Todays news in a nutshell

Hundreds of people protest outside the U.S embassy in Cairo because of a video that is insulting the profit Mohammed. They shouted "Death to America" among other chants.

Below is a video of CNN's coverage of the on goings. The reporter chooses to describe the protesters as "Definitely an Islamic looking crowd"  and highlights that a few men are wearing Islamic looking clothing. This is an interesting spin to put on the story, considering the connotations that Islam holds in regards to 9/11. This use of language hopes to influence the viewers thought process and overshadow any other reasons for anti-American protest.

Notice:
"A video that THEY SAY is insulting their profit"(Spoken very quickly)
This quick statement is overlooked in the broadcast, although in another, perhaps fairer report could be the main focus of the story.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtfwzFZMpZE

Todays news in a nutshell

On to entertainment. The voice gains higher viewing figures than X factor, although X factor is more talked about on twitter, soley because of the popular youtube video where a rejected contestant tells a pop star named Demi Lavota  that she uses auto-tune and he doesn't.The link to the video is below...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7nezecQklI

Todays news in a nutshell

The IPhone 5:

Despite many thinking the release of the Iphone 5 may have resulted in the dawn of a new age in technology, Apple lunatics were left disappointed. Other than a taller screen, a lighter body and a faster camera, the IPhone 5 presents nothing that the Samsung Galaxy S3 or the new HTC has. 

Today's news in a nutshell

The 13th September 2012 may not go down in history as the heaviest news day ever but here are today's top stories:

Hillsborough disator:

For those who don't know, 23 years ago at a Liverpool vs Nottingham forest FA cup final, 96 people died in a "human crush" which occurred at Sheffield Wednesdays' football ground in the Hillsborough area of Sheffield. This was, and still is, the deadliest football tragedy in history.

This month it has been acknowledged that no Liverpool fans were at fault as to the cause of the disaster. Although this has been highlighted in the media, it has not been the headline story.

The main focus has been placed on the way in which the government of 2012 have responded to this development. David Cameron issued a frank and full apology. Many people, including the families of the victims have responded as being unsatisfied by the "apology" of the PM, who they feel has no relevance in the case.

A mother of one of the victims said "I feel as though a weight has been lifted from my shoulders."

Perhaps Murdock's' media, who were, as always, looking for a dramatic spin which would help sell papers were left disappointed by the fact that the families of the victims were actually satisfied by the released documents, which gave them a form of closure.

An ex-member of the Westboro baptist church speaks out on the internet

The Westboro baptist church is infamous worldwide for its preaching of hate. Several documentaries have been made about the church who often stand outside the funerals of soldiers proclaiming that "God hates Fags" and other absurd messages of hate. 


On the internet forum site Reddit, Nate Phelps, who is the sixth of church leader Fred Phelps' 13 children, offered to answer questions about his upbringing as a member of this extreme and controversial branch of Christianity. 


Nate, who left the church on his 18th birthday and is now an atheist describes his feeling towards his father "I think my father is a hateful person first. The religious beliefs gave him a forum and permission to be cruel to the world." The post was made just eight hours ago but has already spawned some 3606 comments.


Louis Theroux has filmed two documentaries about the Westboro baptist church. Theroux is often criticized for aggravating and exaggerating his subjects but Nate describes the documentaries "I've seen both of them. You get a pretty accurate idea of who they are, especially my old man." 


For an insight into what makes the Westboro Baptist church such a controversial subject, below are several videos that will inform you of their practices. Watch Louis Theroux documentary about the Westboro Baptist Church below. 

The Most Hated Family In America (Part One)

The Most Hated Family In America (Part Two)

Part Three

                                      

Ubisoft release plans to have Tom Clancy's Splintercell feature on the big screen

There is already a series of novels and several comic books based on Tom Clancy's Splintercell, but soon fans will be able to head to the big screen for their fix of Splintercell. The game rose to fame in the Playstation One days and is endorsed by Tom Clancy, it has developed a strong following since then.

