[LINK] Some Friday links

[rfmcdonald]

• Amused Cynicism reports on Sarah Palin's belief that God told the United States to invade Iraq. Is it wrong for me to not be especially surprised at this sort of thing anymore?


• At 'Aqoul, The Lounsbury blogs about the potentially profitable abundance of nitrogen in the Middle East and questions about the relationship of language to corporate opacity among some companies in that region.


• Greg Davis at blogto reacts to the new Metrolinx transit plan ("an answer to the question 'if money was no issue what would you do to improve transit in the GTA?'") and 34 comments follow.


• Centauri Dreams reports on a book containing some of the latest work on solar sails, spacecraft propelled by the impact of light on highly-reflective low-mass "sails."


• Daniel Drezner (now a senior editor at The National Interest) reflects how the fact that the US/EU-sponsored state of Kosovo has been recognized by 46 countries while the Russia-sponsored states of Abkhazia and South Ossetia have been recognized only by Russia and Nicaragua says something about the distribution of power in the world.


• Gideon Rachman reports on Thailand's People’s Alliance for Democracy, a political movement that wants 70% of the seats in the Thai parliament to be appointed because it distrusts the ability of the rural majority of the country to choose wisely. Parallels with Ataturkism and Turkey, anyone?


• Spacing Toronto says that Torontonians should be happy that we don't live in Detroit.