Well with extremely rare exceptions I wasn't learning actual formulas for stuff, but for general concepts, phenomena, and theories, you can find tons of knowledge in both media. Many sci-fi novels are exceedingly well researched.
I don't doubt that they are exceedingly well researched, but I do doubt they teach much more than exposing you to an idea. Also, isn't there a lot of fringe / implausible ideas in those? So you'd have to know how to tease the good ideas from the bad. I'm purely speculating though and I will have to take your word for their content.
I still don't think the analogy applies. Maher's show is heavily based on politics. And the discussion is better than you find on most news programs. A sci-fi novel is a story first and foremost. And the science in there is not nearly as comprehensive as a text or non-fiction book.
Depends on the book, obviously. Many have what is essentially technology based magic with no basis in real science, but others are extremely grounded in real scientific theory and technology, even if they happen to be ahead of their time.
My reading taste runs more to fantasy lately, and it's been a long time since I've read sci fi regularly so I can't make any specific recommendations of stories to look at to see what I'm talking about.
Actually, yes, I think so. I think Maher likes being attacked by right wing nuts and religious fundies, but it seemed to me that being widely reviled as a bigot by "his own team", and that every time he opened his mouth to defend himself it just seemed to make things worse, shook him up a bit.
The episode was fine, but it's pretty obvious they went with "safe" guests and topics to avoid the controversies of the last few weeks.
No way these guests I am sure are booked weeks in advance. I think he just guides the discussion. Reality is many A list celebs avoid his type of show.
Great lineup from last night's episode, incase you missed it. Some of my favourite panelists including the likes of Jeremy Scahill and Andrew Sullivan. Plus the added bonus of Martin Short, always funny.
Monologue and New Rules were both above average too.
+1 solid episode. The republican chick is pretty easy on the eyes too, and seems to be one of the rare rational ones. Martin Short was really good. Rand was ok, although he completely dodged a couple questions, and Bill didn't really press him, probably because he knew he wasn't going to get a straight answer.
So I watched this latest episode because I wanted to see Seth Rogan (who I thought did a good job).
Anyways, at one point during the show, Maher was calling Americans stupid, but he was also implying that he was not stupid (unlike the general American public). From my perspective, Maher belongs in the group of stupid Americans. He thinks he's so smart and knows better than everyone else, when in reality, he's just another stupid American as far as I'm concerned. Obviously he's not on the same level as the people who can't name the branches of government or who think that the Noah's Arc story is real, but he's just as clueless as most other Americans when it comes to most topics.
For example, one of the arguments he made to prove that Americans are stupid is that the "average American" thought that the unemployment rate was 32%. Maher laughs and acts all smug and says that the unemployment rate is only 5.9%. He said that during the Great Depression, it was only 25% implying that the 32% number is absurd.
First of all, they didn't actually track unemployment during the Great Depression and 25% is really just an estimate in hindsight. Also, the unemployment rate in the cities was estimated to be 35% during the height of the depression (only when all the farmers were counted was the rate 25%). So if you didn't work on a farm, 35% was probably the unemployment rate you experienced.
What Maher doesn't realize is that the methodology used to calculate unemployment has changed a lot over the past few decades. If they calculated the unemployment rate during the Great Depression in the same way that we calculate unemployment right now, the official unemployment rate during the Great Depression might have only been say 10%.
Right now, the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases 6 unemployment numbers (U1, U2, U3, U4, U5 and U6). The U3 is the headline number that is currently sitting at 5.9%. But in order to be considered part of the U3, you have to have been actively looking for work in the past 4 weeks. If you don't have a job, and you're willing and able to work, but you haven't looked for a job in the last 4 weeks because there are no jobs available in your area, then you're not considered unemployed (you're a short term discouraged worker). If you have not looked for a job in over one year, you are considered a long term discouraged worker and are not counted in any of the Government's unemployment statistics. If you were an engineer making $200,000 per year and you lost your job, and you took a part time job at McDonalds while you looked for another job, then you're not considered unemployed either. All the people who can't find a job and go back to school are not considered unemployed. If you were a private contractor making $200,000 per year and now because of the economy you only make $5,000 per year, you're not considered unemployed. Essentially, the government changed the way unemployment was calculated so that a lot of people are not considered part of the labor force even though they are of working age and do not have a job.
