I DO enjoy those improbable “facts” that crop up from time to time.
I am sure your readers know the type of thing; if the population of China leapt into the air at the same time the gravitational pull would change the earth’s orbit and cause a minor tsunami in the Foss basin; Britain is the most tolerant nation on earth; you are never more than six feet from a rat, etcetera.
My personal favourite, unfortunately impossible to prove, is that there are no more than six degrees of separation between any two individuals worldwide.
However, after many months perusing The Press letters and the comments they elicit, I may have discovered a phenomenon just as unlikely.
I call this, “The Tebbit Test” or “On your bike”.
Here’s the hypothesis, correspondence – on virtually any subject – will require a maximum of three comments or letters before either cycles or immigrants is mentioned.
Mornington Crescent rejuvenated, to call on the BBC Radio 4 panel show I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue – or as I prefer to call it: “I know where we started but how did we get to here?”
Richard D Bowen, Farrar Street, York.
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