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Polish anti-Marxist thinker dies

July 17th, 2009 | No Comments

By Adam Easton
BBC News, Warsaw

Leszek Kolakowski in 2003

The Polish philosopher and historian of ideas, Leszek Kolakowski has died in hospital in Oxford, England. He was 81.

One of the few 20th Century eastern European thinkers to gain international renown, he spent almost half of his life in exile from his native country.

He argued that the cruelties of Stalinism were not an aberration, but the logical conclusion of Marxism.

MPs in Warsaw observed a minute’s silence to remember his contribution to a free and democratic Poland.

Leszek Kolakowski was born in Radom, Poland, 12 years before the outbreak of the World War II.

Under the Nazi occupation of Poland school classes were banned so he taught himself foreign languages and literature.

He even systematically read through an incomplete encyclopaedia he found.

He once said he knew everything under the letters, A, D and E, but nothing about the Bs and the Cs.

After the war he studied philosophy and became a professor. Seeing the destruction wrought by the Nazis in Poland he joined the Communist Party.

But he gradually became disillusioned and more daring in his criticism of the system. In 1966 he was expelled from the party and two years later he lost his job.

Seeking exile in the West, he eventually settled at Oxford’s All Souls college where he wrote his best-known work, the three-volume Main Currents of Marxism, considered by some to be one of the most important books on political theory of the 20th Century.

In the 1980s, from his base in Britain, he supported Poland’s pro-democracy Solidarity movement which overthrew communism in 1989.

For many of its leaders he was an icon. </p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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Kate Moss to hit Britain’’s waterways for “mother of all booze cruises”

July 17th, 2009 | No Comments

Kate Moss is reportedly set to embark on a booze cruise in Britian’s waterways.
The model is supposed to attend her friend Jess Hallett’’s wedding in Italy next month on a cruise.
And the beauty, who is also the maid of honour, has made her mind to captain the barge on the Thames for her best pal’’s [...]

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Ashes live – England v Australia

July 17th, 2009 | No Comments

Second Test, Lord’s, day two (1100 BST start):

LATEST ACTION (all times BST)

By Tom Fordyce

e-mail tms@bbc.co.uk (with ‘For Tom Fordyce’ in the subject), text 81111 (with "CRICKET" as first word) or use606. (Not all contributions can be used)

ENGLAND INNINGS

1119: 379-9 And so it comes down to Trevor Bailey and Chris Tavare, aka Monty and Jim. Anderson gets off the mark – of course he does – with a pushed single that almost sees Monty run out as he daydreams a dwardle down the track. An air of resigned shock around HQ.

Michael (having a difficult day), Cleadon, Sunderland, text 81111:>"It’s a miserable day up here, my girlfriend crashed her car with me in it this morning, I was late for work, I’m tired but at least my overly relaxed office don’t mind me catching up on the live text all day and I can really see Strauss…oh."

1115: 378-9 Three overs, three wickets, and that was a stinker – a big booming drive aimed at a full inswinger, and Broad’s castle is breached. Looking at the replays there was an inside edge, but the feet were rooted. Anyone want to start this morning again

Wicket falls

1113: WICKET Broad b Hilfenhaus 16, Eng 378-9 Jimmy Anderson now, and if we’re looking for silver linings, he’s got to be eyeing this enormo-swing and licking his Lancashire lips. Oh my giddy aunts – ANOTHER ONE’S GONE!

From James the geophysicist, TMS inbox: "Simon in Oxford, I will severely put myself out and completely change the non-existent plans I had on Sunday to take the Lord’s ticket off your hands. Don’t worry, I don’t expect any compensation."

Wicket falls

1107: WICKET Swann c Ponting b Siddle 4, Eng 370-8 Swanny to the trenches, and he gets off the mark with a clip off the toes for four. Short leg in for the Cardiff hopper. Siddle, a sweatband halfway up his forearm in the style of His Airness, gets dabbed away for a single legwards before a steepling lifter zips past Swann’s retreating ears. Another short one – and that’s got him, prodded feebly to second slip. Two overs, two wickets…Former England seamer Angus Fraser on TMS: "If England do get bowled out cheaply and the ball is moving around, it gives them the opportunity to get some early wickets."1103: Eng 364-7 If you’ve just spat your mid-morning cuppa at your PC screen, you’re not the only one. That one swung like Tarzan on a vine – starting out wide, dipping back in and banging back the off stump as Strauss shouldered arms. Calamitous start for England, joy unconfined for the tourists. Ricky Ponting’s face is in danger of splitting, his smile is so wide.

