Policy
revere | September 7, 2008Naturally I find Sarah Palin's mixing religion and politics odious. Whether it's believing that the War in Iraq is a task from God or that Alaska's young people should pray that "God's will" be done in constructing her preferred version of a natural gas pipeline or thinking that it's fine to teach Creationism in science class, this is a person who feels untroubled and confident about the rightness of her personal religious views. Moreover she believes in the literal interpretation of the bible. So naturally I find Sarah Palin's religion and politics odious. What's to like?
I don't care about…
clock | September 6, 2008Top Story On John McCain Run Out Of Obligation:
Although his lack of charisma and charm has lately prevented the Arizona senator from grabbing front-page headlines, the tenets of journalistic objectivity made it necessary today to publish a top news story on Republican presidential candidate John McCain.
According to the newspaper's editors, the decision to run the story came after they realized that they had not printed a cover story about Sen. McCain (R-AZ) in a number of months, despite the distinct possibility that he could become the leader of the free world for the next four to eight…
revere | September 6, 2008This is another in our Daily Dose of Sarah Palin, because even if John McCain didn't think it was that important to learn a lot about the person who might be the next President should some medical event befall the 72 year old cancer survivor should he be elected, most people want more information. Previous installments here. So much material, so little time. Oh, well. Let's do the library story today, since it's tied up with her alleged small town mayor claim.
Now Sarah Palin is claiming being the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, makes her a different kind of politician. Youknow, the kind who is in…
tfk | September 4, 2008I haven't seen Sarah Palin's speech, but reviews seem pretty negative. ABC's Jake Tapper reports:
The Detroit Free Press invited a panel of Michigan voters to weigh in on Gov. Sarah Palin's speech last night. Their reactions run the gamut, but the independents didn't seem to care for her very much.
Ilene Beninson, 52, Berkley independent: "Her speech contained few statements about policy or the party platform. … I am not convinced that Palin's experience as a mayor or governor in Alaska meet the qualifications to be vice president much less one stroke or heart attack away from being…
sheril | September 3, 2008Over at NexGen, it's the Obama McCain Energy Smackdown:
Okay ladies and gentlemen............. Let's get ready to rumble! Two candidates. Two possible administrations. Energy policy. Doesn't get much more relevant than that.
Both are Senators who say they'd like to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign oil, fight global warming, and cap greenhouse gas emissions with increased focus on nuclear power. What partisan politics? Time to dig a little deeper...
Since Obama already answered the 14 questions posed by ScienceDebate2008 laying out his perspectives, here's a peak at McCain's position…
nisbetmc | September 2, 2008That's the take in this recent profile at New York magazine. The far left blogosphere first stung Lieberman when his 2004 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination fell flat but then really turned him towards the GOP following his 2006 Senate primary race. In Lieberman's view, powerful bloggers have hijacked his party, especially on foreign policy. From the article:
The 2004 debacle was Lieberman's first introduction to a new force, the netroots, a loose collection of leftist blogs including MoveOn.org and DailyKos. The way the senator sees it, those groups have been "taking the party in…
sb admin | September 2, 2008No, this isn't some post-modernist rant on the inherent non-objectivity of science. On the contrary---this is a much simpler, grittier point, that science actually is the most accurate way of describing reality, and because of this, politics (the job of manipulating and controlling group's social reality) and science will always be roommates.
This comes up because we get complaints---regular complaints about science blogging failing to stick to "science". I gotta say that this complaint always seems to come from those who find reality to be a bit too liberal, but maybe that's just my bias…
tfk | September 2, 2008Time magazine digs into Mayor Palin's early days:
At some point in those the fractious first days, Palin told the department heads they needed her permission to talk to reporters. "She put a gag order on those people, something that you'd expect to find in the big city, not here," says [local paper editor] Naegele. "She flew in there like a big city gal, which she's not. It was a strange time, and [the Frontiersman] came out very harshly against her."
[Former mayor] Stein says that as mayor, Palin continued to inject religious beliefs into her policy at times. "She asked the library how she…
mikethemadbiologist | September 1, 2008I don't think Democrats should let the Palin fiasco overshadow a great convention: there were some great speeches, one of them by John Kerry. While Kerry did an awful job of responding to the swiftboating, that episode really does mask some of his strengths: he's a terrific debater, and a very good speaker, in the RFK style (a bit old school, but still damn good). And note to James Carville: shut up already--if this wasn't a double-fisted attack against McCain, I don't know what is. Here's Kerry's convention speech:
(the 2:45 and the 4:05 marks are very good)
(The YouTube version is…
mikethemadbiologist | September 1, 2008One of the tactics that creationists use is what I call "words as weapons." What they say has no intrinsic meaning; instead, they are simply a way to manipulate people into joining their political agenda (this is why many around these parts, including the Mad Biologist, call them Liars for Jesus). The choice of Palin by the McCain campaign means McCain has adopted the same tactic of lies. This shouldn't be shocking: after all, the theopolitically conservative Uruk-hai are an essential part of his electoral strategy.