Ubisoft, the company behind the games say that the stealthy and tactical game would adapt well to being a Hollywood blockbuster. However, some fans are sceptical and feel that a blockbuster, if not produced correctly could potentially cheapen the overall feel of the franchise and alienate the fan base.

This news comes shortly after Sony announced that they were developing a film based on Assasins Creed. Warner Bros and Paramount pictures are in dispute as to who gains the rights to produce a Splintercell movie although rumours indicate that Paramount will be victorious in the bid.

Microsoft to release tablet that could rival the Ipad

Microsoft are set to release a tablet next week that experts say could potentially rival the Ipad series from Apple. Tablets became a popular piece of equipment following Apples Ipad. This will be the first tablet that Microsoft have released since their rise to popularity. There are several expectations from technology fans, some expect it to crash and burn whilst others expect the Microsoft tablet to be excellent and rival the Ipad. Stay tuned for a full review of the tablet and its commercial success on this site when it is released.

Brookes support of PM Cameron is exposed

Text messages sent to David Camerom from Rebekka Brookes have been revealed as part of the evidense againsy Brookes.

The text messages described a close personal and more importantly professional relationship. If you read my post about spotting bullshit in the news this is a testemant to the power and influence that journalists have in politics.

A specific quote that has been quoted frequently is "We are in this together." This sentance sounds awfully sinister given the circumstances. The Sun and The News of the World famously switched allegiance from Labour to Conservative in 2010.

It also seems ironic that an investigation sparked by phone hacking would look at the phones of the defendants to gain information.

Scientist calls for the legalization of pure ecstasy (MDMA)

Another story that has developed today, although it will probably not feature in any of the national newspapers, is that scientists researching the effects and health implications of pure ecstasy,(also know as MDMA)have concluded that MDMA could be legalized along with an age restriction much like the way that alcohol is distributed. This has proven to be a controversial statement, in no small part due to the fact that their are hundreds of deaths worldwide as a result of taking the drug.

Officials warn that street sold MDMA holds several dangers

Dr. John Halpern, a Harvard Medical School assistant professor who has been studying the drug for 15 years said “it appears . . . it can be safely administered, certainly through research,” 

He hopes that in the next few years Canada will be able to structure a “sensible” MDMA strategy.

Rick Doblin, a scientist from Vancouver said of the drug "There are problems with criminalization, there are problems with legalization,” he said. “But the problems with criminalization are worse.”[SIC]


Officials from the University of Vancouver say that the health risks lay not in the pure ecstasy but in the batches of the substance which are cooked up by street gangs and drug dealers to be sold on the street. They added that taking pure ecstasy is safe in a controlled environment and the complications that come from street made MDMA are the biggest danger involved in the taking of the drug.

Movie News: Hollywood to make two movies about the life of Steve Jobs

Young Steve Jobs will be played by Hollywood A-lister Ashton Kutcher

Less than a year after Steve Jobs lost his battle with cancer, two biographical films are set to be made in Hollywood. The first which will be named "jOBS" will star Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs and will focus on his early life ranging from 1971-2000. Filming of this movie has begun at Steve Jobs childhood home today.

As well as this, Aaron Sorkin who wrote blockbuster hit "The Social Network" is also writing a screenplay based on the life of Steve jobs. The actor who will play Jobs has not been chosen yet, although rumors include the likes of George Clooney and Noah Wyle. The film will be based on Jobs' autobiography and will cover his whole life including his struggle with cancer.

Sports news: Harry Redknapp has been sacked as Spurs manager

Harry Redknapp was fired as Spurs manager last night. There is a lot of speculation over what happened including a story saying Redknapp was initially going to be kept on but after a heated argument with Daniel Levy was shown the door.

Redknapp is clearly upset by his departure, which comes shortly after he expressed that  he "would leave Spurs if offered the England job." He has also said that he is "hungry to manage a new team."

A ten year old Swedish girl receives vein made from stem cells

Several groups oppose the advancement of Stem Cell research

Stem cell research is a controversial issue and the center of a huge worldwide news story today. Apparently scientists in Sweden were able to help a girl by create a new vein for her.


Scientists took a vein from a dead man, washed off the cells through a process called "decellularisation" and then used the stem cells to produce a vein that matched the patients tissue. 


