CARTOON: Baby New Year

Posted on January 3, 2011 by Marshall Ramsey

Click on image to see the whole cartoon.

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Monday Morning Links: News and commentary and stuff…

Posted on January 3, 2011 by Marshall Ramsey

I dare you to go up to a State fan today and talk really loud today. I’d imagine there are still a lot of hangovers out there this morning.

Good morning! And welcome to another edition of Monday Morning Links.  Here’s the Monday Morning Free-For-All.

Weather: Sunny and 55 today. The yo-yo weather continues. Expect rain by mid-week.  It will probably be 90 by Friday.

Sun rises in east. Water is wet. Pope is Catholic. Phil Bryant is running for Governor. Yup, it’s official.

This guy thought showing lewd videos on an aircraft carrier was a good idea? He should be shot off one of the catapults. Without a plane.

Brett Favre is retired. This time for good.

Thousands of dead black birds fall from the sky in Arkansas. Wasn’t that in Stephen King’s The Stand?

If you’re not reading Seth Godin’s blog, you should.  I love this post — I’ve lived it.

Saints lose to the Bucs 20-13, but make playoffs.

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I’m kind of proud of this one…

Posted on January 2, 2011 by Marshall Ramsey

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A new way to look at resolutions

Posted on January 2, 2011 by Marshall Ramsey

I hate New Year’s Resolutions. They’re usually an overwhelming list of impossible changes that I forget about sometime mid-January or so. I always feel like I am setting myself up to fail.  But this year, I’m taking a different approach. I’m sitting here planning where I want to be and what I want to have accomplished by December 31, 2011. You know, huge list of impossible changes. And then I am breaking that list into little pieces.  File it under “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”

For example: I want to draw 1,000 drawings this year.  That’s three drawings a day (2.75 actually).

You get what I mean.  So all I am doing is creating a list of small, manageable daily changes that will take me to where I need to be 363 days from now. Everyday I’ll check them off. And before you know it, the elephant will be eaten.

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Coaching for cash

Posted on January 2, 2011 by Marshall Ramsey

A lot people get mad about how much college coaches get paid.  I don’t. They’re CEO’s of very lucrative businesses. (I can make arguments about overpaid CEOs but I digress).  Alabama wins. Alabama brings in huge money.  Nick Saban deserves a big check — just like the CEO of a profitable company.  Dan Mullen is now one of the richest people in Mississippi. Why?  Mississippi State is winning.  Fans are excited and money is now flowing in.  And then there is the fact that  the half-life of a college coach grows shorter each year. If you can put a winning and profitable product on the field, you should be rewarded. You probably won’t be doing it for long.

Of course, many people ask the very good question, “Why shouldn’t chemistry professors make big bucks, too?”  Well, they don’t fill stadiums.  Yes, it can be argued that in the scheme of things, what a teacher does is way more important. But we’re not a society that wants to be educated. We want to be entertained.  That’s what we value and the dollars follow right behind.  And until that changes, a person who entertains 100,000+ people on a Saturday will be showered with far more money than a person who educates that many in a lifetime.

Now, if that chemistry teacher figures out a way to entertain people while they learn about the periodic table, he or she will make a fortune. I’ve seen it happen in personal finance.

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2011

Posted on January 1, 2011 by Marshall Ramsey

The year started off with a bang — or at least a couple of tornado warnings.  Rain lashed at the windows and the wind howled. 2010 proved it was a complete jerk until the very end.

Here’s to a better 2011.

I got my world rocked in 2010. The week I ran a marathon and raised $13,000 for cancer research quickly turned into one of my worst. My dog died. Work smacked me down. I’ve been working my butt off ever since.

Trust me, that’s not a bad thing.

I’m committed to continue to draw even better editorial cartoons, but also am exploring all of my talents.  Instead of being locked in, the World is ready for the taking.  What I thought was an insult is quickly turning into a blessing.  This is the year I will work harder than I have ever worked in my life.  I will make great things happen. I will do it to show those who believe in me that they were right.

2011 will be my best year ever. And I hope it will  be for you, too.  Happy New Year.  This will be the year of success.

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Football Tweets: A collection of comments about today’s games

Posted on January 1, 2011 by Marshall Ramsey

To read more of my Tweets, go to: www.twitter.com/marshallramsey

  1. I read that several State players had a stomach virus. They have the runs alright. They’ve run up and down the field.
  2. Mississippi and Alabama haven’t caused the state of Michigan this much grief since the last new auto plant was awarded.
  3. After seeing how their two football teams played today, the state of Michigan has seceded from the Union in shame.
  4. Michigan’s kicking game #fail
  5. Apparently one of Lou Holtz’s 100 things to do before you die is to spit when he talks on TV.
  6. I keep expecting Lou Holtz to say, “sufferin succotash!”
  7. You could probably pass a plate at the Gator Bowl and cover Mullen’s salary.
  8. Of course, you could pass the plate to Michigan fans at Gator Bowl and they’d pay RichRod’s buyout.
  9. Wearing #36 has made Relf into Superman.
  10. I just hope State beats Michigan because they stole our postal abbreviation.
  11. The punters are going to have to jump in a puddle so their mommas will think they played. #gatorbowl
  12. For those of you who think the cowbells are annoying, they are better than Bob Davie’s commentary.
  13. Hear the cowbells clank
  14. Ole Miss fans are thinking right now, “If I blur my eyes, Michigan’s ‘M’ looks a little bit like our ‘M’.”
  15. Teacher says every time you hear a cowbell ring, a State fan watches the Gator Bowl and eats chicken wings. Or something like that.
  16. Census Report was just rereleased. Miss. will lose a Congressman because 1/4 of its population is Jacksonville for Gator Bowl #State
  17. Didn’t State just score more points today than the whole time Sylvester Croom was coach?
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Saturday Morning Links: New Year’s Edition

