Digital TV Works Great

xxxx Speed of lightning,


xxxx Roar of thunder,


xxxx Fighting all who


xxxx rob and plunder,


xxxx Underdog.


I have been getting mailings from cable TV that I can get local channels for $10 monthly which comes to $120 a year. I guess that they did not want me to see how good digital TV is. I used to get many TV stations that come in really bad and a few that come in good, but not as good as cable channels.

Well I am now getting in all the digital channels and all they all come in perfect. No need adjusting the antenna ever again. People said that reception was bad around here due to the high antennas that were used to send out signals from radio stations. But now the TV stations come in just as good as cable.

I called the toll free number and got my $40 coupons to buy TV converter boxes for $49.95 ($50). Total cost $10. I got a Phillips HDTV antenna (SDV2710/27) for $19.95 ($20) and hooked that to the converter box. With digital TV, they now have movies on TV late at night. Here is how this new system works.

The cords that are used are the triple cords (video and 2 audio channels [yellow, white and red]) that they use to connect the DVD player to the TV. They are the same cords used to connect one VCR to another. They can also be used to connect the VCR to the TV. So you connect the triple cords to your TV or your VCR from the TV converter box.

You connect the digital antenna to the TV converter box. Then you have a remote to the converter box and you use it to change the channels in your converter box. That is how simple it is. When the converter box is turned on, it takes you through the steps to get it said up with all the channels, language and time.

I just checked the signal strength using the buttons on the remote of the TV converter box and for the channel that I am watching the signal strength is 86%, but the picture quality is 100%. The latter is what you actually see. I just checked another one and the signal strength is 84% with a picture quality of 99%. Just kidding. The picture quality is 100%. Like I said-- all the 29 channels come in perfectly. You get a lot more channels than with the old analog TV.

Also I got a great computer at a moving sale for $75. It is a Pentium 4, with 510 megabytes of memory (kind of low but twice what my other computer had), 60 GB hard disk drive and a speed of 2.4 gigahertz.

In grade school, when we would have a substitute teacher and everyone would sign in and the teacher would read off the names and people would say "here." Someone would write in "Dick Hertz" and the teacher would call this name. Nobody would answer and the teacher would say "Who's dick hurts?" Then someone would say "mine."

Adam Lambert and Elvis Presley

xxxx Speed of lightning,

xxxx Roar of thunder,

xxxx Fighting all who

xxxx rob and plunder,

xxxx Underdog

Adam Lambert was in the bottom 2 last week. This week they sang rock songs. Michael Jackson is the king of pop. But Elvis Presley was the king of rock. Adam said that this was his kind of music. Afterwards (judges comments) Kyra said that he is not a rock star, but he is a rock god. Paula said that he was a whole lot of perfect.

Simon loves to say negative things so he joked around. Adam had went first before the other 3. Simon said that the bad news for the others is that no one can beat Adam. Adam made it into the final 3, with the last female in the group being voted off. Randy said that rock was Adam's thing and he was ready to record a rock album right now.

Megan Joy Corkrey Voted off of American Idol

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xxxx Speed of lightening, roar of thunder,
xxxx Fighting all who who rob or plunder. Underdog! Oh Underdog!

xxxx There's no need to fear, Underdog is here.

Megan Joy Corkrey was voted off American Idol. I thought that she sang that last song great. Being a guy, she was my favorite. I tend to favor the attractive women. I know that Adam Lambert is in a much higher class of singing than everyone else there, but as long as he doesn't destroy himself, he will have a great career like in his past life.

Besides being a great singer, Megan Joy also loves her son very much. That may have had something to do with her being voted off. She did not like being away from her son and her son did not like being away from her. She was glad to be going back to be with her son.

But I would love to see Megan Joy become a successful singer if she can still be close to her son. Also I loved her being quirky which I think is a label for someone being themself instead of a cookie cutter version of everyone else. I have never felt this sad with an American Idol singer going home as I did with her.

Although I do understand that her son was probably sad with her being away. One thing is certain. That is that Megan Joy Corkrey is a great mother and that is more important than being a great singer. I love Megan Joy and will miss seeing her on TV!

Fans of Adam Lambert and Elvis Presley Speak out!

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xxxx I need to waste space.

xxxx I wish that they would fix this so I not have to do this.

xxxx Enough is enough.

