h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Oh, good news, Phil!

In response to the MMR discussion, from what I've heard only one study found any connection between the vaccine and autism(sp?). Not one study after that was able to reproduce the results.
The British public in particular are, for some interesting reason (probably just another chance to have a go at the government), taking the findings of a single person (I forget his name) into account when deciding whether or not to have their children vaccinated using MMR. I don't think they've actually seen the evidence against the MMR-autism link yet. Or they just don't want to believe the government.
However, I must admit that the government is being a little unsporting in not providing a set of three seperate vaccines. Apparently, the proposed side-effect is due only to MMR, and three single jabs would sort out the problem. The public should be provided with that option, at least.

Good morning y'all! *nukes a few of the leftover pancakes and makes a fresh pot of tea*

I wonder if some of you missed my distinction between patriotism and nationalism... which I think could be put like this: patriotism is where you want your representatives to do well in the Olympics. Nationalism is when you turn your female swimmers into men in order to do well at the Olympics.

I have some fresh pics of my property, and these are basically the vista shots from somewhere up on the hill. They are at http://www.asterlil.com/journal/NM/treefarm/treefarm.htm .

I'll certainly participate in Demon Drawers Awards party, but I'm at a serious disadvantage in that I haven't been to a movie since March of last year...

Wow, Lil. Those pics look neat. Exactly how much of that is your property?

*nods vaugely at backlog, writes her review*

Lil, you also missed the bit about annexing a small eastern european state to provide living space for the men you turned into women to do well in the Olympics, in your bit on Nationalism! MMR - Monk turns into information overloaded concerned parent - concern at overloading immature immune system in little people, concern at not doing bit for community and allowing diseases to become endemic, but also first hand knowledge of child whose parents attribute sudden and frightening descent into profound autism directly to MMR. I had measles as a small monk and am Ok, but there is outside chance of encephalitis type complications. One of my small boys has had the MMR jab, and the second is moving into the target zone, but the decision doesnt get any easier. Press in teh UK are having a go at Bandwagon Blair because he is refusing to confirm whether or not his baby has had the jab, which is tending to cultivate a little bit of tabloid hysteria, when all we want are cold hard facts.

Concerning whether or not Blair's kids have indeed had their jabs, I honestly don't think it's any of our business.
In addition, can I just say that I disagree with any statement that suggests we need to know a country's leader's lifestyle. If they can rule a country, it matters very little how they themselves live. Unless it's illegal, obviously, but even then we don't have to know all the details.
The press should stop bickering the government and let them get on with things.

Lil, you didn't say where the hootoo dorm is going to be . Loved the photos and Sadie is playing ammonites as we speak in her No1 bed.

I didn't have the concerns over MMR when my two where little as it wasn't available. However they had the jab a few years ago in the catch up programme, the problem doesn't seem to arise with children older than 5 receiving MMR.

I agree Munchkin, as I said earlier, as far as I am aware no scientific link exists between the vaccine and disorders, but parents who feel their children have been damaged by the jabs feel they have a real cause for complaint. I would be leaping up and down if I thought either of mine had been so affected.

I too nearly died of measles, which was followed immediatly by rubella, if my mother hadn't been a nurse, I would have been hospitalised.

The mass vaccination programme has made a huge difference to life expectancy of children and we no longer remember the days when it was common place to lose classmates to them.

I do remember a beautiful little girl I used to play with whose mother came into contact with a child with rubella and Susie was born totally deaf. The last I heard of her, she had committed suicide, followed by her mother shortly after.

*climbs off soap box and has a restoring cup of *

Thanks, Solnushka, Bumble!

Nice views, Lil! So different from the ones I'm used to.

And Solnushka, today some our sportsmen are in action today, too.

Okay, I realise that this is decidedly off topic, but it's ranting time:

So in my English 1020 class we have to do a review sort of theng on an essay by jared Taylor (namely "Middle Class Solitions").

Yeah, so here I am, looking online, and it turns into a "hey, Jared taylor is a freaking biggot! Conversation. What is up with all this?

Why can't people look at how we're all so much the same, instead of pointing out, "oh hey, your skin is a different colour than mine, and therefore we can't be friends," and things like that. And then all this other stuff, and the anti-sparkles and the tears and the agony and oh I so not want to write this paper.

-JJ

*helps JJ up on to the soap box*

Get it off your chest, girl, you will feel much better for it. But I agree with you we are all the same underneath.

I must be losing my edge, I've been far too ageeable today, even No2 son has noticed!

Well this is fun Look at how many people I can cheer for now. I shall abandon all birth allegiences forthwith. Do I get citizenship too?

[spk] <---------- super freak

OOh, yeah, no more allegiences.


Hey so can we like peel back our skin and erm walk about without it bleeding all over everything and everything? That would be a good idea.

Yay. (not)

[amy]

[affy]

Perhaps we whould put something in the water that turns everyones skin blue. That would confuse if nothing else

JJ, I didn't understand your last point. Peel back our skins without bleeding over everybody, yay (not)? I can see from your last few posts that you're quite upset over how a friend is being treated, but I'm not clear about the circumstances.

Professor, my bit of land is a long narrow slice, distinguishable by all the rows of trees on it! And I completely agree with you about what should and should not be the business of the press, but chasing after gossip has been the Dark Side of the Fourth Estate ever since broadsheets.

I'm old enough to remember getting polio shots. And then there was mass distribution of sugar cubes with the new anti-polio stuff. I await my next sugar cube for smallpox.

[MTG]

I think we have an entire generation in the UK that hasn't been vaccinated against smallpox. Not sure of the date it was last administered as mass vaccination.

Just off to wrap a little pressie for tomorrow.

I don't believe I ever got a small pox vaccine... but I could be wrong.