daily rant

It really bothers me when people take the elevator for floor. I mean it's one flight of stairs; they can't walk up one flight of stairs? My building at work is 3 stories high, plus a basement. I feel guilty for taking the elevator up to my third floor office, but every single day someone gets on in the basement and off on the first floor.

unpopular beliefs

I saw this on facebook, forgive me. The premise is that you post 10 things that you believe that are unpopular or controversial, Let's play....

1. I believe in the theory of general intelligence. In psychology, we refer to this as g. The construct of g is manifested as your ability to learn; it's partially genetic and partially environmental. I think people really take issue with the genetic component, but if you can get your father's blue eyes, then why can't you get your father's skill for logical reasoning?
   
2. I don't think that vaccinations cause Autism. This is still debated, and I think the evidence for it is weak. Nevermind my entire issue that Autism is a diagnosis and not a disease. It is a set of symptoms that are grouped together. We have no idea what the cause is, because we have no idea what the disease is. More research should go into exactly what Autism is before we can ever start trying to prevent it.
   
3. I think that sometimes, the group is more important than the individual. I feel like this is blasphemous in the US and accepted practice elsewhere in the world. The reason why all school children are required to get vaccinated for disease is not to protect the individual, but to protect the group. This will segue to my next unpopular belief....
   
4. I'm perfectly fine with socialized health care. The US spends more money on healthcare than it should, and we are one of the only industrialized nations that does not provide some kind of healthcare coverage for our citizens. Just as there is a value in having an educated society, there is a value in having a healthy society. Alright, you can call me a Commie-Socialist, and to speak of Commies
   
5. I'm not convinced there is a god, and I live my life accordingly. I am not in a position to say there is no god, but I allow room for that chance just as I allow room for the existence of unicorns and fairies.
   
6. Abortion and information about reproduction options should be made readily accessible to all women. This starts with providing education about conception and birth control, and includes women's rights to decide what happens to their own bodies. I think the door swings both ways and applies not only to women that need abortions, but also to women that choose to have multiple children (i.e., the Duggars).
   
7. Gays should be allowed the right to enter into legal marriage. This is a civil rights issue, and is no different than the legalization of inter-racial marriages within the last century.
   
8. I think that generational differences are crap, and most of the differences between generations can be better explained by age effects. All this 'research' that shows that Gen Yers need instant gratification - well, when the Boomers were in their 20s, they wanted it now too. That was manifested in an explosion of independent businesses as the Boomers didn't want to 'work their way to the top' with their parent's generation.
   
9. I think sexism and racism are still a major problems in the workplace, and in the larger society. I also think that a large part of the US wants to ignore that this is still an issue.
   
10. (I stole this one directly from someone else) As much as I think that racism and sexism are an issue, I think that the larger divide in the US is between classes... and here's the part I really steal: I think that a rich black kid has a better chance of being (financially and professionally) successful in life than a poor white kid. It's true that if it were a poor black kid and a poor white kid, the white kid would have the advantage. The world we live in is no longer a meritocracy (I really wonder if it ever was), and the likelihood of people moving up and and out of the lower classes is getting slimmer and slimmer.
    

4k for my gas guzzler?

There is a bill making its way through the US House of Representatives that would provide credits of around four thousand dollars for people to turn in their older, less efficient vehicles for newer, less polluting versions.

The way the bill is currently worded, individuals could take their old (pre-2001) gas guzzlers to their local dealership and receive a voucher for three to five thousand off the purchase of a new car with a rating of at least 27mpg. The dealer must then destroy the old car and provide proof of destruction to the US Gov't to be reimbursed.

In theory, I like this. Representative Betty Sutton from Ohio, a democrat, of course, seems to be on the right track. If this bill passes, we would cut pollution, possibly use less gas as a nation, people would be encouraged to go out and buy a new vehicles - hell, the KBB on my car is only two thousand! - and that in turn could help some struggling car companies.

There are some effects that bother me about the bill. On a whole, how would this plan effect the supply of used cars on the market. I've never owned a new car - I've always bought used, from my '81 Honda Prelude to my '88 VW Fox and now my '92 Honda Accord. At any given point, my car has always been at least 10 years old. Also, my first two cars were bought for less than a thousand dollars. Would those cars remain on the market with this program?

Now, the bill itself has just been referred to committee, so who knows what it will look like if it ever makes it to the floor for a vote, but it will be interesting to watch.

breathing earth

I found a link to this website today:



It is a representation of birth and death rates, along with CO2 emissions. Interesting and depressing all in one. Kind of makes me happy that I have decided to not have children. btw... in the time it took me to post this, 1300 people have been born and 508 have died.

are you somewhat curious about Ann Coulter's book?

Do you have trouble looking away from car accidents? Are you a glutton for punishment? Do you try to rationalize the behavior of extreme conservatives?

I have to be honest, I was curious about Ann Coulter's book - actually, all of her books. However, I could never bring myself to purchase one. Not only would I be contributing money to Ann Coulter, but someone would see me buying the book! eep! Well, I have found a solution: Margaret and Helen!

Margaret and Helen is a blog that I came across not too long ago. It is hilarious, and liberal =) Recently, Helen bought a copy of Ann Coulter's book at a used bookstore, and summarized it for the masses. The summary is a must read! Check it out!

another reason not to give up caffeine

Interestingly, caffeine may offer some protection from skin cancer. That's right kiddies; keep drinking that coffee. Caffeine seems to target cells that have been damaged by UV rays, and somehow cause them to self-destruct. All while leaving non-damaged cells alone. The researcher doesn't suggest upping our intakes of caffeine. He says it is just an added benefit for those of us that enjoy our morning cup of coffee.

groundhog day

So, today, February 2nd, both Punxsutawney Phil and Sir Walter Wally saw their shadows. You may be familiar with Punxsutawney Phil. He is the famouse groundhog in Pennsylvania that predicts the coming of spring. He also has his own Wikipedia page. Of course he is the "seer of seers and prognosticator of prognosticators." Punxsutawney Phil, or an incarnation of him, has made 112 predictions in the last 123 years.

You may not be familiar with Sir Walter Wally of Raleigh, NC. He has been making predictions since 1998. The reason I bring this up is that the WRAL article linked above states the following:

"In the last 10 years, he has a 60 percent accuracy rate, which is better than the famous Phil," Jones said. For more information on Wally's record, click here.

Informal studies credit Phil with an accuracy rate of anywhere between 25 and 40 percent. Since 1886, Phil has seen his shadow 96 times and has not seen it 15 times. His observations went unrecorded for nine years.

Well, as someone who dabbles in stats, I'm not sure that you can say that Sir Walter Wally is more accurate than Punxsutawney Phil. I mean, there are drastically different sample sizes (SWW's n =10, while PP's n = 112). Unfortunately, since there is a dichotomous result (either the groundhog sees his shadow, or doesn't) it's kind of hard to discuss reliability. I also don't feel like going to look for a formula to discuss varying sample sizes - it's just that the statement threw me off.

Either way, have a great Groundhog Day!