Magic Statistics

Have you ever agonised over how to cut a birthday cake so that everyone is satisfied with the size and shape of his or her piece?  There was a time when I did—back when I was a teenager.  Later, however, came the realisation that, in the grand scheme of things, a piece of the cake isn't worth arguing about.  In the rare event of a dispute, "I cut, you choose" works fine.

Some grown-ups—generally parents of young children—still struggle with this conundrum.  Mathematicians with too much time on their hands have solved the problem.

Enter the "Surplus Procedure" (SP) for cake-sharing between two people, and the "Equitability Procedure" (EP) for sharing between three or more. Both involve asking guests to tell the cake-cutter how they value different parts of the cake. For example, one guest may prefer chocolate, another may prefer marzipan.

Under SP, the two parties first receive just half of the cake portion that they subjectively valued the most. Then the "surplus" left over is divided proportionally according to the value they gave it. EP works in a similar way: the guests first get an equal proportion of the part of the cake they each value the highest - a third each if they are three; a quarter each if they are four, etc - and then the remainder is again divided along the lines of subjective value.

That sounds rather convoluted.  Whaddya bet it's really a make-work scheme for mathematicians?

"These procedures are new and have never been tried out in real-world applications," says [mathematician Stephen] Brams.

You don't say.  For some reason, I don't think they'll ever be "tried out", except perhaps at mathematicians' conventions.

h/t: Faith-Science News

Another study shows that Canada's economy has benefited greatly from NAFTA, the free trade agreement with the United States and Mexico.  The Royal Bank of Canada report, to be released later this week, acknowledges that trade adjustments were costly in the short run, but fears of overall job losses and plant closures have proved to be unfounded.

“Canadians have prospered,” conclude economists Craig Wright and Derek Holt.

“Few countries have provided as shining an example of how to adapt and prosper in a post-freer trade world than Canada.”
. . .
Before Canada signed on to the Canada-U.S. free-trade agreement in 1988 and the North American free-trade agreement in 1993, critics charged that Canadian production would move south, exports would evaporate, jobs would dry up, foreign investment in Canada would deteriorate, the tax base would shrink, and the restructuring would force the country into a painful and long-term funk.

The adjustment was not without pain, but the end result, after 18 years of free trade, has made the criticisms look frivolous, the paper argues.
. . .
Exports have soared and foreign direct investment in Canada has risen substantially. Government coffers are full to overflowing, and Canada's fiscal situation is the envy of many a rich country. And while many of Canada's top companies have been bought by foreigners, often American, Canadian companies have been just as busy buying up U.S. firms, the study says.

Growing competition from Asia has dampened Canadian export growth recently.  The authors suggest measures to enhance competitiveness, including business tax cuts and encouraging further liberalisation of global trade.

The Royal Bank report corroborates an economic analysis released by Statistics Canada earlier this year.

Previous related post: All regions of Canada have benefited from NAFTA

A new Canadian public opinion poll shows massive support for government intervention in polygamous communities.  Eight in ten Canadians want polygamy to remain illegal.

Only one in 10 of those surveyed believes the practice of having multiple marriage partners should be legalized. Another 10 per cent said they didn't know.

The poll also found strong support for governments to intervene more aggressively to protect children in polygamous communities such as Bountiful, B.C.

Eight of 10 surveyed said that governments need to do more or a lot more to ensure the children get a better education, that girls have a choice of whom they marry and that boys are not forced out of the community so that a higher ratio of females to males is maintained.

Conrad Winn, president of COMPAS, the firm that conducted the poll, was surprised to find that 20% either support legalisation of polygamy or had no opinion.

''I think that's extraordinary and may go part way to explain why governments have turned a blind eye to the practice,'' he said.

''I think it points to a certain rootlessness in Western civilization. We have moved rather quickly recently from very firm Christian beliefs to a pluralistic acceptance of almost everything. It seems that we are becoming increasingly uncomfortable with absolutes. It really is moral relativism.''

I don't disagree with Mr Winn about that.  Nevertheless, rarely do policy positions in modern democracies garner 80% support.  Plainly, Canadians want polygamy laws enforced and action taken to protect children of polygamous relationships.

When is BC Attorney-General Wally Oppal going to act on this issue?

h/t: Religion News Blog

Previous related posts:

• BC attorney-general says he’s “not ignoring” polygamy at Bountiful
• International human rights law obligates Canada to eliminate polygamy
• BC polygamists send kids to public schools

A bizarre story out of Malaysia that I just happened to see while reading Google News.  The Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, has called for "stern action" against the person who originated a controversial SMS (text message) that spread like wildfire in the northern city of Ipoh.  The message said that some Malays were to be baptised at a local church.

The Deputy Prime Minister . . . said he spoke to Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan on Sunday night about the matter.

“Such SMSes are dangerous as they can cause a falling out between the races and create tension in the country,” he told a press conference.

On Sunday, a large crowd gathered at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Silibin in Ipoh from 7.30am to protest against the alleged baptism only to find out that it was actually the first Holy Communion for 98 Indian children.

Musa has vowed that the police would trace the first person who spread the SMS and said that the culprit would be charged under the Sedition Act.

Over 1000 Muslims gathered outside the church in protest.

The Deputy Prime Minister referred to the message as “instigation”, claimed it had affected national security, and pledged to punish the individual responsible.

UPDATE (7 Nov.): Follow-up here.