Dude, Where's My Global Warming?

The bloated windbag known as Algore remains unavailable for comment.

Cool weather has broken a previous low temperature for July 21 in Nashville that was set when Rutherford B. Hayes was president.

When the temperature at the National Weather Service station dipped to 58 degrees at 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday, it wiped out the previous record low for the date of 60 degrees, which was set in 1877.

NWS forecaster Bobby Boyd noted it was the third consecutive morning when Nashville either tied or broke a daily low temperature record.

Considering Nashville is his hometown, you'd think the "expert" on mythical global warming would have something to say.

Meanwhile, here in New Jersey it was around 65 degrees most of Tuesday, about 20 degrees below normal.

It can't be long before some Obamaton claims Barack Obama has stopped global warming.

'For Us, This Was a Good Day'

There haven't been many good days for this scourge of broadcast journalism in the nearly five years since he used forged documents to try and sway a presidential election. So let Dan Rather enjoy this one while he can. Hopefully it'll just make his ultimate defeat all the more painful.

If you believe Dan Rather's lawsuit against CBS is close to finished, folks, you'll believe rocks can grow.

The anchor's $70 million lawsuit against his former employers got a new lease on life today when a Manhattan judge restored his previously dismissed fraud claim against the network.

"I think by any reasonable, objective analysis, this was a bad day at Black Rock," Rather, 77, quipped after the hearing before Manhattan Supreme Court Judicial Hearing Officer Ira Gammerman. "For us, this was a good day."

The fraud charge contends the network's trickery cost Rather millions by scapegoating him for a flawed report on President Bush's Vietnam era military service, and then keeping him off the air - torpedoing the chance for a $4 million a year gig at CNN or another cable channel.

He now makes an average of $1.5 million a year at HDNet, the papers say.

Rather's contentions that the fix was in when CBS hired a panel to investigate the story also got a boost when Gammerman ruled he could have access to thousands of pages of documents that were being suppressed by a law firm that did work for the panel.

The judge also ordered CBS to turn over copies of "silence agreements" that banned 11 former employees from discussing anything about the Bush story and the panel's investigation.

Rather said he was hopeful the collection of documents would show "what really went on" at CBS "as opposed to what we were told went on."

Rather should have long ago slithered off into obscurity (then again, he is on HDNet), yet his supersized ego will never allow him to admit he perpetrated a fraud. How ironic he's pursuing a fraud claim against CBS.

Grim News: Corzine Approval at 37%

Of course the news is only grim if you're Jonny the Beard.

Most New Jerseyans feel Governor Jon Corzine has no major accomplishments to point to as he asks voters to give him a second term in Trenton. The latest Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey Poll also finds little movement in his report card grades in key performance areas, as he continues to average a “C–” from the New Jersey public.

Currently, only 37% of New Jersey residents approve of how their governor is handling his job, compared to 49% who disapprove. Among registered voters, his ratings stand at 38% approve to 51% disapprove. This is consistent with Corzine’s job rating since February.

Governor Corzine maintains net positive job ratings only among his fellow Democrats – 53% approve to 30% disapprove. He receives negative ratings from majorities of both independents (57% disapprove to 30% approve) and Republicans (74% disapprove to 21% approve).

Only 53% of Democrats approve? The guy must be asking himself why on earth he ever left the private sector. He's probably spent about $150 million buying a Senate seat and then the keys to Drumthwacket and he's barely got half his own party in the fold.

With only six months left in his term, few voters feel that Jon Corzine has accomplished much during his time in Trenton. Only 13% say that he has major accomplishments to point to, while 49% say he has minor accomplishments. Another 34% say that he has no real accomplishments. Even among his fellow Democrats, only 23% feel that Corzine has achieved major accomplishments as governor. They are joined by just 9% of Republicans and 7% of independents who feel the same.

“It’s pretty difficult to expect voters to return you to office when all they’ve seen are improvements around the edges. But this is exactly the position Corzine finds himself in,” commented Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.

With four months to his contests against Chris Christie it's tough to find a silver lining for Corzine.

