[LINK] Some Friday links

[rfmcdonald]

To start things off, blogTO, Spacing Toronto, and Torontoist (1, 2) all have posts covering last night's storm here in Toronto.

• Far Outliers examines the reasons behind Japan's shift towards stronger patriarchy from the 13th century on and the reaction of many women to this.


• Hunting Monsters examines the inordinately complex procedures behind electing city mayors in Bosnia's Mostar and reflects on the lack of reckoning for perpetrators of war crimes.


• Language Hat links to an article exploring the phrases that Welsh-speakers use while texting.


• Marginal Revolution reports on how market distortions in Iraq--in this case, in the Yezidi marriage market's dowries--can be transformative.
  
• Noel Maurer discovers that Brazil's generous terms with can also be expected to be repeated with Peru, as powerful but generous Brazil organizes South America around itself. Confusion over Mexican government spending priorities also features, rightly.


• Slap Upside the Head reports on the case of a Vancouver lesbian couple who were denied the right to a Sunday family transit pass by a bus driver.


• Spacing Toronto's Sean Marshall takes a look at Philadelphia's new streetcars and their routes.


• Strange Maps examines the history of the much-searched after but ultimately fraudulent arctic island of Buss.


• Towleroad reports on the case of an Israeli DJ at a Bedouin wedding party for insisting on playing the Pet Shop Boys.


• Window on Eurasia features various links, one suggesting that many Russians don't accept Ukrainians' lack of a Russian identity either cultural or political, another speculating that Chechnya's increased isolation from Russia and from modern socioeconomic structures might lead to its secession.