Politics is not generally a fact-based realm, and last night's VP debate was no exception.

According to Robert Farley, the Deputy Managing Editor of FactCheck.org, both Joe Biden and Paul Ryan stretched or stomped all over the truth during the debate.

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With two debates down and two to go, there's a lot of talk about who's winning and losing, about "style points" and, of course, intense scrutiny on what's been said. But let's take a moment to reflect on what hasn't been discussed or hasn't gotten nearly enough attention at the halfway point of the debate cycle.

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Hedge funds are having one of their worst performing years in over a decade. Bank of America Merrill Lynch reports that hedge funds are posting their smallest gains since 1997, and through the third quarter this year advanced just over 3% while the S&P 500 (GSPC) gained 13%.

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Whether it's stories about Facebook hitting 1 billion users or Twitter's influence on the election, barely a day goes by without some report on the importance of social media.

B.J. Mendelson turns the conventional wisdom about social media in his new book, "Social Media Is Bullshit."

Austerity may not be the solution to Europe's problems after all.

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said the harsh austerity measures European officials are pushing could produce the opposite effect on struggling eurozone nations like Greece and Spain. Speaking in Tokyo at the annual meeting of the IMF and World Bank, Lagarde indicated that she had become concerned that government cutbacks were limiting growth and inadvertently exacerbating the region's debt crisis. The IMF warned that European governments had misjudged the severity of budget cuts and tax increases on their economies and that more austerity could lead to a deeper financial troubles.

The soda industry has taken a new approach to the war on obesity. Starting early next year, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo will begin posting calorie counts on select vending machines in Chicago and San Antonio.

The revamped vending machines will be rolled out as part of a competition between government workers in the two cities. (Municipal employees in San Antonio and Chicago are engaged in a "wellness challenge").

While government prosecutors pursue lawsuits against JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo for "misconduct" in the mortgage market, and Wall Street firms complain about new regulations, compensation on the Street is rising.

Apple's stock is now down about 10% from its recent pre-iPhone high.

Suddenly, the Apple bulls have gone quiet.

Suddenly, you don't hear everyone agreeing that Apple's obviously going to $1,000 or on its way to becoming the first $1 trillion company anymore.

So, what's going on?