rfmcdonald | Entries tagged with kazakhstan

What will become of the Azerbaijani language in education in Iran? More here.

Is a Russia-Belarus state union feasible? More here.

Is Estonia, as some would have it, a viable model for the Finnic Mordvin peoples of the Russian interior? More here.

Will Russia be happy with its alliance with China if this makes it a secondary partner, a relatively weaker exporter of resources? More here.

How many Muslims are there in Moscow, and what import does the controversy over their numbers carry? More here.

Is the Russian fertility rate set to stagnate, leading to long-term sharp decline? More here.

If 10% of the Russian working-age population has emigrated, this has serious consequences for the future of Russia. More here.

Irredentism in Kazakhstan, inspired by the example of Crimea, is just starting to be a thing. More here.

The decline of Russian populations in the north of Kazakhstan, and the growth of Uzbeks, is noteworthy. More here.

The different Russian proposals for the future of the Donbas, an analyst notes, are built to keep Ukraine a neutral country. More here.

Bad Astronomer Phil Plait notes how a photo of the Large Magellanic Cloud makes him recognize it as an irregular spiral, not a blob.

Centauri Dreams celebrates the life of cosmonaut Alexei Leonov.

John Quiggin at Crooked Timber takes issue with one particular claim about the benefits of war and empire.

The Crux looks at fatal familial insomnia, a genetic disease that kills through inflicting sleeplessness on its victims.

D-Brief looks at suggestions that magnetars are formed by the collisions of stars.

Dangerous Minds introduces readers to the fantasy art of Arthur Rackham.

Cody Delistraty considers some evidence suggesting that plants have a particular kind of intelligence.

The Dragon's Tales notes the expansion by Russia of its airbase in Hneymim, Syria.

Karen Sternheimer writes at the Everyday Sociology Blog about the critical and changing position of libraries as public spaces in our cities.

Gizmodo looks at one marvelous way scientists have found to cheat quantum mechanics.

Information is Beautiful outlines a sensible proposal to state to cultivate seaweed a as source of food and fuel.

io9 notes that, in the exciting new X-Men relaunch, immortal Moira MacTaggart is getting her own solo book.

JSTOR Daily notes how the now-defunct Thomas Cook travel agency played a role in supporting British imperialism, back in the day.

Language Log notes that the Oxford English Dictionary is citing the blog on the use of "their" as a singular.

Scott Lemieux at Lawyers, Guns and Money considers the grounds for impeaching Donald Trump.

The LRB Blog looks at the politics of Mozambique at the country approaches dangerous times.

Sean Marshall notes the southern Ontario roads that run to Paris and to London.

Neuroskeptic notes a problematic scientific study that tried to use rabbits to study the female human orgasm.

Steve Baker at The Numerati looks at a new book on journalism by veteran Peter Copeland.

The NYR Daily makes the point that depending on biomass as a green energy solution is foolish.

The Planetary Science Blog notes a 1983 letter by then-president Carl Sagan calling for a NASA mission to Saturn and Titan.

Roads and Kingdoms interviews photojournalist Eduardo Leal on his home city of Porto, particularly as transformed by tourism.

Drew Rowsome notes the book Dreamland, an examination of the early amusement park.

The Russian Demographics Blog shares a paper considering, in broad detail, how the consequence of population aging could be mitigated in the labour market of the European Union.

Strange Company reports on a bizarre poltergeist in a British garden shed.

Window on Eurasia notes the new strength of a civic national identity in Kazakhstan, based on extensive polling.

Arnold Zwicky, surely as qualified a linguist as any, examines current verb of the American moment, "depose".

Another links post is up over at Demography Matters!

Skepticism about immigration in many traditional receiving countries appeared. Frances Woolley at the Worthwhile Canadian Initiative took issue with the argument of Andray Domise after an EKOS poll, that Canadians would not know much about the nature of migration flows. The Conversation observed how the rise of Vox in Spain means that country’s language on immigration is set to change towards greater skepticism. Elsewhere, the SCMP called on South Korea, facing pronounced population aging and workforce shrinkages, to become more open to immigrants and minorities.

Cities facing challenges were a recurring theme. This Irish Examiner article, part of a series, considers how the Republic of Ireland’s second city of Cork can best break free from the dominance of Dublin to develop its own potential. Also on Ireland, the NYR Daily looked at how Brexit and a hardened border will hit the Northern Ireland city of Derry, with its Catholic majority and its location neighbouring the Republic. CityLab reported on black migration patterns in different American cities, noting gains in the South, is fascinating. As for the threat of Donald Trump to send undocumented immigrants to sanctuary cities in the United States has widely noted., at least one observer noted that sending undocumented immigrants to cities where they could connect with fellow diasporids and build secure lives might actually be a good solution.

