Good News: Media Now Identifying Weiner as a Republican

Some crack headline writers at Reuters.

H/T.

Check it out on this Google search and any resulting hits there.

Obviously Democrats will now be demanding his resignation.

Meanwhile, he's on a media blitz after yesterday saying he wasn't going to talk about it.

"I made a decision that I was not going to talk about it anymore. I had had enough talking about it... it was getting far too much attention. I probably made a mistake then, not doing more interviews like this and letting some of the oxygen be released and let people hear what I had to say," said Weiner. "That was a mistake that I made, but now I am doing these interviews with anyone who wants and I'm going to desperately try to get back to work as a Congressman tomorrow, if not for my sake, for my wife's sake."

Really, with anyone who wants to talk to you?

The folks at Big Government have some questions.

It was so kind of him to open up to the press today. Those penis jokes to female reporters were a special touch. Always classy to the end.

Update: The reptilian Weiner with Bret Baier, who heroically keeps a straight face throughout.



Special added bonus: Ann Coulter finally checks in.

Unfortunately That 17% Are All Presidential Advisers

Only 17 percent of Americans see President Barack Obama as a strong and decisive military leader, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll taken after the United States and its allies began bombing Libya.

I was tired of all the golfing pictures so I thought I would remind you what a terrific bowler he was.

Oh what the hell. While I am at it why not post the video of Barry O being locked out of the White House.

64% Say America on the Wrong Track

Ouch. In poll conducted by Reuters/Ipsos 64% of Americans polled say America is on the wrong track since TOTUS took office and began scratching golf courses off of his bucket list. As with all of these right track/wrong track poll they don't include any indication of what the right track is considered. The pollsters also blame it on the rise in gas prices. Convenient bogeyman, but this is the result of the cumulative effect of everything that has transpired since the Obama-led Democrats seized power and engaged in an orgy of spending and ignoring the voices of the people. That number also probably also reflects everyone who at one time or another has been named to Obama's worst person list.

One Percent Increase In Disabled In Iraq Over Last 33 Years

The headline blares Up To 10 Percent of Iraqis Disabled by War, Sanctions.

Sounds ominous, doesn't it? Feeds into that anti-American imperialism mantra, too. The author of the piece goes on to make his case with the first paragraph.

Amputee Hamza Hameed is a living reminder of the U.S. "shock and awe" bombardment during the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, one of up to three million Iraqis disabled after years of war, sanctions and economic deprivation.

Oh, how horrible. See, we told you the Americans bring nothing but death and destruction with them. They ravage the countryside and leave the people broken and downtrodden. Those evil Crusaders are a curse upon the land.

Well, yeah, except for this little nugget contained way down in the middle of the story.

"If you take into account that Iraq has been at war since 1977, the Iran-Iraq war, the American bombings, sanctions, all of which have contributed to more people becoming disabled, 2.7 million or 10 percent of the population is a conservative estimate," Mercy Corps spokeswoman Tiana Tozer said.

What is missing from their little piece also is how many of these disabled or crippled Iraqis owe their condition to torture endured at the hands of Sadaam Hussein and his goons. The Iraq-Iran war claimed about 1 million on each side and I do find it curious that the primary tool in the liberal toolbox for dealing with despotic regimes, that being sanctions, is also being blamed for causing the injuries or lack of medical treatment that may have led to some of these crippling injuries.

The other point missing is how many of the injured are the result of jihadist bombs and not coalition military forces.

Reuters isn't writing this to be informative. They know most won't get beyond the headline and first paragraph or two so they paint the mental image that they want the reader to walk away with and pat themselves on the back for upholding their journalistic standards.

Oh, by the way, the percentage of Iraqis disabled in 1977, according to figures supplied in the story, was 9 percent.

Here in America, according to the CDC, the percentage of disabled is 31.4%

Ha Ha Ha: Reuters Duped by Hoax Press Release (Update: Hoax Group tied to SEIU and MoveOn.org)

Uh, what happened to those layers upon layers of editors and fact checkers?

