[BLOG] Some Friday links

[rfmcdonald]

• At 80 Beats, notes are made of the fact that, at the time of the Roman Empire's fall, the climate of the Mediterranean was drying out. Was there a connection?


• Beyond the Beyond' Bruce Sterling observes that plans are being made in the United Kingdom to build a working replica of EDSAC, the first working computer.


• blogTO's Derek Flack shows, with pictures, the speed and state of the renovations of Toronto's Maple Leafs Gardens arena.


• At A Fistful of Euros, Edward Hugh summarizes the post-crash Estonian recovery. He admires the swift recovery, but fears that the low-hanging fruit have been plucked. Where will Estonia's future growth prospects come from?


• Inuit Panda Scarlet Carwash's Ian is decidedly unimpressed by the self-entitlement and selective blindness of modern composers.


• Language Hat provides an update on the latest issues of the Polish minority in Lithuania, this time relating to Lithuania's location in a time zone one hour in advance of Poland's.


• Slap Upside the Head remarks on an American minister who blamed recent mysterious mass bird deaths in Arkansas on same-sex marriage..


• The Search's Douglas Todd links to a moving essay on the nature of love in a time of tension ans fear and hate.


• At The Way the Future Blogs, Frederik Pohl is really unimpressed with the NRA for its role in legalizing the Glock handgun used in the Arizona mass shooting.


• Finally, A Yorkshire Ranter's Alex Harrowell observes that while a large-scale war between the Koreas is unlikely, smaller conflicts are still quite possible.