March 30, 2011 · 7:24 pm

North Carolina bill would prohibit cities from upgrading Internet access | The Raw Story

More proof that Time-Warner is Evil…

And more proof Republicans are owned by the Corporations that fund them…

The Republican-dominated North Carolina State Assembly this week approved a bill that would prohibit communities from upgrading their internet access, forcing individual municipalities into a private monopoly of managed broadband services by companies like Time Warner and Comcast.

Both firms have been restricting the amount of bandwidth users can consume, even though bandwidth itself is not a tangible, meter-able commodity.

The bill, which was heavily supported by telecom giant Time Warner, comes on the heels of several communities successfully launching their own fiber-optic broadband programs. One program in Wilson, North Carolina, called Greenlight, even features speeds up to 100 Megabits-per-second (Mbps) at a lower price than its corporate competitors.

That’s because Greenlight is a public utility, instead of a profits-making scheme, that places access and quality of service above harvesting dollars off customers. Instead of focusing on margins or how to impose fees on metered bandwidth use, they’re able to focus on simply providing the best the Internet has to offer.

Prior to the arrival of Greenlight, most Internet users in Wilson only had access to 7 Mbps speeds, at a much higher price than the public utility’s plans. For about the same price as the slower connection, Greenlight users get access to 20 Mbps speeds, with options to upgrade to 100M for about $150 a month.

However, in a Monday night vote, North Carolina assemblymen voted 81-37 to bring that to a halt, banning any other communities from upgrading their own connections and forcing them to continue patronizing private providers.

Currently-existing community broadband services like Greenlight, which five North Carolina communities have already set up, would not be affected should the bill clear the state senate.

The cities of Asheville, Bladenboro and Momeyer have all passed resolutions condemning the statewide bill.

via North Carolina bill would prohibit cities from upgrading Internet access | The Raw Story.

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March 30, 2011 · 7:20 pm

Why are British and American Theatre Audiences So Different?

Great article from Christopher Shinn, a playwright who’s work I much admire, in The Guardian.  I’ve been lucky enough to see a couple of his plays in New York…

I’ve seen a fair amount of theatre in London and a lot of theatre in New York….

There are definitely differences in both the audiences and how work is presented…

Generalisations all, but perhaps with a grain of truth. Maybe, too, American actors and directors know that their theatregoers are impatient. They sense a reluctance to give themselves over to someone else’s self-expression – whereas in London, the greater ease at being a part of a group means the actors and director assume a generous audience, not an always-potentially-dissatisfied one.

via Why are British and American theatre audiences so different? | Christopher Shinn | Stage | guardian.co.uk.

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March 30, 2011 · 7:10 pm

Poll: Americans Cooling on Tea Party – POLITICO.com

I knew people would eventually get tire of these lunatics….

Now, if only the press will recognize and accurately report that they are just a fringe group of Republicans…

From Jennifer Epstein at Politico.com

 

The tea party might be running out of steam.

The approval rating for the 2-year-old movement fell to 32 percent in a CNN/Opinion Research corporation poll released Wednesday, the lowest it’s been since CNN first polled on the tea party in January 2010.

Forty-seven percent of Americans, meanwhile, said they have an unfavorable view of the movement, a higher negative percentage than ever. An additional 7 percent said they’d never heard of the movement, and 14 percent said they had no opinion.

In December, 37 percent of the sample surveyed by CNN said they view the tea party favorably, while 43 percent said they view it unfavorably. The group’s favorability rating hovered at36 percent to 38 percent throughout 2010.

The biggest drop in the tea party movement’s favorability came among people who make less than $50,000 a year. In October, 30 percent in that income group said they had unfavorable views of the tea party. Now, 45 percent say the same.

via Poll: Americans cooling on tea party – Jennifer Epstein – POLITICO.com.

