Cable TV - Remeber when?

I'm old enough now that I can remember when things were muuuch different. Like cable tv. I was just reading a blog about how a family canceled their satellite dish subscription and are now saving $93 a month.

Well, a tree canceled my digital cable subscription. Up until a giant tree branch fell on my cable line, I was addicted to my comcast channels. When we first subscribed many years ago, it only cost $9.95 a month. It came with cable only channels that didn't have commercials. For a little extra, you got HBO or Showtime.

That was then. Now those special channels have been moved over to another tier that you have to pay extra to get. And even then, they have commercials. My last bill was $90 a month. That didn't even include movie channels. Like the other family, I was only watching certain channels. I was definitely not getting my money's worth.

Now I watch network television from an antenna. I feel guilty to think I can see these shows for free. PBS carries my documentaries. The networks have my soaps and my reality shows. I do miss MSNBC but I can watch snippets on their website. I am a member of another website that feeds me all the British TV I can consume. I have even been introduced to new favorite shows I never would have discovered if I was still hooked to cable. I do miss the Cartoon Network and Ted Turner Classics. I don't miss VH1. Lately I have taken to cruising dollar stores and reject dvd bins for old classics.

All in all, that tree crashing my cable and making me go cold turkey on cable was the most frugal thing to happen to me ever. I am very happy with my tv, my dvd, and youtube.

The View from the Parking Lot

This is not a lake nor pond. This is IUN's parking lot as it looked four days ago.

The photo below is also not a lake nor a pond but it might be a swamp now. It is supposed to be Gleason Park. On Sunday I saw egrets and heron perched on its "shore."

The Flood of 2008

When Hurricane Ike hit Texas, he devastated more than just those cities near the gulf. The effects were far reaching. From Texas to Ohio, he left his mark.

People are returning to Galveston today. There city looks like a war zone. They have no power, no water, lots of mold and debris. Here in Northwest Indiana we are still suffering too. Not as bad as Galveston but the effects of the hurricane lingers on today.

I work at IUN. The school has been closed since September and will be closed at least until September 28th. The parking lot is a flood of unhealthy stagnant water and breeding ground for mosquitoes. Most of the school buildings have been compromised in one way or another. Even after the water recedes, there will be health and sanitary concerns.

At first, I was happy for the break but now I'm ready to get back to work. I'm also wondering if I should begin looking to relocate. It's scary. Add to that the debacle on Wall Street and life seems very uncertain here on Main Street.

In Context

When did patriotism become fanaticism in America? Did I miss the memo? Or has it always been that way and there was just a brief respite from it during the 60's and 70's?

Ronald Reagan made America feel good about being the grand old U.S. of A. It was okay to be patriotic again. I believe Barack Obama is the same type of candidate, one who makes you feel good about being an American. Or at least he was until his critics and the ratings-seeking media began to paint him with a Jeremiah Wright "hate" brush.

Six seconds of a sermon. That's what is played over and over again. The sermon itself is at least 25 minutes long. Have you listened to the whole thing before you rushed to judgement or are you basing your decision on 6 seconds? Even Hillary Clinton's former pastor, Dean Snyder, the senior minister at the Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington D.C., defended Wright.

In a statement Snyder released last week he noted that Wright was an outstanding leader. "To evaluate his dynamic ministry on the basis of two or three sound bites does a grave injustice to Dr. Wright, the members of his congregation, and the African-American church which has been the spiritual refuge of a people that has suffered from discrimination, disadvantage, and violence. Dr. Wright, a member of an integrated denomination, has been an agent of racial reconciliation while proclaiming perceptions and truths uncomfortable for some white people to hear. Those of us who are white Americans would do well to listen carefully to Dr. Wright rather than to use a few of his quotes to polarize."

I listened to the sermon. In fact, I tuned into another sermon this past Sunday. I wanted to judge for myself if this man was a racist hate monger or not. He isn't. His sermon, although peppered with many political comments, was very traditional Christianity. And traditional Christianity is about love. He even talked about loving your enemy.

Here is a link to it on Huffington Post. This clip is over six minutes long not six seconds. Listen and decide for yourself.

I realize that some people may still take offense to his sermons. Those people who close their ears to any criticism of America or its president without judging the merit of the statement will not like what he has to say. America is not always right but saying that doesn't mean I don't love America. I don't always agree with or like some of the things America does. That doesn't make me unpatriotic or a traitor.

