Scoop’s Views

Instead of outsourcing a call center or some other department, Sovereign Bank’s corporate officers, Sovereign Bancorp, is looking to sell out the Philadelphia-based financial institution to a foreign company.

Sure, we now live, more than at any point in history, in a global economy, but when it comes to me putting money in my bank, I want to know my bank is All-American. Jingoistic? No. Patriotic? Hardly. Overseas prejudice? Absolutely! When it comes to my money, where it’s kept, who has control over it, and the company that may go belly-up and legally owe – or be able to dodge U.S. laws – is of great interest to me.

Tags: American companies, American-based, American-held, American-led, Associated Press, Banco Santander, banking, call centers, checking accounts, Comcast, commercial accounts, credit cards, Dell, FDIC, financial dealings, financial interests, financial services, financially stable, foreign companies, foreign corporations, foreigners, global economy, greenbacks, hostile takeovers, leveraged buyouts, made in America, money, mortgage delinquencies, mortgages, off-shore, offshore, outsourced, outsourcing, Philadelphia, savings, savings accounts, Sovereign Bancorp, Sovereign Bank, speculation, takeover, vaults, Wall Street Journal

When last Wednesday, October 1, rolled around, online life changed for me. It was the day that Comcast began capping bandwidth at a maximum of 250 gigs per month for each account. While it sounds like a lot, it can be used up very quickly if you buy and download software online, especially large programs, such as office suites, commercial photo and video editing packages, and if you’re involved in beta testing a product with an aggressive patch-and-update policy.

The next morning I woke up, did my normal morning routine, and when my eyes were finally caffeinated and ready to deal with life in the ether, I fired up my computer, downloaded my email, and the first email that caught my eye in the batch of 200 that I downloaded was one from Comcast. It caught my eye because the word “newsgroups” – as in Usenet newsgroups – was in the subject – and said the communications company was delivering a doubly-whammy to customers in October.

Tags: Comcast, customer service, download software, Email, emoticons, flaming, Internet, Internet charges, Internet connectivity, Internet history, mainstream media, morning routine, newsgroups, Newsguy.com, online costs, online life, Philadelphia, service benefits, service cuts, texting, The Political Scoop, Usenet

One TV show I used to watch, and have watched since it was introduced about three years ago, The Unit, has had its current season halted, and despite pulling in high ratings before the writer’s strike, may be axed by idiots in CBS’ entertainment division.

It seems an online petition has been started in an attempt to “save” The Unit from the proverbial TV show scrap pile. Although I’m not a big fan of online petitions, I’ve seen several TV shows that were “saved” as a result of such actions by viewers. Since I already said I enjoyed the show, I will push others to sign the petition in an attempt to keep the show on-the-air.

Tags: Are You Stupider than a 5th Grader, armed forces, Big Brother, Bones, CBS, CNN, combat veterans, Comcast, Comcrap, Delta Force, Fox 29, headlines, House, knowledge, Lost, Military Channel, military families, National Geographic, NCIS, News, online petition, Philadelphia, renewed, research, Season 4, Special Forces, Survivor, The Unit, Troop Space, Two-and-a-Half-Men, veterans, Weather, writer's strike