The Weekly Sift

This week’s articles are so wordy that I’m going to focus the short notes on images.

Don’t know your ad hominems from your slippery slopes? This poster can help.

Or you can show your opponents where their response falls in the pyramid of refutation.

Here’s how democracy works:

Most editorial-cartoon flow charts are funny. This one is just accurate:

I keep hoping that Obama’s pop-culture appearances will tempt Mitt Romney to prove that he’s cool too.

Obama’s stand-up routine at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner was pretty good too.

Taking on the nuns at the same time they’re challenging Obama on contraception may not be the Catholic hierarchy’s greatest idea.

I don’t know what possesses people to go on TV shows where they are bound to be humiliated. Here, former Texas Board of Education Chair Don McLeroy gets interviewed by Stephen Colbert — in a segment that promotes a documentary critical of McLeroy.

The marketplace gives you great power to decide which corporate octopus will take over the world.

Rachel Maddow continues her reporting on Michigan’s loss of democracy. In this chapter, a petition to put Michigan’s controversial Emergency Manager Law up for referendum is rejected it used the wrong font size. Or did it?

And while it is a step forward for a liberal woman like Rachel to get an occasional seat at the Meet the Press table, how long will it take for male conservatives to treat her like an equal?

The tussle took a more personal turn when Castellanos told Maddow, “I love how passionate you are. I wish you are as right about what you’re saying as you are passionate about it. I really do.”

“That’s really condescending,” Maddow replied. “I mean this is a stylistic issue. My ‘passion’ on this issue is actually me making a factual argument.”

Department of Corrections: In last week’s short notes I balanced the report that high-fructose corn syrup causes autism with a link to an article by the Corn Refiners Association. Here’s a better counter-argument:

If you find yourself near Concord, MA Wednesday evening, come hear me talk to the Concord Area Humanists on “A Humanist Approach to Death”.