Stack Overflow

Nicola Sturgeon, the new SNP leader, has been given a boost with the launch of a new pro-independence paper, the National. Photograph: Murdo Macleod for the Guardian

The tabloid, whose banner will say “The newspaper that supports an independent Scotland”, will be priced at 50p, run to 32 pages and have a print run of about 50,000.

“The pilot launch of the National is a response to reader requests for a daily title which supports independence,” said Malcolm MacDonald, head of circulation at Herald and Times group, in a letter to retailers.

It will be edited by Richard Walker, who also edits the Sunday Herald.

The Sunday Herald was the only title in Scotland to come outin favour of independence before September’s referendum, which was won by the Better Together campaign. The paper saw a 111% year-on-year increase in circulation in the week of the referendum on Scottish independence.

Newsquest’s Glasgow-based daily sister title, the Herald, supported the no campaign, as did Johnston Press’s Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday.

The publisher, a subsidiary of the US media company Gannett, is launching the title as a pilot, and said if sales met expectations the newspaper would continue to be published.

One source with knowledge of the launch said the title sounded “very i-like”, a reference to the Independent’s cut-price spinoff, which has a skeleton staff and relies on its stablemate for most resources and content.

“The timing is good, the SNP has just passed 80,000 membersand Nicola Sturgeon has just been named as the first female first minister,” said the source. “They are riding a tidal wave of interest in nationalism. And national daily newspaper launches are very rare, even if it is just Scotland, even as a pilot it is a big deal.” Mark Sweney

By Ross Wolinsky November 13, 2007 3,822 Views

Awesome Video Of The Day Orangina Ad: Furry, French & Naughty

I’m going to try not to make a predictable, stereotypical joke about French people here, but it’s gonna be tough. Seriously – what the hell kind of commercial is this? You’ve got some weird bear getting ready to go at it with a smoking hot bikini-clad doe, and all these zebras are shooting off Orangina cannons all over some slutty-looking octopus, and then the sexy panda’s top falls off and you’re like, “Wait… WHAT?! SLOW DOWN!” Unless you’re French, in which case you’re probably used to companies using implied interspecial anthropormorphic sex to sell orange soda.

Can you imagine if this aired on American television during the Super Bowl? There would be rioting in the streets, but the rioting would be all slow and strangely erotic because everyone would be too horny and confused to riot properly, their minds clouded with weird fantasies about sexy pandas and exotic new brands of soda. What I’m saying is that I think it could be a hit, although I might suggest the following tweaks to prepare this spot for American primetime:

Replace Orangina with Diet Pepsi Replace music with “My Humps” or maybe that one song about the girl’s “milkshake” (but change the lyrics to be about orange soda instead of milkshakes)

Throw pants on all the animals Bear farts at the end

Evidence: “Government codes”found in news headlines in Time, Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report around the time of Lennon’s death. Supposedly there are other clues to be found in King’s writing, too, like that one time he wrote a book where somebody got murdered.

Plausability: Very low. It’s almost like this guy put a bunch of names into a hat. Next up: Elvis was murdered by Jackie Kennedy, Mikhail Baryshnikov and a car mechanic from Astoria, Queens.

Do you hate your mother? Are you clueless when it comes to proper dinner table etiquette? Is your weird fetish ruining your life? Let me help you out. All next week on the Cracked Blog, the Daily Nooner will also double as the worst advice column on the entire internet.

19 Innovations That Would Make Dating Way Easier

523,790 views

901,631 views

945,948 views

More by Ross Wolinsky: 8 Things ‘The Lost Boys’ Could Teach ‘Twilight’ Vampires December 03, 2008  |  479,742 Views The 5 Lamest Forwarded Emails (And Why Your Mom Loves Them) November 19, 2008  |  233,456 Views The 5 Biggest News Stories You Missed During Election Season November 06, 2008  |  141,166 Views See More

Other Columnists: See More

More Comments

By Ross Wolinsky January 09, 2008 1,953 Views

Awesome Video Of The Day The Nooner Challenge: Can You Watch This Entire Video?

I’ve never seen Leprechaun In The Hood , but I sort of… well… I sort of own it, I guess. I rented it once, never watched it, and then lost it somewhere in the sea of ironic purchases that is my house. Blockbuster ended up charging me $10 for it, which, coupled with the price of the rental, means that I shelled out an embarrassing $14 total to own Leprechaun In The Hood … AND I NEVER EVEN WATCHED IT. I’m not sure if watching it would make this story more or less embarrassing, though. Paying $14 to own a movie and never watching it is pretty stupid, but you know what else is? Watching Leprechaun In The Hood .

For the uninitiated, the Leprechaun oeuvre is made up of a whopping six filmsto date – with a long-awaited seventh entry 1, Leprechaun In The Old West , potentially slated for a 2009 release, which will finally answer the age-old question: What would happen if there was a Leprechaun in the Old West?

I’m pretty sure this Leprechaun rap represents the absolute lowest point of the entire franchise, if not the lowest point of Warwick Davis (aka Willow)’s career. I triple-dog-dare you to watch the whole thing.

1I wrote a really elaborate analogy here about cooking food that sucks and saving the leftovers so you can eat it seven more times, but this one is shorter and about 10 times more effective: You can shoot a turd into outer space, you can drop a turd off in “the hood” (twice), and you can send a turd back in time to the Old West, but guess what? It’s still just a turd.

I’ve never planned a wedding before, but I know that it’s something people take pretty seriously. Everything has to be perfect: the catering, the DJ, the decor, the seating arrangements, the cake… it’s gotta be a lot of work, and you want to make sure that you get everything just right. And everyone is different, so you know what? If a bride wants to have her wedding cake shaped like a life-sized version of herself,that is her prerogative. If a bride, on her special day, wants to have a picture-perfect replica of herself CUT UP INTO LITTLE PIECES AND SERVED TO HER WEDDING GUESTS, who are we to judge?

I will say, however, that the groom looks a little bit bummed out. That or completely terrified. Take your pick.

History’s Most Iconic Images (Ruined by Photobombers)

784,269 views

687,760 views

More by Ross Wolinsky: 8 Things ‘The Lost Boys’ Could Teach ‘Twilight’ Vampires December 03, 2008  |  479,742 Views The 5 Lamest Forwarded Emails (And Why Your Mom Loves Them) November 19, 2008  |  233,456 Views The 5 Biggest News Stories You Missed During Election Season November 06, 2008  |  141,166 Views See More

Other Columnists: See More

More Comments