Declining rural settlements featured, too. The Guardian reported from the Castilian town of Sayatón, a disappearing town that has become a symbol of depopulating rural Spain. Global News, similarly, noted that the loss by the small Nova Scotia community of Blacks Harbour of its only grocery store presaged perhaps a future of decline. VICE, meanwhile, reported on the very relevant story about how resettled refugees helped revive the Italian town of Sutera, on the island of Sicily. (The Guardian, to its credit, mentioned how immigration played a role in keeping up numbers in Sayatón, though the second generation did not stay.)

The position of Francophone minorities in Canada, meanwhile, also popped up at me.
This TVO article about the forces facing the École secondaire Confédération in the southern Ontario city of Welland is a fascinating study of minority dynamics. A brief article touches on efforts in the Franco-Manitoban community of Winnipeg to provide temporary shelter for new Francophone immigrants. CBC reported, meanwhile, that Francophones in New Brunswick continue to face pressure, with their numbers despite overall population growth and with Francophones being much more likely to be bilingual than Anglophones. This last fact is a particularly notable issue inasmuch as New Brunswick's Francophones constitute the second-largest Francophone community outside of Québec, and have traditionally been more resistant to language shift and assimilation than the more numerous Franco-Ontarians.

The Eurasia-focused links blog Window on Eurasia pointed to some issues. It considered if the new Russian policy of handing out passports to residents of the Donbas republics is related to a policy of trying to bolster the population of Russia, whether fictively or actually. (I'm skeptical there will be much change, myself: There has already been quite a lot of emigration from the Donbas republics to various destinations, and I suspect that more would see the sort of wholesale migration of entire families, even communities, that would add to Russian numbers but not necessarily alter population pyramids.) Migration within Russia was also touched upon, whether on in an attempt to explain the sharp drop in the ethnic Russian population of Tuva in the 1990s or in the argument of one Muslim community leader in the northern boomtown of Norilsk that a quarter of that city's population is of Muslim background.

Eurasian concerns also featured. The Russian Demographics Blog observed, correctly, that one reason why Ukrainians are more prone to emigration to Europe and points beyond than Russians is that Ukraine has long been included, in whole or in part, in various European states. As well, Marginal Revolution linked to a paper that examines the positions of Jews in the economies of eastern Europe as a “rural service minority”, and observed the substantial demographic shifts occurring in Kazakhstan since independence, with Kazakh majorities appearing throughout the country.
JSTOR Daily considered if, between the drop in fertility that developing China was likely to undergo anyway and the continuing resentments of the Chinese, the one-child policy was worth it. I'm inclined to say no, based not least on the evidence of the rapid fall in East Asian fertility outside of China.

What will Britons living in the EU-27 do, faced with Brexit? Bloomberg noted the challenge of British immigrant workers in Luxembourg faced with Brexit, as Politico Europe did their counterparts living in Brussels.

Finally, at the Inter Press Service, A.D. Mackenzie wrote about an interesting exhibit at the Musée de l’histoire de l’immigration in Paris on the contributions made by immigrants to popular music in Britain and France from the 1960s to the 1980s.

Centauri Dreams considers the possibility of carbon dioxide being a biosignature in the atmospheres of exoplanets.

D-Brief notes the discoveries of Hayabusa2 at asteroid Ryugu, including the possibility it was part of a larger body.

Gizmodo links to a new analysis suggesting the behaviour of 'Oumuamua was not so unprecedented after all, that it was a simple exocomet.

JSTOR Daily looks at Agnes Chase, an early 20th century biologist who did remarkable things, both with science and with getting women into her field.

Robert Farley at Lawyers, Guns and Money links to a new article of his analyzing the new aircraft carriers of Japan, noting not just their power but the effective lack of limits on Japanese military strength.

Marginal Revolution notes the substantial demographic shifts occurring in Kazakhstan since independence, with Kazakh majorities appearing throughout the country.

Neuroskeptic considers if independent discussion sections for online papers would make sense.

The NYR Daily shares a photo essay by Louis Witter reporting on Moroccan boys seeking to migrate to Europe through Ceuta.

Roads and Kingdoms has an interview with photographer Brett Gundlock about his images of Latin American migrants in Mexico seeking the US.

Starts With A Bang's Ethan Siegel explores the mass extinction and extended ice age following the development of photosynthesis and appearance of atmospheric oxygen on Earth two billion years ago.

Window on Eurasia notes that, in Karabakh, Jehovah's Witnesses now constitute the biggest religious minority.