Stem Cell research has seen several breakthroughs recently and last year a wind pipe was created from stem cells which helped save a mans life. However, the moral issues surrounding Stem Cell research mean that advances are not as progressive as some scientists feel they should be. 

An early Beatles poster sells for £27,500

The poster which was used to promote an early Beatles gig at the Cavern club

This is the poster which was sold this week for £27,500. Posters from this period of the Beatles history are extremely rare and the poster, advertising an afternoon Cavern club gig, is a unique item. Christies, the London auction house that hosted the sale of the item said that it was the oldest Beatles poster they had ever had through their doors.

Beatles memorabilia is highly sought after by collectors and the rarer the item, the bigger the price tag. Last month a photograph of the Beatles walking backwards across Abbey Road sold for £18,000, whilst last year a hand written flyer auditioning for a new drummer sold for £35,000.

Muse announce name of upcoming album and release tickets for October dates.

Muse fans everywhere will be pleased to hear that tickets for six arena dates in October go on sale today. The band will be playing in Glasgow, London and Birmingham and tickets cost £55 each tickets and are available  here
Click here to buy tickets
Get yours quickly as the dates are expected to sell out quickly.

The band have also released the name of their upcoming album which will be entitled "The 2nd Law." Below is the trailer for the highly anticipated album.

Music News: Ian Brown calls Reni a c**t

At the Stone Roses Amsterdam show on 12th June, Ian Brown returned to the stage after finishing the set to announce that Reni (The drummer) had gone home. He then went on to call him a cunt. 

Watch footage from the gig above. It has now been confirmed that all planned shows will go ahead so fans need not worry about the rift effecting them too much. Sources have said that Reni became frustrated as there was a problem with the drum kit that he was using. 

What do you know, Rock n Roll aint dead yet.

Funny Picture of the day

Here is a picture of a squirrel trapped in a bird feeder. Just because I know you people love shit like this.

LOL

Racist rant on American game show

Earlier this year a video of a woman bursting into a racist rant on a English bus was posted on youtube and was viewed by millions of people, it was watched by so many that it even made it into the house of parliament. It seems as though a video of a similar nature is emerging on to the viral scene.

Above is the video that has caused an uproar and has recently gained hundreds of thousands of hits. It shows a Polynesia man calmly going on a racist rant saying that he "Does not like black people". The shock from the other contestants and even the host is explosive. It is from an America game show which aired several years ago called "Without Prejudice" but is only recently gaining viral status.

"Some things are better left unsaid."

Spotting bullshit in the news. Lesson #1

Journalists have made a pretty unsavoury name for themselves recently. These are some of the most influential people in the world so I thought I would give you a quick lesson in how they plant images and build stories through an exaggerated and carefully scripted narrative. Just one word in the wrong place can give a story a totally different feel. To avoid being influenced you need to be able to spot when they are doing it.


You can do this with almost any article on any tabloid newspaper in the country and dare I say the world. You can spot when a journalist has exaggerated or emphasised a certain aspect of the story to make it a more attractive read or in the most sinister cases control how you think or feel about a certain event, organisation or person.

In some cases they will use alternative words which may still describe a situation but altogether give the story a whole different feel, let me show you an example of how this works.


Let’s say that a footballer had been caught cheating on his wife with a 19 year old woman, "(Footballer) was caught having sex with a teenager by his wife of seven years." This is purely stating facts so there can be no conflict over the truth behind the story, although when written in plain english, the way that a news story should be, it sounds totally different. "Footballer cheated on his wife."


You may not realise the influence words like "Teenager" and"wife of seven years" have on the overall tone of the story and the way that you think of the people involved. The journalist establishes the footballer as a villain, and after all, a good story needs a villain and of course once you have established someone as a villian you can say and do what you fucking well please with them.


In the simplest terms possible it is bullshit, the picture that is being painted of this incident has been exaggerated almost to the point of fiction. It aims to get an emotional response from the reader rather than inform you of the facts. Certainly most newspapers are not going to outright lie to you but you need to be careful when forming an opinion about someone based on what they have written.

