It appears that the police in Boston are a tad over zealous things that go flash in the night. Yes that's right folks. An advertising campaign accidently caused the police to think that the terrorists were out to get Boston. How could this happen? It was a question that entered my mind many times over while reading this story. Especially this: Now you would assume that the lit up figure making a "rude gesture" might have given the game away, but no. Hmmmmm.. Now ironically, Turner Industries must have been a bit suprised as well by this, as they were forced to issue a statement during the day. Now this was the kicker for me. Good to see the police are on the ball. I don't know what's worse. That they mistook advertising boards making rude gestures for explosives, or that they were there for possibly two to three weeks, before they were noticed. Sadly it gets worse. You would think that the police department would stumble away in embarrassment over this incident. But no. They are now looking to seek damages for the trouble caused to the area. It would be expected I suppose, if the fact that the battery advertising boards had not been in place for two to three weeks before they first noticed it... Again, the fact that these bird flipping boards were in place for two to three weeks, appears to have passed the prosecutors and the police department right by. I doubt a would be terrorist would design a bomb with flashing lights and a 'bird flipping figure' to bring attention to itself. The irony is hilarious if it all weren't just so serious. Yes. Maybe someone should point out to DA Coakley that advertising boards regularly do have batteries and wires behind them. I keep thinking to myself that surely they would have realised that the character on the lightboard was giving people the finger should/would have been an indication, but the fact it was not saddens me a bit. Maybe after all that, they can attempt to tell the people of Boston why it took them two to three weeks to notice the boards were there in the first place. I guess all this outrage is a good way to mask their own embarrassment at their just not having noticed the flashing light boards for that long. I guess Turner Industries did not think that after so long, and seeing what was on the light board, that something like this could actually happen. Yes.. it was an ad campaign. What is more shocking that "in a post 9/11 era", it can take two to three weeks for the police to notice they were even there. Righteous indignation is one thing. Being made to look foolish in the eyes of the public.. well.. that's priceless really.. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
That is too funny and it fits with aqua teen hunger force Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! more
You've either mistakenly read the reports wrong, or the reports were wrong, or you posted this just for the sensationalist value to embarrass the US or the Boston Police. Which one, Bells? The ad signs were in BOXES which were left on street corners, with no indication or written info as to what they were or who they were for, etc. Just closed, taped, plain cardboard boxes left on street corners. What would you have them do, Bells? ...since you're so smart about explosives and terrorist methodology. What you have had them do? They found out what it was AFTER they opened the boxes, Bells! Note that it was only AFTER they opened the boxes? Or didn't you read that part? Intentionally? For the sensationalist value? To embarrass the cops? Baron Max
Are we talking about the same things? http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/16596928.htm PS Did you miss the part about two-three weeks?
Ermm Baron, this story IS an embarrassment to the Boston Police. Whether it further embarrasses the US is another thing altogether. The "BOXES" had been there for two to three weeks. As you said, they were on street corners, flashing lights with a cartoon depiction giving passersby the finger. Hmmm.. yes.. obvious bomb.Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! That it took them that long to notice them there is embarrassing enough. But to mistake a known cartoon figure giving people the finger.. yes well.. it was in a box with batteries and lights.. so of course it has to be a bomb right? I mean look at it.. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Link Hmmmm.. yes.. it just has to be a bomb. What else could a small box, with magnetic battery operated lights, be? After all, as the DA stated: So does my son's glow worm. Baron, it was a small box with magnetic lights showing a figure giving the finger. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Link Now do you honestly think that a terrorist would plant bombs that were so obvious. Well they were obvious to everyone but the Boston Police who took 2 to 3 weeks to even notice they were there. What this has shown is that if a terrorist wanted to plant bombs around the city of Boston, they would now know it would take the police a bit longer to find if they put it in really really obvious places like street corners and hanging on overpasses with flashing lights and cartoon figures giving the finger. Oh I read the whole article, and I'm still laughing about it. The police in their actions after shutting down the city (as though that weren't bad enough) have only highlighted how down right stupid and slow they actually are. I'll remind you again, they were in light boxes with a cartoon figure giving the finger, placed in obvious public places (as one would expect advertisements to be).. and it took them 2 to 3 weeks to notice them. I guess they are attempting to mask their embarrassment by drawing even more attention to their mistake. I guess hell hath no fury like an idiot's scorned.
