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Thursday, April 5. 2007

Math illiteracy in the newsroom

We linked this piece by Stossel via Blue Crab yesterday, and I believe Rush talked about it on the radio. Here's one quote:

What do you think is more dangerous, a house with a pool or a house with a gun? When, for "20/20," I asked some kids, all said the house with the gun is more dangerous. I'm sure their parents would agree. Yet a child is 100 times more likely to die in a swimming pool than in a gun accident.

Read the whole thing. It's good fun. I want a Federal ban on all swimming pools. For the children, of course.

Posted by Bird Dog in Fallacies and Logic, Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects at 07:56 | Comments (3) | Trackbacks (0)

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It has always amazed me that many jurisdictions do not require fencing the pool off from the house. That means that by law, one must fence out and protect the neighborhood children, but not ones own children or children who are visiting. A toddler should not be able to access any pool area from any part of the house. The pool areas must be fenced and gated to protect ones own children too.
#1 Patina on 2007-04-05 09:25 (Reply)
I think home pools are a little scary, and add a bit of unnecessary risk and concern to life. I wouldn't have one. But it's a free country, thank God.
#2 bird dog on 2007-04-05 09:34 (Reply)
Many folks do not see the risks until it is too late. The code can mitigate those risks. If one is going to the trouble to fence the yard, then fencing the pool from the house is usually not a lot of extra work. It might not look as nice but so what? If there is direct access to the pool area from the house than young children are in real danger.
#3 Patina on 2007-04-05 09:58 (Reply)

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