Bad Astronomer Phil Plait looks at planetary nebulas, beautiful byproducts of the ends of stars.

Centauri Dreams shares an essay by Mark Millis looking at how NASA evaluates proposed new propulsion methods.

Bruce Dorminey takes a look at some interesting facts about the development of the Boeing 747.

L.M. Sacasas at The Frailest Thing considers the ways in which deepfakes, allowing for alternate personalities online, evoke the Bunburying of Oscar Wilde.

Gizmodo notes that neutron star collisions might well reveal mysterious quark matter, if only they occurred within sight of us.

JSTOR Daily considers the sensuous nature of the Jane Austen novel Persuasion.

Language Log considers a potential case for Sinitic origins in the Balto-Slavic word for "iron".

Scott Lemieux at Lawyers, Guns and Money considers the weakness of the centre as a major pull for American voters.

Marginal Revolution links to a paper concluding that Chinese workers are not being exploited by the manufacturing companies that may employ them.

Starts With A Bang's Ethan Siegel considers how the curvature of space-time under gravity can be measured.

Window on Eurasia considers two Kazakhstan observers who argue the country should switch from Kazakh-Russian bilingualism to Kazakh-English bilingualism.

Arnold Zwicky considers, after the Gay & Lesbian Review, the representation of different communities in the LGBT+ acronym, the utility of simple symbols, like "&" or "+".

Urban Toronto notes the rising towers of the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, at the western end of Line 1.

People in the city of Kingston are concerned by the implications of new Ontario government bills. Global News reports.

This CityLab article takes look at the potential, actual and lost and potential, of immigration to save the declining Ohio city of Youngstown.

Washington D.C, CityLab notes, is the latest city to be consumed by a debate over whether or not mass transit should be free.

Guardian Cities reports on the remarkable discovery of long-hidden public art in the former Kazakhstan capital of Almaty.

D-Brief notes that CRISPR is being used to edit the genes of pigs, the better to protect them against disease.

L.M. Sacasas at The Frailest Thing argues that silence on social networks is often not an option, that membership might compel one to speak. I wonder: That was not my experience with E-mail lists.

Joe. My. God. notes that social network Gab, favoured by the alt-right, disclaims any responsibility for giving the synagogue shooter in Pittsburgh a platform.

JSTOR Daily notes the massive, unprecedented, and environmentally disruptive growth of great mats of sargassum seaweed in the Caribbean.

Language Hat notes the poster's problems grappling with Doeteyevsky's complex novel The Devils, a messy novel product of messy times.

Language Log notes the use of pinyin on Wikipedia to annotate Chinese words.

Marginal Revolution links to a paper noting that data mining is not all-powerful if one is only mining noise.

Starts With A Bang's Ethan Siegel notes that, finally, we are making enough antimatter to be able to figure out whether antimatter is governed by gravity or antigravity.

At the Volokh Conspiracy, Ilya Somin talks about how he was threatened on Facebook by mail bomber Cesar Sayoc.

Window on Eurasia notes the 1947 deportation of more than a hundred thousand Ukrainians from the west of their country to Siberia and Kazakhstan.

Arnold Zwicky ruminates about late October holidays and their food, Hallowe'en not being the only one.

Eurasianet notes that the trial in Kazakhstan of an ethnic Kazakh woman from Xinjiang for illegal crossing is creating a public scandal via her revelations about the Chinese security state there.

J. Bradford Delong identifies some of the many institutional and economic issues of Qing China in the 19th century, explaining why catch-up to the West was not possible.

A very imperfect deterrence prevails between the United States and Iran, neither country being strong enough to make attack impossible. Global News reports.

The Intercept reported that the new government of Ecuador is negotiating with the British government to expel Assange from its London embassy.

Politico Europe notes that Germany is trying to catch up to the United States and China in the domain of artificial intelligence.

Architectuul looks at how, in Communist Romania, postcards sent from the resorts ot the Black Sea coast were used to bolster the image of the regime.

Bad Astronomy notes the evidence for a recent planetary collision in the young system of RW Aurigae A.

Crux visits the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, at present the main spaceport for human passengers on Earth.

D-Brief notes how radial velocity methods can be used to quickly find exoplanets with relatively distant orbits around their star.

Dead Things notes evidence that Neanderthals did make use of fire.

Hornet Stories notes an interview given by Barry Humphries, the actor behind Dame Edna, in which he reveals pro-Trump and anti-trans opinions.

At In Media Res, Russell Arben Fox grapples with the possibility of human technological civilization not being sustainable, not being natural.

