It is incredible to ride the tube and have time to read a daily edition, particularly on Monday or Saturdays. The thinking man's London newspaper has found further progressive editorial ground since a design transition to a new Berliner format.
Think about the stories in today's paper:
- The bright side of America. Stardust lands: "We feel like parents awaiting the return of a child who left us young and innocent, who now returns holding answers to the most profound questions of our solar system." Launched in 1999 the Nasa capsule took five years to reach to the comet Wild II which orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter. The space dust picked up by flying within 150 miles of the comet could hold the secret to the demise of Dinosaurs on earth if iridium is found.
- The dark side of America. 10,000 people protested at the murder of at least 18 people on the Pakistan/Afghanistan border by an unmanned CIA drone. An Iraqi International MA student of mine at City University comments: "They know better than anyone in the world how to make enemies." How about you? Just think about missiles on your home and community. "There is nothing left. Pieces of the missile are scattered all around. The impact of the explosions has been huge. Everything has been blackened in a 100-meter radius."
- Want some bulletproof Armani?
- The rigorous review of academic publishing is under further threat. Norwegian cancer scientist Jon Sudboe is exposed as a fake by falsifying every patient in his study of orla cancer. 250 of Dr Subdoe's sample of 908 people had the same birthday.
- In Brazil 4,000 slaves were freed last year by the government from 183 farms who mine unemployed workers in impoverished rural communities: "The first impoverishment is that of the soul. Often a worker will have the false sense that he is in the wrong if he flees."
- Prehistoric remains found in northern Spain indicate that neanderthal man mastered some primitive techniques for crossing the sea into Europe from Africa. Small islands may have existed in Strait of Gibaltar making the journey much less than the eight miles of today.
- Over 3,000 child soldiers in Burundi have been demobalized but have little to do and are seeking reintegration with guerilla armies.
- While the 24-hour news giants fight for a relatively small number of viewers they are overlooking the biggest threat to their existence: on-demand broadband multimedia."Rolling news is no longer the future. In 2004 the average broadband household spent 16 hours a week online. As anyone who uses any half-decent news platform on the web understands, the internet is faster, delivers instant depth and unrivalled interactivity. Rolling news - and here I mean the concept of a separate channel and its traditional front-end studio format - is the genre of television least suited to survive the transition to the digital age." (annoying registration requirement at mediguardian.co.uk makes it impossible to link to this story)
- "Thierry Henry was in his element, helping himself to a hat-trick of opportunities Middlesborough laid on for him and reveling in the chance to prove his stated commitment to Arsenal on the pitch."
