Hmmm...

[danalwyn]

Can you spot the mathematical error in this quote?:

"The majority of Russians (35 percent) take a shower or a bath on a daily basis."

This could just be a translation error (perhaps indicated that the majority of Russians take a shower or bath daily, but only 35% do so on a daily basis), but considering that it comes from Pravda one can never be sure.

You will, of course, be pleased to note that:

"Residents of Europe turned down their medieval habit of washing themselves twice in a lifetime. However, they still prefer not to take a shower too often. The Britons and the Germans usually wash themselves twice a week."

And also that,

"The Hindus are the cleanest nation in the world. They wash their hands and bodies twice as often as Germans and 1.5 times as often as Americans. A Hindu will always go to the bathroom after he or she sneezes, touches a pet or visits a toilet."

Hopefully this will not come as a surprise to the estimated 900 million South Asians without access to proper sanitary facilities. I suspect that they may wash their hands, but may not be doing it in a bathroom.

Of course, no actual study that can be scrutinized is provided.


Ah Pravda, you never fail to amuse.

Thanks to Passport.

Comments

[ressie-noldo.livejournal.com]

The general responses to that article from the people who were reading it over my shoulder involved 'hey, so this implies that the remaining 65 percent of Russians do not shower daily. This makes us look hygienic. Let's relocate to Russia.'.

Also, I am unduly amused by 'Hindus' -- I imagine this refers to India, in which case the approx. 150 million Muslims might have a lot to say about that.

(Given that 'going to the bathroom' is roughly synonymous, in India at least, to 'visiting the toilet'...)

[danalwyn.livejournal.com]

Considering I was reading not so long ago about how hard it is for workers to ensure proper sanitation in most of India, I'm not sure where the Hindu thing comes from in the first place. From the looks of it, I would have to say that they got this answer by surveying people in their apartment complex.