RationalWiki:What is going on in the world?/September 2011

September 2011
China launches its first space station already, managing a repeat of the Soviet 40 years later (though it probably has better electronics). Crazy commies. While neutrinos might disagree, clusters of galaxies still back Relativity. Jehovah's Witnesses to apostates in the July, 2011 edition of the Watchtower: "You are mentally diseased."  British apostates reply to Witnesses:  "You better have a good lawyer." "Under the Conservatives’ omnibus crime legislation, a person growing pot plants in a rental unit would receive a longer mandatory sentence than someone who forces a five-year-old to have sex with an animal." Study finds that most young evangelicals have pre-marital nookie. Six reasons young Christians leave the church. The more you tighten your grip, the more young people slip through your fingers. First Osama and now Anwar Al-Awlaki. Obama may be a lot of things but soft on national security he is not Al-Qaeda to truthers: fuck off. A court in Bahrain has jailed 20 medics who treated protesters to up to 15 years - What? Nothing to see here, move along. It's not just the fundies who have unaccredited diploma mills. The oil propagandists spread to Toronto. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement rounds up and arrests 2900 illegal immigrants who are also convicted criminals. Mission accomplished! Fiddling while Rome burns... In order to prove that the poor are more likely to abuse drugs, Florida's Republican governor Rick Scott goaded the state legislature into passing a law requiring all welfare recipients to submit to drug testing. Can you guess the preliminary results? In other WTF news, Facebook forms a PAC. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpRUvfwv_AU What you've just said...is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.] <vote poll=world4067 closed="yes">Is this man speaking the truth? UPDATE:It depends on whether you want to hear it from the horse's mouth or Guy Goma's. <vote poll=world4066 closed="yes">"It contradicts everything [we are in business to do – provide therapies that improve people's lives"], says a Danish drug company protesting its drug being used to systematically kill people in US prisons. <vote poll=world4065 closed="yes">ITV airs a documentary showing "secret IRA footage" of terrorists shooting down a helicopter. With one small problem... <vote poll=world4064 closed="yes">Obelix finally hangs up his menhir. <vote poll=world4063 closed="yes">Tricky Dick No. 2 enters into Canada shortly after Dubya, defying protests in Vancouver calling for his arrest. It is expected that Stevie to the H. does nothing. <vote poll=world4062 closed="yes">Go to Jesus or go to jail <vote poll=world4061 closed="yes">Scientists turn to the Best of the Public some gamers to help them map a critical HIV protein that they'd been working on for 10 years. The gamers crack it in three weeks. <vote poll=world4060 closed="yes">A new renewable energy source? Shit! <vote poll=world4059 closed="yes">Score one for Monkey typewriter theory <vote poll=world4058 closed="yes">To show affirmative action is flawed, Republicans at UC Berkley organized a bakesale where prices were determined by race and gender. <vote poll=world4057 closed="yes">Larry Flynt continues the lulz. Wanna guess another Bob Livingston? <vote poll=world4056 closed="yes">"Take four Jesus's and call me in the morning." British doctor starts prescribing Christianity. Come on, what about music or something? <vote poll=world4055 closed="yes">Rick Perry wants to talk to the people! Just not the inconvenient ones. <vote poll=world4054 closed="yes">Women to be allowed to vote in Saudi Arabia. Good grief, we'll be letting them drive next! <vote poll=world4053 closed="yes">Ah, the wonders of the recent advancements of technology! That state-of-the-art flat-panel set that cost you an arm and a leg and a butt cheek may be "unrepairable." <vote poll=world4052 closed="yes">Medvedev does his job. <vote poll=world4051 closed="yes">Australian Aborigines branched off 62,000-75,000 years ago, pushing back the date of anatomically and cognitively modern humanity. <vote poll=world4050 closed="yes">Another day, another walkout at an Ahmadinejad speech. <vote poll=world4049 closed="yes">Buy gold! Wait, what gold? <vote poll=world4048 closed="yes">The recent discovery on neutrinos gets even more entertaining: University of Surrey physicist and BBC scienceman Jim Al-Khalili says that he will eat his boxer shorts on live TV if the particles have truly broken the speed of light. <vote poll=world4047 closed="yes">Neurologists reverse-engineer