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2010's Most Important Games

25 Aug 2010 01:46:48 EST

1. vs. Florida, Oct. 30: After all, it is the single-most important game of any Georgia season, right? There’s also a good chance this game could determine the division title, since the Gators, for the first time in a while, aren’t expected to be unbeaten and eyeing a BCS title come late October. So it’s more like Georgia is hoping this ends up being the most important game of its season. If it ends up being South Carolina or Arkansas, that doesn’t bode well.

2. vs. Georgia Tech, Nov. 27: The job Paul Johnson has done turning around the Yellow Jackets has restored this game to being worthy of rivalry week. It was once unthinkable to say Georgia Tech would pass Georgia as a program — but this year, for the first time in a decade, the Jackets start out ahead of the Bulldogs in the preseason polls. So, if things play out close to expected this season, the regular season finale should say a lot about where Georgia is as a program in Mark Richt’s 10th season.

3. at South Carolina, Sept. 11: A good case could be made for this being in the first or second spot. This second game sets the tone for the season, as the Bulldogs and Gamecocks were picked second and third, respectively, in the SEC East, separated by just one vote. The winner will be marked as the main competition for Florida in the East. The loser will have its season (prematurely) buried by observers.

4. vs. Arkansas, Sept. 18: This caps a huge pair of games for Georgia against seemingly similar teams. If it emerges from the two-game stretch unscathed, the season has a chance to be special. If it splits them, a lot remains to be decided. If both are losses, the Bulldogs are starting in a huge hole.

5. at Kentucky, Oct. 23: The Wildcats should end up fighting to finish in the upper third in the East this season under new head coach Joker Phillips. Beyond that, it’s a big one for Georgia, which would love to flush perhaps last year’s most deflating loss. A solid road win would do a lot to show this season really is different.

6. at Auburn, Nov. 13: OK, for rivalry purposes, it should matter more. And if things play out right, it could have a big effect on the SEC East race. But in a season of key games, as we sit here in August, this one seems overshadowed. The Bulldogs would be excited to get their first five-game winning streak over Auburn since the 1940s.

7. at Mississippi State, Sept. 25: This has hazardous written all over it. Dan Mullen is hoping his spread-option offense will start to get rolling in his second year, making it a tough early season test for new Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. Georgia hasn’t lost to Mississippi State since 1974. If it happens in 2010, get ready for more Georgia-is-down storylines.

8. vs. Tennessee, Oct. 9: How can a game against the Volunteers be so low? That’s how mediocre the Vols are supposed to be this year. Yes, it’ll be a great story to have Derek Dooley in Athens. But Georgia figures to be a heavy favorite, especially if Aaron Murray is entering a comfort zone by that point.

9. at Colorado, Oct. 2: This will be a nice road trip for the Bulldogs and their fans. Boulder is a great college town, sort of an Athens-West. It could also be a dangerous test for Georgia, as it is any time a team has to travel so far and play an opponent it knows nothing about. That’s why it wouldn’t be the end of the world if the Bulldogs lost, but also wouldn’t be a huge resume builder if they won.

10. vs. Louisiana-Lafayette, Sept. 4: The temptation is to rank this game higher, considering it will be the official unveiling of the new quarterback and defense. The reason it doesn’t go higher is it’s still a non-conference tilt against a Rajin’ Cajuns team that was 6-6 last year. It’s not quite a simple warm-up game, but it’s not exactly a tough test either. That comes the following week.

11. vs. Vanderbilt, Oct. 16: The only way this game matters a lot is if the Commodores are better than expected under new head coach Robbie Caldwell. That’s possible, and they do have some good players (tailback Warren Norman, linebacker Chris Marve). But the Commodores are unsettled at quarterback and coming off a two-win season.

12. vs. Idaho State, Nov. 6: Well, really. Not only is it an FCS opponent, but Idaho State went 1-10 last year. Yikes. Seeing as how this one is scheduled in between Florida and Auburn, it could end up being a good time to rest a few starters, at least after the Bulldogs presumably build a big lead.

By SETH EMERSON - semerson@macon.com
Read more: Link

phpHaze v2 Ready for Release

18 Aug 2010 14:21:36 EST

I have finally gotten to a stopping point in phpHaze v2. This of course does not mean that I am actually finished as there is still a quite long list of things that I want to do as soon as possible. I've just finally gotten it to a point where I can stop working on it and release new features and bug fixes as upgrade releases.

phpHaze v2 will be controlled and secured by a serial key given to each installation so there is no chance for the software being stolen and installed on an unauthorized domain. If you wish to become a phpHaze user, you will need to let me know and I will instruct you on what to do next.

Most of what was promised in v2 has been added except for discussion forums, these will have to be added later when there are no other issues to resolve or features to add. I can't actually think of any big features that have been added since I opened this site, but it definitely has come a long way. Most of what I've added was new settings to toggle, making more things modular and easy-to-toggle along the way.

I still intend to keep the software private and out of the public's hands and I think this is for the best.

Here are some things that are new that I can think of right off the top of my head:

1. YouTube support for Media Player; i've added functionality to the media player which will allow you to put YouTube links in the playlist - which will result in a song in the player. Over half of the ones on my player are directly from YouTube, while others are actual MP3s that I have uploaded.

2. Image and File Management; you can now manage files in multiple image directories, as well as manage different types of files such as icons (for the favicon), media files, etc.

3. Ajax Notes and Comments; I've added a note system which is used for various things around the site, most notably in the admin panel, such as user accounts. You can post notes on the account that other administrators can see. The old comment system has been completely revamped and now uses Ajax to process the requests.

4. Private Messaging; Again, I've completely redone the way this worked in the past, and now includes a few new features such as the ability to send encrypted messages and the ability to forward messages to other users.

5. User Level management; you can now manage the user levels used by the system to handle permissions. You can add and edit and delete them as you wish, however the 5 basic ones provided at install can not be deleted; only renamed and their permissions adjusted.

6. Panels; you can now choose which panels show up on which pages of the site, including inside the admin panel.

There is so much more but I can't think of it right now. You really just need to take it for a test spin yourself and see all the differences that make it better than every other CMS out there!

Hairy Dog and ESPN 3D

10 Aug 2010 14:16:46 EST

There was originally a video here but it was removed by the author.

Feds shut down girls lemonade stand

06 Aug 2010 04:33:09 EST

PORTLAND, Ore. – A county official in Oregon has apologized after a 7-year-old's business venture was soured because health inspectors shut down her lemonade stand.

Multnomah County Chairman Jeff Cogen, the county's top elected official, said Thursday that running a lemonade stand is a "classic iconic American kid thing to do."

He says he called Julie Murphy's mother, Maria Fife, to offer his apology and says she appreciated it.

Fife helped her daughter set up a lemonade stand last week at a local arts fair in northeast Portland. They had to pack up and leave after being approached by two inspectors who said the stand lacked a license.

Cogen says while the inspectors were doing their job, the rules are meant for professional food service operators. He adds he ran lemonade stands as a child.

Link

Byzzr Wingmender Solo Boss Farm

04 Aug 2010 02:59:32 EST

Chiossen, Soothing Breeze 2-man Boss Farm

04 Aug 2010 02:58:25 EST

NCAA: The Real Coach

02 Aug 2010 14:41:44 EST

I've been over playing the 09 edition of EA Sport's NCAA Football for the past year or so and like most people I would restart a season game if it wasn't going my way, just to stay undefeated and take home consecutive national championships. I ran my UGA dynasty all the way to the 60 year mark and they fired me because I just had to be too old or something. I realized then that most of my dynasty was a blur, I probably simmed most of the games on my later schedules because of how well my team was built, it was just too easy, and I had "cheated" too much along the way in key games.

Yes, I know, 09 is really outdated, and I should be playing 11 by now. As soon as I can get up the extra cash to buy 11, I will, and I'll do a similar dynasty there.

So I decided to start a new dynasty where the rules are: Can't restart a game. If it's going bad, and the power doesn't go out or something that forces me to restart it, I have to accept the loss. No restarting for first week commitments. Before, I would restart it multiple times until all of my #1 ranked recruits accepted my offer in the first week of the season. This is no longer allowed and I must take what I'm given on the first try. I also can not do the same when it comes to star players leaving for the NFL. I can still give them one shot at a phone call, but can't restart it if they decide to transfer or leave early.

What this does is create the element of a real team, basing most of that stuff (besides the games themselves) on luck and un-enabling myself from forming a massive powerhouse so soon. So now, it get's real challenging, which makes it a lot more fun. To make things even more challenging, I started with a very crappy team, in a very crappy conference where losses are almost guaranteed, with the SEC/ACC picking you for season opener blow-outs. I am now in my 5th season as a head coach. Here are my stats:

1st season: Akron Zips (MAC conference)
11 wins 3 losses; visit to the conference championship and lost; won the GMAC bowl

Took one of the job offers we received (tell me, would YOU stay at Akron?)

2nd season: California Golden Bears (PAC-10 conference)
12 wins, 1 loss; auto-win conference; won Rose Bowl (#4 recruiting class)

3rd season:
13 wins, 0 losses; auto-win conference; won Rose Bowl (#1 recruiting class)

At this point, I'm pissed at being screwed out of the National Championship game and demand an appearance before I leave Cal. I still haven't gotten my first Nat as a head coach.

4th season: last year on Cal contract, with intentions of leaving for a more challenging rebuilding project in the SEC
13 wins, 0 losses; auto-win conference; won National Championship vs Miami Hurricanes

It's not like any of that was easy either. All of it is played on Heisman mode of course, and with me bringing in freshman stars and moving people around on the depth chart.

Now I've got a Nat under my belt and feel I've earned the right to coach anywhere. Turning Akron into a winning program and Cal into a powerhouse out west. Now is the time to leave and not renew my 3-year contract. No longer do we have to pick from 2-3 available job offers. We are able to look for a new job from the list. Every team in the country wants me, including the national championship loser Miami, and Cal wants to extend my contract for 10 years. Can't coach with a team I've already coached or a team that I despise.

I picked Kentucky. This should be quite the challenge, adding a bunch of losses to my astonishing final record from the past 4 seasons:

Career record: 51-4
Winning seasons: 4
Longest win streak: 30 games (actively growing)
Record vs top 25: 14-1
Record vs rivals: 7-1
Bowl record: 4-0
Conference Titles: 3
National Titles: 1

Would you take me as a Head Coach? Here's what I bring to ANY team, consecutively, and consistently:

1- Consistent Offense; scoring an average of 40 points a game, known to score up to 70 on Division 1 foes at times. Running a west-coast style of the spread and lining up in multiple formations.
2- Explosive special teams; season after season, my hand selected return men bring in an average of 5 kick returns and 10 punt returns for touchdowns per season.
3- Solid Run-game; my offense is based off of a solid run-game and clock management in close games wins a lot of games for me.
4- Accurate passing game/Solid QB coaching; my QB's finish on average with 75-80% completions on the year, around 30 TD's and around 5 interceptions. I won't accept anything less, and will play an incumbent if the starter has trouble running this offense. This is solid QB play and it's hard to lose a game when your QB makes few mistakes and is smart with the ball.
5- Dominating Run Defense; installing the 3-4 at every school, we consistently finish the season ranked #1 in rush defense. That speaks for itself. I thank our run defense single-handedly for our success against old powerhouse USC in the PAC-10 when we were with Cal.

I'll update with results to our first season at Kentucky as soon as that season is over, I don't finish them very fast because I can't sit at it playing all day of course; so don't expect it anytime today or this week or anything like that. We're currently 2-0, knocking out our instate rival Louisville and our old team Akron. After a bye week, we get a lovely trip to Gainesville to take on the #1 Florida Gators for our SEC opener, and division opener. This game clearly will decide if we have a shot to get to the conference title game or not.

Tennessee Titans sue Lane Kiffin, Southern Cal

27 Jul 2010 12:28:21 EST

The Titans on Monday filed a lawsuit against the University of Southern Cal and head coach Lane Kiffin for “maliciously” interfering with the contract of running backs coach Kennedy Pola.

The lawsuit was filed in Davidson County Chancery Court and it claims Pola breached his contract with the Titans after being induced by Kiffin. Pola, hired by the Titans in January, was hired by USC over the weekend as the school’s new offensive coordinator.

The lawsuit states “as a result of USC and Kiffin’s tortuous conduct, Tennessee (Titans) football has been damaged in an amount proven at trial.’’

Titans officials declined comment on Monday. USC officials could not be reached for comment.

Over the weekend, Coach Jeff Fisher, a former Southern Cal player, sounded off against Kiffin, who formerly coached at the University of Tennessee, for recruiting Pola without first asking for permission to speak to him.

“I am very disappointed in Lane Kiffin’s approach to this,’’ Fisher said on Saturday. “Typically speaking when coaches are interested in hiring or discussing potential employment from coaches on respective staffs there is a courtesy call made from the head coach or athletic director indicating there is an interest in talking to the assistant.

“So I am very disappointed in the lack of professionalism on behalf of Lane, to call me and leave me a voice mail after Kennedy had informed me he had taken the job. It is just a lack of professionalism.’’

According to the lawsuit, “USC and Kiffin maliciously intended to – and did – induce Pola to breach his contract with the Titans. The lawsuit alleges “USC and Kiffin engaged in improper means in their procedure of the breach and were not legally justified in their actions.’’

According to the lawsuit, Pola agreed he would “not under any circumstance solicit discussions or entertain employment with any other person or entity during the term without given written permission to do so,’’ under the terms of his contract with the Titans. Pola was not given written consent by the Titans.

“Kiffin and USC’s actions through him were part of a course and pattern of conduct fostered by Kiffin and USC to use improper methods and means to the direct harm and damage of parties to contract, to interfere with an existing contract includes the breach thereof,’’ the lawsuit reads.
Related

The controversial Kiffin was hired as USC’s football coach in January after serving as the head coach at the University of Tennessee for one season.

