Getting on my soapbox: The Swine Flu Vaccine and why there’s no way in hell I’ll get it.

The Swine Flu vaccine is experimental. No ifs, ands, or butts. There’s no way in hell I’m going to get it.

Here are some facts:

1)One of the main adjuvants in this new vaccine is something called Squalene. Adjuvants cause your immune system to overreact to the introduction of the organism you’re being vaccinated against. Gulf War veterans with Gulf War Syndrome received anthrax vaccines that contained Squalene. MF59 (the Novartis squalene adjuvant) was an unapproved ingredient in experimental anthrax vaccines and has since been linked to the devastating autoimmune diseases suffered by countless Gulf War vets. However, the FDA discovered the presence of Squalene in certain lots of AVIP product. A test was developed to detect anti-Squalene antibodies in GWS patients, and a clear link was established between the contaminated product and all the GWS sufferers who had been injected with the vaccine containing Squalene.

More on Squalene here: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/08/04/Squalene-The-Swine-Flu-Vaccines-Dirty-Little-Secret-Exposed.aspx
You can “register” with a fake email address.

2)The government has already guaranteed legal immunity to the pharmaceutical companies producing theses vaccines. So if you do have a reaction, and suffer, or die, you and your family have no legal recourse against the makers of this vaccine.

3)In 1976, the US tried a similar swine flu vaccine with abbreviated trials like this one. My dentist got this vaccine in 1976. He also got GBS because of it.

Results:
•More people died from the vaccination than from swine flu.
•500 cases of a brain disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) were detected.
•The vaccine may have increased the risk of contracting GBS by eight times.
•The vaccine was withdrawn after just ten weeks when the link with GBS became clear.
•The US Government was forced to pay out millions of dollars to those affected.

4)Concerns have already been raised that the new vaccine has not been sufficiently tested and that the effects, especially on children, are unknown.

5)Neurologists are refusing to get the vaccine because of the risk of GBS.

So far, swine flu isn't much more threatening than regular seasonal flu. During the few months of this new flu's existence, hospitalizations and deaths from it seem to be lower than the average seen for seasonal flu, and the virus hasn't dramatically mutated. That's what health officials have observed in the Southern Hemisphere where flu season is now winding down.

About 36,000 people in the U.S. die annually from seasonal influenza, and more than 200,000 are hospitalized, according to the CDC. As of August 30, 2009, concerning swine flu—WORLDWIDE—2,180 have died.

Think twice about getting this vaccine as soon as it’s ready. I’ll consider getting it when I’m sure it’s safe, but until then, hell no.

Go back to 1984 where you belong...

Patterns were on sale this weekend, and I came across these gems:


Max Headroom full-body shot


These are in the "sleepwear" section? WHA-WHA?

Even though this steaming pile of crap will make a mint....

With a 20% enjoyment rating on rottentomatoes.com, I thought I'd share some of the amusing reviews Transformers 2 has garnered so far:

Fan Reviews:

Bad storytelling is bad storytelling, no matter how many explosions, robots and hot chicks you have on screen.

One fan compared it to one of the all-time bombs, the George Lucas-produced "Howard the Duck." Another fan called it "the worst movie I've ever seen." Another praised Bay "for his excessive use of the 360 spinning crane cam" and the frequent slow motion shots of Megan Fox fleeing with jiggling boobs.

Revenge of the Fallen almost feels like it's signaling an end-game for blockbuster movies: all sensation, no content, catastrophic expense.

If you ever wondered what a movie would look like geared toward the underdeveloped brain of a gestating zygote...then Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is the insipid illustration you've been waiting for.

Bay seems to think that just showing us a bunch of brightly clashing metallic limbs (accompanied by lots of noise) is enough to make us faint in our seats with excitement.

This re-run of the previous thrills and spills displays a disappointing lack of ambition.


Critics:
Eric Childress, eFilmCritic.com: "The single worst film to be released thus far in the summer of 2009."

Peter Bradshaw, The (UK) Guardian: "Like watching paint dry while getting hit over the head with a frying pan."

Manohla Dargis, The New York Times: "Cretinous."

Steven Whitty, The Newark (New Jersey) Star-Ledger: "Can you thwart a migraine for two-and-a-half hours?"

Washington Post: What's wrong here is that there's so much swirling, relentless action, indistinct robot characterizations and over-caffeinated techies loose on the special-effects machines that the movie, in mere seconds, achieves incoherence.

Village Voice: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a bewildering, noisy, sloppy, cynical piece of work, a movie that sneers at the audience for 147 minutes and expects us to lap it up as entertainment -- and be grateful.

