Oh phooey


1, In the USA we “spring forward” tonight to enter “Daylight Savings Time”. What a pain -  is there any truly worthy reason for this nonsense. OH PHOOEY

2.     I forgot to turn the radio on this morning, so I missed one of my favourite NPR Saturday shows “Wait, wait, don’t tell me”.  It’s often very funny (‘specially so when Paula Poundstone is one of the panellists.).  She has a wickedly wonderful wit.  (see http://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/ ) OH PHOOEY


3.     I drove to the store this afternoon, and listened to a bit of the NPR broadcast of the “Metropolitan Opera” on my car radio.  ‘Twas a glorious production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni.  When I got home I again forgot to turn my radio on. OH PHOOEY.

4.     At the supermarket a man ahead of me at the service desk spent $58 on lottery tickets.  He was “betting” multiple numbers on the Florida Lottery and on an inter-state “Powerball”.  I wanted to tell him that he had no more chances with (say) 20 tickets on a lottery than he would have with just one ticket.  For the odds are stacked against all those who purchase lottery tickets.

Should the lottery require the matching of seven numbers the odds of winning are 1 in 85900584.00, according to one website.

  It is impossible to beat those odds however many tickets a person might purchase.  So, whilst it may be fun to purchase one $1 ticket just for the heck of it, it makes no sense to purchase (say) ten such tickets – each with a different set of numbers.  For the odds against winning are 1 in 85900584.00 for each and every ticket.

To put it another way. Let’s imagine that the jackpot is $5 million. A person could purchase five million tickets (each with a discrete set of numbers) and still not win. That’s because for each and every ticket the odds against winning are identical.

What makes me mad is that the various States in the USA proclaim two messages.

One is that the key to success is “hard work”.

The other is that the key to success is a lottery ticket.

Most U.S. State Governments offer these as equally valid options, (and they entice “punters” by suggesting that lottery proceeds will benefit “education” – or some other good cause).  OH PHOOEY.

By all means buy one ticket for the fun of it.  But remember that your “investment” of a pound or a dollar is more than likely to benefit the State or the lucky winner. OH PHOOEY.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Shoe insults

Last year I consulted with a local podiatrist: Dr. Robert F Herbold Jr. D.P.M. 4717 Swift Rd., Sarasota , FL – 34231  because I was being bothered with a couple of bunions  (yes I am at that age). I was very impressed with this Doctor.  He agreed that I had bunions, but he ventured that it was much too soon for surgery. (Now there’s a first). Instead he recommended some “arch supports” to relieve the tension for my feet, a tension which was exacerbating the bunions. What’s more -  he told me that he sells these arch supports at the miserly sum of $2.50 each (about 1/5 of the price in the local pharmacies). He is an honest man, and I recommend him to anyone with foot problems. So, a couple of weeks ago, having purchased some new walking shoes, I knew that I needed to buy a couple of new arch supports I took myself to his office. Once there, my mind went blank. I wanted to ask his front desk Clerk if I could buy some “shoe inserts” , as I could not remember the words “ar
Read more

The background, the couple, my friends, the wedding ceremony, the Shaykh, the Priest,

Image
The background   I have known the Keller/Bonsey family since 2000 when I became the Rector at St. James's, Cambridge, MA. They (Elisabeth Keller and the Revd. Steven Bonsey with their four children Noah, Sam, Josiah and Annie) had come back to Cambridge from Hawaii where Steve had been the Rector of an Episcopal parish. Steve had just been appointed as a Chaplain at Tufts University (no Sunday morning duties) so the entire family was able to enrich our common life at St. James's - which they did with great love and joy. I count them as friends and have stayed in touch with them since my retirement.  Noah, the oldest son is eloquent in Arabic (he spent a year in Damascus when Syria was a safe place).  He has developed a super career as an analyst of social media in the near East.    Noah worked in Tampa for a while a few years ago, so he and I were able to get together a few
Read more

It began in Bristol U.K. "A man dies" and "Jesus Christ Superstar"

Image
I well remember the swirling controversy in Bristol, U.K. when a (Presbyterian) Minister the Revd, Earnest Marviin created a ":Rock Opera", called "A Man Dies"  in and for his congregation in the Lockleaze area of Bristol, U.K. Earnest Mrvin I was a sixteen years old member of the Plymouth Brethren Church back in those days, so I most likely disapproved of "A Man Dies" .  We, (the Plymouth Brethren),  disapproved of everything! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I had forgotten all about "A Man Dies" until earlier today when saw these pictures on the "Bristol, Then and Now"  Facebook page.   St. James Presbyterian Church, Lockleaze, Bristol  The Bristol Then and Now page includes the following commentary: Lockleaze, Bristol  -  'Jesus Christ Superstar' began at St.James (Presbyterian) Chur
Read more