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Betting on the bailout
Experts have convinced many leaders of the dire consequences if the financial mess is allowed to unravel more. Is this Chicken Little or an accurate forecast of what lies ahead? (Oct 2)
Understanding the financial crisis
"The road to financial ruin was paved with good intentions," writes economist Stephen Rose, who explains the origins, path and key concepts behind the crisis that Wall Street failed to anticipate. (Sept 26)
Your Water Bottle is Not Going to Give You a Heart Attack
Some good and some bad reporting on a new study in JAMA linking BPA to common diseases. What did the study really say, and why did the lead author say we shouldn’t read too much into the findings? (Sept 18)
Are Two-Income Families Doing Worse Today Than 20 Years Ago?
Two widely-cited studies have created the impression that the typical middle class family is worse off now than it was 20 years ago. But just how “typical” are the simulated families in these economic analyses? Economist Stephen Rose takes a look at the model families in Middle Class Progress? by Christian Weller and the Two-Income Trap by Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Tyagi and finds out what's making them so unhappy.
Part two of our series on the Myth of the Declining Middle Class -
How realistic are the model families used in widely-cited economic analyses of middle class decline?
Part three - How a flawed study based on IRS data, since corrected, continues to generate the idea that only the top one percent of Americans saw gains in income over the past 30 years, while 90 percent of Americans saw their incomes decline.
 STATS/Harris Interactive Survey: Climate Scientists Agree on Warming, Disagree on Dangers, and Don’t Trust the Media’s Coverage of Climate Change.
Eighty-four percent say they personally believe human-induced warming is occurring, and 74% agree that “currently available scientific evidence” substantiates its occurrence... more
Can We Trust Climate Models?
To perform the experiments they’d like, climate scientists would need a few million Earths, billions of years, and omnipotence. Then they could pump extra greenhouse gases into the atmosphere of one Earth, prod volcanoes into mad eruptions on another, summon up sunspots to stream extra radiation to the third. They could stop the oceans from circulating, cover the sky with clouds, melt the polar ice. Then they’d sit back and watch what happened, deducing from the consequences how climate works... instead, they have to try and build models accounting for all these factors. How reliable can they be?
Mirror Therapy an Alternative to Painkillers
On MSN
Health and Fitness STATS Maia Szalavitz investigates the emergency of a new way of treating phantom pain.
Do Stimulants Like Ritalin Improve Thought?
STATS Maia Szalavitz reports on an online poll which found many scientists believe cognitive stimulants should be allowed; but does the evidence really show a positve effect?
"Digital Drugs" Make Waves in MSM
STATS Maia Szalavitz reports on the threat of addictive sounds - audio files available over the web that supposely mimic alcohol, marijuana, and even crack cocaine. Yes, it's the silly season.
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The Mathematical Association of America Distinguished Lecture Series
Rebecca Goldin Ph.D.
Associate Professor Mathematics,
Director of Research, STATS
George Mason University
Thursday, October 28, 6.30pm
Carriage House Conference Center,
1781 Church Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Click here for more details and to RSVP
Friday, December 5, 2008
8 am to 12 noon EST
Hamilton Crowne Plaza Hotel
14th and K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
The Hormone Foundation and The Endocrine Society will unveil a new and unprecedented 5-year analysis of media coverage of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) and its impact on menopause management, including hormone therapy. The new data will be the cornerstone of a half-day reporter’s workshop on hormone therapy and menopause management. It will cover such topics as:
- How and why reporting of the WHI evolved in response to new analysis;
- How interpreting clinical trials data can be subjecting and challenging; and
- Knowledge gaps in menopause management and essential clinical research.
The analysis was developed in partnership with the Statistical Assessment Service (STATS.org) and Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University, and supported by a grant from Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.
Registration
Media are invited to attend this event at no cost, however, seating is limited. Breakfast will be provided. For information on how to register and program details, click here
Award-winning journalist, technology writer, and journalism educator Steve Ross boils down the essential principles journalists should follow when reporting on science, polling and statistics.
Every day, it seems there's a new study in the media telling you what to be afraid of. Don't panic! Read our guide before you rush to change your life.
"Our brains are terrible at assessing modern risks," says STATS' Maia Szalavitz in Psychology Today. "Here's how to think straight about dangers in your midst."
 And just what are your odds of getting injured or dying from everyday activities such as grilling, lawn mowing, and watching TV? Can Pyrex dishes spontaneously explode? We analyze the statistics and the science.
We also examine the latest health scares on mattresses, the iPhone, Avandia, Teflon, new car smell, nail polish, saran wrap, and phthalates.
When a newspaper compared cigarette smoking to using infant formula,we suspected that there's got to
be something screwy with the science, which is, in fact, the case.
We also look at the connection between diabetes and nursing, and whether using formula increases an infant's risk of developing leukemia. Will an epidural make breast feeding more difficult? Is it better for HIV mothers to breastfeed or not breastfeed – and does it depend on where they live?
What are the risks of light to moderate alcohol consumption during pregnancy - what does the reasearch really say? And just how much coffee can you drink when you are pregnant? And is there a link between coffee and miscarriage?
Should You Be Worried About Toxic Baby Bottles?
Lots of scare stories, but independent European scientific assessments and new studies argue research showing risk is flawed. This news isn't making the media coverage.
Did you know that at least 50 percent of people with these addictions have an additional mental illness? So why do many states not even require addiction counselors to have a high school diploma? STATS' Maia Szalavitz investigates all on on MSN Health and Fitness.
Underage drinking is a serious problem for our society.  From reports in the media, one gets the impression that it is getting worse ever year and that even casual teenage drinking carries with it devastating implications for our youth, including increasing the alcoholism rate of those who drink early and even death. Do the statistics support these stories? Find out the facts at STATS alcoholnews.org.
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