Friday’s Missing Link

Well, in the couple of days since Wednesday, climate change and the Turnbull-Garrett debate moved to the forefront of Ozblogistan’s concerns. Alas, the posts on the debate weren’t as classy as some of the global warming pieces. This means I’ve forgone Missing Link’s usual Sci-Tech category and brought the climate change posts up into the news section.

News and politics stuff

Two good posts on the debate came from Modia Minotaur and Gary Sauer-Thompson. Gary’s piece also comes with a great graphic, while MM’s piece is notable for its candour. The wider climate change debate was also well served by Andrew Bartlett, who is his usual incisive self on just where things are at. Bannerman offers this excellent piece on why having Andrew Bartlett around the Ozblogos is such a boon – and he also discusses climate change issues, too. A more personal take from Robert Merkel is here, while in a sure sign that BBP2006 was a roaring success, Tim Lambert’s climate change thread has moved from Online Opinion onto his blog, where people can stoush more frequently.

Still on climate change, for an economist’s view of emissions trading, it’s hard to go past Peter Martin, while in the realm of please don’t laff, this is serious, economist Harry Clarke is good on how to deal with the fact that, ahem, cattle farts and burps contribute more to global warming than cars and commercial vehicles. Further on matters Green, Tim Blair tells us Sea Shepherd went harassing Japanese whalers and, errr, got lost. The whalers are now helping to search for them. Whoops.

In other Sci-Tech news, Peter Black rounds up the goods so you don’t have to, including a nifty selection of the funny and bizarre. Go read.

Other political and economic goodies

Tex finds a public servant sounding off about his love for Castro – and advertising his dayjob while he’s at it. Even worse, said Castro-lover is a teacher. While on the subject of teachers (the good, the bad, and the ugly), Mark Bahnisch riffs on the common Australian sport of teacher-bashing.

Also on values debates, Andrew Norton intelligently confronts anti-gay adoption conservatives with his usual mix of statistics and insight, at the same time revealing the fault-lines that often exist between the two major anti-left intellectual traditions. On the economics front, Paul Mitchell has an excellent piece on the market distortions produced by tariffs and subsidies, and the US tendency to engage in selective indignation over same. Forestalling Godwin – and still on an economics theme – Jason Soon posts on the platform of the NSDAP, observes its distinctly collectivist and anti-market (if not Marxist) characteristics, and lets the stoush begin.

Returning to what is now a safe headline standby – the Middle-East – Harry Feldman is thoughtful on the tortured situation in Israel-Palestine, and a new (high profile) Jewish activist organisation.

As part of the blogosphere’s creep into traditional news-gathering, and clearly planning to improve his reach as a citizen journalist, Andrew Landeryou invites you to reach out and touch him (!) via his dedicated chat service. Also on bloggy conversations, Mark Bahnisch posts a great follow-up to the significant amount of blogospheric angst over the David Jones v Australia Institute suit discussed in Wednesday’s Missing Link.

On a personal level, I’ve been most impressed with new Troppodillian Ingolf, and recommend his piece on the twists and turns of US foreign policy – which seems to be taking its cues from nutjob Roman emperor Caligula.

Life and other serious stuff

Glen starts his very own midnight coffee meme, while Tigtog has one of the most appalling ‘neighbour from Hell’ stories you’re ever likely to hear. Ken Parish joins in with a far lovelier (content-wise) reflection on his 24 years in Darwin, and possible moves to Melbourne. Darlene, meanwhile, shows she does celebrity gossip like no other blogger. Since we all spend a lot of time parked behind our keyboards, David Tiley suggests that there is a limit, and we all get one – a life, that is.

Mad Bad Sad and Glad

Yobbo has more on the cricket fascists (who’ve graduated from being mere fun police), while Tony the Teacher is funny and clever on Darryl Hair’s decision to sue the Pakistan Cricket Board. Continuing with bureaucratic silliness, Heath and Sarah give us the low-down on further attempts to protect people from their own stupidity – while crossing the road listening to an ipod.

Getting really personal now, Darryl Mason discusses recent research suggesting that women like male pong, and Caz at the Spin Starts Here trawls the dating ads so you don’t have to (very amusing).

The Yartz

Deciding that the best way to deal with the thick sheik was to take the piss, Catallaxy ran a funnies competition (with real prize money!). The winner – by Sublimely Gothic Cowgirl aka Poligoths aka Tanja Stark – is featured in today’s Missing Link. Too late for the Catallaxy comp, alas, Pommygranate has a beaut photoshop of the thick sheik’s (alleged) remote control.

More on matters cartoonish – Saint informs us that another newspaper (French this time) has gone in for Muhammad cartoons, and yes, irate Muslims have sued them as well. And he’s included the cartoons, too. Onya Saint.

Inter-blog snark

Periodic outbursts of snarking may be amusing, but they don’t seem so hot to some. Long-time lurker and new blogger Adrien is interesting on how blogwars look from the outside.

A fair bit shorter than Wedensday’s effort, but still lots of bloggy goodness to enjoy over the weekend. Now, off to watch the cricket – and Ricky Ponting bowed to my demands and won the toss!