[BLOG] Some Monday links

[rfmcdonald]

• Bad Astronomy's Phil Plait evaluates a video of a skydiver almost hit by a meteroroid and finds it plausible.


• The Dragon's Gaze links to a paper suggesting that we don't know which processes lead to stars and which to brown dwarfs.


• Language Log's Mark Liberman notes interesting gendered pronoun usage in a new science fiction novel.


• Lawyers, Guns and Money is not sympathetic towards Brandon Eich and argues that multicultural accomodation isn't inherently irrational.


• Marginal Revolution seems to have grudging respect for Michael Lewis' new book Flash Boys.


• Towleroad notes the recent statement of Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the Church of England, that embracing same-sex marriage could inadvertently lead to the persecution and murder of Christians around in the world, particularly in Africa. (One finds one's allies where one can.


• At Window on Eurasia, note is made of various arguments: one argues that Russian national identity is synthetic and assimilatory; another argues that, given Ukrainian public opinion, Russia's only prospects for further expansion lie in force; still another takes note of Eurasianist threats against Azerbaijan.