[LINK] Some Friday Links

[rfmcdonald]

• Alpha Sources' Claus Vistesen warns about how rising inflation and exchange rate worries and falling credit ratings in Ukraine, besides promising bad things for that country, not only reflects wider trends in post-Communist Europe (Hungary and Romania are mentioned) but reflects a global environment in which central banks are trying to control inflation at the expense of growth.


• Phil Hunt at Amused Cynicism favours the introduction of thoroughly critical and comparative religious study classes in school, if not for the same reasons that I would pick.


• 'Aqoul's Shaheen writes about Saudi Arabia's abandonment of its ludicrous decades-old program of subsidizing wheat growing and exporting with precious reserves of non-renewable fossil water. Government subsidies to major business groups and families seems to be at least partly responsible for this program's survival.


• blogTo is now releasing its paper maps of different Toronto neighbourhoods.


• Over at Centauri Dreams, Larry Klaes and blog owner Paul Gilster talk at length about the possibilities of generation starships, massive manned spacecraft that would take centuries if not millennia to reach other planetary systems.


• Daniel Drezner's blog examines the interesting topic of the growth of Chinese soft power. The comments area is quite active.


• The Dragon's Tales takes a look at the geographical distribution of the five hundred fastest supercomputers. Surprisingly, Canada only has two, versus Slovenia's one.


• Over at Hunting Monsters, Ian notes that the Israeli-Hamas truce doesn't seem like much of a truce and that the European Union is strengthening its Israeli ties regardless.


• Joe. My. God reports that the usual suspects are upset with Katy Perry's hit song "I Kissed a Girl." Surprised?


• According to Marginal Revolution, more sex is safe(r) sex.


• Otto Pohl writes about the complicated problems facing Central Asians as they relate to their historical memories of the Stalinist era.


• Pure Product of America celebrates gay marriage in California.


• Danish coins can be very confusing for Canadians.


• Spacing shows us the Royal Ontario Museum's new rooftop garden.