Okay...so imagine this. Comcast has already had time to whip up my bill! So I called this afternoon to have these erroneous charges of disconnect/reconnect fee taken off my bill. I spoke with an ignorant sounding man who switched me over to a hold line without so much as a hold please.
I was then transfered to Stephanie. Stephanie was nice...must be new...she was still following the script. She didnt seem quite yet jaded by the constant yelling one must endure to work on the end of the ***-COM-CAST line. Stephanie, however, really ticked me off when she wanted me to tell her all the details to my need for this to be taken off the bill.
I told her it must be in the notes and if not she can go read my blog because there is no way I am repeating my story for the 20th time to another Comcast CSR!!! I said I would tell it only if she could guarantee me that she would be the one doing the actual adjustments to my bill.
She said she was not...that she would be putting in a request to have my bill updated. Her superviser named Laurice would have to take care of that when she came back in the office on Monday. Laurice would be deciding if I would get my refund or not. Otherwise, my refund is in pending status.
I am going to let my blood pressure rest for the weekend...but you can bet I will be calling Ms. Laurice on Monday and find out if they even took a record of this conversation.
Oh and did I tell you...I got a cheesy welcome message on my voicemail yesterday, welcoming me to being a Comcast customer....geez....
Calling For A Pizza Never Was So Complicated
WTF? Seriously....I couldnt help but find this a tad bit funny
To The Stoner Who Works At Cottage Inn Pizza
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 2007-09-18, 11:30AM EDT
You: the guy who answers the phone at cottage inn pizza
Me: Hungry and stoned out of my gourd
I called you from my cell phone but had completely forgot who I was calling by the time you answered the phone. Of course, you were also baked to bajeezus and forgot to tell me that I had called Cottage Inn.
When you answered and said, “Whatsup?” I thought about it, and after a 20 second pause I told you that was hungry. You suggested I try a pizza, and I agreed that it was probably a good idea.
Then I asked you if you sold pizza and you said that you could make me one. I said I wanted anchovies and something else on my pizza. You asked me what that something else was.
We spent five minutes listing toppings until we figured out that I was trying to remember how to say: “Sun dried Tomatoes.” When you said: “We'll bake that right up for you,” we both started laughing uncontrollably.
It was the best pizza I ever had; I just wanted to thank you for helping me out.
To The Stoner Who Works At Cottage Inn Pizza
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 2007-09-18, 11:30AM EDT
You: the guy who answers the phone at cottage inn pizza
Me: Hungry and stoned out of my gourd
I called you from my cell phone but had completely forgot who I was calling by the time you answered the phone. Of course, you were also baked to bajeezus and forgot to tell me that I had called Cottage Inn.
When you answered and said, “Whatsup?” I thought about it, and after a 20 second pause I told you that was hungry. You suggested I try a pizza, and I agreed that it was probably a good idea.
Then I asked you if you sold pizza and you said that you could make me one. I said I wanted anchovies and something else on my pizza. You asked me what that something else was.
We spent five minutes listing toppings until we figured out that I was trying to remember how to say: “Sun dried Tomatoes.” When you said: “We'll bake that right up for you,” we both started laughing uncontrollably.
It was the best pizza I ever had; I just wanted to thank you for helping me out.
One Nutcase Loves Another Nutcase
What I find most hilarious out of all of this is that people take the time to write this long ass semi-narratives on Craigslist? Check out the last 2 lines of this one...they are worth reading the whole article.
Dear Boyfriend: I Love You, Please Don't Murder Me In My Sleep
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 2007-09-25, 2:02PM EDT
To my dear boyfriend, who is so amazingly and unendingly neurotic - I am onto you!
I like you and how you are. I'm also pretty sure that something must go wrong here, and I've decided that the issue will lie in your mental health. To be able to confirm or deny these suspicions, read on:
1) Your cleaning fixation - I get it. You feel comfortable when things are a certain way. These little tidy rituals help you sleep better at night, or whatever. Everything you own has a certain drawer, a certain order, a certain placement. This was fine and kind of cute until I woke up to you remaking the bed I WAS SLEEPING IN because I'd laid the stripes on the comforter wrong. WTF. Seek help.
2) Your friends - You seem to think that no guys really have many friends. That's just not true! Granted, you have two older brothers that you idolize and that's kind of like having friends, but not really. Your only two non-related friends are SUCH LOSERS. One is in LOVE with Redneck-Bumfuckville where you guys are all from (thank GOD you don't live there anymore). Seriously, his dogs are named "Boots" and "Boots' Friend". WTF!! The other friend lives with you, is terrified of social interaction, has some serious anger problems, and plays CounterStrike as his only hobby. Seriously. You can do so much better.
3)Your jealousy/lack of self-confidence - Darling boyfriend, you are 6'5, lean, good-looking, and hilarious. You're also a lot smarter than you give yourself credit for. When we go to bars, girls turn around and double take when you walk by. You, however, have no concept of this because you're too busy staring down any guy that so much as looks near my general vicinity. You've had a longstanding feud with my promiscuous best friend because you're afraid she'll rub off on me... even though I've known her four years longer than I've known you. You've hated my roommate's boyfriend ever since he invited me to road trip with him to New Orleans (where our families both live) over Labor Day. What's the deal?
4) Your education - You halfway goddess-worship me because I finished three years at a fancy private college. Despite that fact that you're working to get your degree too, you apparently think I am WAY too smart from you (this was suggested by the aforementioned best friend, which is another reason you secretly hate her). When I write your papers and give you synopses of books you don't want to read, you act like I am parting with my own life-blood. I don't get it, personally, but I like how I write you a paper and you get all cuddly and loving. It's manipulative, but I'll take it.
5) Your commitment issues - You've only couple of serious girlfriends. The first cheated on you with and left you for someone you both knew. The second was a Hooters girl and you got so jealous that you dumped her. Your view is that they both fucked around on you and were out to break your heart. Therefore, you are more than slightly reluctant to admit any kind of feelings. And you keep saying that you don't know how to tell if you're REALLY in love. Make up your mind! No ultimatum here, but we're been dating for six months and this should be the good, easy part of the relationship. Lucky for you I see your emotional confusion and reluctance as a challenge, and I don't care if that makes me totally nuts.
6) Sex - You're a little uptight. You're good in bed, but not very confident and pretty scared to try new things. Although you have a serious interest in anal (not going to happen), you're terrified of a little bondage. Then we tried it, you got really into it, and now you're too timid to do it again. WEIRD. Also, when you tell me about your celebrity crushes, it weirds me out. Alexis Bledel? Avril Lavigne? Your whole top five is girls with physical quirks. Does that mean you're a serial killer and you'll eventually make me into a skin jacket? Who likes someone for their weird face shape or snaggle tooth, really?
6) You like me - You like all the weird shit I do. When I peel the sesame seeds off hamburger buns, when I refuse to wear clothing when I sleep, when I forget my keys/wallet/phone/whatever and borrow yours... you apparently think these things are endearing. I don't get it. You find my antics funny where others would be pulling their hair out. AND you get my weird sense of humor. I find this suspicious. Even my best friend doesn't get all the weird celebrity references that make up my joke reperetoire.
Basically what I'm trying to say here is that I love you, and that makes me think that you are probably a total nutcase. I'd appreciate if you could just come out with whatever rabbits you've got in the proverbial hat NOW so that I can being packing and moving to another state, getting a restraining order, or filing a missing persons report on you. Whatever needs to be done.
In the case that you're not a crazy truckstop-killer, can we settle down and make babies? Or at least move near each other and get two chocolate labs and walk them in the park every day?
Love,
Your highly suspicious girlfriend
Dear Boyfriend: I Love You, Please Don't Murder Me In My Sleep
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 2007-09-25, 2:02PM EDT
To my dear boyfriend, who is so amazingly and unendingly neurotic - I am onto you!
I like you and how you are. I'm also pretty sure that something must go wrong here, and I've decided that the issue will lie in your mental health. To be able to confirm or deny these suspicions, read on:
1) Your cleaning fixation - I get it. You feel comfortable when things are a certain way. These little tidy rituals help you sleep better at night, or whatever. Everything you own has a certain drawer, a certain order, a certain placement. This was fine and kind of cute until I woke up to you remaking the bed I WAS SLEEPING IN because I'd laid the stripes on the comforter wrong. WTF. Seek help.
2) Your friends - You seem to think that no guys really have many friends. That's just not true! Granted, you have two older brothers that you idolize and that's kind of like having friends, but not really. Your only two non-related friends are SUCH LOSERS. One is in LOVE with Redneck-Bumfuckville where you guys are all from (thank GOD you don't live there anymore). Seriously, his dogs are named "Boots" and "Boots' Friend". WTF!! The other friend lives with you, is terrified of social interaction, has some serious anger problems, and plays CounterStrike as his only hobby. Seriously. You can do so much better.
3)Your jealousy/lack of self-confidence - Darling boyfriend, you are 6'5, lean, good-looking, and hilarious. You're also a lot smarter than you give yourself credit for. When we go to bars, girls turn around and double take when you walk by. You, however, have no concept of this because you're too busy staring down any guy that so much as looks near my general vicinity. You've had a longstanding feud with my promiscuous best friend because you're afraid she'll rub off on me... even though I've known her four years longer than I've known you. You've hated my roommate's boyfriend ever since he invited me to road trip with him to New Orleans (where our families both live) over Labor Day. What's the deal?
4) Your education - You halfway goddess-worship me because I finished three years at a fancy private college. Despite that fact that you're working to get your degree too, you apparently think I am WAY too smart from you (this was suggested by the aforementioned best friend, which is another reason you secretly hate her). When I write your papers and give you synopses of books you don't want to read, you act like I am parting with my own life-blood. I don't get it, personally, but I like how I write you a paper and you get all cuddly and loving. It's manipulative, but I'll take it.
5) Your commitment issues - You've only couple of serious girlfriends. The first cheated on you with and left you for someone you both knew. The second was a Hooters girl and you got so jealous that you dumped her. Your view is that they both fucked around on you and were out to break your heart. Therefore, you are more than slightly reluctant to admit any kind of feelings. And you keep saying that you don't know how to tell if you're REALLY in love. Make up your mind! No ultimatum here, but we're been dating for six months and this should be the good, easy part of the relationship. Lucky for you I see your emotional confusion and reluctance as a challenge, and I don't care if that makes me totally nuts.
6) Sex - You're a little uptight. You're good in bed, but not very confident and pretty scared to try new things. Although you have a serious interest in anal (not going to happen), you're terrified of a little bondage. Then we tried it, you got really into it, and now you're too timid to do it again. WEIRD. Also, when you tell me about your celebrity crushes, it weirds me out. Alexis Bledel? Avril Lavigne? Your whole top five is girls with physical quirks. Does that mean you're a serial killer and you'll eventually make me into a skin jacket? Who likes someone for their weird face shape or snaggle tooth, really?
6) You like me - You like all the weird shit I do. When I peel the sesame seeds off hamburger buns, when I refuse to wear clothing when I sleep, when I forget my keys/wallet/phone/whatever and borrow yours... you apparently think these things are endearing. I don't get it. You find my antics funny where others would be pulling their hair out. AND you get my weird sense of humor. I find this suspicious. Even my best friend doesn't get all the weird celebrity references that make up my joke reperetoire.
Basically what I'm trying to say here is that I love you, and that makes me think that you are probably a total nutcase. I'd appreciate if you could just come out with whatever rabbits you've got in the proverbial hat NOW so that I can being packing and moving to another state, getting a restraining order, or filing a missing persons report on you. Whatever needs to be done.
In the case that you're not a crazy truckstop-killer, can we settle down and make babies? Or at least move near each other and get two chocolate labs and walk them in the park every day?
Love,
Your highly suspicious girlfriend
Another Fridge
This one is so absolutely stupid...and not even remotely funny that I find it funny.
FREE TIME MACHINE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 2007-10-04, 5:55PM PDT
Lack of funds have come up and put the skids on me finishing my dreams of building my time machine. I think I have it almost totally completed. I've run into one hill I can't overcome with my small income. The time machine powers up and runs fine, however, the cryostaysis system doesn't quite kick on. If anyone out there wants to take over my dreams of time travel, I will be willing to give this up for free. Imagine the chicks, the parties, all the bennies of knowing back then what you know now. This project should not fall into the wrong hands. I will be screening applicants. Thank you for reading my post.
[picture of a crappy fridge...i dont feel like even wasting my time to load it in here...you get the gist]
FREE TIME MACHINE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 2007-10-04, 5:55PM PDT
Lack of funds have come up and put the skids on me finishing my dreams of building my time machine. I think I have it almost totally completed. I've run into one hill I can't overcome with my small income. The time machine powers up and runs fine, however, the cryostaysis system doesn't quite kick on. If anyone out there wants to take over my dreams of time travel, I will be willing to give this up for free. Imagine the chicks, the parties, all the bennies of knowing back then what you know now. This project should not fall into the wrong hands. I will be screening applicants. Thank you for reading my post.
[picture of a crappy fridge...i dont feel like even wasting my time to load it in here...you get the gist]
Filthy Mini Fridge
This one needs no explanation...I find this quite hilarious. I used to do the same thing with tupperwares I would take my lunch in to work. Yes, I was in my early 20s, and yes, my mommy used to eventually deal with the smell and filth and clean them out and/or throw them away. I always found the look on her face quite hysterical. At least I got my "mini fridge" cleaned for free.
Clean Out My Mini-Fridge for $25
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 2007-10-12, 9:39PM PDT
Some mystery sauce spilled in my fridge one day, and I didn't feel like cleaning it up. Several hours later, I went on vacation for a couple weeks, giving the sauce time to ferment and congeal into a colorful, ominously pulsating substance with an odor I won't attempt to describe here.
This was half a year ago. The sauce is still there, and the intensity of its fragrance is almost overpowering. When I absolutely have to retrieve something from the fridge, I do it as quickly as possible, lest the sauce begin growling at me, or worse.
Please. Help me. I can't deal with this alone.
The fridge isn't big- 3.5'x2.5'x2.5', at most. It will probably take less than 45 minutes to clean.
Anyone?
Location: downtown/nw
Compensation: $25 for less than an hour of work
This is a part-time job.
Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
Please, no phone calls about this job!
Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.
PostingID: 447703490
Clean Out My Mini-Fridge for $25
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 2007-10-12, 9:39PM PDT
Some mystery sauce spilled in my fridge one day, and I didn't feel like cleaning it up. Several hours later, I went on vacation for a couple weeks, giving the sauce time to ferment and congeal into a colorful, ominously pulsating substance with an odor I won't attempt to describe here.
This was half a year ago. The sauce is still there, and the intensity of its fragrance is almost overpowering. When I absolutely have to retrieve something from the fridge, I do it as quickly as possible, lest the sauce begin growling at me, or worse.
Please. Help me. I can't deal with this alone.
The fridge isn't big- 3.5'x2.5'x2.5', at most. It will probably take less than 45 minutes to clean.
Anyone?
Location: downtown/nw
Compensation: $25 for less than an hour of work
This is a part-time job.
Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
Please, no phone calls about this job!
Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.
PostingID: 447703490
Men think Women are Beasts...
So we thought Men really were beasts? This dude on Craigslist thinks the opposite. And I kind of agree with him...most women are very SHALLOW!
Women aren't attracted to men.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 2007-10-18, 7:04PM EDT
Women are not actually attracted to men. There is a vague idea of what a man is physically, and some are better than others aesthetically speaking, but the purely physical appearance of a man is almost inconsequential unless he is horribly ugly or outrageously attractive.
Women are attracted to status, money, how much a man smiles and laughs, how many friends and resources a man has, how full a man's life is--how many "cool," "exciting" and prestigious things he is doing or connected to.
They are interested in how other people view him--how many people want to be around him, how other people interact with him and whether their interactions convey that he is special and amazing. They want him to be extremely outgoing and aggressive, they want him to demonstrate his status over other people by dominating them in various non-violent ways.
A woman's attraction to a man is a function of her jealousy at the thought of another woman having that man. She doesn't care who he actually is or EXACTLY what he looks like physically, she only cares about the VALUE of the life he has constructed around himself.
A woman basically is a greedy materialistic prostitute. Although that sounds vulgar, it's true. She trades her physical self to buy into the success a man has created for himself.
As a man, I fall in love with how a woman is physically. I fall in love with simple parts of a woman. Like the way her hair falls around her face, the line of her neck, her shoulders. They way her ears might peek from her hair. Her eyelashes. The size and shape of her hands, her fingernails. The way she walks, the way she looks when she is tired or annoyed, the sound she makes when she sneezes, coughs, or cries. The way she sits in a chair. The way she breathes while experiencing different emotions. The way her lips move. A million little things.
Sure, a huge part of my attraction is mental, but the powerful seed of love that builds within me and crystallizes is based greatly on visual things that set off torrents of emotion and need.
It seems to me that women almost cannot think for themselves. Their estimates of worth are based on other peoples' estimates of worth. They don't really find an object beautiful on their own. The object becomes beautiful when other people let her know that it is beautiful.
I'm completely unable to reconcile the differences between men and women. It seems like success with women is equal to spending half of your life working to create a giant illusion, something vastly tiring and annoying, while sacrificing your own true self and your own interests. We construct our lives around nest-building. We're like male birds building nests and showing them off to attract mates. It's pathetic. Everything we do is to get women. It is a fucking shit deal.
Someone needs to invent a drug which has no hormonal imbalance side-effects but is able to erase a man's sex drive and attraction to women. It would increase productivity rates to incredible heights. I'd be free and happy. I'd feel complete. I'd be able to concentrate on my biochemistry studying.
Women aren't attracted to men.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 2007-10-18, 7:04PM EDT
Women are not actually attracted to men. There is a vague idea of what a man is physically, and some are better than others aesthetically speaking, but the purely physical appearance of a man is almost inconsequential unless he is horribly ugly or outrageously attractive.
Women are attracted to status, money, how much a man smiles and laughs, how many friends and resources a man has, how full a man's life is--how many "cool," "exciting" and prestigious things he is doing or connected to.
They are interested in how other people view him--how many people want to be around him, how other people interact with him and whether their interactions convey that he is special and amazing. They want him to be extremely outgoing and aggressive, they want him to demonstrate his status over other people by dominating them in various non-violent ways.
A woman's attraction to a man is a function of her jealousy at the thought of another woman having that man. She doesn't care who he actually is or EXACTLY what he looks like physically, she only cares about the VALUE of the life he has constructed around himself.
A woman basically is a greedy materialistic prostitute. Although that sounds vulgar, it's true. She trades her physical self to buy into the success a man has created for himself.
As a man, I fall in love with how a woman is physically. I fall in love with simple parts of a woman. Like the way her hair falls around her face, the line of her neck, her shoulders. They way her ears might peek from her hair. Her eyelashes. The size and shape of her hands, her fingernails. The way she walks, the way she looks when she is tired or annoyed, the sound she makes when she sneezes, coughs, or cries. The way she sits in a chair. The way she breathes while experiencing different emotions. The way her lips move. A million little things.
Sure, a huge part of my attraction is mental, but the powerful seed of love that builds within me and crystallizes is based greatly on visual things that set off torrents of emotion and need.
It seems to me that women almost cannot think for themselves. Their estimates of worth are based on other peoples' estimates of worth. They don't really find an object beautiful on their own. The object becomes beautiful when other people let her know that it is beautiful.
I'm completely unable to reconcile the differences between men and women. It seems like success with women is equal to spending half of your life working to create a giant illusion, something vastly tiring and annoying, while sacrificing your own true self and your own interests. We construct our lives around nest-building. We're like male birds building nests and showing them off to attract mates. It's pathetic. Everything we do is to get women. It is a fucking shit deal.
Someone needs to invent a drug which has no hormonal imbalance side-effects but is able to erase a man's sex drive and attraction to women. It would increase productivity rates to incredible heights. I'd be free and happy. I'd feel complete. I'd be able to concentrate on my biochemistry studying.
My Bed is F***ing Awesome
So I have found a new website that I love Craigslist. I have moved on from Urban Dictionary and Wikipedia. Craiglist is so raw. Captivating. No fancy graphics or ads. The rawness is even more hilarious. Its like the sorry little engine that could...kind of like Facebook. Lately I just want to read hilarious stuff and try to find free stuff I can go pick up and sell on eBay...this is hilarious:
Letter from a rare form of female(?)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 2007-10-23, 3:07AM PDT
Dear Booty Call:
We have an animal attraction. If I happen to want some good sex, I'll call you. Sometimes you're free, sometimes not. Sometimes you call me. Sometimes I'm free, sometimes I'm not. You are good in bed; we are good in bed together. The only irritating thing in this otherwise perfect arrangement is that big fat ego of yours. While you have made it clear that you do not want a relationship, you reeeeealllly don't seem to buy the fact that I'm not emotionally attached to you. You are puzzled that I don't call you more often, and even more shocked when I don't want to spend the whole night together. Get over it. A few reasons why this is:
1. I CONSIDER YOU A PIECE OF MEAT. Know how you just want to fuck? Yep, that's right...I just want to fuck too. I know you think you are god's gift and the smartest person alive, but you are not. The bonus of a booty call? Less talking. More fucking.
2. Personally, I don't really like you. You aren't that interesting, or very nice. You are good looking and have good *assets*. Perfect for what I need you for. Done deal.
2. I like my space. I like it better with only me in it.
3. My bed is fucking awesome, and I don't like to share. Especially with someone who snores, steals the covers, and sweats profusely. Don't get me wrong - a little sleep sweat is fine. Enough sweat to cover us both AND make me think you pissed on the sheets? Not acceptable. Please exit the premises when activities have come to a full and complete stop.
FYI - If I wanted a relationship, I would stop sleeping with you and find someone I can actually tolerate outside of the bedroom.
Sincerely,
Your fuck buddy
Letter from a rare form of female(?)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 2007-10-23, 3:07AM PDT
Dear Booty Call:
We have an animal attraction. If I happen to want some good sex, I'll call you. Sometimes you're free, sometimes not. Sometimes you call me. Sometimes I'm free, sometimes I'm not. You are good in bed; we are good in bed together. The only irritating thing in this otherwise perfect arrangement is that big fat ego of yours. While you have made it clear that you do not want a relationship, you reeeeealllly don't seem to buy the fact that I'm not emotionally attached to you. You are puzzled that I don't call you more often, and even more shocked when I don't want to spend the whole night together. Get over it. A few reasons why this is:
1. I CONSIDER YOU A PIECE OF MEAT. Know how you just want to fuck? Yep, that's right...I just want to fuck too. I know you think you are god's gift and the smartest person alive, but you are not. The bonus of a booty call? Less talking. More fucking.
2. Personally, I don't really like you. You aren't that interesting, or very nice. You are good looking and have good *assets*. Perfect for what I need you for. Done deal.
2. I like my space. I like it better with only me in it.
3. My bed is fucking awesome, and I don't like to share. Especially with someone who snores, steals the covers, and sweats profusely. Don't get me wrong - a little sleep sweat is fine. Enough sweat to cover us both AND make me think you pissed on the sheets? Not acceptable. Please exit the premises when activities have come to a full and complete stop.
FYI - If I wanted a relationship, I would stop sleeping with you and find someone I can actually tolerate outside of the bedroom.
Sincerely,
Your fuck buddy
Bullying Made Faster, Easier
Have you heard about the girl in Missouri who committed suicide due to being harassed on MySpace? Apparently a neighborhood mom created a fake profile and led the girl to believe a teenage boy was interested in her. The neighborhood mom let this charade go on for 6 weeks and then had the fake teenage boy break up with the girl. He was sending her harsh messages and telling her she was worthless. Keep in mind this is a mother of a teenage girl sending these awful messages to a child. The mother made the account to see if her own daughter would be mentioned. How crazy is this? MySpace is getting thrown under the bus for this one, when I believe this neighborhood mother is to blame. While this mother may be to blame...I posted the below article to show how bullying is nothing new. People of all school ages have had difficulty dealing with bullies and harrassment long before MySpace came around. My belief is MySpace just makes it easier and faster to harrass people. The lack of face to face contact also gives people a sense braveness to be meaner, therefore, destroying people harder and faster. This is a highly negative effect of social networking. Though bullying is nothing new, unfortunately, social networking is only giving bullies more power.
AN EDUCATION IN TAUNTING; SCHOOLS LEARNING DANGERS OF LETTING BULLIES GO UNCHECKED
MICHAEL D. SHEAR; JACQUELINE L. SALMON
WASHINGTON POST STAFF WRITERS
Sunday, May 2, 1999 ; Page C01
Samantha Gray measured each day in first grade by the intensity of the torment she received at the hands of the most popular girl in class, a blue-eyed blonde who had already become a cheerleader at age 6. Some days, Samantha's nemesis at Vienna's Cunningham Elementary School drew stick figures of Samantha with spiked hair and fangs and passed them around for all to see. The other children would laugh. At Christmastime, when students exchanged presents, Samantha opened her Secret Santa stocking and dog biscuits tumbled out. Her classmates barked at her.
Each day, 6-year-old Samantha ate her lunch alone and cried. "She got the whole class to pick on me and hate me," Samantha recalls now, a decade later, with vivid clarity. "Everyone wanted to be friends with her, and I felt like I wasn't wanted."
On playgrounds and school buses, in hallways and at bus stops, even inside classrooms, thousands of children like Samantha are taunted and humiliated every day by other children. Once dismissed as kids-will-be-kids antics, chronic teasing and bullying are beginning to be viewed by teachers, psychologists and others as dangerous social acts. Recent studies have shown that up to 30 percent of children endure harassment in school and that as much as 7 percent of eighth-graders stay home at least once a month because of bullies. The massacre at Colorado's Columbine High School has refocused attention on the barbs and insults youngsters fling at one another. Schoolmates of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the Columbine shooters, have said the pair endured years of harassment from their peers, many of them athletes.
One student wounded in the assault later told reporters that Klebold and Harris were called "dirt bags," and that when they ate lunch, other students often threw things at them.
While very few victims of bullying seek revenge with deadly force, counselors say that what Klebold and Harris did serves as a stark reminder that youngsters who are bullied often carry their psychological scars into adulthood.
With the nation's attention focused on ways to prevent violence, experts who work with children say that schools and parents need to change an atmosphere in which teasing and bullying are treated as harmless rites of passage. "We live in a culture where this kind of `dissing' may be considered cool or sarcastic," said Lillian Glass, a New York City psychologist who has written two books on bullying. School officials, she said, "ignore it. It's like nothing." The cruelty of children, it seems, knows no bounds.
Often, youngsters are ridiculed for the simplest of reasons: They are too short, too tall, too fat, too smart, too skinny. Anything that sets them apart is fair game.
They are pushed or tripped in the hallways. Anonymous hate notes are put in their backpacks. Their pants are pulled down. An unlucky few get stuffed into lockers. Some receive threatening phone calls and e-mail at home; others endure false rumors about their sexuality. Often, boys are called faggots and girls whores. "You look at the kids who are the victims of teasing," said Henry Ticknor, principal at Brookfield Elementary in Fairfax County, "and you want to say, `Why?' "
Samantha Gray still struggles to answer that question for herself. But she can't. Bullies seem to target their victims at random, she said. "I think they just pick a person every year to torment," she said.
Erik Berndt knows how that feels. From second-period band, where youngsters make fun of his looks, to sixth-period PE class, where they mock his athletic skills, school has become a nightmare for the eighth-grader at Langston Hughes Middle School, in Reston. "I can only do two pull-ups, and everyone else can do 10," he said. "They say `Oh, you're so fat.' And when we play baseball and football, I don't know the rules, and so when I make a mistake they say, `You're so stupid.' "
Erik's parents and teachers know what's going on. His counselors even tried to suspend some of his tormentors, a move Erik opposed. He doesn't believe adults can really do anything about it and, after nearly three years, he said he's come to expect that school will be an angry, uncomfortable place. "They tell you to ignore it, and I try," he said. "They say if I don't react, they'll stop. But they don't."
Since second grade, Jay Patel, now 12, has been the target of a litany of stinging taunts -- "Hey shorty!" "Midget!" "Smurf!" The words ring out when he stands up to sharpen a pencil, waits in line in the cafeteria or walks the halls at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, where he is a seventh-grader. There is nothing he can do, he said, except hope that he eventually outgrows -- literally -- the harsh words. But each new verbal barrage "stays with you for a while," he said quietly.
Andrew Hopping, a senior at Bethesda's Walt Whitman High School, endured years of bullying after he gained weight in first grade. "Pillsbury" was a favorite put-down, Hopping recalled. When he slimmed down in ninth grade, the taunting stopped, but the bitter memories linger. Teasing and ridicule among children have long been ingrained in the popular culture, from Eddie Haskell's seemingly benign ribbing of "the Beav" on TV, to movies like "Carrie," whose title character wreaked revenge at the prom, and the current film "Never Been Kissed," in which Drew Barrymore portrays a young woman reliving painful memories of high school tauntings.
There can be a positive side to teasing, counselors say. Children often pick on each other in jest or when they are awkwardly trying to show they like someone.
"It's how kids learn social skills," said Judith Vessey, a professor of nursing at Johns Hopkins University. "Teens use it to flirt." But the brushoff attitude some adults adopt toward teasing can mask its painful effects, those who work with children say. Adults almost always remember the names of their tormentors from decades earlier, psychologists say, and intense bullying can lead to depression, anger, even suicide.
Fourteen-year-old Laura Gately, who lives in Washington state, said she seriously considered killing herself to escape two years of ridicule by her middle school classmates. The harassment was relentless, she said. Students refused to sit near her at lunch. They mocked her clothing, hurled sexual slurs and giggled whenever she spoke.
"Sometimes I told my teacher what they did, and she would start crying because she felt so bad, but she never really did anything," Laura said. The harassment ended only when Laura graduated last spring. She now attends high school.
In 1994, a Georgia student, Brian Head, fatally shot himself in front of his classmates after spending years as the butt of their jokes. His father, Bill, pushed for a new state law, signed in March, that makes bullying a crime and requires school officials to alert parents if it happens.
"Psychological bullying is the worst," said Kevin P. Dwyer, president-elect of the National Association of School Psychologists. "That's what gets people to obsess: `I'm no good. To hell with them all.' " Glass, the psychologist from New York, said she believes bullying can be severe enough to cause the kind of rampage that occurred in Littleton.
"Yes, these two pathological children were off the charts in terms of how they related, but that's not to say that the teasers are not to blame," she said. "These jocks are tormentors. Teasing is a form of verbal abuse. It's torture."
A 25-year-old Virginia college student said her stomach still churns when she drives by the homes of the girls who harassed her at Woodson High School in Fairfax.
They tried to beat her up, tossed toilet paper and eggs at her house and drove by screaming obscenities -- "things that I will never, ever forget," she said. Out of fear, she moved her bed away from the window.
