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January 31, 2007

Mooninites Rock Boston

I was pretty disappointed to hear that the suspicious packages in the Boston area today turned out to be a promotion for Aqua teen Hunger force.

"The 'packages' in question are magnetic lights that pose no danger. They are part of an outdoor marketing campaign in 10 cities in support of Adult Swim's animated television show 'Aqua Teen Hunger Force,'" Turner Broadcasting, the parent company of Cartoon Network, said in a statement.

When I actually saw a picture of what the packages were I realized any Aqua Teen fan would recognize the character, Err.  However, not everyone is a fan and any suspicious item attached to a circuit board left unattended should be treated with caution.

I can't believe that anyone who thought this up didn't consider that the ads might look like IED's.  Which begs the question, did they do this without any care of the consequences, figuring no publicity is bad publicity.

Posted by Ed Z at 10:38 PM | | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

January 30, 2007

The 411 on 617

Check out what happens when you're on the short end of the political stick in 1940's Boston.

A premise governing the designation of three-digit area codes-- to a state, or to regions within a state-- was that densely populated areas where the incoming call volume was heavy should have mostly low numbers...

Not so in Boston. There the Democratic machine thought the prospective apportionment would diminish their city. If the national pattern were followed, Boston residents would be forced to dial high numbers when placing calls to the western (and generally Republican) parts of Massachusetts. Meanwhile, callers to Boston from those western regions would enjoy the benefit of using lower numbers. City politicians moved to avert that disaster. In 1948 Democrats had won control of the state legislature for the first time in history, providing the city machine with even greater clout. Led by Mayor John Hynes, protests were made to New England Telephone and through it to AT&T. After negotiations, Boston gained an exception to the national plan, earning a 6-1-7 area code (high for a large city), and western Massachusetts received a lower 4-1-3.

Thanks to JR for forwarding the story.

Posted by Ed Z at 10:12 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

January 28, 2007

Protest Coverage

When a leading news agency opens a piece by stating "A nation says no to war..", you would think that the number of protesters would range in the millions, perhaps even rivaling New Years eve in Times Square.  On second thought, perhaps not.  Newsbusters analyzes the CBS News Radio's coverage of the anti-war protests this Saturday.

Reporter Jim Taylor started his report saying "A nation says no to war ..." as an introduction to the story of the goings on in Washington.

A "nation" says no? A few protests equates the the whole nation, CBS?

Taylor intoned this phrase as if the entire of the United States had risen up to say no to the actions in Iraq. But, one protest in Washington and a few in scattered other cities does NOT a "nation" make. As Newsbuster Dan Riehl reminds us, even compared to previous Iraq war protests this one was smaller. And, compared to the protests the nation saw during the Vietnam war, the Iraq war has not produced anything near the numbers that supporters such as CBS wish to make it seem.

So "tens of thousands" appeared in Washington to protest the war.

By contrast, More than 1 million revelers were in Times Square for the recent New Years celebration.

Let's get a bit more prospective. There are over 300 million people who live in America. About 3 million people live in the areas surrounding Washington D.C. There are about 550,000 people who live right in Washington D.C. itself.

Yet, all they could muster was "tens of thousands"?

We'll hear this in the media as some national uprising, lead by the various celebrities waving their rubber chickens.  Gopgirl comments on the article accurately when saying, "the MSM never reports any Pro-Life rallies as "Nation says no to abortion".

Regardless of your stance on the issues, it is an injustice that the MSM refuses to report things fairly.

Posted by Ed Z at 11:40 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

January 25, 2007

Films, Not Terrorism, Fuel Islamofopia

From Jihad Watch: Muslims get angry at films depicting them as terrorists

These films fuel "Islamophobia," you see. Some even dare to link Islamic ritual to terrorist attacks. No one seems to have considered the possibility that actual terrorist attacks perpetrated by Islamic terrorists who perform Islamic rituals and ascribe their terrorist acts to Islamic teachings fuel "Islamophobia" far more than any film ever could.

