Fatness

OK, I need to talk about the new "fat" gene being reported all over the media. I'm seeing headlines like, Clear Obesity Gene Link "Found". Technically this is an acurate statement. It would appear that a genetic trait has been discovered that is far more common in obese people than non-obese. That constitutes a link. The media has however leaped upon this story and reached entirely illogical conclusions. Just because fat people have a specific gene, it doesn't mean the gene made them fat. That's like saying there are a disproportionate number of fat opera singers, therefore singing classical opera makes you fat.

This gene could be doing nothing more than making people hungry, or giving them a liking for beer and doughnuts. Or it could be completely unrelated, simply coincidence. It is well known that certain geographic areas are fatter than others. It's a cultural thing. It's also quite true to say that certain genetic traits are far more common in certain geographic areas than others. This is down to people breeding with people living in the same general areas. These two phenomena combined could certainly produce the kind of results seen here, but have nothing to do with obesity.

I didn't post Friday's entry until today. You will notice that my horse did not with the Grand Natioanl. It did however finish, and came in 6th. Only 13 horses finished the race, so I think my nag did quite well. There were 40 starters.

Kate Middleton and Prince William appear to have split up. I found myself feeling slightly sorry for William over this. He was obviously under some pressure to either anounce an engagement or break it off. He really should have had the courage to tell them all to bugger off. After the mess his parents made of their marriage, you'd think the royal family would be less anxious for him to rush into anything. The poor bloke's only 24.

It appears that a new world record has been set for simultaneous spacehopper hopping. The event was organised by UKTV Gold, to celebrate the new look to the channel. My God, they must have been short of ideas. It's difficult to imagine a more pathetic attempt at publicity.

We went down to Devon for the weekend. We tried a new travelling arrangement. I came straight home from work, bathed the little chap, and then threw him in the car. He'd already had his dinner so the theory was that he would drift off to sleep and not wake up for the entire journey. It worked quite well, but he didn't go to sleep very quickly. It was maybe 8.30 before he finally closed his eyes, but we didn't have to stop. We started back home at 10 am on Sunday and again managed to make the whole journey without stopping. It's all in the timing you see.

Lat night I went to see Loudon Wainwright III at Bristol. He was pretty good and was supported by his daughter Lucy. Lucy is strange. Not showbiz glam at all, but she has a great voice. I thought she sounded like the Cowboy Junkies.