A bunch of tree-huggin' hippies
-Headline of the day-
"Whoops! Reuters Acknowledges That Hoax Story On Climate Change Could Have Moved Financial Markets."
Whoops indeed...
And Reuters wasn't the only news outlet that fell for the hoax. Politico reports that the Washington Post and the New York Times also fell for a fake press release from the US Chamber of Commerce saying they'd pulled a 180 on their position on global warming.
"We believe that strong climate legislation is the best way to ensure American innovation, create jobs, and make sure the US and the world are on track to reduce global carbon emissions, and provide for the needs of the American business community for generations to come," the false statement reads.
However, it turned out that sanity hadn't broken out at the nation's top business lobby -- they still think this "global warming" stuff is a bunch of hooey. For their part, Reuters was sorry.
"Reuters has an obligation to its clients to publish news and information that could move financial markets, and this story had the potential to do that," they said in a real release (at least, I think it's a real release. Who knows anymore?).
"The Yes Men, a left-leaning activist group that often impersonates officials from organizations they oppose, took responsibility for the hoax," reports Politico. "Andy Bichlbaum -- an alias the activist uses for Yes Men demonstrations -- told Politico that his group is targeting the Chamber for what he considers 'retrograde' positions on climate change." Apparently, the Yes Men joined up with "AVAAZ Action Factory, an activist group, and BeyondTalk.net, an environmental website" to pull off the hoax.
AVAAZ's website posted a notice saying they'd "make this the worst Monday ever for the anti-climate PR machine at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce." Maybe not the worst, but certainly a bad one. For his part, Bichlbaum says he's only hoaxing a hoaxer. "Clearly, there is a question of who is hoaxing who," Bichlbaum said. "I think the Chamber is hoaxing the American public at this point."
He's got a point. The idea that climate change is a hoax -- the Chamber's position -- is in itself a hoax. It's confusing, but I guess that's the point.
Look at it this way, that Balloon Boy thing turned out to be a hoax, right? What would've happened if everyone had fallen for it?
That's right, nothing.
Yet everyone's all freaked out about it. The US Chamber of Commerce is also pulling a hoax and, if enough people fall for this one, it'll affect everyone. And not in a good way. And not many are all freaked out about it.
When you put it that way, maybe now would be a good time for everyone to stop giving a shit about Balloon Boy, dontcha think? (Plum Line, Politico, Talking Points Memo)
-Speaking of hoaxes-
The Lost World Museum in the small town of Phoenix, New York will display a stuffed chupacabra in an attempt to prove that evolution is all wrong. See, scientists don't believe in the Mexican monster and, if you've got one, that proves scientists are wrong about everything.
At least, that's what creationist museum owner John Adolfi is calling "logic" these days. So, does Adolfi actually have a monster known only to folklore?
What do you think?
According to the report, "Adolfi's chupacabra was found thousands of miles away in Blanco, Texas, in August. A local man presented the dead animal (half jokingly) as a chupacabra to a taxidermist named Jerry Ayer. It had been attacking chickens a few days earlier, and succumbed to poison left as bait. The canid creature weighed about 80 pounds and resembled a coyote or dog. But its front legs were a few inches longer than most coyotes', and it was mostly hairless except for around the feet and along its backbone." The best bets on what this is are "either a hairless Mexican dog breed called Xoloitzcuintli (Xolo for short), or a mangy coyote."
I have to admit, I'm still stuck on how exactly this is supposed to prove evolution wrong. If -- and I know I'm really going out on a limb here -- this thing isn't really a Mexican goatsucking monster, wouldn't that prove creationism wrong by the same reasoning?
I think John Adolfi may have just accidentally destroyed Christianity forever. (LiveScience.com)
-Bonus HotD-
"One of Steele's 'rules' that immigrants need to follow to 'get into the country': 'Have some apple pie.'"
At this point, I'm not wondering if there's something wrong with Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele anymore. The only question -- to me at least -- is whether it's Everclear or Angel Dust. (Think Progress)
