Bob, a question in all seriousness. Why do you keep flogging this dead horse? The science shows that vaccines don't cause autism. You're not a crazy conspiracy nut, you're a bright guy. What is it that makes you think vaccines cause autism?

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Bill Maher thinks vaccinations might cause autism.

He's a comedian and a bit of an idiot.

Can we please stop listening to him now?

Just found out this is in Toronto, needs a *Canada tag. =)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/starbucks-barista-autism-1.3420741

Stone Cold Steve Autism says Drink Beer! WHAT?! Take an Adderall! WHAT?! Beat Debra! WHAT?! I said Beat Debra! WHAT?! You're distracting Stone Cold. WHAT?! I said Distract... WHAT?!

Autism?

With a title like Master Shredder I was hoping it was going to be 'Emma, a young lady with down syndrome and mild autism, gets a job playing sick guitar riffs', but this is almost as good.

Wrong, a 100% bioavailability is when a substance is introduced *intravenously* not intramuscularly or subcutaneously.

>> ocassional inadvertent ingestion and inhalation.
This is the most common rout - the skin is a major part of the immune system to keep pathogens out. we are exposed to thousands of compounds which trigger immune response and antibody creation each day via he respiratory system.

>>These damaging elements have perfect access to the brain
There is something called the blood brain barrier but nevertheless the pathogen is injected locally as mentioned not systemically.

>>Did you know autism is a known neural disruption?
this is a nonsense statement. the truth is we known very little about autism but while there are association, cause is not clear and the association with vaccines were initiated by a dishonest and discredited 'researcher'

I understand your basic premise but this is cargo cult science at its worse. very sad.
If you would like to learn more about bioavailability and how it's measured there are some good basic books on pharmcodynamics which are quite easy to read.

Yes, I was wondering when you would trot out Hooker's paper and the 'CDC whistleblower" bit. You see, in the lack of clear scientific fact, conspiracy theorists tend to grab whatever they can to prove that they are right. I'll dissect your attempt right now.

First, Hooker's paper was covering the data involving African-American children with supposed predilection towards autism. The sample size was small, the math was ludicrous, and he incorrectly analyzed a cohort study. Because of the NUMEROUS failures to appropriately conduct a true scientific study, his paper was retracted. So, when exposed to the light, his theory was decidedly lacking in content and was canned.

http://retractionwatch.com/2014/08/27/journal-takes-down-autism-vaccine-paper-pending-investigation/

This incompetent study was the result, allegedly, of discussions between Hooker and a senior psychologist at the CDC named William Thompson. Hooker then teamed up with Andrew Wakefield to cherry pick bits to make it sound as though Thompson were confessing to some horrible crime of data manipulation to hide this “bombshell” result reported by Wakefield. Thus was born the “CDC whistleblower".

In February 2010, the General Medical Council in the U.K. recommended that Wakefield be stripped of his license to practice medicine in the U.K. because of scientific misconduct related to his infamous 1998 case series published in The Lancet, even going so far as to refer to him as irresponsible and dishonest, and in May 2010 he was. He is a now doing everything he can to prove his theories, like possibly illegal recording of conversations, so that he can regain some credibility. The guy is a hack.

Thompson has admitted to being prone to anxiety disorders, being delusional, and has shown that he is more scared of being 'the bad guy' then doing his job. His career is pretty much finished at the CDC, because he has shown that he will waffle if confronted by angry people who can't understand science. I feel sorry for him, but he has issues.

So, now we can address your link. A congressman, not a scientist, has received information from people who have been laughed out of the scientific community for multiple reasons. He sees buzzwords and decides to get ahead of the bandwagon, calling for further investigation and research. I can, of course, show you knee-jerk reactions by multiple members of congress similar to this, like Ted Cruz calling for immediate investigation into Planned Parenthood over the recent videos. You know, the ones that were chopped and spliced together to make it sound like PP was selling aborted babies? Do you see a pattern with the chop and splice for sensationalism? I hope you do.

In other words, you don't have any scientific facts. Like all anti-vaxxer conspiracy theorists, you rely on a few items that seem to tie together to form a true fact, but they don't. When confronted with this, you will say that it's all big pharma and money trails, etc. Do you not see the fallacy in that logic? It's like saying that the the earth was created 9000 years ago...because RELIGION!

Btw, if you want to place your trust in politicians trying to be scientists, I leave you with this gem from former congressman Paul Broun.

