Itchy and Scratchy. Austro-Athenian Empire (2010-05-17). In which Roderick discusses itches and makes a Kripkean point about the relationship between neurophysiology and the concept of “pain.” The only thing I’d want to add is yet another grump about the stupid WikiPedia article: if you think it took “research” to demonstrate that “pain causes us to withdraw and itching causes us to scratch,” then you either have a very odd notion of research, or a very odd notion of what’s necessary to prove something. (Linked Monday 2010-05-17.)

{takebacktheland.org} 'If this isn't neighborhood revitalization, I don't know what is'- Desiree Wilson. Max Rameau, takebacktheland (2010-05-11). As part of the Take Back the Land Movement May 2010 Month of Action, Operation Welcome Home (OWH) hosted an open house celebration on May 10, 2010, and introduced the world to Desiree Wilson, an after-school program assistant supervisor. OWH spared this mother of two and her family from homelessness… (Linked Monday 2010-05-17.)