Monthly Archives: October 2015

The Right Stuff

Posted on October 31, 2015 by the archivist

I was going to write something about Churchmouse’s very interesting piece about an encounter with an antismoking activist, but I’m far too sleepy to do that tonight. Instead I’ll write about spaceship interior design. I first started thinking about this … Continue reading →

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Wishful Thinking

Posted on October 30, 2015 by the archivist

I’ve received permission from Professor Peter Diggle, the President of the Royal Statistical Society, to publish our recent correspondence. So here it is, minus the start and end felicitations. Here’s what I sent him: I write to you in your … Continue reading →

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Repeat Something Enough And Everyone Will Believe It

Posted on October 29, 2015 by the archivist

H/T Jonathan Bagley for the following video of Professor David Spiegelhalter, the next President of the Royal Statistical Society, and a couple of blog posts by him. It’s a nice little video, making a simple point, and without using any … Continue reading →

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A Statistical Investigation

Posted on October 28, 2015 by the archivist

On the WHO-says-bacon-as-bad-as-cigarettes business: Experts attack claims that bacon is ‘as big a cancer threat as smoking’ Dr Ian Johnson, Emeritus Fellow, Institute of Food Research, said: “Although there is epidemiological evidence for a statistically significant association between processed meat consumption … Continue reading →

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They Jus’ Keep On Keepin’ Smokin’

Posted on October 27, 2015 by the archivist

NOLA: On April 22, when the clock struck midnight at Parkview Tavern, the bartender herded smokers outside, leaving only a few patrons inside as most of the crowd headed for the patio. It was a strange scene, the large crowd … Continue reading →

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Empire

Posted on October 26, 2015 by the archivist

With Tony Blair semi-apologising today for the Iraq war, in an unusual excursion, I’ve spent much of today thinking about the rise and fall of empires. Why do empires get built? They’re built to make the empire builders rich. Let’s … Continue reading →

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No Comment

Posted on October 25, 2015 by the archivist

Daily Caller: Bacon To Be Classified As Dangerous As Cigarettes By World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) will soon warn that some of America’s favorite meats are as dangerous a cigarettes. WHO will target processed meats such as … Continue reading →

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Stigmatized Accents

Posted on October 24, 2015 by the archivist

ZeroHedge: Three months ago we revealed what was the GOP’s biggest nightmare: Donald Trump dominating the polls, which he did from the first days in the GOP presidential primary. Since then, Trump’s ascent has only gotten steeper, forcing one after … Continue reading →

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“Politically Correct” Is Politically Incorrect

Posted on October 23, 2015 by the archivist

Infowars: If you thought that the war on language being waged by some American colleges was out of control, you ain’t seen nothing yet. According to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, using the term “politically correct” as a pejorative is a … Continue reading →

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Various News Items

Posted on October 22, 2015 by the archivist

H/T Simon Clark for the Manifesto Club report, Smoked Out: The Hyper-Regulation of Smokers in Public Places: Tobacco Control advocates shaming smokers: Methods Across a qualitative phase and an ad testing phase, shame was found to be highly salient to current smokers … Continue reading →

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