Now that the election is over it’s time to focus on politics. Much has been made of Nate Silver’s having been shown to be right about the results while the pundits, especially at Fox News, were not. Many still do not understand what he was forecasting. They assume that because his model gave Obama aContinue reading “2012: A 1916 Rerun”
Tag Archives: Education
Learning Statistics: Fundamentals and Lessons
This is the first guest post on CSI without Dead Bodies from Jane Collander. Enjoy. Many future statistics students sweat the ordeal of dealing with numbers and abstractions as it applies to real world scenarios. So what intimidates most beginning statistics students? Perhaps the textbook definition of statistics: the aggregation, organization, scrutiny, interpretation, andContinue reading “Learning Statistics: Fundamentals and Lessons”
Progressive Soul Searching in Wisconsin, PA, & other Red Gov. States
The failed attempt this week to recall Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has left many of his opponents to scratch their heads and wonder “was it the money?”, “Was it better organization?”, “Was something wrong with the exit polls?”, and “What does it mean for Obama’s reelection?” While these questions are interesting there are other questions,Continue reading “Progressive Soul Searching in Wisconsin, PA, & other Red Gov. States”
The Civil War in a Larger International Historical Context – Cinco de Mayo edition
Last May 3 I published a post called The Civil War in a Larger International Historical Context which discussed how in the 150th anniversary of the Civil War there were similar conflicts in Germany, Italy, and Japan which would have many repercussions for the US and the world to this day. It has become oneContinue reading “The Civil War in a Larger International Historical Context – Cinco de Mayo edition”
Pitt & PSU going private: Shifting the Tax Burden to College Families & A Bigger Story Than the Pitt Bomb Threats & Joe Paterno
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett, in his zeal to hold the line on taxes, is requiring even more cuts in higher education which are forcing the state related universities (Pitt, Penn State, Temple, and Lincoln) to consider going private which would mean a drastic rise in tuition (Carnegie Mellon charges about $50,000/year for tuition room andContinue reading “Pitt & PSU going private: Shifting the Tax Burden to College Families & A Bigger Story Than the Pitt Bomb Threats & Joe Paterno”
Italian Americans and Todays Immigrants
This mornings Democracy Now! program included typical stories about racial profiling and harassment of Muslim and Latino immigrant groups in New York City and East Haven, Connecticut. While I was watching this clip of the East Haven story, I saw either Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr. or Police chief Leonard Gallo talk about their Italian rootsContinue reading “Italian Americans and Todays Immigrants”
The Science of Why We Don’t Believe Science | Mother Jones
Chris Mooney at Mother Jones magazine gives a good review in a long article of the research into why some reject out of hand science that contradicts their beliefs and cling to studies that give support. I would love to write that I am immune to this bias but I am not. That is whyContinue reading “The Science of Why We Don’t Believe Science | Mother Jones”
Change at My Alma Mater, IUP (Indiana University of Pennsylvania). Undergrads Getting Squeezed.
Last week I received the quarterly alumni magazine from the University where I received my undergraduate degree, Indiana University of Pennsylvania (our most famous alumnus would be Newt Gingrich’s lesbian half sister Candice) in 1993 in Psychology. It included a chart showing how the makeup of the campus has changed in the last decade. TheContinue reading “Change at My Alma Mater, IUP (Indiana University of Pennsylvania). Undergrads Getting Squeezed.”
The Pennsylvania Medicaid Budgetary Squeeze
In Fiscal Year 2002-2003, I worked for the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare in the Medicaid Office of Budget and Planning. Back then the State’s total budget was $40 billion and Medicaid accounted for $10 billion. The spending was in entitlement form which means that, like the prison system (the world’s oldest entitlement program), whenContinue reading “The Pennsylvania Medicaid Budgetary Squeeze”