Monthly Archives: May 2017

Link and Comment: Modern Conservatism

Posted on Wednesday 17 May 2017 by Mark R. Kelly

From a review in Sunday’s NYT Book Review, by Damon Linker, of a book about the famous conservative intellectual William F. Buckley, and his relationships to various presidents of the United States. The review is titled “William F. Buckley and … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Psychology | Comments Off

Link and Comment: The Changing US Demographic

Posted on Monday 15 May 2017 by Mark R. Kelly

Essay in Sunday’s NYT: The Census and Right-Wing Hysteria, by Herbert J. Gans The “right-wing hysteria” concerns the predictions, for several years now, than within a few decades the US would become a “majority-minority” nation by the 2040 — i.e., … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Culture | Comments Off

A Chilling Journey Through Worlds Beyond Imagination: TOS by James Blish

Posted on Monday 15 May 2017 by Mark R. Kelly

As noted a couple posts ago, in my series of Star Trek Rewatch posts, I’ve just reread James Blish’s first Star Trek book – published just over 50 years ago! – to note the changes he made from the original … Continue reading →

Posted in Star Trek | Comments Off

Blood thins. The Body fails. TOS “The Conscience of the King”

Posted on Monday 15 May 2017 by Mark R. Kelly

Kirk must determine if a Shakespearean actor is the same man as the infamous “Kodos the Executioner,” whose crimes Kirk witnessed 20 years before. This is an offbeat, exotic episode, with strong characters and a powerful moral dilemma, that … Continue reading →

Posted in Star Trek | Comments Off

Dying of Puberty: TOS “Miri”

Posted on Friday 12 May 2017 by Mark R. Kelly

The Enterprise discovers an Earth-like planet populated only by children, infected by a disease that doesn’t affect them until puberty, but a disease that affects the Enterprise landing party within hours. The initial scene has the Enterprise picking up an … Continue reading →

Posted in Star Trek | Comments Off

Dying of Loneliness: TOS “Dagger of the Mind”

Posted on Tuesday 9 May 2017 by Mark R. Kelly

An escapee from the penal colony on Tantalus Five leads to a confrontation between Kirk, a beautiful psychiatrist crewman, and the genial yet mad director of the colony. The enhanced graphics for this episode depict the planet, Tantalus Five, as … Continue reading →

Posted in Star Trek | Comments Off

That Was the Equation!: TOS “What Are Little Girls Made Of?”

Posted on Monday 8 May 2017 by Mark R. Kelly

The Enterprise finds archaeologist Dr. Roger Korby, Nurse Christine Chapel’s fiance and missing for many years, on a remote planet where he’s discovered the remnants of a race of androids — and claims discoveries that could revolutionize human existence. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Star Trek | Comments Off

How science can explain why you don’t believe in science

Posted on Monday 8 May 2017 by Mark R. Kelly

Here’s another recent commentary from the San Francisco Chronicle, this by Caille Millner: Free speech is a joke when laughing is a crime It’s nominally about the 61-year-old woman who was just *convicted* of “disorderly and disruptive conduct” for laughing … Continue reading →

Posted in MInd, Science | Comments Off

Links and Comments: Conservatives and the Just World Fallacy

Posted on Friday 5 May 2017 by Mark R. Kelly

Among the dozens of articles in mainstream and progressive media (not to mention outraged posts by many of my Fb friends) about the insidious effects of the just-passed ‘Trumpcare’ law by the House of Representatives, here’s one that explores how … Continue reading →

Posted in MInd | Comments Off