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John Barrowman sticks it to the asexualists (major SPOILERS for the new Torchwood!):

My pet theory [sez the interviewer] is fans are alienated by the overt sexuality in the show. The original run of Who was asexual, making it comfortable viewing for - how can I put this? - those who perhaps aren't able to express their erotic desires.

"See, I disagree with you," said Barrowman, "because all the fans I talk to are so glad. The letters that I get, and the emails I get are people saying, 'Thank goodness for finally representing the omni-sexuality of somebody, because it reflects how I really am!'. So I just think, to be honest, the problem comes from the people from the old school. The new school of the Whovians and the Woodies - I call 'em - are the ones who are more savvy. The old school are from the classic series. You know what? It's long gone! It’s a piece of history. It stands on its own. I'm a fan, I love it, I still love watching them. But the new Who, Torchwood? We're different. You can't compare us to the other one. And I think that's where the problem is. Get over it!"

LOLOLOLOL

I bet teh OG is burning to the ground at this very moment. >:-)

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Via alryssa: Abortions just as common in countries that ban it as in ones that don't: study. "About 70,000 women die every year from unsafe abortions. An additional five million women suffer permanent or temporary injury." It's pretty clear that prohibition is a flop - successfully reducing the number of abortions means preventing unwanted pregnancy in the first place, such as by increasing access to contraception and sex education.

Random stuff

Wake-up call over sleepless nights: Australians are suffering an epidemic of insomnia, experts warn. One in six people are frequently suffering daytime sleepiness to a degree where they are not operating safely at work or on the road.

Christian stores boycott gay Bible guide. No probs: you can buy it as a PDF download at about half the cost of the printed book.

Rape victim loses police cruelty claim: "Activists and lawyers say sentiment towards rape victims in Japan remains chilly in a society where many feel the women might have led the man on, that she was lying or that she could have fought back."

Courage on the streets kept AIDS in check: "...two film-makers have made a television documentary detailing how Sydney, led by an unlikely gang of gays, prostitutes and junkies, managed to hold back the wave of death and destruction that swept over cities such as New York and San Francisco, saving tens of thousands of lives." These are Inanna's blessed, folks. Give 'em a hand.

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Poor put on a starvation diet: "As they have become increasingly wealthy, people in developing nations such as China have already helped drive the price of food commodities such as wheat to record levels as they have diversified their diet and started eating more grain-hungry meat and dairy products."

I became a vego out of dripping teenage guilt, but there are other good arguments for eating less meat, eggs, and dairy, and this is one of them - the competition for food between poor people and farm animals. It's funny to think that if the world's poorest people and the world's richest people swapped diets, we'd probably all be healthier. :-)

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Via alryssa again: Report: Abstinence Programs Don't Work - while comprehensive sex education actually results in teens delaying sex, having less sex, and having fewer partners! (This new report just confirms what earlier studies found: abstinence-only education is a flop.)

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Wild Honey, which I have basically gutted and am rewriting great chunks of, now appears to contain some form of plot and drama. Huzzah. I am slowly learning an important lesson of writing SF, ie, worry about the story first and the bloody worldbuilding second.