BS: I've lost my rag!

Subject: BS: I've lost my rag!
From: Paul Burke
Date: 10 Oct 05 - 07:36 AM

After more than 25 years, I've asked the newsagent to stop delivering the Guardian. It's not the change of size or design that bothers me, but the paper now has so little news in it that it's not worth taking. I'll miss the crossword and Sue will miss the Sod You Too or whatever they call it, but I'm not shelling out 60p a day just for that.

The tone of the little that's left in the paper has also become noticeably more rightwing since the revamp. I suspect it's been hijacked by media studies types and business consultants.

So henceforth I will have to make do with the radio, and Private Eye once a fortnight..

Subject: RE: BS: I've lost my rag!
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 10 Oct 05 - 07:49 AM

I cancelled PE many many years ago on the basis of what I regarded at the time as one poor taste front page. I still have about 40 consecutive copies from the 60s or thereabouts though, that I kept.
Incidentally I see it's still going in spite of my cancellation, funny thing that!!
Giok ☺

Subject: RE: BS: I've lost my rag!
From: GUEST,ELFCALL
Date: 10 Oct 05 - 08:39 AM

Hi Paul

I know what you mean about the Guardian plus the new size meant it was difficult to fold the paper into quarters and have the crossword neatly in one quarter - plus you had to open the back cover to do it.

if you are online pay a subscription for the crossword and get access to the daily crosswords, quiptic, special crosswords, everyman from the observer etc.

Elfcall

Subject: RE: BS: I've lost my rag!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Oct 05 - 08:52 AM

Whew! That's a relief! I thought someone had gone menopausal! ;-)

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: I've lost my rag!
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 10 Oct 05 - 09:06 AM

I too have stopped buying newspapers. I stopped buying more than the Sunday paper once it became obvious that buying the 'jobs vacant' special editions was a waste of money, and just got tired of the TV guide (I only kept buying it for that and the comics) always being wrong. Of course, the TV stations would always run over time, and swap movies at the last minute etc. I got tired of that and stopped it.

I tried the 'entertainment special' version on thursday (only $1) but it was just as bad in terms of accuracy. about this time I was rung up by the newspaper trying to sell me a week for %5 (a saving overall) delivered, so I told them why I wouldn't buy any day's paper any more, but I don;t think they were interested in listening.

We get a free 'community newspaper' thrown over the fence evey week which has a partial TV guide with only the titles of the shows. It also misses out the 'community TV' station - which I must stir them up abut! as well as the new digital stations, but at least I am not wasting $1.70 a week (it used to be only $1.50) any more.

As far as 'News' goes, well we have a monopoly in Brisbane - only one paper which is always pushing the Right line, and often is pretty lousy as far as journalistic standards go anyway, so I don;t miss it any more. I can use the free ones to do 'no dig' gardening anyway.

Subject: RE: BS: I've lost my rag!
From: Amos
Date: 10 Oct 05 - 09:06 AM

I thought mebbe Martin Gibson had had an epiphany and stopped bitching.

Amazing the gap between English, innit?


A

Subject: RE: BS: I've lost my rag!
From: Greyeyes
Date: 10 Oct 05 - 02:10 PM

Can't remember when I last bought a paper, I read the columns/articles that particularly interest me on the free online versions, if they charge, I don't read. Mostly skim the online Observer on Monday mornings, especially for the Nigel Slater column.
Guardian/Observer website is one of the better UK ones. Course you don't get pictures, but I can live with that.

Subject: RE: BS: I've lost my rag!
From: Allan C.
Date: 10 Oct 05 - 02:28 PM

I realized long ago that to make best use of a newspaper subscription one needs to have a fireplace.

Subject: RE: BS: I've lost my rag!
From: katlaughing
Date: 10 Oct 05 - 02:30 PM

or a birdcage, Allan:-)

Subject: RE: BS: I've lost my rag!
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 10 Oct 05 - 02:44 PM

Don't the birds get confused when they see us reading the carpet?

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: I've lost my rag!
From: Elmer Fudd
Date: 10 Oct 05 - 02:47 PM

I assume you do not have a catbox or a birdcage that need lining, you aren't in the habit of spray-painting stuff, and your recycling bin is a lot lighter these days. Ah, the simple life. Congratulations.

