Month: February 2015

Health and wellness, statisticsLeave a comment

NNT and NNH

therandomtexan

Two interesting articles in the New York Times describing the Number Needed to Treat (NNT), the Number Needed to Harm (NNH), have prompted some interesting discussion among ASA members (at the members-only discussion board, unfortunately). The Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine has a nice technical definition, fans of the NNT have posted a nice tutorial, and Steven Simon has a nice explanation of how to interpret NNT and NNH together. On the other hand, Dr Richard Goldstein at Vanderbilt University offers a webpage-sized grain of salt for interpreting NNT. I, of course, smell a great homework assignment for my biostats students. Continue reading NNT and NNH

1984, bad Americans, this IS warLeave a comment

I don’t need another lecture from President Dumbass

therandomtexan

At least the Crusaders were fighting back against an encroaching Muslim empire. Richard Fernandez sums it up best Christians are the most persecuted religious group on earth today and since the majority of the dead and dying are Egyptians, Ethiopians, Nigerians, Sudanese, Iraqis or Filipinos it is hard to see how Obama or Coates can speak for them.  Even if it the Christian custom to forgive, neither man, living safe in the First World, has the obvious right to dispense absolution on behalf of desperately poor men trying to survive and keep their faith. There is something grotesque about the … Continue reading I don’t need another lecture from President Dumbass

1984, too stupid to be fiction, You gotta be kiddin' me!Leave a comment

Citizens of the University, Arise!

therandomtexan

This latest outbreak of passive-aggressive politically correct gender warfare is absolutely delicious.  “Mr.” and “Ms.,” are out, and who knows what is in.  While many of the commenting curmudgeons at Instapundit are suggesting replacement honorifics like “Comrade” or “Tovarich,” I think we should dig further back into revolutionary history and adopt the French Revolution’s “Citizen.”  The contradictory associations of Citizen Kane and the guillotine will confuse the educated, and an egalitarian application of the title will allow the lowliest of adjunct faculty to tweak a senior administrator in relative safety. I think I’ll start with my students immediately, and spread … Continue reading Citizens of the University, Arise!