. . . and statistics
'House prices are continuing to rise by about 23 per cent in London . . . reports the Halifax, Britain's biggest building society.... Other building societies contest this . . . (the Nation- wide Anglia puts the figure at 17 per cent).'
(Evening Standard, 27 April) The above are annual figures. But the Nationwide Anglia also reveals that Greater London property prices in the first quarter of 1988 rose not at all. Winter is traditionally bad for property buying, but surely not to this extent, particularly as nearly all other regions showed a change over the same period. It looks as if the October crash may be biting, therefore. Perhaps to suggest prices are still rising by citing annual increases is better for business.
(£20 goes to Peter Atkinson, of Clop- ton, Suffolk) 'Those who complain of chronic sleep- lessness have a death rate 1.3 times higher than normal.'
(Observer Magazine, 1 May) Does the article mean that querulous insomniacs are one-and-a-third times as mortal as the rest of us, or that they die younger? And what of the 'death rate' for insomniacs who don't complain? It is impossible to assess their numbers, hence to pronounce on the 'death rate' (whatever that may mean) for all insom- niacs. Insomnia may be in any case a mere symptom of many and various underlying problems, such as heavy drinking.
(£10 goes to Alan Phillips, of Epping) Send examples to `. . . and statistics'; £20 for the best published; £10 for every other one published — the first opened if more than two or more cover the same example.
Previous page