Elmer

Subject: RE: BS: I've lost my rag!
From: Peace
Date: 10 Oct 05 - 03:25 PM

"Whew! That's a relief! I thought someone had gone menopausal! ;-)"

Great minds . . . .

Subject: RE: BS: I've lost my rag!
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 10 Oct 05 - 06:29 PM

... or fools never differ...

Subject: RE: BS: I've lost my rag!
From: Rapparee
Date: 10 Oct 05 - 06:54 PM

I get the local paper. Every day I look at it to see if there is something in it about the library. Then I give it to my wife.

Our local paper puts local news on the front page -- most national or even international news goes well inside. The theory is that you can get the big breaking stories from TV, but only the paper can give you much depth on local things.

Oh, the earthquake in Pakistan or the hurricanes make the front page, but so does the news from the local people serving in Iraq (other Iraq news could well be on page 12).

It works for us. And no, I do NOT want to subscribe to the NY Times at home! (We get it at work, along with the Washington Post, the LA Times, and others.)

Subject: RE: BS: I've lost my rag!
From: open mike
Date: 10 Oct 05 - 07:39 PM

Robin... as i have 2 mail boxes, one beside the road, and one in the
local post office sub-station, I receive double the amount of advert
flyers...and although i do have a woodstove, i would like to know more
about: "I can use the free ones to do 'no dig' gardening anyway."

what style of gardening is this?
Is it a problem if you use papers
with colored ink or glossy paper?

My canaries are well-informed
about current affairs. Paper
also works well to wrap some
produce to be stored such as
apples, pumpkins, to cushion
them.

ever made home made paper?
tear paper in strips and soak in water.
put in blender and make a pulp
then scoop into the slurry
with screen on frames and
dry in between squares of
felt or wool blanket.

Subject: RE: BS: I've lost my rag!
From: Hrothgar
Date: 11 Oct 05 - 05:51 AM

Coated papers will break down into mulch, too, but not as quickly as the uncoateds. It's the chalk, kaolin, and other stuff in the coating that preserves them. Really soft papers like newspaper break down more quickly.

Subject: RE: BS: I've lost my rag!
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 11 Oct 05 - 08:29 AM

I must be the only person in the world to get a letter from the local Council telling me that they had received a complaint about piles of newspaper and grass clippings in my yard and to clean them up. It took me quite some time to realise that my nutty neighbour had complained about my 'no-dig' gardening beds# (which she had told me that she didn't want me to plant things there next to the fence!) and that some idiot in the Council had actually written the letter without anybody bothering to visit the premises!


I'm not making this up you know - I'm not that creative!

# no dig garden beds - place newspapers on ground to exclude light and smother weeds - place 3-4 inches of mulch, grass clippings etc on top, water well.

Subject: RE: BS: I've lost my rag!
From: JennyO
Date: 11 Oct 05 - 10:53 AM

Robin, every time I hear about your nutty neighbour, I am reminded of the awful neighbours I put up with some years ago. They called the council several times about ridiculous things, as well as the police and the fire brigade once. They also poisoned all the plants near our adjoining fence, including a lovely wattle only a couple of years old. So anything you say about this woman, I for one believe you. I've been there!

Actually it's funny the subject of a no-dig garden came up now - I was reading the thread and thinking about what I use newspapers for. Just before I read the last few posts I was thinking I would post about the no-dig garden I'm about to make for my beans, . This is the recipe I'm going to use Step-by-Step No Dig

Trouble is, I hardly ever buy papers, so I've had to beg, borrow or steal from friends to get some. As well as making the no-dig garden, you can make a very effective mulch on existing gardens by putting down several layers of newspaper around the plants, straight over the top of the weeds you want to kill, watering the layers well, then covering with a good thickness of something like sugar cane mulch. The weeds are starved of light and they die. A few stragglers might get through if you have accidentally left gaps, but there is very little weeding to be done from then on, and you save on water because the plants are kept moist much longer after watering. Snails don't like the sugar cane mulch either, so it puts them off as well. I've been working my way round the garden, and my goal is for all my garden beds to end up like this.

Yes, I like newspapers - in their right place!