Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid

Strong Republican: You exhibit a very well-developed sense of Right and Wrong and believe in economic fairness.
Go here to get your own profile.

Very Superstitious

There is a little-known tradition among Georgia fans of lighting a cigar in the 4th quarter if the Dawgs have a lead. Substitute BC for Georgia and a Carey Hilliard's butter mint for the cigar and you have the makings of a miraculous win at the Corral.

Also, the Cadets are 0-2 when I drink before the game and 2-0 when I don't. This sucks but sometimes you gotta take one for the team.

BC GOTTUM!

BC GOT 'EM

GUYTON, GA - Huge win last night. We needed this one.

The Cadets knocked off South Effingham, the #5 team in AAA, on the road, thanks to the defense. Over a thousand Cadet fans old and young nearly packed the visitor stands of the "Corral" to cheer on the most motivated squad we've seen in quite a while. The malaise of the past 3 years is long gone; the Cadets are winning games again. 2 years ago I said that moving down to AAA was a bad idea, because we couldn't hang with the AAA cracker schools and our players would lose heart. I was dead wrong on both counts. Not only can we hang, we can beat the best, on the road.

I don't want to over-embellish things (and I probably will), but this might be the most excited I've seen BC's players/students/alumni/fans about the team since our freshman year. Maybe that's because last night was the first time we beat a top 5 team since that year (the 1997 victory over #4 Bradwell). Don't get me wrong, BC still has a long way to go, but while last night was only the first of five subregion contests, this team should make the playoffs.

I invite Leonard and Fleming, standing next to me last night shouting the fight song alongside hundreds of other alumni as the clock ran out, to post on this as well.

Will's Lock of the Week

I got lucky last week. Without Reggie Ball, the Jackets used a dominant rushing attack to steamroll UConn. Resdhirt freshman QB, Taylor Bennett did not play great, but was able to manage the game and not make any mistakes.

Record: 2-1

Lock of the Week:

Georgia Tech
@
Virginia Tech -11

A lot of pigskin prognoticators are putting the Hokies in the Rose Bowl, but I'm not drinking that Kool-aid. The Jackets are notorious for covering as road underdogs. A great defense and strong running game are recipes for success when playing away from home. Virginia Tech will not be able to run the ball against the Jacket's front seven. Lil' Vick's weakness will be exposed as he will be forced to make plays through the air.

With that said, I still don't know if Georgia Tech can pull off the upset. Ball's status is still questionable and, even if he does play, he will not be 100%. Damarius Bilbo's emergence as a good second receiver will do wonders for Tech's offense now that defenses cannot fully concentrate on shutting down Calvin.

When a game is this hard to call, you have to look at intngibles. Georgia Tech leads the nation in turnover margin and has a reliable kicker in Travis Bell. Finally, Gameday is coming to Blacksburg. The home team is 0-3 this year when Gameday comes to town.

Give me the Jackets by 4.

Remember The Time

Due to the last two nostalgic posts, I have been inspired to start one of my own. "Remember The Time" will be a multiple installment featured here on "Beach Music and Boat Shoes". Feel free to comment on your own memories or make your own posts. Alright enough with the queer stuff. Let's start remembering some times.
Do you remember "Paint the Halls Day" during homecoming week at BC. What a ridiculous mistake by the BC staff to allow us to pretty much put whatever the hell we wanted to all over those windows. Here are some of my all time favorites:
-"Brother Tim is gay"
If you recall this was written across the hall from the "library".
-"Die Danny Die"
This one killed two birds with one stone. Not only an Ace Ventura reference but also a shout out to our beloved quarterback.
-"Bobby Hjorstberg is White Lightening"
I hated that kid and he deserved every bit of ridicule he got.
-"Ryan Poston and Toby Poston are cousins"
I think this one embarrassed the hell out of Ryan for obvious reasons.
-"Glenda"
Written outside of Senorita's class, this was a reference to a vintage shirt Pierce had but Mrs.
Patterson got all self conscious b/c she thought it was about her and made us erase this one. Maybe if she would just brush her teeth everything would be alright.
-The drawing of a Miley "Swamp Rat" on one of the windows in the well. That thing looked
exactly like Miley.
-The weed drawings and references our senior year. This were not funny at all but must be
brought up because it was a foreshadowing of what would become of 74% of our class.
-Sophomore year when we attempted to completely paint over the window in B2 so Coach Cannon wouldn't see us cheating on Vocabulary tests. I can't remember if we actually got away with one.