After a death threat from a fellow student, the school even assigned a security guard to escort her to and from class, said the woman, who asked not to be identified.
Children are taught to confide in an adult when someone or something is bothering them. It can be hollow advice.
Twelve-year-old Lady Argenal said she tried telling her teachers at Robinson Secondary about the children who call her "fat" because she is physically more developed, and "Dalmatian" because of her freckles. Just last week when Lady brought a camera to school, one classmate told her, "You don't have to be in the picture because you're so ugly," the seventh-grader recalled, her eyes growing misty. But the teasing only intensified after she told a teacher, she said, "so it's better not to complain."
And there's a dilemma for adults: what to do? Parents say they feel unsure about how to respond when their child is teased. Is it better to let them work it out themselves? Will calling the school stop the teasing or make things worse? "Your first initial reaction is to protect your child. But their first reaction is, `Don't call anybody,' " said Melanie Jabbour, Samantha Gray's mother. She said her daughter never told her about the trouble in first grade but did confide in her about teasing by boys last year. "We told her we would be willing to talk to the teacher. She said no," Jabbour said. So "we told her to try to avoid them, stay out of their way."
Erik Berndt's mother, Jan, said she has tried to convince him that wearing all black clothing -- a practice he started long before the Littleton slayings hit the headlines -- is an invitation to harassment. Torn between letting her son express himself and wanting to protect him, she told him he could wear black only three times a week. The day after the Colorado shootings, she and her husband begged Erik not to wear all black that day. "You are setting yourself up for trouble," she told him. Erik disagrees. He says the students at school will tease him, regardless. His mother doesn't believe that, but gives in sometimes, realizing that "you have to kind of let your kids learn some lessons."
Knowing what to do is difficult for teachers and others as well. Sally Murphey, an eighth-grade counselor at Robinson, said schools are just beginning to realize that the tried-and-true methods of resolving disputes between students don't work well with bullies. Peer mediation, for example, can settle fights between students by bringing them together to talk things out. It doesn't work when a student is being harassed by dozens of others, or even when there's only one bully.
"Bullying is basically a power imbalance," she said. "You don't put a victim together with someone who has terrorized them."
More and more schools are adopting new programs. Since the mid-1990s, students at Brookfield Elementary in Fairfax have met weekly to talk about bullying and teasing. In each classroom, students sit in a circle and are encouraged to bring up specific situations that bother them. "Because it's not accusatory and because the teacher is there to moderate the discussion, it really helps the children to be aware of how their actions impact the feelings of others," said Ticknor, Brookfield's principal.
Elsewhere, Bully-Proofing Your School, a nationwide program developed recently, teaches children to recognize bullying and to develop ways of protecting themselves, such as humor and avoidance. Teachers and other school staff, including bus drivers and cafeteria workers, also receive guidance.
In Charlottesville, Leslie H. Walton Middle School launched the program in October as part of a two-year-old effort to crack down on bullies. The school, which Principal Carole Hastings says was known for its aggressive children, now automatically suspends any student who harasses another.
"We do not put up with bullying," Hastings said. In suburban Chicago, where police and university officials are conducting a year-long study of bullying in four schools, University of Illinois professor James E. Rollin said he too often hears from parents who don't take it seriously. "That's normal childhood behavior," they'll tell him. "What are you worried about that for?" Asked what he would say to that, Erik Berndt grows quiet for a moment, then says, "I think people who say that have never really gone through this kind of thing."
Facts About Bullying:
Bullying affects an estimated 5 million U.S. elementary and junior high school students. A look at the problem and what parents and students can do about it:
Approximately one in seven children is either a bully or a victim of bullying.
About 282,000 students are physically attacked in U.S. high schools monthly.
Eight percent of urban junior and senior high students miss one day of school each month because they are afraid to attend.
Ten children commit suicide in Great Britain each year because of bullying.
What parents can do
Keep communication lines open with children.
Listen to children and take what they say seriously.
Make sure school officials are aware of any problems.
Teach children to be kind and compassionate to all people.
What children can do
Refuse to participate in taunting and teasing.
Treat others as they want to be treated.
Tell adults if they witness cruelty or hear about violence that may happen.
Walk away from fights.
Stand tall and walk in a way that commands respect.
Avoid being in harm's way.
Say no to a bully's demands from the start.
Develop friends who will stand up for them.
Stand up for others who are being bullied.
SOURCES: National Association of School Psychologists, Connecting With Kids Web site, Bullyproof.Org Web site
Articles appear as they were originally printed in The Washington Post and may not include subsequent corrections.
AN EDUCATION IN TAUNTING; SCHOOLS LEARNING DANGERS OF LETTING BULLIES GO UNCHECKED
MICHAEL D. SHEAR; JACQUELINE L. SALMON
WASHINGTON POST STAFF WRITERS
Sunday, May 2, 1999 ; Page C01
Samantha Gray measured each day in first grade by the intensity of the torment she received at the hands of the most popular girl in class, a blue-eyed blonde who had already become a cheerleader at age 6. Some days, Samantha's nemesis at Vienna's Cunningham Elementary School drew stick figures of Samantha with spiked hair and fangs and passed them around for all to see. The other children would laugh. At Christmastime, when students exchanged presents, Samantha opened her Secret Santa stocking and dog biscuits tumbled out. Her classmates barked at her.
Each day, 6-year-old Samantha ate her lunch alone and cried. "She got the whole class to pick on me and hate me," Samantha recalls now, a decade later, with vivid clarity. "Everyone wanted to be friends with her, and I felt like I wasn't wanted."
On playgrounds and school buses, in hallways and at bus stops, even inside classrooms, thousands of children like Samantha are taunted and humiliated every day by other children. Once dismissed as kids-will-be-kids antics, chronic teasing and bullying are beginning to be viewed by teachers, psychologists and others as dangerous social acts. Recent studies have shown that up to 30 percent of children endure harassment in school and that as much as 7 percent of eighth-graders stay home at least once a month because of bullies. The massacre at Colorado's Columbine High School has refocused attention on the barbs and insults youngsters fling at one another. Schoolmates of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the Columbine shooters, have said the pair endured years of harassment from their peers, many of them athletes.
One student wounded in the assault later told reporters that Klebold and Harris were called "dirt bags," and that when they ate lunch, other students often threw things at them.
While very few victims of bullying seek revenge with deadly force, counselors say that what Klebold and Harris did serves as a stark reminder that youngsters who are bullied often carry their psychological scars into adulthood.
With the nation's attention focused on ways to prevent violence, experts who work with children say that schools and parents need to change an atmosphere in which teasing and bullying are treated as harmless rites of passage. "We live in a culture where this kind of `dissing' may be considered cool or sarcastic," said Lillian Glass, a New York City psychologist who has written two books on bullying. School officials, she said, "ignore it. It's like nothing." The cruelty of children, it seems, knows no bounds.
Often, youngsters are ridiculed for the simplest of reasons: They are too short, too tall, too fat, too smart, too skinny. Anything that sets them apart is fair game.
They are pushed or tripped in the hallways. Anonymous hate notes are put in their backpacks. Their pants are pulled down. An unlucky few get stuffed into lockers. Some receive threatening phone calls and e-mail at home; others endure false rumors about their sexuality. Often, boys are called faggots and girls whores. "You look at the kids who are the victims of teasing," said Henry Ticknor, principal at Brookfield Elementary in Fairfax County, "and you want to say, `Why?' "
Samantha Gray still struggles to answer that question for herself. But she can't. Bullies seem to target their victims at random, she said. "I think they just pick a person every year to torment," she said.
Erik Berndt knows how that feels. From second-period band, where youngsters make fun of his looks, to sixth-period PE class, where they mock his athletic skills, school has become a nightmare for the eighth-grader at Langston Hughes Middle School, in Reston. "I can only do two pull-ups, and everyone else can do 10," he said. "They say `Oh, you're so fat.' And when we play baseball and football, I don't know the rules, and so when I make a mistake they say, `You're so stupid.' "
Erik's parents and teachers know what's going on. His counselors even tried to suspend some of his tormentors, a move Erik opposed. He doesn't believe adults can really do anything about it and, after nearly three years, he said he's come to expect that school will be an angry, uncomfortable place. "They tell you to ignore it, and I try," he said. "They say if I don't react, they'll stop. But they don't."
Since second grade, Jay Patel, now 12, has been the target of a litany of stinging taunts -- "Hey shorty!" "Midget!" "Smurf!" The words ring out when he stands up to sharpen a pencil, waits in line in the cafeteria or walks the halls at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, where he is a seventh-grader. There is nothing he can do, he said, except hope that he eventually outgrows -- literally -- the harsh words. But each new verbal barrage "stays with you for a while," he said quietly.
Andrew Hopping, a senior at Bethesda's Walt Whitman High School, endured years of bullying after he gained weight in first grade. "Pillsbury" was a favorite put-down, Hopping recalled. When he slimmed down in ninth grade, the taunting stopped, but the bitter memories linger. Teasing and ridicule among children have long been ingrained in the popular culture, from Eddie Haskell's seemingly benign ribbing of "the Beav" on TV, to movies like "Carrie," whose title character wreaked revenge at the prom, and the current film "Never Been Kissed," in which Drew Barrymore portrays a young woman reliving painful memories of high school tauntings.
There can be a positive side to teasing, counselors say. Children often pick on each other in jest or when they are awkwardly trying to show they like someone.
"It's how kids learn social skills," said Judith Vessey, a professor of nursing at Johns Hopkins University. "Teens use it to flirt." But the brushoff attitude some adults adopt toward teasing can mask its painful effects, those who work with children say. Adults almost always remember the names of their tormentors from decades earlier, psychologists say, and intense bullying can lead to depression, anger, even suicide.
Fourteen-year-old Laura Gately, who lives in Washington state, said she seriously considered killing herself to escape two years of ridicule by her middle school classmates. The harassment was relentless, she said. Students refused to sit near her at lunch. They mocked her clothing, hurled sexual slurs and giggled whenever she spoke.
"Sometimes I told my teacher what they did, and she would start crying because she felt so bad, but she never really did anything," Laura said. The harassment ended only when Laura graduated last spring. She now attends high school.
In 1994, a Georgia student, Brian Head, fatally shot himself in front of his classmates after spending years as the butt of their jokes. His father, Bill, pushed for a new state law, signed in March, that makes bullying a crime and requires school officials to alert parents if it happens.
"Psychological bullying is the worst," said Kevin P. Dwyer, president-elect of the National Association of School Psychologists. "That's what gets people to obsess: `I'm no good. To hell with them all.' " Glass, the psychologist from New York, said she believes bullying can be severe enough to cause the kind of rampage that occurred in Littleton.
"Yes, these two pathological children were off the charts in terms of how they related, but that's not to say that the teasers are not to blame," she said. "These jocks are tormentors. Teasing is a form of verbal abuse. It's torture."
A 25-year-old Virginia college student said her stomach still churns when she drives by the homes of the girls who harassed her at Woodson High School in Fairfax.
They tried to beat her up, tossed toilet paper and eggs at her house and drove by screaming obscenities -- "things that I will never, ever forget," she said. Out of fear, she moved her bed away from the window.
After a death threat from a fellow student, the school even assigned a security guard to escort her to and from class, said the woman, who asked not to be identified.
Children are taught to confide in an adult when someone or something is bothering them. It can be hollow advice.
Twelve-year-old Lady Argenal said she tried telling her teachers at Robinson Secondary about the children who call her "fat" because she is physically more developed, and "Dalmatian" because of her freckles. Just last week when Lady brought a camera to school, one classmate told her, "You don't have to be in the picture because you're so ugly," the seventh-grader recalled, her eyes growing misty. But the teasing only intensified after she told a teacher, she said, "so it's better not to complain."
And there's a dilemma for adults: what to do? Parents say they feel unsure about how to respond when their child is teased. Is it better to let them work it out themselves? Will calling the school stop the teasing or make things worse? "Your first initial reaction is to protect your child. But their first reaction is, `Don't call anybody,' " said Melanie Jabbour, Samantha Gray's mother. She said her daughter never told her about the trouble in first grade but did confide in her about teasing by boys last year. "We told her we would be willing to talk to the teacher. She said no," Jabbour said. So "we told her to try to avoid them, stay out of their way."
Erik Berndt's mother, Jan, said she has tried to convince him that wearing all black clothing -- a practice he started long before the Littleton slayings hit the headlines -- is an invitation to harassment. Torn between letting her son express himself and wanting to protect him, she told him he could wear black only three times a week. The day after the Colorado shootings, she and her husband begged Erik not to wear all black that day. "You are setting yourself up for trouble," she told him. Erik disagrees. He says the students at school will tease him, regardless. His mother doesn't believe that, but gives in sometimes, realizing that "you have to kind of let your kids learn some lessons."
Knowing what to do is difficult for teachers and others as well. Sally Murphey, an eighth-grade counselor at Robinson, said schools are just beginning to realize that the tried-and-true methods of resolving disputes between students don't work well with bullies. Peer mediation, for example, can settle fights between students by bringing them together to talk things out. It doesn't work when a student is being harassed by dozens of others, or even when there's only one bully.
"Bullying is basically a power imbalance," she said. "You don't put a victim together with someone who has terrorized them."
More and more schools are adopting new programs. Since the mid-1990s, students at Brookfield Elementary in Fairfax have met weekly to talk about bullying and teasing. In each classroom, students sit in a circle and are encouraged to bring up specific situations that bother them. "Because it's not accusatory and because the teacher is there to moderate the discussion, it really helps the children to be aware of how their actions impact the feelings of others," said Ticknor, Brookfield's principal.
Elsewhere, Bully-Proofing Your School, a nationwide program developed recently, teaches children to recognize bullying and to develop ways of protecting themselves, such as humor and avoidance. Teachers and other school staff, including bus drivers and cafeteria workers, also receive guidance.
In Charlottesville, Leslie H. Walton Middle School launched the program in October as part of a two-year-old effort to crack down on bullies. The school, which Principal Carole Hastings says was known for its aggressive children, now automatically suspends any student who harasses another.
"We do not put up with bullying," Hastings said. In suburban Chicago, where police and university officials are conducting a year-long study of bullying in four schools, University of Illinois professor James E. Rollin said he too often hears from parents who don't take it seriously. "That's normal childhood behavior," they'll tell him. "What are you worried about that for?" Asked what he would say to that, Erik Berndt grows quiet for a moment, then says, "I think people who say that have never really gone through this kind of thing."
Facts About Bullying:
Bullying affects an estimated 5 million U.S. elementary and junior high school students. A look at the problem and what parents and students can do about it:
Approximately one in seven children is either a bully or a victim of bullying.
About 282,000 students are physically attacked in U.S. high schools monthly.
Eight percent of urban junior and senior high students miss one day of school each month because they are afraid to attend.
Ten children commit suicide in Great Britain each year because of bullying.
What parents can do
Keep communication lines open with children.
Listen to children and take what they say seriously.
Make sure school officials are aware of any problems.
Teach children to be kind and compassionate to all people.
What children can do
Refuse to participate in taunting and teasing.
Treat others as they want to be treated.
Tell adults if they witness cruelty or hear about violence that may happen.
Walk away from fights.
Stand tall and walk in a way that commands respect.
Avoid being in harm's way.
Say no to a bully's demands from the start.
Develop friends who will stand up for them.
Stand up for others who are being bullied.
