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..."

More Praise for Clarkson

I can't stress it enough. This chick is the real deal. Be sure to watch the MTV VMA's tonight to see just how many this talented, gorgeous superstar takes home for what is probably the best music video since Michael Jackson's Thriller, for the best song since the Beatles' "Hey Jude".

BC Bounces Back...

and beats one of the best teams in the city.

You May Not Like Us, But Your Girlfriends Do.

Fury at the Fuel Pump

Gas prices are at their highest level in history. It cost me $30 to fill up my Honda yesterday. I agree, it sucks.

Millions of Americans are asking, along with the elite news media: "What is the government going to DO about this?"

Hopefully nothing.

During the late 70s, in response to rising oil prices, the Carter Administration created the Department of Energy. Worst idea ever. Carter set price controls on fuel, regulating what gas station owners could charge for a gallon of gas. This, of course, led to long waiting lines at gas stations because demand was unnaturally outstripping supply.

Enter Ronald Reagan, whose first action as President in January of 1981 was to end these disasterous price controls.

Bam. Energy crisis solved. Gas lines disappeared. Beginning in 1981, the price of oil went back up to its natural market level, inducing firms to produce more oil, and during the course of the 1980s the price of oil dropped substantially. With the stroke of a pen, Reagan ended the energy crisis.

So what's going on 25 years later? The explosive growth of China and India over the last 5 years, the current mess in the Middle East, and a strict Sierra Club-style regulatory environment preventing production and refining in the US are all reasons for oil's high price today.

My point is, we don't need an energy "plan". The best thing the government can do right now is LEAVE THINGS ALONE and GET OUT OF THE WAY. The cure for $60 a barrel oil is...$60 a barrel oil. The price system will take care of everything, and all indicators show that it already is doing so. Prices are the most efficient mechanism at sending the necessary signals to producers through profit incentives to bring more petroleum to market (world oil production is at its highest level in history), to entrepreneurs to invest more in alternative fuel technologies (happening), and to consumers to conserve more (also happening; i.e., more people are buying hybrids instead of SUVs).

There's a great article at the Baltimore Sun that puts this to words much better than me. Subscription is free.

Give me one example where government has done a good job solving energy crunches. Why do people always turn to government to solve their economic problems? Especially when the government has the worst track record and the free-market has the best? All of the aforementioned participants, acting in their own self-interest and not under some grand "master plan" of a central authority, nor naive altruism (notice, for example, how more people are buying hybrids today NOT because they're tree-huggers or anthropology majors but because it will SAVE THEM MONEY), will solve our energy crunch in the most efficient manner. Just watch.

The rendez vous point

Look at that sparse sun baked crab grass... great surface for boat shoes.

More BC Stuff

Coach Brackett spoke at the Alumni Association meeting last night. Typically, Brackett uses Holtz-like poor mouthing when talking about his teams. Last night, though, he seemed rather upbeat about the Cadets chances this year. Here's a breakdown of what he said.

As a unit, he said this is the best group of RBs he's ever had. There's no superstar but they all understand their roles and are ferocious blockers. Kourtney Pollard (4.4 40) is the best of the group but had some attitude problems last year. Brackett promised that he is straightened out.

QB is still a tossup between Dotson and Cail. Both have shown significant improvement over the offseason, thanks in large part to the new QB coach. I imagine Dotson will get the nod against Marist because he is a senior and he is a Dotson.

OL started out as a question mark but the coaching staff has found a good set of starters. If any of the five starters goes down, though, we could be in trouble. The new OL coach is Ken Cooper (former OL coach at UGA and head coach at Ole Miss). Both tightends are good receivers and will be utilized in the passing game.

Coach Brackett was not so optimistic about the defense. They are small up front and will not be able to go toe-to-toe with a strong offensive line. After consulting with former Valdosta coach, Mike O'Brien, this summer, Brackett is putting his best athletes at DE. One is Craig Thomas, who will also start at fullback. The other, whom Brackett did not name, went down with a knee injury.

