The Consumerist » Uncle Sam Cool With Live Nation/Ticketmaster Monopoly:
Time to break TicketMaster’s monopoly?
More on Ticketmaster’s legal ‘ticket scalping’ | AEIdeas:
The Ticketmaster Monopoly - Geek.com Stuff - Geek.com:
'via Blog this'
Above are links to sites where others have posted and made information available about the ridiculous injustice that exists in the United States of America today.
Ticketmaster has a monopoly on the ticketing of music and entertainment events all across the country. If you want to go to a concert for your favorite band, you have to go through Ticketmaster to get those tickets. Now I say this because even if you go to a different company that will purchase the tickets for you, they have to go through Ticketmaster to get those tickets. What's truly sad about this is that our government can see and knows that this is a monopoly but refuses to make any moves to change it. Why this is, baffles me. I don't want to assume corruption or bribes through campaign contributions or just negligence on our state legislature-rs, but and answer needs to be found and changes must be made.
I have a frame at home that holds all of the concert tickets for the shows I have attended since I was in High School. Almost every single one of them has the Ticketmaster logo on them. Many of them were purchased through ticket-vendors around town. The more recent ones were purchased online. Which is always, even if going through my favorite bands website, routed to Ticketmaster.
The ticket prices are usually acceptable amounts that I'm willing to pay. I don't even go for different then general seating because I usually can get great seats. What is ridiculous is the charges that come after the ticket purchase; Convenience charge, Handling charge, etc... In the end you've paid for your ticket and your halfway to paying for a second ticket. Plus the amounts are not even reasonable considering the amount of people attending these events. I can understand service charges for purchasing online but the amount is completely unreasonable. Even if the show doesn't sell out, Ticketmaster is making a gigantic profit just off of the additional charges. What's worse is that if you average out how many concerts are held every year and you add up those additional charges, Ticketmaster keeps that for themselves and doesn't share with the performers or the venues.
More than anything else. The people are the ones who are screwed out of their enjoyment. This all comes back harder on the people who have to pay to go to the show. There is the enormous price on the tickets, then the high prices for food and drink at the venue as well as parking and transportation to the venue. Ticketmaster can be placed as the Primary suspect for the current state of the Entertainment and Music Concert Tours that go one throughout the country today. All the prices for the shows are stemmed from Ticketmaster not sharing it's profits with the partners of its ticketed events.
What's worse is that Ticketmaster takes jobs off the market that could exist as part of the normal consumer market. Ticketmaster is the only game in town when it comes to ticketing for events. If there were 2 or 3 companies that could offer tickets besides Ticketmaster, there would be a major change in how the economy of concerts and events was handled. First off, if you look at the size of Ticketmaster's employment; slice it in half and you see how many jobs would be available if another company existed in the market. That's around a 1,000 jobs right there. When Live Nation was started, it looked like a change in the concert music scene. Many were hopeful that Live Nation would finally change how Ticketmaster did business and force them to change their ways. But then Ticketmaster's partnership with Live Nation took that all away.
It is a classic story of how a single company has used and abused the people for it's own selfish needs instead of the promotion of entertainment and art in our country. The only way this story ends, is that the people need to stand against this tyranny and force a change for the betterment of our economy and our low job rates. By forcing Ticketmaster to break up it's company and release Live Nation as a independent ticketing vendor, will we see a change in the amounts we have to pay for events as well as a change in how these events are handled.
This only happens if you make that change. So go online and post your opinion. Contact your state official's and refuse to use Ticketmaster for your concert going needs. Before change can happen, you have to push for the change.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Salvation at last - Intelligence Study Links Low I.Q. To Prejudice, Racism, Conservatism
It has been proven now by science that Prejudice, Racism and Conservatism is a trait of low I.Q. human beings.
I have never been happier in my life. I can now look at a human being that holds these traits and call them to their face(DUMB) and I will actually be right!
The world just became a little brighter today.
Please Read and Pass on......
Intelligence Study Links Low I.Q. To Prejudice, Racism, Conservatism:
'via Blog this'
I have never been happier in my life. I can now look at a human being that holds these traits and call them to their face(DUMB) and I will actually be right!
The world just became a little brighter today.