The devil does not change overnight. Someone or some organization sent out a hoax press release "from the US Chamber of Commerce" stating that the chamber no longer opposed the Waxman-Markey bill. As most hoaxes go, it needed a victim to fall for it.

The venerable news agency Reuters fell for the hoax and published a story that went instantly into the Google News feed.

The press release linked to a fake chamber webpage which featured links to official Chamber sites. The spoof page features a short National Press Club speech, purportedly by Chamber President "Tom Donahue".

Of course this stunned me as I just did a brief article on the chamber's regressive position on climate change. When I saw the the name of "Donahue", I saw something strange because the name is misspelled. The chamber CEO's name is Thomas J. Donohue --- That's when I knew it was a prank.

US Chamber of Commerce officials immediately issued a press release announcing the change in policy position is a hoax.

Reuters took the bait and announced in a news article: "The Chamber of Commerce said on Monday it will no longer opposes climate change legislation, but wants the bill to include a carbon tax."

File this one under: They want to believe it, so it must be true.

CNBC also ran with the story.

Of course, in their jihad against Fox News, the White House claims what Fox reports isn't real news.

Yet I don't see anywhere that Fox fell for this fake news.

Update: Hmm, in a curious coincidence, the White House has recently added the Chamber of Commerce to the ever-growing enemies list. I wonder if those who accuse others of peddling fake news have anything to do with fake press releases?

Update: Politico says some group called AVAAZ.org was behind it.

Climate legislation supporters say AVAAZ Action Factory is responsible for the release.

The group, known for its activist media stunts, has not returned calls for comment. But a post on the group’s Web site says has plans to “make this the worst Monday ever for the anti-climate PR machine at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “

Curiously, a George Soros-funded group with close ties to the White House is closely linked with AVAAZ? As well as very close pals of Barack Obama.

Would you like to guess who?

Avaaz.org was co-founded by Res Publica, a global civic advocacy group, and Moveon.org, an online community that has pioneered internet advocacy in the United States. Our co-founding team was also composed of a group of global social entrepreneurs from 6 countries, including our Executive Director Ricken Patel, Tom Perriello, Tom Pravda, Eli Pariser, Andrea Woodhouse, Jeremy Heimans, and David Madden. Avaaz is lucky to have the founding partnership and support of leading activist organizations from around the world, including the Service Employees International Union, a founding partner of Avaaz, GetUp.org.au, and many others.

One name there should be familiar:

The MoveOn Peace campaign was founded independently by Eli Pariser, a Maine native and recent graduate of Simon's Rock College of Bard. In the days following September 11th, 2001, he launched an online petition calling for a restrained and multi-lateral response to the attacks, which was quickly signed by more than half a million people. Eli joined forces with MoveOn soon afterward, and is now MoveOn.org Political Action’s Executive Director.

So here we have groups with intimate ties to the Democratic Party and the White House peddling fake news.

But we're told it's Fox News that's making things up.

Stolen Manhood: 'It's a Popular Souvenir'

Well, we know Barney Frank wasn't the thief since he was spotted in Fire Island the other day. Although I'm sure he'd just love a nice souvenir like this.

Visitors to a tourist attraction in Berlin have been making off with an unusual memento -- the 30 cm long penis of a Lego giraffe.

The Lego phallus belongs to a six metre tall model that has stood outside the entrance to the Legoland Discovery Centre on Potsdamer Platz since 2007.

"It's a popular souvenir," a spokeswoman for the centre said Tuesday. "It's been stolen four times now ..."

The penis is made out of 15,000 Lego bricks. It takes model workers about one week to restore the long-necked animal's manhood at a cost of 3,000 euros (2,600 pounds), the spokeswoman said.

Update: At some point Reuters changed any penis references to tail. Here's how it's now quoted.

