LSU commit Ego Ferguson. Don't worry, Tiger fans–he's a team player.

As of 4:00pm eastern time, these were the top 20 trending searches at Google (it’s been like this all day):

1. dorsey
2. demar dorsey
3. trovon reed
4. brown demands to be seated
5. owamagbe odighizuwa
6. ricky heimuli
7. seantrel henderson
8. bjoern werner
9. jim mcmahon
10. leif garrett
11. corey lemonier
12. cliff floyd
13. chaz green
14. tunde fariyike
15. ego ferguson
16. world import group
17. ray lahood
18. calvin smith
19. john cullen
20. neighborworks

Notice anything strange? Like maybe perhaps you’ve never heard of most of these people?

Well, don’t worry, the world hasn’t gone all Topsy-Turvy. It’s just the first Wednesday in February, AKA National Signing Day, the first day that high school athletes can sign binding National Letters of Intent with colleges. Sixteen of the top twenty trending searches are soon-to-be-college football players who have made their announcements.

It’s a testament to how truly huge college football has become in the Internet age, and particularly how big recruiting has become for fans as well as players and coaches. It’s doubtful that Archie Manning would have been a trending Google search when he decided to play at the University of Mississippi, but today, folks everywhere are obsessing over players who are still in high school. This will probably all die down by tonight, but it’s still a fascinating look into the power that sports wield over us.

Report: Lane Kiffin Adds Norm Chow, Ed Orgeron, Monte Kiffin to …
UPDATE: ESPN has not confirmed this hiring. UCLAs SID said it is an incorrect report, according to Bruins Nation. Fresh off the news of USCs stunni.

Ed Orgeron | Ideaion News Press
Tennessees Lane Kiffin has been named the next head coach at Southern California. Kiffin will bring his father and defensive coordinator, Monte Kiffin, and assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron to Southern Cal with …

The Wiz of Odds: Ed Orgeron Tampering With Recruits?
John Brice of Volquest. com tells Jim Wogan of WATE-TV in Knoxville that outgoing Tennessee assistant Ed Orgeron was on the phone with Volunteer recruits and offering them scholarships to USC.

Ed Orgeron called UT commits tonight – VolNation
He offered several a spot at USC. They intentionally announced before Willis and Miller and James enrolled tomorrow. This staff has to go down as the.

Capstone Report Desperation amongst Volunteers
On Gridscape the oracle of Tennessee football broker forex online suggested, Hire Ed Orgeron, NOW!! The players said that Ed was more or less the head coach, anyway. We know what a great recruiter he is and UT needs a recruiter much more than any other so …

I have photography and video work in the current group show at Gallery 130 curated by Brooke White along with Dwayne Butcher, April Grayson, Matt Moore, and Anne Massoni.

Lo-Fi, Hi-Fi: Contemporary Video Art
January 30 – February 5, 2010
Reception: February 4, 4 – 6 pm
Gallery 130
University of Mississippi
Oxford, Mississippi

Conference play has begun and yesterday brought a slew of losses by highly ranked teams . . . including one of the four remaining unbeaten teams (Purdue). 

Purdue (#4) lost to Wisconsin (#20)
Duke (#5) lost to Georgia Tech (#17)
West Virginia (#8) was edged out by Notre Dame (NR)
Kansas State (#10) lost to Missouri (NR)
New Mexico (#14) lost to UNLV (NR)
Mississippi (#16) lost to Mississippi State (NR)

Michigan State (#11) had no trouble with Iowa and improved to 13-3, 3-0 in the Big Ten.  With the Purdue loss, Michigan State shares the Big Ten lead with Illinois whom they play head-to-head next Saturday.  If Michigan State can take care of business this week (they play Minnesota on Wednesday and Illinois on Saturday), they should have sole possession of the Big Ten Conference . . . Go Green!

The Magna Sententia Podcast with Anna and Ellie Sherise. Hosted by Rodger McMillan.

Your Health Special Edition:

• Eat This, Not That! (Men’s Health)
• ChangeOne Diet (Reader’s Digest)
• “A Brief History Of Fad Diets” (Time.com)
• Richard Simmons Official Site And Clubhouse
• “Day Care Study: Too Much TV, Too Little Exercise” (DemocratHerald.com)
• “Motivation Tips Offered To Achieve Fitness” (UPI.com)
• “Nintendo Wii Fit Has Little Impact On Fitness” (eMaxHealth.com)
• “Sleep And Sleep Disorders” (CDC.gov)
• “Relaxation Techniques: Learn Ways To Reduce Your Stress” (MayoClinic.com)

Download Episode 12

The Blind Side (2009)

2 Hours, 8 Minutes

A poor, over-sized and under-educated teenager is recruited by a major college football program where he is groomed into an athletically and academically successful NFL prospects.

http://www.watch-movies-online.tv/movies/the_blind_side/

the_blind_side sandra bullock quinton aaron the idea girl says

Movie- Review- Blind Side – Sandra Bullock – Tim McGraw – Quinton Aaron- Michael Oher – Baltimore Ravens- – Kathy Bates – Lily Collins – Jae Head – Tuohy Family – Michael Lewis Author – John Lee Hancock Director – The Idea Girl Says

This movie was absolutely amazing, not only is it a heart warming true story about a white family that adopts a homeless black boy.

It is a story of inspiration for a young boy who is taught the values of love, life and christianity and how family should be.

