Blame Canada

[blue-mangos.livejournal.com]

A report recently released from a Canadian research institution shows the American congress really does not think much of Canada. They mainly see us as a source for energy and have little interest in free trade unless it involves our cheap prescription drugs. They also have concerns about our border security which shows that the myth about the 9/11 hijackers entering the US from Canada is alive and well (thanks John McCain).

So I am interested in hearing about what we all think about each other’s countries. What images do we have, both serious and funny, what misconceptions can be cleared up?

( My highly offensive yet not serious views on your countries behind the cut )

Friday lulz! (We're STILL doom'd)

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

A proposed design for the new billboards on the Coming of the Raptor

OAKLAND, California -- Shortly after his newest failed prophecy on when the end of the world will occur, Rev. Howard Camping released a statement saying that he had "misinterpreted a key verse of scripture" and has now slated the new date for the end of the world via Raptor to come on October 21st, 2011.

He had clarified that certain events that had to happen before the world ended hadn’t happened yet; his main point was that Oprah hadn’t been cancelled yet. However, he notes that many other events that foretold the end of the world, such as Miley Cyrus covering Nirvana’s "Smells Like Teen Spirit", Snooki becoming a New York Times Best Seller, and Nickelback being voted by Billboard Top 100 to be the Group of the Decade, had already transpired. He also noted some erroneous scriptural evidence.

This comes off the apparent failure of The Raptor, which was supposed to happen on Saturday, May 21, 2011. Thousands of billboards had to be taken down because, apparently, people read billboards now. Camping is now advising his followers to watch for the signs and to follow three key statements for the Coming of the Raptor:

1. Reinforce your door hinges,
2. Replace all door handles with door knobs, because
3. Raptors can now open doors.


Sources:

Yahoo: "Preacher says world will actually end in October".
National Post: "Nickelback "Band of Decade" According to Billboard".
Buzzfeed: "Miley Cyrus covers Nirvana".

I thought the US was the anti science country?

[rasilio.livejournal.com]

"Enzo Boschi, the president of Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), will face trial on charges of manslaughter with six other scientists and technicians for failing to alert the residents of L'Aquila ahead of the devastating earthquake that struck the central Italian town on 6 April 2009, killing 308 people.
"


http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2011/05/italian-scientists-to-stand-trial.html?ref=hp


Ok now I know we do some wacky stuff with science here in the states (like the push to treat Intelligent Design as an actual scientific theory, and the general denial of AGW) but really? Even in the most whack job fundamentalist hick town no one here would be stupid enough to actually file charges for failing to predict something, hell we'd be more likely to burn them at the stake as witches if they had. I am however baffled how a modern industrialized nation could come up with something so far out in the fields of lunacy that the judge didn't treat the charges as an elaborate prank.

Is Italy really so backward of a country that they have any chance of being convicted?

Walk like an Egyptian....

[telemann.livejournal.com]

King Tutankhamun of Egypt: 1341 CE – 1323 CE
A forensic reconstruction of his face based on his skull

King Tut's remains were examined last year for any potential surviving DNA testing, in an effort to access his health and potential illnesses that could have lead to his death , as well as to link genetically a previously unidentified mummy as his mother. Despite the refusal of the Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, Zahi Hawass, to release any DNA results which might indicate the racial ancestry of Pharaoh Tutankhamen, the leaked results reveal that King Tut’s DNA is a 99.6 percent match with Western European Y chromosomes.

( More behind the cut )

For the sake of argument

[pastorlenny.livejournal.com]

Premise the first
Governments can actually serve a worthwhile purpose. They can build roads. They can maintain relatively stable currencies. They can police private manufacturers to make sure they don’t completely foul up local watersheds.

( Read more... )