Friday Linkdump: 99% Dingo Free

Not that I have anything against dingoes -- ridiculous image to the right aside, which I include only because it made me laugh inappropriately and snort tea out of my nose -- but unless something truly unexpected happens, I can pretty much guarantee that there are no dingoes in my immediate vicinity. Mostly. What with being in North America and all.

(Also, they do not usually eat human infants, and are not unusually vicious creatures. They're apex predators, doing what apex predators do. They are also classed as "vulnerable" on IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Be kind to dingoes by steering clear of them, and avoid leaving small, helpless things unattended if you're in their habitat. You can learn more about what dingoes are really about here.)

And now, a random assortment of links:

- Missouri businessman in limbo in China in dispute over debt, unsure when he’ll get back to US
When I travel, I often have a lurking worry that some kind of disaster or mishap will leave me stranded hundreds of miles for home without the money to return. This story is like the Platonic ideal of that fear. Whatever happens, I hope this guy gets home.

- When University Presses Fail
No, not social "fail" as we colloquially use it here on the Internets, but fail as in come apart. It's an odd term to use, considering that the University of Missouri press -- which new UM President Tim Wolfe has announced will be closing shop -- was never intended to be a thing which could "fail" in the business sense. It's a non-profit entity designed to be a part of the service that the University provides in terms of fostering scholarship. The closure is a terrible loss, and I sincerely hope that this decision is reversed.

- Is this Welsh princess the first British woman author?
Princess Gwenllian, daughter of the King of Gwynedd, died in battle fighting the Normans in the late 11th Century. And, according to at least one Celticist, may have been the author the Four Branches of the Mabinogi. The article doesn't get too deep into the evidence, but it's kind of a cool idea, and Gwenllian is certainly someone who rates high on the badassery scale.

- Can Athletes Perform Well on a Vegan Diet?
My diet is decidedly not vegan (I eat a pescetarian diet that also includes no-kill animal products like milk, eggs, and honey), but I'm interested in what we're actually learning about what kinds of diets the body can thrive on other than the diets embedded in the overculture of the last generation. And, while I'm thinking about it, an interesting article about our species' genetic heritage, and its effect on diet, activity, and fat.

- Facebook Has Automatically Signed You Up for Facial Recognition. Here’s How to Opt Out.
Useful!

- The only good abortion is my abortion
A beautifully honest essay by a woman faced with making a decision about whether to terminate her pregnancy. It's poignant and candid, and is a powerful example of why the people trying to control the law surrounding access to contraception and abortion -- being mostly middle-aged white men -- are precisely the wrong people to be having the conversation.

This post has been mirrored from Christian A. Young's Dimlight Archive. To see it in its original format, visit dimlightarchive.com