Pure unadulterated rubbish, poorly written.

Sperling loses his credibility when he refers to 'upper income tax cuts', and goes downhill from there. Just a worthless hit piece.

A good overview of the legislative status of marijauna legalization, with a commentary on the upcoming election.

An interesting topic, thoroughly butchered by the author. If he had any knowledge of the American system and McCain's position therein, he would understand that McCain is appealing to the conservative wing now to build up a campaign war chest and enitce the Rush Limbaughs of the world back into his camp. And some quotes are just not believable, and must be sourced: "At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you cunt." I mean, really, does anyone beleive McCain said that ... More »

This article is merely McCain's speech, so it is not journalism in the usual sense. Nevertheless, McCain puts the Israeli situation in proper historical perspective, and seems to grasp the key aspects of Israel's position. His approach to the Iranian threat seems both multi-lateral (UN involvement) and tough. He realizes that simple slogans may win the hearts of simple-minded voters, complex and difficult problems require sacrifice, patience and hard work.

Dyson does a fine job of presenting a summary of the books in review, and eventually evaluates the arguments and posturing of the authors. Thus Dyson both presents the books' arguments and puts them in perspective. Well written and thought-provoking in its own right.

Thorough, well-researched story that includes suggestions for the next phase of the Iraq war. Some speculation may be unjustified as to the consequences of various policies, but the speculation is largely identified as such.

From the perspective of 2008, when government receipts are up dramatically and unemployment has fallen to near record lows, the story takes on a ironic note. How could anyone be so completely wrong as Pizzo? His theory has been completely uncercut the the past 6 years, and by a proper view of the past century of economic life in the USA. They don't get much worse than this one!

At least for me, who has listened to Savage very little, this was largely new information. The bias of the author is rather blatant, but the author overcomes his prejudice to present a more balanced view than one might expect. It would have been more interesting if he had invested time in determining what caused Savage to change his outlook so dramatically.

Huffington is as shrill and empty as the so-called lunatic fringe she is criticizing. While her main point that the Reagan Republican party has seriously lost its way is clear, her tenor is unnecessarily harsh and hollow. The piece has little new information and almost no balanced or nuanced discussion.

An interesting perspective from a dedicated pro-abortion proponent on a pro-abortion blog. Not badly written, but the underlying thought processes are not logically developed. The author attacks 'penumbras' that are against her position but defends those she likes. Reading so much into a few words of a candidate reflects the paranoia of the writer more than the positions of a candidate. Most appalling of course is the position that the Constitution even addresses abortion. I suppose ... More »

A well reasoned discussion of the balance between immediate rewards and delayed rewards from a societal perspective. But by choosing a seriously flawed example as his prime point of discussion (global warming) Broome seriously undermines his credibility. Even before attempting to weigh the effects of various policy choices to address a problem, the analyst has a more important ethical obligation to consider the observations and science involved, and to apply the appropriate ... More »

Interesting speculation about the impact of global warming on various organisms. But hardly science. Where is the skepticism that drives scientific inquiry? This is an all-too-typical political piece masquerading as science in Sci Am. That's why I dropped my subscription in the mid 90's after 30 years as a subscriber. Unfortunately Discover is only slightly better.

It is useful for Westerners to see history through the eyes of the Palestinians. However, the history of the Middle East stretches back thousands of years. One cannot understand the history just in terms of what transpired in 1948 any more than what transpired in 1967. In order to make the future brighter, all sides must de-emphasize the numerous past slights and crimes and envision a peaceful and prosperous situation. Begin and Sadat saw this and established a start towards peace - ... More »

An interesting, if superficial, discussion of large mammal populations in the far North. Opinions of leading scientists are given with no supporting statistical information - essentially anecdotal evidence - so the scientific underpinning is weak. And the assumption that 'natural warming is being intensified by greenhouse gases' is just that, an assumption. On my visits to the North Slope of Alaska there appeared to be very substantial populations of caribou in the area, not to ... More »

One good point in this otherwise lame piece: government solutions almost always hurt the poor and powerless that they are trying to help. Large corporations can afford to draft subtle strategies to maximize their benefit, but the average citizen has to fend for her/himself. A free market approach is much more egalitarian. But before any solutions are attempted, we need much better understanding of the influences on climate variability. I am not convinced that man-made CO2 is more ... More »

The usual global warming hysteria, with a poor attempt at adding a thin veneer of scientific evidence.

Global warming alarmism at its worst! Idiots like McKibben hop onto the latest leftist bandwagon and blame people who work to improve their lot (capitalists) for every problem. If the earth is warming, it is certainly due to solar activity and a host of uncontrollable factors, not human activity. If we really want to stay flexible to whatever the future holds the best way is through the free market. When a need arises, an entrepreneur will fulfill that need - for profit. Central ... More »

Kristof is clueless about both global warming and the potential solutions. As a 30 year veteran of energy R&D there are no easy solutions, and government money won't create any. And we should consider global warming for what it has become, a leftist political agenda item rather than anything with scientific credibility. After all, if the rise in T over the past 125 years is due to CO2, how could the T have dropped drastically from 1945 to 1975, while CO2 increased steadily? ... More »

With flawed 'facts' - three recounts by the media in 2000 all showed that Bush won a close contest - how can Swanson possibly get to anything sensible. Irresponsible conspiracy mongering is dangerous because it can undermine the legitimacy of our govt in the simple minds of those who believe it.

Schneider appears to ignore the fact that all of the models fail to predict the shape of the T vs time curve of the past 100 years. If the model can't predict what is already known, how can it be given any credence to predict the future? The rhetoric is lofty but the science is weak.

The article is a bit misleading. Mercury is toxic, and finding the 5 mg of it that spills out of a broken bulb might be tough. In the lab we sprinkle sulfur on mercury spills - the sulfur reacts with the mercury to reduce its vapor pressure and minimize its impact. Also, the mercury released at a power plant is a long way from you, whereas the mercury released with a broken bulb is right in your home, so it is much more likely to be ingested and the danger is greater. I am not ... More »