SOURCES: National Association of School Psychologists, Connecting With Kids Web site, Bullyproof.Org Web site
Articles appear as they were originally printed in The Washington Post and may not include subsequent corrections.
We are Just a Bunch of Animals
The Internet as a whole has made life move a lot faster. In some arenas, this faster lifestyle is perfectly acceptable and actually makes life run smoother...such as online shopping. Great for very busy people... The wealth of knowledge and information that is much more rapidly accessible keeps people on their toes and constantly learning.
For the most part, this quicker lifestyle has positive results. On the other hand, there are many negative results to having all the information you need right at your finger tips.
I, for one, feel overloaded sometimes with the amount of information available for me to consume. It is hard to "check out" in today's world. I find myself barely 6 feet away from an electronic device 24/7. I sleep with my cell phone, am glued to a PC all day at work, come home and get straight on my computer to check websites not allowed at work, watch some TV, maybe talk on my cell phone, then check my computer again for updates to my favorite websites. Then I go to bed and get up to do it all over again.
This constant brain activity and absorbing of information cannot be good for a person...but, I am digressing from my main point...and that life in every aspect is moving faster because of the internet.
You can now even have faster/quicker relationships via social networking. You can experience life and friendships via a computer screen instead of getting out there and meeting people. And people wonder why so many people suffer from depression in this day and age...it is because as humans we require human contact. The internet and namely social networking removes that aspect from our lives. I dont have to pick up the phone and call an old friend to see what is going on with them...I can just check out Facebook or MySpace. I dont have to attend a co-workers wedding because I can just check out the pictures online later. I dont even have to drive over to a friend's house to pick up a forgotten textbook to do homework...they can take a picture of it for me and post it Facebook.
You might think this is being self-sufficient. Self-sufficiency has nothing to do with it...it is called alienation.
We are alienating ourselves from the very things that make us human and different from other mammals.
For the most part, this quicker lifestyle has positive results. On the other hand, there are many negative results to having all the information you need right at your finger tips.
I, for one, feel overloaded sometimes with the amount of information available for me to consume. It is hard to "check out" in today's world. I find myself barely 6 feet away from an electronic device 24/7. I sleep with my cell phone, am glued to a PC all day at work, come home and get straight on my computer to check websites not allowed at work, watch some TV, maybe talk on my cell phone, then check my computer again for updates to my favorite websites. Then I go to bed and get up to do it all over again.
This constant brain activity and absorbing of information cannot be good for a person...but, I am digressing from my main point...and that life in every aspect is moving faster because of the internet.
You can now even have faster/quicker relationships via social networking. You can experience life and friendships via a computer screen instead of getting out there and meeting people. And people wonder why so many people suffer from depression in this day and age...it is because as humans we require human contact. The internet and namely social networking removes that aspect from our lives. I dont have to pick up the phone and call an old friend to see what is going on with them...I can just check out Facebook or MySpace. I dont have to attend a co-workers wedding because I can just check out the pictures online later. I dont even have to drive over to a friend's house to pick up a forgotten textbook to do homework...they can take a picture of it for me and post it Facebook.
You might think this is being self-sufficient. Self-sufficiency has nothing to do with it...it is called alienation.
We are alienating ourselves from the very things that make us human and different from other mammals.
I Hate Comcast a Little Bit Less
So my drama with Comcast is over for now.
I hate Comcast only slightly less. After what seemed to be an entire night of my life wasted on yelling and screaming at the fools...they rectified the situation promptly the next day.
I came home from work on Tuesday night and my cable television had been restored! Yipee!!!
However, they did not turn back on my internet...which was the most important thing to me. Forty-five minutes later and 3 phone calls and after speaking to no less than 5 people I was restored my internet connection.
Why is Comcast such a difficult company to deal with? How come the right hand is never talking to the left hand? Did these problems arise because Comcast got to big too fast? Or is it because they try to cut corners? I guess we will never know!!!
So for now I will just be waiting until my bill comes. And then I will have to waste several more hours and a lot of energy having my billing issues rectified...will keep you updated.
I hate Comcast only slightly less. After what seemed to be an entire night of my life wasted on yelling and screaming at the fools...they rectified the situation promptly the next day.
I came home from work on Tuesday night and my cable television had been restored! Yipee!!!
However, they did not turn back on my internet...which was the most important thing to me. Forty-five minutes later and 3 phone calls and after speaking to no less than 5 people I was restored my internet connection.
Why is Comcast such a difficult company to deal with? How come the right hand is never talking to the left hand? Did these problems arise because Comcast got to big too fast? Or is it because they try to cut corners? I guess we will never know!!!
So for now I will just be waiting until my bill comes. And then I will have to waste several more hours and a lot of energy having my billing issues rectified...will keep you updated.
Comcast Sucks aka I Hate Comcast
I am totally disturbed by Comcast! They are a bunch of filthy liars. Could give a damn about customer service. Look to blame the customer for every issue that arises in the mess they would like to call a corporation. In order for you to feel my pain, I will have to give you all the details. And I wont leave a one of them out.
The story begins in September 2006. I was moving and would need to have cable/Internet service. I called a month in advance and set up an installation date. The installation date came, but no one from Comcast did. Being a new Comcast customer at this point, I was not completely irate when the woman on the other end of the phone told me that there was never an installation appointment set up. I just simply set up a new one...for 3 weeks out.
Three weeks later and on a Saturday I am waiting for my installation. I was promised the technician would be at my house between 2-5 PM. It is getting closer and closer to 5 and I have not heard from anyone, so I call Comcast to make sure that I actually do even have an appointment this time. Comcast says that the technician is en route to my location as we were speaking. And I suppose that wasn't a total lie, the guy EVENTUALLY would be en route to my location, so maybe he was in the process of showering, or maybe having a steak dinner at Denny's...who knows, but I guess this person on the other end of the phone was considering the whole process of this man's day the route to my location. 8 PM rolls around. By this time I have called Comcast 3 other times and again am assured each time the technician is en route to my location...Finally, there is a knock on the door. The cable guy has finally arrived!!!
So this scuzzy dude comes into my living room. He smells as if he hasn't showered in days. He is wearing ripped jeans and a yellowed t-shirt, but whatever right...I am about to get cable. Mind you 7 weeks after I started the process. So he hooks up my modem in record time. Then he moves onto my cable box. He is about halfway through when I happen to mention something about my DVR service. He told me the box he had brought to my house was not a DVR box and that nowhere on the work order did it state that I had ordered DVR service. I knew damn well I had because I had priced it all out on the phone with the woman I spoke with 7 weeks ago. Turns out she had not only forgot to actually set me up with an installation, she was brain dead when we were talking about adding the DVR for $9.95 to my service.
I am starting to get a little bit upset at this point. The scuzzy dude says he might have a box capable of DVR in his truck and goes to look. In the meantime he says I need to call Comcast back and straighten out the problem. I call and after holding for about 15 minutes, I am connected with a live person who proceeds to argue with me about whether or not I have ordered DVR service. Never once do they apologize, they just tell me that I didn't order the service and I would be able to order it now if I would like for $15.95 a month. I would then be able to have an appointment to have that installed about 2 weeks later and I would be charged a service fee. Yeah.... Even after speaking to them in a level and calm voice about how this was a mistake on their part and that I should not have to pay any extra charges for things that were mistakes on their part they would not back down. I was not offered an apology for them screwing up my order and being late, nor was I offered any credits on my account.
Scuzzy dude comes back in about this time empty handed. I am on the verge of becoming livid. Comcast wants me to pay for their mistake!!! I could not believe it. I tell Scuzzy dude what is going on and grab him and I a beer. Yes, Scuzzy dude did drink a beer with me while on the job, Comcast...way to go Comcast. Your outsourcing and hiring of third party contractors is really working out! Over the beer, I tell Scuzzy dude what is going on and he calls into his dispatcher person and tries to get them to schedule him in for tomorrow. Score! Dispatcher says he can come between 9-11 AM. He has promised me he will be back with the right box, free of the service charge first thing in the morning. He leaves.
I get up the next morning and am expecting Scuzzy dude back between 9-11 AM. I bet you can guess what happens next...NO SHOW! So I call Comcast...AGAIN...they say that technicians cannot set up their own service calls and that there is no record of this. That they have done nothing wrong and not missed a service call because there was no service call in place because I would not agree to pay for one. If I agreed to pay for it at this point, they would gladly put one in the system. I go insane. After talking to about 8 or 9 people at the call center, I am finally given a free service call to have the DVR installed that I had originally ordered. I would however, have to wait until the next weekend to have it installed.
Okay, so here we are on week 8 of me TRYING to get the cable service that satisfies me. This time I am scheduled between 8-11 AM. I wanted to be the first call...no chance to be late, they would have the right equipment, etc... HAHAHAHAH what was I thinking. It ended up wasting my whole day as 15 or so calls were made to Comcast wondering where the technician was. Around 8 PM that evening a different technician (not the beer drinking one with empty promises) finally arrives and gets me all good to go...my Comcast drama is finally over for a few months and I can just relax and watch my TV.
On down the road, I unfortunately have to move again. I again call a month in advance to let them know of my impending move. At this point I am arguing and hassling with them because the new place I am moving already has service and they cant do anything with the address until I am in the place and the other service has been cut off. Completely understandable. I would just have to go a few weeks with out cable. The hazards of every move. I was also perturbed with them because I had to pay to have my cable transferred...I said then I would just cancel and try and find a different company. They then said...well then you will have to pay a cancellation fee. When I asked what that was for, she said it was for someone to come pick up the equipment. I told her that I would drop the equipment off somewhere to avoid the fee...she said it didn't matter I would still get charged a disconnect fee. I said jeez...well what can I do with you guys without getting charged a fee!!!
Ultimately the option that would cost me the least amount of money was just to have my service transferred from my old place to my new place. I had already shopped around for some of the other Internet providers and satellite companies and for the time being sadly enough found this option was the most cost effective for me. DAMN IT!
So my "transfer" date comes up and the technician arrives on time! WOW! This time the tech is a guy in his 30s. Looks to be a family man. At least this one is clean. After about an hour...I start to wonder what in the world this guy is doing. Does it really take an hour to hook up my modem...so I go to check in on him. He just starts chatting me up, asking if I am married...wierd...I am feeling a little creeped out, so I go out to my deck to smoke a cigarette...and also to stay in eyesight/earshot of my neighbors. Guy follows me outside about 15 minutes later and starts telling me how much he likes to smoke the "left-handed" cigarettes. I said that's nice...but he just wont let it go. I am in shock...I cant believe the cable guy wants me to score him some wacky tabacky...whatever...I am going to have cable service once again after a long drought. He finally leaves and mind you this character was at my house for 2 and a half hours....was that normal?? I think not.
After the summer, my box goes out :( I talk to someone at the call center while I am at work and the girl on the other end tells me that we are resetting my box and she is sending the proper signals to it. She says to make sure its working when I get home from work and to call back if not. I get home from work and of course its not working...because I find out when I get home that the 15 minutes I spent on the phone with the girl was a waste of time. In order for them to remotely reset your box...you have to be standing in front of your box pressing some buttons. Why would this girl have lied to me and wasted mine and her own time!!!!!!!!!!! I would really love to know Comcast's training procedures. Because not one person I ever talk to there tells me the same thing. Nor does anyone really seem to know what they are talking about.
I then troubleshoot the box myself again with another employee helping me to no avail. The damn thing will have to be replaced. I set up an appointment (that of which they TRIED to charge me for, I screamed and yelled...they dropped the fee). Dude actually shows up on time and replaces the box in about 15 minutes. Great...finally Comcast seems to be on the right track. I had nothing but smiles for them at this point.
Fast forward a few weeks. My guide is nothing but TBA....I call Comcast. They dont know what the problem is, but would gladly send someone out to look at it in a week or so for a fee. I say fine whatever...set me up. Never mind the fact they could have replaced my already faulty box with another faulty box.
My box magically fixed itself before this next service call came up, so I called in to cancel. Upon calling to cancel the service call, I am told that there is not a service call in place for me. I get a little upset hearing this because what if I had been waiting for them again!! The girl on the phone proceeds to argue with me about the existence of said service call. She wouldn't take 5 seconds of spouting off loyalties and praises of Comcast to think logically. Why would I have called in to cancel a service if I had never called and requested service? Hello! Finally I get her to see things my way (or maybe she was tired of defending her beloved employer). She said that I could be credited for the time my equipment was out, but I would have to wait until I received my bill and call back...fair enough I thought. Boy was I wrong...this is where me and Comcast crashed and burned.
I called when I got the bill. Not only was there not a record of this service call, there was no record of my calling to cancel said service call. Therefore, there was nothing they could do to credit my account for the time my service was out. This manly sounding woman I was talking to was rude as all get out...she accused me of making the service issue up. Yeah lady...in my spare time for fun, I call and fight with the people unfortunate enough to have to work at Comcast. Needless to say, my conversation with this she-man gets pretty heated and I am getting nowhere because this woman is calling me a liar. I tell them how they just don't care about their customers, they are overcharging people for a service that is already sub-par, etc, etc, etc, I tell her I am sorry she has to work for Comcast and threaten to not do business with them anymore.
She-man pretty much said good riddance to me and wanted to set up a disconnection. Which would also come with a fee!!!!!!!!! I tried to fight this tooth and nail and said I would not be giving Comcast one more dime. Getting nowhere on the fee issue, I hung up the phone.
The week before Thanksgiving, I get a call from Comcast calling to set up a date for my disconnection. I said I don't want a disconnection...I told them about my fight with She-man and said that a disconnect would not be necessary. Thought that would be the end of the story.
Nope, dead wrong...
The Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I get a call from a technician saying he is on his way to my house for my disconnect. I once again tell him there is not a disconnect scheduled and to not disconnect my service. He said that I would have to call Comcast and cancel it with them. I inform him, I had cancelled it with them last week and quite frankly I wasn't wasting anymore of my time with them on the issue...he said have a good day and I'll take care of it.
Fast forward to last night. I came home from work and my service had been disconnected. DISCONNECTED!!!! Two and a half hours of screaming and yelling on the phone got me NOTHING. When I say I turned into a raving lunatic last night, I am not exaggerating. I had a neighbor walk down the street from 3 doors down to see if everything was alright. I seriously was so raving mad...I went to Wal-mart in my pajamas and bedroom slippers and bought a splitter. See...the dumb ass tech who had come out to disconnect me had left the lid off the cable box...I would just connect to my neighbors box.
The neighbor, however, spotted me trying to do this and was not very pleased...mind you...these very neighbors steal water from my faucet on a regular basis. I guess water and cable are not an even trade!
It took a bottle of wine for the raving lunatic side of me to calm down.
So this morning I called at 7 AM, see last night I was told Comcast Corporate or Executive branch or something would be giving me a call...because those people would be in today, and were not in last night. I would be given a call because my matter had been escalated to higher powers. I didn't trust them, so that's why I called at 7 AM.
Took the woman about 20 minutes to read my saga and then she finally says to me...we will have someone out today between 2-5 PM. I said great...now do I have to be there and will I be charged for YOUR mistake? And yes to both. I have to be there and I will be charged for a reconnect fee...I also didnt qualify for the discounts other "new" customer's would qualify for because I had received new customer discounts within the past year. Infuriated at the fact this woman was calling me a "new" customer I yelled at her too and told her she was making me late for work...just to make sure the tech got out there and that my service was reconnected before the end of business today....now if only these phantom executive people would call me.
I'll let you know what happens tonight when I get home.
