Nintendo Wii sales decrease in Japan

by Posted in Uncategorized

Friday, April 10, 2009

Nintendo’s widely popular game system the Wii was hit by a decrease in sales in Japan. Nintendo hopes to regain its sales by releasing a new version of its Wii Sports game in June. The current CEO of Nintendo said in a press conference they will not be slashing prices of their hardware. “If our products are not much different from competitors’, price cuts would generate significant fresh demand. But video games are just not that kind of product.”

As of December 31, 2008 the Wii leads the generation over the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in worldwide sales.

The Wii’s competitor the PlayStation 3 for the first time exceeded sales in 16 months in Japan for the month of March.

The Wii Sports Resort and other new games and software will show up in Japanese stores in June to renew interest in the Wii.

Wikinews interviews Mike Lebowitz, Chairman of the Modern Whig Party

by Posted in Uncategorized

Monday, October 13, 2008

In the United States, there are two major political parties; the Republican and the Democratic. However, there are several other minor – commonly referred to as “third” – parties. One of these is the Modern Whig Party, which has been steadily increasing in popularity over recent months.

Last week, Wikinews reporter Joseph Ford was able to speak with MWP Chairman Mike Lebowitz about how his party was formed, what it stands for, and why you should consider joining. The interview can be read below.

Wikinews Shorts: December 6, 2008

by Posted in Uncategorized

A compilation of brief news reports for Saturday, December 6, 2008.

Contents

  • 1 BMW vehicle sales lower by a quarter
  • 2 NASA delays Mars mission
  • 3 Number of Canadian soldier deaths in Afghanistan reaches 100
  • 4 Record jewelery heist in Paris, France

The global monthly sales of German car maker BMW have fallen by more than a quarter, as consumers are spending less due to the economic slowdown.

According to the company, BMW sales have fallen 26.2% in November from a year ago, whilst sales of its Mini subsidiary, which is based in the United Kingdom, were 20.8% lower. Sales in November for BMW’s luxury Rolls-Royce branch were also down 18.5%.

From the period of January to November, the company sold 1.32 million cars, 1.8 percent fewer than last year, when it sold 1.34 million vehicles.

Sources

The United States space agency NASA has put off the launch of Mars Science Laboratory rover mission. It was scheduled to fly next year, but the mission has been delayed by testing and hardware problems.

According to agency officials, the launch of the rover would be postponed until 2011. The delay could add US$400 million to the cost of the mission, which is likely to be higher than $2 billion.

“We will not lessen our standards for testing the mission’s complex flight systems, so we are choosing the more responsible option of changing the launch date,” said Dough McCuistion, the director NASA’s Mars program.

Sources

Three Canadian soldiers were killed by a bomb in southern Afghanistan Friday, bringing the number of Canadian military casualties in the war to 100.

Canada’s top commander in Afghanistan, Brigadier General Denis Thompson, said that his troops were bringing “peace and stability” to the country. 2,500 Canadian troops are based in southern Afghanistan as part of NATO’s mission to defeat the Taliban.

Canada’s military presence in Afghanistan is due to end in 2011.

Sources

Armed robbers pulled off a record jewelery heist in Paris, France when they on Thursday robbed the Harry Winston store near Avenue des Champs-Élysées.

Four male thieves, two of whom where dressed as women, stole most of the inventory of the high-profile boutique. The loot has been valued at €85 million (US$107 million).

The robbers brandished firearms and forced fifteen customers and staff into a corner of the store. No shots were fired and no one is reported hurt. Police have no immediate leads.

Sources

This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.

This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.

Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.

Compost Bin That Smell Means It’s Working}

by Posted in Hardware

Submitted by: Richard H.

Recycling is a noble effort in which everyone should participate. Sadly, the inconveniences sometimes faced by potential recyclers are enough to dissuade them from actively taking part in the green movement. What better alternative than to easily dispose of trash and recycle at the same time? With a compost bin, that becomes a possibility. The days of painstakingly separating paper and plastic will be over with the acquisition of a compost bin. Composting relies on trash and food scraps, and the process is as simple as dumping those things into a bin and letting nature do the rest of the work. As the refuse decomposes, a valuable fertilizer is produced. Not only has trash been reused, but its actually useful!

