Monthly Archives: October 2023

Sapolsky’s New Book and the Idea of Free Will

Posted on Friday 20 October 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Five items about Robert M. Sapolsky and his new book, Determined: A Science of Life without Free Will. Which I haven’t read yet. ——   Robert M. Sapolsky, who published a big meaty book six years ago called Behave: The … Continue reading →

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Politics and Education

Posted on Friday 20 October 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Two items about Jim Jordan; Two items about education. —— A couple more items about Jim Jordan (currently still trying to get elected to Speaker of the House). Salon, Amanda Marcotte, 19 Oct 2023: Jim Jordan’s curious rise: A tale … Continue reading →

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Checking in on the Wackadoodles

Posted on Wednesday 18 October 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Several items about Jim Jordan; How the Bible disproves climate change; how people in wheelchairs lack faith in God; how Trump claims (falsely) that flypaper is illegal because cruelty to animals; how tap water is birth control; More seriously: Items … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Lunacy, Politics | Comments Off on Checking in on the Wackadoodles

San Francisco, according to The New Yorker

Posted on Tuesday 17 October 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

A long New Yorker essay about San Francisco, which acknowledges the minuses and the plusses; An ethereal track by Enya: “Exile”. – – – Another piece about San Francisco, a long piece in The New Yorker. Reading it now. Is … Continue reading →

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UBI, Shopping, and San Francisco

Posted on Monday 16 October 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Another take on the idea of “universal basic income”; About conservative supermarket shopping habits; San Francisco’s ranking among world cities. Another take on the idea of “universal basic income,” the counter-intuitive (and anathema to conservatives) notion than the government simply … Continue reading →

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Homosexuality Among Mammals, and Human Families

Posted on Sunday 15 October 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Several pieces about a recent study that suggests homosexuality evolved among mammalian species to reduce conflict “intrasexual violence”; A review of a book about the nuclear family, which the reviewer suggests doesn’t take alternatives into account. – – –   … Continue reading →

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Heather Cox Richardson, Book Bans, and Libraries

Posted on Saturday 14 October 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Profile of Heather Cox Richardson, and a review of her new book; Several items on book bans in the US; And an item about all the threats to US libraries, not just book bans. – – – Profile of Heather … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, History | Comments Off on Heather Cox Richardson, Book Bans, and Libraries

Human Extinction and Climate Change

Posted on Friday 13 October 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Émile P. Torres at Salon on the history of ideas about human extinction; The latest data on climate change is scary; September was the hottest month ever. Peter Gabriel’s “I Grieve”. – – –   The scary thing is that … Continue reading →

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Current Events and Religion

Posted on Thursday 12 October 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Adam Lee on Israel vs. Hamas, with a series of “yes, but”s, and how religion makes peace impossible; Phil Zuckerman calls for the end of Zionism; With my careful comments about the reasons Americans support Israel; Hemant Mehta on how … Continue reading →

Posted in Morality, Politics, Religion | Comments Off on Current Events and Religion

Planets, Scientific Certainty and Placebos, and Peter Gabriel

Posted on Wednesday 11 October 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Phil Plait on the history of planetary discovery, since 1992; Flossing and the quest for scientific certainty; How placebos sometimes work; Peter Gabriel’s “Mercy Street”. – – – Good summary of the past thirty years’ discoveries of new planets. Phil … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Music, Science | Comments Off on Planets, Scientific Certainty and Placebos, and Peter Gabriel