WAIS

re: Religion: Falun Gong (Charles Ridley, US)

JE: I know, I know–this morning I said no more Falun Gong posts for awhile. But I always want to know what [...] Continue Reading…

US: Obama’s Presidency at 10 Months (Richard Hancock, US)

Richard Hancock writes:

I have read that a successful president is one who accomplishes no more than three objectives during the course of his [...] Continue Reading…

re: Religion: Falun Gong, Cults and Persecution (Mike Bonnie, US)

Ying Rong wrote on 6 November:

I don’t truly have anything more to say to [Mike Bonnie] since [he] claims to be so [...] Continue Reading…

re: Religion: Falun Gong, Cults and Persecution (Alain de Benoist, France)

Istvan Simon wrote on 6 November:

When a spiritual movement has as many adherents as the Falun Gong does, it is absurd to call it [...] Continue Reading…

re: Religion: Falun Gong, Cults and Persecution (Siegfried Ramler, US)

Siegfried Ramler writes:

In relation to the recent postings on Falun Gong, may I add a perspective
based on contacts with academics in [...] Continue Reading…

re: Religion: Falun Gong, Cults and Persecution (Vincent Littrell, US)

Vincent Littrell responds to Istvan Simon’s post of 6 November:

I think Istvan Simon has written eloquently and reflected almost exactly what I was [...] Continue Reading…

re: Religion: on Religious Persecution (John Heelan, UK)

Istvan Simon wrote on 6 November:

No spiritual movement was ever successfully suppressed by savage persecution, and so the Chinese government is being extremely short [...] Continue Reading…

re: Technology: Shall Computers be Damned? (Tor Guimaraes, Brazil/US)

On 4 November, Tor Guimaraes wrote:

Even Moore’s law will be useless if people are not buying the damned computers.

To which [...] Continue Reading…

re: US: Obama One Year after Elections (Bienvenido Macario, Philippines/US)

Bienvenido Macario writes:

This is not exactly meant to defend Pres. Obama, but rather to present my understanding of the limits of the power [...] Continue Reading…

re: US: Obama One Year after Elections (Harry Papasotiriou, Greece)

Harry Papasotiriou writes regarding the economic crisis:

Politics aside, the response of the Bush and the Obama administrations to the colossal banking crisis of [...] Continue Reading…

re: Religion: Falun Gong: Response to Mike Bonnie (Ying Rong, US)

Ying Rong responds to Mike Bonnie’s post of 5 November:

Falun Gong practitioners believe in “Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance.” We are also striving to become [...] Continue Reading…

re: Religion: Falun Gong, Cults and Persecution (Istvan Simon, US)

Istvan Simon writes:

As the moderator of the China panel at WAIS’ 09, I would like to offer my comments on the persecution of the [...] Continue Reading…

re: Technology: New Uses for Old Computers (Clyde McMorrow, US)

Bookends, bookmarks, doorstops–all child’s play. Clyde McMorrow has found some truly innovative uses for obsolete computers:

Old DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation -> Compac [...] Continue Reading…

re: China: Compassion and Confucian Thought Today (Charles Ridley, US)

Charles Ridley responds to Robert Whealey’s post of 5 November:

Although the negative view alluded to by Robert Whealey was stated by Confucius, the [...] Continue Reading…

re: Afghanistan/Iraq: Siegfried Sassoon’s Thoughts from 1917 (Nigel Jones, UK)

Nigel Jones responds to John Heelan’s post of 5 November:

In the interests of historical accuracy it should be recorded that Siegfried Sassoon later recanted [...] Continue Reading…

Afghanistan/Iraq: Siegfried Sassoon’s Thoughts from 1917 (John Heelan, UK)

John Heelan writes:

In the light of the current Iraq and Afghanistan wars, WAISers might like to discuss the relevance of Siegfried Sassoon’s statement about [...] Continue Reading…

re: The Golden Rule Talks; on Compassion (Robert Whealey, US)

Robert Whealey responds to Mike Bonnie’s post of 3 November:

Jesus’s statement, “Love thy neighbor as thyself” is better than the
negative [...] Continue Reading…

re: Americas: Conquest-Era Quiz; on Estimating Pre-Columbian Populations (Tim Brown, US)

Tim Brown writes:

The precise pre-Columbian population of the Western Hemisphere 1491 is, as Alice Whealey said on 4 November, not knowable.

