Link roundup for 21 February 2009

This group has a novel plan to save the British economy (I don't know if it will be any less effective than our "stimulus" bill). Here's another approach to improving economic performance.

A hardened criminal is brought to justice (sent by Ranch Chimp).

The violence of the lambs: don't mess with these sheep.

Mathematicians discover the largest number ever.

Here's a video compressing 24 hours of air traffic into 72 seconds (found via Papamoka).

India doesn't have gay marriage yet, but apparently this is OK.

An Ohio man tries a new way to get an audience for the Bible (sent by Mendip).

How worried should we be about space junk?

Militant Ginger looks at a clash of two forms of bigotry.

Fred Phelps is taking his act to Britain.

Here are 16 things that legalizing marijuana is more popular than.

"Reverse migration" may be slowing Hispanic population growth.

Anti-atheist bigotry is challenged in Arkansas (found via Republic of T). Also via T: an example of the garbage they're teaching in the schools now.

Democrats are abandoning Burris as more admissions surface, but he's not their only problem.

The stimulus plan hides some nasty surprises. Call the AARP!

Rick Moran finds conservatives still in denial about why they're losing elections. Will libertarians be the next group to flee from "anti-intellectual.....superstitious fag-bashers"?

Here's why China can't stop investing in the US.

From Russia, this looks like a good sign.

Czech President Vaclav Klaus compares the undemocratic EU to the Soviet bloc. EU leaders denounce his call for free debate (more here). Well, it's hard running a "state" with 23 official languages. No wonder they're too busy to deal with their recession.

If the EU has too many languages, Israel has too many political parties. 11 days after the election, we finally know Netanyahu will be Prime Minister, but the final coalition is far from settled.

Here's the speech Geert Wilders planned to give in London. And, yes, this blogger is at risk of prosecution for expressing his views in a country with no First Amendment. More on power and free speech in Europe here. As a further example of how messed-up things are over there, one-third of Europeans blame the Jews for the economic crisis (read this too).

Nona takes an in-depth look at British boarding schools.

Exit Zero has reports on Christopher Hitchens's clash with neo-Nazis in Beirut.

Goodbye Dubai: the mirage vanishes.

Obama is escalating the war against jihadism in Pakistan. And the jihadists may be turning on each other.

In Iran, barbaric punishment for a barbaric crime (sent by Ranch Chimp). Also from Ranch Chimp: efforts against clitorectomy are making some headway in Egypt.

A rape in Saudi Arabia is punished by flogging and jail -- of course, that applies to the victim, not the rapists. This Iraqi girl "guilty" of having a boyfriend suffered the more usual honor killing.

Guadaloupe explodes in violence.

Trees make humans happy -- well, our ancestors did live in them for millions of years.

Wasps have used a version of genetic engineering for 100 million years. Does that mean it's not "unnatural"? And there maybe even weirder life forms out there.

Why do humans like slow-motion video? Related discussion here.

This humble building may not look historic, but it's where the first electronic computer was built -- and helped win World War II.

The deathists are still out there.

Nanotechnology is helping us move forward with brain emulation (found via Mendip).

A simple new treatment may help heart-attack victims recover.

In November I linked to this story of a patient apparently cured of AIDS in Germany. Two years after treatment, he's still HIV-free.