Mark R. Kelly
» Founder in 1997 and site-runner for 20 years of Locus Online (Hugo Award winner in 2002). Founder in 2012 and still site-runner of sfadb.com (Science Fiction Awards Database). Retired in 2012 after 30 years as a software engineer for a certain rocket engine factory.
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» Previous Views from Medina Road (2010-2013)
» Blogspot Views from Medina Road (2003-2010)-
Recent Posts
- The Plane. George Saunders. Lying. And AI spam.
- John Scalzi, WHEN THE MOON HITS YOUR EYE
- Current Politics as Reflections of Human Nature
- We’re Living in an Age of Regression
- Tim Urban, WHAT’S OUR PROBLEM?, post 1
- Palace in the Sky, For the One
- Disconnects from Reality, and a Couple Positive Notes
- How the US is retreating into tribalism
- J. Bronowksi: THE ASCENT OF MAN
- The US Is Becoming a Demon-Haunted World. Not Necessarily Again.
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Meta
Category Archives: Politics
How Much News Is Too Much News?
Today: that debate, my own news consuming habits, and the negativity bias. Then: more about wokeness, and the relationship between conservatism, liberalism, wokeness, and equality; and between teaching values and indoctrination. The Atlantic, Shadi Hamid, 13 Mar 2023: You’re Better … Continue reading
Posted in Conservative Resistance, Politics
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Liberty and Freedom vs. Conservatives
About the notion of liberalism; the panic among White Christian nationalists; a book about the John Birch society, which anticipated the modern MAGA movement; and examples of conservatives’ opposition to liberty and freedom. Let’s start with this short video by … Continue reading
Posted in Conservative Resistance, Politics
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To Conservatives, Woke Seems to Mean Whatever They Don’t Like
So my take on wokeness, a couple weeks ago, as a “perhaps exaggerated respect for the sensitivities of others,” is not what most others mean by “woke.” To some conservatives, it means anything they don’t like or want to acknowledge, … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Politics, Psychology, Social Progress
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Narratives, Vanity, and Empathy
A writer named Alissa Quart has a new book out, Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream, that challenges the American myth that one can “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” to succeed all on your own. It’s a fantasy … Continue reading
Posted in Politics, Psychology
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Today’s Political/Religious Stew
It’s like a traffic accident; you can’t look away. Recent headlines on political matters as influenced by religion. One particular religion, whose followers apparently do not respect the Constitution (or at least the establishment clause of the First Amendment). The … Continue reading
Posted in Conservative Resistance, Politics, Religion
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Disinformation and Tribal Beliefs
Political items? Or items about people who don’t quite live in the real world? Is there a psychological term for them? NY Times, Linda Qiu, 4 Mar 2023: Fact-Checking Trump’s Speech at CPAC, subtitled “The former president made inaccurate claims … Continue reading
Posted in Politics, Psychology
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Assorted Links, early March
Politics, The Crazies, Science and Culture, Religion Jeff VanderMeer (and a coauthor) on DeSantis and students in Florida; David French on cancel culture and the now two Overton Windows; Amanda Marcotte on Republican hypocrisy; MTG’s confused timeline; bills to outlaw … Continue reading
Leftover February Links, 2
Science, Culture, Politics A 3-D map of near space, and errors in film and TV science fiction, and a novel; 11 recent scientific breakthroughs; a Lunar time zone. When reading went silent. Ron DeSantis’ freedom crackdown, and a question about … Continue reading
Leftover February Links, 1
Politics, Science, Culture, Religion GOP, NYT and Biden; Evolution, Aliens and Balloons; Movie Credits, Awards; He Gets Us, Indoctrination Camps, Education
Arguing to Win, Not to Be Right
Two books about how to argue; more on the “national divorce”; and items about the right-wing battle for the next century, train deregulation, a new target list of enemies, and buying your way onto bestseller lists. Here’s a review in … Continue reading
Posted in Politics, Psychology
Comments Off on Arguing to Win, Not to Be Right
