Category Archives: Culture

Caro Claire Burke, YESTERYEAR

Posted on Monday 17 August 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

(Knopf, April 2026, 391pp) I read the bestselling novel YESTERYEAR, by Caro Claire Burke, three weekends ago, on a trip to LA to spend time with family on the occasion of a 1st birthday and a new house, and it … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, Culture | Comments Off on Caro Claire Burke, YESTERYEAR

Fantasy Lands

Posted on Sunday 16 August 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Andrew O’Hehir on how few people understand the differences between socialism, capitalism, and all those other isms, as even MAGA embraces socialist ideas; Mark Joseph Stern on the origin of originalist ideas about the US Constitution; Jamelle Boudie on how … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatives, Culture, Politics | Comments Off on Fantasy Lands

The Deep History Key to the American Political Divide

Posted on Thursday 13 August 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Kurt Andersen on America’s soft breakup; How the divide goes back ultimately to the Agricultural Revolution. – – – First up, a NYT Op-ed NY Times, Kurt Andersen, 9 Aug 2026: Has America Already Undergone a Soft Breakup?

Posted in Culture, Human Nature, Politics | Comments Off on The Deep History Key to the American Political Divide

Yuval Noah Harari: UNSTOPPABLE US, Vol. 3

Posted on Wednesday 12 August 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Subtitled: “How Enemies Become Friends” (Bright Matter Books, February 2026, xxi + 181pp) Here is the third of Harari’s world’s-history-for-children books, taking a 30,000-foot view of the big changes over the millennia of human history. Each book has four chapters. … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, Culture, History | Comments Off on Yuval Noah Harari: UNSTOPPABLE US, Vol. 3

Science Fiction and Horror: New Thoughts

Posted on Friday 31 July 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

There is an overlap between science fiction and horror I just realized today; On its 250th anniversary, America looks backward and forward; Brief items about Head Start, Trump the Mafia Boss, Anthony Fauci’s mortal sin (challenging Trump), the new pro-teen … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, History, science fiction | Comments Off on Science Fiction and Horror: New Thoughts

Kurt Andersen: FANTASYLAND

Posted on Tuesday 14 July 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Subtitled: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History (Random House, 2017, 462pp, including 22pp acknowledgements and index) Here is a book by a writer who doesn’t generally write this type of book. Andersen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Andersen) writes mostly novels and TV, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, conservatives, Culture, History | Comments Off on Kurt Andersen: FANTASYLAND

Toby Ord, THE PRECIPICE

Posted on Monday 6 July 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Subtitled: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity (Hachette, 2020, 468pp, including 225pp of resources, acknowledgements, appendices, further reading, notes, bibliography, and index.) Here is book about existential risks, a topic on which I have several books, though this one … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, Culture, Evolution, Human Progress | Comments Off on Toby Ord, THE PRECIPICE

The Conservative Ethos: Tribalistic, Xenophobic, Autocratic

Posted on Tuesday 30 June 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

How the Supreme Court repeatedly gives Trump the license to discriminate (never mind “all men are created equal”); Robert Reich on the Court’s decision to let Trump fire officials in government agencies whenever he likes; Robert Reich on how the … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatives, Culture, Politics, Racism | Comments Off on The Conservative Ethos: Tribalistic, Xenophobic, Autocratic

Fixes for Elections Are Available, and SF Fans Have Been Using Them for Decades

Posted on Saturday 6 June 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Voting patterns and conservative conspiracy theories; Trump pardons a GOP Rep, because as a conservative he must have been “unfairly treated”; Elections fixes, which sf fans have adopted, and which Republicans would resist, since they currently have an advantage; How … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatives, Culture, Music | Comments Off on Fixes for Elections Are Available, and SF Fans Have Been Using Them for Decades

More about Conservatives, Tear-Downs, and Greed; plus Tax Breaks

Posted on Thursday 4 June 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Conservatives: A Christian snowflake says the mere sight of a Pride flag violates his religious beliefs; the demonic UFOs guy has been removed; how fascists think everyone in history much be portrayed as white Europeans (this is about the new … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, conservatives, Culture | Comments Off on More about Conservatives, Tear-Downs, and Greed; plus Tax Breaks