Sasha's commentary for September 11, 2013: Stuff that causes autism edition

Autism is back in the news again: sadly a girl in Michigan almost died early last week when her mom tried killing herself and the daughter through carbon monoxide poisoning. But this story will have somewhat of a happy ending: originally doctors were thinking that she would be permanently brain damaged. WRONG! Although that can't be ruled out right now, she is talking, responding and breathing on her own. I wish Issy my best wishes for a speedy recovery. I can't say that her mother's blog entry is a suicide note. Also, I don't know how severe Issy's autism is. Never mind: a YouTube video shows a little bit. I'm not sure if she's on the same level that Carly Fleischmann is on.

I thought autism was caused by...DING DING DING!!! Genetics! For me, genetics is the only logical cause for autism. Emily Willingham has compiled a long list of weird stuff that causes autism. Too much money? Look deeper on that one: do successful and smart people have the tendency to carry genes that cause autism? And families with money have better access to care and testing. I only buy that one so much. Okay, I'm not too far from the loony bin in regards to weird stuff causing autism: I used to believe that if males drank heavily before conception (e.g. an alcoholic), the sperm cells would be damaged.

Quoting myself

Conceiving a child is like playing Russian roulette: you never know the outcome.

Of course, it's a little more complex than that, since the world is a toxic place, at the same time though, an all natural world is almost impossible. Start with twin siblings: find out why one twin is neurotypical and the other is on the spectrum. It's no lie that the world is toxic: people in Beijing are desperate for clean air. Why did we show them capitalism? Why oh why? Back to autism though: there's plenty of things that can cause autism: lack of brain at birth could always be plausible. Or how about trauma during pregnancy? Did anyone think of that one?

And it gets worse: Jenny McCarthy is now one of the hosts on The View. God help us. Really. Sure, she might be the parent of an autistic child, but so is my mom and many other mothers out there. I have to ask this: what makes her so high and mighty? I hate being rude, but as someone on the spectrum (and someone who wants to one day have a family of his own), I have to ask that question. Of course, she's only 99% full of sh*t. There are cases of vaccine injuries/accidents, so the former Playboy playmate isn't entirely crazy. But vaccine safety has immensely improved since the early 90s or even since my now 13 and 14 year old brothers were born.

I remember the South Street Seaport mall very well. I always thought it was a neat looking place. It's a shame that it's being torn down and replaced with something ritzier. Well, at least it's going out in style.

I wouldn't mind going on a technology fast one of these days, but it would be a challenge. And for an entire year? This family in Canada I give a lot of credit to. Don't know why the girlfriend's last name is missing. I think all Americans could use a little bit of a technology and media detox.

It's obvious why NYC isn't the best city for college grads looking for work. Something needs to change or New York will become a state filled with old people. Austin is an obvious, since it seems Rick Perry has a well-oiled state. He's turned Texas into the China of the United States. How's about this one Governor? Build a freaking subway in Houston. Some liberal ideas aren't bad ones. But NYC does have some things in its favor, including excellent public transit and good quality of life.

*I know it's 9/11, but although the day is tragic, it's also another day as well. There are 365 days in a year. We barely remember Pearl Harbor anymore, which is sad considering I had a grandfather that served in World War II.