Minor separation is a necessity, though. Basically, biodegradable items like vegetable peelings and uneaten food are ideal fodder for a compost bin. The bin itself is (usually) placed outdoors, while scraps are steadily fed into it. The sun and oxygen take care of the science, breaking down the materials into usable fertilizer. The organic substances provide ideal nutrition for plants, and it all comes from your home! Compost is fairly simple to produce and saves money and time that may have been spent at the hardware store lugging around heavy bags of manure. That is definitely something to consider the next time you are at the grocery store, as eggs and coffee will do the same work with much less effort.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG8CZWjmspk[/youtube]

Compost bins come in a number of styles. The bins are usually simple, and will not take up an excessive amount of space. One thing to consider though is that the smell may be something you will want to keep away from nearby doors and windows. A quiet corner of the backyard is a perfect place for a compost bin. Many bins are designed to be placed either on grass or concrete. This guarantees that no matter what sort of landscaping your home has, you will be able to place a bin nearly anywhere. Bear in mind though, that the typical bin is open-bottomed. Any compost contained therein will come into contact with the ground.

The bin should be placed in an area that will receive a fair amount of sunlight and minimal wind. Wind blowing through the slats will dry out the compost. Sunlight is very necessary as it raises the temperature of the compost inside the bin to proper levels for successful decomposition. Excessive dampness should also be avoided, as it will adversely affect the decomposition. Despite the fact that compost is essentially decomposing organic material, there should not be an overly offensive odor coming from the bin. If this occurs, then it may be due to the placement of the bin in an area that is too damp. A level of moisture that is too high will lead to a smell that wont be too pleasant. The normal smell emanating from a bin that indicates all is going well is something similar to dirt or earth. Think of a forest after rainfall.

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Source:

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Fig Trees Produce Fruit In Colors Of White, Green, Black, Red, Wine, And Purple}

by Posted in Tree Cutting

Fig Trees Produce Fruit In Colors Of White, Green, Black, Red, Wine, And Purple

by

Pat Malcolm –

Fig trees are fruit tree garden favorites. Buying and planting large fig trees can fruit the first year of growing. Two of the best orchard or fig tree garden selections are: Brown Turkey Fig Trees and Celeste (Celestial) Fig Trees.

The fruit of the fig tree was well known in Biblical scripture and a fig tree was condemned to wither by Jesus in the Bible gospel of Mark 11:16 for being barren of fruit. The fig was used numerous times in the Bible to symbolize truths of the scripture, both in the old Testament and the New Testament Bible. The fig tree is a fast growing fruit tree that grows fresh fig fruit over a long period. The brown turkey fig tree and the Celeste (Celestial) fig trees have been important old varieties grown in the United States for hundreds of years. New hybrid fruit of fig trees vastly improves quality and quantity of figs of older selections. Fig fruit can ripen in various mature colors: red, black, yellow, purple, orange, gold, blue, green, and white with a sweet mild flavor. The ripe fig can be dried, eaten fresh, or cooked in a large variety of food such as fig newtons and fig-strawberry jam. The growing size of the fig fruit can vary just like the color. The largest fig grown is the Patrick’s Supergiant fig that can weigh-in at pound. Figs black in color like the the Black Mission fig tree and the Jack Black fig trees are very high in sugar content and date back to their introduction from Spain at the Spanish Missions in California in the 1500’s where the fig fruit was dried like raisins to be eaten later.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJQYoGyEtDs[/youtube]

Green fig cultivars are important to buy for planting and growing for gardeners who want to avoid birds who love to feast on a red, yellow, or ripe white fig, because the birds do not see the green color of the Japanese Green Ischau fig or green Kadota fig among the green leaves.

For gardeners who prefer black fig fruit, the Jack’s Black fig and the black mission fig are tasty fig tree cultivars. The Black Mission fig is famous, and was intoduced into California by Spanish missionaries hundreds of years ago. Jack’s Black fig is very sugary, suitable for dried fig markets and elongated in shape.

Conadria fig trees originated in Europe and are important as a large, fast growing fig tree requiring a big landscape for a large tree. LSU hybridizers have released several notable yellow-gold cultivars; the most popular is the LSU gold fig that can produce two crops in one year. The Nero Caesar fig is yellow-gold in color and ripens with honey-drops of dew on the skin, with a pink pulp beneath the skin. Peter’s honey fig originated in California and the yellow color on the skin is repeated inside the fig that is sweetly scented.

Several white fig producing trees are available to buy from internet nursery sites. The Italian Everbearing fig ripens white, but may age into a cream-yellow skin. Italy is the point of origin for the Italian white fig, big in size and sweetly aromatic with a tasty flavor.

