As the Tony Kushner affair rumbles on, Simon Stephens and Edward Albee have been musing on the art of modern theatre. Apparently it’s all in the rules We begin in the company of the dramatist Simon Stephens, whose latest play, a translation of Jon Fosse’s I Am the Wind , opens at the Young Vic on 10 May. Stephens was recently invited to give the keynote speech at the Stückemarkt Theatre festival in Germany. He based his lecture around five principles he’s learned from his seven-year creative relationship with the German director Sebastian Nübling . These are: 1) Theatre is a physical medium; 2) Theatre is multi-authored; 3) Theatre is art; 4) Language is noise; and 5) The English are polite and arrogant. What emerges is a ferociously brilliant piece of polemic that interrogates in great depth notions of authorship, the role of the director, the influence that commercialism has on the psyche of British theatre-makers, and the limiting scope of so much British theatre criticism. It is an argument that combines Stephens’s own personal humility with an acerbic, unsentimental view of theatre in the UK. If you have any interest at all in our contemporary theatre culture, it’s a must-read. Another playwright making a buzz among bloggers this week is Edward Albee – whose play A Delicate Balance is about to be revived by London’s Almeida . Albee, it seems, can be an intimidating guy. Indeed, Jasper Rees, writing for the Arts Desk , describes his first meeting with the great man as “probably the most bowel-shrivelling experience of my professional life”. However, when not reducing journalists to jelly, Albee can provide some penetrating insights into his craft. The Playgoer , for instance, was particularly stuck by his comments in this interview , in which he says: “If you want to know something about the structure of a play, listen to some Bach preludes and fugues … I think I learnt something about the nature of dramatic structure from the nature of the music I was listening to.” Given that Simon Stephens argues in his lecture that critics often choose to ignore a play’s structure, they might do well to heed this advice. Of course, the playwright who’s found himself most in the headlines recently – for all the wrong reasons – is Tony Kushner . As Michael Billington writes , Kushner was due to receive an honorary degree from the City University of New York (CUNY), but the award was vetoed by Jeffrey S Weisenfeld, one of CUNY’s trustees, because of what he saw as Kushner’s anti-Zionist political stance. The affair has caused uproar among bloggers. Isaac Butler takes Weisenfeld to task for saying of the Palestinians, in the New York Times : “People who worship death for their children are not human … They have developed a culture which is unprecedented in human history”. Others might be more offended by this article , in which he compares Kushner to the white supremacist David Duke . For critic Aleks Sierz , it’s simply depressing that no other CUNY trustee appears to have challenged Weisenfeld over the veto. As a result, Sierz argues, they have all “distinguished themselves by a truly irritating show of ignorance, indifference and bad faith”. As George Hunka points out, the controversy has been severely embarrassing for CUNY – drawing criticism from such luminaries as Harold Bloom and Barbara Ehrenreich. Latest news is that the university board have voted unanimously to overturn the decision, and offer the honorary degree anyway . The question is – will Kushner want to accept? Theatre Edward Albee Blogging Newspapers & magazines Digital media Chris Wilkinson guardian.co.uk
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Federal officials and the nation’s largest wireless providers announce Personal Localized Alerting Network (PLAN) that will send emergency alerts via text message to mobile phones. (May 10)
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A gunbattle on the Mexican side of Falcon Lake on the US-Mexico killed 13 people. The local sheriff is upset that Mexican authorities didn’t inform him after the shootout and he’s warning lawmakers that the border is not secure. (May 10)
