The month of August marks a series of tragic anniversaries in Japan. On August 6th and 9th, 1945, atomic bombs exploded over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing over 100,000 men, women and children in seconds. On August 15 that year, Japan finally surrendered to U.S. Forces and brought an end to the war in the East. Continue reading
Joshua Oppenheimer’s startling documentary The Act of Killing has attracted praise and controversy alike. The Independent’s reviewer called it ‘without question one of the most horrifying films I’ve ever seen.’ The reason is not hard to see. The documentary features real mass murderers re-enacting their crimes for the camera. That The Act of Killing is neither voyeuristic nor sensationalist is a testament to the thoughtfulness that Oppenheimer has brought to the making of this remarkable film. Continue reading
Britain’s former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was a central figure in neoliberalism, which has dominated western capitalism for decades. Her death provides an opportunity to reflect on an economic doctrine that glorifies human greed and led directly to the current economic crisis. Continue reading
Last month’s transition of power to the new collective leadership of the Politburo Standing Committee shows how China may hold the key to taming the madness of the North Korean regime. In the past few weeks, North Korea has declared that it is in a state of war with South Korea, and has threatened to wage nuclear war against the United States. Continue reading
Dangers of the Pathological Mind
Psychopathy is characterised by an absence of love, empathy or concern; narcissistic personality disorder by excessive self-importance. Adolf Hitler exhibited both. Hitler also exhibited another characteristic feature of those with personality disorder – an astonishing rigidity of thinking. Throughout his entire adult life there was no development, no maturing in Hitler’s character or beliefs. The arrested development of this single pathological mind sealed the fate of tens of millions of people and altered the course of history in Europe.[1] Continue reading
disorderedworld 