DISQUS

Hmm, I would say that what Sinatra is wearing above isa trilby, not a fedora. The distinction is in the size (width) of the brim.

The problem here is that the assumption is being made that such virtual porn is a complement to real life activities.

With violent porn at least, the research seems to show that it is a substitute for real life activity.

Thus closing down Wonderland, if paedophilia is like violent porn (a reasonable assumption) is to increase the danger to children in the real world.

Good to see comment 4 mentioning Simon Baron Cohen, the leading researcher in the field.

A few points:

1) The "explosion" in diagnoses occured from 1980 onwards: which was the same time that the official diagnosis of autism was expanded from classic autism to the full spectrum, including what we now call Asperger's.

2) The vaccinations: thiomiseral (spelling?), the mercury containing ingredient used in vaccines that is often blamed. Well, Japan removed it some years before others did and autism rates climbed at the same rate in Japan as elsewhere. There's also an English researcher who says that it's the measles part of the new MMR vaccine that causes it. Completely discredited (the Lancet withdrew his paper for example).

3) There is still, over and above the change in diagnosis, a rise in autism. No one is ruling out an environmental factor, although Simon Baron Cohen's explanation (he himself does not rule out enviro) seems to be the best supported. Assortative mating, as briefly discussed in that Wired piece. Put very simply more geeks are mating with more geeks (systemizers with systemizaers more formally) leading to reinforcement of the genes which lead to both geeks and autism. Thus the observed rises in both Silicon Valley and Ipswich (home of the British Telcom equivalent of Bell Labs).

The reasons for the assortative mating are multiple....we all are more likely to date someone from work these days, compared to one or two generations ago and workplaces are sorted quite a lot on the systemizing/empathising axis (programming at one end, nursing say at the other). The general fluidity of society, the rise in status of geeks etc etc.

One Simon Baron Cohen paper is highly instructive. He surveyed the students in the Faculty of Arts and also of Engineering at Cambridge University. In the extended families of the engineers there was vastly more autism than in those of the Arts students.

4) There are a number of other explanations floated...one paper, using Freakonomics style data dredging indicated a correlation with TV watching...the rise of Cable across the US matches the rise in autism. However, that also matches the expansion in the diagnosis, 1980 onwards

5) Yes, it is treatable to an extent. Just as non-autistic people need to learn about others, their emotions and desires, such things can be taught (to an extent). One recent thing that appears to help is a DVD (rather like Thomas the Tank Engine stuff) released by Baron Cohen a few months back.

I don't think that anyone believable really claims to have found "the" cause, but most seem to be concentrating on genetics, not environmental triggers.

BTW, no, I'm not an expert on the matter. I simply run a blog on the subject.

Oh, C’mon, Newberry is a satirist. Has to be. Maybe not a very good one, but really, no one can actually be making those statements seriously.

Can they?

Check Wikipedia for "Tannu", one of the islands in Vanuatu. They worship Prince Phillip as a living God.

Clearly this is the secret to happiness.

I was going to put "Western" as opposed to UK in my piece as the counter example to hte US system and thought better of it. The appointment of people to run the State Owned companies in Italy is a highly political exercise, the people who run Spanish broadcasting change at each election. The US might be different in the cronyism in the Civil Service specifically but there are plenty of places just as bad right across public life.

Umm, yes, take your modification as being valid. Going back to something you said before, about the UK press being of very different views, thus blogging has less impact here. Yes, I can see that in a multi viewpoint environment, my call for the system, rather than each individual piece to be the "level of truth" makes less sense. Or, rather, that I had absorbed your point when writing what I did.

Still stand by the Hayek bit though.

Atrios did teach at the London School of Economics (where I also did my degree but obviously at a different time) so he would have come across a lot and got used to the word.

Didn’t Dow Jones lose a libel case in Australia over the very same issue? That something downloaded in Australia was therefore published there and so subject to Aussie libel laws?

This is very good indeed. I’m not sure I actually agree with the analysis but certainly think it possible. I shall be adding it to the roundup.

OK, it’s a fair cop. I should have stated "at national level"...and receipts for services, fines and supervisory charges (think National Rivers Authority, the FSA, Law Society) are not quite the same thing as taxes. But yes, a fair cop there Martin.

One for the Ranter.
Leaving the EU would be an immediate benefit of 25 billion a year in our trade. Patrick Minford’s written a whole book on it.

Well, me, obviously.
Blithering Bunny.
EU Referendum
Samizdata
Boris Johnson
Campaign for an English Parliament
Jonathan Lockhart (you really want to include this one, linked with Kilroy-Silk)
That’ll do for a start.