Please Read and Pass on......
Intelligence Study Links Low I.Q. To Prejudice, Racism, Conservatism:
'via Blog this'
Friday, July 27, 2012
Monday, July 2, 2012
Brain Freeze Remedy for Headaches / Migraines.
Ok I'm no expert but I have found that giving yourself a Brain Freeze does remove the pain of a severe headache.
It started when I'm working outside and I start to get a headache, usually due to exhaustion or lack of food though drinking plenty of water, by giving myself a brain freeze using ice water helps relieve the pain. This is short lived but helps till I can rest and have some food.
My next experiment with this remedy will involve the 7-Eleven Slurpee (well documented as a brain freeze inducer) and also the typical Ice Cream Soft Serve (available at most road-side ice cream parlors as they tend to induce brain freezes due to the soft ice cream being eaten faster as it is softer and easier to eat).
The link below actually shows that this is effective as not only a temporary reliever but actually does relieve the pain of some migraine headaches or typical headaches.
Brain Freeze Migraine Remedy - The People's Pharmacy®:
'via Blog this'
The summer time is usually when I suffer the most from headaches and stress induced migraines. They are usually felt right behind my eyes or in the temple of my skull, near the nasal passages. I figure this is primarily due to the weather changes as well as going from the A/C inside to the heavy humidity outside (typical Chicago Summer weather). I also deal with a lot of stress with work and my personal life, these factors have caused me to be in active as well as almost crippled for several hours, wanting nothing but rest and relief from the pain.
Though through conversations and research about headaches I have found in my own personal life that most of my headaches are from stress, hunger, lack of caffeine, dehydration, and being over-tired or lack of sleep. A friend of mine who used to get migraines in school told me that peanut butter helped relieved the pain. In the instances when they come over me, I start by drinking water then caffeine, have something to eat (peanut butter based or other) and then taking pain medication(usually Advil). If that doesn't work I go lay down in a dark room and try to get some rest. After a few hours this usually works. I also take hot showers and rub the stress areas on my body. This sometimes works but not often enough. The Brain Freeze technique is the one I haven't tried yet.
I honestly was worried about using this technique at the risk of causing myself more pain, but it seems that after doing a few searches online (Google) that I have found reports of people using this technique with successful relief.
I will be reporting my findings once I have had a chance to experiment with it.
I actually tested this over the summer. I definitely felt a difference between ice water and Slurpee. It was much more intense and a little more painful. I did get more relief, though it didn't last. Needs more research.
It started when I'm working outside and I start to get a headache, usually due to exhaustion or lack of food though drinking plenty of water, by giving myself a brain freeze using ice water helps relieve the pain. This is short lived but helps till I can rest and have some food.
My next experiment with this remedy will involve the 7-Eleven Slurpee (well documented as a brain freeze inducer) and also the typical Ice Cream Soft Serve (available at most road-side ice cream parlors as they tend to induce brain freezes due to the soft ice cream being eaten faster as it is softer and easier to eat).
The link below actually shows that this is effective as not only a temporary reliever but actually does relieve the pain of some migraine headaches or typical headaches.
Brain Freeze Migraine Remedy - The People's Pharmacy®:
'via Blog this'
The summer time is usually when I suffer the most from headaches and stress induced migraines. They are usually felt right behind my eyes or in the temple of my skull, near the nasal passages. I figure this is primarily due to the weather changes as well as going from the A/C inside to the heavy humidity outside (typical Chicago Summer weather). I also deal with a lot of stress with work and my personal life, these factors have caused me to be in active as well as almost crippled for several hours, wanting nothing but rest and relief from the pain.
Though through conversations and research about headaches I have found in my own personal life that most of my headaches are from stress, hunger, lack of caffeine, dehydration, and being over-tired or lack of sleep. A friend of mine who used to get migraines in school told me that peanut butter helped relieved the pain. In the instances when they come over me, I start by drinking water then caffeine, have something to eat (peanut butter based or other) and then taking pain medication(usually Advil). If that doesn't work I go lay down in a dark room and try to get some rest. After a few hours this usually works. I also take hot showers and rub the stress areas on my body. This sometimes works but not often enough. The Brain Freeze technique is the one I haven't tried yet.
