[BLOG] Some Thursday links

[rfmcdonald]

• Crooked Timber continues its immigration and open borders symposium, wondering about the European Union.


• The Dragon's Gaze links to a paper suggesting that brown dwarfs will also form planets out of their discs.


• The Dragon's Tales tracks the Ukrainian conflict.


• Eastern Approaches notes that, despite continued warm feelings for the United States, Poland is now becoming concerned with its affairs as a European power.


• Language Hat notes how for many Russians in the 19th century, Francophilia was seen as a shame, a betrayal.


• At Language of the World, Asya Perelstvaig notes efforts among some local Christian Arabs to revive the Aramaic language.


• James Nicoll of More Words, Deeper Hole reviews fondly the Joan Vinge classic novel Psion.


• At the Planetary Society Blog, Bill Dunford shares photos of the tracks of Mars rovers taken by the rovers themselves.


• Steve Munro links to John Lorinc's series of articles at Spacing on the neglect of transit to the benefit of talking in Scarborough.


• Towleroad notes a recent meeting held in Vienna, funded by a Russian oligarch, aimed at fighting gays.


• Window on Eurasia notes the role played by Facebook in coordinating recent anti-government protests in Abkhazia and observes fears for the Crimean Tatars among scholars.