“How many times have you heard that CO2 is responsible for huge natural disasters that killed millions of people? The truth is, it’s actually the other way around: As CO2 has increased, deaths from extreme weather have decreased.”

First, has anyone heard that about CO2? I never have.

Second, as CO2 has increased, monitoring of hurricanes and tornadoes has gotten better, as have building construction codes and disaster preparedness. Gee, could that be the reason for fewer deaths from extreme weather? Nothing to do with CO2 at all.

There are so many things we just don’t discuss because they might offend someone, when the discussion just might be beneficial. I hate people being shouted down, and this blog and comments about Glenn Beck have amounted to a virtual and remote shout down. You only want to hear your point of view – everyone else must be too stupid to live. Get over yourselves!

Was he trying to save his job with a week-long tabloid fluff piece? He should have gone out with a little class at least. By the end of it, I was left wondering if Hoagland’s voicemail was full, so they couldn’t broadcast some of his ravings.
To the end of cnn’s science reporting, that’s too bad but not unexpected. As for Mr. O’brien, good riddance.

I was reading that in times of economic growth, interest in knowledge and facts grows, vice versa in times of economic hardships where people turn to the mystical and supernatural and your discovery fits that model with Borders meeting those wants.

“criticized McCain’s policies and predicted is defeat over a year ago”
With, say, 5 major candidates in a race, you can predict the failure of one of them with 80% odds of success. Easy.
I’d be impressed with him if he ever ran retractions on all the **** he claims daily. But no, he just moves on to more falsehoods.

Not a AW&ST reader per se – as a Japan-resident Brit I just haven’t had the chance to read it much. Some of the AW Blogs are good – I hang out on the ARES blog there.

But Beck’s still a tool, as has been amply demonstrated by others’ posts here.

For example – they killed an entire network – CNNFN. They still do finance news. And there is even a pretty major finance section on cnn.com. Which actually links to other TW magazines (like Inc or Forbes). I imagine that will be the same as with Sci/Tech.

They will still cover any major sci/tech news – just won’t have anyone working in CNN Center every day on sci/tech stories.

But given then plethora of tv choices plus Internet-media, there are plenty of options.

And if you want sci-tech stuff to get more attention – then make better product and get good at communicating the message (e.g. marketing and pr).

The “woo” gets more attention because they make better product and really understand the marketing/PR side of the business. That is something the “non-woo” crowd must get better at.

http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form1.html?39

That’s where you go to tell the network directly what poor choices they are making. Put up or shut up!

Did you look at the links Phil provided? duh…

btw Phil,

The second link takes me to the Vonnegut thread.

“busy, busy, busy…”

This year, I stepped on over to the science section and saw that it was now little more than 4 feet. I had a bad feeling that if I turned around that I’d see something equally disturbing.

Sure enough, the Religion and Spirituality section had more than doubled what Science ever had.

I was severely disappointed by all of this. Sham books about “the other side” got better reception than the latest discoveries from Nature herself.

Just, totally sad.

Hey, newspeople! How come you don’t seem to hire anyone who knows anything? There are hundreds of underemployed actors who know more than your writers do about any subject. Just go ask them!

Here’s proof:
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/04/beck-inhofe-bears/

Here:
http://mediamatters.org/items/200804110006

And here: (I remember being shocked when I saw this on his show)
http://crooksandliars.com/node/21607

Now, if you would be so kind as to provide proof that Glenn Beck is a competent journalist with even the slightest understanding of current events, please, let us know.

Shawn Stein is worse — calling him a bigot without providing a reason. That truly makes Shawn Stein the bigot (i.e., a person who firmly holds to blind opinions without caring about supporting reasons).

As I type this reply, the evidence I have recieved includes…

From Tacitus: “Then I submit about 1,000 hours of video tape of just about every show he made for CNN during his tenure there. He may have the gift of the gab, but every time he uses his gab is proof that he is a know-nothing.”

From Michael L: “Just watch his show…”

–Way to go providing actual evidence rather than just broad generalizations. Isn’t that what we criticize the “psychics” and others for doing?

Good job skeptics

From Michael L: “Just watch his show…”

More than you think, buddy. Beck has made more idiotic comments than wise ones. The ones you mentioned are probably the entire list of intelligent comments he has made. A broken (analog) clock is right twice a day. Beck’s social commentaries are moronic and bigoted. It’s like Ben Stein, I’m sure he’s a brilliant guy as far as his field goes, but I don’t avoid calling him a complete jackass because I’m afraid that doesn’t apply to his economics expertise.

Dr. Plait knows we got his back.