In January, Fisher hired Pola after firing running backs coach Earnest Byner, a move that raised some eyebrows, especially after Titans running back Chris Johnson led the NFL with 2,006 rushing yards in 2009. But Fisher said he couldn’t pass up an opportunity to hire Pola, who had an expiring contract with the Jaguars. Pola’s contract with the Titans wasn’t set to expire until February, 2011.

Kiffin released a statement on Saturday giving his chain of events leading to the hiring. Kiffin could not be reached for comment on Monday.

“We reached out to Kennedy Pola yesterday to gauge whether he had any possible interest in returning to USC before we moved forward with the process," Kiffin said in a statement released by USC.

“Kennedy said he would think about it and get back to us (Saturday). Once Kennedy did call back earlier today, out of my great respect for Coach Fisher I immediately reached out to Coach to make him aware of the situation. I have spoken with Coach Fisher and he now has an accurate understanding of the timeline of events.

“We realize the timing of this isn’t perfect for all parties, but this is a great opportunity and promotion for Kennedy.”

Fisher said he plans to hire Pola’s replacement from a member on his current staff.

Link

Two Vols Charged in Bar Brawl

16 Jul 2010 23:20:29 EST

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Two Tennessee players were charged during an early morning bar brawl that left an off-duty police officer who tried to break up the fight knocked unconscious, and more could be facing charges, police said Friday.

Incoming freshman receiver Da'Rick Rogers was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, Knoxville police said. Rising sophomore defensive back Darren Myles Jr. was charged with assault, resisting arrest and evading arrest, University of Tennessee police said.

Tennessee coach Derek Dooley dismissed Myles from the team Friday evening and indefinitely suspended sophomore linebacker Greg King and sophomore defensive tackle Marlon Walls, though it was not clear what their alleged roles were in the matter.

A campus police report said Myles tried to hide under a car and in some bushes as an officer tried to arrest him, then elbowed the officer in the face. It was the second offseason arrest for Myles, 19. He also was charged with public intoxication, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest on April 18 after a disturbance at a Knoxville restaurant and nightclub.

"It is a privilege, not a right, to be a member of the University of Tennessee football team," Dooley said in a statement.

"The most important responsibility of that privilege is to properly represent this institution and our supporters on and off the field," the statement added. "I am disappointed and in many ways embarrassed by the poor judgment displayed on many fronts by several members of our football team last night."

Three other players — rising senior receiver Denarius Moore, junior college transfer defensive tackle John Brown and incoming freshman receiver Matt Milton — were detained and questioned but had not been charged as of Friday afternoon. Another player, rising sophomore defensive tackle Montori Hughes, was present but has not been questioned by police.

Police said their investigation was ongoing.

Robert Capouellez, an off-duty Knoxville officer who was a patron at Bar Knoxville and tried to break up the fight, was being treated for a head injury after being knocked unconscious, Knoxville police spokesman Darrell DeBusk said.

Capouellez, 24, was in serious but stable condition at the University of Tennessee Medical Center on Friday afternoon. Police said he was hit in the head, knocked to the ground and then kicked several times.

Another patron at the 18-and-up bar, Gary Russell, 20, was treated at UT Medical Center and released.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Atlanta native who was part of Lane Kiffin's only recruiting class showed promise during spring practice. After the Vols' April 17 spring game, he was awarded the program's Fourth Quarter Award by coaches for dedication to the program.

The 18-year-old Rogers, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound native of Calhoun, Ga., was among Dooley's first signing class.

Both were released from the detention center Friday afternoon. It was not clear if either player had an attorney.

Several witnesses told police two patrons got into a fight inside Bar Knoxville around 1:50 a.m., and several others jumped into the melee. Employees pushed the brawl out onto the street.

Knoxville attorney Greg Isaacs, who represents Hughes, said that his client was "the victim of an unprovoked assault" and that he has no knowledge of anything that took place outside the bar. Isaacs said he did not expect Hughes to face charges.

Sandy Morton, who owns Bar Knoxville with her husband, told the Chattanooga Times Free Press they've never had any problems from Vols players. She said many of the players, who are treated as VIPs and don't pay a cover charge, are on a first-name basis with her husband.

"I don't know what happened, but several of the guys started beating up the other customer," she told the newspaper. "I want to guess there was seven to 10 guys beating up this one gentleman."

Dooley said he is working to change the culture at Tennessee, a program that has seen a number of player arrests in recent years under multiple coaches.

"As I have referenced on many occasions, a change in culture is achieved in time through a combination of education, discipline and support. We will aggressively continue to build on the many positive changes that have occurred over the last five months to ensure our program is represented with class and dignity," he said.

Jackson decides to transfer following six game suspension

15 Jul 2010 21:15:25 EST

Suspended running back Dontavius Jackson won't play again for Georgia. The school said Wednesday night that the redshirt sophomore from Franklin has decided to transfer after the summer semester.

The announcement comes four days after Jackson was arrested by university police on six misdemeanor charges including DUI, hit and run and underage possession of alcohol and three days after he was suspended by coach Mark Richt for at least the first six games of the season.

Jackson had four carries for 38 yards last season and was unlikely to get much playing time once he returned to a backfield that includes Washaun Ealey, Caleb King and Carlton Thomas.

Starting wide receiver Tavarres King was also suspended for a minimum of one game after being charged with underage possession of alcohol. He was a passenger in the car Saturday morning that Jackson was driving.

Jackson is the fourth Georgia player who was arrested this year that is no longer with the program. Linebacker Montez Robinson, quarterback Zach Mettenberger and punter Trent Dittmer were dismissed from the team.

Link

Experienced Potheads Show No Change In Task Performance

12 Jul 2010 12:43:28 EST

If you're going to smoke pot, for goodness' sakes, smoke it every day, man.

Experienced marijuana consumers show virtually no changes in cognitive performance after using cannabis, according to clinical trial data published online this week in the journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior.

Investigators at Columbia University in New York and San Francisco Brain Research Institute assessed acute marijuana-related effects on cognitive functioning in 24 volunteers who reported consuming cannabis at least 24 times per week, reports NORML.

Scientists found that participants' overall performance accuracy on episodic memory and working memory tasks "was not significantly altered by marijuana."

"The present findings show that smoked marijuana produced minimal effects on episodic and spatial working memory of near-daily smokers," the researchers concluded.

"The overall response accuracy on the word recognition and working memory tasks was unaffected by marijuana, although smoked marijuana did increase the amount of time participants needed to complete these tasks," investigators said.

"The pattern of effects is consistent with results previously reported by other researchers studying the acute effects of marijuana on cognitive performance of regular users," the study said. "The finding... stands in contrast to previous findings in occasional smokers who showed reduced accuracy on these same tasks after marijuana."

"The observation that frequent users' response accuracy is not altered after marijuana smoking to the same extent it is for infrequent users... suggests that near-daily marijuana smokers may have developed tolerance to some marijuana-related behavioral effects."

Link

Two more Bulldogs arrested

11 Jul 2010 00:03:04 EST

Dontavius Deshawn Jackson, a redshirt sophomore tailback, was arrested and charged with a host of charges early Saturday, including DUI, leaving the scene of an accident and underage possession of alcohol. Redshirt sophomore split end Tavarres King was arrested with Jackson, charged with underage possession of alcohol.

Jackson, 20, was arrested by University police and booked into the Athens-Clarke County Jail at 6:25 a.m. The charges, all misdemeanor, include violating the move over law, driving with a learner’s permit and following too closely. King, 19, was booked at 5:55 a.m. and released at 7:04 a.m. Also arrested with King and Jackson were Darren Brooks Whatley, 18, and University student Marygrace Elizabeth Azar, 20. They were both charged with underage possession of alcohol. Whatley was booked in the ACC jail at 6:10 a.m. and Azar at 5:40 a.m. A fifth passenger was not charged.

UGA Police Chief Jimmy Williamson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that two patrol cars were making an unrelated stop when the car driven by Jackson, a Chevrolet Avalanche, passed by without moving over. A UGA officer started to follow the Avalanche as a report of an incident moments earlier where a car had left the scene of an accident came over the radio. The Avalanche matched the description of the car leaving the scene of the accident.

“It just happened that our officer was behind that vehicle when the third officer put the information on the radio,” Williamson told the AJC.

Georgia football coach Mark Richt is aware of the arrests but has not made any statements.

This marks the third arrest for a Georgia football player in a week, as cornerback Jordan Love was arrested Monday and charged with obstruction of a UGA police officer.

Jackson’s name came up earlier this year during an incident with two University students in a taxi cab when Jackson said he was the “peacemaker.” According to the ACC police report, a married University couple fell victim to simple battery and terroristic threats on March 29 as they rode to their home in an A&A Taxi at 2:04 a.m. The police report initially stated UGA football players were the culprits, but a later investigation proved that wrong. Jackson was in the cab, it was later revealed, and served to calm the situation down.

Under University Athletic Association rules, student-athletes found in violation of the alcohol policy are suspended for 10 percent of the games for the season, which means Jackson and King would sit out the season opener against Louisiana-Lafayette on Sept. 4.

Jackson appeared in four games in 2009 and recorded the first three carries of his career at Vanderbilt gaining 38 yards. King appeared in 12 games with nine starts making 18 receptions for 377 yards and a touchdown, including a career-best and team-high 109 receiving yards on three receptions against Kentucky.

Would legalizing pot really lower prices and increase use?

08 Jul 2010 03:37:06 EST

Legalizing marijuana could cause the drug's price to plummet while increasing use by an uncertain amount, according to a new study from a respected public-policy think tank.

RAND Corp. researchers say known production costs and surveys of marijuana's current price suggest the untaxed retail price of high-quality marijuana could drop to as low as $38 per ounce, compared with about $375 per ounce now.

"There is considerable uncertainty about the impact that legalizing marijuana in California will have on consumption and public budgets," said RAND Drug Policy Research Center co-director Beau Kilmer, the study's lead author, cautioning against believing anyone who claims to know precisely how legalization would play out. "No government has legalized the production and distribution of marijuana for general use, so there is little evidence on which to base any predictions about how this might work in California."

Much of the current price of marijuana essentially is compensation to growers and dealers for the risks of being prosecuted or robbed — risks that would disappear or be minimized by legalization. Also, automated cultivation techniques and economies of scale — running bigger or multiple grows — would reduce labor and supply costs.

Past research indicates marijuana consumption goes up when prices go down, they say, but the increase in consumption can't be predicted because nobody has ever studied what would happen

if prices were so low. Consumption also might rise because of advertising or de-stigmatization, they said.

The state Board of Equalization last year estimated that taxing legal marijuana could raise more than $1 billion in annual revenue, but RAND warns revenue could vary widely according to levels of taxation, tax evasion and response by the federal government, which still bans all marijuana possession, cultivation and use.

Proposition 19 on the Nov. 2 ballot would let those age 21 or older possess, grow or transport marijuana for personal use, and would let cities and counties decide whether to regulate and tax commercial production and sale, most likely creating a system of "wet" and "dry" counties as in states with similar alcohol laws.

It also would boost the criminal penalty for giving marijuana to a minor, prohibit consumption in public or while minors are present, and maintain existing laws against driving under the influence.

Also, a pending bill by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, would legalize marijuana for those 21 or older and task the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control with regulating cultivation and sale. Assembly Bill 2254 would create a $50-per-ounce excise tax with proceeds used to fund drug education, awareness, and rehabilitation programs under state Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs.

California's taxed, legal marijuana would still be cheaper and easier to get than untaxed, illegal marijuana in other states, so intrastate smuggling seems likely, the study notes.

"Legalizing marijuana in California could depress sinsemilla prices and increase consumption throughout the nation," the study notes. "Since the rest of the lower 48 states have about six times as many marijuana users as does California, taxes on exports could dramatically increase California's tax revenues."

Even under a scenario with high taxes of $50 per ounce and a moderate rate of tax evasion around 25 percent, researchers can't rule out consumption increases of 50 percent to 100 percent and possibly larger, the study said. If use increased by 100 percent, that would be close to the levels of the late 1970s.

The 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health said 7 percent of Californians age 12 or older reported having used marijuana within the previous 30 days, compared with 6 percent nationwide. That's compared with 1978, around the height of the nation's marijuana use, when the RAND study said about 13.2 percent of the population 12 and over reported past-month marijuana use. About 19.4 percent of high-school seniors reported past-month marijuana use at that time.

The RAND study also suggests that the cost of enforcing current marijuana laws is smaller than sometimes suggested, probably totaling less than $300 million per year. Actually, the Control & Tax Cannabis 2010 committee that is supporting Prop. 19 cited a study by the California chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws that estimated the savings at over $200 million.

It's unclear whether legalizing marijuana would increase or decrease drug treatment costs, the study says: More than half of the 32,000 admissions for treatment of marijuana abuse in California in 2009 resulted from criminal justice referrals, which would drop if the drug becomes legal, but increased use could lead to more people seeking treatment voluntarily.

"Our goal is not to tell people how to vote. We do not have a horse in this race," Kilmer told reporters Wednesday. "Our goal is to provide information to move the debate forward."

California's branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People last week endorsed Prop. 19. Branch President Alice Huffman called it a civil rights issue because prohibition disproportionately targets young men of color for prosecution, "the latest tool for imposing Jim Crow justice on poor African-Americans."

Bishop Ron Allen of the International Faith-Based Coalition held a news conference Wednesday in Sacramento to oppose the NAACP's position and call for Huffman's resignation.

Link

Third String DB J Love arrested

07 Jul 2010 01:09:41 EST

A “breakdown” in communication apparently resulted in the arrest of a University of Georgia football player Monday night, UGA police Chief Jimmy Williamson said early this afternoon.

Cornerback Jordan Lawrence Love, 19, was charged with misdemeanor obstruction, but he did not willingly try to deceive the officer, who was investigating a complaint that men were shooting off fireworks in the courtyard of McWhorter Hall, Williamson said.

“Mr. Love gave his first and last name, but he said he didn’t know his middle name, then said he kind of knew it, but didn’t know how to spell it,” Williamson said.

“After I spoke with family members today I could see the officer’s point of view, where he thought Mr. Love was evasive and uncooperative, but (Love’s) mother explained that he does not go by his middle name for personal reasons,” Williamson said.

