A New Blog! I know!
I was stuck on the bus the other day without anything to read (I hate that!) when I decided to check in my backpack just in case. Lo and behold! A bunch of mail that was delivered to my parents' house (I haven't changed my address--sooo lazy I am) and my mom gave me the last time she saw me; included in the stack was a still-wrapped Reader's Digest. You know, having a backpack full of random things really does come in handy sometimes.
Anyway, so I'm reading this, and I will say, it's not my favorite read ever, but it's sort of like baked potato chips--gives you something to chew on for a little while, but doesn't really satisfy you... Anyway, so one of the articles I was reading was how they did this pseudo-scientific study to see what cities of the world were the most polite.
At the end of the article, they're patting themselves on the back, saying New York city is the politist of all, according to our scientific study.
Not that you really care, but if someone had happened to be sitting next to me on the bus (okay, not just a random, but say, a friend, say you), I would have pointed out why I have a problem with the result. And so since you're a captive audience, I'm going to tell you now.
First problem, in the sidebar they had a listing of all the cities tested and how they did. You'll notice that, for the most part, it's the English-speaking countries that are in the top half, and the non-English-speaking countries that are in the bottom half. English-speaking people conducted the tests. English-speaking Americans. So aren't you really testing how well they treat people who speak English, how well they treat Americans?
And plus, one of the three tests they conducted at each location was whether the cashier at an establishment thanked you for your purchase. And just "to make it easier," they conducted all of their New York research at Starbucks. Coincidence that New York won, when 1/3 of its results were almost guaranteed to be positive? All that proves to me is that Starbucks has a good employee training program that teaches their employees to say thank you. That's hardly transferrable to the manners of New York as a whole, or even to coffe-shop workers as a whole.
Anyway. That type of thing bothers me. How many big exposé articles do we read all the time and if you look at how the research was conducted, they're really not worth the paper they're written on?....
Lies, damn lies, and statistics....
I need to go to bed. More stories soon, including:
--How I learned it's really not such a good idea to talk to homeless guys in the Loop after midnight,
--The bustling maintenance activities that go on in the Loop after everyone's in bed--my favorite being the ride-on sidewalk cleaners at Daley Plaza,
--How I drank milk I bought today in which the safety seal was broken but it smelled okay and anyway I was hungry for my morning cereal and so I drank it (so far, not sick yet),
--The annoying lady on the bus,
--How I bought 3, count 'em, 3 swimsuits, and I pretty much have to take them all back because 2 don't look so good outside of the suspiciously misleading changing-room mirrors and one just doesn't fit, and
--A step-by-step guide for success in walking alone if you're a female (guys don't know how lucky they are).
Here's your question: How many bacon pieces do you prefer? I like 4.
Big Event of the Day (tomorrow): Return swimsuits
Percent Chance: 90% (They will only accept the return until Friday)
Anyway, so I'm reading this, and I will say, it's not my favorite read ever, but it's sort of like baked potato chips--gives you something to chew on for a little while, but doesn't really satisfy you... Anyway, so one of the articles I was reading was how they did this pseudo-scientific study to see what cities of the world were the most polite.
At the end of the article, they're patting themselves on the back, saying New York city is the politist of all, according to our scientific study.
Not that you really care, but if someone had happened to be sitting next to me on the bus (okay, not just a random, but say, a friend, say you), I would have pointed out why I have a problem with the result. And so since you're a captive audience, I'm going to tell you now.
First problem, in the sidebar they had a listing of all the cities tested and how they did. You'll notice that, for the most part, it's the English-speaking countries that are in the top half, and the non-English-speaking countries that are in the bottom half. English-speaking people conducted the tests. English-speaking Americans. So aren't you really testing how well they treat people who speak English, how well they treat Americans?
And plus, one of the three tests they conducted at each location was whether the cashier at an establishment thanked you for your purchase. And just "to make it easier," they conducted all of their New York research at Starbucks. Coincidence that New York won, when 1/3 of its results were almost guaranteed to be positive? All that proves to me is that Starbucks has a good employee training program that teaches their employees to say thank you. That's hardly transferrable to the manners of New York as a whole, or even to coffe-shop workers as a whole.
Anyway. That type of thing bothers me. How many big exposé articles do we read all the time and if you look at how the research was conducted, they're really not worth the paper they're written on?....
Lies, damn lies, and statistics....
I need to go to bed. More stories soon, including:
--How I learned it's really not such a good idea to talk to homeless guys in the Loop after midnight,
--The bustling maintenance activities that go on in the Loop after everyone's in bed--my favorite being the ride-on sidewalk cleaners at Daley Plaza,
--How I drank milk I bought today in which the safety seal was broken but it smelled okay and anyway I was hungry for my morning cereal and so I drank it (so far, not sick yet),
--The annoying lady on the bus,
--How I bought 3, count 'em, 3 swimsuits, and I pretty much have to take them all back because 2 don't look so good outside of the suspiciously misleading changing-room mirrors and one just doesn't fit, and
--A step-by-step guide for success in walking alone if you're a female (guys don't know how lucky they are).
Here's your question: How many bacon pieces do you prefer? I like 4.
Big Event of the Day (tomorrow): Return swimsuits
Percent Chance: 90% (They will only accept the return until Friday)
posted by Becky at
2:57 AM
5 Comments:
I can go 6 months without having the taste for bacon. And even after that, 2 strips are enough for me. I like it when its not cooked to much. When you go to Denny's, they cook it so much that it tastes like a dried up twig.
3 swimsuits? I haven't had a "real" swimsuit since about 1992. In fitting with the times, I believe that pair was some sort of neon color. I went to a waterpark in the Dells last year and just wore some cut off shorts in the pool. Yes, I do relize the benefits to being a guy, and take full advatage of them.
By
Anonymous, at 7/12/2006 12:37:00 PM
Hm. I have some issues with your analysis of the article. There were really only 5 cities that could be considered English-Speaking, and they were pretty well sprinkled in the ratings. True, they probably did end up interviewing a disproportionate number of English speakers, but some of the tests, like helping pick up the spilled papers, are language-free. So, although I agree it's not a real scientific study, I think it's more valid than you think.
I'm all in big-word mode because I just wrote a long email discussing this hairy technical problem. You know when you get into Official Speak mode? When you start to use words like "aforementioned"? That's fun.
Ok, back to work.
By
Anonymous, at 7/12/2006 02:39:00 PM
I'm a little concerned about this statement, "The bustling maintenance activities that go on in the Loop after everyone's in bed--my favorite being the ride-on sidewalk cleaners at Daley Plaza"
Why or what are you doing in the loop when everyone is in bed? I know you like to stay up late and all . . .
By
Anonymous, at 7/12/2006 09:49:00 PM
Okay, I'm a little concerned about this statement, "The bustling maintenance activities that go on in the Loop after everyone's in bed--my favorite being the ride-on sidewalk cleaners at Daley Plaza"
Why or what are you doing in the loop when everyone is in bed? I know you like to stay up late and all . . . =)
By
Anonymous, at 7/12/2006 09:50:00 PM
The more bacon, the better! Not overcooked, like garrett said.
By
gophilipgo, at 7/21/2006 01:00:00 PM
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