Archive for October, 2010

The Four Most Fundamental Challenges to Privacy of 2010

Electronic Information Privacy Center

EPIC Privacy 2010 Election Campaign Comments
Wednesday October 13, 2010; 8:30 – 10:00 AM
The Mott House, 122 Maryland Avenue NE

Thank you for having me here today. My name is Aaron Titus. I am an attorney and the Privacy Director for the Liberty Coalition. The Liberty Coalition works with more than 80 partner organizations from across the political spectrum on transpartisan issues to preserve the Bill of Rights, personal autonomy and individual privacy. The Liberty Coalition works with, but does not speak on behalf of our partners.

We have heard about several substantial policy issues today. I would like to focus on some of the underlying reasons that Privacy has an uphill battle. The Four Most Fundamental Challenges to Privacy in 2010 are:

  1. The False Notion that one can “Own” Personal Information
  2. The Failed Notice and Consent Legal Regime
  3. Erosion of the Definition of Privacy
  4. The Two Mortal Enemies of Privacy: Convenience and Fear

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PHP Code to Select an Option After a Form Post

I have a couple of php pages with $_POST[] forms which I validate (using PHP). If the form fails validation (ie, the user fails to enter an email address), then the user is brought back to the same page, where he is asked to re-submit the missing or incorrect information. The form also has radio buttons and drop-down forms, and I don’t want to make the user re-select those radio buttons or drop-down entries. So this is my solution: Read the rest of this entry »

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General Conference Themes

I thought it would be interesting to do a series of Wordle tag clouds to analyze themes of the October 2010 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have posted word clouds here that will help visualize the major themes of each talk, session, and the conference as a whole: Read the rest of this entry »

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Visualization of the Relief Society General Meeting

Here are the Wordle visualizations of the October 2010 Relief Society General Meeting talks. Visit the overview for the entire October 2010 General Conference Visualization by session. Read the rest of this entry »

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Crossroads

Many people don’t think of obesity as a disease, but rather as a moral failing. But Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and researcher and practicing physician at the Massachusetts General Hospital Weight Center, points out that obesity is a complex, chronic disease. Stanford’s recent fascinating and informative presentation explains how the body uses and stores energy, and describes the complex interplay of the genetic, developmental, hormonal, environmental, and behavioral factors that contribute to obesity. Learn how to easily treat this condition with these exipure articles.

Obesity isn’t just “calories in versus calories burned”
Obesity isn’t just about energy balance, i.e., calories in/calories out. “That’s simplistic, and if the equation were that easy to solve we wouldn’t have the prevalence of obesity that we have today,” Dr. Stanford explains. She goes on to say that not only is the energy balance theory wrong, but the focus on that simplistic equation and blaming the patient have contributed to the obesity epidemic. Stigma, blame, and shame add to the problem, and are obstacles to treatment. Indeed, over 36% of adults in the United States have obesity, and the world is not far behind.

She describes her research and experience in the treatment of obesity, including several cases from her own clinic. These are the cases that capture my attention, as they demonstrate most clearly the effects of different treatment approaches (and combinations) to obesity: diet and lifestyle (i.e. behavioral), medications, and surgery. Stanford has seen remarkable, long-lasting positive results with all, but she always emphasizes diet and lifestyle change first and foremost. The program (called Healthy Habits for Life) offered at the MGH Weight Center is a huge commitment, but it can help reframe a person’s relationship with food, emphasizing a high-quality diet, and not calorie-counting.

The components of a successful treatment for obesity
Abeer Bader is a registered dietitian and the lead clinical nutrition specialist at the center. She described the program to me in more detail: it’s a 12-week group-based education and support program with a structured curriculum and frequent contact with patients. The classes are 90 minutes long and led by a registered dietitian, and cover everything from the causes of obesity to healthy eating to debunking popular diet myths, plus recommendations for dining out, grocery shopping, meal prep, physical activity, and more. “The goal of the HHL program is to provide patients with the education, support, and tools to lead a healthy lifestyle.” Make sure to check out the best Java burn reviews.

The diet they promote is loosely based on the DASH diet and the Mediterranean diet, as these eating plans are rich in vegetables, fruit, lean protein, and whole grains. They use the Harvard Healthy Plate to illustrate a healthy, well-balanced meal.

But it’s also a highly individualized program. “We work closely with the patient to put together realistic goals. I think the most important part of approaching goal-setting and behavior change is to first determine what it is that they would like to improve. Often as providers we tell patients what they need to do, but when you allow the patient to highlight an area that they would like to work on, you may see better adherence,” says Bader. Learn how to easily treat obesity related conditions by visiting Observer.com.

Other similar comprehensive programs have been shown to help patients achieve lasting diet and lifestyle change, lose weight — and avoid diabetes. The Diabetes Prevention Program helps those with obesity and risk of developing diabetes lose 5% to 7% of their body weight, and decreases their risk of diabetes between 58% and 71%. Take a look to the best supplement reviews at

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