Once an officer arrests someone, police cannot drop the charges, but the arresting officer will present the new information to an Athens-Clarke County Magistrate Court judge, possibly later today, Williamson said.

“I think now that the circumstances are more clear, we have the responsibility to bring that to the judge’s attention and let him determine if there is probable cause” for an arrest, the police chief said.

Love should not have been arrested, Williamson said, but the officer probably made the decision to lock up the third-string redshirt freshman based on previous experience with deceptive and uncooperative offenders.

“After multiple unsuccessful attempts to obtain Love’s date of birth and the spelling of his middle name, Love was placed under arrest at (10:07 p.m.) for misdemeanor obstruction,” the officer wrote in the arrest report.

He was booked into the Clarke County Jail at 11:35 p.m. and released on a $5,000 bond at 1:03 a.m. today.

“I’m not saying the officer did anything wrong, but looking back, as police chief, I think there are some things we could have done a little better,” Williamson said.

Williamson plans to use Love’s arrest as a “learning opportunity” when training officers how to interact with the public, he said.

Link

Evans resigns following DUI

05 Jul 2010 12:00:27 EST

ATHENS, Ga. – Damon Evans has resigned as Georgia's athletic director less than a week after he was arrested on a DUI charge.

School president Michael Adams made the announcement Monday following a conference call with the executive committee of the athletic association's board of directors.

Adams says he'll have no further comment until Tuesday.

Evans was arrested late Wednesday in Atlanta. He was charged with DUI and failure to maintain a lane. Also arrested with him was Courtney Fuhrmann, who was charged with disorderly conduct.

Evans became the Southeastern Conference's first black athletic director in 2004.

There was no immediate word on a replacement.

Link

Wal-Mart employee fired for smoking pot and sues

04 Jul 2010 01:19:16 EST

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A Michigan man has sued Wal-Mart Stores Inc for firing him after he tested positive for medical marijuana he was using legally to treat pain from an inoperable brain tumor and sinus cancer.

Joseph Casias, 30, said he was fired late last year after five years of employment at a Wal-Mart store in his hometown of Battle Creek.

According to a complaint filed Tuesday with the Calhoun County District Court, Casias began using marijuana on his oncologist's recommendation after Michigan voters had approved medical marijuana use in 2008.

But the married father of two tested positive in a drug test given after he had twisted his knee at work, under a Wal-Mart policy requiring tests for all employees injured on the job, the complaint said.

"Joseph is an example of a patient for whom marijuana has had a life-changing positive effect," the complaint said.

Wal-Mart, "because it does not approve of the lawful medical treatment that relieves his pain, made him pay a stiff and unfair price," it added.

Greg Rossiter, a Wal-Mart spokesman, said the world's largest retailer was "sympathetic to Mr. Casias' condition," but defended the actions taken.

"Like other companies, we have to consider the overall safety of our customers and our associates, including Mr. Casias, when making a difficult decision like this," he said. "In this case, the doctor-prescribed treatment was not the relevant issue."

Wal-Mart is based in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Hired as a grocery stocker in 2004, Casias rose to become inventory control manager, and was named the Battle Creek store's associate of the year in 2008, the complaint said.

Fourteen U.S. states and the District of Columbia protect patients who use marijuana on doctors' recommendations, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, which helped Casias bring his case.

Still, within the last three years, state courts in California, Montana, Oregon and Washington have said employers need not accommodate users of medical marijuana, whose use remains illegal under federal law, court records show.

Casias is seeking an order that he be rehired, compensatory and punitive damages and other remedies.

The case is Casias v. Wal-Mart Stores Inc et al, Circuit Court of Calhoun County, Michigan.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel; editing by Andre Grenon, Bernard Orr)

Link

UGA Athletic Director Evans arrested for DUI

01 Jul 2010 15:12:36 EST

University of Georgia athletics director Damon Evans was arrested on charges of driving under the influence late Wednesday night in Atlanta, according to Georgia State Police.

According to Georgia State Patrol spokesman Gordy Wright, Evans, 40, was pulled at the intersection of Roswell Road and over by a Georgia state trooper just before midnight on Wednesday in a 2009 BMW after the officer viewed Evans driving erratically.

The officer said he smelled alcohol and administered a field sobriety test, after which Evans was taken into custody at the Atlanta city jail on charges of driving under the influence and failure to maintain lane.

“Once (the officer) got Evans stopped, during the course of that conversation the officer detected an odor of alcohol,” Wright said. “He administered a field sobriety test and determined that Evans was less safe to be operating a vehicle.”

Evans reportedly refused a breath test at the jail.

Another passenger was in Evans’ vehicle at the time of the arrest and, according to Wright, was also arrested. Further details were not yet available, Wright said. Because the arresting officer was part of a DUI task force that deals in a large volume of arrests, no police report was immediately available. Evans was released Thursday morning.

Evans became athletics director at Georgia in 2004 and recently signed a new five-year contract that went into effect this week, raising his salary by $110,000 to $550,000 annually.

Evans has commented several times about the numerous alcohol-related arrests that have plagued the Bulldogs’ football program during recent years. During home football games at Sanford Stadium, Evans appears in a public safety video warning fans not to drink and drive.

As of Thursday afternoon, neither the school nor Evans had commented on the arrest, but a statement by the university is expected shortly.

Read more: Link

Homer Simpson rises from the -- potato fields?

25 Jun 2010 12:31:23 EST

They say you haven't made it big until you're on The Simpsons. Yet it seems it's not just Hollywood starlets who are gagging to be turned yellow for a Simpsons episode.

A woman in China reckons she's found a real Homer Simpson lookalike - the catch being it's actually a vegetable.

The disfigured spud-like plant has garnered a fanbase thanks to it's bulging eyes and potato-shaped head - which, we must agree, does make it look like Homer's long-lost brother or something.

However the root - which comes from the fo-ti plant - is unlikely to join the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Russell Brand by getting a guest spot on the show.

Instead it will be used to heal, as it is known to give patients vitality.

Ming Huang, who discovered the Homer spud in southern China, told the Austrian Times: "This root often emerges from the ground in the shape of a man.

"But this is the first time we've seen one quite like this who had a proper face and features."

Link

NCAA 11 - Manage your dynasties online

22 Jun 2010 12:08:44 EST

With "NCAA Football 09," EA Sports introduced football fans to their version of an online dynasty, as gamers were able to play in a conference with up to 12 players. But all the school management had to be done through the console. This year, the team behind "NCAA Football 11" is finally taking the feature full-force to the Web, enabling gamers to log on to their dynasty anywhere they have access to the Internet, whether it's on a computer, an iPhone or even an iPad.

That's right. Now, if you have an extra 20 minutes to kill at work (or if you just don't feel like working), you can check out your team online, schedule a game, try to recruit that strong-armed quarterback for next season and even write up a news story about how you destroyed Florida the night before and post the story to Facebook.

Talk about a productivity killer. "NCAA Football 11" is set to cost corporate America millions of dollars in lost time just so Dan from Palo Alto can try to convince some virtual running back that Stanford is the best place for him to high-step down the field next season.

But that's just the start of what EA has planned.

Video highlights of a player's entire career? Team highlights that extend to 60 seasons? That's just the beginning.

I recently had the chance to sit down with "NCAA Football 11" producers Ben Haumiller and Russ Kiniry to get the inside scoop on the game's new online dynasty features.

Read More

Questions for 2010

16 Jun 2010 10:02:42 EST

David Hale (the official UGA blogger) posed some questions to his readers this morning and I thought it would be worthy of a blog entry here, seeing as I haven't posted in a while.

1.) How much should Aaron Murray throw the football?

I think Aaron should be given the chance to throw the ball a little more each game. Start him out against ULL throwing some easy screens and dump passes to get his completions confidence up. By the time we reach the UT game, he should be comfortable enough in the pocket to throw 10-15 times a game with a touchdown or two. Still relying heavily on the running backs, I'd like to see more of a 65-35 split between the play calling, with running being the 65. I don't want Aaron to have to throw more than 20 times a game like Cox had to do so many times; the youngster shouldn't be required to win a game single-handedly, at least not yet.

2.) Who should get the carries out of the backfield?

Ealey is more explosive as a runner. Caleb is more experienced and seems to be a little more dependable. Lets not forget Caleb played through a broken jaw last season and was still one of the top backs in the conference. It's impossible to keep them both off the field, so a 50-50 split will ultimately be necessary early in the season until one of the two establishes himself as the unchallenged starter.

3.) How do you handle the tight ends?

You've got to keep Orson on the field. I think his freshman highlights are enough to tell you why thats important. I don't think though, that there should be two pass catching TE's on the field at the same time. Put our best blocking TE in there with Orson, and let's see what kind of magic can happen. If that doesn't work, we can swap around the personnel until we get the right mix. We do have plenty of talented TE's; enough to split the position down into two sub positions.

4.) What happens if Trinton Sturdivant is healthy?

If he's ready and healthy enough to play, I say let him push for the weakest spot on the line. Otherwise our line is already well established and any more tweaking could be fatal for Ealey and CK4.

5.) What do you do with Richard Samuel?

I think because of the position change a redshirt is necessary. We need to save him so that he can come out next year ready to possibly start at his position. As right now, it doesn't look like he's going to make it to the field.

6.) Where does Darryl Gamble play?

Both. He needs to start where he's most productive obviously, but if he has the ability to fill depth in other positions, let him do so as he thinks he can handle it.

7.) Branden Smith or Vance Cuff?

Smith is to valuable regardless of where hes playing. I think Cuff won't have a chance anywhere else, so I would give him a shot at starting for now. Smith can be used on Special Teams and Offense, and utilizing him too much could force an injury or extreme fatigue.

8.) How much action does Smith see?

I touched on this question with my answer to the last question. I think he still deserves to get some snaps on offense. You can look up his youtube highlights from last year running that reverse play with Carlton Thomas and there's just no denying his speed, vision, and instinct.

9.) Which freshmen should play?

I don't want another Knowshon to spend 2 years on the field for us. I also don't want any one transferring because of a redshirt. I think at receiver, we simply can't afford the redshirts. All of the incoming freshman receivers need to be ready to possibly catch a pass from Murray come September. As for other positions, depending on the depth, if were stacked, I say redshirt them. I'd probably leave the redshirts off the linemen as we will need them to get a little playing time this year to be ready to step in following the departure of multiple seniors from this years OL.

10.) What happens if Georgia loses to Florida?

The fans are disappointed, again. That's really all. You can't base a coaches career on what he's done against one team. At least he has beaten the Gators once or twice, so we know it can be done. And with Saint Tebow out of the equation, our chances are better than ever. I don't believe winning or losing this game will have too much affect on Richt's coaching tenure with UGA.

Dooley Junior's got work to do

30 May 2010 16:02:47 EST

From Get the Picture:
I’m not sure it’s sunk in yet how far down talent-wise Tennessee has found itself, but this article paints a pretty grim picture for the next two seasons.

First, UT’s senior class has some longtime contributors, but few standout players. The Vols have 13 seniors who have started a game, led by two potential All-SEC players: tight end Luke Stocker and defensive end Chris Walker – if he’s healthy.

UT’s seniors boast competent receivers (Gerald Jones and Denarius Moore), solid linebackers (Nick Reveiz and LaMarcus Thompson) and starting defensive ends (Walker, Ben Martin and Gerald Williams).

But after the seniors, the roster gets scary.

UT only has one junior who has started a game at his current position: cornerback Art Evans.

There are some brutal quotes from unnamed SEC assistant coaches that follow.

Derek Dooley says he won’t dip into the JUCO ranks too deeply to fill holes, but to me that looks like it’ll be a hard temptation to avoid on his part.

Cleopatra's lost palace found - underwater?

26 May 2010 12:41:23 EST

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt – Plunging into the waters off Alexandria Tuesday, divers explored the submerged ruins of a palace and temple complex from which Cleopatra ruled, swimming over heaps of limestone blocks hammered into the sea by earthquakes and tsunamis more than 1,600 years ago.

The international team is painstakingly excavating one of the richest underwater archaeological sites in the world and retrieving stunning artifacts from the last dynasty to rule over ancient Egypt before the Roman Empire annexed it in 30 B.C.

Using advanced technology, the team is surveying ancient Alexandria's Royal Quarters, encased deep below the harbor sediment, and confirming the accuracy of descriptions of the city left by Greek geographers and historians more than 2,000 years ago.

Since the early 1990s, the topographical surveys have allowed the team, led by French underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio, to conquer the harbor's extremely poor visibility and excavate below the seabed. They are discovering everything from coins and everyday objects to colossal granite statues of Egypt's rulers and sunken temples dedicated to their gods.

"It's a unique site in the world," said Goddio, who has spent two decades searching for shipwrecks and lost cities below the seas.

The finds from along the Egyptian coast will go on display at Philadelphia's Franklin Institute from June 5 to Jan. 2 in an exhibition titled "Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt." The exhibition will tour several other North American cities.

Many archaeological sites have been destroyed by man, with statues cut or smashed to pieces. Alexandria's Royal Quarters — ports, a cape and islands full of temples, palaces and military outposts — simply slid into the sea after cataclysmic earthquakes in the fourth and eighth centuries. Goddio's team found it in 1996. Many of its treasures are completely intact, wrapped in sediment protecting them from the saltwater.

"It's as it was when it sank," said Ashraf Abdel-Raouf of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, who is part of the team.

Tuesday's dive explored the sprawling palace and temple complex where Cleopatra, the last of Egypt's Greek-speaking Ptolemaic rulers, seduced the Roman general Mark Antony before they committed suicide upon their defeat by Octavian, the future Roman Emperor Augustus.

Dives have taken Goddio and his team to some of the key scenes in the dramatic lives of the couple, including the Timonium, commissioned by Antony after his defeat as a place where he could retreat from the world, though he killed himself before it was completed.

They also found a colossal stone head believed to be of Caesarion, son of Cleopatra and previous lover Julius Caesar, and two sphinxes, one of them probably representing Cleopatra's father, Ptolemy XII.

