Why is Facebook facing flak for privacy invasion? What is France doing about the Paris rioters? Why is Iran cozying up to the Vatican? Read on to find the answers to these questions in a summary of the world’s top headlines.
Technology & Internet
For all the love Facebook gets, it’s also in the cross hairs of privacy advocates. Recently, U.S. civic groups criticized Facebook for an installed application that lets advertisers track a member’s activities far outside the social network area, as clixy123 reported. Be careful next time you “poke” someone on Facebook — you never know who’s watching.
Other tech and Internet stories of interest included: Windows Vista is among the top 10 worst products of the year, cgull discovered; TiVo will finally finds its way to Canada, Posthappy wrote (it’s about time Canucks got to record Corner Gas hassle-free); and Nintendo broke its Wii sales record with a strong week, giving Sony and Microsoft more to worry about this coming holiday season.
Politics & Religion
One of the most oft-discussed articles in the politics category centred on a former U.S. commander who wants most of the country’s combat troops out of Iraq. lensman67 wrote later in his comments:
…why should the long-suffering Iraqi people have to put up with our presence when they have made it abundantly clear that they hate our guts and want us out of their country?
Another interesting discussion focusing on left- and right-wing politics erupted in an Op-Ed piece written by MissBeth that addressed the CNN/YouTube debates. The critical article looked at the Republican debate held this week through CNN and YouTube, and MissBeth questioned why Democrats planted questions, writing “..there was no honesty on these questioners’ parts.” MissBeth also addressed the issue of Democratic presidential hopefuls who seemed fearful of appearing on Fox News, writing:While the Dems won’t appear on FOX out of fear, the Republicans will appear when and where asked. They may not all be the greatest of candidates (there are several I don’t agree with in many areas) but they certainly aren’t afraid to face a network.
And what would a week in politics be like without Chuck Norris? Seriously. As Amaranth reported, the martial-arts master put his two cents into the political ring this week with his endorsement of Mike Huckabee. It seems the Baptist Minister/presidential hopeful Huckabee might have something in common with Chuck: Religion, or more specifically, evolution. Well sort of. As any Chuck joke fan would know: “There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of animals Chuck Norris allows to live.” No word yet on who Jet Li and Jacky Chan have endorsed.
On another topic, an interesting report from GotTheScoop focused on a 14-year-old Jehovah’s Witness who died after refusing a blood transfusion because it was against his religion. The article prompted an interesting debate, with Bart B. Van Bockstaele saying: “This is an excellent example of why I think that the religious indoctrination of children should be a crime under the law.”
Several other political stories are worth reading: Middle East peace talks in Annapolis were continuously pursued by clixy123; Barack Obama admitted he toked on marijuana, saying it was a mistake, reported SportsAndTheCity (good cover, Barack); horror writer Stephen King had some nasty words for the Bush family, TheRationalAnarchist wrote; Bill Clinton could be Hillary’s worst albatross, Snooper wrote in a scathing op-ed; and Rudy Giuliani is under intense scrutiny by lensman67 in an op-ed that addresses possible links to corruption, organized crime, and terrorism.
World & Crime
It’s a heartbreaking story — an Associated Press photographer in Iraq is arrested by the U.S. military, but no one is revealing the reason for his arrest. In a comprehensive article about Bilal Hussein’s troubling fate, momentsintime explained why the U.S. administration may have simply wanted to punish a photographer for revealing too much about the Iraqi war.
In another shocking report on tasers from skyangel5402, a pregnant woman from Ohio was zapped in a police station. The woman who was there to surrender her one-year-old child was shocked after she got agitated and tried to leave the station. The officer (who seemed unaware she was pregnant) said he shocked her because he thought it was in the best interest of the boy.
There was enough recent world news to keep Anderson Cooper busy for a year: U.S. Marine and Navy ships will assist survivors from Bangladesh’s deadly tropical cyclone, Amaranth wrote; Saudis arrested militants plotting to destroy an oil plant, pbrite discovered; and French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned Paris rioters they will be arrested if they don’t stop causing mayhem on city streets, TFactor wrote. Sacre bleu!
TopFinds Awards
It’s not often that DigitalJournal.com awards one Citizen Journalist with two awards. In fact, it’s never been done. So it is our honour to bestow two awards to DJ veteran Wanderlaugh, who gave us two standout stories that should be bookmarked.
First, Wanderlaugh wins the TopOpEd Award for his well-written and thought-provoking piece on Iran’s relationship with the Vatican. This CJ used the news hook of Iran’s idea to enlist the Pope as a mediator in a potential U.S.-Iran showdown to offer an opinion on the entire Iran controversy.
If there’s any solid article on Iran worth reading, it’s this one.
Wanderlaugh also deserves kudos for his caustic and often hilarious rant against ebook readers, in light of Amazon’s recently released Kindle device. This article wins the TopReview Award for dissecting the disadvantages of ebook readers past and present, while also interspersing some delightfully chuckle-worthy lines. He called the Kindle the “latest offering from the decaying rectum of industrial design” and wrote how the past few devices were merely “sawed-off laptop screens with buttons, at prices that would get a laugh out of Alexander Graham Bell and Marcon.” Keep up the well-written and enjoyable posts, Wanderlaugh.
How does a televangelist’s lifestyle align with the teachings of Jesus? It was one of the key questions that sparked food for thought in the winner of this week’s TopReligion Award. Wonderfully written by Picasso, the article on a preacher’s lavish living was closely examined to find out how these men of God justify their exuberant purchases. The piece was well-researched, sourced perfectly and got other Citizen Journalists involved in a lengthy discussion.
Google is going green. It’s a big announcement, and worthy of the TopEnvironment Award. cgull‘s article highlighted Google’s commitment to produce renewable energy at a cost cheaper than coal.
The piece not only explained Google’s rationale behind going green, but also outlined the implications of this monumental move: “If Google can actually successfully develop clean energy sources that are cheaper than coal and create a business around licensing that power, it would be nothing short of a revolution in the energy industry.”
Is an Iowa City massage parlour really a brothel? A University of Iowa student entered A Touch of Mink to find out, and one of DigitalJournal’s rookie writers told the story in the TopSex article of the week.
Preston Moore did a fantastic job in placing the reader at the scene, colouring the piece with character, dialogue and a supplementary interview with a police officer and the massage parlour. Consistently an enjoyable read, the article demonstrated a strong nose for news and offered a dose of sauciness for those dragged down by mainstream news.
Finally, a TopSports Award to the journalist with half the award in his name — SportsAndTheCity.
Sports once again astounded us with his in-depth knowledge of pro hockey by penning a thorough call-to-action regarding the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs. He didn’t just say what is wrong with the team; he offered solutions (hire a new coach, pull error-prone players from the line) and he also spiced up copy with funky writing (the Leafs’ power play is as “potent as an 80-year-old in bed”).
Whenever DigitalJournal.com needs some extensive and insightful sports coverage, SportsAndTheCity usually scores with the grace of Sidney Crosby.
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The Annual Digital Journal Awards
DigitalJournal.com is currently working on a massive, year-end roundup of the top news stories and top contributors from around the world. DigitalJournal.com staff will publish this in the last week of December, 2007.
In addition to staff-chosen awards, we are opening up the Digital Journal Awards to include a number of people’s choice awards. We would really appreciate all Citizen Journalists, Citizens and casual readers to take a moment to fill out the following survey (it takes a few minutes) with whatever information you wish to provide.
Thank you all for your input.
