An open letter to the Federal Communications Commission:
To whom this may concern,
As a citizen, tax payer and consumer I have concerns over the upcoming auction of spectrum currently in use for analogue television.
In a nut shell, I want choices.
I am very concerned that a large carrier, such as Verizon, which already holds a virtual monopoly on a large portion of spectrum devoted to cell communications will end up holding valuable portions of this block of spectrum too and have the ability under the current rules to limit the third party usage of this valuable property.
As a taxpayer I am not concerned that the FCC garner top dollar for this spectrum. It seems to me that the rules that the large carriers would see in place over this spectrum which would enhance it's value to them, thereby driving up the potential auction value, will only hurt me in the end. This value that they would enjoy would end up being paid for by the consumer - me, many times over the money that the FCC would get from the auction.
As this spectrum is theoretically the property of the tax payer and is being auctioned off for the public good I implore the commision to keep the taxpayer, citizen and consumer in mind when proceeding with this auction.
Regards,
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Sunday, September 9, 2007
All is right
While normally I don't see there being too many days where I would post twice, today is the exception.
As a New England sports fan life is hard. You get to endure a lot of pain and agony, usually at the end of the season.
But today is different.
On the opening day for the NFL the Patriots won (and over the Jets too) which gives them a share of the lead (technically). At the same time in MLB, the BoSox are on top and still going strong with the best record in the league.
Both teams on top, at the same time... Life is good and all is right in my world.
As a New England sports fan life is hard. You get to endure a lot of pain and agony, usually at the end of the season.
But today is different.
On the opening day for the NFL the Patriots won (and over the Jets too) which gives them a share of the lead (technically). At the same time in MLB, the BoSox are on top and still going strong with the best record in the league.
Both teams on top, at the same time... Life is good and all is right in my world.
Autumn
The last several days have been hot and humid here. Very summer like. We really have not had that much summer like weather this year.
Last night though it was quite chilly in the house. With the windows opened and outside temperatures dipping into the 50's we hit that ever so perfect sleeping weather that signals the coming of Autumn.
Driving around town there are other hints in the air. Selected trees have started their annual change with colors starting to peek through. And if that were not enough, the air is just starting to get that 'fall' smell to it.
And now for the exciting part. As the weather starts to change, so does the menu.
There are a bunch of foods that we only eat once the weather chills. Most involve extended cooking times (and who wants a hot kitchen in the summer?) or simply have the connotation associated with them that they are only eaten when we can fully appreciate the spiritual (as well as bodily) warmth that can be derived from them.
Yesterday my wife came home with a nice corned beef that will be dinner in a day or two. Definitely this food falls into this category. And this morning, while lying in bed, before the children started stomping around, I found myself thinking Pot Roast ala Elise.
But, I am not ready to give up on Summer food quite yet. There will still be plenty of opportunities to BBQ and grill in the weeks to come. Chicken, ribs, burgers and dogs still will be visiting my back yard. Cole slaw, potato salad and fresh garden veggies are still to be enjoyed.
Because Autumn is still twelve days away.
Last night though it was quite chilly in the house. With the windows opened and outside temperatures dipping into the 50's we hit that ever so perfect sleeping weather that signals the coming of Autumn.
Driving around town there are other hints in the air. Selected trees have started their annual change with colors starting to peek through. And if that were not enough, the air is just starting to get that 'fall' smell to it.
And now for the exciting part. As the weather starts to change, so does the menu.
There are a bunch of foods that we only eat once the weather chills. Most involve extended cooking times (and who wants a hot kitchen in the summer?) or simply have the connotation associated with them that they are only eaten when we can fully appreciate the spiritual (as well as bodily) warmth that can be derived from them.
Yesterday my wife came home with a nice corned beef that will be dinner in a day or two. Definitely this food falls into this category. And this morning, while lying in bed, before the children started stomping around, I found myself thinking Pot Roast ala Elise.
But, I am not ready to give up on Summer food quite yet. There will still be plenty of opportunities to BBQ and grill in the weeks to come. Chicken, ribs, burgers and dogs still will be visiting my back yard. Cole slaw, potato salad and fresh garden veggies are still to be enjoyed.
Because Autumn is still twelve days away.
Monday, September 3, 2007
Smokey, with no Bandit
Over the weekend my wife and sons surprised me with a Brinkmann Smoke'N Pit offset smoker cooker. What a surprise.
Over the last several years I have been patiently working to perfect my BBQing skills. In the process, I have burned out several 'R2D2' style water smokers and felt that it was time to try something a little different.
So, yesterday the unit was assembled and today I performed my first burn, to cure the smoker. What a lovely smell (at least once the oils and paints stopped emitting fumes) my yard had this afternoon!
Firsts
I think that I may now be a 'real' blogger. Mary from Vermont is the proud winner of, well, nothing really. But she does have the distinction of being the first to leave a comment on my blog. Mary drove by the same wind turbines near Ellenburg, NY that I recently posted about. She then did a little research (I am assuming through Google) and found my little place here on the web.
So Mary, -thanks.
A very satisfying weekend all told.
Over the last several years I have been patiently working to perfect my BBQing skills. In the process, I have burned out several 'R2D2' style water smokers and felt that it was time to try something a little different.
So, yesterday the unit was assembled and today I performed my first burn, to cure the smoker. What a lovely smell (at least once the oils and paints stopped emitting fumes) my yard had this afternoon!
Firsts
I think that I may now be a 'real' blogger. Mary from Vermont is the proud winner of, well, nothing really. But she does have the distinction of being the first to leave a comment on my blog. Mary drove by the same wind turbines near Ellenburg, NY that I recently posted about. She then did a little research (I am assuming through Google) and found my little place here on the web.
So Mary, -thanks.
A very satisfying weekend all told.
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