Pandemonium in Boston this AM

[CNHT]

Mooninites Ignignokt and Err cause quite  a stir....LOL

Pandemonium in Boston this morning!!!

I laughed SOOOOOOOOOOOOO hard when I saw this device! It's a likeness of Ignignokt with lights around it! I hardly think it looked like a bomb! LOL
I cannot believe they did not recognize this as a cartoon character! Too funny!
This happened right before I came through there out of the major tunnel on my way home from my trip today...



Cartoon Network promo tied to Boston bomb scare

BOSTON (MarketWatch) -- A marketing campaign gone awry was apparently behind the shutdown of Boston's major roadways and subway lines on Wednesday after promotional devices installed around the city triggered a day-long bomb scare.

In an e-mailed statement circulated to the media, the Cartoon Network, owned by Time Warner acknowledged placing devices containing magnetic lights throughout Boston as part of a national promotional campaign for its Adult Swim animated show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force."

The network added it has placed similar devices in 10 other cities: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Ore.; and Austin, Texas. The devices, which it called "billboards," have been in place for up to three weeks, it said.

"Parent company Turner Broadcasting is in contact with local and federal law enforcement on the exact locations of the billboards," wrote Turner Broadcasting executive Shirley Powell, in her e-mail. Cartoon Network is a unit of Turner Broadcasting.

"We regret that they were mistakenly thought to pose any danger," Powell wrote.

By evening rush hour Wednesday, law enforcement officials had reportedly identified at least nine of the devices in the Boston area. The first, found early Wednesday morning, was detonated by a bomb squad at a subway station in Somerville, Mass., next to heavily-traveled Interstate 93.

The subsequent discovery of suspicious packages resulted in the temporary closure of three main bridges connecting Cambridge, Mass., to Boston, in addition to sections of Boston's Storrow Drive, I-93 and the Massachusetts Turnpike.

Another suspicious package was reportedly found near the Tufts-New England Medical Center, a major Boston medical facility.

Subway services on the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority's Red and Orange lines were also suspended temporarily. The U.S. Coast Guard temporarily blocked passage on the Charles River and closed locks controlling water flow from the Charles to Boston Harbor, according to local reports.

"At this time, our office is involved with an investigation with other federal and state authorities to determine if any criminal charges should be filed and, if so, against whom," said Emily LaGrassa, a spokeswoman for Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley.

Gov. Deval Patrick issued a statement that thanked law enforcement while chastising Turner Broadcasting: "I am deeply dismayed to learn that many of the devices are a part of a marketing campaign by Turner Broadcasting. This stunt has caused considerable disruption and anxiety in our community. I understand that Turner Broadcasting has purported to apologize for this. I intend nonetheless to consult with the attorney general and other advisors about what recourse we may have."


http://testpattern.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/01/31/46757.aspx

[maineiac]

Fear rules the herd. It's become a parody of itself, hasn't it, with all the goons and their safety bullshit?

BTW, I've seen that cartoon a couple of times . . . weird, freaky stuff!

[CNHT]

Fear rules the herd. It's become a parody of itself, hasn't it, with all the goons and their safety bullshit?

BTW, I've seen that cartoon a couple of times . . . weird, freaky stuff!

I am addicted to the 'toon network. That one is not my fave, (FUTURAMA is) but holy cow, once they blew up one, you'd think they'd realize what the others were?
I saw the video of them blowing one up, the guys all dressed in explosive suits, I could not stop laughing.

[Spencer]

Aww . . . you beat me to it, although my favorite part comes in a different story, which has this quote:

The first device was found under Interstate 93, and the state police bomb squad was called and detonated the package in Sullivan Square just before 10 a.m. Officials said it contained an electronic circuit board with some components that were "consistent with an improvised explosive device," but they said it had no explosives.

***

MBTA Lt. Sal Venturelli said police were told about the first package by a transit passenger who spotted it on a column that supports I-93. The parcel was located on an elevated structure above the bus way and below I-93 in the Charlestown section of Boston at about 8 a.m.

"This is a perfect example of our passengers taking part in Homeland Security," Venturelli said.

Isn't it wonderful that people have become so frightened (at the prompting of government officials) that they report what are obviously harmless items to the government?  And that the "experts" think that what universally appears to be a cartoon character is an "improvised explosive device" and requires exploding?

All of this reminds me a bit of Stripes for some reason ("Where's your drill sergeant, private?"  "Blowsed up, sir!").

