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

July 2010
Listed below is an entry from 22 July about a married couple from a faith healing church in Oregon that were indicted for allowing a mass to grow over the eye of their baby girl. This was just the latest in a string of similar cases from this one church. Emphasis on the word "was" because on Friday (30 July) this became the latest case and the third death in two years involving this church. Capitalism, that wonderful system wherein a rising tide lifts all boats, and the wealthy ought to be allowed to keep their gains as they are the ones who help the rest of us. Japan's oldest man (111 years) has died. Er, 30 years ago. In news unlikely to be front-paged at right-wing websites, charges of sexual assault against Al Gore are dropped due to lack of any evidence and the complainant failing to deny she was paid by a tabloid newspaper.  Vampires 1 &#8210; Pastors 0. "Anne Rice 'quits being a Christian'" Obama calls African-Americans "a mongrel people" and says "There's still a reptilian side of our brain" that leads people to not trust others "if somebody sounds different or looks different." Lee Boyd Malvo is serving a life sentence for being one of the two DC snipers in 2002. So who should interview him? [http://abcnews.go.com/US/dc-sniper-lee-boyd-malvo-tells-william-shatner/story?id=11280777 Why... It's... None... Other... Than... William... Shatner....] Ten thousand years of shame upon those who betray the trust of Kim Jong-Un! And speaking of internet security; have you figured out your privacy controls yet? Dear Internet user, in case of emergency phone this guy. Catalonian women dislike men with MA-CHEESE-MO, as their parliament votes to ban bull-fighting. Center for Science in the Public Interest wins case to have Coke's Vitaminwater declared nothing more than a "a sugary snack food".

Biggest military document leak in history: WikiLeaks, in concert with the New York Times, the Guardian and der Spiegel, releases 200,000 pages of classified documents on the clusterfuck that is the war in Afghanistan. That's twenty times the size of the Pentagon Papers, and much fresher. First we had the atheist bus campaign, now Pope Benedict is to get an "Ordain Catholic Women Priests Now" message. If somebody pulls your top down against your explicit wishes... You consented to having your boobs filmed and the video comercially sold. The quantum world continues to confuse mere human brains, to the consternation of physicists. <vote poll=world1913 closed="yes">Reporter, investigative journalist, and Nixon enemy Daniel Schorr has passed at 93. <vote poll=world1912 closed="yes">Another set of parents from the faith healing Oregon church where two adolescents have already died have been indicted for endangering the health of their 7-month-old daughter. The baby's condition isn't life-threatening, but that doesn't diminish the tragedy of the case. WARNING: Includes a disturbing, heartbreaking family photo that the sheriff's department confiscated from the baby's obviously disturbed parents. <vote poll=world1911 closed="yes">Woman has consensual sex with man. Finds out he is not one of the Chosen People. Realises she was actually raped. <vote poll=world1910 closed="yes">Meet "Beloved Comrade" Kim Jong Un, youngest son of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il. The CIA is scrambling to gather every scrap of information they can find about him ASAP. They believe the twenty-something -- they don't even know his birthdate for certain! -- Swiss-educated, Nike sneaker-wearing Michael Jordan fan might take his father's place as early as this September. With infighting between him and his two older brothers, this situation could turn into a modern-day version of The Lion in Winter (if the House of Plantagenet were a bunch of commies with a million-man army and some nukes). This situation will probably catch most Westerners by surprise because, as one diplomat puts it, "We are on the verge of a total changeover in the leadership of North Korea—and yet, Mel Gibson and his mistress are the big story for most of you guys in the media." <vote poll=world1909 closed="yes">Who wouldn't want to get it on with a face like this? <vote poll=world1908 