Pirates raid navy warships. A Texas court indicts Dick Cheney and Alberto Gonzales for alleged abuse of overseas inmates. Why Croatia wants to ban Christmas. Learn about the top stories making news right now.
Digital Journal — The hot news right now spotlights the uglier side of life: committing suicide by entering a tiger pen; pirate boats attacking navy warships; fires wrecking havoc in California; Ted Stevens of Alaska leaving politics with a disgraceful exit.
But there’s a few sunnier stories winning favour, too: What dog will the Obamas usher into the White House? And a man rakes in $226,000 on eBay by selling an old rundown car. Looks like the lottery is for suckers.
These are the top stories making news right now:
• California declares state of emergency as Montecito fires cause havoc: Some have called it Armageddon. Others, like Gov. Schwarzenegger, call it a state of emergency. The California fires caused more than $60 million in damage, and the blaze will continue to be a big story as the West Coast attempts to recover from this horrific disaster.
• Things Do Not Bode Well For Stevens In Alaska Senate Race: Retirement could do Ted Stevens some good. The Republican Senator of Alaska was convicted recently for lying about gifts he received, and on his birthday he was soundly defeated by a Democrat in a reelection bid. Basically, any month can be better for Stevens than this chilly November.
• Arab Community Voices Dissatisfaction with Obama: He might have a foreign-friendly name, but Barack Obama is facing some flak from the Arab nations for his “Israel-first mentality,” according to this article. Bringing Rahm Emanuel onto his staff may have been a savvy move for Obama, but the American-Arab community are unhappy with statements made by Emanuel’s father, who remarked infamously: “Obviously he will influence the president to be pro-Israel. Why wouldn’t he be? What is he, an Arab? He’s not going to clean the floors of the White House.”
• Christmas 08 Has Been Banned In Croatia, Says Government: You might be dreaming of a white Christmas but Croatians are facing no Christmas at all. The feds decided parties and festivities have been banned for Christmas this year to keep public spending down. No word yet on whether border guards are banning pine-tree imports.
• Suicide By Tiger in Singapore: It’s become one of the more horrific news items: a depressed man jumped a fence to get into a white tiger exhibit at the Singapore Zoo, apparently committing suicide by allowing tigers to rip him to shreds. No, this isn’t a horror scene from The Happening. The self-murder was indeed very dark, but commenter Chris V. pointed to something most animal observers would want to note: “Hope the animals don’t get spoiled and start attacking humans from now on.”
• Texas Justice: Dick Cheney and Alberto Gonzales Indicted: The bad news keep piling up, this time surrounding Dick Cheney and Alberto Gonzales, both indicted for alleged abuse of inmates in private prisons. This breaking news story also carried an important caveat: President Bush could dismiss the charges and grant pardons to his long-time friends and colleagues.
• Indian Navy Sinks Somali Pirate Ship: Who would’ve thought pirates would become lead stories in major newscasts? It looks like real-life pirates are boarding navy ships and then facing retaliation, most notably when an Indian navy warship sank a Somali ship full of swashbucklers. The pirates are hungry to grab the billions of dollars worth of oil carried on these massive ships.
• Talk Show Host Sentenced to 93 Days in Jail For Having A Couch in His Yard: The headline sums up the ludicrous nature of this scenario — a New Hampshire man was in court for having part of his couch on a neighbour’s lawn. He got three days for the “couch violation,” according to the Citizen Journalist, but won himself 30 days in jail for a contempt of court charge for refusing to sit down during the actual trial. Strange indeed.
• On Dec. 10, the US Army Will Have Its First Execution Since 1961: If Obama was “change we can believe in,” is news about an upcoming army execution “change we can’t believe is happening”? The jaw-dropper hit DigitalJournal.com when news broke about an Army cook convicted of several murders and rapes occurring in Fort Bragg, North Carolina between 1986 and 1987. Do you think this is a backwards step for the U.S. Army or a necessary warning to future criminals?
• Man gets $226,521 for old car on eBay: Imagine if you sold a junky 1963 Pontiac LeMans Tempest for more than $226,000 on eBay. That’s the dream story come true for a Michigan man who must be clicking his heels with joy; then again, the buyer could also be smiling wide, because that Tempest is only one of six cars made in that specific model.
• Top Five Choices for President-elect Obama’s Family Dog: On the front-burner of every pet lover’s mind is this all-important question: Which dog will the Obamas welcome to the White House? Leo Reyes listed the top-five choices according to surveys by dog enthusiasts and clubs across the U.S. Poodle takes top spot, but read the fun piece to learn what other canines round out the wish list.
Earning special kudos is JOE’SDAFILMMAN for his insightful interview with Louis Lombardi, an actor who’s appeared on The Sopranos, 24 and CSI. This intrepid Citizen Journalist found out telling details about Lombardi’s latest project, a film he wrote and directed called Dough Boys. If you wanted to know how an actor transitions into the director’s chair and why the movie thumbed its nose at a theatrical release, read this great interview.
TopFinds Awards
The honourees of this week’s TopFinds Awards attracted impressive attention and widest readership. Digital Journal thanks the following Citizen Journalists with Awards for their passion for covering the top issues of the day: Paul Wallis, Can Tran, Barbara Sowell, Michelle Duffy, Jason Li, Sadiq Green, Chris V. Thangham, Michael Billy, and Leo Reyes.
