October 2004 Archives

I noticed an interesting news article on Yahoo! News, "Americans Getting Taller, Much Heavier" via AP. There is this graph on the trend.

It's a report on the average weight and height statistics over the past 40 years by National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The height didn't change that much (from 5'8 (1.73 m) to 5'9 1/2 (1.77 m) for males (2.2% increase), and from 5'3 (1.60 m) to 5'4 (1.63 m) for females (1.6% increase)). However, the weight increased dramatically: from 166.3 lb (75.6 kg) to 191 lb (86.8 kg) for males (15% increase!!!), and from 140.2 lb (63.7 kg) to 164.3 lb (74.7 kg) for females (17% increase!!!).

And this guy isn't helping the stats.

I really think it has to do with the food portion they are giving out here. No wonder obesity is such an issue these days.

Geoffrey Nunberg is a linguist often featured on NPR's "Fresh Air". I've always found his comments on the language usages and origins fascinating, so when I heard about his current collection, Going Nucular: Language, Politics, and Culture in Controversial Times, I've decided to get both.

This book is a collection of his commentaries on the show (and some other columns for others, I think) from 1996 to 2001. It started slow, but some sections ("Word Histories" and "Politics of the English Language" for me) were very interesting.

The best part about the format for me is that each article is short. It's something you can carry along with you and read whenever you have some time on your hand without trying to remember where you left off. :)

The funniest quote I've heard from the last night's first presidential debate.

Bush: Of course, I know Osama bin Laden atttacked us. I know that!

:p