Welcome to the second, less frequently-posted decade of RevMod.

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Friday, December 21, 2007

Cause and Effect

A study has found a correlation between the number of fast food restaurants in a city and the city's comparative obesity rate. The study's author draws what I find to be a surprising conclusion:
The strong relationship really suggests that access to fast food may indeed be one of the issues that may explain increasing obesity rates.
Why do I say "surprising"? Isn't it equally possible that a city filled with people with bad eating habits might be able to more successfully sustain a couple of extra Burger Kings? Or perhaps cities that are more designed for cars than for people have both a positive impact on the drive-thru business and a negative impact on physical activity?

But never mind these questions, local television news program! Send out a camera crew to shoot some footage of fat torsos and asses belonging to nearby pedestrians - you've got a story to run!

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