And as twilight falls, a last goodnight…
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All entries by this author
It’s a poisoned chalice
Dec 16th, 2011 4:19 pm | By Ophelia BensonVia Jim Houston in comments, a fitting valediction from Hitchens.
To me, the offer of certainty, the offer of complete security, the offer of an impermeable faith that can’t give way, is an offer of something not worth having.
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
Ian McEwan on Hitchens 
Dec 16th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
His unworldly fluency never deserted him, his commitment was passionate, and he never deserted his trade. He was the consummate writer, the brilliant friend.… Read the rest
Meanwhile, in Bangladesh
Dec 16th, 2011 12:06 pm | By Ophelia BensonA woman pursued higher education without her husband’s permission. He (according to police) tied her up, taped her mouth, and cut off all five fingers on her right hand.
She is learning to write with her left hand.… Read the rest
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
Bangladesh: man cuts off wife’s fingers
Dec 16th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Because she pursued higher education without his permission, police say.… Read the rest
Hitchens
Dec 16th, 2011 10:34 am | By Ophelia BensonMore on Hitchens, in no particular order.
Michael Weiss at the Telegraph -
… Read the restThe last few days had been, for those of us who knew he hadn’t much time left, a strange bundle of suffering commingled with the joy of recollection. We got to relive what endeared him to us from the start: the hilarious tabletalk, the Borgesian library of political and literary arcana that he kept inside his head, and the writing. Of course the writing, particularly the put-downs that never let their subjects get back up again: “No one has a higher opinion of Alexander Haig than I do, and I think he is a homicidal buffoon,” “a herd of antis in search of a climax,” “not only
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
Michael Weiss on Hitchens
Dec 16th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
If you think the hatred of the clerics and the censors and the commissars began after 9/11, you weren’t really paying close attention.… Read the rest
Peter Hitchens on his brother
Dec 16th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
I have another memory of him, white-faced, slight and thin as we all were in those more austere times, furious, standing up to some bully or other in the playground.… Read the rest
Christopher Buckley on Christopher Hitchens
Dec 16th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Intellectually, ours was largely a teacher-student relationship, and let me tell you—Christopher was one tough grader.… Read the rest
Hitchens the writer
Dec 16th, 2011 9:03 am | By Ophelia BensonAnother repost, this time of a repost – metametapost. I wrote it in 2002 or early 2003 when B&W was new, and reposted it last year, on
July 1, 2010
I wrote this about eight years ago for “In the Library.” It hints at why I hope Christopher Hitchens stays around.
Christopher Hitchens is a standing reproach to people who write the odd essay now and then. He is like some sort of crazed writing machine, he seems to average three or four longish essays a day, along with reading everything ever written and remembering all of it, knowing everyone worth knowing on most continents, visiting war zones and trouble spots around the globe, going on television and overbearing … Read the rest
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The Hitch
Dec 16th, 2011 7:29 am | By Ophelia BensonUpdate: a couple more. I didn’t include Salman Rushdie’s because it was more personal, but I see it’s also on Twitter where anyone can see it, so -
Goodbye, my beloved friend. A great voice falls silent. A great heart stops. Christopher Hitchens, April 13, 1949-December 15, 2011.
And Richard Dawkins -
Christopher Hitchens, finest orator of our time, fellow horseman, valiant fighter against all tyrants including God.
My thoughts exactly.
Francis Wheen at Facebook -
… Read the restBBC radio news at 7am reports the death of Christopher Hitchens, “an alcoholic”. How I wish Christopher was still here to challenge imbecile reporter Nick Higham over this lie. His epitaph, he once told me, should be “He never missed a deadline”. Farewell, dear
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How dare you ask for evidence?
Dec 15th, 2011 5:13 pm | By Ophelia BensonNice piece about Rhys Morgan in the Guardian.
So why does this floppy-haired teenager bother? Wouldn’t it be less hassle to focus on becoming even better at Team Fortress 2 or just kicking back and listening to his favourite bands, Muse and Radiohead?
“It can be nerve-wracking but I think that getting the message out there is a lot more important than me being sued,” says Morgan. “I think there’s a need for more people to speak out. I hate the idea of anyone being taken for a ride.”
And there you go. That’s what a lot of speakers-out think, and that’s why they speak out. Most of us weren’t clever and together and dedicated enough to do it … Read the rest
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
MRAs respond to fraternity’s “who would you rape?” survey
Dec 15th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“We should be celebrating young men who stand up against misandry. We should be celebrating the frat that said ‘no means yes’.”… Read the rest
Killing of Dagestani journalist must be investigated
Dec 15th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Today’s murder of Gadzhimurad Kamalov, founder of the independent newspaper Chernovik, is a lethal blow to press freedom, said the Committee to Protect Journalists.… Read the rest
The Guardian talks to Rhys Morgan
Dec 15th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“They told me I was being rude and inflammatory by questioning other people’s choices.”… Read the rest
Projects
Dec 15th, 2011 9:28 am | By Ophelia BensonAnother item from the archive. No reason. Just for the hell of it. I saw a link to it somewhere and was reminded of it so thought I would summon it from ur-B&W.
June 17, 2011
I have a new project. My new project is to convince people on the left that they must work together with Tea Partiers.
This may seem like a difficult thing to do, but I like a challenge. There are many urgent problems in the world, such as countless people who still have the wrong kind of light bulbs, and the only way those problems can be solved is if I – yes I, I alone, I personally, I bravely yet gently yet determinedly … Read the rest
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And how much deadly force would I use?
Dec 14th, 2011 5:10 pm | By Ophelia BensonFrat boys are such fun. The very word reminds me of fun-loving George Bush, whom I usually thought of as frat boy. Some frat boys at the University of Vermont sound super fun.
The fraternity circulated a questionnaire to its members, asking their names, major, favorite frat-related memories, favorite actor, and who they would pick to rape. Just normal questionnaire stuff, you know.
… Read the restWe were sent a copy of the questionnaire, which mostly consists of benign questions like name, birthday, major, amount of time with SigEp and favorite SigEp memories, hobbies, future goals, etc. It’s actually kind of nerdy and cute, until you get to the final three “personal questions.”
1. Where in public would I
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
Fraternity asks “If you could rape anyone who would it be?”
Dec 14th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The fraternity circulated a questionnaire to its members, asking their names, major, favorite frat-related memories, favorite actor, and whom they would rape.… Read the rest