We all know who is back at linebacker. Although not quite as gifted as his older brother, Anthony Wallace will be the focal point of the defense. Brackett also seemed pleased with the other starter at LB, whose first name, if I heard him correctly, is Gay. If that is his real name, I hope he takes out all his frustration from being teased as a kid on the Marist backfield.

The secondary seemed to be the coaching staff's biggest concern. Lack of size, speed, and depth is a deadly combination.

The kicking tandem of William Boyd (PK) and Ashton Phillips (P) is one of the best in the area. Boyd has a strong leg but was very inconsistent last year, missing way too many extra point attempts. Scott Shelton worked with him a little over the summer and hopefully straightened out his technique.

Despite the losses of long-time coaches Wayne Munch, Donal Chumley, and Tommy Cannon in recent years, Brackett said this is his best staff yet. Ken Cooper certainly adds validity to his statement. Also, the new OC is former East Hall head coach, Buddy Sorrow. Before retiring, he led East Hall to many region championships. He called Brackett out of the blue and told him he wanted to get back into coaching, but only at the right place. Coach Hall (QB coach) played quarterback at a D3 school and also coached QBs at the collegiate level. Donal Joyce ('97) started on the DL on the infamous '96 team and returns this year to coach the DL.

And finally, Coach Brackett guarenteed victory Saturday night. He said the attitude and leadership on this squad is off the charts.

I stand by my prediction:

BC .......................20
Marist.................14
Class of 2001.....Drunk

On a side note, I met yet another cousin to the Leonard dynasty last night at Sky Bar. He was a Markwalter, but I'm not sure what his first name was. Vick, maybe. Anyways, that satisfies my yearly quota of meeting people related to the Leonards in Statesboro.

BC-Marist Brings College Atmosphere

Even the Savannah Morning News is pumped up about the War Eagles coming to town. The article says that BC is trying to also add St. Pius to the schedule, so that, each year, we would play one game in Atlanta and one game in Savannah.

In other news, I just recently discovered the BC Alumni website www.benedictinealumni.org. You can create an account and they have message boards and news forums. There is a meeting tonight to vote on the Association's Board of Directors. Jason Jue is one of the nominees. Enough said.

BREAK AN ARM! BREAK A LEG! BENEDIC! BENEDIC!

3 MORE DAYS!!!!!!!

One More Week

The Cadets and War Eagles will be lacing them up exactly one week from now. My prediction:

Benedictine 20
Marist 14
Class of 2001 Drunk



I hit the phones hard today and made a lot of headway. Here is the RSVP list so far.

1. Eric Brown
2. Tavares Brown
3. Stephen Bruce
4. Ty Butler
5. Adam Clary
6. Rett Colleran
7. Tommy Davis
8. Davis Derst
9. Jeff Disk
10. Steven Doan
11. Will Fleming
12. Randy Gill
13. Mark Haslam
14. Patrick Holland
15. Morgan Jenssen
16. Chris Lane
17. Stephen Leonard (if he can find a ride)
18. TC Madison
19. Bryan McBride
20. Lee McCurry
21. Stephen Morgan
22. Chris Murray
23. Chris Pace
24. Arvind Raman
25. Michael Reardon
26. Patrick Sauers
27. Ryan Smith
28. Nardis Walker (maybe)
29. Tim Wallace
30. Brent Watts
31. Patrick Whitledge
32. Joe Wood
33. Brooks Zeigler

This list only shows people that have confirmed either me or Brooks. With everyone spreading the word, it looks like we might get 50 or more people!

Come Fall In Line

The 5-year reunion is starting to come together nicely. We already have confirmations from about 20 guys. I think 40 is a realistic goal. I checked out Marist's website and it looks like they are bringing a lot of people too. They are sponsoring a student trip to Tybee that afternoon. It also seems Marist is hosting a barbecue dinner at BC before the game. I can't wait!

