Statistics and lies and points of view.

The topics that are chosen to produce statistics about can be very odd at times. In La Voz de Galicia newspaper online I came across some statistics regarding infidelity. Apparently doctors, bankers and teachers are the most likely to be unfaithful. Amongst doctors it seems that 40% of infidelities are with a work colleague and 25% with a patient: all those soppy hospital romance stories come true! How do teachers find time to be unfaithful, that's what I want to know. And also, of course, I would love to know who decided to survey such a topic and how many people were involved. I wonder if they factored in the boasting elements. Surely some people must have added a little spice and romance to their humdrum lives by pretending to have been unfaithful. 

Still on the romance front, Amal Alamuddin married George Clooney yesterday and today (civil ceremony). Photos of the wedding cannot be seen until the next edition of Vogue magazine comes out. This is what the stars do; they sell exclusive rights to their wedding photos to magazines. 

A U.S. Website, "The Business Woman", is reported to have turned the story on its head, reporting that the “dual-qualified English barrister and New York litigation attorney who has long been a high-profile figure in international refugee and human rights law has gone against the trend for professional women in her field and married… an actor”. It described the groom as “probably a nice man, but seems to be a bit clingy, as since she met him it’s hard to find a photo or footage of Amal without him hanging around in the background”. I love it. 

The other day I read an interview with a young actress whose name escapes me now, one of those who used to be a model and moved into acting. Just as in the normal world of work, where we are constantly being told that it is unusual for someone to have a job or even a profession for life but must move from one position to another in the modern world, so the same rule applies in the rather artificial world of showbiz. Actors become models become singers become writers become directors become who knows what. 

Anyway, this particular actress who used to be a model was asked this question: "What has been your biggest fashion faux pas? 

Here is her answer: "I am constantly faux pas-ing." 

 Isn't it amazing what you can do with the English language? 

One of my favourite journalists, Paul Mason, has been giving advice to overseas students studying in the UK. As well as thanking them for helping to finance UK universities with their extra-high tuition costs, he advises them to visit kebab shops late in the evening to improve their command of English. I particularly enjoyed his description of the railway system: "In Britain, we have a railway system that was privatised, then half-renationalised and fragmented. There has been a lot of investment in Cornish pasty outlets, but not so much on actual rolling stock." Here is a link to the whole article. Well worth a look! 

Meanwhile Germaine Greer has been talking to European Newsweek and sounding off about the Duchess of Cambridge, the young lady formerly known as Kate Middleton (Catalina to the Spanish). Good old Germaine says the duchess is too thin - maybe that's just her body type as her sister is also slender and her mother is not exactly fat! - and should not have been "made to get pregnant" again so soon - her two children will have the same sort of age difference as my two and as the children of many of my friends! But, of course, Germaine is entitled to her opinion. However, she should be careful. She should consider the fuss that ensued when Hilary Mantel dared to comment on the role of the duchess. 

According to the Newsweek article, a poll of 3,000 British adults found that 43% of respondents thought the duchess represented a “step forward for women and represents modern women”. However, 38% of women and 35% of men believed she was not allowed to voice her opinions enough or at all. And only 36% believed she had “control and ownership over her own body”. 

There you go. That's statistics for you!