Morning Link Dump!

Totally true Chuck Norris fact: He is an insane person. Literally. He's touting a telecast of thousands of right-wing cells (yes, he himself uses the same word used to describe terrorist groups) ominously titled "We Surround Them." At what point should the authorities start taking this stuff seriously?

The claim that Obama is doing too much too soon isn't only made by stupid people, but it's a claim that makes those who make it sound stupid. Like Jake Tapper.

I see that some of the comments have already covered it, but when Kevin Drum asked why the Wall Street quants were predominantly physicists and not mathematicians, the answer clearly lies in the difference between theoretical and applied mathematics. Mathematicians dig into the theory that underlies mathematics. Physicists, among others, apply that theory to the world. It's much more natural for someone who works in applied mathematics to transfer to another applied mathematics field. I speak only for myself, but I'm a mathematician, and I generally like math for math's sake and eschew applied math.

Cool optical illusion.

Weird fish, or weirdest fish?

War on drugs = FAIL. Incidentally, if you're not reading Radley Balko on a regular basis, you're losing out.