News

A collection of 649 posts

Donald Trump

Trump Surrogates: Evading Answers and Evidence

This is amazing to watch. There is so much you can take from this short panel segment, I could write for hours on it. I'll let them speak for themselves. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=303&v=WDKBBA_nwqc

Donald Trump

Sam Harris Destroys Trump...Again.

He did it before. He's nailed it again. I love his turns of phrase and points here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=34&v=3yBGE80covk

Debate

Fact-checking the Vice-Presidential Debate - Kaine MUCH more reliable than Pence

Does what it say on the tin: [source - Taken from PolitiFact data 9/29/2016 (includes all rulings on file] PolitiFact evaluated 32 statements made by Kaine and Pence last night during the VP debate. Of 19 Kaine statements checked by PolitiFact, 15 were True or Mostly True (79%

Brexit

Quote of the Day - Rick Barter (a Naturalised Brit's Brexit Remarks)

This one is actually on my facebook page from an American who is now a naturalised Brit living in the UK (and runs my local bookshop). It concerns Brexit, the loss of EU citizens in the wake of the racist outbursts, and was in answer to a great CNN article

Donald Trump

Fact-checking the debate

PolitiFact have done their thing:

extremism

Voting for Trump and Perpetuating the Islamic Victim Narrative and Terrorism

Whether or not any bomb or stabbing events in the States over the last few days were carried out by Islamic fundamentalists, the scenario is an easy one for the fundamentalists, with a bent for terrorism, to win. Creating chaos with bombs and killings stirs up a hornet's

News

Stunningly Good Speech at Correspondents' Dinner

He's good, he's really good. And he talks about one of my greatest concerns for US politics: lobbying. How you can think to have fair law-making and decision-making regarding a country when politicians are paid so much by entities with vested interests is beyond me.

climate change

Earth Temperature Timeline

This is an interesting graphic from xkcd:

Economics

UK's Austerity Approach Is an Excuse to Copy America's Free Market Capitalism

This video, an interview between Owen Jones and Ha-Joon Chang, is fascinating. I heavily referenced Chang's work in my substantial series On the Skepticism of Free Market Economics - check it out. This interview is well worth  watch.

National Secular Society

The Religious Privilege in the House of Lords

The religious nature of aspects of the House of Lords (HOL) came up in another thread here at ATP yesterday, so I thought I would explain how the HOL works in this regard, particularly for foreign readers. Before concentrating on the religious angle, let's allow Wikipedia to explain

Religion and Society

Kentucky Inquisition

I left a comment on a website that described some political machinations in the state of Kentucky. A county legal official promoted a questionnaire for local politicians, asking them about their religious views. I thought that this was rather unusual, and possibly unconstitutional, and offered the following comment. “Jeff Sharp,

morality

This should really challenge your eating habits

I have been having an ongoing conversation on the blog with "Philosophical Vegan" about an old piece I wrote and the philosophical underpinnings of eating meat or being a vegetarian or vegan. The conversation is still unfinished, but it is pretty apparent that it is hard to ethically

Donald Trump

On Trump

I am feeling ranty. I have come to the conclusion that anyone remotely supporting Trump doesn't warrant interaction. He's the biggest douche in the world and to think that so many Americans are putting their stall in him is a damning indictment of that country and

Obama

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

Enough said.

Obama

Obama First President to Author Academic Journal Paper. He's too Cool.

I am a pretty big fan of Obama. He is on the money on so many things. Yes, he will get grief over drones (but I wonder how much of that are others, political machinations, and the claims of the defence institutions etc,). In general terms, he is very cool,

extremism

Saudi Arabia, the UK, Al-Qaeda, the Yemen. What a Recipe.

This video is a great expose of the proper shitstorm that is the Yemen right now. And we in the UK. as far as our government is concerned, are probably not helping matters. [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lc5L519Ko8E[/youtube]

Economics

Jesus and Trickle Down Economics

I am involved in a conversation on facebook at the moment about free market economics. The conversation includes some theists (such as Nick Peters) who espouse trickle down economics. I have written about free market economics and trickle down economics at great lengths before, but it is interesting to do

Brexit

Fears Materialise for UK Science in Post-Brexit Landscape

I recently wrote about my worries with regard to EU funding and science in the UK. I feel that the discipline and economy of science (which I propose is massively important to me personally, and to this country and our collective futures) is at threat. This appears to have been

Conservatives

Asking for... No, Demanding a Progressive Alliance

Yesterday, I wrote about the fallout from Brexit and the idea that, in a state of chaos and disarray, the ideologically possessed will take advantage and fulfill their decades' old plans. Whatever you say about the good and bad of Brexit, it will enable free marketeers and those on

Brexit

The Shock Doctrine, Post-Brexit and Where the UK Goes Now

Brexit has undoubtedly caused some grave concerns in the financial world. The pound is operating on a 31-year low, breaking records daily, and the commercial property market has nose-dived, with its ramifications for companies who have portfolios, and those who use it as collateral. All these issues have come about

Epistemology

On Being More Skeptical of Claims

I had a phone call with a member of my family last night who made a claim about the EU civil servants in the EU getting paid too much. The claim was something like "Do you know that X EU civil servants get paid  more than our Prime Minister,

Donald Trump

Trump, Christianity and the Religious Right

I reported the other day on how some are seeing Trump as a "baby Christian" who has newly embraced the faith, taking his baby steps but not yet speaking the clear words of Christian religiosity. This was announced by James Dobson. Salon reports him as saying: Only the

EU referendum

My Worries about Science Funding

Brexit has happened and will not be overturned, as a democratic decision, no matter how much I oppose it, and no matter how much i complain about the ignorance of large swathes of the electorate. (That is not an argument against the bona fide arguments concerned, but against the very

Labour

I See You, David Miliband

The last few days have torn the UK apart. At a moment when the Tory party is riven in twain and ripe for pickings, Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party has imploded spectacularly. In the past 36 hours, 23 out of 31 shadow cabinet members have quit. It is in

Donald Trump

Appeasing the Evangelicals: Trump Is a "Baby Christian"

This is how the evangelical right in America will now treat Trump in order to have a coherent campaign to get a Republican voted in. And it works for Trump too. Where he can court Christians and Christianity, and secretly not give two hoots, he can also stay onside with