I’m not [...] Continue Reading…

re: Technology: New Uses for Old Computers (John Heelan, UK)

JE asked on 4 November:

What is the most innovative/creative use you’ve found for an obsolete computer? “Dust collector” doesn’t count. [...] Continue Reading…

re: Religion: Falun Gong (Mike Bonnie, US)

Ying Rong wrote on 3 November:

I would like to recommend a few websites to Mike
Bonnie to read and absorb [...] Continue Reading…

re: Religion: Falun Gong (Alain de Benoist, France)

Alain de Benoist writes:

While I certainly disagree with any persecution of Falun Gong people, I also think that speaking in that case of [...] Continue Reading…

re: US: Obama One Year after Elections (Randy Black, US)

Randy Black writes:

Nigel Jones’s 4 November post in which he skewered the Obama administration is entertaining and in most aspects factual. Clearly, Obama [...] Continue Reading…

re: US: Obama One Year after Elections (David Crow, US)

David Crow writes:

I disagree with Nigel Jones’s assertion, seconded
by John Heelan (both from 4 Nov.), that President Obama has “failed [...] Continue Reading…

re: Columbus and Nationality (Alice Whealey, US)

Alice Whealey responds to Hernán Grimberg’s post of 24 October:

Since Corsica was part of the city state of Genoa in 1492 (Genoa had [...] Continue Reading…

re: Economics: Heinberg and “Peak Oil” (Tor Guimaraes, Brazil/US)

Tor Guimaraes writes:

Istvan Simon (3 November) makes some good counter arguments regarding Alain de Benoist’s (2 November) analysis of Richard Heinberg’s opinion that [...] Continue Reading…

re: US: Obama One Year after Elections (John Heelan, UK)

Nigel Jones wrote on 4 November:

A year in and the (Obama) administration has failed to lift the economy from the doldrums, with ten [...] Continue Reading…

re: US: Obama One Year after Elections (Cameron Sawyer, Russia)

When commenting Nigel Jones’s post of 4 November, JE wrote:

Anyone willing to come to President Obama’s defense?

Cameron Sawyer responds:

Certainly, I [...] Continue Reading…

US: Obama One Year after Elections (Nigel Jones, UK)

It’s hard to believe that the US presidential elections of 2008, so thoroughly scrutinized on the e-pages of WAIS, celebrate their first anniversary today [...] Continue Reading…

Anthropology: Death of Claude Levi-Strauss (Alain de Benoist, France)

Yesterday I asked Alain de Benoist off-Forum for his thoughts on the death of Claude Levi-Strauss, the “father of modern anthropology,” who died on [...] Continue Reading…

re: Economics: “Peak Oil” and Computing Technology (Randy Black, US)

Randy Black writes:

I read with great interest and nodding agreement Istvan Simon’s comments (3 November) about the ability to produce economic growth with [...] Continue Reading…

re: Americas: Conquest-Era Quiz Winners

JE writes: We have a tie! Congratulations to WAISers Richard Hancock (no surprise here: Richard was a student of Prof. Hilton) [...] Continue Reading…

re: Religion: Falun Gong (Ying Rong, US)

Ying Rong writes:

I would like to recommend a few websites to Mike Bonnie to read and absorb before he writes his next post, since [...] Continue Reading…

re: Religion: Falun Gong (Charles Ridley, US)

Charles Ridley writes:

I will be starting my survey of the latest Chinese elementary school readers in a couple of days (being impeded at [...] Continue Reading…

re: Economics: Heinberg and “Peak Oil” (Istvan Simon, US)

Istvan Simon writes:

I think that the proponents of the Peak Oil theory are very likely to be wrong. I would like to quote [...] Continue Reading…

re: EU and UN (Cameron Sawyer, Russia)

Bienvenido Macario wrote on 3 November:

It [the EU] is a non-nation international organization very much like the United Nations.

