Coca-Cola’s dangerous additive. Fixing the broken health care system in the U.S. How Chinese animals predicted the earthquake. These are the top stories making headlines around the world.
Technology & Internet
Japanese innovation could crush the West, Paul Wallis hinted. In an article outlining how Japan will create a new standard around “Internet television,” the Citizen Journalist predicted Blu-ray may go the way of the do-do and concluded ominously: “The world will never be the same again.”
What other tech and Net stories attracted our attention? Nikki W. wondered who might be left in the dark on Feb. 17, 2009, when the U.S. switches all its analogue TV signals to digital; if you’re laptop gets stolen, you can now use a Google-enabledprogram to find the lost computer, Chris V. explained; Google said the Viacom lawsuit against YouTube “threatens the Web,” according to Kesavan Unnikrishnan; and fauxtography and stealth editing have evolved into an art form, whereby photo editors at news organizations tweak pics to fit a story’s slant, Johnny Simpson reported. Talk about a few bad apples giving journalism a bad name.
Also worth mentioning is our Blog Post Pick of the Week, given to wd wilson for his informative post on working at Bell Canada. As an employee at Bell, wilson revealed how morale is an all-time low in the face of privatization and how he has spotted “new frustration and a high level of dissatisfaction with Bell’s executives.” Well done, and we look forward to more great blog posts from Citizens and Citizen Journalists.
Science & Health
For a series to watch, check out the first part of Sykos Masters‘ look into deep space. His first article profiles a month-long exhibit at the University of New Brunswick titled “A New Perspective on Mars,” which features 18 3D photos of Mars’ surface. The photos included in the article is worth viewing his article alone.
Several other science and health stories should be on your radar: What happens when military personnel return home with serious injuries to find out they have no sexual function anymore? KJ wondered; scientists are on their way to create a synthetic copy of a living cell, Bob Ewing wrote; pregnant women can be afflicted with acne, but doctors warn against treating the pimples, Nikki W. wrote (and you thought zits were for greasy teens); and Coca-Cola is removing a controversial additive that could switch off parts of DNA, Cynthia T. said. Making a surprise appearance, lensman67 cheekily commented:
Where will it all end? Coke has been on the downward path of political correctness ever since they took out the cocaine!
Entertainment
Talk about intensive research to produce a comprehensive piece! Johnny Simpson gave us a full picture of aging Hollywood stars still reeling in box-office bonanzas. From Sly Stallone to Harrison Ford, these old-timers also do their own stunts, which Simpson finds impressive. He even profiled several seniors still lighting up the celluloid, such as Ed Harris to David Suchet.
It was a busy week for Citizen Journalists covering entertainment stories: Weezer released a new video featuring their versions of 24 YouTube viral hits, Michael Billy reported; Sharon Stone’s comment about the Chinese earthquake caused by bad karma will cost her, Can Tran reported, adding how China’s biggest movie cinema chains are banning any film by Stone; Dunkin’ Donuts pulled a controversial Rachael Ray ad featuring the culinary star wearing a Arab-esque scarf, jxtra said; and Can Tran reported that actor-director Sydney Pollack passed away at 73, leaving behind cinematic masterpieces such as Tootsie, Out of Africa and Sabrina.
TopFinds Awards
There was one insightful series by a Citizen Journalist undoubtedly worthy of the TopJournalism Award. With breadth and clear language, Michael Billy wrote five articles how to fix the U.S. health care system. He dived deep into issues of government intervention, the right to food, the benefits of operating under a free market, the innovation called SimpleCare, and why the Walter Reed tragedy should be a valuable lesson. Like any dedicated journalist caught up in his beat, Billy proved time and again why he’s a writer whose work sears itself in the memory long after the last period.
As the U.S. honoured its fallen heroes on Memorial Day, one article stood out for highlighting the sincere respectful actions of a few dozen Texas patriots. Mr. Garibaldi wins the TopOpEd Award for profiling the Arlington Ladies, a group of women who ensure that everyone is buried in Arlington with a well-attended funeral, while also offering comfort to the families of those buried. Garibaldi wanted to extend his thanks to these women, concluding with a powerful remark:
And as we do, let us keep firmly in our minds, and in our hearts, not just today, but every day, a gratitude and a silent thanks to those who gave all.
Biofuels might harm the environment? That’s the eye-opener that came courtesy of Bob Ewing, who wins this week’s TopEnvironment Award. He wrote about a study that posited that developing a biofuel like ethanol just replaces one problem with another. The scientists found “because such large amounts of energy are required to grow corn and convert it to ethanol, the net energy gain of the resulting fuel is modest.” Kudos to Bob for alerting us to this important story, which will only continue to be on our minds as the world energy crisis dominates headlines.
The BBC sponsored a study of one of its Web games called Adventure Rock, classifying the kid gamers based on their behaviour. Paul Wallis had issue with the findings, garnering himself a TopBusiness Award at the same time. He critiqued the study’s conclusion and labels, while also explaining how a “cyber-kindergarten” will propel this generation’s kids into a powerful demographic. As he always does, Wallis spiced the feature with humour, cited sources and more than one ten-dollar word.
“Zoo animals started acting strangely hours before the worst earthquake in China’s history.” So began an illuminating story garnering the TopScience Award. KJ outlined how China’s animals knew before anyone else about the impending disaster, whether it was a flood toads on Chinese streets or zoo animals acting strangely days before the earthquake. This was an under-reported story that deserves our attention so other areas can look for the canary in the coal mine…literally.
Race sensitivity is at the heart of new adoption policies proposed by the National Association of Black Social Workers, Samantha A. Torrence wrote. The TopPolitics Award-winner described the contentious issue of this proposal that would only allow black babies to be placed in black homes. By that logic, Samantha said, “then southerners should not be allowed to adopt northerners because the culture is distinctly different. I know white people look all the same to many of these institutes, but some child from Manhattan may be culturally scarred by a Mississippi culture.” She raised several intriguing points, strengthening her argument with key stats. And the article spurred a healthy discussion, with Nikki W. commenting: “Best parental placement is KEY to adoption.”
It’s not enough for a writer to point out how we’ve ended up in a global food crisis. Sometimes, a journalist goes the extra mile, and Tony Ryan impressed DigitalJournal.com readers with his comprehensive plan on how to end the food shortage. Oh yeah, he also wins the TopWorld Award. Making rational and ground-breaking arguments, Ryan explained why restoring national tariffs and barring the production of ethanol could help solve this global problem. Is Ryan secretly working for the United Nations? He has the brains and the writing talent, so let’s hope this impressive Citizen Journalist remains on board to give us his take on news around the world.