Here are excerpts of comments on Adam Lambert after he sang the country song, Ring of Fire. The first comment is mine. It is clear from these comments that Adam Lambert could quit American Idol right now and his music would outsell the music of all the others combined!

People in the East believe in reincarnation, but not the people in the West except for Scientologists like Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Will Smith and Clint Eastwood. But never the less, you are seeing the guy who was Elvis Presley in his past life. If he did come back, what would he be like. Well wonder no more. He has come back with more power than ever before. So watch Adam closely and witness history in the making.

OK, THIS is the best thing that has happened to American Idol since it's start. Adam is "Adam" - no one else like him. You can't label him, you can't even accurately compare him to anyone else. Well, maybe --
Elvis in his heyday. He's got an outstanding voice, he's got the moves and he's got the look and stage presence.

BTW what Adam did on AI tonite, Elvis did on the Ed Sullivan Show!
He is amazing! I am in my sixties and think Adam is going to be another wonder of the world! He has the charisma of Elvis and the Beatles (my era of the 60's)... Believe me, there's nothing been around with his extraordinary music genius in decades!

My husband and I are professionals in our mid fifty's. Let me tell you that there is nobody on that show that comes close to the talent of Adam. He reminds me of an "Elvis" in a way that he has his own style and will endure.

Adam Lambert just blows my mind. His version of Ring of Fire was in a league of it's own. It was a combination of Jim Morrison meets Robert Plant meets Moody Blues meets Pink Floyd; they all drop acid and resurrect "The King" to perform it, a young Elvis Presley. I think all Idol watchers are witnessing the birth of this new generation's Elvis. Adam is gifted. He is a totally different league not just in this competition, but in the music industry.

The Greatest song I heard On American Idol EVER !!! Adam is the best singer American Idol ever had till date. Adam was again BRILLIANT! Most original performance I have ever seen on American Idol.
Okay, I saw the Beatles in '64 in Jacksonville, and Cream in '69 in London, and Adam is the first true Original that I've seen in thirty years. Long may he reign.

I voted for the first time last night--for Adam. I thought his rendition of "Ring of Fire" was the most original twist to an old standard I ever heard. I was awe struck. This kid is talent through and through. I think Adam is AMAZING! He is so ahead of any of the other contestants, he doesnt even belong on the show because he is SOOO much better than all of them put together.

This version creeped me out!

I think Lambert is the BEST thing to EVER happen to American Idol. Adam is by far the most gifted singer/performer ever to appear on AI. He truly has an incredible vocal range.

Holy crap is everyone one here high or drunk, or both. That made me want to stab my ears out. Totally and completely horrible.

Adam was absolutely incredible! That was the best performance I have ever seen on American Idol.

Adam Lambert is the most talented artist on American Idol - ever!
My ten year old daughter can't stop watching Adam. He is hypnotic in his song delivery. All the little girls in her school are going wild over Adam.

Adam did not say this was his version. When talking to Randy Travis he said he had heard a different version with sitar and that's when Travis said "you're scaring me". It was very different and I loved it and so
did my two girls 18 and 14.

Adam Lambert was Elvis Presley in His Past Life

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xxxx I need to waste space.

xxxx I wish that that would fix this so I not have to do this.

xxxx Enough is enough.

On my other blog I mentioned that I knew that Adam Lambert was Elvis Presley in his past life. This was before he was in the final 13 on American Idol. The judge, Simon, is very opinionated, but he said that he did not know what to make out of Adam Lambert. He could not say if he was good or bad.

On the show last night, Simon said that he was the best one of the night with only a couple more singers left. Also look at what he did with his hair. He was wearing a new age wild haircut. Now the guy has a more conservative haircut like Elvis Presley. A friend of mine called who does not really believe in reincarnation so she said that maybe it was channeling or something, but she said that she saw Elvis Presley in Adam Lambert's eyes.

I saw that a month ago. I usually just pay attention to the women on this show. Now after Adam sung, a woman sang. The judge, Kara, said that it sounded like she had been singing for 400 years. Now you are not allowed to be on the show if you are over 27 years old. So that would apply to someone over 400 years old.

Now she is not that old, so it sounds like Kara has recognized someone else that has been a singer for more than one or 2 lifetimes. Now I have no idea who she was, but it shows that Adam Lambert does have some competition. Also who knows about the others. There are many Elvis impersonators but Adam Lambert is not one because why would he want to imitate himself. Also now he is someone just as great. He is the one and only Adam Lambert.

