Links of the week

Image credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University

• Bad Astronomy reviews the highest resolution image of the moon ever created.The full file is an enormous 550Mb so download it at your peril!

• Jeff Sparrow comments in the Drum on the rise of 'racyism' in current public discourse and opinion 

• Alison Gopnik on Slate.com and Massimo Pigliucci on Rationally Speaking pull to pieces recent research by Jonathan Haidt that claims academia discriminates against people with conservative values.

• Ross Gittins in the National Times argues that politicians and media interests are playing to the innate fear of outsiders. He makes a point: how often do you see asylum seekers being interviewed by the press?

• Insight on SBS featured the terrible flood and cyclone disasters that have impacted Queensland and discussed the links with La Niña, climate change and what might mitigate these disasters in the future.

• And as the earthquake disaster unfolds in Christchurch, Julie Bishop has these words. I couldn't add much more...