09:23 25Aug09 RTRS-CORRECTED-German Lego giraffe tail repeatedly stolen
(Correcting to ‘tail’ from ‘penis’)
BERLIN, Aug 25 (Reuters) – Visitors to a tourist attraction in Berlin have been making off with an unusual memento — the 30 cm long tail of a Lego giraffe.
The Lego tail belongs to a six metre tall model that has stood outside the entrance to the Legoland Discovery Centre on Potsdamer Platz since 2007.
"It’s a popular souvenir," a spokeswoman for the centre said on Tuesday. "It’s been stolen four times now …"
The tail is made out of 15,000 Lego bricks. It takes model workers about one week to restore it at a cost of 3,000 euros ($4,300), the spokeswoman said.

Here's a screen-grab via Regret the Error.

Even Dogs Hate the Media

Bush's revenge against the press.

Reuters television White House correspondent Jon Decker reports that President Bush's dog Barney, going on a walk this morning on the North Lawn, let his reaction to the news show.

He "bit my right index finger this morning -- as I reached down to pet him," Decker said. The bite broke skin and the wound was bleeding enough to prompt White House physician Dr. Richard Tubb to treat Decker with antibiotics. He will also be getting a tetanus shot.

President Bush, speaking to staff, called the North Lawn "Barney's Playground."

Via LGF links.

Updated with video via Hot Air.

Four Years Later, Media Still Obsessing Over 'Swift Boat Attacks' on John Kerry

T. Boone Pickens has been all over the media of late with his plan for Big Wind and he's making the political rounds, today meeting with the Future President of Earth.

So instead of discussing what occured in his meeting with Obama, what does Reuters reporter Jeff Mason chronicle?

Why, the dreaded "Swift Boat attacks" four years ago on the hapless Jehn Kerry.

Get. Over. It. Already.

White House hopeful Barack Obama talked energy policy on Sunday with T. Boone Pickens, a billionaire oil investor who funded the "Swift Boat" attacks on Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry in 2004.

Pickens, a lifelong Republican, has endorsed neither his party's candidate, Arizona Sen. John McCain, nor Democrat Obama in the Nov. 4 election and wants to make energy a top campaign issue.

He has advocated a plan to cut U.S. oil use by converting cars to run on natural gas.

Pickens funded efforts in 2004 by a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which sought to discredit Kerry's military service in Vietnam. The Massachusetts senator's initially tepid response to the attacks was partially credited for his loss to President George W. Bush.

Obama brushed off Pickens' past at the start of a meeting that the Texas energy tycoon requested on Sunday.

"You know, he's got a lot longer track record than that," the Illinois senator told reporters when asked how it felt to meet with someone who tore down his Democratic predecessor in 2004.

"He's a legendary entrepreneur, and, you know, one of the things that I think we have to unify the country around is having an intelligent energy policy," Obama said.

Give Obama credit where it's due. Even he's mature enough to move past this pathetic media obsession. Would be nice if Reuters could move on.

Gaza 'Journalists' Demand Answers From Israel

Try not to snicker too much while you're reading this one. Reuters doesn't even try to pretend it's a news story and omits a byline for this absurd propaganda effort.

Journalists in the Gaza Strip held a symbolic work stoppage on Monday as part of a protest to demand that Israel explain why its troops killed a Reuters cameraman in the Palestinian enclave two months ago to the day.

The demonstration, during which journalists laid down their cameras, came on a day when U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will unveil a memorial dedicated to journalists killed while reporting on wars around the world.

What does that have to do with this story? Are they portraying this guy as some heroic war correspondent?

Please.

Reuters Middle East Managing Editor Mark Thompson said: "We are deeply disappointed that the Israeli army has failed to provide an account of the circumstances in which Fadel Shana was killed by a tank shell on April 16, nor any evidence to support its claim that they could not identify him as a journalist.

"Fadel had taken all reasonable precautions while filming that day and the refusal of the Israeli army to work with the media on safety issues since his death has forced us and others to curtail reporting in Gaza."

