Monthly Archives: November 2011

Keeping tradition alive

Posted on November 29, 2011 by

I’ve recently been digging into Twain’s Innocents Abroad. I carry it around on my phone’s Kindle app, so usually I read a few “locations” at a time while waiting in line in the supermarket or killing time somewhere. Today I … Continue reading →

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On books, bookshops and Kindle babies

Posted on November 26, 2011 by

I’m reminded, now more than ever, of something Arthur Miller (yes, that Arthur Miller) told me as we sat together in his kitchen on 68th St. in Manhattan. “One day in the future” — this was around 1999 or 2000 … Continue reading →

Posted in Man About Rome | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Another tough Egyptian woman

Posted on November 25, 2011 by

Mona Eltahawy was beaten and sexually assaulted yesterday by Egyptian police. They broke her left arm, her right hand and “surrounded me, groped and prodded my breasts, grabbed my genital area and I lost count how many hands tried to … Continue reading →

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Making sacrifices

Posted on November 24, 2011 by

“Mario Monti has guaranteed sacrifices for everyone. Now we expect him to trim the more than 5 billion Euro a year in public funds which are diverted to various guises of the Catholic Church.” – Raffaele Carcano, UAAR It seems … Continue reading →

Posted in Italy, Separation of church and state | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Aliaa Magda Elmahdy has my support

Posted on November 23, 2011 by

In my view, there are few issues as pressing as secularism. In Europe we largely take it for granted. While religions still benefit from enormous privileges in probably every country and society (see here for Italy), its influence has been … Continue reading →

Posted in Israel and the Middle East, Secularism | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Extra! Extra! Pope smooches imam!

Posted on November 17, 2011 by

The Freethinker brought this to my attention: Apparently the BBC wouldn’t risk reproducing the image on their website, and even Benetton removed it from theirs. The ad is part of a campaign pitting “world leaders who are often at loggerheads, … Continue reading →

Posted in Religious idiocy | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Making stuff up

Posted on November 5, 2011 by

Watch Jerry Coyne get pugnacious on theologian John Haught. If ever a theologian was his own worst enemy, it is Haught. (Just try and follow his logic; you’ll get nowhere.) Coyne’s verdict: theologians “make stuff up.” (At the end of … Continue reading →

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Jewishness without god

Posted on November 2, 2011 by

The following short essay was written for Moment Magazine’s 2011 “Elephant in the Room” contest. The question put to all contestants was, What does it mean to be Jewish without belief in God? 500 words isn’t much space to elaborate in, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, Humanism & Freethought, Identity, Jewishness | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment