Out Until Monday

Unless something unforeseen arises, nothing new will be posted until Monday. The next couple of days at work will be spent on the road, and the weekend will be busy.

ESPN Town Hall Meeting: A Sad, Colossal Waste of Time

The wife and I sat down last night to watch ESPN's town hall meeting on the Mike Vick story. In case you missed it, panelists included former Atlanta Falcons Terrence Mathis and Chuck Smith, AJC columnist Terence Moore, Neal Boortz and NY Times columnist Selena Roberts. I didn’t have high hopes going into the program, and I was not pleasantly surprised. It was a tremendous waste of ninety minutes, and was an especially embarrassing time for the Vick supporters (I’ll call them the Vicksters) in the crowd. I’m not sure how the crowd was selected, but I understand it was invitation-only.

From the beginning, the majority of the crowd was seemingly pro-Vick. There were lots of t-shirts proclaiming “Free Mike Vick”, along with a large number of #7 Falcons jerseys. Asked if Vick was unfairly singled out in the dog fighting investigation, the Vicksters clapped and yelled that he was. The Vicksters yelled a lot during the program. They were repeatedly chided and asked to be calm by the program’s host.

The tone among the audience members who spoke: Vick was singled out and prosecuted because he’s black. When Chuck Smith or Terence Moore (both African-Americans) pointed out that Vick had pled guilty, or refused to play the race card, the Vicksters booed and hissed.

A comparison was made between Vick’s situation and New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s punishment for his team’s spying on other teams. Someone in the crowd asked why the punishment was so much stronger for Vick. I believe it was Chuck Smith who replied, “Vick pled guilty to federal charges. What Belichick did wasn’t a federal offense.” The Vicksters let him have it.

To me, the worst came as the program neared the end. Asked whether dog fighting should or should not be illegal, the Vicksters in the audience made it clear they thought it should not be a crime. Unbelievable.

I’m not sure what ESPN really hoped to accomplish with this town hall meeting. If their goal was to have a thought provoking, frank discussion of the case, they failed.

However, if their goal was to embarrass Atlanta and make Vick’s supporters look and sound like thugs and hoodlums who don’t care about or respect the law; who condone lying and abominable, reprehensible behavior; and who are willing to play the race card whenever and wherever, regardless of actual facts… then I guess they succeeded remarkably.

*756

The vote to determine the fate of Barry Bonds' 756th home run ball is over. The American Public decided that the ball should have an asterisk branded branded onto it and then it should be turned over to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. 47% voted for branding, 34% for simply giving it to the Hall as is, and only 19% wanted the thing shot into space. My vote... was for the rocket option. Oh well...

Reuters... Part Deux

In a story published this morning about President Bush announcing new U.S. sanctions against Myanmar over human rights issues, Reuters chose to use this picture of the President. Maybe it's just me, but I think they could have chosen a better picture. I'm sure they have one or two others. Maybe the folks at Reuters prefer to use the Nazi-like salute picture.

Think they would have used a picture of Obama or Hillary in the same pose?

How Ironic

A cancer charity in Massacusetts is recalling about 200,000 bracelets it sold as a fundraiser because they contain high levels of lead.

The Press Can Be Really, Really Stupid

I know that's stating the obvious, but it's such an appropriate title. Here's the story...

President Bush is holding a press conference Thursday. He is asked a question about his frustration with the lack of political progress in Iraq. So far so good. In his answer, the President states...

"Part of the reason why there is not this instant democracy in Iraq is because people are still recovering from Saddam Hussein's brutal rule. I thought an interesting comment was made when somebody said to me, I heard somebody say, where's Mandela? Well, Mandela is dead, because Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandelas. He was a brutal tyrant that divided people up and split families, and people are recovering from this."

That's all good. A nice metaphor, explaining why there are no Mandela-like leaders rising up in Iraq. Still, so far so good.

But wait... apparently the folks at Reuters missed that day school when metaphors were discussed. They promptly dispatched the following:

Mandela still alive after embarrassing Bush remark

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Nelson Mandela is still very much alive despite an embarrassing gaffe by U.S. President George W. Bush, who alluded to the former South African leader's death in an attempt to explain sectarian violence in Iraq.

Part of me wants to ask if they are really that stupid, or if their blood-lust to make President Bush look bad leads them to deliberately twist and misrepresent a story.

Missing Great-Grandmother Found Locked in Toilet

A nationwide manhunt couldn't locate a 77-year-old great-grandmother who went missing in the U.K. But a caretaker found her after she'd spent 12 hours locked in a public toilet.

Islam In The Classroom

Public school students in Nyssa, Oregon are learning the basic tenets of Islam, Islamic history and culture. They even prepare and perform three- to five-minute skits about the basic Islamic beliefs. No other religious beliefs received such attention. Doesn't seem right, to me. What do you think would happen if they studied only Christianity or Judaism?

