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We don’t just report off-beat news, breaking news and digest the best and worst of the news media analysis and commentary. We give an original take on what happened and why. We add lols, satire, news photos and original content.

What is Rapping? – Switchback 1987 with Stu Jeffries knows

IT’S 1987, and Canadian TV show Switchback and your host Stu Jeffries are answering the question: “What is rapping?”

Posted: 11th, January 2012 | In: Flashback | Comment


An Independent Scotland would win Eurovision

WOULD you English, Welsh and Northern Irish emigrate to an independent Scotland? Will you Scots go home?

The SNP wants a referendum in the autumn 2014, by which point we will all so sick of the debate that even the minority in the UK bothered to vote will be doing so just to make it stop.

But what will an independent Scotland mean? Well, nothing. It will have the same weather, same sectarianism, same crappy national football team, same interfering politicians who think Braveheart was a documentary, same deep-fried Mars bars, same booze, same bigger, richer country to the south, and the same belief that North Sea oil is the future for mankind.

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Posted: 11th, January 2012 | In: Reviews | Comment (1)


Another crap story about Jon Venables

JAMES Bulger stories are popular with readers. Sun editor Dominic Mohan tells the Leveson Inquiry that the biggest-selling story of the past 18 months was about the killer of James Bulger – and by definition that of his two killer: Jon Venables and Robert Thompson.

Mindful of that, we turn to the Daily Star’s story:

JON VENABLES KEELS OVER…WITH CONSTIPATION

Tom Savage is in the toilet cubicle:

FATTY Jon Venables scoffed so much festive grub he needed emergency treatment for constipation.

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Posted: 11th, January 2012 | In: Reviews | Comments (5)


Wiltshire pigeon feeders given Abos

THE Pigeon Ladies of Trowbridge – Danuta Rogowa, 76, and Margaret Ann Reynolds, 68 – have been handed Asbos for feeding the birds every day for years. Wiltshire Council demanded they stop feeding the pigeosn, but Rogowa and Reynolds refused.

Rogowa and Reynolds must for the next five years not “excessively feed any wildlife or birds; purchase more than 3kg of bird feed or more than three loaves of bread per day; shout at or verbally abuse others for the next five years”.

Shouting at pigeons is fine.

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Posted: 11th, January 2012 | In: Reviews | Comments (3)


Chris Blackhurst fails to tell Leveson why Johann Hari’s lies are still on Independent website

CHRIS Blackhurst, the Independent’s editor has made an appearance at the Leveson Inquiry into media standards. Talk turned to the Johann Hari – the Independent journalist who spiced up his copy with quotes from other sources and passed them off as his own work. Johann Hari also made things up, used the pseudonym David Rose to attack his critics and altered Wikipedia pages. His work won him prizes.

Blackhurst says the revelation that Hari was a cheat came as an “enormous shock“. He says the  Independent’s standing had been “severely damaged“.

So damaged is the Indy that the Hari interviews remain visible on the paper’s website. They are uncorrected and with no word of apology.

After Hari had been exposed as a good writer but bad journalist, the Indy ran a front-page story back in June 2011:

“Johann Hari – What I think of the attacks on my professional integrity”

Not exactly a sorry, then. The Indy said Hari has been “subjected to trial by Twitter“. And we know how wrong that is.

The Guardian’s Jonathan Haynes wrote:

selling a paper on the basis of interest in a journalist’s dubious practices is an interesting move

Although, Hari has apologised.

Hari’s fraud was conniving. Guy Walters looked at one of Hari’s pieces: Johann Hari, The IndependentHugo Chavez – An ‘Exclusive’ Interview, 14 May 2006

I was in close contact with poverty, it’s true, I cried a lot…” – Lally Weymouth, Interview with Hugo Chavez in Newseek, October 2000

I was in close contact with poverty, it’s true. I cried a lot.” – Johann Hari

“It is possible I have something of this . . . tragic sense of life,” he [Chavez] acknowledged. He recalled that on the eve of the 1992 rebellion he had said goodbye to his wife and three children, and led his soldiers out of their barracks. He was the last to leave. After locking the big front gate, he threw away the key. “I realized at that moment that I was saying goodbye to life,” Chávez said. “So it is possible that one has been a bit . . . imbued with that . . . ever since, no?” – Jon Lee Anderson, The New YorkerThe Revolutionary, 10 September 2001

