Morning clicks

Kate, Wasilla, Alaska — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 19:15:48 GMT

Why does the Bible Belt lead? One image: Hot dish. ;)

You need to read some Yoga Journal; you'll find articles on forgiveness there. There was a really good one about two years after 9/11.

Morning clicks

Dennis McClain-Furmanski, Dalworthington Gardens, Texas — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 19:21:45 GMT

re: Forgiveness

I don't remember where I read it, except it was a very thin paperback book. It said that forgiveness is not something you do, or even can do, for another person. Forgiveness is something you do for yourself. Giving up a grudge cleans up your own thinking, which is otherwise tainted by the negative feelings.

If you want to include the religious concepts, as you mention in the piece on the subject: if the person you hold a grudge against needs forgiveness, that's not something they can get from you. Their forgiveness comes from someplace much higher up.

In psychological concepts (this from my own training, not the book), holding in a grudge causes your anger to be turned inwards. You exhaust yourself emotionally by running the tape over and over rather than getting it out and "processing" it. That is a source of depression. Since we often hold grudges against family members, whom we frequently see during the holidays, and we try to hold it in rather than ruin the holidays, there is a likely source for at least part of the "holiday blues". You can enjoy the holidays more by giving yourself, and them, the gift of letting go of the grudge.

Morning clicks

Jack Weber — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 22:59:40 GMT

Do you have any information on what criteria were used to define "obesity" over that time? I understand that it's been changed at least a couple times, and each time, it includes more people; under the current definition, some muscular people can be defined as "obese" even with very low body fat percentages because they have higher BMIs.

Morning clicks

Steph Greenberg, Mar Vista, CA — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 00:32:47 GMT

Re: Bible belt belt size

Three words: Biscuits and gravy.

But it's really hard to tell if it's a case of a real change or one of statistical zeal. I seem to recall the definition of "obese" being revised at lower weights several times in the last few decades.

From the Wikipedia, under the subject "Lies, damned lies, and statistics": "...even accurate statistics can be used to bolster inaccurate arguments".

Since nearly all of these published statistics use Body Mass Index (BMI) to determine obesity, I'll put up another Wikipedia quote: "The duality of the Body Mass Index is that, whilst easy-to-use as a general calculation, it is limited in how accurate and pertinent the data obtained from it can be."

There seem to be a lot of people staking out careers based on an epidemic of obesity, and it makes me suspicious of any results without dedicated debunkers explaining the flaws in how those conclusions were reached.

Morning clicks

John Brak — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 04:54:17 GMT

I like your attitude in the morning Will... Trains commute hundreds of users at the same time (duh), Corporations invest in (on?) the Earth they live on (Google), a Christian culture (re)learns forgiveness... but I know you weren't awake yet when you linked to a page that then had a primary link to a MM page which you had previously already been admonished for... Ah Will... Will you (we?) ever learn?

(Paranthetical abuse next on Jerry)

Morning clicks

Greg Griffin — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 18:54:51 GMT

You're WAY off base (as are the rest of the national media) about the questions in the YouTube debate. During the democratic debate, Democrats were asked questions like "Will my taxes go up the way they usually do when Democrats are in office?" and another from a man tossing a gun around, calling it his baby, and asking if the candidates are "going to take his baby away." Somehow I doubt these were Democrats asking the questions, but I didn't hear you objecting back then.

I'm offended at the laziness of the reporting on this issue (and most others, these days). It's been played like CNN did something wrong in not protecting the Republicans for dastardly Democratic questions they don't want to answer, while none of you have bothered to even LOOK at the first debate to see just how full of cr*p that idea is. Shame on all of you.