ALS Stinks

There is an terrific column in today's WSJ from Carl Bialik, The Numbers Guy. His columns are always interesting and he has a gift for finding numbers challenges in everyday matters.

Today he speaks of the art and science of estimating the crowd expected for the inauguration. The last few paragraphs address the differences of opinions that some have regarding the commode requirements for the expected crowd. The inauguration committee is planning on 5,000 while others think that number is not going to provide adequate or pleasant results.

5,000... that's one of the numbers that people use when addressing the number of ALS deaths in a year. Most think that number is way low. Interesting analogy, eh?

We've always been lacking for a tangible way of representing the thousands of lives lost to ALS at the May ALS Advocacy Day activities. Perhaps we can get the inauguration committee to leave their 5,000 portable johns up until May... or better yet, until the cure is found. The cure could come much sooner if everyone in DC were to realize that ALS stinks.