12 MORE DAYS!!!!!!!!

Kelly Clarkson - Best Singer in America

This girl rocks, and I don't care what any of you say. While I am still too cheap to buy her CD, I have downloaded pretty much all of her songs. Her "Breakaway" album released last year will probably go down in history next to Rubber Soul and Pet Sounds as one of the best albums of all time. Funny thing is, I'm not being sarcastic at all. My current ringtone is "Behind these Hazel Eyes." Every time I hear this song my eyes tear up. Clarkson belts out her beautiful lyrics with a passion that makes Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera sound like William Shatner. So Kelly, this is an open invitation -- will you marry me? Because I'm in love with you and your music.

We're Gonna Drive Ol' High School Off the Sod....

The scrimmage with Savannah High, which Pat alluded to, is set for Friday, August 5, 7:30 at Daffin Park. It's good to see both schools making an effort to renew this storied rivalry. BC leads the 107-game series with a record of 52-47-8. Sadly, I will not be able to attend since I will be on a retreat for my intramurals job at GSU.

Apparently, the new principal at the High has been cleaning house this summer. This has rubbed some people the wrong way, but I think it's about time these coaches are held responsible for their team's performance. If Savannah High missed the playoffs in basketball, you better believe Tim Jordan would be on the hot seat. With the athletes roaming the halls at all the public schools, all it takes is a good coach to turn things around. The tide has already turned at Groves and Windsor Forest. It looks like the High may be next.

Slainte

My report to the good people of BMBS is now due, for I have traversed the four corners of the Mother Land. I must be brief for I'm on the run, sight seeing and what not. Here's my synopsis thus far.
I started in Dublin where we got real drunk. Then off to Cork (very wet but nice), where we got real drunk. Then to a real Irish Catholic wedding (they put our weddings to shame, as well they should. The damn thing last 13 hours, I'm not shitting you.) near Middleton Co. Cork, where we got real drunk. Patrick and I then met my father on the Dingle Peninsula (great scenery), from there we worked our way up the west coast through Ennis(dirty, yet a great party town), Sligo (cool mountains, wide beaches, very industrial), Donegal (tiny town, nice city center, great music), and then Derry (by far the highlight of the trip for me. I visited the walled city where many IRA fights took place ) From Derry we landed in Droughegal (wide beaches covered in algae, apparently where huge horses are held right on the beach head every September. A lot of history in the town, very old) just north of Dublin. At the moment I am typing this in Dublin... on a computer hooked up to a TV, crude by manageable.
Economy: Holland, my expectations have been met. The economy is booming, everyone in Ireland is benefiting. Lots of people walk the streets of Dublin in pin stripped business suits and the factories are pumping.
Government: Not much exposure ot this yet, but a lot of political news apparently is reported by hearsay and rumor. But one major problem here is immigration. Ironic because 15 years ago emigration was a severe problem. But because of the Celtic Tigers booming economy, Dublin has become the hot spot for immigrants. The Dubliners here love the Latvians, Poles, and Rumanians because they are honest hard workers. The problem here arises with the influx of Nigerians. They declare themselves refugees of a war so that Ireland will provide welfare to them for the rest of their lives. The locals have acquired animosity to the Nigerians, as well they should. From my sources, the Nigerians are really trying to escape a hard days work rather than a tyrannical dictator. The Dail (the Irish Legislature) has passed laws restricting these people from riding the hog of the tax payers. But the socialists EU is fighting Ireland's fight against these worthless "refugees."
Running: A lot people go for runs here, athletics is a major of part of everyone's life. Currently, the Gaelic Games are in the finals. The pubs are jammed packed watching these oddly ruled games.
Mike Leonard: His accent is so southern that the Irish look like deer caught in head lights when asked a question by old Mike.
Possibility of living here: No way, there's no good hambugers or steaks,... and there's no happy hours.
Thats all I have for now, more to come later. I have tons of picture for yall.
Later

Beat Downs

A list of the Top 50 People in America today that need a severe beating. Apologies for Ann Coulter.