"You see, there are a lot of scientific data that I've found out as a scientist that actually show that this is really a young Earth. I don't believe that the earth's but about 9,000 years old. I believe it was created in six days as we know them. That's what the Bible says."

Did you know that the amount of aluminum in a vaccine is so minuscule that, without high levels of aluminum already present in the blood, it is impossible to receive aluminum toxicity from it?

Vaccine related injuries like autism in children or multiple sclerosis in an adult are a myth. The only two cases litigated were not taken before a court, they were taken before an appointed panel that was under great pressure from public sentiment to ignore facts and simply pay out a damage to the 'victims'.

Peer reviewed science proves time and again that the claims being made about vaccines are false. However, a couple of non-mainstream 'doctors' and some idiotic celebrities seem to be influencing the sheeple into ignoring science. I shouldn't be surprised, seeing how people will believe in things like Scientology and fake Moon landings , but until there are FACTS proving vaccines to be the cause of these ills, the benefit outweighs the slim chance of danger.

Since you seem to be on the side of the anti-vaxxers, I would be happy to look at any peer-reviewed studies you can find linking vaccines to autism or other ailments. I will wait until you find one.

Our bodies are best at responding to pathogens that enter our system normally - over mucus membranes, through skin contact, and via ocassional inadvertent ingestion and inhalation.

Directly injecting pathogens (and a whole host of other known toxins) straight into the bloodstream puts their bioavailability at 100%, instantly. These damaging elements have perfect access to the brain, and all other internal organs, giving the body's almost no chance whatsoever to deal with the invading harmful elements. You can expect to see symptoms manifest in minutes, hours, or days - and this is exactly what you do see in vaccine related injuries.

Aluminum, formaldehyde, cyanide, and other elements we do eat, and are harmless when found embeded in their naturally occurring places. Injecting those refined elements (mixed together with all kinds of other poisons) directly into the bloodstream is no where close to eating un-refind foods that have the same elements bonded to other molecules which render them intert or beneficial.

What is the bioavailability of aluminum found in a banana when eaten?

What is the bioavailability of that same quantity of aluminum when the banana is pulverized and injected into the bloodstream?

What is the bioavailability of that same quantity of aluminum when it's refined, and no part of the banana except the aluminum is injected directly into the bloodstream?

Their description of the actual affect of the aluminum in particular is incomplete. Aluminum is a known neural disruptor. If it reaches the brain directly (remember, bioavailability is at 100%) the aluminum will disrupt neurons. This may result in some cases in a neural disruption. Did you know autism is a known neural disruption?

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Depression and self-harm are not part of the autistic spectrum; they are consequential symptoms that result from the reality of having to live in a world that is not tolerant of people who are "wired differently".

If you spent your entire life feeling that you were messed up compared to everyone else and confused as to why other people didn't understand you then you'd be depressed and hate yourself too. I know this only too well - I live with these symptoms every day. I don't harm myself any more but the desire to punish myself because my self-esteem is non-existent is still very much there.

I understand your concern that autism is becoming some sort of designer diagnosis, but the reality is that most people can relate to one of the many facets of autism and can feel empathy towards those who experience many of the facets. Therefore it is easy for people to feel that they have a touch of autism, and in reality they just might. It's not that uncommon.

It is more than just a condition to be misunderstood.

Pardon my cynicism, I love dogs and I donate to many dog training programs like this. But having said that, this looks like it was done for the camera, instead of the camera just being at the right place at the right time, which bugs me.

It also bugs me that "Aspergers" is stamped all over every other story you read now. Now Jerry Seinfeld and David Byrne and apparently half the offspring of half of my coworkers have a "touch of Aspergers" or are on the "autism spectrum". It's like a freaking designer diagnosis now.

And there's no shortage of news stories about someone who was the victim of road-rage or excessive police force who "suffered from Aspergers" and probably didn't understand the situation. Apparently calling them an "honor student" doesn't generate enough pathos anymore.

I'm sure I'll be misunderstood but I have nothing but empathy for this person in the video and all those that GENUINELY suffer from this.

I don't have kids yet, but I can attest to being someone who thought the anti-vaxination stance had some validity.
Please don't confuse me for a moron though; I understand the benefits of vaccinations and my perspective was solely formed on distrust from the system, and the initial ties to autism.
A short period of research and introspection and it was clear that, aside from the systemic trust issues, the claims were unwarranted.
Makes me feel like an enigma in the human race. It seems like no one else wants to take the time and re-educate themselves on difficult subjects. Also makes me feel pretty all-right, being an actual human who's capable of that, and isn't just some lame astroturf projection.