Gormless
Here is a real definition for the word "Gormless". The spell checker didn't throw a fit or anything.
I ran into this word on UserFriendly.org  (Two) (three). I swear, the writer(s) at User Friendly just get off using funky words. I think it kicks off the forums. I can't say I'm impressed with this comic lately. It seems to have fallen off a bit.

Training the Terrorists

President Bush has described the war in Iraq as the central front in the campaign against terrorism, and he has said its role in attracting foreign fighters has had the beneficial effect of luring Islamic militants who might otherwise have plotted attacks against the United States. The report says "experienced survivors of the war in Iraq" may supersede current leaders of Al Qaeda to become major players in international terrorism, a possibility neither Mr. Bush nor his top advisers have given prominence to. More broadly, the report says, "we expect that by 2020 Al Qaeda will have been superseded by similarly inspired but more diffuse Islamic extremist groups, all of which will oppose the spread of many aspects of globalization into traditional Islamic societies." The report says the danger of a conflict between great powers that could develop into total war is now less likely than at any time since 1900. The United States "will retain enormous advantages, playing a pivotal role across the broad range of issues - economic, technological, political, and military - that no other state will match by 2020." But it says the likelihood that Iran, North Korea and possibly others may possess chemical, biological or nuclear weapons increased the threats to the United States. NYT

Some people insist on finding only the bad in everything around them. I refuse to let myself believe that Iraq is worse off after the war. I just refuse. Democracy has a tendency to sort itself out. That, or it falls to another form of fascism. What kills democracy are the rights of the individual. It never fails, people think they should be protected from everything and they forget that there is no way to do that. Too many resources protect the individual, and the majority falls apart. It gets democracy every time.

Abbas

Casting a pall over Saturday's swearing-in of newly elected Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, Israel announced Friday that it was cutting all contacts with Palestinian officials in the wake of a deadly militant assault on a border cargo terminal. Palestinians criticized the Israeli decision as premature in light of the fact that Abbas, who was elected Sunday to succeed the late Yasser Arafat as Palestinian Authority president, had not even taken office when the attack occurred. Six Israeli civilians were killed late Thursday when Palestinian militants armed with explosives and automatic weapons struck the Karni commercial crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip. ... Three Palestinian groups claimed joint responsibility for the attack on the cargo terminal, the main commercial lifeline to the impoverished coastal territory. They were Hamas, the largest and most powerful of the militant organizations; the much-lesser-known Popular Resistance Committees; and Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which has ties to Abbas' Fatah movement. Even before Thursday's attack, the militant groups explicitly challenged Abbas' call for a halt to the armed struggle against Israel. Militants in Gaza launched mortar and rocket attacks against Jewish settlements and Israeli towns as Abbas campaigned in the seaside strip, and they reacted angrily when he said the salvos served only to bring Israel's military wrath down on Palestinian civilians. .... "Not just the prime minister, but everyone in Israel is angry," Gissin said. "We have been trying to ease the Palestinians' harsh living conditions, and here we are with innocent, murdered Israeli civilians." The ban on contacts with the Palestinians would be lifted, Gissin said, "when they take real steps to prevent terror activity." ... "I don't want to say exactly how much time we should give him, but it definitely needs to be a number of weeks in order to see which direction he's going," said Vilnai, a minister without portfolio. Chicago Tribune

I'm telling you, the militants run the place. I don't know what Abbas can do to stop them short of rounding up the usual suspects and giving them turns in front of a firing squad. Israel is an established government. The militants want to bring it down or push Israel into the sea. They don't seem to care about this whole talking thing. If Palestine becomes a nation, Israel can declare war on it when the militants shoot missiles across the border. That is tantamount to invasion under international law I bet.

Caving In

The guidelines recommend that consumers limit trans fat, partly hydrogenated vegetable oils that have been found to be worse for the body than even saturated fat. But while the advisory committee report that was the basis for guidelines capped intake of trans fat at 1 percent of total calories, that limit was not included in the recommendations. That was a clear victory for food manufacturers who rely on hydrogenated oils for a variety of processed foods, and who lobbied against the numeric limit. While many companies are eliminating trans fats from their products, the Agriculture Department has estimated that they are in 40 percent of processed foods. The guidelines were a matter of intense lobbying by industry and advocacy groups over the past year. The advisory committee, which recommended more dairy products, cited a report, partly financed by the dairy industry, that found that low-fat dairy products helped people lose weight. After lobbying by the sugar industry, the Department of Health and Human Services helped persuade the World Health Organization in 2003 to eliminate a recommendation that sugar account for no more than 10 percent of calories. But the final recommendation on sugar in the guidelines is actually a bit stronger than the one in the advisory committee report, which said only to choose carbohydrates wisely. The new guidelines say people should consume foods and beverages with little added sugars. Dr. Richard Adamson, the vice president of scientific and technical affairs for the American Beverage Association, a trade group, said in an interview Wednesday that there was no proof that people gained weight because they consumed added sugar or lost weight when they cut back. Dr. Adamson said he objected to the guidelines' assertion that studies indicated that beverages with sugar and other caloric sweeteners made people gain weight. But Dr. Kelly Brownell, director of the Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders and a prominent food industry critic, said that over all, he was pleased. "These guidelines are a clear step ahead of where previous ones were," Dr. Brownell said. "The issues on weight control are more specific than in the past, specifically with exercise and the suggestions on limiting added sugars and caloric sweeteners and things like soft drinks." NYT

There is more of lobbying than weight loss in this new guideline. It always makes me sick that corporations get what they want and no one sticks up for the people. Isn't that why we vote for these bastards running our country?  All it takes is crossing the proper palm with silver and all the bad news about fat and calories goes out the window. Don't trust this report. Don't trust the expert opinion. Don't trust any one but your stomach.
Eat what you are hungry for. Think good thoughts when you think about food. Your body (the brain stem) doesn't know why you think bad thoughts about food. All it knows is 150 million years of evolution that says "bad thoughts about food means we can't get enough." and it shifts the body into starvation mode. When you think about food force yourself to think things like "There will always be enough food." and "I can eat any time I need." Try to relax and let yourself feel content about something. Maybe this will switch your Id/brain stem into thinking there is plenty to eat and it will not kick your body into starvation mode when you are hungry. If you sit there, thinking about a big stake, and say to yourself "I can't eat that because I'll gain ten pounds." all your body hears is "Thought about food, felt bad, can't get enough food." and decides to do something about it.
I very much believe that that feeling of anxiety has a great affect on your body. When you think about things, you cannot let yourself feel that stomach clenching anxiety. Whatever that thing you think about is, will be treated as a bad thing by your entire system. You are inadvertently teaching your body how to react to the thing that caused the anxiety. You are reinforcing the undesired response.
I've been trying this lately. I've failed many times, but it has worked a few times too. Not just about food, but when people come to my office with goofy questions and when I get some assignments. I also try it when I think about school and relationships. That seems to be working too. I feel more open on the idea of returning to school. I feel far better about relationships lately than I have in a long time. Now, when I feel in a good mood, I don't just expect a bad mood to follow. It is OK to be in a good mood. I suppose it is OK to be in a bad mood too. I wonder if I can figure out a way to train my body (brain stem) to dislike bad moods.