Martian Cowboy

Didn't that weekend seem to fly by? I went to the steam museum in Swindon. I wasn't really expecting much, but it was really good. I have a confession to make however, we didn't pay to get in. We just walked straight in to the building, saw a notice saying "Museum Entrance", and went in. It wasn't until we emerged an hour or so later that we discovered the ticket office. I thought it was too good to be true. I thought about paying, but ultimately decided that we'd been lucky, and everyone is entitled to a little luck every so often, right?

I know it's only Monday, but I want to give the prize for this weeks most misleading news article to the BBC for this. The headline is "Many who pay for sex have partner". The opening sentence is, "Almost half of men who pay for sex have a partner, a study has concluded." The headline is misleading, the first sentence is just wrong. If you read the report it actually says that 10% of men interviewed at a sexual health clinic said that they had paid for sex. Of these, 25% were regular users of prostitutes, 43% (not half) said they had a partner, and 20% had some form of STD (not really surprising for an sexual health clinic). So, unless the report is even more misleading than it seems, it's quite possible that the men in this survey who confirmed that they had used prostitutes, may have done so only once, only done so many years ago, or only done so when single.

Actually the Times also covers this today and is equally misleading, perhaps more so. They open with "Almost half of men who pay for sex already have a partner". That statement is untrue unless the men who admitted paying for sex admitted doing so while committed to a partner. I've half a mind to track down the "Sexually Transmitted Infections" journal, where this report originally appeared, and get some more info. Who would read a journal called "Sexually Transmitted Infections". It's not something to leave on the coffee table is it.

According to the BBC, the ten most popular songs played at funerals now are:

1. Goodbye My Lover - James Blunt
2. Angels - Robbie Williams
3. I've Had the Time of My Life - Jennifer Warnes and Bill Medley
4. Wind Beneath My Wings - Bette Midler
5. Pie Jesu - Requiem
6. Candle in the Wind - Elton John
7. With or Without You - U2
8. Tears in Heaven - Eric Clapton
9. Every Breath You Take - The Police
10. Unchained Melody - Righteous Brothers

The word "Tacky" springs to mind. I swear, if anyone plays any of those at my funeral, I'm going to come back and bloody haunt them. I think I want John Lee Hooker's I cover the waterfront. I like that version with Van Morrison. I also like Martian Cowboy, by Toyah Wilcox (I can't find an MP3 for that), which is probably an indication of just how old I am. But of course, the thing to have really is Verdi's Requiem Mass.

Thanks to the gentleman who wrote asking for advice about marrying Taiwanese people. I'll write to you, but I don't have time to do it tonight. I have loads of advice to give you. You came to the right place.

OK, the JLH MP3 is huge by the way, the Verdi one is pretty small. Apologies to whoever owns the royalties.