This Week's Picks- Week Fourteen

 

 

Jawja vs Bumbles:  Good Clean Old Fashion Hate is what the old timers call the annual Georgia-Georgia Tech game.  Georgia is number 4 in the country, while Tech has fallen to #23 due to its loss to Pittsburgh. There is nothing, I mean, nothing Tech would rather do than beat Georgia in this game. At the beginning of the month, I thought that was a real possibility. I don't anymore. Georgia wins. 

 

 

Missasloppy vs Upright Walking Bulldogs: Ole Miss is going through a little "will he or won't he" regarding Lane Kiffin and LSU. Pros:  LSU has a boatload of money, and they don't mind paying somebody. Con:  You have to live in Baton Rouge. If Lane stays, there's a good chance that one day they'll build a statue to Lane in Oxford. Either way, Ole Miss wins.

 

 

Ags vs Cows: This may be the kiss of death, and if so, I apologize to Texas A&M. I think when all is said and done, the Aggies will win the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision championship.  Everyone got sucked into the Texas hype, but you know, you have to win the games. The Aggies are just superior to Texas. Aggies win. 

 

 

Ahia State vs Meechigan: Despite all of the hype this game gets, it won't really matter. Ohio State is just better than Michigan this year.  Ohio State wins. 

 

 

Commode Doors vs Tennysee: Vandy has become one of my favorite side teams this year. Maybe they can get me tickets to a Nate Bargatze concert. Vandy is ranked higher than Tennessee, but it is being played in Knoxville, so Tennessee is the favorite. Tennessee wins. 

 

 

 

 

My Beloved Owls vs Liberty: One of the oddities of Kennesaw State's ascension in Division One sports is that they have become a rival of .....Liberty.  Liberty University was founded by Jerry Falwell and is the largest Christian university in the world. However, some of their fans lack certain fruits of the spirit, like not being a jerk (look, I know that is not in the Bible, but stick with me).  They haven't had a good season, while this season for Kennesaw State has been a revelation. Amen! Hallelujah! Owls win.

This Week's Picks Week Thirteen

 

 

Jawja vs Other 49ers: Georgia's dominance over Texas last week earned them this breather against the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. The 49ers (not sure how they picked up that nickname) are 1-9 this year. This shouldn't be a difficult game for the Bulldogs.  Georgia wins. 

 

 

The Bees vs The Pitts: Tech had a tough game against Boston College last week, almost losing the game. Although they have a better record than Miami, Tech is puttering around at 16. College Football is not pretty. Speaking of not pretty, Pitt looked real ugly against Notre Dame last week. Supposedly, they are going to be fired up for this game. Tech needs to win this game. Tech wins.

 

 

Ahia State vs The University of New Jersey. I still don't like The Big Ten in the Northeast like New Jersey. Ohio State really hasn't played anybody yet. They should have no problem with Rutgers. Ohio State wins. 

 

 

Trojan Men vs Quacks. I also don't like The Big Ten on the West Coast.  I think Oregon is better than its ranking, and USC is not as good as theirs.  Oregon wins.

 

 

Tennysee vs Lizards:  Back in the 90s, Tennessee and Florida was "Must See TV.  Now it is kind of  "Will watch it if I can't find anything good on Netflix TV." Needless to say, Tennessee is better than Florida this year. Tennessee wins.

 

 

Mormons vs Cincy: I'm not a fan of either of these teams. Cincinnati wins, I guess.  

 

 

My Beloved Owls vs Missouri State:  After winning seven straight games in a row, Kennesaw State lost to Jacksonville State. As they said when Kennesaw State handed me my diploma, all good things must come to an end. Missouri State is 7-3, like Kennesaw State, so this should be a pretty even game.  Kennesaw State wins. 

 

 

Like It Or Lump It: "Death By Lightning"

 

 

Welcome to another "Like It Or Lump It," where I review series from one of the several thousand streaming services and advise you if it is good or bad.

This "Like It Or Lump It" topic is the Netflix series, "Death By Lightning".

"Death By Lightning" is about the assassination of President James Garfield in 1881.

It concerns that period of time after the Civil War, which your high school history class skips over because, let's face it, it is not the most interesting time in American History and it is tough enough keeping the Zoomers awake for anything other than a TikTok video. 

As you know, I majored in history in college, and I can tell you my knowledge of the assassination of President Garfield in one sentence.  Garfield was killed by a "disappointed office seeker". 

There's more to it than that. Garfield was killed by a man named Charles Guiteau (pronounced "Get Toe").  Actually, Garfield was killed by his physicians, who poked around his body to remove the bullet but forgot to wash their hands and sterilize their equipment. Other than that, they did a bang-up job. 

Charles Guiteau was as crazy as a Betsy Bug. He was a guy with no talent, no common sense, no money, but a tremendous amount of narcissism.  If he had just the insight to be born 100 years later, he would have made a great social media influencer. He was a man way ahead of his time.