The spectre haunting Latin America – the spectre of Hugo Chavez – furrows his big, broad brow, pats my knee, and tells me about the night he knew he was going to die. “I will never forget – in the early hours, I said goodbye to my wife and three little children. I kissed them goodbye and blessed them.” He knew in his gut he was not going to survive that long, bloody day in 1992, when he and his allies finally decided to stage a revolution against the old, rotten order loathed by the Venezuelan people. “I realized at that moment that I was saying goodbye to life,” he says, looking away. “So it is possible that, after surviving, one has been a bit… imbued with that sense ever since,no?” –

Get a load of that intimate pat on the knee.

As we wrote:

A newspaper ‘interview’ is nothing more than entertainment whether it’s in the Sun or Le Monde Diplomatique. The object of the exercise is to bring to vivid life an encounter of usually short duration. The good writer-interviewer, as the ruthless, opportunist carnivore he or she must be, will be alert for signs of weakness in the subject, ie for signs of entertainment material that makes a mockery of the PR or of the book/film/whatever that whorishly accounts for the interview in the first place.

If, say, a star interviewee-author coughs up blood and dies while boring the shit out of us on atheistic conformity in British journalism then there’s your money shot. Readers are not interested in ideas or lectures, not even godless ones. Alas, Hari imagines his role to be that of transcriber of great words – or great words obtained by others’ efforts if needs be. Reality check: any collection of his interviews will struggle to sell 500 copies (100 of those flogged to friends and relatives), eBook or otherwise.

Hari wrote on his Interview etiquette:

When I’ve interviewed a writer, it’s quite common that they will express an idea or sentiment to me that they have expressed before in their writing – and, almost always, they’ve said it more clearly in writing than in speech. (I know I write much more clearly than I speak – whenever I read a transcript of what I’ve said, or it always seems less clear and more clotted. I think we’ve all had that sensation in one form or another).

So occasionally, at the point in the interview where the subject has expressed an idea, I’ve quoted the idea as they expressed it in writing, rather than how they expressed it in speech. It’s a way of making sure the reader understands the point that (say) Gideon Levy wants to make as clearly as possible, while retaining the directness of the interview. Since my interviews are intellectual portraits that I hope explain how a person thinks, it seemed the most thorough way of doing it…

Adding

It depends on whether you prefer the intellectual accuracy of describing their ideas in the most considered words, or the reportorial accuracy of describing their ideas in the words they used on that particular afternoon. Since my interviews are long intellectual profiles, not ones where I’m trying to ferret out a scoop or exclusive, I have, in the past, prioritised the former. That was, on reflection, a mistake, because it wasn’t clear to the reader.

Hari’s interview with Gideon Levy for the Independent in 2010 was a cheat. You can still read it on the Indy’s website. Brian Whelan fact checked Hari:

With a shake of the head, he says: “We had now two wars, the flotilla – it doesn’t seem that Israel has learned any lesson, and it doesn’t seem that Israel is paying any price. The Israelis don’t pay any price for the injustice of the occupation, so the occupation will never end. It will not end a moment before Israelis understand the connection between the occupation and the price they will be forced to pay. They will never shake it off on their own initiative.” – Hari, Independent 24/09/10;

These words first appeared in an article by Levy for Haaretz (http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/israelis-don-t-pay-price-for-injustice-of-occupation-1.280237) on 19/07/09 without the dramatic ‘shake of the head’ (see “pat on knee” above”].

The Israelis don’t pay any price for the injustice of the occupation, so the occupation will never end. It will not end a moment before the Israelis understand the connection between the occupation and the price they will be forced to pay. They will never shake it off on their own initiative, and why should they?

Where I described their body language, for example, I was describing their body language as they made the same point that I was quoting – I was simply using the clearer words from their writing so the reader understood the point best.

