IntenseDebate - Peter

15 years ago @ WWLP 22News - Two more shootings in ... · 0 replies · +1 points

I'm moving cross-country next month. I'm not gonna miss Springfield one bit-- or Massachusetts, for that matter.

15 years ago @ WEEI Homepage for true... - http://www.weei.com/sp... · 0 replies · +1 points

Is this the part where the on-air people on the EEI mothership start again with the theory that the umpire crew for this series hates Boston? Please.

One run scored in 18 innings by an offense that sports a potent lineup-- at least on paper-- won't get it done. Combine that with playing against an Angels team that has a chip on its shoulder when it comes to playing against the Sox and that has motivation through tragic circumstances... and it's a recipe for an early exit from the 2009 postseason.

Let the finger-pointing continue.

15 years ago @ WWLP 22News - Longmeadow schools tur... · 1 reply · +1 points

This speech should have been a televised dinnertime address, so that families can decide together whether or not to view the address and participate in the message. Broadcasting it during school hours not only detracts from daily educational activities. There isn't any new crisis going on that demands interruption of daily school routines. I can understand the President wishing to try and motivate students, but perhaps there are some that don't wish to hear the message... and it's not unreasonable for students to wish to want to opt out of viewing the address.

Longmeadow's reaction was no more correct. The text of Obama's speech was motivational and I'm sure that some students might have taken well to it as our current President at least has a dynamic personality on his side-- political views notwithstanding. I'd think that a better course of action would have been for administrators to designate rooms showing the speech and direct willing students to those rooms; the others could stay in class to study, practice, or whatever activity they were engaged in at the time.

15 years ago @ WWLP 22News - New bill pushes for lo... · 0 replies · +1 points

I respectfully disagree with your assertion that employment while in high school "isn't a choice". Having a car while in high school isn't a requisite (as there's usually alternate transportation) and cell phones for students most certainly aren't necessities. If you want to have a car and a cell phone, then you have to suck it up and work within the system. If school days are too long, seek weekend shifts. ____It's not that your initiative during your time in school should be frowned upon, however, claiming that kids "can't stand being in school or can't afford to" is a cop-out. Work during your school years is purely optional and there are ways to do so without compromising your educational responsibility.

15 years ago @ WWLP 22News - New bill pushes for lo... · 0 replies · +1 points

I think that the move is a good idea. Most other industrialized nations require more school time for their children; some even require Saturdays!

That being said, this country's education system needs an overhaul. There's far too much variability in the quality of education from one locality to the next, let alone between states. Without proper materials and a sound curriculum, keeping children in school longer serves no purpose. Kids don't learn anything by just sitting in a classroom idle; they need stimulation and interactivity... and current state budgets almost across the board can't support that kind of necessary improvement.

15 years ago @ WWLP 22News - Credit checks surprise... · 0 replies · +3 points

Credit checks for employment, while understandable in principle, penalize too many able-bodied potential applicants. A few late payments or a foreclosure due to the financing crisis can potentially make someone impossible to hire when looking at a credit score. This isn't about buying a car or a house; it's about trying to make a living and get out of debt, as millions of Americans are trying to do during this time of recession. Denying people the opportunity to make that living because of financial circumstances that may or may not have been within their control is dangerously punitive.

Businesses that involve cash handling already should have loss prevention measures in place, including the promise of termination and prosecution for theft as a deterrent. If businesses are worried about this kind of theft, a criminal background check should suffice to determine if a potential new-hire is trustworthy, along with regular reference checks and resume-checking.

15 years ago @ WWLP 22News - State bans texting or ... · 0 replies · +1 points

Enough already with the nanny-ism. What next? Are you going to remove radios from vehicles? They are distractions. Kids are, too; nothing like having to turn around and mediate a fight between your kids in the back seat and turn away from the road.

In a time where public safety services are already being cut back due to budget cuts and decreased revenue, do we really need police to start pulling people over for texting or being on the phone? Look at Connecticut's attempt to ban cell phone handset use while driving. I challenge you to pick out how many people are on their handsets between Enfield and Hartford on Interstate 91. You're guaranteed to count at least a handful every time... and yet, there's almost no police enforcement. Why?

Here's a thought: Let's start exercising personal responsibility. You know you shouldn't do it, so don't. We don't need Big Brother interfering with our daily lives any more than they already do.

15 years ago @ WWLP 22News - Holyoke Mall\'s new "n... · 0 replies · +1 points

How is Mall Security going to enforce this "policy", exactly? Are they going to bring in police to deal with "offenders" who light up outside in the wrong spot? It was one thing with the "under 18" policy. You could detain minors... but detaining adults? I don't think that possible, and summoning police to deal with angry smokers is a waste of taxpayer dollars.

I'm anti-smoking all the way, but unless the city passes a similar ordinance for all businesses, this "policy" is doomed to failure and ridicule.

15 years ago @ www.GamesAreEvil.com |... - Pete's Perspective 2.0... · 0 replies · +1 points

Exactly the point, Erik-- they don't care about the consumer. The difference between now and 10 years ago is that they used to mask it a hell of a lot better back then. Now, the assertion is, "We know you're going to buy our games, no matter how expensive they are."

If the NPD data that arrives this afternoon is as bleak as analysts are predicting, then it's another sign that consumers are saying back, "No, we won't buy your games because we've had to take pay cuts at work, need to pay off our mounting debt, and need to spend more on the rising costs of food and fuel."

We're talking trends. Perhaps the real picture won't be quite as bleak, but in the grand scheme of things, the industry has risen so fast and so high that it's due for some sort of correction.

15 years ago @ www.GamesAreEvil.com |... - Dual Review: Sonic... · 0 replies · +1 points

I decided on the PS3 version of the game mainly because of the Dual Shock's better D-pad (than the 360 controller). Aside from the omission of the lock-on properties of Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles, there's a lot to like in this collection. The inclusion of the Streets of Rage trilogy is a definite plus here since these games were omitted from the SEGA Genesis Collection for the PS2/PSP.

If you're a fan of the 16-bit era, this game is easily worth the $30. (Just be sure to turn off the Smoothing option. Yuck.)

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