Obama's speech

I've been quiet on the political front. It's not because I don't have strong opinions.

I used to think politics was a great spectator sport but now I realize the stakes are too high and the game plays with people's lives. I don't like politics so much now.

That being said, I applaud Obama for his speech yesterday. It wasn't politically expedient. It was honest, well-thought out, courageous and on point. Will it change minds? Only those open to be changed. Those whose opinions are set will stay right where they were two days ago, whether they are Republican or Democrat, or for Hillary, Obama or John McCain.

I just talked to a student who said someone expressed in class how they weren't going to vote for Obama because they didn't like his name. That's scary mostly because there are probably a lot of people who feel the same way.

Ignorance is the most dangerous thing in the world except for the marriage of it with stupidity.

Seeing Red

Valentine's Day is upon us. The world is vomiting hearts and flowers and cards and candy. Or is that just me wanting to hurl?

Can you tell? I'm not celebrating the lover's holiday. That's only because I'm single right now. However, Valentine's Day has disappointed me most of my life. When I was in grade school I dreaded the day because it was a numbers game then. Everyone checked to see who got the most Valentine cards. Remember those bright little cardboard cards with the sickening sweet sentiments. I never got as many as the popular girls.

As I got older, I had the kind of boyfriends that always broke up with me during the holidays so they wouldn't have to buy me presents. They were real gems.

Of course, there were suitors that showered me with gifts. Usually they were on my lists of rejects. The one great exception was my husband. He was wonderfully sentimental. I could always count on him for extravagant bouquets of roses, giant cards, a night out and a sexy night in. I miss that.

So now, as the day approaches, I will try to avoid as much of the hype as possible. Right now I'm in that unenviable limbo stage--between men. The last one is long, long gone. The next one has already stated that he doesn't know me that well so he will just verbally wish me "Happy Valentine's Day." He sounds like my former cheap boyfriends. Oh, well.

Maybe the Middle East has the right idea. Saudi Arabia is banning all things red until after Valentine's Day. They say the day encourages immoral relations between unmarried men and women. If only.

Reasons not to vote for McCain

It looks fairly certain that John McCain will be the Republican candidate for President this year. While I admire the man and his courage, there are a few things that trouble me about the possibility of him being president the foremost being that he is a "hawk."

I have heard over and over his statement about going to the "gates of hell" to get Osama Bin Laden. Is this rhetoric to fire up people to follow him like our current president did with Sadam Hussein to get us into the Iraq War? Or does he truly believe that the number one priority of America is to kill one man?

His buzz words are "islamic extremists." I listened to a woman stumble over these words last night as she was being interviewed for the news. She was repeating the phrase for the reporter to explain why John McCain would be a good president. She sounded like a robot conditioned by fear.

Side note. There is a spy sattelite the size of a bus hurtling down to earth. It will strike somewhere in North America sometime this month or next. Now that frightens me. They will not even know where it will land until 30 minutes before it hits. Shouldn't we be on some kind of alert about this? Yet, whenever the Republicans want to herd the sheep into their corral, "Islamic extremists and terrorists" are trotted out in the news to strike fear in our hearts. That makes me think it is just a ploy while the things that can really hurt us like the glaciers melting, satellites falling to earth, Pakistan imploding are mentioned casually before going on to breaking news about Britney Spears.

But I digress. McCain is ready and willing for America to stay in Iraq for 100 years. This is unacceptable to me. Yes, it is personal because I have a nephew serving his country as a Marine in Iraq. I want him to come home sound and alive to his wife and four small children now. I also want every American soldier there to come home soon not 100 years from now. I fear that if John McCain is elected president this will not happen.

Another Obama Win!

I'm so happy I was wrong about Hillary beating Obama. I am also impressed that Caroline Kennedy has endorsed Obama. I know that this is going to be a tough fight. It's going to get dirty. The Clintons will do anything to win, according to many political experts. I liked Bill Clinton as president but I don't like him riding shotgun for Hillary. And I don't enjoy watching the sparring during the debates.

Unfortunately, my state primary is in May. By thr time it gets around to us, the Democratic candidate will probably be chosen. But you never know. This race is different from the last few elections. It reminds me of how it used to be when the convention actually decided the candidate. It is exciting but the outcome is so important to our country and possibly the planet. We can't afford to get it wrong again!