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A PORTRAIT OF A LAZY COW (Laura) 

A short film which satirizes the life of a serial benefits cheat has become a Youtube sensation, attracting over 180,000 views in just two weeks. Uploaded by a user called inspector drake, the clip tells the story of Doreen who has been left devastated by a medical diagnosis of Lazy Cow syndrome. It’s definitely worth a watch and the actress who plays Doreen is fantastic – if you can get past her rather broad Midlands accent! The commentary doesn’t give too much detail as to why the clip was made but it does raise some great questions relating to benefits and who should be entitled to them, causing healthy debate in various newspapers and radio stations across the UK including the Daily Telegraph.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OA9t61PuiDc#!

CELEBS AND THEIR CARTOON DOPPELGANGER (Lewis)

There is certain tendency in science circles that every single person on this planet has their perfect twin. Well, I’m not sure are they include cartoon characters as well, but I think it’s true. Often we see celeb look-a-likes in magazines or online and usually they look pretty similar but would you ever think of a celeb looking like a cartoon character. The article showcases 25 cartoon characters who have been paired up with their identical celeb. Some are borderline close to looking like their celeb but there are some which look very similar and quite scarily close.
http://www.funlobby.com/index.php/celebs-that-look-like-famous-cartoon-characters-25-images.html 

GET YOUR READY MADE JACKET HERE (Gaynor)

Have you ever been at the bus stop after work dreaming about what you will have for dinner?  Sure you have, after a long day you just want to get home, get a good meal down you and chill in front of the telly. McCain’s- best known for their oven chips and all round frozen goodies are bringing this experience to you before you even get home. Described as a media first, McCain will be fitting 3D fibreglass jacket potatoes to 10 bus stops around Britain as part of a campaign to help Britain appreciate the goodness of a baked tattie. The roadside potato will also dispense money off vouchers to help people enjoy McCain’s readymade jacket to fullest. I may have to start getting the bus.
http://www.brandrepublic.com/news/1115738/mccain-cooks-potato-scented-bus-stop-campaign/

BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU (Victoria) 

With the police and security services now actively scouring the social media realm for hints at illicit activity, we are seeing more criminal cases of web misuse than ever.  This is triggering a huge amount of debate on our civil liberties and how the laws should be applied on the web.In January 2010, a trainee accountant from Doncaster sent a tweet expressing his frustration at the cancellation of his flight due to snow.  He tweeted: “Robin Hood Airport is closed. You’ve got a week…otherwise I’m blowing the airport sky high!”  He was found guilty in May 2010 under the Communications Act 2003 of “misuse of a public electronic communications system” and has launched two unsuccessful appeals which were both quashed leaving him with thousands of pounds in prosecution costs to pay in the effort to clear his name.A more recent case is that of two twentysomethings from the Midlands who were detained and subsequently deported from the USA earlier this month due to misinterpreted Tweets.  Leigh Van Bryan, 26 had tweeted a week before their departure for LA to a friend, “Free for a quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America?” and at the beginning of January a tweet read, “3 weeks today, we’re totally in LA pissing people off on Holywood Blvd and diggin’ Marilyn Monroe up!” – apparently a reference to a Family Guy joke. Apparently these tweets were enough to land Van Bryan on an official terror watch list and so officers were waiting to detain him on arrival at LAX.The moral of the story?  Be careful what you tweet. Or make your profile private.
http://www.thedrum.co.uk/opinion/2012/01/31/land-free-not-so-much-uk-tweeters-deported-usa

 

LIFE’S A DRAG IN SCOTLAND (Gaynor)

Everyone has a perception of drag queens- most think of men in bad wigs, too much makeup and short skirts. This perception is true most of the time but there is always an exception to the rule. The alternative drag scene in Glasgow is quite far away from this. This article features Lady Guillotina Munter, one of the most well known drag queens on the alternative scene. She shares ‘her’ high fashion influences and how drag is becoming main stream. Lady M (as she prefers to be called) can be found along with her ‘munterage’ at Glasgow’s Menergy but don’t expect to find your usual drag act. Think Sex and the City idols dressed in McQueen, Versace and Westwood. 
http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/arts-blog/the_lady_is_a_vamp_a_guide_to_scotland_s_alt_drag_scene_1_2099036