Word: countings
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...that time of decade again. On Jan. 25, U.S. census workers began knocking on doors in Noorvik, Alaska, the first stop in an epic attempt to count everyone in America. Article 1, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution calls for an "actual Enumeration" of the population every 10 years in order to determine how many Representatives each state gets in the House. The survey has also collected data on occupations, education and housing, among other subjects. The first Census, in 1790, was mainly a head count of free, white, draft-eligible men. Later queries were sometimes absurdly specific...
...evolution of data gathering, miscounts have occurred, particularly among the urban poor. Democrats tend to say sampling--the extrapolation of data from smaller groups--is more accurate, but Republicans, suspicious of overcounting in left-leaning areas, argue that the Constitution's use of the word actual mandates a nose count. Getting it right is important: in addition to its role in doling out congressional seats, the Census influences the allocation of more than $400 billion in federal funds that affect the lives of some 300 million Americans. How many, exactly? It'll tell us that...
There are a few things you can count on: the sun will rise in the east, winter will turn to spring, and the New York Times will come out every day. Of the three, the disappearance of the Times might be the most shocking to a reader's sense of a rational universe...
...Dubai (still wasn't enough to save the local economy), or the British retail tycoon who marked his 55th by sending his guests a travel wallet with instructions to meet at a London airport and clear their calendar for five days, I'm not impressed; I'm exhausted. I count it as a gift to have reached an age at which I am content to observe the date - or overlook it. (See how Americans are spending...
...when we do, when we gather with friends and count our blessings, what I find I'm most grateful for, nestled so deeply here in middle age, is being able to watch the candles flicker, and marvel at how many birthday wishes past have already come true...