Eight other civilians were killed along with Shana.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert denied Israel, whose army has warned journalists that they work in Gaza at their own risk, was seeking to discourage coverage there.

"We urge journalists to use common sense and to look after themselves. But the idea that journalists should not go to Gaza is not the position of the government," spokesman Mark Regev said during a tour for journalists of Israeli towns hit by rockets fired by Islamist militants in the Gaza Strip.

"We have expressed regret and the army is conducting an investigation. It's a tragedy," Regev said. "There was no identification that he was a journalist. Had it been clear he was a journalist, the shell would not have been fired."

Oil Companies Investing in Production? Can't Have That

Oil companies have significantly increased investment in production, much to the dismay of our friends at Reuters.

The five largest fully publicly traded oil firms are spending more on finding and producing oil, but the industry is still handing back much of its windfall from record oil prices to investors.

Exxon Mobil Corp., Royal Dutch Shell Plc, BP Plc and two smaller rivals upped capital spending to $29 billion in the first quarter -- and spent $20.7 billion on dividends and stock buybacks.

Hello, Reuters? The word "investors" means people who provide money productively, i.e., fully expecting to get their investment plus a profit back. They are not "donators." They also tend to be owners. If you want donations toward oil exploration, why don't you lead the way, liquidate all your assets and donate it toward the effort?

Then Reuters shows its total ignorance about economics.

Oil companies are handing cash to investors because they plan their businesses at lower prices than today's.

No, oil companies are "handing cash to investors" because that's how investments work. You invest your money into a project at some risk, then if everything goes well, you get your money back plus a profit to pay you for the time value of your money, plus a profit for taking the risk. I know the concept of profit goes against your socialist leanings, but that is how the free market works.

Then Reuters thinks they know better how to run an oil company:

Oil firms are lifting spending after years of underinvestment and rising demand helped propel crude oil's rally from below $20 a barrel at the start of 2002 to a record $123.93 on Wednesday.

Excuse me? Underinvestment?!? According to you? Oil companies have poured billions into exploration, and Reuters contradicts themselves in the very next paragraph.

Shell invested $7.6 billion in the first quarter, more than larger rival Exxon.

You don't see Reuters criticizing their Communist hero Hugo Chavez for destroying the oil production of Venezuela. You don't see Reuters criticizing former KGB honcho and Communist Putin for confiscating assets in Russia and thus smothering oil field development in that country. But if an oil company pays dividend to an investor, there's Reuters running a story about it.

Somewhere, Uncle Joe Stalin smiling.

Israel to Blame for West Bank Prison Overcrowding

Pretty amusing April Fool's gag from Reuters, although they give it away with the headline alone.

Prison shortage mars Palestinian security campaign .

I'm doubled over in laughter at the comical notion of a Palestinian security campaign. These Reuters folks are quite the comedians. Next thing you know we'll see a story saying the Palestinians want peace with Israel.

Oh wait, this isn't a joke?

When a Palestinian law and order campaign started in the occupied West Bank late last year, Western advisers quickly realised they had a problem: Palestinian forces had no place to put all of their prisoners.

Many of the Palestinian Authority's prisons, some dating back to the Ottoman era, were destroyed by Israel after a Palestinian uprising erupted in 2000 and peace talks broke down.

The few prisons left and the dysfunctional judicial system, plagued by backlogs long before statehood talks were relaunched in November alongside the security crackdown, can't cope with the influx, Palestinian officials and their Western advisers say.

Of course it's not a joke. They blame the Israelis for allegedly destroying the prisons.

So, for all the billions the West pour into this hellhole, they're unable to accomodate more 509 inmates total?

At Ramallah's civil penitentiary, a facility meant to hold no more than 180 inmates, there are 240 prisoners, according to the Palestinian attorney general.

