Labelling misinformation online is doing more harm than good. The possibility that Covid-19 came from a lab accident is just the latest example. Social media companies tried to suppress any discussion of it for months. But why? There’s no strong evidence against it, and evidence for other theories is still inconclusive. Pathogens have escaped from labs many times, and people have died as a result.  Social media fact-checkers don’t have any special knowledge or ability to sort fact from misinformation. What they have is extraordinary power to shape what people believe. And stifling ideas can backfire if it leads people to believe there’s a “real story” that is being suppressed. Misinformation is dangerous. It can keep people from getting… Source link

Westport’s famous pink Remarkable Bookcycle is now stationed on the sidewalk in front of 173 Main Street, the future home of Cold Fusion Gelato. The mobile free library offers free novels and children’s books to anyone who stops by, curated by a team of volunteer Remarkable Librarians. The bicycle was painted and retrofitted by Ryan Peterson with the lead of novelist Jane Green. The name and color come from the famous Remarkable Bookshop, which sat just up from the bike’s current spot before its closure. … Source link

I realize I have not written much about COVID 45. This blog usually concerns the little, odd, interesting features of infectious diseases. While a disaster, there has not been much with COVID that has been all that odd or interesting to write about. The literature/science has been changing so fast that most entries would be outdated as soon as published. But it has been 500 days of COVID, and it looks like we are nearing the end of the initial bolus of disease. So, what have I learned/concluded? My take. Your mileage may vary. Not that COVID is ever going to go away. A remarkable number of Americans prefer being vulnerable to COVID, able to get ill or pass it on to others and kill them. Huge swaths of the world will remain unvaccinated and a reservoir for… Source link

I realize I have not written much about COVID 45. This blog usually concerns the little, odd, interesting features of infectious diseases. While a disaster, there has not been much with COVID that has been all that odd or interesting to write about. The literature/science has been changing so fast that most entries would be outdated as soon as published. But it has been 500 days of COVID, and it looks like we are nearing the end of the initial bolus of disease. So, what have I learned/concluded? My take. Your mileage may vary. Not that COVID is ever going to go away. A remarkable number of Americans prefer being vulnerable to COVID, able to get ill or pass it on to others and kill them. Huge swaths of the world will remain unvaccinated and a reservoir for… Source link

By George Foley— Muncie, IN—The Black Music Month Celebration presented by Forward Visions, Inc. and in partnership with the Muncie Parks and Recreation Department is back. After having to cancel our celebration last summer due to COVID-19, we are excited to bring this event back to the people of Muncie and Delaware County on June 26th at McCulloch Park. The event will be free to the public and we will have live performances from three different groups. The Black Music Month Celebration began in 2008 and has been under the direction of Forward Visions, Inc. since 2012 with the help of various musical friends around Muncie. The celebrations grew in 2019 in McCulloch Park, which drew people from Muncie, Anderson, and Indianapolis as well. The celebration includes top regional… Source link