Pacifica Riptide

What Were They Thinking?

Last Sunday when I grabbed the paper off the front porch, I found a Comcast flyer lying there with a channel lineup and bundled pricing offers. The expiration date on the flyer was December 31, 2009, but it said it was extended to January 15, 2010. Whoopie! Only two weeks past the pull date. Talk about spoiled goods.

DOLORES DE CABEZA

Howard Zinn: The People Speak @ History Channel

HOWARD ZINN: THE PEOPLE SPEAK

The People Speak is now running on the History channel (Comcast cable 62 in Pacifica) on Sunday nights at 8. See one of the stars of the show, Matt Damon, talk about it on JAY LENO. Using dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday Americans, the documentary feature film The People Speak gives voice to those who spoke up for social change throughout U.S. history, forging a nation from the bottom up with their insistence on equality and justice. Narrated by acclaimed historian Howard Zinn and based on his best-selling books, A People's History of the United States, and with Anthony Arnove, Voices of a People's History, The People Speak illustrates the relevance of these passionate historical moments to our society today and reminds us never to take liberty for granted. The People Speak is produced by Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Chris Moore, Anthony Arnove, and Howard Zinn, co-directed by Moore, Arnove and Zinn, and features and dramatic and musical performances by Brolin, Damon, Rosario Dawson, Bob Dylan, Michael Ealy, Lupe Fiasco, Morgan Freeman, Jasmine Guy, John Legend, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, Sandra Oh, Viggo Mortensen, Bruce Springsteen, Marisa Tomei, Kerry Washington, and many others.

Rise Up and Cast Off Your Comcast Shackles

I don't know how your Comcast service has been lately, but mine  stinks! It  has risen to the top of my list of companies I love  to hate. It makes Wall Street bankers and Microsoft look good by comparison. In the past, it was reasonably reliable—although, like death and  taxes and fog, whenever there was a celestial event, it inevitably failed (Super Bowl, World Series, season finale). The Internet connection usually would go out when you urgently needed to send or  receive a message, or get online. But during the past month, the broadband Internet and digital phone service goes in and out several times a day, sometimes only for a few minutes, other times for more than an hour. Cable TV reception has had frequent outages and/or the picture and sound break up into Cubist paintings.

Comcast has a monopoly on cable in Pacifica. Some other cities have their own cable service. I feel that Comcast is so big it doesn't really care, and I think it is time we stopped accepting it. It's time for a consumer revolt. Perhaps we need to start a letter/email/telephone campaign and threaten to switch to AT&T, Dish, or Direct TV if Comcast doesn't get its act together. If enough people protested, maybe Comcast would listen. Also, our City Council needs to look into alternatives to give the cable TV service some competition. Many subscribers get sucked into Comcast's "bundle," which promises a lower rate if you get all digital and broadband services in one place. Comcast tries to seduce you with offers of bigger and better (and costlier) services, but it can't bother to send an explanation, much less an apology, for all the interruptions in service. It must be miserable for anyone running a business from their home. Ladies and gentlemen, start your protest.

KAREN FIELDS