“What Are the Odds a Handy, Quotable Statistic Is Lying? Better Than Even” by Barry Gewen (New York Times, 3 Feb 2009). A must-read article on the new book by Michael Blastland and Andrew Dilnot, “The Numbers Game: The Commonsense Guide to Understanding Numbers in the News, Politics, and in Life.” In short, statistics are often used to bend the truth and sometimes lie. Not only can’t we believe whatwe hear or read, we can’t believe what we see either. Too often the associated graphic representations of the (out of context) data are also often misleading. Unfortunately, as more and more people are “outsourcing” their critical thinking, analysis, and ability to question “the facts”. Thinking is a gift and we should never be too busy to count that blessing.