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

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March 2010

4

In a 44-page report, Greenpeace accuses Koch Industries of spending $25 million dollars to manipulate climate change data in their favor.

6

Liberal New Zealand edges closer to hell.

9

M.I.T finds evidence that your morality can be physically altered.

14

No champagne, but no black holes either, as the LHC begins to smash protons harder than anybody has before.

3

Bachelor #1, if I were a means of executing you which would you chose?

10

The Hutaree militia, whose website explicitly describes itself as Christian, was not a a True Scotsman Christian Militia

6

Nerd pareidolia? Cassini sees Pacman on The Death Star Mimas.

10

The Christian militia movement has reared its ugly head. Will the corporate media dare to call them terrorists? Don't hold your breath.

7

During his Palm Sunday homily, the pope said that he will not be intimidated by accusations that he covered up child sex abuse by many priests. Meanwhile, the archbishop of New York City goes a step farther, saying that "our earthly shepherd (is) now suffering from the same unjust accusation and shouts of the mob as Jesus did" just before He was crucified. Are these guys good at hyperbole or what?

9

Some members of the Tea-bagger movement sure do get around. Why, it's almost as if many of them are unemployed and living off of welfare.

9

How do you deal with the fact that one of your policemen has run over and killed a schoolgirl, while speeding? Nominating yourselves for (and winning) a public relations award for the way you handled the tragedy would not be most people's guess. See here for the CIPR nomination.

21

One of Bush's speechwriters said in an interview regarding Fox News that the GOP thought that Fox worked for them, but instead it turns out that the GOP actually works for Fox. But that's not why he "resigned" from the American Enterprise Institute. In fact, they "welcomed and celebrated" his comments. What's more, they were so orgasmic over his comments that "they offered him the chance to continue on at a salary of zero."

11

Opposition anger over Health Care Reform takes a violent turn.

12

Oh, those tabloids!

8

For years India and Bangladesh have disputed the ownership of New Moore Island. Global warming has settled the dispute.

10

Even zoo exhibits are Party of No political footballs nowadays, as climate change sceptics bash a polar bear exhibit in San Diego.

7

What lived 40,000 years ago, wasn't quite human, and wasn't quite Neandertal? No seriously, do you have an idea?

5

Google is leaving China, which is how you'd read this headline in Beijing.

-5

Joe Biden drops the f-bomb live. Is this a big fucking deal? Probably not.

13

No more pathetic reflection on the condition of public debate in the US could be found than that a quarter of the membership of the opposition party, The Party of No, thinks Obama may be the Antichrist. That's maybe 14 million people[1] who believe the President to be Beelzebub.

21

Ann Coulter is offended that Canada would lump her as those who would spread hate speech. She would be justified if she didn't tell a Muslim student to take a camel.

6

Former Houston Rockets coach pitches miracle pain relief, just use the hologram stickers...

12

To test psychological conditions for a mission to Mars, a crew of 5 volunteers have been locked in a box for 18 months. Do you think you could do it?

15

So how did the free market react to the government take over of 16% of the economy and the approach of socialism? By posting an 18 month high.

18

Using carefully chosen, bipartisan language, Phyllis Schlafly calls the Democrats the "Party of Death". Yes, that seems fair and balanced all right.

40

219-212

11

Gay? Fancy a break? Don't try Cookham, Berkshire

10

Tea party movement illustrates the saying, that people believe most fervently what they understand the least. In this case, taxes.

6

In China, one-party rule and censorship have led the language to develop a new tense formation - the passive subversive.

12

YouTube makes a startling accusation towards Viacom, one of it's main antagonists in the legal battles over copyright infringements: That Viacom itself "...hired no fewer than 18 different marketing agencies to upload its content to the site. It deliberately 'roughed up' the videos to make them look stolen or leaked."

11

Dutch soldiers failed to protect Sebrenica in 1995, why? According to a US General, it was because of the gays

8

Queen of the Birthers, Orly Taitz, is running for California Secretary of State.

5

The first ever 3D "Invisibility Cloak" has been created

5

Quantum Superposition recreated in visible objects for the very first time. The Quantum world is a very strange place indeed.

4

Taking the "genetic lottery" to a whole new level.

4

French documentary recreates Milgram's obedience study in the format of Reality TV - And it betters Milgram's 68% figure, with 80% obeying.

1

New data from the Planck satellite - self-respecting physics junkies chuckle at the idea of Planck working at "very large scales"...

7

Is it a man? Is it a woman? No! It's a, er...

5

Singing songs, chanting and banging bongos are for hippies - real protesters use human blood.

-3

Justice Thomas, wouldn't it be better to keep it private that your wife is into teabagging?

6

Headline of the week: Man assaulted female police officer with penis.

6

A woman discharged from the Air Force after snooping cops out her to the brass.

