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[sudgy]

I know some people on here make videos, and things like this are annoying to google, does anybody know a good-enough free video editor?  I don't need to do much, I'm just doing a cover of a song and it has multiple voices and I want all voices on screen at once.

AviSynth. It's brilliant, although it might be a bit difficult to use if you're not familiar with programming (which, if I'm remembering correctly, shouldn't be a problem).

Looking it up, this looks interesting.  I'll probably use it.  Thanks!

It's always a good sign when you need to edit the registry to get something to work...

[Axxle]

I need help. Itunes is a piece of shit and apparently I don't have Windows Media Player. Is there another comparable program that's better?

This is akin to saying, Nylon rope doesn't cut it and I don't have any woven wire cable, is there anything comparable I can use?

This begs the question, what exactly are you trying to achieve? I don't know if you might need to be using monofilament or hemp rope.

Biggest pet peeve ever.

http://begthequestion.info/

I mean that's because "beg" in most contexts means "asks".

[ashersky]

I need help. Itunes is a piece of shit and apparently I don't have Windows Media Player. Is there another comparable program that's better?

This is akin to saying, Nylon rope doesn't cut it and I don't have any woven wire cable, is there anything comparable I can use?

This begs the question, what exactly are you trying to achieve? I don't know if you might need to be using monofilament or hemp rope.

Biggest pet peeve ever.

http://begthequestion.info/

I mean that's because "beg" in most contexts means "asks".

Except it doesn't in that specific phrase.

I know you meant "that makes me wonder, what exactly are you trying to achieve?" but that isn't what you said.

[pingpongsam]

I agree that I misused the phrase. "Raises the question" was the appropriate phrase to use.

[Axxle]

I need help. Itunes is a piece of shit and apparently I don't have Windows Media Player. Is there another comparable program that's better?

This is akin to saying, Nylon rope doesn't cut it and I don't have any woven wire cable, is there anything comparable I can use?

This begs the question, what exactly are you trying to achieve? I don't know if you might need to be using monofilament or hemp rope.

Biggest pet peeve ever.

http://begthequestion.info/

I mean that's because "beg" in most contexts means "asks".

Except it doesn't in that specific phrase.

I know you meant "that makes me wonder, what exactly are you trying to achieve?" but that isn't what you said.

I meant "It's understandable that people make that mistake because *reason*." I personally think that "begs the question" is a confusing phrase unless you've looked at logical reasoning, debate, etc. I mean it's even more confusing than I said because not only does "Beg" usually mean "ask", the word "question" points that way too (edit: reading the full article, I realize the author raises this point too). Like, why not just "Presumes the premise" or something.

[2.71828.....]

I got the first flu shot that I have ever had, and now I feel sick.  I have survived all these years without a flu shot never getting the flu, why did I have to get one now?

Because I was mandated to get one by work, but really, who cares about that

[Awaclus]

I've survived all these years without a flu shot, too.



I've gotten the flu a few times, though.

[Kirian]

Getting a flu vaccine is a civic duty, and the only reasons not to get one are if you're allergic, or if you can't afford it.

[Teproc]

Getting a flu vaccine is a civic duty, and the only reasons not to get one are if you're allergic, or if you can't afford it.

Allergic to a flu shot ?

[Lekkit]

I don't know about flu shots, but I've been allergic to stuff that have made me unable to take some shots.

[pingpongsam]

Getting a flu vaccine is a civic duty, and the only reasons not to get one are if you're allergic, or if you can't afford it.

Allergic to a flu shot ?

The most common allergy is egg. There are now egg-free alternatives. There are some other legitimate objections to taking a flu shot that are either religious or ethic in nature. Personally, I don't do them because I see them as a high risk low reward scenario. If influenza were not a mutating virus with multiple strains floating around at a given time they would make more sense to me. There will have to be very clear benefits before I am injecting anything intravenously into my body.

