Thursday, October 18, 2007

It can be difficult to be John Reed.

Christopher Hitchens called him a “Bin Ladenist” and Cathy Young editorialized in The Boston Globe that he “blames the victims of terrorism” when he puts out a novel like Snowball’s Chance, a biting send-up of George Orwell‘s Animal Farm which he was inspired to write after the terrorist attacks on September 11. “The clear references to 9/11 in the apocalyptic ending can only bring Orwell’s name into disrepute in the U.S.,” wrote William Hamilton, the British literary executor of the Orwell estate. That process had already begun: it was revealed Orwell gave the British Foreign Office a list of people he suspected of being “crypto-Communists and fellow travelers,” labeling some of them as Jews and homosexuals. “I really wanted to explode that book,” Reed told The New York Times. “I wanted to completely undermine it.”

Is this man who wants to blow up the classic literary canon taught to children in schools a menace, or a messiah? David Shankbone went to interview him for Wikinews and found that, as often is the case, the answer lies somewhere in the middle.

Reed is electrified by the changes that surround him that channel through a lens of inspiration wrought by his children. “The kids have made me a better writer,” Reed said. In his new untitled work, which he calls a “new play by William Shakespeare,” he takes lines from The Bard‘s classics to form an original tragedy. He began it in 2003, but only with the birth of his children could he finish it. “I didn’t understand the characters who had children. I didn’t really understand them. And once I had had kids, I could approach them differently.”

Taking the old to make it new is a theme in his work and in his world view. Reed foresees new narrative forms being born, Biblical epics that will be played out across print and electronic mediums. He is pulled forward by revolutions of the past, a search for a spiritual sensibility, and a desire to locate himself in the process.

Below is David Shankbone’s conversation with novelist John Reed.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

People in London yesterday were surprised to see hundreds of cyclists in varying degrees of nakedness riding through the city as the annual London Naked Bike Ride took place, one of many other rides as part of World Naked Bike Ride. The ride was intended to protest against oil dependency and celebrate cycling and the human body.

The ride took a route past many well known landmarks in London, starting from Hyde Park Corner then going via locations including Trafalgar Square, the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, Covent Garden, Oxford Street, the United States embassy and returning to Hyde Park Corner, finishing at the Wellington Arch.

Described as a clothing-optional bike ride, participants ranged from being fully clothed to full nudity and were of a broad range of ages and ethnicities. Nudity is encouraged but is not mandatory.

Whilst public nudity in itself isn’t illegal in the United Kingdom, indecent exposure is an offence where the person exposes their genitals and “intends that someone will see them and be caused alarm or distress” and as such participants were unlikely to be at risk of arrest. Police officers riding bikes worked to facilitate the passage of the cyclists through the city whilst minimising disruption.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Sunday morning showed Trafalgar Square, London damaged during the night by demonstrators.

Bottles, cans, and placards littered the concrete ground of one of the most iconic landmarks in London. Demonstrators livid at government cuts had sprayed graffiti on the four bronze lions. “No-one rules if no-one obeys,” one message, next to the symbol of anarchy, read. On the steps leading up to the National Gallery lay placards, dropped by demonstrators the night before. Hours earlier the square was an arena for running battles between the anarchist protesters and riot police.

First, they targetted Oxford Street, arguably the most famous shopping row in the city. The protesters, many dressed in black, hurled smoke bombs and paint at Topshop, which they claimed has systematically abused the tax system. In Piccadilly, they ransacked The Ritz, a hotel popularly known for upmarket opulence. As darkness fell over the capital, many went home. But in Trafalgar Square, protesters lit campfires and danced to music, smoking and eating into the night.

But then the police moved in. Clad in riot gear, the situation began to escalate and both they and the demonstrators began to panic. They raised their batons and shouted at the crowd, while the protesters grabbed metal barriers and hurled them over police lines, using them as battering rams. Some protesters yelled in defence, “Don’t hit us!”, while the more determined shouted, “Shame on you! Your job’s next!” The riot officers pushed protesters into the centre of the square, towards Nelson’s Column. The police started forward at least twice swinging their batons in the air, as protesters retaliated by throwing glass bottles and coins towards the police lines. One officer was taken away with blood pouring from under his visor.