In the town of Jericho, near the Dead Sea, 51 detainees cook, pray and wait in sweltering concrete cells so small they barely have room to stand up and stretch. The facility is meant to hold 40 people.

"You sit here and you rot," said Yousef Judeh, a 34-year-old father of five accused of collaborating with Israel. His case still pending, he has been languishing here for two years.

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's law and order campaign has improved security in some areas and showcased his government's pledge to comply with a stalled "road map" peace plan, a condition set by Israel for Palestinian statehood.

But Western officials say the campaign has also revealed the weakness of the underlying penal system. "There may be order, but there is no law," one of the advisers said.

With the capacity of the civil prisons totalling just 509 inmates for all of the West Bank, home to 2.5 million Palestinians, Attorney General Ahmed al-Moghani said he has little choice but to release some of those arrested for lesser offences, from theft to prostitution.

"Sometimes we take decisions that are irresponsible. But this is reality," Moghani said.

Of course, it always comes back to Israel. Like if Israel were never there these people would be prospering.

Israel, which has yet to meet its own obligations under the road map, has long asserted that a so-called "revolving door" policy, whereby some militants are rounded up but subsequently freed, stands as a barrier to any statehood agreement.

Fayyad and many Western officials blame Israel for undermining the security campaign by refusing to halt raids in Nablus and other cities after Palestinian forces deployed.

Read the rest of this pathetic sob story.

One thing's for sure, when it comes to Reuters and their Middle East reportage, it seems everry day is April Fool's Day.

They'd Get More Letters, But Nobody Can Afford Paper

Reuters is doing their best to prop up the calamitous situation in Cuba.

They actually devote a report to a novel concept washing over the island prison: Letters to the editor.

Let's forget for a moment it's rather unlikely they would ever print anything critical of the brutal Communist regime. But they try and pretend there's a stimulating public debate going on in a country that hasn't tasted freedom in nearly 50 years.

Cubans have a new vehicle to express their opinions: letters to the editor of the ruling Communist Party newspaper Granma.

Letters for and against reforms under consideration by Cuba's new President Raul Castro were published by Granma on Friday.

One writer called for the elimination of the dual currency system, a major source of complaint among Cubans, who are paid in Cuban pesos but must buy many consumer goods in Cuba's hard currency Convertible pesos worth 24 times more.

Publication of the letter was a novelty in a country where the press is controlled by a one-party state that allows no independent media and has a record of suppressing dissent.

Indeed. Ironic how alleged advocates of free speech love to tell us how wonderful Cuba is.

It follows a new trend of stimulating public debate started by Raul Castro since he took over running the government when his brother Fidel Castro fell ill in mid-2006.

For all the talk of debate and freedom of opinion, the irony of this seems to escape these Reuters nitwits.

"The idea is to show the public what people think. It is the people that will write the letter," said a journalist at the newspaper, who asked not to be named.

Confirmed: Reuters Uses Terrorists as Official News Sources

We've long seen dubious reporting from Reuters, Associated Press and AFP, but this item from Reuters removes all doubt about their cozy relationship with the terrorist monsters.

Palestinian militant killed in Gaza - militants

A Palestinian guerrilla was shot and killed on Friday in the northern Gaza Strip near the border with Israel, a militant group said.

The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an offshoot of President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement, said one of its gunmen was killed in a clash with Israeli forces. However, an Israeli army spokesman said its troops had not fired any shots in the area.

I guess using "medics" as a source is no longer reliable.

The dead man had earlier been identified by medical staff as a farmer.

Reminds me of an incident a couple weeks back when an Israeli airstrike took out some alleged picnicking bankers. Reuters and AFP were also using "doctors" as sources and couldn't quite keep their stories straight.

Keep in mind the duplicity of these news outlets the next time they rush to show pictures of children killed in IDF airstrikes.

Hamas is using them as human shields.

Just disgusting.

Is the UN going to condemn that?