[Kirian]

Getting a flu vaccine is a civic duty, and the only reasons not to get one are if you're allergic, or if you can't afford it.

Allergic to a flu shot ?

The flu virus used for the shots are grown in eggs.  A significant portion of the population (0.1% to 1%) are allergic to eggs and therefore allergic to the vaccine.  There are other components to the vaccine* that can cause allergic or similar reactions; those are rarer but not completely uncommon.

But this applies to about 1% of the population as a whole.

*I know people who are allergic literally to the sulfate and sulfite anions.  You can be allergic to damned well anything.

[Kirian]

There will have to be very clear benefits before I am injecting anything intravenously into my body.

(1) The flu vaccine is around 70% effective.  The risks are essentially zero; you cannot get the flu from the vaccine.  The risk of not getting the vaccine is about five days of agony and time off work, plus medication costs.  I'm not sure how you aren't seeing benefits there.

(2) The vaccine is IM, not IV.  (You can also get the nasal spray, of course.)  This doesn't actually make a difference, but let's have our terminology straight.

[Teproc]

I didn't know about the egg thing.

What risks are you talking about PPS ? Aside from weird conspiracy theories that have been debunked five billion times I mean ?

[pingpongsam]

I understand that the flu vaccine should not be able to infect you with the flu but intravenous injections on the whole carry the risks of upsetting a body's natural balance even if only temporarily. That the "flu shot got me sick" myth continues to thrive does not necessarily mean these people are subjects to coincidence. Going out into the rain on a cold night doesn't, by itself, make you sick but the old wives tale holds truth because doing that does suppress the immune system and make you more susceptible to already present bugs. In effect, going out into the rain on a cold night is a great way to get sick and I have observed that getting shots when you are not sick is a great way to get sick too.

That I rarely if ever contract the flu (let's say 5 times in my 36 years and 4 of those before I was 12) suggests there may not be such a necessity as is perceived. Granted, I may be benefiting from the hiding in the herd concept because everyone else around me is vaccinated. The argument I would make is every year I am in close proximity to multiple flu-sick individuals and I still don't get sick. In fact, recently when my wife was pregnant she contracted the flu (when she actually had a very strong case for taking the shot) and I was directly exposed for a long duration without getting sick. During this time I was repeatedly offered the shot which I refused on the basis that I expected the shot to be the thing that pushed me over the edge into sickness. Taking the shot at that time would have made some sense if there was a guarantee that the shot being offered was an exact match to the strain my wife was carrying but then there is no such guarantee and thus the risks I describe above were present.

In short, I have found through my own experience that proper diet, exercise regimen and good hygiene are acceptable forms of protection without having to resort to pharmaceutical means that carry the risks of compromising otherwise healthy systems. the one time I got the flu in my early twenties I can say with emphasis that my lifestyle was one that welcomed such things.

[Polk5440]

I didn't know about the egg thing.

What risks are you talking about PPS ? Aside from weird conspiracy theories that have been debunked five billion times I mean ?

The allergies that Kirian mentioned are not conspiracy theories. In addition, some people have side effects from the vaccine that are mild (I usually get these) to as severe as actually having the flu.

But the important thing is that people get vaccinated even if the personal costs outweigh the personal benefits because the public benefits outweigh the costs (vaccination is a public good). Healthy, fit people can actually spread the disease without showing symptoms themselves. A person deciding whether to get vaccinated on their own will not appropriately weigh these public benefits and costs.

Also, if you are actually injured by a vaccine, you can be compensated: http://www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation/index.html

[Lekkit]

What risks are you talking about PPS ? Aside from weird conspiracy theories that have been debunked five billion times I mean ?

Wasn't there some proven connection between the swine flu vaccine and cases of narcolepsy?

[pingpongsam]

Healthy, fit people can actually spread the disease without showing symptoms themselves.