The Osborne fig tree is very unusual, because its color when ripe can vary from white to pink to red, but it is remarkably beautiful in appearance with its dark tapered rips that encircle the fig. The King Fig is big and grows burgundy-red in color on large trees. Some gardeners rate the King fig as the largest, and others rate the Patrick’s Supergiant fig as the largest.

The Mystery fig is a brightly colored wine fig with a delicious flavor, but scientists have been unable to identify this fig tree’s origin, which is still a mystery. Patrick’s Supergiant fig is very large, weighing up to a half pound each. The Patrick’s fig is juicy and sweet with an agreeable flavor. The Tennessee Mountain fig tree is very cold hardy and was discovered growing in the mountain areas of Tennessee where temperatures can fall below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. For gardeners who want to bu a cold hardy fig tree for the North, the Tennessee Mountain fig has survived very cold temperatures as far North as Pennsylvania and New York. TyTy Nursery offers a large selection of small or big fig trees for fast shipment.

Learn more about various plants, or purchase ones mentioned in this article by visiting the author’s website:

TyTy Nursery

Article Source:

Fig Trees Produce Fruit In Colors Of White, Green, Black, Red, Wine, And Purple }

On the campaign trail in the USA, August 2016

by Posted in Uncategorized

Friday, September 23, 2016

The following is the fourth edition of a monthly series chronicling the U.S. 2016 presidential election. It features original material compiled throughout the previous month after an overview of the month’s biggest stories.

In this month’s edition on the campaign trail: the vice presidential nominee of the Reform Party is revealed; those attacked in a high profile campaign speech respond; and Wikinews interviews an economist seeking the presidency a second time.

Contents

  • 1 Summary
  • 2 Reform Party vice presidential nominee confirmed
  • 3 Alt-rightists respond to Clinton speech
  • 4 Wikinews interviews economist again running for president
  • 5 Related articles
  • 6 Sources

Interview: Danny O’Brien of the Electronic Frontier Foundation

by Posted in Uncategorized

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

January’s second Interview of the Month was with Danny O’Brien of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) on 23 January in IRC.

The EFF is coming off a series of high-profile successes in their campaigns to educate the public, press, and policy makers regarding online rights in a digital world, and defending those rights in the legislature and the courtroom. Their settlement with Sony/BMG, the amazingly confused MGM v Grokster decision by the Supreme Court of the United States, and the disturbing cases surrounding Diebold have earned the advocacy organization considerable attention.

When asked if the EFF would be interested in a live interview in IRC by Wikinews, the answer was a nearly immediate yes, but just a little after Ricardo Lobo. With two such interesting interview candidates agreeing so quickly, it was hard to say no to either so schedules were juggled to have both. By chance, the timing worked out to have the EFF interview the day before the U.S. Senate schedule hearings concerning the Broadcast flag rule of the FCC, a form of digital rights management which the recording and movie industries have been lobbying hard for – and the EFF has been lobbying hard to prevent.

Interview: Danny O’Brien of the Electronic Frontier Foundation

by Posted in Uncategorized

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

January’s second Interview of the Month was with Danny O’Brien of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) on 23 January in IRC.

The EFF is coming off a series of high-profile successes in their campaigns to educate the public, press, and policy makers regarding online rights in a digital world, and defending those rights in the legislature and the courtroom. Their settlement with Sony/BMG, the amazingly confused MGM v Grokster decision by the Supreme Court of the United States, and the disturbing cases surrounding Diebold have earned the advocacy organization considerable attention.

When asked if the EFF would be interested in a live interview in IRC by Wikinews, the answer was a nearly immediate yes, but just a little after Ricardo Lobo. With two such interesting interview candidates agreeing so quickly, it was hard to say no to either so schedules were juggled to have both. By chance, the timing worked out to have the EFF interview the day before the U.S. Senate schedule hearings concerning the Broadcast flag rule of the FCC, a form of digital rights management which the recording and movie industries have been lobbying hard for – and the EFF has been lobbying hard to prevent.

Crafts To Make And Sell Ideas For A Profitable Artistic Venture

by Posted in Crafts

Crafts To Make And Sell Ideas For A Profitable Artistic Venture

by

R. Barrow

Making crafts is enjoyable and relaxing. You may have thought and considered it as a simple hobby, but this pastime, may actually become your source of additional income. You can create and then sell your crafts for profit. Aside from making sure you make your crafts right, another important thing to know if you want to undertake this artistic and profitable venture is to find out which crafts to make and sell are. No matter what crafts you decide to make, what is important is that you love what you do so you can put your interest and talent into it. Below are some examples of crafts that you can use as ideas for your home-based venture.

