So many interesting links, I’m splitting it into two pieces. First the current events portion:
Politics
Who cares about the national poll numbers? We still elect presidents by aggregating 50 state elections. www.fivethirtyeight.com is my favorite website to see the state of the election. It has a sophisticated model that uses state polls and reputations of the pollsters to predict the election. This site is not quite as good, but still very worthy.
National Popular Vote. A great idea to get around the electoral college. A state passes a law that they will give all their electoral votes to the winner of the national vote, as long as enough states have passed the law to get 270 electoral votes. Once 270 is hit, it doesn’t matter what any standout states do. This is really clever, it completely gets around the need to amend the Constitution. How’s it going so far? They’re 19% of the way there.
The media is turning on McCain. They’re not the only ones. His biographer has jumped ship too. Hear it from someone who has studied him in depth.
Obama & McCain’s views on science issues
Obama’s got your back (funny)
Palin and Elitism (funny)
Chuck Hagel disses Palin
Places closer to Moscow than Wasilla, Alaska (Palin’s hometown)
Economics
Why did Wall Street Fail? Was it deregulation? Maybe… if so, Bob Kuttner lays it out here.
Seven Deadly Sins of Deregulation — and Three Necessary Reforms
Another insight into economic troubles
Another way of looking at the economic crisis. I always like a good gambling analogy.
Freakonomics explains the economic crisis. Still hard to understand.
Reed Hundt (former FCC chair) walks through the economy. Very good overall view of the differences between McCain and Obama on the economy.
Yet another summary of what’s going on, a very clear one. If you read enough these, you close in on understanding.