[links] Link salad knows that a British bank is run with precision

Gunman opens fire at Oregon mall; Suspect, 2 dead — This is a mile or so from my house. Thank God for the NRA and the Republican party. Without their vigorous defense of gun rights, this shooter wouldn't have been able to pursue his theoretical defense of essential liberties by murdering people for Christmas in my neighborhood. Without widespread availability of firearms, we'd be living in a peaceful liberal hell, I'm just certain of it.

Why Being An Academic is like Being a Novelist, And Why That’s OK — In which I receive passing favorable mention as a Good Example.

Lice in the Locks of Literature — Christopher Priest on Robert McCrum's recent dismissive characterization of science fiction as the cockroach of genres. German author Cora Buhlert is amusing about this from a non-UK/USAnian perspective.

Spooky spirit stalks Imperial Schooner? — I've eaten at this place. (Thanks to my Dad.)

The Empire That Was Russia — The Prokudin-Gorskii Photographic Record Recreated. (Via Alexis.)

Jimmy Fallon on the Gadsden Purchase — These guys are obviousy planted actors, but this is still some pretty funny history trolling.

GravityLight: lighting for developing countries — This both technically cool and socially worthy. (Via Slacktivist Fred Clark.)

Threatening Snowglobe Administration Lifts Some Restrictions — So snowglobes are no longer considered an air safety risk? Good to know. I feel much safer now.

Meteor shower -- or two-- Thursday night

Earth's orbital cycles may trigger peaks of volcanic eruptions — 41,000-year cycle in the Earth's tilt matches up with peak volcanic activity. Didn't they make a disaster movie out of this?

Live Message of Peace from the Mayan Elders on December 21-23, 2012 Will Be Broadcast Worldwide on World Unity 2012 Network — (Via supersniffles.)

Fake Metro Map of Montevideo — This article about faking the Uruguayan metro is quite interesting.

The man whose brain ignores one half of his world — A stroke left Alan Burgess with hemispatial neglect – an inability to pay attention to sensory stimuli on his left side (Via Slacktivist Fred Clark.)

Gene Regulation May Explain How Homosexuality Flourishes — Isn't this more or less another approach to the "gay uncle" hypothesis?

An Epi Phenomenon — While exploring the genetics of a rare type of tumor, Stephen Baylin discovered an epigenetic modification that occurs in most every cancer—a finding he’s helping bring to the clinic. This bit about inflammation leading to DNA methylation actually explains to me a lot about why colon cancer hit me early — I have a lifelong history of bowel distress and colonic irritation, and was diagnosed years before my cancer with IBS.

Black swans and blue tarantulas: ‘Without’ and ‘despite’ are not the same — Slacktivist Fred Clark on belief and evidence.

New global report on discrimination against the nonreligious — (Via shsilver.)

GOP mute as Supreme Court tackles gay marriage — Come on, Republicans. Where's that loud and proud bigotry you've built your political fortunes on over these past decades? Those angry white men won't generate themselves!

Roberts Donated Help to Gay Rights Case — You know, my opinion of Chief Justice Roberts couldn't be any lower if he was a Young Earth Creationist used car salesman, but if he votes on the side of equality and sanity in the Supreme Court's DOMA review, I will send flowers and chocolate to ericjamesstone.

Scott Tranter, Republican Consultant: Voter ID And Long Lines Help Our Side — "A lot of us are campaign officials -- or campaign professionals -- and we want to do everything we can to help our side. Sometimes we think that's voter ID, sometimes we think that's longer lines -- whatever it may be," Tranter said with a laugh. That's the real innovation of Mitt Romney: Republicans no longer even bother to lie about their dishonesty and electoral manipulation. I'm old enough to remember when the GOP was all about "character counts". Too bad nobody in the GOP is.

Republicans Look To Break Their Fox Addiction — That would begin to get them out of the epistemic closure. Maybe a step in the right direction? Forgive me if I'm cynical about this one.

?otD: A British home requires nothing less, right?

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12/12/2012
Writing time yesterday: 0.0 hours (chemo brain)
Hours slept: 8.5 hours (solid)
Body movement: 0.5 hours stationary bike ride
Weight: 218.6
Number of FEMA troops on my block enforcing international law and Kenyan Muslim socialism: 0
Currently reading: The Hydrogen Sonata by Iain M. Banks