Why does the Watertown Massachusetts Patch allow posting of racist comments, yet will not post the truth? Whom do Patch editors think they are protecting?

I have seen many racist comments on Patch articles. I don’t see why these comments get through.The Patch sure has been selective lately. Are the editors racist, too? Many of these comments reflect hatred toward the poor. They also use bigoted terms such as “nutcase.” Some comments reflect hostility toward immigrants.

Yet my commentary was not allowed through. My latest comment was deleted. I stated that labeling was wrong and stated why. Also relevant to the article was the topic of sexual assault. I mentioned in my comment that I had reported to the local Watertown police that I had been sexually assaulted and the police did not investigate. My point was that most rapes get ignored and that the label “sex offender” only means, “I’m one of the few who got caught.”

I highly doubt that my comment was taken off to protect children, since the article itself mentions sex offenses. Were they trying to protect the man who raped me? Or maybe they were protecting the Watertown police.

On the other hand, some editor may have realized that my posting might end up with yet another unwarranted police visit to my place in Watertown. So were the Patch editors protecting me?

Know what I suspect? I’ve been posting bits and pieces about what happened to me and I’ll bet the police contacted the Patch and told them I was making everything up and was a nutcase who should be silenced.

Know what else? I think the Watertown police owe me an apology. I’m sure someone in their lovely department wants me silenced. What they did was very wrong. For years, I was treated rotten by the cops and some of the EMT’s. I think it’s time that police quit acting like power-hungry assholes. It makes the nice ones look bad, after all.

We hear story after story about corruption in the Watertown police department and even in the town government. No wonder why living there sucked so bad. I want my money back. And the lost years.

Sweet potato chips, stove-top version

Good evening, I decided to try to make sweet potato chips tonight. I do not have an oven and I ran out of firewood, so I made these on my hotplate.

I wanted to use my empinada screen to do this, but my hotplate only turns on if something is making contact with it. It won’t sense the empinada screen, so I used this gizmo that’s supposed to make toast over a flame or fire.

 

Then, I put the empinada screen on top of that.

 

You can see I’ve put the slices of sweet potato on there. This came with a bunch of other white ones, but this one has somewhat of a pale orange tint to it. They were marked “organic.”

After that, to keep heat in, I covered it all with a metal plate:

I also tried covering with a steel colander. The steam cold escape through the holes.

Here is the first batch of chips.

The second batch came out better. But I think I like them slightly burnt anyway.

 

Good night.

 

Do overweight people suffer?

Do overweight people suffer? I’d say the amount of suffering varies from person to person. Some suffering is not directly caused by overweight and some is.

The following list isn’t in any particular order:

1) Many overweight people suffer from knee pain, back pain, or foot pain. These are directly caused by too much strain from extra weight.

2) Have you ever walked with a heavy knapsack and noticed that the added weight slows  you down and causes you to tire faster? Do you know why backpackers strive to lower the amount of weight they carry? Go to a mountaineering store and you will see lightweight cooking stoves, lightweight tents, lightweight clothing and footwear, and lightweight sleeping bags. There’s a reason behind this. Race horses will also be slowed by the weight of the jockey. Ever wonder why the word “handicap” in horse racing has to do with the amount of weight that might potentially slow a horse down?  If you are notably overweight you might notice that certain forms of exercise are too strenuous or taxing. Very overweight people cannot walk at all. Suffering due to limited ability to move one’s body is directly caused by too much weight.

3) A person who is overweight might be discriminated against. Since it’s not legal to discriminate, it won’t be obvious nor spelled out.  An overweight person might struggle to find employment and not even know why they make it to the job interviews and then are repeatedly turned down. This suffering is not a direct result of overweight.

4) A person who is overweight might face social rejection, shaming, bullying, or derogatory remarks. This again is not a direct result of overweight.

5) A  person who is overweight is at higher risk for many diseases such as diabetes, some cancers, sleep apnea, heart disease or heart attack, etc. These are often a direct result of overweight, or overweight is a significantly contributing factor.

6) A person who is overweight might suffer financially. Even very basic expenses will be higher. The person might have higher medical bills, higher food bills, higher transportation costs, higher insurance bills, have to spend much more on clothing, etc. These aren’t directly caused by overweight.

7) Low self esteem is not a direct cause of overweight. Self-deprecation is an extreme form of low self-esteem. This does not result directly from the weight itself.

8) I am not actually sure whether  person will become depressed or slowed down mentally if they are overweight. However, poor quality sleep, being bullied or socially rejected, inability to exercise, breathing problems, and various diseases or injuries can certainly lead to depression.

So if you are overweight, ask yourself 1) are you suffering? 2) is your suffering directly caused by your body weight?

If you are displeased with your weight, and for this reason, are considering dieting, ask yourself why you are displeased with your body or your life.

When my weight has been too low, I was more prone to injury and falls. I was also more at risk for infection. I wasn’t as physically strong as I should have been. I was at risk for many physical problems that result from malnutrition or low body weight.

Looking back, I ask myself now if losing weight improved my self-esteem. Yes! I did. I also felt powerful and more in control of my life. A small minority of people get “high” from losing weight, being too thin, or eating too little, which is why they overdo dieting. This is not their fault. It is a built-in biological trait. It’s not a moral issue.

If you go back and look over your life, most likely you will discover that you were happiest and most productive at a certain weight. In my opinion, that’s the weight you should strive for.

Consider this: Years ago, left-handed schoolchildren were forced to write with their right hands. This actually caused neurological problems. They struggled in school as well. Nowadays, left-handedness is not seen as moral problem or personal defect. We make left-handed scissors. Some choose to restring guitars. Computer mice can be switched around if desired. Sometimes, lefties are highly valued in sports such as baseball.

I hope that variations in weight are someday seen in a similar manner. If a person is heavy or thin or somewhere in between and feels fine, why condemn that person? If we hear a person complain about problems directly caused by inappropriate body weight, then maybe we can gently educate the person that their weight directly caused their suffering.

On the other hand, those folks that are quick to criticize regarding another person’s body size might ask themselves if they themselves are the cause of an overweight or underweight person’s suffering.

If you are a doctor, you need to ask yourself how much harm you are doing by criticizing, and take a good look at your bedside manner. If you are a parent or grandparent, you need to realize that what your criticisms might have lasting effect. Kids put schoolteachers on pedestals as well, so teachers need to be aware of what they are saying.

If you are criticized regarding your weight, ask yourself what was behind the critical remark. Don’t let the hurt fester. I know people who are affected for years. We need to encourage people who have been criticized or bullied and reassure them that they are accepted and loved. We also need to realize that desire to change one’s body isn’t a moral sin.