Rock Solid

The body tremors. The man is rock solid.

What Strapless Footwear Does

Link No Longer Available.

It was a link to a video clip of Keith Olberman's Countdown shortly after our "Stay the Course" President decided that he was never really about stay the course after all.

Their Names Are Not John Mark Karr

Read "Priorities and Perspective", by georgia10, and "Beautiful Dead Girls", by hrh for sobering commentary on our news media.

The political cartoon above is from John de Rosier's blog.

Reality Unbalanced

Sometimes things are one-sided. Wolf Blitzer looked liked he wanted to cry when Howard Dean refused to play the "everyone is doing it, so nobody is guilty" game.

"Should Democrats who took money from Jack Abramoff, who has now pleaded guilty to, ah, bribery charges, among other charges, a Republican lobbyist in Washington, should the Democrats who took money from him give that money to charity or give it back?"

-Wolf Blitzer, CNN

Howard Dean responds.

Cognitive Dissonance

The Downing Street Minutes are finally getting coverage in the US mainstream press. Have we made peace with the fact that our President lied to us to start war, or will we ask for accountability? Sen. Kennedy has posted a link to help you speak with your Senator. For more information, see these links:

AfterDowningStreet.org (Honor Our Dead, Demand The Truth)
On the Downing Street Minutes
Letter to Pres Bush Concerning the "Downing Street Minutes

A Misconception is Born

Disclaimer: The following post discusses scientific and medical issues. I am neither an MD nor a PhD. Consult a physician for medical advice. Talk to a PhD, read a text or check a peer-reviewed journal if you have science questions. I’ve included at the bottom of this post links to medical doctors who have covered this topic. I’m writing because I can’t sleep and I’ve been annoyed by the news, though the two are not necessarily related. I may remove this disclaimer in the future if I post a separate more standard one covering this whole blog.

NY Yankee, Alex Rodriguez	NY resident, Primer

According to federal guidelines to determine body mass index (BMI), Alex Rodriguez and I have something in common. We are both overweight. The kicker, I’m less overweight than A-Rod. This explains why I’m LMAO in the image above. It also underscores the limitations of a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Excess Deaths Associated With Underweight, Overweight, and Obesity.

Flegal, Graubard, Williamson and Gail, the authors of this study, aimed to improve the metrics of correlating weight status to mortality rates. Previous studies, the authors stated, incompletely accounted for confounding factors like smoking and age variation and did not include estimation of error or uncertainty.

The authors reported the statistical methods and computer programs used to address the shortcomings of the previous studies. Their results indicate the previous studies overestimated the number of deaths associated with all weights considered non-normal. It is unsurprising this study’s numbers differ from those of previous studies. Flegal, et al used different calculations, considered additional variables and differentially grouped data. One would be more surprised if the numbers turned out to be the same.

Of particular interest to the mainstream media was the apparent lower rate of mortality associated with overweight compared to underweight. Look at these articles and witness the birth of a misconception:

• NY Times, Some Extra Heft May Be Helpful, New Study Says
• CNN, Study: Obesity death risk overstated
• MSNBC, CDC overstated risks of being overweight
• Fox News, Obesity Death Rate Lower Than Thought
• David Brooks, Living Longer Is the Best Revenge
• John Tierney, Fat and Happy

What’s the take home message being pushed by the media? “You’re not only ok being overweight, you’ll probably live longer.” Problem is, that’s just plain wrong.

Brooks’ op-ed is particularly misleading.

“The release of a report in The Journal of the American Medical Association indicating that overweight people actually live longer than normal-weight people represents an important moment in the history of world civilization.”

“…health-conscious people can hit a point of negative returns, so the more fit they are, the quicker they kick the bucket. People who work out, eat responsibly and deserve to live are more likely to be culled by the Thin Reaper.”

Yeah, it would be an important moment, that is, if it were true. The authors note that the lower mortality rate associated with overweight compared to normal-weight may just as likely be attributable to limitations of their model. Their calculation of BMI, though accepted practice, is questionable. Currently only height and weight are used to determine BMI. Physical activity, waistline measurement, percent body fat, muscle development, gender, none of this is factored into determining BMI. It’s that dubious nature of BMI that would classify former Major League Baseball MVP, Alex Rodriguez, as being more overweight than I am. Those that know me can appreciate the absurdity of that claim. The authors also note that, “it would be of interest,” to see how the numbers change if they were to consider only mortality due to obesity-linked causes like cardiovascular disease. And finally, the authors state that they did not take into account the advances in medication and treatment of cardiovascular disease risks. No one disputes the rise in obesity is directly proportional to the increase in lipid-lowering and anti-hypertensive medication prescriptions.