Cameron Sawyer responds:

Au contraire, the [...] Continue Reading…

reminder: Conquest-Era Quiz: Last Day (Tim Brown, US)

JE: Just a reminder that the deadline for Tim Brown’s Conquest-Era Americas Quiz is today at 10 PM Eastern Standard Time (US). [...] Continue Reading…

re: Europe: More on Blair and the EU (Bienvenido Macario, Philippines/US)

Bienvenido Macario writes:

I think Tony Blair as EU president would be good for the EU, even though the EU president’s term is only for [...] Continue Reading…

The Golden Rule Talks; on Compassion (Mike Bonnie, US)

Mike Bonnie writes:

The following announcement arrived on my computer from TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design): http://www.ted.com/talks

WAISers with interest in world religions [...] Continue Reading…

re: Economics: Heinberg’s “Temporary Recession or End of Growth?” (David Gress, Denmark)

David Gress comments on the Richard Heinberg essay forwarded by Alain de Benoist on 2 November:

First impression: diagnosis correct, assumptions false. Because [...] Continue Reading…

re: Religion: Falun Gong (Ying Rong, US)

Ying Rong responds to Vincent Littrell’s questions (17 October) on Falun Gong:

The persecution of Falun Gong is one of the most brutal persecutions [...] Continue Reading…

re: EU and US: A Comparison (John Heelan, UK)

Nigel Jones wrote on 2 November:

The US was born of a political/ecomomic uprising against British colonialism. What began as an economic protest soon morphed [...] Continue Reading…

re: Economics: Heinberg’s “Temporary Recession or End of Growth?” (Jordi Molins i Coronado, Catalonia)

Jordi Molins i Coronado comments on the Richard Heinberg essay forwarded by Alain de Benoist on 2 November:

I do not see the causal link [...] Continue Reading…

re: Europe: More on Blair and the EU (Nigel Jones, UK)

Nigel Jones writes:

John Heelan (1 November) compares the EU with the infancy of the US (as advocates of the EU are very wont to [...] Continue Reading…

Economics: Heinberg’s “Temporary Recession or End of Growth?” (Alain de Benoist, France)

Alain de Benoist writes:

I have read with interest, and sympathy, Richard Heinberg’s essay in the document linked below. I suspect, however, that some [...] Continue Reading…

re: Iran and Limits to Sovereignty (Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich, US; ex-Iran)

Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich writes:

Greetings from Tehran. This is in response to Siegfried Ramler’s post of October 29th:

I do agree with Siegfried’s reply [...] Continue Reading…

re: China: Tsien Hsue-Shen and Falun Gong (Mike Bonnie, US)

Ying Rong wrote on 1 November:

I am deeply saddened by Mr. Tsien’s death. He was a great scientist whom I have admired since [...] Continue Reading…

re: Europe: More on Blair and the EU (John Heelan, UK)

Alain de Benoist wrote on 1 November:

The discussion about Tony Blair is a bit void, first because he will not be chosen as a [...] Continue Reading…

re: Europe: Still More on the EU (Alain de Benoist, France)

Alain de Benoist writes:

John Eipper (30 October) asked for some comments about the recent discussion between Nigel Jones and Gilbert Doctorow on the European [...] Continue Reading…

re: China: Death of Tsien Hsue-Shen (Ying Rong, US)

Ying Rong responds to Mike Bonnie’s post of 31 October:

I am deeply saddened by Mr. Tsien’s death. He was a great scientist whom [...] Continue Reading…

China: Death of Tsien Hsue-Shen (Mike Bonnie, US)

Mike Bonnie writes:

It is with deep regret that today, October 31, 2009, the world of science and technology acknowledges the passing of [...] Continue Reading…

re: Europe: Still More on the EU (Herb Abrams, US)

Herb Abrams writes:

It’s a pleasure to observe the EU debate rekindled in the minds and passions of thoughtful WAISers. All of the skepticism is [...] Continue Reading…

re: Europe: More on the EU (Gilbert Doctorow, Belgium)

