Why have an open soapbox today?
- A. Haven’t had an open thread for a while.
- B. Slow news day.
- C. Been sick and haven’t felt like blogging.
- D. All of the above.
And the correct answer is, of course, D. So, what’s on your mind?
Why have an open soapbox today?
And the correct answer is, of course, D. So, what’s on your mind?
Should I be surprised that somebody is building a liquor store at War Memorial and Northland before getting a liquor license (If the rumor is true)? Didn’t Target just get shot down for one?
What happened to channel 3? To play a DVD or VHS tape at my Peoria home, I first have to go to channel 3 and it’s gone! How do I play a DVD or tape and what happened to channel 3?
Paul — The federal government determined that terrorists were using the same frequency as TV channel 3 to send coded messages to their operatives in the U.S., so under the powers of the Patriot Act, the feds have jammed that frequency nationwide. If you keep trying to use your VCR on that channel, they may think you’re a terrorist trying to get information, so be careful.
I just made that up for the benefit of those who think I’m a conspiracy theorist.
Actually, Comcast just moved C-SPAN2 to a digital channel. Channel 3 is still there; there’s just no signal on it. But you can still use your VCR like normal.
You don’t have to have a program on the channel to use your DVD or tape. You just put it on channel 3 and you will get nothing but snow but your DVD and tape will work.
Nothing, but thanks for asking. OK… just one thing; does it seem to anyone else that WMBD is airing about 45 minutes of commercials each hour and only about 15 minutes of programming?
A method in Comcast’s methods, I believe–they know that we will be thrown off by the snow on Channel 3 since we have to go there to use VCR’s and DVD’s and, therefore, we will pay for upgraded service. Comcast told me that I can get just Channel 3 (not the whole digital package that costs more) if I pay a $1.99 a month for a box. I have really enjoyed the book reviews on Channel 3 on weekends, but I guess I’ll learn to live without them.
C.J.
The terrorists apparently so fear my crime fighting abilities that they stole the 3 and the snow where 3 use to be so I can’t try to track them down. After my wife “fixed” this problem, my channel choices go from 2 to 4-no 3 and no snow.(and no DVD or tape playing).
Put your DVD in, play it, then reprogram the TV. It should then pick up channel 3 as a valid channel.
PeoriaIllinoisan: How can that be? My technological ignorance is showing, but how do you “reprogram” the TV. Also, why would Comcast make a money-making change if it could be that easily overridden? Is it possible that Comcast has actually put Channel 3 (C-Span2) in a different location so that what I think you mean by reprograming won’t work?
anybody know what is going to be built in front of the new Menards on Allen Road? All that grading isn’t being done for kicks and giggles.
or…you can look on the back of the vcr/dvd player and switch it to channel 4. The newer models have this opition in the menu setup.
Has anyone else noticed that the heights is booming? I guess I would ask how they can attract so many nice shops and places to eat? Downtown Peoria is dying and we are told that we just need a ____________ to make it all better. The Heights has no ball park, civic center, river front, cat headquaters, ect, ect, ect. How have the Heights managed to do what Peoria has failed at?
Speaking of the Heights, why is gas always about a dime per gallon cheaper there?
Though C-Span2 won’t be missed, it’s easy to see how Comcast is improving their service by moving channels to the higher tier plans. Thank goodness they removed the National Geographic channel! Wouldn’t want that taking up space on the plan the non-digital plebians are using. We are much better served by snow and test patterns.
Sharon, he won’t get Cspan back, but he’ll be able to easily watch his DVD/VCR tapes. Or he can do what Emtronics said, and switch his DVD player to play on channel 4.
This PJStar article was excellent despite the disturbing content. Our schools are having to do more and more to meet the needs of the ever-growing population of homeless children. As a community, we should be doing more to help these children and provide support to the organizations in our area that help the kids and their families.