My recommendation on how Muslims can squelch Islamophobia; cut down on terrorism.

SNL has the right idea.

Posted by Ed Z at 09:15 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

January 24, 2007

Senate Blocks Minimum Wage Hike?

I'm hearing that the Senate has blocked the minimum wage increase. More when I get it.

**Update** Confirmed:

On a 54-43 vote, liberals lost an effort to advance a House-passed bill that would lift the pay floor from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour without any accompanying tax cut. Opponents of the tax cut needed 60 votes to prevail.

 

Posted by Ed Z at 12:21 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

January 22, 2007

Al Qaeda in Iraq Planned U.S. Attack

Drudge is reporting that documents were seized in Iraq showing insurgents were planning an attack in the U.S.  The story come via ABC News:

Lt. Gen. Michael D. Maples, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, recently testified that documents captured by coalition forces during a raid of a safe house believed to house Iraqi members of al Qaeda six months ago "revealed [AQI] was planning terrorist operations in the U.S."

Al Qaeda is active in Iraq, and they want to kill Americans, there and here.  Our safety is dependant on victory in Iraq though some don't want to believe it.

Posted by Ed Z at 03:54 PM | | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

January 21, 2007

An Inconvenient Interview

Al Gore wants to rescue all of us from ourselves.  The self appointed global warming spokesman proposes we change the very nature of our civilization to counter the effects of a changing climate.  Though when the biggest Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Postenasked asked to interview him, with the intention of asking some tough questions, he backed out.  Even when the paper agreed to all of his stipulations.

With his movie, An Inconvenient Truth, filled with questionable information Flemming Rose and Bjorn Lomborg explain in the WSJ why they thought it necessary to find out why Mr. Gore chose to ignore certain facts and exaggerate others.

It would have been great to ask him why he only talks about a sea-level rise of 20 feet. In his movie he shows scary sequences of 20-feet flooding Florida, San Francisco, New York, Holland, Calcutta, Beijing and Shanghai. But were realistic levels not dramatic enough? The U.N. climate panel expects only a foot of sea-level rise over this century. Moreover, sea levels actually climbed that much over the past 150 years. Does Mr. Gore find it balanced to exaggerate the best scientific knowledge available by a factor of 20?

So many people I talk to think the debate over global warming has been presented and concluded.  Can we say the debate is over when, on what seems like a daily basis, scientists are contradicting each other?

Posted by Ed Z at 06:02 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

January 18, 2007

Couric's Comments

I've been a little busy lately, so I apologize for not posting, but I thought I'd point out this Newsbusters piece on Katie Couric's recent observations on the gender makeup of her business (as well as others).

Pay attention to the comment made by "Guy Arthur Thomas" (maybe the seventh comment down), I found it particularly enlightening.

Katie's complaints make her sound more like a bystander than a participant. You can pave the way for future generations by doing your job, letting your body of work define you, not your gender.

Posted by Ed Z at 10:18 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

January 15, 2007

Saddam's Aides Hanged

Saddam Hussein's  half-brother Barzan Ibrahim and Awad Hamed al-Bandar, the former chief justice of the Revolutionary Court were hanged today.

Two of Saddam Hussein's aides were hanged before dawn on Monday, the Iraqi government said, admitting that the head of his half-brother Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti was also ripped from his body during the execution.

Source: Reuters

Video was shot, of course, and already shown to reporters.  I'm sure it will work its way to the internet soon.  Once I have a link I will provide it for those interested.

Hot Air has more info.

**Update** While video of the hangings haven't surfaced, some footage of the two being buried in Tikrit has.  Video available at LiveLeak.

