Random links of interest, concern or curiosity from the past week or so, that deserve at least a SHORT mention:

 
Preparing For Civil Disobedience? London Mayor Wants Water Cannons In London By The Summer ~ Next up for the metropolis… detention centers?

 
Don’t give NYC’s new executive any ideas ~ The Mayor New York Deserves ~ Heather Mac Donald at National Review Online. If New Yorkers don’t think De Blasio’s pitch is tired and juvenile, they deserve it. Bread & Circuses.
 
Who Is Kenneth Bae, the Longest-Held U.S. Prisoner in North Korea? ~ And why is Dennis Rodman such a buffoon?!
 
Opinion: Liberal ‘Nation’ Mag Freaking over ‘Racist’ Seminole Mascot Winning BCS ~ So the Florida State Seminoles beat the Auburn Tigers for the BCS (Bowl Championship Series) championship – and the PC police go nuts.
 
Global warming’s glorious ship of fools ~ Mark Steyn’s take on the ill-fated voyage of the Akademik Shokalskiy is laugh-out-loud funny (which explains why he gets paid the big bucks to write – and I don’t 😀 ).
 
Disabled Family Sees 300 Percent Increase In Health Insurance Costs Under Obamacare ~ Weren’t these exactly the people the con-artist-in-chief told us the Affordable Care Act was going to help?
 
Exposed: Waqf Illegally Drilling on Temple Mount ~ It’s probably just me… but anything to do with the Temple and the Temple Mount in Jerusalem gets me thinking “end times” ~

The Waqf is the Jordanian-run Islamic trust which administers the Temple Mount. It has been accused on numerous occasions of mounting a concerted campaign to “Islamize” the site by destroying ancient Jewish artifacts.

 
Survey: Reported Christian “martyr” deaths doubled in 2013 ~ This is actually a CBS News report. That’s encouraging. Now – will the O’Ministration take any action – even to condemn the killings? How about the Pope? Don’t bet on it.
 

Ice Balls Rolling Ashore in Lake Michigan ~ Cool phenomenon ~