Divers photographed a section of the seabed cleared of sediment with a powerful suction device. Their flashlights glowing in the green murk, the divers photographed ruins from a temple to Isis near Cleopatra's palace on the submerged island of Antirhodos.

Among the massive limestone blocks toppled in the fourth century was a huge quartzite block with an engraving of a pharaoh. An inscription indicates it depicts Seti I, father of Ramses II.

"We've found many pharaonic objects that were brought from Heliopolis, in what is now Cairo," said Abdel-Raouf. "So, the Ptolemaic rulers re-used pharonic objects to construct their buildings."

On the boat's deck, researchers displayed some small recent finds: imported ceramics and local copies, a statuette of a pharaoh, bronze ritual vessels, amulets barely bigger than a fingernail, and small lead vessels tossed by the poor into the water or buried in the ground as devotions to gods.

Alexandria's Eastern Harbor was abandoned after another earthquake, in the eighth century, and was left untouched as an open bay — apart from two 20th century breakwaters — while modern port construction went ahead in the Western Harbor. That has left the ancient Portus Magnus undisturbed below.

"We have this as an open field for archaeology," Goddio said.

Link

Wioli the Infectious 2-man boss farm

24 May 2010 17:42:37 EST

Inmates use toilet sneak attack to flood court

23 May 2010 16:55:50 EST

SAN FRANCISCO -- As much as 2 inches of raw sewage flooded five courtrooms at the San Francisco Hall of Justice on Friday after jail inmates flushed a bedsheet and two jumpsuits down toilets, officials said.

Eileen Hirst, spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Department, said the courtroom where most felony defendants are arraigned was among those flooded on the second and third floors of the building at 850 Bryant St.

She said the mess was detected at 7 p.m. Thursday. Workers mopped up the sewage by midnight, but when court staffers came to work Friday morning, the flooding had returned.

Jason Hinson, the building manager for the city, said that when a plumber snaked out the jammed sewer line, he came up with the sheet and two orange jail jumpsuits.

Inmates "flush it repeatedly until it just sucks it down," Hinson said.

Michael Yuen, a court official, said judges in the flooded courtrooms were doubling up in other occupied courts and hearing cases during scheduled breaks.

He said the five courtrooms will be closed at least until Monday so workers can conduct biohazard tests on carpets.

"If we have to replace the carpets, that's what we are going to have to do," Yuen said.

Hirst said the bedsheet and jumpsuits apparently were flushed in an area shared by several prisoners in the seventh-floor jail.

"It hasn't happened in many years," Hirst said. She said the last major problem occurred in the mid-1990s and prompted the city to purchase grinders, known as "muffin monsters," that are installed on sewage pipes.

The city plans to expedite the installation of four more of the devices - at a cost of $100,000 apiece - in light of the incident. One of them will be placed on the line that was clogged, Hinson said.

Inmate-caused plumbing problems are not unique to the San Francisco jail. In 2007, a waste management agency billed San Mateo County $700,000 for damage to a pumping station caused by jail uniforms, sheets and other items being flushed down toilets at the Redwood City jail.

Jaxon Van Derbeken

Read more: Link

Free "Pope Condoms" - Get em while they last

22 May 2010 14:22:44 EST

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – A Dutch sex shop will be giving away 2,000 "Pope condoms" this weekend in a dig at the Roman Catholic Church. De Condoomfabriek (The Condom Factory) said it wanted to make a point about sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies and the Vatican's opposition to contraceptives.

The condom wrapper carries the image of a papal figure with an unmistakable general likeness to Pope Benedict, though the figure's face is removed. It bears the words "I SAID NO! We say YES!" framing the papal image.

The suggestion of a "pope condom" caused a diplomatic row last month when Britain's Foreign Office was forced to apologize for a memorandum by a civil servant that suggested Benedict launch a papal-brand condom on his pending visit to the UK.

(Reporting by Ben Berkowitz; Editing by Steve Addison)

Link

Aaron Murray: High School Star

22 May 2010 01:57:32 EST

He hasn't taken a snap in a game yet for the Georgia Bulldogs but Aaron Murray has the potential to be a true franchise star. He's been named the starter after his spring performance and in light of the other two recent happenings: Logan Gray wanting playing time at receiver and Zach Mettenberger being dismissed from the team.

All of the pieces fell into place and he will now be taking the first snap against ULL to open the 2010 season. Can he or can he not do a better job than 5 year senior and 2009 first year starter Joe Cox?

Mark Richt on the Hot Seat?

22 May 2010 00:07:15 EST

Apparently, there's some rumors created outside our great state of Georgia that our head coach is on the "hot seat". I of course am with 70%+ of the fan base when I say I overwhelmingly want Richt as our head coach. The guy has not had a loosing season as UGA's head coach since he arrived back in 2000. The 2010 season will be his 10th season and he's never won less than 8 games in a season. A bowl game every year. Let's not forget hes only lost like 4 out of conference games as well. 2 SEC East championships, a SEC championship, and a sugar bowl win.

The first whistle of the 2010 college football season hasn’t even been blown yet and we are already looking at several coaches whose futures could be in jeopardy. Today is part two of a five-part series on college football coaches on the Hot Seat. Part I looked at Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez. Now on to Part II: Mark Richt, Georgia

It seems almost every season, Richt’s name comes up as being on the hot seat. Funny considering since taking over the Georgia program in 2001, the Bulldogs have won 77 percent of their games — 90-27 — including going 50-22 in the Southeastern Conference over that same stretch of games.

He’s taken the Bulldogs to a bowl game every year, putting together a 7-2 record during that time.

So why does Richt face the preverbal firing squad every season?

Two words: National Championship. It’s been 30 years since the Bulldogs won their last title and Georgia fans are getting restless. Watching Florida, LSU, and Alabama win the past four BCS titles hasn’t probably helped either. Or the fact that Georgia has gone 2-6 against the Gators during Richt’s tenure.

But problems have dogged the Bulldogs program in recent years.

In the offseason, Richt decided to shake up his staff, firing defensive coordinator Willie Martinez and two other assistants. The Bulldogs went after several big-name coordinators eventually settling on Todd Grantham, an NFL coordinator with the Dallas Cowboys.

Then the program was hit with a string of arrests culminating with starting quarterback Zach Mettenberger’s arrest outside of a bar in Valdosta, Georgia. Richt kicked the redshirt freshman off the team leaving redshirt freshman Aaron Murray and junior Logan Gray to fill in on the depth chart. Gray then hinted he might transfer.

Whomever starts at quarterback for the Bulldogs will have a challenging schedule. Games against Arkansas, Florida, Auburn and the season finale against Georgia Tech could present Richt with an 8-4 season. Will Georgia fans put up with that?

Link

Must See: Tastes Like Rotten Smurfberries

17 May 2010 23:28:57 EST

Sorry, Canadians.

Revised Preseason Top 25

13 May 2010 13:15:38 EST

Mark Schlabach gives his revised version in what he describes accurately as his "way too early" preseason college football top 25. Here are some key teams that I follow that I spotted, in order. I also added the video if anyone wants to watch that, but its really just a vocal version of what you'll read in my highlights below.

No sign of Tennessee in there yet, but I'm sure when dooley suprises the critics with a few early wins over key out of conference opponents that will change. Watching the video I noticed its slightly different than the revised version in Mark's post. I believe his post is more up to date.

1. Alabama Crimson Tide
The defending BCS national champions have to replace seven players who were selected in the NFL draft, including linebacker Rolando McClain and cornerback Kareem Jackson, who were picked in the first round. But linebacker Donta Hightower, who is coming back from a surgically repaired knee, and defensive tackle Marcel Dareus will help Bama fill several holes on defense. The offense will again be built around reigning Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson, the best running back duo in the country. Quarterback Greg McElroy, who hasn't lost a game as a starter since the eighth grade, should be better in his second full season as the Tide's starter.

8. Florida Gators
Perhaps no team will undergo more of a makeover than the Gators, who have to replace nine players who were selected in the NFL draft, including record-setting quarterback Tim Tebow and cornerback Joe Haden. But coach Urban Meyer has assembled so much talent in Gainesville that it's impossible to believe the Gators will slip very far. Quarterback John Brantley gave Florida fans plenty of hope in the spring game, completing 15 of 19 passes for 201 yards with two touchdowns. If receivers Deonte Thompson, Carl Moore and Andre Debose can improve, the passing game might be more potent than it was with Tebow directing the show. Finding a No. 1 tailback -- and a runner who can pound defenses -- remains the No. 1 priority heading into the preseason.

14. Arkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks are facing sky-high expectations because of quarterback Ryan Mallett's right arm and coach Bobby Petrino's high-scoring offense. But if the Hogs are going to improve on last season's 8-5 finish, they have to get much better on defense. Arkansas ranked last in the SEC and 99th nationally against the pass and allowed 22 touchdown passes. Mallett missed the spring while recovering from a broken bone in his left foot, but he'll enter the season as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate. The Hogs play a relatively soft nonconference schedule (they play Texas A&M in Arlington, Texas), but they'll face SEC heavyweights Alabama, Ole Miss and LSU at home.

15. USC Trojans
Were the early signs of a crumbling dynasty the real reason Pete Carroll left USC for the Seattle Seahawks? We'll begin to find out in new coach Lane Kiffin's first season, as the Trojans try to rebound from a disappointing 9-4 finish in 2009. Quarterback Matt Barkley lost weight during the offseason, which he hopes will make him more mobile and confident throwing on the run. Ronald Johnson and Brice Butler are good enough to replace departed star receiver Damian Williams, but the offensive line has to play better. The entire secondary must be replaced, but USC might have one of the country's best defensive fronts. The Trojans will play nonconference road games at Hawaii and Minnesota and will play Pac-10 road games at Stanford, Oregon State and Arizona.

16. Florida State Seminoles
If the Seminoles are going to be better in Jimbo Fisher's first season as head coach, they'll have to improve on defense after allowing 30 points or more five times in 2009. Quarterback Christian Ponder, who underwent shoulder surgery in November, proved to be a quick healer this spring. He completed 16 of 34 passes for 266 yards with two touchdowns in the spring game. With Ponder coming back, the Seminoles might have the ACC's most explosive offense in 2010. Former Arizona defensive coordinator Mark Stoops takes over FSU's porous unit, and he'll rely on young players such as linebacker Jeff Luc and cornerback Greg Reid to get better. The Seminoles play an arduous schedule, including road games at Oklahoma and Miami and home games against Florida and BYU.

17. LSU Tigers
LSU coach Les Miles won a BCS national championship in 2007 and led the Tigers to 51 victories in five seasons. But after losing nine games the past two seasons combined, Miles might be feeling a little heat on the bayou. The Tigers went 9-4 a year ago but never seemed to get the most out of their talent. LSU fans can't be encouraged that quarterback Jordan Jefferson didn't seem to improve during spring practice -- so much so that Miles proclaimed that 2008 starter Jarrett Lee was pushing Jefferson for the starting job. One thing is clear: LSU needs to get Russell Shepard more involved on offense, which it plans to do now that he has moved from quarterback to receiver. There's too much talent at LSU for the Tigers to fall far behind Alabama and Florida, but they seem to be slipping in the SEC.

20. Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia's recipe for 2010: keep quarterback Aaron Murray healthy and play better defense. Georgia might go into the season without a proven backup quarterback if junior Logan Gray decides to transfer. Murray beat out Gray and freshman Zach Mettenberger for the starting job before Mettenberger was dismissed from the team after his arrest during spring break. Georgia figures to rely on its running game to take the pressure off Murray, and it needs to find a consistent receiver to complement A.J. Green. The defense will be more aggressive in new coordinator Todd Grantham's 3-4 scheme, but the Dawgs have to find more defensive linemen. Cornerback Vance Cuff was a pleasant surprise during spring practice, easing Grantham's concerns about the secondary. With the SEC's best punter and kicker coming back, Georgia could be a surprise depending on how quickly Murray gets comfortable at quarterback.

22. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Coach Paul Johnson has never had problems plugging players into his triple-option spread offense. He did it every season as Navy's coach, and he'll try to do it again this season at Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets lost receiver Demaryius Thomas and defensive end Derrick Morgan, a pair of NFL first-round picks, and star running back Jonathan Dwyer. But Johnson is confident his offense won't slip much with quarterback Josh Nesbitt coming back. The defense should get better under new defensive coordinator Al Groh, the former Virginia coach. Georgia Tech's schedule is more difficult than last season's -- the Yellow Jackets play road games at Kansas, Clemson, Virginia Tech and Georgia -- but it is capable of winning a second consecutive ACC title.

Logan Gray: Bulldog for Life

12 May 2010 21:02:56 EST

Logan Gray wants to play. But he wants to be a Georgia Bulldog even more.

While the possibility remains that junior quarterback will get an opportunity to do both, he announced Wednesday that despite reservations about his role on the team, he's staying in Athens for the remainder of his career.

"I have decided to stay at the University of Georgia because I truly do love being a Georgia Bulldog," Gray said in a statement released by the school. "I want to be a part of this team getting back to the SEC Championship game and winning it."

Gray met with head coach Mark Richt last month to discuss a possible transfer after he finished spring practice as the team's No. 2 quarterback for the second consecutive season. Gray was hoping for a bigger role on the team and had openly considered a position change to wide receiver as far back as November.

After their initial meeting, Richt said Gray would weigh his options and said that Georgia's coaches supported any decision Gray made, including changing positions.

"He’s trying to decide what he wants to do – whether he wants to stay here, and if he stays, what position he wants to play and all that kind of stuff," Richt said at the time. "If he wants to be at Georgia, I’ll work with him on what position he plays."

It appears that was among the deciding factors in Gray's decision to remain with the Bulldogs, and he said Wednesday he would be a part of Georgia's receiving corps in 2010 -- at least part-time.

"I'm also looking forward to getting some work at receiver and am going to work hard to make the best out of my opportunity at this position as well," Gray said. "I appreciate Coach (Mark) Richt's patience while I made this decision and his helpful advice. Now, I want to put all of this behind me and focus on getting to work on preparations for next season at UGA."

