rfmcdonald | Entries tagged with language

Bad Astronomer Phil Plait looks at enormous, explosive Wolf-Rayet stars, and at WR 124 in particular.
The Big Picture shares heart-rending photos of Rohingya refugees fleeing Burma.

Centauri Dreams considers the potential of near-future robotic asteroid mining.

D-Brief notes the discovery of vast cave systems on the Moon, potential homes for settlers.

Hornet Stories exposes young children to Madonna's hit songs and videos of the 1980s. She still has it.

Inkfish notes that a beluga raised in captivity among dolphins has picked up elements of their speech.

Language Hat notes a dubious claim that a stelae containing Luwian hieroglyphic script, from ancient Anatolia, has been translated.

Lawyers, Guns and Money considers the question of preserving brutalist buildings.

The LRB Blog considers how Brexit, intended to enhance British sovereignty and power, will weaken both.

The Map Room Blog notes that the moons and planets of the solar system have been added to Google Maps.

The NYR Daily considers how the Burmese government is carefully creating a case for Rohingya genocide.

The Power and Money's Noel Maurer concludes, regretfully, that the market for suborbital travel is just not there.

Visiting a shrimp festival in Louisiana, Roads and Kingdoms considers how the fisheries work with the oil industry (or not).

Towleroad reports on the apparent abduction in Chechnya of singer Zelimkhan Bakayev, part of the anti-gay pogrom there.

Window on Eurasia notes that rebuilding Kaliningrad as a Russian military outpost will be expensive.

The Dragon's Gaze links to a paper suggesting exoplanet transits could start a galactic communications network.

The Everyday Sociology Blog looks at the connections between eating and identity.

The Frailest Thing's Michael Sacasas looks at the need for a critical study of the relationship between technology and democracy.

Language Hat notes how nationalism split Hindustani into separate Hindi and Urdu languages.

Lawyers, Guns and Money reflects on the grim outlook in Somalia after the terrible recent Mogadishu bombing.

Marginal Revolution's Tyler Cowen thinks Trump's decertification of the Iran deal is a bad idea.

The Map Room Blog links to an article imagining a counter-mapping of the Amazon by indigenous peoples.

Neuroskeptic considers the possibility of Parkinson's being a prion disease, somewhat like mad cow disease.

The NYR Daily notes that a Brexit driven by a perceived need to take back control will not meet that need, at all.

Personal Reflections' Jim Belshaw looks at the problem Sydney faces as it booms.

The Power and the Money's Noel Maurer looks at the extent to which an independent Catalonia would be ravaged economically by a non-negotiated secession.

Peter Watts tells the sad story of an encounter between Toronto police and a homeless man he knows.

Window on Eurasia notes a Sakhalin bridge, like a Crimea bridge, may not come off because of Russian weakness.

Bad Astronomy's Phil Plait notes that the most plausible explanation for Tabitha's Star, KIC 8462852, exists in partial eclipses of the star by dust clouds.

D-Brief notes that the giant stick insects of Lord Howe Island did survive in their forced diaspora.

The Dragon's Gaze takes a look at Kelt-9b, a planet so close to its star that it is literally melting away.

Language Hat looks at a website set up by inhabitants of the Faroe Islands to translate Faroese.

The LRB Blog shares some of the past appearances of Nobel-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro in the pages of the LRB.

Neal Ascherson at the NYR Daily looks at the mechanism of the referendum, in Scotland and Catalonia and elsewhere.

The Planetary Society Blog looks at the import of Mike Pence's promise to send Americans to the Moon again.

Starts With A Bang's Ethan Siegel looks at how the cosmic phenomenon of inflation explains the entire modern universe.

Window on Eurasia suggests Chechnya's Ramzan Kadyrov is trying to establish himself as a Russian political figure.

Anthrodendum takes a look at the way community knowledge is now being subject to a privatization.

The Broadside Blog's Caitlyn Kelly starts a discussion about what makes home.

Bruce Dorminey suggests a pre-Theia, Moon-sized impactor gave the Earth its metal crust.

The Dragon's Gaze looks at the current state of knowledge about Proxima b.

The Dragon's Tales notes that Russia is apparently testing advanced nuclear weapons.

The Frailest Thing's Michael Sacasas considers the religious impulse in so many technophiles' view of the world.

Language Hat considers the dynamics associated with learning minority languages in Europe.

Lawyers, Guns and Money shares a classic traffic safety clip from 1913.

The LRB Blog mourns the loss of Glen Newey, long-time contributor.

Lovesick Cyborg notes a NASA study into the economics of a viable space-based solar power project.