Journal & Courier: The movie is formulaic and routine, which suits (Michael) Bay's directorial style. Creativity is anathema to this by-the-numbers cinematic traffic cop.

The origin of the man-sized woman

I once met David Carradine. After nearly fainting from the smell of vodka on his breath at 10:30am, I posed with him for a commemorative photo. As my husband snapped a couple of pics, Mr. Carradine turns to me and, eyeing me like a hungry wolf looks at a steak, says to my husband, "You got yourself a man-sized woman. I always wanted me one of them."

I then ran away.

Today's Twitter contest: #fakenascarharlequinromancenovels

CONFESSIONS OF A PIT BOSS: OIL CHANGE SECRETS #fakenascarharlequinromancenovels

Extreme push made her impossible drive, she was so loose. #fakenascarharlequinromancenovels

Severe push turned the steering shaft to rubber, and then snapped it clean off. #fakenascarharlequinromancenovels

Older Rear Mounts: Facing Front #fakenascarharlequinromancenovels

He oversteered her into the wall. Gripping his shifter, he covered the pavement with burnt rubber. #fakenascarharlequinromancenovels

Aero push reduced the thrust of his aerodynamic downforce. #fakenascarharlequinromancenovels

"Really tight" means "Try something; you can't make it worse." #fakenascarharlequinromancenovels

The higher the speed, the more critical it is to have some push. #fakenascarharlequinromancenovels


"Her undercarriage was so loose I could barely stay mounted." #fakenascarharlequinromancenovels

Autotronic Chassisphyxiation #fakenascarharlequinromancenovels

#fakenascarharlequinromancenovels PIT ROW PASSION

#fakenascarharlequinromancenovels RENDEZVOUS IN THE WINNERS CIRCLE

#fakenascarharlequinromancenovels Something just bounced off my undercarriage

THAT'S NOT MILK! #fakenascarharlequinromancenovels -possibly too subtle...

PIRATE DRIVER, VIRGIN CHASSIS #fakenascarharlequinromancenovels

FORBIDDEN PIT STOP #fakenascarharlequinromancenovels

IT CONSTANTLY CURVES TO THE LEFT #fakenascarharlequinromancenovels

A LESSON IN WEIGHT JACKING #fakenascarharlequinromancenovels

POLE POSITION PASSION #fakenascarharlequinromancenovels

Who knows what is good and what is bad?

When an old farmer’s stallion wins a prize at a country show, his neighbor calls round to congratulate him, but the old farmer says, “Who knows what is good and what is bad?” The next day some thieves come and steal his valuable animal. His neighbor comes to commiserate with him, but the old man replies, “Who knows what is good and what is bad?” A few days later the spirited stallion escapes from the thieves and joins a herd of wild mares, leading them back to the farm. The neighbor calls to share the farmer’s joy, but the farmer says, “Who knows what is good and what is bad?” The following day, while trying to break in one of the wild mares, the farmer’s son is thrown and fractures his leg. The neighbor calls to share the farmer’s sorrow, but the old man’s attitude remains the same as before. The following week the army passes by, forcibly conscripting soldiers for a war, but they do not take the farmer’s son because he cannot walk. The neighbor thinks to himself, “Who knows what is good and what is bad?” and realizes that the old farmer must be a Taoist sage.

For example, a good friend of mine's husband lost his job because of a lying nutjob woman. She claimed sexual harassment because he rejected her advances. Long story short, the company fired him, even though he had witnesses to what really happened. He got hired on for more money at a better company, and the company he got fired from last year just went under last week. He'd have been out of a job with no prospects.

It was hard to understand why something so bad could have happened to him, but now, all I can say is, "God works in mysterious ways." Ways that we often can't understand without time and perspective.

I rarely blog from my my soap box...

But this issue is something I feel strongly about.

Lt. Col Victor Fehrenbach is from right here in Dayton, and he's a decorated officer. He's being discharged from the military because he's gay. According to the article below, he was outed by an acquaintance against his wishes.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/gay-local-air-force-officer-plans-to-fight-discharge-from-service-136024.html

It is OUTRAGEOUS to me that a person who has served for 18 years with a distinguished career is now being discharged solely for the fact that he's gay.

I want you to do a few things.

First, join this Facebook Group and leave him words of support:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lt-Col-Victor-Fehrenbach/177540825023?ref=nf

Two, sign this petition:
http://www.sldn.org/page/s/fehrenbach

Three, tell President Obama to keep his promise:
http://www.sldn.org/page/speakout/obamaaction

Four, tell Congress the time to repeal is NOW:
http://www.sldn.org/page/speakout/congressaction

Thanks!