Gilbert Doctorow responds to David Gress’s post of 31 October:

Reading through David Gress’s post, I see some consistency in the way Euro-skeptics evade the [...] Continue Reading…

re: Columbus: Catalan and Jew? A Greeting (Estelle Irizarry, US)

On 24 October, Jordi Molins i Coronado wrote about the latest book by Estelle Irizarry, El ADN de los escritos de Colón [The DNA [...] Continue Reading…

re: Europe: More on the EU (David Gress, Denmark)

David Gress responds to Nigel Jones’s post of 30 October:

Nigel forgot to mention Denmark, which has also never been a fascist or communist dictatorship. [...] Continue Reading…

re: Europe: More on Blair and the EU (Nigel Jones, UK)

Nigel Jones writes:

Since I wrote my original post (29 October) about the ghastly prospect of Tony Bliar becoming Euro-Emperor, the horror seems to have [...] Continue Reading…

re: Americas: a Conquest-Era Quiz…Deadline Extended! (Tim Brown, US)

JE writes:

Doesn’t anyone want a box of ten “Pax et Lux” WAIS twisty-pens? Heck, let’s make it an even dozen. [...] Continue Reading…

Afghanistan: US Military and Treatment of Afghan Women (John Torok, US)

John Torok writes:

I thought this article from The Nation was an interesting commentary, documenting a criticism of the U.S. military’s sexism in connection [...] Continue Reading…

re: Poland: Death of Marek Edelman (Tor Guimaraes, Brazil/US)

Tor Guimaraes writes:

I never had the honor and privilege to have met Marek Edelman personally; however, I thank God for the few human [...] Continue Reading…

WAIS ‘09 Proceedings: “Attitudes Towards Science in China” (Charles Ridley, US

JE: As promised on 28 October, I now post the WAIS ‘09 talk of our beloved colleague, Charles Ridley. I’ve enjoyed reading [...] Continue Reading…

re: “State Lies” (Tim Brown, US)

On 28 October, Gilbert Doctorow wrote:

I write to vote with both hands and both feet in favor of Alain de Benoist’s remarks regarding state [...] Continue Reading…

The “Great Escape”: Oldest Survivor at 95 (Martin Storey, Australia)

In response to Alain de Benoist’s note (29 October) on the death of Warsaw Ghetto Uprising leader Marek Edelman, Martin Storey writes:

WAISers may be [...] Continue Reading…

re: Europe: Blair for EU President? (Gilbert Doctorow, Belgium)

Gilbert Doctorow responds to Nigel Jones’s post of 29 October:

I agree with Nigel Jones’s first two paragraphs regarding the nauseating impression a Blair [...] Continue Reading…

Peace: Krieger on Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (David Krieger, US)

David Krieger writes:

The letter below in support of a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) was published in the Wall Street Journal on October [...] Continue Reading…

Mexico: More on Drug War (Richard Hancock, US)

Richard Hancock writes:

The WSJ has an Oct. 26 article by Ana Campoy on the boom in El Paso, Texas caused by the violence [...] Continue Reading…

re: Iran and Limits to Sovereignty (Siegfried Ramler, US)

Siegfried Ramler responds to Alain de Benoist’s post of 28 October:

I agree with Alain that it serves no purpose to repeat the same [...] Continue Reading…

Poland: Death of Marek Edelman (Alain de Benoist, France)

Alain de Benoist writes:

Shortly after returning from the WAIS Conference at Stanford, I learned of the death, in the first days of October, [...] Continue Reading…

re: Europe: Blair for EU President? (Nigel Jones, UK)

Nigel Jones responds to John Heelan’s post of 28 October:

The prospect of our late PM becoming President of the EU is a piquant one [...] Continue Reading…

re: Europe: Blair for EU President? (Eugen Solf, Germany)

Eugen Solf responds to John Heelan’s post of 28 October:

Was Tony Blair not appointed Middle East Envoy after he left the Government and [...] Continue Reading…

re: Iran and WAIS (Gilbert Doctorow, Belgium)

