[LINK] Some Friday links

[rfmcdonald]

• Acts of Minor Treasons' Andrew Barton blogs about the power problems of Iqaluit, capital of the Arctic territory of Nunavut, as symptomatic of Canada's neglect of the north and wonders if a compact nuclear reactor might be a good solution.


• Boing Boing's Cory Doctorow reproduces part of a 1965 IKEA catalogue.


• At Broadsides, Antonia Zerbisias blogs about how anti-choice activists have consistently lied about so-called "abortion trauma syndrome."


• Centauri Dreams speculates as to the possibility of whether or not a brown dwarf--briefly, a massive object heavier than a planet but not heavy enough to become a star--lies close to Earth. The blog also reports on speculation that stars with massive planets may have evolved nearer to the galactic core than others.


• Will Baird reports that fog has been found on Titan, suggesting the recycling of liquid in Titan's atmosphere in a model very similar to the water cycle on Earth.


• Far Outliers mentions intra-Buddhist civil war in late medieval/early modern Japan.


• Hunting Monsters suggests that British relatives of the dead in the Lockerbie disaster seem to be reacting to the convicted Libyan al-Megrahi's release less negatively than their American counterparts because they're aware of questions over the official conclusions and because they know about many wrongful prosecution cases at home.


• Joe. My. God reports on new studies which report that, in the United States, gay/bi men contract HIV at 50 times the rate of the general population.


• Marginal Revolution rehearses the ancient debate as to whether Americans or Europeans live better and more prosperous lives.


• Noel Maurer wonders why the Mexican government's response to the recession is to cut spending, rather than increase it in good counter-cyclical manner. Also, he has questions about Canadian oil taxes.


• Slap Upside the Head blogs about how a Minnesota pastor blames a recent tornado in that state on same-sex blessings.


• Towleroad reports that Uruguay, already one of the most GLBT-friendly countries in South America, is about to legalize gay adoption.


• The Vanity Press' Chet Scoville writes about the disconnection of so many right-wingers in the United States with reality. Death panels indeed!


• Window on Eurasia suggests that Medvedev is referring to Ukraine as--roughly speaking--"the" Ukraine as opposed to Ukraine, I think, perhaps suggesting a certain tension regarding Ukrainian nationhood.