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Last night was the season and series finale of the the CBS serial drama Jericho and it went out with a bang and remained unique to the very end. I have been watching this show since it began in the Fall of 2006 and really enjoyed its original storyline, I have never seen anything like it on TV. Last year the show was cancelled by CBS and then was renewed after angry fans sent thousands of pounds of nuts to CBS in protest (the nuts theme was based on a line from the show). CBS has once again decided to cancel the show this season because the ratings were not high enough. The fact that they hardly promoted it, gave it a crap timeslot and only produced 7 episodes this season might have something to do with that but apparently it does not matter. I guess there must be a CSI Cleveland or some Gong Show retread ripoff that just needs to be put on TV instead.

It can be said that in our society that TV is our our modern day art form. While many are quick to put down the boob tube it is undeniable that when done well it can be very moving. It seems that TV producers must think that the American public is a bunch of mindless sloths judging by the utter crap they constantly throw at us. I am sick of reality television. I still watch Survivor because it was the original but their recent offerings are pathetic. What is wrong with having some variety? Do we really need another CSI or yet another Jerry Springer like reality show?

I know its all about money but these TV executives need to recognize that their current ratings system does not work. We are often too busy to sit down at a specified time to watch their shows. Some of us watch it on DVR, some download it, some watch it online. If they want to advertise to us then use techniques like product placement, be creative, or is that too much to ask? Judging by the sequels, remakes and rehashings that Hollywood constantly shoves down our throats the past few years it would seem that there is no creativity left in the town. Finally we get a show that has some and they don’t even give it a fair chance. I recently caught another prematurely cancelled series that starred Skeet Ulrich from 2003, it was called Miracles and it was great; a combination of The Exorcist meets The X files. Skeet is a pretty good actor, its a shame they keep cancelling his series. I guess he has to dumb down his tastes if he wants to stay on TV.

Admittedly the fate of a TV show is minor compared to some of the problems in the world today. Nevertheless, they have to put something on TV, and there might as well be a few decent choices for those of us with a brain rather than the same repetitious crap on every channel. So if you want to fight for Jericho here is where to direct your pleas (snail mail usually works best):

If you want to contact the people who cancelled Jericho to tell them what a mistake they are making:

Nina Tassler
President CBS Entertainment
7800 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036-2112

Email: audsvcs@cbs.com

If you want to contact the people who make Jericho to encourage them to shop the show around to a different network:

CBS Paramount Network Television
5555 Melrose Avenue
Hollywood, CA 90038

Nancy Tellem
CBS Paramount Network Television
4024 Radford Ave
Studio City, CA 91604

If you want to contact some other networks to encourage them to pickup Jericho and some loyal fans in the process:

The CW
Dawn Ostroff
11800 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025

Email: feedback@CWTV.com

OR

SCI FI Channel
30 Rockefeller Plaza
21st Floor
New York, NY 10112

Email: feedback@scifi.com

If you want to connect with some fellow Jericho fans here are some websites to do so:

Jericho TV.com Forum

CBS Jericho Board

Radio Free Jericho

Jericho Forum & Discussion

Guardians of Jericho

Jerichon 2008

Good luck and Lets Make History Together (again)

Ever wonder why you go to the supermarket every week and prices keep going up but yet the government keeps saying that inflation is low? Well it’s mainly because the economic statistics that the government reports are manipulated to make everyone feel good and to make the politicians look better. At least that is what Dartmouth educated economist Walter “John” Williams claims on his website; www.shadowstats.com

I must warn you, his site is like a car crash, it is hard to turn away but in the end it will leave you feeling nauseous. John Williams is an economist who provides advice and forecasts to companies and individuals so they can plan for the future. The only problem was that he discovered early on in his career that the statistics that the government provides do not correlate with economic models or the general feelings of the public. In order to find a reason for this disconnect he was forced to examine how the statistics were compiled and recreate them. While doing this he noticed that the formulas and models that the government used to calculate things like the Consumer Price Index (CPI) had been changed over time so that the CPI from 2008 is not the same as the CPI from 1980. Of course the new “methods” were more favorable to the government. While this may sound like typical political spin, when you consider that important things like social security cost of living adjustments and government contracts use the CPI index you can see how artificially low figures can unfairly favor the government and cheat the general public. John Williams’ website provides proof that not only are the numbers for inflation manipulated but so are the GDP & Unemployment figures as well.

