Tuesday News: Game of Thrones kills off characters, Jewel v. NSA update, history of Black Canadians, and essay on reading and depression

JanetPublishing NewsAmerican history / Black History Month / Canadian history / depression / George R.R. Martin / HBO / literary adaptation / security / surveillance10 Comments

Game of Thrones Author Warns HBO Show May Kill Off Book Characters – So HBO is diverging from the George R.R. Martin source material and has plans to kill off several characters in the highly successful Game of Thrones series. The announcement serves as a good reminder that film adaptations are themselves interpretations of an author’s work, even when they appear to be very faithful to the original work.

A Song of Ice and Fire series author George R.R. Martin revealed the news at the Writers Guild West Awards on Saturday, Showbiz411 reports. “Everybody better be on their toes,” Martin said, adding that the creators of the HBO show, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss “are even bloodier than I am.” –Time

Jewel v. NSA: Making Sense of a Disappointing Decision Over Mass Surveillance – If you know of the case Jewel v. NSA, you may not know that Jewel is none other than Romance author Carolyn Jewel. The case stems from the Bush-era domestic phone surveillance undertaken in the wake of 9/11 and Bush’s infamous “war on terror,” and the Electronic Frontier Foundation has been pursuing the case for seven years now. Last week, though, the 9th Circuit ruled on part of the EFF”s claim, “the NSA’s copying of Internet traffic from the Internet backbone,” and they granted the government’s motion for partial summary judgment, allowing the invocation of the so-called “state secrets privilege,” which basically means that a full-blown trial would be too detrimental national security, because it would compromise crucial government secrets. EFF disagrees with the ruling and promises to continue to pursue the case despite this setback.

Jewel was filed in 2008 on behalf of ordinary Americans. The case is based on a wide range of NSA mass surveillance disclosed to the public in a series of newspaper articles starting in 2005 and bolstered by a former AT&T technician whistleblower who revealed a tap on AT&Ts fiber optic “Internet backbone.” The public learned that the NSA was copying Internet traffic as it traversed the backbone, also known as Upstream collection, as well as that it was collecting telephone call detail records in bulk. EFF’s clients alleged that these practices violate the First and Fourth Amendments to the Constitution and several other laws related to electronic surveillance. –Electronic Frontier Foundation

From Slaves to British Loyalists; ‘The Book of Negroes’ Revealed – “The Inspection Rolls of Negroes” is a 150-page document in the National Archives that reveals a tremendously detailed history of black slaves and freemen who sided with the British against the colonists– for which they were safely transported to Nova Scotia and allowed to live free there. These first generation Black Canadians, more than 3,000 in total, do not have much historical material dedicated to them, which is another thing that makes this document so important. Note also that a miniseries based on these records is airing on BET this week, in acknowledgement of Black History Month.

The Book of Negroes illustrates an aspect of history that is little known, particularly the contradictions that existed in the very foundation of the American enterprise, which is reflected in the story of each individual listed.

“Here we have Harry Washington …he was a slave of George Washington who became the first president,” said Damani Davis, Archivist at the National Archives. “So we have the scenario where George Washington is fighting the British in order to attain freedom for patriots here, in what became the United States, but this enslaved person who’s owned by George Washington has fled his master in order to gain freedom from whom the Patriots are attempting to gain their freedom.”–NBC News

Reading, Depression, and Me – Kelly Jensen has written a poignant essay on how her relationship with reading has changed since she sought treatment for long-term depression. In a culture where talking about mental health issues is not particularly encouraged, Jensen’s essay is a welcome reminder of how it’s not just about how books affect the mind, but how the mind can affect reading.

I’m enjoying — really, really enjoying — reading and talking about reading in a way that I never have before. It’s not a support system for me. Rather, it’s an engaging, fully-immersive experience that I am an active, present part of. I’m still turning to dark books but the way I feel about them is changed. I think I love them even more because I see my world in there. Because I am able to see what is and isn’t reality. I’m coming at stories with a better sense of who I am and what it is I believe, increasing my empathy for characters and choices they make. –Book Riot

Janet

isn't sure if she's an average Romance reader, or even an average reader, but a reader she is, enjoying everything from literary fiction to philosophy to history to poetry. Historical Romance was her first love within the genre, but she's fickle and easily seduced by the promise of a good read. She approaches every book with the same hope: that she will be filled from the inside out with something awesome that she didnʼt know, didnʼt think about, or didnʼt feel until that moment. And she's always looking for the next mind-blowing read, so feel free to share any suggestions!

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