You may also think that footballers are pretty harmless villains, but when tricks like this are used when writing about politians or influencial organisations then it can directly influence someone into a certain way of thinking and in this day and age we need to have the freedom to make our own choices, otherwise we may aswel be sheep.


Beware, they could make the nicest man in the world seem on the same level as Joseph Fritzle by simply placing the right word in the right place.

Warner Bros set up shop just outside London

After the success of The Harry Potter saga, Hollywood has taken more interest in British films. So much so that they have invested £106 million in a new studio which is just outside London. The studio spans 200 acres and is one and a half times the size of the LA studio.

Apple shun Google with the release of the IOS.6

Google Maps view of Apple stores worldwide

Apple and Google are two of the biggest companies in the world both in terms of revenue and audience.

Apple used Google maps in their Iphone 4 and 4s which are used by over 100 million people worldwide. On Monday Apple IOS 6 was announced. They stated that the affiliation with Google maps, will end with its release as they are developing a new mapping system with Tom-tom.

This has stirred debate over what it will mean for both companies.

Experts have said that Apple should benefit from having their own mapping system whilst Google may be affected negatively as they will lose a huge chunk of the Google maps audience.

Are we going to live in an Apple shaped world soon?

Protest in Russia against Vladimir Putin



Opposition to Vladimir Putin is growing in Russia

 One of the biggest stories of the day is that thousands of people have taken to the streets of Moscow in protest against Vladimir Putin and his government.

Many people in Russia feel that the police and the government lie to them on a regular basis and that Putins instatement as prime minister was the result of a rigged election.

Several leading activists houses were raided by Russian police only yesterday which has turned out to be a contributing factor to the support of the movement. Protestors were heard shouting "Putin is a thief" and "Russia will be free."

The church of England oppose gay marriage

This story revolves around the ever controversial matter of gay marriage equality. The church of England have expressed that the plans to insert gay marriage into British law undermines their status as the state religion. The overall feel from the Church of England side is that if the state and the church disagree on such an important matter then it could mean the beginning of the end for a state religion.

Many journalists have focused on the idea that the church is homophobic in its stance, and use quotes from gay rights campaigners to put emphasis on this. This alone is a questionable point as eight years ago the church of England supported the legalization of civil unions. It appears that they are more worried about what it would do to the relationship between state and religion than the actual issue itself.

It poses the question, is society finally outgrowing the need for a state religion?

The details of the Olympic opening ceremony have been released

Paul McCartney relaxes in field as he prepares for the opening ceremony

There will be real grass, an oak tree, and on top of this a shit load of farm yard animals will be involved. Sheep, cows, and Paul McCartney will be floating around a huge meadow in the middle of the Olympic stadium, which will play host to 80,000 people on 27th June. Danny Boyle, the guy in charge and also the guy who directed Trainspotting says that he wants it to be like "a little bit of everyone's dreams." I don't know what this means but it looks like it will be an awesome show.

One more word on Paul McCartney who is apparently closing the show. Every person in the country has seen him doing the same shit over and over again, frankly, and I appreciate he was a Beatle, I think he's a bit of a douche bag and I think a lot of people secretly agree with me. Lets have something more exciting than a man who is hanging on to the past whilst releasing sub standard singles with pretentious music videos of celebrities unexplicably doing sign language. And on top of this no one knew who the fuck he was at the Grammy awards because he is nothing like he was when he was in the Beatles. While we're at it why don't we dig up Freddy Mercury to play along side him.

Oh and by the way the three hour long show costs 27 million pounds, if your interested that is.

A new site is born

Are you tired of bullshitting Journalists trying to put a newspaper selling spin on every mundane story that makes it on to their pages. Welcome to Concise News, where we have no time for bullshit. This is a place where you can get all the latest headlines both internationally and nationally quickly and concisely. There is absolutely no need to wade through endless jargon to understand what is going on, it just wastes yours and our time.

All our stories are under 200 words so they are quick reading for those of you that have limited time but want to catch up on the latest world news and interest stories whilst on the go.

Enjoy,

Declan Connolly
(Editor)