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March 30, 2011 · 7:05 pm

Freshman GOP Congressman Duffy Complains About His Congressional Salary…

Poor guy…

Just can’t scrape by on $174,000 a year…

Like I’ve repeatedly said, these guys in Washington live in a different world…

Duffy was asked about his pay by a constituent who said he had taken a job as a bus driver when his work as a builder dried up, and that his wife – a schoolteacher – would be taking a pay cut under the state’s new budget plan.

“I have six children and I’ve gone for roughly seven months with six kids and no paycheck,” Duffy replied, referring to the period when he left his job as Ashland County district attorney during the 2010 election campaign. “It was worth it for me to do that. I believed in what I was doing.”

Duffy told listeners he had cut his congressional office budget and didn’t vote on his own salary — “I got there on Jan. 5” — and that his federal health care and pension benefits are not nearly as good as they were when he worked for the state of Wisconsin. He described state benefits as “gold-plated.”

“The benefits that were offered to me as a congressman don’t even compare to the benefits that you get as a state employee. I just experienced that myself. They’re not nearly as good,” said Duffy.

“But $174,000 — that’s … three times what I make,” said the constituent. Someone else at the listening session asked if Duffy would vote to cut his salary, according to a recording of the event.

“I have no problem (with that). Let’s have a movement afoot. I walked into the job six weeks ago … And I can guarantee you, or most of you — I guarantee that I have more debt than all of you. With six kids. I still pay off my student loans. I still pay my mortgage. I generally use a minivan … I’ve got one paycheck. So I struggle to meet my bills right now. Would it be easier for me if I get more paychecks? Maybe, but at this point I’m not living high on the hog,” said Duffy. “Can everyone do more with less? Absolutely.”

Democrats accused Duffy of griping about his salary. State Democratic chair Mike Tate said in a statement, “Poor Hollywood Sean Duffy. He only makes four times the median family income in Wisconsin.”

via House freshman Duffy tells constituents “he’s not living high on the hog” on congressional pay – JSOnline.

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March 29, 2011 · 8:43 pm

Ricky Martin: Hell’s Ambassador

This is too much…

Emphasis is mine, article is from The Huffington Post:

On March 22, 2011, three days before his first show, Wanda Rolón wrote on Facebook:

“This weekend Puerto Rico receives a man saved and brought from hell to the light, Nicky Cruz, while another one pretends to drag us all to hell. RM [Ricky Martin] has been proclaimed its ambassador (hell’s, that is). Puerto Rico wake up, everyone praise the lord. This is the island of the Lamb. Alert God.”

This statement was later deleted, because angry Ricky Martin’s fans reported the hate-speech through the site’s abuse policy.

Pastor Wanda Rolón expressed her disapproval toward homosexuality in a press conference held on March 24, 2011 at the Capitolio. In said conference, she reinforced her opposition to Ricky Martin’s behavior, stating that he was leading children and young people into the abominable world of homosexuality.

On Friday the 25th of March, a group of anti-homosexuality activists held a protest in front of the Choliseo, while avid Ricky Martin’s fanatics arrived for the anticipated concert. Wanda Rolon’s followers promised to be there for the remaining three days, condemning Ricky Martin’s confessed sexual orientation and the nature of his concert. According to Wanda Rolón and this group, the whole island will join Satan in the afterlife, since four shows were completely sold out.

Ricky Martin hasn’t responded to Wanda Rolón’s accusations, but during his concerts he said, “Don’t be afraid to live, Puerto Rico.”

via Limari Colon: Ricky Martin’s Concert Boycotted by the Church.

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March 29, 2011 · 8:09 pm

My Thoughts: Life’s Great Mysteries

Just some random wonderings….

