RationalWiki:What is going on in the world?/August 2010

August 2010
"The University of Minnesota is abandoning the traditional teaching methods of yesterday in favor of ... a mindset that favors innovative teaching paradigms." Never mind the asinine objections from those dumb professors, who obviously know nothing about teaching.  More racefail: a middle school in Mississippi uses a 30-year old plan to determine their student government. It's just that black students aren't allowed to be president. Just when everyone thought that German racism was a thing of the past, a Bundesbanker puts his foot in his mouth. The Burgess Shale now has a smaller, but equally important sister site. Heavy drinkers rejoice! You'll live longer than non-drinkers!. Moderate drinkers may rejoice even more - in moderation of course. Climate change sceptic does will do a complete volte-face. Psychedelics are making a comeback... in your doctor's office. Link to source article here. "Swarm Intelligence" - a new concept in marine energy harvesting may allow turbines to gather energy from the Gulf Stream. The Internet has killed the Oxford English Dictionary!! Well, possibly in print form anyway. Mother cuddles 'dead' baby back to life. Headline: "North Carolina man waits for 'ghost train,' killed by real one." Just in case you had any free time left, Diaspora is about to launch and compete with Facebook. Too horrible to contemplate - it could take up to four months to rescue trapped miners. Glenn Beck following in Martin Luther King's footsteps? "It's just a coincidence," he claims. Apparently the educational qualification for lap-dancers is rising. - A university study finds that one in four lap dancers has a degree.

Want good grades? Bug your teachers. <vote poll=world1994 closed="yes">"You can't appreciate Shakespeare until you've read him in the original Klingon." <vote poll=world1993 closed="yes">Captain's log; Stardate: sometime soon. Our mission: to search for the anti-universe. Wait... what? <vote poll=world1992 closed="yes">The new public editor for the New York Times acknowledges an awful science story and asks how they could have done better. (Answer: Don't discount absolutes; just learn a little logic.) <vote poll=world1991 closed="yes">For more than a decade, Britain has vaccinated hens for salmonella. In doing so, they have virtually wiped out the disease in their egg industry. By following suit, American egg farmers might have prevented the current salmonella scare. However, when new food safety rules were being debated a few months ago, the FDA quashed plans to vaccinate hens because "there was not enough evidence to conclude that vaccinating hens against salmonella would prevent people from getting sick." <vote poll=world1990 closed="yes">People can sell smut in the streets of Baghdad without being assassinated, meaning it's safe for the U.S. to pull out. (No pun intended.) <vote poll=world1989 closed="yes">A new study suggests that colonising new living space (the "ecological niche concept" hypothesis) is possibly a more important aspect of evolution than direct competition and natural selection. <vote poll=world1988 closed="yes">Court ruling: Death threats against corporations are legal. <vote poll=world1987 closed="yes">Please excuse our schadenfreude. <vote poll=world1986 closed="yes">Latest natural resource crisis: we're running out of helium. <vote poll=world1985 closed="yes">Cat haters find new ways of destroying their nemesis <vote poll=world1984 closed="yes">The more things change, the more they stay the same. 16 years after ending apartheid, the ANC plans to impose apartheid-style censorship on the independent media. <vote poll=world1983 closed="yes">A French town hallucinated, ergot the CIA drugged them. <vote poll=world1982 closed="yes">When scientists attack! <vote poll=world1981 closed="yes">Poll: Costa Rica is a happier country than the U.S. Perhaps this is because some people in the U.S. make themselves depressed by yowling about the "exploitation" of Costa Ricans. <vote poll=world1980 closed="yes">Thought your commute was bad? Try being stuck in a 9 day, 100km traffic jam. <vote poll=world1979 closed="yes">Time Magazine: Is America Islamophobic? Rest of the toadying rational world: Uh, yeah, duh; they haven't outlawed blasphemy yet. <vote poll=world1978 closed="yes">Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has just unburqua'ed unveiled Iran's first unmanned bomber and states, "The jet, as well as being an ambassador of death for the enemies of humanity, has a main message of peace and friendship." <vote poll=world1977 closed="yes">First atheist to run for Federal office in the USA for 10 years. <vote poll=world1976 closed="yes">Can where you vote affect how you vote? <vote poll=world1975 closed="yes">First Wikileaks leaks details about the Afghan war mess, then its founder suddenly finds himself facing rape allegations. Let the conspiracy theories begin. UPDATE: Charges dropped <vote poll=world1974 closed="yes">A new guide to English composition aims to "encourage more fluency in writing" by reclassifying, i.a., the Summa Homosexualita and the musings of Jpatt as English-language works. <vote poll=world1973 closed="yes">Mexico's Supreme Court OK's same-sex marriage in Mexico City. Cardinal claims mayor of Mexico City bribed Court. Mayor sues cardinal for defamation. <vote poll=world1972 closed="yes">In a follow-up to the missing Japanese centenarians' stories below, Japanese officials are now tracking down 281 centenarians who are missing or may have already died. <vote poll=world1971 closed="yes">[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11020897 Where will it end? "Psychic" Croc picks Gillard to win. Octopus Paul says "no comment."] <vote poll=world1970 closed="yes">Spoon under the Moon in June while you still can. The moon is getting smaller. <vote poll=world1969 closed="yes">[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11020965 No Pooh! Bad Pooh! Wrong pot! Hunny pot here, Pooh.] <vote poll=world1968 closed="yes">Australian judge orders witness to remove niqab in court. <vote poll=world1967 closed="yes">Well that's one less way in which the Catholic Church can discriminate against gays. <vote poll=world1966 closed="yes">1 in 5 Americans think Obama is a Muslim. In other news: 1 in 5 Americans is a complete dumbfuck. <vote poll=world1965 closed="yes">Heavily armed trucker opened fire on a public safety building and tried to set off improvised explosives before shooting himself. The police have no clue why. And all this happens in Texas, of course. <vote poll=world1964 closed="yes">New age woo peddler: Our magic amulet gives you the protection of seven angels, watching over you and protecting your life. UK Advertising Standards Authority: Does it bollocks! <vote poll=world1963 closed="yes">Rest in peace piper Bill <vote poll=world1962 closed="yes">Thailand attempts to block WikiLeaks. <vote poll=world1961 closed="yes">Fair and balanced. <vote poll=world1960 closed="yes">Dr Laura, you have First Amendment rights... its just that when you use them, fewer folks want to listen to you... <vote poll=world1959 closed="yes">The birthers get smacked down for the umpteenth time as the Supreme Court refused to block a $20K fine levied against Orly Taitz. <vote poll=world1958 closed="yes">The 33d anniversary of Elvis going into hiding <vote poll=world1957 closed="yes">Evolutionary psychologist Marc Hauser busted - after Harvard knew about his shoddy research for three years. (His next book? Evilicious: Why We Evolved a Taste for Being Bad. Really.) <vote poll=world1956 closed="yes">What could help US college students with mathematics? Oh, how about teaching them how an equals sign works. <vote poll=world1955 closed="yes">Bike sharing in Denver "threatens our personal freedoms." Just don't tell the Conservative blue-blood pushing the scheme in London. <vote poll=world1954 closed="yes">Proposition 8 proponents strike back with a cunning 95 page appeal. "the confusion and irreparable injury that would flow from the creation of a class of purported same-sex marriages." Oh, and we don't have legal grounds to stand on, so let's accuse the judge of being a faggot. <vote poll=world1953 closed="yes">In his new campaign TV ad, the son of the biggest dumbass ever to serve as U.S. Vice President says that Barack Obama is the worst president in history. Knowing the Quayles, is there any doubt that Li'l Ben's knowledge of history is a bit sparse? Oh, and check out his country club tough guy act starting at the 20 second mark. <vote poll=world1952 closed="yes">How to use baraminology to convert creationists to proper science. <vote poll=1952 closed="yes">Turnabout is fore fair play when a gay activist tries to recruit Mormon missionaries. <vote poll=world1951 closed="yes">Dog Saves Drunk Man's Life By Eating His Toe. <vote poll=world1950 closed="yes">Global warming denier Viscount Monckton is a hereditary Lord ... but was never a member of the House of Lords. The House Of Lords goes out of its way to make this quite clear, including demanding he stop using a logo resembling theirs. Monckton then uses pseudolaw to claim he should be considered a member, dammit. <vote poll=world1949 closed="yes">RIP Ted. The tubes will never forget you. <vote poll=world1948 closed="yes">What's more powerful than Facebook? /b/. <vote poll=world1947 closed="yes">Best. Parthian shot. Ever. JetBlue flight attendant quits his job in truly epic style. <vote poll=world1946 closed="yes">Let us never forget. 65 years on, atomic bomb survivors relive their experiences.

<vote poll=world1944 closed="yes">In Iceland the mayor of Reykjavik was "too busy" to attend the opening of a gay pride festival - so he sent his friend instead. <vote poll=world1943 closed="yes">All together now: Always look on the bright side of life <vote poll=world1942 closed="yes">Ann Coulter who, as Wikipedia puts it, "has been engaged several times, but never married," will be the headline attraction at "Homocon," a convention for gay conservatives. Will Westboro Baptist Church protest that? <vote poll=world1941 closed="yes">Publicity hungry Westboro Baptist Church protests at Comic-Con but the real attraction was the counter protests from the nerds themselves. <vote poll=world1940 closed="yes">It's not quite the Well of Lost Plots, but... <vote poll=world1939 closed="yes">Elena Kagan is confirmed as Supreme Court Justice 63-37. <vote poll=world1938 closed="yes">Adolf Hitler taken away by social services. Really. <vote poll=world1937 closed="yes">Proposition 8 overturned by federal judge. <vote poll=world1936 closed="yes">Those evil, liberal, atheist, commie, muslim, nazis are once again refusing to be charitable. Bastards. <vote poll=world1935 closed="yes">FBI: "Using our seal in your Wikipedia thing is illegal!" Mike Godwin: "Arkell v. Pressdram." <vote poll=world1934 closed="yes">It's deja vu all over again! A week after finding out that Tokyo's "oldest man" actually died more than 30 years ago, officials have now been told that the whereabouts of Tokyo's "oldest woman" (113 years) have been unknown since 1986. <vote poll=world1933 closed="yes">Niche marketing in a recession. For those who are about to die, we have a magazine for you. <vote poll=world1932 closed="yes">Book burning is back! <vote poll=world1931 closed="yes">Idiot creationists, not just for America any more! Queensland students taught humans coexisted with dinosaurs. "But the teacher replied that DNA wasn't invented then."