A healthy fit, vaccinated, person can spread the disease without showing symptoms themselves. Being vaccinated does not prevent one from spreading the disease. Flu vaccines are not a replacement for proper hygiene which does, in fact, prevent transmission.

[soulnet]

Getting a flu vaccine is a civic duty

Is this your personal opinion or some official policy?

(1) The flu vaccine is around 70% effective.

Do you have the reference? Medical research is often biased/flawed. The medical researchers I know are horrible in correctly interpreting their data, and I think there is an interest in keeping it that way because it makes it so much easier for the drug companies to request papers that praise their products without compromising the researcher's ethics too much.

I am asking because here (Argentina) the shot is only indicated (and as such, given for free in hospital) for people in a risk group: infants, old people, pregnant women and health workers. I am not sure about people working in schools, and I am sure I am forgetting some minor groups (maybe people with HIV can take it?), but you get the idea.

The US seems to have a tendency to use a lot more medications than Argentina. This may very well be because they can afford it more, but I did not get that impression about other developed countries. So, I tend to think there is a lot of overmedication in the US, although this is just a sensation. I would love some counterpoints if you have them.

The risks are essentially zero

There is such thing in medicine, because there is a lot of unknown things. Aspirin for instance, was used a lot for many years with no knowledge of its risks on the stomach.

[Witherweaver]

I don't think vaccines are overmedicated.  There is a lot of overmedication in America, but I think it's more in the form of antidepressants and that sort of thing.

Vaccines get a stigma because of bad science, but vaccines really are good and people should be educated about that.

That being said, I've never gotten a flu vaccine.  I don't think I've ever gotten the flu, though maybe I had it last year.  I tend to get a lot of colds/sinus infections (maybe around 3-5 a year), so I don't know if it was just a bad virus or the actual "flu". 

I'm thinking of getting one this year.  I am a little (maybe irrationally) nervous about getting one at a point where I don't feel 100% strong.  Usually during the work week I'm pretty under-rested, and I feel like I could easily get sick.  When feeling like that, I'd get nervous about getting the vaccine because I feel the side effects may tip me over the edge.. the logic would be that my immune system has to work to fight the effects of the vaccine, so it isn't as effective as keeping me healthy from other things.  But that reasoning could be complete garbage.. I don't have anything more than a rudimentary understanding of how the immune system works.

[Kuildeous]

So, I tend to think there is a lot of overmedication in the US, although this is just a sensation. I would love some counterpoints if you have them.

I was reading a Cracked article about how the US is part of a minority that allows pharmaceuticals to be advertised on television. If true, then I do not doubt your observation.

[soulnet]

I was reading a Cracked article about how the US is part of a minority that allows pharmaceuticals to be advertised on television. If true, then I do not doubt your observation.

Do you allow Cigarettes advertisement on TV? How about on the streets or print media?

[Joseph2302]

The risk of not getting the vaccine is about five days of agony and time off work, plus medication costs.

In the UK the converse is true- most people don't get the flu vaccine because you have to pay for it, and if you get ill, you just go get free treatment.

[Witherweaver]

The risk of not getting the vaccine is about five days of agony and time off work, plus medication costs.

In the UK the converse is true- most people don't get the flu vaccine because you have to pay for it, and if you get ill, you just go get free treatment.

That seems backwards.  Wouldn't making the vaccine "free" be more cost effective over all?

[Polk5440]

The risk of not getting the vaccine is about five days of agony and time off work, plus medication costs.

In the UK the converse is true- most people don't get the flu vaccine because you have to pay for it, and if you get ill, you just go get free treatment.

That seems backwards.  Wouldn't making the vaccine "free" be more cost effective over all?

No, prevention can be more costly because you pay for EVERYONE. You treat only those who get sick (a much smaller number, unless there is an epidemic). Even if treatment is more expensive, overall it can be cheaper to only treat the sick.

EDIT: clarified. Prevention can be cheaper or treatment can be cheaper. It depends.