  1. Why does Jennifer Anniston still have a career?  Or does she?  Why is she in the news constantly?  Has she ever had a hit movie?  Has she really done anything since that TV series went off the air years ago and Angelina stole her husband?
  2. Is Katherine Heigl the next Jennifer Anniston?
  3. Does anyone really think Tom Cruise and John Travolta are straight?  And who cares besides the Church of Scientology…
  4. Speaking of John Travolta, why do so many movie stars wear such obvious toupees?  Do they really think they are fooling anyone?
  5. Is Meryl Streep getting all those great roles for older women not just because she is a great actress, but because she is the only actress in Hollywood, over 30, who hasn’t had a facelift or been botoxed to death?
  6. Has anyone really ever heard  Britney Spears sing or is she just a mentally unstable dancing lip-stinker?
  7. Is there anything Anne Hathaway can’t do-besides host the Oscars?
  8. How did “Crash” beat “Brokeback Mountain” for the Best Picture Oscar?  Does anyone remember “Crash” besides the entire city of LA who was in it?  Oh, that’s how it won…
  9. Are there any young female “stars” today equal in style and mystique to Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly? Or in talent to Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn and Meryl Streep?  Why not?
  10. Who really cares about Lindsey Lohan?
  11. Does anyone really think Social Security is bad?
  12. Why don’t Democrats fight for their core beliefs and Republicans not have any?
  13. How come the Religious Right still supports Republican candidates who have had two or three marriages and cheated on their wives and husbands?
  14. Does anyone really think Corporations and the Rich should not pay taxes in proportion to their incomes?
  15. What ever happened to the social contract theory?
  16. Why do people wear flip-flops in New York City?
  17. How does Michelle Bachmann keep getting re-elected?
  18. Is watching Fox News a sign of or a cause of Alzheimer’s Disease?
  19. Why does anyone think their life is so important or interesting that they have to text their friends during a live theatrical performance?
  20. Do people really think lighted cell phones are invisible when texting in theatres and really don’t bother anyone?
  21. What makes anyone without a uterus think they have a voice in the abortion debate?
  22. Are commercials dumber and more crass now due to societal change or only because the smart people don’t watch TV anymore?
  23. Will television really be relevant in 10 years or will it be replaced by the internet.
  24. Will people give up the Internet because it has as many commercials as television?
  25. Why are pharmaceutical companies allowed to advertise controlled substances on TV?
  26. Does anyone really think, after all these years, we are winning the “war on drugs” by simply locking everyone up?
  27. Why aren’t there more white people in prison for financial crimes that wrecked the economy?
  28. If the Supreme Court thinks Corporations are people, then why aren’t they taxed at the individual tax rates and rules?
  29. Why does anyone believe anything any politician says anymore?
  30. Is Debbie Reynolds ever going to retire?

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March 29, 2011 · 7:11 pm

Alice Waters: Eat Local

This is really not that hard a decision to make…

Think about it…

Is there really any point in eating grocery store tomatoes in January?  They taste like styrofoam…

It’s worth the wait for the real thing in June….

Or canning and freezing local produce in the summer.  I do…

 

There are certainly challenges to eating locally, such as the decrease in the variety of food that is available in the winter months. At Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA, we are lucky because we can find local produce all year long. However, we are always thinking about food in a sustainable way. In the winter, we focus on the winter squashes, root vegetables, and we use canned tomatoes and huckleberry syrup that we’ve made in the summer. I think eating locally is so much about being creative with your choices.

I am hopeful, as I believe we’re waking up to the fact that for the past 30 years we haven’t been eating food that’s really good for us, and we’re not taking care of the land or the farmers in our country. I’m seeing that this is changing as evidenced by the drastic increase in the number of farmers markets in the country in recent years, the fact that there are now vegetables growing on the White House lawn, and the incredible number of school gardens popping up across the country.

 

via Alice Waters: Eat local | MNN – Mother Nature Network.

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March 29, 2011 · 7:02 pm

Democrats offer Boehner a lifeline to avoid tea party-forced shutdown

This is the most succinct summary of what’s going on regarding the budget I’ve seen…

The question is:  Is the Republican Leadership ready to act like adults and make a deal or are they going to play to their loud, angry and ignorant base…

I still fear most of these cuts are going to hurt the economy in the long run.

