Or only if you live in Maine?
As you can see in this graph, there is a suspicious correlation between Maine divorce rates and the US consumption of margarine.
This is one the more popular graphs to teach correlation v. causation (see for example this).
What prompts this topic is an email I received yesterday from a friend with the alarming stat:
Shabbat ShalomAs you can see in this graph, there is a suspicious correlation between Maine divorce rates and the US consumption of margarine.
This is one the more popular graphs to teach correlation v. causation (see for example this).
What prompts this topic is an email I received yesterday from a friend with the alarming stat:
About 4,000 people died after getting the vaccine in the EU.
Apparently, this claim is true. It comes from EudraVigilance data (we have a similar database called VAERS).
It was sent to me as an urgent plea from a caring friend, "Please don't let anyone in your family get vaccinated."
I almost don't want to comment on this type of misinformation, but it is being circulated by serious, caring and intelligent people.
For the record, I'm sympathetic with anyone who doesn't want to be vaccinated, especially given the growing evidence for innate immunity. But as I will explain, I haven't read or heard anything about Pfizer's that makes me think there's anything to be worried about.
First, the claim that 4,000 died makes no connections about causality. It’s merely reports of death or injury after a vaccine that could have been caused by anything, including old age. Anyone can report to the EudraVigilance or to the VAERS – so those numbers are scientifically meaningless. The best they can tell us is that there is room for investigation. Someone should (probably has) find out why these people died. As raw data, it tells us absolutely nothing about the safety of these vaccines.
It was sent to me as an urgent plea from a caring friend, "Please don't let anyone in your family get vaccinated."
I almost don't want to comment on this type of misinformation, but it is being circulated by serious, caring and intelligent people.
For the record, I'm sympathetic with anyone who doesn't want to be vaccinated, especially given the growing evidence for innate immunity. But as I will explain, I haven't read or heard anything about Pfizer's that makes me think there's anything to be worried about.
First, the claim that 4,000 died makes no connections about causality. It’s merely reports of death or injury after a vaccine that could have been caused by anything, including old age. Anyone can report to the EudraVigilance or to the VAERS – so those numbers are scientifically meaningless. The best they can tell us is that there is room for investigation. Someone should (probably has) find out why these people died. As raw data, it tells us absolutely nothing about the safety of these vaccines.
Moreover, look carefully at the numbers:
About 44,000,000 people in the EU have had the vaccine.
4,000 therefore represents .009% - and they may all (likely) have died from unrelated causes.
It doesn’t sound to me like anything to be worried about.
Of course, that's just my opinion.
Thinking is really hard. Thinking critically is even harder.
It's even harder when it comes to other people's behavior.
The Talmud tells the story of the great rabbis Shammai and Hillel.
An idolater approaches Shammai and asks him to convert him on the condition that he teach him the entire Torah while standing on one foot.
Shammai tells him to get lost.
When he poses the same challenge to Hillel, the rabbi agrees. After the conversion, he gives him the on-one-foot Torah lesson:
"Love your neighbor (as yourself)....that's the essence of the whole Torah; the rest is commentary."
Question for your table - What was Shammai's error?
(It seems to me that he failed to think deeply about the man's motivation; he only looked at the surface.)
Two more questions for your table....
What's the most misunderstood part of Judaism or Jewish thought?
What about Judaism or Jewish thought bothers you, but you may not have thought through 100%?
Of course, that's just my opinion.
Thinking is really hard. Thinking critically is even harder.
It's even harder when it comes to other people's behavior.
The Talmud tells the story of the great rabbis Shammai and Hillel.
An idolater approaches Shammai and asks him to convert him on the condition that he teach him the entire Torah while standing on one foot.
Shammai tells him to get lost.
When he poses the same challenge to Hillel, the rabbi agrees. After the conversion, he gives him the on-one-foot Torah lesson:
"Love your neighbor (as yourself)....that's the essence of the whole Torah; the rest is commentary."
Question for your table - What was Shammai's error?
(It seems to me that he failed to think deeply about the man's motivation; he only looked at the surface.)
Two more questions for your table....
What's the most misunderstood part of Judaism or Jewish thought?
What about Judaism or Jewish thought bothers you, but you may not have thought through 100%?
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