Linking cause and effect... or not

Oh dear. The latest in trash science, conducted at Wayne State University in Detroit.

A new study says that the first letter of your first name is statistically linked to your life expectancy. On average, people with the first initial D live 10 years LESS than people with the first initial A. Their 'hypothesis' is that this is related to our grading system in schools - people who have "A" names have higher self-esteem (linked to the idea of A-grades) than people with a D initial (D-grade). They don't bother with B, C and F - should all the F named people die first? Junk science at its worst.

Here's a report from the UK Daily Mail (a UK newspaper):

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1240174/Why-Ant-live-longer-Dec--A-beginning-D-wipe-10-years-life.html

UK news...

Two news items caught my attention from the BBC today:

The (brand new) UK Supreme Court decided that denying the marriage of a couple who didn't know each other and don't speak a common language (they were introduced simply as a way to obtain citizenship for the Indian guy) is legal. To deny them the right to marry would "infringe their human rights". Meanwhile of course, British gay couples can have a civil union (provided it isn't performed in a church) but cannot marry.

And in a speeding case in Switzerland, the court decided to fine the guy based on his net worth. The court determined his net worth at a little over $20million, so they fined him $286,000 for going 85mph in a 50pmh zone. Now there's an idea I could get behind!

A system of fines related to net worth seems like a great deterrent. I could see a fine being defined as something like "$50, or 1% of net worth, whichever is the greater". True, there are some who would find even $50 a hardship, but I'm pretty sure a multi-millionaire doesn't even consider a $50 fine an inconvenience. Relating fines to wealth would be a great help in enforcement.