It can’t be said often enough:  You do not drastically cut the budget when the recovery is this fragile.  You need to focus on growing jobs…

Ask Herbert Hoover’s ghost- or FDR’s….

From DailyKos:

To recap, the issue here is that tea party Republicans in the House have made it clear they will not support any funding bill that does not include provisions such as a repeal of the health care reform law and a ban on family planning funding. Obviously, those are poison pill provisions; the Senate wouldn’t pass them, and even if it did, President Obama wouldn’t sign them into law.

Because the most recent stop-gap funding measure, which will keep government open until April 8, did not include those provisions, 54 tea-party Republicans voted against it in the House, forcing the GOP to rely on Democratic votes to prevent a government shutdown. (They needed 32, but got 85.)

Unless tea-party Republicans flip-flop, John Boehner is going to need Democratic votes to pass a funding bill that can pass the Senate and get President Obama’s signature, and Hoyer’s comments were designed to make it clear to Boehner that Democrats are ready and willing to achieve a bipartisan compromise to keep the country moving forward.

Boehner is facing enormous pressure from his party’s right-flank to refuse the Democratic offer for cooperation, even though that would force a government shutdown. Polls show that tea-party supporters are losing confidence in Congressional Republicans on budget issues and by significant margins favor a government shutdown. But while a majority of Boehner’s political base says they favor shutting down government for several weeks, nearly three-quarters of Americans say such a shutdown would be a bad thing.

So John Boehner needs to choose between satisfying his the extreme right of his party, or forging a compromise with Democrats to move forward. The choice is his. Whether or not we have a government shutdown is entirely up to him.

via Daily Kos: Democrats offer Boehner a lifeline to avoid tea party-forced shutdown.

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March 29, 2011 · 6:43 pm

GE Pays No Incomes Taxes and Now Wants Workers to Make Concessions | AlterNet

Amazing…

It seems there is no sense of shame anymore…

And why should there be when no one holds anyone accountable?

This has all crossed from the absurd to the unbelievable…

The message coming from Washington can’t be taken any other way than that Corporations are not only “people”, they are more important than most people….

And this is barely being reported on MSNBC or NBC– because GE owns them…

You’ve likely already read Lauren Kelley’s piece from last week about how GE is milking the system like you’ve never seen before. The company made $14.2 billion, $5.1 billion of which came from the US, but, through some creative bookkeeping, GE paid no US taxes. That’s right, none. And to make matters worse they actually claimed a $3.2 billion tax benefit. So, that means we owed them money!

Can this story get any worse?

Apparently, yes. Mike Elk reports, “After not paying any taxes and making huge profits, ThinkProgress has learned that General Electric is expected to ask its nearly 15,000 unionized employees in the United States to make major concessions.”

via GE Pays No Incomes Taxes and Now Wants Workers to Make Concessions | AlterNet.

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March 29, 2011 · 6:36 pm

The Real Story of Our Economy: Why Our Standard of Living Has Stalled Out | | AlterNet

These facts cannot be repeated often enough…

Especially since the Corporate media chooses to ignore them…

The average real wage of the non-supervisory production workers (which comprise 82.4 percent of total private non-farm employees) actually declined by 9 percent between 1975 and 2010.

Meanwhile the top 1 percent saw their share of national income rise from 8 percent in 1975 to 23.5 percent in 2005

More amazing still, the wage gap between the top 100 CEOs and the average worker jumped from $45 to $1 in 1970 to an unbelievable $1,723 to $1 in 2006

Today after the crash, financial incomes are so enormous that in 2010, John Paulson, the top hedge fund manager, earned $2.4 million an HOUR (not a misprint), and his tax rate is less than yours

via The Real Story of Our Economy: Why Our Standard of Living Has Stalled Out | | AlterNet.

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