Here’s a good brief history of how the vaccine-autism myth started and why people still get duped by it.
Let’s set aside the horrific nature of the killing of the Jordanian pilot in the video released today. But why did it happen? The Jordanian government was apparently quite willing to trade the imprisoned suicide bomber in exchange for their pilot. They only wanted a proof of life from ISIS. So did they not want a trade? Was the value of the public killing greater than the return of one of their own? Or was the whole thing a sham – and as the Jordanians feared – their pilot was already dead. According to Jordanian state TV it was latter. Jordanian state TV is saying the pilot was killed a month ago.
GOP Sen. Tillis: We shouldn’t force employees to wash their hands after pooping.
The papers and photographs of the late Rosa Parks being opened up for scholars at the Library of Congress and a more limited selection will be on view for the public. As the piece notes, this is particularly important for Parks since this is a woman who is all but frozen in time in the public mind for a single iconic moment, even a single photograph. “I think it’s one of the first times we’re actually able to read her voice, and it just totally goes against this image of the quiet seamstress,” says Margaret McAleer, a Library of Congress archivist. “Her writings are phenomenally powerful.” Another thread of the story: the papers were locked up in a legal struggle between heirs and friends for years. Then last year philanthropist Howard Buffett (Warren’s son) bought the whole thing and placed it on a long term loan to the Library of Congress. Wealth deployed to a powerful, public end. Read more here.
Personally, I can’t wait to see the digitized collection open up.
The toxicity of Internet trolls, haters, hate-mailers and more is one of the biggest parts of writing on the web, especially if you become known enough to develop a hate following. I know this from deep personal experience. You have to develop a whole personal psychology about it to make yourself immune to that toxicity. Chloe Angyal asks how we know when to block it out and when to listen.
As the Netanyahu speech controversy has unfolded I’ve wondered about and a number of readers have asked me whether there are any obvious historical parallels to Ron Dermer, the Israeli ambassador. The truth is that there are so many unique or at least very uncommon factors overlapping together that it’s very hard to think of any other comparable case in recent history or perhaps ever. The Israel relationship is high stakes. It’s already increasingly partisanized. The Ambassador was an American citizen himself until not too long ago. And he has long standing political ties to the party that is the president’s opposition. There’s quite a lot going on. But there’s one case from history that at least offers some interesting parallels. The differences are illuminating as well. The year is 1793. And the man is “Citizen Genet”, Edmond-Charles Genet, Minister Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to the United States of America.
In other words, Ambassador.
The science is clear: The earth is round, the sky is blue, and #vaccineswork. Let’s protect all our kids. #GrandmothersKnowBest
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) February 3, 2015
Flagged by TPM Reader NP.
A new poll shows Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud slipping back into a small lead over Labor, after a series of polls had shown Labor consolidating a small lead. Most assume that fighting to the north has refocused voters on security issues, Netanyahu’s perceived strength. That confirms the trend and findings from this poll from three days ago.
Bummer.
One of those few viral-wow slideshows that’s really just wow. An old shack in the desert wrapped in mirrors.
Here’s a good quick explainer on why the SCOTUS case that may derail Obamacare is pure bunk. And the suers know it.