Television will never do what a newspaper can

Proof is finally here that the word is well and truly mightier than the sword. Boing Boing has a piece on the Milwall Brick, an improvised weapon made out of—yes!—an ordinary newspaper.

Developed as a “stealth weapon” by football hooligans in the 1960s and ’70s who found the police confiscating everything they brought to a ground, the Brick is made of sheet of a newspaper (preferably broadsheet!), which are rolled and folded to create a handle and a rounded end at the fold.

Say what you will, television will be able to do many things, but it can’t be folded into a weapon?

Read the full article here: How to make a weapon out of a newspaper

Picture courtesy: Boing Boing

MUST WATCH: Michael Moore takes on CNN

When CNN called Michael Moore to speak on Sicko, it probably expected him to sneak in a nice plug for his film on the American healthcare mess. Instead, what Situation Room host Wolf Blitzer and CNN’s chief medical correspondent, Dr Sanjay Gupta got was a blitzkrieg.

Before giving Moore a chance to talk on Sicko, CNN prefaces it with its usual “on the one hand, on the other” balancing piece (by Gupta) in which the doctor of Indian origin tries to debunk some of Moore’s conclusions, and suggests that Moore may have “fudged” some of his facts.

That results in a torrent of questions and criticism from Moore on how the mainstream media does not ask the tough questions it should and then, when somebody does it, stands up to puncture the effort.

“Just apologize to the American people and to the families of the troops for not doing your job four years ago. We wouldn’t be in this war if you had done your job. Come on. Just admit it. Just apologize to the American people.”

Also read: Sicko truth squad sets CNN straight

In a tiny Indian State, publishers dream big

Formed in 2000, Uttarakhand is India’s 27th State. With just under 8.5 million people within its borders, its stands 19th on the population ladder. Yet, according to a story in today’s Deccan Herald, the tiny State has seen an astounding number of publications take birth.

A total of 523 newspapers, weeklies, and magazines received advertisements from the State Government this year, up from 463 the previous year, which was up from 351 the year before that.

At 523 publications, there is a publication in Uttarakhand for every 16,000 residents. Even given its 72 per cent literacy rate, that’s a bit too revealing a number of the real intention behind the number of publications opening shop: to bilk the State.

Read the full story: Media on the bull run in Uttarakhand