the buzz log

Now at least one rumormongering movement has a name and a leader. The fringe: birthers, a fringe collective who question the president's national origins. The leader: A  lawyer who does cavities.

A few recent developments in recent weeks (also just summed up on The Daily Show):

• CNN host Lou Dobbs gave a sympathetic hearing to two birthers on his July 15 show, who claim Barack Obama hasn't given satisfactory proof—in the form of a birth certificate—that he was born in the U.S. of A.
• Commentator Liz Cheney defended birthers as "fundamentally uncomfortable with an American president who seems to be afraid to defend America."
• a rogue group of Republican congressmen proposed legislation asking presidential candidates to provide birth certificates, although one sponsor conceded Obama's legit.
• Youtube video of a townhall meeting gone wild.

Fuss over a foolscap
A moment to rewind this "controversy": Way back during the slog for Democratic presidential candidate, rumors plaguing Barack Obama questioned his religion and his alleged resistance to the pledge of allegiance. Doubts around his citizenship then focused on the biracial candidate's birthplace: Yahoo! searches for "barack obama birth certificate" first registered in significant numbers on March 8, 2008, during primary season.

Searches for that elusive foolscap still continued, and peaked right after Election Day. The hubbub mostly died down (especially after the Supreme Court threw out the case protesting Obama's (and John McCain's) right to the presidency)...until now, when the "issue" heated up again, months after his campaign and independent sources like Politfact have already presented and checked his birth certificate.

She knows nothing about no birth certificate
Now the conspiracists have now been granted the name "birthers" AKA "birfers" (which by extension would make religion-doubters Muslimers and flag rumor-mongers as Flaggers).

As for its fearless leader, that would be Dr. Orly Taitz (up 58% in searches over the past week), a Southern California dentist who sells real estate, blogs and files anti-Obama lawsuits on the side. The last two have became far more lucrative for the Russian immigrant, what with CNN appearances and articles like the one in Orange County Weekly, who dubbed her the "queen bee of people obsessed" with the president's certificate.

The OC Weekly's June 17 profile also examines the birther claims, and dismantles them quite thoroughly. Then again, an awful lot of dismantling has already been done, including Dobbs' own sub, Kitty Pilgrim. But as recent searches for "moon landing hoax" prove, a deliciously outrageous rumor is hard to kill.

Nutburgers, imposters, oh my
Dobbs and Cheney themselves, while affirming birthers the right to believe, also have come around saying Obama has the right to be president. Conservatives like Michael Medved used choice words "filthy conservative imposters" who are "enemies of the conservative movement."

Nonprofit watchdog Media Matters lists other embarrassed pundits—including Joe Scarborough, Michelle Malkin, and David Horowitz—who fear "nutburgers" may ping their party's credibility. 

If the lawsuit fits
Taitz by the way doesn't just go after Democrats born in Hawaii. She has threatened to sue Medved for defamation. She might have to deal with complaints against herself: A very detailed 28-pager has been filed with the California State Bar against Taitz for "lending apparent legitimacy to unlawfully unseat the President of the United States." So far, no complaints about unsafe dental practices.

Filed under: Politics, Rumors, Presidents, Hawaii

Staycation? With glaciers splitting and total darkness taking over parts of the earth, this is no time to have your thighs stuck to the Barcalounger. Plan your trip to witness the natural universe at work... or re-stock the underground shelter and prepare for the end as you heed three recent Search signs of the Apocalypse.

"Perito Moreno Glacier." Glaciers rupture on a regular basis, but they usually have the decency to wait for the summer tourist season. The Patagonian glacier in southern Argentina already bucks the trend by advancing when all the other big blocks of ice are retreating, and it decided to fall apart during wintertime. Searches soared more than 5,000% when the 106-square-mile glacier cracked. Is global warming behind this? Some say, well, yeah, other scientists say, not so fast.

"Hawaii Volcano." Each Hawaiian island has its draw: The rainiest place on Earth, arguably the most touristed beach in America, and the world's most active volcano. Kilauea, the lava of which has lapped up precious land in the past quarter century, started spewing again with 50-foot high gushes. And yes, there was a surfer who had to get a closer look.

"Solar Eclipse." Wow, China really is pulling out all the stops, though who knows if Beijing residents will notice beyond the pollution, locusts and algae. A total solar eclipse will descend upon parts of Asia on August 1, and Wired News reports that fans of the dark will travel thousands of miles for the three-minute experience. A U.S. science museum will stream a Webcast of the moment, but somehow looking at a computer screen through a pinprick doesn't seem the same.

Filed under: Surfing, Astronomy, Nature, Ice, Planets, Hawaii

Bust out the grass skirts and hand us the shovel. We're ready to dig a hole in the ground for our roast kalua pig at the big Buzz luau. Searches on "luau party ideas" are up 189% over the past month and we're lighting our tiki torches in response.

Besides lame lei jokes, there must be mai tai's, pupus, and plenty of aloha spirit for a proper luau. If you're planning on bringing a taste of the Hawaiian islands to your backyard bash, we have the top 10 luau searches for you...

It's not just folks planning parties who are looking for luaus. Some tourists are are searching for the real deal—luaus in Hawaii. Here are the 10 most popular places to eat poi under the stars in the Aloha State...

Filed under: Hawaii, Parties