Happy Birthday Christopher Hitchens !

Enjoy your day, Christopher. All the best to you and your family, you're in our thoughts.

An Ode to Christopher Hitchens

"A fangirl's tribute to the great Hitch."

Philip Larkin, the Impossible Man

How the most exasperating of poets met his match
By Christopher Hitchens

"IN MAY 1941, Philip Larkin was the treasurer of the Oxford University English Club and in that capacity had to take the visiting speaker George Orwell out to dinner after he had addressed the membership on the subject of “Literature and Totalitarianism.” Larkin’s main recollection: “We took Dylan Thomas to the Randolph and George Orwell to the not-so-good hotel. I suppose it was my first essay in practical criticism."

Read More (The Atlantic)

American Atheists 2011 Convention Update

"CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS (Canceled due to health problems -- Mr. Hitchens will write an original letter to be read at the convention.)"

Dave Silverman, President of American Atheists: Hitchens can't make the convention even by video. He will (hopefully) be writing a statement to be read instead. I am very sad that such a lovely light is growing so dim.

VIDEO: http://www.vimeo.com/23215997

http://www.atheists.org/events/National_Convention

http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=202382073115612&id=172185706135249

Africa's Worst Dictator

How has Robert Mugabe been able to rule Zimbabwe for so long?
By Christopher Hitchens

"Now that the South African political leadership has—after years of shameful silence and even complicity—declined to continue its open-ended indulgence of Robert Mugabe, it becomes possible to envisage a time when Zimbabwe will be free of the hideous regime of one man and one-party rule."
Read More (Slate)

Christopher and Peter In Confidence

SKY ARTS 1 / HD: THU 14 APR, 10PM

"Sky Arts is screening back-to-back interviews with the Hitchens brothers: writer Peter who's known for his conservative and pro-religious stance and writer Christopher who's liberal, left-wing and antitheist (look it up, we had to)."

http://tv.sky.com/peter-hitchens-in-confidence

http://video.sky.com/skyarts/related/24693/Christopher%20Hitchens:%20In%20Confidence

Before you ask, I don't know when these interviews were recorded. If somebody knows, please tell.

Vote for Hitchens!

UPDATE - April 22, 2011
Full list The 2011 Time 100:
http://ti.me/hkiUkx
No Hitch, but there's always next year.

Cast your votes for the leaders, artists, innovators, icons and heroes that you think are the most influential people in the world. The winner will be included in the TIME 100. Voting closes on April 14

Do you think Christopher Hitchens has influence?
Go to: http://ti.me/gohfOs

Cynicism by the Book

Hamid Karzai's despicable response to the Quran burning in Florida.
By Christopher Hitchens

"Heinrich Heine's famous observation about book burning—that where books are burned, people also will be—was actually first made about the torching of the Quran. The Spanish Inquisition used to delight in putting heretical works "on trial," and zealously convicted the Muslim holy book before feeding it to the flames in what is one of Christianity's oldest traditions."

Read More (Slate)

American Atheists 2011 Convention

From American Atheists' website:
Christopher Hitchens Live via Skype
"Due to his medical circumstances, Mr. Hitchens will NOT be able to get to Des Moines in person."

http://www.atheists.org/events/National_Convention

Megadeth Frontman Dave Mustaine To Debate Christopher Hitchens

UPDATE from metalunderground.com:


April Fools! Did We Get You? posted Apr 2 2011
"We hope you enjoyed our April fools stories yesterday as much as we did! In our long-standing tradition, we devoted the entire day to fake news and spoofs."
http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=66836

 Does it matter if it's true or not on a day like this, April 1? Anyhow, it's a fun announcement.

"Megadeth frontman and founding member Dave Mustaine has announced that he will appearing on Fox News on April 15th, to engage in a debate with author, journalist and outspoken atheist, Christopher Hitchens. Mustaine, who is very outspoken about his Christian beliefs, claims that Hitchens is no more than a bully and his criticism of Christianity is “cruel” and “mean.”

Read All About It (metalunderground)

When the King Saved God

By Christopher Hitchens

"After she was elected the first female governor of Texas, in 1924, and got herself promptly embroiled in an argument about whether Spanish should be used in Lone Star schools, it is possible that Miriam A. “Ma” Ferguson did not say, “If the King’s English was good enough for Jesus Christ, it’s good enough for the children of Texas.” I still rather hope that she did."

Read More (Vanity Fair)

Hitch 22 up for Orwell Prize

March 31, 2011 - Katie Allen

"Titles on feminism, New Labour and the life and times of Christopher Hitchens have been longlisted for the 2011 Orwell Prize for political writing. The announcement was made at an event on Wednesday [30th March].

Eighteen titles including Natasha Walters' Living Dolls (Virago), Whatever It Takes: The Real Story of Gordon Brown and New Labour by Steve Richards (Fourth Estate) and Hitch 22 by Christopher Hitchens (Atlantic) are all longlisted for the £3,000 book prize." 

Read More http://www.thebookseller.com/news/forensic-and-furious-books-orwell-prize.html

The Iraq Effect

If Saddam Hussein were still in power, this year's Arab uprisings could never have happened.
By Christopher Hitchens

"The most heartening single image of the past month—eclipsing even the bravery and dignity of the civilian fighters against despotism in Syria and Libya—was the sight of Hoshyar Zebari arriving in Paris to call for strong action against the depraved regime of Col. Muammar Qaddafi."

Read More (Slate)

Diary

By Jeremy Harding

"I heard a few bars of Chris Corner’s song ‘I Salute You Christopher’ a day or so before the new IAMX album, Volatile Times, was released. The song, which appears on the album, is subtitled ‘Ode to Christopher Hitchens’:
I salute you Christopher
I salute your life
How you played the dice …

Read More (London Review of Books)

The song is on YouTube..