4

IRL trolling: fake news broadcast panics Georgia

5

Google now appears to be telling the Chinese government precisely where it can shove its Great Firewall. Update: Google shoves it for China

3

Ooh, that's a new one. Priest caught in bed with boys says he was only "tickling" them.

5

Ain't science great. Blind man learns to "see" with his tongue.

4

Glenn Beck is polarizing, even at Fox News. Or maybe that's just what they want you to believe.

4

Rupert Murdoch Doesn't Get The Web. Really.

-4

The Frogs veer left and right, undercutting Sarkozy's support.

4

A smooth-talking shill who, as an aide to President Obama, spent more time waxing lyrical about the "Obama brand" than actually doing her job, is out on her ear.

8

Scientologists + Haiti = FAIL.

3

Careful when you open your legs heart to lots of strange men God, ladies; you might get syphilis along with the Greater Connectedness.

6

U.S court rules against vaccine-autism claims.

5

CIA Experimented with LSD on Unsuspecting French Villagers Hat tip

10

UK journalist has to quit his day job to battle libel threats from chiropractors, after calling some of their claims "bogus". Rationalists fought back, and the chiropractors are now being smacked too.

0

Tiger, I'm just not sure that Ari is the man to rebuild your image.

0

Happy 60th FBI's 10 Most Wanted List, unless you happen to be a mob king pin, a terrorist, child molester or serial killer.

2

Women who take the pill "live longer"

6

9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals: "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance is constitutional. Michael Newdow promises to appeal to the Supreme Court.

9

It has come out that Blackwater, under the alias Eric Cartman, nicked hundreds of guns from the U.S. army.

1

The Virginia Attorney General tried to stop college presidents and other officials implementing anti-discrimination policies[old news]. The Governor's overridden him[new news]. Strife!

0

Prohibits the use of salt by restaurants in the preparation of food by restaurants.

10

North Mississippi school district cancels prom rather than let a lesbian couple attend. UPDATE: The ACLU gets involved while the school throws all the toys out of the buggy.

2

According to Chief Justice Roberts its okay to criticize him, just don't do it to his face and on national TV.

4

"I ain't our fault, it's Satan!"

0

William Shatner decides to set up his own social networking site complete with a catchy name.

5

The LHC is up to half power, but will need a year off to get it up to full - putting off full power Higgs research for at least another two years. Nielsen and Ninomiya may just be onto something...

32

Congratulations on 100 National Museum of Natural History.

4

3 years after being scrapped due to meddling by (surprise, surprise) US conservative groups, ICANN is set to reconsider the .xxx domain name.

-1

After weeks of running ads claiming that they were really, truly listening to their customers' concerns, Toyota reverts to its old claim: their runaway accelerator problem isn't electronic. It's faulty accelerator pedals and/or floor mats. A few hours later -- as if on cue -- a runaway Prius (which was recently turned away by the local dealership because that model wasn't part of the recall) required some "special assistance" to come to a stop.

5

Sean Penn: People who call Hugo Chavez a dictator should be thrown in irons. So much for Mr. Penn being appalled at the notion of civil liberties being deconstructed.

2

The Rome police were running a sting on a gay prostitution ring when they recorded solicitations involving an usher and a choir member from the Vatican.

13

Today in What-the-fuckery: Katrina victims seek to sue greenhouse gas emitters - like cows?

1

Across America college students peacefully rally to protest tuition hikes and service cuts. Except at the University of Maryland, which riots for a different reason.

8

I'm sure he was just doing "research"; California State Senator Roy Ashburn (R-Bakersfield) gets nabbed for DUI after driving away from a gay bar with a male "companion." People in the Sacramento gay community say "hooray, we've been trying to out him for years." UPDATE: good for him

2

Oh, boy... This should be good.

-2

In Karl Rove's new book he says that President Obama is "simply at odds with reality."

13

YEC Texas School Board member, McLeroy loses reelection bid to moderate Republican (there is no real Democrat challenger).

1

Seriously Congressman Broun?

9

Female Indian peacekeepers make a difference with traumatized women in Liberia.

4

Chilean earthquake may have shortened days on earth by 1.26 microseconds due to mass shifting. The Indonesian Tsumami quake appears to have made a 6 microsecond difference. Wonder how some YEC's would react to this, considering that they say God's 7 days were exactly 7 24 hour days.

2

So just because a bunch of spies took out a Hamas leader Israelis can no longer pretend to be Europeans while visiting Dubai

15

One quarter of American parents -- 29% of mothers, 17% of fathers -- believe that immunizations cause autism.

11

Republicans are on pace to break the filibuster record in the 111th Congress.

6

Andy's going to have a field day with this. Yup!

1

Justice Scalia loves guns but hates substantive due process. What's an "originalist" supposed to do?