JSTOR Daily looks at how early modern alchemists imagined human beings might be created.

Drew Rowsome celebrates the reappearance of Buddy Cole, the signature creation of Scott Thompson.

Towleroad shares an extended interview with Steven Canals, the screenwriter behind Pose, talking about this series' background and his goals.

At the Volokh Conspiracy, Jonathan M. Adler deconstructs the argument of Michael Anton against birthright citizenship in the United States.

At Worthwhile Canadian Initiative, Livio di Matteo wonders what Trump's incessant political Russophilia has in common with the CoDominium of SF writer Jerry Pournelle, a Russian-American alliance aimed at dominating the world.

At Anthro{dendum}, Daniel Miller writes about how some of the food he cooks evokes his history in Cuba-influenced Tampa.

Bad Astronomer notes an astonishingly high-resolution image of protoplanet Vesta taken from the Earth.

The Big Picture shares photos of the Kakuma refugee camp, in Kenya.

Centauri Dreams notes one proposal to help extend the life of a Type III civilization in the Milky Way Galaxy by importing stars from outside of the local group.

Crooked Timber's Corey Robin talks about changing minds in politics, inspired by the success of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Dangerous Minds shares the 1978 BBC documentary on surrealism, Europe After the Rain.

Far Outliers shares the third part of a summary of an article on African and Japanese mercenaries in Asia.

Hornet Stories reports on the regret of Buffy showrunner Marti Noxon that her show killed off Tara. (I agree: I liked her.)

At In Medias Res, Russell Arben Fox wonders what American farmers--by extension, perhaps, other farmers in other high-income societies--want. With their entire culture being undermine, what can they hope for?

Joe. My. God. notes how far-right groups in Europe are increasingly welcoming lesbian, gay, and bisexual members. (Not so much trans people, it seems.)

JSTOR Daily reports on the obvious utility of the humble beaver (in its North American homelands, at least).

Language Log considers the politics of the national language policy of China.

This Language Hat articlereporting on a conference on xenolinguistics, and the discussion in the comments, is fascinating. What can we hope to learn about non-human language? What will it have, and have not, in common?

The Power and the Money's Noel Maurer considers the slow corruption of independent institutions in Mexico that may occur under the presidency of AMLO.

Starts With A Bang's Ethan Siegel notes that, while we have not found life on Enceladus, we have found indicators of a world that could support life.

Window on Eurasia wonders if Russia is increasingly at risk of being displaced in Central Asia by a dynamic Kazakhstan.

Many things accumulated after a pause of a couple of months. Here are some of the best links to come about in this time.

Anthrodendum considers the issue of the security, or not, of cloud data storage used by anthropologists.

Architectuul takes a look at the very complex history of urban planning and architecture in the city of Skopje, linked to issues of disaster and identity.

Centauri Dreams features an essay by Ioannis Kokkidinis, examining the nature of the lunar settlement of Artemis in Andy Weir's novel of the same. What is it?

Crux notes the possibility that human organs for transplant might one day soon be grown to order.

D-Brief notes evidence that extrasolar visitor 'Oumuamua is actually more like a comet than an asteroid.

Bruce Dorminey makes the sensible argument that plans for colonizing Mars have to wait until we save Earth. (I myself have always thought the sort of environmental engineering necessary for Mars would be developed from techniques used on Earth.)

The Everyday Sociology Blog took an interesting look at the relationship between hobbies and work.

Far Outliers looks at how, in the belle époque, different European empires took different attitudes towards the emigration of their subjects depending on their ethnicity. (Russia was happy to be rid of Jews, while Hungary encouraged non-Magyars to leave.)

The Finger Post shares some photos taken by the author on a trip to the city of Granada, in Nicaragua.

The Frailest Thing's L.M. Sacasas makes an interesting argument as to the extent to which modern technology creates a new sense of self-consciousness in individuals.

Inkfish suggests that the bowhead whale has a more impressive repertoire of music--of song, at least--than the fabled humpback.

Information is Beautiful has a wonderful illustration of the Drake Equation.

JSTOR Daily takes a look at the American women who tried to prevent the Trail of Tears.

Language Hat takes a look at the diversity of Slovene dialects, this diversity perhaps reflecting the stability of the Slovene-inhabited territories over centuries.

Language Log considers the future of the Cantonese language in Hong Kong, faced with pressure from China.

Lawyers, Guns and Money notes how negatively disruptive a withdrawal of American forces from Germany would be for the United States and its position in the world.

Lingua Franca, at the Chronicle, notes the usefulness of the term "Latinx".

The LRB Blog reports on the restoration of a late 19th century Japanese-style garden in Britain.

