I don't know if the recession is making violent crime more common, but this was sobering:

Sunday, a man was beaten to death in a bar on Catonsville's main street. This wasn't in a bad neighborhood or anything -- I walked by this place just a few days ago and had noted that they featured live music and were looking for people to play.

And Monday night, while I was at Leadbetter's in Fells Point, a fellow came in trying to find witnesses to the beating he had suffered in front of the bar the night before. I've seen a few scuffles there over the years (and jumped in to break them up) but it's rare that things go beyond the pushing match, or the one punch, stage.

No, it's not a April Fool's joke: the Wall Street Journal reports on researchers who are trying to adapt technology from the old "Star Wars" laser missile defense, to target mosquitoes with death rays. If it works, it would be much less toxic and much more selective than insecticides.

New Scientist reports on a study of hormonal changes associated with BDSM play:

Brad Sagarin at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb and colleagues measured levels of the stress hormone cortisol in 13 men and women at an S&M party in Arizona, before, during and after participating in activities. During S&M scenes, cortisol rose significantly in those receiving stimulation, but dropped back to normal within 40 minutes if the scene went well. There was no change in those inflicting the activity.

At an S&M event in Colorado, testosterone was measured in 45 men and women. It increased significantly in receiving women only. Donatella Marazziti of the University of Pisa, Italy, says the boost may help women cope with the aggressive nature of S&M activities, or that it could be another sign of stress. In both studies, couples who said the party went well also reported increases in relationship closeness

...

Richard Wiseman, a psychologist at the University of Hertfordshire in Hatfield, UK, adds that almost any shared activity is likely to promote interpersonal closeness. "It doesn't have to be tying up your partner or placing clamps on their nipples, it could be something as simple as cooking a meal together or even doing the housework as a duo," he says.

Once again, xkcd is made of win:

I loathe people who think they are so much more important than the rest of us that they're entitled to two spaces. When I come across a diagonally parked sports car, I park my dirty beat-up old car next to it as close as I can. I did that for a week solid at the office at my job about a dozen years ago; after a few days we had a whole line of cars parked diagonally.

Zelda's Inferno exercise: we collected words to make an individual wordlist for each person. Mine:

falling caffeine crawl brewing dance dive brimming formica

was he falling?
or diving?

it was question of intent and style
but once he was already in midair
he found it was a bit late to decide

falling diving dancing flying leaping --
or maybe he was only burning up
and would leave only ashes in his wake

but it was some dramatic verb, this love
not to be described by some tame verb
not crawling walking sitting or standing

it surely had to be a word with risk
an action that could end with injury
it's only danger that gives love its savor.

Here's an interview / Q & A session with Ron Moore about the Battlestar Galactica finale. Worth a read for fans.

Two interesting karate links:

• Interview with Hanshi Steve Arniel, Kyokushin-kai big-wig and one of the most senior British karateka, and
• a story about Hanshi Charles Martin, the most senior student in Seido karate. The manga pictures are a hoot -- when they make you into a comic-book hero, then you know you've arrived.

More health news that should shock no one:

A National Cancer Institute study found that people who eat the most red meat and the most processed meat have the highest overall risk of death per year from all causes, including heart disease and cancer.

And the World Health Organization says that sunshine and fresh air can reduce the risk of tuberculosis in hospitals and prisons. (One interesting fact: while many of us worry about catching some nasty airborne disease on an airplane, according to the director of the WHO's Stop TB department, Mario Raviglione, "In airplanes the ventilation system is actually better than in most buildings.")

Scientific American has a fascinating article about the frequency with which people experience hallucinations of dead loved ones:

For several years I've been working on a book about the philosophy and spiritual path I call "Zen Paganism". I'm happy to say that the past few months have been very productive. I've now got over 50,000 words, and hope to have a complete first draft within the next six months.

I've placed drafts of several sample chapters (about two-thirds of the book) on-line. Take a look: http://infamous.net/WhyBuddhaTouchedTheEarth/