Anti-Vaxers and Grief Predators

I've long wondered how, in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, anti-vaccination nonsense continues to hang on with such tenacity.

Then I read this account of a woman's experience attending an anti-vaccination convention, and I figured it out:

Like many wrong ideas that live long past their expiration date, someone's making a buck promulgating the disproved idea that vaccinations are harmful.

And anti-vaccination conventions are example number one. (Books written and speaker fees received by prominent anti-vaxers are example two.) Anti-vax conventions and people associated with them benefit financially when parents are misinformed. And who better to target than people who're hurting and looking for answers, such as the parents of autistic children? Just like psychics and mediums who take money from grieving wives, husbands, and parents of recently lost loved-ones, those pushing the idea that vaccination equals autism are grief predators. They're cashing in on parents who buy their books, buy their alt-meds, and attend their conventions and talks.

One Skeptic's Experience at an anti-vax convention: http://bit.ly/lBDW26

NASA Corrected by a 13 Year Old Boy?

It says a 13 year old corrected NASA right here!

But of course, it is SOOO useful to read every piece of news with a skeptical eye. As it turns out, this story is completely inaccurate, apparently a fabrication.

Once again, the Internet proves it can be used for a tool of good, too (as opposed to merely being a tool for spreading misinformation). Just have to spend a little more time gathering in the threads, I guess.