He has, though, after ten years at the Independent and winning multiple journalism awards, learned an important lesson:

I now see it was wrong, and I wouldn’t do it again. Why? Because an interview is not just an essayistic representation of what a person thinks; it is a report on an encounter between the interviewer and the interviewee.

Hari explained those pats and shakes he, as a reporter, witnessed first hand:

Where I described their body language, for example, I was describing their body language as they made the same point that I was quoting – I was simply using the clearer words from their writing so the reader understood the point best.

Adding:

I now see it was wrong, and I wouldn’t do it again. Why? Because an interview is not just an essayistic representation of what a person thinks; it is a report on an encounter between the interviewer and the interviewee.

Johann Hari is not a reporter. He is something other. He is a writer.
In July 2010, the Indy suspended Hari. Although his most recent post for the paper – an apology  – appeared in September 2011.

Also in July, Hari spoke at a Royal Institution talk on free speech. Having made a name for hismelf, Hari should be in line for a career as a TV celebrity:

Hari made a joke of his paper and of himself. So. Why are his stories still on the Indy’s site? Is it because he’s famous now – and celebrity sells?

Spotter: Fleet Street Blues

Posted: 11th, January 2012 | In: Key Posts, Reviews | Comment (1)


The annual camel festival in Bikaner, India, with Jagmal Singh’s Moustache

JAGMAL Singh, from India’s Rajasthan, right, displays his 14 feet (4.26 meters) long moustache in the sidelines of the annual camel festival in Bikaner, India. You can always trust a man who can tie his shoes with his moustaches…

Note: The man behind. See his sword. It’s a prototype Wilkinson mega one-blade turbo, the latest weapon in the bathroom cabinet arms race. He’s itching to test it out. Just itching to…

Posted: 10th, January 2012 | In: Reviews | Comment


Leveson Inquiry: Sun editor Dominic Mohan, Cheryl Carter and Ryan Giggs

DOMINIC Mohan, the Sun editor, made a showing at the Leveson Inquiry into press standards. The Inquiry was triggered by the phone hacking scandal that led to the closure of the Sun’s sister organ, The News of the World.

Dominic Mohan was made successor to Rebekah Brooks as Sun editor in 2009. Brooks and her PA Cheryl Carter have been arrested as part of Operation Weeting, the Metropolitan police’s investigation into phone hacking. Carter was up until late 2011 the Sun’s beauty editor.

Rebekah Brooks has denied knowledge of or involvement in any criminal activity at the News of the World. But did ahe help her crew? One former News of the World reportedly stated:

“I will never forget her look of utter bewilderment at the suggestion that she should have resigned. If she had done the right and obvious thing, more than 200 people might still have jobs. And seven million people might still have their favourite Sunday paper.”

The Sun reports Mohan’s appearance at Leveson with the headline:

“SUN Campaigns are hailed by Leveson”

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Posted: 10th, January 2012 | In: Reviews | Comment


Lalita Tati was murdered by capitalism, local custom and hunger

LALITA Tati is the seven-year-old Indian girl abducted and then murdered. Police have arrested two men, Ignesh Kujur and Padam Sukkuboth, “poor farmers”, for the crime. The claim is that Lalita Tati was murdered because the killers wanted to please the goddess Durga and secure a good harvest.

Lalita Tati was watching TV at her family home in Jailwara, Chhattisgarh, in central India, when she was snatched. One week later, her parents found her body. The liver and heart were missing.

The Sunday Times says:

Lalita is believed to have been targeted by the farmers, Ignesh Kujur and Padam Sukku, because they were in a feud with her father, Budhram. They suspected him of casting black magic spells…

Reason 1: the killers were warding off bad magic.

The case was initially treated by police as a suspected rape and murder and the girl’s father was questioned.

Reason 2: not rape and murder.

Filled with remorse, however, the farmers wrote to him, allegedly confessing and offering cash in compensation for the loss of his daughter. A village meeting was called and the police were informed.

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Posted: 10th, January 2012 | In: Reviews | Comment


The Chevrolet Newsreels: when cows smoked and pussy cats boxed

IT’S 1937, and the Chevrolet ‘Newsreels’ feature boxing cats being scored by judgemental dogs.