'Mainstream' Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan Calls for Suicide Attacks Against Israel

Reuters isn't even trying to hide the agitprop anymore.

Get a whiff of this non-bylined item.

Crying for revenge with suicide attacks, thousands of Jordanians marched in the capital of the pro-U.S. kingdom on Sunday to protest against Israel's Gaza offensive that had killed more than 100 Palestinians.

About 10,000 protesters, mainly from Jordan's mainstream Muslim Brotherhood and smaller opposition groups, took to the streets in one of the country's most vocal and largest anti-Israeli demonstrations in recent years.

"O Hamas, O Hamas, bring the suicide bombers ... Victory to Hamas and defeat to the Jews and Americans," chanted the crowds, who called on the Islamist militant group to resume suicide attacks and intensify rocket strikes against Israel.

Yup, they really sound pro-U.S. there.

And since when is the Muslim Brotherhood considered mainstream? Maybe in the caves where Osama bin Laden is hanging out, but not in the real world.

Speaking of this mainstream group, I see the lowlife grandson of the founder of the group has been invited to speak at a university in Australia.

THE Swiss Islamic activist Tariq Ramadan has been invited by Griffith University to be the keynote speaker at its conference opening in Brisbane today.

The fact that Australia is allowing Ramadan to enter the country at all will raise eyebrows in security circles elsewhere. Ramadan is the grandson of Hassan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood: the spiritual backers of al-Qa'ida and Hamas and whose goal is to Islamise the world.

While it is, of course, unfair to tar someone with his grandfather's views, there is ample reason to think that in the case of Tariq Ramadan the apple has not fallen far from the tree.

Ramadan has been banned from entering the US because of his alleged association with extremists. The Geneva Islamic Centre, with which he is closely associated, has been linked to terrorists of the Algerian FIS (Islamic Salvation Front) and the GIA (Armed Islamic Group). A Spanish police report claimed that Ahmed Brahim, an al-Qa'ida leader jailed in Spain, was "in frequent contact" with Ramadan, a claim he has denied.

So Reuters considers a groups that are"the spiritual backers of al-Qa'ida and Hamas" to be mainstream?

Reuters Laments Plight of Homeless Sex Offenders

Leave it to the folks at Reuters to wax rhapsodic for sexual predators.

Nowhere to go, Miami sex offenders live under bridge

MIAMI (Reuters) - Alejandro Ruiz and his neighbors served their time for sex crimes but found themselves sleeping under a Miami highway bridge because laws meant to keep them away from children leave them nowhere else to live.

Their dismal tent camp, tucked under an overpass on a causeway linking Miami and Miami Beach, reeks of human waste and garbage. But it is the official home of a group of sex offenders caught in a dilemma echoed across the United States.

"Where are we supposed to go? The way they label you, sex offender, nobody wants you around," Ruiz said.

Cities and states have enacted a hodgepodge of laws to keep sex offenders away from victims. In the Miami area, such laws ban them from living within 2,500 feet of schools, playgrounds and other places where children might gather.

Aw, poor babies.

Listen to this whining:

"I am not a monster. I am not a leper," said Kevin Morales, 40, who was convicted of lewd and lascivious conduct with a 15-year-old relative.

Yes, you are a monster, an animal and I don't want you any where near children.

Then the Reuters moonbats do their best to justify this sick behavior.

In the United States sex offenders can range from rapists and pedophiles to youngsters convicted of illegal but consensual relationships with minors.

Hey Reuters, since the minors are underage there can be no consensual sexual relationship. Get it? That's what age of consent means, you morons!

So once again, you are either stupid or lying to your readership. Or both.

I got a real good idea where these creeps and disgusting creeps can go. Let the Reuters editors take some home with them and let these predators have "consensual relationships" with their minor children.

Reuters, documenting their stupidity every day.

