The Soapbox
| BobG on World Bluegrass Festival Coming to Raleigh | I seem to remember something about a large parade in mid March each year. My memory on that is kinda ... | [READ MORE] |
| Anthony on NOSVC Weather Cam [BETA] | Good call on turning the camera - that seems to have cleared things up a little bit. Office Cam is ... | [READ MORE] |
| BobG on NOSVC Weather Cam [BETA] | To avoid the reflection, simply turn the camera 30-45 degrees so its not looking directly back at itself. Suggestions? PrincessCam. GI ... | [READ MORE] |
| BobG on Vote for the Dark Bucket | Imagine the Lego Death Star you could make with this.... | [READ MORE] |
| BobG on Vote for the Dark Bucket | I know some nephews who would kill for this. | [READ MORE] |
Which is more interesting?
Total Voters: 53  Loading ... |
So the most popular sporting event on the planet is happening and what have my sports conversations been about all day? I’ll give you a hint – it wasn’t that the first two games of the World Cup ended in a tie. I decided to have a short poll and see what everyone else thought. The question is simple – which is more interesting – the World Cup or the fact that the Big 12 is rapidly become the Moderately-sized 8? Feel free to comment on where you think teams may end up or if the spirit moves you whether or not you think Mexico got screwed in the first game against South Africa. Either way your day has probably encountered one of these two subjects – which one are you more interested in?
TWC is offering free calls to Haiti from your TWC digital phone and are backing the offer to the day of the earthquake. I was kinda surprised to find this somewhat “hidden” in the news. I mean for all the crap TWC gets for raising rates and nearly mugging their customers this is pretty cool of them.
Time Warner announced yesterday that digital phone customers will be able to make calls for free to the island of Haiti through February. The program will be retroactive to Jan. 12. Calls to both landline and cellular telephones are included in this program.
According to Time Warner: Customers who are making calls to Haiti during the eligible period do not need to make any changes in order to take advantage of this program. The program will cover any Time Warner Cable Digital Phone subscriber. For customers who have received bills before the implementation of the program, Time Warner Cable will issue credits to their accounts, with no need to call a customer service representative. Time Warner Cable estimates that the program will provide $200,000 worth of relief to affected customers. This program is for direct dial calls. Calls to operators or directory assistance will continue to be charged at the usual rate.
I hate to say it but I wonder how long it will be before we get another rate increase to cover this.
Let’s just add this to long list of f’d up things good ol Pat Robertson has decided to say but just for arguments sake let’s assume he is right. This earthquake is the result of something that a group of people did in 1791 or roughly 219 years ago. The result of a people enslaved so desperate for freedom that they would do anything – even make a deal with the devil to be free – so they did just that. I’m assuming that anyone involved in that deal has been dead for the better part of 100 maybe even 150 years. Doesn’t it seem like God’s vengenace should work a little quicker. Call me crazy but shouldn’t the retribution go directly to the ones that offended not their great-great-great-great-grandkids? And besides wasn’t hell created to address such issues? Isn’t an earthquake kinda tame compared to that? |
Anyway – text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts. It will in fact cost you $10. The Red Cross will use this money to help people and in a small way it will be a kick in the balls to Pat Robertson because you are supporting the devil. This is the greatest thing you can do outside of buying an Iron Maiden album and playing it backwards on your parents record player. How do you know it is delightfully satanic? Dial the number and turn your phone upside down – that right – 666 and we all know what that means. And if you don’t ask Pat or Iron Maiden either one could tell you.
UPDATE: Per BobG and Pat Robertson’s website the Robertson Ministry has sent a shipment of millions of dollars worth of medications that is now in Haiti. Guilt is a powerful motivator.
As of January 2, 2010 smoking is banned indoors – almost everywhere – in North Carolina. With all the debate over health care in the US today it is great to see our General Assembly taking action and doing something positive for the health of people working in our state. I know – you were either excited or upset because your local hangout was becoming smoke-free. Personally I was excited but this bill really wasn’t about you or me the customer. It is about the close to 400,000 people that worked in a potentially dangerous environment until this year. Sure – the rest of us get the added benefit of having a smoke free environment but our exposure was a fraction of what the average employee at a bar or restaurant was. The simple math – if you were to go to your favorite place (that was not smoke-free) 3 times a week for an average of an hour and a half every week for a year you would have about 156 hours of second-hand smoke exposure. The average employee that works 4 eight hour shifts a week would have over 10 times the exposure at 1664 hours annually.
All that aside I am glad because the smoke annoyed the hell out of me. We were at a local establishment this weekend the day before the ban was in place and the smoke was obnoxious. Nothing is worse than having to take a shower when you get home because your clothes and hair stink. I’m looking forward to staying longer at the places I like that are now smoke-free and maybe even trying some places I’ve refused to go to because of the smoke.
I’m sure people will complain and I’ve said more than once that I think this is likely to be challenged in the courts to get a clear interpretation of what it means and how it is enforced. The penalties aren’t overwhelming – an individual smoking can be fined up to $50 and the business can be fined up to $200 a day after two warnings – but substantial enough to prevent most businesses from thinking it would be a good idea to blatantly oppose it. That being said – congrats to the NCGA for doing the right thing. It takes courage for a state known for tobacco to take a strong stand on smoking.
More resources on this new law -
Leaving Cameron Village on Saturday we came across a couple of cars with flags following each other. If you’ve lived in the area for more than fifteen minutes you know this could be sports fans from any one of a number of schools in the area. On closer inspection I realized they cars were not flying the colors of NCSU, UNC, Duke, Shaw, Meredith or even Peace these cars had the historic Gadsden flag (aka Don’t Tread on Me). We carefully moved in closer to investigate as they made their way onto Hillsborough Street and saw their web address written on the car window – www.rollingteaparty.com. Until I saw this I had no idea that the Tea Party crowd had adopted the Gadsden flag and the Navy Jack as their banners of choice. An interesting pick to say the least and quite honestly an interesting protest.
I’m sure these folks were en route to a larger caravan we saw three of what I have to assume were more but can’t really confirm. From their website:
Did you come here because you saw the website name on a car today (or recently?) You witnessed a Rolling Tea Party – the goal was to deliver our message via this single website. The hundreds of cars that traveled the streets of Raleigh today, advertising this website, were participating in yet another rally of Americans against yet another abuse of power by government.
Issues listed on their website include – Kill the 1% NC Sales Tax Hike, Don’t “Cap” Our Economy, Immigration and Anchor Babies, Throw the Bums Out, and An Unconstitutional Amendment? All appear to be from the more conservative side of the political arena. Issues that are all uniquely complex and unfortunately deserve more time and discussion than what they get either in the media or in person. Most of this small site seems to push forward to a Constitutional Town Hall site which appears to be something of a “hub” for activities like this across the state – if you haven’t seen them yet (and there really are more than the three we saw) expect to see them soon in a town near you across North Carolina.