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

August 2011
Good old GE. Christine O'Donnell's book sells 2,200 copies. Only 700 being legitimate. See what happens when you don't pay taxes? Chalk up another arrest for James Hansen. Obama nominates Alan Krueger of Card and Krueger fame as his next top economic adviser. A new report finds that the next terrorist attack might come from Iraq. Let's go kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity. Why North Korea's government shouldn't have internet access. Time-Warner certainly remembers the Fifth of November. Right wing extremism on the rise, according to the Department of Homeland Security... and then the right wing says "UR WRONG. WE R NOT TERRARISTS. IT IS THE MUDLIMS. GO LOOK AT THEM" Fukushima (may be) worse than Chernobyl. Syria has a few things slightly more potent than teargas which might, um, go missing. "There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable." - The LHC may be about to kill off supersymmetry According to right-wingers, the (innocent) Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi has been living the good life in Tripoli. In reality, he's comatose, and in an oxygen mask and hooked up to a drip. PARTY!!! I'm a maverick who opposes President Obama's campaign against Libya, largely because I've been trying to arm Gaddafi for years. My name is John McCain, and I approve this message. Vermont towns vote to arrest Bush and Cheney. The charge is "crimes against our Constitution," presumably because the townsfolk are unfamiliar with the word "treason." Apparently beauty and brains do go together. (Besides the Daily Fail, consider the source.) <vote poll=world3956 closed="yes">As Hurricane Irene moves up the East Coast, New York City issues its first-ever mandatory evacuation for 276,000 people living in low-lying areas, a major headache considering that 54 percent of NYC residents (and 78 percent of Manhattanites) don't own cars. The public transit system will also shut down Saturday with all routes starting their final runs at noon. (It seems that Hurricane Katrina has spooked many American politicians. Irene has already weakened to Category 2 after peaking at Category 3, and will likely hit New York as a Category 1.  In 1960, Donna -- one of the strongest Category 5 storms in history -- hit the NYC area as a Category 2.  Yet a mere 30,000 NYC and Long Island residents evacuated.) <vote poll=world3955 closed="yes">The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has ruled that police departments in the U.S. should be required to enforce restraining orders in domestic-violence cases. <vote poll=world3954 closed="yes">Who says they're all bad? Man regains hearing during earthquake. <vote poll=world3953 closed="yes">Sex with Neanderthals was good for our immune systems. <vote poll=world3952 closed="yes">Get ready for Condi/Gaddafi fanfic. This may be the freakiest thing to come out of the political scene so far this year. <vote poll=world3951 closed="yes">East Coasters, did you enjoy the weather this week? <vote poll=world3950 closed="yes">"Cannot be a long time sugar daddy, but can for tonight. Would you be interested in keeping me company for a while tonight" and I'll tip you $50 or $60 "for a really good time." But I'm a GOP State Rep so |mostpopular|text|FRONTPAGE how DARE you suggest I meant sex! I'm married with two kids! <vote poll=world3949 closed="yes">Joe the Plumber GOP Congressional Candidate? <vote poll=world3948 closed="yes">Weiner replacement candidate: "I'm not saying 'Fuck all the 9/11 responders' like those other Republicans did, just the volunteers!" <vote poll=world3947 closed="yes">The "not this shit again" file got closed. Again. <vote poll=world3946 closed="yes">Countdown to Apple fanboys going ballistic... <vote poll=world3945 closed="yes">Rebels liberate Gaddaffi compound. Also liberate valuables from Gaddaffi compound (let's get on the golf cart!) <vote poll=world3944 closed="yes">8.7 million species on Earth, and that doesn't include bacteria. <vote poll=world3943 closed="yes">A 5.9 earthquake hits Virginia, can be felt all the way up the East Coast. <vote poll=world3942 closed="yes">The GOP presidential field summarised: Rick Perry is a dope, Michele Bachmann is a joke, and Mitt Romney is a fraud. <vote poll=world3941 closed="yes">Creationism is religious, superstitious nonsense, and teachers can't be sued for saying so. <vote poll=world3940 closed="yes">Cameroon lurches into the 16th century, as they introduce tougher anti-gay laws. <vote poll=world3939 closed="yes">"Act of God" disrupts Ratzinger's anti-gay speech. <vote poll=world3938 closed="yes">Reports about Saif al-Islam Gaddaffi's capture slightly premature. <vote poll=world3937 closed="yes">Book bannings: Coming to a school near you. Who's surprised that Harry Potter isn't there? <vote poll=world3936 closed="yes">Canadian opposition leader Jack Layton passes away from cancer just after winning a historic total of seats for the social democratic NDP, possibly giving free rein to this idiot. Hang on to your seats. <vote poll=world3935 closed="yes">Republicans are against everything the Dems are for. Including Ken Ham's Ark. <vote poll=world3934 closed="yes">Sorry, kid, no blue ribbon for you. <vote poll=world3933 closed="yes">Libyan rebels meet light resistance as they enter Tripoli. Saif al-Islam Gaddaffi has been captured and his remaining soldiers are deserting (no word on the bodyguards). <vote poll=world3932 closed="yes">[http://news.yahoo.com/gop-may-ok-tax-increase-obama-hopes-block-124016578.html The GOP finally acquiesces to raising taxes? Oh. Not on the top 2%. On workers...] <vote poll=world3931 closed="yes">Time to finally observe full-on libertarianism in reality. Who wants to bet on a BioShock ending in less than a few months? <vote poll=world3930 closed="yes">Global warming? Yup! (The team found that on average organisms are shifting their home ranges at a rate of 17km per decade away from the equator; three times the speed previously thought.) <vote poll=world3929 closed="yes">Ecstasy. Fights cancer? <vote poll=world3928 closed="yes">The amazing Jon Stewart talks about taxing the lower 50% and we get some disturbingly Randroid like clips from Fox News people. <vote poll=world3927 closed="yes">Ever see the 1949 MGM movie Battleground? At the end of the movie, as the platoon marches triumphantly away from Bastogne after the Battle of the Bulge, they gave this cadence count that ends with these words: "You ain't got nothin' to worry about./  He'll keep her happy 'til I get out./  And you won't get out 'til the end of the war./  In Nineteen-Hundred-and-Seventy-Four."  The Daily Telegraph reports that the troops in Afghanistan might be able to update that last line to "In Two-Thousand-and-Twenty-Four" -- and they won't be joking. <vote poll=world3926 closed="yes">Rick Perry has invested at least $10,000 in Movie Gallery stock. Movie Gallery has been known to rent out such blockbuster epics as "Big Tit Brotha Lovers 6" and "Bisexual Barebacking" Vol. 1. We may conclude that Rick Perry is not one of those "conscientious investors."

