Hadn’t planned another linkpost–

But we had unexpected company so I’m short on time.
First, some writing links: World Fantasy nominee NK Jemisin discusses reactions to her female characters and the stereotypes and standards fantasy heroines are judged by. The full list of finalists is here.
Here‘s a more technique-oriented question: How minimal can my descriptions be?
And this post on hooking readers when you’re in the slush pile has, I think, excellent advice (my own thoughts on openings, some of which overlap, are here)
•Two points of view on Iranian nukes. This article argues that realistically, Iran can no more dominate the Middle East with nukes than the US can. This response argues that assuming America’s (or anyone’s) reaction will be realistic presumes a lot. While over in Iran, the current government continues chipping away at women’s rights.
•Charles Pierce says nobody at Penn State gets closure until the victims are ready for closure. The Daily Howler suggests we should go with innocent until proven guilty and questions whether one witness’s story has changed, as alleged. David Brooks makes a reasonable point——can any of us be sure we’d have refused to be part of the cover-up?——before sliding into his usual platitudes by asserting that therefore, denouncing any crimes or cover-ups that took place is just indulging our smugness at being morally superior. Umm, no, whether or not we would have covered things up, that does not change the fact that covering up or not reporting such incidents would be WRONG. And that’s the issue in most of the coverage I’ve seen.
Curiously Brooks also devoted time on one of the Sunday morning talk shows (I don’t have the link handy) to discussing how this kind of thing clearly proves the corrosive moral effect of the 1960s on America. So apparently it’s only us that aren’t supposed to judge.
Still on Penn State, Roy Edroso points us to another blogger who explains how this would never happened if Obama hadn’t taken away our independence and self-reliance with socialistic policies.
Another columnist cites Penn State as part of a general salvo against the Baby Boomers. Digby points out that generational stereotyping is a bad idea. It reminds me of a discussion I had online with an acquaintance who insisted the Baby Boomers were annoying and smug about all they’d accomplished and looked down on subsequent generations. When I suggested this was the sort of thing every generation says about its parents, she assured me that no, Boomers were really, honest-to-gosh worse than every generation that had come before.
•Plans to reduce litter by banning disposable plastic bottles from the Grand Canyon ran afoul of Coca Cola’s objections.
•A simple explanation on how to keep Social Security solvent.
•And for comics nerds, a Norse Myth blog examines the sources and concludes Jack Kirby wasn’t wrong to give us a blonde Thor. The excellent article also covers several stories that now seem like rough drafts for the Marvel Thunder God.
Non-linkage blogging will hopefully resume tomorrow.