[LINK] Some Wednesday Links

[rfmcdonald]

• Kevin Plummer at Torontoist "The Mystery Of The Mystery Writer" explores The Calling, a well-reviewed first-time mystery novel by a noted Canadian novelist writing under a pseudonym. (He thinks it might be Michael Redhill.


• blogTo's Jerrold is critical of the TTC workers union, criticizing it for helping its members shirk their jobs. The discussion in the comments is heated.


• In honour of Gary Gygax, Charlie Stross produces Dungeons and Dragons character sheets for the three leading candidates for president of the United States.


• Centauri Dreams wonders how it might be possible to move the Earth into safer orbits as the Sun heats up
  
• On the Eliot Spitzer mess, Joe. My. God links to a New York Times editorial by Dina Matos McGreevey, ex-wife of once-closeted former New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey, criticizes the tradition of having the wife stand next to their political husbands after sexual scandals. (As I recall from her books, she was pretty heavily drugged at the time of her press conference.) Boing Boing links to an analysis in Newsweek about the motives driving prostitutes and their clients.


• Norman Geras takes issue with a writer for The Guardian who took the time to explain that, despite his opposition to terrorism across the board, Michael Burleigh was pretty liberal. I wouldn't know; I put down his Sacred Causes after I came across one disparaging reference to homosexuals too many.