That's all I can remember right now but I know I will think of some more.

There is Always Something There to Remind Me

Camden County, currently the #1 football team in the highest division in the state, also holds the state's longest regular-season winning steak (50 games).

Pop quiz: who was the last team to beat these crackers in the regular season?

Thankfully, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reminds us:

The Wildcats have the longest current regular-season winning streak in the state --- 50 in a row, going into Friday's game against Glynn Academy. They have won every regular-season game from Oct. 6, 2000, until now, a streak that began against Glynn Academy. The last team to beat Camden County in the regular season? Benedictine, a 9-7 winner on Sept. 29, 2000.

***Friday night flashback***...(wavy lines going back and forth, Bruce Springsteen's "Glory Days" starts playing in the background...)

The #1 song in the country was "Jumpin, Jumpin" by Destiny's Child, "Remember the Titans" ruled the Box Office, gas was a dollar, none of the girls we hung out with were fat yet (on the flip side, none of them put out either), Republicans actually believed in things like balanced budgets and limited government, and the Benedictine Cadets were kicking ass and taking names.

Yes, believe it or not, it was nearly 5 years ago on a nasty, rainy night when 9 of us ventured down I-95 for a two-hour drive to the edges of civilization to watch one of the greatest BC games of all time. Second-string kicker Brandon Mell stepped up and sealed the deal during the last seconds with a 36-yard field goal as payback for the Protestant Reformation.

Next pop question: name the 9 of us that were there that night (11 total if you include Leonard and Wood, who were busy kicking cracker ass on the field)

"Alma Matta BSS, guiding us to happiness..."

I wish I was still sitting in the back of Mrs. Sikes' Social Studies class, breaking some random girl's hair band. She deserved it.

Brantley, Collier, and Hodges Strike Again

Click on this link if you want to read something amazing: http://www.redandblack.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/09/16/432a3448d7393
(Don't worry, I put links to things you actually can read and don't have to sign up for, unlike Pat)

This frat guy is dead serious when he proposes that UGA approve and fund a nighttime weekend bus route to drive drunk Greeks back and forth between downtown and their houses on Milledge. This same guy probably sports a W sticker on the back of his truck and would gladly respond, "Hell no!" if you asked him if welfare is a good idea. I'm sure he doesn't see the irony in the fact that he expects Big Brother to take care of him and "accept this responsibility," as he puts it.

Help make this guy look stupid by posting feedback as I did. Even better, email a letter to the editor.

Halfway There

If not for the commercialization of St. Patrick's Day, the date of September 17 would be meaningless. However, this is the midpoint of the Irish calendar and, thus, a reason to get Connolly'd at your local pub.

The 2006 Parade falls on a Friday, meaning we will get about a half-million spectators. I've actually received confirmations from a few.

Julio and Rico will able to make it since Mike's uncle is shutting down the box plant for the day.















Bloomingdale Elementary also gets the day off. Little Skyler and all his buddies are coming.



















Tyrone said he's 95% sure he can make it. He was named after County Tyrone.



















And finally, our favorite group of high school girls will be there, a year older and a year more developed.

I Hate Lance Armstrong

Some great news today - this smug jackass:

will not be coming out of retirement anymore.

"I'm happy with the way my career went and ended and I'm not coming back."

Good. Stay gone. I'll be so happy never to see him smirk at the cameras, counting his wins on his fingers like the humble soul he is. He didn't beat cancer - his doctors did. "Live Strong"... by riding a bicycle a lot and getting completely undeserved attention for it.

"Sitting here today, dealing with all this stuff again, knowing if I were to go back, there's no way I could get a fair shake -- on the roadside, in doping control, or the labs."

I don't buy this conspiracy theory BS for a second. In fact, it makes me want to believe the claims against him even more. Yeah, some evil bad guys are going to get away with tainting your results since you're the most unfairly popular "athlete" in sports. It's so appropriate that he married Sheryl Crow - another no-talent hack who got famous in her field for no reason at all. Maybe she should get cancer so she can have another hit again, because it's not going to happen otherwise.

Will's Lock of the Week

I learned a valuable life lesson last week. Always stick to your guns. After initially taking Notre Dame as my lock, I changed my mind at the last minute and went with TCU. Well, the Horned Frog got slapped around by SMU, dropping me back to .500.

