Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Statistics Lie, and Liars Use Statistics

I was sitting in the employee lunchroom today when a news story came on about the heir of Sam Walton who died yesterday in a plane crash. I couldn't hear the sound, as I was too far away, but I figured out the general thrust of the story when they started showing pictures of other dead celebrity pilots, like John Denver and John F. Kennedy Jr. The connection is obvious. Celebrities have a much higher chance of dying in plane crashes.

Or is it that celebrities tend to be worse pilots? We have a local CEO who is a stunt pilot and crashed his plane while shooting a video for his company. He and his passenger walked away from it, but only because they were extremely lucky.

Or is it just that celebrities are more likely to have the money to own and fly their own planes? Naaaaaaaah!

Not that I need to worry. I'll probably never be a celebrity. And if I do become one I'll probably not become a pilot. Take up skydiving, perhaps....

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