<vote poll=world3925 closed="yes">Beware of aliens, say scientists. (ArXiv has a free copy of the paper.) Three men convicted in a high-profile, satanic panic-driven multiple-murder case have been freed after 18 years in prison because DNA evidence proved that they didn't do it on a plea deal that allows them to continue to maintain their innocence. <vote poll=world3923 closed="yes">Welcome to 20 years ago. According to Michelle Bachmann, Americans fear "the rise of the Soviet Union". <vote poll=world3922 closed="yes">Top Ten ways you know you've ticked off Al Qaeda. <vote poll=world3921 closed="yes">Out with the church dining halls, in with wine tastings and fresh fruit wraps: This is not your grandfather's State Fair. <vote poll=world3920 closed="yes">A stonkingly big Noah's Ark will be added to CMI's list of Truthy Attractions. <vote poll=world3919 closed="yes">The SEC is accused of burning the evidence. <vote poll=world3918 closed="yes">Rick Perry doesn't believe in Global Warming, bitch. <vote poll=world3917 closed="yes">The Tea Party is now less popular than Muslims and atheists. <vote poll=world3916 closed="yes">No joke: Stephen Colbert's super-PAC treasurer quits to work for Rick Perry. <vote poll=world3915 closed="yes">Oh noes! Ace is screwed! Or not, as it were. Update Telecom back down after the public screams "FAIL" which was followed by a massive drop in the company revenues <vote poll=world3914 closed="yes">News of the World scandal gets funnier and funnier.

