Links of Interest... because I have lab at 8 am, followed by a major exam, and a class, and another class... Yay it looks like it won't rain tomorrow. Although my dear First Reader, as we were talking about umbrellas and my need to carry one on campus at all times (since I'm also carrying more electronic devices and memory than launched Man to the Moon shortly before I was born) suggested a silly idea, and behold, it exists. A clear fishbowl umbrella. I am SO tempted. Just goes to show you really can find anything on the internet.
I have a story in this anthology, which appears to be full of lovely, literary poetry and short fiction. Have a look! Mythic Delirium, an international anthology of prose and verse, available in ebook and print.
There was a conversation on FB about the state of medical care worldwide, with some seeming to think that because American care is expensive, it's also bad. Uh... no. That would be, we subsidize the rest of the world with our research and innovations, and if you want to see why healthcare is expensive, look at tort law and insurance companies. But related to that, I thought this was interesting. German pharmaceutical companies, it seems, are in decline, and the author muses "And that's what strikes me about many economies in general, as compared to the US. We have more turmoil. It's not always a good thing, but we're also had a lot of science and technology-based companies come out of nowhere to become world leaders. And you can't do that without shaking things around. Is it partly an aversion to that sort of disruption that's led to the current state of affairs, or is this mistaking symptoms for causes? (I mean, the Swiss are hardly known for wild swings in their business sectors, but Swiss pharma has done fine). Thoughts?"
Tom Knighton covers some of the painfully embarrassing behaviours of authors who respond to reviews they don't like. Rule of thumb? Don't respond to reviews. Never respond emotionally. And for goodness' sake, don't threaten the reviewers!
Related to my brief review of the book Lying with Memes, here is Ori Pomerantz's blog, which is very insightful. Worth following.
And oh, look. Another plague, this being the original one, raises it's little head. I know there's a lot of panic being spread about Ebola right now. I'm more worried about the panic than the virus. I've known about hemmorhagic fevers since I first became interested in disease, better than twenty years ago know, and what is happening with Ebola was inevitable. Previously outbreaks have been in remote villages, and burnt out before they spread too far. Now, global travel is too prevalent to avoid the spread outside the continent it began on. However, with proper medical practices and care, this is highly unlikely to become a global pandemic.