Politics
drorzel | February 12, 2008Chris and Sheril have been working tirelessly to make a Presidential Science Debate happen, and there's been real progress:
ScienceDebate2008 is now co-sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Academies, and the Council on Competitiveness. We were looking at venues, and finally settled on an offer from the Philadelphia-based Franklin Institute--named, of course, after one of this country's first and greatest scientists. We can't think of a more appropriate venue.
Our proposed date is April 18, 2008, which is just before the Pennyslvania primary. So…
clock | February 12, 2008Sheril and Chris have announced that the invitations to the remaining Presidential candidates for the Science Debate 2008 have been sent. The date is April 18th, 2008, just 4 days before the Pennsylvania primary (the last big primary that may decide the nominees unless something really weird happens before). The location - Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.
Read the press release, read the actual text of the invitation and check The Intersection to see how you can help make this actually happen (ignore the Ron Paul idiots in the comments there).
pontiff | February 11, 2008Mike Huckabee calls the state of Washington the Soveit Union. Of course, this is old news to anyone who has been to Fremont:
razib | February 11, 2008Got an email from Sheril today:
Well it's finally happened! It's official. Hillary Clinton, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, and Barack Obama have been invited to ScienceDebate2008.
The location? Philadelphia's Franklin Institute, named after one of our nation's greatest scientists (and greatest patriots). The date? April 18, days before the Pennsylvania Primary.
We're so close to seeing this through and now more than ever, we need you're help! This is our biggest news yet and the first tangible Call to Action for the blogger coalition beyond the announcement. The time has come to mobilize…
jrosenhouse | February 11, 2008It will be a little while yet before I can get back to blogging regularly. But as a way of flexing my atrophying blogging muscles, let me direct your attention to another superlative column from Paul Krugman:
What's particularly saddening is the way many Obama supporters seem happy with the application of “Clinton rules” -- the term a number of observers use for the way pundits and some news organizations treat any action or statement by the Clintons, no matter how innocuous, as proof of evil intent.
The prime example of Clinton rules in the 1990s was the way the press covered Whitewater. A…
aardvarchaeology | February 11, 2008Science Debate 2008 is an initiative to inject more science policy into the run-up to the US presidential elections. Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum over at The Intersection just announced that they have sent formal invitations for an April 18 public science policy debate in Philadelphia to candidates Clinton, Huckabee, McCain and Obama.
Every Sb reader's help is needed. Says Sheril:
"This is our collective call and if there were ever a time that we need your help, it's now. We need to make a ton of noise about this. We need to make the campaigns say they'll come to the Philly debate.…
pontiff | February 11, 2008The U.S. presidential candidates been invited to a debate on science. Will they come? I don't know, but the thought of Mike Huckabee using biblical references in discussing science could lead to some very fun sentences. For example, if he wanted to get apocrypha-l, when talking about the bioethics of artificial wombs, he could bring up the Gospel of Thomas 15:
Jesus said, "When you see one who was not born of woman, fall on your faces and worship. That one is your Father."
Of course, Mike Huckabee didn't major in math, so I worry that he won't attend for fear that the debate might test his…
pontiff | February 11, 2008Quantum theory justifying gambling? So reads this column by one Reverend Doctor Mervin Stoddart from Florida in the Jamaica Observer.
Now I don't know whether quantum theory "justifies" gambling or not. But this paragraph
Life itself is a gamble and a game of trial and error in which all humans are forced to participate. In matters of life, all humans win some and lose some. Living is mostly sowing and reaping, and often just investing while losing or gaining. Playing the slot machine by investing 25 cents with a chance to win $25,000 is much better odds than buying ordinary shares or…
hrynyshyn | February 11, 2008Great. We have a date for the still-theoretical Science Debate 2008. Is its fate to remain in that unrealized state, or will it rise above the level of rhetorical bait, and actually engage the candidates in an exchange about the research on each other's campaign platform plate? Maybe we've left it too late? Any at rate, I can think of no reason to wait any further.
Chris and Sheril and an ever-growing list of famous science-types who support the idea of getting the presidential contenders together to talk science finally have set a venue and time for the event. April 18 at the Franklin…
drorzel | February 11, 2008Via Inside Higher Ed, the Boston Globe reports that the Pentagon opposes increasing GI Bill funding. Why? Because if they gave them full tuition, eligible soldiers might not re-enlist:
Now, five years into the Iraq conflict, a movement is gathering steam in Washington to boost the payout of the GI Bill, to provide a true war-time benefit for war- time service. But the effort has run headlong into another reality of an unpopular war: the struggle to sustain an all-volunteer force.