<vote poll=world3913 closed="yes">Happy birthday Elvis!!! Let's celebrate! What's that? It's actually the anniversary of his death? Wow, Michele Bachmann can't get anything right. No, Michelle, not that John Wayne. <vote poll=world3912 closed="yes">Damned if you do... San Francisco Bay area's transit agency comes under fire for shutting off wireless services in order to prevent a protest. <vote poll=world3911 closed="yes">Chupacabra alert! Like other species from the desert Southwest, they seem to be moving north ahead of the effects of global warming, like this specimen that was sighted in Maryland. <vote poll=world3910 closed="yes">You can ask your Congressman a question... for a fee.

<vote poll=world3908 closed="yes">Iran's news media reports the recent UK riots as "an uprising against the monarchy" - illustrated with photographs from all over the world and back through time. <vote poll=world3907 closed="yes">[http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/14479670 I always thought zebra finches were a bit aaah ... gay!] <vote poll=world3096 closed="yes">Palestine begins UN statehood process. <vote poll=world3095 closed="yes">Bachmann wins! a poll with no bearing on anything, anywhere <vote poll=world3094 closed="yes">I never wanted to say I'm not a witch: the top 10 Juicy Bits from Christine O’Donnell’s book <vote poll=world3903 closed="yes">GOP state Rep. Phillip Hinkle, who recently voted for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, |topnews|text|IndyStar.com offered a young man him cash up front, with a tip of up to $50 or $60 "for a really good time." <vote poll=world3902 closed="yes">Blasphemy: Now UN-Approved. <vote poll=world3901 closed="yes">13,000 MPH, slightly faster than DARPA seems to think it is.

<vote poll=world3900 closed="yes">Perry announcing he will run for president on Saturday HIT THE DECK. <vote poll=world3899 closed="yes">Woman mauled by chimp looks normal with face transplant. Modern medicine FTW!! <vote poll=world3898 closed="yes">Tea Party Downgrade? S&P seems to think so. <vote poll=world3897 closed="yes">Hundreds of children abused by 20 priests The Irish Catholic church strikes again. Should be an interesting report when it's published. <vote poll=world3896 closed="yes">Hindsight Goggles™ activated. <vote poll=world3895 closed="yes">China has been using currency manipulation to try and undermine U.S. industry. The plot is now threatening to go belly-up due to the debt crisis, so the Chinese government claims a right to demand that the U.S. foot the bill for the failure. <vote poll=world3894 closed="yes">Biter bit. A bible is burned outside Terry Jones (he of the Koran burning threats) church. <vote poll=world3893 closed="yes">Al Gore summarizes the climate "debate" in the simplest terms possible. (Cue "Gore-bull warming" jokes from the deniosphere.) <vote poll=world3892 closed="yes">Iran decides to help Britain out with its riots by suggesting that the British government stop using violence against the protesters, and instead talk and listen to them. Oh the irany. <vote poll=world3891 closed="yes">NASA: Yup, we could be aliens. <vote poll=world3890 closed="yes">London Burns: Third night of rioting is the most extensive so far. Attacks and violence across many areas of London and into Birmingham, with hotspots in Liverpool, Leeds and Bristol developing overnight. David Cameron to chair a COBRA meeting in the morning as the Met Police appear to be stretched to thinly to cope. Update: Police to put 16,000 officers on the streets tonight. <vote poll=world3889 closed="yes">The Globe and Mail: A new study suggests that more sex occurs in countries with greater gender equality. Therefore, the increase in sex is caused by the gender equality.

<vote poll=world3888 closed="yes">Shorter S&P: Close enough for government work. <vote poll=world3887 closed="yes">School bans book; library hands out free copies <vote poll=world3886 closed="yes">Cuba is soon to allow private home sales. There are concerns at the New York Times that this will promote "gentrification," which seems to mean "opportunities for people other than government officials to live in houses that are not falling down." <vote poll=world3885 closed="yes">The Air Force educates its nuclear officials about just war theory to address any religious scruples they might have before sending them off to take charge of the nukes. Mikey Weinstein objects to this; but what really bothers him is not the religious content, but the heretical suggestion that war is ethical. <vote poll=world3884 closed="yes">Americans United slams Rick Perry for his prayer-a-palooza.