Gray remains the team's No. 2 quarterback for now, with freshman Hutson Mason set to arrive on campus next month. While Gray could remain in the hunt in what Richt calls an open competition at quarterback -- with redshirt freshman Aaron Murray leading the way -- he would also be a welcome addition on a depth chart at receiver that includes just seven scholarship players and only three with more than 20 career receptions.

"I'm extremely pleased that Logan has decided to remain a Bulldog," Richt said. "He's an outstanding player and a great person as well. We're fortunate to have him and he¹ll be an important part of our team over the next two years."

Read more: Link

NCAA Football 11: Real Assignment AI

12 May 2010 10:35:18 EST

NCAA Football 11: Offensive Styles

11 May 2010 12:44:01 EST

NCAA Football 11: Pregame Entrances

11 May 2010 10:09:50 EST

Mothers Day 2010

09 May 2010 11:13:08 EST

My beloved dog, Gizmo, 10 years and 5 months old... ran away this morning...

And no, I didn't forget to run by mom's and drop off a card and some chocolate for Mom's Day.

Top 10 Plays of 2009

06 May 2010 21:17:05 EST

Top 10 Georgia Bulldogs plays from the 2009 Football Season. Although I don't agree with the order they are put in, you can't help but get goosebumps from watching this; even though we had a "down" year.

Christian LeMay Highlights (1)

06 May 2010 14:37:45 EST

High-school highlights of UGA's committed top QB in the nation, Christian LeMay. Note: you'll notice he played for the Bulldogs in high school and their home uniforms look eerily similar to ours. This guy can fit the ball into some tight places and a few of those highlights show how hard he throws the ball; especially one of the later ones where he pump fakes then throws deep down the middle for the game winning touchdown. Let's not fail to mention the feet on that kid, too. Fast like a speed back or a corner.

Mettenberger: What Happened

05 May 2010 09:04:05 EST

Former University of Georgia quarterback Zach Mettenberger pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of misdemeanor sexual battery stemming from a March 7 incident in a bar in Remerton, Ga., near Valdosta.

Mettenberger entered the plea in Lowndes County Superior Court and was sentenced under the Georgia First Offender Act to 12 months probation and 80 hours of community service. He also was fined $2,000 and banished from Valdosta for a year.

Southern Judicial Circuit District Attorney J. David Miller said the sexual battery charges “were the result of Mettenberger grabbing the breasts and touching the buttocks” of a 20-year-old female Valdosta State University student in the bar.

Mettenberger, kicked off the Georgia team on April 18, originally was arrested outside the bar on five other misdemeanor charges. Miller said those charges — underage possession of alcohol, disorderly conduct, obstruction and two counts of possessing false identification -– were dismissed as part of the negotiated plea to the more serious charge that surfaced during the subsequent investigation.

Miller said the Remerton Police Department and the victim “were satisfied with this resolution.” As part of the sentence, Mettenberger is forbidden from having direct or indirect contact with the victim. He also is forbidden from being any place where alcoholic beverages are sold during the term of his probation.

Miller said the misdemeanor offense to which Mettenberger pleaded guilty will not require him to register as a sex offender.

Mettenberger, in a written statement released through his Valdosta attorney, said he “took full responsibility” for his actions.

“I first want to apologize to the young lady my actions most directly affected, and I hope that by me accepting responsibility for my actions that she can move on with her life,” Mettenberger said in the statement.

“I would also like to apologize to my family, friends, teammates, the coaching staff and the University of Georgia. Though it was very uncharacteristic of me to act the way I did, I still accept full responsibility for this event. I deeply regret my actions of that night and can assure that these actions will never happen again. I intend to do everything in my power to restore my image and rebuild the trust people had in me before.”

Mettenberger, 18, also expressed hope that he may get “a second chance” to play football at another college. “I hope to have another opportunity to demonstrate to everyone that I have learned a tremendously hard lesson and will make the most of any other opportunity,” he said.

Mettenberger’s attorney, Zachary R. Cowart, said his client would not comment beyond the statement. “He has accepted full responsibility for his actions and has suffered public humiliation and lost the ability to play football for the University of Georgia,” Cowart said in an e-mail.

Miller said that under the First Offender Act, Mettenberger’s record will be cleared if he successfully completes probation.

Mettenberger, a graduate of Oconee County High School, was kicked off the Georgia team before playing in a game for the Bulldogs. He was redshirted as a freshman last fall and was in a three-way competition for the starting quarterback job in spring practice, which concluded on April 10, eight days before Mettenberger was tossed from the team for what coach Mark Richt called a violation of team rules.

by Tim Tucker

Link

Nation's top QB LeMay reflects on picking Georgia

04 May 2010 23:27:11 EST

As a kid, Christian LeMay kept a secret when he lived in Gainesville, Fla.--he really liked the Georgia Bulldogs.

That doesn't mean he didn't like the hometown Florida Gators--the program his father was a chaplain for as recently as five years ago, but the Bulldogs were also one of his favorites.

LeMay lives in the Charlotte (N.C.) area now and plays for Butler (Matthews, N.C.).

"I actually liked Georgia a lot growing up; it was one of my dream schools to be offered by," LeMay told Sporting News over the weekend after announcing his intention to sign with Georgia in February. "I kind of kept that under wraps because I lived in Gainesville, but I liked watching David Greene and D.J. Shockley play quarterback there in the late 1990s and early 2000s."

LeMay, who stands 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, wanted to play in more of a pro-style offense, too. Georgia fit that mold. The Bulldogs beat out Texas A&M and Clemson for LeMay's final decision, while Notre Dame and Auburn were also in the top five. LSU, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and Miami had been in his top 10 before being trimmed a few weeks ago.

With so many SEC schools in his original top 10, it may have seemed he was locked in to playing in the conference.

Not so, he told Sporting News.

"It really didn't matter about the conference," LeMay said. "What mattered was how I fit in with the system and how I fit in with the team and players. I was very high on Georgia before, playing in the SEC was just an added bonus to it."

LeMay denied that the recent release of backup quarterback Zach Mettenberger from his scholarship and Georgia's thin depth chart at the position in general may have sealed to deal. He said that had nothing to do with his decision.

"I just had it in my heart that this is where I wanted to be; I just was excited to get it off my chest," LeMay said. "A lot of guys have texted me since they found out where I was going. I've told them they need to come play with me or they can choose to have a hard time stopping me."

One recruiting target of LeMay's is blue-chip WR Charone Peake out of Dorman, S.C. Georgia is listed in Peake's top three, along with nearby Clemson and Florida.

LeMay said he'll get to work immediately working on prospects like Peake, thus the reason he made the early decision.

By Brian McLaughlin
Link

UGA: Orange Bowl bound in 2011

04 May 2010 10:44:25 EST

Courtesy to Get the Picture for this info, I read that CollegeFootballNews.com has picked Georgia (yes, them down but not out Georgia Bulldogs) to play in the BCS Orange Bowl! In a way too early projection (and I fear, a curse), see it for yourselves:

Orange Bowl: January 3, 2011 in Miami, FL at 8:00 pm on ABC
ACC No. 1 vs. BCS at-large
Way Too Early Projection: Virginia Tech vs. Georgia

WHY? Georgia has the right schedule and the returning talent to slip through to win the East over a rebuilding Florida. The Orange would snap up the Dawgs getting the first pick of at-large teams (after the Rose). Virginia Tech will most likely survive the ACC wars to get to Miami for the third time in four years.

Link

GT "Fans": You embarrass yourselves

03 May 2010 11:24:15 EST

Found this video while reading around on various UGA blogs. The techies are really ... cute; to say the least. They beat us once in a ten year span (losing the most recent one, most notably when they were a "top 15" team in the country); and they come out with this video to celebrate. You wonder why everyone makes fun of you tech fans, including your own football players? Here's why:

Staffords Greatest Hits

28 Apr 2010 18:45:00 EST

Heres a short collection of Stafford taking some horrible hits in his college and NFL career. I was only able to find 2 so far but... they are still some nasty hits.

Read more to see the vids.

Stafford: Epic Rookie Performance (NFL)

27 Apr 2010 11:00:57 EST

Check out this video of an epic performance by Matthew Stafford, in his first year as an NFL quarterback with the Detroit Lions, fresh outta Athens. This video isn't a game style video, its actually from the coaches and players perspective; almost as if they have a camera right down there on the field that follows Matt around.

Matthew Stafford threw for 422 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie in an epic win vs the Cleveland Browns. Returning to the game after suffering an injury to his non-throwing shoulder to throw the game-winning touchdown. Pay attention, you'll see an old college teammate of Stafford's (Mohammed Massaquoi) catch a huge touchdown with the opposing offense. Ironic eh?

Joe Cox - Best SEC QB from '09?

26 Apr 2010 18:32:40 EST

It's definitely far fetched to say that Joe Cox was the best QB in the SEC from the 09 season. You can plainly see by his post-season stats and what he did in games that he was not a great QB. But the question is, was he the best in our conference? Did he even compete with the rest of them?

After a year of predominantly mediocre play by the quarterbacks of our conference, Joe actually comes out on top. Check it out, according to his rating at the end of the season, HE IS:

	Name	Team	Yr	G	Att	Comp	Pct.	Yards	Yds/Att	Int	TD	Rating	Att/G	Yards/G
1	Joe Cox	Georgia	SR	8	216	120	55.6	1806	8.4	11	17	141.57	27.0	225.8
2	Tim Tebow	Florida	SR	9	194	123	63.4	1552	8.0	5	8	139.06	21.6	172.4
3	Greg McElroy	Alabama	JR	9	234	140	59.8	1723	7.4	3	12	136.04	26.0	191.4
4	Ryan Mallett	Arkansas	SO	8	272	139	51.1	2189	8.0	5	16	134.43	34.0	273.6
5	Jordan Jefferson	LSU	SO	8	211	131	62.1	1464	6.9	4	9	130.65	26.4	183.0
6	Jonathan Crompton	Tennessee	SR	8	243	137	56.4	1686	6.9	6	14	128.73	30.4	210.8
7	Stephen Garcia	S Carolina	SO	8	305	167	54.8	2105	6.9	7	11	120.04	38.1	263.1
8	Chris Todd	Auburn	SR	8	196	109	55.6	1295	6.6	5	6	116.11	24.5	161.9
9	Jevan Snead	Miss	JR	8	227	119	52.4	1605	7.1	15	10	113.13	28.4	200.6
10	Tyson Lee	Miss St	SR	8	134	72	53.7	754	5.6	11	3	91.97	16.8	94.3

Note: To qualify, player must have played in 75% of his team's games and have a minimum of 15.0 pass attempts per game played. Also, the above stats are only vs conference opponents. Stats accumulated during non-conference games are not included.

News found: Link
Data found: Link

Legalizing pot may kill buzz in California enclave

22 Apr 2010 16:19:01 EST

ARCATA, California (Reuters) – Below the perpetual fog that shrouds the redwood groves, green hills and rocky coastline of remote Humboldt County thrives a lucrative but hush-hush industry -- marijuana.

Pot pays the bills in this Northern California enclave, home to hippies and good old boys alike who espouse the weed's curative and economic benefits. The expensive trucks, bustling restaurants, escalating rents and plentiful wads of cash all point to profitable pot cultivation in Humboldt.

Now, a state voter initiative on the November ballot that would make California the first U.S. state to legalize and tax this cash crop has locals jittery about losing their dominant market position.

"We've always had a cannabis tinge to our culture," said Kevin Hoover, editor of weekly newspaper The Arcata Eye. "What we have now is a very entrenched industry that's making a lot of money off the fact that it's illegal."

Starting in the 1960's, free-thinkers wanting to get away from it all moved to the area long dominated by the lumber and fishing industries. Marijuana cultivation supported these new residents and newly unemployed blue-collar workers who watched the demise of Humboldt's traditional manufacturing base.

Although the underground pot economy makes for poor statistics, Beth Wilson, an associate professor of economics at Humboldt State University, estimates the area's annual income from marijuana at about $500 million.

The "multiplier effect" of that money circulated to support local businesses -- garden centers do a brisk business and the town of Arcata's sushi restaurant is always packed -- could push that figure to $1 billion annually, she said.

"It's not negligible," said Wilson.

PURPLE KUSH PLEASE

Everyone knows someone who grows pot. In the north county, indoor growing that fetches prices of over $3,000 per pound is popular, while in the south, marijuana is planted outdoors.

The industry has also fueled an itinerant labor force of "trimmers" who make $20 per hour or more snipping the leaves from the more potent dried buds of the plant.

"This vote has become a conflict of interest," said Deniz Farnell, 31, an Arcata hotel worker, who, like the vast majority of locals, supports decriminalizing pot smoking.

"Do you vote for the good of the state or for the next-door neighbor who's a mom who's supplementing her income through trimming? When that law passes, she'll be on food stamps."

That is because legalizing marijuana could turn a cottage industry into Pot Inc. Locals fear big tobacco will swoop in and drive down prices, supplying millions of new, legal pot smokers with "Marlboro Green."

Rumors abound in Arcata that the tobacco giants have already snatched up land and copyrights to the most popular names of weed strains, whether Purple Kush, Big Bud, Headband, Trainwreck or L.A. Confidential.

But at least one big tobacco company, Reynolds American, says it has no plans to move in. "Everything else would be purely rumors and speculation," said spokesman David Howard.

"We better hope it doesn't become legal because this area is going to become a ghost town," one reader wrote to the North Coast Journal in a response to a recent article on how to stay afloat in the post-illegal pot era.

The Tax Cannabis campaign has gained traction in the cash-strapped state of California, historically at the forefront of contentious social issues. It led the nation in 1996 by approving the use of cannabis for medical purposes.

An April 2009 Field Poll showed 56 percent of state voters supported legalizing pot for social use and taxing the sales.

On a statewide level, that could bring in $1.4 billion per year, according to the office that regulates sales tax.

