BBC Stats

[Win2Win]

They are bloody stupid in the media, and the Beeb is one of the worse.

Today the headline is: Rates of diabetes soar in the UK

"From 1997 to 2003 there was a 74% rise in new cases of diabetes."

....and yet if you read the actual report itself the rate has changed from 26/100,00 to 43/10,000.

So an extra 17 people per 10,000 have diabetes now than in 1997. Doesn't look like it has SOARED when you look at the figures in simple terms does it?

[MattR]

Yeah, that's the beauty of statisitics isn't it! Spin it anyway you like.

I thought about that when they were mentioning Arsenal at the weekend. They are:

12 games unbeaten

or....

only 5 wins in last 12

or...

drawn 7 of last 12


The first one sounds so much better!

[Win2Win]

Not forgetting that since 1997 we have a few million more immigrants, so obviously the stats will go up, plus more awareness of it, and better detection, so probably the rate is about the same!