[MNDude]

“People Everywhere Are Getting Smarter”

I’ve got to claim BS on this one. There are many studies that show the opposite:
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-11/are-people-getting-dumber-one-geneticist-thinks-so

[0.E.O]

People Everywhere Are Getting Smarter

Not if Congress is any indicator.

[Slings and Arrows]

[onedoug]

Through our children and grandchildren, we live on into the future...whatever that will entail.

[Sergio]

bkmk

[GOP_Party_Animal]

“One could even argue that ... the increasing availability of pornography appears to be associated with a decline in rape.”

Clearly, before 1960 when these crimes were rare, they must have had awesome bandwidth for porn.

[zeestephen]

Re: “The incidence of cancer in the United States has been declining for nearly 20 years.”

I'll bet that is 100% due to the fact that the number of cigarette smokers has dropped dramatically since the 1960’s.

The most important risk factor for cancer is age.

As our average age goes higher, eventually, the number of cancer victims will go higher, too.

[the_Watchman]

"Markets Make People Nicer"

"Herbert Gintis, co-director of the Preference Network team, speculates that markets bring strangers into contact on a regular basis, encouraging people to develop more concern for others beyond their family and immediate neighbors. Instead of parochialism, being integrated into markets encourages a spirit of ecumenism."

My father, who owned and operated his own grocery store, used to tell me that "Everyone who walks through that front door is my friend!"

[a fool in paradise]

BELIEVE IT OR DON'T!

[Mrs. Don-o]

Almost every one of his major points is an example of correlation being confused with causation. That's the major error made with statistics from middle-school on out: and it only takes a middle-schooler to detect it.

Example: porn and rape. Porn went up, rape went down. Fine. But during the same time span:

• Consumption of beef went down... and rape went down.
• Marriage went down.... and rape went down.
• Use of typewriters went down... and rape went down.
• Presence of fathers in the home went down ... and rape went down.
• Bowling leagues went down... and rape went down.

Conversely...

• female gun ownership went up... and rape went down.
• Women enrolled in colleges//universities went up... and rape went down.
• Average amt. of money spent by adults for Halloween went up... and rape went down.
• 45 states made it it easier to transfer cases from juvenile justice system to the criminal justice system... and rapes went down.
• Dental cavities are declining ... and rapes went down.

SO???

[Reeses]

new jobs that result from increased average productivity.

Automation is great but how exactly does that increase the number of jobs for humans? Actually we're facing a new problem: for a small but growing percentage of the population there is no job available they can do that a computerized machine can't do faster, cheaper, better.

A bright side of the offshoring of American jobs is that we have gotten used to the idea of not having one. That will enable faster robotics adoption in America. But what are we going to do with our oversupply of human pets?

[Stand Watch Listen]

That average IQs are going up substantially all around the world?

Hmmmmmm…though…perhaps not in California

Obama Supporters Sign Petition to Repeal the BILL OF RIGHTS

Mark Dice asks California beach goers if they'll sign a petition showing support for Obama in his quest to repeal the Bill of Rights.