[links] Link salad shines white light and wants to show how everything still turns to gold

On Wordcount, and Snitty Entitlement — Lilith Saintcrow is interesting.

Superheroes and cringe comedy: Why women aren’t allowed — Pandagon on The Avengers, and specifically, the Black Widow character.

5 Transformative Uses for Disney's Touch-Sensitive Technology

Legalize Pot, Save Public Education, and end Student Indebtedness

Report: Global biodiversity down 30 percent in 40 years — Freshwater tropical species hardest hit, says World Wildlife Fund. The human race is an Extinction-Level Event.

All the Water on Planet Earth — Interesting visual illustration of the volume of the hydrosphere. However, look closely at Greenland on the 'dry' globe. Pretty sure that's an ice sheet showing there.

Record-setting 2012 warmth largely confined to North America, western Europe — One of the ironies here is that, even though the global temperatures are fairly typical of the last decade, the unusual spring warmth might have an outsized effect on public opinion. People in the US seem to rely on their personal experience (along with the economy) when they formulate their opinion on climate change. Right. Because what does the data count against staving off the evil liberals?

Prosecutorial Discretion And Child Sexual Abuse — Ta-Nehisi Coates commenting on a New York Times report on the sexual abuse of children among ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn. This is precisely why we don't need religious "morality" in our laws and social norms. Are Christianist congregations any better about this?

Another “Hot Text” For the War on Women: Rosemary’s Baby — Interesting. (Via scarlettina.)

Equality is bigger than the president — Barack Obama and gay marriage. If school desegregation amendments had been placed on state ballots in the 1950s, “separate but equal” might still be the law of the land in the South. Fortunately, state-sponsored segregation was not put to a popular vote. The "will of the people" isn't always right. That's the error of majoritarianism.

Why We Regulate — But regulations are evil! Ask any conservative. (Apparently conservatives don't drink air, breathe water, take medicine or expect a stable economy.)

What Eduardo Saverin Owes America (Hint: Nearly Everything)

Austerity geniuses — Hullabaloo on the magic of Republican economics, as practiced by (among others) Democrats.

?otd: Will the tune come to you at last?

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5/15/2012
Writing time yesterday: 1.0 hours (Kalimpura copy edits)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 6.25 (solid)
Weight: 242.2 (!!)
Currently reading: Light Breaker by Mark Teppo