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When I wrote my book Dead Funny: Humor in Hitler’s Germany I came across a rather intriguing concept that was put forward by the American attorney Mike Godwin. He postulated “Godwin’s Law” in 1990 which states that the more heated a debate becomes, the more likely it seems that someone will be called a Nazi. Godwin wrote: “As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches.” Though this idea may seem rather tongue-in-cheek, there is plenty of circumstantial evidence to back it up. Misguided Nazi comparisons are still made in the U.S. and elsewhere, despite the warnings of notable intellectuals that such a practice is primitive propaganda and may easily backfire. In 1946, shortly after the war, George Orwell argued in his essay “Politics and the English Language” that “the word Fascism has now no meaning except in so far as it signifies ‘something not desirable.’” Orwell did not mean to say that Fascist politics or attitudes no longer exist, but merely to point out that, in the aftermath of World War II, the word “Fascism” must always be used as a rhetorical device or political propaganda. No one can say the words Fascism, Hitler, or Nazi in a sober, detached manner. These terms are so heavy with meaning that they always imply some pointed political attack. When one politician compares another to politician to Hitler, he or she does not make a purely logical comparison, but rather appeals to our emotions of disgust, anger, and fear. Nevertheless, some politicians seem to take particular pleasure in describing their opponents as being “like Hitler.” They eagerly use this WMD of propaganda despite an obvious fault which was first pointed out by the German-Jewish political philosopher Leo Strauss in 1953. In his book Natural Right and History Strauss discussed the logical pitfalls inherent in comparisons to Hitler. “We must avoid the fallacy that in the last decade has frequently been used as a substitute for the reductio ad absurdum: the ruductio ad Hitlerum.” A view is not refuted by the fact that it happens to have been shared by Hitler.” Just because Hitler was a vegetarian does not mean all vegetarians are like Hitler. As John Oliver jokes on The Daily Show, both Hitler and Barack Obama had white mothers. This does not make them similar. Yet despite the rhetorical problems and logical fallacies of comparing people (and things) to Hitler, people cannot seem to resist using this tactic to make their point. Here are a few blatant examples that have caught my attention. Almost certainly, if you have followed world politics, or have been on the internet, you have encountered many others.
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WASHINGTON — Navy chaplains will be trained about their ability to perform same-sex civil marriage ceremonies under new guidance that would take effect if the Defense Department moves to recognize openly gay military service. Navy officials said Monday that they updated the training after questions came up about civil ceremonies for gay couples. Military training to apply the new law allowing gays to serve openly began earlier this year, and is expected to be complete by mid-summer. In earlier training guidelines issued by the Defense Department and the military services, same-sex marriage ceremonies were not mentioned, and therefore not explicitly prohibited. Pentagon spokeswoman Eileen Lainez said Monday that the federal Defense of Marriage Act does not restrict the types of ceremonies a chaplain may perform in a chapel on a military base. The military would not compel chaplains to perform a same-sex marriage if it is against their religious beliefs. The Pentagon has been moving carefully to implement the repeal of the 17-year-old ban on openly gay troops. Under the law passed and signed by the president late last December, final implementation will go into effect 60 days after the president and his senior defense advisers certify that lifting the ban won’t hurt troops’ ability to fight. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has asked for updates every two weeks, and so far defense officials have said there have been no reported problems. The Navy ceremonies would be allowed at military facilities such as chapel and catering centers, but only in states that already recognize same-sex unions. And, even if a marriage is performed, same-sex partners would not get any health, housing or other benefits that are provided to married couples involving a man and woman. The Air Force and Army do not include discussion of same-sex marriage ceremonies in their training. The Air Force said it is aware of the issue and officials are reviewing it to determine if a change in the training is needed. Under Pentagon guidelines, chaplains and other key military leaders were among the first tier of service members to be trained about the new law. Much of that instruction has been completed, so the Navy will send out updates to include the marriage ceremony provision. Under the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, service members face dismissal if they revealed they were gay.