The story begins in September 2006. I was moving and would need to have cable/Internet service. I called a month in advance and set up an installation date. The installation date came, but no one from Comcast did. Being a new Comcast customer at this point, I was not completely irate when the woman on the other end of the phone told me that there was never an installation appointment set up. I just simply set up a new one...for 3 weeks out.
Three weeks later and on a Saturday I am waiting for my installation. I was promised the technician would be at my house between 2-5 PM. It is getting closer and closer to 5 and I have not heard from anyone, so I call Comcast to make sure that I actually do even have an appointment this time. Comcast says that the technician is en route to my location as we were speaking. And I suppose that wasn't a total lie, the guy EVENTUALLY would be en route to my location, so maybe he was in the process of showering, or maybe having a steak dinner at Denny's...who knows, but I guess this person on the other end of the phone was considering the whole process of this man's day the route to my location. 8 PM rolls around. By this time I have called Comcast 3 other times and again am assured each time the technician is en route to my location...Finally, there is a knock on the door. The cable guy has finally arrived!!!
So this scuzzy dude comes into my living room. He smells as if he hasn't showered in days. He is wearing ripped jeans and a yellowed t-shirt, but whatever right...I am about to get cable. Mind you 7 weeks after I started the process. So he hooks up my modem in record time. Then he moves onto my cable box. He is about halfway through when I happen to mention something about my DVR service. He told me the box he had brought to my house was not a DVR box and that nowhere on the work order did it state that I had ordered DVR service. I knew damn well I had because I had priced it all out on the phone with the woman I spoke with 7 weeks ago. Turns out she had not only forgot to actually set me up with an installation, she was brain dead when we were talking about adding the DVR for $9.95 to my service.
I am starting to get a little bit upset at this point. The scuzzy dude says he might have a box capable of DVR in his truck and goes to look. In the meantime he says I need to call Comcast back and straighten out the problem. I call and after holding for about 15 minutes, I am connected with a live person who proceeds to argue with me about whether or not I have ordered DVR service. Never once do they apologize, they just tell me that I didn't order the service and I would be able to order it now if I would like for $15.95 a month. I would then be able to have an appointment to have that installed about 2 weeks later and I would be charged a service fee. Yeah.... Even after speaking to them in a level and calm voice about how this was a mistake on their part and that I should not have to pay any extra charges for things that were mistakes on their part they would not back down. I was not offered an apology for them screwing up my order and being late, nor was I offered any credits on my account.
Scuzzy dude comes back in about this time empty handed. I am on the verge of becoming livid. Comcast wants me to pay for their mistake!!! I could not believe it. I tell Scuzzy dude what is going on and grab him and I a beer. Yes, Scuzzy dude did drink a beer with me while on the job, Comcast...way to go Comcast. Your outsourcing and hiring of third party contractors is really working out! Over the beer, I tell Scuzzy dude what is going on and he calls into his dispatcher person and tries to get them to schedule him in for tomorrow. Score! Dispatcher says he can come between 9-11 AM. He has promised me he will be back with the right box, free of the service charge first thing in the morning. He leaves.
I get up the next morning and am expecting Scuzzy dude back between 9-11 AM. I bet you can guess what happens next...NO SHOW! So I call Comcast...AGAIN...they say that technicians cannot set up their own service calls and that there is no record of this. That they have done nothing wrong and not missed a service call because there was no service call in place because I would not agree to pay for one. If I agreed to pay for it at this point, they would gladly put one in the system. I go insane. After talking to about 8 or 9 people at the call center, I am finally given a free service call to have the DVR installed that I had originally ordered. I would however, have to wait until the next weekend to have it installed.
Okay, so here we are on week 8 of me TRYING to get the cable service that satisfies me. This time I am scheduled between 8-11 AM. I wanted to be the first call...no chance to be late, they would have the right equipment, etc... HAHAHAHAH what was I thinking. It ended up wasting my whole day as 15 or so calls were made to Comcast wondering where the technician was. Around 8 PM that evening a different technician (not the beer drinking one with empty promises) finally arrives and gets me all good to go...my Comcast drama is finally over for a few months and I can just relax and watch my TV.
On down the road, I unfortunately have to move again. I again call a month in advance to let them know of my impending move. At this point I am arguing and hassling with them because the new place I am moving already has service and they cant do anything with the address until I am in the place and the other service has been cut off. Completely understandable. I would just have to go a few weeks with out cable. The hazards of every move. I was also perturbed with them because I had to pay to have my cable transferred...I said then I would just cancel and try and find a different company. They then said...well then you will have to pay a cancellation fee. When I asked what that was for, she said it was for someone to come pick up the equipment. I told her that I would drop the equipment off somewhere to avoid the fee...she said it didn't matter I would still get charged a disconnect fee. I said jeez...well what can I do with you guys without getting charged a fee!!!
Ultimately the option that would cost me the least amount of money was just to have my service transferred from my old place to my new place. I had already shopped around for some of the other Internet providers and satellite companies and for the time being sadly enough found this option was the most cost effective for me. DAMN IT!
So my "transfer" date comes up and the technician arrives on time! WOW! This time the tech is a guy in his 30s. Looks to be a family man. At least this one is clean. After about an hour...I start to wonder what in the world this guy is doing. Does it really take an hour to hook up my modem...so I go to check in on him. He just starts chatting me up, asking if I am married...wierd...I am feeling a little creeped out, so I go out to my deck to smoke a cigarette...and also to stay in eyesight/earshot of my neighbors. Guy follows me outside about 15 minutes later and starts telling me how much he likes to smoke the "left-handed" cigarettes. I said that's nice...but he just wont let it go. I am in shock...I cant believe the cable guy wants me to score him some wacky tabacky...whatever...I am going to have cable service once again after a long drought. He finally leaves and mind you this character was at my house for 2 and a half hours....was that normal?? I think not.
After the summer, my box goes out :( I talk to someone at the call center while I am at work and the girl on the other end tells me that we are resetting my box and she is sending the proper signals to it. She says to make sure its working when I get home from work and to call back if not. I get home from work and of course its not working...because I find out when I get home that the 15 minutes I spent on the phone with the girl was a waste of time. In order for them to remotely reset your box...you have to be standing in front of your box pressing some buttons. Why would this girl have lied to me and wasted mine and her own time!!!!!!!!!!! I would really love to know Comcast's training procedures. Because not one person I ever talk to there tells me the same thing. Nor does anyone really seem to know what they are talking about.
I then troubleshoot the box myself again with another employee helping me to no avail. The damn thing will have to be replaced. I set up an appointment (that of which they TRIED to charge me for, I screamed and yelled...they dropped the fee). Dude actually shows up on time and replaces the box in about 15 minutes. Great...finally Comcast seems to be on the right track. I had nothing but smiles for them at this point.
Fast forward a few weeks. My guide is nothing but TBA....I call Comcast. They dont know what the problem is, but would gladly send someone out to look at it in a week or so for a fee. I say fine whatever...set me up. Never mind the fact they could have replaced my already faulty box with another faulty box.
My box magically fixed itself before this next service call came up, so I called in to cancel. Upon calling to cancel the service call, I am told that there is not a service call in place for me. I get a little upset hearing this because what if I had been waiting for them again!! The girl on the phone proceeds to argue with me about the existence of said service call. She wouldn't take 5 seconds of spouting off loyalties and praises of Comcast to think logically. Why would I have called in to cancel a service if I had never called and requested service? Hello! Finally I get her to see things my way (or maybe she was tired of defending her beloved employer). She said that I could be credited for the time my equipment was out, but I would have to wait until I received my bill and call back...fair enough I thought. Boy was I wrong...this is where me and Comcast crashed and burned.
I called when I got the bill. Not only was there not a record of this service call, there was no record of my calling to cancel said service call. Therefore, there was nothing they could do to credit my account for the time my service was out. This manly sounding woman I was talking to was rude as all get out...she accused me of making the service issue up. Yeah lady...in my spare time for fun, I call and fight with the people unfortunate enough to have to work at Comcast. Needless to say, my conversation with this she-man gets pretty heated and I am getting nowhere because this woman is calling me a liar. I tell them how they just don't care about their customers, they are overcharging people for a service that is already sub-par, etc, etc, etc, I tell her I am sorry she has to work for Comcast and threaten to not do business with them anymore.
She-man pretty much said good riddance to me and wanted to set up a disconnection. Which would also come with a fee!!!!!!!!! I tried to fight this tooth and nail and said I would not be giving Comcast one more dime. Getting nowhere on the fee issue, I hung up the phone.
The week before Thanksgiving, I get a call from Comcast calling to set up a date for my disconnection. I said I don't want a disconnection...I told them about my fight with She-man and said that a disconnect would not be necessary. Thought that would be the end of the story.
Nope, dead wrong...
The Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I get a call from a technician saying he is on his way to my house for my disconnect. I once again tell him there is not a disconnect scheduled and to not disconnect my service. He said that I would have to call Comcast and cancel it with them. I inform him, I had cancelled it with them last week and quite frankly I wasn't wasting anymore of my time with them on the issue...he said have a good day and I'll take care of it.
Fast forward to last night. I came home from work and my service had been disconnected. DISCONNECTED!!!! Two and a half hours of screaming and yelling on the phone got me NOTHING. When I say I turned into a raving lunatic last night, I am not exaggerating. I had a neighbor walk down the street from 3 doors down to see if everything was alright. I seriously was so raving mad...I went to Wal-mart in my pajamas and bedroom slippers and bought a splitter. See...the dumb ass tech who had come out to disconnect me had left the lid off the cable box...I would just connect to my neighbors box.
The neighbor, however, spotted me trying to do this and was not very pleased...mind you...these very neighbors steal water from my faucet on a regular basis. I guess water and cable are not an even trade!
It took a bottle of wine for the raving lunatic side of me to calm down.
So this morning I called at 7 AM, see last night I was told Comcast Corporate or Executive branch or something would be giving me a call...because those people would be in today, and were not in last night. I would be given a call because my matter had been escalated to higher powers. I didn't trust them, so that's why I called at 7 AM.
Took the woman about 20 minutes to read my saga and then she finally says to me...we will have someone out today between 2-5 PM. I said great...now do I have to be there and will I be charged for YOUR mistake? And yes to both. I have to be there and I will be charged for a reconnect fee...I also didnt qualify for the discounts other "new" customer's would qualify for because I had received new customer discounts within the past year. Infuriated at the fact this woman was calling me a "new" customer I yelled at her too and told her she was making me late for work...just to make sure the tech got out there and that my service was reconnected before the end of business today....now if only these phantom executive people would call me.
I'll let you know what happens tonight when I get home.
Guitar Hero Is Fabulous
Guitar is the best game ever! So happy for the new guys that the game is still going strong. Love it!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Wall Street Journal online.
Guitar Hero Sales Surge as Halo 3 Cools
By DAN GALLAGHER
November 16, 2007 10:40 a.m.
Videogame sales jumped 39% in October but came in below several optimistic expectations as sales of the blockbuster Halo 3 slowed considerably following its much-hyped launch.
The slower Halo 3 sales were also a likely factor in helping the Nintendo Wii reclaim the top spot among gaming consoles after being knocked off briefly by Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360.
The Wii sold about 519,000 units during the month -- the most of any gaming console, according to data released from the NPD group late Thursday. That blew away the 366,000 in unit sales from the Xbox 360, which saw an upsurge in September thanks to the launch of Halo 3, which was designed exclusively by Microsoft for the Xbox 360 console. The Xbox 360 had sold nearly 528,000 units in September.
Halo 3 was released during the last week of September but still managed to rack up 3.3 million in unit sales for the month. In October, the game totaled just 433,800 units.
Total videogame software sales for the month came to $513.9 million, up 39% from the same period last year. Analysts were expecting sales to come in between $550 million and $600 million for the month.
The star game title for October turned out to be another sequel, of sorts. Activision Inc.'s Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock hit store shelves on Oct. 28 but still managed to sell 1.2 million units in versions designed for all three next-generation gaming consoles as well as the older PlayStation 2 from Sony Corp.
While Sony's PlayStation 3 still ranked at the bottom for next-generation consoles, the device saw sales pick up slightly to 121,000 units for the month compared with 119,400 units the month before. Sony has cut the price on the console significantly, but those price cuts did not take affect until this month, so the impact to sales will not be clear until December.
The PlayStation 2 sold 184,000 units for the month, likely helped by the latest Guitar Hero installment.
On the handheld side, Sony's PSP moved 286,000 units while the Nintendo DS sold about 458,000 units.
Nintendo also had a strong performance on the game side. The company's Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass sold more than 262,000 units for its handheld DS platform, followed by its Wii Play w/ Remote game, which sold more than 239,000 units.
Electronic Arts Inc. saw its Half Life 2 title move 238,400 units for the month while its FIFA Soccer 08 title sold 129,700 units.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Wall Street Journal online.
Guitar Hero Sales Surge as Halo 3 Cools
By DAN GALLAGHER
November 16, 2007 10:40 a.m.
Videogame sales jumped 39% in October but came in below several optimistic expectations as sales of the blockbuster Halo 3 slowed considerably following its much-hyped launch.
The slower Halo 3 sales were also a likely factor in helping the Nintendo Wii reclaim the top spot among gaming consoles after being knocked off briefly by Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360.
The Wii sold about 519,000 units during the month -- the most of any gaming console, according to data released from the NPD group late Thursday. That blew away the 366,000 in unit sales from the Xbox 360, which saw an upsurge in September thanks to the launch of Halo 3, which was designed exclusively by Microsoft for the Xbox 360 console. The Xbox 360 had sold nearly 528,000 units in September.
Halo 3 was released during the last week of September but still managed to rack up 3.3 million in unit sales for the month. In October, the game totaled just 433,800 units.
Total videogame software sales for the month came to $513.9 million, up 39% from the same period last year. Analysts were expecting sales to come in between $550 million and $600 million for the month.
The star game title for October turned out to be another sequel, of sorts. Activision Inc.'s Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock hit store shelves on Oct. 28 but still managed to sell 1.2 million units in versions designed for all three next-generation gaming consoles as well as the older PlayStation 2 from Sony Corp.
While Sony's PlayStation 3 still ranked at the bottom for next-generation consoles, the device saw sales pick up slightly to 121,000 units for the month compared with 119,400 units the month before. Sony has cut the price on the console significantly, but those price cuts did not take affect until this month, so the impact to sales will not be clear until December.
The PlayStation 2 sold 184,000 units for the month, likely helped by the latest Guitar Hero installment.
On the handheld side, Sony's PSP moved 286,000 units while the Nintendo DS sold about 458,000 units.
Nintendo also had a strong performance on the game side. The company's Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass sold more than 262,000 units for its handheld DS platform, followed by its Wii Play w/ Remote game, which sold more than 239,000 units.
Electronic Arts Inc. saw its Half Life 2 title move 238,400 units for the month while its FIFA Soccer 08 title sold 129,700 units.
Neighborhood Drama
Do you really have to "love thy neighbor"? Where do you really draw the lines in friendships/realtionships you form with your neighbors?
Over the past year and a half I have come to learn that there is no need to be friends with your neighbors. There is no need to consider them your best friends. They are merely acquaintances and drinking buddies. You are thrown together by chance and the drinking and the partying comes out of mere convienence. Not because you actually like to spend time with the people.
Its nothing but gossip. Gossip that leads to hurting people's feelings. Its rumors being spread. It is unecessary. It is conversation to fill empty air. Because in the end you have nothing in common with your neighbors except drinking.