So, what we have here is a study that is more statistically rigorous and precise than previous studies. It remains to be determined, however, if it accurately describes and can predict the public health condition.

Some thoughts:

• IF YOU HAVE MEDICAL QUESTIONS, CONSULT A PHYSICIAN.
• A more inclusive method to determine BMI should be developed to greater reflect and more accurately describe the diversity of body types.
• A study incorporating the more inclusive BMI and restricting mortality data to obesity-linked causes should be conducted.
• We should also be looking at the relationship between weight status and disability or disease rather than total mortality rate.
• The effect of treatment and medication advances should be considered.
• This study should not be considered a license for sloth and gluttony.

Images:

The photograph of Alex Rodriguez was copied from SportsFrog. The image was then resized to 55%. There was no alteration of body proportion. The image is a faithful representation of Alex Rodriguez.

The Primer avatar was created at South Park Studio v2.0. The screenshot was converted to jpeg and resized to 68%. Although the image is a cartoon, by many accounts it is a fairly accurate representation of Primer. Okay, my head is slightly pointier.

Links to Blogs by Docs:

• DB’s Medical Rants - Maybe We Should Have a Small Spare Tire
• Kevin, MD - My Bad, Obesity is Still Bad But Not As ...
• Dr. Andy - Weight and Mortality I, Weight and Mortality II, Weight and Mortality III

Monster Flip-Flops

Hoots the Owl explains the benefits of fruits and vegetables to Cookie Monster (via CNN)

“C” is for cookie, that’s good enough for me. “C” is for cookie, that’s good enough for me. Cookie, cookie, cookie starts with “C”.

The monster famous for these lyrics is Sesame Street resident, Cookie Monster. Many will remember C. Monster’s weak attempts to delay gratification and then his wild abandon in devouring cookies piled on plates. Blue fur flying, dilated pupils spinning, C. Monster would throw back a stack of cookies with such enthusiasm that sometimes even the plate would be consumed. I credit the honorable C. Monster as formative, not so much in my choice of food, but more so in my style of eating.

Well, times have changed, and apparently, so has Sesame Street. Hardy, Harrell and Bell commented, in a December 2004 edition of the Journal of Pediatric Nursing, that between 1963 and 2000 childhood obesity rates have alarmingly risen fourfold. To address this issue, the producers of Sesame Street have announced the Healthy Habits for Life initiative. The initiative is designed to promote healthy eating and physical activity. This season new characters, like talking produce, will appear in new features such as an American Bandstand parody, American Fruit Stand. Entertainers and politicians will appear with assorted muppets to discuss nutrition, exercise, hygiene and rest. Cookie Monster, too, will have new experiences. C. Monster will try healthier varieties of cookies and learn moderation. In a near paradigm change, “A Cookie is a Sometimes Food”, becomes C. Monster’s new song.

Although Sesame Street sources acknowledge some changes for C. Monster, some things will not change. C. Monster’s most characteristic trait, his food gobbling, will remain intact. Says Dr. Rosemarie T. Truglio in response to whether or not C. Monsters eating style is unhealthy, “He's still Cookie Monster.”

Pres. Bush loves Michael Moore

I watched Roger and Me, Michael Moore’s documentary about the late 1980’s closing of a GM factory and the effects on Flint, Michigan. On the day of the plant's closing, Moore attempted to interview workers in the factory through a ground-level window. A plant spokesperson came to the window, ordered Moore to stop and told him to move away from the building. Moore responded that he would move to the sidewalk if the spokesperson would come out for an interview. The spokesperson refused Moore’s request stating that she believed Moore represented no constituency.

Last April, Ken Auletta of the New Yorker was interviewed on NPR. Auletta quoted Pres. Bush's answer to a reporter at a 2003 barbecue at the President’s Texas estate,

“You're making a powerful assumption, young man. You're assuming that you represent the public. I don't accept that.”