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“It was the longest 40 minutes of my life.” — PRESIDENT OBAMA, describing what it was like to watch the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound, in a 60 Minutes interview aired Sunday night on CBS (via Yahoo News)
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Alison Slavin, adopted as a child, realised Sam Davies was her half sister when she discovered the name of her biological father They look and sound alike, have the same job, a similar taste in clothes and jewellery, and over the years have often been mistaken for siblings. But it still came as a huge shock to Alison Slavin and Sam Davies when more than 15 years into their friendship they found out they really are sisters. Slavin was adopted as a child but earlier this year found out who her biological parents were. She realised at once that her father had the same name as her best friend’s dad – and a DNA test later confirmed that he was the same man, making them half sisters. “We had joked in the past we were sisters and people used to always ask us if we were, saying we looked alike,” said Slavin, who was a bridesmaid at Davies’s wedding before they knew of their blood tie. “But I was shocked to find out we were actually half sisters.” The women live a mile apart in Bristol. They met in 1993 through a mutual friend, used to go to karaoke twice a week, and soon became best friends, sharing the same taste in clothes and jewellery. Slavin, 41, told how the colour drained from her face when she found out the name of her biological father because she saw immediately the possible link with her friend. When the relationship was confirmed Slavin could not get through to Davies on the phone so she sent a text message saying: “Hello sis.” Davies, 43, said: “When Alison texted me telling me we were sisters a tiny part of me thought she was joking but a bigger part thought: ‘Oh my God.’ “After the initial shock I spoke to Alison and she explained everything and I thought: ‘Wow.’ I had always wanted a sister, and what better sister could I have than my best friend? “It’s sad we didn’t find out sooner but you can’t change what’s happened. We’re just absolutely thrilled we have found out now.” The women, who are both childminders, have bought matching charms for a bracelet to show they are sisters. Davies said: “The charm is a silver book which has the words ‘once upon a time’ on it because we thought it was relevant because this is such a nice story.” Family Adoption Steven Morris guardian.co.uk
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Organisers of Hardest Hit march expect between 5,000 and 10,000 people to attend largest event of its kind for decades Thousands of disabled people will demonstrate in Westminster on Wednesday against cuts to benefits and services, in an event that organisers hope will be the largest of its kind for decades. The Hardest Hit march is expected to bring between 5,000-10,000 people to London to voice their anger at the combined effects of changes to welfare eligibility, cuts to disability living allowance (DLA), and local authority reductions in funding for carers and services. Jaspal Dhani, chief executive of the United Kingdom Disabled People’s Council – one of the coordinators of the protest– said cuts meant disabled people feared losing rights that they had fought for decades to acquire. “Disabled people feel they are being attacked and marginalised by the government,” he said. “We’ve expressed our concerns about the impact the spending review is likely to have on the lives of disabled people, but we feel the government has not taken this on board.” Marchers will be addressed by Liam Byrne, the shadow work and pensions secretary. Maria Miller, minister for disabled people, declined an invitation to attend, Dhani said, on the grounds that she needed to be at prime minister’s questions. Despite the strength of unease, organisers said the scale of the protest would be constrained by the difficulties many people with disabilities face in travelling and participating in a march of this sort, and pointed out that a parallel campaign has been organised online for those unable to attend. Online protesters will be able to message their MPs and upload messages of support or videos setting out why they depend on disability benefits. “I will not be going on the march, because like thousands of other people in the UK I have ME. A trip to the local shop costs me two days in bed with severe pain, so a march in London is unthinkable,” Amble Skuse, from Devon, wrote in an email. For those on benefits, the cost of attending a march in London was also a strong disincentive, according to Neil Coyle, director of policy at the Disability Benefits Consortium, which is also an organiser of the demonstration. “One third of working age disabled people live in poverty, but that figure doesn’t account for the higher cost of living they face, so they have a far lower disposable income than most people in England. “If you are on employment and support allowance, the highest level is around £12.50 a day, which means a train ticket to London (bearing in mind that buses and coaches are still not accessible for wheelchair users) is likely to be unaffordable,” Coyle said. “And for people with arthritis or a heart condition, for example, a rally is not necessarily going to be the most appropriate way to campaign. There are a lot of reasons why it could be difficult for people to attend a physical rally