Communication

Communication

Contributions from readers who didn't object to having their email published in Vagabond Pages.

Re: Christiane Amanpour ..., Hello and Pakhair ..., Singularity in 13 Years ..., Re: Darwinism ..., George Tenet's Book ...

Sometimes I don't receive an answer to my request to publish a letter and I don't know how to interpret it. So I've decided to simplify things and not oblige readers to answer. The most recent letters are at the top of the page.
If you have written to Vagabond and were not published or acknowledged, be informed that we are experiencing some email difficulties. Please try again at our Vagabond Pages address or at our hotmail address WM

Re: Christiane Amanpour (This issue)

Advocacy journalism? In my opinion you don’t go far enough in criticising this award. Anybody who followed her reports about the war in Bosnia knows Christiane Amanpour is an example no journalist should follow. She told Larry King that (one should) "use objectivity in a pure sense, which means being fair and giving the sides a fair hearing. But it does not mean treating each side the same, because objectivity does not mean neutrality." What in the world does she have in mind? Of course she can have her sentiments and still be professional – meaning OBJECTIVE!

Stephen Kinzer of the New York Times wrote:
"She was sitting in Belgrade when the marketplace massacre happened, and she went on the air to say that the Serbs had probably done it. There was no way she could have known that. She was assuming an omniscience which no journalist has."

Christiane Amanpour is a media star and she makes her own rules.

Nikole

Hello and Pakhair

Hi...I am a pashtun(Afghan) and I have been reading your articles. I am impressed as well as amazed at your sympathies towards the Paxtuns(Afghans). Its rare to find such respect for the highlanders-Paxtuns of central asia. What is your opinion about our region and the future? What do you think of Paxtun society and you ever thought of visiting the Paxtun territories.

Sincerely,
Ali Aziz
A Paxtun

Hi -- thank you for your appreciation. Though the Taliban forces are redoubtable, my sympathies go to those secular Pashtuns who want freedom for the country and themselves. I know they exist; I would like to know more about their influence in Pashtun society. The evolution of the Pashtuns seems to me harder and slower than I would desire for them. I've heard about the magical beauty of your country but for the present a "visit" seems to be reserved for the heroic war reporters. WM

Singularity in 13 Years?

Singularity, in scientific terminology, means such quick progress in technology that the moment comes that the consequences are completely unknown and unpredictable. (So it was with the first nuclear bomb.)

Mathematical genius Vernor Vinge predicts that such singularity will appear in the year 2020. Vinge predicts the appearance of a computer robot that will supercede humans in each intellectual and creative dimension.

Matt

I wrote something about this in Vagabond. I came to the conclusion that there is no competition between human and robot because there is no motivation. All the human motivations are psychosomatic; eyes, ears, taste, touch, brain, would not act without psychosomatic appetites. What could a robot, even the most intelligent, desire? It will remain only a tool without goals. WM

Re: Darwinism (This issue)

William,
You praise Darwinism but at the same time you criticise global economy which perfectly expresses Darwinism at its peak. Isn't it confusing?

J.L.
dedie_fidele@yahoo.ca

Yes, natural Darwinism based on equilibrium is the opposite of monstrous Darwinism based on absolute dominance which destroys competition. The first represents the global village economy, the second, globalism based on giant corporations. I didn't stress that sufficiently. Thanks for correction. WM

George Tenet's Book

Though I haven’t read the book that former CIA director George Tenet wrote, the interviews I’ve heard expose it pretty well; he didn’t write the book BEFORE Bush was elected for his second term when there was still a chance to get that administration out of office. Wouldn’t that have been the time to expose the administration – so that the war party could have been stopped -- or so that at least Bush would have felt he had to answer to somebody – instead he proclaimed that he had a mandate and he was going to use it. Bush ran the war and the country right into the ground with the help of Tenet and his ilk. Why is nobody answerable for all this fakery? Tenet claims his "slam dunk" statement merely meant that it would be that easy to make a case for war to the American people. That isn't his job! So why did we have this war?

Nikole
nikolej@sympatico.ca

There is always a reason for war when you are too strong. Compressed energy explodes like a volcano when there is an accumulation of power, wealth and leisure. Only suffering ends it -- and we are witnessing the start of it. The next step: end of the futile dreams of glory, responsibility accorded to the guilty. And life may start its normal path unfolding true day to day problems to be resolved. WM

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