This Is So Screwed Up

Columbia University has opened its doors for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak and participate in a question and answer session with university faculty and students next Monday. Columbia President Lee Bollinger says he will introduce Ahmadinejad, and will "challenge" his denial of the Holocaust, his call for the destruction of Israel, and other topics. Unbelievable... that legitimizes the notion that the Holocaust itself is even up for debate. How sad.

Of course, this is Columbia University. You might not be aware, but Columbia doesn't allow it's students the opportunity to enroll in the ROTC. They banned the ROTC from campus in 1969. The majority of students polled in 2003 wanted it reinstated, but President Bollinger led the charge that kept the ban in place.

This is also the same Columbia University that this week canceled a speech by Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman Project.

"Jumping The Shark" Began 30 Years Ago

In the world of television shows, the expression "jump the shark" has seriously bad connotations. It refers to that point in the life of a show where things have reached their peak, and everything to come is part of a downhill slide to cancellation. The Jump The Shark web site defined and tracks the phenomenon. And the first instance of jumping the shark took place 30 years ago today.

It's September 20, 1977, and on ABC is the show Happy Days. Arthur Fonzarelli, wearing a leather jacket over a bathing suit, is water skiing. In a truly preposterous scene, he jumps over a shark. Where do you go from there? Nowhere good.

A few other notable jump the shark moments...

• Dick York was replaced by Dick Sargent on Bewitched
• David and Maddie hooked up on Moonlighting
• Rick Schroeder replaced Jimmy Smits on NYPD Blue
• The Family Edition of The Amazing Race

It's never a good thing.

What To Do With Bonds' #756 Ball

Mark Ecko, the fashion designer and entrepreneur who purchased Barry Bonds' 756th home run ball for just over $750,000, wants baseball fans to decide what happens to it. He's holding an online vote to decide the ball's fate. The choices...

Bestow It - Give it to Cooperstown. The ball that broke Hank Aaron's carer home run record belongs in the Hall of Fame.

Brand It - Burn an asterisk into the ball with a branding iron, adding a permanent footnote to the record. Then, send it to Cooperstown.

Banish It - Put the ball on a rocket ship and launch it into orbit, a moon shot for the ages. Out of sight, out of mind.

Voting ends on Tuesday, September 25th.

The Prize Inside

Forget Cracker Jacks and their cheap, lame prizes. An Aussie found a hunk of gold inside his Mars candy bar. Okay, it was actually a gold tooth. And it had a bit of real tooth attached. Still, it's quite a find.

Oh, the candy maker wants to see the tooth, and a copy of the finder's dental records.

I Can't Resist

Here's a link to O.J. Simpson's new mug shot. Maybe they can put together a jury in Vegas that's not full of complete idiots.

The Jayson Foster Show

Our little (5'9") senior quarterback manhandled the Coastal Carolina defense tonight. He carried the ball for 253 yards on the ground and six touchdowns. GSU won 42-34. If this doesn't earn him player of the week honors in the FCS, the system is flawed. What an amazing night. Not to be outdone, running back Lamar Lewis also topped 200 yards.

Up next... UT-Chattanooga.

A.P. and The Run

It's game day! Here's a blast from the Eagles' glorious past. Adrian Peterson and The Run...

Funny Cartoon

This is from the comic strip "Get Fuzzy". Click on cartoon to see it full size.

Presidential Address

Here is a transcript of President Bush's address from last night, following the testimony of General David Petraeus.

Stop A Thief, Lose Your Job

A woman is being carjacked in South Florida. Before the thief can get away with the vehicle, a good samaritan takes him down.

But it was lunch time, and the hero worked at a nearby restaurant. The disturbance caused a lot of attention, and the good samaritan missed an hour of work being interviewed by police. As a result, the good guy gets fired by his boss.

Zero Tolerance Insanity #4

Ninth-grader Mariya Fatima suffered a stroke while attending school at Jamaica High School in New York City in April. School employees waited more than an hour before calling 911 to request medical attention. Mariya lost the use of her right hand and leg, and has had to relearn how to speak and walk since the stroke. Her paralysis might have been lessened, or prevented entirely, had she received immediate medical help.

Why did the school wait more than an hour to call for an ambulance? An assistant principal at the school issued a memo weeks before prohibiting school officials from calling 911 "for any reason". The edict was later revoked. Duh!

Apparently the NYC schools are trying to drive down crime stats, and too many calls to 911 can give a school the appearance of being unsafe. School officials were later advised, when calling 911, to "not use the word assault to describe a physical altercation."

Remember

Hobo Teacher

I stumbled across this little gem this morning. Hobo Teacher blogs about his crazy little high school. Pretty irreverent stuff! For the teachers among you, see if any (or most likely all) of his stories sound familiar.

