MOAR Torchwood stuff - plus! an SF challenge!

OK kids, I have an SFnal challenge for you.

You'll remember controversy over Owen's use of an alien spray in the very first episode of Torchwood to seduce first a woman he fancies, then her boyfriend. Owen sprays himself with the stuff, and anger and indifference turn at once to overwhelming lust, in a parody of those Lynx ads.

Now, RTD and Julie Gardner are completely blithe about this in the DVD commentary. And it suddenly hit me: the spray doesn't affect the couple; it only affects Owen - at least, that's the intention.

Every theory I've come up with about how the spray works has assumed it somehow affected the couple - meaning this was a variety of drug rape. Even if it made Owen shoot out superpowerful pheremones or something, that's still affecting the other people rather than him.

So thinking caps on: what the heck could the spray do only to Owen that made him suddenly irresistable?

In the meantime, some links for u:

Ianto and Jack both make afterelton.com's list of Ten Best Gay and Bisexual Science Fiction Characters. "...Jack and some of the other characters in the series represent an almost “post-gay” approach to sexual themes, in which sexual identity is represented as fluid and complicated, and, more importantly, as not a big deal. It simply is what it is."

Some really terrific analysis of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang from crabby_lioness.

And some icons that are just gosh darn funny. :-)

Bric a brac

Chess champion Bobby Fischer passed away this week.

Attacked by "conservative culture warriors" such as the former PM, Australian schools are quietly dropping contemporary approaches to literature, such as examining the role of race and gender.

"Conservative voices in the media misrepresent what goes on in the nation's literacy and English classrooms," [Assoc Prof Ilana] Snyder says. "Literacy teachers are not mindless promoters of educational fads and left-wing ideologies. They do not ignore basic literacy skills, traditional grammar and the books of the canon. Such claims are false and enormously damaging to the enterprise of education."

(Mind you, Internet fandom demonstrates that close reading isn't exactly a widespread skill.)

benchilada found a great pulp book cover.

Top Gear with British Sign Language. (Surely that clip cuts off too early! I want to see the BSL for "badger of death"!) Plus! A cheeky Deaf man obviously imitating Jeremy Clarkson!

Don't mention the war

Right now I'm so knackered that only thing I'm good for is posting links, so here, have some more.

A personal account of waterboarding.

Who Are the Gitmo Saudis? Foot soldiers, missionaries, and aid workers, according to CounterPunch. Freed Saudis are being reintegrated into their society with an anti-terrorism program, although many suggest the program is successful because the men were not terrorists in the first place.

WHO: New study estimates 151 000 violent Iraqi deaths since 2003 invasion

Post the invasion, Iraqi women are just having a big bunch o' fun. So are Iraqi gay men and lesbians.