The Pentagon and White House have so far resisted a new GI Bill out of fear that too many will use it - choosing…
pharyngula | February 10, 2008I brought that Washington state 'academic freedom' bill to your attention a while back. I've been hearing from lots of readers from the Pacific Northwest that the bill died in committee. Perfect!
clock | February 10, 2008Mythbusting Canadian Health Care -- Part I by Sara Robinson.
Constitutional Originalism, Natural Law, and The Ninth Amendment by PhysioProf.
gregladen | February 10, 2008Science Debate 2008 got a writeup in Business Week.
When most of the Republican candidates for President proclaimed that they did not believe in evolution during a debate last year, astrophysicist Lawrence Krauss was one of many who were aghast. The Case Western University professor and best-selling author was even more upset when former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee shrugged off concerns, saying that he was running for President, not writing a middle-school curriculum. "How could being scientifically illiterate be perfectly acceptable?" Krauss asks. "No one would accept a candidate who,…
gregladen | February 10, 2008Vague reports are circulating that Ron Paul is quitting his bid for president. He wrote this letter to supporters.
The way I read the letter, Paul is cutting back his campaign but intents to remain a thorn in the side for McCain. But Wonkette has a different take:
It is a tragic day for the Ron Paul ReLOVEution or whatever they call it. Late Friday night, Dr. Congressman Ron Paul posted a letter to his fans basically saying it's over, but he will continue talking about his message, and plus it would be completely embarrassing for him if he also lost his congressional seat. Gather the…
clock | February 9, 2008Obligatory Readings of the Day: Jennifer Ouelette and Chris Clarke explain everything you need to know.
pharyngula | February 9, 2008Saudi police arrested and strip-searched an American businesswoman for the crime of visiting a Starbucks with a male colleague.
"Some men came up to us with very long beards and white dresses. They asked 'Why are you here together?' I explained about the power being out in our office. They got very angry and told me what I was doing was a great sin," she told the Times.
It could be worse. In Iraq, women who violate "Islamic teachings" are tortured and murdered. The "Islamic teachings" that are so important that violators must be tortured and beheaded involve wearing a headscarf.
You can…
choofnagle | February 8, 2008Obama has created a lot of excitement among young people. On Tuesday, young people waiving Obama signs were all over the Berkeley campus and downtown San Francisco. Hillary's supporters were rarely seen, it seemed.
You'll note that I didn't call these supporters "young voters."
Why?
Because young people don't vote. What's my evidence of this (well-established) rule?
Even Obama Girl, the young woman who has spent the last year making videos about Obama's campaign, didn't vote! So sad.
choofnagle | February 8, 2008Suzanne Sataline reports in today's Journal about the intense spotlight that has been focused on the Mormon church as a result of the Romney campaign. The criticism has been so intense that the church has hired a public relations firm to battle it, and has encouraged young Mormons to blog about their religion. Perhaps what's most interesting is this poll:
This is somewhat surprising, and I think good news. It's about time that deciding in adulthood to be a member of a cult brings one more criticism than being born a certain sex or race!
choofnagle | February 7, 2008I came across this statistic the other day while doing some research on marketing fraud:
In recent years, despite the creation of a national "do not call" registry, the legitimate telemarketing industry has grown, according to the Direct Marketing Association. Callers pitching insurance plans, subscriptions and precooked meals collected more than $177 billion in 2006, an increase of $4.5 billion since the federal do-not-call restrictions were put in place three years ago.
This all sounds very unlikely. And I recall from years of working on telemarketing regulation that the DMA used…
gregladen | February 7, 2008This person needs a job.
This individual seeks an executive position.
He will be available in January 2009, and is willing to relocate.
(Resume below the fold)
RESUME
GEORGE W. BUSH
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20520
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
Law Enforcement:
I was arrested in Kennebunkport, Maine, in 1976 for driving under the influence of alcohol. I pled guilty, paid a fine, and had my driver's license suspended for 30 days. My Texasdriving record has been "lost" and is not available.
Military:
I joined the Texas Air National Guard and went AWOL. I refused to take a drug…