The New APPS Blog considers the ways in which Facebook, through the power of big data, can help commodify personal likes.

Neuroskeptic reports on the use of ayahusasca as an anti-depressant. Can it work?

Justin Petrone, attending a Nordic scientific conference in Iceland to which Estonia was invited, talks about the frontiers of Nordic identity.

Personal Reflections' Jim Belshaw writes about what it is to be a literary historian.

Drew Rowsome praises Dylan Jones' new biographical collection of interviews with the intimates of David Bowie.

Peter Rukavina shares an old Guardian article from 1993, describing and showing the first webserver on Prince Edward Island.

Seriously Science notes the potential contagiousness of parrot laughter.

Understanding Society's Daniel Little t.com/2018/06/shakespeare-on-tyranny.htmltakes a look at the new Stephen Greenblatt book, Shakespeare on Power, about Shakespeare's perspectives on tyranny.

Window on Eurasia shares speculation as to what might happen if relations between Russia and Kazakhstan broke down.

Worthwhile Canadian Initiative noticed, before the election, the serious fiscal challenges facing Ontario.

Yorkshire Ranter Alex Harrowell points out that creating a national ID database in the UK without issuing actual cards would be a nightmare.

Arnold Zwicky reports on a strand of his Swiss family's history found in a Paris building.

I recently revisited North York, at Yonge and Sheppard, and was in a position to see from the north the Emerald Park Condos just south of Sheppard. The striking design of these towers, as Urban Toronto noted back in 2011, clearly borrows heavily from the Emerald Towers built for the Kazakhstani capital of Astana..

Emerald Park Condos, from the north #toronto #northyork #yongestreet #emeraldparkcondos #towers #condos #green

The New York city of Plattsburgh is trying to limit Bitcoin mining locally, to avoid overusing its low electricity prices. VICE reports.

The LA Review of Books shares a story of a visitor's engagement with the Montréal of Saul Bellow, here.

Lyman Stone suggests that Cincinnati, even more than Pittsburgh, is in the middle of a noteworthy renaissance, over at In A State of Migration.

Palm Springs, in the California desert, apparently is in the middle of an eye-catching renewal. The Globe and Mail reports.

Open Democracy looks at this new effort to preserve the Soviet-era architectural heritage of Almaty, Kazakhstan's old capital city, here.

At Anthropology.net, Kamzib Kamrani looks at the Yamnaya horse culture of far eastern Europe and their connection to the spread of the Indo-Europeans.
Bad Astronomer Phil Plait looks at the predicted collision of China's Tiangong-1 space station. Where will it fall?

James Bow notes a Kickstarter funding effort to revive classic Canadian science fiction magazine Amazing Stories.

Centauri Dreams notes the impending retirement of the pioneering Kepler telescope, and what's being done in the time before this retirement.

D-Brief notes how nanowires made of gold and titanium were used to restore the sight of blind mice.

Russell Darnley takes a look at the indigenous people of Riau province, the Siak, who have been marginalized by (among other things) the Indonesian policy of transmigration.

Dead Things reports on more evidence of Denisovan ancestry in East Asian populations, with the suggestion that the trace of Denisovan ancestry in East Asia came from a different Denisovan population than the stronger traces in Melanesia.

Hornet Stories paints a compelling portrait of the West Texas oasis-like community of Marfa.

JSTOR Daily notes how indigenous mythology about illness was used to solve a hantavirus outbreak in New Mexico in the 1990s.

Language Log praises the technical style of a Google Translate translation of a text from German to English.

Lawyers, Guns and Money notes that, under the Shah, Iran was interested in building nuclear plants. Iranian nuclear aspirations go back a long way.

The LRB Blog looks at the unsettling elements of the literary, and other, popularity of Jordan Peterson.

Marginal Revolution notes the continuing existence of a glass ceiling even in relatively egalitarian Iceland.

The NYR Daily looks at the unsettling elements behind the rise of Xi Jinping to unchecked power. Transitions from an oligarchy to one-man rule are never good for a country, never mind one as big as China.

Drew Rowsome writes about Love, Cecil, a new film biography of photographer Cecil Beaton.

Peter Rukavina celebrates the 25th anniversary of his move to Prince Edward Island. That province, my native one, is much the better for his having moved there. Congratulations!

Window on Eurasia looks at a strange story of Russian speculation about Kazakh pan-Turkic irredentism for Orenburg that can be traced back to one of its own posts.

At Worthwhile Canadian Initiative, Frances Woolley takes the time to determine that Canadian university professors tend to be more left-wing than the general Canadian population, and to ask why this is the case.