James Garfield was an Ohio congressman who happened to know how to read Greek and Latin (Footnote: Garfield was a member of The Independent Disciples Of Church of Christ Christian Church, the faith tradition I'm from, and he is a BIG DEAL to them.)

Garfield arrives at the 1880 Republican Convention and gives a speech. People loved it. Somehow, after 14,000 ballots, he is nominated as a compromise candidate for President with Pawnee, Indiana's parks and recreation supervisor, Ron Swanson, who conveniently changed his name to Chester Alan Arthur, man of massive sideburns, as his running mate. (Footnote:  There is some historical controversy as to how Swanson Arthur pronounced "Alan".  Some historians say he pronounced it as "A-Lon" instead of "Al-an". Those historians are turds.)

It just so happens that Guiteau was at the same convention and spent a good deal of time trying to convince Garfield to hire him. The only problem is that Guiteau is such a massive dink that he could not get hired into politics.

We then see a flashback to ten years earlier, where Guiteau was a member of a proto-hippie group called The Oneida Free Love Boogie Bunch, which said you could live with them on their farm land and have sex with whoever would consent to have sex with you. Today, we call this "college". 

Warning: you are shown women's bosoms as if it were a 1970s movie. Despite all of this nakedness, Guiteau could not get lucky.

Garfield wins the White House by defeating somebody else. Back then, you could walk up to the President and ask for a job. Guiteau meets with Garfield, but the First Lady comes down with malaria, and the job interview is cut short. 

Garfield goes to the train station without guards but with Robert Lincoln, the President's son.(Footnote: Robert Lincoln was at President McKinley's assassination, too. Really.) Guiteau shoots Garfield, and Garfield lingers until he finally dies, making Swanson  Arthur President who immediately hires Lesley Knope to be his annoying subordinate. Guiteau is hanged after he recites an awful poem.

The acting in "Death By Lightning" is good. Michael Shannon sort of looks like Garfield. The actor who plays Guiteau is awesome and probably should win an Emmy unless they nominate something dreary like "The Bear" to run against it.

Several things.

One: A couple of indoor restrooms are shown. I was under the impression that indoor facilities were not common in 1880, but then again, we didn't talk much about toilets in history class.

Two: There are a bunch of f-bombs dropped in the show along with some M-fers. Again, in history class, we didn't talk a lot about F-bombs and if the senator from Maine casually used M-fers.  There was one scene in which First Lady Garfield drops an F-bomb on Vice President Swanson Arthur. Even given the high historical tension of the scene, I just don't think First Ladies dropped the F-bomb until Betty Ford.

Three: Garfield sure says "Hmm" a lot.

Four:  A smart pants teenage girl comes in to lecture everybody about something, which she had no idea about. Something for the kids.

Five:   I never thought any movie about James Garfield would have naked bosoms. A Netflix series about Bill Clinton will be crazy.

Verdict:  Like it. Sure, it has its problems, but it is well done, and you feel like you've learned something. Especially about indoor toilets in the 1880s. 

 

 

 

 

This Week's Picks Week Twelve

 

 

Jajaw vs Texsass: This is a real important game. So important, Texas has revealed their away jerseys, which look just like their regular away jerseys.   Georgia is a 6.5 point favorite over Texas. The Longhorns started shaky this year, but have straightened out. Georgia did something unusual last week. They actually played an entire game without being 200 points behind. Both teams are battling for a spot in the playoffs. I just think Georgia is a little bit better than Texas. Georgia wins.

 

 

Bees vs Bahston College:  Georgia Tech dropped like a stone when they lost to North Carolina State two weeks ago. This wasn't right because Tech has really played well this year and deserves to be ranked higher.  But they play in the ACC, and I guess that was held against them.  They shouldn't have a problem with Boston College. Bees win. 

 

 

Wescohnson vs Indy: Did you see that catch?  Somehow, someway, Indiana won that game against Penn State. But that's what good teams do. Wisconsin shouldn't be a problem.  Indiana wins. 

 

 

Bama vs Okie: Alabama has their mojo back to say the least. Oklahoma has been up and down all year, but they have lost only two games. The question is: will they beat Alabama?  Answer: No.  Alabama wins. 

 

 

My Beloved Owls vs Jacksonville State:  Kennesaw State has this bad habit of scoring 21 points in the first quarter and then spending the next three quarters trying to make sure their opponent doesn't score 22 points. So far, this strategy has worked.  This week, The Owls play Jacksonville State, which is in Alabama and probably has as many students from Cobb County as Kennesaw State. They have a good record, but this is just Kennesaw State's year.  Kennesaw State wins.  

 

 

 

This Week's Pick-Week Eleven

 

 

 

Jawja vs Other Upright Walking Bulldogs:  Georgia, somehow, again won a game in which the other team outplayed them for about fifty minutes. Mississippi State beat Arkansas, which was exactly what the Cow Bell ringers needed. Georgia might be looking past their upright brothers to next week's Texas game. For what it is worth, Georgia is ranked fifth in the College Football Playoff rankings. To show you how rough College Football is, Georgia Tech, which has only lost one game like Georgia, is ranked seventeen. This just goes to show you how important every game is now.  Georgia wins. 