"Think of all the pot smokers out there," said a mid-30s mom who has grown for six years, plans to enter law school, and favors legalization. "They can bail California out of its deficit. Smoke more pot!"

Under the initiative, possession and cultivation of small amounts of pot for personal use would be legal for those 21 and over. The measure allows municipalities to determine how to tax and regulate the drug -- with monies going to local governments -- and does not affect medical marijuana laws.

Pot is illegal under U.S. law but the Obama administration halted raids on medical marijuana clinics last year. It is unclear how state legalization would be affected by federal law, and whether the U.S. government would interfere.

APPELLATION FOR HUMBOLDT BUD?

Those who favor legalization predict it could curtail the seamier side of the industry. The profusion of "grow houses," gutted to accommodate indoor greenhouses, have pushed up rental prices, while robberies of cash and plants are on the rise.

With no real organized opposition to the measure, local leaders in Humboldt say it's time to face up to the future and brainstorm creative ideas to offset any impending slump.

"Here we have an industry with whom our county's name has, quite frankly, become synonymous," said County Supervisor Mark Lovelace. "We've lived with the downside of that name association for the past thirty years. Maybe it's time to capture some of the upside."

Ideas include taking a tip from French champagne, branding the Humboldt name as an appellation and focusing on terroir and tasting rooms. Others say that's a pipe dream.

"We don't need to panic and create weed Disneyland," said one grower, who believes the risk to growers has been overblown and foresees a continuing black market even if the law passes.

The 32-year-old illegal grower, who declined to be identified, predicts connoisseurs will eschew the cheaper varieties in a legal market and pay a premium for Humboldt's best strains.

Pot growers could also harness their know-how for other horticultural pursuits, he said.

"It's easy money right now," said the self-described "average indoor grower" with $40,000 in income every two and a half months. "But these might be the future organic farmers of the area. That skill can be applied to more things than just marijuana."

(Editing by Mary Milliken and Doina Chiacu)

Official Post-Spring Depth Chart

22 Apr 2010 16:12:20 EST

Looks like Mark Richt and Bobo have decided on their current leader for the season starter at QB, Aaron Murray.

QB:
Aaron Murray
Logan Gray

RB:
Washaun Ealey/Caleb King*
Carlton Thomas
Dontavius Jackson

FB:
Shaun Chapas
Fred Munzenmaier*
Kevin Lanier

Flanker:
AJ Green
Rantavious Wooten
Israel Troupe*
Taylor Bradburry

Split End:
Tavarres King
Kris Durham
Marlon Brown

Tight End:
Orson Charles
Aron White
Bruce Figgins
Arthur Lynch

Center:
Ben Jones
Chris Burnette

Left Guard:
Cordy Glenn
Dallas Lee

Right Guard:
Chris Davis
Ben Harden

Left Tackle:
Clint Boling
Jonathan Owens

Right Tackle:
Josh Davis
Kolton Houston

Note: Tanner Strickland, Austin Long, A.J. Harmon and Trinton Sturdivant were not listed due to spring injuries.

Defensive End:
Abry Jones
Brandon Wood
Derrick Lott

Nose:
DeAngelo Tyson
Kwame Geathers

Defensive End:
Demarcus Dobbs
Kiante Tripp

Will Linebacker:
Justin Houston
Reuben Faloughi

Sam Linebacker:
Cornelius Washington
Darryl Gamble
Chase Vasser

Mike Linebacker:
Akeem Dent
Mike Gilliard
Akeem Hebron

Mo Linebacker:
Christian Robinson
Marcus Dowtin
Richard Samuel

Free Safety:
Bacarri Rambo
Jakar Hamilton

Strong Safety:
Nick Williams
Quintin Banks
Shawn Williams

Corner:
Brandon Boykin
Branden Smith
Chad Gloer

Corner:
Vance Cuff
Sanders Commings
Jordan Love

Note: Justin Anderson was not listed due to spring injury.

* Due to injuries, Caleb King, Israel Troupe and Fred Munzenmaier aren't listed on the official depth charts, but that's a rough approximation of where they'd be.

You can see video of Richt discussing the spring depth chart at GeorgiaDogs.com and I'll have highlights from the teleconference scheduled for 4 p.m. today.

Mettenberger dismissed from team

20 Apr 2010 00:24:45 EST

Fans were waiting for Georgia to release an official post-spring depth chart to find out who the front-runner for the vacant starting quarterback job would be. What they got was a stunning announcement from the school that redshirt freshman quarterback Zach Mettenberger had been dismissed from the program.

One month after being arrested in Remerton on charges of underage consumption of alcohol and possession of false identification, the school released a brief statement Sunday saying that Mettenberger had been dismissed from the program due to a violation of team rules.

Head coach Mark Richt had said throughout the spring that Mettenberger would face a minimum of a one-game suspension for the arrest in Remerton, but had failed to set a specific timetable on when the quarterback might return to action. Georgia sports information director Claude Felton confirmed Sunday that the dismissal did not stem from a new incident or arrest involving Mettenberger. Felton said Richt informed Mettenberger of the decision Sunday and was unlikely to make additional public comments on the quarterback's situation in the near future.

While the dismissal means Mettenberger’s career at Georgia will end without him ever taking the field in a game, it also means the competition for the starting quarterback job in the fall will have a much different look than was expected.

Mettenberger was seen as the most likely challenger for fellow redshirt freshman Aaron Murray in the race to land the starting job, and the battle only appeared to intensify after last week’s G-Day game that wrapped up spring practice.

Mettenberger completed 6-of-10 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns in the game, while Murray struggled, connecting on just 8-of-19 passes for 96 yards and an interception. Logan Gray, the third quarterback in the race, was 10-of- 17 for 132 yards and a touchdown.

With Mettenberger gone, Murray would appear to have the inside track on the starting job in the fall, with Gray still a legitimate candidate. Lassiter High School quarterback Hutson Mason is scheduled to arrive in Athens in June with the rest of the Bulldogs’ incoming freshmen to add another name to the depth chart.

A graduate of Oconee County High School in Watkinsville, Mettenberger redshirted last season but had made impressive strides in the past year and posted the best scrimmage stats of the spring. Following his arrest in early March, however, he was barred from any contact with media.

An official depth chart is expected to be released sometime this week, but Felton said it would not be in the next several days.

Here's the full release from the school...

University of Georgia redshirt freshman quarterback Zach Mettenberger has been dismissed from the Bulldog football team according to a Sunday announcement by UGA head coach Mark Richt.

According to Richt, the dismissal is a result of violation of team rules.

A graduate of Oconee County High School in Watkinsville, Ga., Mettenberger had been issued a minimum one-game suspension by Richt following an alcohol-related arrest in March.

Read more: Link

G-Day: 2010 Spring Scrimmage Highlights

11 Apr 2010 13:11:12 EST

Here are the highlights of Georgia's 2010 Spring Scrimmage game. I'll add some notes from David Hale later to enhance what I've collected from the day that I enjoyed.

My Thoughts
Logan looked like his usual consistent self from all the practice videos and scrimmage stats ive seen. he only had one bad day and that was behind the 2nd team offensive line.

Mettenberger is of course the star QB from this game, but i see that suspension holding him back, and giving murray and gray a chance to win the starter more.

I am loving what I'm seeing from this Durham guy who we didn't see much of last year. He's got some feet for a white guy.

FYI - Here are some of the play makers by number, position, and name:

#5 QB: Zach Mettenberger
#6 QB: Logan Gray
#11 QB: Aaron Murray
#8 WR: AJ Green
#12 WR: Tavarres King
#16 WR: Kris Durham
#17 WR: Rantavious Wooten
#25 WR: Rhett McGowan
#88 TE: Arthur Lynch
#7 TE: Orson Charles
#50 LB: Darryl Gamble
#42 LB: Justin Houston
#38 LB: Marcus Dowtin

Polish leader, 96 others dead in Russia jet crash

10 Apr 2010 11:09:31 EST

MOSCOW – Polish President Lech Kaczynski and some of the country's highest military and civilian leaders died on Saturday when the presidential plane crashed as it came in for a landing in thick fog in western Russia, killing 97, officials said.

Russian and Polish officials said there were no survivors on the 26-year-old Tupolev, which was taking the president, his wife and staff to events marking the 70th anniversary of the massacre in Katyn forest of thousands of Polish officers by Soviet secret police.

The crash devastated the upper echelons of Poland's political and military establishments. On board were the army chief of staff, national bank president, deputy foreign minister, army chaplain, head of the National Security Office, deputy parliament speaker, civil rights commissioner and at least two presidential aides and three lawmakers, the Polish foreign ministry said.

Although initial signs pointed to an accident with no indication of foul play, the death of a Polish president and much of the Polish state and defense establishment in Russia en route to commemorating one of the saddest events in Poland's long, complicated history with Russia, was laden with tragic irony.

Reflecting the grave sensibilities of the crash to relations between the two countries, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin personally assumed charge of the investigation. He was due in Smolensk later Saturday, where he would meet Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who was flying in from Warsaw.

"This is unbelievable — this tragic, cursed Katyn," Kaczynski's predecessor, Aleksander Kwasniewski, said on TVN24 television.

It is "a cursed place, horrible symbolism," he said. "It's hard to believe. You get chills down your spine."

Andrei Yevseyenkov, spokesman for the Smolensk regional government, said Russian dispatchers asked the crew to divert from the military airport in North Smolensk and land instead in Minsk, the capital of neighboring Belarus, or in Moscow because of the fog.

While traffic controllers generally have the final word in whether it is safe for a plane to land, they can and do leave it to the pilots' discretion.

Air Force Gen. Alexander Alyoshin confirmed that the pilot disregarded instructions to fly to another airfield.

"But they continued landing, and it ended, unfortunately, with a tragedy," the Interfax news agency quoted Alyoshin as saying. He added that the pilot makes the final decision about whether to land.

Russia's Emergency Minister Sergei Shoigu said there were 97 dead. His ministry said 88 of whom were part of the Polish state delegation. Poland's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Piotr Paszkowski, said there were 89 people on the passenger list but one person had not shown up for the roughly 1 1/2-hour flight from Warsaw's main airport.

Some of the people on board were relatives of those slain in the Katyn massacre. Also among the victims was Anna Walentynowicz, whose firing in August 1980 from the Lenin Shipyards in Gdansk sparked a workers' strike that spurred the eventual creation of the Solidarity freedom movement. She went on to be a prominent member.

"This is a great tragedy, a great shock to us all," former president and Solidarity leader Lech Walesa said.

The deaths were not expected to directly affect the functioning of Polish government: Poland's president is commander in chief of its armed forces but the position's domestic duties are chiefly symbolic. Most top government ministers were not aboard the plane.

According to the Aviation Safety Network, there have been 66 crashes involving Tu-154s in the past four decades, including six in the past five years. The Russian carrier Aeroflot recently withdrew its Tu-154 fleet from service, largely because the planes do not meet international noise restrictions and use too much fuel.

The aircraft was the workhorse of East Bloc civil aviation in the 1970s and 1980s, and many of the crashes have been attributed to the chaos that ensued after the breakup of the Soviet Unio

Poland has long discussed replacing the planes that carry the country's leaders but said they lacked the funds.

The presidential plane was fully overhauled in December, the general director of the Aviakor aviation maintenance plant in Samara, Russia told Rossiya-24. The plant repaired the plane's three engines, retrofitted electronic and navigation equipment and updated the interior, Alexei Gusev said. He said there could be no doubts that the plane was flightworthy.

The plane tilted to the left before crashing, eyewitness Slawomir Sliwinski told state news channel Rossiya-24. He said there were two loud explosions when the aircraft hit the ground.

Rossiya-24 showed footage from the crash site, with pieces of the plane scattered widely amid leafless trees and small fires burning in woods shrouded with fog. A tail fin with the red and white national colors of Poland stuck up from the debris.

Polish-Russian relations had been improving of late after being poisoned for decades over the Katyn massacre of some 22,000 Polish officers.

Russia never has formally apologized for the murders but Putin's decision to attend a memorial ceremony earlier this week in the forest near Katyn was seen as a gesture of goodwill toward reconciliation. Kaczynski wasn't invited to that event. Putin, as prime minister, had invited his Polish counterpart, Tusk.

Putin and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev both called Tusk to express their condolences and they promised to work closely with Poland in investigating the crash. Tusk said they had been the first to offer condolences.

"On this difficult day the people of Russia stand with the Polish people," Medvedev said, according to the Kremlin press service.

Putin told Tusk that he would keep him fully briefed on the investigation, his spokesman said.

Rossiya-24 showed hundreds of people around the Katyn monument, many holding Polish flags, some weeping.

Poland's parliament speaker, the acting president, declared a week of national mourning. Tusk called for two minutes of silence at noon (1000GMT) Sunday.

"The contemporary world has not seen such a tragedy," he said.

In Warsaw, Tusk also called an extraordinary meeting of his Cabinet and the national flag was lowered to half-staff at the presidential palace, where several thousand people gathered to lay flowers and light candles. Black ribbons appeared in some windows in the capital.

Kaczynski, 60, was the twin brother of Poland's opposition leader, former Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski. Kaczynski's wife, Maria, was an economist. They had a daughter, Marta, and two granddaughters.

Lech Kaczynski became president in December 2005 after defeating Tusk in that year's presidential vote.

The nationalist conservative had said he would seek a second term in presidential elections this fall. He was expected to face an uphill struggle against Parliament speaker Bronislaw Komorowski, the candidate of Tusk's governing Civic Platform party.

The constitution says the parliament speaker announce early elections within 14 days of the president's death. The vote must be held within another 60 days.

Poland, a nation of 38 million people, is by far the largest of the 10 formerly communist countries that have joined the European Union in recent years.

Last year, Poland was the only EU nation to avoid recession and posted economic growth of 1.7 percent.

It has become a firm U.S. ally in the region since the fall of communism — a stance that crosses party lines.

The country sent troops to the U.S.-led war in Iraq and recently boosted its contingent in Afghanistan to some 2,600 soldiers.

U.S. Patriot missiles are expected to be deployed in Poland this year. That was a Polish condition for a 2008 deal — backed by both Kaczynski and Tusk — to host long-range missile defense interceptors.