Wicket falls

1102: WICKET Strauss b Hilfenhaus 161, Eng 364-7 Here we go – Hilfenhaus to Strauss – and HE’S BOWLED HIM!1050: Traditional pre-bell heads-up – could you F5 it before we roll into action Video scorecard reasons. Reth’pect.From Simon in Oxford, TMS inbox: "I need advice. I have, this morning been offered the opportunity to come down to Lord’s on Sunday. Another friend has also offered me the chance to go to Turnberry. All the while it is my girlfriends birthday and I should really be with here in Manchester. I am in a severe quandary. Any suggestions"Former England spinner Phil Tufnell on TMS: "We’ve got to get up to 460 to put the Australians under pressure."Meanwhile, fresh from regaling his Wimbledon colleagues with tales of his past badminton glories, Radio One Newsbeat’s David Garrido has been ‘helping’ the Barmy Army take on the Aussie Fanatics. David describes his own bowling as "amazing".You be the judge by checking out his video of the match.1035: Humid out there at the mo. Could it swing Wrinkled old purveyors of wobble are sniffing the air like Bisto kids. There’s movement in them there clouds.BBC Sport’s Oliver Brett on Twitter:"Hauritz gingerly taking part in touch rugby, Watson – remember him – jogging around. Covers are being hauled off – should start on time."1025: Having said that, the covers are currently off at Lord’s. There’s rain forecast – it is the middle of July, after all – but there’ll be cricket this morning or my name’s Martin McCague.
1015: Morning – all well Hope you’ve packed your snorkels…
<br/

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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Alexander Dresner: Intellectual Benefits, Emotional Costs: The Value Of Attending The World’s Best Universities

July 16th, 2009 | No Comments

The London School of Economics is an inconspicuous series of academic lecture halls and classrooms that sit within a busy enclave in England’s capital city….

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Bodies of eight soldiers return to UK

July 14th, 2009 | No Comments

Families see bodies carried from aircraft at RAF Lyneham as Prince Edward pays respects to dead soldiers

The bodies of eight British soldiers killed during the army’s bloodiest 24 hours in Afghanistan arrived back in the UK today.

The coffins of the men, three of whom were 18, arrived draped in union flags just after noon at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire.

The families of the men were there to see their bodies carried from the CI7 aircraft. Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, was also at the base in his capacity as royal colonel of the 2nd Battalion The Rifles, with which five of the dead men served. A Buckingham Palace spokesman said he “wanted to pay his respects to those soldiers who sadly died”.

A private ceremony at the chapel of rest is being held this afternoon, before eight hearses drive through the Wiltshire town of Wootton Bassett, where crowds are already gathering to pay tribute to the men.

Five soldiers from 2nd Battalion The Rifles died near Sangin, in Helmand province, on Friday, in two “daisy-chain” explosions.

Corporal Jonathan Horne, 28, and Riflemen William Aldridge, 18, James Backhouse, 18, and Joseph Murphy, 18, were rescuing comrades from an earlier blast when a second device detonated.

Murphy was carrying Rifleman Daniel Simpson, 20 – who was injured by the first makeshift bomb – when both were killed in the following explosion.

Aldridge, from Bromyard, Herefordshire, was attempting to reach casualties from the first blast, despite being wounded himself.

Also returning on the C17 plane will be Corporal Lee Scott, 26, of 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, who died in an explosion on the same day just north of Nad-e-Ali during Operation Panther’s Claw.

The two other men were killed in separate incidents on Thursday. Private John Brackpool, 27, of the Prince of Wales’ Company, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, was shot at Char-e-Anjir, near Lashkar Gah, while on sentry duty. Rifleman Daniel Hume, 22, of 4th Battalion The Rifles, was killed in an explosion while on foot patrol near Nad-e-Ali.

The hearses will drive to Wootton Bassett on their way to the John Radcliffe hospital, Oxford. Inquests into their deaths will be held in the coming weeks.

Crowds have appeared spontaneously in Wootton Bassett to pay their respects since the bodies of British service personnel started being brought back to Lyneham in 2007.

The mayor of Wootton Bassett, Steve Bucknell, said: “Every repatriation is a very sad event, whether it is one person or eight.

“What makes it so much sadder is when you see the friends and family of the fallen and it brings it home that these are real people with real lives – someone’s son, grandson, brother and father. They are going to leave a hole in many lives.”

He paid tribute to the “fantastic” people of Wootton Bassett. “They never fail to amaze me with their ability to always do the right thing,” he said.

Standing beneath a simple homemade tribute with bunting and newspaper clippings, Alison Aldridge, the aunt of Rifleman Aldridge, had brought eight red roses with her in tribute to all the men who fell.

“It is extremely sad that his life was taken so swiftly, but I take comfort from the fact that he had two very fulfilling years rather than a lifetime of regrets,” she said.