Roads and Kingdoms takes a look at the açorda of Portugal, a bread-based broth that was a long-time food of the poor.

Cheri Lucas Rowlands celebrates the passage of summer into fall through photos of her vegetable garden.

Drew Rowsome takes a look at the representation of LGBTQ people on television, and sees much reason for cheer.

Science Sushi notes that different dolphin groups seem to have different dialects.

Understanding Society takes a look at Robert Merton's refinement of social functionalism.

Window on Eurasia notes that many ethnic Russians in Belarus, as in Ukraine, have shifted identity to that of the titular nation.

Yorkshire Ranter Alex Harrowell notes one mistake made about artificial intelligence: it is not automatically more accurate.

Centauri Dreams links to archival video painstakingly collected from the Voyager missions.

Citizen Science Salon notes ways ordinary people can use satellite imagery for archaeological purposes.

Good news: Asian carp can't find a fin-hold in Lake Michigan. Bad news: The lake is so food-deprived nothing lives there. The Crux reports.

D-Brief notes that, once every second, a fast radio burst occurs somewhere in the universe.

Dangerous Minds looks at the psychedelic retro-futurism of Swedish artist Kilian Eng.

Dead Things notes the recovery of ancient human DNA from some African sites, and what this could mean for study.

Cody Delistraty reconsiders the idea of the "coming of age" narrative. Does this make sense now that we have abandoned the idea of a unitary self?

The Dragon's Gaze links to a paper examining the evolution of icy bodies around different post-main sequence stars.

The Great Grey Bridge's Philip Turner notes anti-Putin dissident Alexei Navalny.

Hornet Stories notes reports of anti-gay persecution in Azerbaijan.

Language Log takes a look at the dialectal variations of southern Ohio.

Lawyers, Guns and Money starts a discussion about what effective disaster relief for Puerto Rico would look like.

The LRB Blog looks at the aftermath of the recent earthquake in Mexico, and the story of the buried girl who was not there.

Marginal Revolution notes that Toronto real estate companies, in light of rent control, are switching rental units over to condos.

Naked Anthropologist Laura Agustín takes a look at the origins and stories of migrant sex workers.

The NYR Daily talks about the supposedly unthinkable idea of nuclear war in the age of Trump.

Drew Rowsome gives a strongly positive--and deserved review to the Minmar Gaslight show The Seat Next to the King, a Fringe triumph now playing at the Theatre Centre.

Starts With A Bang's Ethan Siegel explains how so many outer-system icy worlds have liquid water.

Towleroad features Jim Parsons' exploration of how important is for him, as a gay man, to be married.

Window on Eurasia suggests Russian language policy limiting minority languages in education could backfire, and wonders if Islamization one way people in an urbanizing North Caucasus are trying to remain connected to community.

At Antipope, Charlie Stross considers the ways in which Big Data could enable an updated version of 1984.

Bad Astronomer Phil Plait looks at all the ways in which this photo of galaxy NGC 5559 is cool, with a supernova and more.

The Broadside Blog's Caitlin Kelly shares a week of her life as a professional writer.

Crooked Timber looks at the potentially dominant role of racism as a political marker in the US.

Far Outliers notes that the Confederacy's military options circa 1864 were grim and limited.

Language Log shares an example of a Starbucks coffee cup with biscriptal writing from Shenyang.

Lawyers, Guns and Money notes that the Rohingya are being subjected to genocide. What next?

Marginal Revolution notes the introduction of a new chocolate, ruby chocolate".

Personal Reflections' Jim Belshaw has it with ideological divisions of left and right.

The Power and the Money's Noel Maurer looks at the remarkably intemperate Spanish court decision that kicked off modern separatism in Catalonia.

Charley Ross looks at the sad story of missing teenager Brittanee Drexel.

Starts With A Bang's Ethan Siegel notes that now is an excellent time to start highlighting the politics of climate change.

Towleroad mourns New York City theatre star Michael Friedman.

Window on Eurasia notes the ways in which Russia is, and is not, likely to use the military.

Arnold Zwicky shares a map of the regional languages of France.

Anthrodendum considers what, exactly, anthropology majors can do job-wise with their degrees. Interesting ideas.

Centauri Dreams considers the possible origins of cometary organics in deep space.

Hornet Stories talks of anti-immigrant Americans with immigrant ancestors who skirted relevant laws themselves, like Donald Trump.

Language Hat considers byssus, an exotic ancient textile and a word with a complex history.

Lawyers, Guns and Money looks at how the potential for disaster in Florida is worsened by poor planning.

The LRB Blog looks at the sad intersection of war, xenophobia, and rising rates of polio in Pakistan (and elsewhere).