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Posted: 10th, January 2012 | In: Flashback | Comment


Georgia school solves eight-year-olds’ slavery problem

TO illustrate match problems at Beaver Ridge Elementary in Norcross, Ga., the teaching staff are counting slavery and beatings.

Question: “Each tree had 56 oranges. If eight slaves pick them equally, then how much would each slave pick?”

Christopher Braxton ws surprised when he read his 8-year-old son’s maths homework:

“It kind of blew me away. Do you see what I see? Do you really see what I see? He’s not answering this question.”

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Posted: 10th, January 2012 | In: Reviews | Comment


Kopimism has been officially recognised as a religion in Sweden

AMID the global crackdown on illegal file sharing, Kopimism has been officially recognised as a religion in Sweden.

Founded by 20-year-old philosophy student, Isak Gerson, the Church of Kopimism sees the copying, spreading and remixing of information as ethical rights. It holds Crtl-V and Ctrl-C as holy symbols, and has around 3,000 followers in 10 countries. And, as it’s a missionary movement, the numbers may well soar. In fact, in the middle of 2011 there were only about 1,000 “Kopimists”.

The Church of Kopmisim has some links to the piracy movement. The Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter reports that it shares a postal address with Ung Pirat, the Pirate Party’s youth wing, which advocates privacy protection, the abolition of patents and equal access to culture and knowledge.

Gerson has been trying to receive official recognition for his church since 2010. His third request was finally accepted before Christmas. The registration of faith communities in Sweden was introduced in conjunction with the separation of church and state in 2000. Any Swede who wants to register a faith community has to submit an application to the Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency. The procedure is not much more complicated than registering a company. You need a set of statutes, a board, a unique and inoffensive name and some form of collective religious services, which could include prayer sessions or meditation meetings. You do not need a God.

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Posted: 9th, January 2012 | In: Key Posts, Reviews | Comment


41 Don’ts for women riding bicycles in 1895 New York

HERE is a list of 41 don’ts for female cyclists as published New York World, 1895. As Brainpickings says, the  author is of unknown gender.

  • Don’t be a fright.
  • Don’t faint on the road.
  • Don’t wear a man’s cap.
  • Don’t wear tight garters.
  • Don’t forget your toolbag
  • Don’t attempt a “century.”
  • Don’t coast. It is dangerous.
  • Don’t boast of your long rides.
  • Don’t criticize people’s “legs.”
  • Don’t wear loud hued leggings.
  • Don’t cultivate a “bicycle face.”
  • Don’t refuse assistance up a hill.
  • Don’t wear clothes that don’t fit.
  • Don’t neglect a “light’s out” cry.
  • Don’t wear jewelry while on a tour.
  • Don’t race. Leave that to the scorchers.
  • Don’t wear laced boots. They are tiresome.
  • Don’t imagine everybody is looking at you.
  • Don’t go to church in your bicycle costume.
  • Don’t wear a garden party hat with bloomers.
  • Don’t contest the right of way with cable cars.
  • Don’t chew gum. Exercise your jaws in private.
  • Don’t wear white kid gloves. Silk is the thing.
  • Don’t ask, “What do you think of my bloomers?”
  • Don’t use bicycle slang. Leave that to the boys.
  • Don’t go out after dark without a male escort.
  • Don’t without a needle, thread and thimble.
  • Don’t try to have every article of your attire “match.”
  • Don’t let your golden hair be hanging down your back.
  • Don’t allow dear little Fido to accompany you
  • Don’t scratch a match on the seat of your bloomers.
  • Don’t discuss bloomers with every man you know.
  • Don’t appear in public until you have learned to ride well.
  • Don’t overdo things. Let cycling be a recreation, not a labor.
  • Don’t ignore the laws of the road because you are a woman.
  • Don’t try to ride in your brother’s clothes “to see how it feels.”
  • Don’t scream if you meet a cow. If she sees you first, she will run.
  • Don’t cultivate everything that is up to date because yon ride a wheel.
  • Don’t emulate your brother’s attitude if he rides parallel with the ground.
  • Don’t undertake a long ride if you are not confident of performing it easily.
  • Don’t appear to be up on “records” and “record smashing.” That is sporty.

