sashinka | observation orientated, with a twist of lime | a blog

Well, my email inbox is heavy with news and views on Ben Goldacre. Like, listen to him here, on the guardian podcast, talking about Gillian. Let's all agree here: he's not just smart and witty, he's got a really nice voice, too. Voices do it for me, I have to say.

Also, he has invented the word "referenciness", which I heartily approve of.

Here's what most (many) people are asking me: is he Jewish? Short answer - I don't know. Running him through the Jewometer at Sashinka Towers, I'd say the following:
- Ben, sounds like a Jewish boy, right? 7 points
- Goldacre - sounds like it used to be Goldstein/Goldfine etc. 9 points
- career choice - doctor only trumped by Hedge Fund Manager for those in their thirties. 9 points
- Lives in Kentish Town - north London, some points, but not exactly West Hampstead or Belsize Park. 5 points
- Type A personality/Oxbridge education/high achiever type: 7 points, although you'd get those points from any other once-were-immigrants minority, so lose a point. Final points: 6.
- Social action: Cares about rightness and doing the right thing, often a Jewish thing, especially for those on the Liberal/Reform/Masorti perspective. Also, lots of other people who aren't Jewish, so points: 5
- Hair: check it out, something of a Jewfro. Points: 8

So that's 42 points out a possible 60, which makes him 70% Jewish. It also probably makes him 70% Asian, so I'd add the caveat that this is clearly on a guessometer rather than real-science basis.