Time Warner wants to kick you in the face.

Thankfully, I don't use them. They lost me ages ago, but that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to hate them and their habit of kicking people when they're down.

Recently Time Warner announced it's plan to introduce a "tiered" pricing system for it's broadband users, meaning the company is going to raise it's customer's prices again. This is something Time Warner customers are more than used to, the company does it regularly (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ect.) and obviously has no plans to stop. Unfortunately for some people in Charlotte-proper Time Warner is the only pay-TV option they have (they can't get a clear shot at a satellite). Though for internet many opt for AT&T (frm. BellSouth) which provides a better, but by no means ideal, option. AT&T is also looking into a new pricing system, which would further screw the general public.

This news comes on the heels of a Charlotte Observer report which referred to Metrolina's jobless rates as "sobering". 11% of Mecklenburger's are out of work and Mecklenburg is the healthiest county in the region. It is today, at a time when more and more Charlotteans need the internet for work, that Time Warner chooses to kick them. This also comes nearly immediately after a spat between Time Warner and local television station WSOC over a fee WSOC charged Time Warner to carry the channel and is sister WAXN. Of course Time Warner trotted out their old stand-by "In doing this WSOC wants to force us to charge our customers more for our service". Of course, Time Warner lied (*shock horror*) and WSOC wasn't asking "five times more" than other local stations. Eventually the two sides reached a deal.

Of course some people will say "you've pointed out TV prices, not internet prices", and you'd be right, but it makes no difference, it's still an example of Time Warner using it's power to screw it's customers to make up for their disastrously misguided investments. In fact, the average family can expect to spend $200 (two zeros) per month on Time Warner's internet service under their new plan. $200 in a region crippled by job loss and pay cuts.

There are obviously alternatives. For those who can get them Dish Network isn't a badly priced option for television and the picture is quite good. AT&T (unless they go down this road) for the internet. Sadly Time Warner is treated very well by Charlotte, but you can stop that by sending your dollars elsewhere.

You can also contact the following people and voice displeasure with Time Warner's nice treatment from a city it spits on:
Pat McCrory (Charlotte Mayor)
Bev Perdue (North Carolina Governor)
Anthony Foxx (Charlotte City Council and candidate for Mayor)
John Lassiter (Charlotte City Council and candidate for Mayor)
Kay Hagan (US Senate)
Richard Burr (US Senate)
Mel Watt (US Congress)
Larry Kissel (US Congress)
Sue Myrick (US Congress)
Susan Burgess (Charlotte City Council and Mayor Pro Tempore)
Patsy Kinsey (Charlotte City Council)
Edwin Peacock (Charlotte City Council)
James Mitchell, Jr. (Charlotte City Council)
Warren Turner (Charlotte City Council)
Michael Barnes (Charlotte City Council)
Nancy Carter (Charlotte City Council)
Andy Dulin (Charlotte City Council)
Warren Cooksey (Charlotte City Council)
Jennifer Roberts (Chairperson, Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners)
Harold Cogdell, Jr. (Vice-Chairperson, Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners)
Vilma Leake (Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners)
Dan Murrey (Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners)
Karen Bentley (Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners)
George Dunlap (Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners)
Dumont Clarke (Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners)
Bill James (Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners) *cough*
Neil Cooksey (Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners)

I voted, yay

I did! For these people:

US President - Barack Obama/Joe Biden (D)
NC Governor - Pat McCrory (R)
NC Lt. Governor - Walter Dalton (D)
US Senate - Kay Hagan (D)
US House, NC District 8 - Larry Kissel (D)
NC Atty. General - Roy Cooper (D)
NC Auditor - Beth Wood (D)
NC Comm. of Agriculture - Ronnie Ansley (D)
NC Comm. of Insurance - Wayne Goodwin (D)
NC Comm. of Labor - Mary Fant Donnan (D)
NC Secy. of State - Elaine Marshall (D)
NC Superintendent of Public Instruction - June St. Clair Atkinson (D)
NC Treasurer - Janet Cowell (D)
NC State Senate District 37 - Rusty Sheridan (L)
NC House District 100 - Tricha Cotham (D)
Mecklenburg County Comm. At-large - Harold Cogdell, Jr (D), Dan Murray (D), Jennifer Roberts (D)
Mecklenburg County Comm. District 5 - Abstain
Register of Deeds - David Granberry (D)
Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor - Myself (G)
Parks and Rec Bond - Yes
Street Bond - Yes
Housing Bond - Yes
Neighborhood Improvement Bond - Yes

I'm transparent :)

I'm telling you Richard Burr is 27

Yep. Twenty-seven. Only 27% of North Carolinans approve of the job he's doing.

Couple this with Liddy Dole being 93rd in effectiveness and Robin Hayes spreading 'em for the GOP everytime they need a controversial bill to pass and it's not hard to figure out why North Carolina doesn't carry much clout around Washington.

North Carolina has some serious problems that need addressing, and without any pull in Washington many of them are likely to continue to be neglected.

North Carolina elections 2008

They're really, really bad.

I don't like either of the candidates running for Governor, and I don't know enough about the third (Mike Munger, a Libertarian) to pass judgment on him.

Pat McCrory is largely inoffensive, he doesn't do much at all as Mayor of Charlotte. The arena scandal made a lot of people, including myself, very angry though. I guess you can say he helped develop the area, but at the same time he's held us back in areas such as alternative energy. He does (or did) hold a position at Duke Power which may create a conflict of interest. Charlotte has two Nuclear Power Plants in the area and to be honest they scare the crap out of me.

