Changin' Times

All news isn't bad.

For one thing, the Canadian dollar took a dive. This is important if you like to drink in Toronto.

Even if you believe in having no borders so that the huddled masses of drug dealers and murders can come and live near your local school, you have to admit the fact that 72% of Americans were agitated enough to drop kick Congress is a good sign that the republic isn't completely burned out or focused on Hollywood.

The latest Pew Poll says Congress' approval rating is 16%. Apparently, we haven't been dumbed down enough to just let the caricatures in Congress do what they want. All we need is a new party.

As of last Friday, the official word among major media, with a suspiciously instantaneous change in spin, is that the surge is doing great, that Iraqis people are super-duper, we can't leave, and, just surfacing, it is time to do something about Iran. Pay attention, you will see this astonishing change play out. (Then, never trust journalism again.) Remember how this shift happened when you think about politics and your country in the future.

Today, this being Tuesday, the spin is, sure the surge is OK, but the leadership in Iraq is failing. Of course, it is Bush's fault, until the lies, sorry politics, shift again.

Actually, I have already predicted this. One election is over, the other is far enough away. So, we can go ahead and do the painful things that have to be done. "Not for nothin'" does the U.S. have the second busiest airport in the world just 40 miles outside of Baghdad. A plane lands at this 15 mile (that is 15,000 kilotons if you are metric) wide military facility every two minutes! Ever see that on CNN? No? You will soon, right after you see Israel's air bases. (Israel's military is on high alert, now. All those empty facilities in the Golan are now fully occupied - its been some 40 years since last manned.)

The new, supposedly anti-Bush British Prime Minister just dropped in on D.C. to announce the world owes America a debt of gratitude for leading the way in the fight against terrorism and Britain had no plans to remove troops. Then, the Sunday talk shows were filled with positive comments about the effort in Iraq. (Washington Post guy - Iraq is just a battle in the wider war against terrorism.)

To be honest, the overnight change in tune bespeaks conspiracy or sub rosa control, unless you can give me a clue why not. Only a few Dem candidates haven't figured out how to morph out of this one. Don't get me wrong, this could be an elitist shift, not a liberal one. The Dems do have a problem, though, as most of their leaders will be foundering come election season. Hilary may find herself best situated.

Now, comes excellent news from gawker.com. It may also explain the sudden shift in bias:

profit and loss

'New York Times' Second Quarter: Serious Trouble

The second-quarter results from the New York Times Company just came out, and they're kind of grim. Operating profit decreased to $43.3 million—last year, same quarter, it was $86.2 million. Earnings per share decreased to $.15 per share; same period last year, it was $.37. But why? Times Co. CEO Janet Robinson said that the results "reflected the weakness in the print advertising market stemming from both secular and cyclical forces in our businesses." Ooo, good, cyclical! That means there'll be an upturn—or at least less stress?—next quarter? Uh, right?

Advertising revenues decreased 5.7 percent for the quarter. Newsprint expenses decreased more than 22 percent, but that's a mixed bag, because it was partly due to less newspapers—which means fewer people are buying the paper. Circ revenues were down 0.5 percent, which the company is attributing largely to the loss of subscribers after subscription prices were raised. (Let's see how they spin the price increase they just enacted.)

Its all good.

Well, except for the (non-Persian) madman wanting to destroy Israel and build a Muslim world "without an America."