closed="yes">Newt Gingrich argues that there shouldn't be a mosque near Ground Zero because the Saudis don't allow churches at all. Newt, before you get all fired about following Saudi practices, perhaps you should check out what the Saudis do to adulterers. <vote poll=world1907 closed="yes">Thank you, Archbishop Tutu. We'll miss you, but you've more than earned your retirement. <vote poll=world1906 closed="yes">Modern tabloid journalism is no longer content with misrepresenting or exaggerating stories or even just falling for obvious hoaxes; the Daily Star decides to simply make some shit up. Update: The original author of the article doesn't seem to understand why fabricated journalism is wrong. <vote poll=world1905 closed="yes">We're going to have a serious televised poltical debate about the leadership of our country. Sorry mates, but it clashes with the final of Masterchef. <vote poll=world1904 closed="yes">A blog publishes bomb making instructions? Kill it all with fire. <vote poll=world1903 closed="yes">Welsh local councilman gets in hot water over a tweet mentioning he rushed past a Scientology church "in case the stupid rubs off" <vote poll=world1902 closed="yes">A Transgender candidate standing for the State House - where else but Oklahoma! <vote poll=world1901 closed="yes">Looks like Colorado Springs (see below) isn't the only American city that's using right wing "solutions" for its budget crisis. Maywood, California, has fired all of its hourly workers (but not the elected politicians) and has "outsourced" all of its services. With remarkably positive results, since it was a bit feckless to start with. <vote poll=world1900 closed="yes">While some complain about tax-payer funded research, Sarah Palin squeezes California State University, Stanislaus, for $100 000. For which they received a 40-minute speech, and bills for first-class flights, luxury hotel rooms and "bendable straws." <vote poll=world1899 closed="yes">Wherefore art ya, refudiate? <vote poll=world1898 closed="yes">A "locked-in" man seeks the right to die. <vote poll=world1897 closed="yes">Hmmm. If popping all those Oxys made Rush Limbaugh deaf, what do you suppose Glenn Beck has been doing to make himself go blind? (Or so he thinks.)  Maybe if he stopped dabbing soap in his eyes as a means to prompt his famous crocodile tears, his vision would come back. <vote poll=world1896 closed="yes">US Marines are rescuing kittehs cats in Afghanistan. All together now.... "aaaaaawwwwww..." <vote poll=world1895 closed="yes">Eat shit* and die live. (*well, sewage actually.) <vote poll=world1894 closed="yes">The US government has issued over 800,000 security clearances, so many that nobody knows how well the whole system works. <vote poll=world1893 closed="yes">It was the warmest June in recorded history, worldwide. <vote poll=world1892 closed="yes">He's not called the Mad Monk for nothing: Australian opposition leader Tony Abbott proposes compulsory bible study in all schools. Hey, when you're going to lose anyway, you might as well shore up the base. <vote poll=world1891 closed="yes">Here, have some music. Now give us your lungs wallets. <vote poll=world1890 closed="yes">Fuck Chinese medicine! <vote poll=world1889 closed="yes">Mark Williams would like you to know that the Tea Party is not racist. Actually, the NAACP is for having the word "colored" in their name... as it has been since 1911. That's why he wrote a satirical letter from the "coloreds" to Abraham Lincoln, in which they ask not to be freed because then they would have to give up government handouts bailouts. In completely unrelated news, the tanning tax is racist. Update: The National Tea Party Federation kick out not only Williams but his entire Tea Party group for odious racism! <vote poll=world1888 closed="yes">The Westboro Baptist Church is going to protest at Comic-Con, because nerds like superheroes. No, really. <vote poll=world1887 closed="yes">Is this the scientific breakthrough that will now save millions of lives? <vote poll=world1886 closed="yes">Texans, hide your goats!!! El chupacabra (corrección: Dos chupacabras) have been killed in a rural area north of Fort Worth. Or not. <vote poll=world1885 closed="yes">"If you aren't liberal at 18, you have no heart If you aren't