Wednesday, November 9, 2016

IS VOTING A WASTE OF TIME? NOT IF YOU DO THE MATH

TOP OF THE NEWS:

- Is voting a waste of time? Not if you do the math. (WaPo) "But in the country's swing states, the odds are much better. In New Hampshire and Colorado, the probability that your vote will be the decisive one in this election is roughly 1 in 1 million. In Nevada, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, it’s 1 in 2 million. In Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina and Florida it’s 1 in 3 million, while in Maine it’s 1 in 5 million. Those might sound like distant odds. However, they’re far, far better than the odds of winning the lottery, which millions of Americans play all the time. (The odds of winning Powerball jackpot, for example, are 1 in 292 million.)"

NEWS:

- Win or lose on Tuesday, a Democratic battle looms (LA Times) "The successor president inherits all of the issues that the predecessor couldn’t resolve and typically faces pressure from within the party to go further than ever in pursuit of its demands. Ambition that has been pent up for years inevitably seeks an outlet to shift the party’s direction. In the case of Democrats, they already this year have demonstrated increasingly leftward ideological views. That’s especially true among young voters, who are less pragmatic than their elders, apparently more favorable toward activist government and inclined to see more centrist politicians like Clinton as lacking principle."

- The very interesting thing that happened when Obama raised rich people’s taxes (WaPo) "Just after President Obama won reelection four years ago, he and Congress increased taxes abruptly on the wealthiest Americans. In response, the rich paid up — and then went on with their lives as before, according to a new working paper."

TECHNOLOGY:


- A big benefit for Tesla owners is going away (WaPo) "Although Tesla's longtime approach has been to let drivers use its exclusive network of 3,500-plus superchargers for free, that benefit is going away for future customers. Beginning Jan. 1, anyone who orders a new Tesla will be expected to pay a "small fee" at superchargers once they've exhausted a yearly package of complimentary charging credits that's good for about 1,000 miles of range. It isn't clear how much the charging fees will be; Tesla said the prices will likely fluctuate based on regional demand for electricity. But they will be comparable to filling a tank with gas, the company said."

BOTTOM OF THE NEWS:

- 10 Things to Know About Being a Sperm Donor (NYT) "Your odds of getting into Harvard or Stanford are higher than your chances of being accepted as a donor at the major sperm banks."

- Toblerone Alters Shape of 2 Chocolate Bars, and Fans Are Outraged (NYT) "The peaks are slimmer and the valleys are wider, but the price hasn’t changed."

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