Marvellous…

 

Posted: 9th, January 2012 | In: Flashback | Comments (6)


Plymouth wants to ban foreigners from city centre shops

TO Plymouth, where Operation Drake intends to make the city centre safer by limiting the number of foreign students who can enter shops at one time. This will cut down on shoplifting and anti-social behaviour – because what is more pro-social than treating all foreigners like thieves and thugs?

REICH MOVE 1: Foreign students will be required to carry cards on which are printed useful contact numbers, their name country of birth and eye space to arm length ratio. (Papers!)

People who merely look foreign and are heard talking in a language not believed to be English will be asked for their papers and then, upon refusal, eyed with great suspicion.

REICH MOVE 2:  Stickers on shop windows (rumoured to be cheerful yellow stars) will declare how many foriegners are allowed inside at any one time.

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Posted: 9th, January 2012 | In: Reviews | Comment


Leopard scalps man in Guwahati, India (photos)

THE leopard being chased by people in has Guwahati, north-east India, has scalped a rickshaw driver. A witness named Nipu Das says:

“We were shocked to find the leopard inside the house and soon the cat started attacking.”

The leopard as captured and taken to Assam State Zoo.

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Posted: 9th, January 2012 | In: Reviews | Comment


Elvis Presley – happy birthday photos

ELVIS Presley was born on January 8 1935. We’ve got 10 great photos from the life of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll…

elvis-4

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Posted: 9th, January 2012 | In: Flashback | Comment


Erin Langworthy falls 111m into Zambezi River when bungee snaps

ERIN Langworthy fell 111m into the Zambezi River when the cord on her bungee snapped 25m from the water.

Erin Langworthy was on holiday from Australia. On December 31 she thought it a good idea to jump off a platform above the crocodile-infested Zambezi Rive and bounce up and down in a strip of elastic.

Says Erin:

“It felt like I had been slapped all over.”

In the water, the cord became snagged on rocks:

“I actually had to swim down to yank the bungee cord out of what it was caught in… All the water I inhaled meant I couldn’t breathe and I made them [the ‘rescuers’] roll me on to my side and that’s when I started coughing up water and blood.”

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Posted: 9th, January 2012 | In: Reviews | Comment


Stephen Lawrence: A Michael Bunn in the media oven

STEPHEN Lawrence’s murderers Gary Dobson and David Norris could have their sentences lengthened if they fails to tell the police the names of other members of the gang that committed the racist killing. So says the Sunday Mirror. Gary Dobson and David Norris are embarking on 15 years and 14 years sentences, respectively.

The Sunday Times says:

Detectives are reportedly letting them “stew” for a month before attempting to question them in their high-security prison. It’s there that they will be told that their sentences will be extended if they refuse to cooperate with police.

The Sunday Mirror speaks with a “source”:

They will be told that if they don’t admit their guilt and show remorse they’ll serve a lot more time. That would include showing they are sorry for their crime as well as helping police catch the other killers.”

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Posted: 8th, January 2012 | In: Reviews | Comment


Gauchito Gil was Argentina’s Robin Hood (photos)

LEGEND has it that ‘Gauchito Gil’ was an outlaw in the 1800s who stole form the rich and gave to the poor. Legend has it that Gaunchito Gil performed miracles and had a direct line to God, and that he saved the life of his executioner’s son after his own death. Gil, nee Antonio Mamerto Gil Nunez, was executed on Jan. 8, 1878. On the anniversary of his death, tens of thousands of people visit his shrine in Mercedes to leave offerings and ask for favours. In Merry Olde England Robin Hood also stole from the rich and gave to the poor. He got a whole load of TV mini series and is remembered by Hoodies in shopping precincts throughout the land…

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A woman touches a statue of 'Gauchito Gil' inside his sanctuary a day before his death anniversary, near Mercedes, in Argentina's Corrientes state, some 700 kms north of Buenos Aires, Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012. 'Gauchito Gil' is a legendary character in Argentina's popular culture, an 1800s outlaw who became a symbol of bravery, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Born Antonio Mamerto Gil Nunez in the 1840s, was allegedly executed on Jan. 8, 1878. Every year on his death anniversary, more than 100,000 people visit his shrine to leave offerings and ask for favors. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Posted: 8th, January 2012 | In: Reviews | Comment


Cheryl Carter gets ‘even with the sun’: What will Rebekah Brooks’ ‘gatekeeper’ not tell?