It’s the true story of Sean, Leigh Anne, Collins and SJ Tuohy life with football player Michael Oher of the Baltimore Ravens.

Michael attends a Christian School where the teachers help him from getting 0 scores on his tests to a B+.

A mother named Leigh Anne Tuohy, powerful, loving, rich and caring offers a home to a boy and feeds and clothes him, then eventually adopts him and gives him a family.

A sister named Collins Tuohy who learns to accept Michael and become his friend and study partner in school.

A little SJ Tuohy, the best football coach that I’ve ever seen as he helps Michael learn to play the game.

The scene with all the condiment bottles out of the fridge and cupboard was pretty funny, while SJ is teaching Michael the football play book moves.

Sean Tuohy the Taco Bell King, yes we admire the fact that you own over 500 restaurants, a giant in the world of business.

Leanne Tuohy we admire your strong personality and lots of women probably wish they were like you.

Sandra Bullock did over and above the call of duty by presenting a strong character that we soon fell in love with on screen and off.

Sandra is definitely going to win something for this role, because it’s so convincing and she really holds the fort all through the movie.

I couldn’t wait to see what she was going to do next.

I love how she bosses the men around, that reminds me of myself…

Michael Oher went from being a homeless black boy to having a family, learning how to work hard to achieve his goals, felt the love of the Tuohy’s who had reached out to him and aspired to be a good student and football player.

Michael attended the University of Mississippi and now he’s a pro football player.

A rookie for Baltimore Ravens.

I love movies that are a true story.

This one made an impression on me, it was so nice to see a good Christian family sharing their strong sense of values, truths and desires to make our world a better place to live.

A family that reached out to a lost boy and gave him more than he could ever ask for.

Michael is so humble and sweet as a character, it’s funny but I’m going to refer to him as the “gentle giant.”

I sat there mesmerized through the whole movie, captivated by Sandra Bullock and Quinton Aaron’s performances.

I can’t explain it but usually through a movie I’ll be distracted and a wee bit bored so I’ll munch on my goodies.

I was so wrapped up in this story that my goodies for the FIRST time in my life didn’t even cross my mind.

So I’d have to give this movie a rating of 100 out of 10.

I can’t explain why because words cannot really express just how wonderful I felt when I walked away after watching this movie.

It makes you feel warm inside, inspired to be great, it gives you hope to follow your dreams…

he-blind_side_true_story-sean-tuohy-michael-oher-baltimore-ravens-leigh-anne-tuohy-the-idea-girl-says

the blind side sandra bullock tim mcgraw the idea girl says

the blind side quinton aaron - big mike jaehead as sj tuohy

the blind side big mike and collins tuohy played by quinton aaron - lily collins

the blind side kathy bates quinton aaron

the-blind-side-tuohys-christmas-card-tim-mcgraw-jaehead-sandra-bullock-lily-collins-quinton-aaron

the blind side photo JOHN_LEE_HANCOCK_ the idea girl says movie review

Before your sniffles morph into a nasty sinus, chest or ear infection, here’s how to fight back.

By Sari Harrar

Mugs of tea, a bottle of ibuprofen and a truckload of tissues won’t get you through every case of the sniffles. Too often, the common cold turns into something more serious, zeroing in on your personal weak point to become a sinus infection, a sore throat, a nonstop cough, an attack of bronchitis or an ear infection. And if you’re prone to a particular complication—thanks, perhaps, to an anatomical quirk (such as sinus obstructions), an underlying medical problem (early asthma, for example) or a history of a particular illness (childhood ear infections)—your odds of getting sicker, faster, can skyrocket.

But complications aren’t inevitable, new research shows. “With the right strategies, you can cut your risk significantly,” says Gailen D. Marshall, Ph.D., M.D., director of the division of clinical immunology and allergy at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.

The trick: Act quickly. “The problem isn’t the virus replicating in your respiratory tract. The congestion and thick, trapped mucus that lead to complications are caused by the immune system’s response to the infection,” says pioneering cold researcher Jack M. Gwaltney, M.D., professor emeritus in the department of internal medicine at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. “It all begins within 10 to 12 hours after infection starts. You should take action the minute you feel the first symptoms of a cold—the scratchy throat, runny nose and sneezing.”

If you’re prone to sinus infections

Once a cold virus latches on to cells in your respiratory tract, immune system responders cause blood vessels in your nasal passages to swell and leak fluid. They also boost mucus production and slow down cilia—the microscopic hairs that normally sweep secretions out of your sinuses, ears, and lungs. “This sets the stage for a sinus infection, because viruses and, to a lesser extent, bacteria thrive in trapped mucus,” says Dr. Marshall. The best approach is to keep your nose open. “I preach to my patients all the time: If you can breathe through your nose, the likelihood of developing secondary complications will be much, much lower.” Here’s how:

Use a decongestant. Sprays containing phenylephrine (Neo-Synephrine) or oxymetazoline (Afrin) shrink swollen blood vessels in the lining of your nose, allowing mucus to drain. “Sprays work almost instantaneously,” says Dr. Marshall, “but you can’t use them long-term. After three to five days, they can cause rebound congestion—stuffiness returns just a few hours after each dose, tempting you to use the spray more and more frequently.” To avoid this, spray for no more than two or three days, then take two to three days off, he advises. “You’ll be able to use it safely for another two to three days if necessary.”

