Farewell, Oprah

Ladies and gentlemen and general Oprah fans, if you have any tissues or handkerchiefs, whip them out. After September 2011, The Oprah Winfrey Show will be no more.

Chat show presenter Oprah Winfrey has announced on the 20th that she would be taking her show off the air in September 2011. This event will mark the 25 years she has been a talk show presenter:

"Twenty-five years feels right in my bones, and it feels right in my spirit - it's the perfect number, the exact right time,

We are going to knock your socks off. And until that day in 2011 when it ends, I intend to soak up every meaningful, joyful moment with you," the 55-year-old host said to her live audience.

Oprah Winfrey began her TV show in 1986 and has since been broadcast in 145 countries. The talk show was founded to allow frank and open conversation between Oprah and however decided to come to the show, attracting guests such as President Barack Obama, Michael Jackson, Bob Hope, Tom Cruise, and many more.

Oprah is also famous for her Book Club, which has caused books by authors such as Janet Finch to become overnight best-sellers. She also has a radio station presented by author Dr. Maya Angelou. In addition, Oprah's support proved to be invaluable to President Obama during his election campaign.

So for anyone who felt inspired by Oprah, watched her show, or are simply sad to see her go off TV, cheer up. We've still got a ways to go.


Source:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8369689.stm

http://www.oprah.com/index

A Head to Head With a Killer Queen

Patricia Cornwell the second highest female writer in the world after J.K. Rowling. And like Rowling, her origins are just as saddening, fuelling her creative energy and inciting her to become a writer of such high calibre.

At the age of five, she was abandoned by her father on Christmas morning. To make things even more dramatic, she clung to his leg and pleaded him not to leave. Soon after this, she was molested by a security guard, leading to her first court appearance.

For six years, she worked in a pathologist's office in Virginia, examining murder victims that were often sexually assaulted.

Those experiences shaped her into being a crime writer and led to the development of her most iconic character, Dr Scarpetta.

Source:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/6560751/Killer-Queen-Patricia-Cornwell-Interview.html

Banned Books Week-Aftermath

The 27th Annual Banned Books Week (September 26−October 3, 2009) has come to an end in America and many icons from the music, visual arts, and literary world have congregated in San Fransisco to protest book banning in public and school libraries across the United States.

Surprisingly, the book that has amassed the most controversy in recent years is not even aimed at mature audiences. Rather, it is a children's book named "And Tango Makes Three " by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell.

The book tells the true story of two male penguins from the New York Zoo that bond and build a nest together, eventually adopting an abandoned fledgling penguin named Tango.

Author Richardson has expressed his disappointment in the reactions that his children's book has received. In a statement to the BBC, he said:

"It's regrettable that some parents believe reading a true story about two male penguins hatching an egg will damage their children's moral development. They (the parents) are entitled to express their beliefs, but not to inflict them on others."

Meanwhile, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has been excluded from winning the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States. The reason being:

Critics, namely US politicians, have deemed that the Harry Potter series "promotes sorcery"

As far as reasons for books being banned go, this is definitely one of the least common. According to the BBC, the most commonly cited reason for the American Library Association or ALA (a not-for-profit organisation aiming to promote libraries and the profession of librarianship) to not allow books to be shown in public libraries is if the material is too "sexually explicit".

Other reasons for books to be banned include works that are deemed to be anti-ethnic, anti-family, or unsuited to the age group. Books that clash with religious associations or include homosexuality are also controversial enough to be taken off the shelves in school or public libraries.

Ultimately, the ALA has expressed in its webpage that the aim of Banned Books Week is to celebrate the importance of freedom of expression and freedom of access to intellectual property while giving others a fair warning of the adverse effects of censorship.

To conclude this post, I would be most curious to hear others' opinions of these events. For further information, I will also give the links to the BBC, Amazon, and the ALA.

Kind Regards,

Eric Lafif, alias Journo-SEAL


External Links:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8284509.stm

http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/index.cfm

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tango-Makes-Three-Chinstrap-Penguin/dp/0689878451/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254756238&sr=1-2