Oh well. And it doesn't look like Obama's visit last week is going to help, although you can expect the usual suspects from ACORN and the SEIU to flood the zone come the fall in a desperate attempt to help Corzine.

If it comes to pass, it will be amusing to see Obama and his media handlers explain a humiliating Democrat defeat in a solidly blue state.

More here.

Viewers Prefer Dead Guy to Modern News Anchors

If you need any further evidence as to the dire state of the network evening newscasts, consider the fact the recently deceased Walter Cronkite is viewed more favorably by Americans than any of the current talking heads at CBS, NBC, and ABC.

All the Walter wannabes have a ways to go to match the dean of television newscasters who died last Friday. Americans like longtime CBS newscaster Walter Cronkite much more than the current crew of network anchors, perhaps because they see him as less ideologically liberal.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 78% of Americans have at least a somewhat favorable view of Cronkite, including 52% whose opinion of him is very favorable.

Only 12% have an unfavorable opinion of Cronkite, who stepped down as CBS-TV’s nightly anchorman in 1982.

By comparison, Katie Couric, who now anchors the CBS Nightly News, is viewed unfavorably by more that three times as many adults (38%). Forty-nine percent (49%) have a favorable opinion of Couric.

NBC’s nightly anchorman Brian Williams has 47% with a favorable opinion and 28% unfavorable.

For ABC anchorman Charles Gibson, favorables total 50% and unfavorables total 28%.

Could be a few reasons for this. First, Americans have far more viewing options and the percentage of the population watching any of the evening newscasts is far less than in Cronkite's days. It also stands to reason many of those who were loyal Cronkite viewers have passed on already considering his last CBS broadcast was 28 years ago.

Then there's ideology. While in his years since retirement Cronkite was unabashedly to the left, history portrays him as being non-partisan, although many would argue with that. The current anchors, on the other hand, well, it's not a stretch to call all three liberals, although a couple are better at hiding it (hint: it's the men).

In terms of ideology, only 20% of adults say Cronkite was a liberal, while nearly twice as many (39%) believe that of Couric. Just 25% say Williams is liberal, and 26% believe that of Gibson.

Seventeen percent (17%) say Cronkite was conservative, and 37% view him as a moderate. Couric is seen as conservative by 10% of adults and moderate by 27%.

Williams is viewed as a conservative by only eight percent (8%) of Americans, while 33% regard him as a moderate. Thirteen percent (13%) say Gibson is conservative, but 29% think he is a moderate.

I'd like to know what color the sky is in the world of anyone who thinks Couric is a conservative. They're either to the left of Hugo Chavez or have never seen her on the air.

For all four newscasters, however, anywhere from one-quarter to one-third of adults are not sure where they stand ideologically, which is either good news for journalists who hope to be seen as ideologically neutral or suggests that a sizable number of adults are not watching them enough to form an opinion.

I'd lean toward the latter. Considering on a strong day the three combined total about 20 million viewers, it seems many Americans have no clue who these people are and still cling nostalgically to Cronkite.

The Incredible Shrinking Democrats

Is it any wonder Barack Obama is reduced to conference calls with extremist bloggers? The public is tired of him already. Just wait until we get to the 2010 midterms and we have a national referendum on him, Reid and Pelosi. It could get ugly.

Trust in President Barack Obama and his Democratic allies to identify the right solutions to problems facing the country has dropped off significantly since March, according to a new Public Strategies Inc./POLITICO poll.

Just as Obama intensifies his efforts to fulfill a campaign promise and reach an agreement with Congress on health care reform, the number of Americans who say they trust the president has fallen from 66 percent to 54 percent. At the same time, the percentage of those who say they do not trust the president has jumped from 31 to 42.

The president’s party has taken a similar hit since the last Public Trust Monitor poll, with only 42 percent of respondents saying that they trust the Democratic Party, compared with 52 percent who do not. The party’s numbers are nearly the inverse of March’s survey, in which 52 percent said they trusted Democrats and 42 percent did not.

Meanwhile, in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania, Governor Ed Rendell has dropped to his lowest approval ever, according to a Quinnipiac poll.

