How Many Lives Has the DPT Vaccine Saved?

Diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus have been big killers for a long time, so it should be no surprise that the DPT vaccine has saved a lot of lives. …

How Many Lives Has the DPT Vaccine Saved?

Hiltzik: The real dangers of the controversy over COVID’s origin – Los Angeles Times

Here’s an indisputable fact about the theory that COVID originated in a laboratory: Most Americans believe it to be true.

That’s important for several reasons. One is that evidence to support the theory is nonexistent. Another is that the claim itself has fomented a surge of attacks on science and scientists that threatens to drive promising researchers out of the crucial field of pandemic epidemiology.

That concern was aired in a commentary by 41 biologists, immunologists, virologists and physicians published Aug. 1 in the Journal of Virology. The journal probably isn’t in the libraries of ordinary readers, but the article’s prose is commendably clear and its conclusions eye-opening.

Source: Hiltzik: The real dangers of the controversy over COVID’s origin – Los Angeles Times

Why should Kamala Harris bother with the news media? – Los Angeles Times

First, I know you’ve seen the AI-generated video of Donald Trump and Elon Musk dancing to the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive.” Trump also posted it on his Truth Social, where truth goes to die.

This bromance is hard to watch. Musk’s power and privilege seem to be veering him into Howard Hughes-weird territory, where his crazy theories are matched only by his unique ability to foist them on the rest of us. And Trump will love anyone who loves him — or who has a lot of money. Sad…

Source: Why should Kamala Harris bother with the news media? – Los Angeles Times

Ray Bradbury Explains Why Literature is the Safety Valve of Civilization (in Which Case We Need More Literature!) | Open Culture

Ray Bradbury had it all thought out. Behind his captivating works of science fiction, there were subtle theories about what literature was meant to do. The retro clip above takes you back to the 1970s and it shows Bradbury giving a rather intriguing take on the role of literature and art. For the author of Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles, literature has more than an aesthetic purpose. It has an important sociological/psychoanalytic role to play. Stories are a safety valve. They keep society collectively, and us individually, from coming apart at the seams. Which is to say–if you’ve been following the news lately–we need a helluva lot more literature these days. And a few new Ray Bradburys. Source: Ray Bradbury Explains Why Literature is the Safety Valve of Civilization (in Which Case We Need More Literature!) | Open Culture

Nu-ți feri privirea – ore de drum

Urbino, 2024

Prin muzee îmi place să mă plimb încet, să mă uit la tablouri și oameni, să deslușesc umbre, destine, vibrații, să mă las hipnotizată de intensitatea privirii unor personaje sau de insistența altora asupra cărora să-mi pun întrebari.

M-a reținut, într-unul dintre muzeele acestei veri, Piero della Francesca și întruchipările din tabloul Madonna di Senigallia, icoană pictată în jurul anului 1478 care a declanșat un șir lung de ipoteze asupra temelor anunțate de pictura sa. Înainte să ajungă aici, la Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, icoana a aparținut bisericii Santa Maria delle Grazie construită în 1491 la Senigallia, unde a fost redescoperită în 1822.

În lunga ei istorie, a trecut prin multe peripeții, unele grave, printre care și un furt, în 1975. Din fericire, a fost regăsită după numai un an și reașezată la locul cuvenit în Palatul Ducal din Urbino. Creația se presupune a fi un tablou de familie conceput ca dar de nuntă pentru nepotul Papei Sixtus IV, însă, la prima impresie, acest instantaneu pare desprins dintr-o reprezentare contemporană a unei reuniuni la nivel înalt…

Source: Nu-ți feri privirea – ore de drum