'Speculations' by Jim Holt

Columns: 'Speculations' by Jim Holt | Prospect Magazine October 2008 issue 151: "Heard the one about the three theories of humour? Jokes are about humiliation, the release of inhibitions, or absurdity. The end of the world itself has the logical form of a joke. Geddit?"

Boss of Lehman Brothers left squirming as veteran Democrat roasts him over pay | Business | The Guardian

Boss of Lehman Brothers left squirming as veteran Democrat roasts him over pay | Business | The Guardian: "'Your company is bankrupt, you keep $480m. Is that fair?'"

Al Gore is a fraud?

Al Gore is a fraud?: We know Al Gore is a Hypocrite.

Health-Care-Spending-USA-GDP-Expenses on Slide - Photo Sharing

The Value of Life and the Rise in Health Spending

Robert E. Hall & Charles I. Jones
Hoover Institution and Department of Economics, Stanford University and NBER and Department of Economics, U.C. Berkeley and NBER
April 7, 2006 — Version 5.0
Quarterly Journal of Economics

Making Health Care the Engine That Drives the Economy - New York Times

Making Health Care the Engine That Drives the Economy - New York Times

On the Issues: Health Care - Election Guide 2008 - The New York Times

On the Issues: Health Care - Election Guide 2008 - The New York Times

OECD Health Data 2008 - Frequently Requested Data

OECD Health Data 2008 - Frequently Requested Data

Economist's View: Large Collection of Economic and Healthcare Graphs from April Blog Entries

Economist's View: Large Collection of Economic and Healthcare Graphs from April Blog Entries

With Palin, McCain changes the equation - Los Angeles Times

With Palin, McCain changes the equation - Los Angeles Times: "In her rollout speech, Palin did not take on the traditional role of a vice presidential candidate, that of a political attack dog. Neither she nor McCain directly criticized or even mentioned Obama and Joe Biden, the Democratic ticket.

Obama and Biden both phoned Palin during the day, campaign officials said, and issued statements congratulating her.

She has said she does not believe global warming is "man-made," while McCain has advocated aggressive steps to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Palin also favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which McCain opposes.

Palin opposes gay marriage and abortion, including in cases of rape or incest, and supports teaching creationism in public schools."

Choice of Sarah Palin energizes California delegates - Los Angeles Times

Choice of Sarah Palin energizes California delegates - Los Angeles Times: "Several delegates cited Palin's decision to have a baby, 4-month-old Trig, knowing he had Down syndrome."

A winning strategy for McCain - The Boston Globe

A winning strategy for McCain - The Boston Globe:

"Run on reform. He should base his candidacy on a platform of compelling solutions.

Fire lobbyists from the campaign. McCain should make clear that he will not be indebted to any lobbyists - including those who are campaign "volunteers.""

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, Florida Governor Charlie Crist, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, and former Ohio congressman and budget director Rob Portman.

Mitt Romney is often mentioned

Rebranding Michelle Obama - The Boston Globe

Rebranding Michelle Obama - The Boston Globe: "She has been called 'Obama's baby mama,' slang for an unwed mother. She has faced allegations that she used the slur 'whitey' in a speech. And the much discussed fist-bump that she shared with her husband earlier this month has been absurdly dissected: Could it be a terrorist gesture?"

The real power of campaign donations - The Boston Globe

The real power of campaign donations - The Boston Globe: "The candidate who raises the most money wins most of the time. The majority of campaign money comes from a tiny fraction of the public, representing moneyed interests and the wealthy. Campaign contributors, quite logically, support with their votes and donations those candidates who share their views."

Obama's risky electoral strategy - The Boston Globe

Obama's risky electoral strategy - The Boston Globe: "Obama is certainly not conceding historically Democratic states where George Bush made significant gains in 2004, but he is signaling a preference to fight in places where the GOP showed signs of slippage in the last election."

Obama and McCain - flip-flop, flip-flop - The Boston Globe

Obama and McCain - flip-flop, flip-flop - The Boston Globe: THERE IS no "straight talk." There isn't "a different kind of politics." There are just two men who really want to be president.

Harold Pollack: Being the Change we Want to See: Let's Not Trash Cindy McCain Over Her Past Drug Problems - Politics on The Huffington Post

Harold Pollack: Being the Change we Want to See: Let's Not Trash Cindy McCain Over Her Past Drug Problems - Politics on The Huffington Post: "Cindy McCain's had painful back and knee problems her doctors did not effectively address. To deal with the resulting pain, she started using--then misusing--Percocet and Vicodin. Like many others, she became dependent. She stole some medication, obtained some bogus scripts, and got caught."

Cindy McCain feels the heat after 'cheating' with recipe - Americas, World - The Independent

Cindy McCain feels the heat after 'cheating' with recipe - Americas, World - The Independent: "Unfortunately the recipe Mrs McCain submitted is a near facsimile of a recipe from Hershey's, America's largest confectioner. The scandal, has not yet risen to 'cookiegate' dimensions, but the omens are not good. It's the second time this year that Mrs McCain has been caught with her hand, figuratively, in the cookie jar. 'McCain Family Recipes' posted on her husband's campaign website in April turned out to be near word-for-word copies of recipes on the Food Network site."