The deal, which was struck by the Bush administration, angered Russia and was later reconfigured under President Barack Obama's administration.

Under the Obama plan, Poland would host a different type of missile defense interceptors as part of a more mobile system and at a later date, probably not until 2018.

Kaczynski is the first serving Polish leader to die since exiled World War II-era leader Gen. Wladyslaw Sikorski in a plane crash off Gibraltar in 1943.

In the village of Gorzno, in northern Poland, the streets were largely empty as people stayed home to watch television.

"It is very symbolic that they were flying to pay homage to so many murdered Poles," said resident Waleria Gess, 73.

"I worry because so many clever and decent people were killed," said high school student Pawel Kwas, 17. "I am afraid we may have problems in the future to find equally talented politicians."

By JIM HEINTZ, Associated Press Writer Jim Heintz, Associated Press Writer
Link

Screech -- Soon-to-Be Homeless Porn Star

08 Apr 2010 14:35:32 EST

"Saved by the Bell" actor Dustin Diamond may have to do another XXX flick, because he's about to lose his home.

Wells Fargo Bank just filed legal papers, claiming Screech is more than $290,000 behind on his mortgage.

The bank wants to foreclose on the property, located in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin.

If this sounds familiar ... Diamond avoided foreclosure back in 2006 by selling "Save My House" t-shirts for $15 a pop.

Read more: Link

Chocolate Salty Balls (live)

04 Apr 2010 09:46:42 EST

Tennessee's 2010 Schedule

28 Mar 2010 22:55:24 EST

09/04/10 vs. Tennessee-Martin Knoxville, Tenn. TBA

09/11/10 vs. Oregon Knoxville, Tenn. TBA

09/18/10 vs. Florida * Knoxville, Tenn. TBA

09/25/10 vs. UAB Knoxville, Tenn. TBA

10/02/10 at LSU * Baton Rouge, La. TBA

10/09/10 at Georgia * Athens, Ga. TBA

10/23/10 vs. Alabama * Knoxville, Tenn. TBA

10/30/10 at South Carolina * Columbia, S.C. TBA

11/06/10 at Memphis Memphis, Tenn. TBA

11/13/10 vs. Mississippi * Knoxville, Tenn. TBA

11/20/10 at Vanderbilt * Nashville, Tenn. TBA

11/27/10 vs. Kentucky * Knoxville, Tenn. TBA

Scrimmage 1

27 Mar 2010 14:53:08 EST

Here's the stats from Georgia's Saturday morning scrimmage. As always, these are unofficial...

Rushing:

Caleb King - 6 carries, 79 yards, long of 55
Washaun Ealey - 9 carries, 64 yards, long of 23
Carlton Thomas - 8 carries, 25 yards, long of 12

Passing:

Aaron Murray - 10-15 – 125 yards, 1 TD, 40 long, INT
Logan Gray - 6-14, INT 37, long of 12, 3 sacks
Zach Mettenberger - 7-10, 157 yards, TD, long of 45, 2 sacks

Receiving:

Rantavious Wooten - 6 catches, 146, TD
A.J. Green - 1 catch, 40 yards, TD
Shaun Chapas – 2 catches, 22 yards
Orson Charles - 1 catch, 15 yards
Charles White - 1 catch, 12 yards

Defense:

Baccari Rambo - 5 tackles, 1 TFL, INT
Akeem Dent – 6 tackles, 1 TFL
Darryl Gamble – 3 tackles, 1 sack
Jakar Hamilton – 3 tackles, 1 pass deflection
Shawn Williams - 1 tackle, INT for a TD
Derrick Lott - 3 tackles, 2 TFL

Read more: @ Dawg Extra

By: Fletcher Page

T Rock - Run Dis Town (freestyle)

26 Mar 2010 23:54:05 EST

We are the champions and we aint borrow nothin
aint no, flashy or fancy shit for niggas start bustin
this is, battle when in battle, but G's regard nothin
i decapitate a nigga brutha rip apart cousins
see me, shinin wit diamons on tha finger livin lavishly

fuck, all my enemies its fittin to be a tradgedy
step, in the proximity of rydas we sporadically bust with the matic and leave ya body flooded with cavities
i, could give a damn about the rich who livin lavishly
when, my niggaz stuck without a pot to piss its sad to see but,

if you don't work you don't eat,
so im actively producin rap cd's you commercials niggas aint matchin me yet
alotta niggas scared to even do a track wit me but,
i don't be trippin thats how rap niggas and faggots be,
you, smile in my face behind my back you wanna badger me
fuck the industry Area 51 is the family;
i'm bout to get the glock and commit a fatality
so, sick of the hatin you aint man enough to battle me
so, fuck if ya like a G ignite a fuckin salary
my niggas turn a robbery dream into reality ho
this is for the rydas who went out thinkin of making it
if, niggas deny me while i need believe im takin
it aint, no mo confusion i refuse to be all fake and shit
i make em all respect me regardless if niggas hate the clique

T Rock - Maybach Muzick (freestyle)

26 Mar 2010 12:27:57 EST

i keep dope white as eddie arcadian
these are wolf teeth that'll rip apart damien
i gotta bitch who half italian and armanian
papa get them keys directly from them ukranians

he dont like niggas, and i dont like biggots
but i get bread with em cuz we both like figgas
i got the streets by the balls in my vice grippas
flick a finga to tha paparazzi for a nice picture

this aint for the radio
fuck em tell em pay me tho
im in the room with two bad bitches gettin fellatio
im every grooms nightmare, every brides fantasy
i finger fuck the world til the day Jehovah banish me

blue and grey Chevy sittin tall on the phantom feet
aint no question or debate on who run these Atlanta streets
damn a beast, i dont think you little crittas ready
mo like the getti for that fetti in the serenghetti

and i aint gota be a star to keep the fans glarin
i see through the gimmicks you pussy niggas transparent
and its apparent sell ya soul and you lose ya body
half of these rappas wouldnt be shit with out illuminati
half of these rappas bitches everything the do is sloppy
and if they cant produce a hit then all they do is copy
instead of flexin ima let ya know the truth about me

southern lyricest what would this game really do without me
my clique of niggas ride or die we manuever like nazis
precise wit every strike it aint nothin foolish about me
just cuz im cool dont think it aint nothin ruthless about me

erase me as revenge as soon as you pop me
kamikaze you and ya pussy ass kimosabes
im goin postal on the vocal plus the beat is loco
i put the game in a choke hold, fo sho tho

Bulldogs 2010 Predictions

25 Mar 2010 14:14:35 EST

These are my personal predictions for how I think next season will play out for a "down but not out" Georgia Bulldog football team.

09/04/10 Time TBA
Louisiana W

My reasoning behind this one is obvious. We're obviously a superior foe to the "Rajun Cajuns". The run game should explode; King and Ealey both top 100 yards each, with Branden Smith seeing a couple long runs himself. Expect Boykin to even possibly return a kick for a touchdown or 50+ yards.

09/11/10 Time TBA
at South Carolina W

History dictates this will be a close game due to the inner division rivalry. I still feel in favor of the Bulldogs because of Richt's record against Spurrier at South Carolina.

09/18/10 Time TBA
Arkansas W

Jamie is an Arkansas fan. It makes me hate Arkansas that much more. Looking at last years results, expect Ryan Mallet from Arkansas to throw around 4 touchdowns and put up a couple of quarterback runs to keep this game high scoring and close. Still in favor of the Bulldogs, not only because of Richt's record against Arkansas but because we were able to put up over 50 points on their defense last year with a less experienced offensive unit. Expect AJ Green and the special teams to be a big factor in this one.

09/25/10 Time TBA
at Mississippi State W

Mississippi State upset their in-state and superior rival Ole Miss last season. Dan Mullen has taken that program from a non-contending bottom dweller in the SEC west to a possible contender in years to come. Miss State will prove defensively they are more of a challenge this year than our experience in years past. However, I am still in favor of the Bulldogs by at least 10-14 points.

10/02/10 Time TBA
at Colorado W

Last time we played Colorado, Stafford was out of the game and we were on the losing end of things. Joe Cox gets one of his most famous highlights here, leading the Georgia offense to a victory in one of his first ever meaningful snaps with the Bulldogs, prior to his starting season as a Senior. I picked a win here based on Richt's out of conference record, which is remarkable. Bobo was able to draw up an offensive attack to beat the Buffalos in the last minutes of the game. Expect the 1-2 punch of King and Ealey to run all over this lesser conference defense and AJ Green to add some highlights.

10/09/10 Time TBA
Tennessee W

Last year we were embarrassed by a rebuilding Volunteer program under Lane "Lame" Kiffin. Martinez apparently 100% believed they would run on their first play out of the gates, running the ball most of the game against a stout Georgia defense against the run. He and most of the talking heads on TV were wrong. Kiffin obviously knew that Martinez believed it, since he called the perfect thing to counter it: Play-action Rollout. Johnathon Crompton came alive during this game with these play-action rollout plays. It seemed like everytime Martinez called a run defense, it was play-action from Kiffin. The loss of this game pissed me off pretty bad, it was one we should not have lost, but we lost by a big margin. Many things went terribly wrong on the coaching side of the ball for the Bulldogs if you ask my opinion. But expect this year, against new Volunteer coach Derek Dooley, son of previous Bulldogs coach Vince Dooley, whom has a career losing record with a team from a much much lesser conference; to get pounded by a revitalized and experienced Georgia offense. I predict the new Grantham 3-4 defense has settled in nicely by this point in the season and makes a name for itself. We keep the Volunteers from scoring more than 20 points, and return last years favor by hitting the 40+ mark. Inner division rivalries are sweet. Oh, I can already hear ol' Vince now: "Boy, you picked not only the wrong conference, but the wrong division. BULLDOGS."

10/16/10 Time TBA
Vanderbilt W

Vanderbilt is obviously a bottom dweller in the SEC eastern division. Although an inner division rivalry, and Richt has at least one Vanderbilt loss on his career, Vanderbilt is not currently a strong contender in an ever increasingly competitive SEC east with Florida (previously) leading the pack. We dominate the Commodores again this year with a 200+ yard rushing attack and Brandon Boykin embarasses another kick coverage team.

10/23/10 Time TBA
at Kentucky W

We lost this game last year, our last home game of the season. Pathetic. Kentucky is now apparently a mid-range contender for the SEC east, with teams like South Carolina. In these matchups the bulldogs are usually favored. Last year we easily could have won, had Branden Smith not fumbled that return early in the 3rd quarter. I believe the score at the half was 20-6 bulldogs, and we got the ball after it. So the game was obviously going well in our favor, but then turnovers definately cost us that game. Joe Cox over compensated what he had to do and everything just went wrong. I don't blame the coaches here, but the players definately should have taken some heat for this one. Expect Richt to cook up a personal game plan for this one, and give the Wildcats what they deserve: an embarrasing home field beating. I see another strong rushing attack in this one, with AJ Green making some more highlights.

10/30/10 3:30 p.m. ET
Florida W

History tells us we will most likely lose this game. Although the Bulldogs lead the all time series, Florida has dominated this one as of late. We did upset them a couple of years ago, and I think now is our chance. A weakened Florida program because of changes on the coaching staff and no real established play makers on the depth chart. Urban Meyer gets what he deserves for his obvious cheating techniques during the recruiting process and cuttthroat techniques against his older players whom don't perform. Richt gives Florida an upset and takes control of the SEC east with this win. We now control our own destiny and could make an appearance in the SEC championship.

11/06/10 Time TBA
Idaho State W

Who the hell is Idaho State? Expect the rushing attack of King and Ealey to hit 200+ yards and AJ Green to look like a god in this game. You'll probably see our 2nd team offense and defenses getting some reps in the 2nd half.

11/13/10 Time TBA
at Auburn W

Tubberville didn't really know what the hell he was doing at Auburn and niether does his successor Gene Chizik. Auburns high paced high powered offense couldn't do a whole lot against a Georgia defense which was amongst the worst in the nation. Expect this to play out much the same as it did last year, given that the game is a road game for us, I still believe we come in strong and our new QB whomever it may be, grows up alot during this game.

11/20/10 Open Date

We've got a bye week here. They better be preparing the new defense to repeat last years stomp of Georgia Tech, because if we lose a 2nd game in the past 3 years to GT I am going to be incredibly pissed off.

11/27/10 Time TBA
Georgia Tech W

History tells us we control this rivalry, hands down. It's not by a small or even a medium margin, either. However as of late, a rebuilt program under their new coach and a controversial high-school style triple option offensive attack; GT poses a threat to our possible undefeated season. As long as our defense can keep the score below the 30's I think we will be ok. Our offense is potent and experienced enough to score beyond the 30 point mark if necessary and I think Bobo and the new QB will be to thank for this win; it will be close as it usually is.

12/04/10 Time TBA
SEC Championship L to Alabama

If all of my predictions are correct and we make it to the Championship it will most likely be against Alabama, if not them then definately LSU as I don't see any other real contenders in the West, the lesser division in the SEC in my opinion. If LSU I'd say we have a fair chance to win it. But against Alabama, whom is the most likely contender, I don't think we can win it. Their current offense and defense are still pretty well established and they should come out strong this season and probably win it all again. Although our chances are higher than they have been in years past, I don't believe this is our year. Maybe next year when Ingram and company are out of the picture.

