Marvelous article on Vaccinations. Good find, even though the website makes my eyeballs bleed.

re: vaccinations

For your consideration:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/7395411/deadly_immunity/

According to a CDC epidemiologist named Tom Verstraeten, who had analyzed the agency's massive database containing the medical records of 100,000 children, a mercury-based preservative in the vaccines -- thimerosal -- appeared to be responsible for a dramatic increase in autism and a host of other neurological disorders among children.

what idiot government allowed mercury into vaccines?!

Good to read that about vaccines - all the way around. I had caught wind of the theory on early childhood vaccines contributing to autism, but never heard where it came from or how valid it was.

The thimerosal argument may have merit. Mercury is not a healthy element for humans ("mad as a hatter" refers to hat makers (who were exposed to mercury) going crazy - due to elevated mercury levels in their bloodstream screwing up their brains. Also, thimerosal was removed from most saline solutions in then 1980s for other health concerns.

Away from this article, I've heard of a new theory - supported with pretty good anecdotal evidence - that some autistic children lose symptoms of the condition when sick. The current conclusion is that a certain protein is heightened when your immune system is fighting a disease, so the kids are able to communicate clearly, and are more engaged socially. All interesting stuff.

--

As for Edwards, yup, he's gained some good momentum. I still haven't decided between him and Obama for caucus night. I'd rather be the persuader than the one folks are trying to draw in to their side, but time will tell.

As for Edwards, yup, he's gained some good momentum

You realize that you're advocating for a shyster lawyer who, among other things, pretended to channel the speech of a dead baby during a malpractice trial? Whose entire fortune was built by suing doctors for 'malpractice' because they didn't perform unnecessary and potentially dangerous C-sections, which he claimed would have avoided some babies being born with cerebral palsy - a claim which has been entirely disproven, but which still caused many doctors to lose their ability to practice because they had to pay exhorbitant malpractice insurance fees, and resulted in an increase in unnecessary C-sections to avoid such lawsuits?

The man has absolutely no scruples or principles. He even uses the death of his son as an irrelevant emotional plus-one for his argumentation. Truly an abhorrent human being.

The only real choice for the Democrats is Obama, which is why it's heartening that he's gaining ground ... even if it is only because of the Oprah train.

You're right calligraph, we common folk don't need no lawyer standing up for us and taking on those multi-billion dollar corporations.

Edwards just leaves you neo-CONS shuddering with fright doesn't he?

Doug, we all know it's popular to disregard calligraph on this blog, but your comment doesn't actually address the charges leveled against Edwards, which are pretty well documented as far as I can see. I don't know how well he would be against "multi-billion dollar corporations," but he does seem to have a pretty good record of "protecting" us from honest doctors. Not exactly shuddering with fright, more like "filled with concern."

Hey calli, I'll provide a link to amplify your response. It was the most fair mined that I read: http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=%5CPolitics%5Carchive%5C200401%5CPOL20040120a.html (sorry for the long url Norm. the code I know doesn't work on your site, from my past attempts) If you're a lawyer, you'll praise the man's trial skills; if you're a doctor or politician, you'll probably despise them.

I discovered that most lawyers are bound by the defense of a client more than truth when I re-connected with an old childhood friend. I was completely dismayed that she had won all these suits in favor of big tobacco companies. As one of her colleagues explained, you work for the firm, you defend the client to the best of you ability; the firm expects a win. My old friend has since left her old firm.

In the case of Edwards, that's certainly how he started out. Once he ran his own firm, though, one has to decide the motivation behind him taking the cases. on a small positive for those against the plaintiffs's cases, a lot of those settlements were lowered on out of court appeals.

For your consideration:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/7395411/deadly_immunity/

According to a CDC epidemiologist named Tom Verstraeten, who had analyzed the agency's massive database containing the medical records of 100,000 children, a mercury-based preservative in the vaccines -- thimerosal -- appeared to be responsible for a dramatic increase in autism and a host of other neurological disorders among children.

Or for further consideration: http://www.autism-watch.org/

You'll find thimerosal listed repeatedly under the heading "Discredited Theories".

Some reading material for those who think there is a relationship between autism and vaccinations.

Misconceptions about Immunization

Still No Association Between Autism and Mercury in Vaccines

Still more evidence that vaccines don't cause autism

David Kirby’s Causation Trail

A Crisis of Faith or "Bait and Switch"?

"And, it's worthwhile to point out that even the mercury militia is backing away from the whole thimerosal thing:"

Zealots Can't Defend

thanks to Orac for the links

What, no love for David Sedaris?

Let be the one to say it, then... Thanks Norm for yet another great link.

I've loved Mr. Sedaris since I heard him read "Picka Pocketoni" from his book Me Talk Pretty One Day on NPR's way-cool THIS AMERICAN LIFE. In less than a month I'd read every word of his available in print.

Thanks again Norm.

It's nice to see other Sedaris fans here. Like you when I discovered him I read everything I could find of his, and since have reread a number of stories. The waiting for something new is the difficult part now. At least he's not dead, and we know there will be more.