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University of Queensland Blunders on Data

New research shows excessive watching of television is bad for your health. This is commonsense really. When you are watching TV you aren't doing anything physically. It is claimed that for every hour of TV one's lifespan is reduced by 22 minutes.

Many people watch eight hours of television each day, so the calculation is,

8hrs x 30Years x 365Days
-------------------------------- = 3.7 years lost.
65.5(22 minutes) x 365Days


OR,

8hrs x 365days 30yrs = 87600hrs total

87600hrs x 22mins
------------------- = 32120hrs total
60

32120hrs
--------- = 3.7 years lost
24 x 365


Just how did they reach this specific conclusion? Apparently obesity and diabetes were mentioned; then the figure was just fished out of the air.

They chose a ridiculous figure of two hours of TV every day over a lifetime. No one watches this tiny amount. They even decided that men were affected more than women: 1.8 years lost for men and 1.5 for women. Because women live longer the calculation should show a greater loss for them!

The University of Queensland should be careful about releasing such nonsensical information. The institution will lose all respect.
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