Way off of the above subjects. Is it just me or is about every second car on the street driving with low tires or burned out brake lights, turn signals, parking lights or headlights? In driving through town for the past week I have taken particular notice of other cars and nearly every car I saw had at least one tire that was way low on air. About every fifth car has some type of light out and this includes newer models. And if I see one more person with their head cranked over to one side holdilng a cell phone and eating and drinking and smoking, all while driving, I think I’m going to scream. Some guy blew by me on Sterling just a little while ago doing 50 mph in the school zone. Last Friday a school bus blew by me in the same school zone doing 45 or better. What is with the driving nowadays? I admit I’m not a perfect driver, but these people are NUTS!!!!! And then there are the little old men and women who can’t see through the steering wheel and over the end of the hood that drive 5 mph no matter what the speed limit is. YPIES. I think everyone over the age of 70 should have to take an on the road test every year. I am approaching that age fast and I wouldn’t mind doing that. And another thing I noticed is that there are a huge amount of cars on the road with dings in the bumpers or fenders or broken windows or smashed doors. Where have these people been driving? (Just my day to grump)
Comcast. Bombast!
We have been trying to cancel our subscription for several months. They keep sending us bills. They keeping sending out trucks to “check if you are using the service” or “to turn it off at the house.” That company is completely ridiculous and irresponsible. We feel as if they are harassing us for discontinuing their service.
Just do it. Just disconnect. Start reading, listening to books on tape, enjoying the variety of TV stations available through a new digital box or TV. Sign up for satellite radio. It’s much more entertaining than cable.
Rixblix writes: As a community, we should be doing more to help these children and provide support to the organizations in our area that help the kids and their families.
You go first.
Well, I already work with these kinds of kids on a daily basis. I’ve helped several students in these situations find resources and assistance so they can stay in school.
Your turn.
District #150 meeting tonight. Tonight Ken Hinton said that it’s time to address the discipline problems in the schools–to remove the chronic offenders and to find “a new experience” for them to help them and to relieve the classrooms of the problems. Best news I’ve heard in a long time–I certainly want to give him a chance to make good on this promise.
Gosh, maybe the higher taxes they want us to pay will go for an alternative school? Ck out the PJStar article..
http://www.pjstar.com/news/x167172394/District-150-board-proposes-tax-hike
ImaSwede: Thank you for the link. From the article, there was no mention of the PBC amount for all the new schools which should also show up on next year’s tax bill? Any idea what that amount will be? Unless, the bonding market is so bad, that there will not be any bonding? I think that the PBC monthly meeting is this Thursday? Anyone going? Sharon?
I think an alternative school sounds great in concept. There are many laws, however, that protect students, even the naughty ones. I would be interested in learning how difficult it would be to “transfer” a student to such a school. I am thinking there must be many procedural steps to be followed. Also, many students with conduct issues are special ed, or at least attempt to garner that label, because of the protections it offers against discipline.
Sharon, I think you should be on the committee that crafts the design of the Alternative School. You have lots of insight and experience.
I believe there are probably some legal roadblocks and I imagine there will still be resistence to complete consistency in the discipline procedures that will precede assignment to the alternative school. Also, I think you may give me a bit too much credit. I think it will take more than insight–and I think it will also require much research. More cynically, I’m not well-versed in educational jargon–that seems to be a prerequisite to planning programs. I listened tonight to four people explain the plan for the 10th-12th grade Manual academies–full of high sounding philosophy and jargon but nothing concrete. Also, I have to admit that I’m not really big on District 150 committees assigned to help design programs, etc. For instance, the Manual restructuring committee of about 70 people was a complete failure or a fraud. At least a couple of the parents on the committee that I know soon realized that their input really didn’t matter–that the purpose of the committee was just to give credence to plans that were already made. Too many cooks….–that might apply, too.
Thank you Sharon.
SD: again not to break up the current subjects here, but Yes! I have noticed the cars with burned out brake lights. There seems to be at least one at every intersection. Many Chevy and GMC trucks with one white driving light and there is a certain year Chevy Lumina that seems to lose it’s brake lights all together.
A few years back while on my way to work, my headlamp burned out. I went about 4 blocks before I was pulled over and issued a ticket for one headlamp. It seems that the police has stopped issuing tickets for any of this. Maybe the reason all these brake lights are burned out is because of the great timing of traffic lights in Peoria?
PeoriaIllinoisan-Putting a DVD back in the player and reprogramming returned the number 3 and now I can again play DVDs and tapes. Thanks for the tip.
GM cars made over the last few years have daytime driving lights. You see a lot of those cars and trucks with one light burned out and I am guessing most people unless told don’t even realize it since they don’t need them to see. I guess if both bulbs are burned out you won’t notice them.
peroiafan: Kind of my point. People should get off their a$$ and check the lights on their trucks and cars every now and then. I burnt out bulb happens, but a 6 burnt out bulbs is just lazy.