News of the World FAQ and Rules

The News of the World? What is this forum for?

News of the World is fairly self-explanatory. It is for discussion of science (including the humanities), international news, and sports.

1. Science: Ask any science question you have, discuss any scientific discovery, new or old, and discuss new scientific research projects.
2. Disaster: Discussion of any natural (hurricane, tornado, earthquake, flood, and so on) or artficial (plane crash, nuclear meltdown, et al) disasters going on in the world.
3. History: Ancient civilizations and peoples, discussion or commemoration of events up to the end of the Cold War in 1990, and 'What if' events.
4. Diplomacy: Diplomatic disagreements, summits and agreements between countries. G8, G20, UN, and so on.
5. War: Discussion on wars between nations, civil wars, conflicts with terrorist organizations, and popular uprising against dictatorships.
6. Secession: Discuss serious efforts to create, or gain recognition for, new nations. Micro-nations such as Sealand not included.
7. Sports: Major international sports competition and professional (major league, collegiate, and so on). Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Formula One, Ice Hockey, Field Hockey, Baseball, Basketball, Swimming, Tennis, Football, American Football, the list is almost endless!


So what can't I do?

Anything that's not on the above list, does not belong in this forum. Unless we didn't think of it. So, to be perfectly, this forum is not for:

1. Post about new technological gadgets meant for popular use and/or entertainment, such as the latest iteration of the Nintendo DS or the new iPhone. This should be posted in Entertainment Inc. instead.
2. Post comparisons between two or more countries,.and their policies. This kind of post doesn't belong anywhere on Bulbagarden. Elitism isn't accepted here.
3. POLITICS! Discussions on broad social, political, or economic issues, such as abortion, same-sex equality, elections, etc. should go in Nicoleta's Campaign Bus.
4. Discussion on 'athletic activities' that don't qualify as sports. Professional Wrestling (especially the PPV beat each other to a pulp with chairs shit) is one example. If you want to discuss that, it belongs in Entertainment Inc.


The Golden Rule

An addition/clarification to point three above. This forum is not for attacking or criticizing how politicians and political parties act (or want to act) toward an issue. You can discuss what you think should be done about an issue, you can question your fellow poster's suggestion about it, but criticism and questioning of what the actual politicians do belong in Nicoleta's Campaign Bus. This goes double when talking about the United States, which tend to be especially partisan/heated. There will be no exceptions.

Continuing to do this after being asked to stop may result in severe infractions, and the offending posts will be deleted. If the post is, aside from a partisan comment or two, on topic and at least reasonably thought out then, at the moderator's discretion, only the offending comments may be deleted, leaving the bulk of the post intact.

The Second Golden Rule

When entering a topic, please read the relevant articles that have been linked in the original post and throughout the thread before commenting. Chances are you're coming into the thread with an already biased or ignorant opinion about what is being discussed, and a little reading and open mindedness goes a long way towards bettering your understanding of the world around you.

That, and mouthing off about things you don't know about is just rude. Don't do it.


Death

This is not really the place to discuss celebrity deaths. Yes, it is always sad when a person stuffs it. That doesn't mean it goes in here. Celebrity deaths and such should go in Entertainment Inc. (as a benchmark, past examples of this include Steve Irwin and Michael Jackson). If a person is particularly notable as a historical (prominant/important person in society), scientific (Nobel prize winner), diplomatic/military (Jack Layton or the former/current leader of a country), or Sports figure (Ayrton Senna), then an exception may be granted. As a good rule of thumb, if a person had an international impact with their life as a result of their work (movies and music not included) then a thread may be permissable. Terry Fox (medical fundraisers), Steve Jobs (technology), Bono (humanitarianism), etc. are the benchmarks for this. Please contact the forum head (i.e. Me) beforehand as a just-in-case measure though. A R.I.P. label will be available to staff for this purpose.

As ever, no death threats. That will grant you an automatic two-day ban, and possible additional punishment depending on the severity.


So what the heck is 'Nicoleta's Campaign Bus'?

Nicoleta's Campaign Bus is the place where all of the political and social issue threads have gone. Access is invitation only, and you will be unable to even view the forum without that access. If you want in, contact Netto Azure, Big Lutz, or Karkat Vantas (VM, PM, etc.), and any one of them will grant access at their discretion. By requesting access, you waive your right to your core belief, to who you are (political ideology, religion, etc.) not being attacked.

July 8th edit: Added a second golden rule.

What about news regarding the savage lovely world of nature?

That would fall under the first category of "science." Hence it goes in here.

What about news articles that aren't about religion, but include religious officials etc? Such as this one:
BBC News - US bishop accused of not reporting child abuse images

Bumping this thread to bring attention to the Second Golden Rule addition.