Arbitrary state lines have no impact on the decision process (happiness or suicide). Hence, the cited research appears flawed ab initio.

People, in general, desire to place blame and assign reasons. Randomness and chaos are unfulfilling. Hence, the ending act appears deeper than it may really be. It is reasonable to assume that “the reason” one did it is as diverse as the actors who succeeded.

The association of happiness and suicide, from first blush, is rather odd. Since they run on different continua. The stereotype is that unhappy, depressed individuals seek a way out. While there are ample reasons in the USA to be unhappy (the economy, for example) and depressed (the hooligans in Washington DC, for sure), the majority of citizens are not escaping by the muzzle. Some other choice must drive them.

Obviously, some people are reporting a level of happiness. Happiness is, by and large, an illusion. (It is the driving force of consumerism in the US.) While everyone claims to “feel it”, it is usually accompanied by things and situations rather than an inner plane of self-awareness. And, it dissipates as quickly as it arrives for US [sic] materialists. How compelling is this transitory emotion? When one’s brand new ride gets dinged in the mall parking lot, as unhappy as they may be they rarely grab their piece and end themselves. Other outlets are employed.

I like the USA flash map (altho still problematic with WP 3.2) but not the association above, the underlying research (emphasis on “lying”), its assumptions nor its “results”. Social scientists rank one below used car salesmen and their product is just as undependable in actual use. [FYI: Tengo dos grados de ciencia sociales.]

How do you get each state of the map to link to a specific url?

I tried going into the map.xml and replace the “put html here” with http link. All it does is show the url in text but you can’t click on it.

any suggestion?

Thanks for the great post. My question is, can I use this map in such a way that allows my members to click on their state and city and then upload info for all to see in their area? Is it interactive so that members can essential post “stuff” specific to their location?

I am a highly educated, Double Master’s Degree grad, and earned multiple six figures, only to be affected by the recent economic conditions. I know others who have not discussed this desire, but seem to exhibit similar thought patterns, and perhaps I thought that they might have similar tendencies, knowing fully well, that Self Destructive thought patterns are very subjective and tied to perceptions of moral, family and religious obligations to “Stick Around”.

I am subject to those thoughts as well, and why I have not gone through with it…

How did I get on this website? It’s nearly 2AM my time, and I was looking for an interactive XML map to use on a site of my own. This page up on page 1 of Google search “Interactive XML Maps), though not in the top 5.

I felt compelled to write given how close this topic was to me.

I will likely never meet any of you; still, I think the topic is important for research and then to be used to talk about the “elephant” in the room (if it is an elephant, and not a fly). It may help others find a way to vet this paradox of inadequacy they’re dealing!

Good bye…

Thank you.