It was said that nature abhors a vacuum and sports fans abhor a tie. Yet with the sole exception of baseball, where extra innings can continue ad infinitum, sports contests in the United States used to tolerate ending in a tie. Now, with the heavy influence of statisticians, odds makers and gamblers, sporting events such as football, basketball, hockey and soccer have all added provisions to the rules to eliminate the possibility of a contest ending in a tie; overtime periods some for fixed periods, some with "sudden death" conclusions, still others with "shootouts" as methods for providing a final resolution and no ties. ...more

November 7, 2009

"Outliers" are not politicians who lie even more than other politicians. It is a term used by statisticians to describe some data that are far away from the average - data on seven-foot women or freezing temperatures in Los Angeles, for example. ...more

January 3, 2009

With so many burglaries and burglary arrests making the news, the question comes up, are burglaries and other property crimes on the rise in Highlands County? ...more

September 12, 2008

Hernando County slipped down a notch in its unemployment ranking - from seventh to eighth. ...more

August 16, 2008

Hernando County is up 8.4 percent; florida has highest unemployment in 13 years ...more

August 16, 2008

Drunk driving makes headlines every day. Traffic safety advocates relentlessly remind the American public that the abuse of alcohol continues to be a huge problem on our roadways and, as a result, the most drastic measures are needed. Though truly "drunk" driving is a serious issue, much of the reported problem is little more than PR. ...more

June 29, 2008

In an uncertain market, especially, independent contractors tend to do exceedingly well because companies are reluctant to beef up their payrolls and make permanent full-time hiring commitments. ...more

January 13, 2008