Try a pill. If you hate sprays, decongestant tablets can also clear your stuffiness, a recent Australian review of cold-remedy research has found. And they can work fast, reports a British study of 238 women and men with stuffy noses: Those who took 60 milligrams of pseudoephedrine (brand name: Sudafed) reported a 30 percent drop in congestion after just one dose. The downside is that decongestant pills make some people very jittery and they can keep you awake, so you shouldn’t take them late in the day. (Sprays don’t have these side effects because they’re topical—only a little is absorbed into the body.) Ask for pseudoephedrine at the counter: Because its ingredients can be used to make the street drug methamphetamine, federal law requires stores to keep pseudoephedrine-containing products behind the counter or locked in a cabinet. Choose one that’s just a decongestant to make sure you get the recommended 60-milligram dose—combination remedies may contain too little decongestant for maximum benefit.

Consider an antihistamine. In recent studies, antihistamines (the old-fashioned kind, like Chlor-Trimeton, not the new non-drowsy formulas) reduced nasal secretions by about 50 percent, says Dr. Gwaltney. The less gunk in your nose, the less there is to become trapped in your sinuses. He suggests taking antihistamines for up to a week; if these make you sleepy, be careful about driving and similar activities.

Thin that mucus. As a cold progresses, nasal secretions grow thicker and thicker because they are carrying away viral particles and sloughed-off respiratory and immune cells. To keep things moving, try an over-the-counter mucus thinner that contains guaifenesin (such as Mucinex), Dr. Marshall advises. “You’ll know within 48 to 72 hours whether it’s helping you,” he says. “Your mucus will be thinner, and it’ll be easier for you to blow your nose.” It’s OK to take one along with a decongestant.

Honk with finesse. Vigorous nose blowing propels nasal fluids up into your sinuses, which can actually cause an infection, Dr. Gwaltney’s studies have found. Hard blowing also triggers “reflex nasal congestion”—more nasal-passage swelling. It sounds silly, but “fewer than half the people we see know how to blow their noses the right way,” says Dr. Marshall. Here’s how: With a tissue over your nose, close one nostril and gently blow the other side for three to five seconds. Switch sides. “It may take several blows, but it works.”

Sip chicken soup. In one lab study from the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, researcher Stephen Rennard, M.D., discovered that his grandmother-in-law’s chicken soup recipe might help relieve some of the inflammation behind cold symptoms. In the test tube, the soup inhibited movement of white blood cells called neutrophils by 75 percent; researchers suspect that in your upper respiratory tract, this curtailed movement could translate into a reduction in cold symptoms.

Warm your sinuses. Placing a comfortably hot washcloth on your cheeks or drinking a cup of hot tea—or doing both—feels good if sinus pressure is building. Warmth may also nudge cilia, which become sluggish when you have a cold, so they sweep back and forth more briskly to whisk mucus along. Inhaling steam in a warm shower also helps, or drape a towel over your head and a basin of very hot water and breathe deeply.

Try andrographis paniculata. This herb is less well-known than other botanicals purported to fight colds, but in one Chilean study of 158 cold sufferers, nasal secretions dried up significantly for those who took 1,200 milligrams of andrographis extract daily for five days. It’s available at natural foods stores; if you try it, follow package dosing directions.

Call the doctor if you have a fever; your face or the area around your eyes is red, swollen or painful; you have a severe headache or neck pain; or your symptoms (sinus pain, pressure, yellowish discharge) haven’t improved after a week’s time.

If you’re prone to acute bronchitis

A few days after cold symptoms appear, you may notice trouble brewing in your lungs. “Upper respiratory tract infections develop in the—no surprise—upper airways and then spread to the lower,” notes Ron Eccles, Ph.D., director of the Common Cold Centre at Cardiff University in Wales. That’s why you start coughing two or three days after a cold begins—a sign your windpipe and the tiny tubes in your lungs are becoming inflamed. These steps can help protect against infection:

Steer clear of cigarettes. Smoking and inhaling secondhand smoke weaken your ability to fight off viruses and bacteria. At the same time, dozens of nasty chemicals in tobacco smoke may cause inflammation in your airways, further slowing the cilia. The result: more coughing, as you try to clear globs of mucus.

Don’t curl up in front of the fire. Breathing in the tiny particles in wood smoke can be especially irritating to airways when you have a cold, says Melvin Pratter, M.D., head of pulmonary and critical-care medicine at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, N.J. One report estimates that emissions from wood fires (as well as coal-fired power plants, cars, and other sources) cause 20,000 cases of acute bronchitis a year. If you use a wood stove for heat, be sure it burns efficiently; best is one certified by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Skip spray cleaners. Aerosol and pump-bottle products contain chemicals that can irritate lungs, says Dr. Pratter. “When you have a respiratory infection, take a brief holiday from cleaning.”

Try ivy-leaf extract. In a German study of 1,350 children and adults with chronic bronchitis, more than 85 percent of those who took this botanical remedy had less pain, coughing and mucus production. Several varieties of the extract are sold in natural foods stores.

Call the doctor if you have a fever, shortness of breath, or a severe cough; you have asthma, emphysema, or COPD; or you get bronchitis often.

If you’re prone to ear infections

They’re not just kid stuff: About a third of adults with colds wind up with negative air pressure in the middle ear caused by swelling or congestion of the eustachian tubes. These tubes normally let air into the middle ear and, if necessary, drain fluid from it. A blockage or swelling can create a vacuum so that when the tube opens up again it may suck in virus-packed secretions from your nose—and lead to an infection.