Bev Perdue has done nothing but attack McCrory which has rubbed me the wrong way. She's gotten really nasty about it and to be honest I may well be tempted to vote McCrory because of it, and I'm a friggin' Green. That's not how we act in North Carolina, Bev, you were raised better than that.

Robin Hayes is up to his typical bullcrap. Hayes helped pass CAFTA and cost North Carolina, and specifically his district (NC 8) lots of jobs. Hayes did this at the urging of Bush and other Republican top brass, his vote passed the bill. That day Hayes showed that his loyalties lie with the Republican Party of the United States, and not the people of North Carolina. I'm voting for Larry Kissel.

The US Senate race is the worst, Kay Hagan (D) and incumbent Elizabeth Dole (R) are acting like ― for lack of a better phrase ― two catty bitches. There's an ad out where Dole's camp metaphorically calls Hagan a bitch (not that Kay has done anything to disprove that theory), and Hagan's ads just throw mud at Dole. Though the DSCC has some hilarious anti-Dole ads out. I hate both of them. Where's Beth Troutman when you need her?

Walter Dalton would be a better Lt. Governor than Robert Pittenger, most people probably don't know anything about this office, heh.

Ugh. This is why we need to let Greens, Libertarians, and Constitutionalists debate with the Democrats and Republicans, what a hot mess this is.

Breed Specific Legislation is Unamerican.

http://www.hellobully.com/bsl.html

As the owner of a rescued Pit Bull, I felt I should post this.

Becky Hammon is not the devil

She isn't.

The flack Becky Hammon has received for playing basketball at the Olympics as a Russian is shocking, disgusting, and incredibly trashy.

Becky Hammon is a highly respected basketball player, she is rated as one of the top guards in the world. More importantly, by all accounts she's a sweet, engaging woman who would never wish harm on anyone. Becky has played in the WNBA for 10-seasons and has never once been approached by the US Women's national basketball team to play a game, not even during minor events such as the Pan-American games. Becky's talent was ignored until she applied for Russian citizenship.

During the offseason Hammon suppliments her rather paltry WNBA salary by playing professionally in Russia for CSKA Moscow, recently Becky signed a $2-million contract with Moscow multi-sport outfit after receiving her Russian passport. This led many self-styled defenders of all things American to label Becky a "whore" who "sold herself" to Russia. Becky did not sell herself to Russia, Becky applied for Russian citizenship to help her club CSKA. In Russia teams are limited by the amount of foreign players they can field, by getting a Russian passport Becky has freed up a "non-Russian" spot on her team's roster, allowing them to bring in another foreign player. Becky did not sell herself to the Russian basketball federation. Becky is not a whore.

One thing the heat Becky has taken for daring to pursue her Olympic dream has led me to ask is where was this heat when Mike Piazza represented Italy at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, or the 2006 World Baseball Classic? If a Pennsylvanian can play for Italy then a South Dakotan can play for Russia. I don't care where Piazza's Grandparents come from, he's as American as Becky Hammon, if Becky is a traitor than so is Piazza. If Becky is a traitor than so are the eighteen American's who represented Greece's baseball team in 2004 (Greece's only baseball stadium has since been converted for soccer use for anyone wondering why baseball won't feature in London 2012).

Moreover, why are we allowed to import athletes but Russia isn't? There's a very famous former American international male basketball player who plays professionally in the same city as Hammon, but his country has their own basketball team.

Hmmm.

"God loves Russia just as much as God loves America.", you couldn't be more right, Becky. God loves everyone, but he doesn't like hatefulness. Think about that.

Political Compass

So I was rather bored and I took the political compass test.



That pretty much came out the way I expected, and is probably the reason most people think I'm batshit insane.

Bobby + Caffeine = Very Strange

Today I had a cinnamon dolce iced coffee from Starbucks at the suggestion of "Jam Jam". I'm pretty much naturally wired as is, but caffeine (obviously) takes me to another level. I think everyone at Food Lion thought I was on crack because my eyes were opened so wide and I was really, really jumpy. It was so worth it though, it tasted like I was drinking a cinnamon bun. It even tasted good with soy milk (I'm lactose intolerant). I am so getting another one. I have to call the comment line tomorrow and tell them Janeybean suggested it, hopefully she gets some credit for being such a good ambassador for her employer.

I didn't go to Church today, despite it being Easter Sunday. I don't really think I'm welcome at my Grandparents' Church anyway as I get a lot of strange looks there. From my understanding one of the cornerstones of Christianity has always been acceptance, but it seems that's really drifted away from modern Churches. Technically I'm Southern Baptist, but I guess I have to go with what Jane told me today, just because the rest of my blood is one doesn't mean I am. It doesn't really go along with my Egalitarian beliefs anyway. I am Christian, I just don't like how a lot of Churches are becoming 527 groups.

John Edwards, headaches, and windy days

John Edwards ended his bid for the Presidency today. I've never really been political although I vote every year for every office (because it gives me the right to complain, and I like to complain) but after seeing the story of James Lowe, a Virginia coal miner who spent 50 years of his life unable to speak because he couldn't afford treatment for a medical problem I got hooked on Edwards' message of ending poverty, as much of an impossible dream as it may be I like chasing impossible dreams. They give me hope, and hope gives me a reason to live. I hope that the remaining candidates will carry that torch. Thanks, John & Elizabeth.

Yesterday I had the worst headache. More than likely because of been sick with a cold since Saturday. I went to bed at 8:30 and it felt like I was sleeping on a rock even though I have a feather pillow. I never want that to happen again.

It was apparently windy enough to nearly blow Jane over (read: windy enough to blow me over) in Texas yesterday. It seems that's on the way to North Carolina, yikes. :(