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Newsround: The Guardian edition
Apr. 14th, 2008 06:16 pmFor a self-professed liberal, I tend to read conservative papers a lot. Except for the gag-worthy Fox News; even I have to draw the line somewhere. Here's a list of news on teh Guarniad's online website that ought to be highlighted:
- Guardian commenter says Richard Dawkins' 'secular army must be stopped' because God is behind much of Western Europe's force for arts and creativity. Yeah, that's nice but flipping through The God Delusion, I don't see any place where Dawkins says churches must be abolished. In fact, he admits to liking choir music (I do, too) and it'd be a shame to see them go. But should the places of worship continue to receive earmarked funds because of their special (and some might argue discriminatory) status?
- JK Rowling testifies in the court case against the owner of a popular Harry Potter website. Steven Vander Ark is seeking to publish the Harry Potter Lexicon, a sort of encyclopedia of the Potter series. Rowling argues the published work would amount to 'wholesale theft' of her work. I wonder how other authors who write 'unauthorised' encyclopedias of popular series get away with it. Somewhere in my box of books, I have a Discworld guide, listing much of that universe's quicks and characters -- but it was co-written by Terry Pratchett. Additionally while the website is a collaborative effort, will the publication of the print HP Lexicon mean profits will go to Vander Ark or the staff of the site? If the former is the case it seems unfair, and doubly so since the publication is poised to be in the market before Rowling has her own Potter encyclopedia book out. Unfair is not the same as illegal however, so we'll have to see how it turns out.
- The latest in the deeply disturbing Scarlett Keeling case: her body was found to be missing several organs. Keeling, a UK citizen, was in Goa for a holiday with her mother. Her mother was persuaded to leave the 15 year old Keeling alone in Goa while she traveled elsewhere. Unfortunately, Keeling's body was found semi-naked on a beach a few months later. At first it is ruled a drowning, but a second hard fought examination turned up evidence of rape and multiple beatings. The news of the missing organs was discovered upon a third autopsy.
There's so many unsettling points in this case, including the fact that the Goan police tried to cover up the murder, the local authorities seeking to divert attention by putting pressure on Keeling's mother (including having welfare visit her children to determine whether she was at fault for leaving her child alone), and the availability of drugs.
- Working illegally as a stripper in New York
- With world food prices skyrocketing, what could be the answer? This article even tries to put in perspective at what level of meat consumption could be sustainable, and has a surprising answer. Of course, there's no complete solution to the possibility of a food crisis but it's nice someone is thinking about what we could do now instead of panicking and hoarding.
- Guardian commenter says Richard Dawkins' 'secular army must be stopped' because God is behind much of Western Europe's force for arts and creativity. Yeah, that's nice but flipping through The God Delusion, I don't see any place where Dawkins says churches must be abolished. In fact, he admits to liking choir music (I do, too) and it'd be a shame to see them go. But should the places of worship continue to receive earmarked funds because of their special (and some might argue discriminatory) status?
- JK Rowling testifies in the court case against the owner of a popular Harry Potter website. Steven Vander Ark is seeking to publish the Harry Potter Lexicon, a sort of encyclopedia of the Potter series. Rowling argues the published work would amount to 'wholesale theft' of her work. I wonder how other authors who write 'unauthorised' encyclopedias of popular series get away with it. Somewhere in my box of books, I have a Discworld guide, listing much of that universe's quicks and characters -- but it was co-written by Terry Pratchett. Additionally while the website is a collaborative effort, will the publication of the print HP Lexicon mean profits will go to Vander Ark or the staff of the site? If the former is the case it seems unfair, and doubly so since the publication is poised to be in the market before Rowling has her own Potter encyclopedia book out. Unfair is not the same as illegal however, so we'll have to see how it turns out.
- The latest in the deeply disturbing Scarlett Keeling case: her body was found to be missing several organs. Keeling, a UK citizen, was in Goa for a holiday with her mother. Her mother was persuaded to leave the 15 year old Keeling alone in Goa while she traveled elsewhere. Unfortunately, Keeling's body was found semi-naked on a beach a few months later. At first it is ruled a drowning, but a second hard fought examination turned up evidence of rape and multiple beatings. The news of the missing organs was discovered upon a third autopsy.
There's so many unsettling points in this case, including the fact that the Goan police tried to cover up the murder, the local authorities seeking to divert attention by putting pressure on Keeling's mother (including having welfare visit her children to determine whether she was at fault for leaving her child alone), and the availability of drugs.
- Working illegally as a stripper in New York
- With world food prices skyrocketing, what could be the answer? This article even tries to put in perspective at what level of meat consumption could be sustainable, and has a surprising answer. Of course, there's no complete solution to the possibility of a food crisis but it's nice someone is thinking about what we could do now instead of panicking and hoarding.
