Links for you. Science:
A Convenient Excuse (interesting take on science journalism)
Jonah Lehrer, Scientists, and the Nature of Truth
Game theory – a critique
The rewilding of the Northeast
Inflammatory bowel syndrome is nature’s side effect
Other:
The Long Con: Mail-order conservatism (must-read)
Today’s Exemplary Republican Tea-Party Voter: “I’m a Hard-Working Suburbanite Who Never Took a Bailout and I Wan’t [Sic] Pay for Inner-City Health Care”
Hey, It Will Only Cost $7 Billion To Build A Storm Surge Barrier For New York — Whaddya Say? (if a lack of currency is the only reason not to do this, then we can fix that problem)
Republican Pressure Leads to Withdrawal of Fact-Based Report by Nonpartisan CRS
“Glitch” in Ohio Secretary of State’s Office Could Affect Thousands of Voter Registrations (I’m guessing the GOP thinks that voters who move around are more likely to be Democrats)
François Hollande Goes Medieval on Eric Schmidt as French Tax Authorities File $1.3 Billion Claim Against Google
James Harden, the NBA and the Myth of Small Markets
Why Do White People Think Mitt Romney Should Be President? Parsing the narrow, tribal appeal of the Republican nominee. (must-read)
Republicans believe in demonic possession. Meanwhile, less than half think humans are responsible for climate change
Where Creations Faced Destruction
Nonvoters: Who They Are, What They Think (if Democrats were smart–I know–they would begin to argue that voting should be treated like jury duty)
REPUBLICAN MONKEY BUSINESS: THE NEXT GENERATION
The problematic basis for deficit phobias
mikethemadbiologist
double linkage today! 🙂
As usual, some really good links. And before I forget, the earlier one about human evolution and lactose tolerance was just amazing.
“Why Do White People Think Mitt Romney Should Be President?”
I really wish I could answer this one for any of the people (mostly relatives) I’ve asked. Generally the answer is some variation of “Obama is so awful”, but one elderly aunt began a rant about BHO being a Socialist! She and another similarly aged relative were quite specific about BHO’s stopping the oil pipeline from Canada being a big reason they dislike him. Some of my younger kin – who are college educated and definitely not stupid – have “gone native” in joining the prevailing local culture where just about everybody they know are right-wingers with quasi “libertarian” leanings on the side. If they used their heads they wouldn’t be supporting Romney. But a good brain isn’t of much use for politics (or anything else) if it has been turned off.
I’ve developed some “markers” to tell if I’m wasting my time talking about anything besides family gossip and the weather. Is the Fox channel the one running on their idiot box most of the time? (one non-stupid-but-brain-off relative stunned me when she told me watching Fox is the ONLY way to find out what is really happening in the world) Have they visited the creation museum with their kids? And as I said previously, do they incoherently sputter about Obama without even hinting his skin color is what’s really bothering them?
*******
Funny thing happened to me while I was going through this article. Something about it got me to thinking about the consequences of BHO winning this election. I have great confidence he’s going to do what he has blatantly bragged he’ll do – “fix” Social Security and Medicare. The 30-50 age group are going to have their noses rubbed into the massive screw job they’ve gotten. Since current retirees aren’t going to suffer nearly as much, the Corporate Media could very well institute a low-level Generation War with the theme of the geezers stealing the money from the youngsters. Still wearing my tinfoil hat, I’ll predict ObamaCare will be made deliberately annoying to the oldsters who could already be chafing at suggestions they’re getting things they don’t deserve at the expense of the rest of society. The Corporate Media will tell everybody Obama and the Democrats are the ones who caused their discomfort and suffering. And BHO will get full blame for any attack on Iran, especially if that one has some unfortunate side effects like $10/gallon gasoline.
The Republicans ran an impossibly awful group for President this year. Those who weren’t stupid and disgusting crooks were effectively shut out of the news. My new prediction is that Obama is going to completely destroy the Democratic brand in the next four years and that the next election will be a triumphal return for the Republicans. But how might that happen?
I’ve been scratching my head about why Our Man Mitch (Daniels) is moving from Indiana Governor to President of Purdue.University. (My own university, BTW!) I’d thought it might be the money, or maybe he just wanted to continue his stealth libertarian crap in West Lafayette.
New theory: it’s a place for him to mark time with a prestigious job while waiting for 2016. Just as Eisenhower skipped the election of 1948 to wait for 1952 while President of Columbia University. (and dear God, the first picture at the Eisenhower wiki could be one of those “separated at birth” things with Daniels)
The little bald headed ***** won’t be the only ‘respectable’ candidate. Huntsmen could suddenly start getting good press, and lots of it. Marco Rubio. Scott Brown if he wins tomorrow. Even Jeb Bush might start making some waves. Totally unlike the Clown Parade of 2008.
If 2016 is to be the year for a Real Change, the discredited Dems will run a sacrificial lamb – a scapegoat. My choice would be Hillary. Incredibly hated by the Right, and heartily disliked by a substantial part of the Left.
After 4 more years of the Warmongering Corporate Stooge (with the wrong skin color) I figure my prediction of a 2016 landslide is perfectly reasonable.
EDIT: Clown Parade of 2012
🙁