I honestly was worried about using this technique at the risk of causing myself more pain, but it seems that after doing a few searches online (Google) that I have found reports of people using this technique with successful relief.
I will be reporting my findings once I have had a chance to experiment with it.
I actually tested this over the summer. I definitely felt a difference between ice water and Slurpee. It was much more intense and a little more painful. I did get more relief, though it didn't last. Needs more research.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
My letter to my sick friend, Amy.
This is a letter I wrote to my friend to tell her to clean up her life before she ends up in a bad place.
"Amy,
You are my friend. We have been friends since 2005. We may not have met under the best circumstances, but we ended up kindred spirits of a like. I have seen you at some of the best times and at the worst. More so in recent years but then you've seen me in my worst times. We both have our scars from the world. We both have been harmed, but I see you doing yourself more harm then good. I see you and I hurt inside. I feel myself empathizing what you must be feeling. The sadness, grief, sorrow, darkness that I see you falling into, surrounds me. I want more than anything to reach out, grab hold of you, and pull you out of this darkness. I want to take you away from it and keep you safe. But I know I can't. I can't do what I want to do because it won't solve the problem.
There is no band-aide that I can put over your wound to allow it to heal. I can't take the drink out of your hand and throw away your liquor. I can't force you to make yourself better and to bring yourself out of the tailspin you are diving into. You think you are alone and that no one cares. You've think you can fix what is wrong on your own, without any help. What you don't realize is that you have been sitting in a pot of water that has been slowly heating up until now, you can't see that you are boiling to death.
What hurts me the most, is the fear that because I can't make you better, is that I will lose you. That hurts me more than anything. I have held you in my arms and held you in my heart. I care for you beyond love, beyond family and beyond friendship. I care about you Amy."
Over the last 2 weeks she has been in the hospital for liver and kidney problems. She is now in the ICU. The doctors have given her 48 hrs. I'm posting it up because I didn't get to give it to her. I'm going in to say goodbye to her tonight.
I said a rosary prayer 2 days ago asking that I have this opportunity. I'm glad I was heard. I got to speak to her. She was going in and out of consciousness. I hope she heard me.
Don't wait to tell the people you love that they are hurting themselves. Because while your waiting for the right time, you may find that they are already gone.
Amy passed away Sunday June 17th 2012 shortly after 1AM. I was on my way to see her but she passed as I was trying to find parking. The worst part is, when I got to the room and looked at her with her eyes shut, I remembered a dream where I was looking down at her exactly the same way. I had this dream 3 years earlier. I told her about it when she was still healthy. She told me that I was being over-dramatic.
"Amy,
You are my friend. We have been friends since 2005. We may not have met under the best circumstances, but we ended up kindred spirits of a like. I have seen you at some of the best times and at the worst. More so in recent years but then you've seen me in my worst times. We both have our scars from the world. We both have been harmed, but I see you doing yourself more harm then good. I see you and I hurt inside. I feel myself empathizing what you must be feeling. The sadness, grief, sorrow, darkness that I see you falling into, surrounds me. I want more than anything to reach out, grab hold of you, and pull you out of this darkness. I want to take you away from it and keep you safe. But I know I can't. I can't do what I want to do because it won't solve the problem.
There is no band-aide that I can put over your wound to allow it to heal. I can't take the drink out of your hand and throw away your liquor. I can't force you to make yourself better and to bring yourself out of the tailspin you are diving into. You think you are alone and that no one cares. You've think you can fix what is wrong on your own, without any help. What you don't realize is that you have been sitting in a pot of water that has been slowly heating up until now, you can't see that you are boiling to death.
What hurts me the most, is the fear that because I can't make you better, is that I will lose you. That hurts me more than anything. I have held you in my arms and held you in my heart. I care for you beyond love, beyond family and beyond friendship. I care about you Amy."
Over the last 2 weeks she has been in the hospital for liver and kidney problems. She is now in the ICU. The doctors have given her 48 hrs. I'm posting it up because I didn't get to give it to her. I'm going in to say goodbye to her tonight.
I said a rosary prayer 2 days ago asking that I have this opportunity. I'm glad I was heard. I got to speak to her. She was going in and out of consciousness. I hope she heard me.