The Map Room Blog notes an interactive map-related play still showing at the Halifax Fringe, Cartography.

The NYR Daily notes a high-profile corruption trial of a former government minister in Moscow.

The Planetary Society Blog shares Paul Schenk's story about how he interned at JPL in 1979 for the Voyager 2 flyby.

Roads and Kingdoms looks at the search by a Brazilian man for caves in the south of that country.

The Volokh Conspiracy asks some interesting questions about the mechanics of Settlers of Catan.

At Whatever, John Scalzi remembers Jerry Pournelle.

Window on Eurasia notes how Russia is strongly opposed to any Circassian return to their ancestral homeland.

At Anthrodendum, P. Kerim Friedman talks about the technologies he uses to help him navigate Chinese-speaking Taiwan.

Dead Things notes new dating showing the Neanderthals of Vindija cave, in Croatia, were much older than thought.

Far Outliers takes a brief look at the history of Temasek, the Malay polity that once thrived in Singapore.

Hornet Stories shares photos from New York City's Afropunk festival.

Imageo shows the scale of the devastating wildfires in the western United States, with satellite photos.

Language Hat looks at the sort of mistakes characteristic of medieval manuscripts written in Latin and Greek.

Lawyers, Guns and Money looks at Trump's revocation of DACA and the harm that will face the Dreamers. I am so sorry.

Maximos62 looks at a new book examining how biologists, including Darwin and Wallace, came to draw a borer between Asia and Australia.

Peter Rukavina blogs about his visit to Wheatley River's Island Honey Wine Company. (Mead, it seems.)

Strange Company takes a look at the life of violent war-mongering British eccentric Alfred Wintle.

Window on Eurasia notes the very poor state of sex education in Russia's education system.

Wired features an article talking about what Burning Man, and Black Rock City, teaches us about how cities work.

At The New Republic, Colin Kinniburgh talks about some strategies to fight gentrification, some potentially useful and others not.

Bloomberg View observes that China's Pearl River Delta--briefly, most of urban Guangzhou from Hong Kong up--is set to have a huge property boom.
Bloomberg describes how Algeria, hostile to taking on debt, is going through a period of deep austerity.

Open Democracy looks at how the Belarusian language, despite improvements, is shut out of the country's education system.
This Toronto Star article describing the detritus left by refugees fleeing New York just before they get to Canada is very sad.

blogTO lists some interesting things to do and see in Toronto's American neighbour, Buffalo.

The Broadside Blog's Caitlin Kelly strongly defends contemporary journalism as essential for understanding the world.

Lawyers, Guns and Money rightly takes issue with the claim identity politics hinders the US left. Remember New Deal coalitions?

Marginal Revolution notes just how expensive it is to run Harvard.

Otto Pohl notes the upcoming 76th anniversary of the Soviet deportation of the Volga Germans.

The Power and the Money's Noel Maurer reports on the remarkably fluent code-switching between English and French of some Washington D.C. subway riders.

Strange Maps notes rival food and fabric maps of India and Pakistan.

Tricia Wood at Torontoist argues that, for environmental and economic reasons, Ontario needs high-speed rail.

Window on Eurasia suggests Tatarstan has done a poor job of defending its sovereignty from the Russian government.

Antipope Charlie Stross takes a look at the parlous state of the world, and imagines what if the US and UK went differently.

Bad Astronomer Phil Plait takes a look at Sirius, including white dwarf Sirius B.

Centauri Dreams considers Cassini's final function, as a probe of Saturn's atmosphere.

D-Brief notes the discovery that diamonds rain deep in Neptune (and Uranus).

Bruce Dorminey reports on a NASA scientist's argument that we need new interstellar probes, not unlike Voyager 1.

The Everyday Sociology Blog looks at the way a course syllabus is like a Van Halen contract rider.

Language Hat takes a look at the palimpsests of St. Catherine's Monastery, deep in the Sinai.

Language Log looks at the etymology, and the history, of chow mein.

The LRB Blog recounts a visit to Mount Rushmore in the era of Trump.

Marginal Revolution takes a look at the question of why Mexico isn't enjoying higher rates of economic growth.

Personal Reflections' Jim Belshaw considers the extent to which politics these days is just sound and fury, meaning nothing.

Mark Simpson links to an essay of his explaining why we should be glad the Smiths broke up in 1987.

Speed River Journal's Van Waffle considers the import, to him and the environment, of a spring near his cottage.

Starts With A Bang's Ethan Siegel looks at the abundance of black holes in our galaxy, more than one hundred million.

Unicorn Booty notes that smoking marijuana might--might--have sexual benefits.