like this, which is why the online campaign is so important.” Protesters making arrangements to attend have come up against the everyday accessibility obstacles facing people with disabilities when they travel. One group travelling from a Leonard Cheshire care home north of Cambridge has been forced to stagger the journey times, after it emerged that the train service could only accommodate two wheelchair users on each train. After the demonstration, many protesters will meet their MPs to explain what the impact of changes to disability benefits and local authority cuts to services has been. Richard Wickerson, chief executive of Mind in Stockport, will be travelling with a dozen protesters by minibus to register their anger at funding cuts which have forced them to reduce the services they can provide. “We have had to create a waiting list, which is a bit ridiculous when we’re meant to be providing a crisis service,” he said. Shane Roberts, 23, will be travelling from Leicester to participate in a march for the first time. “I want the government to understand how important it is not to cut services and benefits for disabled people, and in particular deafblind people like me. I need specialised communications support which enables me to live independently – go shopping, reading the post, and book doctors appointments over the phone. I currently only get seven hours of this support a week, which is just enough for me to do the bare minimum. “The government needs to understand that if they cut benefits and support for disabled people a lot of us won’t be able to get by,” he said. A report published this week by the thinktank Demos, and the disability charity Scope, the Disability in Austerity study , showed that rather than being protected from the cuts, disabled families across the country faced dramatic reductions in their household incomes, as a result of changes in the way benefits are uprated in line with inflation, and reforms of the way claimants are assessed for incapacity benefit and DLA. Disabled people were quickly identified as likely to be among those hardest hit by the coalition’s reforms, the report states, because this group is at “substantially greater risk of living in poverty than non-disabled people, [and] disproportionately more reliant on welfare benefits than other low income groups”. “We estimated that disabled people would lose £9bn in welfare support overall in the next five years,” the paper said. “We questioned whether the government had intended the budgetary axe to fall so heavily on this group and whether by attempting to ‘incentivise work’ for the majority, they had overlooked the disproportionate effect welfare cuts would have on those who were less able to join the labour market.” Disability Public sector cuts Social exclusion Welfare London Amelia Gentleman guardian.co.uk
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Want more Android in your house? How about Android in your house . Google wants to think of “every appliance in your home” as a potential accessory for your phone. The opportunities are seemingly endless, the sort of thing we’ve seen in the Zigbee and Z-wave areas, but sadly this implementation doesn’t actually seem to be using any of those standards. The team teased ideas like lights turning on and off based on calendar events, applications talking to washing machines, games automatically adjusting for mood lighting, and basically little green dudes taking care of all the menial duties in your house. One amazing demo was a concept, Android-powered device hub called Tungsten. Using RFID embedded into CD cases the device was able to detect the CD and add it to your library. Another touch and it started automatically. Yeah, the use of CDs is a little quaint, but the potential is there for amazing things in the future. We’re not sure exactly when these accessories will be launching, but the first are expected before the end of the year. Gallery: Android at Home Google announces Android @ Home framework for home automation originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 May 2011 12:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Cameron and Cable insist rich students won’t be able to buy university places, but critics warn of ‘serious blow’ to social mobility Universities minister David Willetts has defended proposals to create extra places on degree courses that would not be publicly funded after critics warned that the plans could deal a “serious blow” to social mobility. British students who take the extra places could be charged the same fees as overseas undergraduates. Employers and charities will also be encouraged to sponsor places outside the quota that English universities are set every year. The government was engulfed in a row over the plans after critics claimed it would allow the rich to “buy advantage”. Willetts said: “We will only consider allowing off-quota places where it contributes to the coalition commitment to improve social mobility and increase fair access. There is no question of wealthy students being able to buy a place at university. Access to a university must be based on ability to learn, not ability to pay.” Ministers have insisted that off-quota students would still have to meet entry requirements for their course and there is no question of the rich being able to “buy their way” into university. Willetts says an overall expansion of places would increase social mobility by freeing up more spaces for students from poorer homes. Despite the