12 June 2010

Link roundup for 12 June 2010

Ragebot has signed off from the internet. So, apparently, has God Lizard. Both will be missed.

Gothic Atheist looks at the preposterousness of Scientology.

Biological nomenclature can be a bit naughty (well, what do you expect from a species that named its own recent ancestor Homo erectus?).

MediaMatters has a hilarious review of Glenn Beck's new novel (found via Oliver Willis). Beck's own reading matter merits some examination.

Lady Gaga's bizarre and erotic new music video is freaking out Catholic apologist Bill Donohue.

At last there's a movie I might actually want to see -- but for some reason it's having trouble getting wide distribution in the US.

BP certainly delivered what it promised in this ad.

Sleuths ponder the mystery of the missing stripe (sent by Ranch Chimp).

Peter Beinart looks at Republican primary winners in California and Nevada.

The looniest California Republican of them all was defeated -- and blames Venezuela.

Teabaggers may spoil Republican Congressional hopes in Virginia.

Let's hope Carly Fiorina's track record at HP foreshadows her performance as a Senate candidate (she's an anti-science nut too).

Ex-Republican Charlie Crist still has the lead in Florida.

Rand Paul practices strategic libertarianism.

Sharron Angle is a gift that keeps on giving for Harry Reid.

Illinois Republican Senate candidate Mark Kirk isn't doing as well as expected.

Arizona drops the ball on its slimiest citizen. Now it's up to Utah and Texas.

Green Eagle looks at irresponsible people around the country.

The most corrupt states are Tennessee and Virginia (found via Mendip). Least corrupt? New Hampshire.

Change.org has a petition to support repeal of DADT. Conservative Jonas Stankovich wishes Republicans would drop the subject.

Here's a big part of why gays are becoming more accepted: in 1992, 42% of Americans said they know a gay person, today 77% do. (In fact, of course, 100% of people know a gay person -- in some cases they just don't know the person is gay.)

BP is hiding evidence of how bad the Gulf oil disaster really is.

HRH Prince Charles, heir apparent to the throne of the United Kingdom, is a twit.

Today is the anniversary of Iran's stolen election. Reza Aslan looks at how the green movement is transforming the country.

If this report is true, the end game is approaching for the Iranian nuclear program.

The Catholic Church has a plan for a comeback in Ireland. In the US, their propaganda skills need work.

NoBeliefs.com has a great collection of photos on the Nazis and religion (found via Mendip).

Crispian Jago's skeptic trumps series continues -- and, yes, Ayaan Hirsi Ali is in the deck.

Ron Pinhasi is excited about finding an old shoe (sent by Ranch Chimp).

Feminist distrust of science harms women.

Arctic ice cover is at its lowest level in millennia (found via Green Eagle).

7 Comments:

Blogger mendip said...

I am still embarrassed and stunned to see that Tennessee beat out Virginia for being the most corrupt state. Rest assured that the Old Dominion WILL come back to claim our rightful position as #1.

12 June, 2010 11:32  
Blogger Infidel753 said...

Mendip: It's always good to have a goal to aspire to.

12 June, 2010 17:29  
Blogger Leslie Parsley said...

WOW, I can't tell you how exciting it is to live in the most corrupt state, Ten-uh-see. What a distinction.

12 June, 2010 19:09  
Blogger Ranch Chimp said...

Howdy Mr.Infidel!

Of course Science Daily alway's has some nice read's .... those who a few year's ago thought the ice wasnt vanishing, now say that it's alway's done that since the beginning of time .... many of those same folk's may even think the earth is under 10,000 year's old even (one christian told me it's around 7000 yr's old) .... many of these same folk's probably couldnt even tell ya where f'n Greenland is located on the globe, that's no shit! Were fucked! For the last couple year's I been trying to keep up with the info on these solar storm's, that's been acting up off the sun's surface, while scientist's seem to wonder about possible effect's on say satellite's ... I wonder if any of this will have an effect on our atmoshere and nature? Even effecting what ice is left? They say the activity should peak over the next few year's.

The reason I sent the one about Jupiter is because I dont think many folk's even think twice about Jupiter. But when a planet (technically called a planet, even though I dont know how much solid mass of anything there may be?) the size of that end's up missing a stripe .... (their big f'n stripe's guy!) make's me wonder wassup? I realize it's some gases, debris, cloud's or whatever .... but I see Jupiter as a lifesaver, a guardian of sort, because of all the debris and meteor's etc, that it take's in, some of which could hit our goddamn planet if it wasnt there. Just the other day .... a huge fireball was recorded on it .... from what apparently must have been some huge asteriod or something going inbound!

Huffington piece on BP ... dont suprise me ... you know their gonna try to save their asses. The most hilarious thing was when they first announced a thousand barrel's were going into the ocean, look what we found out since!

Nice link up dude .... later!

12 June, 2010 21:58  
Blogger Infidel753 said...

TNLib: WOW, I can't tell you how exciting it is to live in the most corrupt state, Ten-uh-see. What a distinction.

Yeah, but see Mendip's comment above -- Tennessee can't rest on its laurels. You'll need to work hard to keep that "most corrupt" title. Get out there and cheat at bingo or vote more Republicans into office or something.:-)

RC: That sunspot thing is actually one of the denialists' scams -- they claim that changes to the climate are being caused by sunspots and not mainly by human greenhouse-gas emissions. Sunspot activity does fluctuate, and it does affect the weather to an extent, but it wouldn't explain the steady upward trend in average global temperature for decades, or the effects we're seeing in the polar areas. The claim that sunspots are responsible for climate change has been debunked by climate scientists (see here for example) just like the other denialist myths.

The US Navy, which needs to make plans based on the real world, anticipates an ice-free Arctic within 20 years -- just open ocean between Russia and Canada, which will have significant strategic implications.

Based on the photos, the width of that missing stripe on Jupiter must have been at least as great as the diameter of the Earth. The stripes probably vary due to changes in weather patterns, or maybe even due to large meteor impacts.

13 June, 2010 03:53  
Blogger Ranch Chimp said...

Thank You for the link to the New Scientist piece. I actually had no idea that denialist's of Global Warming were using this, or have even considered it I reckon as the reason for any of what we are experiencing as far as ice melt's. I have heard denialist scientist's though claim that this Global Warming is healthy for a greener planet believe it or not! :) .... But that was an interesting read, and cleverly put I reckon. I have been watching mostly NASA scientist's ... and I have even heard that folk's think Nasa scientist's make up shit to simply get continued funding, but there has been over the last few year's several scientist's concerned with this time between now and the year 2013 (supposedly when this sun activity will peak I reckon) .... however ... viewing some of the video and these eruption's or whatever their called on the sun's surface .... if this activity does increase at all in the next couple year's .... and some hefty one's .... I am wondering if it can effect our atmosphere? Even though these scientist's seem to be more concerned with our satellite's, communication's network's and such.

Interesting comment about the open ocean between Canada and Russia, actually I was looking as well as the broader water's of that area to come (at least at the rate were going it appear's to come), and wondering what kind of money and damage from the world's top investor's will be being planned for this region?

Later Guy ..........

13 June, 2010 07:03  
Blogger Infidel753 said...

Well, as I said, sunspots do affect our atmosphere a little, but they aren't the main cause of global warming.

I've heard that Russia is staking claims in areas of the Arctic which they think have oil, so they can drill there later.

13 June, 2010 07:15  

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