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell's job approval rating has shrunk to its lowest level ever, 39 - 53 percent negative, and voters see him as most responsible for the state's budget mess. Voters also reject 63 - 33 percent the Governor's call to raise the state income tax temporarily to balance the budget, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

A total of 90 percent of Pennsylvania voters think the inability of the Governor and State Legislature to come up with a budget by the June 30 deadline is a "very serious" or "somewhat serious" problem, the independent Quinnipiac University poll finds.

Two things can be learned from these numbers: Democrats cannot resist calling for more taxes and the public is sick of being taxed to death.

May the Democrats proceed with more taxes at their own peril. They can't say they haven't been warned.

Some call this behavior suicidal.

Obama's Useful Idiot Conference Call

With public approval for his ObamaCare scam rapidly dwindling, the President in Training Pants is now reduced to holding conference calls with far left bloggers, probably the only people still gullible enough to believe anything this guy has to say.

So much for uniting the people by huddling with the most divisive people in the country.

"I know the blogs are best at debunking myths that can slip through a lot of the traditional media outlets," he said. "And that is why you are going to play such an important role in our success in the weeks to come."

Yes, debunking the myths, such as the tall tale that Trig Palin isn't Sarah's baby, an outlandish lie that began with the Daily Kos, one of those in the conference call.

Can't you just feel the unity?

They're just kvelling over here.

Sounds like blogger history was made. While we've had teleconferences with Congress and candidates for President, I can't remember one being held by the sitting President. Congrats to those who were invited to be on it. So far I see McJoan at Daily Kos, John Amato at Crooks and Liars and Jonathan Singer of MyDD and DDay at Digby's.

Real opinion makers there.

Preaching to the converted. If Obama believes they're representative of any mainstream opinion, then he's far beyond hope.

Update: A roundup of reaction here.

‘It Was Like Saying N----r To a Puerto Rican'

Well, it didn't take long for the Democrats in New York long to inject racial politics into the contest between Kirsten Gillibrand and her challenger, Rep. Carolyn Maloney. This one's got all the earmarks of a good dustup. We've got the trash-talking Maloney invoking blacks and Pueto Ricans in charges against Gillibrand. Then we've got renowned racial healer and hero of the downtrodden, Al Sharpton, chiming in, never one to miss the opportunity to pour gas on the slightest embers of racial discord.

Break out the popcorn, kids, this should be fun.

New York Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney apologized Monday for repeating a racial slur when she quoted another person during an interview.

Calling the N-word disgusting, the Democrat said she was relaying a story as it was told to her.

"I apologize for having repeated a word I find disgusting," Maloney said in a written statement. "It's no excuse, but I was so caught up in relaying the story exactly as it was told to me that, in doing so, I repeated a word that should never be repeated." Maloney is quoted on www.cityhallnews.com criticizing Democratic U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, whom Maloney may run against. Maloney says she got a call from someone who used the slur in accusing Gillibrand of backing English-only public education.

"Sen. Gillibrand believes that any use of the word is offensive," said Matt Canter, a spokesman for the senator.

Nothing like diving right into the gutter, conveniently invoking the word that shall never be repeated and claiming it was a quote from someone on the phone.

Typical Democrat behavior, using the race card early and often.

Here's the original quote from Maloney.

There is Carolyn Maloney, ripping into Kirsten Gillibrand broad and hard for voting against the two stimulus bills and for changing her positions on several core Democratic issues, sounding out her case on the fly as, “It’s the NRA, it’s immigration, it’s all these other things. In fact, I got a call from someone from Puerto Rico, said [Gillibrand] went to Puerto Rico and came out for English-only [education]. And he said, ‘It was like saying n—r to a Puerto Rican,’” she said, using the full racial slur. “I don’t know—I don’t know if that’s true or not. I just called. I’m just throwing that out. All of her—well, what does she stand for?”

She doesn't know if it's true, but she's just throwing it out.

Classy.

Meanwhile, Sharpton no doubt plans to milk this until he races off to his next shakedown gig.

"The quote by Congresswoman Maloney if accurate is alarming and disturbing at best," he said in a statement. "No public official even in quoting someone else should loosely use such an offensive term and should certainly challenge someone using the term to him or her."

