Stable Genius Liberal

What the jihadists who bought “Islam for Dummies” on Amazon tell us about radicalisation

“far from being religious zealots, a large number of those involved in terrorism do not practise their faith regularly. Many lack religious literacy and could … be regarded as religious novices.” The analysts concluded that “a well-established religious identity actually protects against violent radicalisation”, the newspaper said. … “… what inspires the most lethal terrorists… Continue reading What the jihadists who bought “Islam for Dummies” on Amazon tell us about radicalisation

Krugman on Gravity and Trade

that the volume of trade between Kanesh and various trading partners seems to fit a gravity equation: trade between any two regional economies is roughly proportional to the product of their GDPs and inversely related to distance. Neat. But what does the seemingly universal applicability of the gravity equation tell us? It’s the law! (via… Continue reading Krugman on Gravity and Trade

Reporters Scoff At James O’Keefe’s Big New ‘Scoop’ To Destroy Hillary

James O’Keefe promised a new undercover video campaign that would expose “illegal activity conducted by high-level employees within Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.” Tuesday, he released the first video, produced by his group Project Veritas Action. His group’s big scoop? That a Canadian citizen spent $75 on Hillary swag at Clinton’s June campaign kickoff event. Reporters… Continue reading Reporters Scoff At James O’Keefe’s Big New ‘Scoop’ To Destroy Hillary

The automation myth: Robots aren’t taking your jobs— and that’s the problem

Despite the cliché that technology today is progressing faster than ever, the per-worker output of the American economy actually increased at its fastest-ever rate in the quarter century between 1948 and 1973. (via The automation myth: Robots aren’t taking your jobs— and that’s the problem – Vox)

Tea and Trumpism

the conservative explanation of the GOP’s onset of DTs is, as best I can figure, that base voters are victims of celebrity; what they really want is a true conservative, but they’re being hijacked and hoodwinked by someone who makes good TV. Meanwhile, the liberal version, as I’ve seen it, seems to be that Trump… Continue reading Tea and Trumpism

Republican Presidential Candidates Just Admitted to Some Inconvenient Truths

One of the better articles on the GOP debate.

Climate models are even more accurate than you thought

When accounting for these factors, the study finds that the difference between observed and modeled temperatures since 1975 is smaller than previously believed. The models had projected a 0.226°C per decade global surface air warming trend for 1975–2014 (and 0.212°C per decade over the geographic area covered by the HadCRUT4 record). However, when matching the… Continue reading Climate models are even more accurate than you thought

Obama’s economics team is taking on one of America’s most underrated economic problems

Regulating entry into certain kinds of professions on the grounds of health and safety makes sense, but once a process is set up to exclude people from doing a job, incumbent practitioners have a strong economic incentive to use the licensing board as a means to eliminate competition.

This was tried by Jerry Brown (I think) and the attack ads making health and safety started before the ink was dry on the bill’s first draft.

Oklahoma Oil Executive Told OU Dean He Wanted Earthquake Scientists Fired

>“Mr. Hamm is very upset at some of the earthquake reporting to the point that he would like to see select OGS staff dismissed,” wrote Larry Grillot, the dean of the university’s Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy, in a July 16, 2014, e-mail to colleagues at the university.

Right wing political correctness in action.

The Campaign of Deception Against Planned Parenthood

The full video of the lunch meeting, over two hours long and released by the Center for Medical Progress after complaints by Planned Parenthood, shows something very different from what these critics claim. Clearly, the shorter version was edited to eliminate statements by Dr. Nucatola explaining that Planned Parenthood does not profit from tissue donation,… Continue reading The Campaign of Deception Against Planned Parenthood