Yeah, same things. The issue isn't about the signs that were already up and working. It was about plain, taped boxes of NEW signs ...no one knew what the boxes were UNTIL THEY OPENED THE BOXES! Old signs up and workings and blinking .....versus.... NEW signs being delivered to workers to put up. But they put the new signs in plain, taped up boxes and just left them on the street corners. See? NEW signs in plain boxes are NOT the same as signs up and blinking. Baron Max
No, Sam, that man is removing one of the sign FROM ONE OF THE TAPED UP BOXES!! He's a cop who finally opened a box .....AFTER the boxes were discovered and the traffic stopped. This is just a sensationalist story ...the facts truncated and present out of context to make a sensational story. Nothing more, nothing less. ....except Bells believes it and presents it here as if it's all factual and in the proper context. Baron Max
Apparently in NYC, LA, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Austin, SF and Philly, both the citizenry and the authorities are a little more aware of what's going on in the national culture. They recognized these things for what they were. After all, an advertising campaign doesn't work if the people who see the ads can't understand them. The company wouldn't have spent the money on the ad campaign if they didn't think people would recognize them. Only in snobby Boston were both the citizens and the police utterly clueless. "Oh we'ah not intar that styupid pahp culchah. We only go to the operar and the ballet in Bahston." Next time we see an ad for one of David E. Kelley's endless series of TV shows set in Boston (Ally McBeal, The Practice, Boston Legal, ad inf.) we should call Homeland Security and report the presence of aliens in our land. (Although none of the people on those shows actually speak in the affected pseudo-British accent of Bostonians.) I confess that I would not have know what that box was, but I'm 63 and can be excused for being a little out of touch. I also would have had the common sense not to call the police without asking the teenager next to me, "Excuse me. Take off your iPod and stop IM'ing your girlfriend for a minute. I have a hunch you know more about technology than I do. Do you recognize that electronic gizmo?" Nonetheless, I suspect that some legal technicality was violated. In most cities it's not legal to place advertising on public property. You have to pay the extra money and rent advertising space inside the subway car.
Whatever you say Baron http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=180378&format=&page=2 Just to put it in perspective: http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/01/stories/2007020106050100.htm One line. This is news, reporting sans sensationalism.
Oh you're right. This is a sensationalist story. The media in the US reporting it have ensured that. Lets look at the facts as reported shall we? Yes. Sensational indeed! That is how it has been reported. Now, again, these boxes had been placed in prominent spots for 2 to 3 weeks and no one noticed them. That is very interesting don't you think? Talk about being on the ball. *Snort* I guess their advising the public of the boxes being possible bombs and to call in any sightings of them helped a bit in the public panic department, don't you think Baron? From Sam's link: LOL! And yet it was only in Boston that a panic ensued. Everywhere else nothing was said. They only took down the boxes in the other States when Turner Broadcasting advised them of the mistake in Boston. HEH!! It was lucky it wasn't in Vegas. Hell, imagine if they were so panicky about glowing signs.Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Yes, I find the press to be rather irresponsible in the US. We leave such things to Bollywood in India.Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
"As reported"??? Yeah, see, that's exactly the problem! The news reporters in America are, as Sam has astutely pointed out, irresponsible. And I would say they're even reckless and dangerous at times. But you believe whatever is "as reported", huh, Bells? ...LOL! See? it's just such people as you that those "as reported" stories are pointed to ....and it's just such people as you that keep such irresponsible, even reckless, reporting going full-bore. And now we have YouTube which is even more sensationalist, and it's going even stronger than the irresponsible news reporters! And you believe all that, too, right, Bellls? Baron Max
Inignot: "Nobody can defeat the Quad Glacier". Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Ur: "Hey man...this is kinda slow..." Inignot: "Ur, do you want it done quickly, or do you want it done right?"
I think the real question is... Is this good or bad publicity for Aqua Teen, Cartoon Network, and Turner? My vote's on good, anyone who's a fan of the show is laughing their asses off at this article. But was it ethical? Did they do what they needed to do to inform Boston about the pressence of the signs? I think at the bare minimum they would've told boston "we're puting harmless advertizing devices at these points in the city, photos of the devices are enclosed", or better yet, gotten permission from Boston with the police in on the loop. Hell, police might've overreacted because nobody filed any reports of these devices lingering around the city (i don't know that, i'm just guessing). Billy Bombsquad could've recognized who the lights were showing, asked his commander if anyone registered this thing as an ad, gets a no, so they begin treating it as something that is NOT a registered advertisement. I have no idea if Turner made any effort at all to informing Boston about this stuff, but the police's actions actually seem perfectly logical to me. They treated the devices exactly the way they needed to be treated if the devices were never officially identified as advertisements by Turner on account of their suspiciously low-tech setup (considering a company like Turner apparently made these things). If Turner made no effort to inform the police, and let the police trip over themselves to dispose of these things, then I think this was a dirty, low, however very suscessful publicity stunt.
i about crapped my pants this morning when a mooninite was flipping me off on CNN.com's splash screen!
