300,000,000 - Page 3

Alex · 10-17-2006, 09:46 AM

You heard wrong. The US Census statistic is a birth every 7 seconds and a death every 13.

What I've hated about the 300,000,000 is that news agencies don't seem to understand (or don't care to convey) the difference between a statistical probably and an actual event.

So on the news last night I had to hear about how the 300,000,000th American would be a white boy born in Los Anges County this morning. Hell, they probably staked out the hospitals so that they could see if a star shined over the annointed one.

They have no idea exactly how many people there are in the country and when or where the 300,000,000th was born. It is a statistical model. When they did the 2000 census they found that their statistical model was off by 7 million people though they've since made changes to improve it, as we get farther away from the decennial census it becomes a fuzzier picture.

As an interesting aside, if I fly to Iraq tomorrow I will still count as one of the 300,000,000. But when a serviceman (such as my brother-in-law) is deployed to Iraq s/he is removed from the rolls until returned to the States. So we would have hit 300,00,000 a couple months earlier if it hadn't been for the massive deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. So think of those wars as Bush's pandering to the anti-population growth people.

Nephythys · 10-17-2006, 10:02 AM

The 5-6 minutes may have been a Colorado #- a birth every 5-6 minutes here.

Alex · 10-17-2006, 10:28 AM

From 2005 Colorado live birth and death numbers:

68,922 births
29,521 deaths

That is a birth every 7 minutes, 40 seconds. A death every 17 minutes, 48 seconds.

The ratio of births to deaths is 2.2:1 much higher than the national average of 1.85:1.

sleepyjeff · 10-17-2006, 11:19 AM

You Vantuckians have always been a bit different.

sleepyjeff · 10-17-2006, 11:43 AM

Funny stuff you guys!

Ghoulish Delight · 10-17-2006, 01:30 PM

I'm with Alex on this one, Moonie. I don't reward people for being impatient jerks. If someone's riding my ass in an attempt to get me to get out of their way, I'm not going to just roll over and let them. I will continue to drive calmly as I am driving (usually, as Alex, already over the speed limit). If they want to freak out, that's their problem. If someone's flailing their arms, mouthing obscenities, and hitting their horn because I coasted up to the set of brake lights in front of me rather than gunned the accelerator in bumper-to-bumper traffic, I'm not going to then lurch forward like they want me to the next time. Perhaps they'll figure out that going 10 feet at 20 mph only to stop isn't going to save them time, perhaps not. But I'm not going to waste gas and brake life to make them happy.

On the flip side, I will admit to an occasional bit of impatience while waiting in line, though I'm usually far more impatient when the result of the hold up is an employee who's too incompetent to their job efficiently vs. a customer who can't always be expected to know a store's procedure (do I slide my club card first? do I sign the screen or a real recipt? do I sign at all?).

Moonliner · 10-17-2006, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

I'm with Alex on this one, Moonie. I don't reward people for being impatient jerks.... "

A quite resonable response, but tell me in response to an aggresive driver would you "guarantee I'm about to make your live much worse" or "experience a sudden loss of power that results in me exactly matching the speed of the car I'm passing" and would you "take several miles" to express your ~~anger~~ feelings?

Ghoulish Delight · 10-17-2006, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moonliner

A quite resonable response, but tell me in response to an aggresive driver would you "guarantee I'm about to make your live much worse" or "experience a sudden loss of power that results in me exactly matching the speed of the car I'm passing" and would you "take several miles" to express your ~~anger~~ feelings?

If they're being sufficiently jerky, yes I've been known to be purposefully obstinant.

Not Afraid · 10-17-2006, 01:46 PM

An agressive drive can go around me. It's their heart attack, not mine.

Alex · 10-17-2006, 01:48 PM

What is the reasonable response to unreasonable impatience?

Does it matter that it is something I have only done twice in my life in response to stupendously assholish behavior?

As I said, by forcing a driver to slow down (but still be speeding) for a few minutes, I don't think I am actually making their life worse, just that they will think I am making their life worse.

Will you tell me that you've never been driving on the long boring stretch of I-5 (or some other two lane freeway) and been passing traffic on the left only to have some guy come speeding up in the right lane to try and squeeze in between you and the car you are passing? You've never sped up just a little bit to make sure he won't make it?

