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WOSSNAME -- Second issue -- May 2014
May. 30th, 2014 10:13 pmWOSSNAME
Newsletter of the Klatchian Foreign Legion
May 2014 (Volume 17, Issue 5, post 2)
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
INDEX:
01) QUOTES OF THE MONTH
02) EDITOR'S LETTER
03) PTERRY AND ALZHEIMER'S NEWS: DEMENTIA FRIENDS
04) MORE ODDS AND SODS
05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
06) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
07) MORE IMAGES OF THE MONTH
08) CLOSE
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
01) QUOTES OF THE REST OF THE MONTH
"It's possible to live well with dementia. And write bestsellers 'like wot I do'."
– a certain Sir
"There was a time maybe five years ago when many people were questioning whether brick-and-mortar bookstores were going to survive the onslaught of online retailers. Now, if you take the narrow view that a bookstore is nothing more than a machine that swaps money for books, then it follows that there's no need for a physical store. But here we are five years later. Some bookstores have gone out of business, it's true. But there are big, beautiful bookstores all over the place, with sofas and coffee bars and author appearances and so on. Why? Because it turns out that a bookstore is a lot more than a machine that swaps money for books."
– Neal Stephenson, interviewed by Slashdot, 2004
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
02) LETTER FROM YOUR EDITOR
Our favourite Sir has collected yet another honorary doctorate (and rightly so), this time from the University of South Australia. And as the continent of Fourecks is quite a long way from English country gardens, this honour was delivered – by a UK ex-pat, Vice Chancellor David Lloyd:
"'I have been on the receiving end of many awards throughout my career, but I really am delighted to have been acknowledged in this way by the University of South Australia,' Pratchett said on Tuesday. 'My love of Australia is widely-known and I am only sorry that I am unable to make the journey Down Under to receive my honorary doctorate in person. Therefore, my humble thanks go to Professor Lloyd for racking up the air miles on my behalf.'
"Professor Lloyd, who made the journey to the UK to present the award, says Pratchett is a clear example of someone who has stayed true to his passion. 'Terry brings his immeasurable talent and intellect to doing what he loves — he has produced an enormous body of work that continues to delight and inspire millions of readers and writers around the world,' Prof Lloyd says. 'His contribution not only to literature, but also to the causes about which he is passionate, is enormous and has been rightly acknowledged in literary prizes, through sales and in awards such as this one'..."
To read the full story in the Adelaide Advertiser, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/mudsc36
And here is Sir Pterry receiving his doctorate, courtesy of Professor Lloyd:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BopXH94IIAI0JG-.jpg
*
Remember, The Long Mars, final instalment in the Long Earth trilogy, comes out next month! The 19th of June, to be precise. Meanwhile, I've finally got my hands on a copy of The Long War (don't arsk), so expect a review in the next issue. And now, on with the (rest of the) show...
– Annie Mac, Editor
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
03) DEMENTIA FRIENDS: SIR PTERRY SPEAKS OUT
This was originally published in The Guardian on the 13th of May 2014. I don't normally reproduce entire pieces, but this is *important*. Hopefully a horde of "Grauniad" lawyers won't descend on us for it!
"A few years ago, my novel Dodger took the reader back to times long gone to meet famous names of fact and fiction, and brought them together on a journey – ultimately – of chivalry. Enduring danger and peril, they chase a woman who needs saving and do their best to protect her. In the book, Dodger (who is based on Dickens's masterful portrayal of the original Artful Dodger) gets into a number of scrapes for Simplicity's sake. As a reward, we see him climb the social ladder of acceptance until, by the end of the book, he is honoured and revered.
"Without appearing a curmudgeon, I worry that such kindness could be a thing of the past. As you may already know, I live with dementia. Unlike 800,000 people with a form of the condition, I struggle with a rarer type, which holds me back in ways I never thought possible. But what I do share with the hundreds of thousands living with this tricksy condition is disbelief at the stigma and shame still surrounding a disease that affects the brain and which can ultimately affect as many as one in three of us.
