This tactic of one telemarketing company was reported by ABC. Who knows, soon we might be getting telemarketing calls to boycott any companies that promote unrightious products (i.e., anime).

The responses to telemarketers by Mirman is totally hilarious, though.

ABC reports:
The newest battle in the culture wars is being waged on the telephone lines. In a departure from the standard telemarketing calls aimed at selling long distance service, United American Technology has taken telemarketing to a whole new level.

The Oklahoma-based long distance carrier, which describes itself as a Christian conservative company, is seeking like-minded customers by bad-mouthing bigger rivals for their "sinful" behavior.

"Our base, which would be a conservative base, really does not like the same-sex marriage that has been pushed down our throat," UAT consultant Carl Thompson told ABC News.

UAT niche markets its service by railing against Internet pornography, homosexuality, and then criticizing competing phone companies it claims promote both.

--snip--
But some say UAT takes its politics too far. New York City comedian Eugene Mirman was so astonished by a UAT call he received, he recorded it. Mirman believes he was contacted -- as something of a joke -- because he donated $51 to the 1996 presidential campaign of Republican Alan Keyes.

"I got a phone call," Mirman said. "It was a recording and it said: 'Hi, I'm the mother of three, and I don't support gay marriage. If you don't support gay marriage press one.' I have something hooked up to my phone to record phone calls, and so I scrambled and found it ... Every time they would call, I would record it because it was crazy."

In one of the "crazy" exchanges he recorded, the telemarketer starts her sales pitch by asking about Mirman's stance on same-sex marriage:

UAT TELEMARKETER: OK. Eugene, did you press 1 to oppose same sex marriages?

MIRMAN: Oh, I pressed it, yes.

UAT: OK, that's great to hear. Now are you against same-sex marriages?

MIRMAN:: Well I want to destroy it, yes.

UAT: OK, that's great to hear. And Eugene -

MIRMAN: With the fist of God, we will smash them!

UAT: Exactly. Uh, Mr. Mirman, our organization is dedicated to people such as yourself who want to stop same-sex marriages and to quit doing business with companies that promote and profit from the homosexual lifestyle.

MIRMAN: Some companies profit from homosexuality?

UAT: That's correct.

MIRMAN: By selling sex favors?

UAT: No. Such as AT&T, what they do ...

MIRMAN: AT&T sells sex favors?

UAT: No, no. What it is is they own the Hot Network, which is a hardcore pornography channel ... They also give millions of dollars to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance group.

(AT&T actually has sold its division that owned the Hot Network, but Thompson says that's immaterial since the company still makes money off phone sex calls.)


UAT: Porn Profiteers a Fair Target
Thompson says corporations profiting from pornography are a fair target for criticism.

"If big business wants to make money off of it -- and they make billions off of it -- we should be able to complain about what they're making money off of," he said. "So the way we've decided to do it is an aggressive, telemarketing program."

Thomson says the company, which has about 10 employees and approximately 20,000 subscribers, is signing up 2,000 new customers each month.

UAT also hopes to win clients who might oppose big long distance carriers that offer diversity seminars, as evidenced by another portion of the call Mirman recorded:

MIRMAN: So what about the others? What does Verizon do?

UAT: OK, Verizon. What they do is they train their employees to accept a gay and lesbian lifestyle.

MIRMAN: They try to turn their employees gay?!

UAT: No, no. They train their employees to accept it.

UAT also uses the proliferation of Internet pornography as another selling point to lure religious conservatives.

"Everything that comes on the super highway, that runs into your house, is carried by big business," said Thompson. "They're making millions and billions of dollars by sending this [pornography] into the homes. Most child molesters get caught up on these Internet sites."

In Mirman's taped phone call, the UAT telemarketer accused another phone company of "sponsoring" child pornography.

UAT: UAT, Mr. Mirman, is the only carrier that is taking an active stand against same-sex marriages and hardcore child pornography.

MIRMAN: I think all child pornography is hardcore ... It's all wrong. AT&T sponsors child pornography?

UAT: No, no. That's MCI.

MIRMAN: MCI sponsors hardcore child pornography?

UAT: Yes, they have a pedophile Web site for men who love boys. Uh, it's a Montreal-based Web site.

MIRMAN: Oh my God! Our Canadian pervert neighbors!

UAT: Mmm hmm.

MIRMAN: So MCI basically has a child pornography ring.

UAT: That's correct.

In response, MCI spokesman Peter Lucht issued a statement saying, "It is disappointing that this company would resort to spreading false statements to benefit its cause. One would hope that consumers would see right through them."

But it is the end of the taped telemarketing call that perhaps best summarizes how UAT, and companies with similar marketing ploys, are attempting to build a base.

MIRMAN: Basically God hates AT&T, MCI, and Verizon.