The U6 unemployment rate is over 10% (about double the current U3 rate) which includes short term discouraged workers and underemployed workers.
If you look on the Shadowstats website, John Williams estimates that the real unemployment rate is closer to 23% when you include all the long term discouraged workers.
So if you just go ask working age Americans if they're employed or unemployed, close to 1 in 4 Americans would say they're unemployed. It's only because of phony government calculations that the "unemployment rate" is only 5.9%.
And obviously for a lot of marginalized groups, 32% unemployment is close to what they experience in their own community (and Maher didn't give any details about who was surveyed or who conducted this study to get this 32% number). So the 32% unemployment rate estimated by the "average American" (whoever that is... maybe that's just people who answer the telephone during the daytime for this phony survey/study) is probably closer to the real unemployment rate than the government's phony 5.9% number.
A much better number to look at is the "labor force participation rate" which is currently at a 36 year low (because 36 years ago, there were a lot of women who didn't work).
The labor force participation rate hit a 36 year low last month of 62.7%.
So the main reason why the "unemployment rate" is only 5.9% is because of all the people who are not counted as being in the labor force and are therefore not considered either employed or unemployed.
Bill Maher is an idiot who just looks at phony government numbers and then concludes that the economy must be in great shape.
Here's John Williams of ShadowStats explain the unemployment rate (this is from 2012)
Anyways, this is why it's so frustrating for me to watch Bill Maher. He's just another idiot Liberal who thinks he's so much smarter than everyone else. His panel is normally filled with other Liberal idiots. And he occasionally has some idiot Republican on the show too. He never has any real libertarians on the show who actually understand economics, politics and what's really going on in the world.
Last edited by TheGreenMagi; 11-22-2014 at 12:52 PM.
Also Bill Maher is referring to the stupidity for the many that do not vote and the ones that do have no clue what they are voting for
That's why I think Maher is missing the point.
1) The American population has very little control over their government. It's the government that is controlling the people right now, not the other way around.
2) Voting doesn't matter. No matter who you vote for, the government stays in power. Anyone who took time out of their day to vote for Obama or Romney is a brainwashed idiot.
3) It makes very little difference whether a Republican or Democrat is President.
4) The atrocities committed by the US government in recent history are not often fully acknowledged by most Americans (including Maher). Despite all the horrible things that the US government has done (war, torture, etc.), Maher still basically supports his government.
1) The American population has very little control over their government. It's the government that is controlling the people right now, not the other way around.
2) Voting doesn't matter. No matter who you vote for, the government stays in power. Anyone who took time out of their day to vote for Obama or Romney is a brainwashed idiot.
3) It makes very little difference whether a Republican or Democrat is President.
4) The atrocities committed by the US government in recent history are not often fully acknowledged by most Americans (including Maher). Despite all the horrible things that the US government has done (war, torture, etc.), Maher still basically supports his government.
Ohhhh.
I get the earlier post now. I think you are looking for the ACism thread. It's in politics. Simple mistake
1) The American population has very little control over their government. It's the government that is controlling the people right now, not the other way around.
2) Voting doesn't matter. No matter who you vote for, the government stays in power. Anyone who took time out of their day to vote for Obama or Romney is a brainwashed idiot.
3) It makes very little difference whether a Republican or Democrat is President.
4) The atrocities committed by the US government in recent history are not often fully acknowledged by most Americans (including Maher). Despite all the horrible things that the US government has done (war, torture, etc.), Maher still basically supports his government.
