October meme, Days 21 to 31
I've been thinking about numbers. I really enjoy More or Less on Radio 4, which is all about how statistics are presented and whether statistics quoted in the media are true.
I heard an interesting one the other day - according to a senior police office there were 600 murders in England and Wales last year. I thought it would be more. Which if accurate and as a separate issue, just goes to show how listening, watching and reading the news can skew your perception of the world. But assuming it is, I went to see what the population of England and Wales is and according to the Office of National Statistics, the best estimate for 2020 was 59,720,000 last year. Call it 60,000,000. That's a murder rate of 0.001%, which doesn't seem like much. But it's also 1 in 100,000 and that somehow seems like so much more. At least, it does to me. Hmmm.... Numbers and their presentation - fascinating.
On Friday I made my Halloween lantern, so that the kids in the street will know they're allowed to ring the bell. I have a large bowl of sweets that it would do me no good to have to myself *g* I thought I might get visitors last night, it not being a school night, but not a one. Maybe tonight. If not, I will save them for Guy Fawkes before I give up and eat them myself.
Before we leave October totally behind, I am posting the rest of the month's meme.
21. Would you rather read a book or listen to the audiobook?
Oh, read. I can't just sit and listen. I have to be doing something at the same time and that means I have to keep going back to re-listen to the bit I just missed because I got distracted by the task in hand. 'Tis why I don't listen to podcasts, either.
22. Have you ever eaten snow?
Of course. As a child. Clean, smooth, freshly fallen snow looks so inviting.
23. Curtains or blinds?
Curtains. Blinds just don't look right in an old house.
24. Have you ever adopted a stray (cat or dog)?
No. I did once bring a kitten home, but it wasn't a stray. It was from an unplanned litter.
25. Do you own/wear any jumpsuits?
Jumpsuit? No. Onesie? Certainly not! Overalls? Yes. Especially when painting walls. They're all basically the same sort of thing, but they have such different associations *g* And what other people have said is absolutely right - not easy to get out of when rushing to the loo. If they weren't so usefully protective, I wouldn't use overalls, either.
26. Do you struggle with dry skin in the winter?
No. But I do get dry skin on my face at the change of the seasons in spring and autumn. Thankfully it doesn't last long and I've worked out how to deal with it.
27. Have you ever got angry at an employee and complained to the manager?
No. I almost did once, but she was young and gauche and I think that my reaction to her ill-considered comment might have told her that she'd made a mistake.
28. Do you add unnecessary letters to the end of words?
I don't understand this question.
29. What was the last thing you used your phone for, besides calling/texting?
I imagine it was a quick internet search for something.
30. Do you always check the prices of things when you buy groceries?
Yes, I do. Especially the bit in small print that says what the price per 100g is. It's not always true that the large pack is better value.
31. How many nights per week do you cook dinner at home vs. going out to eat?
I can't remember the last time I went out to eat. My birthday last year maybe..., or maybe the year before *g*
It's a rainy Sunday here. I hope you all have a good day, whatever you are doing with it.
I heard an interesting one the other day - according to a senior police office there were 600 murders in England and Wales last year. I thought it would be more. Which if accurate and as a separate issue, just goes to show how listening, watching and reading the news can skew your perception of the world. But assuming it is, I went to see what the population of England and Wales is and according to the Office of National Statistics, the best estimate for 2020 was 59,720,000 last year. Call it 60,000,000. That's a murder rate of 0.001%, which doesn't seem like much. But it's also 1 in 100,000 and that somehow seems like so much more. At least, it does to me. Hmmm.... Numbers and their presentation - fascinating.
On Friday I made my Halloween lantern, so that the kids in the street will know they're allowed to ring the bell. I have a large bowl of sweets that it would do me no good to have to myself *g* I thought I might get visitors last night, it not being a school night, but not a one. Maybe tonight. If not, I will save them for Guy Fawkes before I give up and eat them myself.
Before we leave October totally behind, I am posting the rest of the month's meme.
21. Would you rather read a book or listen to the audiobook?
Oh, read. I can't just sit and listen. I have to be doing something at the same time and that means I have to keep going back to re-listen to the bit I just missed because I got distracted by the task in hand. 'Tis why I don't listen to podcasts, either.
22. Have you ever eaten snow?
Of course. As a child. Clean, smooth, freshly fallen snow looks so inviting.
23. Curtains or blinds?
Curtains. Blinds just don't look right in an old house.
24. Have you ever adopted a stray (cat or dog)?
No. I did once bring a kitten home, but it wasn't a stray. It was from an unplanned litter.
25. Do you own/wear any jumpsuits?
Jumpsuit? No. Onesie? Certainly not! Overalls? Yes. Especially when painting walls. They're all basically the same sort of thing, but they have such different associations *g* And what other people have said is absolutely right - not easy to get out of when rushing to the loo. If they weren't so usefully protective, I wouldn't use overalls, either.
26. Do you struggle with dry skin in the winter?
No. But I do get dry skin on my face at the change of the seasons in spring and autumn. Thankfully it doesn't last long and I've worked out how to deal with it.
27. Have you ever got angry at an employee and complained to the manager?
No. I almost did once, but she was young and gauche and I think that my reaction to her ill-considered comment might have told her that she'd made a mistake.
28. Do you add unnecessary letters to the end of words?
I don't understand this question.
29. What was the last thing you used your phone for, besides calling/texting?
I imagine it was a quick internet search for something.
30. Do you always check the prices of things when you buy groceries?
Yes, I do. Especially the bit in small print that says what the price per 100g is. It's not always true that the large pack is better value.
31. How many nights per week do you cook dinner at home vs. going out to eat?
I can't remember the last time I went out to eat. My birthday last year maybe..., or maybe the year before *g*
It's a rainy Sunday here. I hope you all have a good day, whatever you are doing with it.
