On that we agree. I already wrote that it was disingenuous to trumpet a "43% drop." Good sound bite, indeed. Though not as crowd-pleasing and demonstrably untrue as the headline "Obesity is Due to Factors Beyond Our Control," which was my original point.

My plausible causal mechanism? Michelle Obama.

The page you linked to includes the following quote from the American Cancer Society:

"Basically what it boils down to is this: if you recode your variables enough, you'll almost always be able to get a false positive."

What "false positives" are you referring to? Nobody in this study (at least the part we're discussing) was tested for any disease, virus, antibody, gene, etc. They were just weighed.

How would you reconcile your hypothesis (not a theory) with the fact that childhood obesity is down 43% in the last ten years*?

Avocados? Many dog foods include avocado as a main ingredient, and my vet recommended it for my dog's itchy skin.

The internet has everything.

As if exterior shots aren't haunting enough, the laugh track, applause and goofy bass really amps up the foreboding. Positively Kubrickian!

In Shakira's song "Underneath Your Clothes" she sings the line:

The argument I've heard about why 6am light is more important than 6pm light is related to the risk associated with having kids walk to school or the bus stop when it's still dark.

If we didn't revert to standard time, the sun would not rise during winter until 8am or even 9am, depending on your latitude and longitude.

Altitude doesn't appreciably affect your metabolism. Visitors just feel winded because the air contains less oxygen and the heart compensates by pumping faster to make sure your cells are getting enough oxygen.

Is there any evidence for this phenomena? The article cites the Clinton anecdote (for which the author provides an alternative explanation) and the Bob the Deer Hunter exercise, which I believe is more a function of unclear language than any cognitive bias.

Well said.

Thanks. The new format is horrible.

Superfreak, actually. Now, do you have anything interesting or constructive to add to the discussion?

Nah, no apology necessary.

Nice find. Thanks.

Thanks anyway.