Two Malaysian airliner crashes in less than 5 months. What are the chances?

[wtmusic]

Of that specific coincidence - exceedingly small. Of any similar coincidence? Overwhelming.

"According to people’s reports, their experience could not have occurred by accident or by coincidence. Therefore, lacking any clear scientific explanation, they conclude that the events were the result of some cosmic, spiritual, or supernatural forces beyond our current understanding.

On the face of it, this conclusion may seem reasonable, but it is not. Even if there were no current scientific explanation, this does not mean that the alleged causes really are true. Ignoring that for the moment, however, the argument also fails because of the key premise: that such an event cannot possibly be the result of coincidence. Not only is this premise not supported, it is in fact false.

People’s failure to realize this is due to their ignorance of statistics, in particular the statistics of large numbers. Studies have even shown that believers in the paranormal are worse than the average person when it comes to estimating the statistical chances of certain events occurring. The same people have also been shown in experiments to be more likely to perceive themselves as having some sort of “mental” control over events happening around them."

http://atheism.about.com/od/parapsychology/a/coincidence.htm

[hobbit709]

1. This one for sure wasn't a crash.

[Jenoch]

2. Flying over a war zone pretty much negates any

"coincidence" factor.

[Spider Jerusalem]

3. "was shot down by a missile" != "crashed"

[flamingdem]

4. A co-factor could be that the Malaysians were saving fuel

flying that route. It's harder to know about the first plane that went down but it may be financial as well in that there may have been short cuts in maintenance.

Just speculation but more grounded than looking to the paranormal.

[Barack_America]

7. It may be time to look further into their oversight...

...regarding who is flying their planes and where.

[phil89]

5. Lotteries are won all the time despite

Seemingly impossible odds. No supernatural element necessary. People who think something very unusual happening=supernatural/mystical cause need to learn some critical thinking skills.

[Adsos Letter]

6. Pretty high, apparently.

[uppityperson]

8. I feel very sorry for all the passengers & Malaysia air that this jet was targeted to be shot down

not crashed, but shot down. Not disappeared, or a accident, but deliberate murder.