Posted by Ed Z at 11:43 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

January 13, 2007

Boxer and the Cutters

The New York Times doesn't think it is newsworthy.  But to me, it is just another example of how the far left has infiltrated liberal politics.  If you don't stand to lose a son or daughter in war then you have no place commenting or making decisions on the war.  Below are the comments by Barbara Boxer (D-CA) to Secretary of State Condeleeza Rice as described in the New York Post:

Rice appeared before the Senate in defense of President Bush's tactical change in Iraq, and quickly encountered Boxer.

"Who pays the price? I'm not going to pay a personal price," Boxer said. "My kids are too old, and my grandchild is too young."

Then, to Rice: "You're not going to pay a particular price, as I understand it, with an immediate family."

That they want to give absolute moral authority only to those who have some tangible stake in the war.  What the left fails to understand is that we do have something at stake; the future of this country.  For if we abandon Iraq now, there is no question, we'll be back there, only this time it will be on a tenfold scale and our infant sons and daughters may have to pay the price for that.

The SFGate has Boxer's defense.

Boxer, defending herself against critics from the right, said Friday that she was "speaking truth to power" at a Senate hearing Thursday when she confronted the secretary of state -- who is unmarried and childless -- noting that neither she nor Rice will "pay a price" personally for sending more American troops to war.

As usual, the left wants to assume the role of champion of the oppressed, as all they've been saying lately is that President Bush is ignoring the will of the people and ignoring the results of the midterm elections (which historically speaking weren't as dramatic as they want you to think).  The most current ammunition is the Associated Press-Ipsos poll showing 70% of Americans oppose sending more troops to Iraq.  However, when it comes to polls, someone told me recently, "all they're a measure of is how successful the propaganda has been."

There has been a successful campaign in America to convince the people that cutting and running from Iraq will somehow allow us to never have to deal with it again.  If we follow that road, people may be surprised to find out; it just goes in a circle.

Posted by Ed Z at 09:28 PM | | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

January 11, 2007

Quote of the Week

Best thing I've read all week about the Iraq War:

"If there is a potential bright spot in all of this, and it is certainly hard to find one, it is this: Thousands of US soldiers, despite the Pentagon's best efforts at brainwashing and obfuscation, are coming back home with their eyes wide open about islam and its adherents. In the not-to-distant future, they will be an important element of the West's efforts to save itself." - Commenter Infidel33 at Jihad Watch

Posted by Ed Z at 11:08 PM | | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

January 10, 2007

Hugo Chavez Sworn In

Hugo Chavez was sworn in today for a new six year term as President of Venezuela.

Reuters reports:

Chavez, who won 63 percent of the vote in December, has amplified comparisons with Castro by creating a single party to steer his revolution, but insists he will always tolerate opposition.

As a token of tolerating opposition, he decided "to strip a private opposition TV channel of its license and take over some major companies owned by foreign investors."

His nationalization plans have already hurt the main index on Caracas's stock exchange losing almost 19 percent on Tuesday.

Companies like Verizon could lose hundreds of millions.

Verizon Communications had been looking to lighten its exposure to Latin America for some time when it struck a deal in April to sell investments in three properties in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.

Now, it probably wishes it had disconnected its Latin lines even sooner.

The company could possibly lose up to several hundred million dollars because of President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela, who has threatened to nationalize the country's main telephone and electricity companies.

Source: International Herald Tribune

To make matters worse, he also repeated his intention to eliminate presidential term limitations.

Posted by Ed Z at 12:36 PM | | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

January 09, 2007

Homosexual Recruitment II

"For more than two decades, Marjorie Hill has been touched by AIDS. As director of former Mayor David N. Dinkins Office for the Lesbian and Gay Community, Hill attended so may funerals - at least one a week at one point --- that she stopped going to them 'for my own mental health.' "

"Now, Hill, at 50 is settling into a new job as chief executive of Gay Men's Health Crisis as it prepares to mark its 25th anniversary next month…" ---from Dateline Brooklyn, This Week from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Thursday, December 21, 2006.

What more can be added? Another 25 years of weekly funerals after getting rid of the stigma?