what the brain is currently seeing using preset patterns and some extrapolation. The media reports it mind reading device, the comments field draws the conspiracy nuts out of the woodwork. <vote poll=world4046 closed="yes">Richard Dawkins writes a children's book. <vote poll=world4045 closed="yes">Ireland finally gets its first case of spontaneous human combustion. <vote poll=world4044 closed="yes">Barack Obama inadvertently ruins a photograph <vote poll=world4043 closed="yes">New York MTA tells Pamela Geller to fuck off. <vote poll=world4042 closed="yes">CERN reports neutrinos traveling faster than light. WTF? Yep, that's what they said too. <vote poll=world4041 closed="yes">New Scientist reports that gene therapy "clears HIV from body". <vote poll=world4040 closed="yes">The US Department of Defence, the Chinese People's Liberation Army and Walmart - the three largest employers in the world. <vote poll=world4039 closed="yes">You can't try a President and his staff in America for war crimes, but you can legally murder a black guy for little to no evidence. <vote poll=world4038 closed="yes">Bill Clinton: "We look like a joke (on climate change)." <vote poll=world4037 closed="yes">Is this the last delay for Troy Davis? <vote poll=world4036 closed="yes">An evangelist who claimed to have created miraculous pregnancies through prayer is to be sent back to Kenya to face child abduction charges. <vote poll=world4035 closed="yes">Mohamed El Naschie announces his candidacy for president of Egypt. <vote poll=world4034 closed="yes">Rick Santorum to Google: [http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/63952.html "Fix your filthy search results for my name!!". Google: "Meh, fix it yourself"]. <vote poll=world4033 closed="yes">If you support capital punishment, go fuck yourself. <vote poll=world4032 closed="yes">Is this by any means rational? <vote poll=world4031 closed="yes">From "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" to "I do". <vote poll=world4030 closed="yes">Coptic Christians wonder will the revolution in Egypt make their relatives there more or less safe? <vote poll=world4029 closed="yes">Paulbots strike again. The facepalms continue.

<vote poll=world4027 closed="yes">Is a World Net Daily crank writing training manuals for the FBI? <vote poll=world4026 closed="yes">Share the pain of GOP Rep. John Fleming: By the time I feed my family, I have maybe $400,000 left over. Here is the world's smallest violin, playing the world's saddest song, just for you John! <vote poll=world4025 closed="yes">More great news from Canuckistan: A Christian university in Toronto kicks out Dubya from making a guest appearance. Sun News (Canada's barely-alive equivalent of Faux) responds by calling the evangelical seminary "Marxists." <vote poll=world4024 closed="yes">Anonymous stages mass protests against Wall Street. <vote poll=world4023 closed="yes">Spongebob doesn't rot your brain after all <vote poll=world4022 closed="yes">People who "suffer" from electromagnetic hypersensitivity run off and hide in the woods. <vote poll=world4021 closed="yes">Just because the name of the sea has China in it doesn't mean the whole sea belongs to China. <vote poll=world4020 closed="yes">Ginger sperm not wanted here. <vote poll=world4019 closed="yes">Louie Gohmert pranks Obama with a "jobs" bill repealing corporate income tax. <vote poll=world4018 closed="yes">The UK government is committed to changing the law to allow gay marriage by 2015. <vote poll=world4017 closed="yes">In Italy, six scientists are charged with manslaughter for failing to predict an earthquake in 2009. <vote poll=world4016 closed="yes">A new way to encourage exercise: running from zombies Denmark elects its first ever female prime minister, a lefty. The party that lost is called "Left, Liberal Party of Denmark". The party that won is called "Social Democrats". Welcome to the left version of the USA! Hey, it helps with shrinking the influence of the racist Danish People's Party! <vote poll=world4014 closed="yes">NASA's Kepler mission observes Tatooine a planet in a binary system, in a galaxy far, far away in our own galaxy. <vote poll=world4013 closed="yes">Professors put their money where Bachmann's mouth is. <vote poll=world4012 closed="yes">Wife got Alzheimer's? Pat Robertson says you can divorce her. <vote poll=world4011 closed="yes">Not sure if you're a Bloke or a Sheila? Congratulations to Australia for recognising that that's OK <vote poll=world4010 closed="yes">Me am play gods! Lee Cronin of the University of Glasgow attempts to start an evolutionary process in metal-based "cells." <vote poll=world4009 closed="yes">The