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From: janw@inmet.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Re: Definitive expose' of Sandinista
Message-ID: <7800417@inmet.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 31-Aug-85 21:53:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: inmet.7800417
Posted: Sat Aug 31 21:53:00 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 4-Sep-85 05:28:41 EDT
References: <516@qantel.UUCP>
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Nf-ID: #R:qantel:-51600:inmet:7800417:000:698
Nf-From: inmet!janw    Aug 31 21:53:00 1985


 Back in late 60's there was a cholera epidemic sweeping the south
of Russia. The local health authoriries, in reporting the
numbers of cases to the center, diminished them  (approxi-
mately)  by an order of magnitude.  The central authorities, in
reporting the figures to the World Health Organization, reduced
them again by more than an order: thus, many thousands became a few
dozen. Most Soviet epidemics stay concealed from the outside world
(there are even cases of plague).
 The only thing I can add to Gabor's masterful characterization
is that "hard" statistics are often as unreliable in the USSR as
soft ones.  Strong pressures bend the hardest data...

                --Jan Wasilewsky