Category Archives: Culture

Agents of Chaos

Posted on Saturday 24 February 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

A piece in The Atlantic about people who embrace chaos and nihilism — and spread conspiracy theories just to alleviate boredom, or burn it all down; And an example of this: Washington Post on Libs of Tik Tok; And recalling … Continue reading →

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Living Proper Lives, and More from the Fringe

Posted on Saturday 10 February 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

David Brooks on the value of humanist studies; Shorter pieces on the psychology behind Trump; how evangelicals respond to the rise of the “nones”; measle rates rising in Europe; a David Barton case study; Fox News praising a vigilante who … Continue reading →

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Odds and Ends…

Posted on Saturday 27 January 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

How journalism may never again make money; Keeping lists of books you’re read; Decoding the Mandelbrot set. More links collected the past week or so, today non-political ones. Washington Post, Perry Bacon Jr., 27 Jan 2024: Opinion | Journalism may … Continue reading →

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40,000 Stars in the Evening

Posted on Thursday 18 January 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

An article about what “fandom” means today, and my brief reflections on science fiction fandom; Fringe items about blaming the devil, why only Christians should hold political offices, book banning, what Trump’s “best people” have said about him, and an … Continue reading →

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Philosophy of Government, and other matters

Posted on Monday 8 January 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

How that DeSantis/Newsom debate revealed “the space between red and blue states”; Short items about folding paper to reach the Moon (the answer is 42), and Christian ideas about good and evil, beating up gay children, and Trump as God’s … Continue reading →

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Phone Calls, Denials, and Reading Philosophy

Posted on Saturday 6 January 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Phone call etiquette; Denial of the Jan. 6 Insurrection, despite receipts; How denial of evolution resembles current efforts to deny democracy; And some thoughts about reading philosophy. Still under the weather; perhaps by Monday I’ll have the energy to get … Continue reading →

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Living in Space; Detox and Cleanliness

Posted on Tuesday 2 January 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Today some more substantial links from the past week or so. Going into space for art; Why detox treatments are nonsense; Our obsession with cleanliness. There have been thoughts recently about the very plausibility of mankind living in space, or … Continue reading →

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Leaving Off with 2023

Posted on Monday 1 January 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

It’s 2024! Let’s see where 2023 left off, based on links I collected over the past week while traveling. Twenty-two items below, including these topics: Thom Hartmann on GOP scams; Roger Rosenblatt on New Year’s Resolutions; Mike Johnson’s alliance with … Continue reading →

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Stupid or Evil?

Posted on Friday 15 December 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

The dictatorship theme continues. Are Trump supporters stupid or evil? A WaPo piece gives many examples of statements by them, dismissing his dictatorship intentions; then Salon’s Amanda Marcotte deconstructs them; Her take: “Regular readers know I’m Team They’re Evil, in … Continue reading →

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Picking Up Where We Left Off Yesterday…

Posted on Thursday 14 December 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Why are many Americans thirsty for authoritarianism?; Why well-intentioned campus speech codes should be abolished; Several items on why the GOP is pursing a Biden impeachment inquiry, despite lack of evidence; How Trump is now conflating himself with God; MAGA: … Continue reading →

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