Guest Thinkers — August 16, 2010

In Radio Ad, Obama Distorts McCain’s Stem Cell Support

From the University of Pennsylvania’s FactCheck.org, (listen to the ad and read the full analysis):

An Obama-Biden radio ad hammers McCain for being opposed to stem cell research. Not true. Meanwhile two spots from the McCain-Palin campaign, together with the Republican National Committee, describe McCain’s support for the research; they’re largely accurate.

By saying that “John McCain has stood in the way – he’s opposed stem cell research,” the Obama ad seriously misstates the view that McCain has held on this issue since 2001, when he began backing embryonic stem cell research, a position that was out of step with that of many of his fellow Republicans.

The McCain/RNC ads would probably lead listeners to believe that Palin shares McCain’s views on this topic. That’s not true. But we find that to be a minor flaw compared with the misrepresentation in Obama’s ad.

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America’s news deserts are growing

Most counties in the U.S. have only one local newspaper, often one that publishes weekly instead of daily.

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Neuropsych

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Making microbots smart

What would it take to create a truly intelligent microbot, one that can operate independently?

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