CHERLY Carter has been arrested on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice. Cheryl Carter was a former executive assistant to ex-News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks, ex-NoW managing editor Stuart Kuttner, and former NoW deputy editor Neil Wallis. Cheryl Carter worked for Rebekah Brooks for 19 years. She was also – get this – the Sun’s Beauty Editor. All three of Cheryl Carter’s old bosses have been arrested as as part of Operation Weeting, the Met’s inquiry into phone hacking.

Operation Weeting is running alongside Operation Elveden, the investigation into alleged police corruption. Operation Weeting has seen 17 arrests. Operation Elveden has secured 8 arrests. How many serving officer have been arrested on Operation Elveden? One.

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Posted: 8th, January 2012 | In: Key Posts, Reviews | Comment


Joran Van der Sloot murder trial: Before Stephany Flores did he kill Natalee Holloway?

JORAN van der Sloot, a Dutch national, has been living at the San Pedro prison in the Lurigancho area of Lima, Peru. Today, Van der Sloot, 24, goes on trial for the 2010 murder of the 21-year-old Stephany Flores, of Peru, nearly seven years after he became the prime suspect in the unsolved disappearance of an American teenager on holiday in Aruba. Van der Sloot was arrested twice for the murder of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway – but never charged.

America wants their man.

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Posted: 6th, January 2012 | In: Reviews | Comment


Now: Daily Mail and Daily Express ‘Now’ front-page Headlines for 2011

NOW Watch is Anorak’s review of how many time the Daily Express and Daily Mail used the words “NOW” in front-page headlines during 2011. Now… is the verbal sigh of the right-minded. Now is the sound of importent outrage as a reader clacks their marmalade-coated tongue, shakes their head and says, “Now what have they only gone and done?” What Now?

“Now a law for foreign aid” – Mail, Dec 3

“Now love cheat football star sues twitter” – Mail, May 21

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Posted: 6th, January 2012 | In: Reviews | Comment


Daily Express cured cancer 13 times in 2011

NED Morrell has produced a list of all the Daily Express and Sunday Express front-page headlines for 2011.

Madeleine McCann featured on the front page 8 times.

• FAMILY WARN KIDNAPPERS (Apr 1)
• KATE MCCANN FEARS ATTACK (Apr 10)
• MADDIE LINK TO GERMAN CHILD KILLER (May 8)
• MADELEINE IS STILL ALIVE (May 13)
• HOW DARE THEY CALL ME COLD (May 22)
• SHE IS STILL OUT THERE (Jul 29)
• THIRTY BRITISH POLICE IN NEW HUNT (Sep 9)
• POLICE: WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS (Dec 6)

Princess Diana scored four covers.

• DIANA INQUEST SAMPLES SWITCHED (May 10)
• DIANA DEATH FILM COVER-UP (Jul 2)
• DIANA POLICE FACE ARREST (Jul 22)
• DIANA’S SECRET ENGAGEMENT (Aug 17)

House prices rose and soared 12 times.