To prevent it: Start decongestants—stat! Sprays and pills that shrink swollen nasal passages can help keep your eustachian tubes open, says Dr. Marshall. Don’t waste any time: Those tiny tubes can become blocked quickly—within two to three days after a cold begins.

Don’t pop your ears. Taking a big breath, then forcing the air back into your ears while you close your mouth and hold your nose is a good trick to try when your ears need clearing on an airplane. But it’s best not to use that technique when you have a cold—you may push infected mucus into the ears.

Avoid smoke. In laboratory studies, researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that repeated exposure to tobacco smoke (cigarettes, pipes, cigars) slowed down cilia in the eustachian tubes. “That’s not helpful if you’re trying to move mucus down the tubes and away from your middle ear,” says Birgit Winther, M.D., of the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville.

Call the doctor if you have a fever, severe headache, dizziness, worsening pain or hearing, or there’s swelling around your ear.

Help your body heal

Give in to sleep. When you have a cold, high levels of immune system chemicals called cytokines make you sleepier than usual. Don’t fight it: Shorting your sleep for even one night blunts the body’s immune response. If a cough is keeping you up, try Advil, Aleve or another NSAID, says Dr. Gwaltney. These block prostaglandins, which experts suspect trigger the cough reflex.

Avoid intense workouts. They can make symptoms worse. But moderate activity like a 30- to 45-minute walk won’t hurt—and, by boosting immune function, could help you fend off your next cold.

Eat lightly. Your immune system dials back appetite during a cold, presumably to conserve energy and body heat for the big fight against viral invaders. Just be sure to drink plenty of fluids—they help thin mucus.

Relax. In a study of 55 people experimentally exposed to a flu virus, those who reported more stress developed more severe symptoms and released more of the immune system chemicals that cause inflammation. The same happens with cold viruses, say the researchers.

At-home Rx: Sinus Trouble: The Saline Solution

A daily saline rinse may reduce sinus symptoms by as much as 72 percent and even cut the number of infections for those with chronic sinus problems, researchers from England’s Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital concluded after reviewing a series of studies. This ancient remedy softens and removes crusty mucus, thins nasal secretions, and helps wash away viral particles, bacteria, and irritating immune system compounds. You can purchase a sinus-rinsing tool called a neti pot at a natural foods store, get a special attachment for electric water-jet irrigators (like Water Pik), use a squeeze-bottle sinus rinse (such as NeilMed rinse), or simply cup your hand to deliver the saline solution to your nose.

The recipe: Mix 1/2 teaspoon non-iodized salt, plus 1 pinch baking soda, with 8 ounces warm water.

Rinsing directions: Lean over the sink with your head down (some neti-pot instructions advise tilting your head to the side slightly). Gently squirt the saline into each nostril (or inhale, one nostril at a time, from your palm). Breathing through your mouth at the same time will help keep the solution from entering your mouth. (If it does get in, spit it out.) Gently blow your nose. Repeat until you’ve used the 8 ounces of salt water.

            Nearly one dozen cowards in white, and other various hued, sheets defiantly protested on the steps of Fulton Chapel which is located on the campus of the University of Mississippi.

The belligerent bigots met briefly before the Ole Miss Rebels waged a gridiron battle against their overpowering opposition in the 10^th ranked LSU Tigers, a savvy move that guaranteed that the racist Neanderthals would receive plenty of press attention.

What was the hoopla all about? None other than “Dixie,” the classic southern battle chant that has been a source of white-southern pride since before the infamous “War Between The States,” of which members of the Mississippi’s White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan has been waging a very low key but public war to protect.

University officials moved to ban the song from football games after hearing the fans refused to abandon singing or reciting the tune’s racially tinged ending, “the South will rise again.”

Around 250 anti-Klan protestors were on hand to show support. The move was made to unify everyone on campus by placing relics of its intolerant past firmly in the past which would allow the university, to this day known for its racist climate, to work toward a future brightened by equality.

Protesting members of the Klan report that they were protesting to decry the lost Southern symbolism that once embodied everything that used to be Ole Miss.

The KKK is sure doing a lot of protesting and marching this past week.

 For a racist organization who routinely mocks the marches,protest, and boycotts organized by the Reverend Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton that they pattern after the Civil Rights protest organized by the late Rev.Martin Luther King,Jr. , they sure are acting a lot like the legendary iconic African-American freedom fighters, with all of their marching and protesting this week.

The protest staged by Dr. King  proved to be  effective in defeating the Klan in the 60’s.

The Klan,just this past week, held two days worth of rallies in Kennett,Missouri in protest of the Heather Ellis versus Wal-Mart case.

http://jerrybrice.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/the-kkk-and-wal-mart-in-memphis-join-forces-and-support-a-15-year-sentence-for-cutting-in-line-down-in-dixieland/

…and on Saturday they held a rally outside the Ole Miss vs. LSU game in protest of Ole Miss dropping  the lyrics and fight song ”Dixie”  from being chanted at their games.

Chancellor Dan Jones had ordered students to stop chanting the homage to the states racist past. After they continued chanting, he ordered the song From Dixie with Love to cease being played.

The Ku Klux Klan came out to rally in lieu of the chant “The South Will Rise Again.”