"If you haven't already seen it, last week Public Health England and the Alzheimer's Society launched a TV campaign encouraging society to emulate my Dodger's valiant behaviour in their everyday lives. But there's a twist – it's for the benefit of people with dementia – a group of people who have been side-lined and ignored for far too long.
"Dementia. The word itself describes shrinkage of the brain, the process of abnormal proteins clinging to the spongy masses of our cranium that we rely on to think and speak. However, the real and tangible meaning of the word will be different to everyone living with the condition. For some, they might struggle in a supermarket with finding the right change. That nagging voice in their head willing them to understand the difference between a 5p piece and £1 and yet their brain refusing to help them. Or they might lose patience with friends or family, struggling to follow conversations.
"For me, living with posterior cortical atrophy began when I noticed the precision of my touch-typing getting progressively worse and my spelling starting to slip. For an author, what could be worse? And so I sought help, and will always be the loud and proud type to speak my mind and admit I'm having trouble. But there are many people with dementia too worried about failing with simple tasks in public to even step out of the house. I believe this is because simple displays of kindness often elude the best of us in these manic modern days of ours.
"Ultimately, research is the answer. While talented scientists beaver away at finding a cure, this campaign holds a mirror up to us all – forcing us to realise we can do more in our everyday lives to help. Look past that mirror, maybe even through the wall, to the house of your next-door neighbour. Maybe it's an older lady, albeit only in her 60s, who you haven't recently seen popping to the shops as usual. You notice that she's forgotten to collect her milk from the doorstep, and that when you last stopped to chat she seemed confused and couldn't follow what you were saying. Think of how you might be able to help her – there are little things you could do to support her and let her know she's not alone. There are hundreds of thousands of us out there living with dementia who – to paraphrase the song in the advert – every now and again really could do with a little help from a friend."
To read the original piece online, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/kq8dggv
( THE REST OF THIS ISSUE IS UNDER THE CUT. CLICK HERE TO READ! )
Newsletter of the Klatchian Foreign Legion
May 2014 (Volume 17, Issue 5, post 2)
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
INDEX:
01) QUOTES OF THE MONTH
02) EDITOR'S LETTER
03) PTERRY AND ALZHEIMER'S NEWS: DEMENTIA FRIENDS
04) MORE ODDS AND SODS
05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
06) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
07) MORE IMAGES OF THE MONTH
08) CLOSE
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
01) QUOTES OF THE REST OF THE MONTH
"It's possible to live well with dementia. And write bestsellers 'like wot I do'."
– a certain Sir
"There was a time maybe five years ago when many people were questioning whether brick-and-mortar bookstores were going to survive the onslaught of online retailers. Now, if you take the narrow view that a bookstore is nothing more than a machine that swaps money for books, then it follows that there's no need for a physical store. But here we are five years later. Some bookstores have gone out of business, it's true. But there are big, beautiful bookstores all over the place, with sofas and coffee bars and author appearances and so on. Why? Because it turns out that a bookstore is a lot more than a machine that swaps money for books."
– Neal Stephenson, interviewed by Slashdot, 2004
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
02) LETTER FROM YOUR EDITOR
Our favourite Sir has collected yet another honorary doctorate (and rightly so), this time from the University of South Australia. And as the continent of Fourecks is quite a long way from English country gardens, this honour was delivered – by a UK ex-pat, Vice Chancellor David Lloyd:
"'I have been on the receiving end of many awards throughout my career, but I really am delighted to have been acknowledged in this way by the University of South Australia,' Pratchett said on Tuesday. 'My love of Australia is widely-known and I am only sorry that I am unable to make the journey Down Under to receive my honorary doctorate in person. Therefore, my humble thanks go to Professor Lloyd for racking up the air miles on my behalf.'
