Socially Conscious Dad Builds iPhone From Scratch In Garage

Pasadena, TX--Journeyman electrician and social activist Isaac Leibowitz can claim that he owns one of the few Apple iPhones made in the United States, because he actually put it together himself!

"I was reading about the oppresive conditions in the Chinese factories that produce the iPod, and wanted to do something to help the workers overseas," said Leibowitz. "So I tracked down the suppliers of all of the components of the new iPhones, and placed an order for the parts to be sent to my home."

Leibowitz admits that "it took me a while to figure out how everything went together, but I have a couple working models now. Also, I tried to get my wife to help out as well, but she just kept burning herself with the soldering iron."

"My kids were not much help either," added Leibowitz. "Little Timmy installed the screen upside down, and put the power button on the bottom. Oh, wait, it does go on the bottom."

"Shit. Now I have to start all over again."

Leibowitz's version of the Apple iPhone is not cheap either. "Ordering all the parts separately just about quadruples the price," said the electrician. "But I think I can keep the price of the 4 gig phone under two thousand bucks, if I don't charge for my labor."

"Besides, this is all about taking responsibility for the impact we have on the world around us. And who could possibly want to put a price on that?"

"National Day Of Mourning" Declared For Purchasers Of 5th Gen. iPods

Washington, DC--In a recent blog posting, President Bush called for a national day of mourning on January 15th for anyone unlucky enough to have purchased a 5th generation Apple iPod+Video just days before the release of the kick-ass iPhone last Tuesday.

"I know it seemed like this day would never arrive," said the President in his weekly blog update. "And I know many of my fellow Americans have been hanging on to their iPod Photo players and their Minis expecting that full-screen 16x9 video player to hit the shelves at any moment."

"But for some of you, the temptation was too strong. So you went out and bought a 80-gig video iPod last month, hoping you would get to enjoy it for a while before the inevitable release of the new unit."

"Unfortunately for these miserable souls," continued President Bush, "the day of reckoning has arrived."

For those feeling particularly despondent or angry, the government has set up a 24-hour hotline where consumers can share their stories of buyer's remorse with a caring professional. In addition, the Secret Service will be escorting Steve Jobs to the office for the next few months as a precautionary measure.

"I still enjoy my original video iPod," said President Bush, "and I especially like watching those mash-ups of me rapping that Cheney gets from YouTube, though I'll admit I haven't used it much since the FBI got a hold of one of those new touch-screen jobbies for me a couple months back."

"That thing inspired me to call Steve Jobs last month to personally congratulate him for developing such a fine product for the American people. Too bad y'all have to wait 'til the summer to see what I mean."