All this empty conversation really is damaging to everyone.
And then when you decide you would simply just rather not be friends/drinking buddies...the gossip continues. Removing yourself from the situation really isnt enough.
Let them talk. And then I'll just sit here and blog about all the crazy things they do. Its Friday. Cant wait to see what the weekend has in store.
Over the past year and a half I have come to learn that there is no need to be friends with your neighbors. There is no need to consider them your best friends. They are merely acquaintances and drinking buddies. You are thrown together by chance and the drinking and the partying comes out of mere convienence. Not because you actually like to spend time with the people.
Its nothing but gossip. Gossip that leads to hurting people's feelings. Its rumors being spread. It is unecessary. It is conversation to fill empty air. Because in the end you have nothing in common with your neighbors except drinking.
All this empty conversation really is damaging to everyone.
And then when you decide you would simply just rather not be friends/drinking buddies...the gossip continues. Removing yourself from the situation really isnt enough.
Let them talk. And then I'll just sit here and blog about all the crazy things they do. Its Friday. Cant wait to see what the weekend has in store.
Indigo Children
Maynard James Keenan's latest side project, Puscifer released their first album this week. I of course proceeded to download a few of the tracks off of Limewire. I fell in love with this song which was titled "Indigo Children."
It was much softer than any of MJK's other work. And the guitar and drum beats seemed kind of dull. Still I thought, well, he is trying something new. Maybe he just threw this one together without the normal depth and thinking process he usually puts into his work.
But then the voice wasnt quite right...it seemed platonic. If you can use the word platonic to describe a voice...
So, I looked up the lyrics to "Indigo Children". The song I had been playing over and over wasn't Puscifer at all. It was a band called Living Syndication and the song is actually called "Something More".
AHAH!
MKJ hasnt gone completely soft.
However, the song lyrics from "Something More"
A rented house can hold
no home
No memories
You're brought up proud
but you can't run from
your family tree
You're spending all this
time alone
it's them or me..
seemed to to fit with the definition of an indigo child. Or at least it did in my mind.
An indigo child is a child who is percieved as having paranormal abilities. Namely reading minds. However, it happens these children are just more intuitive to those around them and their feelings and thoughts. These indigo children are often raised by New Age parents who dote on their children's "abilities". So there is a battle over whether these children really are special or are just doted on by their parents so much that the children grow up believing they have super powers.
The educational/scientific community seems to suggest that Indigo Children are nothing more than children with undiagnosed of misdiagnosed ADHD. As Indigo Children exhibit many of the same characteristics of those children with ADHD. The Indigo child is prone to depression and antisocial behavior. New Agers say this is because of their highly attuned perception to the environment around them. Hell, I think children in general are very highly attuned to the emotions and feelings of situations around them.
Indigo Children is a very interesting concept and reminds me of the little boy in The Sixth Sense.
But back to the "Something More" lyrics. If this Indigo Child idea really is something that New Age parents push on their kid, then I can see how the child would grow up believing they are really something special because of their doting parents. Then they are forced to leave home and join "the real world" where being proud of being able to read minds is only going to get them labeled as crazy. They are then forced to live in even more isolation than when they were a child. This isolation leads to depression, anger, and then resentment onto the family they were raised by for raising them to feel as if they were special.
It was much softer than any of MJK's other work. And the guitar and drum beats seemed kind of dull. Still I thought, well, he is trying something new. Maybe he just threw this one together without the normal depth and thinking process he usually puts into his work.
But then the voice wasnt quite right...it seemed platonic. If you can use the word platonic to describe a voice...
So, I looked up the lyrics to "Indigo Children". The song I had been playing over and over wasn't Puscifer at all. It was a band called Living Syndication and the song is actually called "Something More".
AHAH!
MKJ hasnt gone completely soft.
However, the song lyrics from "Something More"
A rented house can hold
no home
No memories
You're brought up proud
but you can't run from
your family tree
You're spending all this
time alone
it's them or me..
seemed to to fit with the definition of an indigo child. Or at least it did in my mind.
An indigo child is a child who is percieved as having paranormal abilities. Namely reading minds. However, it happens these children are just more intuitive to those around them and their feelings and thoughts. These indigo children are often raised by New Age parents who dote on their children's "abilities". So there is a battle over whether these children really are special or are just doted on by their parents so much that the children grow up believing they have super powers.
The educational/scientific community seems to suggest that Indigo Children are nothing more than children with undiagnosed of misdiagnosed ADHD. As Indigo Children exhibit many of the same characteristics of those children with ADHD. The Indigo child is prone to depression and antisocial behavior. New Agers say this is because of their highly attuned perception to the environment around them. Hell, I think children in general are very highly attuned to the emotions and feelings of situations around them.
Indigo Children is a very interesting concept and reminds me of the little boy in The Sixth Sense.
But back to the "Something More" lyrics. If this Indigo Child idea really is something that New Age parents push on their kid, then I can see how the child would grow up believing they are really something special because of their doting parents. Then they are forced to leave home and join "the real world" where being proud of being able to read minds is only going to get them labeled as crazy. They are then forced to live in even more isolation than when they were a child. This isolation leads to depression, anger, and then resentment onto the family they were raised by for raising them to feel as if they were special.
Statesboro Students Tried their Best
Congrats to Georgia Southern students! At least you guys tried to come together and at least show some political interest. The problem is you must follow through on all of that work and actually show up to the polls and vote. It is not enough to simply register. The article below shows the results of the recent election. If "thousands" newly registered voters were registered in Bulloch County, then how come mere hundreds actually cast a ballot.
On the other hand this shows a great example of our disenfranchised generation. These students went and registered to save their right to party. Or rather privilage to party. And then "forgot" to vote. Maybe rather than being just apathetic to political causes our generation just simply does not have the attention span to follow through on things that dont happen or take place in a small enough time frame.
Posted online @ StatesboroHerald.com
by: Chad Bishop
After hours of waiting for results Tuesday night, Travis Chance and John Morris will have to wait a little longer.
Morris held a slight edge of 363 votes to Chance's 328, but 93 votes are being challenged in District 5. Six voters cast provisional ballots.
"A little disappointed that we didn't get more turnout to the polls," said Morris, 43, the incumbent. "I guess we'll just see where these challenges stand and then go from there. I felt like I would have had a considerable amount more (votes) than what I got."
Two weeks ago, a group called the Statesboro Citizens for Good Government filed petitions challenging the veracity of 909 Georgia Southern students who registered to vote after Sept. 1.
Nancy Waters, a member of the citizens' group and a member of the city's Alcohol Control Board, said the group planned to move ahead with the challenges and would consult with its attorney today.
A crowded courthouse received District 5 totals at around 10:20 p.m., three hours after polls closed.
"Statesboro voted their conscience," said Chance, the challenger. "We'll see what happens. I still think the students deserve the right to vote and we're going to see what happens when the challenges come back."
Deputy Registrar Shontay Jones said that the Bulloch County Board of Registrars will meet today to discuss moving forward with the hearings for challenged voters. Jones also said the Board will likely focus on those challenges where the race is still undetermined.
Close to 800 votes were cast in District 5. Chance led early voting 188-120 while Morris dominated on Election Day 243-140. Fifty nine votes were challenged during early voting while 34 were challenged on Tuesday. Morris needs 33 of the remaining 99 votes to win.
"I know my two children are in that pile (of challenged votes)," said Morris. "I guess it's anybody's game. I knew I had some supporters from the (Student Government Association) at Georgia Southern so we'll just have to see."
Chance, 29, said all there's left to do now is wait.
"Just hope justice prevails and the people that exercised their constitutional right to vote are actually counted," he said.
Earlier in the day citizens of Statesboro came and went at the Honey Bowen Building, the designated polling place for District 5.
Two students who completed their ballots around 12:30 p.m. left with strong opinions on the election itself.
"I think I should be able to vote just like everybody else can," said Jessa Herrin, 19, from Brantley County. Herrin was also upset when she was told her vote would be challenged. "I live here, too, and I voted for the person who I believe is on our side and who will represent us better."
Stephanie Tello, from Clayton County, had no problems during the voting process. She did have a problem with citizens taking issue with students voting.
"I think it's crap," said the 21-year-old. "The main population of Statesboro is students. Students should have a say. There's things that we need, too, and it's not fair that the elder community gets to decide, 'Uh, no they're silly college students they don't know any better.' We do, we're adults too. We're making it, we're living, we're going."
Fifty-three-year-old veteran Don Poe said he was out to vote for the candidate that best represented who he was. Poe was also conscious of the controversy surrounding student voter rights and issues involving alcohol.
"I think it's the growing pains of the city," said Poe. "It's going to grow one way or the other and you just got to vote for which way you think is important."
Many of the voters who were students made their way to the polls by themselves or were dropped off by shuttles from campus.
Jim and Susan Darrell came out on Tuesday because they said they vote in every election. Jim said he placed his vote for the incumbent because, "He's served us well and he's taken care of us."
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Taylor Kitsch
Taylor Kitsch was born April 9, 1981 making him a Pisces. Taylor is a native of Kelowna, Canada which is located in British Columbia near Vancouver. He moved to New York City in 2002, at the age of 21, to pursue a modeling/acting career.
Taylor comes from a large family with 2 brothers and 2 sisters. He is the middle child.
In addition to his acting skills, he is a certified nutritionist and personal trainer.
TK has appeared on episodes of Kyle XY, Godiva (Canadian series), Pacific Air 121, John Tucker Must Die, and The Covenant.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An article which appeared @ MensHealth.com by Scott Quill
Taylor Kitsch returns to the small screen tonight in NBC's football drama Friday Night Lights (9/8c).
During his breakout season as the volatile fullback Tim Riggins, Kitsch appeared on the cover of Men's Health in January, showing how to eat your way to a six-pack.
Last month, Kitsch participated in the Nautica Malibu Triathlon (which Men's Health co-sponsors) benefiting Children's Hospital Los Angeles, but not to show off his rippling stomach. The MH Guy was there to support fitness activities for kids.
In this exclusive interview for MensHealth.com, Kitsch spoke about childhood obesity and our new initiative Men's Health FitSchools. His advice can help you sculpt a leaner midsection and help your kids shape up, too.
MH: What can we expect from the premiere of FNL?
TK: Some really intense stuff happens in the first episode with Landry (Jesse Plemons) and Tyra (Adriane Pilicki). It's going to shape their characters for the rest of the season. I'm excited to see it myself.
MH: How about the rest of the season?
TK: Episode 2 might be more intense than the first. Tim Riggins (Taylor's character) is even more lost this year. He goes to Mexico with Jason Street (Scott Porter) and he lets loose. Last year, Riggins was very dark, but there's better balance this year. At times, he's a comedic relief, but there's also a serious matter with his best friend who has an idea to go for stem cell surgery, which he thinks will probably make him walk the next week. His friend has tunnel vision, so he's trying to figure out how to get through to him.
MH: Is the mood as intense on set as it is in the show?
TK: We have a lot of fun when we shoot football scenes. Kyle Chandler (who plays Coach Taylor) and I chuck the ball around. Just yesterday I was thinking, 'Man, I'm getting paid to throw the ball around and run routes.' I just laughed. It's really fun.
MH: Growing up, did you have a coach like Coach Taylor?
TK: I played junior hockey and I got traded to the worst team in the league. I didn't want to go over there, but it was truly a blessing in disguise because my coach was an amazing man. He was really personable and very nonjudgmental. That's what Coach Taylor is like on our show. He listens to you and gives you his best advice. You don't feel like you're being judged when you talk to him, and I think that's so commendable for any coach or teacher.
MH: You've been doing commendable work yourself. Tell us about your charity work for children.
TK: I went into the Children's Hospital in L.A. a little over a year ago and it changed me. Ever since then I've been working with the hospital whenever I can. The Nautica Malibu Triathlon this year was great, just being around the kids and fitness. The kids had a little race and I handed out medals to them. So they're super excited already and then when they come to the finish line and see the medal, they just freeze. Just seeing their faces and talking to them, you get their sense of energy and life. It's a great feeling. I think I get more out of it than they do.
MH: Three of the 10 fattest cities for kids are in Texas, where you live. Why is everything and everyone bigger in Texas?
TK: Austin has to be the most active city in Texas. But you drive through these small towns and all you see are fast food chains. It's frustrating at times because so many kids are getting diagnosed as clinically depressed before they're 10 years old. There's a reason for that depression that goes beyond friends -- it's what we're eating, and being sedentary.
MH: Are you involved in any health programs for kids like Men's Health FitSchools?
TK: Not yet, but it's definitely something we're working towards. I'd like to help kids inside the hospital and outside, as well. I usually go in the children's hospital and talk and read to kids who are terminally ill.
MH: Why is it important for you to be a healthy role model for kids?
TK: Video games and computers have become babysitters for kids. Parents have to lead by example. I have two little sisters and I help my mom raise them. You just try to give them knowledge piece by piece and tell them, '[By eating well and being active,] you're going to feel a lot better about yourself, you're going to be able to do better at school, you're going to have more energy in sports.' I think it's about self-empowerment, as well -- giving kids choices. It starts with coaches, teachers, and especially parents, by living healthy themselves.
MH: Okay, let's talk about your workout. How do you motivate yourself to train hard early in the morning?
TK: I'm not a morning person, but you're never going to regret going to the gym. When you have your workout behind you, you feel a lot better. You have this energy that probably 90 percent of people aren't going to have today because they didn't do it. So it just gives you a kick-start. It's also time to clear my head before the day. Especially with work or if you're dealing with personal crap, it just gives you that stress relief. Take it out on the weights, or go for a hard run.
MH: What's your favorite abs exercise?
TK: You're on your butt and your knees are right by your chest; your feet are off the floor. Your buddy has a 10-pound medicine ball and he literally chucks it at you for 90 seconds. You're throwing it as hard as you can back to him and he's calling you out as you do that. If you give one throw back that's a rainbow, he'll whip it at you harder. It's really high intensity. You want to get up and punch the guy in the face, but the pain makes you feel incredible after. He's in your face throwing it as fast as he can or he'll go like 8 feet back. Or he'll walk all the way around you and you'll have to toss it in all directions. It's good for your lumbar spine as well so it's a complete core exercise.
Taylor comes from a large family with 2 brothers and 2 sisters. He is the middle child.
In addition to his acting skills, he is a certified nutritionist and personal trainer.
TK has appeared on episodes of Kyle XY, Godiva (Canadian series), Pacific Air 121, John Tucker Must Die, and The Covenant.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An article which appeared @ MensHealth.com by Scott Quill
Taylor Kitsch returns to the small screen tonight in NBC's football drama Friday Night Lights (9/8c).
During his breakout season as the volatile fullback Tim Riggins, Kitsch appeared on the cover of Men's Health in January, showing how to eat your way to a six-pack.
Last month, Kitsch participated in the Nautica Malibu Triathlon (which Men's Health co-sponsors) benefiting Children's Hospital Los Angeles, but not to show off his rippling stomach. The MH Guy was there to support fitness activities for kids.
In this exclusive interview for MensHealth.com, Kitsch spoke about childhood obesity and our new initiative Men's Health FitSchools. His advice can help you sculpt a leaner midsection and help your kids shape up, too.
MH: What can we expect from the premiere of FNL?
TK: Some really intense stuff happens in the first episode with Landry (Jesse Plemons) and Tyra (Adriane Pilicki). It's going to shape their characters for the rest of the season. I'm excited to see it myself.
MH: How about the rest of the season?
