Category Archives: Uncategorized

Ooh, Pick Meme

My journal is called Riffs and Licks because it refers to both my musical and conversational styles, and because it’s somewhat suggestive. My subtitle is nonexistent because it seemed superfluous. My friends page is called Ken’s Friends because I never … Continue reading

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Evolution Helps Creationists

Evolutionary historian Edward Larson says that natural selection favors evangelicals and other religious extremists, who tend to have large families, over the rest of us, who don’t: But among white, middle-class Americans, religious people are having children at a much … Continue reading

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The Time When Reason Triumphed Over Unreason

Having just finished Neal Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, Confusion, and The System Of the World), I finally picked up James Gleick’s biography of Isaac Newton.

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Bob Dylan: Still Legal

The Secret Service paid a visit to some high-school students who were planning to read aloud the lyrics to Bob Dylan’s “Masters Of War,” the final verse of which was construed by some students and parents as a threat to … Continue reading

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South Brunswick, Part II

Remember that pretty spot I photographed on my drive a few weeks ago? Guess what I saw there this morning? Seems that it’s going to suffer the same fate as all the nice spots where I grew up in Staten … Continue reading

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Magazine Covers We’ll Never See

Perhaps this is the new “Coastal Edition” of Time magazine?

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Who, Meme?

I never meme, but here we go. The first, via silvertide: 1. Grab the nearest book. 2. Open the book to page 23. 3. Find the fifth sentence. 4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal…along with these … Continue reading

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Federalism?

Is it, perhaps, time to give up on a national consensus? Allow the red states to become as red as they like? Let them pass more and more restrictive and oppressive laws until they drive every intelligent and tolerant person … Continue reading

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“Come home. All is forgiven.” — E II R

Richard Thompson concluded his 1,000 Years Of Popular Music tour in Princeton tonight, kicking off with what he said was the first known round in the English language, from the early 1200s, and finishing up with his version of Britney … Continue reading

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An encouraging (?) thought

Xeni Jardin quotes her father: Get over it. The way you feel now is exactly how I felt when Nixon won a second term — crushed. I just couldn’t believe America was that stupid. But remember what happened to Nixon … Continue reading

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