How Quickly Is Atlanta Growing?

Look at the AJC most any day and you'll see stories detailing one aspect or another of Atlanta's growth. Here is a different angle...

In 2001, Atlanta was ranked by Nielsen Media Research as the 10th largest television market in the U.S. Nielsen reports now that Atlanta has passed Washington, DC to move into the number eight spot. They report that Atlanta has the fastest growth of any market in the nation, adding an expected 104,980 television homes during 2007.

More impressive, it's predicted that if Atlanta retains a similar growth rate, it could pass Boston to move into 7th. The next year, it could pass San Francisco for 6th. Within five to six years, Atlanta might well be the 5th largest market.

Here are the Nielsen Top 10 Markets (effective Sept. 22, 2007)

1 - New York, NY
2 - Los Angeles, CA
3 - Chicago, IL
4 - Philadelphia, PA
5 - Dallas - Ft. Worth, TX
6 - San Francisco - Oakland - San Jose, CA
7 - Boston, MA
8 - Atlanta, GA
9 - Washington, DC
10 - Houston, TX

GSU 45-21

Sweet first game! Pretty ugly first half, but much sharper in the second. The crowd was raucous and loud, and Hatcher's boys never gave up. Getting that first one out of the way is a big relief.

GSU Football On The Web

Found an online source for the game... WTKS in Savannah apparently will be streaming all the GSU games.

Hatch Attack Begins

The Chris Hatcher era finally gets underway in Statesboro today. Sometime around 6pm, with the opening kickoff, the Eagles will take the last step in burying the memory of the fiasco that was Brian Van Gorder.

Coach Hatcher seems such a fine fit in his role as GSU head coach. He understands and appreciates the traditions, bringing back those that BVG saw fit to ignore. He's developed a successful, winning program, and his former players are loyal to the man and his system.

I had the opportunity to meet, through work, one of the starters on Coach Hatcher's 2004 National Championship team. He spoke in glowing terms about Coach Hatcher, the "Hatch Attack" offense and what the coach meant to the players. It reminded me of the admiration our guys had for Erk when I was at Southern.

The ride is just beginning, and it looks to be a fun one.

Georgia Southern Eagles on the Radio, Web

There are 17 stations in the Georgia Southern Football Radio Network.

WFNS	1350 AM	Blackshear/Waycross, Ga.
WSFN	790 AM	Brunswick, Ga.
WGFS	1430 AM	Covington, Ga.
WQIL	101.3 FM	Dublin, Ga.
WVOH	920 AM	Hazelhurst, Ga.
WVOH	93.5 FM	Hazelhurst, Ga.
WIFO	105.5 FM	Jesup, Ga.
WPEH	92.1 FM	Louisville, Ga.
WLYU	100.9 FM	Lyons, Ga.
WMOQ	92.3 FM	Monroe/Athens, Ga.
WSNT	99.9 FM	Sandersville, Ga.
WTKS	1290 AM	Savannah, Ga.
WMCD	107.3 FM	Statesboro, Ga.
WELT	98.1 FM	Swainsboro, Ga.
WSYL	1490 AM	Sylvania, Ga.
WZBX	106.5 FM	Sylvania, Ga.
WTHO	101.7 FM	Thomson, Ga.

In years past, games have been available on the Web. However, I haven't found a working link for this season.

Bizarre Wikipedia Entry

This is what happens when you allow just anybody to edit Wikipedia entries.

Thompson '08

I was glad to see Fred Thompson finally announce his run for the Presidency last night. I still believe he's the GOP's best chance to win in '08. If he continues to push the Reagan Conservative-style agenda, he could give the GOP base the jump-start we've been looking for.

We've seen the party as a whole, and the Bush Administration, slip from the traditional Conservative platform. The Republicans in control of Congress the last four years looked more and more like Democrats. I still believe the majority of Americans (to some degree or another) support those compassionate Conservative values.

If Fred does create some strong groundswell of support, and does become the top contender from the Right, I worry how the Libs will respond. Will they attack him with the same vitriol that's been shown towards President Bush? I suppose we'll see.

Airline Sacrifices Goats To Appease Sky God

I wondered how Delta managed such a successful turnaround!

Actually, Nepal's state-run airline turned to animal sacrifice in an attempt to clear up problems with a Boeing 757. Sacrifice apparently is common in Hindu culture, and the story says the goats were "sacrificed in front of the troublesome aircraft".

Stunner in Ann Arbor

We've gotta face these guys October 20th? Geez... The most hated boys from Boone upset Michigan in Ann Arbor yesterday. Yeah for Southern Conference and I-AA pride. Even, gulp, yeah for App. State. As much as it pains me to say it, they did good. Guess they really are the team to beat... again.