Crocheted/Knitted Items

Crocheted or knitted items are among those home-made crafts that sell best. With crochet/knitting, there are so many things that you can produce such as baby clothes and accessories (socks, mitts, clothes, etc.). You can also make bags and clothes out of your yarn. With a little more ingenuity, you may even come up with crocheted/knitted accessories like bracelets, earrings and more.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otNYZniVDc0[/youtube]

Wooden Crafts

When you hear about woodworking, what you will usually think of are wooden images and statues that sculptors create. Apparently, these statues are not the only byproduct from woodworking. For a home-based craft business, you can also use woods to create simple, yet adorable items from wood. You can make photo frames, jewelry boxes, plaques and more from wood. You are not limited as to what finishes you would like to use. You can varnish it; you can paint it; you can carve it, you can embellish it so your items will look great and appeal to the buyers.

Needlework

Like crocheting and knitting, sewing is also another very versatile hobby to pursue. You can use needles not just to mend clothes. Better yet, you can use your needles to sew up various saleable items. One example is, of course, clothes or clothing. You know that people need and wear clothes. I fact, many of us would like to wear clothes that are unique and stand out from the rest. This is one perfect opportunity to show off your style and talent. Get your needles working and start creating distinctive styles of clothing. Be sure that your styles cannot be found elsewhere. You can sew up not just clothes for grownups, but also for babies and even for pets such as dogs.

If you are not that skilled in making a complete set of clothing, you can instead offer clothing customization. Other people have already ventured on printing shirt with designs like photos and images. To be unique in the market, offer customization by sewing up personalized designs on shirts, pants, bags and more.

Aside from clothes, another item to sew up, make and sell is plush items. Stuff items do not necessarily need to be toys. You can also create stuffed products that can be hung on glass doors, car mirrors and windows. You can make plush animals, flowers; even names of people for customization.

Bath And Body Products

These items are also viable ideas for your craft business. Up on the internet are various resources that will teach you how to make bath soaps, shampoos, lotions, perfumes, etc. What is great about this business is that you can offer your potential clients certain bath and body products whose scents are according to their preference. Like all other items, these toiletries can also be customized according to the scent they love, to the ingredients they prefer, to the texture they like and a lot more.

Profitable Crafts Mega Package

is a complete guide on starting and operating a productive craft venture.

Start Your Own Craft Business

is another recommended guide for this lucrative venture.

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com

Bat for Lashes plays the Bowery Ballroom: an Interview with Natasha Khan

by Posted in Uncategorized

Friday, September 28, 2007

Bat for Lashes is the doppelgänger band ego of one of the leading millennial lights in British music, Natasha Khan. Caroline Weeks, Abi Fry and Lizzy Carey comprise the aurora borealis that backs this haunting, shimmering zither and glockenspiel peacock, and the only complaint coming from the audience at the Bowery Ballroom last Tuesday was that they could not camp out all night underneath these celestial bodies.

We live in the age of the lazy tendency to categorize the work of one artist against another, and Khan has had endless exultations as the next Björk and Kate Bush; Sixousie Sioux, Stevie Nicks, Sinead O’Connor, the list goes on until it is almost meaningless as comparison does little justice to the sound and vision of the band. “I think Bat For Lashes are beyond a trend or fashion band,” said Jefferson Hack, publisher of Dazed & Confused magazine. “[Khan] has an ancient power…she is in part shamanic.” She describes her aesthetic as “powerful women with a cosmic edge” as seen in Jane Birkin, Nico and Cleopatra. And these women are being heard. “I love the harpsichord and the sexual ghost voices and bowed saws,” said Radiohead‘s Thom Yorke of the track Horse and I. “This song seems to come from the world of Grimm’s fairytales.”

Bat’s debut album, Fur And Gold, was nominated for the 2007 Mercury Prize, and they were seen as the dark horse favorite until it was announced Klaxons had won. Even Ladbrokes, the largest gambling company in the United Kingdom, had put their money on Bat for Lashes. “It was a surprise that Klaxons won,” said Khan, “but I think everyone up for the award is brilliant and would have deserved to win.”

Natasha recently spoke with David Shankbone about art, transvestism and drug use in the music business.

DS: Do you have any favorite books?

NK: [Laughs] I’m not the best about finishing books. What I usually do is I will get into a book for a period of time, and then I will dip into it and get the inspiration and transformation in my mind that I need, and then put it away and come back to it. But I have a select rotation of cool books, like Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés and Little Birds by Anaïs Nin. Recently, Catching the Big Fish by David Lynch.

