Yuumoushin.com (勇猛心)

“If the entire morbidly obese population of the U.S. lived in one state, it would be the 12th highest-populated state, with more people than Virginia.”

I pulled this from an article titled “The 20 things you didn’t know about obesity,” which was posted on digg’s site. It’s actually from last year (July), but it caught my attention. I think it’s something we’re all aware of, at least in that it’s a problem (and not just for the U.S. – see my previous post about weight issues in other countries). But I still don’t think people realize just how far reaching this problem is. Sure, people think a lot about the social pressures; take the following from the list for example:

3. Between 15 percent and 30 percent also said they would rather walk away from their marriage, give up the possibility of having children, be depressed, or become alcoholic rather than be obese.

4. Five percent and 4 percent, respectively, said they would rather lose a limb or be blind than be overweight.

However, there are so many more costs to consider: the small incremental costs (i.e., increase in gas mileage), and more importantly, the health costs.

7. Airlines spent $275 million on 350 million additional gallons of fuel in 2000 to compensate for the additional weight of their passengers. Now we know why the peanuts are no longer free!

12. According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, of the 7.5 million veterans who receive their health benefits from the agency, more than 70 percent are overweight and 20 percent have diabetes, which may lead to blindness, amputations, and kidney and heart problems.

15. Recent studies have shown that obesity can cause you to lose sleep.

18. Never forget your past: Aborigines and the Pima indians of Arizona developed obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension after transitioning to a Western lifestyle.

And the kicker is, it’s preventable…it’s not even something (well, in most cases) a person needs medical advice to battle. The number one most preventable cause of death int he U.S. is tobacco, and I’m not sure exactly by how much more.

And just when I thought I’d seen the last of these strange Transformer renditions, Takara Toys releases more. Best part is, in robot form they rock some Nike kicks. hahaha, nice.

Man, they are on a roll with these. What’s next? We’ve gone from iPod accessories to Nike shoes. I don’t see the connection, or perhaps that’s Takara’s new strategy – just throw out a barrage of Transformer related items (the movie will come out this summer). We might just have a full wardrobe by the time it’s released. haha.

I’ll give credit where credit is due – Apple has done a fantastic job at marketing the iPod. And a lot of the iPod’s success can be tied in with the available accessories (some, absolutely brilliant). This, however, is probably one of the dumbest ideas I’ve seen. Optimus Prime is now Optimus Ipod??? He’s the leader of the AUTOBOTS, not some iPod pulling truck. Maybe it’s because I grew up with Transformers (I’m a purist?), but this is just ridiculous.

What’s next, transforming ear buds? If the good guys are Apple products, does that mean Megatron will turn into a Zune?

Maybe it has something to do with Japan’s declining birthrate and aging population. Their toy makers are pushing items better suited for an older audience. Read all about it here. Perhaps someone, reminiscing back to their childhood, would prefer the “Convoy iPod dock” to a regular dock. Maybe they’ve got a huge Transformer collection, and something like that would just be the icing on the cake…

Nope, still doesn’t work. haha.

There were quite a few, but one that I found particularly interesting was posted over at CNN: 101 Dumbest Moments: The year’s biggest boors, buffoons, and blunderers. Some of them are absolutely absurd, while others are pretty damn funny. Take the infamous Comcast installer article:

During a routine service call in June, a Comcast cable repairman falls asleep on the couch of customer Brian Finkelstein.

Finkelstein’s ensuing video, complete with soundtrack (“I Need Some Sleep,” by the Eels) and commentary on the company’s poor equipment, high prices, and lousy customer service, quickly becomes a viral hit on the Web.

Comcast apologizes and fires the nodding worker — who was stuck on hold for more than an hour while calling in to the company for assistance.

There was a pretty interesting one on Wal-Mart too:

Bringing the ever-friendly spirit of its in-store greeters online, Walmart.com offers DVD shoppers helpful recommendations for films they might be interested in purchasing.

Customers looking at the Web site’s product pages for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Planet of the Apes, for instance, are steered toward “similar items” such as Martin Luther King: I Have a Dream/Assassination of MLK and Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson. Wal-Mart spokeswoman Mona Williams says the company is “heartsick” over the incident but has “absolutely no evidence” that the connections were made intentionally.

I suggest the Toymaker Spin Master: Kid tattoos article (#100) as well. What every kid wants for their birthday.

Still struggling with those few extra pounds? Can’t seem to get rid of that extra bit of holiday chub? Are you scared of the gym, and feel that it’s just not for you (or perhaps it’s not as convenient as you’d like)? Well, there is a solution, and it will only cost you 249 USD (plus about 30 minutes a day). Yes folks, the ultimate “Wii Workout” is here. haha.

All jokes aside, someone actually tried this and their results are pretty impressive. You can read about the Wii sports experiment here. The dude who did it posted BMI info, calorie info, before and after pics, charts and graphs, and he even posted some videos. It’s quite extensive.

Exercising is always the x-factor of dieting, and it’s nice to see that this is being incorporated into a game system. I don’t think it should be someone’s sole means of exercise, but it’s better than staying sedentary. Will the Wii spearhead a new movement to help with the fattening of America’s youth?? haha. Probably not, but it’s nice to see someone going in the right direction.