Walter Says...

This snow is BS!

purple

For Christmas, Grandma got me a selection of fun purple goodies because I love me some purple. Grandma said that in the store, when she was checking out, the cashier said, "Oh, some little girl is going to be very happy!" Yes, some little girl.

Business School's Winter Dressings

Quotation of the Day

"If Columbus had an advisory committee he would probably still be at the dock."  

~Arthur Goldberg

Stuff

Currently, I am reading Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things by Randy Frost and Gail Stekette. So far, it's good, though it's funny to read a popular book based on academic research. I want to know about sampling, study design, and p-values! I considered skipping the chapter on animal hoarding but decided to read it. It was quite tame, and a little disappointing. I don't know if the authors were trying to sanitize the issue or if it is truly because so little research has been done on that particular aspect of hoarding. I think I wanted more about the impact of animal hoarding on the animals themselves. The case study they used for the topic seemed so outrageous, I think it belies the seriousness of the issue. I wondered if that chapter was included due to an editor's insistence. But I digress.

I'm very fascinated by hoarding, and watch Hoarders and Hoarding: Buried Alive, even though I feel the shows are exploitive. George referred to one of the shows recently (I think comparing my behavior to that of a person featured on the episode). I asked him which one of the two shows, and he replied, "You know, the one that actually tries to help people." By that he meant TLC's Hoarding: Buried Alive which is a longer, more thoughtful process-based intervention than the dramatic (and likely destructive) weekend cleanup depicted on Hoarders on A&E. In an interview with Salon, Frost takes both shows to task.

Do you secretly (or not-so-secretly) watch these shows? Do you know a hoarder? How has it impacted you?

Salon.com interview with Randy Frost.