furore, Whitehall sources confirmed that a version of the proposal, first outlined in the Guardian on Tuesday , will still appear in the universities white paper, due to be published in June. Speaking during a series of TV interviews, the prime minister David Cameron insisted that the proposal would not create a privileged route of access to universities for rich students. “University access is about being able to learn, not about being able to pay,” he said. “There is no question of people being able to buy their way into university.” Number 10 stressed no proposal would be backed if it reduced social mobility. Vince Cable, the business secretary, said he was willing to look at how to expand off-quota places through company sponsorships, but he did not support children of the rich being given priority access to university. In a sign of the Liberal Democrats’ determination to assert more directly their differences with the Tories following the election debacle, Tim Farron, the party’s president and Liberal Democrat MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, said higher education should be “free at the point of use” for everyone who can benefit from a university education. Farron, whose party took a hit at the polls last Thursday for their U-turn on tuition fee rises, told BBC News any proposal that looked like increasing university access for the rich would not get his backing: “I hugely regret that there are tuition fees at all, never mind the higher ones we currently have. It’s right that we should explore ways that people from less well-off backgrounds have the best possible access to higher education.” The proposal was welcomed by some university representatives, which said it could lead to more innovative ways of paying for a degree. Off-quota places could be provided for undergraduates who do not wish to take out government loans but need a flexible way to finance their studies. Andy Westwood, chief executive of GuildHE, which represents smaller and specialist institutions, said universities might adopt a “mix-and-match” approach in which students who were debt-averse could study part-time for part of their degree then opt for the full student experience in their final year. “Providing off-quota places can be socially progressive. GuildHE institutions recruit many students who might be worried about the new [fee] arrangements, such as those from lower income backgrounds, those based at home, part-time and mature students. “With the right incentives, this could lead to more innovative and flexible choices such as part-time, intensive and modular courses, with ‘pay as you go’ options.” Westwood said that GuildHE institutions, which include the Royal Agricultural College and Norwich University College of the Arts, had seen a 9% increase in student numbers in 2009/10, while demand for places continues to grow. “Off-quota flexibilities could ease the pressure on university places and allow more qualified people of every background to go to higher education.” Les Ebdon, vice-chancellor of Bedforshire University and chair of the university thinktank Million+, said: “There is one very obvious pro, and that is, it’s a source of additional money at a time when the sector is being squeezed very hard. “We’ve been very successful in this university in recruiting full-fee international students, and because you can recruit for the full fee you can create another place for them. It’s a tragedy, when there are people who are qualified and want to go to university that they can’t do it here.” However, the proposal was criticised by the NUS, and the University and College Union, which represents lecturers. Shadow business secretary John Denham said: “Ability and ambition should be the only factors that determine which students can get into the most sought-after universities. This Tory government believes that access to wealth and privilege should trump ability. “Middle-class, middle-income families whose children don’t get into selective universities at first shot are going to feel terrible pressure to raise private finance, to take out bank loans, to remortgage their homes or feel that they’ve betrayed their children.” Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust, the charity which campaigns to improve social mobility, said that the proposal would deal “a serious blow to social mobility”. “Students from privileged backgrounds are already way overrepresented at our top universities and this will make matters worse,” he said. Richard Taylor, director of corporate affairs at Leicester University, said that allowing wealthy British students to pay high fees for off-quota places threatened to create a two-tier system. “How you make an admissions process needs-blind is incredibly challenging if you introduce the concept of off-quota. You assume that the selection process ends at the point the offer is made. It doesn’t – it ends at the point that a student turns up and registers. If you’re only going to find a student is off-quota after they arrive, I’m OK with that. If you’re going to know before, then it’s going to influence your thinking. “The one advantage is that if you had a really needs-blind process, you would release additional places. That’s the main advantage both for the sector and for students.” Education policy Tuition fees Higher education David Willetts Students University funding David Cameron Jeevan Vasagar Hélène Mulholland Patrick Wintour guardian.co.uk
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