[PHOTO] Playing amidst a fallen empire, Queen's Park

The children playing on Canada Day around the equestrian statue of Edward VI, originally mounted in New Delhi to celebrate the British Empire and later shipped to Canada when independent India had enough of it, evoked the fall of empires to me.

[BLOG] Some Monday links

• io9 notes that Livejournal's mascot Frank the Goat has made one last appearance, thanks to his creator.


• James Bow announces that, after a month of writing and family, he's back to his blog.


• Joe. My. God. notes that the far-right AfD in Germany is trying to stop marriage equality.


• Lawyers, Guns and Money rightly does not understand what people mean by talking of a Trump administration "failing". It can still wreak terrible damage.


• The Map Room Blog shares a lovely map of the Arctic circumpolar region of the Earth.


• Marginal Revolution notes that tourism has become the dominant growth sector of the Greek economy.
  
• Savage Minds shares Taylor R. Genovese essay invoking and exploring the magic and ritual of human spaceflight. (More to come.)


• Understanding Society considers and approves of the idea of a guaranteed minimum income, necessary supplement in a time of scarce good jobs.


• Unicorn Booty notes the many ways in which Trumpcare will leave queer LGBTQ people worse off.
  
• The Volokh Conspiracy's Dale Carpenter again engages, after Texas' ruling, with the idea of equality for all married couples.


• Window on Eurasia notes that only a small fraction of Russia's planned spending on the Arctic has actually materialized.

[NEWS] Five links on infrastructure, from Toronto parks and climate change to nuclear energy

• Nikhil Sharma at Torontoist looks at the latest City of Toronto TransformTO report on adapting to climate change.


• The Toronto Star Fatima Syed looks at how community organizations in Toronto are getting involved in running local parks.


• Politico.eu notes how Malta, despite having plenty of sun, is having difficulty getting solar energy (and other alternative energy) up and running.


• The Inter Press Service examines the potential complexities involved in China's involvement in Argentina's nuclear energy program.


• VICE reports on the desperate need to get Ojibwa consent before building a nuclear waste disposal site on their traditional lands.