'Nathan Smith at Apostrophen points out that claiming to disagree with homosexuality while respecting gay people is nonsensical. https://apostrophen.wordpress.com/2018/01/11/queer-isnt-an-opinion/

Centauri Dreams notes the innovative cheap PicSat satellite, currently monitoring Beta Pictoris with its known exoplanet. https://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=39109

Corey Robin at Crooked Timber argues that Trump is shaky, weaker than American democracy. (Not that that is going that well, mind.) http://crookedtimber.org/2018/01/13/trumps-power-is-shakier-than-american-democracy/

The Crux points out the sentient, including emotions, of any number of animal species. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2018/01/11/animals-feelings-sentient/

Far Outliers notes some German commanders in western Europe who quickly surrendered to the Allies in the Second World War, and why they did that. http://faroutliers.blogspot.com/2018/01/quick-german-surrenders-in-west.html

Hornet Stories notes how a court decision dealing with a Romanian man and his American husband could lead to European Union-wide recognition of same-sex marriage. https://hornetapp.com/stories/european-union-gay-marriage/

JSTOR Daily notes how air pollution is a human rights issue. https://daily.jstor.org/why-air-pollution-is-a-socioeconomic-issue/

Language Hat notes how the use of the apostrophe in the newly Latin script-using Kazakh language is controversial. http://languagehat.com/apostrophe-catastrophe-in-kazakhstan/

Geoffrey Pullim at Lingua Franca shares a passage from Muriel Spark's fiction depicting students' reactions to learning foreign languages. https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/linguafranca/2018/01/11/a-foreign-way-which-never-really-caught-on

The LRB Blog tells the story of Omid, an Iranian who managed to smuggle himself from his home country to a precarious life in the United Kingdom. https://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2018/01/15/behzad-yaghmaian/omids-journey/

The Map Room Blog shares a newly-updated map of "Trumpworld" the world as seen by Donald Trump. http://www.maproomblog.com/2018/01/trumpworld/

Marginal Revolution notes research indicating that dolphins have a grasp on economics, and what this indicates about their sentience. http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2018/01/dolphin-capital-theory.html

The Planetary Society Blog notes how the upcoming Europa Clipper probe will be able to analyze Europa's oceans without encountering plumes of water. http://www.planetary.org/blogs/jason-davis/2018/20180111-no-plumes-no-problem.html

The Power and the Money's Noel Maurer suggests that, with the declining import of informal rules in American politics, a future Democratic-majority Congress might be able to sneak through statehood for Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. http://noelmaurer.typepad.com/aab/2018/01/breaking-norms-by-adding-states.html

Rocky Planet reports on the disastrous mudflows that have hit southern California after the fires. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/rockyplanet/2018/01/12/mudflows-devastate-parts-of-southern-california/

Drew Rowsome praises new horror from Matt Ruff. http://drewrowsome.blogspot.com/2018/01/lovecraft-country-matt-ruffs-multi.html

Peter Rukavina talks about his positive experiences with a walk-in mental health clinic on the Island. https://ruk.ca/content/i-went-mental-health-walk-clinic-and-so-can-you

Strange Company talks about the bizarre 1982 disappearance of one Donald Kemp. Did he even die? http://strangeco.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-strange-exit-of-donald-kemp.html

Towleroad notes that Peter Thiel is trying to buy Gawker, perhaps to destroy its archives. http://www.towleroad.com/2018/01/gawker-peter-thiel/

Bad Astronomer Phil Plait shares one picture of a vast galaxy cluster to underline how small our place in the universe is.

The Boston Globe's The Big Picture shares some photos of Syrian refugee families as they settle into the United States.

Centauri Dreams looks at the Dragonfly proposal for a Titan lander.

The Crux notes the exceptional vulnerability of the cultivated banana to an otherwise obscure fungus.

Bruce Dorminey notes NASA's preparation of the Clipper mission to investigate Europa.

The Frailest Thing's Michael Sacasas takes a look at the role of surveillance in the life of the modern student.

Hornet Stories has a nice interview of Sina Grace, author of Marvel's Iceman book.

Joe. My. God. reshared this holiday season a lovely anecdote, "Dance of the Sugar Plum Lesbians."

JSTOR Daily took a look at why Americans like dieting so much.

The LRB Blog considers the Thames Barrier, the meager protection of London against tides in a time of climate change.

The Map Room Blog notes the digitization of radar maps of Antarctica going back to the 1960s.

Marginal Revolution seems cautiously optimistic about the prospects of Morocco.
Russell Darnley at maximos62 is skeptical about the prospects of the forests of Indonesia's Riau province.

