All entries by this author

BHL looks with both eyes

Jun 29th, 2008 3:48 pm | By

Bernard-Henri Lévy spells out the perverse and tragic effect of three great ideas.

[W]e are here facing a sort of perverse effect of three great modern ideas. A sort of paradoxical and counter-effect of three great ideas, which are: anti-racism, anti-colonialism, and the fight against imperialism, three great ideas—among the best which have been produced in the 20th century…[Y]ou have a huge part of the population in America and in Europe, who believe, as a sort of Pavlovian reflex, that these sort of murders, these sort of genocides, can only be committed by ugly, stupid, white men…[W]hen a country of the third world which was colonized (as was Sudan), commits such bloodbaths, commits such crimes, to stop this, to try

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Bill Clinton Throws a Baby Fit *

Jun 29th, 2008 | Filed by

Says Obama can kiss his ass. Is someone feeling entitled today?… Read the rest



Bernard-Henri Lévy on Darfur and the Left *

Jun 29th, 2008 | Filed by

The decision for genocide is never announced on CBS News or in AFP.… Read the rest



We Think Our Decisions Are Conscious *

Jun 29th, 2008 | Filed by

But our brains decide ten seconds before they tell us about it.… Read the rest



Happiness and Economics *

Jun 29th, 2008 | Filed by

The way rational choice theory developed suggested that self-interest was not just a fact but also an ideal.… Read the rest



Philip Hensher on David Rieff on Susan Sontag *

Jun 29th, 2008 | Filed by

It seems like bad taste to ask of the disease: ‘Do you know who my mother is?’… Read the rest



Heat and Light: Christopher Hitchens and His Critics

Jun 29th, 2008 | By Max Dunbar

The case against Christopher Hitchens can be summarised, broadly, in a kind of comic list as done by the British satirical magazine Private Eye:

He supported the Iraq war
He likes a drink
He smokes, as well
He supported the war
He tends to be aggressive in debate
He likes a drink
He supported the war
Er…
…That’s it.

In a sense he needs no introduction. (His entry in the contributors’ biographies of this book simply reads: ‘Christopher Hitchens is Christopher Hitchens.’) He is one of the West’s most prolific journalists, speakers and essayists, with a love of literature and hatred for oppression and superstition everywhere. A one-time Marxist, Hitchens’s politics could be defined not so much as ideological … Read the rest



Oh dear, what seems to be the problem?

Jun 28th, 2008 4:51 pm | By

If four courts tell you No, then try a fifth. Don’t worry about boring people or being a nuisance or making a fool of yourself.

Danish Muslims are planning to take Denmark’s Jyllands-Posten daily to Europe’s highest human rights court over the publication of satirical drawings of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him)…The move comes a day after a Danish court rejected a suit by seven Muslim groups against newspaper editors for publishing the offensive cartoons…”It is a known fact that acts of terror have been carried out in the name of Islam and it is not illegal to make satire out of this relationship,” the court said.

Well that’s the problem, isn’t it: it is not … Read the rest



Raped for Opposing Mugabe *

Jun 28th, 2008 | Filed by

MDC Information Director says over 500 women and girls have been sexually abused in the political violence.… Read the rest



Free Parking for ‘Religious Leaders’ in Barnet *

Jun 28th, 2008 | Filed by

‘The importance of religion to many Barnet residents cannot be underestimated and the council has acknowledged this.’… Read the rest



‘Danish Muslims’ Plan to Take Motoons to Court *

Jun 28th, 2008 | Filed by

‘Muslim organizations intend to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights,’ said ‘leader.’… Read the rest



Mugabe Preparing to be Sworn In *

Jun 28th, 2008 | Filed by

Government sources say Mugabe has won by a huge margin. Right.… Read the rest



Strategy to Bomb and Murder Until Election *

Jun 28th, 2008 | Filed by

Minutes of a meeting include instructions to kill opposition MPs and the prevention of any MDC rallies.… Read the rest



How to be topp

Jun 27th, 2008 4:38 pm | By

Hmm. Topp intellectuals is it.

Number 1, Fethullah Gülen –

An Islamic scholar with a global network of millions of followers…an inspirational leader who encourages a life guided by moderate Islamic principles…a threat to Turkey’s secular order…fled Turkey after being accused of undermining secularism.

Number 3, Yusuf al-Qaradawi. Number 6, Amr Khaled –

…rock-star evangelist, Khaled preaches a folksy interpretation of modern Islam to millions of loyal viewers around the world. With a charismatic oratory and casual style, Khaled blends messages of cultural integration and hard work with lessons on how to live a purpose-driven Islamic life.

Number 8, Tariq Ramadan. Hmm.

Not all bad. Muhammad Yunus fine, Orhan Pamuk fine, Aitzaz Ahsan fine. I don’t know of Abdolkarim … Read the rest



Louisiana’s Stealth-creationist Bill SB 733 *

Jun 27th, 2008 | Filed by

Barbara Forrest says advocates for science education in other states had better start preparing now.… Read the rest



A Walk to Beautiful *

Jun 27th, 2008 | Filed by

Brilliant NOVA documentary about women with fistula in Ethiopia.… Read the rest



Jesus Likes the Barmaid, but She’s so Aggressive *

Jun 27th, 2008 | Filed by

Militant atheists are such a pain.… Read the rest



Foreign Policy’s Top Twenty Intellectuals Poll *

Jun 27th, 2008 | Filed by

Qaradawi? Amr Khaled? Tariq Ramadan? … Read the rest



McEwan Replies to Hamilton, Pittilo to Lawson *

Jun 27th, 2008 | Filed by

The purpose of a serious columnist should not be to close down debate.… Read the rest



Go Ahead, Marry an Infant *

Jun 27th, 2008 | Filed by

You can have a marriage contract even with a one-year-old girl if the father approves; the father’s opinion is obligatory… Read the rest