Minimum Wage Rage

A great post on the minimum wage over at Capital Freedom. Everyone should read it.

Countdown to Marist

Less than a month remains until the Cadets take on the War Eagles at Savannah's Memorial Stadium. Everybody better be there. Win or lose, you can find me at one of the big booths at Hilliard's after the game. We should all try and go on at least one road trip this year too (Hephzibah or Jefferson County). Also, BC will scrimmage Southeast Bulloch this Friday, and a scrimmage against Savannah High may be in the works too.

Anyway, here's BC's schedule. I apologize for the weird layout; for some reason it won't let me space it out more neatly.

Aug 20/Saturday/6:00pm/Marist/Memorial
Aug 26/Friday/7:30pm/Groves/Garden City
Sep 2/Friday/7:30pm/Hephzibah/Hephzibah
Sep 10/Saturday/7:30pm/Richmond Academy/Memorial
Sep 16/Friday/7:30pm/Effingham County/Memorial
Sep 23/Friday/7:30pm/South Effingham/Rincon
Sep 30===============BYE================
Oct 7/Friday/7:30pm/Burke County (HC)/Memorial
Oct 14/Friday/7:30pm/Richmond Hill/Richmond Hill
Oct 21/Friday/7:30pm/Liberty County/Memorial
Oct 28/Friday/7:30pm/Jefferson County/Louisville

Come out and support the Cadets.

Two-Weeks Notice

It is Friday, July 22 and I have submitted my two-weeks notice. Reflecting on my internship with Savannah Area Geographic Information Systems (SAGIS), I have decided that my greatest achievements this summer occurred during lunch hour. Having eaten at many fine downtown establishments, I feel I have earned enough credibility to produce a ranking of downtown lunches.

The 5 Best:

1. Jupiter Cafe. I had never even heard of this place before today. The lunch buffet is the best I've had this summer. Mac & cheese, cabbage, barbecue, squash casserole, green beans, chicken wings, and fried fish. They also had a dessert buffet with banana pudding and strawberry shortcake. The wings were not as good as Maury's but they did not disappoint. Definitely worth the $8 that I did not pay.

2. Sakura. A fusion of Chinese and Japanese flavors, Sakura offers the most bang for your buck in the non-buffet category. This was my most frequented restaurant and I ordered the sesame chicken every time. Huge portions and a side salad for $6 is hard to beat on Broughton St.

3. Ray's. Your traditional "meat-and-three" home cookin' restaurant. A typical meal at Ray's included fried chicken, mac & cheese, collards, mashed potatoes & gravy, cornbread, with a side order of Mr. Wolf for about $7.

4. Chao. A Chinese buffet right next door to Ray's. Though not a super buffet, it contained all the Chinese essentials, like pepper steak, sweet & sour chicken, lo mein, egg rolls, and hot wings. For $5 it is the cheapest lunch buffet in the historic district.

5. Locos. This chain restaurant, primarily known for its underage nightlife, makes the list based soley on one item: the Blackened Salmon BLT. It also doesn't hurt to have a Josh Mallard jersey hanging on the wall.

The 5 Worst:

1. Larry's Giant Subs. By far the worst lunch experience I've ever had. First off, the wait is ridiculous for a fast-food establishment. Granted the downtown location get slammed at lunch time, but every Larry's I've been to had been slow. Upon ordering a BLT, the cashier told me they were out of tomatoes. Not wanting to search for something else on the menu, I said that was fine. However, the person ordering after me got tomatoes on his sandwich. Inexcusable!

