The term really hasn't caught on, so maybe I had ought to claim it, popularize it, and call it my own. What the word means is that the general populace has no idea what a a number means; that is if it is significant to the discussion or issue at hand. Quick, now, is the population of the United States :
A. 30 million
B. 300 million
C. 3 billion
D. 30 billion; or
E. None of the above.
We've had about 3,700 soldiers killed in Iraq in the most recent war. Is this more than, less than, or about the same as as the number of soldiers killed in action in Vietnam?
A. Less than.
B. About the same as.
C. More than.
The most people die on an annual basis from which cause?
A. Automobile accidents.
B. Colon/rectal cancer;
C. Lung cancer;
D. Breast cancer.
I doubt you got all three right. The answers are at the bottom. But the real point of the matter is despite how many years of mathemathics and higher education you have, you really had to stop and think about those questions. even if you did get them all right, they didn't roll off your tongue, did they? I started thinking thinking about this last while watching the evening news and listen to them discuss the need for more funding for SIDS (Sudden infant Death Syndrome) because there were 2248 deaths last year, which we can all agree is about 2248 too many. On the other hand, that's two for every 1,000 live births. Cancer, on the other hand, is primarily responsible for about 200 of every 1000 deaths. Think about that for a minute. 6 million deaths every 10 years.
Total federal funding for cancer (All kinds): About $5 billion. Total federal budget for 2003: About $2.2 Trillion. Total spending on cancer as a % of outlays: about 0.5 %, some 35 years after President Nixon declared "War on Cancer."
P.S. The answers above are B, A, and C.
6 comments:
I'm not so good with numbers, but I answered all 3 questions correctly.
Megan, you're an MBA for godsakes!
Well Tom, I am no MBA but I also got all three correct. Although I take no credit. You see, I actual do listen to you! :)
LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE MBA! I, ON THE OTHER HAND, HAVE TAKEN THESE COMPLICATED QUESTIONS UNDER ADVISEMENT. ALTHOUGH YOU HAVE GIVEN THE PROPOSED ANSWERS, I WOULD STILL APPRECIATE MORE COMPREHENSIVE PROPOSED WRITTEN FINDS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW. AFTER I RECEIVE THEM, YOU MAY EXPECT MY FINAL OPINION IN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS. the uncle
I too got all 3 right and I am not an MBA. Moreover, I am a SIDS Survivor. At least you don't have a@@ cancer.
Tom,
Have you seen Chris Jordan's work? Take a look at http://www.chrisjordan.com/
and look at the "Running the Numbers" series.
From what I hear, he'll be featured in Utne this month as well.
Best & thinking of you and yours,
Amy
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