"Professor Lloyd, who made the journey to the UK to present the award, says Pratchett is a clear example of someone who has stayed true to his passion. 'Terry brings his immeasurable talent and intellect to doing what he loves — he has produced an enormous body of work that continues to delight and inspire millions of readers and writers around the world,' Prof Lloyd says. 'His contribution not only to literature, but also to the causes about which he is passionate, is enormous and has been rightly acknowledged in literary prizes, through sales and in awards such as this one'..."
To read the full story in the Adelaide Advertiser, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/mudsc36
And here is Sir Pterry receiving his doctorate, courtesy of Professor Lloyd:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BopXH94IIAI0JG-.jpg
*
Remember, The Long Mars, final instalment in the Long Earth trilogy, comes out next month! The 19th of June, to be precise. Meanwhile, I've finally got my hands on a copy of The Long War (don't arsk), so expect a review in the next issue. And now, on with the (rest of the) show...
– Annie Mac, Editor
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
03) DEMENTIA FRIENDS: SIR PTERRY SPEAKS OUT
This was originally published in The Guardian on the 13th of May 2014. I don't normally reproduce entire pieces, but this is *important*. Hopefully a horde of "Grauniad" lawyers won't descend on us for it!
"A few years ago, my novel Dodger took the reader back to times long gone to meet famous names of fact and fiction, and brought them together on a journey – ultimately – of chivalry. Enduring danger and peril, they chase a woman who needs saving and do their best to protect her. In the book, Dodger (who is based on Dickens's masterful portrayal of the original Artful Dodger) gets into a number of scrapes for Simplicity's sake. As a reward, we see him climb the social ladder of acceptance until, by the end of the book, he is honoured and revered.
"Without appearing a curmudgeon, I worry that such kindness could be a thing of the past. As you may already know, I live with dementia. Unlike 800,000 people with a form of the condition, I struggle with a rarer type, which holds me back in ways I never thought possible. But what I do share with the hundreds of thousands living with this tricksy condition is disbelief at the stigma and shame still surrounding a disease that affects the brain and which can ultimately affect as many as one in three of us.
"If you haven't already seen it, last week Public Health England and the Alzheimer's Society launched a TV campaign encouraging society to emulate my Dodger's valiant behaviour in their everyday lives. But there's a twist – it's for the benefit of people with dementia – a group of people who have been side-lined and ignored for far too long.
"Dementia. The word itself describes shrinkage of the brain, the process of abnormal proteins clinging to the spongy masses of our cranium that we rely on to think and speak. However, the real and tangible meaning of the word will be different to everyone living with the condition. For some, they might struggle in a supermarket with finding the right change. That nagging voice in their head willing them to understand the difference between a 5p piece and £1 and yet their brain refusing to help them. Or they might lose patience with friends or family, struggling to follow conversations.
"For me, living with posterior cortical atrophy began when I noticed the precision of my touch-typing getting progressively worse and my spelling starting to slip. For an author, what could be worse? And so I sought help, and will always be the loud and proud type to speak my mind and admit I'm having trouble. But there are many people with dementia too worried about failing with simple tasks in public to even step out of the house. I believe this is because simple displays of kindness often elude the best of us in these manic modern days of ours.
"Ultimately, research is the answer. While talented scientists beaver away at finding a cure, this campaign holds a mirror up to us all – forcing us to realise we can do more in our everyday lives to help. Look past that mirror, maybe even through the wall, to the house of your next-door neighbour. Maybe it's an older lady, albeit only in her 60s, who you haven't recently seen popping to the shops as usual. You notice that she's forgotten to collect her milk from the doorstep, and that when you last stopped to chat she seemed confused and couldn't follow what you were saying. Think of how you might be able to help her – there are little things you could do to support her and let her know she's not alone. There are hundreds of thousands of us out there living with dementia who – to paraphrase the song in the advert – every now and again really could do with a little help from a friend."
To read the original piece online, go to:
http://tinyurl.com/kq8dggv
( THE REST OF THIS ISSUE IS UNDER THE CUT. CLICK HERE TO READ! )