2. Exchange Tavern. This story requires a little background. SAGIS is sort of a task force of county and city employees. There are only four of us: a city employee, a county employee and two interns, both employed by the county. We went to the Exchange for a retirement lunch for another city employee. Myself, and the county employee were the only non-city employees there. At the end of our meal, a lady took up a $1 collection to pay for the retiree's lunch. I only had a $20 bill on hand so I apologized for not being able to contribute. She made some snide remark about it only being a dollar and I again apologized. What a bitch! I don't even know this person and I'm expected to help contribute to her retirement lunch. And it's not like I'm not paying for my own lunch, which was terrible on its own merit. I got the barbecue lunch special with a side of cole slaw. It was terrible. It tasted like Kraft barbecue sauce. Plus, it was about $10.

3. State St. Cafe. The sign out side read, "Mix and Match: Half Turkey Melt, Chicken Caesar Melt, Ham & Cheese, $5.95" Call me slow, but I took this to mean you could choose half of one sandwich and half of another. I came to find out that the "mix and match" referred to the side items. So I got half of a sandwich and my choice of fries or onion rings for $6.

4. Churchill's. Bad service, bland food, and high prices get you a 4-spot on this list.

5. B & D Burgers. More like B & D Buns. And, unlike Coop's, you have to order from the table and leave a tip.

"Capital Freedom"

I highly recommend this new blog, started last week by a student at George Mason University. Not only is she a staunch defender of classical liberal thought, but she's also pretty hot.

In other news, co-blogger Stephen Leonard leaves for Ireland tomorrow. He will be filling the new BMBS International News Correspondent position.

All I have to say is be careful in Belfast buddy. We don't want you to get beheaded like the other foreign reporters, but don't compromise your journalistic integrity either. When they hit you with an Irish Car Bomb over there, you'll realize you're not at Molly O'Shea's anymore.

These People Walk Amongst Us

My name is Ryan Smith, and I am an English major. Small problem, though: I hate everything about it. I haven't read a single assigned book for any of my classes. I read Sparknotes to write all my papers, which, by the way, are masterworks of complete bullshit. English "professors" love that; as long as everyone is still playing pretend, things are great.

Worse than any of this are the people I have had to deal with in Park Hall for a year and a half. You know the type even if you don't go to UGA. Here are some of their favorite activities:
-Chain smoking
-Intellectualizing
-Arguing passionately about a poem in class
-Making sure everyone sees their I-Pod earpieces
-Writing in their diary in class (true)
-Coming to class barefoot
-Putting "Not My President" buttons on their satchels

But if you need a visual aid, I went to the trouble of coming back into my classroom when it was empty so I could take this picture.


"This is why things fall apart." Let's examine this. First off, we all know HOW ANNOYING IT IS TO WRITE IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. Well, except for Tim, who sends every text message like this. Secondly, there's no punctuation, and as an English major, the author should be admonished.

More importantly, let's get to the message. The author fails to include exactly what or who is causing things to fall apart, so we are left to speculate. Perhaps he is being literal and referring to the occupant of the desk in front of them during the time of the inscription. Therefore, said occupant must be a severely obese person who causes things to break, such as desks. If this was the author's intention, then I must agree; obese people do cause things to fall apart and should be put down like dogs.

Most likely the message is a lyric from a music group, or even cuter, the graffiti artist himself. I must admit that I'm a little underwhelmed by the lack of originality or specifics. "Things" could be cars, relationships. unused showers, societies, black-rimmed glasses. You just never know.

In a decent world, the author is being self-referencial, owning up to his boo-hoo baby, liberal smarm and all its associations. Yes, because of people like him who damage other people's property, who protest things to get the attention they claim they don't want, who preach socialism while given the oppurtunity to thrive by way of capitalism, who infiltrate the hallowed grounds of BC and rob McDonald's, who get their news from The Daily Show, and who ruined their family members' lives that things are falling apart.

Thanks for reminding me every weekday.

Sorry, More Boring Stuff...

I'm just now getting back from the beach, where I didn't have internet access for over a week. So there's a lot to catch up on.