 

 

Mormons vs The Other Tech:  There have been a lot of comments on X-Twitter that College Gameday spends way too much time in the SEC and not enough time elsewhere. So, they'll be in Lubbock, Texas, seeing BYU play Texas Tech. Pat McAfee will probably try to herd some cattle or drill for oil. Texas Tech wins. 

 

 

Aggies vs Moosuri.  Mizzou always plays tough, but Texas A&M is the boss. I think the Aggies are the team you need to watch to win the whole kit and kaboodle.  Aggies win.

 

 

Ellessyou vs Bamy: In years past, this would have been appointment TV. Now, it is appointment TV only if you want to see sad LSU fans. They have an interim coach, and it sounds like the governor will be in on the Head Coach search. That should turn out well. The FSU game was a century ago for the Crimson Tide. Bama wins.  

 

 

WarTigers vs Commode Doors:  Another week, another Big Time SEC coach given the gate. Hugh Freeze just didn't fit in. Just take your millions and walk out the door. It is not a bad gig if you can get it. Vandy almost beat Texas last week. I just don't see Auburn winning this game. Vandy wins.

 

  

My Beloved Owls vs New Mexico State:  In case you didn't know, Kennesaw State is bowl eligible for the first time in school history. Praise Jesus. They are playing the other Aggies, New Mexico State, who are 3-5 this season. It should would be nice to get another victory.  Owls win.  

 

 

What It Meant. Maybe.

 

 

 "You believe what you want to believe." ~ Tom Petty

There were some elections on Tuesday, and the results may mean several things to several different people.

For Democrats.  We are back, baby!  We are so back that one of our candidates can text out that he wants to kill a political opponent and the opponent's children in front of the opponent's wife and then kill the opponent's wife. He didn't say anything about killing the opponent's dog.

Don't forget that we got an avowed socialist elected as Mayor of New York. He promises to improve the City of New York by giving away childcare, bus passes, groceries, hot dogs at the hotdog stands, Slurpees at 7/11, and a ton of other goodies all by increasing the taxes on rich people.

For Republicans.  Well, la-de-frickin-da. You won in New Jersey, which is totally Dem, and you won in Virginia, which is so top-heavy with gubment employees that they elected the aforementioned candidate who wants to murder a political opponent.

First of all, as everyone who has watched "Wayne's World" knows,  Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has elected two socialist mayors, so New York, you are a little behind the times. [Footnote:  Thank you, Alice Cooper.]

Secondly, a lot of things Zohran Mamdani promised he can't actually do due to something called "New York State Law".  For example, raise taxes on rich people because they are hoarding all of this money for themselves when they could have been handing 100-dollar bills on 8th Avenue to help "the people". 

Like a lot of things in life, both sides have a point.

Tuesday was not a good night for the Republicans. It is not good to lose elections, particularly since the Democrats have convinced a lot of people that it is the Republicans to blame for the Government shutdown, even though it is the Democrats who shut it down because their Senate leader is afraid of a girl.[Footnote: Chuck Schumer is afraid of AOC. You know it is true.]

Plus, it is not good because this is the first time those pesky little people called "voters" have commented on Trump 2.0.

Trump's biggest problem is inflation, which is not under control, and it will cripple the administration no matter how many times he tries to annex Canada. 

Tuesday was a good night for the Democrats because they mobilized their voters to go to the polls to win. Their voters now have a "warm fuzzy" and have "hope" for the first time in a while. [Footnote: "Hope" to a Democrat is when they win elections.]

They even mobilized their voters down here in Mayberryetta, Georgia, where a 24-year-old software engineer almost toppled the long-time Old Marietta mayor called "Thunder". [Footnote: Really.]

This young man mainly did a couple of yard signs and some TikTok videos. He ran on the "affordability" crisis in Marietta, which is about how expensive it is to live in Marietta. I'm not sure what the mayor of Marietta can do about homeless people not being able to buy a house, but you know, young people. 

As far as I could tell, the challenger was never on the student council in high school or held an elected office in college. He mainly attended city council meetings, and as a history major, I applaud his ability to stay awake during them. His biggest problem, in my opinion, is his lack of experience in, um, anything. 

Still being able to scare "the crap out of the fascists and the corrupt good old boys’ club here in Marietta" as stated by Socialist state Rep. Gabriel Sanchez, is nothing to shake a stick at.

Yes, Smyrna has a Socialist state representative. They are all the rage nowadays. 

Yet, it doesn't mean the Republicans are out for the count. Three years ago, the Democrats turned the Red Wave into a Red Trickle. Then last year, the Republicans got Trump elected and took over the House and the Senate. 

You never know what is going to happen in the next election. You just have to learn from your mistakes in the last one.  That may or may not happen.