Reading archive 2021-11-08

Aaron Rodgers said he did the research on covid vaccines. Here’s how he was wrong, according to experts

My hearing isn’t what it used to be. But will I look old wearing an ear device?

Nearing Monday coronavirus vaccine deadline, thousands of federal workers seek religious exemptions to avoid shots

A 16-year-old girl learned a hand gesture on TikTok to signal for help. Law enforcement says it saved her life.

Mold, mice, month of protests put Howard’s housing contract under scrutiny: Students are calling on Howard University leaders to cut ties with the private company that manages 60 percent of campus housing.

Capitol rioter Evan Neumann applies for asylum in Belarus, local media says

A Dog’s Life: Why are so many people so cruel to their dogs? My search to understand a hidden scourge.

Mitch McConnell spent decades chasing power. Now he heeds Trump, who mocks him and wants him gone.: How one of Washington’s longtime Republican power players succumbed to the preeminence of the 45th president

Jordan Love, Trevor Siemian, and The Replacements - "Yet Rodgers is a grievance junkie, perpetually dissatisfied with his coaches, his team, the NFL, the union, his own family, and now, apparently, the scientific community and much of mainstream society. Rodgers believes he's a better general manager, epidemiologist, and (presumably) game show host than the folks who do those things for a living, and he's bitterly disappointed at all of us who are foolish enough to disagree. He's never a very happy camper."

How not to do outside research: Aaron Rodgers offers a master class in what an independent thinker should not do - "Rodgers told a lot more falsehoods, but life is short and you can read about his hubris elsewhere. What is fascinating about this is that Rodgers should know better. Any professional football player must encounter 'independent thinkers' who tell him how he could play his game better all the time. My podcast partner Ana Marie Cox justifiably tweets, '[imagine] how Rodgers responds to the fans who tell him they’ve put a lot of time and energy into researching and met with a lot of different people in the football field and they really think he shouldn’t have gone for it on that last fourth down.' He would probably be pretty annoyed!"

The strategic hole at the center of ‘Dune’: I enjoy almost everything about “Dune.” Except this one thing.

Opinion: Indictment of Steele dossier source is more bad news for multiple media outlets

Scoop: Ex-D.C. Council member Harry Thomas plans run

After embezzling youth funds, a former D.C. lawmaker reenters politics - "Ursula Higgins, a neighborhood commissioner in Ward 5, called Thomas’s return 'fantastic.' 

"'Yes, he has had things he has done in the past, and he has paid the price for his actions,' Higgins said. 'But I also think he has the heart and desire for the city to go in a positive direction.'

...

"Harry Thomas, in contrast, eased his way back into politics. He worked on Dionne Reeder’s unsuccessful 2018 council campaign and has done consulting work for local businesses. He told The Washington Post he has also been advocating for criminal justice reform and against prison labor."