TK: Episode 2 might be more intense than the first. Tim Riggins (Taylor's character) is even more lost this year. He goes to Mexico with Jason Street (Scott Porter) and he lets loose. Last year, Riggins was very dark, but there's better balance this year. At times, he's a comedic relief, but there's also a serious matter with his best friend who has an idea to go for stem cell surgery, which he thinks will probably make him walk the next week. His friend has tunnel vision, so he's trying to figure out how to get through to him.
MH: Is the mood as intense on set as it is in the show?
TK: We have a lot of fun when we shoot football scenes. Kyle Chandler (who plays Coach Taylor) and I chuck the ball around. Just yesterday I was thinking, 'Man, I'm getting paid to throw the ball around and run routes.' I just laughed. It's really fun.
MH: Growing up, did you have a coach like Coach Taylor?
TK: I played junior hockey and I got traded to the worst team in the league. I didn't want to go over there, but it was truly a blessing in disguise because my coach was an amazing man. He was really personable and very nonjudgmental. That's what Coach Taylor is like on our show. He listens to you and gives you his best advice. You don't feel like you're being judged when you talk to him, and I think that's so commendable for any coach or teacher.
MH: You've been doing commendable work yourself. Tell us about your charity work for children.
TK: I went into the Children's Hospital in L.A. a little over a year ago and it changed me. Ever since then I've been working with the hospital whenever I can. The Nautica Malibu Triathlon this year was great, just being around the kids and fitness. The kids had a little race and I handed out medals to them. So they're super excited already and then when they come to the finish line and see the medal, they just freeze. Just seeing their faces and talking to them, you get their sense of energy and life. It's a great feeling. I think I get more out of it than they do.
MH: Three of the 10 fattest cities for kids are in Texas, where you live. Why is everything and everyone bigger in Texas?
TK: Austin has to be the most active city in Texas. But you drive through these small towns and all you see are fast food chains. It's frustrating at times because so many kids are getting diagnosed as clinically depressed before they're 10 years old. There's a reason for that depression that goes beyond friends -- it's what we're eating, and being sedentary.
MH: Are you involved in any health programs for kids like Men's Health FitSchools?
TK: Not yet, but it's definitely something we're working towards. I'd like to help kids inside the hospital and outside, as well. I usually go in the children's hospital and talk and read to kids who are terminally ill.
MH: Why is it important for you to be a healthy role model for kids?
TK: Video games and computers have become babysitters for kids. Parents have to lead by example. I have two little sisters and I help my mom raise them. You just try to give them knowledge piece by piece and tell them, '[By eating well and being active,] you're going to feel a lot better about yourself, you're going to be able to do better at school, you're going to have more energy in sports.' I think it's about self-empowerment, as well -- giving kids choices. It starts with coaches, teachers, and especially parents, by living healthy themselves.
MH: Okay, let's talk about your workout. How do you motivate yourself to train hard early in the morning?
TK: I'm not a morning person, but you're never going to regret going to the gym. When you have your workout behind you, you feel a lot better. You have this energy that probably 90 percent of people aren't going to have today because they didn't do it. So it just gives you a kick-start. It's also time to clear my head before the day. Especially with work or if you're dealing with personal crap, it just gives you that stress relief. Take it out on the weights, or go for a hard run.
MH: What's your favorite abs exercise?
TK: You're on your butt and your knees are right by your chest; your feet are off the floor. Your buddy has a 10-pound medicine ball and he literally chucks it at you for 90 seconds. You're throwing it as hard as you can back to him and he's calling you out as you do that. If you give one throw back that's a rainbow, he'll whip it at you harder. It's really high intensity. You want to get up and punch the guy in the face, but the pain makes you feel incredible after. He's in your face throwing it as fast as he can or he'll go like 8 feet back. Or he'll walk all the way around you and you'll have to toss it in all directions. It's good for your lumbar spine as well so it's a complete core exercise.
There must be a God
Sonny prayed...and yes...the rain just came. Must be a miracle. Must be GOD...or maybe they just had the vigil coincide with the weather forecast?? who knows...but its raining. our "prayers" have been answered.
ps.
as long as it took me to write these 2 sentences the rain kind of stopped....
pps. oh wait. its back
psps. oh its stopped.
Edited 11/15 @ 9:39 AM....well it did rain all through the night last night. But the sky is clear blue today and it is very windy. I think more rain is being blown in by the wind.
ps.
as long as it took me to write these 2 sentences the rain kind of stopped....
pps. oh wait. its back
psps. oh its stopped.
Edited 11/15 @ 9:39 AM....well it did rain all through the night last night. But the sky is clear blue today and it is very windy. I think more rain is being blown in by the wind.
Gene Simmons is on crack
In a recent interview with Billboard Gene Simmons of KISS says,
"The record industry is in such a mess. I called for what it was when college kids first started download music for free -- that they were crooks. I told every record label I spoke with that they just lit the fuse to their own bomb that was going to explode from under them and put them on the street.
There is nothing in me that wants to go in there and do new music. How are you going to deliver it? How are you going to get paid for it if people can just get it for free? I will be putting out a Gene Simmons box set called "Monster" -- a collection of 150 unreleased songs. KISS will have another box set of unreleased music in the next year.
The record industry doesn't have a f---ing clue how to make money. It's only their fault for letting foxes get into the henhouse and then wondering why there's no eggs or chickens. Every little college kid, every freshly-scrubbed little kid's face should have been sued off the face of the earth. They should have taken their houses and cars and nipped it right there in the beginning. Those kids are putting 100,000 to a million people out of work. How can you pick on them? They've got freckles. That's a crook. He may as well be wearing a bandit's mask."
I would like to go back to the part where Gene would like to sue the pants off of every college student that has ever downloaded free music and take their house and cars. Come back to reality Gene. No college kid I have ever met has owned their own house and car. Some are even lucky to have a car. And you are worried about making yourself richer?? While some college kids work all night and study all night long just to put themselves through school, you are just selling out and doing every single thing you can to make a penny. It is a sad day when you want to "sue every little college kid off the face of the earth". And it is one of those "freshly-scrubbed" faces along with Trent Reznor and Radiohead that will come up with a new music industry.
You really disgust me Gene Simmons. You are the epitome of a sell-out. Its all about the money to you...how sad. I will never listen to KISS again (not that I did anyways...)
"The record industry is in such a mess. I called for what it was when college kids first started download music for free -- that they were crooks. I told every record label I spoke with that they just lit the fuse to their own bomb that was going to explode from under them and put them on the street.
There is nothing in me that wants to go in there and do new music. How are you going to deliver it? How are you going to get paid for it if people can just get it for free? I will be putting out a Gene Simmons box set called "Monster" -- a collection of 150 unreleased songs. KISS will have another box set of unreleased music in the next year.
The record industry doesn't have a f---ing clue how to make money. It's only their fault for letting foxes get into the henhouse and then wondering why there's no eggs or chickens. Every little college kid, every freshly-scrubbed little kid's face should have been sued off the face of the earth. They should have taken their houses and cars and nipped it right there in the beginning. Those kids are putting 100,000 to a million people out of work. How can you pick on them? They've got freckles. That's a crook. He may as well be wearing a bandit's mask."
I would like to go back to the part where Gene would like to sue the pants off of every college student that has ever downloaded free music and take their house and cars. Come back to reality Gene. No college kid I have ever met has owned their own house and car. Some are even lucky to have a car. And you are worried about making yourself richer?? While some college kids work all night and study all night long just to put themselves through school, you are just selling out and doing every single thing you can to make a penny. It is a sad day when you want to "sue every little college kid off the face of the earth". And it is one of those "freshly-scrubbed" faces along with Trent Reznor and Radiohead that will come up with a new music industry.
You really disgust me Gene Simmons. You are the epitome of a sell-out. Its all about the money to you...how sad. I will never listen to KISS again (not that I did anyways...)
Taylor Kitsch aka Tim Riggins
I am in love. This has to be the hottest guy I have seen lately. I love his character, Tim Riggins, on Friday Night Lights.
So lets just call him...my new boyfriend.
Fred Thompson for President?
The dude from Law & Order is running for President??? It looks like his political career has always been intertwined in his acting career. I guess the same kind charisma that is required for acting is required to run for President...or be the President. Isnt the job of President kind of like being a puppet on a string anyways? You are just the face of the nation...and how many of the policies actually come directly from the President? I thought none of the laws, etc were supposed to come from the President. That is what democracy is all about. The system of checks and balanaces, so that no one person or party has more control than the other. I guess I need to read up on what executive power really means. Until then. Take a look at all 2008 Presidential hopefuls. Check out the dude from Law & Order first.
Leave Chris Crocker Alone???
Apparently Chris Crocker has made his own plea via the internet to be left alone??? I cannot wait to watch this video. Unfortunately, my job does not allow me the luxury of a flash player, so I cannot view videos while at work. But this will be the first thing I do when I get home.
I cant imagine that Chris has any idea how much people were bothering Britney. If you Google Britney you get results for days. I just Googled Chris and got a mere page of recent clips and they were intermingled with articles about the football player, Chris Crocker...now that Chris Crocker, at least his is famous for his athletic abilities.
Chris Crocker kind of looks like Tonya Harding and Heidi Montag...that's all he is famous for. Poor thing. I kind of want to give him a hug.
I cant imagine that Chris has any idea how much people were bothering Britney. If you Google Britney you get results for days. I just Googled Chris and got a mere page of recent clips and they were intermingled with articles about the football player, Chris Crocker...now that Chris Crocker, at least his is famous for his athletic abilities.
Chris Crocker kind of looks like Tonya Harding and Heidi Montag...that's all he is famous for. Poor thing. I kind of want to give him a hug.
Mahir Cagri vs Borat
Checking back in on our friend, Mahir Cagri (aka the REAL Borat), I have found no results to the impending legal battle between the star of Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen and Cagri. Apparently, this was settled out of court or the issue was dropped...I have found no evidence to suggest either. The issue seems to have vanished into thin air.
However, I have found a couple of interviews and articles more about Mahir. Quite hysterically, he was given the key to "Cyberspace" in a ceremony in San Francisco. Unfortunately, Sacha Baron Cohen probably did rip of ideas for his Borat character from this man...but that probably cant be proved and Mahir probably knows nothing about copyright laws. And what are the international copyright infringement laws? If Mahir Cagri even had his likeness copyrighted? Ahh...so many questions and cyberspace just doesnt have the answers this morning.
Here are the articles about Mahir:
Mahir Cagri Says He Inspired 'Borat'
Former Internet Superstar Is Threatening To Go To Court
Nov. 15, 2006
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mahir Cagri, left, and Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat. (Mahir Cagri / AP)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(CBS) The American adventures of the fictional character Borat, the Kazakh journalist creation of British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, have U.S. audiences rolling in the aisles and box office cash registers ringing.
The president of Kazakhstan has not been amused and Russian censors banned the film, a move usually reserved for the hardest core pornography.
There is one more person who's not laughing.
Mahir Cagri, the first superstar of the Internet, made famous by his mangled syntax and desire to "invitate" women to visit him in his Turkish home.
At a ceremony in San Francisco he was named the Internet man of the year and given the key to cyberspace by one of America's biggest online companies.
His 15 minutes of fame over, Cagri never quite achieved that virtual stardom. But he's now convinced that he is the inspiration behind Borat. Dark hair, bad suits, and an interesting appreciation of the English language.
Cagri is threatening legal action and would like to make his own movie, CBS News correspondent Sheila MacVicar reports.
In an email sent to The ShowBuzz Thursday, Cagri said he is discussing the matter with lawyers. "The press all over the world said that Borat was imitating me and was stealing my character before I said so," he said. "There are a lot of proof of it and we will win the case."
Borat's creator has said the inspiration for the character was a doctor he met in southern Russia.
"I just think the that idea of someone saying, 'That Borat guy is very much like me, there would be no court in the world that would say, 'Hey, that guy's got a point!' " says Jono Coleman, a British radio and TV personality. "Since the dawn of time, comedians have been stealing from each other."
They do have one other goal in common: success with the ladies.
Cagri is still searching for the perfect woman. Borat, too, has his challenges.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
from wired.com archives November 2006
In the highly anticipated mockumentary Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, second-world superstar Borat Sagdiyev (aka Sacha Baron Cohen of Ali G. fame) travels the US in search of love, understanding, and Pamela Anderson's welcoming bosom. But Borat's shtick –exquisitely inept English, caterpillar 'stache, sleazy non sequiturs – reminds us of another heavily accented, hirsute symbol of the sex: late-'90s Internet celebrity Mahir Cagri, whose Web site, www.ikissyou.org, implored women of the world to visit his native Turkey, "stay my home," and, yes, kiss him.
Turns out, we're not the only ones who noticed the similarities: "All people know Sacha Baron Cohen imitate only me," Cagri recently fumed via email. "He is stealing my character and giving bad message to USA people." Cagri, who's been struggling to start a career in show business ever since his boom-era glory days, says he intends to sue Baron Cohen. "He never contacted me or got my permission," he writes. "If possible you can help me too for stop this or find good lawyer?" Sorry, we can't do that, but we can give Cagri the third degree – and let Wired readers be the judge.
WIRED: In the mock-doc, Borat is a globe-trotting journalist. Are you also a man of letters?
CAGRI: I do journalism as a freelancer sometimes. I go travel sometimes and take pictures-video-write, meet people for documentary.
WIRED: Borat travels the US, examining American culture. Any memories from your visit in 1999?
CAGRI: I can't forget party about me in San Francisco. Many people kissed me, took my signature, and took picture. America mix culture and big country, but people don't think about other people. They love their own life only and fun-sex-game-drink.
WIRED: Borat plays the guitar and sings Kazakh folk tunes. Are you also musically inclined?
CAGRI: I can play many instruments, but best I play accordion-flute-mandolin-violin-drum-and-saz (Turkish instrument). I like Cher and Shakira. Their voice and songs nice I like it.
WIRED: Borat's signature is his mustache. Didn't you rock it first?
CAGRI: I start first grow mustache, 10 or 15 year ago. Sometimes, I been no mustache. I'm male and mustache shows a male mature.
WIRED: Borat has his movie. Any plans for the Mahir Cagri story?
CAGRI: I'm trying to find USA publisher, and I hope I can receive good offer from Hollywood and play my own life and share with my fans, Julia Roberts, Spielberg, David Bowie, or others, this movie.
– Steven Leckart
However, I have found a couple of interviews and articles more about Mahir. Quite hysterically, he was given the key to "Cyberspace" in a ceremony in San Francisco. Unfortunately, Sacha Baron Cohen probably did rip of ideas for his Borat character from this man...but that probably cant be proved and Mahir probably knows nothing about copyright laws. And what are the international copyright infringement laws? If Mahir Cagri even had his likeness copyrighted? Ahh...so many questions and cyberspace just doesnt have the answers this morning.
Here are the articles about Mahir:
Mahir Cagri Says He Inspired 'Borat'
Former Internet Superstar Is Threatening To Go To Court
Nov. 15, 2006
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mahir Cagri, left, and Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat. (Mahir Cagri / AP)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(CBS) The American adventures of the fictional character Borat, the Kazakh journalist creation of British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, have U.S. audiences rolling in the aisles and box office cash registers ringing.
The president of Kazakhstan has not been amused and Russian censors banned the film, a move usually reserved for the hardest core pornography.
There is one more person who's not laughing.
Mahir Cagri, the first superstar of the Internet, made famous by his mangled syntax and desire to "invitate" women to visit him in his Turkish home.
