Links

Demonizing Rent’s Benny vs. Lionizing Hamilton’s Alexander

My comment on GeekDad’s Demonizing Rent’s Benny vs. Lionizing Hamilton’s Alexander.

Great analysis! I recently picked up the Rent soundtrack again after letting it sit for a while and found that my perspective has changed over the years.

I was thinking about Benny vs. Aaron Burr the other day: Benny’s the designated villain because he’s on the other side of the conflict from the rest of the main cast. Personal flaws aside, he’s not evil, he just has different priorities. But the show clearly presents him as the bad guy.

Hamilton literally has Aaron Burr *call himself* the villain, but the show does so much to humanize him that it’s hard to read him that way. (At least as far as the cast album goes.) Antagonist, yes. Opponent, absolutely. But he’s presented much more sympathetically than Benny, even though he actually kills the hero.

Worth noting that LA’s air continues to get better…

Worth noting that LA’s air continues to get better, and the region has seen a *90% reduction in particle pollution* over the 17 years the report has been running.

LA Still Has Nation’s Unhealthiest Air, But There’s Reason to Breathe Easier

Los Angeles continues to earn its reputation for smog, but air pollution dropped to the lowest level in 17 years of monitoring.

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Interesting approach: Figure out exactly what makes a bacteria strain resistant to a given antibiotic…

Interesting approach: Figure out exactly what makes a bacteria strain resistant to a given antibiotic, then find molecules that counteract that resistance, allowing the old antibiotic to still be effective.

Sidekick chemicals reverse antibiotic resistance in microbes

Mouse study suggests molecules safely restore antibiotics’ ability to take down MRSA.

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Graphics showing the effect of vaccines on some high-profile diseases

http://graphics.wsj.com/infectious-diseases-and-vaccines/

A nice collection of graphics showing the effect of vaccines on some high-profile diseases over the 20th century. It's interesting to see some of them drop off dramatically while others taper off slowly (perhaps due to slower distribution?) It's also interesting to see just how prevalent some of these diseases used to be.

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Even the ultra-Libertarian *Cato Institute* explains why Syrian refugees are not a security threat….

https://www.cato.org/blog/syrian-refugees-dont-pose-serious-security-threat

Even the ultra-Libertarian *Cato Institute* explains why Syrian refugees are not a security threat. TL;DR: Vetting refugees takes a long time and is very thorough, and chances of actual terrorists getting through the years-long process are extremely low. There are other, *much* easier ways ISIS could get operatives into the US than hiding them among people who have left everything behind to escape a war zone.

Connecting with your kids through shared fandom.

“The Force Is What Binds Us”: One Mom Uses the Greatest Power in the Galaxy to Connect With Her Son

I thought that it might be too much for Colin. He had trouble following directions. He lacked the fine motor skills to engage his lightsaber. I knew he would get frustrated. Maybe it was the ‘Star Wars’ fan in me, but autism or no autism, I believed that he could do this.

Connecting with your kids through shared fandom.

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