“It’s lovely that so many people are here – young and old. It’s amazing how so many young people here understand and respect what’s going on.”

Veteran Alan Pearson, 74, from Frome, Somerset, a former Royal Engineer, was attending a repatriation for the first time to pay his “respects to the lads and their families”.

“I think they should stay there [in Afghanistan] but I think they should give them better equipment – helicopters,” he said. “They are doing the right thing. If not then these devils are going to be over here, blowing us up.”

Yesterday Gordon Brown said the last few weeks of fighting in Helmand had been “a sad and difficult time” for Britain, but said it was right to press on and stop al-Qaida using Afghanistan as a base.

His words came after a total of 15 soldiers died in Afghanistan in 10 days, bringing the total number of UK military fatalities in the country since 2001 to 184, surpassing the 179 who died in Iraq.

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds


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Amphibians like to mate under a full Moon

July 14th, 2009 | No Comments

Scientists have discovered that amphibians around the world synchronize their mating activity by the full Moon.
According to a report by BBC News, this global phenomenon has never been noticed before, but frogs, toads and newts all like to mate by moonlight.
The animals use the lunar cycle to co-ordinate their gatherings, ensuring that enough males and [...]

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The Avett Brothers: Album Due 9/29 & Huge Tour

July 13th, 2009 | No Comments

THE AVETT BROTHERS I AND LOVE AND YOU IN STORES SEPTEMBER 29

NPR MUSIC EXCLUSIVE FIRST LISTEN BEGINS SEPTEMBER 22

The Avett Brothers

North Carolina-based rock band, The Avett Brothers, are gearing up for the release of their highly anticipated American Recordings/Columbia Records debut, I and Love and You, which hits stores on Tuesday, September 29, 2009. I and Love and You was recorded in Malibu, California and produced by multi-Grammy Award winning producer, Rick Rubin. The thirteen songs that make up this new record defy pigeonholing and can best be described as an amalgam of rock, folk, pop and country. The band has spent years touring, recording, performing and perfecting this blend of music styles with their signature lyrics and vocals. I and Love and You will also be available at participating Starbucks company-operated locations in the U.S. and Canada and wherever music is sold.

In addition beginning Tuesday, September 22, 2009, NPR Music will host an Exclusive First Listen of I and Love and You on their website, www.npr.org/firstlisten, where fans will be able to get a sneak peak of the new album a week prior to release. NPR Music’s distinctive Exclusive First Listen series recently showcased new music from such innovators as Wilco, Moby, Bjork and Neko Case.

The story of The Avett Brothers has been told by word of mouth until now. Come witness what thousands have been loyally following and speaking about for years…

THE AVETT BROTHERS ON TOUR:

7/09 Norfolk, VA Harrison Opera House

7/10 Richmond, VA The National

7/11 Roanoke, VA Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre

7/12 Louisville, KY The Riverfront Belvedere

7/16 Saint Augustine, FL St. Augustine Amphitheatre

7/17 Lake Buena Vista, FL House of Blues

7/18 Tampa, FL The Cuban Club

7/19 Fort Lauderdale, FL Parker Playhouse

7/24 North Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues

7/25 North Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues

7/30 Buffalo, NY Lafayette Square

7/31 Syracuse, NY The Westcott

8/01 Newport, RI Fort Adams State Park (Newport Folk Festival)

8/02 Northampton, MA Calvin Theater

8/04 Dewey Beach, DE Bottle & Cork

8/08 Charlotte, NC Bojangles Coliseum

8/14 Ozark, AR Mulberry Mountain (Festival)

8/15 Kansas City, MO The Crossroads

8/16 Omaha, NE Sokol Auditorium/Underground

8/19 Telluride, CO Sunset Plaza @ Mountain Village

8/20 Steamboat Springs, CO Summer Concert Series (Howelson Hills Amp)

8/21 Boulder, CO Boulder Theater

8/22 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre

8/25 Salt Lake City, UT Red Butte Garden

8/26 Boise, ID Knitting Factory Concert House

8/28 Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre

8/29 Jacksonville, OR Britt Festival

8/30 San Francisco, CA Outside Lands Music Festival

9/01 Arcata, CA HSU Van Duzer Theater

9/03 Reno, NV Grand Sierra Theater

9/04 Camp Mather, CA Strawberry Music Festival

9/05 Los Angeles, CA Orpheum Theatre

9/17 North Charleston, SC North Charleston P.A.C.

