Correlation does not necessarily prove causation

By -

Just because an observed trend is in sync with another does not prove one causes the other or even that one influences the other. Many lobbyists and advocates build entire arguments around evidence of correlation. What they don't mention is that the concept of "correlation" is nothing more than a label for a mathematical relationship between two or more series of numbers. It has nothing to do with proving any causal relationship between the phenomena these numbers represent.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular this week

Day 2: Senate hearing backfires against a rattled Senator Leila de Lima!

By -
Image
Just watched Day 2 of Senate hearing. Tables were turned once again on De Lima, without any effort it seems from the PNP or Duterte's senate allies. This must really be karma at work, or Duterte's magic is really strong. De Lima opened the session by saying she had asked ABS-CBN, Inquirer, and GMA 7 to submit their "kill list" databases and methodology for compiling the lists. However, only GMA 7 submitted. Strange. If those lists were being prepared properly, shouldn't these media groups have their databases and methodology on hand at any time? Or were those lists haphazardly done? Sandra Cam showed up in the middle of the hearing and sat directly behind De Lima. But Cam disappeared after a while, so viewers were not treated to scratching and hair-pulling. A group of women wearing dark glasses, masks, and headscarfs sat in a row on one area–I don't know why De Lima made them dress like jihadist terrorists, but they were her witnesses. (No offense mean...
Read more

Reporters Karen Lema and Manuel Mogato of @Reuters LIED about the Duterte "Hitler" quote

By -
Image
The oh-so-noble journalists are at it again, this time, with Duterte’s Hitler comment. I am no Duterte fanatic. I criticize him more scathingly than anyone when his mouth is out of line. But this time, Duterte really didn’t say anything wrong. The real culprits behind the fuss over his Hitler comment are Karen Lema and Manuel Mogato, two Filipino reporters of the Reuters news agency, who wrote this article: “ Philippines’ Duterte likens himself to Hitler, wants to kill millions of drug addicts ”. Lema and Mogato are Filipinos. There’s no way they could have misunderstood what Duterte really meant in his speech. I watched the video and this is what the President said: “Hitler massacred 3 million Jews. There are 3 million drug addicts. I’d be happy to slaughter them. At least, if Germany had Hitler, the Philippines would have ….. my victims, all criminals, to finish a problem of my country, and save the next generation.” (See for yourself here . The Hitler part is at 14:40....
Read more

Over 100M-peso cost of #DongYanWedding shouldered by GMA Network as publicity investment!

By -
Image
I was correct with my gut feelings. My friendly butiki, who listens to everything inside the executive offices of GMA7, confirmed that it was the network that paid for everything (repeat, everything) in the so called 'royal wedding'. It was over Php100m on the wedding day alone, not including other expenses in the pre-nuptial activities. This is an eye-popping amount if it is just a wedding expense (as I am one of those who think that a 20m wedding is already stupid and insensitive in a Third World setting, even if one could afford a 500m one). Over 100m, however, is a justifiable amount, even cheap vis-a-vis the ROI, if it is accounted as marketing and advertising expense of a large corporation that regularly spends much more anyway in their ads and promos. If the network has been able to project that their signature stars are bigger than those from competition, then they would have been able to deliver the message that GMA7 is the bigger kid in the block (don't get me...
Read more

Unfollowing @rapplerdotcom: On the growing irrelevance of Maria Ressa

By -
Image
How the mighty have fallen—Maria Ressa, former CNN bureau chief and former head of the ABS-CBN news department, has been reduced to picking fights with Mocha Uson. Ressa’s website Rappler has been posting a series of articles against pro-Duterte netizens who lambasted the yellow media for their biased reporting. Mocha Uson was singled out by Rappler because she’s one of the most vocal Duterte supporters, and her blog has been overtaking Ressa’s Rappler in Facebook engagements. What a humiliating blow for Maria Ressa’s ego. A mere “sexy star” (as Rappler calls Mocha), with none of Ressa’s credentials, experience, or funding, has beaten her at her own game. How could this happen? As a netizen who used to read Rappler but who now prefers to read Mocha’s blog, let me offer an explanation. I prefer getting my news from Mocha Uson because she provides the updates that none of the yellow media are reporting. For example, it was through Mocha’s site that I found out abo...
Read more