<vote poll=world3883 closed="yes">Child protection officer caught with child porn and (surprise! surprise!) he was employed by the Catholic Church! <vote poll=world3882 closed="yes">One of the credit rating agencies that gave AAA ratings to securitized mortgages has downgraded the credit rating of the US from AAA to AA+, just as they threatened to do back in April. France, however, begs to differ.  UPDATE:  S&P doesn't understand all the fuss. In fact, they say that the may downgrade America's credit rating again in the near future. <vote poll=world3881 closed="yes">Unlicensed raw milk peddlers? Holy shit, call in the SWAT team! (Naturally, this is driving Mike Adams completely nuts.) <vote poll=world3880 closed="yes">Time for some more publicity whoring: The Phelpses are going to Norway! <vote poll=world3879 closed="yes">Signs of water flow on Mars <vote poll=world3878 closed="yes">Did Earth, at one point, have two moons? Based on differing compositions, some scientists say yes.

<vote poll=world3877 closed="yes">UK Parliament publishes the first "e-petition" results, showing that people seem to care most about bringing back hanging and keeping Formula 1 on the BBC. <vote poll=world3876 closed="yes">Chief UK Government advisor demands scientists be "grossly intolerant" of abuses of science by quacks and religion (from February, though) <vote poll=world3875 closed="yes">Republican "economics" strikes again: [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44006456/ns/travel-news/ They've effectively shut down the FAA to save $16 million at 13 rural airports. But the shutdown has cost the federal government $200 million in tax revenues and may cost up to $1.2 billion if they don't pass the FAA's operational budget before their summer vacation ends in early September.] <vote poll=world3874 closed="yes">Boys who masturbate have safer sex. Break out the Kleenex! <vote poll=world3873 closed="yes">Swede is arrested for trying to achieve nuclear fission in his kitchen <vote poll=world3872 closed="yes">Duncan Bannatyne gets all Ransom after his daughter is threatened: "I offer £25,000 reward for the capture of the coward who calls himself @YuriVasilyev_ Double if his arms are broken first." <vote poll=world3871 closed="yes">A new, albeit underpowered, Gallup poll shows an interesting result regarding Muslims and violence. <vote poll=world3870 closed="yes">Faith based pregnancy counselling found wanting. Well, there's a surprise!

<vote poll=world3868 closed="yes">David Norris drops out of Irish Presidential race, thanks to the crime of an ex-boyfriend from 23 years ago. Somewhere, evangelists are yelling "SEE? WE TOLD YOU DEM GHEYS R EVIL". <vote poll=world3867 closed="yes">Missouri bans teacher-student "friends" on facebook <vote poll=world3866 closed="yes">The final version of the debt ceiling shit sandwich deal passes Congress. <vote poll=world3865 closed="yes">In Indonesia, the buzz is all about Railway therapy. <vote poll=world3864 closed="yes">Prepare to headdesk: The debt ceiling debacle has already cost $1.7 billion due to interest rate spikes. Edit: CNN has issued multiple corrections on the figure. Click the link to see whatever the hell it is now. <vote poll=world3863 closed="yes">It's official! Faux News viewers are the most misinformed of any news consumers. <vote poll=world3862 closed="yes">Gabrielle Giffords returned to Congress to vote on the debt ceiling limit. <vote poll=world3861 closed="yes">American Atheists suing over proposed Ground Zero Cross display at 9/11 memorial; AA national legal director Edwin Kagin and Andrew Schlafly debated that issue on the radio program Legally Speaking on The Voice of Russia network. <vote poll=world3860 closed="yes">What needs to happen for the debt ceiling deal to become law. <vote poll=world3859 closed="yes">Slutwalk comes to New Delhi. Your browser history could be open for, ahem, "police review."