Politics
- NBCNews.com video: McCain’s speech a ‘real bell-ringer for war’
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
- John McCain is beating the drum for war again – Atlanta Political Cartoons | Examiner.com
- Fact-checking Paul Ryan: On his Catholic influence and his “Mediscare” (VIDEO) | Politics Blog | an SFGate.com blog
- A great recap and quick overview of yesterdays RNC speakers: The National Memo » Republican National Convention – Night Two: @LOLGOP Liveblog
- Ryan vs. Rand? | Rightly Understood | Big Think In this article Peter Lawler at one point writes:
…One thing Ryan had to prove to skeptical America–or at least skeptical ME–iw that he’s no (Ayn) Randian, no creature of the libertarian economists who are all about the selfish sovereign individual. And he did!…
Well not to me. I didn’t get that message at all. The three paragraphs Lawler cites basically deliver the message to me that he (Ryan) can pay lip service to the (Judeo-Christian) religious ideal that we are all in this together and that each of us is responsible to everyone else but nothing he says anywhere else backs that up. One paragraph or even three do not outweigh all the pages and pages and pages of rhetoric that Ryan delivers to the contrary.
- Hannity inadvertently praises Obama’s jobs record – The Maddow Blog
Sean Hannity might want to reconsider this line of attack.
Sean Hannity attacked President Obama’s job creation record by falsely claiming that the U.S. economy is “losing 400,000 jobs a month.” In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that since the beginning of 2012 “employment growth has averaged 151,000 per month,” with 163,000 jobs created in July. In 2011, the economy similarly added an average of 153,000 jobs every month.
On his radio show, Hannity accused Democrats of demonizing Republicans on the economy because “Obama hasn’t done a good job.” As evidence, Hannity claimed “we’re losing 400,000 jobs a month.”
Hannity didn’t cite any sources, and I haven’t the foggiest idea where he came up with that figure, but the U.S. economy hasn’t lost 400,000 jobs in a month since June 2009 — just five months in President Obama’s term — a period that would include the Romney-endorsed six-month grace period new presidents deserve.
Indeed, far from “losing 400,000 jobs a month,” the economy has added jobs every month since October 2010. The private sector has added jobs every month since March 2010. In all, American businesses have added nearly 4.5 million jobs (and counting) over the last three years.
So, here’s the question for Hannity: if “losing 400,000 jobs a month” is proof that “Obama hasn’t done a good job,” does that mean that an economy adding 151,000 jobs a month is, by Hannity’s standards, proof that Obama’s done a terrific job?
- What Divides Us, What Unites Us: Politics Circa 2012 | FDL News Desk
Climate & Climate Politics
The Culture Wars
Science & Skepticism
- Homeopathy And Medicine: Does It Dilute Science, Research, Higher Education? | Token Skeptic
- Dr Steven Novella On Scientific Skepticism And Activism – NYC Skeptics | Token Skeptic
- New York City Skeptics – Events – Steve Novella
- I don’t recall right now where I was (maybe I was on MapMyRide.com) but earlier today I clicked on a link to something about a new weight loss trick and it took me to a presentation from Dr. Oz about Green Coffee being the latest greatest tool for weightloss. WTF? So I checked around and interestingly if you search for the keywords “green coffee weight scam” right at the top of the list is green–coffee-extract.info/green–coffee-extract-is-it-a-scam/ which is very obviously a site the hucksters and snake oil sales people behind this green coffee ruse set up to preemptively divert your attention away from real scientific and medical criticism of this scam. Well anyway Scott Gavura of Science Based Medicine gives us their take: Science-Based Medicine » Dr. Oz and Green Coffee Beans – More Weight Loss Pseudoscience illustrating all the problems with the so-called science behind this latest “miracle weight loss pill‘.