…agree about fat guy Chris Christie, and those who criticize him for being endowed with excess adipose. In Chait’s article he refers the reader to this book, The Obesity Myth. I haven’t read it, but I’m familiar with the genre. … Continue reading →
…here come the “Christie’s too fat to be president” articles (here and here). From the latter: Unfortunately, the symbolism of Christie’s weight problem goes way past the issue of obesity itself. It is just a too-perfect symbol of our country … Continue reading →
Not that we needed more evidence, but new research is explaining just why it’s so hard for most people to lose weight and maintain the loss. I already knew about this from personal experience and observation. And don’t get me … Continue reading →
I’ve noticed, on looking at photos of models and some starlets (is that still an acceptable word?), that you need to have a rather broad and almost triangular face to continue to be pretty while at the same time sporting … Continue reading →
The news is out that a way to objectively document a patient’s pain is being developed: A team at Stanford University in California used computer learning software to sort through data generated by brain scans and detect when people were … Continue reading →
On body perception and the brain: This phenomenon doesn’t surprise me in the least. After my arm surgery, when my right elbow was frozen for a long time, I lost some of the sense that the arm belonged to me. … Continue reading →
I was going to write a post about the second anniversary of Lockerbie bomber al Megrahi’s release, commenting on my lack of surprise at his continued existence despite the initial prediction that he had only three months to live. Meanwhile, … Continue reading →
…and hope for the best. The latest suggestion is that nothing much that you can do matters—although of course it’s best not to off yourself prematurely if you want to reach three figures. One thing that might help would be … Continue reading →
I can’t say I knew much about Amy Winehouse until her death, although I’d vaguely heard of her. But from what I’ve read since, it appears she exemplified a type of addict who is extraordinarily difficult to help—defiant and resistant … Continue reading →
Until someone else wins the Republican nomination, or until Michele Bachmann drops out of the running—whichever comes first—there will be a relentless drumbeat to destroy her. This much I know. The latest salvo is the allegation that she gets severe … Continue reading →
Last week I visited two elderly relatives who’ve recently moved to an assisted living facility not too far from me. They’re in their mid-eighties, and although they’ve been married for more than 50 years they live in separate wings of … Continue reading →
Competitive eating is an exceedingly odd—not to mention distasteful—sport. I’m not at all into watching people stuff their faces at rates that seem physically impossible and at the very least highly undesirable. But I was reminded of it recently because … Continue reading →