I'll be sniping in a post when I've had a chance to get one clearly written up. Big development has just happened in one of the major reasons that I fold. And it's good news, folks!
**Edit** Here's the sniped entry. Enjoy! **/end edit**
http://blogs.discovermaga...rew-wakefield-a-fraud/Please go read this article. Follow the links included (Yes, Phil Plait, the author, links to his own articles a lot, but he ALSO externally links extensively, as he's a scientist and a damned GOOD one. That's what they do!)
I'm going to avoid summarizing the article here (partially to ensure I don't screw details up, mostly to make sure YOU go read it! YES!! It's that important!), but I will explain why this is good news to me and my personal reasons for folding:
I was born on the low end of the autism/asperger's spectrum. 'High functioning' is one of the descriptions I've discovered for it. I've been called many disparaging names through life because of the social difficulties the condition carries. Whatever the label of the day I've run into, the only thing I knew for CERTAIN is that it was simply who I was.
There is nothing wrong with me, yet others who have more advanced, and what some would call debilitating, variations on the condition are called diseased.
There are also a group of folks who believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that this 'disease' can be 'cured'. I'm looking at YOU, Jenny McCarthy! Ok, so maybe it's partially recreational, too, but I'm still looking!
Whatever your experience with the autism spectrum, please keep in mind that what makes those of us who walk it's WIDE range of effects who we are, those personality quirks that make some aspects of life a bit more difficult on the low end, nearly impossible without outside help on the high end . . . It's a condition, not a disease. This isn't something that's 'catching'. We only spread it genetically. Most importantly, we aren't caused by a freaking VACCINE! And we can't be 'cured', Jenny. Your son, if he actually had anything wrong with him, it wasn't Autism. Not if you 'cured' him.
So, how does this long rant relate to folding?
Well, the reasearch I have read upon discovering that my patterns in life had a name or two beyond the vulgar titles I've carried (Sometimes with pride, I'll admit!), currently, we can't find an external cause. This leads to Protein misfolding as a major likely cause.
I don't see those of us who carry the condition as diseased, like I said, but there are many who just simply wouldn't be able to survive without help, and sadly, we're seeing our cultures placing less weight on helping as a culture and forcing individuals to rely on the kindness of those who may not be able to afford to GIVE that help all the time.
This means we have a problem, as a global culture. The only way I forsee there to be less of an issue is for a cause to be discovered so we may be able to work on at least lessening the difficulties of those who have deeply advanced variations of the condition. Folding@Home represents a great deal hope for that.
Secondarily to the Autism/Aspergers side of this is that we now are facing, as a result of the actions of the man detailed in the article (READ IT!!), a return of several diseases, that by all rights should be EXTINCT! And not head cold level shake it off crap . . . Infants have died due to the loss of herd immunity. Folding@Home has made strides in understanding how virii attack our systems, the mechanics behind how they invade the cells . . . This reasearch may one day removed the need for vaccinations altogether!
So, survival of the species and giving EVERYONE a fair shake at life! Pretty good reasons, I'd say.
Fire up the boxen, if you haven't yet! Somewhere, someone needs YOUR help!!