Speaking of his next gig, look no further.

Instapundit links. Thanks!

Update: Well, we certainly know Al Sharpton's routine.

The Rev. Al Sharpton said he will attend Gates' arraignment.

"This arrest is indicative of at best police abuse of power or at worst the highest example of racial profiling I have seen," Sharpton said. "I have heard of driving while black and even shopping while black but now even going to your own home while black is a new low in police community affairs."

Of course copping an attitude and playing the "don't you know who I am" card is nothing new with these racial arsonists. Gates could have simply shown ID and the incident would have been over. Yet when you carry a boulder-sized chip on your shoulder, that's just not possible. Now they have to make a national incident out of it.

How tiresome.

Romney Tied With Obama in 2012 Polling

Just what we need over three years away from the next presidential election. Granted, this is a good sign right now, however. For all the relentless Palin-bashing in the media, it's remarkable she's within six points of media darling Barack Obama.

If the 2012 presidential election were held today, President Obama and possible Republican nominee Mitt Romney would be all tied up at 45% each, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

The president, seeking a second four-year term, beats another potential GOP rival, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, by six points – 48% to 42%.

In both match-ups, seven percent (7%) like some other candidate, with three percent (3%) undecided.

Palin is second only to Romney as the presidential candidate Republican voters say right now that they’ll vote for in 2012 state GOP primaries. But she’s also one of two candidates they least hope wins the party’s nomination.

Romney may well turn out to be the best candidate if the economic picture doesn't improve any time soon. He made plenty of mistakes in the 2008 primaries and if he gets out there now and pushes alternative economic policies to those disastrous policies of Obama's, he can really pick up steam the rest of this year and into the 2010 midterms.

Classy: ESPN Reporter Filmed Naked Through Peephole

This is really low. You've got to figure whatever hotel this transpired at has some employees who are a little nervous today.

America's fixation with ESPN sportscaster Erin Andrews has now offcially reached the creepy stage.

According to numerous reports, Andrews, the former University of Florida dance team member, was recently victimized when some sicko videotaped her through a peephole in her hotel room door while she was undressed.

The video, as you might expect, went viral when it hit the Internet and Andrews' attorney was forced to put out a statement.

"While alone in the privacy of her hotel room, Erin Andrews was surreptitiously videotaped without her knowledge or consent," the statement said. "She was the victim of a crime and is taking action to protect herself and help ensure that others are not similarly violated in the future. Although the perpetrator or perpetrators of this criminal act have not yet been identified, when they are identified she intends to bring both civil and criminal charges against them and against anyone who has published the material. We request respect of Erin's privacy at this time, while she and her representatives are working with the authorities."

By the way, if you go looking for the video, be very wary of clicking on it.

The tape of ESPN reporter Erin Andrews undressing in her hotel room is being used to spread a computer virus according to sophos.com.

Webpages are being put up with claims of links to the tape. However, a link to footage actually releases a virus into your computer system.

"Hackers are no slacks when it comes to taking advantage of a hot internet search trend, and they have been quick to set up bogus webpages claiming to contain the video footage of Ms Andrews in her hotel room," said Graham Cluley of Sophos.

While we certainly are fans of the female form, we will not be linking any video that was taped illegally. Considering a computer virus may accompany the video, we won't be viewing it either.

Dodd Bashes Lobbyists, Then Spends Weekend With Them on Martha's Vineyard

Chris Dodd ought to be a charter member of the Hypocrisy Hall of Fame. The oily Democrat from Connecticut has zero shame.

After distancing himself from lobbyists in campaign ads, Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) was on Martha's Vineyard this weekend meeting with some of the most well known names on K Street.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) hosted its annual retreat this weekend at the high-class getaway. Designed for candidates to meet with senators for campaign advice and policy guidance, several high-powered lobbyists also attend and network with lawmakers during the retreat.

Dodd's attendance at the retreat follows a series of web videos his campaign released promoting his populist credentials and highlighting the frustration some lobbyists are feeling with the senator, including quotes from anonymous lobbyists in news reports.