The medley, combining “Dixie” and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” was often followed by shouts of “The South shall rise again.”…reports the UPI.

Charise Van Horn of the Examiner.com reports…Chancellor Jones sent an address to the student body of the University of Mississippi. It reads, “We cannot even appear to support those outside our community who advocate a revival of segregation. Consequently, I have asked the band not to play ‘From Dixie with Love’ at upcoming athletics events. The absence of this song will send a clear message that the university is neither facilitating nor indirectly condoning the chant.” The order to stop playing the song, From Dixie with Love, was issued on November 17, 2009 to stop playing the song.(http://www.examiner.com/x-12837-US-Headlines-Examiner~y2009m11d21-Ku-Klux-Klan-protest-at-University-of-Mississippi-over-the-South-will-rise-again-photos-video)

The counter protesters outnumbered the klan 10-1 on Saturday, and their ranks included faculty,staff,students, citizens, and alumnae.

They all read  the student creed aloud, including a call for belief in “the dignity of each person.”

“Our major concern was to show that this is what we stand for as a university,” said Artair Rogers, the Associated Student Body president.

Ole Miss, fueled by the insults from the klan, defeated the game LSU 25-23 in the historic rivalry.

http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/10404452/No.-10-LSU’s-late-confusion-boost-for-Ole-Miss

From the looks of things, the klan needed to be on the sideline helping the LSU coach manage his time a lot better than he did, with those last three plays, as he messed up an easy field goal kick with his loopy clock management and ultra-strange play calling at the end.

I mean,LSU fans…didn’t you expect your team to kick a game winning field goal with that last play, rather than the one they ran to lose the game? …Seemed to me to be a pretty easy play to call, and you would have won that game.

I think, as I have been pondering that play all night,…maybe, just maybe, the LSU coach did not want to actually win the game, as it would have been celebrated as a win for the Klan, instead of what it would have been, just a win against Ole Miss.

Who knows, but that had to be the case, because that call was just as bad as the one coach Bill Belicheck made last week, to lose the game against Indy and Peyton Manning….it had to be something like that!

The Klan will never learn.They always support the losing side, and the failed causes like racism and the defeated and humiliated Confederacy that their ancestors supported with their lives.

Many of their ancestors did foolishly in their futile attempt to preserve slavery here in America, and if the scorched earth of General Sherman’s march did not convince them, them they all are truly ignorant and insane.

I watched this game between these two great institutions that at one time denied black players a chance to compete on their teams,…but all that is in the past.

Someone needs to let the klan know that.

The Grand Dragon of the Klan Shane Tate stated that …”We aren’t coming there to cause problems or cause trouble. Trouble has already been caused by a handful at Ole Miss, including the black student body president, who wants to shape Ole Miss into yet another liberal sodomite college.”

What is a sodomite college…together these words mean nothing!…I find this statement to be whimsical and nonsensical, much like gibberish.

Gibberish sounds like a fair  description of the Klan.

Follow the story here…

http://www.examiner.com/x-17321-AfricanAmerican-Sports-Examiner~y2009m11d22-KKK-used-the-Ole-Miss-vs-LSU-football-game-as-platform-for-protest

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2009/11/21/Counter-protest-outnumbers-KKK-at-Ole-Miss/UPI-42151258850426/

MISSISSIPPI: KOMBINING KOLLEGE KIDS AND THE KKK

The University of Mississippi football team finds itself embroiled in a huge racial controversy as the Ku Klux Klan descends on its campus this weekend.

The Sporting Blog details how Ole Miss ordered its band to stop playing the song “From Dixie With Love” because their student section won’t stop chanting “and the South will rise again” at the end of it (see below video.) Although most twenty-somethings probably don’t realize it, that’s the slogan the KKK uses when it does things like BURNING CHURCHES.

Ole Miss confirmed it is allowing the Klan to march on campus this weekend saying the group “has the right to voice its opinions.” A great titan for the Mississippi White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan blames the controversy on the University of Mississippi’s black student body president who he says,

“wants to shape Ole Miss into yet another liberal sodomite college.”

The Ole Miss student government passed a resolution to replace the student chant “the South will rise again” with “to hell with LSU.” The resolution was not formally adopted.

&fmt=18

Watch….

This video was posted by two University of Mississippi students  in response to Ole Miss’s decision to stop playing its traditional fight song From Dixie With Love due to the words chanted by Ole Miss fans at the end of the song.  The words  ”The South Shall  Rise Again”  caused some people to feel that the song was supporting segregation. The University decided to stop the band from playing the song during football games.

click here to listen to From Dixie with Love |insert racist chant here|

The two students have since been suspended from the university.

read more here

——————————————-

BGT Thoughts:  Disgusted, yes….suprised, no!

Once again in the good ole state of Mississippi a few of the good ole boys have decided to show their true colors. In response to Ole Miss’s Chancellor Dan Jones enforcing the decision to not play the song From Dixie with Love at the football games due to the words “The South Shall Rise Again” being chanted at the end of the song, these two young men douchebags decided that they would record their thoughts on the decision and post the video on YouTube for the world to see.

Notice how eagerly they say the word nigger, must have learned that at home home huh?

