All entries by this author

Admission in Front of Foreign Leaders is Rare *

Apr 22nd, 2005 | Filed by

Critics say textbooks sugarcoat history.… Read the rest



The Rape of Nanjing *

Apr 22nd, 2005 | Filed by

Between 250 and 300 thousand people killed.… Read the rest



Excerpts from Koizumi’s Address *

Apr 22nd, 2005 | Filed by

Japan through colonial rule and aggression harmed many people, especially in Asia.… Read the rest



Japanese PM Reiterates Japan’s Remorse *

Apr 22nd, 2005 | Filed by

Says Japan caused tremendous suffering and faces these facts of history with humility.… Read the rest



Malaria Not Rolling Back *

Apr 22nd, 2005 | Filed by

Lancet reports cases on the rise.… Read the rest



Different Ways Of Thinking And Thinking In Different Ways

Apr 22nd, 2005 | By Paula Bourges-Waldegg

We all have different ways of thinking but do we actually think in different ways? In other words, is cognition universal? The question of what is universal and what culturally specific is a classic issue in the nature vs. nurture debate. Those on the side of nature tend to see everything as universal and those on the side of nurture think that people from different cultures are fundamentally distinct. However, beyond this already tedious and sometimes artificial polarization, the reality is that both nature and nurture have some bearing on most of the things we do and the extent to which a phenomenon is universal or culturally specific can often just depend on how you define it.

When psychologist Richard … Read the rest



Job Description

Apr 21st, 2005 8:20 pm | By

Oh dear oh dear oh dear. Revision is so difficult. I mentioned that the other day, didn’t I. But it is. It’s hard. It’s like…trying to unknit a bit of a sweater and then knit it up again. It’s like trying to pick through a large pot of chili or minestrone, picking out grains of rice of a particular length. It’s like trying to re-weave a broken spider’s web. It’s like trying to take individual crumbs out of a piece of bread without having the piece of bread fall to bits. It’s – it’s – it’s –

Pause for prolonged scream and bout of self-administered hair-pulling.

I’ve been staring at this same paragraph at intervals for an hour or more. … Read the rest



The One Thing Pope Stands for is Hierarchy *

Apr 21st, 2005 | Filed by

Could be the long withdrawing roar of a sclerotic Kremlin-like empire.… Read the rest



Atheists Should be Pleased About New Pope *

Apr 21st, 2005 | Filed by

He’ll do wonders for creeping secularism. Hallelujah.… Read the rest



Panzerkardinal Beats the Odds *

Apr 21st, 2005 | Filed by

Cardinal No born to parents named Joseph and Mary. … Read the rest



Ratzinger Speaks *

Apr 21st, 2005 | Filed by

Homosexuality: ‘intrinsic moral evil.’… Read the rest



Richard Popkin Obituary *

Apr 21st, 2005 | Filed by

Historian of philosophy and skepticism.… Read the rest



World Newspapers on the New Pope *

Apr 21st, 2005 | Filed by

World sounds underwhelmed.… Read the rest



Tutu Regrets Pope Unlikely to End Condom Ban *

Apr 21st, 2005 | Filed by

Critics say the Catholic church’s stance is costing lives in Africa.… Read the rest



Suspected Islamists Attack Galloway Meeting *

Apr 21st, 2005 | Filed by

Disrespectful treatment of candidate in Bethnal Green.… Read the rest



Strange Alliances

Apr 21st, 2005 3:42 am | By

Harry’s Place is always very good value, you know. Each item posted is one you want to know more about. This one is certainly interesting.

At last week’s NUS conference, the AWL reports that the SWP joined the islamist Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS) – a Muslim Association of Britain front – in a walkout when guest speaker Houzan Mahmoud addressed the Conference.
Why would the SWP join FOSIS in a walkout?…Her key error appears to have been that she is the UK head of the anti-occupation Organisation of Women’s Freedom in Iraq which is a vocal opponent of Islamism. The fact that she has campaigned to bring human rights abuses by US and UK troops to public attention

Read the rest


Black Studies Departments Having Identity Crisis *

Apr 20th, 2005 | Filed by

Some worry, others think they were a bogus idea to begin with.… Read the rest



Lost Works of Hesiod, Euripides, Sophocles *

Apr 20th, 2005 | Filed by

The Oxyrhynchus Papyri are being decoded, and treasures being found.… Read the rest



Another Dogmatic Critic of Secularism *

Apr 20th, 2005 | Filed by

And another conflation of Christianity with morality.… Read the rest



Julian Baggini on the Ratzinger Opportunity *

Apr 20th, 2005 | Filed by

To confront and slay the myth that without God anything is permitted. … Read the rest