Record: 1-1

This week's lock:

Connecticut
@
Georgia Tech -15

You're thinking that I'm going to tell you to take the Huskies, right? I know you are. I mean, Tech is possibly the worst team at covering when they are the favorite. That may have been the Tech of years past but these are the Jackets of right about now the funk soul brothers BOOYA! UConn's QB is making his first start on the road. Call me crazy, but I like the Jackets by 18.

Bad Boys, Bad Boys. Whatchya gonna do?

After another fruitful night at the library, I decided to pedal my candy apple red bike home, via Broad St. and Milledge Ave. I left school at 11:00 p.m., hardly any traffic about. As I briskly made it to Milledge, I started to coast down the suicide lane heading towards Baxter St. No cars in sight. What's this? I hear what seems like a Crown Victoria accelerating up behind me. As I am trying to make room for the car to pass, blue lights flicker about... signaling me to pull over. Like any car would do when being pulled over by the cops, I slowed down and turned off the road.
The officer told me to slowly get off my bike, keeping my hands where he can see them. After I put my bike on the sidewalk, I began to pull off my bookbag. The officer got real excited and said "Halt! What sort of parcels are in your bag?" I explained to him that I was on my way home from the library, so of course I was carrying only books. Not only was I wearing seer suckered shorts, but Athens is home to 10,000 other students who frequently ride bikes with bookbags. What else would I be carrying?
He requested my ID, then very systematically inspected my speed demon bike. At that point, I still believed that I had been pulled over for riding in the suicide lane. Nope, the officer explained to me that I did not have "sufficient equipment" on my bike. I said, "oh, so I need to have more reflectors on my bike?" The officer answered "No, you must have electric lights on both the front and back of your vehicle, sir."
Well, he only gave me a warning. The cop wasted our tax dollars on pulling over a college kid riding a bike home. Could I really unsuspectedly run over an old lady at 11:00 pm with my vicious mountain bike? What an asshole.
Think about it, there were at least 2,000 kids last night walking into bars with fake ids, and this f%#$@* decides to pull a bicycler over on Milledge... for a warning.

I Hate Phillies Fans

I despise Philadelphia Phillies fans. What a group of lowlife trashbags. They try to ride the "Hey, I'm a blue-collar worker who has long days on the job, so when I pay to see you play, you better not screw up or I'll boo your ass" excuse. Keep your frustrations to yourself and for putting more holes in your apartment's walls and stay away from the ballpark.

A baseball game should be a place where you can sit and enjoy a leisurely-paced sport, drink cold beer, and keep your kids away from "Date My Mom" and "Room Raiders." You should never have to worry about some flabby, red-faced alcoholic liberal cussing his lungs out in front of your kids at a baseball game. Why do decent people have to suffer through ugly middle-agers pissed off that they live in a vile city with complete jokes for sports teams?

At least we can be satisfied knowing that Northeasterners unknowingly participate in a telling metaphor: When "fans" of the Phillies, Red Sox, and Yankees boo their own teams, they are expressing their utter contempt for their own lack of culture and worth in their own lives.

The 13 Worst Movies I Have Ever Seen

These are the 13 worst movies that I have ever seen. I would write some little rant about each one, but they mostly speak for themselves. Feel free to comment or add some of your own; the only qualification is that you list movies that you have watched all the way through.

And no, just because Saving Private Ryan is a war movie that plays to your emotions about dead soldiers does not make it a good movie.

13. Urban Legend
12. Finding Nemo
11. Bringing Down The House
10. The Fast and the Furious 1 and 2
9. Blue Crush
8. Lemon Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
7. Hero
6. Wes Craven's New Nightmare
5. Saving Private Ryan
4. I Heart Huckabees
3. The Matrix Revolutions
2. Mystic River
1. Charlie's Angels 1 and 2

Trap Games

This weekend's slate presents some scary matchups for a few BMBS-supported teams.

Effingham Co. @ Benedictine
The Rebels are 0-2 with losses to pretty good teams in South Effingham and Screven County. BC is 3-1 and feeling pretty good about themselves right now. Effingham is licking their chops at the opportunity to beat up on the city boys from Savannah. The Cadets may also be looking ahead to next week's crucial sub-region showdown with South Effingham. Another interesting sub-plot is Coach Munch's decision to leave BC for Springfield. But wait, there's more! Munch's replacement, Buddy Sorrow, has coached at Effingham in the past. Finally, I've held a personal grudge against the Rebels ever since that redneck sucker-punched Mark at the '94 game in Springfield. A classic Catholics vs. Crackers battle.

