On March 22, a fire burned about 100 huts to the ground in a Burmese refugee camp in Thailand, killing at least 35 people and leaving thousands homeless. The refugee camp, Ban Mae Surin, is home to thousands of refugees of Karen descent who fled Burma due to ethnic genocide and fighting between Karen guerrillas and the government.

Last week the Journal of Pediatrics released a study that confirmed what every competent pediatrician and parent has known for some time: The number of vaccinations a child receives is in no way related to her risk of becoming autistic.

My mothers chatted cheerfully during our ride back home. It was the last day of winter break of my sophomore year in high school,  and we were returning from a winter vacation at our house in Maine. Rather than dreading our return home, however, we shared an excited alacrity for the stop we would make on the way — my mothers were about to be legally married.