Category Archives: Culture

Patrick Stewart and Two Notes About Narrative

Posted on Saturday 31 October 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Noting the passing of Patrick Stewart, and how the noble passages spoken by Picard (and written by unmentioned writers) are credited to the actor; Mike Johnson supports Christian Nationalists (while Republicans rant and rave about Muslims and Sharia Law); and … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Humanism, Narrative, Religion | Leave a comment

There Is Nothing Wrong with You

Posted on Tuesday 27 October 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Malcolm Gladwell on misunderstandings about gun violence; Kevin Kelly’s proposal for a universal national service; A video that explains why homosexuality has evolutionary advantages; Jim Palmer on religion’s biggest lie: sin; Brief links about Hegseth’s faith advisor, RFK Jr., how … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Culture, Politics, Religion, The Gays | Leave a comment

All of this is coming your way

Posted on Wednesday 7 October 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Items about the decline of reading, declining violence, the Gulf of America, the GOP as the party of white people, Hegseth’s war on “weirdos,’ how to save money by not buying anything, and my favorite R.E.M. song. (Actually posted 19 … Continue reading →

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Perhaps Zealots *Should* Be Driven Out of Public Life

Posted on Tuesday 6 October 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

About the drops in crime and conservative fears, two items; A Christian influencer says he met Jesus, who’s a hunk; The weird thinking of Samuel Alito about what he thinks is “religious liberty”. – – – In spite of conservative … Continue reading →

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How Humanity Is Better Now Than We Were In the Past

Posted on Sunday 4 October 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Francis Fukuyama on why we’re better than our ancestors. – – – Big Think, Jonny Thomson, 30 Sep 2026: Francis Fukuyama on why we’re better than our ancestors, subtitled “Everyone matters. If you believe that, it’s a good sign.” Immediate … Continue reading →

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Hiking is a Modern Invention

Posted on Sunday 13 September 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

The idea of hiking was not a thing until relatively recently; How Trump is stifling free speech; Brief items about hurricanes and methane; Nice Bruckner 6 performance by Myung-Whun Chung. – – – First, a think piece. About how the … Continue reading →

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Alain de Botton: RELIGION FOR ATHEISTS

Posted on Monday 7 September 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Subtitled: A Non-believer’s Guide to the Uses of Religion (Pantheon, March 2012, 320pp, including 8pp acknowledgements, picture credits, and index.) This is a book by the pop-philosopher (I don’t think that’s an unfair term) and writer best know for HOW … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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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?

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