First, let's go ahead and get all of the "Live 8" malarchy out of the way. I tuned in and watched some of the performances last weekend, and I must say, great music and good intentions, but this is the most misguided effort ever. These left-wingers are still convinced, after decades of failed attempts, that somehow prosperity can be achieved through redistributive means.

Here's two great articles, here and here, on how foreign aid is pointless and usually hurts those it intends to help. I'll bet anyone that Africa will still be in poverty 50 years from now. I also bet there will be at least 50 more Live Aids that will try, and fail, to "end poverty". All of these organizers are so intent on finding out just what causes poverty, but the real question they should be asking themselves is what causes prosperity. Poverty has long been the norm. It's very easy to create poverty. Just do nothing.

The entire world lived in extreme poverty by today's standards until, about 300 years ago, the West began to prosper. How did this happen? Why do Americans enjoy the world's highest living standards? What is preventing Africans from creating wealth? If people like Dave Matthews and Bono really understood the answer to these questions, they wouldn't be giving a dime to Africa.

Foreign aid sustains poverty. Simple as that.

Second, Ireland. Came across a great post over at Cafe Hayek (a libertarian economics blog) that talks more about the Irish economic miracle. Interesting stuff. Lots of prosperity being created there, all without foreign aid.

Third, the U.S. employment rate dropped to 5% last month. This is the lowest rate since 9/11. I'm not saying Bush had anything directly to do with this, as presidents have no control over the business cycle (John Kerry reminded me of Josef Stalin last year when he promised that HE HIMSELF would somehow "create" 9 million jobs under a grand "jobs creation plan" if elected), but you have to give some credit to the 2003 tax rate reductions for creating a better climate for growth.

There's a great article in today's Wall Street Journal concerning this. Here's a sample:

Almost from the very day in May of 2003 when those tax reductions became law, the U.S. has experienced a robust expansion driven by investment and productivity gains, not by consumer spending...Consumers aren't irrelevant, but prosperity is created on the supply side of the economy with the incentives to produce goods or services that people want to consume. So tax cuts in marginal rates that boost incentives to work and invest provide a much bigger bang for the buck.

The private sector, not the government, drives economic growth. Even Clinton understood this to some degree. Why can't the rest of his party?

That's enough for today kids. Tomorrow I'll cover gas prices. Stay tuned.

The Anglican Church; still crumbling.

I am not able to recall this episode, but way back in 1991 there was a mass exodus of male Aglican priests. They knocked on the doors of the Vatican for permission to defect into the Roman Catholic Church. This mass conversion was a result of the Anglican Church allowing the ordination of women priests. The Pope allowed these men to convert only after it was ensured that they would preach the correct beliefs of the Catholic Church.

The Anglican Church will soon vote on whether to allow the ordination of women bishops. Knowing these people, the proposal will certainly be accepted into their catechism. Some current Anglican Bishops predict yet another mass exodus of priests into the Catholic Church after the upcoming vote.

What are these refugee priests seeking? It couldn't be order, authority, honor, tradition, and respect now could it?

On a lighter note, the ever experimental Anglican Church is now contemplating its next great idea

The Quotable Pyramid

"You drink Guinness? That shit is nasty."

"I'll have a Bud Light."

"Who wants to play drinking games?"

"Ziggy-zoggy, ziggy-zoggy, hoy, hoy, hoy."

"Fuck you and the horse you rode in on."

"She's got some tig ol' bitties."

"Let's go to Savannah Smiles."

"I've never been to a strip club."

"I mean, I love him to death, but..."

In Statesboro:
"Who all's going to the bars?"

In Savannah:
"I think I'm just going to stay in tonight."

Engrish.com

If we have learned one thing about the language of our friends to the East, it is that characters do not translate well to English. And for some reason these people love to take popular phrases in their language, translate them and then put them on a T-shirt. A website called Engrish.com is dedicated to this phenomenon. I don't know if ya'll know about it already, but I thought it was worthy of mentioning on the blog.