9/18 Augusta, GA Westobou Festival/Riverwalk

9/19 Tallahassee, FL The Moon

9/20 Tuscaloosa, AL Bama Theatre

9/22 Oxford, MS The Lyric Oxford

9/24 Memphis, TN Minglewood Hall

9/25 Little Rock, AR Robinson Center Music Hall

9/26 Tulsa, OK Cain’s Ballroom

9/27 Dallas, TX Granada Theater

9/29 Baton Rouge, LA Baton Rouge River Center Theatre

10/1 New Orleans, LA House of Blues

10/2 Austin, TX Austin City Limits

10/3 Midwest City, OK Rose State PAC

10/5 Murray, KY Lovett Auditorium Center

10/15 Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live

10/16 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory

10/17 New York, NY Terminal 5

10/18 Boston, MA House of Blues

10/20 Iowa City, IA The Englert Theatre

10/21 Madison, WI Barrymore Theatre

10/22 Urbana, IL Canopy Club

10/29 Huntington, WV Keith Albee Theatre

10/30 Louisville, KY Louisville Palace

10/31 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium


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Did the Swine Flu Escape from a Lab?

July 13th, 2009 | No Comments

National Public Radio notes that Professor John Oxford at St. Bart’s and the Royal London Hospital says that the 1957 H1N1 pandemic probably started when it escaped from a lab:”We reckon now, in retrospect, it was probably released accidentally from a …

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No one knew Saif when he visited my college: Soha Ali Khan

July 13th, 2009 | No Comments

Despite being from the famous Pataudi family, Soha is not only grounded but also never tried to cash in on her family background. The actress who did her graduation in History at Balliol College, Oxford University, and Masters in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences says that studying at Oxford [...]

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Authors revolt against school checks

July 10th, 2009 | No Comments

Philip Pullman condemns ‘outrageous, demeaning’ scheme, and says it will stop him going into schools

Philip Pullman has led a chorus of protest from prominent children’s authors over a new scheme that will require them to be vetted before they can visit schools. He called the plans “outrageous, demeaning and insulting” and said he wouldn’t be appearing in schools again because of it.

Set up in response to the murders of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells by school caretaker Ian Huntley in 2002, the Independent Safeguarding Authority will vet all individuals who work with children from October this year, requiring them to register with a national database for a fee of £64. Pullman compared the scheme to the notorious piece of legislation section 28, which banned the “promotion” of homosexuality in schools and for which David Cameron offered a public apology last week.

“It seems to be fuelled by the same combination of prurience, sexual fear and cold political calculation,” the author of the bestselling His Dark Materials trilogy said today. “When you go into a school as an author or an illustrator you talk to a class at a time or else to the whole school. How on earth – how on earth – how in the world is anybody going to rape or assault a child in those circumstances? It’s preposterous.”

The Carnegie medal-winning author and screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce agreed with Pullman. “As an author you’re never alone with a class,” he said. “There’s no possible reason for this, unless it’s a revenue-raising scam.”

Both Pullman and former children’s laureate Anne Fine said the legislation would mean that they would not speak in a school again. “I refuse – having spoken in schools without incident for 32 years, I refuse to undergo such a demeaning process,” said Fine. “It’s all part of a very unhealthy situation that we’ve got ourselves into where all people who are close to children are almost seen as potential paedophiles.”

“If someone says we won’t have you in our school, of course I’m not going to,” agreed Pullman. “It’d be a great shame for me but I’m not going to under these circumstances. I went into a primary school in Oxford earlier this year and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s a very enjoyable thing I can do occasionally – I don’t have to do it very often because fortunately I can earn enough from my writing. But other authors depend on the income it brings in. For them the crowning insult is to have to pay to clear their name from something they haven’t done.” He believes the legislation will also have a longer-term effect. “It damages in a much deeper way the trust and social cohesion we ought to be able to rely on,” he said. “You ought to be able to trust people, so to say to a child that you’re having someone to talk to you but don’t worry, we’ve checked him out and he’s not a paedophile, implies that everybody who isn’t checked is.”

Children’s author Adele Geras called the scheme “lunatic”. “They ought to be able to refine this legislation to make exceptions for people who see huge groups together,” she said. “One is never alone with a single child – one is never alone with a vast number of children. The smallest number would be 32, and there are always two to three teachers.”

But Geras said she would be prepared to register and pay the £64 in order to continue speaking in schools. “I would love to take a principled stand but I enjoy doing it,” she said. “And there are an awful lot of people who’ll feel more strongly that I do who can’t afford to take a principled stand because school visits will be the bread and butter of their work.” She suggested that the money being spent on establishing the scheme should instead be used to buy some more books for schools.

A statement from the Home Office confirmed that the ISA scheme would apply to authors visiting schools, but made no comment on the authors’ concerns.

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds


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