Politics
eklemetti | April 26, 2010
Night image of Eyjafjallajökull erupting on April 24, 2010. Image courtesy of James Ashworth.
A quick update on the Eyjafjallajökull eruption: Not a lot to report in terms of changes in the volcanic activity at the volcano. The update from the Icelandic Met Office last night sums it up nicely:
Overall activity similar as yesterday. Eruption seen from west in the morning - north crater still active. External water has not affected vent activity much since 18 April. Geologists' field observations (2-10 km from vents) show that explosivity is magmatic and that the tephra produced since 18…
grrlscientist | April 26, 2010tags: Cleanternet, internet security, online porn, online censorship, politics, satire, comedy, humor, cultural observation, social commentary, streaming video
Cleanternet is a campaign to support European Commissioner Cecilia Malmström in her plans to introduce a website blocking system in Europe.
pharyngula | April 25, 2010I thought the whole Affair of the Mocking Memo was grossly overblown and absurd, but I had no idea how pretentious the Vatican could be. Now, because of an internal memo that made some mild jests about confronting the Pope on his British visit with the consequences of his policies, the silly men in dresses are threatening to stick their noses in the air, sniff, and refuse to come.
One highly-placed source in the Vatican said: "This could have very severe repercussions and is embarrassing for the British government - one has to question whether the action taken is enough.
"It is disgusting.…
pharyngula | April 25, 2010Another interesting tidbit in this video is the teabagger split between Palinites (government should promote Christian values) and Paulites (government should go away). Either way, they're a party of loons.
(via One Good Move)
grrlscientist | April 25, 2010tags: What Would Jesus Do?, Axis of Awesome, music video, religion, cults, mind control, offbeat, beliefs, comedy, fucking hilarious, streaming video
Yesterday, I ran a video that featured the Australian comedy music group, Axis of Awesome and their take on the science of popular music. Today, just in time for Sunday sacrilege, I am sharing another of their music videos; "What Would Jesus Do?", performed live, during Good News Week.
pharyngula | April 24, 2010Some wag in the British government made a half-joking tentative itinerary for the Pope's visit to England…and it got spread around and made some stuffed shirts very angry.
The Rt Rev Malcolm McMahon, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Nottingham, was astonished and angered by the proposals.
He said: "This is appalling. You don't invite someone to your country and then disrespect them in this way.
"It's outlandish and outrageous to assume that any of the ideas are in any way suitable for the Pope."
The fellow who made the list has been chastised and transferred. Representatives of the…
pharyngula | April 24, 2010The Reverend Barry Lynn was on Fox News with Megyn Kelly, and I am unsurprised that Kelly was astonishingly awful: talking over Lynn, pushing lies, etc. There are multiple face-palm moments here: Kelly telling a reverend that he "wants god out of everything," for instance, or when Lynn points out that the national day of prayer is not neutral on religion, but promotes it, she offers a 'secular' alternative: instead of praying, let people meditate and acknowledge the role that god has played in the founding of this country and its laws.
Lynn is good, though, and shows how to gracefully cope…
pharyngula | April 23, 2010Stories like this one about private insurers operations are one good reason.
Reuters reported on Thursday that WellPoint, the largest U.S. health insurer by enrollment, was using a computer algorithm that automatically targeted patients recently diagnosed with breast cancer, among other conditions.
The software triggered an immediate fraud investigation by the company as it searched for excuses to drop coverage, according to government regulators and investigators.
WellPoint has excuses. One that is almost reasonable is that they automatically scan claims for pre-existing "conditions that…
eklemetti | April 23, 2010
A night shot of the Eyjafjallajökull eruption showing the glowing plume from the strombolian explosions and the Aurora Borealis overhead.
A quick update on the current activity at Eyjafjallajökull eruption: the eruption continues at the summit craters, but there seems to be less ash being erupted, at least yesterday. The latest update from the Icelandic Met Office suggest that things are settling down - but floods are still periodically being produced by melting of the glacier:
Volcanic tremor has been similar the last 24 hours. GPS stations around Eyjafjallajökull showed deflation…
cevans | April 23, 2010
The North Korean government has made an operating system called "Red Star."
