This just might be child abuse.
OK, I'm kidding, but I know this would have freaked me out when I was a kid. A mom in Salt Lake City was spending so much money on cable television that she had to cancel it so she'd have money to commute to work. And what did her kids do? They protested, of course! The woman's two daughters, Pyper and Sadie (two very television character-ish names) got out protest signs and started walking up and down the streets to protest the high price of gas. And in a remarkable twist, the big oil companies saw the protest the girls created and have decided to lower gas prices all across America starting immediately.
Well, no, but the girls did get in the paper! (By the way, I think the AP really has to change the pic that accompanies the link above, unless the girls' protest went really far.)
The article doesn't say whether or not the family got rid of TV altogether or just cable. The girls are probably upset that they're missing Mad Men and Rescue Me, saying "the networks just aren't what they used to be, with all of the reality shows and repeats. The quality scripted shows are on cable now, everybody knows that. I just hope that SAG comes to an agreement with the studios like AFTRA did."
I think the girls should open a lemonade stand to help pay for the cable. I'm sure you folks have other suggestions for the parents on how they can get television back into their home.















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-25-2008 @ 3:58PM
davidhales said...
That is hilarious. Don't the girls know that most major television shows are broadcast on the internet now?
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6-25-2008 @ 4:24PM
ratphink said...
Ya know, had this been when I was a kid in the 70's, I would say know. But know, with so many ways to access TV media and alternative media in general, I'd almost consider it.
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6-25-2008 @ 4:19PM
Donna said...
Well, in my case, yes.
Here's my story, for what it's worth. I don't have cable, never have had cable in my 44 years, don't have any desire to start spending the money for cable. For me it simply isn't a necessary expense.
As for TV in general, it's nice, but it isn't a necessity. Radio serves fine for news and weather. The internet keeps people in touch (although my monitor got busted in February so my internet access is very limited). Books are just fine for my entertainment.
Do I watch TV. Yes! I have two TVs in my home, although I am rather selective in my viewing. But if I had money to spend, most of it would not go to a TV, although I did swing one of those digital computer boxes recently (one of my TVs is analog). But no satellite. No cable. And I don't need to rent movies. I borrow DVDs from the library for free. That works fine.
If all my TVs broke down tomorrow and I couldn't fit replacing them in my budget, I would live without.
And with gas and food prices going up, I don't anticipate running out to buy a satellite dish and a big screen TV anytime soon.
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6-25-2008 @ 4:21PM
Donna said...
Correction... "digital computer box" should have been "digital tuner box".
Sorry!
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6-25-2008 @ 4:21PM
Michael Brennan-White said...
I was really dismissive until I thought of how pissed I would be to have to give up High Speed Internet.
My kid's cable are safe for now but I am ready to cut the cord on the land line phone.
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6-25-2008 @ 4:34PM
Claire said...
This is just ridiculous. my mom would have killed me if I pulled a stunt like that. people are giving up more important things than cable to be able to buy gas. there are plenty of other things those girls can do to occupy their time than sit in front of a TV, especially during the summer.
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6-25-2008 @ 5:38PM
Darren said...
The Oil exects are probably sitting in their Pent House offices, in the pure Leather chairs and Solid Oak desk's laughing at this story - they could care less about middle class and lower class people! The more they can piss off people the happier this greedy tycoons are! It's pathetic!
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6-27-2008 @ 12:42AM
jsknow said...
The best thing we can do is get the government off their drug trip and grow a crop that works. Don't let them lie to you, there is plenty of farm land. We have over 100 million total farm acres in the USA and only use about half. The half that's not being planted is more than enough to grow ALL our fuel. Not only that but the government is still paying farmers not to plant. Watch the video titled "HEMP FUEL Can Supply All Our Energy Needs" and read the article titled "Marijuana Facts The Government Does Not Want You To Know" on the website referenced at the bottom of this post.
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Hemp requires no pesticides, no herbicides, and only moderate amounts of fertilizer.
Source: MARIJUANA AND HEMP THE UNTOLD STORY
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Hemp can produce several different kinds of fuel. In the 1800's and 1900's hempseed oil was the primary source of fuel in the United States and was commonly used for lamps and other oil energy needs. The diesel engine was originally designed to run on hemp oil because Rudolf Diesel assumed that it would be the most common fuel. Hemp is also the most efficient plant for the production of methanol. It is estimated that, in one form or another, hemp grown in the United States could provide up to ninety percent of the nation's entire energy needs.
Source: Schaffer Library of Drug Policy
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Hemp is 4 times more efficient than corn as biofuel. Hemp pellets can be used to produce clean electricity.
... so powerful it could replace every type of fossil fuel energy product (oil, coal, and natural gas).
... This plant is the earth's number one biomass resource or fastest growing annual plant for agriculture on a worldwide basis, producing up to 14 tons per acre. This is the only biomass source available that is capable of producing all the energy needs of the U.S. and the world...
Hemp will produce cleaner air and reduce greenhouse gases. When biomass fuel burns, it produces CO2 (the major cause of the greenhouse effect), the same as fossil fuel; but during the growth cycle of the plant, photosynthesis removes as much CO2 from the air as burning the biomass adds, so hemp actually cleans the atmosphere. After the first cycle there is no further loading to the atmosphere...
Source: USA Hemp Museum
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JOIN THE EMAIL LIST, WATCH THE FUEL VIDEOS:
Internet Explorer: http://jsknow.angelfire.com/home
Other Browsers: http://jsknow.angelfire.com/index.html
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