When McCain, for months, accuses Obama of being an inexperienced…
laelaps | August 29, 2008As far as my vote in the upcoming election goes, John McCain's selection of Alaska governor Sarah Palin makes no difference to me. I'm voting for Barack Obama. What everyone is all a-twitter about on the science blogosphere, however, is the fact that during a debate in 2006 Palin said that if the issue of creationism came up in the classroom it should be discussed alongside evolution. Here's the actual quote from the debate;
Teach both [evolution and creationism]. You know, don't be afraid of information. Healthy debate is so important, and it's so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of…
sheril | August 29, 2008
Sarah Palin is McCain's running mate.
As I wrote yesterday, with less than two years in office, her nomination undercuts his central criticism of his opponent -- that Obama is too inexperienced to be commander-in-chief. As a relatively young woman, she may draw a necessary demographic and conservatives will be pleased she is opposed to abortion rights.
As Nate points out, Palin may run into gender politics taboos and be unable to draw Clinton voters. Further, Andrew Sullivan is correct that she has no Washington experience or foreign policy expertise.
On the campaign trail, this may…
sheril | August 28, 2008As I watched Obama deliver his acceptance address tonight, I sensed the growing optimism across the nation. And I'm not alone. Andrew Sullivan eloquently describes his speech:
It was a deeply substantive speech, full of policy detail, full of people other than the candidate, centered overwhelmingly on domestic economic anxiety. It was a liberal speech, more unabashedly, unashamedly liberal than any Democratic acceptance speech since the great era of American liberalism. But it made the case for that liberalism - in the context of the decline of the American dream, and the rise of cynicism…
purepedantry | August 27, 2008I have been meaning to update about this, but Presh at Mind Your Decisions blog discusses another example of Game Theory in the movie the Dark Knight. He talks about the first scene where the robbers are let us say vigorously arguing about the division of the spoils from a bank heist:
The robbers don't like that the Joker gets an equal share for doing unequal work. Their complaint raises the issue of fair division, which is central to game theory. In fact, fair division is the first problem that game theory addressed historically. The problem appears in the Babylonian Talmud about how…
clock | August 25, 2008It is so nice teaching biology to adults when there are no (obvious) Creationists in the classroom. It does not always happen that way - I have had a couple of cases in the past - but this time it was really nice as I could freely cover all topics deeply within an evolutionary framework (not always seen in my public notes, though, as I try to gauge the class first and then decide how overtly to talk ebout everything in evolutionary terms). It is always a conundrum. If there is a potential resentment of my lectures, I have to thread carefully. I have to remember that I am not trying to…
bioephemera | August 19, 2008My friend Don Engel, a physicist, is running for delegate to the Maryland Assembly. In addition to understanding math far better than I ever will, he's extremely web-savvy, and has harnessed Facebook to mobilize supporters.
A few days ago, Don sent out this link to his ElectBlue page:
As a scientist, I'm excited about bringing a different, much-needed perspective to the state legislature. As far as getting there, this perspective has a handicap attached. My personal network has many scientists and techies. Other candidates' networks tend to have many former law school classmates who…
sheril | August 19, 2008The NYTimes Claudia Dreifus recently interviewed Dr. Nina V. Fedoroff, science adviser to the secretary of state and administrator of the Agency for International Development:
Q. WHY DOES THE SECRETARY OF STATE NEED A SCIENCE ADVISER?
A. Because science and technology are the drivers of the 21st century's most successful economies.
There are more than six billion of us, and the problems of a crowded planet are everyone's: food, water, energy, climate change, environmental degradation. Other nations, even those that have lost respect for our culture and politics, still welcome collaboration on…
grrlscientist | August 17, 2008tags: book review, economic insecurity, politics, social programs, insurance, poverty, employment, education, housing
What ever happened to the American Dream? Well, if you are like me, you will admit that your pursuit of the American Dream is like chasing after a mythical horse that disappeared out the barn door literally decades ago. For example, even though I did everything right -- staying out of trouble, staying out of debt, avoiding all chemical and behavioral addictions, postponing pleasure by working hard and sacrificing so I could earn a top-notch education doing something I love and…
oracknows | August 8, 2008"If you're not a liberal at 20, you have no heart. And if you're not a conservative at 40, you have no head." - Winston Churchill
Like one of my blog buds, PalMD, I usually don't discuss purely political issues on this blog. After all, I have my niche, and I've become quite good at blogging within that niche, if I do say so myself. Also, let's face it: Political bloggers are a dime a dozen, by and large, while few do what I do, and I like it that way. Still, sometimes something happens that makes it impossible for me to help myself and I can't resist. After all, anyone who blogs fancies…
clock | August 7, 2008Continuing with asking for your help in fixing my Blogroll:
Every couple of days or so, I will post here a list of blogs that start with a particular letter, and you add in the comments if you know of something that is missing from that list.
See so far:
Numbers and Symbols
A
Today brought to you by letter B. This is what is on the Blogroll right now. Check also the Housekeeeping posts for other B blogs I have discovered in the meantime. Check links. Tell me what to delete, what to add:
BPR3
Bonnie J. M. Swoger
Ben Off to Iraq
Biology Blogs
BIOLOGY & POLITICS
B92 Blogs
B and B
Back off,…