[LINK] Some Friday links

[rfmcdonald]

• blogTO shares the sad news that Annex restaurant Dooney's Cafe seems to have gone out of business.


• Centauri Dreams covers the news that Jupiter's moon Europa and Saturn's moon Titan are both slated to receive orbiters. It also speculates on the interesting question of whether Europa has a thin ice crust above its water ocean or a thick one, the former being much more favourable to human exploration and--quite possibly--the correct model.


• A Fistful of Euros' Edward Hugh reports that the Russian economy is shrinking at an annualized rate of 8.8% and points out that other people apart from him are calling for the emergency admission of the beleaguered new central European member-states of the EU to the Eurozone.


• According to Gideon Rachman, Chinese policy wonks are rather sanguine about the prospects for their country' political and economic systems.


• Joe. My. God links to the statements of a Colorado Republican who apparently believes in the concept of original sin, based on his argument against prenatal testing of mothers for HIV infection on the grounds that if HIV-infected mothers pass on the virus to the children they'll feel that much more guilty about their sinful behaviours.


• Language Hat links to Charlie Stross' explanation of why science-fiction novels have gotten to be so long in recent years.


• Lawyers, Guns and Money points out that Sarah Palin isn't being respected not because the media are out for her but because she has shown herself singularly dense.


• Edward Lucas argues that Europe should remain tough on Belarus, refusing to let itself be used as a bargaining chip in relation to Russia.


• Noel Maurer shares the news that Argentina's mooted high-speed train is defunct and compares Argentina's turn-of-the-century economic crash with central Europe's ongoing trauma.


• pauldrye explores the Yonagumi monument, a possibly-though-not-likely megalithic monument on the continental shelf off of Japan's Ryukyu islands that has been a subject of some controversy.


• Slap Upside the Head reports on the strongly negative effect that the stripping of charity status from the Pride Centre of Edmonton is likely to have on that institution, particularly on isolated seniors.


• Space and Culture reports on a recent conference examining the fragmentation of early 21st century Toronto and ways to repair it.


• Spacing Toronto reproduces the excitement of Torontonians in 1931 when the Toronto Coach Terminal building was opened.


• Towleroad reports that Cyndi Lauper has no problem with Madonna dating someone two-fifths of her age.


• Paul Goble at Windows of Eurasia makes the interesting argument that Russia favours Georgia's federalization as a way to keep that country in its sphere of influence. That might be true. It's also the case that given Georgia's very sketchy history re: its ethnic minorities since independence that federalization is the only way for the country to function with all of its parts happy. He also points out that many small and not-so-small language communities in Russia are on the verge of assimilation into the wider Russophone community.