Mystery 'Man' Sought in Chicago Murders

A brutal mass murder on the south side of Chicago on Saturday provides yet more evidence of Reuters mindless political correctness. Here is the article by my good friends at Reuters:

Five women killed in Chicago-area store shooting

TINLEY PARK, Illinois (Reuters) - Five women were shot and killed inside a clothing store at a suburban Chicago shopping center on Saturday in what police said appeared to be a botched robbery.

Police were searching for a lone gunman spotted outside the store by a witness, but said they had not identified him.

Awful crime, right? You'd like to see the murderer caught ASAP, right? Might be helpful to have an accurate description in the paper to help catch this crud, right?

Here's the description published by Reuters:

The suspect had fled and they issued an alert for a man wearing black jeans, a black waist-length winter coat and a black knit cap, police said.

So you know for sure that the suspect is a man. That's it.

For comparison, I now offer the corresponding description in the article carried by CNN, not exactly a right wing bastion of law and order itself:

Nurse, social worker among five slain in store

A witness who saw the gunman leave the front of the store described him as a black man, about 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighing between 230 and 260 pounds, Tinley Park Police Sgt. T.J. Grady told CNN on Sunday. He was wearing a waist-length black winter coat, a black cap and dark jeans.

Notice much difference? Gee, I wonder why Reuters editors ran a generic description that could fit every man alive?

Reuters, documenting their stupidity and political agenda, every day.

Reuters: Heartless Israelis Block Aid to Woebegone Palis

The idiots at Reuters are giving the New York Times a run for their money in the propaganda game.

Check out this headline.

Israel closes Gaza crossings, blocks aid shipments

Israel tightened its closure of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Friday in response to cross-border rocket fire, preventing even U.N. humanitarian supplies from getting in, officials said.

Aww, the poor things.

Well, this is a direct result of the actions of Hamas. It's their problem.

Israel's stepped up campaign against Gaza militants has prompted warnings from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's government in the occupied West Bank that renewed peace talks -- spurred by last week's visit by U.S. President George W. Bush -- were in jeopardy.

The Israeli Defence Ministry ordered all of the border crossings with Gaza closed and said only "humanitarian cases" which receive Defence Minister Ehud Barak's personal approval will be allowed through.

"If milk is low in Gaza, the minister will be asked to approve a milk shipment, and it will enter," a Defence Ministry spokesman said.

Gaza is home to 1.5 million people, most of whom depend on foreign aid.

Barak had vowed to broaden Israeli military operations against Gaza militants who have fired more than 110 rockets into the Jewish state in the last three days.

One of the makeshift rockets landed 40 meters (44 yards) from an Israeli nursery school on Friday, and government spokesman David Baker said Israel "will not be deterred from taking any necessary steps" to halt the fire from Gaza.

They're firing rockets at nursery schools and we're supposed to feel sorry for them?

Israel has killed more than 30 Palestinians in Gaza this week, including a militant in a missile strike Friday morning.

In the West Bank city of Nablus, Israeli troops killed a militant linked to Abbas's Fatah movement.

An Ecuadorean volunteer on an Israeli farming community bordering Gaza was shot dead by a Palestinian sniper on Tuesday.

'SHUT DOWN'

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides food to refugees, said it was not allowed to deliver truckloads of supplies on Friday morning as it usually does.

"Gaza is completely shut down. This will only add to an already dire situation," said UNRWA spokesman Christopher Gunness.

Well, Mr. Gunness, that's just too bad.

Maybe of these bloodthirsty Islamofascists stopped trying to murder Israelis with impunity, the dire situation would improve.

Until then, I can't for a second feel their pain.

More Anti-U.S. Bias From Reuters

Reuters editors put their anti-U.S. bias on display again today. They cite a subjective study to shill for socialized medicine, praise France and rip the United States. Get this:

France best, U.S. worst in preventable death ranking

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - France, Japan and Australia rated best and the United States worst in new rankings focusing on preventable deaths due to treatable conditions in 19 leading industrialized nations, researchers said on Tuesday.