DS: Lynch just came out with a movie last year called Inland Empire. I interviewed John Vanderslice last night at the Bowery Ballroom and he raved about it!

NK: I haven’t seen it yet!

DS: Do you notice a difference between playing in front of British and American audiences?

NK: The U.S. audiences are much more full of expression and noises and jubilation. They are like, “Welcome to New York, Baby!” “You’re Awesome!” and stuff like that. Whereas in England they tend to be a lot more reserved. Well, the English are, but it is such a diverse culture you will get the Spanish and Italian gay guys at the front who are going crazy. I definitely think in America they are much more open and there is more excitement, which is really cool.

DS: How many instruments do you play and, please, include the glockenspiel in that number.

NK: [Laughs] I think the number is limitless, hopefully. I try my hand at anything I can contribute; I only just picked up the bass, really—

DS: –I have a great photo of you playing the bass.

NK: I don’t think I’m very good…

DS: You look cool with it!

NK: [Laughs] Fine. The glockenspiel…piano, mainly, and also the harp. Guitar, I like playing percussion and drumming. I usually speak with all my drummers so that I write my songs with them in mind, and we’ll have bass sounds, choir sounds, and then you can multi-task with all these orchestral sounds. Through the magic medium of technology I can play all kinds of sounds, double bass and stuff.

DS: Do you design your own clothes?

NK: All four of us girls love vintage shopping and charity shops. We don’t have a stylist who tells us what to wear, it’s all very much our own natural styles coming through. And for me, personally, I like to wear jewelery. On the night of the New York show that top I was wearing was made especially for me as a gift by these New York designers called Pepper + Pistol. And there’s also my boyfriend, who is an amazing musician—

DS: —that’s Will Lemon from Moon and Moon, right? There is such good buzz about them here in New York.

NK: Yes! They have an album coming out in February and it will fucking blow your mind! I think you would love it, it’s an incredible masterpiece. It’s really exciting, I’m hoping we can do a crazy double unfolding caravan show, the Bat for Lashes album and the new Moon and Moon album: that would be really theatrical and amazing! Will prints a lot of my T-shirts because he does amazing tapestries and silkscreen printing on clothes. When we play there’s a velvety kind of tapestry on the keyboard table that he made. So I wear a lot of his things, thrift store stuff, old bits of jewelry and antique pieces.

DS: You are often compared to Björk and Kate Bush; do those constant comparisons tend to bother you as an artist who is trying to define herself on her own terms?

NK: No, I mean, I guess that in the past it bothered me, but now I just feel really confident and sure that as time goes on my musical style and my writing is taking a pace of its own, and I think in time the music will speak for itself and people will see that I’m obviously doing something different. Those women are fantastic, strong, risk-taking artists—

DS: —as are you—

NK: —thank you, and that’s a great tradition to be part of, and when I look at artists like Björk and Kate Bush, I think of them as being like older sisters that have come before; they are kind of like an amazing support network that comes with me.

DS: I’d imagine it’s preferable to be considered the next Björk or Kate Bush instead of the next Britney.

NK: [Laughs] Totally! Exactly! I mean, could you imagine—oh, no I’m not going to try to offend anyone now! [Laughs] Let’s leave it there.

DS: Does music feed your artwork, or does you artwork feed your music more? Or is the relationship completely symbiotic?

NK: I think it’s pretty back-and-forth. I think when I have blocks in either of those area, I tend to emphasize the other. If I’m finding it really difficult to write something I know that I need to go investigate it in a more visual way, and I’ll start to gather images and take photographs and make notes and make collages and start looking to photographers and filmmakers to give me a more grounded sense of the place that I’m writing about, whether it’s in my imagination or in the characters. Whenever I’m writing music it’s a very visual place in my mind. It has a location full of characters and colors and landscapes, so those two things really compliment each other, and they help the other one to blossom and support the other. They are like brother and sister.

DS: When you are composing music, do you see notes and words as colors and images in your mind, and then you put those down on paper?

NK: Yes. When I’m writing songs, especially lately because I think the next album has a fairly strong concept behind it and I’m writing the songs, really imagining them, so I’m very immersed into the concept of the album and the story that is there through the album. It’s the same as when I’m playing live, I will imagine I see a forest of pine trees and sky all around me and the audience, and it really helps me. Or I’ll just imagine midnight blue and emerald green, those kind of Eighties colors, and they help me.