At a ceremony in San Francisco he was named the Internet man of the year and given the key to cyberspace by one of America's biggest online companies.
His 15 minutes of fame over, Cagri never quite achieved that virtual stardom. But he's now convinced that he is the inspiration behind Borat. Dark hair, bad suits, and an interesting appreciation of the English language.
Cagri is threatening legal action and would like to make his own movie, CBS News correspondent Sheila MacVicar reports.
In an email sent to The ShowBuzz Thursday, Cagri said he is discussing the matter with lawyers. "The press all over the world said that Borat was imitating me and was stealing my character before I said so," he said. "There are a lot of proof of it and we will win the case."
Borat's creator has said the inspiration for the character was a doctor he met in southern Russia.
"I just think the that idea of someone saying, 'That Borat guy is very much like me, there would be no court in the world that would say, 'Hey, that guy's got a point!' " says Jono Coleman, a British radio and TV personality. "Since the dawn of time, comedians have been stealing from each other."
They do have one other goal in common: success with the ladies.
Cagri is still searching for the perfect woman. Borat, too, has his challenges.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
from wired.com archives November 2006
In the highly anticipated mockumentary Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, second-world superstar Borat Sagdiyev (aka Sacha Baron Cohen of Ali G. fame) travels the US in search of love, understanding, and Pamela Anderson's welcoming bosom. But Borat's shtick –exquisitely inept English, caterpillar 'stache, sleazy non sequiturs – reminds us of another heavily accented, hirsute symbol of the sex: late-'90s Internet celebrity Mahir Cagri, whose Web site, www.ikissyou.org, implored women of the world to visit his native Turkey, "stay my home," and, yes, kiss him.
Turns out, we're not the only ones who noticed the similarities: "All people know Sacha Baron Cohen imitate only me," Cagri recently fumed via email. "He is stealing my character and giving bad message to USA people." Cagri, who's been struggling to start a career in show business ever since his boom-era glory days, says he intends to sue Baron Cohen. "He never contacted me or got my permission," he writes. "If possible you can help me too for stop this or find good lawyer?" Sorry, we can't do that, but we can give Cagri the third degree – and let Wired readers be the judge.
WIRED: In the mock-doc, Borat is a globe-trotting journalist. Are you also a man of letters?
CAGRI: I do journalism as a freelancer sometimes. I go travel sometimes and take pictures-video-write, meet people for documentary.
WIRED: Borat travels the US, examining American culture. Any memories from your visit in 1999?
CAGRI: I can't forget party about me in San Francisco. Many people kissed me, took my signature, and took picture. America mix culture and big country, but people don't think about other people. They love their own life only and fun-sex-game-drink.
WIRED: Borat plays the guitar and sings Kazakh folk tunes. Are you also musically inclined?
CAGRI: I can play many instruments, but best I play accordion-flute-mandolin-violin-drum-and-saz (Turkish instrument). I like Cher and Shakira. Their voice and songs nice I like it.
WIRED: Borat's signature is his mustache. Didn't you rock it first?
CAGRI: I start first grow mustache, 10 or 15 year ago. Sometimes, I been no mustache. I'm male and mustache shows a male mature.
WIRED: Borat has his movie. Any plans for the Mahir Cagri story?
CAGRI: I'm trying to find USA publisher, and I hope I can receive good offer from Hollywood and play my own life and share with my fans, Julia Roberts, Spielberg, David Bowie, or others, this movie.
– Steven Leckart
Everything you ever wanted to know about Benjamin McKenzie
Name: Benjamin McKenzie
Birth Name: Benjamin McKenzie Schenkkan
Height: 5' 8½
Sex: M
Nationality: American
Birth Date: September 12, 1978
Birth Place: Austin, Texas, USA
Profession: actor
Education: Austin High School in Austin, Texas (graduated in 1997)
University of Virginia (graduated in 2001 with B.A. in Foreign Affairs and Economics)
Father: Pieter Meade Schenkkan (Austin Attorney)
Mother: Mary Frances Victory (a prize-winning poet)
Brother: Nate (older), Zack (younger)
Uncle: Robert Schenkkan (Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright; born March 19, 1953)
Cousin: Sarah Drew (actress; born in 1980)
Claim to fame: as Ryan Atwood on Fox's teen drama The O.C.
Was voted one of InStyle's 10 Hottest Bachelors Of Summer in July 2005, placing at number 10.
As of 2005, he became the third star of The O.C. to get Punk'd. (His co-star Adam Brody was Punk'd in 2004, Rachel Bilson was tricked by Ashton Kutcher in early 2005, and Mischa Barton is the latest to get punk'd.)
Was a speaker at the Democratic National Convention on July 27, 2004.
Moved to New York City three weeks before 9/11.
Sometimes credited as: Ben McKenzie / Benjamin Schenkkan
His uncle is Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Robert Schenkkan.
Second cousin of Sarah Drew
Changed his name for screen-credit purposes because there's an actor named Ben Schenkman registered with the Screen Actors Guild.
Has a manager, publicist and lawyer on the payroll (he's shopping for a new agent now that his career is taking off).
While in New York he waited tables to help support himself and shared a bunk bed in a cramped apartment in the city.
Graduated from the same high school in Austin that the Bush twins (Jenna and Barbara) graduated from. He was a senior the year they were freshmen.
Was paid between $15,000 and $25,000 per-episode of The O.C. (2003)
now i am praying for tidal waves
Seriously!! We really are praying for rain???
Apparently Georgia Governor, Sonny Perdue called for a prayer vigil today on the steps of the state capitol in Atlanta. He has invited leaders from various different religious backgrounds to lead the ceremonies.
I suppose this is a last ditch effort for Perdue to save himself from the already mounting criticism against him in this time of crisis. Perdue has already filed lawsuits and implemented harsh water restrictions to ease the drought. These things are helping, but not solving the water crisis.
And again I will reiterate this could have been prevented.
In Perdue's attempts to save face, I am surprised he didnt call in some Cherokee Indians to perform a Native American rain dance. "Grandstanding" I believe is what it is called. Here in the Bible belt this might actually work...GO SONNY!
Apparently Georgia Governor, Sonny Perdue called for a prayer vigil today on the steps of the state capitol in Atlanta. He has invited leaders from various different religious backgrounds to lead the ceremonies.
I suppose this is a last ditch effort for Perdue to save himself from the already mounting criticism against him in this time of crisis. Perdue has already filed lawsuits and implemented harsh water restrictions to ease the drought. These things are helping, but not solving the water crisis.
And again I will reiterate this could have been prevented.
In Perdue's attempts to save face, I am surprised he didnt call in some Cherokee Indians to perform a Native American rain dance. "Grandstanding" I believe is what it is called. Here in the Bible belt this might actually work...GO SONNY!
Then as it was, then again it will be
Led Zeppelin touring again? Well let's hope its not just a bunch of hype. Jimmy Page tells Guitar World, "It's a bit silly (for only one date) because there is such a massive demand. It is a bit selfish to do just one show. If that is it we probably shouldn't have takebn the genie out of the bottle," he says in the his interview with the magazine that will hit store shelves next week.
To me, this does not sound like a tour announcement. That's reading way, way, way between the lines. We can hope cant we?
Tons of classic bands are doing it though. Getting back together minus the late band members and creating nostalgic shows. Queen did it last year. The Eagles, hell (and I know its a sin to even mention this group in this article) the Spice Girls, KISS, and Van Halen..
Jason Bonham will be stepping in for his late father, John Bonham, for the upcoming December 10th show in London. Hoepfully his duties with Foreigner would not interfere with a Zeppelin tour. Hopefully Jason would even go on the tour. If not then without a Bonham in the band, it really wont be Led Zeppelin will it?
(Jason Bonham)
Back, back to Cali, Cali
Its been a while since The OC went off the air. I was quite dissapointed in the show to be honest. It started off so strongly and then just turned into a big, silly, sloppy mess. But this morning I find myself wondering what are the Ryan, Seth, Summer, and Marissa up to now?
Benjamin McKenzie aka Ryan Atwood:
Ben McKenzie is a self proclaimed loner, much like his character on television. So it is no surprise to find the latest news article on Ben is several weeks old and merely mentioning he is back in his hometown. Gotta love those hometown Texas boys!
Adam Brody aka Seth Cohen:
TV's most likeable nerd has actually been pretty busy since The OC saga came to an end. He has 4 movies under his belt: In the Land of Women, The Ten, Smiley Face, Death in Love. His long term relationship with co-star Rachel Bilson has ended. Unlike his character Seth Cohen, Adam strives to be in the spotlight.
Mischa Barton aka Marissa Cooper: Mischa does not seem to have done much except party and get into trouble lately. Her "bad girl" image followed her off screen into real life. Next up for Mischa is playing a lesbian in a new movie...been there done that right Mischa?
Rachel Bilson aka Summer Roberts:
Rachel has also not been up to much this year. She filmed one movie and will appear on an episode or 2 of Chuck. She seems a lot like her character Summer. A down to earth, sweet girl.
I dont think any of these four people will ever hit it big again. The OC came along right at the right time. People were hungry for post 90210 meets Dawson's Creek drama. Then it came and the momentum just couldnt last. Did the show get a new writer? What went wrong...the last season is just so wretchedly horrible.
Benjamin McKenzie aka Ryan Atwood:Ben McKenzie is a self proclaimed loner, much like his character on television. So it is no surprise to find the latest news article on Ben is several weeks old and merely mentioning he is back in his hometown. Gotta love those hometown Texas boys!
Adam Brody aka Seth Cohen:
TV's most likeable nerd has actually been pretty busy since The OC saga came to an end. He has 4 movies under his belt: In the Land of Women, The Ten, Smiley Face, Death in Love. His long term relationship with co-star Rachel Bilson has ended. Unlike his character Seth Cohen, Adam strives to be in the spotlight.Mischa Barton aka Marissa Cooper: Mischa does not seem to have done much except party and get into trouble lately. Her "bad girl" image followed her off screen into real life. Next up for Mischa is playing a lesbian in a new movie...been there done that right Mischa?
Rachel Bilson aka Summer Roberts:
Rachel has also not been up to much this year. She filmed one movie and will appear on an episode or 2 of Chuck. She seems a lot like her character Summer. A down to earth, sweet girl. I dont think any of these four people will ever hit it big again. The OC came along right at the right time. People were hungry for post 90210 meets Dawson's Creek drama. Then it came and the momentum just couldnt last. Did the show get a new writer? What went wrong...the last season is just so wretchedly horrible.
Disenfranchised Generation
Maybe I am the last one to know this, but "disenfranchised generation" means that our generation was not voting. Very interesting.
Voluntarily a large part of the 18-35 year old population has not been participating in voting in primarily Presidential elections, but in any elections at all. I had no idea this is what DISENFRANCHISED meant.
I guess you learn something new everyday.
I thought it meant that we were a lost generation. And I guess in a way it does. We were not using our voice and letting others just take it from us without a second thought.
Fortunately, the numbers of 18-35 year old voters is climbing. The numbers went up from the 2000 to the 2004 Presidential race by 11%. Meaning that only 56% of this disenfranchised generation wasnt voting in 2004.
We are apathetic. I completely understand why, but then on the other hand I dont understand why.
I think we are a spoiled generation. Used to having everything we ever wanted at the push of a button and in a split second. We live in a world were it is very easy to become isolated and think that our opinions dont matter.
Growing up isolated and without struggle, we loose a sense of what is really going on around us. We can learn the history. But that isnt actually going through it. Thats just hearing about it. It is not the same.
Maybe now that we actually are living through and seeing the effects of our national struggle and how it actually affects OUR lives we will start to vote. Not to hate on my entire generation, but we are a bunch of selfish, self absorbed people. Of course once the state of the nation starts to affect us personally (as it should have all along) then we will stand up and use our voice.
Voluntarily a large part of the 18-35 year old population has not been participating in voting in primarily Presidential elections, but in any elections at all. I had no idea this is what DISENFRANCHISED meant.
I guess you learn something new everyday.
I thought it meant that we were a lost generation. And I guess in a way it does. We were not using our voice and letting others just take it from us without a second thought.
Fortunately, the numbers of 18-35 year old voters is climbing. The numbers went up from the 2000 to the 2004 Presidential race by 11%. Meaning that only 56% of this disenfranchised generation wasnt voting in 2004.
We are apathetic. I completely understand why, but then on the other hand I dont understand why.
I think we are a spoiled generation. Used to having everything we ever wanted at the push of a button and in a split second. We live in a world were it is very easy to become isolated and think that our opinions dont matter.
Growing up isolated and without struggle, we loose a sense of what is really going on around us. We can learn the history. But that isnt actually going through it. Thats just hearing about it. It is not the same.
Maybe now that we actually are living through and seeing the effects of our national struggle and how it actually affects OUR lives we will start to vote. Not to hate on my entire generation, but we are a bunch of selfish, self absorbed people. Of course once the state of the nation starts to affect us personally (as it should have all along) then we will stand up and use our voice.
Guests at my dinner party
I love these men. All three are brilliantly smart and talented. I wonder if I would even be able to hold my own in a conversation with them?
I'm Praying for Rain
Yes, please please please let it rain here soon. This drought business has gotten way out of hand. Seriously? We are not going to start adhering to "If it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down" in public places are we? This raises serious health concerns for me personally. It is one thing to do this in your home. It is another thing to do this in a common area where tens of thousands of people will be using the restroom.
This water crisis is clearly out of hand at this point. And it is a shame. This could have been prevented.
This water crisis is clearly out of hand at this point. And it is a shame. This could have been prevented.
Officially a Celebutante
You have finally reached celebutant status when your sex tape gets "accidentally" and you let it be published, promoted, etc to capitalize off of your romp in the sack. Thank God, Ray J is not scum of the earth like Rick Soloman. I bet Rick Soloman married Pam Anderson just to hope to recreate the Pam & Tommy video. Who knows???
Why do you men like porn so much??
Anywho. The hilarious voicemail Kim Kardashian left Ray J after the sex tape was leaked can be found here.
Apparently you are officially a celebutant when you can pitch a temper tantrum that would put a 5 year old tantrum to shame!
I Get IT
I totally get IT. I will add the link tomorrow. "I'm With the Band" is just the story of singeldom in this day and age.
Secretly pining for a man, who may or may not come into town....this time its not THE BAND...its just people....
They lead you on and make you feel like you are the only one, but in actuality they have women in every city.
The times dont change, just the SCENE.
Its sad....its true.
You think, we, women, would learn something, but we dont.
We dont.
And I get it. I get what her book is, was, and always will be about. I could write about my life in single-dom, but would anyone read it with the passion they read hers??? NO. And the reason is, you can relate to the feelings of lust for Jimmy, for Mick, for Chris Hillman. But we all have our JIMMY, our CHRIS, our MICK, and I get IT. But did we have love affairs with these icons? NO. But we all have with these men who are just like them....
Secretly pining for a man, who may or may not come into town....this time its not THE BAND...its just people....
They lead you on and make you feel like you are the only one, but in actuality they have women in every city.
The times dont change, just the SCENE.
Its sad....its true.
You think, we, women, would learn something, but we dont.
We dont.
And I get it. I get what her book is, was, and always will be about. I could write about my life in single-dom, but would anyone read it with the passion they read hers??? NO. And the reason is, you can relate to the feelings of lust for Jimmy, for Mick, for Chris Hillman. But we all have our JIMMY, our CHRIS, our MICK, and I get IT. But did we have love affairs with these icons? NO. But we all have with these men who are just like them....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)