Perhaps you'll glance again at my "Homosexual Recruitment" post of October 8, 2006.

Posted by Zorroaster at 09:23 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

January 07, 2007

She's Your Problem Now

Sometimes you make monster and it comes back to kill you.

The WSJ op-ed page yesterday mentions Cindy Sheehan's antics at a few Democratic press conferences.

The Sheehanoids managed to cow Rep. Rahm Emanuel into shutting down his press conference. And from the Angry Left bloggers who once cheered her on: silence. Browsing the homepages of the Daily Kos, Atrios, Talking Points Memo and the Puffington Host, we can't find a single mention of the erstwhile moonbat heartthrob.

It comes as a relief to realize that many of those who once treated Sheehan as a heroine did so merely out of partisanship, not hatred of country.

There is a follow-up at the Journal today, making a correction while showing that some on the left are trying to distance themselves from Sheehan.

Well, they created her, so they can deal with her.

Posted by Ed Z at 12:14 PM | | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

January 03, 2007

Use Our Time Well

In a very rare occurrence, President Bush wrote an editorial for The Wall Street Journal.  The President uses some of the editorial space to address a new strategy for Iraq, but also mentions the economy.  He reiterates the notion that hard work is to be rewarded and the money you earn should remain yours.  "Now is not the time to raise taxes on the American people," the President writes.

It is also a fact that our tax cuts have fueled robust economic growth and record revenues. Because revenues have grown and we've done a better job of holding the line on domestic spending, we met our goal of cutting the deficit in half three years ahead of schedule. By continuing these policies, we can balance the federal budget by 2012 while funding our priorities and making the tax cuts permanent. In early February, I will submit a budget that does exactly that. The bottom line is tax relief and spending restraint are good for the American worker, good for the American taxpayer, and good for the federal budget.

Asking for cooperation with a Democratic Congress in order to curb spending and do away with the extravagant earmarks like the Gravina Island Bridge, the President aims for a balanced budget by 2012.

Posted by Ed Z at 11:02 PM | | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

January 02, 2007

Terrorists at the Times

"3,000 Deaths in Iraq, Countless Tears at Home … Another Grim Milestone for U.S." - Headlines, The New York Times, January 1, 2007,

Can there be any doubt that the reason we-will-rule-the-world terrorists publicize their ghastly deeds is to demoralize their resisters? -- To terrify them into submission? This is nothing new: Public flailing, stake-burnings, disembowelments, mass-killings and the like have often served as lessons to discourage resistance to the dictates of the powerful or the would-be powerful.

"We must get our message across to the masses of the nation and break the media siege imposed on the jihad movement. This is an independent battle that we must launch side by side with the military battle." - AYMAN AL-ZAWAHIRI-London, 2001

"Zawahiri advised Zarqawi to moderate his attacks on Iraqi Shiites and to stop beheading hostages. "We are in a battle," Zawahiri reminded him. "And more than half of this battle is taking place in the battlefield of the media."-Annals of Terrorism: The Master Plan, by Lawrence Wright, The New Yorker Magazine, September 11, 2006.

"Al Qaeda Increasingly Reliant on Media ", Headline, The New York Times, September 30, 2006.

What is new is the astonishing eagerness of the media to ally themselves with the terrorists' strategy. Is it really possible that our highly-educated media elites at The New York Times (et al) don't know that their insatiable appetite for death reports creates an increasing supply of deaths for them to report? Or, can the editors explain how their reveling to a dirge of dispiriting front page stories helps dissuade publicity hungry killers from sending more bodies home?

Surely, there is nothing wrong with reporting a battleground death - once. To repeat the reports serves no purpose beyond giving their killer allies a double-bang-for-their-buck. Yet, the Times chose to greet the New Year by devoting half of its front page and six A-section pages to promoting terrorist propaganda.

How fitting!

-Zorroaster

Posted by Ed Z at 01:05 PM | | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (1)