[BLOG] Some Thursday links

[rfmcdonald]

• 80 Beats' suggests that the world reacted quickly to solve the ozone hole problem but hasn't done nearly as much on global warming because the links between cause and effect seemed so much more visible.


• Andrew Barton at Acts of Minor Treason wonders if Toronto might not do well to encourage Banksy-like street art, the better to beautify drab public spaces.


• Centauri Dreams reports on how very little Voyager 1 has traveled on a cosmic scale, and on the very long-range repair efforts being directed towards Voyager 2's flight data system.


• Daniel Drezner is wary of a new China-Taiwan free trade agreement that could destabilize things if China tries to use its economic muscle against Taiwan too carelessly.


• At A Fistful of Euros, Alex Harrowell makes the point that detailed polls suggest that Britons are, broadly speaking, left of centre. There isn't even as much hostility to the European Union as some suggest.


• At GNXP, Razib Khan blogs about how the preliminary analyses of the similarities between human and Neanderthal genomes suggest that the main differences were related to relatively superficial details like skin, and that there's no reason to think that Neanderthals were less intelligent than humans.


• At Itching for Eestimaa, Palin writes about how the controversy over language policies in Ukraine relates to the one in Estonia. The counry's traditional minorities legislation can't cope with a large and diverse community like the Russophones.


• Language Hat writes about Juhuri, the Persian-like language spoken by the Mountain Jews of the Caucasus.


• Slap Upside the Head notes that an Iowa Senator is strongly opposed to the idea of changing state campground regulations to let same-sex couples with their families set up their tents in family areas.


• Understanding Society makes the point that the key to undermining segregation and poverty in inner-city areas, and to make upwards mobility something that can be experienced in a lifetime not generations, is to radically improve education systems.