801 (edited by njc 2015-10-24 03:20:34)

Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread

The first thing that strikes me about this warning is the fear of mercury poisoning.  It's true that there are microgram doses of thiomersal, but that dose is far below the level known to be harmful.  Governments (and presumably the WHO) set acceptable exposure levels below one percent of the lowest level at which harm has been seen or can be extrapolated.  Moreover, the mercury in thiomeral is converted to ethymercury, which has a clearance half-life on 14 days.  It might be longer in older people, but since it is via feces (and thus, the liver) renal problems won't be the reason.

The next thing that strikes me is that the article says "don't get the flu vaccine this year" but their arguments apply, however weakly, to all vaccines.

They argue that the vaccine isn't 100% effective.  No vaccine is.  All vaccinations rely on herd immunity.  Even if you prefer the risk of the flu yourself, you're exposing other people to it ... and some of them may not be able to survive it.

They also argue from the number paid out in liability claims.  Liability claims in the USA are notoriously unreliable--and the trial lawyers' lobby pays millions of dollars a year to keep it that way, and many more any time the words "tort reform" are named.

If one person in a million falls seriously ill after the vaccine, that does not mean the vaccine has a one-in-a-million risk.  To find the actual risk, you must subtract from that one-in-a-million the risk of falling seriously ill without the vaccine, a risk that is surely at least one in a million.  For true statistical accuracy you have to control for the likelihood that a person with a certain risk of illness will get the vaccine.

Oh, and the link of vaccines to autism was a fraud.  Literal and exact fraud, and the authors of the one study have been prosecuted and found guilty.  What's more they have admitted their guilt; their motive was to sell a vaccine without thiomersal.

802

Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread

Hardly. Not when your 'cornering' involves smoke and mirrors. Any fool can put up a website and fill it full of bad science. You'll have to work harder, otherwise I'm dancing around you. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee...

803

Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread

I found a tiara at an estate sale!!!! That's it...I claim myself to be queen of the geeks!

greatwhitesnark.com

804

Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread

Pic is on my public profile page! Tiara! I got a tiara!

Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread

That is an adorable tiara, I must say.

Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread

KHippolite wrote:

Crytezar!

(has almost all the same letters and you could follow LOTR and have his sneaky spy named "Crytemann")

What a great name. If no one else wants it, I can use it as the name of a future planet.

Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread

njc wrote:

It's true that there are microgram doses of thiomersal, but that dose is far below the level known to be harmful.

Anyone old enough to remember thalidomide? Also thought to be harmless. Just sayin...

Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread

Queen Amy ... has a nice ring to it. *curtsy*

809

Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread

Always wanted to rule the geeks with a friggin tiara on my head. I might hide it in my hair when I finally meet with a publisher. Just for confidence boosting, of course.

It has roses! I'm a princess!

Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread

njc wrote:

If one person in a million falls seriously ill after the vaccine, that does not mean the vaccine has a one-in-a-million risk.  To find the actual risk, you must subtract from that one-in-a-million the risk of falling seriously ill without the vaccine, a risk that is surely at least one in a million.  For true statistical accuracy you have to control for the likelihood that a person with a certain risk of illness will get the vaccine.

You're making my head hurt.

Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread

Don't forget to also wear a white lab coat to the meeting with your publisher, Dr. Ess.

Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread

amy s wrote:

Always wanted to rule the geeks with a friggin tiara on my head. I might hide it in my hair when I finally meet with a publisher. Just for confidence boosting, of course.

It has roses! I'm a princess!

Yeah, it's nice, but my 'new' fingerless gloves are better! wink

813

Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread

I'm not a dietician, but here's what I found on a quick google. This is the most informative site I found and also included the most details.

http://www.pcrm.org/health/cancer-resou … ancer-risk

It also lists summaries of individual studies that have contributed to the big picture. Short version: yes. Red meat and processed meat increases risk without guaranteeing that the people will definitely get cancer. It would also have to do with the amount of fiber in the diet (scrapes the colon clean and decreases risk of cancer as well as diverticulosis.)

If you want the cliff-notes devoid of facts, read the conclusion at the end. It's a good summary.

Oh, Dirk, love my lab coat!

A

814

Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread

Or this explanation of why 18 percent isn't 18 percent: http://datechguyblog.com/2015/10/27/bac … asy-money/

815

Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread

Good article, NJC. The math explanation was excellent.

816

Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread

No, he said that an 18% increase on one percent gives 1.18% ... 1.2 percent, an overall increase of (less than) 1/5 of one percent in the final risk.  (He rounded down to 1.1 instead of 1.2, which is an error--of 1/10  of 1%.)

Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread

Bottom line, can I eat my hotdog salad tonight or not?

Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread

Norm d'Plume wrote:

Bottom line, can I eat my hotdog salad tonight or not?

Bottom line is we're all going to die. Some people prefer to live while alive. If you're one of them and like hot dog salad, I say, eat two and to be safe, throw some bacon on it too.

2 years, 4 months, 23 days, 54 hours and 2 seconds from now, a study will conclude that eating two hot dogs and 5 slices of bacon a day, decreases the risk of *insert any disease or condition that results in death here*

You can't win. *end of cynicism for today*

819

Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread

Bottom line: if someone had good evidence that drinking milkshakes tripled you chances of being hit by lightning, would you let that figure into your decision to have a milkshake?

Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread

I'm allergic to dairy. tongue

821 (edited by njc 2015-10-30 03:07:54)

Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread

No lightning for YOU!

http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20090904

(It makes sense.  Just read the previous page.)

822

Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread

K,

You can't fly with a seatbelt on because you don't have a passport. Where the heck can you fly within Canada? Hmmmm? FYI, I remember EVERYTHING.

823 (edited by Norm d'Plume 2015-10-30 05:13:08)

Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread

Are you kidding, Amy? You can see Sarah Palin's house from the Yukon, flee from forest fires in Kelowna, go jogging in your shorts in January in Calgary, and freeze your testicals on Prince Edward Island , all on the same day. If you fly from one end of Canada to the other, you're practically 1/4 of the way around the world. Apologies to NJC for the rounding error.

Molson's Beer Commercial: Canada is the world's second largest land mass, the first nation in hockey, and the BEST part of North America! ... Thank you.

My patriotic spirit has been rekindled! En garde!

Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread

I really should get back to writing...

825

Re: Acts/ Dictates/ Mandates/ Mantle - Amy's Thread

Norm d'Plume wrote:

... If you fly from one end of Canada to the other, you're practically 1/4 of the way around the world. Apologies to NJC for the rounding error.

Molson's Beer Commercial: Canada is the world's second largest land mass, the first nation in hockey, and the BEST part of North America! ... Thank you.

My patriotic spirit has been rekindled! En garde!

Also the world's longest coastline.

No rounding error.  You're correct to within 1/2 of the stated unit--at the latitudes in question!