MTV's "Skins"

After watching tonight's episode of MTV's new series Skins, I wish I could take my brain out of my head and give it a good scrubbing. Skins included teens engaged in lesbian sex, drinking, drug use, masturbation, heterosexual sex, and foul language, all within the first 15 minutes. It was all I could do to keep from switching channels at the first commercial break.

The series has created a media firestorm of outrage because the actors and actresses are under the age of 18. Many are calling for the adults responsible for this series to be prosecuted under laws forbidding child pornography. Under them, children are not allowed to be filmed in portrayals of sexual behavior. Clearly, this series does that.

The Parents Television Council called Skins the "most dangerous program that has ever been foisted on your children!" That is why I kept watching until the end of the episode. I have a strict policy of not commenting on books, movies, TV shows, music, etc., until I have read or seen the original. I do not rely on secondhand information and opinions.

By the end of the hour, I was seriously depressed and disillusioned. I have never put much stock in the idea of UFO's and aliens visiting planet Earth, but now I'm not so sure. Am I even on the same planet I was on when I was a teenager? Has it really gotten that bad in our schools and homes?

Why would any reasonably responsible adult ever produce -- or even want to produce -- such a show? Or, loving parents permit this show to be aired in their homes? Or, any advertisers want their businesses associated with it? Or, any teens want to watch it?

Far worse than the explicit sex is the show's degrading of our teens. It portrays them as totally irresponsible, self-centered, immoral, lazy, anti-social and stupid. The producers and writers disdain, if not hate, today's teenagers. Now, I know I don't have a whole lot of close contact with teenagers anymore. But, the ones I do know are not at all like the ones portrayed on this show. If they were, I would completely despair for our future. I don't because I think the show is reflecting the self-hatred of the adults -- the producers, directors and screenwriters -- behind it.

The show's writing is atrocious, and the acting is worse. Poor quality should kill the show, if nothing else. I am a little heartened that several advertisers have bailed already. Maybe I am too naive, but I do not think this show will appeal to most teens. The show should bomb in the ratings because no self-respecting teen will want to waste his or her time on this trash. That said, I would advise any parents whose children do find this show appealing to get them into counseling immediately.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Quiz

Check out the Martin Luther King, Jr. quiz. You will be surprised at the answers, originally posted on January 15, 2007, which can be found at .http://yankeereb.blogspot.com/search/label/%22Martin%20Luther%20King%20Jr.%22.

2011 Fearless Forecasts

Florida, but not Jacksonville, will take a direct hit from a category 3 or higher hurricane.


A major earthquake (6.0 or higher) will rattle a major city on the West Coast.

The Tea Party will strongly influence the Jacksonville city council and mayoral elections. Rick Mullaney will not be our next mayor.

Sarah Palin will decide not to run for President.

Inflation will be above 5% by year-end, primarily due to higher food and gas prices. Gas will be $5/gallon or more.

A second round of foreclosures will cause further declines in the real estate market. Commercial real estate defaults will bring another banking crisis, although not as severe as the last one.

The stock market will decline during the first three quarters but rise slowly in the fourth quarter back to 11,500.

War will break out on the Korean peninsula. China will intervene to stop it.

Israel will take matters into her own hands and strike at Iran’s nuclear production facilities. Obama will be furious at Israel.

Terrorists will hit a train or subway in the U.S.

Osama bin Laden will be captured, thanks to a Special Ops. Unit.

A tornado will hit Godfrey, Brighton or Jerseyville in Illinois.

Hilary Clinton will resign as Secretary of State.

A dormant volcano will roar to life in Europe or Russia.

An earthquake in Afghanistan will kill and injure some U.S. troops, but the subsequent rush to bring aid to locals will help solidify U.S.-Afghan relations with local leaders.

Flooding from Spring runoff in western Colorado or Utah will take out a portion of the old D&RGW rail-line between Denver and Salt Lake City.

Unemployment will stay stubbornly above 9%.

President Obama will announce he will not run in 2012 due to revelations of the Chicago-style corruption throughout his inner circle. Indictments will be expected, if not delivered, by year-end.

Rahm Immanuel, Obama’s former chief-of-staff, will not be elected Mayor of Chicago.

A major art museum will suffer a truly stunning and audacious art heist.

Although Obamacare will not be repealed, Congressional Republicans will be successful in defunding major provisions. Federal courts will continue to hand down mixed decisions on its constitutionality. Eventually, the Supreme Court will declare the mandatory purchase of health insurance unconstitutional but not in 2011.

The news media will be abuzz with the “state nullification” movement as a way of reining in federal power.

2010 Fearless Forecasts Results

Below are the results of the Fearless Forecasts I made at the beginning of 2010. I think I forgot to post them, but as you can see, the results show that I continue to be about 50/50 right and wrong. (The results are in parentheses after each prediction.) I have been doing these forecasts since college days. The practice started with a Catholic priest, chaplain of the campus Newman Club, who became concerned about us believing Jeanne Dixon, a famous soothsayer of the sixties and seventies, had special predictive skills. He challenged a group of us to make our own for that year, which he kept. The following New Year's, he took them out so we could compare our results with Dixon's. Ours were the same as hers: 50/50 true and false. For years, our group made and saved our predictions for our New Year's Eve party. I kept it up long after our party days had passed, and the results are always the same. My next posting will be my forecasts for 2011.

Jacksonville will experience a snowfall; it may not be officially measurable but it will accumulate slightly on grassy areas. (True: trace officially recorded on 12/26)


The Jaguars will not sign Tim Tebow. (True)

The St. Louis Cardinals will play in the World Series. (False)

The Bad News: Healthcare reform will be signed into law. (True)

The Good News: Healthcare reform will cause the Democrats to lose control of the House and the Senate. (Half true: Republicans took control of the House, not the Senate)

The Tea Party movement will grow and become more organized. (True)

The housing market will experience another precipitous drop in prices – 8% or more – due to more foreclosures from rising mortgage interest rates. (False: prices dropped but not by 8%+)

There will be a successful suicide bomber attack in the U.S., probably in Las Vegas. (False)

Jacksonville will not have a direct hit from a hurricane but Florida will. (Half true: neither was hit by a hurricane)

A damaging tornado will hit Jacksonville or the metropolitan area (St. John’s, Clay, or Nassau counties. (False)

A cruise ship will be hijacked by pirates or sunk by terrorists. (False)

Scientists will become more alarmed over seismic activity in the Yellowstone caldera. (Neutral: some are; some aren’t)

The economy will not recover much, especially unemployment, which will remain above 8%. (True)

The stock market will have a correction back down to @ 8,000, then sluggishly return to above 10,000 but less than 11,500 by year-end. (Half true: dropped but closed slightly above 11,600)

The Senate will block immigration reform if it has any type of amnesty for illegals. (True)

The upper Mississippi River valley will have major flooding this Spring. (False: had some)

Congress will halt the closing of Guantanemo or the transfer of terrorists to Illinois. (True)