So watch this show and see history in the making. Also will he have the difficulties with drugs and other things that he had in his last lifetime? Only time will tell. But you are watching one of the greatest singers of all time. I always watch American Idol and this is the first time that I have said anything like this.

Introduction to emails between the French girl and I

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xxxx I wish that they would fix this so I not have to do this.

xxxx Enough is enough.

About 9 months ago I came across a 14 year old French girl who tried to kill herself by jumping off of her fifth floor balcony in Paris, France. I live in Philadelpia, PA, USA. To see the whole story just go back on my blog 9 months ago which is on a another blog site. She turned 15 several months ago. She is extremely intelligent with a father that is a doctor in a hospital and a mother that is a lawyer.

I have put up the emails between us from a month ago. To read them in order, go to my first post today that is dated 2/5/2009 and read them backward from there back to here. Her email about wanting to die came to me on February 8 after she was very busy and had not emailed me for about 2 weeks. This may be of therapuetic value to people who know someone that is suicidal or for that matter anyone.

Email from Annie in response to my 2 emails

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xxxx I need to waste space.

xxxx I wish that they would fix this so I not have to do this.

xxxx Enough is enough.

Hi Sunshine,

I just realized something. I cannot die without meeting you first! It would be too bad.

You cannot tell me not to worry about you. If something happens to me I do not want you to miss me or to be sad. I want you to forget everything about me. It would make things much easier. Besides, (if you believe in reincarnation) my death wouldn't be a "goodbye"; it would be a "see you later". And if I were a ghost I would definitely visit you. Just kidding. I do not believe in ghosts. They are creepy. However, I would call you before dying or write an email or a letter. (In a P.S. of last email I asked her to do this).

If I were quadriplegic and wanted to die, I would do like that girl, Maggie, in "A Million Dollar Baby". I bet you have already seen this movie. I do not remember it very well but I think she was a boxer who got paraplegic. She was miserable so she tried to bite her tongue and bleed to death. In the end, her coach killed her after she begged him.

I called my dog "Koala". What do you think? You mentioned Naomi had a Koala. Now I have one, too. Koalas are cute, just like my dog though he does not look like them. Besides, it sounds good in french.

Love,
Your BFF,
Annie

For more on how she got her dog see my other blog that I transferred over here: Self Improvement For Smart People

This is the 2nd email I sent Anne in response to her wanting to kill herself

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xxxx I need to waste space.

xxxx I wish that they would fix this so I not have to do this.

xxxx Enough is enough.

Hi Annie,

If something does happen to you, I have really loved knowing you. It was one of the nicest things in my life ever. I will never forget you.

Asians are good at suffering to get something. A Korean couple came to America with little money. They got a job working at a 7-11 (chain of convenience stores). Both worked hard but they did not get their own apartment. The owner let them live for free in the back room of the store. It was very uncomfortable but they saved all their money. After doing this for 2 years, they bought their own 7-11.

I do not want you to suffer. If you do end up killing yourself, I will not be mad at you or resent you. I will just be sad from missing you. And maybe someday, somehow we can still be together. So you have enough to be upset about, so do not worry about me if you die. I will just be very grateful for having been able to know you for 6 months.

I will continue to be grateful for everyday that I know you and for every email I get from you. If you do die and strange things happen around me, I will figure that it is your ghost visiting me. I just saw the movie, The Sixth Sense, again.

Love,
Chuck

This is the email that I sent to the French girl in response to her saying that she cannot live anymore

xxxx Since Google ads are too wide,

xxxx I need to waste space.

xxxx I wish that they would fix this so I not have to do this.

xxxx Enough is enough.

Annie, no wonder that you are tired. You work too hard. In America, they have a saying "slow down and smell the roses." You have to go to school but you do not have to do those extra things. Thanks for the beautiful poem.

Take more time to do things that you enjoy like sudoko. Your parents are probably trying to get you to work hard to get all these credentials while your soul rots. If you look at my page on teen advice, http://www.phifoundation.org/teen.html ,you will see I added more info on the right way to bring up babies so they can be happy.

While visiting a site on it I was looking at profiles of families that do it. Many of them practice non-schooling. It is alternative schooling which is more fun and supportive of the child.

Remember that these things that you do are good for your shell, for your body, but they do not care about you, inside. You must use your awesome intelligence instead of just following the herd. They want you to be educated, rich and famous even if you feel horrible on the inside. I can understand you wanting to die than end up like your parents.

