I thought he was joking!

Ya know, when Hugo Chavez first mentioned that he wants to give cheap oil to poor people in America, I thought he was joking. Just making fun of Bush's inability to care about the poor in any way other than seeing how he can profit from them.

But now, it turns out, he's actually doing it.

Congressman William Delahunt claims there's nothing political about the deal. Yeah, right :) But, really, who cares if the only reason they're doing it is political? It's actually helping people. This will save lives, as all across the U.S. this winter people who can't afford the exhorbitant prices charged by Bush's friends lose their heat. While most won't actually freeze to death, the health effects of the extreme cold will take their toll.

Except in Massachusetts, where an American congressman and a foreign leader work together to help people out. Pissing off Bush and friends is just the icing on the cake.

What can I say, but:

College flashbacks

Heh. I used to tutor probability & statistics in college.

There was one bit that I think really conveyed probability well, that I used a lot.

Got a chance to use it again today during our staff meeting.

At one point, during the sideline discussion, the subject of the lottery came up. Apparently, the Missouri lottery is up to some huge number, and somebody asked me if I bought my ticket yet. So, I gave my standard answer:
"Yep, I got the same numbers I always buy. 1-2-3-4-5-6"

Inevitably, someone points out "That's dumb. Those numbers are never going to come up like that."

So, I just look at them expectantly for a few seconds, while they figure it out.

Those numbers, of course, have exactly the same probability as any other set of six numbers of being chosen. But it does kind of point out how wildly improbably the whole thing is.