Representative Alan Grayson makes the truth hurt.

Some would call it a stunt, but all indications suggest that Alan Grayson was spot on. Lots of people are dying because of the lack of health insurance. Many of those people live in Congressional Districts overseen by Republicans who prefer the status quo. Grayson simply added 2 plus 2, and it made the Republicans livid. If they don't like it, then they should do something about it. That's how I see it. The solution is not to hide the facts that people in your district are dying from a problem that might have a solution but that you are not seeking any solution.

Continue ReadingRepresentative Alan Grayson makes the truth hurt.

Compare a coffee bean to a single atom

I've previously blogged on Powers of Ten, a classic book that illustrates relative sizes of various things, both extremely large and extremely small. I just ran across a terrific website that illustrates that relative sizes of many kinds of small things, the largest of which is a coffee bean. When you go to this site, wait a bit so that it finishes loading. Then move the horizontal slider slowly to the right and enjoy your journey into the universe of small and smaller things, all the way down to a carbon atom. [applause!]

Continue ReadingCompare a coffee bean to a single atom

Bill O’Reilly’s math

This 22 second statement has got to be seen to be believed. Anyone this math-challenged shouldn't be discussing the Canadian health care system and shouldn't be on the air at all. Via Media Matters. Interesting statistic that the average Canadian lives almost 2 years longer than the average American. BTW, did you know that O'Reilly's average viewer is 71 years old? Who is he going to replace those viewers with in coming years?

Continue ReadingBill O’Reilly’s math

Republican Scientists are rare

PEW has issued new research findings showing that relatively few scientists are political conservatives. Only 6% of scientists identify themselves as Republicans:

Most scientists identify as Democrats (55%), while 32% identify as independents and just 6% say they are Republicans. When the leanings of independents are considered, fully 81% identify as Democrats or lean to the Democratic Party, compared with 12% who either identify as Republicans or lean toward the GOP.

Continue ReadingRepublican Scientists are rare