I told you about those traveling fairs that have amusement rides but they happen in the summer. So if they have them in Paris, you would have to wait till summer. But the idea behind them is NOT to educate you or make you richer or make you more famous. The idea is for you to have fun and that is it. That is what your life is for-- to have fun, not to be like your parents.

Remember that everyday you get closer to 18 where you can go wherever you want. If you were with me, I would just focus on you doing things that make you feel good. What good is it if you get educated and become a great piano player just to kill yourself?

I am not saying what everyone else is saying. On Yahoo Answers they would all say that you should not kill yourself, if you posted what you wrote to me. Instead. they would say, get good grades and learn art appreciation and piano playing.

I am not saying that. What good is that stuff if you are dead? That stuff is not important at all. Your happines is the only important thing. The reason that I helped that woman (my girlfiend Lisa) to get out of depression is because I focused on her happiness as being most important.

You do not like trying to be happy and failing. That is how you learn about what does not work in making you happy. So your busy schedule is not how you become happy. Take some time to play sudoko and maybe go to the movies.

But you can't. They have you convinced that if you take a break from your busy schedule, you will die. It will kill you. That is nonsense. Your busy schedule may kill you. When you jumped off the balcony, you did get a few days vacation. But you can take a vacation without doing that.

Now what is the worst that they can do to you if you take a break? They can kill you. That is the worst they can do to you. But then you will be dead and they will go to jail. If you get killed then it is much better for you than if you kill yourself. Also they probably will not kill you since they would not like being in prison.

Now what is good about killing yourself? If I said this on Yahoo Answers, it would be removed. The good thing about suicide is that it shows that you have the ultimate say in your life and no one else. But you have that now, even if they can make your life harder.

Your poem reminds me of that girl, Naomi, that I mentioned. [She asked me for some suggestions for what to name her dog. I gave her some, but also just mentioned that I have a picture of Naomi with her koala.] The Eastern world believes in reincarnation. If you were her, it would explain why you are having a tough time now. But remember that whatever you have done is reversible. You can still be happy. Now if you cut off your legs, you cannot reverse that. Although I saw on TV where a guy lost his legs and got fake ones and was still able to do well in sports.

It is nice to have the ability to kill yourself. There are quadrapalegics (no arms or legs) that want to die but they cannot kill themselves. So you are brilliant. That is your assignment. Figure out how you would be able to kill yourself without arms and legs. You can write a book on it. You know that you cannot just hold your breath and die, right. So how can you do it if you can only move around like a worm?

I would have my brother wind a sheet around me like a mummy so my arms and legs were tied to my body and then I would try to move around and stand up. Maybe you should visit quadrapelics and dance around and make fun of how they cannot move. No, that would be too mean.

So write me with the ways that the quadrapalegics can kill themsleves. Also if what you have tried is not working in making you happy, then try something new. You can try calling me and talking to me on the phone. There is no concern that you should have about me not liking you after I talk to you. It has been 6 months that I have known you, unless in France time moves much slower.

Albert Einstein spent years where most of his thinking was about that-- time slowing down or moving slower. How is your dog doing? Don't you enjoy having him? he will be unhappy if you kill yourself. What did you name him?

Love,
Your BFF,
Chuck

Email that Annie sent me on 2/8/09

xxxx Since Google ads are too wide,

xxxx I need to waste space.

xxxx I wish that they would fix this so I not have to do this.

xxxx Enough is enough.

Chuck,

I'm tired. I can't do this anymore, I can't LIVE. I want to die and I swear I've never wanted something so badly in my whole life. You know, there's a moment when you just want it all to stop. I'm sick of trying to be happy and failling miserably! I can't cry and try to smile at the same time! It's impossible. I'm not happy. I'm not even close to being happy! But nobody cares about it except for you and you don't even know me! I love you so much and it hurts being away from you. It hurts way too much. It's insane, I know. I've only known you for a few months. But you're my BFF because you care about how I feel.

I love the way you think I'm special.
I love the way you say you love me.
I'd love to be your daughter
And be forever happy.

I know you would never hurt me
Nor make me cry a single tear.
You are the only who'd care
If someday I disappeared.

I love the way you shine.
You're too good to be true.
Whatever may happen
Remember I love you, too.
And "love does not come to an end". Ever.

Anne