Scare Stories were plentiful:

  • PAINKILLERS STROKE RISK (Jan 12)
  • SUNTAN LOTION HEALTH DANGER (Feb 3)
  • BREAST CANCER STRIKES ONE IN 8 (Feb 4)
  • NHS FEARS NEW KILLER SUPERBUG (Apr 7)
  • NEW LIGHTBULBS IN CANCER SCARE (Apr 20)
  • BRITAIN’S ON KILLER SMOG ALERT (Apr 22)
  • BRITAIN’S HAYFEVER HELL (May 16)
  • IBUPROFEN IS RISK TO HEALTH (Jul 5)
  • BRITAIN’S DEMENTIA TIMEBOMB (Nov 7)
  • HOW THE NHS ABUSES OAPS (Nov 9)
  • DEMENTIA CARE SHAMES BRITAIN (Dec 16)

Foreigners were out to get us:

  • ONE IN 7 ASYLUM SEEKERS ON RUN (Jan 11)
  • 2 OUT OF 3 NEW JOBS GIVEN TO MIGRANTS (Jan 20)
  • ONE MIGRANT A MINUTE LANDS IN BRITAIN (Feb 22)
  • £250 A WEEK FOR EVERY MIGRANT (Mar 4)
  • MIGRANTS FLOOD BACK TO BRITAIN (Apr 25)
  • BRITAIN’S 40% SURGE IN ETHNIC NUMBERS (May 19)
  • MIGRANT WORKERS FLOODING BRITAIN (May 27)
  • BRITAIN OPENS DOOR TO ASYLUM SEEKERS (Jun 2)
  • ASYLUM GRAVY TRAIN (Jun 5)
  • EU MIGRANTS TO GET BRITISH PENSIONS (Jul 13)
  • BRITAIN MUST BAN MIGRANTS (Jul 19)
  • MIGRANTS ROB YOUNG BRITONS OF JOBS (Aug 18)
  • IMMIGRATION SOARS 20% IN A YEAR (Aug 26)
  • WORKERS ARE FIRED FOR BEING BRITISH (Oct 14)
  • MIGRANTS GRAB 12,000 JOBS IN A MONTH (Nov 17)
  • MIGRANTS IN COSMETIC OPS SCAM (Nov 20)
  • ASYLUM SEEKERS CAN STAY (Dec 22)

And we had one White Christmas and 13 cures for cancer.

 

 

Posted: 6th, January 2012 | In: Reviews | Comment


Stephen Lawrence: How Paul Dacre’s chance meeting with Neville Lawrence helped justice

IT’S Day 3 of the Daily Mail’s post-verdict reporting on the murder of Stephen Lawrence by David Norris and Gary Dobson. The Mail deserves credit for its fantastic headline which labelled five men “MURDERERS” – including the convicted Dobson and Norris. It was brave and exciting journalism. Mail editor Paul Dacre’s tale of what went on in the newsroom is a great read. The Daily Mail is understandably pleased with itself.

So far the paper has led with:

January 4 front page: “MURDERERS! – 15 years ago, the Mail took the momentous decision to accuse five racist thugs of murder, Yesterday, as Stephen Lawrence finally got justice, we were proved right about two of them. Now what about the other three…”

The story runs for 21 pages.

Jan 5 front page: “NO PLACE TO HIDE – Judge jails two of Stephen’s ‘evil’ killers then tells police to hunt down thre ‘three or four’ others still at large’.

“EXCLUSIVE: Doreen Lawrence opens her heart and cherished family photos album”

7 pages.

Jan 6 front page: “EXCLUSIVE: How Stephen’s murder destroyed my marriage”

Over three pages, Stephen Lawrence’s father, Neville Lawrence, shows more photos of his son and tells his own life story.

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Posted: 6th, January 2012 | In: Key Posts, Reviews | Comment (1)


Does Noel Edmonds cause your heating to fail?

WERE you one of the residents of Kingsclere on the Hampshire-Berkshire border whose digital technology failed over Christmas?

The Basingstoke Gazette says the Smith family were “baffled when their heating, shower, doorbell and even their car’s remote-control door locks refused to work“.

A spokesman for Ofcom explained:

“Often these problems can be caused by a video sender that transmits a television signal to other sets in the house. They are not the source of all the problems but in a lot of cases interference is tracked down to those devices.”

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Posted: 6th, January 2012 | In: Reviews | Comment


Sleazy cartoons of the 1950s and 1960s

REMEMBER those cartoons of the 1950s and 1960s that depicted the darker-side of misogyny and sex with light touch and dash of sleazy humour?

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Posted: 6th, January 2012 | In: Flashback | Comment