UAT: (pause) Yes. And, Mr. Mirman, do you make a lot of long distance calls or just a few every month?

None of the other major long distance companies would comment on their new conservative competition."

Hope you have a good one man!

Does anyone know if there is another cradle album in the works or scheduled for release any time soon? With every album I get my hands on I want another!!

Hey, i heared there is an nice Boot from this long Time oop Staff Box WITH Subtitles, where can i buy this?
http://forum.cinefacts.de/attachment.php...entid=6062
http://forum.cinefacts.de/attachment.php...entid=6063
http://forum.cinefacts.de/attachment.php...entid=6064

thx

Happy 35th Birthday!!
I wish you all the best!









PS- What's with this month? I've wished HB to 4 people already! Plus 2 other last week!

I saw a girl I knew in high school the other day. She has gained, must be sixty lbs since I saw her last. When our eyes met, it was like all that could have been with us flashed through our own eyes, and reflected into the eyes of the other.

The story is, well, I think she is the only girl that I have ever, truly loved, but she was a very, very close friend, so I never made a formal move because I was afraid of screwing up the relationship we already had. We had been friends since kindergarten, a long, long time. She knew how I really felt about her, but pretended not too. Too much weirdness I guess.

Toward the end of high school, she started dating this prick from the marines. I hated the mother*&%@#, but didn?t really make a fuss about it, until one night at a party, he showed up and started yelling at her for being there with her friends. My friends had to hold me back from ripping his throat out for humiliating her and making her cry. I had, and still have, a feeling that he is an abusive lover, either mentally, physically, or both.

The fun began after we gradated. I didn?t here from her for a while and then, I see in the paper the got married! I was sooo mad. She didn?t invite me, and went to great lengths to hide it from me (told my friends not to say anything, cause they went!) I was mad, confused and hurt. A few weeks later, my friends were at a gas station and she pulled up. She started to walk over to talk to us and I turned and walked off. My friend Tim said hey she wants to talk, but I said really awful things and speed off.

I made her cry.

When we saw each other, it was like two people who had never met. My hair and dress totally different from HS, she was almost unrecognizable from all the weight gain. I didn?t know what to say, so I just said ?why?. She hung her head and said ?sorry.? I held back tears and said I was sorry for that night, with no control over my voice. Then her mom called at her from outside the grocery store, and she said she had to go.

I watched her walk away, thinking about all the things that had gone wrong. Feeling so many things. Anger for her deceit, sadness from missing a friend, hurt from the way she threw me away, pity for her life now, and a constant image of the things that could have gone differently, maybe if I had spoken up sooner. If I had truly made my feelings clear. I watched her walk out of that store that day, and I hope I never see her again. I don?t like crying in public.

As mentioned on the forum, EZDVD finally arrives on the shelfs of Import-Anime! Added the 6 titles that are currently available, check out the STORE page!

Amongs these titles are; Hellsing, Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, Lain + more ^_~

I was browsing the French Dance music videos on the French part of yahoo and got to finally see the music video to Something About Us by Daft Punk. Have any of you seen this video and know what anime is used in the video

eh, it's been ages since I've actually been looking around, so; anyone have any suggestions?
prefferably something I can easily get ahold of & in large amounts.

I was into Bremen, but Toriyama World stopped at like volume 9 last I checked, & the only other people working on it I could find weren't even that far.

MAR got lienced, & I think Midori no Hibi did too, so I just kinda quit reading..

HOLY CRAPOLY! THAT'S A LOT OF ANIME!

PS2 games:
PS2 ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS 8 VIII RTK STRAT GAME - Buy it now $18 USD!

These are all Region 1 releases.

Here they are!

WANDABA STYLE COMPLETE 3 DVD COLLECTION ANIME R1 ADV - $4.99 USD starting bid!

STAR WARS CLONE WARS Vol. 1 DVD GENNDY TARTAKOVSKY - $0.99 USD starting bid!

SAMURAI X TRUST & BETRAYAL and REFLECTIONS DIRECTORs CUT DVDs - $4.99 USD starting bid!

SAMURAI JACK SEASON 1 & 2 4DVD CARTOON NETWORK DVD SETS - $9.99 USD starting bid!

RAHXEPHON COMPLETE Vol 1-7 + LE MOVIE ANIME DVD ADV - $9.99 USD starting bid!

PEACEMAKER Vol. 1-5 ANIME DVD US ENGLISH ADV FILMS - $9.99 USD starting bid!

GANTZ Vol. 1-4 + ART BOX ANIME DVD ENGLISH US ADV FILMS - $9.99 USD starting bid!

ESCAFLOWNE THE MOVIE ULTIMATE EDITION ANIME 3DVD OOP! - $4.99 USD starting bid!

BROKEN SAINTS 4DVD SET + BASTARD!! COMPLETE ANIME DVD - $9.99 USD starting bid!