Los Links 4/8

Okay, yes, I'm late.  Sorry and all that.  Look, if you'd met my Muse, you'd understand.

She's waving the whip in a rather menacing manner, so I'd best get straight to it.  Big hoo-haw o' the week: a podunk pastor in Florida burns a Koran, a bunch of fanatical morons in the Middle East decide it's death to the infidel time, and some lackwits think the actual murderers aren't to blame.  Well, quite a lot of people with their moral compass pointing actual north had something to say about that.

Pharyngula: Shades of Gray.  If you read no other link this week, read this one.  And think.

Why Evolution is True: Hoffmann coddles Islam, calls for Pastor Jones’s arrest.

Choice in Dying: How did Joe Hoffmann lose the Plot? Also, The Twilight Zone.  Few people can weigh in on moral issues like Eric MacDonald.

Christopher Hitchens: Cynicism by the Book.

Outside the Interzone: Absolutely.  Tack this one to your wall, and ponder it when you're tempted to think in absolutes.

Lauryn Oates: Opinion: Blood of murdered UN staff on the hands of Afghan zealots, not American bigots.

And we should never forget that.

Didn't read much on Japan this week, but this was haunting: Tsunami-hit towns forgot warnings from ancestors.  Let's try not to forget that if folks went through all the effort to chisel tsunami warnings on stone posts, we should probably pay attention.  That wisdom was dearly won, and in one instance, saved a lot of lives.

Evelyn's continued her interviews with her dad.  The most recent one's here.  The two of them have done an outstanding job, and my shot glass is heartily tipped to them both.

Time for Science! 

Mountain Beltway: Tillite in outwash.  In which I learn Callan Bentley is an evil barstard, waving that gorgeous, odd rock around in front of people who'll never get to hold it...

Jake Archibald: Homeopathy vs Science - a Metaphor.  Cracked me up, but it's so damned true... and a brilliant demonstration of principle.

Neurotic Physiology: Friday Weird Science GUEST POST: Extra nipples – They’re just a matter of timing.  In which you will learn why, when I meet Brian Switek in real life, I'm demanding he take his shirt off - and there's nothing kinky about it.

The Loom: The Human Lake.  Brilliant and beautiful!

Denisonian.com: Geosciences professor 'erupts' in blogosphere, calling out media hype, rallying volcano fans.  In which Erik Klemetti gets some well-deserved recognition.

Glacial Till: Thoughts on the Intel NW Science Fair, and Meteorite Monday: Ordinary Chondrites.  Not that there's anything ordinary about them!  It's so good to see Glacial Till blogging again, have I told you?

Not Exactly Rocket Science: Disordered environments promote stereotypes and discrimination.  Comes to that, I should probably clean my house soon...

Quest: Geological Outings Around the Bay: Alum Rock Park.  In which we learn it's not alum, but that's okay, because it's brilliant geology anyway!

Highly Allochthonous: Why does the Red River of the North have so many floods?  Anne explains it all.  Sandbags are key, people.

And on to Politics.  Bleh.

Politicususa: Running From the Law: Trouble in Wisconsin for Republicans.  The only happy thought is that some day, the piper shall demand payment.  Make it so, my friends, make it so.

Paul Krugman: Ludicrous and Cruel.  I love the fact that Paul Krugman tells the brutal truth with brutal honesty.

A couple of Writing links this week.

A Brain Scientist's Take on Writing: An Experimental Psychologist's Take on Beta Reading Part I: Subject Pools.  This is going to be fascinating.

Io9: 10 of the most embarrassing racial and ethnic stereotypes in science fiction.  Hi-larious.  And rather sad.  But still, hilarious.

And, finally, stuff that ended up in the miscellany, but still deserves a good read.

Haddayr: On the dangers of the charity/pity model of illness and disability.  You will never look at a charity event the same way ever again.

WWdN: In Exile: I don't feel safe. I feel violated, humiliated, and angry.  Wil Wheaton on the TSA, being groped, and what's wrong with giving up bodily integrity for security theatre.

Right, then.  There's the lot.  I'm off to slave away now before I end up severely injured by a construct of my imagination.  Coming, mistress!