Daily Archives: September 24, 2011

How effective is the flu shot?

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There are several answers to this question. One was overheard the other day among a bunch of well educated people oriented towards science who were taking a break from their job.

Person 1: “So, how effective is the seasonal flu shot?”

Person 2: “I heard about 1%. If you get the flu shot, you’ll have a 1% difference in if you get the flu.”

Person 3: “That’s crazy. I don’t know where you are getting your data from. It can’t be 1%, but I admit I don’t know what the actual answer is, but it can’t be that.”

Persons 4 through 6: “Well, if YOU don’t know, and HE says 1%, I’m going with the 1%. Too much trouble to get a flu shot anyway.”

Person 3: “Wait, wait! That’s crazy! That makes no sense!” as persons 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 are filing out of the break room to go back to work. “You can’t leave thinking that 1% is correct! It can’t be correct!!!”

Person 5: [Over her shoulder on the way out the door.] “Hey, why don’t you go ask your husband. He’s a Scienceblogger, right?”
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Why do I even bother with the Internet any more????

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I very rarely read a story on the WCCO web site. That’s my local news station. I don’t scroll down below the headlines, and that by the way means that I don’t see any of the wonderful ads that are down there. I often don’t respond to facebook conversations with anything more than a sentence, but rather, put my thoughts in a text editor and then post them somewhere, usually not facebook. Lately, I’ve stopped with any extensive responses on Google+ as well.

Why?
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Evolution Book for Kids

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Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be, a kids evolution book, has won the 2010 Lane Anderson Award. The reason I mention this is because of this blog post which discusses how the book is published in Canada but not the US.

This bit of the post is interesting:

Loxton has reported receiving hate mails asking as to why his book doesn’t give “equal time” to Intelligent Design”. Loxton, an editor of the Skeptic magazine, has the answer ready – the book is about science and not religion.

It may not be published in the US but Amazon will still sell it to you! Imma give a copy or two of Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be as Holiday Gifts this year!