Don't wait to tell the people you love that they are hurting themselves. Because while your waiting for the right time, you may find that they are already gone.
Amy passed away Sunday June 17th 2012 shortly after 1AM. I was on my way to see her but she passed as I was trying to find parking. The worst part is, when I got to the room and looked at her with her eyes shut, I remembered a dream where I was looking down at her exactly the same way. I had this dream 3 years earlier. I told her about it when she was still healthy. She told me that I was being over-dramatic.
Monday, June 4, 2012
What happened this morning......
It's the day after the AVON WALK for Breast Cancer and I'm getting ready for work.
Before I head to the train like always, I have to take Andy, our pet Papillon, out for his daily bathroom break. So I get him leashed up, I head out the backdoor, down the steps out the door and he does his business. I bag it up, throw it out and head for the door to take him back inside. I reach down to my pocket and realize there is nothing there. My keys are supposed to be there, but they are NOT!
Panic sets in...I check my other pockets and I have nothing. No wallet, no cell phone, no keys, no NOTHING! I'm so screwed. My Fiancee is at work and no phone so can't call someone. Now this has happened before so I walk around to the front door and start hitting the door-buzzers for my neighbors. They are really friendly and have no problem helping me out. I hit each button 3 times. No responses. No one is home. I am so screwed!
I start thinking, what are my options? It's 8:50AM and I have to be at work at 10AM. No money so pay phones are out (even if I could find one functioning). I need to contact someone with spare key. Only person besides fiancee is parents. Now I need to get to a phone. I run through locations in my head and first option is the library that is 2 blocks away. I walk with Andy down the street to the library. Arrive about 5 minutes later and looking at the times, Closed till 10AM. FRAKK! Still screwed.
I walk away from the Library and start trying to think of alternatives. I know time is running out before I'm late to work and I need to let them know what is going on. Just then I look across the street and there is an office building. I figure that if they are open I can use the phone. Andy and I walk across the street and up to the door. I pull, but its locked. I turn towards the wall and see a speaker. Must be for people that don't have appointments. I start to move when the door buzzes and I look up to see a woman by a desk looking at me. I open the door and bring Andy in with me. I walk up to her and she greets me with a smile saying, "how can I help you?" She inhales briefly, "Oh, what a beautiful little dog!" she becomes enamored with Andy. I briefly explain the situation and she says, "Oh my, Of course you can use the phone. I've done that to myself many times."
She shows me the phone and tells me to just dial like a normal phone. I instantly call the a parents home phone. no answer. I call my Dad's cell phone. He picks up and I explain the situation. He responds," We are at the funeral." FRAKK! I forgot that my family is at a funeral for a member that died last week. I couldn't go because I had to work. Ask Dad's advice. He gives the best he can but all options won't work because I have no money, no ID and I have a dog. The only option he can give me is to call the locksmith he uses to have them open the door. He gives me the number. I write it down and he wishes me luck as he hangs up. I call work and inform them I'm going to be late, then I call the locksmith and make a appointment for 30 minutes later. From what the lady on the other end told me that it would cost me $72 dollars for the locksmith to pick the lock and if he couldn't get in, he would drill the lock. If he had to do that I would have to pay for replacing the door lock for the building. Frakk! I thank the very nice lady, she says her goodbyes to Andy and we head back down the street to wait.
I find a nice shady spot to sit and start thinking about this situation. Andy puts his legs up on my thigh and just pants away happily as I stroke his head and his back. This is the first time all weekend that I have had time to hang-out with him. I was walking all weekend for the Avon Walk and when I came home I was exhausted. Yesterday after the walk finished I had to get ready to go the wake for my departed family member. So I didn't have time to play with him or anything for 2 days. Granted my fiancee was there but I could tell that he really missed me. It felt good to play with him and I felt a little better. I start thinking that maybe this is punishment from God since I missed mass on Sunday. I honestly figured that walking for women with breast cancer and attending a wake would have been suitable exemptions, but I guess I was wrong.
