Category Archives: Music

America’s Continued Decline

Posted on Tuesday 16 June 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Michelle Goldberg on the garish spectacle at the White House; Will Leitch about its absurdity; Conservatives are trolls; US science is also in decline; Paul Krugman’s theory of the vulgar class; And music: Hans Zimmer’s “Chevaliers De Sangreal”, a great … Continue reading →

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Meaning, Purpose, Science, Science Fiction

Posted on Thursday 11 June 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Kevin Kelly’s take on a meaning of life: be the most improbable person you can be; And my provisional ideas about meaning and purpose; Hans Zimmer’s Interstellar. I mentioned Kevin Kelly yesterday, and so I checked out his blog, his … Continue reading →

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Is Consensus History Possible?

Posted on Monday 8 June 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

The Atlantic’s Yoni Applebaum on the idea of consensus history; A review of Steven Spielberg’s film history; How conservatives don’t understand how California voting works, and imagine conspiracies; Ennio Morricone, Marco Polo, and Canzone di Mai-Li. Activity today. – – … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Tear-Downs and Demons

Posted on Monday 1 June 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Trump’s cancellations, which I can’t keep up with; How Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill will impact public schools; How UFOs are interpreted by the religious as demons; Preisner’s “Silence, Night & Dreams” – – – I’m not sure I’m keeping up … Continue reading →

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Sean Carroll on Science and Religion, and Templeton

Posted on Thursday 7 May 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Sean Carroll on science and religion, and why he doesn’t take money from the Templeton Foundation; Short items on how the Trump administration cutting funding to study the hantavirus, the one now loose on that cruise ship; more blaming Satan … Continue reading →

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Twilight of the Gods?

Posted on Tuesday 28 April 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Pondering how to live in a era without religious assumptions; A related theme in Arthur C. Clarke’s The Songs of Distant Earth; Timothy Snyder on superpower suicide; distrust of the current administration; confused thoughts about racism from the right; And … Continue reading →

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Will Humanity’s Cognitive Limitations Lead to the End of Human Civilization?

Posted on Monday 27 April 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Belief in unfounded health care claims about solar energy; how so many people believe unproven claims about raw milk and vaccines; How the Trump administration is ending the EPA and paying to cancel wind farms; Chris Barkley on Trump’s 7-step … Continue reading →

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Is Reality a Hoax or a Conspiracy? No.

Posted on Sunday 26 April 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Many items about the apparent assassination attempt last night at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, and how many people on social media detected signs of a staged attack; Why posting the Ten Commandments in classrooms doesn’t work, as conservatives think … Continue reading →

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Another Example of the Endless, Fruitless, Search for Proof of God

Posted on Thursday 23 April 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

No, there isn’t any new evidence that God exists; Clannad and The Last of the Mohicans. – – – Noted from last month. What could this mean? The Atlantic, Elizabeth Bruenig, 26 Mar 2026: The Evidence That God Exists, subtitled … Continue reading →

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