And if we're both (me and the othe driver) are being jerks, then why are you so bothered by my side of it?

10-17-2006, 09:46 AM	#1
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	You heard wrong. The US Census statistic is a birth every 7 seconds and a death every 13. What I've hated about the 300,000,000 is that news agencies don't seem to understand (or don't care to convey) the difference between a statistical probably and an actual event. So on the news last night I had to hear about how the 300,000,000th American would be a white boy born in Los Anges County this morning. Hell, they probably staked out the hospitals so that they could see if a star shined over the annointed one. They have no idea exactly how many people there are in the country and when or where the 300,000,000th was born. It is a statistical model. When they did the 2000 census they found that their statistical model was off by 7 million people though they've since made changes to improve it, as we get farther away from the decennial census it becomes a fuzzier picture. As an interesting aside, if I fly to Iraq tomorrow I will still count as one of the 300,000,000. But when a serviceman (such as my brother-in-law) is deployed to Iraq s/he is removed from the rolls until returned to the States. So we would have hit 300,00,000 a couple months earlier if it hadn't been for the massive deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. So think of those wars as Bush's pandering to the anti-population growth people.
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10-17-2006, 10:02 AM	#2
Nephythys Yeah, that's about it- Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: In a state of constant crap to get done Posts: 2,688	The 5-6 minutes may have been a Colorado #- a birth every 5-6 minutes here.
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10-17-2006, 10:28 AM	#3
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	From 2005 Colorado live birth and death numbers: 68,922 births 29,521 deaths That is a birth every 7 minutes, 40 seconds. A death every 17 minutes, 48 seconds. The ratio of births to deaths is 2.2:1 much higher than the national average of 1.85:1.
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10-17-2006, 11:19 AM	#4
sleepyjeff Go Hawks Go! Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Parkrose Posts: 2,632	You Vantuckians have always been a bit different. __________________ River Guardian-less
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10-17-2006, 11:43 AM	#5
sleepyjeff Go Hawks Go! Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Parkrose Posts: 2,632	Funny stuff you guys! __________________ River Guardian-less
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10-17-2006, 01:30 PM	#6
Ghoulish Delight I Floop the Pig Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Alternative Swankstyle Posts: 19,348	I'm with Alex on this one, Moonie. I don't reward people for being impatient jerks. If someone's riding my ass in an attempt to get me to get out of their way, I'm not going to just roll over and let them. I will continue to drive calmly as I am driving (usually, as Alex, already over the speed limit). If they want to freak out, that's their problem. If someone's flailing their arms, mouthing obscenities, and hitting their horn because I coasted up to the set of brake lights in front of me rather than gunned the accelerator in bumper-to-bumper traffic, I'm not going to then lurch forward like they want me to the next time. Perhaps they'll figure out that going 10 feet at 20 mph only to stop isn't going to save them time, perhaps not. But I'm not going to waste gas and brake life to make them happy. On the flip side, I will admit to an occasional bit of impatience while waiting in line, though I'm usually far more impatient when the result of the hold up is an employee who's too incompetent to their job efficiently vs. a customer who can't always be expected to know a store's procedure (do I slide my club card first? do I sign the screen or a real recipt? do I sign at all?). __________________ 'He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.' -TJ
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10-17-2006, 01:46 PM	#9
Not Afraid HI! Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 17,108	An agressive drive can go around me. It's their heart attack, not mine.
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10-17-2006, 01:48 PM	#10
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	What is the reasonable response to unreasonable impatience? Does it matter that it is something I have only done twice in my life in response to stupendously assholish behavior? As I said, by forcing a driver to slow down (but still be speeding) for a few minutes, I don't think I am actually making their life worse, just that they will think I am making their life worse. Will you tell me that you've never been driving on the long boring stretch of I-5 (or some other two lane freeway) and been passing traffic on the left only to have some guy come speeding up in the right lane to try and squeeze in between you and the car you are passing? You've never sped up just a little bit to make sure he won't make it? And if we're both (me and the othe driver) are being jerks, then why are you so bothered by my side of it?
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