conservative by 40 you have no brain" - A new study suggests people do lurch to the right as they grow up, but are probably in denial of it. <vote poll=world1884 closed="yes">Dept. of you couldn't make it up. According the the Vatican ordaining women is as grave an offence as paedophilia. <vote poll=world1883 closed="yes">If he wasn't his mommy's son, he'd be laughed off the planet: <vote poll=world1882 closed="yes">Doctor's Data, a laboratory providing testing services for chelation therapy practitioners, sues Quackwatch - alleging defamation, with the usual "We're licenced and everything, so stop saying bad things about us" spiel. Quackwatch asked for clarification, due to the original claim from Doctor's Data being somewhat vague. Doctor's Data helpfully responds by suing. Quackwatch is accepting donations towards their legal costs. <vote poll=world1881 closed="yes">The Vatican gets round to pulling its head out of the sand and its finger out of its arse. <vote poll=world1880 closed="yes">Tears of joy as Argentina becomes the first Latin American country to legalise same-sex marriage and grant full equal rights to gay and lesbian couples. <vote poll=world1879 closed="yes">More than 6000 years old. <vote poll=world1878 closed="yes">Hated the vuvuzela during the World Cup? Just think how BP must feel. <vote poll=world1877 closed="yes">From KKK to MMM and back again. Aspiring to be the world's biggest tit can be bad for your health. <vote poll=world1876 closed="yes">Eleven months ago, one of the Lockerbie bombers was released from prison after serving 8½ years of a life sentence, then sent back to Libya for humanitarian reasons. (He had cancer and was given three months to live.) He's still alive, and a doctor says he could live another decade. Now the four senators from New York and New Jersey have called for an investigation to see if BP brokered the bomber's early release in exchange for a $900 million offshore drilling deal with Libya. <vote poll=world1875 closed="yes">Theocracy is good for you - NOT (Hat tip PZ) Update: Ah, the martyr complex. Nope; didn't happen, it's just propaganda via Compass Direct News, debunked by PZ's commenters. <vote poll=world1874 closed="yes">Another country heard from. It's not just the decadent west having trouble with these religious nuts. Hat tip <vote poll=world1873 closed="yes">Welcome home Captain Costello, sorry it took so long. <vote poll=world1872 closed="yes">Who is [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/10609461.stm telling the truth. USA or Iran?] Anybody's guess <vote poll=world1871 closed="yes">The Church of England finally catches up with the 21st Century. <vote poll=world1870 closed="yes">Oh please please PLEASE let her run. Sarah Palin's war chest is said to be impressive. <vote poll=world1869 closed="yes">A case of a meaningful name or self fulfilling prophecy? MP Mark Reckless gets too pissed to vote. <vote poll=world1868 closed="yes">Raoul Moat is dead, but with the pressure now off, hindsight bias rears its ugly head. <vote poll=world1867 closed="yes">VIDEO: Meet Ernest J. Pagels Jr., proud homophobic fundamentalist Christian Republican candidate for the Wisconsin U.S. Senate seat currently held by Democrat Russ Feingold. (The primary is on 14 September.) He is lawsuit happy (but no doubt hates trial lawyers). And if he thinks you're gay, he might piss on your tires. <vote poll=world1866 closed="yes">Another reason why health care should not be a strictly for-profit industry: After Halloween of this year, if you are bitten by a North American coral snake -- most commonly found in the Jesusland states of Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, Louisiana, Texas and Arizona -- the odds will be much greater that you are going to die from it than if you had been bitten before November 1st. <vote poll=world1865 closed="yes">How to kill a political party:Replace your (loony) ethnic leader with your [[Sarah Palin|(loony) female loser]!] <vote poll=world1864 closed="yes">We predict fundie and Daily Heil condemnation in 3... 2... 