I have been a Directv subscriber for about 16 years now and have had the opposite experience with Directv. With the exception of a bit of a glitch in our last move when we upgraded to the newest technology, they have been great. In the last upgrade, the original tech offered me a deal that turned out to be a mistake. It was not a huge deal and Directv compensated me for my touble and offset the cost by giving me a discount off of my monthly fee. Net net, I was made whole. My experience with service issues has been great as well. In all but a few cases, they are able to resolve any problems I have have had over the phone while watching the set.

I'm afraid I don't see how someone can do things such as that and not realize what they're doing or seeing. I do believe it's probably just part of a culture that he was raised in, but something's gotta be missing inside with people who can do those sorts of things and not have it register somewhere. I also don't think someone can just change that type of thinking so Quickly. Maybe there are intense programs in prison? It just doesn't seem too plausible to me. It would take a lot of time and reprogramming to reach that point, imo. Hopefully he's at least on his way. I did not see the interview to really see how much progress he claims to have made. I also don't understand the connection to NFL, with regards to people's outrage. I can sort of see what people are saying, but I still see them as separate. I don't believe in shunning or bullying people. He's out of prison now, as far as punishment goes, and he needs to move on. Hopefully forward. If someone wants to hire him, then that's their business. I don't see it as some sort of a reward for bad behavior. Apparently he does what he does well, so that's why he's back. I'm not sure why his salary was reduced as it was -- from ~$134 million down to ~$1.6 million (the numbers may not be completely accurate). Specifically why? To offset potential losses due to public outrage? Cause they could manage to keep a whole lot of money? It's really not their job to punish him further, so I don't quite get that. But, what I think would have been really great, since they did reduce his salary, is if they had put all that money to good use working on animal protection and rights. $132 million. It would have been demonstrable if he'd actually offered to do it, but still quite something if the NFL had, as their own statement and support.

My husband and I got rid of our TV about 5 years ago and do not regret the decision at all. We got tired of the media tainting, and in many cases, lying about most of what comes out of their mouths. We also got sick and tired of the poor quality of the shows and all the ads. We would rather spend time conversing with each other or just relax reading good books, or having a nice glass of wine on our porch. That said, we don't live in a bubble and do know what is going on around us. I feel this whole Paula Deen thing is a circus and totally ridiculous, as most of these type of things are. I've never watched her shows, or looked at any of her recipes, simply because I am not interested. I'd rather be cooking my own meals or gardening than sitting in front of a T.V. In other words, I consider life too short to care about Paula Deen. We now live in a society where people want to lynch someone on hearsay, which is exactly what the media coverage is causing and doing, or ancient history, yet politicians do not pay much price for some pretty disgusting behavior. The fact is, I'm betting that despite the fact that most people here are caring, non racist people, not one of us can claim to NEVER having made a less than nice remark, calling someone else a name, or done something unkind. And that goes for the people that are the first to complain they are being slurred. Just because someone makes an accusation does not make it fact. I guess this country hasn't grasped the whole innocent till proven guilty thing. I believe we should still have the right in this country to speak and say whatever we want, (but not abuse someone) particularly in the privacy of our homes. If someone says something nasty then that is a reflection on them, and upon hearing such things one can choose to walk away from that person, or can say something to them about it. Life moves on. Saying a nasty thing 30 years ago and being penalized for it now is just ridiculous. Give me a break. There are worse things to deal with these days, and wasting court time on something said in the past is absolutely ridiculous. Food Network has a right to fire anyone they choose to, and Smithfield and Walmart can do business as they wish as well. Frankly, I don't do business with any of the above anyway, and all they are showing is that they don't grasp the concept of innocent till proven guilty either. It does not make me admire them. As far as Paula Deen saying the thing about a "plantation wedding", has it ever crossed anyone's minds that it might have been a compliment rather than a slur? Maybe it was a slur, but maybe it wasn't. I will tell you that "white" people are slurred just as much these days. Why isn't someone getting worked up over that? Choosing to not watch Paula Deen because she is irritating, or you don't like her recipes is fine. However, judging her without really knowing the facts, or having heard in person the context of how something was actually said, is the only way to make a fair judgement. I also question why a former employee would wait so long to make a complaint about Paula Deen. Normal people do something immediately. It is not O.K. to bully, hurt, or discriminate against someone else. Ever. Period. But what someone chooses to say or discuss with a spouse, a family member, or a friend is no one else's business. Maybe Paula Deen isn't a nice person, or she may truly be a wonderful person....I have no way of knowing that as I have never had any contact with her. Either way, it does not belong in court as a court case. I am also wondering what all the demonizing of certain foods is all about in this country. Does everyone really blindly believe everything they are told, just because it was said? I guess so. Real farm butter, lard, grass fed beef, and free range pork, celtic sea salt, and whole milk from organically and locally raised farms is extremely healthy. It's all about feeling satisfied with your food, and therefore naturally practice portion control without thinking about it. My husband and I are "older" and we eat this way after obtaining the book "Nourishing Traditions", and also looking into what the Weston Price Foundation has to offer. We are both fit, healthy, and on NO medications whatsoever. And we eat grass fed raw butter lavishly, particularly on a nice grass fed steak or whole grain bread that I make from grain I grind myself. Consider maybe it's not the food itself causing the problems, but rather what "they" are doing to it before it hits the grocery shelves? I haven't bought a mix or anything processed in years. My husband and I have noticed that on the rare instance we eat out that we feel ill afterwards now. Blaming Paula Deen for obesity is absurd. No one is forcing anyone to eat her food in her restaurant. It is not the restaurant, or even butter that is making these people overweight. It's their whole lifestyle. I usually don't respond to threads like this, but this time it got my dander up a bit. Maybe people should spend more time on important things, like the relationships in their lives and their hobbies, and less time on Paula Deen.

Joann, the coach and some players, the QB being one, have a five game suspension for selling memoribilia and Tressel knowing about it. Now there are some allegations of players and family members getting deals on cars from a local dealership and that the coaching staff was aware of the deals. A big no-no according to NCAA rules.