Breaking News: Half The Time It Was Above Average
I guess I should not make too much fun of our local paper, I know it must be hard to fill all those pages every day. But I have to laugh at the statistical insights our reporters provide:
Arizona will be entering the new year ahead on rainfall for the first time since 2010 as well as above-average temperatures, according to the National Weather Service.
OK, so 2010 and 2013 were above average, and presumably 2011 and 2012 were below average. Wow. Half the time above, and half below? I can certainly see why that deserved a headline.
Grammar patrol.:
Half. Half the time.
January 2, 2014, 11:42 amDrake:
Just don't tell them that half the population is below average intelligence.
January 2, 2014, 1:56 pmPaul McLellan:
This is only true for medians. After all, almost everyone has more than the average number of legs.
January 2, 2014, 2:05 pmMingoV:
Last night, a weatherman on a cable channel signed off with, "We can expect winter storms ahead." It reminded me of George Carlin's Hippy Dippy Weatherman: "Weather tonight: dark. Turning partly light by morning."
January 2, 2014, 3:49 pmFelineCannonball:
The NFL is in a rut with league-wide win/loss stats stuck at 50/50 for decades. I say fire all the coaches and start over.
January 2, 2014, 10:51 pmmarque2:
In weather the below average doesn't count and should be ignored.
January 3, 2014, 8:34 ammorganovich:
this is precisely why i moved to lake wobegon.
above average weather, all the time.
January 3, 2014, 9:19 amobloodyhell:
They should be writing instead about corduroy pillowcases. Those are making headlines everywhere they've been used.
January 4, 2014, 12:53 am