Gilbert Doctorow responds to Alain de Benoist’s post of 28 October:

I will violate Alain de Benoist’s injunction to the editor that “voting rights,” meaning [...] Continue Reading…

Europe: Blair for EU President? (John Heelan, UK)

John Heelan writes:
 
Tony Blair’s alleged manoeuvring for upcoming EU presidency is causing some furore in Europe.  Despite strong lobbying by the UK PM (Gordon Brown) [...] Continue Reading…

WAIS ‘09 Proceedings: “Genesis 1: 1″ (Edward Jajko, US)

JE writes:  In the beginning of WAIS ‘09 there was Jajko.  Ed’s talk on Genesis 1: 1 opened our conference on 10 October, and [...] Continue Reading…

re: Iran and WAIS (Alain de Benoist, France)

Alain de Benoist writes:

I am afraid that Sardar Haddad (22 October) is twice mistaken, but I thank him for giving me the opportunity to [...] Continue Reading…

re: India and Pakistan; Nuclear Weapons and War (Herb Abrams, US)

Herb Abrams writes:

I was sorry to miss the WAIS conference, even though I am a rare contributor to the general discussion (chalk that up [...] Continue Reading…

re: Columbus: Catalan and Jew? (Guity Nashat, US)

Guity Nashat writes:

The recent exchanges about Christopher Columbus’s ethnicity and religion remind me of conversations and questions that I have had with many students [...] Continue Reading…

WAIS ‘09 Wrap Up: Highlights of PFAP Event on YouTube (A. J. Cave, US; ex-Iran)

A.J. Cave writes:

I would like to share the highlights of PFAP ‘09 Event with WAISers. Here are the links to the videos [...] Continue Reading…

re: Nuclear Proliferation and Wars (Alain de Benoist, France)

Alain de Benoist (AB) answers Istvan Simon (IS)’s post of 23 October:

IS: Why is a war waged between a non-nuclear state and a nuclear [...] Continue Reading…

Spain: La Rioja’s Wineries (John Heelan, UK)

After about a fortnight’s leave from WAISing, our faithful correspondent from the Isle of Wight John Heelan is back! He writes:

I just returned [...] Continue Reading…

Newspapers of the World–an Interactive Map (Michael Sullivan, US)

Besides serving as the Semi-Official WAIS C-i-G (Coordinator of Interactive Gaming), Michael Sullivan is known to link us up to a cool website or [...] Continue Reading…

re: Religion: Vatican Welcomes Anglican Converts (Ernie Hunt, US)

JE asked on 26 October:

What happens to the wives of (male) Anglican priests who decide to embrace the Roman Church? Do the [...] Continue Reading…

re: Religion: Vatican Welcomes Anglican Converts (Edward Jajko, US)

JE asked on 26 October (see Ernie Hunt’s post of that date):

What happens to the wives of (male) Anglican priests who decide to [...] Continue Reading…

re: Americas: A Conquest-Era Quiz (Tim Brown, US)

Tim Brown responds to David Gress’s post of 26 October:

The nature of the Western Hemisphere’s pre-Columbian inhabitants and impact on them of the Spanish [...] Continue Reading…

re: Spain: the Conquest, Castile and Aragón (Jordi Molins i Coronado, Catalonia)

David Gress wrote on 25 October:

I can make no sense of your [JM's] assertion that Catalans were not allowed before 1714 to trade with [...] Continue Reading…

re: Fun and Games: On Sheep and Tranquilizer Darts (Deborah Dupire-Nelson, US)

Deborah Dupire-Nelson is the first WAISer to report her scores from the “Reaction Time” test forwarded by Michael Sullivan (25 October):

First try: [...] Continue Reading…

re: Religion: Vatican Welcomes Anglican Converts (Ernie Hunt, US)

Ernie Hunt responds to Bienvenido Macario’s post of 23 October:

I think the Roman Catholic Church is desperate for priests, and knows that we [...] Continue Reading…

re: Columbus and Madariaga (David Gress, Denmark)

