Monday, April 30, 2007

April 27, 2007 Statistics/Marriage

This is such a completely random topic, but it's been on my mind lately. Other than historical information, statistics can be one of the most easily manipulated forms of information out there. Everything from the way questions can be asked in order to gather data, to the information it hides/skews, statistics should always be questioned just as much as Jeff's arguments.

The example that I'm assuming most people are familiar with is that 50% of marriages end in divorce these days. This is one of the most common misconceptions (along with the crazy idea that Jim has a small penis). In order to question it, you have to wonder what data was used. A simple look at US Census Bureau information will give that to you. Now I don't know if the government is intentionally trying to spread this "stat" to scare people out of getting married, that way they don't have kids, can't claim dependents, and get taxed out the ass as a result, but here's the secret:

This common statistic will only look at the number of marriages in a particular year, i.e. 2006, and compare that to the number of divorces filed in 2006. But wait, couldn't people filing for divorce have gotten married anytime before that? Hmm, so basically this stat compares marriages in said year ( i.e. 2006) to the number of divorces FILED in that same year. This basically includes anyone that got married all the way back in 1920, all the way up to the census year. Naturally this number will be higher. If you actually go back and look at the number of people who got married compared to the number of people who got divorced on an individual year to year basis, it will show that the real number is far from 50%. If you actually boil it down, the real number is roughly 25%.

I had to clear that up, because it's been bothering me. Next person who tells me the number is 50% WILL get slapped across the face with a large stick of pepperoni (and no, that's not a sexual reference, I'm talking about a literal piece of pepperoni, and I do have one waiting in my fridge.)

Song of the Week: "Ever Somber" by Dalek. Welcome to the wonderful world of ambient rap.

Quote of the Week: This week you get a twosie:

"Marriage is give and take. You'd better give it to her or she'll take it anyway." - Joey Adams
"They say marriages are made in Heaven. But so is thunder and lightning. "- Clint Eastwood

Random Fact of the Week: You'll take about 23,000 breaths today

Picture of the Week:


Until next week, Santa Claus isn't real,


Fred

Friday, April 20, 2007

April 20, 2007 10 Things That Scare Me Most

10: Televangelists
9: Crazy homeless people
8: The day when Scrubs/The Office/Family Guy does not appear on TV
7: Getting a paper cut . . . in the EYE
6: Smelling gas when walking into the apartment (no, not the human kind, the EXPLOSIVE kind)
5: An angry Rich
4: Boy George
3: Extreme Feminists
2: Legislation restricting 1st Amendment rights

And, the number one thing that scares me most in the ENTIRE WORLD:

1: Girls driving SUVs (or any other automobile for that matter) while talking on their cell phones

Song of the Week: "The Only Moment We Were Alone" by Explosions In The Sky. In the words of an anonymous source, their songs make you "feel like you're in a movie."

Quote of the Week: "You read what Disraeli had to say. I don't remember what he said. He said something. He's no longer with us." - Bob Dole

Random Fact of the Week: The word "girl" appears in the Bible only once.

Picture of the Week:


Until next week, don't forget to put on your helmet,


Fred

Friday, April 13, 2007

April 13, 2007 Nappy-Headed Hos

When you hear the term "nappy-headed ho," do you think of it as a degradation towards a specific race? I know I don't. One can't deny it was sexist, but the racial thing is just pushing it. Was it an inappropriate comment? Sure. Did it deserve the backlash it received? Absolutely not.

Such a big deal has been made about Imus's comments it's almost sickening. What is most alarming is how it has been made into a racial issue, seeing as the NAACP has called out for Imus to be fired and are looking for Black leaders to speak out against this. Props to Obama though, amidst pressure from a predominantly black and white liberal cohort to take a stand for "racial justice," when he responded with, "The comments of Don Imus were divisive, hurtful, and offensive to Americans of all backgrounds"(emphasis added).

