Window to the Strange

I wish my brother and his wife could read the newspapers here. They are reporters and have decried the Entertain-ification of the news.
Well, the news here is written with a gleeful lack of objectivity. There was an article about the varying age-growth patterns in the different Indian states that starts like this:

"Like everything else about China, its age growth patterns are boring. The Indian growth rates are as varied and entertaingly unique as its peoples!"

In a story about a young actress they declared that "If she romps in a bikini next film she is certain to win the best actress honours!"

The language is a bit different as well. They refered to a gang of murderers and rapists the other days as "a pack of miscreants". Like "Oh, those scamps!

I also like that strange, minor events become Big News. There was a lengthy article a while back about how Jessica Simpson farted during a business meeting. It was right out of the Weekly World News. It went on about how she initially tried to conceal the deed, but her mother was there and heard it. She chastized Jessica in front of the other business people, who were there to discuss her jeans line. They responded with awkward silence.
They also re-run entertainment stories from months ago as though it were current news. There was a series of notes on Lady Gaga and how she was suspected of being a man. Apparently this was in the US some time back and stemmed from an on-stage prank. They love reporting weird things about Western stars.
The real news is hard to understand, and can seem bizare. There was a story about a series of riots recently. These were like turning-over-cars-and-setting-fires type riots. After the recent terrorist attack in Pune, we pay close attention to stories like this. So you read further and discover the source that sparked the violence: the revelation that a religious leader had made a sex tape. Wha? An unmarried person has sex in their own home and you want to tip over a car? OK.
Every day there are stories that underline how little I understand about this culture. Sometimes it's bizarre, sometimes it's sad, sometimes I just don't get it. But, unlike China, it is never boring.