• The Broadside Blog's Caitlin Kelly talks about the process of journalism.
• Crooked Timber features a confusing critique of Clinton from the left.
• The Dragon's Tales notes the presence of Roman coins and at least one Persian mathematician in ancient Japan.
• Joe. My. God. notes that the Republican Party has halted preparation for a Trump victory.
• Language ( Read more... )

Bloomberg's Chikako Mogi and Yuki Hagiwara describe how the Hokkaido coal town of Yubari is trying to downside.

A sleepy, former coal-mining town in northern Japan is taking unprecedented measures to combat its biggest challenge: a devastating shrinking of its population. Its success could decide the future for hundreds of other local governments ( Read more... )

• Bad Astronomy's Phil Plait evaluates the doability of Elon Musk's proposal for colonizing Mars.
• blogTO notes that Casa Loma will be transformed into a haunted house for the month of October.
• The Dragon's Tales notes NASA's belief that Europa almost certainly has watery plumes.
• False Steps shares an early American proposal for a lunar base.
• Far Outliers ( Read more... )

• At Apostrophen, 'Nathan Smith describes his experience at the CAN•CON conference in Ottawa.
• The Dragon's Gaze links to a paper speculating about the consequences of observing a large extraterrestrial civilization.
• Far Outliers notes how Chinese soldiers in 1937 Shanghai did not want to take prisoners.
• The Frailest Thing's Michael Sacasas considers the ( Read more... )

• Dangerous Minds notes a remarkable Japanese magazine featuring photos of rock stars from the 1970s and 1980s.
• Joe. My. God. notes the death of drag legend Lady Chablis.
• Marginal Revolution notes the exceptional skepticism of some with the idea of a guaranteed minimum income in Kenya.
• The NYRB Daily interviews Chinese documentary filmmaker Ai Xiaoming ( Read more... )

• Centauri Dreams considers Juno's photos of Jupiter's poles.
• The Dragon's Gaze notes the discovery of another star that behaves much like mysterious Tabby's Star.
• Far Outliers reports on the good reputation of the Chinese forces at Shanghai in 1937.
• Joe. My. God. notes a Christian site that claims gay sex is not sex.
• Language Hat reports on the problems ( Read more... )

Bloomberg's article suggests a compromise such as desired by the Japanese, with a transfer of sovereignty over one or more of the islands, is not in the offing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin struck a conciliatory tone before talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on a territorial dispute that’s prevented the countries from signing a ( Read more... )

• Beyond the Beyond notes some anti-drone activists' efforts to get drones controlled.
• blogTO reports on the history of the strip mall in Toronto, looks at the abandoned Whitney Block Tower by Queen's Park, and reports from the attic of Queen's Park.
• Discover's Body Horrors notes the possibility that global warming might lead to the reemergence of ( Read more... )

Bloomberg's Chris Cooper and Katsuyo Kuwako report on how a Hokkaido ski town, Niseko, has avoided depopulation thanks largely to an embrace of the wider world. The performance relative to the rest of Hokkaido, or to small Japanese communities generally, is notable.

Japan’s shrinking population has weighed on the world’s third-biggest economy, ( Read more... )

• Bloomberg talks about Poland's problems with economic growth, notes that McMansions are poor investments, considers what to do about the Olympics post-Rio, looks at new Japanese tax incentives for working women, looks at a French war museum that put its stock up for sale, examines the power of the New Zealand dairy, looks at the Yasukuni ( Read more... )