What can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof.
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Mr Steve Wasserman, Christopher Hitchens' literary agent, kindly replied to my query about a possible memorial. Posted with permission. ...
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Christopher Hitchens takes questions from audience during his March 3, 2010, Daniel Pearl Memorial Lecture at UCLA.
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At reddit.com there are comments on Hitchens having breathing issues at the airport. This would explain the cancellations. Hopefully it'...
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The iconoclast Christopher Hitchens loved life and delighted in "doing and thinking and writing all the things that he had always don... -
What’s an atheist to think when thousands of believers (including prominent rabbis and priests) are praying for his survival and salvation—w... -
The Observer - April 24, 2011. Martin Amis hails the peerless intelligence and rhetorical ingenuity of his exceptional friend, Christophe... -
Time has come to publish the last post on this site. I've been posting links and articles for three years, and it's been great. I a...
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The Atheist Foundation of Australia is excited to announce that the next Global Atheist Convention – ‘A Celebration of Reason’ will feat... -
Tickets on sale now! Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett Lawrence Krauss.. http://www.atheistconvention.or...
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4 comments:
Wonderfully fluent and heartfelt words from Simon Schama. Thankyou.
These news items all state that Mr Hitchens was killed by cancer. That doesn't seem accurate to me. From what I know he was killed by an infection, which his body couldn't resist because his immune system had been decimated by chemotherapy - which is to say that his cause of death was iatrogenic - the treatment killed him, not the disease.
Christopher Hitchens was killed by chemotherapy and pneumonia, or some combination of opportunistic ptathogens, not cancer.
Not that it matters, but I happen to have incurable tongue cancer, so I'm probably somewhat familiar with the treatment regimen Mr Hitchens endured before his passing, so please understand I'm not trying to belittle his struggle or dignity. Quite on the contrary, the bravery he showed in the face of his deteriorating health is of a piece with the rest of his life. It's heartening to see people like Schama affirm the value of his commitment to truth, the basic integrity he held that deserves respect also from those like myself who often disagreed with his opinions.
Becky, I understand from what others have written that Mr Hitchens' life was extended by the treatments, although, not to the extent the world had hoped. You describe your cancer as incurable but hopefully it can be healed.
Love the comparison to Hemingway. Two of the most brilliant writers to grace literature. Thank you, Hitch.
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