1. Update: Well, not quite the Fail <vote poll=world1863 closed="yes">Health food manufacturers are being asked to back up their claims <vote poll=world1862 closed="yes">Welcome to Colorado Springs, America's preeminent right wing and/or libertarian haven! Home of Focus on the Family! Do you hate taxes and government? Well, then, you've found a new paradise in our community of a half-million people! Just this year we've driven down government costs by turning off one-third of the streetlights, putting a hiring freeze on new cops and firefighters, putting our police helicopters for sale on the internet, discontinuing in-person burglary investigations, stopping the maintenance public lawns and parks, closing public swimming pools and recreation centers, and much more! Oh, and since we've also cut back on police beat patrols, we've mandated recruited taxi cab drivers to report suspicious activities.  And just to make sure there's no mistake about this, we've marked every taxi cab serving the city with a big sticker that reads "C.O.P.S." (Cabbies-On-Patrol Service). <vote poll=world1861 closed="yes">Pastor and author Dr. Charles Stanley claims the United States is turning away from God and moving closer toward socialism. He must have missed "He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise" in Luke. <vote poll=world1860 closed="yes">Father and brother of Harry Potter star appear in court charged with her attempted murder after it emerged she is dating a Hindu <vote poll=world1859 closed="yes">So, what part of "generated substantial income for the hospital" is bad? <vote poll=world1858 closed="yes">Spain joins the 21st century, with their new unrestricted abortion laws. Pro-lifers have kittens. <vote poll=world1857 closed="yes">Arizona based Taser International files a lawsuit in Canadian Court after an inquiry finds that (hold on to your hat) tasers may be dangerous and police should stop using them until further tests can be conducted. The alleged violation? The inquiry ignored the evidence presented in defense: "Our tasers haven't killed anybody." <vote poll=world1856 closed="yes">Know what's bad? Performing surgery on a baby's naughty bits so they'll be "normal." Know what's worse? Molesting them afterwards.. <vote poll=world1855 closed="yes">BP truly cares about the environment. So much so that they prevent a sea captain from rescuing endangered species of sea turtle from burning alive. <vote poll=world1854 closed="yes">Fox "we'll tell you all you need to know" News suggests ditching libraries. <vote poll=world1853 closed="yes">Mexicans head to the polls, but drug lords want to kill whomever wins. <vote poll=world1852 closed="yes">Michael Steele Says Afghanistan Was 'War Of Obama's Choosing,' Not Something The U.S. 'Wanted To Engage In'  Apparently did bad in History. <vote poll=world1851 closed="yes">Glenn Beck has opened his very own online university. Among his first faculty members is "historian" David Barton. Oh, and there's a video <vote poll=world1850 closed="yes">A doctor decides to 'treat' expectant mothers to prevent 'abnormal daughters' with an experimental drug. <vote poll=world1849 closed="yes">Nick Clegg unveils an initiative for people to nominate what laws they don't like. With whining about health and safety and demanding that people be allowed to smoke in public, the BBC comment section gives a taste of things to come... Update: So far, we have "get rid of all laws", let kids eat junk food at school and about half a billion calls to repeal the smoking ban and bring back fox hunting. Never fear, the nerds are here to save us. <vote poll=world1848 closed="yes">Feds seize TV-Shack - "Boo!! Hisss!!" or "Hooray!!" (Your milage may vary) <vote poll=world1847 closed="yes">Post-It notes undermine our future history. <vote poll=world1846 closed="yes">Move over Janet Jackson, make way for the Lord Mayor of Leicester. <vote poll=world1845 closed="yes">Don't startle the YECs but the oldest multicelluar fossils are 2.1 bn years old. <vote poll=world1844 closed="yes">Wonder Woman isn't quite what she used to be. <vote poll=world1843 closed="yes">How many ways can our favorite VP candy Sarah Palin get things wrong in a week? <vote poll=world1842 closed="yes">E-cigarettes? (Note fake news web site.) If Fox News hostess gushes "oral fixation" one more time, I'll explode. <vote poll=world1841 closed="yes">Gordon Gekko (1987): Greed is good. Michael Douglas' ex-wife (2010): You betcha!