You need to be careful with percentages
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (342225)
Rockingham, Australia
May 5, 2022 7:00pm CST
I hope I haven't told this story before. I searched using a few key-words but nothing came up. Hopefully, it will be new to many of you.
In the 1980s, my husband and I lived on a few acres in Esperance, south-east Western Australia. We both belonged to the brass band there and some of the players were farmers.
The men were talking about sheep and how ‘the flies are really bad this year’. This means that sheep were getting fly-blown. Blowflies lay their eggs on the moist wool around the tail of the sheep, the eggs hatch into maggots which then feed on the flesh of the sheep. I’m sorry if this is more information than you were prepared for.
Anyway, Vince put in his tuppence worth and said that 50% of our flock was blown. After the others had tut-tutted for a few minutes, he told them the other two were okay. Percentages can be deceiving sometimes.
The photo is of three of our sheep about to be taken away to be shorn.
18 people like this
16 responses
@DWDavis (25805)
• United States
6 May 22
@JudyEv K wants to try herding with her Corgi pup. Sophie is almost a year old now. I keep trying to convince her that we should get three small goats or sheep. Our yard is big enough, and we're allowed to keep livestock. She hasn't bought the idea yet.
2 people like this
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
6 May 22
poor sheep. Is there a way to put something on the area to keep the flies away?
1 person likes this
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
13 May 22
@JudyEv seems strange that it's just the sheep and not other animals.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342225)
• Rockingham, Australia
14 May 22
@bunnybon7 Because of the wool around the tail, the area gets wet, smelly and attractive to flies. Cows get messy bottoms too but I guess the hair is shorter and they can swish the flies away more easily.
@RebeccasFarm (90477)
• Arvada, Colorado
6 May 22
@JudyEv Yes it does now..I am a dunce at times Judy
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342225)
• Rockingham, Australia
8 May 22
@RebeccasFarm I don't get jokes sometimes. But usually I pretend I do and I laugh anyway but I'm sure it doesn't sound like a real laugh. 
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (80812)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
6 May 22
Love that photo of the sheep, Poor sheep with the flies and maggots,
2 people like this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
7 May 22
That's funny. Not about the maggots but Vince's story. The maggots were a bit much as I'm reading breakfast but I have a strong stomach and I've had to deal with maggots in my garbage can before. But that was years back.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
11 May 22
@JudyEv yes, that idea was always hard to imagine.
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@Fleura (30541)
• United Kingdom
6 May 22
I haven't heard that before
But yes they certainly can. When you hear a headline such as 'eating such-and-such leads to a 20% increase in the rate of stomach cancer' for example, that is pretty much meaningless without the actual numbers. If the rate of stomach cancer is normally only 5% (5 people in 100 per year) for example, then a 20% increase in that rate will only make it 6%. Not that big a deal.
But yes they certainly can. When you hear a headline such as 'eating such-and-such leads to a 20% increase in the rate of stomach cancer' for example, that is pretty much meaningless without the actual numbers. If the rate of stomach cancer is normally only 5% (5 people in 100 per year) for example, then a 20% increase in that rate will only make it 6%. Not that big a deal.1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342225)
• Rockingham, Australia
8 May 22
@Fleura They were right about the 50% but there are 2 million who have been vaccinated in our state. If there are 50 in hospital, that's 25 out of 2 million vaccinated and 25 of a much smaller number of unvaccinated. I can't find figures for unvaccinated but it's an immensely smaller figure.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (181931)
• United States
6 May 22
How awful. Vince's joke was funny but not that the poor sheep had maggots. The photo is priceless.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342225)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 May 22
@LindaOHio I know!! They were as bad a kids. There was always a bully amongst them.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40243)
• United States
6 May 22
That's cool! What did you play in the brass band? Poor sheep. Is there any cure for the fly problem?
In other words... you had 4 sheep at the time? ;-)
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342225)
• Rockingham, Australia
8 May 22
Haha - yes, we had four sheep at the time. There is no cure for the fly problem. They try to breed sheep with fewer wrinkles and mulesing is commonplace but controversial among the do-gooders.
I played tenor horn or baritone mostly. I think you were in a school band, weren't you?
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40243)
• United States
9 May 22
@JudyEv Oh no that's sad that there is no cure for the fly thing.
Oh that is cool, I don't think I knew that about you. Me - no I was homsechooled - though I did start guitar at 16
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