“I have never seen such a fast escalation of violence in my life,” one witness to the violence in the square said. “Everything just kicked off, glass everywhere, police hitting people, people being dragged across the floor. I just can’t believe it.” Other protesters on the front line later described the police retaliation as they began to kettle people in. “I find myself in front of the riot line,” one protester wrote, “taking a blow to the head and a kick to the shin; I am dragged to my feet by a girl with blue hair who squeezes my arm and then raises a union flag defiantly at the cops.”

Fireworks exploded overhead and, towards midnight, the number of protesters had diminished. As the kettling began, many of them slipped away into the night. In the early hours of the morning, the levels of violence began to fade. “Vandalism has been committed and officers have come under sustained attack,” the Metropolitan Police said. “We are holding everyone here until the situation calms down and we determine who is responsible.”

As the street cleaners worked through the morning in London, more than 200 protesters, detained throughout the day, remained in custody. Although the organisers of the march were swift to disassociate themselves with the violence, the protesters were defiant. “I’m not moving, I’m not moving,” one young protester, hemmed in by the riot police, said. “I’ve been on every protest, I won’t let this government destroy our future without a fight. I won’t stand back, I’m not moving.”

Monday, October 31, 2005

Kansas has been denied permission to use two key documents commonly used in the writing of science education standards for states, the National Science Education Standards (published by the National Research Council) and Pathways to Science Standards (published by the National Science Teacher Association). The respective organizations argued that they could not grant the state of Kansas permission to use these documents in the current form of the Kansas Science Educational Standards, as these overemphasize controversy between the scientific theory of Evolution and the argument of Intelligent Design. Moreover, the organizations criticize that the standards in their current form distort the definition of science. The American Association for the Advancement of Science has expressed its support for the decision to deny Kansas the use of copyrighted material, as “the proposed standards misrepresent both the content and the standing of evolution as a scientific organizing principle”.

Proponents of Intelligent Design have characterized the refusal as “an effort to censor the discussion of scientific criticism of Darwinian theory by intimidation and threat”.

This is likely to further delay the ratification of the final vote on the Kansas Science Educational Standards as they will have to be rewritten either to not violate any copyright restrictions or modify their account of evolution and outlook on science. According to University of Kansas professor Steve Case, rewriting the standards will be very difficult, as “there is copyrighted material on every page” of the current document.

This is the second time that Kansas was denied the right to use copyrighted materials in their state standards, following the case in 1999, when Kansas included Creationism, a precursor of Intelligent Design, into the school curriculum. A later school board overturned that directive.

The dispute in Kansas has brought nationwide responses, ranging from a rebuke by the American Association for the Advancement of Science to the creation of internet-sensation Flying Spaghetti Monster mythology (which is lobbying the Kansas School Board to give equal time teaching their creationism theory as well.)

[edit]

Thursday, November 8, 2007

India is the latest of the countries where the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) experiment has started. Children from the village of Khairat were given the opportunity to learn how to use the XO laptop. During the last year XO was distributed to children from Arahuay in Peru, Ban Samkha in Thailand, Cardal in Uruguay and Galadima in Nigeria. The OLPC team are, in their reports on the startup of the trials, delighted with how the laptop has improved access to information and ability to carry out educational activities. Thailand’s The Nation has praised the project, describing the children as “enthusiastic” and keen to attend school with their laptops.

Recent good news for the project sees Uruguay having ordered 100,000 of the machines which are to be given to children aged six to twelve. Should all go according to plan a further 300,000 machines will be purchased by 2009 to give one to every child in the country. As the first to order, Uruguay chose the OLPC XO laptop over its rival from Intel, the Classmate PC. In parallel with the delivery of the laptops network connectivity will be provided to schools involved in the project.

The remainder of this article is based on Carla G. Munroy’s Khairat Chronicle, which is available from the OLPC Wiki. Additional sources are listed at the end.

Thursday, November 2, 2006

An annual survey done by the New Zealand Consumers’ Institute has shown that there has been a dramatic decline in satisfaction with the respondents’ Internet service providers (ISP).

