Recently in thesun Category

Two weeks ago I wrote about how the new, "improved" RSS feeds from The Sun are, in fact, completely broken. In that two weeks nothing has changed and the feeds are still broken.

Much as I enjoy seeing the Sun web team making a fool of themselves like this, I would actually like it even more if they would acknowledge their mistake and fix the problem. To that end, I've emailed them about it three times in the last two weeks. But all my mail seems to have been ignored. I've had no response and the problems haven't been fixed.

I'm pretty sure that the most critical problem (the broken URLs that are included in the feeds) is something that could be fixed in two minutes by someone who has access to the right template files on the Sun's web server.

So, given that I can't get any response from the contact address advertised on their web site, does anyone have any other suggestions? Do any of you know anyone who works in the Sun's web team or do you have any other avenues that I could try.

Or shall we just all sit back and laugh at the Sun for getting it so wrong?

The Sun is searching for the greatest living Briton. Apparently that would be "the ultimate accolade", though I don't really understand how being the seen as the greatest living Briton would be a greater accolade than, say, being the greatest Briton of all time.

All in all, it's typical Sun nonsense. At least they included Tim Berners-Lee on the list (even if they did describe him as the "creator of the internet").

If you're going to vote. Please vote wisely.

Here we go again:

A CATHOLIC schoolgirl was asked not to wear a crucifix on a chain because it breached health and safety rules, her father said today.

Samantha Devine, 13, was told to remove the crucifix and chain to comply with school rules.

She attends The Robert Napier School, a non-denominational mixed school, in Gillingham, Kent.

Her father, Danny Devine, 30, of Canterbury Street, Gillingham, told the Medway Messenger: "It's just political correctness gone absolutely mad. It's a harmless crucifix and she wears it as a symbol of her religion.

This'll be the front page story on either the Mail or the Express tomorrow. Or maybe both.

The Sun has launched a search for "the web's most disturbing websites". Just send your suggestions to sick.clicks@the-sun.co.uk and "our web team will get on the case" (whatever that means).

I don't know about you, but high on my list of the sickest sites on the web is www.thesun.co.uk. Do you think I should let them know?

Update: They've changed the email address. You should now use talkback@the-sun.co.uk. I wonder if the editorial staff just made up an address without checking with the IT people. And I wonder which address is printed in the paper.

"MySun", the first concrete result from News Corporation's purchase of MySpace earlier this year seems to have been launched with very little fanfare. So if you want start a blog with thesun.co.uk in the URL, now you know where to go.

Personally, I'm very afraid.

The Sun's latest campaign is to get the Human Rights Act revoked. As usual with their important campaigns like this they had a phone-in poll last week. As usual the vast majority of Sun readers (well the ones who could be bothered to tear themselves away from page 3 and pick up the phone) agreed with the idea. As usual Sun readers were giving knee-jerk reactions without understanding the issues involved.

I really wish there was some way to get all Sun readers to read what Marcel Berlins has written on the subject today.

The Human Rights Act is increasingly being made a scapegoat for government incompetence, maladministration and badly drafted legislation. Take the case of Anthony Rice, the rapist who killed a woman nine months after being released on licence. From the report by the chief inspector of probation, it is clear that the fundamental mistake was letting Rice out of prison in the first place.

His release had nothing to do with the Human Rights Act, but with errors made - systematic and human - in furnishing the parole board with correct information about him. Once out, he was negligently supervised, also not the fault of the act. The inspector criticised the parole board for paying too much attention to Rice's human rights - to do with the conditions of his release - but this was not centrally relevant to the tragedy which followed. Yet the impression left by reports in much of the media, jumped on enthusiastically by commentators, was that the Human Rights Act was somehow responsible.

I've just noticed that The Sun has started providing RSS feeds. So now it's possible to get even more racist, sexist and homophobic bile delivered direct to your RSS reader.

Interesting to read how they try to explain the concept of RSS in words of one syllable for the benefit of their readers.

I'l get it added to the UK newspaper RSS list soon. I'll probably do another quick scan to see if any other papers have dragged themselves into the 21st century since the last time I looked.

Rupert Murdoch bought MySpace last year as part of his drive to make more effective use of the internet. According to the Guardian, the first results of this purchase will be the use of MySpace technology on the Sun's web site to create a "MySun" network.

The plan, in its early stages, would allow readers to go to a MySun portal and create their own web pages, blogs, as well as share pictures and video clips with friends using MySpace.com software.

Personally I find MySpace and the Sun's web sites to be two of the scariest places on the web. The idea of them producing some kind of bastard offspring is, frankly, terrifying.

Tim Ireland reckons it's about time that Rebekah Wade was taken to task over the lies that The Sun has been telling on its front page over the last few days.

I agree with him. If you do to, then why not sign his pledge.

And tell all of your friends.

And while we're talking about The Sun, take a look at this picture. It's the front page of The Sun from Tuesday of this week. The man in the picture is John Tulloch. He was one of the survivors of the 7th July London bombings. The front page is obviously composed in order to make you think that he wants the readers to "tell Tony he's right".

Except that isn't Mr Tulloch's view at all. What he actually thinks is

This is using my image to push through draconian and utterly unnecessary terrorism legislation. Its incredibly ironic that the Sun's rhetoric is as the voice of the people yet they don't actually ask the people involved, the victims, what they think. If you want to use my image, the words coming out of my mouth would be, 'Not in my name, Tony'. I haven't read anything or seen anything in the past few months to convince me these laws are necessary

And he's furious with The Sun for abusing his image in this way.

Today's Guardian has his story. You should read it.