Facing a tough campaign, Dodd has been aggressive in running on his recent legislative moves — such as passage of the credit card reform bill and his support of a consumer financial products agency.

"You almost have to feel sorry for the poor lobbyists. They just can't get Chris Dodd to listen to them," says Dodd's campaign website introducing one of the videos.

So I guess Dodd doesn't listen to his wife.

Influential senators working to overhaul the nation's health care system have investments and family ties with some of the biggest names in the industry. The wife of Sen. Chris Dodd, the lawmaker in charge of writing the Senate's bill, sits on the boards of four health care companies.

Members of both parties have industry connections, including Democrats Jay Rockefeller and Tom Harkin, in addition to Dodd, and Republicans Tom Coburn, Judd Gregg, John Kyl and Orrin Hatch, financial reports showed Friday.

Jackie Clegg Dodd, wife of the Connecticut Democrat, is on the boards of Javelin Pharmaceuticals Inc., Cardiome Pharma Corp., Brookdale Senior Living and Pear Tree Pharmaceuticals.
...
Other publicly available documents show Mrs. Dodd last year was one of the most highly compensated non-employee members of the Javelin Pharmaceuticals Inc. board, on which she has served since 2004. She earned $32,000 in fees and $109,587 in stock option awards last year, according to the company's SEC filings.

Mrs. Dodd earned $79,063 in fees from Cardiome in its last fiscal year, while Brookdale Senior Living gave her $122,231 in stock awards in 2008, their SEC filings show. She earned no income from her post as a director for Pear Tree Pharmaceuticals but holds up to $15,000 in stock in Pear Tree, which describes itself as a development-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the needs of aging women.

Yet this clown pretends he has nothing to do with lobbyists.

Ironic how the Democrats flocked to Martha's Vineyard on the 40th anniversary Ted Kennedy going into the drink and killing Mary Jo Kopechne.

Dude, Where's My Transparency? WH Delays Budget Update

More honest and open communication from the secretive Obama administration. Things must be really bad if these braggarts and blowhards are hiding their promised budget update.

The White House is being forced to acknowledge the wide gap between its once-upbeat predictions about the economy and today's bleak landscape.

The administration's annual midsummer budget update is sure to show higher deficits and unemployment and slower growth than projected in President Barack Obama's budget in February and update in May, and that could complicate his efforts to get his signature health care and global-warming proposals through Congress.

The release of the update - usually scheduled for mid-July - has been put off until the middle of next month, giving rise to speculation the White House is delaying the bad news at least until Congress leaves town on its August 7 summer recess.

The administration is pressing for votes before then on its $1 trillion health care initiative, which lawmakers are arguing over how to finance.

The White House budget director, Peter Orszag, said on Sunday that the administration believes the "chances are high" of getting a health care bill by then. But new analyses showing runaway costs are jeopardizing Senate passage.

"Instead of a dream, this routine report could be a nightmare," Tony Fratto, a former Treasury Department official and White House spokesman under President George W. Bush, said of the delayed budget update. "There are some things that can't be escaped."

So they're afraid to release a routine report. No doubt their handlers in the media will make up some convenient excuses for them.

Just pathetic.

Thanks to Dan Riehl for the link.

Most Expensive Ham Ever

Found this via Drudge. There had better be a good explanation for spending $2.5 million to have a 2-pound ham sliced.

Click the image to enlarge.

For years we've heard about wasteful government and military spending. Spending $2.5 million on ham has to be some kind of record.

Update: Newed some cheese to go with that ham? A bit ironic they have a link for fraud, waste and abuse.

Dem Operative: 'I'm Nervous'

Well, there's apparently one Democrat operative who's blissfully unaware the media is totally in the tank for Barack Obama.

For the first time, however, doubts are growing that Obama's trillion-dollar stimulus is too glacial and may not be robust enough to cure the sick economy.

Some jittery Democrats, moreover, whisper that his legislative agenda - particularly an energy bill and the health care reform package - may be too ambitious for the end-of-the-year deadline Obama has imposed.

"I'm nervous," a Democratic operative close to the Obama White House admitted. "He's set the bar so high that if we don't get energy and health care, the press will eat him alive."