Of the over 10,000 Internet users who participated in the survey, only 66% said they were either satisfied or very satisfied with their current ISP. This is compared to the 2005 survey which was at 82%. The reason, according to the Consumers’ Institute, is because of national ISP, Xtra dragging down the ratings. Xtra users made up 51% of the respondents.

Only 55% of Xtra’s customers said they were satisfied or very satisfied with Xtra, it was 78% last year. Xtra rated worst in every single category. Nick Brown, spokesman, said: “Xtra will be working to improve its ranking. The rapid growth in the broadband market at the moment means you don’t get things right all the time. [Xtra is] disappointed with the results and will be going through the details with a view to making improvements.”

The best ISP, as voted by the survey respondents, was Inspire, the third consecutive time they have won. 97% of Inspire’s users said that its performance was either good or very good.

David Russel, chief executive of the Consumers’ Institute, said: “The wonderful world of cyberspace has a long way to go in New Zealand in terms of providing customer satisfaction. Providers must sharpen up on their advertising and improve the performance of their service desks. The big ISPs are promising too much. Broadband speed and the price people are paying are the biggest bones of contention.”

Mr. Russell added: “Support, both online and offline is a key factor in satisfaction with your ISP. However, price is still key.”

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Four people have been shot and killed and at least 15 wounded when a gunman opened fire inside a LA Fitness center in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania. The gunman was among the dead.

Reports say the man walked into a dance room where an all-female Latin dance class was in session, turned off the lights and began to shoot people. CNN reports that the gunman was a “middle-aged white male.” One witness said he was carrying a duffel bag, which he put down before shooting into the crowd. After opening fire, he turned the gun on himself. At least 30 people are reported to have been in the room at the time of the shooting.

Allegheny County police Superintendent Charles Moffatt said, “I’ve never seen nothing quite like this. It was very chaotic. […] There’s a good belief that the shooter is deceased.”

Collier Township Police Chief Tom Devin stated that the police, “believe the shooter committed suicide at the scene but we’re not positive.” Police report that the shooter’s motive may have been a domestic dispute with one of the exercisers.

Mike Hentosz, a witness who was inside the gym, said, “I feel like it’s a dream. I don’t know what to think of it.” A woman participating in the class, Nicole, said that 10 minutes into the class, “a middle-aged white male walked into the class. He had a big gym bag. […] He looked out of place in a class full of women.” When he began firing, she reported, she ran out of the gym and escaped in passerby’s car.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

New Zealand has been voted the coolest place in the world by United Kingdom brand: CoolBrands.

Coolbrands is owned by a consultancy firm in the UK, called Superbrands. It started in 2001, CoolBrands is a way of telling how ‘cool’ a brand is. Superbrands defines “brands that have become extremely desirable among many style leaders and influencers. They have a magic about them, signifying that users have an exceptional sense of taste and style.”

George Hickton, chief executive of Tourism New Zealand, said: “This win is a vindication of the recent work we’ve put in to the UK market, with the Chelsea Flower Show and our 100% Pure New Zealand advertising campaign ensuring New Zealand stays top of mind with potential travellers.”

“It’s very gratifying to see we are such a desirable destination, especially as this poll includes opinion leaders who can have an real influence on people’s travel choices.” says Mr Hickton. “this is the second award New Zealand has received in the UK this September, with Conde Nast Traveller magazine also voting New Zealand best destination this month.”

Editor of Condé Nast Traveler Magazine, Sarah Miller, called New Zealand a “point of authenticity.” And professional nation brander, Wally Olin, said “New Zealand has been very, very clever. It has turned its disadvantages into advantages.”

“Reaping the benefits of its recent marketing campaign, New Zealand is apparently the hottest place to be,” said the London News.

650 brands were chosen by researchers which were then put before 23 judges and were made available for the public, of which 1,725 people participated in an online survey. Five percent of the original 650 made it to the finals, including Morocco, Maldive and Australia.

New Zealand receives most of its tourists from Australia, closely followed by the UK.

The top ten destinations included:

1. New Zealand
2. Morocco
3. Fiji
4. Prague
5. Australia
6. Maldives
7. Amsterdam
8. Brighton
9. Bahamas
10. Bermuda