T Rock - What a Wonderful Christmas

24 Mar 2010 17:34:38 EST

I got two kids I'm a single parent my lady left me alone,
I'm plottin on paper plus I know christmas around the corner,
I'm unemployed tryin my hardest not to get rowdy,
Fill out a few applications but pat'nah my piss is cloudy.

statistically speakin the 9 to 5 where im washin dishes,
is quite insufficient for my lil kids and they christmas wishes,
i'm down on my luck, and its a fact hard to undermine
utitilities killin me rent is over a month behind

my pat'nah just got parol, he made a few bad decisions,
he came home with dreams of bein the don right after prison,
numerous strikes, plus his record is mo compellin,
he mad at the planet cuz wont no one employ a felon

thats when he told me had the deal of a life time
his neighbor was gettin paper, connected like pipelines
then he went on and talk about what he got, what he ride
that nigga was gon stick em up as soon as it got night time

robbin aint neva been me i usually dont endorse it
im pushin the [?] while greedy niggas behind porches
cant borrow money, cuz i exhausted financial sources
imagine me tellin my baby "daddy just cant afford it"

outside the bank im loadin my weapon its 8pm
two down on the victim standin outside at the atm
i didnt wanna do it, but look what not doin'll do to me,
i think of my family bein witout, therefore its you or me

i told my pat'nah to check his pockets see what you can see
then i discovered we premeditated so foolishly
cuz money was somethin the man neva had a lot of,
bank account in the negative over a hundred dollas

perception aint what we thought,
i shoulda check for encryption,
cuz we aint made nan' dolla,
the police got our description

24 hours later; blue lights in my subdivision
they locked me up and took away the kids
what a wonderful christmas.

"now imagine bein cuffed up in front of yo kids, you tryin to do everything you can to get everything they want for christmas, now you aint even gon' be around for christmas"

im in a 6 by 9, this is my only facilitation
the warden is cold hearted, no sense of consideration
indicted on robbery, they let me and my pal know,
dont fuck with the system, thats when they shipped me to alto

the first time up in there im lookin at 5 right at the the do'
but if i get good behavior in 3 they might let me go
i talk to my baby momma she visit and write me letters
and sent a few pictures to help me cope with the constant pressure

fuck it she cheatin, i'm in the pen so why expect her,
but she keep on swearin she holdin out from these otha fellas
3 years down nothin but freedom on my agenda,
im glad to be out and ironically im out in december

christmas is gon' be special: return of a writer,
i smoked a few blunts, ate me a meal at the diner
my girl didnt know im home and i plan to surprise her
get some yak and a few roses just before i make an arrival

i knock at the door, no answer but it was half open,
im hearin two voices off in the back of the pad chokin,
chokin turned into moanin, im facin forbidden doom
stilettos were in the kitchen, two thongs in the livin room

a candle light dinner for two was still on the table
im tryin to keep my composure but im unable
i bust in the room, and what i saw could of drove me crazy
the woman i call my own in the arms of another lady,

now aint this some shady shit, i knew it was somethin foul,
i didnt know whether to get upset or to get aroused
what happened next i couldnt imagine to see occurred
she told me "its over baby and i'm leavin you for her",

merry christmas nigga.

haze2: The Write-up

22 Mar 2010 13:32:45 EST

All admin areas have a built in search module and user friendly GUI to make navigation and management simple and powerful.

[M] = this feature can be disabled/enabled by the system administrator with access to the secure config file below the web root.

content:
-------

[M] image management: upload, rename and delete images in the images directory, as well as other select directories required for other modules

[M] link directory: add edit and delete outbound links for the directory, category management and organization is included.

[M] media player: full featured media player management for the built in media player. add edit and delete media from the playlist to dynamically change the player on the site. (flv and etc are supported through slight modification)

navigation: manage the site links for the layout here. includes control for the navigation panel (side navigation), top-subheader navigation, and footer navigation (very bottom of site).

[M] news/blogging: very similar to news or blogging, this full featured tool allows the user to post news or blogs to the front page of the site.

[M] pages: add edit and delete pages for the website here. includes WYSIWYG for HTML (toggleable).

panels: manage side, top or bottom panels here. this is usually used for small modules like the login box and user control area, or the media player. users can add new panels of their own containing small html objects if they wish (like copy/paste code from youtube and etc)

settings
--------

[M] contact form: manage various settings for the website email contact form. including custom fields, subjects, etc.

image verification: tweak the settings for the way image verification (Aka Captcha) works on the website (registration form, contact, etc)

mail: dont have a server with sendmail installed? add add smtp server's details here to use SMTP rather than sendmail

[M] private messages: manage the folder limits and other various features for the private message system

[M] news: tweak the settings for the news and blogging system

registration: toggle many features on and off, such as registrations, email verification, admin activation, etc

security: manage the various security features of the website; examples include the IP blacklist, separate admin sessions for the admin panel, HTTPS support (choose which pages to secure), PHP error logging, and encrypted login sessions

system: change the name of your site, URL, and site email address. you can also create multiple language packs, and choose the sites language here. there are a few other miscellanous settings than can be toggled here as well including the time zone.

theme: change the sites browser title, the theme itself (multiple themes are supported), the meta description and keywords, the footer and subfooter text, etc.

user: change user privileges here, include toggles for password reset, username change, account delete, login, language and theme change. also includes failed login block which can be tweaked, and the use of avatars and their limits.

system
------

[M] backup: backup the site database for a personal copy that can be restored by a system administrator.

[M] IP blacklist: add an IP number here to prevent a user under this address from using the website

[M] emoticons: manage emoticons here (example: :) is turned into an image representing that icon). these are used in comments, shoutbox, etc.

[M] file manager: manage non-image files (upload, rename and delete) for various modules here. includes a "miscellaneous" bin directory, as well as management for the media player files and non-image icons (.ico).

levels: manage the system user levels here. important system levels like system administrator and user (logged in) can not be deleted, but new levels can be added in between and can be assigned specific admin areas to have access to if required.

[M] logs: when certain events happen ,like a user logs in, creates an admin session, requests a new password, fails when logging in, etc; the system logs this in the database. you can view these logs and clear them here.

maintenance: manage the use of maintenance mode (prevents nonadmins from logging in, and keeps the site inaccessible except for a front page with a custom message). you can also do some system maintenance here at the click of a button, such as: restore all of the system default settings, optimize the database overhead, clear old logs, and flush temporary tables.

[M] sessions: manage live sessions here. you cannot create them of course, but you can kill a users session, such as kicking out another administrator from using the admin panel.

users: add, edit and delete users here. also includes ban management, and an import/export utility based on CSV for the mass-creation of users.

phpHaze v2

22 Mar 2010 13:28:01 EST

Sorry about the recent downtime, for anyone who may of actually been visiting the site. I had it turned off for about a year while I sorted some things out in life as well as work on the latest version of phpHaze.

I've got the new version up and running now and have began to convert the data from my old site to fill up this one. Feel free to go ahead and register and help me test things out if you wish. I'll be back to updating this application on a regular basis, as I have a good number of clients that are now using the technology.

Been very busy the past year or so and I will post about all of that in another entry later in the week, for now I'm going to paste a list of some of the things about phpHaze 2 that make it different from its predecessor. Enjoy...

But why phpHaze v2? I thought phpHaze v1 (1.59.2, to be exact) was the most secure and everything was fine and dandy as-is?
To make a long story short, you are wrong. Even though phpHaze v1 is more secure than 99% of the CMS applications out there, phpHaze v2 is still more secure. phpHaze v2 is organized, designed, and laid out better. With the common developer in mind, we bring you phpHaze v2. Yes, we know, v1 was still beta. This one is certainly alpha.

1. Even Stronger Security!

Introducing unique-key 64-bit encryption:

- phpHaze v1 uses unencrypted cookies for the base of its user login system. If md5 can be decrypted, cookies can be hacked and thus the security of your site is compromised.

- phpHaze v2 uses not just encrypted cookies, but un-decryptable cookies because it attaches a unique-key to each encrypted string. The string is first encrypted using base 64-bit technology, and then the unique-key is encrypted, and attached to it. An attacker must know the unique key in its unencrypted form (stored safely in a non-public directory on your server, outside the HTML root) to decrypt any data by phpHaze v2. Only if an attacker gains access directly to your FTP can he compromise your secure encryption with the unique key. Otherwise there is no way to retrieve it, inside or outside of the system.

Note: if your server does not support the MCrypt module, then unique-key encryption will not function properly. Instead, phpHaze will encrypt data using basic 64-bit encryption which can be reversed (decrypted) by an attacker. However even so, the password is still encrypted using unique key, which is NOT dependant on MCrypt, so it is still highly secure, just could be more secure. See later, "Changed password hashing from md5...". Note that all Heritage servers by default are compiled with MCrypt enabled, so this will not be an issue.

- As mentioned earlier, another new feature of the security is the moving of the main config file to a directory outside the HTML root to make it inaccessible from the web, the script, only by FTP.

- All requirements for Register Globals to be enabled have been removed, thus removing the listener from the core; thus making phpHaze that much faster.

- Changed password hashing from md5 (technically double-md5) to random salt + sha1. Enjoy, attackers! If I hear even one rumor, even if probably false, that sha1 was broken, I will double the encryption there as well, even though the random salt keeps it secure as a single layer. You heard right: I will double encrypt sha1 + use the random salt if I really have to. Test me.

- Updated imgSafe function to account for php scripts; scanning uploaded images through the system now detects for a much wider array of possible exploits using images, including but not limited to PHP scripts of any type.

- Fixed array bug in isNum function; could have posed a minor security risk, possibly? Not too serious, but a security fix none the less as isNum is primarily used for security reasons, on various numeric $_GET requests in the system.

- phpHaze v1 allows you to edit the account data for the primary system administrator, "user_id = '1'", the first account ever created (from the admin panel). phpHaze v2 disables this feature in its entirety, the first system admin won't even be returned as a possibility, in ANY user-admin result. Only the first user themselves can update their data, via the personal account page. You'll never see their result in your new admin area.

- encrypted messaging

2. User Level management

- No more static user levels (member, mod, admin, etc). They are now dynamic, served by your admin panel with a new area to manage them totally. System-based levels (the old ones) are non-removable and can only have their name and rights edited at any given time. This is to prevent possible fatal issues should you accidentally remove or edit the wrong piece of data for a system-required level.
- However, you can add as many new levels as you like. We are using a large number, 99999, to base the access from; technically you have about 80,000~ possible user levels between default member and moderator. You can also add about 10,000~ between the various administrator ranks.
- Nothing is infinite, not even user accounts (you could technically only have a current maximum number of accounts, or accounts ever created, of assumingly 999,999,999,999,999. It stops there, as an example of how a system like this really works. Even with PHP-Fusion, which phpHaze is a direct spin-off of, or a spawn of, if you will -- it is not unlimited or infinite. With PHP-Fusion, it is actually alot less than a 15 digit number, it used to be 5, but I think v7 of PHP-Fusion upped it to 8 as they started to hit maxes on big sites. phpHaze basically doubles this, for further ensurance that you won't hit these limits unless you actually attempt to. Note in PHP-Fusion there is NO user level management what so ever.

3. Better Theme System

- The new theme system is more flexible, giving you control over <html> to </html> of your sites output; with the obvious exception of complex administration areas. As a whole, the theme system has been rewritten totally, and hopefully will not need future adjustments as updating custom themes with an upgrade package can be a complex and non-universal process such as system updates. Inconsistencies can occur, easily. Lets try to get it right the first time, with phpHaze v2 (starting to see why we had to go to version 2, rather than 1.6? 1.6 simply would not support this system framework, at all)

3. Better User management

- The new advanced user management area is loaded with features, to name a few:
-- Pagination: splits user results into multiple pages
-- User search: ability to filter user results by partial/full -- username/email/IP
-- Mass user deletion using checkboxes
-- Import Users: you can now import a spreadsheet (CSV) of user data. This allows you to add multiple accounts at once. Useful for large corporations with data already on file prior to installing phpHaze. As a direct result, you can also export existing accounts (CSV). phpHaze knows what to do when adding accounts with pre-encrypted passwords, or plain text passwords (differed by import and then export/delete/import). Yes, clever wasn't it?
- Not to mention you can also now disable the requirement of administrator activation for new accounts, which gives you flexibility over a private or public style website.

4. Localization

- phpHaze is now mostly (99%) controlled by language packs (where in v1, the percentage was roughly... 2%?). It only comes by default with the English language pack, you are free to create your own and install them at your own leisure. However, modifying any other phpHaze code is against copyright law. There may be minor parts to the language pack are static, not controlled in the packs themselves. We will address these during service releases, as some of the features in phpHaze cannot be localized as they are far to dynamic. Later service releases will address this issue and a compromise will be made in the programming to make it possible; at this point however, there is not even a demand for anything besides English, we are just preparing it for more languages in the future, so theres no real rush to update the language pack past the current point unless absolutely necessary.

5. Even more portability

- Multiple settings sets: You can save your current settings as a backup set, and you can use this to have multiple installations of this system with different languages or themes; which utilize the other settings sets. You can also use them to simply restore sets of settings, which could fix issues you may have when changing your settings; should you choose to create a separate copy when you save them.

6. Better "Help Logging In"

- Did away with the forgot password feature totally. phpHaze now uses a more secure version to reset your password via an encrypted key sent via e-mail to your accounts address on file.
- Added "Forgot Username" feature that will send current username text to account email; not as sensitive as password, so it can be sent (not reset like password)
- Moved forgot password to need help logging in page, replaced forgot password on login box with Help. More straightforward.

7. Module driven

- A lot of the stock features in phpHaze are modular. Meaning you can disable and enable them at any time, which will in turn let the system know you want anything related to this module disabled elsewhere as well. Its mighty useful, trust me.

8. System organization and heirarchy

- The system itself and folder structure are just organized better, overall. I rewrote and redid EVERYTHING, literally; character for character file for file. Moved files around, etc. It makes it easier for fellow developers to find what they are looking for, and also to apply updates with as minimal files as possible.

9. It's faster.

- Made use of caching to store the latest haze version; prevents need for fetching on every admin page reload, and only on the index page at that. Admin panel now runs many many times faster than in the past.
- Removed all unnecessary scripting that may slow system noticably (without account for size of database)
- On the templating/theming side of things, I've attempted to minimize javascript and inline CSS as much as possible. 99% of scripting and CSS styling happens in the theme itself, not the system like in the past.

10. Other stuff

- Updated all classes used by phpHaze (phpmailer, httpdownload, smtp, etc) to their latest versions

[Coming Soon]

- Virtual Cronjobs: instruct phpHaze to run certain scripts on certain days & times, like the cronjob manager in cPanel.