Window on Eurasia shares an argument that ethnic Russians in Russia share issue in common with whites in America, and reports on an argument made by one man that ethnic Russians in republics need not learn local languages.

Bloomberg reports on how Canada-Mexico relations will be tested by NAFTA and Trump.

Canada, the 2016 Census reported, is marked by noteworthy linguistic diversity (Tagalog does particularly well.)

Vice notes how Galen Weston's opposition to the minimum wage increase for workers at Loblaws is not in his self-interest.

Vice's Motherboard looks at how greenhouse agriculture in Nunavut could help drastically reduce food insecurity in that territory.

Charley Ross reports on an unexpected personal involvement in the disappearance of Kori Gossett. Did an informant know?

Citizen Science Salon reports, in the time of #sharkweek, on the sevengill sharks.

The Dragon's Tales links to an article on the Chinese base in Sudan.

Inkfish has a fascinating article describing how New Zealand's giant black swans went extinct, and were replaced.

Language Hat notes two obscure words of Senegalese French, "laptot" and "signare". What do they mean? Go see.

Language Log argues that the influx of English loanwords in Chinese is remarkable. Does it signal future changes in language?

Lawyers, Guns Money notes how Los Angeles and southern California were, during the American Civil War, a stronghold of secessionist sentiment, and runs down some of the problems of Mexico, including the militarization of crime.
Marginal Revolution reports on what books by which authors tend to get stolen from British bookstores.
The Power and the Money's Noel Maurer suggests that Donald Trump is not likely to be able to substantially reshape NAFTA.

Roads and Kingdoms reports from the recent protests in Poland against changes to the Supreme Court.

Understanding Society takes a look at the structure of the cities of medieval Europe, which apparently were dynamic and flexible.

Unicorn Booty shares some classic gay board games.

Window on Eurasia argues that Russia is going to try to wage a repeat of the Winter War on Ukraine.

Crooked Timber's John Quiggin considers imaginable ways to get carbon dioxide in the atmosphere down to 350 ppm by 2100.

Karen Sternheimer at the Everyday Sociology Blog considers the tenuous nature of the upper-middle class in America. How is downwards mobility to be avoided, even here?

Imageo shows the growth of a sunspot larger than the Earth.

Language Hat shares the story of how Manchu script came to be.

Lawyers, Guns and Money notes that the working poor need protection from arbitrary and always-changing work schedules.

The LRB Blog notes the geopolitical scramble at the Horn of Africa, starting with bases in Djibouti.

The NYR Daily engages with an intriguing exhibition about the relationship between Henry James and paintings, and painting.

Personal Reflections' Jim Belshaw engages with the classic 1937 Australian film, Lovers and Luggers.

Noel Maurer at The Power and the Money notes that one benefit of the trend towards greater informality in fashion is that time has been freed up, especially for women.

Peter Rukavina writes about his new Instagram account, hosting his various sketches.

Unicorn Booty notes the continuing problems with Germany's adoption laws for same-sex couples.

The Volokh Conspiracy looks at how the Polish president saved the independence of Poland's courts with his veto.

Window on Eurasia suggests Russia is trying to mobilize the ethnic Russians of Lithuania, finally.

James Bow considers the idea of Christian privilege.

Centauri Dreams reports on the oddities of Ross 128.

D-Brief shares Matthew Buckley's proposal that it is possible to make planets out of dark matter.

Dead Things reports on the discoveries at Madjedbebe, in northern Australia, suggesting humans arrived 65 thousand years ago.

Bruce Dorminey reports on the idea that advanced civilizations may use sunshades to protect their worlds from overheating. (For terraforming purposes, too.)

Language Hat notes the struggles of some Scots in coming up with a rationalized spelling for Scots. What of "hert"?

The LRB Blog considers the way in which the unlimited power of Henry VIII will be recapitulated post-Brexit by the UK government.

Drew Rowsome quite likes the High Park production of King Lear.

Starts With A Bang's Ethan Siegel considers the idea that Pluto's moons, including Charon, might be legacies of a giant impact.

Unicorn Booty notes the terrible anti-trans "Civil Rights Uniformity Act." Americans, please act.

The Volokh Conspiracy considers/u> the perhaps-unique way a sitting American president might be charged with obstruction of justice.

Centauri Dreams notes evidence that pitted terrain, as found on Ceres and Vesta, indicates subsurface ice.

Dead Things links to evidence suggesting insomnia and poor sleep are not disorders, but rather evolutionary inheritances that were useful in the past.

Lawyers, Guns and Money notes the critical human role in the ongoing sixth extinction.