[CNHT]

Aww . . . you beat me to it, although my favorite part comes in a different story, which has this quote:

The first device was found under Interstate 93, and the state police bomb squad was called and detonated the package in Sullivan Square just before 10 a.m. Officials said it contained an electronic circuit board with some components that were "consistent with an improvised explosive device," but they said it had no explosives.

***

MBTA Lt. Sal Venturelli said police were told about the first package by a transit passenger who spotted it on a column that supports I-93. The parcel was located on an elevated structure above the bus way and below I-93 in the Charlestown section of Boston at about 8 a.m.

"This is a perfect example of our passengers taking part in Homeland Security," Venturelli said.

Isn't it wonderful that people have become so frightened (at the prompting of government officials) that they report what are obviously harmless items to the government?  And that the "experts" think that what universally appears to be a cartoon character is an "improvised explosive device" and requires exploding?

All of this reminds me a bit of Stripes for some reason ("Where's your drill sergeant, private?"  "Blowsed up, sir!").

Yup...you could SEE that it was a lit up version of Iggie, with sort of like Christmas lights around it.
Honestly when I saw the bomb squad in their suits on TV, blasting Iggy, I nearly busted my already sore gut laughing....

[Pat K]

They looked like the old light brite kits.

[davek]

If anyone is interested, you can Google 'throwies' to find out how the lights are made.  It is essentially a rare earth magnet and a battery taped to an LED.  You can throw them up on lamp posts and bridges and such... a type of graffiti, if you will.  Lots more info on         the MAKE blog, as well.

[KBCraig]

They've actually arrested the guy who placed the signs, on a felony charge of "placing a hoax device".

Mayor Numbnutts was apoplectic today: "This was a hoax... and it wasn't funny!"

Ummm... somebody should loan Hizzoner a dictionary, with "hoax" highlighted. Hint: "hoax" implies an "intent to deceive". I hardly think that blinky cartoon characters, which were intended to be seen (it was an ad campaign, after all!), could in any way be mistaken for hidden bombs.

Some of the terrified sheeple who were interviewed were really something. To be fair, they weren't scared because they saw a blinky cartoon... they were scared because the BPD went into full lockdown mode and called in the bomb squad.

At least one witness had the proper perspective. She said she saw the bomb squad carrying the "devices" in paper bags in their bare hands, so she knew it couldn't be anything to worry about.

Kevin

[KBCraig]

If anyone is interested, you can Google 'throwies' to find out how the lights are made.

These were a little more complicated than that, but throwies are cool.

[Lloyd Danforth]

This type of over-reponse happened twice in CT last week.   This kind of crap will get their budgets raised.

[error]

This type of over-reponse happened twice in CT last week.   This kind of crap will get their budgets raised.

Not if I have anything to say about it.

[CNHT]

They've actually arrested the guy who placed the signs, on a felony charge of "placing a hoax device".

Mayor Numbnutts was apoplectic today: "This was a hoax... and it wasn't funny!"

Ummm... somebody should loan Hizzoner a dictionary, with "hoax" highlighted. Hint: "hoax" implies an "intent to deceive". I hardly think that blinky cartoon characters, which were intended to be seen (it was an ad campaign, after all!), could in any way be mistaken for hidden bombs.

Some of the terrified sheeple who were interviewed were really something. To be fair, they weren't scared because they saw a blinky cartoon... they were scared because the BPD went into full lockdown mode and called in the bomb squad.

At least one witness had the proper perspective. She said she saw the bomb squad carrying the "devices" in paper bags in their bare hands, so she knew it couldn't be anything to worry about.

Kevin

I thought the same thing about the improper use of the word HOAX and wrote to the news station about it.
A hoax suggests they were TRYING to make it look like a bomb....as in a 'package' as it was described to me.
They were too stupid to see that it was a cartoon decoration???

Hello.

[error]

I couldn't pass this one by. I've actually seen and like Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/02/01/mooninite-attack-on-boston-fails/

[CNHT]

I couldn't pass this one by. I've actually seen and like Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2007/02/01/mooninite-attack-on-boston-fails/

Excellent! I can't imagine who thought that was a 'bomb'.

Deval Patrick is quite a piece of work...UGH.

Now how do we show our indignation and spring the 'perpetrators'?

FREE IGNIGNOKT!
FREE ERR!!!!

[error]

Aside from the rare earth magnets and the batteries, those boards require only about $20 worth of parts from Radio Shack...