While sitting with Andy a man comes around the corner and opens up the door to the laundry room. I hear a the window from the laundry room open and a hose comes out. He's one of the building maintenance guys! He has a key? A key that opened the outer door to the laundry room? The same key that would let me in the building. He comes back out through the laundry room door and I explain the situation. He says," Yeah I can let you in, just let me hook up this hose" I say "sure no problem, I can wait." On the inside I'm doing back-flips and jumping around like a overjoyed cartoon character, screaming YAHOOOO!!!
After he finishes hooking the hose up, he opens the door. I thank him profoundly and with Andy by my side head up the steps to my place. I jump on the phone and call the locksmith to cancel the appointment. I call and leave messages with the family that I'm heading to work. Finally I give Andy a treat, make sure he has plenty of water and the A/C is on. I grab my keys, wallet, bag and Car keys and head down to try and make it to work.
I arrived 10 minutes late. How's that for one CRAZY MORNING????!!!!
Before I head to the train like always, I have to take Andy, our pet Papillon, out for his daily bathroom break. So I get him leashed up, I head out the backdoor, down the steps out the door and he does his business. I bag it up, throw it out and head for the door to take him back inside. I reach down to my pocket and realize there is nothing there. My keys are supposed to be there, but they are NOT!
Panic sets in...I check my other pockets and I have nothing. No wallet, no cell phone, no keys, no NOTHING! I'm so screwed. My Fiancee is at work and no phone so can't call someone. Now this has happened before so I walk around to the front door and start hitting the door-buzzers for my neighbors. They are really friendly and have no problem helping me out. I hit each button 3 times. No responses. No one is home. I am so screwed!
I start thinking, what are my options? It's 8:50AM and I have to be at work at 10AM. No money so pay phones are out (even if I could find one functioning). I need to contact someone with spare key. Only person besides fiancee is parents. Now I need to get to a phone. I run through locations in my head and first option is the library that is 2 blocks away. I walk with Andy down the street to the library. Arrive about 5 minutes later and looking at the times, Closed till 10AM. FRAKK! Still screwed.
I walk away from the Library and start trying to think of alternatives. I know time is running out before I'm late to work and I need to let them know what is going on. Just then I look across the street and there is an office building. I figure that if they are open I can use the phone. Andy and I walk across the street and up to the door. I pull, but its locked. I turn towards the wall and see a speaker. Must be for people that don't have appointments. I start to move when the door buzzes and I look up to see a woman by a desk looking at me. I open the door and bring Andy in with me. I walk up to her and she greets me with a smile saying, "how can I help you?" She inhales briefly, "Oh, what a beautiful little dog!" she becomes enamored with Andy. I briefly explain the situation and she says, "Oh my, Of course you can use the phone. I've done that to myself many times."
She shows me the phone and tells me to just dial like a normal phone. I instantly call the a parents home phone. no answer. I call my Dad's cell phone. He picks up and I explain the situation. He responds," We are at the funeral." FRAKK! I forgot that my family is at a funeral for a member that died last week. I couldn't go because I had to work. Ask Dad's advice. He gives the best he can but all options won't work because I have no money, no ID and I have a dog. The only option he can give me is to call the locksmith he uses to have them open the door. He gives me the number. I write it down and he wishes me luck as he hangs up. I call work and inform them I'm going to be late, then I call the locksmith and make a appointment for 30 minutes later. From what the lady on the other end told me that it would cost me $72 dollars for the locksmith to pick the lock and if he couldn't get in, he would drill the lock. If he had to do that I would have to pay for replacing the door lock for the building. Frakk! I thank the very nice lady, she says her goodbyes to Andy and we head back down the street to wait.
I find a nice shady spot to sit and start thinking about this situation. Andy puts his legs up on my thigh and just pants away happily as I stroke his head and his back. This is the first time all weekend that I have had time to hang-out with him. I was walking all weekend for the Avon Walk and when I came home I was exhausted. Yesterday after the walk finished I had to get ready to go the wake for my departed family member. So I didn't have time to play with him or anything for 2 days. Granted my fiancee was there but I could tell that he really missed me. It felt good to play with him and I felt a little better. I start thinking that maybe this is punishment from God since I missed mass on Sunday. I honestly figured that walking for women with breast cancer and attending a wake would have been suitable exemptions, but I guess I was wrong.