Since then government sponsored propaganda, like Armstrong Williams and Maggie Gallagher, government produced fake news stories, and taxpayer funded forums with ideologically screened audiences (here and here), appear to be Pres. Bush’s favored means of communicating. However, this does not square with the President’s words reported on Feb. 25, 2005,

“democracies have certain things in common -- a rule of law and protection of minorities and a free press and a viable political opposition''

So, my title is a bit misleading. Pres. Bush probably does not love Michael Moore. He is, however, avoiding transparency of process much like Moore’s GM spokesperson.

Politics: The White House Propaganda Machine

So, Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert did an excellent job last night lampooning mainstream news while at the same time plugging two sites, Eschaton and DailyKos, on my blogroll. Now Frank Rich, of the NY Times, jumps on the bandwagon.

Rich hits the main points describing this administration's propaganda efforts aided by the declining mainstream media in his article, The White House Stages Its 'Daily Show'. (free registration required)

On fake reporters and fake news organizations:

But as Mr. Olbermann explained, "Jeff Gannon," the star of the montage, was a newsman no more real than a "Senior White House Correspondent" like Stephen Colbert on "The Daily Show" and he worked for a news organization no more real than The Onion.

On White House complicity:

Though Mr. McClellan told Editor & Publisher magazine that he didn't know until recently that Mr. Guckert was using an alias, Bruce Bartlett, a White House veteran of the Reagan-Bush I era, wrote on the nonpartisan journalism Web site Romenesko, that "if Gannon was using an alias, the White House staff had to be involved in maintaining his cover." (Otherwise, it would be a rather amazing post-9/11 security breach.)

Continuing his thread on White House Propaganda:

By my count, "Jeff Gannon" is now at least the sixth "journalist" (four of whom have been unmasked so far this year) to have been a propagandist on the payroll of either the Bush administration or a barely arms-length ally like Talon News while simultaneously appearing in print or broadcast forums that purport to be real news.

Rich adds that the “Ask President Bush” Town Hall Meetings during the campaign, the Pentagon Office of Strategic Influence (propaganda abroad), and the Pentagon Channel (domestic propaganda) all fit into this administration’s propensity for propaganda. He ponders if a Social Security Channel might be next.

Rich then uses Guckert’s appearance with Wolf Blitzer to demonstrate how complicit mainstream television journalists have become. He contrasts this with the recent extended coverage of the Eason Jordan resignation.

Is the banishment of a real newsman for behaving foolishly at a bloviation conference in Switzerland a more pressing story than that of a fake newsman gaining years of access to the White House (and network TV cameras) under mysterious circumstances? With real news this timid, the appointment of Jon Stewart to take over Dan Rather's chair at CBS News could be just the jolt television journalism needs.

Hey, score one for "fake news" and bloggers.

Politics: Propagannon

I haven’t commented on this story even though it broke Monday night because the details seemed so outrageous. It was so perfect a scandal that it had to have been a setup. Was this going to be another Dan Rather memo scandal? We will see, but for now, the mainstream media has picked it up. If this shakes out to be authentic, the virtual citizens at the blog, DailyKos, deserve tremendous credit for their real investigative journalism.

From the NY Times (free registration required for full text):

Democrats Want Investigation of Reporter Using Fake Name

By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE Published: February 11, 2005

Two Democrats in Congress are pressing for investigations into how a Washington reporter who used a pseudonym managed to gain access to the White House and had access to classified documents that named Valerie Plame as a C.I.A. operative.

The Democrats, Representatives John Conyers Jr. of Michigan and Louise M. Slaughter from Rochester, wrote yesterday to Patrick Fitzgerald, the independent prosecutor appointed in the Plame case, seeking an investigation into how the reporter, James D. Guckert, who used the name Jeff Gannon, had access to classified documents that revealed the identity of Ms. Plame.

From New Jersey Senator Lautenberg:

Lautenberg Requests All Documents From White House Relating to Discredited "Journalist" James D. Guckert, A.K.A. Jeff Gannon

WASHINGTON, DC -- In light of yet another scandal involving the Bush administration's manipulation of the media, United States Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) today requested from White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan all the documents relating to the press credentials of James. D. Guckert, a.k.a. "Jeff Gannon"; the "journalist" now famous for being the White House correspondent for his softball questioning of President Bush and various Administration spokespeople.

And here are links to some of the first TV news segments:

Who is Jeff Gannon MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann Reports

David Brock (Media Matters for America) on Court TV

John Aravosis (Americablog) and Eric Boehlert (Salon.com) on CNN

The Media Matters page that I linked to also contains a link to JD Guckert's appearance with Wolf Blitzer on CNN.