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Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp is now dipping its toes into the paywall regional newsaper market with a test on the Cape Cod Times.

Now, LSW knows the CCT well – riveting copy about the latest fishing gains on the Cape, the exploits of the Hyannis councillors and the latest knitting patterns for the good ladies of the Cape. And, let’s not forget nostalgic reviews of the acts playing at the Melody Tent in Chatham.

Will people pay for this?

Time will tell!

A Broadsheet (The Age) has a different take on life compared to a Tabloid (Herald Sun)

1. www.flyertalk.com – (website) Online for more than eleven years, this is our top go-to site for all things related to frequent flyers–as they say themselves “all miles, all the time.” Visit flyertalk for the engaging and topical frequent flyer forums. Stay for the latest scoops on major (and minor) airline mileage programs. Follow them @FlyerTalk.
2. www.upgradetravelbetter.com – (blog) Mark Ashley is based out of North Carolina and created this topical and well-crafted site over four years ago. A business and pleasure travel enthusiast, his first-hand accounts on getting first-class deals and dedication to ALWAYS flying cheap make him a blogger after our own frugal heart. Join his more than 2000 followers @upgradetravel.
3. www.webflyer.com – (website) Created and maintained by frequent flyer afficionado Randy Petersen webflyer is a comprehensive site for frequent flyer resources. We especially love the mileage mall that helps track all the mileage-earning deals at your favorite frequent flyer online shopping malls.

FareCompare.com is a great website for price comparisons on air travel (predominantly) and hotels. They publish from time to time, some smart hints and tips for trvellers.

Once you’ve spent all your air miles – usually earned on company business – it’s time to become a little promiscuous and fly where the prices are really low.

Here’s some tips from FareCompare:

1. Fly the Cheapest Days of the Week: The cheapest days to fly – to book your departures and/or arrivals – are Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday.

2. Fly Low-Cost Airlines – Sometimes: The EasyJets of the world are superb – but calaculate the additional baggage fees carefully.

3. Purchase Airfare on Tuesdays: You will tend to find cheaper airfares on Tuesday than any other day. This is because of a fairly recent phenomenon: the launch of airfare sales on Monday nights.

4. Don’t Pay Bag Fees (unless you really have to): Surely you can find something better to do with your money, right? Relatives – the days are gone where we can hum all your additional baggage!

6. Fly the Big Hubs – Usually: Not always, but often flying in and out of a large airport will save you money.

7. Use Airfare Alerts: Save time and money. FareCompare offer email alets when prices drop.

8. Fly Out of Season:  The obvious. Avoid school and public holidays.

9. Avoid Other Airline Fees: This one’s easy to do. Skip the food, pre-boarding, phone reservations, and, importanlt, don’t change your flights.

10. Save Time at Security: Know the Airport Security rules for passing the lines quickly.

And remember, starting Nov. 1, 2010 – your airline must have your “Secure Flight” information, and most want to have that info in their reservation systems a few days before your departure: your full name as shown on your government ID, your date of birth, and your gender.
[tips source: www.flycompare.com]

Steeped in Blood

The Life and Times of a Forensic Scientist By Dr David Klatzow – as told to Sylvia Walker

‘To thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.’
- William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act I, scene iii, lines 78-80

  

 

 

 

Legendary forensic scientist Dr David Klatzow bookmarks his new book Steeped in Blood with this quote from Hamlet. Klatzow has spent his life searching for the truth – often at a risk to his own life and to his own reputation.

Written without descending into a legal tome of dull prose, Klatzow and his fellow scribe, Sylvia Walker, take the reader through a fascinating dissertation on many of the landmark forensic investigations with which he has been involved.

Klatzow takes the reader through several high profile cases and, probably, the one which has the most appeal beyond the legal fraternity is the South African Helderberg 747 crash in 1987. Drawing on evidence and with some quite exceptional forensic work, he uncovers the massive cover up by the apartheid Government. It makes for absorbing reading.

No stone is unturned in the quest for the truth and insights on such other high-profile cases such as the Kebble affair, numerous apartheid atrocities and, more recently, the van der Vyver case keep the reader turning page after page.

The author relates numerous examples of how conflicts of fact had to be resolved during the cases that he was involved in and that in most of them, his opinions were accepted by the judges presiding. Klatzow’s command of the English language is well known and he uses this skill throughout the book and in describing his numerous court appearances.

In his foreword, Advocate George Bizos SC of the Legal Resources Centre and noted defence lawyer states, “No trial lawyer, senior investigating officer or potential expert witness can afford to ignore this book.”

To this we should add, anyone who believes in the truth.

Steeped in Blood, is published by Struik and can be purchased for ZAR220-00 at leading bookshops in South Africa or directly from the author at david.klatzow@mweb.co.za. A digital version is available from the same email.

Many aficionados held their breath when Seth Rotherham announced that the most popular ‘blog’ in South Africa – www.2oceansvibe.com – was becoming a ‘credible news source’ and enlisting other writers.

No worries. Here’s the latest rankings:

Did we hear a ‘phew’ from Seth?

Don’t forget to upload the new App – 2Ov.fm for your iphone or blackberry!

Blackberry follows where Apple leads. Interesting stat from the USA is that iPads now make up 50% of all PC and laptop sales!

Whose next?

American architects Choi+Shine won an award from the Boston Society of Architects for this different approach to electricity transmission towers that they designed for Iceland’s power authority.

Maybe other countries can follow suit?

The UK and Ireland are the worst places to live in Europe – while France is the best, says a new study. Brits have fewer holidays and pay more for goods than almost all other similar countries. Food and diesel prices are the highest and booze and fags cost above average.

In the hard facts league … only Ireland ranks below UK UK spending on health and education has plummeted and now ranks alongside Poland, the Quality of Life Index showed.

Brits get the third fewest hours of sunshine a year – better than only Ireland and Holland. Life expectancy is BELOW the European average of 79.3. uSwitch.com, which organised the index, compared 16 factors in ten countries.

Spokeswoman Ann Robinson said: “Last year Brits were miserable but rich.

France topped the index for the second year in a row. Spain came second followed by Denmark.

Not quite the British Empire anymore, I’m afraid.

LSW finds Murdoch-watching irresistible. Whether we like it or not, Murdoch and his acolytes set the media agenda and others follow.

However, maybe, just maybe the pendulum is swinging. It’s becoming rather ‘device-driven’ with the revolution in music (iTunes), books (iBooks) and now we have to ask what’s going on at the hush-hush unit being set up for News Corporation under the aegis of the Wall Street Journal.

[The iBooks app]

 

The Guardian (www.theguardian.co.uk) has picked up a supposedly ‘hush-hush’ memo circulating in the WSJ:

The WSJ Managing Director has announced a project he refers to it being “crucial to our success as a company.”

An editor-in-chief and a managing editor have been appointed. That suggests a separate news entity – a print paper just possibly, but more likely an online news outlet.

The Guardian continues: “Perhaps we should link this news to the departure of Pete Picton, editor of The Sun’s various websites. Editor Dominic Mohan evidently told staff yesterday that Picton is off to News Corporation in New York, where he will be “helping to launch a new digital project”.

According to paidContent, the project is understood to be a national US newspaper title that will serve only tablets (such as iPads). Is it possible that News Corp is going to launch two outlets – one populist and the other more serious (and business-oriented) – in the near future?

That sounds feasible. After all, Rupert Murdoch famously said in August that iPad was a game-changer for news media. Clearly, as you would expect of him, he wants to be a player in that new game.”

[news source: The Guardian, UK]

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