Another prominent Democratic consultant echoes the yips from even some true believers:

"It could be great, it could be a disaster."

It's plainly premature for such apocalyptic musings, which strike the Obama high command as weak-kneed heresy.

"It's not bad for six months," Obama said, reeling off a list of accomplishments to a fund-raising dinner last month and warning against complacency. "This is when it gets hard."

Which helps explains why senior Obama officials have quietly solicited the strategic and tactical counsel of Obama campaign manager David Plouffe, who's been away writing a book.

Of course back when they passed the pork-laden "stimulus" package we were told everything was shovel-ready and set to jumpstart the economy. Now those fanciful claims are on hold, as is literacy.

"We always knew it was going to get worse before it got better," an Obama loyalist moaned. "But it got worser."

Worser?

If they really want to avoid things getting worser, they might want to start telling the truth about ObamaCare and not ram through legislation without the public getting the facts.

Hot Air links. Thanks!

Celebutard Nitwit: 'I Hate the World Without Walter Cronkite'

There's an obvious solution to your misery, George. You're bright guy. You can figure it out.

George Clooney, Hollywood's unofficial spokesman for everything, was among the first to pay tribute to that other great voice of a generation, Walter Cronkite.

"He was the most important voice in our lives for thirty years," the Oscar winner, who delved into the history of the CBS newsroom when he directed and costarred in Good Night and Good Luck, said in a statement Friday night.

"And that voice made people reach for the stars. I hate the world without Walter Cronkite. "

Dude, he read a TelePrompter. Get over it.

H/T Hot Air.

'I Never Had a Problem With Him, Like I Did With Spitzer'

Hmmm. Looks like we may have a fresh political sex scandal brewing. I doubt it's Mark Sanford, because he'd have probably told us all about it already. Definitely not Sarah Palin. Apparently it's some governor, however.

"We went to a restaurant where the governor was dining at another table with two or three other men. Michael said the governor was a client of his. He introduced me to him. I thought it was odd that he'd introduce someone he'd hired, but the governor was very gracious. It was a brief meeting. Later, Michael and I went to an apartment our agency kept. We had sex.

"A couple of days later, Michael booked another appointment. He was supposed to come to the same apartment. I buzzed him in. When I opened the door, it wasn't Michael. It was the governor. He was smiling. I knew what was happening. I was okay with it.

"He was a very standard client. He didn't take the full hour. There was no exchange of money. Michael handled the payment.

"I had two more dates with the governor. Never in public. Always for just an hour, around dinner time. He'd arrive at the apartment in a suit. I never had a problem with him, like I did with Spitzer. He was always nice. There wasn't a lot of conversation. It wasn't a girlfriend experience, but he was relaxed. He was very appreciative, like I was giving him a sort of affection he wasn't getting elsewhere. Later I found out he was married. His wife is quite prominent in her own right." (Annie and Davis say Gov. X is free to say he didn't pay for sex, since "Michael" took care of the bills.)

Interesting. What governor out there has a prominent wife, other than perhaps Arnold Schwarzenegger?

'I Like My Butt'

Yes, we like it too.

"I like my butt. It's perfectly proportional, it's cute, and it's still where it belongs. It's been behaving so far, and if it doesn't, I can spank it a little bit and put it back in place, just like I do with my men"

Maybe They Can Call It the 'War on Terror'

Nothing like the smartest woman in the world waking up to the reality we've all faced the last eight years. Imagine how slow on the draw she'd be if she weren't so brilliant.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Saturday for a global fight against terrorism after paying tribute to victims of last year's deadly Mumbai attacks, as she began a visit to India.

Clinton, on her first trip to India as Washington's top diplomat, linked the attacks which left 166 people dead to those in the United States on September 11, 2001 and Friday's deadly hotel bombings in Jakarta.

"These events are seared in our collective memory," she told a news conference at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel, where she is staying and where 31 guests and staff lost their lives during the Islamist militant siege.

"Yesterday's bombings in Jakarta, Indonesia, provide a painful reminder that the threat of such violent extremism is still very real. It's global, ruthless, it's nihilistic and it must be stopped.

