It is true that Roger Maris had eight more games, and had Babe Ruth had those eight extra games, the statistical trend says he would have hit 63.1 home runs. However, what does the asterisk actually represent? To me, it’s an attempt to show that Roger Maris had an unfair advantage setting his record; namely, eight more games. What this ignores is that Babe Ruth had a significant advantage too: he didn’t have to play against a significant number of the best athletes.
Archive for September, 2009
Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics: Roger Maris’ Asterisk
under: Complete Whimsy, Live and Learn, Trust
Tags: Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds, baseball, Brett Favre, Chico Carrasquel, color barrier, Florida Marlins, Ford Frick, home runs, Jackie Robinson, Josh Gibson, Major League Baseball, Mark McGwire, Minnie Miñoso, Mitchell Report, MLB, NBA, Negro Leagues, New England Patriots, New York Yankees, NFL, playoffs, racism, Randy Moss, Roger Maris, statistics, steroids, Tom Brady, touchdowns, Wes Welker
The 7 Habits of Highly Ineffective Economies by Johan Norberg
Johan Norberg, author of In Defense of Global Capitalism and Financial Fiasco, discusses the simple seven steps to ruin your economy.
The Subprime Primer
This a bit old, but is simply classic. A poorly drawn slide show illustrating the absurdities of the mortgage meltdown. Warning: Much foul language ensues. Enjoy.
How Government Spending Hurts the Economy
Dan Mitchell of the Cato Institute gives a concise breakdown on why too much government spending can hurt the economy. It’s definitely worth watching:
Swift Wits: Obama to Bailout Newspapers?
In principle, they could just help them out, but “in principle” is usually a hypothetical possibility that will never come to pass. In reality, this would create a very disturbing conflict of interest. After all, Thomas Jefferson also said, “No government ought to be without censors, and where the press is free, no one ever will.” If newspapers rely on the government for financial support, will they be willing to critically scrutinize government? Wouldn’t that be biting the hand that feeds you? It would seem to me that the government could easily use that financial assistance as a cudgel. It would also seem to me that newspapers are a bit archaic, the Internet is the wave of the future.
under: Complete Whimsy, Federal Reserve, Individual v. Collective, Obama Says, Trust
Tags: AMA, Barack Obama, Ben Cardin, censorship, Chris Dodd, Countrywide, CPSC, economic freedom, Federal Reserve, garage sales, Goodwill, H.R. 1207, healthcare, healthcare reform, internet, Jim Gibbons, lead poisoning, media, newspapers, nonprofit corporation, Peter Schiff, public option, Ron Paul, Ryan Swift, S. 607, S. 673, Scott Wolfson, Singapore, Thomas Jefferson, toys, unintended consequences
Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics: The Wage Gap
The truth is that businesspeople discriminate in favor of the color green; money. Market economies discriminate mightily against those who discriminate. If it were true that men make approximately 33% more for the same work, companies that predominantly hired women would crush companies that predominantly hired men.
under: Game Theory, Individual v. Collective, Live and Learn, Trust
Tags: Denise Venable, discrimination, Equal Pay Day, Fair Pay Act, feminism, feministing.com, Free Market, gender socialism, income, James T. Bennett, Jessica Valenti, John Stossel, male-female differences, marriage, martial asymmetry hypothesis, materialism, Nancy Pelosi, National Center for Policy Analysis, part time jobs, racism, sexism, Thomas Sowell, trade offs, wage gap, wage gap myth, Warren Farrell
Niall Ferguson: China Moving Away From U.S. Dollar
Economic historian Niall Ferguson and James Fallows discuss the Chinese reaction to U.S. fiscal policy. In short, many in China see U.S. fiscal policy as out of control and the dollar heading for major depreciation.
Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics: The College Gap
…it is wrong to assume that because men make up a smaller percentage of college students today than they did in the past, that women must be taking spots previously held by men. The pie is not static; it got bigger, a lot bigger. College admission has exploded since 1970: the number of men in college has actually increased substantially and the percentage of men going to college is greater now than it was in 1970.
under: Game Theory, Individual v. Collective, Live and Learn
Tags: apprenticeship, associate degree, bachelor degree, Bureau of Labor Statistics, college, college gap, college gap myth, college tuition, Department of Education, doctoral degree, entrepreneurship, feminism, income, Jack Hough, labor force participation, male-female differences, manual labor, master degree, men's rights, PHD, savings, U.S. Census Bureau
U.S. Government Stages Fake Coup To Wipe Out National Debt
Breaking News: According to the Onion News Network the U.S. government has faked a coup in order to renege on our debts. It apparently beat out our other options like pretending to be Canada or burning the country down to collect the insurance.
Cap and Trade is a Regressive Tax, says Warren Buffett
Financial genius and democratic supporter Warren Buffett, describes the Cap and Trade bill headed for the senate as a “regressive tax.” That it is:
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