Lockdown week25

 Garden Glimpses

The pile of stones has been absent for a couple of weeks.

But it hasn't gone away.

Covid

David Spiegelhalter, statistician, on More or Less, Radio4 - 75 year old has more chance of getting cancer, heart attack and stroke before his/her 76th birthday than he/she has of catching Covid.

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The presenter of More or Less, Tim Harford, admitted a mistake this week. 'Getting Covid was less risky than taking a bath'. Written in the FT, and picked up by the dailies. Having admitted this, the story went viral. What he omitted to say was the bathing was over a 12 month period.

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If the story is true, Phillip Green's financial manipulation of the Arcadia covid furlough arrangements, makes him a bigger nob than Trump. On the Childbride's measurement of nobs, he becomes an Everest sized nob.

Some random stuff - Dave's Notebook

During my reading of the increase in hominid brain size I discovered that our brains take 20% of our daily energy requirements. "Is that why we get so tired?" asked the childbride. She gets tired counting my beer cans.

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Correction from last week - the Dunbar number is 150. From Wiki the 'number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships—relationships in which an individual knows who each person is and how each person relates to every other person'. Hunter-gatherers vs the first agricultural settlements.

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Again from More or Less. The fastest jelly fish cannot outswim an olympic swimmer, but it might if it grew to the size of an olympic swimmer.

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A discussion on meritocracy on Start the Week, Radio4. Having a talent, using it and working hard will find rewards. Education is the route. It will lead to a better life, previously only gained as part of a wealthy and privileged aristocratic elite. Meritocracy is not great however, in principle or in practice. Applying for higher education is competitive. The best places go to those who can afford the best preparation and the competition promotes anxiety - a kind of childhood Darwinism. And if and when you make it how do you feel about all those that don't? Do they see it as a better life? However value is now gradually switching to other pursuits such as vocational education and women's traditional roles. Moreover those that wish can get into learning at any age. It's learning and life experiences that help develops humanity.

   Thanks to Butler's 1944 education act everyone had a shot at secondary education and hence higher education. Something my father never let me forget. Goodness knows what would have happened if I'd failed the 11 plus. It was a time when we were said to be in the 'top' 4%, at a boys' grammar. I never really got that - I was more hung up about not being good enough. Still influential. My university course was vocational. G. knows where my humanity came from, if at all. Leaving home, fending for myself, relationships, rugby, cricket, wife and family. It's a balancing act between climbing the greasy pole and the personal qualities that can be left behind. I could pass exams and perform well in my chosen profession, which I initially chose so I could seek fame and fortune. Money and status did follow. I eventually mellowed into the humanity of the work as part of the family, work and leisure triad.

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Personal printed photographs make super bookmarks.

Family in the park

You get 'pooshoes' if you don't watch out for the dogsh.. 

Who is the male model?