David Gress follows up on his post of 25 October:

I am not sure the Estelle Irizarry theory about Columbus being an Aragonese or [...] Continue Reading…

Mexico: on the Drug War (Richard Hancock, US)

Richard Hancock writes:

The WSJ of Oct . 24-25 has a long article on 41-year-old Genaro García Luna, who has been commissioned by Mexican President [...] Continue Reading…

re: Columbus: Catalan and Jew? (David Gress, Denmark)

David Gress responds to Jordi Molins i Coronado’s post of 24 October:

Columbus was not responsible for any mass murder, least of all that [...] Continue Reading…

re: Capitalism, Democracy, and the Pay Czar (Gene Franklin, US)

JE commented on 25 October (see Bienvenido Macario’s post from that date):

Having lost my well-publicized (if underfunded) campaign for Car Czar, might I have [...] Continue Reading…

Fun and Games: What’s Your Reaction Time? (Michael Sullivan, US)

Our ever-faithful Coordinator of Interactive Gaming (C-i-G), Gen. Michael Sullivan, thinks it’s time for a WAIS “study break.” Michael writes:

Here’s one to test [...] Continue Reading…

re: Capitalism and Democracy; Goldman Sachs and Executive Pay (Bienvenido Macario, Philippines/US)

Gene Franklin wrote on 20 October:

The [financial] bailout will be a success only when there is real reform of the financial system. In [...] Continue Reading…

re: Columbus, Catalonia and Sardinia (Jordi Molins i Coronado, Catalonia)

Hernán Grimberg wrote on 24 October:

Actually the north part of Sardinia, in fact the city of Alghero, was a Catalan colony and they speak [...] Continue Reading…

Political Science: “Increased Government Intervention and Halted Democracies” (Tom Hashimoto, Albania/Slovenia/Japan)

Tom Hashimoto writes:

It seems like there still is a discussion of what democracy is. As I am influenced and encouraged by many WAISers, I [...] Continue Reading…

re: Columbus: Catalan and Jew? (Tim Brown, US

Tim Brown responds to Jordi Molins i Coronado’s post of 24 October:

An interesting and, of course, politically important addition to the centuries-long discussions of [...] Continue Reading…

re: Columbus: Catalan and Jew? (Hernán Grimberg, Argentina)

Hernán Grimberg responds to Jordi Molins i Coronado’s post of 24 October:

After reading the post about the real place of birth of Columbus, [...] Continue Reading…

Columbus: Catalan and Jew? (Jordi Molins i Coronado, Catalonia)

Jordi Molins i Coronado writes:

According to the Daily Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/6326698/Christopher-Columbus-writings-prove-he-was-Spanish-claims-study.html

“Estelle Irizarry (…) a linguistic professor at Georgetown University in Washington has published new findings [...] Continue Reading…

China: on the Tajiks (Kaveh Farrokh, Canada)

Kaveh Farrokh writes:

I really missed not having the opportunity to see WAISers at the Conference–as several of you may know I have had to [...] Continue Reading…

re: Religion: Vatican Welcomes Anglican Converts (Robert Whealey, US)

Robert Whealey responds to Bienvenido Macario’s post of 23 October:

The 16th-century wars were religions, political, sociological, and economic. Let us leave [...] Continue Reading…

re: Nuclear Proliferation and Wars (Istvan Simon, US)

Istvan Simon writes:

On October 21 Alain de Benoist in a beautifully concise post graciously conceded the point that nuclear capability would not protect nations [...] Continue Reading…

Religion: Vatican Welcomes Anglican Converts (Bienvenido Macario, Philippines/US)

Bienvenido Macario writes:

While many Roman Catholics in Latin America and the Philippines are converting to non-denominational Christian and Protestant religions, in England it is [...] Continue Reading…

re: WAIS ‘09 Proceedings: “Globalizing Minds in the 21st Century” (Siegfried Ramler, US)

Siegfried Ramler writes:

I’m glad that you are posting papers from the WAIS conference. I attach my monograph entitled “Globalizing Minds in the 21st [...] Continue Reading…