For some people the words:

The South Shall Rise Again

holds no particular meaning, but for those who know anything about The South you know that a chant of those words means, we welcome segregation, bring on the white robes and confederate flags. The saying is defined in Wikipedia as:  A slogan popular with the KKK and other old Confederate factions after the  of American Civil War 1861-1865

 The big problem is not so much with the slogan itself even though it carries along with it a history of hate and racism. It is the idea that those who use it know very well that the slogan is linked to segregation and hate yet they choose to use it anyway. They choose to chant it proudly because of one ultimate reason, and that reason being that they totally agree with what it is linked to. These two students proved that with their ignorant YouTube rant.

Things never seem to change in Cotton Land smh.

I’ve said it before and I will say it again, racism is very much alive and kicking. There is always someone ready and waiting to prove it!

The University’s chancellor has told the band to stop playing their fight song. Why? Because at the end of “From Dixie With Love,” some fans would chant, “The South will rise again!”

This same University has been trying to keep any sort of “racial” and pro-South things from happening. Examples are getting rid of their Colonel Rebel mascot and banning the Confederate flag from games.

In my opinion, I see this as a violation of free speech. What harm does the Confederate flag do? Or a phrase for the fans to chant? The South isn’t some tiger lying in wait, waiting to take over the North. If anything, the South is a symbol of the sleeping dragon that is the American people who want their freedom back from the government.

Is that what they are afraid of? Inciting a revolution with their chant?

http://www.ajc.com/sports/ole-miss-head-to-192640.html

See ya, Tommy

Tommy West had “one of those” meetings with his boss today. The “we’re going in another direction” talk. It was similar to the “we can’t help it, it’s the economy” talk I got a few months ago. Although, in Coach West’s case, they’re letting him wrap up his current projects. I don’t know that he was surprised by Tiger Athletic Director RC Johnson’s decision to let him go; after all, the team is 2 and 7 right now.

One of the things you can count on if you’re having a bad season is that your chance of losing your job climbs exponentially. Just a couple of years ago, they were calling for Joe Paterno’s head. A good season later and they’re all loving Joe Pa in Happy Valley again. In the ten years or so I’ve been around, I’ve seen a few Tigers football coaches come an go.

Ready for the Big Time?

And if anything, Memphis is not a football school. That would probably account for the words that Coach West had for the problems the program faced, not only for him, but for his predecessors as well. Could or should the school do more to build up the infrastructure of the football program? To pull the program to a higher level of performance, yes, it should. Will it? Good question, since a lot of the big programs count on booster money to build things up.

But, with Ole Miss just down the road, and Tennessee having so many alums in the area, can the Tigers ever draw enough support to move to a higher tier in the football firmament? Good question.

What Next RC?

Again, even with big programs, once a coach starts to slip, or seems to slip, boosters, fans and ADs are ready to pounce. Going to school at Ohio State, I saw a couple of good coaches, Earle Bruce and John Cooper, get fired primarily because they weren’t consistently beating teams from the University of Michigan.

Now, RC Johnson has the unenviable task of finding another coach to come into an unfunded, hard-to-recruit for program and try to get some attention in an SEC world. I didn’t watch the news conference announcing the firing or the eruption of Coach West afterward. I do understand RC getting out of the room prior to Tommy’s arrival. When it comes to the process of finding the next Tiger coach, I don’t think he’ll be as lucky (seemingly, for now) as he was with the Josh Pastner hire. But, when we look at that, I’ve got to think — hey, hang on, isn’t this the same guy who brought Calipari to Memphis?

image courtesy of Google

According to The Chicago Tribune, he is “the planet’s leading expert on magazines.”  Today, it is my privilege to introduce you to the man known as Mr. Magazine, Samir Husni, Ph.D.  Maybe you’ve already heard of him, perhaps not.  As the director of the Magazine Innovation Center at the University of Mississippi’s School of Journalism, Husni has earned his title as the world’s leading tracker of magazine launches.  The magazine buff spends nearly $15,000 on magazine publications each year as part of his research.  Mr. Magazine is getting ready to publish the 24th edition of his noted book, Samir Husni’s Guide to New Magazines, and has authored several other guides on how to publish, design, and start your own magazine.  He is a public intellectual in the realm of journalism and gives talks on trends present in today’s magazine industry to corporations such as Meredith and Hearst.  Husni is a also regular judge of The National Magazine Awards.  

So basically, he knows what he’s talking about.  But he should be to be dubbed “Mr. Magazine”–right?  Like us, Husni is an avid blogger on WordPress, where he gives his audience the inside scoop on the latest in periodicals.  For example, did you know during the month of October over 100 magazines launched?  So much for magazines being a dying industry.  Although, Husni does admit that only 40 percent of new magazines celebrate their first anniversary.  He also has his own Website, where you can get your fix of Mr. Magazine.  

One of Husni’s major worries is the amount of “one-night stands” the magazine industry has been experiencing lately.  Yes, you can start a magazine, and Mr. Magazine’s tips can help you, but that doesn’t mean you will spawn readership.  ”We should be in the business of long lasting relationships if we are going to survive the future. The band-aids we are using today will not stop the bleeding, and if we can’t survive our present, do you really think the future will matter?,” says Husni in his latest blog entry.

Mr. Magazine is regularly interviewed by USA Today, New York Times, CNN–you name it.  Get the low-down from Husni about all there is magazine, by just spending five minutes with him:

Do you think the magazine industry will bounce back and reignite the love flame with its readers?  Do you trust Mr. Magazine?

Let’s get one thing out of the way upfront — I’m not a Notre Dame alum.

