Happy Carl Sagan Day

Celebrate reason and Carl Sagan's 76 birthday by reading one of his excellent books...

Among the best, of course, is:
















If you haven't had a chance to read any of his books, start from this one, and it will most likely alter the way you see the world.

Vaccine Awareness Week???

The anti-vaxers wanted this week to be a "Vaccine Awareness Week", so here it goes... a few good links to reinforce the importance of childhood vaccinations. Also, don't forget that getting booster shots later in life is equally important, as shown by a recent whooping cough outbreak in California: if you have a close contact with newborns (who are to young to get their pertussis shot), make sure you don't give them that nasty bug.

From the Science-Based Medicine blog:

What does “anti-vaccine” really mean?

Journal Club Debunks Anti-Vaccine Myths

Topic reference: Vaccines


from Orac:

The strange science and ethics of the anti-vaccine movement


and from our Northern neighbors:

The Faces of Vaccine (Un)awareness Week