If the U.S. health care system performed as well as those of those top three countries, there would be 101,000 fewer deaths in the United States per year, according to researchers writing in the journal Health Affairs.

Okay, so what kind of "study" did these researchers do to come to this conclusion?

Researchers Ellen Nolte and Martin McKee of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine tracked deaths that they deemed could have been prevented by access to timely and effective health care, and ranked nations on how they did.

So, the whole study comes down to subjective evaluations made by these two researchers.

Then Nolte quotes a flawed statistic to back up their determination on the U.S.:

Nolte said the large number of Americans who lack any type of health insurance -- about 47 million people in a country of about 300 million, according to U.S. government estimates -- probably was a key factor in the poor showing of the United States compared to other industrialized nations in the study.

That 47 million number has been shown by many others to be a false statistic; for example, it includes people covered by a spouse's plan. But Nolte readily says that flawed statistic was a key factor in their determination.

I would not accept work this shoddy from a freshman undergrad. But it's enough for the Reuters editors to run with.

Uh, Reuters, it's 'Simon Wiesenthal'

***UPDATED with screen shot of Reuters gaffe***

Scroll down.

Thanks to RadicalRon for the shot.

---------------------------------------

Thank goodness these news outlets have layers of editors and filters.

Otherwise they'd be caught in embarrassing moments like this.

Oh wait...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A week after Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was killed in a gun and bomb attack, a Jewish human rights group has taken out a full page ad in the New York Times on Friday demanding that the United Nations formally address suicide bombings.

The ad by the Los Angeles based Simon Rosenthal Center features a picture of Bhutto beneath the words "SUICIDE TERROR: What more will it take for the world to act?" and calls on the United Nations for a special session devoted to the issue.

"Unless we put suicide bombing on the top of the international community's agenda, this virulent cancer could engulf us all," it reads. "The looming threat of WMDs in the hands of suicide bombers will dwarf the casualties already suffered in 30 countries."

In the ad, which will also run in the International Herald Tribune, The Simon Rosenthal Center also calls on the United Nations to declare suicide bombings "crimes against humanity."

Hey, idiots, it's the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Idiots.

In case they snap to it and fix it, here's a Google reference.

H/T Jihad Warrior at LGF

In addition to the screen shot, NewsBusters notes the colossal error and the sloppy attempt to fix it.

Now THIS is even funnier...

Reuters did, indeed, make their correction around mindnight central time. Yet, they DID NOT ADMIT the mistake we are pointing out here. They did admit some mistake, but they did not admit the Rosenthal/Wiesenthal gaffe.

Here is the correction notice that now sits at the top of the story:

(Corrects spelling of Hier in paragraph 7)

...Yet not a word about the mistake of calling the Simon Wiesenthal Center the Simon Rosenthal Center. But, on the other hand, the Simon Wiesenthal Center is now CORRECTLY noted in the new version of the story! Somehow, Reuters conveniently forgot to notate the correction. So, are they so embarrassed they are trying to pretend it never happened?

Click to enlargen the image.

Reuters Enters Holiday in Dark Mood

Nothing like the America-hating clowns at Reuters trying to dampen the festive Thanksgiving mood.

No matter what these idiots have to say, I'm always thrilled to be an American, and they can stick their useless poll you know where. I'm particularly thrilled to see the Democrat Congress mired at 11%.

Heh.

Americans enter holidays in dark mood: Reuters poll

Americans enter the holiday season in a dark mood, with economic worries, security fears and a lack of confidence in government fueling growing pessimism, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday.

The Reuters/Zogby Index, which measures the mood of the country, fell for the third consecutive month, dropping from 96 in October to 94.9 on new growth in the number of Americans dissatisfied with the economy and pessimistic about the future.

President George W. Bush rebounded slightly from last month's record low, with the number of Americans who give him positive marks climbing to 28 percent from 24 percent. But Congress remained stuck with a dismal positive rating of 11 percent, tying its record low.