For example when accumulating unemployment figures, the government surveys households to see how many people are looking for a job but can’t find one. Did you know that if someone has been looking for a job but stops because there just isn’t any work for them, they are reclassified as “discouraged workers” and left out of the unemployment statistics reported by the government? If anyone should be counted, it is these people. This is just one of the mind blowing things you will walk away from this site with.

His findings in regards to the CPI are disturbing as the inflation rate is severely underreported by the government. John Williams has calculated recent inflation to be close to 12% while the government claims 4%. So when your company gives you that measly annual 3% “cost of living” raise and yet you feel like it you are losing ground every year it is not just your imagination. Inflation used to the bane of the middle class back in the late 70’s and for the past 30 years we have been led to believe that it has been held in check. The reality is that while wages have been stagnant, prices have not. He places much of the blame for this on the Federal Reserve for printing cheap money like the US economy is their own personal version of Monopoly..

If that is not frustrating enough, try reading John Williams’ description of the real federal deficit. The figures that the government reports are not even close to the truth when using Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). The problem is that the government does not set aside the money that comes in each year for future social security payments; instead they spend it as comes in. While that works for now, much of that money is supposed to be saved for later so that when the demographics in this country change and the baby boomers retire the system will still be solvent. If the surplus we currently have in social security was set aside like it is supposed to be, the actual federal deficit would be 3.7 trillion, not 374 billion. John Williams’ dissection of the reality of the federal deficit reads like a horror story. He sums it up well that there are only 2 ways out of the spiraling disaster we are currently in; either drastically raise taxes and cut social security benefits or debase the dollar to the point of hyperinflation so that we can pay back our current debts with worthless future dollars. And when he says hyperinflation, he is talking about the kind where you need a wheel barrel full of dollars to buy a loaf of bread.

John Williams was recently on CNN where he discussed the future depression that he believes is coming:

You can also see him here on the Glenn Beck show:

If you have some time, the follow interview audio clip is about an hour long. It is from 2005 and if you have any question that this guy knows what he is talking about, this interview will remove all doubt. His predictions and forecasts from 2005 are coming to pass right now. If his accuracy continues, the outlook for the future is bleak at best.

The next time you pull into a gas station and start cursing at the pump as it demands your left arm to fill up the tank, remember to say thanks to your friendly neighborhood elitist. I saw a story on the news the other night about a company named Cape Wind attempting to build a wind farm off the coast of Cape Cod. Seems like a great idea until you realize just how selfish the wealthy elitists who reside in this area really are. Massachusetts is known for being a liberal state, but the only green these residents care about is the kind in their immense wallets.

According to Cape Wind, the construction of such a facility could provide 75% of the energy supply to Cape Cod and its neighboring islands, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. Of all the alternative energy sources that I have seen, wind farms have to be the safest and most aesthetically pleasing. What could be more brilliant than extracting energy from something that nature provides in great abundance. Even the windmills themselves are far from being an eyesore; in fact I find them rather attractive myself. You can see a water based wind farm in the video below.

Apparently the wealthy elitists who live on Cape Cod don’t feel the same way. They consider the prospect of windmills 5 miles off their shoreline to be a disturbance of their watery backyards. I guess anything that interrupts their view of Paris from their rear decks is quite an intrusion. The debate over this project has created somewhat of a chasm in the liberal elite. Even infamous liberal stalwart Ted Kennedy is being ravaged by environmentalists because he is opposed to any windmills getting in the way of his yacht. Considering how Kennedy drives, they may actually pose a threat to him or anyone on his yacht after he’s thrown down a few at the Kennedy Compound.

It saddened me to see how selfish the wealthy can be when it comes to something that could be beneficial to the entire community. Apparently having a waterfront multi million dollar house isn’t enough for them. In a time when this country should be looking into as many alternative forms of energy as possible to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, I find it morally repulsive for these rich bastards to oppose such a great idea. I am the last person to fault someone for
making money but when something as insignificant as a white dot on the horizon is enough for these people to put themselves ahead of the community, there is something drastically wrong in this country. They should be ashamed of themselves.