EVIDENCE OF ABSENCE - AGAIN

Last time I left out the math in a sketch of a proof for the fact that absence of evidence is evidence of absence. See that blog. Here is the math and remember, evidence and proof are two different concepts.

Defintions: A is evidence of B if and only if (iff) Prob(B/A) > Prob(B/not A).
Denote absence of evidence by a = not A and absence by b = not B.

Prob(B/A) > Prob(B/not A) iff 1 - Prob( not B/A) > 1- Prob(not B/not A) iff

Prob(not B/A) <>Prob(not B/ not not A)

iff Prob(b/a) > Prob (b/ not a). QED

JULY 4 SPOKANE ARRESTS

On the police tape of the anarchist uprising in the park we hear policemen wishing they could punch out the protesters. At least, that is one impression a person could get. Why doesn't the city aggressively pursue this little detail ? If after a public investigation the police are cleared, good. But if they are truly expressing public contempt for the protesters and a wish to do them harm outside the law, fire them. We do not want a city police force of this type.

I do not think it tolerable to trust the a Chief of Police to see that the force be limited to men and women who understand the rights we are all entitled to. And Mayor Verner is not much help with her remark that she believes the police acted properly on that infamous day. I choose to believe she knows better and is speaking in a political survival mode. I could be wrong and it could be worse.

An ombudsman is not the answer. An elected or randomly selected independent committee of citizens is required to run the police department. Instead of a chief there would be an executive director of the committee.

It seems that whenever I complain about an Islamic driven ideology that supports the killing of any person who offends the ideology with such things as disrespectful cartoons, movies, books, or just plain dissent, I get the same response. First, any concrete example is met with the claim that this is not true Islam, no matter what the perpetrators claim. Secondly, I am reminded by my betters of some example from the myriad of historical examples where one religion or another has called for a massacre of innocents.

I don't really care what is true Islam and what is not when a Muslim says that Allah commands that he kill me, for whatever reason. And please, what do past religious slaughters have to do with me. If there are religious cults other than Islam currently issuing death threats, I say deal with them. But I haven't read of any.

I know there are millions of Muslims who do not support the radicals. But it is their duty to more forcefully speak out against them. Please!

RPS BOSSES CUT CANDY HUT

It will be a sad day June 1 when the long time kiosk tenant Candy Hut departs Spokane' s River Park Square. I have been getting my weekly sweet and sour sucker ration there for quite some time. Also, I always look forward to my short chats with the friendly and efficient candy girl Sandi, who will now be out of a job. I don't know all the politics but it seems the Hut is just too middle class for management and RPS wants to better serve their upper class clientele by going with a more tony tenant. I suppose that the millionaires in the condos across the road would rather not mingle with any more of the hoi polloi than absolutely necessary