h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A607826

Hi, Joe!
This is an interesting place to write about, but I don't think you have said half enough.
Under the 'History' header, you explain all the western contacts, but you don't explain anything about the people. From the names you give, it sounds as if there was already an indigenous population when the first western sailor arrived. I think you should explain who they were and something about their culture.

Under the 'Geography' header, you say that it is in the middle of the Pacific. Looking at an atlas, I see that it is well west of the International Date Line, at the same longitude as the west of New Zealand. I think you would be better to pin it down a bit more - is it is counted as part of Micronesia?

Under the 'Economy' header, you say that it used to be based around the export of guano. What was the economy like before western trade started? What were the birds who produced the guano, and are they still there?

Anyway, I'm sure you get the idea - the entry is a little sparse as it stands, and more information under all the headers would be useful.

Azara

Joe, a good start on an interesting topic. I agree with Azara it could be filled out a bit.

In the late 60s I was working on a Norwegian phosphate bulk-carrier that visited Nauru. The British Phosphate Corporation chartered the ships. Some info on that company could help round out the yarn. Also you could put in something about the enormous payout the islanders got from Australia, Britain and New Zealand - who administered the island when it was an UN trust territory - in settlement for their raping of the island's only resource (phosphate). The island got its independance in 1968. It is now a republic and is an independant member of the British Commonwealth. The indigenous people are Polynesians. They speak Nauruan, a Malayo-Polynesian language.

Axara, Nauru IS right on the dateline. When I visited, the island didn't have a harbour. Phosphate was loaded via a shute. Ships sailed up to the island in the morning and if the wind and tides weren't right would drift back out to sea. Whilst drifting we would cross the date line.

Nauru is so small, following the coast, it only takes about three hours to circumnavigate. It is basically a typical South Pacific picture-book island with a dirty great hole in the middle.

Make that the British Phosphate Commision (not Corporation)

Also, mentioning Head of state and maybe also population isn't verry Guideable(A made up word for "Suiteable for the guide"), because updates are hard to manage, and therefore should be avoided.

Especially when someone will have to come say "Hey this changed, I just had a baby brother, so make this 11,001" and you can't trust on that someone to come say that.


Dancer

Ok, I've updated the article, and included some info on the language...

so... naña me iow (goodbye)

Much better, in fact splendid Now all you need to do is delete all the 1st person stuff - you are the reporter not the subject.

This is an interesting subject, and the piece is well on the way to being finished - although, as Loonytunes says, the first person stuff will have to go.

One bit that I'd like clarified: at the end of the 'history' section, when discussing Nauru's claims for compensation, you say: '...in the 90's Australia paid up, but britain was found innocet, and did not.'

Obviously, there are typos there on 'Britain' and 'innocent'. But more to the point: who was arbitrating on these disputes? In other words, by what court or authority was Britain found innocent?

^Sorry, couldn't find any info on that...probably the UN or sumtin.

But, besides that, it should now be perfect...now edit it!

Joe, you may have to update the article - especially the last line -to take account of the immenent arrival of 400 boat people from Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Obviously pay back time by the Aussies

If you are confused about what I was on about - New Zealand and the Pacific island state of Nauru have agreed to process more than 400 Afghan refugees stranded on a ship in the Indian Ocean.

Really? I thought they were going to christmas island...oh, well, I'll add an approx.

Check out http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/asia-pacific/newsid_1520000/1520097.stm

They put Nauru in completely the wrong place, it's next to micronesia, they put it under new zealand.

How long will it be until this gets recommended do you think?

At least a year

Nonononono, I'm just kidding.

It happens at irregular intervals and no estimation will have any justification.

We scouts get only 3 picks every 4 weeks, so scouts tend to be personal on what they pick. We pick things that are either nice, close to us, amusin to us, we like and/or participated in the conversation about or sometimes, we pick something just because it is ready and already waiting for a long time.

So you see there are really no rules as to how long it might take, there's a lot to pick from and it vries from a Week wait to months.

Hope you get picked soon.


Dancer

Joe, the brain surgeons in the newsroom at the BBC have fixed the map.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/asia-pacific/newsid_1520000/1520740.stm#map

still in the wrong place, it should be further east.

Nauru is back in the news again today, with the arrival of that boatload of asylum seekers: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/asia-pacific/newsid_1551000/1551792.stm

Somehow, I doubt if any of the Afghans among them will be getting sent home now...

New Zealand is going to take 150 of them. It seemed a good idea two weeks ago. Humanitarian, sucking up to Australia, etc

Joe, how about adding some of these recent develpments to your yarn. They have pushed Nauru onto the world stage, something not likely to happen again any time soon.

... so I can recommend it...