Connecticut @ Georgia Tech
I know. Tech shouldn't be concerned with a game against UConn. But the Huskies are good and will make the Jackets sweat. Tech travels to Blacksburg next week for a game which might decide the Coastal Division of the ACC. And, as we all know, Chan Gailey isn't the best at motivating his teams for games like this (cite '04 UNC, '03 Duke).

Michigan St. @ Notre Dame
The Golden Domers are on cloud-9 after taming the Skunkbears in the Big House. MSU's Drew Stanton is the best QB the Irish have faced so far this season. I still think the secondary is playing above their abilities and will come back down sooner or later. And since this is the home opener, emotions will be sky high on the ND sideline. This could lead to mental lapses early on. I predicted a shoot-out last week and was dead wrong but I'll do it again. Just please do not wear the green jerseys!

Revised Lock of the Week

In light of Pitt's overtime loss to Ohio (not Ohio State) last night, I feel a lot less confident about the Irish. Therefore I have decided to change my Lock of the Week.

TCU -14.5
@
SMU

The Horned Frogs may still be celebrating their upset of Oklahoma but they should have no problem with SMU. The Mustangs lost at home to Baylor by 5 points last weekend. Enough said.
TCU by 24.

One more thing on Katrina.

Just kidding. But check out the array of boat shoes offered at Nordstrom. And they all cost around $50! I perfer the blue myself.

Let's Beat a Dead Horse

Here is another good article on the Katrina deal. It touches on a lot of the things we have been saying the last week, and it actually uses the phrase "welfare parasites".
http://tiadaily.com/php-bin/news/showArticle.php?id=1026

Braves Bits - if you will

If you haven't seen any Braves games lately, there's a group of about 6 guys and girls who dress up in hot dog suits and hold up a sign declaring themselves "Francoeur's Franks." They go nuts every time he does something.

Though I didn't come up with these, I figured it was worth sharing. I found these suggestions on a message board:

Chipper's Strippers
Orr's Whores

Also, thanks to the message board, I now have realized that every single time the camera cuts to the bullpen, reliever John Foster walks out of the lounge door. I noticed it subconsciously before, but now I know he does it on purpose. He watches the game on the TV in there and as soon as they show the bullpen, he bursts through the door and plays with his belt. This is comic genius and gives you something to look for in those late innings.

Sorry, Still More on Katrina

Even Europeans are jumping in now and accusing Americans of not caring enough about their own poor/minorities, saying that is the reason why so many have died in New Orleans. Evil, greedy, capitalist American pigs (like me) care more about tax cuts instead of providing public goods like national health care, they reason, and it is this conservative/libertarian attitude that is truly responsible for the tragedy.

Nevermind the fact that a category 5 hurricane hit a below sea-level city of over a million where 2/3rds of the population already happens to be black.

I hate to keep linking the same blog, but these econ professors at George Mason Univ. are flat-out brilliant. All of you should read this blog everyday. Today, they point out how socialist France, with its supposedly perfect, generous universal health-care system, couldn't even keep 15,000 of its own citizens from dying during a short heat wave in the Summer of '03 (I was in the U.K. at the time).

Why Spurrier Hates Georgia

I hope all of you knew I was being sarcastic with yesterday's post.

Here's two stories, one in Charleston's paper, the other in Columbia's, explaining exactly what turned Spurrier to the dark side.

Many of you already know what it is, but I just felt like posting it anyway.

"Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to....suffering." And the Gamecocks WILL suffer on Saturday.

Will's Lock of the Week

I started the season off on the right foot last week, as Boston College coasted to an easy 20-3 victory over BYU.

Record: 1-0

This week's lock:

Notre Dame
@
Michigan -7

Charlie and the Touchdown Factory roll into Ann Arbor this weekend for a classic battle between these two hated rivals. Last year, Darius Walker ran wild over the Wolverines as Notre Dame stunned the nation by upsetting Michigan 28-20 in Southbend. This year's matchup looks to be a shootout with the winner most likely being the last team to have the ball.