Now, I'm going to go way out on a limb here and mention that if you look at pop culture in America, where can you find the word "Ho" used most? Bueller? Bueller? Ok, I'll state what everyone's thinking . . . RAP SONGS. Excellent, and so that we're all on the same page (this next comment is in no way intended to be racial or stereotypical, so all you PC folks out there please turn away) but a quick analysis of the top rappers in America at the current time, and throughout history, have in fact undeniably been Black/African American/whatever the politically correct term is these days.

Now, question #2: Off the top of your head, when can you last recall a member of the NAACP calling out for rappers to stop using the words nappy or ho? Hmm, well today is Friday, April 13th (ooooohhhhh, scary!) this year wasn't a leap year, so carry the 7, subtract pi and throw in a cosine. I'm going to say I can't even remember.

If I'm listening to a radio station and I hear something I don't like or get offended by, I usually like to do a little exercise (yes, I understand America is the fattest nation in the world, so I'm asking a lot here) called turning the dial to another station. Usually at that point I do think I'm alone when I'm looking for Tiffany, and certainly do believe that heaven is a place on Earth whenever I hear Belinda Carlisle. Doing a couple dial turns, usually burns off a couple calories. But to stay on topic, this is an issue I could write on and on about, but I know most of you just skip down to the facts and song section, so I'll save myself the carpel tunnel and quit while I'm ahead.

I do legitimately feel bad for the Rutgers team though, who made it to the Women's Championship, but instead are getting publicity for one person's comments. Perhaps there's something wrong with the media and what it deems important? That's another topic for another day.

Song of the Week: "Nonografistole Adendum" by Irepress (support local bands)

Quote of the Week: This is a long one, but I feel it's completely appropriate "Political correctness is American's newest form of intolerance, and it is especially pernicious because it comes disguised as tolerance. It presents itself as fairness, yet attempts to restrict and control people's language with strict codes and rigid rules. I'm not sure that's the way to fight discrimination. I'm not sure silencing people or forcing them to alter their speech is the best method for solving problems that go much deeper than speech." – George Carlin

Random Fact of the Week: In an emergency, Coca Cola can replace oil in cars.

Picture of the Week:


Until next week, don't eat the brown acid,


Fred

Friday, April 6, 2007

April 6, 2007 Friends

As I'm now losing my hangover from a weekend in DC, I've come to realize that there's a big difference between good friends, and just regular friends. Examples:

Friend: "I'm sorry things are shitty right now, do you want to talk about it?"
Good Friend: "Pull the string and let's go grab a beer."

Friend: "I think that chick over there is eyeing you, go talk to her."
Good Friend: "You don't have a chance, I, on the other hand, am going over to talk to her. Save my seat."

Friend: "Forget about that guy that just flicked you off, it's not worth it."
Good Friend: "Well, I've already been arrested once, what's another one?"

Friend: "Alright dude, I think you've had enough to drink, let's head back,"
Good Friend: "Stop being a pussy and man up."

Friend: "Oh man, you're sick, you need anything to help clean up or make you feel better?"
Good Friend: "Hey douche bag, shut the hell up, I'm watching TV."

Friend: "I missed you like the desert misses the rain."
Good Friend: "I missed you like the desert misses the rain."

Ok, so maybe the last one is universal, but some comments do have subtle differences. (Disclaimer: not all events/scenarios portrayed above occurred during said time frame.) So, who are you going to be? A friend, a good friend, or the boss of everyone like Tony Danza (who, I found out recently was a professional boxer with a 9-3 record from 1976-1979. There's a little bonus nugget of knowledge for you).

Song of the Week: "Complete Heat" by Fight Paris (strap on your seat belts boys and girls and get ready for an alcohol abuse inducing party starting rock ride)

Quote of the Week: "Smoking kills. If you're killed, you've lost a very important part of your life." - Brooke Shields, during an interview to become spokesperson for a federal anti-smoking campaign.

Random Fact of the Week: By the time you finish reading this, the Earth will have traveled almost 100 miles through space.

Picture of the Week:


Until next week, remember, you can't spell 'Friend' without 'Fred,'


Fred