Last Sunday the Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Green Bay Packers. At one point during the game, Eagles Linebacker Stewart Bradley flew in for a tackle and slammed his head against the hip of a teammate. Bradley got up slowly, obviously dizzy, took a few steps forward, and fell back to the ground. He called for teammates to help him up, but the trainers got there first, checked him out, and helped him off the field. Five minutes later, Bradley was back on the field, although he lasted only a few more plays before being sent to the bench for the rest of the game. After the game, it was announced that Bradley had suffered a concussion, and he has not yet been cleared to practice or rejoin the team.
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Sep 132010
So, yet another study has come out demonstrating no reliable relationship between autism and vaccines. You’d think this would put the debate to rest, but it undoubtedly won’t. The people who want to believe it will continue to believe it and don’t really care what the scientific evidence/consensus says.
But here’s something that occurred to me today: say you believe there’s a link (you’d be wrong, but let’s say you believed it anyway). Why not vaccinate your kid when he/she turns 7? As far as I know, nobody has ever started exhibiting autistic symptoms so late in life. So, the kid is safely developed beyond the possibility of autism, and then can get vaccinated which will protect him/her, but also protect everybody else in the country.
I guess what I’m asking is why the ‘don’t vaccinate’ movement isn’t a ‘delay vaccination’ movement. Because the latter would accomplish all their goals and also is dominant over the former. Either would be wrong headed, but at least the second group would protect their kids eventually which is a lot better…
Sep 102010
I read an article today about restaurants that are banning children so as to produce a quieter atmosphere. In the article, it noted that 60% of travelers would pay more to have a guaranteed child free airplane. This is something I proposed in 2006 on leftfielder. Once again, proof that leftfielder is ahead of its time!
The article ends with the question of whether people are less tolerant of kids, or whether parents are less respectful of others. Continue reading »
Sep 092010
Imam Rauf, who is in charge of the proposed Lower Manhattan Islamic Cultural Center, was on CNN last night discussing the controversy. (You can watch a heavily edited version of the interview here, or click here for part 1 of the full version on YouTube–although being copyrighted material I don’t know if it will stay up.) It’s interesting viewing. Here’s what jumped out at me:
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