While sitting with Andy a man comes around the corner and opens up the door to the laundry room. I hear a the window from the laundry room open and a hose comes out. He's one of the building maintenance guys! He has a key? A key that opened the outer door to the laundry room? The same key that would let me in the building. He comes back out through the laundry room door and I explain the situation. He says," Yeah I can let you in, just let me hook up this hose" I say "sure no problem, I can wait." On the inside I'm doing back-flips and jumping around like a overjoyed cartoon character, screaming YAHOOOO!!!
After he finishes hooking the hose up, he opens the door. I thank him profoundly and with Andy by my side head up the steps to my place. I jump on the phone and call the locksmith to cancel the appointment. I call and leave messages with the family that I'm heading to work. Finally I give Andy a treat, make sure he has plenty of water and the A/C is on. I grab my keys, wallet, bag and Car keys and head down to try and make it to work.
I arrived 10 minutes late. How's that for one CRAZY MORNING????!!!!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Verizon Is BANTHA POODOO.
Verizon to Kill Grandfathered Unlimited Data Plans. This Is Bullshit.:
'via Blog this'
I'm so happy that I'm not the only one who is pissed off about Verizon screwing all of us loyal users of their service who are getting the axe. Seriously, this is the thanks we get for sticking with them throughout the entire run of the smartphone era!
Instead of putting more money into the data plan so they don't have to end Unlimited plans. They should put more money into the technology so they can expand it and make the other companies options small by comparison.
They have been beating AT&T for over 2 years! Now they are following suit to them!!! WHAT THE FRAKK MAN?!
If they would put less money into the frakking advertisements and that wasted, bantha fodder software they have, they could improve their service areas to the ENTIRE North American Continent! Especially in areas where NO service is currently available. Instead of screwing us, put your money into becoming the best service available.
IF they follow threw with this. I'm taking my money and leaving. I Frakking don't care about the early termination fees!
Verizon to Kill Grandfathered Unlimited Data Plans. This Is Bullshit.
Unlimited data on Verizon is dead. The death rattle just wheezed out during Verizon Communications CFO Fran Shammo's dream-killing presentation at the JP Morgan Technology, Media and Telecom conference. Everyone with a grandfathered unlimited data plan will be forced to switch to a tiered plan when they upgrade to LTE. It's absurd, warrantless, and sadly, typically, aggressively anti-consumer.
Killing unlimited—especially grandfathered plans—was always going to piss off, well, everyone, but Verizon thinks it has a good reason. "Everyone will be on data share," Shammo said. All customers will be forced onto Verizon's new shared data plans once their upgrade cycle comes around, which are in theory easier to manage for multi-device families. Except that doesn't really pass the smell test.
Here's the thing: shared plans aren't evil. They actually make some sense with the amount of wireless devices we carry around at this point. Phones, tablets, MiFis, even 3G laptops are getting pretty good. And a shared, unified data plan would keep you from having to pay for a MiFi, an iPad, and a smartphone, all separately. But if you only have one device, and you are just fine, thank you, with the plan that you have, there is no sense to forcing you off of your plan and squeezing you into one that accommodates an iPad you don't own.
Verizon's unlimited data hasn't been available since last summer. But for those of us who snuck in under the cutoff, there was a sense of safety. AT&T killed its unlimited plans back in the middle of 2010, and there had been no indication that there would be a retroactive culling of them going forward. As long as you were careful with your plan, you were free to keep it.
Verizon's policy had been fairly benevolent until now, at least outwardly. 3G unlimited users were allowed to keep their unlimited plans when they moved to LTE, with no added charge. There had been signs that Verizon had been getting wary of unlimited sticking around, with its push to make 3G Facetime only available to non-unlimited customers.
Admittedly, most people who have unlimited plans don't actually need unlimited data, or anything close to it. But that's beyond the point. Verizon sold a product, and through no fault of its customers—most of whom aren't even abusing it—it is now calling takebacks.
We've contacted Verizon, and it has refused to comment on whether this is actually definitely positively happening, but given the certainty behind Shammo's presentation, don't hold your breath. [Verizon via FierceWireless, MobileBurn via Engadget]
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