How great was it to finally see Peyton Manning get a Super Bowl win? Despite the fact that football is perhaps the ultimate team game, no quarterback can reach that ultimate pinnacle of success and being considered among the all-time greats without a championship ring. Along the way, Peyton slayed his old nemesis, the Patriots, and did so in dramatic fashion. As usual, he played a smart game, masterfully calling plays and running the entire show on offense.

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The halftime show of the Super Bowl is typically a dud. I like Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones and all, but to say they are past their prime is a bit of an understatement. Other than U2 in 2002 (still the all-time best), the only other halftime show that really sticks out is Janet Jackson, and that only because of the "wardrobe malfunction". Prince was the exception -- he rocked, and he made it look easy, even in the torrential downpour.

Playing a set that included Foo Fighters, Hendrix-via-Dylan, "Proud Mary", a high-stepping glow-in-the-dark college marching band, a blazing guitar tour-de-force, and a few choice songs of his own, Prince put on an amazing performance. The highlight was hearing "Purple Rain" in the middle of a driving rain. I hope the NFL sees fit to think "outside of the box" in the future for halftime shows, because this was one of the best.

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Two of the most important traits in a president are management and leadership skills, two traits not typically found nor cultivated in legislators. Yet, it seems like nearly every candidate in the race, both Democrat and Republican, is either a Representative or a Senator. These are people that aren't having to meet a real budget, who have no accountability in a crisis, and basically are developing skills in the minutiae of legislation.

Meanwhile, there is one candidate who doesn't just possess exceptional skills in leadership and management, but who has a record of incredible success in an environment hostile to his ideology. He emerged as a hero of 9/11, and while there are a few issues where I think he doesn't embrace enough of a pro-liberty agenda, I believe that Rudy Guiliani is the best choice for President in 2008 among those currently running (and likely to run).

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OK, I thought the Snickers commercial was stupid, but offensive?!? No way. Of course, that doesn't keep people from complaining about it, and it has worked: the commercial has been pulled. Apparently the idea that a man would be disgusted by the fact he just lip-locked another man is offensive. Another case of people thinking they have a right not to be offended and that any case of humor at your expense is something worthy of being offended about. Never mind that the "joke", such as it was, was really about how silly the men were. But never mind, just take it off the air. Good grief.

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Am I the only one that is tired of hearing again and again about how the crazy astronaut was wearing diapers on her trip to Florida to knock off her (perceived) romantic rival?

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It's National Signing Day for college football, and it's nice to see Tennessee back in the top tier of the recruiting lists. Hopefully that will translate into victories this year, but it will be extremely difficult to win the division, much less the conference: National Champion Florida is in the top 5 in recruiting for the second year in a row, and the game is at the Swamp this year.

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Two of my favorite bands from the 80s are apparently staging comebacks. The word is that David Lee Roth has rejoined Van Halen and a summer tour is in the works. Those first four or five VH albums with Roth at the helm were masterpieces of rock. Count me among those that will pay serious $$$ for the chance to see the REAL Van Halen this summer.

Also reconstituting are The Police. I loved Sting's early solo work, but let's face it, the highlight of his concerts was still when he'd whip out a Police classic. Of course, Sting's solo exploits were the most commercially successful, but Andy Summers made some good instrumental albums and Stewart Copeland had a couple of good side projects. Together, however, The Police made some incredible music. Ring me up for another expensive ticket this summer...

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I saw where Toyota is approaching GM as the world's #1 auto maker. One aspect of their surge in sales has been their offerings of hybrid vehicles. Note that this took place without government mandating a higher gasoline price, or government decreeing that people should buy hybrid cars; rather, it was because Toyota supplied what the market wanted and was rewarded by higher sales -- the magic of the free market. And note that Toyota didn't kickstart their hybrid line out of altruism; they did it because they (rightly) thought that they'd be able to fill a market need and make money.

I don't know what the alternative to fossil fuels will end up being; I think there won't be a single "winner". I believe nuclear is going to be the best way forward in electricity production, and that cars will probably be a mix for the decades to come until some sort of revolutionary technology dominates the marketplace, like, say, hovercrafts or something. However, I strongly believe this: the best technologies won't come from any government program, but rather from someone motivated by profit.

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Texas Governor Rick Perry is getting serious flack for his decision to "require" cervical cancer immunizations for 11 and 12-year old girls. Parents would be able to opt out of the immunizations, but basically the "default" setting is that they would be administered. To say that the decision has been controversial would be an understatement, and some of the criticism has been valid. One angle, however, strains credulousness: that somehow providing girls with a vaccination against a cancer caused by a virus that is spread sexually would actually encourage sexual promiscuity and would "damage the abstinence first message". Absolutely ridiculous.

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