Stephanie Land at the NYR Daily talks about how she managed to combine becoming a writer with being a single mother of two young children.

Out There argues a lunar fuel depot could help support crewed interplanetary exploration.

Science Sushi notes genetic evidence the lionfish invasion of the North Atlantic off Florida began not with a single escape but with many.

Starts With A Bang's Ethan Siegel makes the argument an unmanned probe to Alpha Centauri could have significant technological spinoffs.

Supernova Condensate makes the point, apropos of nothing at all, that spaceship collisions can in fact unleash vast amounts of energy.

Window on Eurasia notes that, while Kazakhs see practical advantages to cooperation with Russia, they also see some problems.

Centauri Dreams takes a look at how stellar winds from red dwarfs complicate the habitability of planets in their circumstellar habitable zones.

The Crux, noting the 75th anniversary of the atomic age, notes some non-nuclear weapons achievements of this era.

D-Brief notes the exceptional strength of prehistoric women farmers.

Daily JSTOR takes a look at the instantaneity and power--frightening power, even--of celebrity culture in an era where technology gives us access to the intimate details of their lives.

Far Outliers notes that Pearl Buck, American author and missionary in China, actually was egalitarian and feminist.

The Frailest Thing's Michael Sacasas considers all those texts created in the past, of importance then and relevant even now, which have been forgotten. How can the canon be restored?

Imageo shares photos of the eruption of Mount Agung, in Bali.

Language Hat notes the intense interest of Roman Italy in all things Egyptian, including hieroglyphics. Where, exactly, was the like European interest in the cultures it colonized more recently?

Language Log tries to find people who can identify the source language of a particular text. It seems Turkic ...

Lingua France talks about Robert Luis Stevenson and his opinions (and the blogger's) about the weather of Edinburgh.

Lovesick Cyborg notes the seriously destabilizing potential of roboticization on human employment. To what extent can improving education systems help?

Tariq Ali at the LRB Blog talks about the latest religious-political crisis in Pakistan.

The Map Room Blog links to an article describing a Vietnamese historian's search for cartographic proof of his country's claims in the South China Sea.

The NYR Daily considers an interesting question: how, exactly, do you get an actor to act naturally for film? What strategies do filmmakers use?

The Power and the Money's Noel Maurer notes a new genetic study hinting at a much greater survival of indigenous populations--women, at least--in Argentina than was previously suspected.

Roads and Kingdoms notes an interesting effort to try to preserve and restore the older districts of Kabul.

Seriously Science notes the exploration of the microbial life populating the coffee machine sludge of some inquisitive scientists.

Window on Eurasia notes that substantially Russian-populated northern Kazakhstan is at risk of becoming a new Russian target, especially after Nazarbayev goes.

Arnold Zwicky shares some thoughts on people of colour and the LGBTQ rainbow flag.

At Antipope, Charlie Stross examines the connections between bitcoin production and the alt-right. Could cryptocurrency have seriously bad political linkages?

Bad Astronomer Phil Plait notes GW170680, a recent gravitational wave detection that is both immense in its effect and surprising for its detection being normal.

Centauri Dreams reports on a new study suggesting hot Jupiters are so large because they are heated by their local star.

Crooked Timber counsels against an easy condemnation of baby boomers as uniquely politically malign.

Daily JSTOR notes one paper that takes a look at how the surprisingly late introduction of the bed, as a piece of household technology, changed the way we sleep.

Dangerous Minds shares a 1968 newspaper interview with Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys, talking about Charlie Manson and his family and their influence on him.

The Everyday Sociology Blog takes a look at the opioid epidemic and the way that it is perceived.

At A Fistful of Euros, Alex Harrowell suggests that the unsolvable complexities of Northern Ireland may be enough to avoid a hard Brexit after all.

The LRB Blog describes a visit to a seaside village in Costa Rica where locals and visitors try to save sea turtles.

Lingua Franca reflects on the beauty of the Icelandic language.

The Map Room Blog shares an awesome map depicting the locations of the stars around which we have detected exoplanets.

Marginal Revolution notes the ill health of North Korean defectors, infected with parasites now unseen in South Korea.

Roads and Kingdoms reports on the revival of fonio, a West African grain that is now starting to see successful marketing in Senegal.

Spacing reviews a fascinating book examining the functioning of urban villages embedded in the metropoli of south China.

Strange Company reports on the mysterious 1920 murder of famous bridge player Joseph Bowne Elwell.

Towleroad reports on Larnelle Foster, a gay black man who was a close friend of Meghan Markle in their college years.

