Christian Science Monitor

Writer Sneers at Billy Mays in Death
By P.J. Gladnick | July 1, 2009 | 7:37 PM EDT

"Hi, Billy Mays here!"

Unfortunately we won't be able to hear Billy Mays say that again in person but that recorded line is destined to live on for as long as there are people.  The untimely death of Billy Mays inspired numerous accolades from around the country including this tribute video, one of many that you can find on YouTube. However, in contrast to the almost universal admiration of Mays, there was one discordant note sounded on the opinion page of the Christian Science Monitor in the form of this sneering column written by one Darryl Campbell. You can almost hear the elitist condescension dripping as Campbell looks down his haughty nose at Billy Mays:

It's almost impossible to go a full day without hearing the words "Hi, Billy Mays here" at least once. For over a decade, Billy Mays pitched everything from laundry detergents to Mighty Putty, Hercules Hooks to health insurance, to the television-viewing public. He was neither an inventor-salesman like Ron Popeil nor a celebrity endorser like Suzanne Somers; instead, he used his talent for working a crowd and an infinite capacity for shouting (he insisted that it was "projecting") in order to become the best-known and by far the loudest practitioner of the old-school hard sell.

Friday Funnies: 'Biden Kicked Out of Country After Flu Remarks?'
By Noel Sheppard | May 1, 2009 | 4:11 PM EDT

Roughly 24 hours after Joe Biden's swine flu gaffe on Thursday's "Today" show, it's been announced that the often loose-lipped Vice President is being sent on an overseas trip to Eastern Europe.

Just a coincidence?

The Christian Science Monitor's The Vote Blog teased readers with the idea Friday in a piece comically titled "Biden Kicked Out of Country After Flu Remarks?":

Anchorage Daily News Endorses Obama: That's Unexpected?
By Mike Bates | October 27, 2008 | 4:34 PM EDT
In case you've been in a cave the last few news cycles, it's been widely reported that the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska's largest newspaper, has endorsed Barack Obama.  Typical was this from NPR's Morning Edition:
CS Monitor Writer Dismisses 'Operation Chaos' Based on Outdated Data
By P.J. Gladnick | April 2, 2008 | 9:59 AM EDT

I have to give the Christian Science Monitor credit for at least discussing Rush Limbaugh's Operation Chaos which is his plan for Republicans to register as Democrats in order to vote for Hillary Clinton so as to cause yet more disorder in the Democrat party. One can search in vain in Google News for dreaded term "Operation Chaos," but with the exception of the Christian Science Monitor, the mainstream media shuns any mention of it despite the fact that registrations of Democrats in Pennsyvania are at record levels due to "mysterious reasons." Often when reading or watching media outlets describe the record number of Democrat registrations in the Keystone State without giving credit to Operation Chaos, I feel like channeling the late great comedian, Sam Kinison, who was famous for yelling: "Say it! SAY IT!!!"

Christian Science Monitor writer, Dante Chinni, finally said it in his article, "Rushing to register? Limbaugh’s efforts not yet showing signs of big effects in Pennsylvania." First Chinni discusses that which most others in the mainstream media refuse to even mention:

Headline: 'Global Warming Not Always to Blame for Extreme Winters'
By Noel Sheppard | March 6, 2008 | 7:50 PM EST

You know, it's one thing when some government employee sends you an e-mail message claiming that global warming will cause greater snowfall on the planet.

However, it's really something else altogether when a major American newspaper would actually publish an article with the headline:

Global Warming Not Always to Blame for Extreme Winters

No, this wasn't the National Enquirer, or The Star. This was the Christian Science Monitor, which is now on a growing list of press outlets clearly uncomfortable with the winter of 2008 (emphasis added throughout):

Mickey Kaus Refutes Clinton's Obama-Jackson Comparison
By Tom Blumer | January 27, 2008 | 11:02 AM EST

In the wake of Hillary Clinton's 2-1 thrashing in South Carolina at the hands of the politician I typically refer to as BOOHOO (Barack O-bomba Overseas Hussein “Obambi” Obama), the spin from Mrs. Clinton's husband is that it has no more significance than Jesse Jackson's Palmetto State victories in 1984 and 1988.

Kausfiles blogger Mickey Kaus shows that the claim doesn't stand up to scrutiny (links and bolds are in original):

Unusual Winds Caused Arctic Ice Melts, Not Global Warming
By Noel Sheppard | October 5, 2007 | 10:36 AM EDT

Assume for a moment that a new study by NASA proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that manmade global warming was indeed responsible for the recent ice melts in the Arctic. Think media would have reported it?

In reality, that's a bit of a trick question, for in the past several weeks, television newscasts, papers, and magazines have been filled with hysterical assertions about decreasing Arctic ice levels destined to cause imminent flooding to coastal regions around the world.

As such, it certainly was no surprise when NASA released a report Monday claiming "the rapid decline in winter perennial ice the past two years was caused by unusual winds," virtually no media outlets shared the information with the citizenry, and those that did still blamed the melting ice on - you guessed it - global warming.

The largely boycotted announcement out of NASA stated no such thing (emphasis added):

When the Story's Got Children, Who Needs Facts?
By Julia A. Seymour | October 3, 2007 | 2:51 PM EDT

According to the media's parade of children who need government assistance for insurance, President Bush must really just hate children. After all, he vetoed a bill today that would have expanded the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

Leading up to the October 3 veto, the media couldn’t resist scripting it as a vote against children.

Polar Bear Baby Boom Occurring in Eastern Arctic, Will Media Notice?
By Noel Sheppard | May 11, 2007 | 2:42 PM EDT

This one is really too funny, folks, and definitely requires all potables, combustibles, and sharp objects be properly stowed (grateful and humorous h/t to NBer dscott).

Despite all the carping and whining by folks like soon-to-be-Dr. Al Gore and his not so merry band of sycophant devotees about global warming killing polar bears, there is actually a baby boom occurring in this species in Canada’s eastern Arctic.

As marvelously reported May 3 by the Christian Science Monitor (emphasis added throughout):

CS Monitor Mows Around High Cost of New Emissions Regs
By Julia A. Seymour | April 20, 2007 | 4:49 PM EDT

Soon it’s going to cost you more to mow your lawn, and the Christian Science Monitor doesn’t mind because it’s all in the name of a cleaner planet.

The House That New Jersey Built
By Julia A. Seymour | March 16, 2007 | 4:39 PM EDT

Jack doesn't live in this house; Mike does.Mike Strizki lives in the very first solar-hydrogen house in the U.S. and according to The Christian Science Monitor, "It sounds promising, even utopian: homemade, storable energy that doesn't contribute to global warming."But the very positive profile of Strizki and his unusual new home left out the cost to other New Jersey residents.

So Who Made The Media-Hyped Iraq Study Group? Congress
By Tim Graham | December 6, 2006 | 12:00 PM EST

Since today is being hyped as Bow to the Iraq Study Group Day, we should note that this is not a White House commission, but a group assembled by Congress. It’s also affiliated with the U.S. Institute of Peace. (Not all of those affiliated commissions get massive hype from journalists.