Ben Blatt of Slate mined through Center for Disease control data in order to provide us with 13 different maps of the United States and mortality information for each state . Below, information on disproportionately high cases of death in each state. While the maps are morbid and interesting, the story behind the maps ( read the story here about how data can be easily misrepresented by maps ) make this a good example of how easily data can be distorted. The story along with the maps unveils several issues that statisticians/researchers must consider when they are presenting descriptive statistics. In this instance, Blatt had to sort through the data to eliminate the most common causes of death (heart disease, cancer, etc.) in order to uncover unique data for each state. Relatedly, he highlights the fact that "disproportionately" does not mean "most": "But this map—like many maps which purport to show attributes meant to be “distinct” or “disproporti...

Slate's The Littlest Tasters More research methods than statistics, this article describes the difficulty in determining taste preferences in wee humans who don't speak well if at all. slate.com The goods for teaching: They mention the FACE scale. The research methods described go beyond marketing research and this could be useful in a Developmental class to describe approaches used in data collection for children (like asking parents to rate their children's reactions to foods). I've used this as a discussion board prompt when discussing research ethics, both for simply conducting research with children as well as the ethics of marketing (not so healthy foods) towards children. Aside: They also describe why kids like Lunchables, which has always been a mystery to me. Apparently, kids are picky about texture and flavor but they haven't developed a preference for certain foods to be hot or cold. The Huffington Post's " You'll Never Look at ...