NB Extra

MarketWatch.com reports :

Moody's Investors Service on Friday placed New York Times Co.'s A2 senior unsecured long term debt, and P-1 commercial paper ratings on review for possible downgrade.

A Washington Post article dated March 9, 2006 is headlined “Negative Perception Of Islam Increasing”. It states, “As the war in Iraq grinds into its fourth year, a growing proportion of Americans are expressing unfavorable views of Islam, and the majority say that Muslims are disproportionately prone to violence.”

What the Administration wants to deny is there are growing numbers across the United States that do not buy into the politically correct montra that Islam is a peaceful religion. Their attitudes have become more and more negative concerning Muslims worldwide with the media reports about Islamic outrage and savagery.

But ABC sure can.

The “news” network last night highlighted a doctor who is predicting an apocalypse as part of a weeklong series “Bird Flu: Fears, Facts and Fiction; What Americans Need to Know.” Reporter Jim Avila interviewed Dr. Robert Webster “the father of bird flu.” Webster came right out and predicted that the virus, which so far has killed barely 100 people in roughly eight years, will mutate into a virus and that “that 50% of the population could die.”

Webster, who is storing three months of food and water in his home like some Y2K survivalist, estimated the chance of such an event as “about even odds,” though he says it will happen.

On Saturday the Associated Press ran a story on the 2006 National Black Peoples Unity Convention held in Gary, Indiana. It begins: "Entertainer Harry Belafonte renewed his criticism of President Bush and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan urged education reform during the second day of the 2006 National Black Peoples Unity Convention."

Portraying Belafonte, who had his last big hit record half a century ago, as an entertainer is stretching it. He would much more accurately be described as a propagandizing dupe.

Here's a man who has raised money for the Rosenberg Fund, named after atomic bomb spies Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. Who hailed Fidel Castro as "an example of keeping the principles the Rosenbergs fought and died for alive." Who participated in pro-Communist "peace rallies" in Europe.

Keith Olbermann did another Bill O'Reilly hate segment on tonight's edition of Countdown. Like he did on Friday, Olbermann bashed O'Reilly because the FOX News host dropped a caller who mentioned Keith's name on his daily radio show. The caller claims that he did not say any profanity when he was on the radio show, however due to at least a 7-second delay, we do not know what happened. It is probable that the caller uttered some profane language because he was in the middle of the sentence when he was cut off. Many on the left side of the aisle say that the caller was kicked off because he said Olbermann's name, but if that was the case, why would O'Reilly air that part of the conversation? O’Reilly sent FOX News Security after the caller because of harassment, so one can only imagine that he did much more than Olbermann’s name.

Video follows.

Former FEMA Director Michael Brown offered Chris Wallace and Fox News Sunday an exclusive this morning, and in return Wallace gave Brown a platform from which to tee off on the Bush administration and in particular on DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff and Homeland Security Advisor Fran Townsend.  Wallace probed Brown's arguments on occasion, but largely gave Brown free rein.

Highlights from the Brown hit parade:

"I think we had dropped the ball long before Katrina hit in not doing the kind of catastrophic disaster planning that the federal government should have been doing."

"Secretary Chertoff's order for me to stay [in the operations center] in Baton Rouge is one of the tipping points that made this disaster worse."

Ellen Goodman writes an advice column for the Democrats, as journalists sometimes are wont to do. I have to admit, I see this as a huge opportunity for the Democrats:

The good news for the Democrats was and is that unmarried women are the most progressive block in the demographic neighborhood.

In the words of Republican pollster and soundbitetress Kellyanne Conway, "Women who have what we call the four magic M's — marriage, munchkins, mortgages and mutual funds — are much more likely to vote." And vote Republican... Women who are unmarried because of three magic D's — delay, divorce and death — are more likely to vote Democratic. But less likely to vote at all... Many believe the best place for Democrats to go fishing for new voters is in the pond of 20 million single women who either aren't registered or don't vote.

[says Anna Greenberg] "Unmarried women are insecure about politics." They know less, are more likely to admit it, and a good half told her that people shouldn't vote unless they are informed... We know, alas, that women are less informed about objective facts such as, say, how many justices serve on the Supreme Court.

Ok, so the game plan for the Democrats is to drag out 20 million warm bodies activist candidates who are completely uninformed about how the world works, i.e. the perfect Democrat, and get them to vote by any means possible.

I find it facinating, this admission that the "most progressive block in the demographic neighborhood" is also the most uninformed. Maybe if they spent a little time learning about the world it might help them find a man, not to mention find a better political candidate.

While Jon Stewart and George Clooney have denied any disconnect between Hollywood and middle America, as reported by Tim Graham here, today’s American Morning aired a piece shortly before 8am that seems to disprove what these members of the liberal Hollywood elite were claiming. CNN entertainment reporter Brooke Anderson spoke to residents of small town Lebanon, Kansas, who expressed their view that Hollywood is not honoring or promoting the type of films that they enjoy.

Randy Maus, Lebanon resident: "Out here, at least in rural America, where it’s–you could say it’s the Bible belt, we’re still looking for movies that have creative substance and a storyline."

Unidentified Female: "We’re just not interested in all the sex and skin."

Brooke Anderson: "What kind of movies do you want Hollywood to make?"

Unidentified Female: "What about Sound of Music and some of those?"