Category Archives: Culture

Things that are True about the World, despite Human Intuitions

After three posts about that Jonathan Rauch book, let’s post some items about conclusions made by the reality-based community. Veritasium on Euclid’s Fifth Postulate, and how there is more to reality than human intuitive thinking; Neil de Grasse Tyson on … Continue reading

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UBI, Shopping, and San Francisco

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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Numerous Items From Recent Weeks

How the worldwide migration crisis is about civil wars and climate change, but also about the internet and smartphones; How the Luddites were not what we think, and why it might be appropriate to be one now; About the new … Continue reading

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Murdoch, Azarian, Reich, and Scientists

Items today: The retirement of Rupert Murdoch, who became wealthy by degrading American politics and appealing to many Americans’ worst instincts; Republican hypocrisy example: John Fetterman vs. Lauren Boebert; with a classic definition: “Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to … Continue reading

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Today’s Items about Politics and Culture

Is the attempt to impeach Biden an example of tit for tat, or something else?; How attendees at the Dreamforce conference this week didn’t recognize the right-wing media depictions of San Francisco, and other cities, as ‘hellholes’. Here’s a piece … Continue reading

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Morality and Corruption

How society is becoming more moral, not less; How the press covers politics; Quick takes on the Republican Party as a racket, and the laughable impeachment of the Biden family as “corrupt” by supporters of Trump and his family. OnlySky, … Continue reading

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Odds and Ends from Recent Weeks

Today I’m catching up on numerous items from recent weeks that I want to note even though I haven’t had time to thoroughly read or comment about them. A couple of them, at least, I will revisit, because I need … Continue reading

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Community, Conservatives, and Cynics

A round of assorted links from the past couple weeks. The yearning for community, and how the churches are failing that yearning; Adam Lee on the Supreme Court and how conservatism is focused on privileging wealthy, white, male Christians; Thom … Continue reading

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A Crisis in Cosmology?

NY Times, Adam Frank and Marcelo Gleiser, 2 Sep 2023: The Story of Our Universe May Be Starting to Unravel This is a piece about some of the fall-out of the photos from the James Webb Space Telescope, and the … Continue reading

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Vivek Ramaswamy as Prototypical Republican Candidate

Vox’s Andrew Prokop on how Vivek would “simply just solve American’s tough problems”; NYT’s Michelle Goldeberg on why that some people find Vivek insufferable is exactly why his fans are drawn to him; WaPo’s Paul Waldman on how Republicans are … Continue reading

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