MUST READ: Bad Science by Ben Goldacre

[dbrw42]

Working through this book now, ABSOLUTELY BLOODY FASCINATING!!! Goldacre is a UK doctor who writes a column for the Guardian newspaper and has a website Badscience.net. I'm in the section on statistics now where he explains how the numbers you often hear in the news or being used by politicians have absolutely no relation to reality. An example: An article in The Times (London) newspaper that stated that cocaine use in schools had doubled. Reality: in a survey of 9000 schoolkids between 11 and 15 years old, in 2004 1 percent had used drugs and in 2005 2 percent had used drugs (this is the doubling in the article). But in the 2004 survey 1.4 percent had used drugs (rounded down) and in 2005 1.9 percent had used drugs (rounded up). In actual numbers, 45 more kids out of 9000 schoolkids total had used drugs.

This book has many more real world examples, plus Goldacre explains how so much bullshit gets out there and gives you the information to spot bullshit and shoot it down when friends start spouting off. Very fascinating book.

 

[treveller]

The Manchester Guardian has a good rep and an online site.

As for stats, while they are terribly abused we have to remember that good stats are often needed to form valid opinions.

Another thing to consider is that, when you are trying to challenge the prejudice and ignorance promoted by the prohibtionists and others who use garbage stats there is little value in challenging them with valid stats and reasonable arguments. The people who are manipulated be the prohibitionists are not reasonable. To influence them you need to use some (not all) of the manipulation or marketing techniques that work so well for the prohibitionists. As long as you have honest and valid reasons behind the marketing you are not compromising your principles. It can be a tricky to reconcile reason and marketing but it is the lack of that sort of strategy that has allwed the prohibitionists to do so well against the more reasonable, cautious and principled social liberals.

 

[vancity_cowboy]

there are three kinds of lies - lies, damned lies, and statistics...

- samuel clemens (mark twain)

 

[whoisjohngalt]

Another book I have read on this same subject is entitled Risk: The Science and Politics of Fear by Dan Gardner.

http://www.amazon.ca/Risk-Science-Politics-Dan-Gardner/dp/0771032994

 

[overdone]

The truth is, I believe we all have it pretty damn nice here in this gorgeous city,

What about the downtown east side?

Most people are pretty healthy and pretty happy

really?

keep doping us with antidepressants, justifying the criminal system, and selling us more crap we don't need. And tons more they do to pad their ever expanding pockets.

then why mention this if it's true or you believe it?


I have no idea what I can do to change the way the world works,

That's the exact reason why the world will be changed by the few

 

[maroonedsailor]

John Stewart - the daily show - welcome to the only legit news source offered to you by the comedy chanel

Thanks so much for posting this.

It's almost criminal how 'statistics' (and I use that term loosely) are used to manipulate the news.
I've pretty much given up on news. I believe I am much happier not hearing the bullshit negative CRAP that these social engineers consistently dish out.


Can anyone out here suggest a truly honest news source? What is the best independent online site?

 

[maroonedsailor]

whoa - easy son - This lady IS one of the few but she sometimes forgets how much she contributes

The truth is, I believe we all have it pretty damn nice here in this gorgeous city,

What about the downtown east side?

Most people are pretty healthy and pretty happy

really?

keep doping us with antidepressants, justifying the criminal system, and selling us more crap we don't need. And tons more they do to pad their ever expanding pockets.

then why mention this if it's true or you believe it?


I have no idea what I can do to change the way the world works,

That's the exact reason why the world will be changed by the few

 

[overdone]

That's why Canada is financially healthy.

Canada is financially healthy because of luck. Geography, plain and simple. Without the natural resources, we'd be fucked.

There are plenty of poor in Canada. Go to a reserve, Winnipeg, min wage capital of Canada, Downtown Edm.

When the food banks are closed and everyone here is working or going to school, I'll believe your Fantasy Liberal/NDP idea of Canada is working.

We are no different than the rest of the world, the top 10% holds the majority of wealth and they aren't sharing it, that's how they stay rich.

Lots have opportunity in Canada, but there are still plenty who don't get the chance to seize it.

Our backyard is messy enough without going to the neighbours to make ourselves feel superior.

Bottom line, we are only doing as well as the guy at the bottom.

So until then we got a long fucking way to go.

 

[dbrw42]

Thanks so much for posting this.

It's almost criminal how 'statistics' (and I use that term loosely) are used to manipulate the news.
I've pretty much given up on news. I believe I am much happier not hearing the bullshit negative CRAP that these social engineers consistently dish out.


Can anyone out here suggest a truly honest news source? What is the best independent online site?

Way back when I was in the army, we had a media consultant give us a talk about dealing with the media. Couple of things is that reporters go to school to learn how to write a story, but they do not learn about medicine, or contract law, or military matters, or etc etc etc. Anybody who sounds authoritative reporters will listen to. Also, mainstream media is a BUSINESS first and foremost, and nobody has ever bought a newspaper with a front page headline of "Nice Day, nothing happened." Any story in the mainstream media will be dumbed down and the most sensational aspects given the most airtime/column space.

Keeping these facts in mind, mainstream media can be useful to let you know that something happened. Simply googling the aspects of the story can fill you on details. Bloggers can be useful to bring up even more information, but remember that the definition of a blogger is someone with access to the internet, they may not know anything more than you do or they are simply reading the same online articles you are.

Another handy website is straightdope.com, think of it as an early version of Mythbusters. You can send them a question and they will contact experts in the field to answer it. Going through their archive will shoot down a lot of urban legends, I prefer them to Snopes as Snopes has a habit of setting off my anitvirus and popup blockers.

 

[dbrw42]

lol, these days reporters don't even write their own story. I work in a job where I regularly supply the media with press releases. Usually, that press release is printed verbatim, even with any spelling/grammar errors that were in it uncorrected.

That's one of the big problems with the news today, is that the almighty dollar rules. It takes time for reporter to fact check, and few media outlets still have beats, with one reporter specializing in a field (Crime reporters, science reporters). All to often, a reporter with no more than a layman's knowledge of a subject is given an assignment to do the story plus other stories on other topics all within a way too short deadline. And all the media has to do is show that the story was mostly factual at the time of printing/airing to avoid libel problems. It's easier to say/print a correction days later than to actually fact check first.