Window on Eurasia notes that, although Ukraine suffered the largest number of premature dead in the Stalinist famines of the 1930s, Kazakhstan suffered the greatest proportion of dead.

Yorkshire Ranter Alex Harrowell has a photo essay looking at the Berlin Brandenburg Airport, still years away from completion and beset by many complex failures of its advanced systems. What does the failure of this complex system say about others we may wish to build?

Centauri Dreams considers the idea of dispatching a fleet of sail-equipped probes to map the asteroid belt.

Crux considers the importance of the invention of zero for mathematics.

D-Brief notes that Scotland's oldest snow patch is set to melt imminently.

The Dragon's Gaze links to a paper looking at the stability of multiplanetary systems in star clusters.

Imageo notes the modest recovery of icecaps in the Arctic this summer.

Language Log notes the importance of Kazakhstan's shift to using the Latin script for the Kazakh language.

The LRB Blog reports on a writer's visit to Helsinki.

The Map Room Blog notes a giant relief map of Guatemala, built to reinforce claims to what is now Belize.

The NYR Daily considers the continued salience of race in the fragile liberal-democratic world, in America and Europe.

The Power and the Money's Noel Maurer wonders if the heavy-handed Spanish government is trying to trigger Catalonian independence.

Roads and Kingdoms considers the palm wine of Senegal, and its vendors.

Understanding Society considers the Holocaust, as an experience sociological and otherwise.

The Volokh Conspiracy makes a libertarian case for open borders.

Whatever's John Scalzi celebrates his meeting mutual fan Alison Moyet.

Window on Eurasia notes how Belarus' cautious Belarusianization is met by Russia's pro-Soviet nostalgia.

Malcolm Campbell reports for CBC on how the Island's organic agriculture sector is dealing with ineffective provincial regulation.

At the Toronto Star, Ainslie Cruickshank describes new measures to reserve GTA farmland in the Greenbelt for agricultural uses only.

Leonid Bershidsky reports for Bloomberg View on how climate change is making Russia--and Ukraine, and Kazakhstan--a major agricultural force.

At the Toronto Star, Alex McKeen reports on a North York warehouse that hosts a highly productive vertical farm.

Frank Viviano's National Geographic article looking at the enormously productivity of high-tech agriculture in the Netherlands shows the future.

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[NEWS] Ten Window on Eurasia links
[BLOG] Some Friday links
[DM] Some links: immigration, cities, small towns, French Canada, Eurasia, China, Brexit, music
[BLOG] Some Thursday links
[BLOG] Some Saturday links
[URBAN NOTE] Five city links: Vaughan, Kingston, Youngstown, Washington D.C, Almaty
[BLOG] Some Sunday links
[NEWS] Five links: Kazakhstan and Xinjiang, Qing China economy, US-Iran, Assange, Germany and AI
[BLOG] Some Saturday links
[BLOG] Some Monday links
[BLOG] Some Sunday links
[PHOTO] Emerald Park Condos, from the north
[URBAN NOTE] Five cities links: Plattsburgh, Montréal, Cincinnati, Palm Springs, Almaty
[BLOG] Some Friday links
[BLOG] Some Wednesday links
[BLOG] Some Thursday links
[BLOG] Some Sunday links
[BLOG] Some Wednesday links
[BLOG] Some Thursday links
[NEWS] Five notes about the future of agriculture: the Island, Eurasia, Toronto, Netherlands

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Assorted Personal Notations, Essays, and Other Jottings

Entries tagged with kazakhstan

[NEWS] Ten Window on Eurasia links

[BLOG] Some Friday links

[DM] Some links: immigration, cities, small towns, French Canada, Eurasia, China, Brexit, music

[BLOG] Some Thursday links

[BLOG] Some Saturday links

[URBAN NOTE] Five city links: Vaughan, Kingston, Youngstown, Washington D.C, Almaty

[BLOG] Some Sunday links

[NEWS] Five links: Kazakhstan and Xinjiang, Qing China economy, US-Iran, Assange, Germany and AI

[BLOG] Some Saturday links

[BLOG] Some Monday links

[BLOG] Some Sunday links

[PHOTO] Emerald Park Condos, from the north

[URBAN NOTE] Five cities links: Plattsburgh, Montréal, Cincinnati, Palm Springs, Almaty

[BLOG] Some Friday links

[BLOG] Some Wednesday links

[BLOG] Some Thursday links

[BLOG] Some Sunday links

[BLOG] Some Wednesday links

[BLOG] Some Thursday links

[NEWS] Five notes about the future of agriculture: the Island, Eurasia, Toronto, Netherlands

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February 2021

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