Of course if we leave it up to Democrats and their policy of reading Miranda rights to terrorists and trying to prosecute those who've led the fight against terrorism, things will only get much worse.

'It's a Pain Right in the Butt'

Seems to me Harry Potter might want to get himself an unlisted number.

What's the spell for casting off drunken frat boys?

Every time a new Harry Potter flick comes out, an upstate mailman with the same name has to fight off the forces of evil -- in this case prank callers obsessed with his famed name.

"It's a pain right in the butt," the 64-year-old Scotia man told The Post yesterday. "I think that woman [Potter author J.K.] Rowling owes me big time for what I've been put through. I would like half a percent of the royalties. That's chump change to her."

Potter says that college kids from local schools such as Union College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are constantly downing beers, finding his phone number and making obscene calls early in the a.m.

"They are drunker than skunks, and they call up and they are harassing. They call at 2, 3, 4 in the morning," he said. "When you say to them 'Do you know what time it is?' they start calling you an eff-ing a--hole.' "

Alas, Harry's too frugal to get an unlisted number. He should think twice about that.

He admits that he could stop the harassing calls if he got an unlisted number, but he doesn't want to pay the phone company.

"I don't think it's fair," he said.

Then set the phone straight to voicemail.

Orwellian: '1984' Disappears From Kindle

How's this for irony? Not just '1984,' but 'Animal Farm' also went down the memory hole. Talk about art coming to life.

In George Orwell’s “1984,” government censors erase all traces of news articles embarrassing to Big Brother by sending them down an incineration chute called the “memory hole.”

On Friday, it was “1984” and another Orwell book, “Animal Farm,” that were dropped down the memory hole — by Amazon.com.

In a move that angered customers and generated waves of online pique, Amazon remotely deleted some digital editions of the books from the Kindle devices of readers who had bought them.

An Amazon spokesman, Drew Herdener, said in an e-mail message that the books were added to the Kindle store by a company that did not have rights to them, using a self-service function. “When we were notified of this by the rights holder, we removed the illegal copies from our systems and from customers’ devices, and refunded customers,” he said.

Amazon effectively acknowledged that the deletions were a bad idea. “We are changing our systems so that in the future we will not remove books from customers’ devices in these circumstances,” Mr. Herdener said.

Customers whose books were deleted indicated that MobileReference, a digital publisher, had sold them. An e-mail message to SoundTells, the company that owns MobileReference, was not immediately returned.

Digital books bought for the Kindle are sent to it over a wireless network. Amazon can also use that network to synchronize electronic books between devices — and apparently to make them vanish.

An authorized digital edition of “1984” from its American publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, was still available on the Kindle store Friday night, but there was no such version of “Animal Farm.”

People who bought the rescinded editions of the books reacted with indignation, while acknowledging the literary ironies involved. “Of all the books to recall,” said Charles Slater, an executive with a sheet-music retailer in Philadelphia, who bought the digital edition of “1984” for 99 cents last month. “I never imagined that Amazon actually had the right, the authority or even the ability to delete something that I had already purchased.”

Hey, Guess What Slobbering Over Obama Gets You? Lower Ratings, That's What

Can't say this wasn't predictable. It's the same thing with CNN and MSNBC. You become an adjunct of the Democrats and Barack Obama in particular and you can expect potentially half your audience to disappear.

Oprah Winfrey may be the Queen of Daytime TV, but it seems her reign may be slipping.

The ratings for "The Oprah Winfrey Show" during the week ending July 5 were the lowest since the talk show's debut in 1983, averaging only a 3.2 household rating, according to Medialifemagazine.com.

So how did the most popular woman in television have such a change of fortune?

Granted, it was a holiday weekend during the peak of cable coverage of Michael Jackson's death. In addition, the Wimbledon tennis tournament was on the air, and "Oprah" has been in repeats all summer.

That said, this was no ratings nosedive; viewership has actually been declining for months. The week before, the show received a 3.6 rating, matching its previous all-time low approximately a year ago.

Still, with all that she's No. 1 in the vast wasteland that is daytime television, although maybe, just maybe a little voice in her head is asking whether it was worth pimping for Obama.