Language Hat links to speculation that the Afroasiatic language family has its origins in the Natufian Levant.

The LRB Blog reports on a fascinating French show about espionage, Le Bureau des légendes.

Personal Reflections' Jim Belshaw reports on an important speech by Malcolm Turnbull on politics and Australia's Liberal Party.

The Planetary Society Blog shares Marc Rayman's report on the latest discoveries of Dawn at Ceres.

Spacing' Sean Ruthven has a review of a beautiful book on the Sea Ranch, a northern California estate.

Back in May, Septembre Anderson argued at Torontoist that rather than embracing diversity, Canadian media was more willing to wither.

Window on Eurasia shares an argument suggesting Baltic Russians would not follow the Donbas into revolt because the Baltics are much better off economically.

The anthropology group blog Savage Minds now has a new name, Anthrodendum.

Anthropology.net reports on the first major study of ancient African human DNA. New history is revealed.

Bad Astronomer Phil Plait reports on how gravitational lensing led to the identification of a single star nine billion light-years away. (This is a record.)

Centauri Dreams reports the possible detection of a debris disk around pulsar Geminga, augury of future planets perhaps?

Dangerous Minds reports on Seoul's Haesindang Park, a park literally full of penises--phallic symbols, at least.

The Dragon's Gaze notes one analysis arguing for the plausibility of unmanned probes using imaginable technology reaching the ten nearest stars in a century.

Imageo shares photos from space of the southern California wildfires.

Language Hat shares some stirring poetry in Scots.

Lawyers, Guns and Money reports on the scale of child labour in North Carolina's farm sector.

Marginal Revolution thinks that American observers of Putin think, far too much, that he actually has a plan. The degree of chaos in Russia's affairs is apparently being underestimated.

Personal Reflections' Jim Belshaw notes the unsettling rural Americana of photographer Gregory Crewdson.

Window on Eurasia notes Zhirinovsky's plan for a sweeping Russian annexation of Ukraine, leaving only the northwest independent.

Language Log argues that, despite a lack of official or public support, Cantonese remains the dominant language of Hong Kong.

Lawyers, Guns and Money makes the case for the global relevance of the Cranberries' song "Zombie."

Marginal Revolution seems to like the end results of Canada's immigration system.

The NYR Daily notes that, even after ISIS, Iraq will be beset by multiple ethnoreligious crises.

Out There's Corey S. Powell interviews an astronomer about the very strange Przybylski’s Star, rich in rare radioactive elements.

Savage Minds considers the decolonization of anthropology in the context of Iraq.

Arnold Zwicky considers the surprisingly deep historical resonance of the loon in Canada.

The Broadside Blog's Caitlin Kelly considers the various challenges of being an independent person.

Centauri Dreams considers the possibility of a Mars-mass planet in the Kuiper belt.

Dangerous Minds notes how the 5Pointz warehouse of NYC, once a graffiti hotspot, has been turned into a condo complex that at best evokes that artistic past.

Language Log explores the etymology of "sang", a descriptor of a Chinese subculture of dispirited youths.

The LRB Blog reports on a Border Patrol raid on the No More Deaths encampment in Arizona, a camp that helps save migrant lives in the desert.

The Strange Company blogs about the mysterious 1829 disappearance of Judge John Ten Eyck Lansing from New York City.

Unicorn Booty describes three gay Muslim immigrants terrified of the implications of President Trump.

The Volokh Conspiracy considers pros and cons to the idea of religious arbitration.

Window on Eurasia suggests that the Qatar crisis is worsening Sunni/Shia tensions among the Muslims of Russia.

Bad Astronomy's Phil Plait notes that the Curiosity rover is detectable from Mars orbit.
blogTO shares some of the vintage 1980s photos of gritty Toronto in a new book by Avard Woolaver.

The Big Picture shares photos of tea from its homeland in China.

Imageo shares stunning photos of Jupiter originally taken by the Juno probe.
Language Hat links to the new online version of the Australian National Dictionary.

The LRB Blog shares an appalling story of a British university that wants to hire an academic to develop a course for 10 pounds an hour.
The NYR Daily looks at the films of Romanian director Cristian Mungiu.

Starts with a Bang's Ethan Siegel examines the Pillars of Creation of the Eagle Nebula. How long will they last?
Torontoist shares photos from the Toronto Pride parade.

John Scalzi at Whatever talks about being a late convert to the joys of Harry Potter.

Window on Eurasia reports on Stalin's desire to drain the Caspian Sea, the better to exploit offshore oil and irrigate Kazakhstan.

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A Bit More Detail

Assorted Personal Notations, Essays, and Other Jottings

Entries tagged with language

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