Heaven knows, I wish I were, but all I am is the mom of a Domer — that, and a huge fan!! Shoot, I’ve even considered the possibility of enrolling in, say, the Graduate Program in Creative Writing, just so I could be a Domer, too!

I’ve always had a passion for education. I was one of those “weird” kids who simply loved school, not just because my friends were there but because in school, you learned stuff. I love the smell and feel of a book; I love being able to string words together so when folks read them, they go, “Yeah!”

When I was a kid, every week in the summer I’d go to the Library and check out a stack of books — as many as I could carry — then hurry home and immerse myself in wonderful, magical stories. Even today, there’s nothing better than getting lost in a novel and forgetting there’s a world with problems outside.

My undergrad education was at Ole Miss, the University of Mississippi (Go Rebels!!), and my feelings for Alma Mater run oh so deep. I had a four-year Band scholarship, so participating in halftime shows and supporting the Red-and-Blue became deeply ingrained. Perhaps it’s the growing-up one does during the four years between 18 and 22; perhaps it’s the friends one makes at college. Whatever, I (and most of my fellow Rebs) feel an intense pride, unwavering loyalty, and profound gratitude to Ole Miss.

As the late Frank E. Everett Jr. (a UM alum) put it: “The University is respected, but Ole Miss is loved. The University gives a diploma and regretfully terminates tenure, but one never graduates from Ole Miss.”

When My Favorite Domer was in elementary school, I returned to college (community college, this time) to pursue a new career in Web Design. I found, to my surprise, that I was an even better student than during my first go-round as an undergrad. I seemed to have an intuitive awareness of what material was important for me to learn, how to study and budget my time, how to access the help I needed, and I wasn’t afraid to approach my instructors, spend time in their offices, and soak up their advice.

Today’s buzzwords are “lifelong learning.” Yep, I’m a firm believer in that. As a Web Designer and Writer, I often run into something I’m unfamiliar with, and I constantly find myself having to learn new code and techniques or new ways of solving old problems. I pity people who don’t find learning enjoyable, or who think that once they’ve got a sheepskin, they’re finished.

So, while right now I can’t justify returning to academia for another degree, don’t count me out — I just might, one day!

Of all of the exciting places we visited on our fall 2009 road trip, I was most excited about a day trip to Oxford, Mississippi.  Boasting the University of Mississippi, Oxford, is an hour and half away from Memphis and is literally in the middle of nowhere.  On our drive to Oxford, I could not help but be reminded of the movie “Big Fish,” and as Edward Bloom happened upon the town of Spectre, it was almost as we were on his path, a destination in mind, but no real plans. 

As it turned out, our traveling trip to Oxford happened to be a game weekend, a big game weekend.  While Traffic from the Alabama and Ole’ Miss game thwarted our time of arrival in Oxford, we were able to enjoy lots of the sights, meet a few great people (who we will introduce next week) and also experience college football tailgating at its finest. 

Overall, Oxford was a successful and beautiful part of our trip, and I was happy to venture out to the middle of nowhere and find such a great city! Oxford is a college town full of life, restaurants, and tons of great old homes.   I am hoping to get back soon! Maybe we will see you there.

A rather embarrassing 30-17 loss by the Arkansas Razorbacks to the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday in Oxford has limited the talk by Hogs fans about “cheating” officials in the Southeastern Conference.

Such complaining was all the rage in the Natural State/Land of Opportunity/Wonder State after the gallant effort by the Hogs of Bobby Petrino in their 23-20 loss to top-ranked Florida on Oct. 17.

The fact that Ryan Mallett and the Razorbacks offense were inside the Florida 40-yard line three times in the third quarter and came away with three points didn’t seem to interest the whiners and moaners as a possible reason for the loss. It was all about “those SEC officials.”

When league “suits” admitted the mistaken call against a Razorbacks linemen who whistled for a personal foul during the Florida game, the glee almost could be felt from Piggott to Foreman. Later in the week, when the SEC suspended the crew for its Arkansas-Florida performance, it was like tossing a bloody arm in a tank of sharks. Think “frenzy.”

But this Monday … officials, as in the black-and-white-shirted variety, aren’t so much a topic of conversation.

With their beloved 22-year-olds losing soundly to a team coached by Houston Dale Nutt, who had fled these environs, Woo-Pig-Soooie-ans were a bit close-lipped. Could be that their jaws were tired from producing hot air for referee flambé or could be that they mouthed off too much to Ole Miss fans on message boards, once they got around to remembering the Mississippi game … long about Friday.

Whatever the reason, Hog Central Station is a bit quiet this Monday night.

Well, Reader (Apparently, according to the stats page, I have one – bless you, O Anonymous Soul, for reading my blog with such semi-regularity!) I’m back from my road trip to the Southeastern Medieval Association conference, and I must say, Nashville was not what I expected. Well, OK, there were certainly cowboy hats and boots, and my personal favorite touch: a sign outside the bar that said “Firearms must be checked at the bar upon entering” (Really! How Thrilling!) but, in the end, it was a large, Southern city like other large, Southern cities…surprisingly easy to navigate, accessible, and actually a lot of fun. We went on a ghost tour – I love those – and the conference itself was fantastic:  there are a lot of very interesting ideas going on in the medieval field! There was one paper in particular that was noteworthy: a scholar speaking on the Beowulf manuscript (there is only one original copy, the Cotton Vitellius A.xv, badly damaged by fire in 1731). J. R. Hall, a professor at the University of Mississippi, is the most recent entry into the discussion concerning the damage caused by the fire and subsequent efforts to rehabilitate the manuscript, and in his presentation he posited that there was, indeed, a chemical imaging agent applied to several pages of the manuscript in an effort to render the missing words visible, that this agent was applied prior to 1787, and was used more frequently than originally believed throughout the manuscript. In the end, Hall put forth the tentative conclusion that Lawrence Nowell, the owner of the Beowulf manuscript after the fire, was the one who attempted to restore the missing text with the chemical agent. Hall’s findings were very credible and very compelling, and it was worth seeing him speak just to watch his building enthusiasm!