Posted on January 1, 2011 by Marshall Ramsey

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  Yesterday morning I wrote, ” We’re under a tornado watch — because nothing would deliver 2010’s last kick in the butt quite like a tornado.”

I hate it when I am right.

It was a fitting end to a rough year.  But like they say, what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.  Many of us are much stronger after 2010.

New Year’s Free-For-All can be found right here.

Weather: What can I say? More tranquil today than yesterday would be a start.  There will be a high of 55 with a slight chance of showers this morning.  Then it will be partly sunny.

Tornado coverage: OK, here you go: WLBT’s tornado story. The Clarion-Ledger’s, WAPT’s, WJTV’s and FOX 40’s.

I joked that we would have to watch out for drunk tornadoes last night.  Little did I know that they’d be angry drunks. The Terry/Byram/Rankin tornado took a frightening path (similar to the Candlestick tornado) and could have caused numerous deaths. Kudos go to the local TV meteorologists who did a calm job relaying pertinent information of the storm’s location and path. The hook echo on the radar was huge.  Also, the heavy rainfall caused flooding around the Metro area. I know one friend’s house that was affected.  What a way to ring in the New Year. (who needs fireworks?)

Of course, Happy New Year! New York managed to drop the ball — and considering that Mayor Michael Bloomberg dropped the ball early this week with snow removal, they had plenty of practice. It was nice to see Dick Clark again last night, but it is a reminder the damage a stroke can do.  Here’s a slideshow from New Year’s celebrations from around the world courtesy of the New York Times.

BOWL GAMES! Of course, Mississippi State  fans will be clanking in the New Year as the Bulldogs play in Gator Bowl today.  Here’ a schedule with the games played (and scores) so far and the remaining games (and where you can watch them).  Let the last college football feast begin.  And  you had darn well better have cable or satellite if you want to see it.

The annual list of banished words released. On it, “viral” and “epic.” Also on the list “fail.”  What do I think of the list?  #fail.

Bomb hits church in Egypt at New Year’s Mass. Twenty one die. Pope says not to despair in the face of the attacks on Christians.

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Friday Morning Links: News, reviews and a head full of gunk

Posted on December 31, 2010 by Marshall Ramsey

Welcome to the full-blown cold edition of the Friday Morning Links.  I think it is fitting to end this year with a head full of snot, aches and a general grumpiness.  Next year, however will be awesome.  Especially if I can breathe again. Sniff.  Snort. Blegh.

Friday Free-For-All: The last one of 2010.

Best of the year for 2010. A collection of 27 of my favorite editorial cartoons from the past year.

Weather. Well, it looks like we’ll not only have to worry about drunk drivers tonight but we’ll also have to worry about drunk rain and drunk tornadoes.  Most of the central part of the state is currently under a flash flood watch, so it’s safe to say it is going to rain today.  High will be in the low 70’s and will drop like the ball into the lower 50’s.

No pardon for Billy the Kid: New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has decided against pardoning Billy the Kid (he was supposedly promised one by then territorial Governor Lew ‘author of Ben Hur’ Wallace for testimony about a killing he witnessed.) Descendants of about everyone he killed have sighed a sigh of relief because you know, it would have made a huge difference because he’s WORM FOOD.

You can rank the top 10 stories on CNN.com. Me? I’d say me running a marathon and raising nearly $13,000 was my top story.

Dan Mullen’s pick for the top story of 2010? He got a huge-ass raise.  $10.6 million over the next four years. That puts him in the top-20 of all coaches.  And that will buy a lot of Edam Cheese.  The first $250,000 is paid by taxpayers. The rest is paid for by State athletic supporters.

Jackson Mayor to New Year’s Revelers: No gunfire. Charming. Actually, a bullet came through the C-L roof a few years ago on NYE and nearly hit one of our sports copy editors before bouncing off his desk and hitting a light. Good times.

Looky here: Time appreciates my work.

Millions are gathering worldwide to celebrate the New Year. Just like they did last year and will next year.  But they won’t in 2013. Because the Mayans said the world will end on the Dec. 21, 2012. So party it up folks.

Here’s a run-down on what’s on TV tonight if you choose not to battle the drunk tornadoes.

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Best of Ramsey Cartoons from 2010

Posted on December 31, 2010 by Marshall Ramsey

Here’s a link to my favorite 27 cartoons from 2010. It was a hell of year for a lot of folks.  Looking back over the work has made me very sad about what happened but optimistic for the future.

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