United States of Liberty and Education wins again. <vote poll=world4008 closed="yes">The Northwest Passage is still open for business. <vote poll=world4007 closed="yes">It's hard to know which is worse: Michele Bachmann saying that the HPV vaccine causes retardation, or Rick Perry for apologizing for supporting it before now. <vote poll=world4006 closed="yes">The attempt to "Americanize" Canada begins. <vote poll=world4005 closed="yes">"Happy Feet" goes missing. <vote poll=world4004 closed="yes">Ron Paul and the audience bring the crazy at GOP debates. Let's hope that "let him die" will shun some of the Rondroids (It's a good nickname, right?) <vote poll=world4003 closed="yes">Here's what happens when you privatize counter-terrorism operations: The Mall of America's private counter-terrorism program appears to favor swarthy-looking men with beards rather than actual terrorists. <vote poll=world4002 closed="yes">There are now more practicing Christians in China than in Europe: <vote poll=world4001 closed="yes">As the US remembers 9/11, the GOP's Eric Cantor wants to cut the benefits for that day's first responders, to pay for hurricane disaster relief. <vote poll=world4000 closed="yes">The best tribute to George Lucas' recent failure. Even Hitler doesn't like the changes. Oh, and it's our 4000 entry, everyone! <vote poll=world3999 closed="yes">Wikipedia to truthers: Look, just bugger off. <vote poll=world3998 closed="yes">Wait, so why haven't we sent Dubya and his cronies to Switzerland? <vote poll=world3997 closed="yes">United States marks 10 years since the terror attacks of September 11th. <vote poll=world3996 closed="yes">Rick Perry: Social security is a ponzi scheme. <vote poll=world3995 closed="yes">Imagine you were an F-16 pilot ordered to shoot down United Flight 93. Now imagine you had to do it without your missiles or cannons. <vote poll=world3994 closed="yes">Skeptics, behold! You have been proven wrong as God rewards Texas' faith with lots of bright sunshine, so they can tan and stuff. Update: God has given Texas free heating! <vote poll=world3993 closed="yes">Brits have problems with torture as well. <vote poll=world3992 closed="yes">Want to see why the United States has become one of the largest disgraces of the modern world? (Yes, they're cheering.) See the following comments for even more headdesk. <vote poll=world3991 closed="yes">Some new evidence in the story of human evolution. <vote poll=world3990 closed="yes">Cenk Uygur leaves MSNBC. But with The Young Turks attracting a million viewers a day, he can afford to leave with a big FUCK YOU. <vote poll=world3989 closed="yes">A viral flash game named "Tea Party Zombies Must Die" is attracting attention, with criticism from the Right and Left. <vote poll=world3988 closed="yes">A court rules that Carl Lewis can't run. <vote poll=world3987 closed="yes">67 more events point to the existence of dark matter. <vote poll=world3986 closed="yes">The State of Georgia, for the fourth time, moves closer to executing a man that is almost certainly innocent. Time is running very short for Troy Davis! <vote poll=world3984 closed="yes">The defeat of Flood Geology... by Flood Geology. <vote poll=world3983 closed="yes">The number arrested at the White House pipeline protest reaches over 1,000. <vote poll=world3982 closed="yes">An electric motor made out of a single molecule. <vote poll=world3981 closed="yes">Further proof that libertarians are talking bullshit: even a small county can save $1 million by "de-privatizing" its jail. <vote poll=world3980 closed="yes">Can US foreign policy get any funnier? <vote poll=world3979 closed="yes">In a protest against austerity measures, a small town in Italy declares independence. <vote poll=world3978 closed="yes"> The Gibson raid: Guitar enthusiasts and conspiracy theorists alike don't quite know what the mythical-hot-place is going on. <vote poll=world3977 closed="yes"> The frothy mixture of lube and feces that is sometimes the by-product of anal sex can't even form a proper argument against homosexuality. <vote poll=world3976 closed="yes">[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/george-lucas-tweaks-pivotal-darth-230394 George Lucas fucks about with Star Wars. Again.] <vote poll=world3975 closed="yes">The editor-in-chief of Remote Sensing resigns when a GW denialist paper is published. Update: Commentary at Skeptical Science. <vote poll=world3974 closed="yes">Federal Court Rules Videotaping Police Is A First Amendment Right. <vote poll=world3973 closed="yes">Wikileaks leaks all of the 250 000 unedited US diplomatic cables due to some idiotic security failures and a conflict of egos. Ooops!