DS: Is it always pine trees that you see?

NK: Yes, pine trees and sky, I guess.

DS: What things in nature inspire you?

NK: I feel drained thematically if I’m in the city too long. I think that when I’m in nature—for example, I went to Big Sur last year on a road trip and just looking up and seeing dark shadows of trees and starry skies really gets me and makes me feel happy. I would sit right by the sea, and any time I have been a bit stuck I will go for a long walk along the ocean and it’s just really good to see vast horizons, I think, and epic, huge, all-encompassing visions of nature really humble you and give you a good sense of perspective and the fact that you are just a small particle of energy that is vibrating along with everything else. That really helps.

DS: Are there man-made things that inspire you?

NK: Things that are more cultural, like open air cinemas, old Peruvian flats and the Chelsea Hotel. Funny old drag queen karaoke bars…

DS: I photographed some of the famous drag queens here in New York. They are just such great creatures to photograph; they will do just about anything for the camera. I photographed a famous drag queen named Miss Understood who is the emcee at a drag queen restaurant here named Lucky Cheng’s. We were out in front of Lucky Cheng’s taking photographs and a bus was coming down First Avenue, and I said, “Go out and stop that bus!” and she did! It’s an amazing shot.

NK: Oh. My. God.

DS: If you go on her Wikipedia article it’s there.

NK: That’s so cool. I’m really getting into that whole psychedelic sixties and seventies Paris Is Burning and Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis. Things like The Cockettes. There seems to be a bit of a revolution coming through that kind of psychedelic drag queen theater.

DS: There are just so few areas left where there is natural edge and art that is not contrived. It’s taking a contrived thing like changing your gender, but in the backdrop of how that is still so socially unacceptable.

NK: Yeah, the theatrics and creativity that go into that really get me. I’m thinking about The Fisher King…do you know that drag queen in The Fisher King? There’s this really bad and amazing drag queen guy in it who is so vulnerable and sensitive. He sings these amazing songs but he has this really terrible drug problem, I think, or maybe it’s a drink problem. It’s so bordering on the line between fabulous and those people you see who are so in love with the idea of beauty and elevation and the glitz and the glamor of love and beauty, but then there’s this really dark, tragic side. It’s presented together in this confusing and bewildering way, and it always just gets to me. I find it really intriguing.

DS: How are you received in the Pakistani community?

NK: [Laughs] I have absolutely no idea! You should probably ask another question, because I have no idea. I don’t have contact with that side of my family anymore.

DS: When you see artists like Pete Doherty or Amy Winehouse out on these suicidal binges of drug use, what do you think as a musician? What do you get from what you see them go through in their personal lives and with their music?

NK: It’s difficult. The drugs thing was never important to me, it was the music and expression and the way he delivered his music, and I think there’s a strange kind of romantic delusion in the media, and the music media especially, where they are obsessed with people who have terrible drug problems. I think that’s always been the way, though, since Billie Holiday. The thing that I’m questioning now is that it seems now the celebrity angle means that the lifestyle takes over from the actual music. In the past people who had musical genius, unfortunately their personal lives came into play, but maybe that added a level of romance, which I think is pretty uncool, but, whatever. I think that as long as the lifestyle doesn’t precede the talent and the music, that’s okay, but it always feels uncomfortable for me when people’s music goes really far and if you took away the hysteria and propaganda of it, would the music still stand up? That’s my question. Just for me, I’m just glad I don’t do heavy drugs and I don’t have that kind of problem, thank God. I feel that’s a responsibility you have, to present that there’s a power in integrity and strength and in the lifestyle that comes from self-love and assuredness and positivity. I think there’s a real big place for that, but it doesn’t really get as much of that “Rock n’ Roll” play or whatever.

DS: Is it difficult to come to the United States to play considering all the wars we start?

NK: As an English person I feel equally as responsible for that kind of shit. I think it is a collective consciousness that allows violence and those kinds of things to continue, and I think that our governments should be ashamed of themselves. But at the same time, it’s a responsibility of all of our countries, no matter where you are in the world to promote a peaceful lifestyle and not to consciously allow these conflicts to continue. At the same time, I find it difficult to judge because I think that the world is full of shades of light and dark, from spectrums of pure light and pure darkness, and that’s the way human nature and nature itself has always been. It’s difficult, but it’s just a process, and it’s the big creature that’s the world; humankind is a big creature that is learning all the time. And we have to go through these processes of learning to see what is right.

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