Linkee-poo says hey, ho, way to go Ohio

Linkee-poo doffs its hat and bows its head in recognition of the passing of UCF Member in good standing, Wendy_B09, aka Wendy Braxton.

Five ways to recenter your life. I'll need to read that fully, once I have a second. (Grokked from Ticia42, I think)

Worldometers. Data for us data junkies. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Tobias Buckell on not being a self-publishing asshat.

Sometimes the people who proclaim the love of the flag are the ones who desecrate it most often. The Cross Spangled Banner? Okay, well, first up the Patrick Henry quote is wrong and is not attributable to him. As is the John Quincy Adams quote. Also, just a quick note, JQ Adams was 8 when the shooting part of the American Revolution started. (Pointed to by Dan)

I think I only mentioned on my twitter feed about the Corn Sugar Council lying depending on your science ignorance stretching the minimal truth in their ads. Well, here it is from their FAQ page, "High fructose corn syrup is simply a kind of corn sugar that is metabolized by your body the same as sugar or honey." That, my friends, is pure PR BS in its unadulterated form (it's all "sugar" - but not in the way the public uses "sugar", and your body most certainly doesn't metabolize it the same way). One, fructose (especially high-fructose corn syrup) tastes "sweeter" than table sugar (which is a mix of glucose and fructose).Then there is the actual structural differences between the two. See, monosaccharides (glucose, fructose, and galactose) are all C6H12O2 (or 6 carbons and 6 waters). However, they're different shapes (hexoses and pentoses). Shape is very important when it comes to enzymes, which is how you digest (and use within the cell). Now, in glycolysis (where glucose is converted to 2 pyruvates, or 3 carbon forms, very important for the next steps you may have heard of, the Krebs cycle), there is a step that changes glucose to fructose (and then back again). So, you'd think the fructose from high-fructose syrup would fit right there in that intermediary step, but it won't because you've already added phosphorus to the glucose, and you convert it to the fructose to add another one. You first have to convert the fructose to glucose before you can start down the glycolysis Demon Drop™ (it's a metaphor for the process). Still with me? Okay, so you're thinking I'm full of bunk. Maybe this article on the problems some people have digesting food might convince you otherwise. See, not everybody who has problems digesting wheat sugars has celiac disease. That's the short answer. The longer answer includes what your liver does. (That last link grokked from Jay Lake)

"The new figures (on greenhouse gas emissions) mean that levels of greenhouse gases are higher than the worst case scenario outlined by climate experts just four years ago." But I'm sure it's no need to panic. I hope Tobias gets his novel, Arctic Rising out the door before it's future predictions come true. (Pointed to by Dan)

While "we shouldn't make the victim the murderer" (in cases of rape or incest that result in a pregnancy), apparently it's okay to continue to victimize the victim. Yes, there are lots of unintended consequences of a "Personhood" bill. The loss of in vitro and other reproductive services are just the tip of the iceberg. See, only about 20% of fertilized eggs actually implant. Which means there's an 80% loss rate, which under "Personhood" would be "murder." Then there are those eggs that do implant and begin growing a placenta. Not all of them last the month. Another form of "murder." Then there are the fetuses that don't make it to term or are still born. Still other "murders". Then there are troubled pregnancies where the choice is between the life of the mother, the child, sometimes, if nothing is done, you lose both. Don't think this will happen? Well, before the courts ruled that there was safe access to abortion providers, that the woman had a right to privacy (what Roe v Wade was really about), some women would ingest poisons to abort the fetus. Most spontaneous miscarriages don't make it to the hospital. Can you say which ones were crimes and which weren't when there isn't a body? The more we're learning, the more we can see that what a woman does during pregnancy has a direct bearing on her offspring. Are we going to prosecute mothers who birth children with defects, because sometimes those are a result of what the mother was exposed to or did during pregnancy? Welcome to a real slippery slope. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

With 2012 right around the corner, it's time to gin-up the anti-"teh gayz" hysteria.

Dangerous Minds with an infographic on the demographics of OWS and the TP. (Warning, one ad on Dangerous Minds at this point is NSFW, if you're coworkers look closely). (Grokked from Jay Lake)

Elizabeth Warren, traitor to the cause (of rich people, like her). Makes me almost want to move to MA so I could vote for her. (Grokked from Jay Lake)

With the DC Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that the individual mandate is within the Constitutionality of the Commerce Clause, that makes it, what, 9 to 2 (and those are the ones that made it to trial) against overturning the law? I can't find a quick compilation of all the lawsuits at the moment, so I might be off with those numbers.