Placebo

The flu shot Nazis are out in full-force. I read another article today trying to convince everyone to get this vaccine. I’m convinced I could get similar results using a placebo injection and make even more money than they currently do. Wait, you don’t think? They couldn’t could they?

The article tried to dispel rumors about the flu shot. Here’s my favorite one:

The flu shot is only about 60 percent effective.

Verdict: Usually false

When you have a good match between the circulating virus and the viruses used to make the vaccine, you generally see a 70 percent to 90 percent protection rate or benefit, Bridges said.

Let me translate for you:

No one ever wins the lottery.

Verdict: Usually false.

When you have a good match between the numbers drawn and the numbers on your ticket, you generally see a large increase in your cash.

So, buy more lottery tickets and you'll eventually win. That is unless there is a lottery technical glitch like the one recently in Virginia. That's a-whole-nother story though.

SkiFest photos

Salve's sister, Gladys, and her family visited over the weekend. They were looking for and talking about a ski trip this winter. Salve and I were a little jealous. Gladys and Jason were complaining about the prices and all Salve and I could think was that we couldn't even afford to look. We hope to go sometime in the future, but for now those types of vacations are on hold.

Thinking about the SkiFest trips of the past, I longed for that kind of ski vacation again. Thoughts of the good times made me dig through some old photos for this one. This was the last trip we took for SkiFest (2005-2006 ski season). We had a great time and we played a bit of Mahjong. Rich “gifted” me the biggest hand I’ve ever gotten (or seen). I’m sure Rich would like to forget this one – if only we had been playing for money. I put the picture up because I haven’t had one on the blog in a while and I wanted to spruce things up a bit. Good times!

Indoor soccer

I’ve been playing indoor soccer the last few weeks. I didn’t play last year because it was kind of pricey and I wouldn’t have been able to play enough to get my money’s worth out of it (classes were cutting into my free time then). This year it is about half the price and I have the free time to actually play. It is a lot of fun and should help me stay in relative shape over the winter months. Right now we are playing on Tuesday and Thursday nights from about 8:00-9:30 PM at the local YMCA. Once it gets cold (or the time changes) we’ll start playing there on Sunday afternoons as well. The last two weeks I played outdoor pick-up on Thursday at 6:00ish in Lynchburg and then drove straight to the YMCA in Bedford to play indoor pick-up at 8:00 PM. I eat a late dinner and I am tired after that, but I can tell my legs are getting stronger. I won’t be able to do that this week unfortunately, but maybe next week. After that we probably won’t be able to play outdoor pick-up on weekdays anymore.

I might start running once I’m down to only indoor games. If I monitor what I’m eating a little better, I might actually be able to lose a few pounds in the process. I wouldn’t mind that.

There is an adult winter league that plays at Lynchburg College, but I don’t know if I can afford to play. I’m trying to find out what the cost is, when they play, etc. That way I can see if it makes sense for me to play. Troy says he is probably going to play, so I’d like to piggy-back onto a team with him. Troy is a former semi-pro player. He’s a few years older, but still in great shape and we have a great competitive camaraderie going. He makes me play harder and better and I give him some good competition. He’s easily one of the best players in the area, even in his 40’s. Also, Troy is helping encourage me to put together the team I mentioned in a previous post for next summer (he was one of the first to commit and is very interested in making it happen). We think we’ve found another player for that team I'm putting together. If so, that brings our core up to seven or eight guys.

I love soccer.

Scientific bias

Why is it that PETA-types can refuse dissection assignments and everyone is OK with it, but someone that believes in Creation HAS TO accept Big Bang and Evolution teachings as fact? If my child has to be taught evolution, then yours has to do dissection! Scientists (and science educators) need to take a firm stand on science as a whole, not pick and choose what they want to force upon the public. I guess PETA has a stronger lobbying arm, I don’t know.

I’d like to see a kid reject evolutionist teachings as fact in biology class and ask for an alternative assignment. When the school/teacher refuses, how could it not be discrimination? Students are allowed daily to request alternative assignments in regards to dissection, why not evolution? Why couldn’t a student study evolution as a guesstimate instead of fact? Do we really know it to be fact? I didn’t ask if there was evidence, I asked if it was fact. Interpreting the evidence doesn’t always lead to factual conclusions. Science asks religion to question everything, but doesn’t allow the reverse? I question evolution because I think and I am open-minded enough to question. I thought that was what education was all about. Tell me again how scientists (in general) are not fanatical extremists.

Flu shot

Finally, there is a report reinforcing what I’ve been saying for years, giving me hard statistical evidence to back my position. The flu shot is a racket! It DOES NOT guarantee you will not get the flu. It isn’t like a polio vaccine.

A CDC employee stated “This year, the match between the circulating strains looks very good.” What is very good? “According to the study, only 11 percent of influenza strains across the United States were similar to those in the vaccine during the 2003 to 2004 flu season. The number increased to 36 percent in the 2004 to 2005 season.”

“According to the CDC, 72 children died from the flu last year.” While that is sad, is that statistically significant, given the number of children in the US? “A recent study, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, found MRSA contributed to 30 percent of flu deaths in the 2006-2007 flu season.” So, that means that roughly 22 children died of MRSA in relation to influenza. However, the same CDC employee goes on to say, “flu shots do not guarantee protection from MRSA pneumonia or other respiratory infections.”

“With hopes of encouraging the public to vaccinate, the CDC recently released a video testimonial of families who have lost children from complications related to the flu. In an emotional confession, each family claims their child's death could have been prevented by the flu vaccine.” We should do a similar video where parents that lost children in car wrecks warn against the dangers of letting your child ride in a car. By preventing your child from riding in a car, you COULD prevent their death. One parent in the video lost her 15 year old son in 2005 to influenza. She goes on to say she is bothered by the number of deaths from the flu “Because I know it's preventable.” The year her son died the vaccine contained only 36% of the influenza strains across the US. I’m not sure how that equals “preventable” though.

A doctor is quoted as saying, “Even if [the flu] doesn't match the vaccine strain of the year, you do get some protection.” Really, how is that? If it doesn’t match the currently active strains then what good is it? It protects you from the non-active strains? That’s like saying you wear your seatbelt only on Mondays and Fridays, but that’s better than no protection. Wearing a seatbelt doesn’t make a bit of difference if you don’t ride in the car. Sensationalism is everywhere.