Since the conference, I have been working through some rough days. I don’t know why, but once in a while I go into these extended funks, funks even Ben & Jerry’s can’t shake me out of (and that is a serious, SERIOUS funk, indeed!) I think it was the combination of long trip, no sleep, my father’s memorial celebration, and being generally overwhelmed with fear about the GRE and a lot of paperwork beginning a new term at work, but whatever it was, it took me out for about 96 hours or so with a vicious vengeance. (I’m feeling much better, thanks). I took a practice GRE – 460 Q, 470 V – and since I was totally distracted by phonecalls during the verbal section, I’m pretty sure I can do a lot better than that. The 460 in the Maths section is kind of a big deal, really – I mean, about four months ago, I was at 420 or so…so I have definitely improved. Too bad it’s still a hundred points lower than the “average GRE score”…but you know what? At least it is above average according to the testing stats. So, there. On the practice test, at least, by however slim a margin, I’m above average. I still wholly and fundamentally resent having to take the damned thing at all.

I made hairsticks!  They’re actually very pretty…not as pretty as those of my Hairstick Idol, Nightblooming, but definitely wearable (assuming I assembled them with enough Epoxy to make them stay stuck together!) Here they are:

So…in terms of the Meaning of Life challenges, I have made hairsticks, I have practiced the GRE, I have learned how digital scanning and photography are revolutionizing medieval studies for the 21st century by rendering manuscripts available online for study and by aiding in the study of the manuscripts themselves as artifacts (imagine! It’s been proved that there was medieval/ early modern White Out in the form of chemicals applied to the skins! Who knew?)

The announcers for this Arkansas-Mississippi football game in Oxford (for the so-called SEC Network) act as if they arrived about 15 minutes before game time.

I don’t know who they are and I don’t think they’ve favored one team or another, but the play-by-play guy has already confused his quarterbacks, calling Mississippi’s Jevan Snead “Ryan Mallett” during that opening drive. He has on numerous occasions mentioned that the ball carrier gained “two yards or maybe up to the line of scrimmage.”

I would rather he get it right by waiting another second than guess badly and then change it within the same sentence. … Maybe it’s just a personal thing, but if he’s reporting what’s happening to me, I would rather he get it right.

One more thing, why do so many announcers think they have to jump on the bandwagon when someone “creates” a cute word for another perfectly good term such as a receiver “runs well in space” instead of “runs well in the open.” It strikes me as just trying to show that he’s “cool” or “with it.”

Oh, they now have reminded me that the play-by-play announcer  is Dave Neal and the color commentator is former Heisman Trophy-winner Andre Ware.

The first drive in the 11:21-start football game between the University of Arkansas and the University of Mississippi at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss., leads one to believe that the Razorbacks defense possibly thought that because the Hogs nearly beat Florida last week the Mississippi offense would just lie down before them in this game.

It turns out that Ole Miss quarterback Jevan Snead and his crew didn’t believe the Arkansas press clippings and went on a long opening scoring drive for a 7-0 lead. Two drives later, it looks they’ve done it again. Ole Miss 14, Arkansas 0.

If this goes the way most Razorbacks comebacks go, they fall behind early, then fall just short.

That strategy Hogs fans had of “teaching Houston Dale Nutt a lesson” isn’t working out so well so far.

Nancy and I spent a cool but calm weekend at the lake. (Our dog, Daisy, a Lhasa apso we keep cut short, also came along.) The leaves are starting to change colors and Ouachita is up to its upper banks. No TV, no Internet. Beautiful.

It was almost a blast from the past — we listened to the Arkansas-Florida football game Saturday afternoon on the radio, via a sports station at 96.3 FM out of Fort Smith, then switched to the American League Championship Series between the Angels and the Yankees on XM Satellite Radio. We worked in a DVD of “Friday Night Lights,” the movie, in between.

It was nice. We didn’t get involved in the “blame the referees” stuff about the Razorbacks game because we couldn’t see if they were bad calls or not. The radio announcers (Chuck Barrett and Keith Jackson) said there were some bad calls, but both of those guys DO work for the University of Arkansas, so what do you expect?

I know that the Razorbacks were much-improved over previous games this year, yet they had three chances to score from inside the Gators 40-yard line in the third quarter and managed only three points. So, yes, we scared the top-ranked Gators, but we had chances to win and didn’t — we lost 23-20. That’s it. Whine all you want, but if you want to be Hog-crazy, worry about the Ole Miss game.

The rest of us will get on with our lives or continue to watch the baseball playoffs — football doesn’t really start until the World Series is over. That’s what matters to me, after my family.

Meanwhile, it’s back to work in the midst of some wonderful fall weather.