Take the Irish. Seven points is far too many to give up to a team that can score like ND. Hell, go ahead and take the Irish to win. Notre Dame will shutdown the run and force Michigan to become one-dimmesional. Only problem is, the Irish secondary is still suspect, despite their performance against Pitt. Behind a superior OL, Notre Dame will be able to run the ball effectively. The "thunder and lightning" combo of Walker and Rashon Powers-Neal won't dominate, but will force Michigan's defense to respect the run, allowing Brady Quinn to put up big numbers.

The Irish steal one in Ann Arbor by 6 points and Brady Quinn is catapulted into the thick of the Heisman race.

Steve Spurrier: Nice Guy

He's real laid back now...you'd like him a lot. Read this AJC interview, for example. Carolina is currently a 16.5-point underdog for Saturday. Don't get me wrong, my blood runs red and black, but I'm not taking this bet.

New Orleans and Katrina: Part Deux

Here's another article on the chaos of New Orleans. This time the main culprate of the troubles is our country's out of control welfare system.
"What Hurricane Katrina exposed was the psychological consequences of the welfare state. What we consider "normal" behavior in an emergency is behavior that is normal for people who have values and take the responsibility to pursue and protect them. People with values respond to a disaster by fighting against it and doing whatever it takes to overcome the difficulties they face. They don't sit around and complain that the government hasn't taken care of them. And they don't use the chaos of a disaster as an opportunity to prey on their fellow men."

FINALLY!

Read about it here.

New Orleans and Katrina

I won't go into detail about the hurricane and its destruction. We have all watched the devastation unravel on Fox News since late Sunday night. The flooding and damage can all be repaired with time, but something worse is happened there. Today, I heard reports of armed gangs of looters and thugs running the neighborhoods of New Orleans. Reports of police men either going AWOL or taking part in looting itself, beatings of refugees, shoots being fired at rescue attempts, and even raping of children has been reported. This reminds of Lord of the Flies. What would posses these punks to behave the way they are? I happened to stumble upon this article that tries to answer such a question. After reading it, the New Orleans catastrophe was started years before Katrina ever thought of making landfall.

Target Destination; Jordan- Hare Stadium

The Boat Shoes will arrive in Auburn on Saturday, September 3rd at 5:00 p.m. central time.
The Boat Shoes will commence the dangerous switch from beer to bourbon at 5:05 p.m. central time.
The Boat Shoes will feast on barbecue and fried chicken at 5:10 p.m. central time.
The Boat Shoes will say something extremely embarrassing at 6:30 p.m. central time.
The Boat Shoes will enter Jordan-Hare stadium at 7:30 p.m. central time.
The Boat Shoes will pull out the secret weapon, a tasty flask, at 8:30 p.m. central time.
The Boat Shoes will be starving 10:45 p.m. central time.
The Boat Shoes will go into a coma at 11:00 p.m. central time.

Will's Lock of the Week

College football is finally here and I'm more excited than Dennis Rodman at a Clinique sale! BOOYAH! This is the first in a weekly installment that will span the entire season. Feel free to respond with your thoughts or your own lock of the week.

Boston College -2.5
@ BYU

I honestly have no idea why this line is so low. The only possible explanation is that Vegas is banking on BC laying an egg in Provo like their Catholic cousins did last year. With a new coach and a return to the Ty Detmer uniforms, the Mormons will be sky high for this game. But in my book, you gotta get to White Castle before the weirdos show up! The Eagles physical, smashmouth style will allow them to grind out an easy win. BC by 13.

Disclaimer: This post is intended for discussion only and does not endorse betting or gambling. The author is not responsible for any losses incurred by using this information. However, donations are gladly accepted from all gains.

"The Fighting Irish" No, really.

Cork's Brendan O'Sullivan in a skirmish with Kerry's Seamus Moynihan just before the end of the first half of the All-Ireland senior football semi final at Croke Park yesterday. Apparently, Brendan proceeded to gauge Seamus' eye out when the Kerry man threatened to steal the Cork man's lucky charms. I propose that these two fine athletes be our first speakers at our annual St. Patrick's Day breakfast. I had the honor of attending a hurling match at Croke park during my stay one month ago. During the game, I could faintly hear off in the distance... "Oh Paddy dear, did you hear the news that's going 'round? The shamrock is forbid by law to grow on Irish ground..."