Despite the fact that very few North Koreans have a computer, let alone Internet access, Red Star is designed to provide a safe operating environment in line with North Korean political philosophy of "juche," or self-reliance (as well as, admittedly, monitor user activity).
The Red Star O.S. takes fifteen minutes to install, uses a popular Korean folk song as its start-up music and features a calendar which starts counting time from the birth of Kim Il-sung, making 2010 the year 99. Amazingly, it's Linux-based, with…
eklemetti | April 22, 2010
A strombolian eruption in the crater of Eyjafjallajökull, taken on April 19, 2010. Image courtesy of the Icelandic Met Office.
The Eyjafjallajökull eruption in Iceland has been one of the most fascinating eruptions in recent memory - and this is beyond the fact that it is a prime example of a "wired" eruption, where people from around the world can follow every aspect of the eruption from the comfort of their home. What will really be interesting is the political fallout from the six day closure of the airspace over most of Europe due to the ash. If you read the press, you'd think that…
emjohnson | April 22, 2010A new study shows that chimps sacrifice their own advantage if they earned it unfairly.Image: Owen Booth / Creative Commons
Fairness is the basis of the social contract. As citizens we expect that when we contribute our fair share we should receive our just reward. When social benefits are handed out unequally or when prior agreements are not honored it represents a breach of trust. Based on this, Americans were justifiably outraged when, not just one, but two administrations bailed out the wealthiest institutions in the country while tens of thousands of homeowners (many of whom were…
pharyngula | April 21, 2010They're considering a new law to keep women ignorant and ashamed.
The governor of Oklahoma is considering tough new abortion bills that would allow doctors to withhold test results showing foetal defects and require women to answer intrusive questions.
The results of the questionnaires would be posted online.
Women would also be required to have a vaginal ultrasound and listen to a detailed description of the embryo or foetus in a third bill passed by the legislature on Monday.
So let me get this straight. If a woman in Oklahoma thinks she is pregnant, she can go in for "testing"…but she…
pharyngula | April 21, 2010I learned something odd this morning. Three US states have laws on the books, created by Republican legislators, making it illegal to insert microchips into people. Virginia has even declared them to be the mark of the beast from Revelation.
And now Georgia is hoping to join the ranks of the crazy states. There is a bill pending, SB 235, the "Microchip Consent Act of 2009; prohibit requiring a person to be implanted with a microchip", which is symptomatic of the problem. This nice opinion piece summarizes why it is nuts.
In Gov. Roy Barnes' stump speech, the bill has become a routine example…
grrlscientist | April 21, 2010tags: The Truth About HSUS, pets, animals, animal rights, wingnuts, cults, Wayne Pacelle, Humane Society of the United States, HSUS, streaming video
The real agenda of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is to remove money from your wallet and put it into their CEOs' retirement funds, to ignore animal shelters, and to forever destroy your ability to live with animals.
stoat | April 20, 2010We have an alection in prospect, how exciting. I notice (well in fact *I* didn't, but someone else did and told me) that the oh-so-important climate didn't get a single mention in the Great Debate.
Speaking of which: here is all you need to know:
Or maybe you prefer digger porn?
catdynamics | April 20, 2010Comedy Channel went wild on Iceland last night.
For those who could not stay up late...
Kevin? Kevin!?
No, call him "Tim", Mighty Tim
If you must.
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Volcanolypse 2010
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes
Political Humor
Tea Party
"We can't bomb them because we can't fly..."
The Colbert Report
Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Volcano Eyjafjallajokull
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes
Political Humor
Fox News
gregladen | April 19, 2010Our words: "They fall on the serious and the delerious alike. They fall on the connected and the unhinged alike."
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
grrlscientist | April 18, 2010tags: The Un-Funny TRUTH about Scientology, scientology, religion, cults, beliefs, L Ron Hubbard, television, Smoothmedia, streaming video
This astonishingly disturbing video is by Smooth media and is about cult of Scientology.
grrlscientist | April 17, 2010tags: What Is Scientology?, scientology, religion, cults, mind control, Thetan, silly, offbeat, beliefs, Xenu, L Ron Hubbard, television, Boston Legal, streaming video
James Spader explains Scientology in an episode of of the television program, Boston Legal.