Why sliced meats are the new pariahs in Ontario. The Dalai Lama takes a breather. Plus, rumours of a new iPod nano and the FBI’s role in the U.S. housing crisis. These are the top stories from around the world.
Tech & Internet
The rumour mill was in full swing this week when Digg founder Kevin Rose let slip Apple may release a new iPod nano soon, Chris V. found. The new iPod nano will sport a curvier design and a bigger screen, Rose claimed. But is this just a smart lure to keep us hooked on whatever Rose has to say?
Several other tech and Net stories caught our eye: actors were paid to line up to get iPhones in Poland, Kesavan Unnikrishnan said; a new technology “uses a magnet placed under the tip of the tongue to issue commands by different directions of the mouth,” as Samantha Torrence wrote (and you thought the tongue was sexy…now it’s tech-savvy!); a Panasonic DVD camcorder is retailing for the shockingly low price of $170, Chris V. posted; and Bell Canada unveiled a new customer service feature, a service that calls you back when you phone in with a question and are put on hold. We also learned, thanks to pbrite, that Pacific Gas and Electric in Northern California has also used this feature.
In the latest Digital Journal TV episode, Chris Hogg introduced us to LED candles, a gadget that lets you “blow” the electric candles on and off. What you lose in romance you gain in safety — tip these candles over as much as you want, and there’ll be no fire (but people might wonder why you like tipping candles).
Environment
What other environment stories are worth bookmarking? The White House wants to curb speeding ships from encroaching on migrating routes of whales, Kesavan Unnikrishnan wrote; Bob Ewing whisks away the mystery behind bat deaths caused by wind turbines; cattle align themselves in a north-south pattern when they graze, Chris V. told us; monkey are generous creatures, and will share food other monkeys when given the option, Aditi Chengappa discovered (don’t tell that to Kramer); and a film about the water-shortage crisis is making history by screening at both the Republican and Democratic conventions, waterfall said. The film has the acronym-friendly title of FLOW, which spells out “For Love of Water.” Cute.
World
Could the Robed One be slowing down? The Dalai Lama cancelled two events recently due to exhaustion, KJ told us. The commenting CJs suggested the Buddhist leader takes a rest; does he even find time to meditate anymore?
If you need to catch up on world news, take a stroll through these stories: the aftermath to the Olympics wasn’t pretty for two old Chinese ladies, who were sentenced to one year in jail after protesting the Olympics when they were evicted from their home, Nikki W wrote; the Russia media blames the West for funding Georgia’s military retaliation, Michael Squires posted; more than 90 Afghan civilians died in last week’s military operations, Bob Ewing explained; Sue D.’s headline says it all — Bigfoot Hoax Was ‘A Big Joke’ That Got Out of Hand; and sadly, several journalists were kidnapped in Somalia last week, KJ said, in another brazen attempt to intimidate media and capitalize on a family’s sudden loss. And to update you on the story: reporters say the kidnapped writers are unharmed and being fed regularly. Our thoughts are with them.
The Top Blogger of the Week Award goes to Aine O’Brocken, for an eye-opener of a blog post: she related the story of her friendship with a 16-year-old boy in Georgia, a boy facing the onslaught of Russian violence, as Aine told us. It was captivating to hear the boy’s tale through the voice of a “regular person,” as he called Aine. Keep it up!
TopFinds Awards
Is it true that Obama is receiving more media coverage than McCain? That question is central to G. Robert M. Miller‘s TopOpinion article, required reading for anyone even mildly interested in how the media covers the presidential race. He outlined the supposed “3 to 1” theory, which posits how Obama gets 3 Page One stories in newspapers for every one McCain gets. Ouch. Miller does a sound job of analyzing this theory, backing it up with examples. Another fine piece of political analysis from a writer who could be writing books on the topic.
If there was any week when DigitalJournal.com needed intense scrutiny of a certain political gathering, it was this week. And one exemplary journalist pulled through, earning herself a TopSeries Award for reporting on the highlights from the Democratic National Convention. Sue D. earns a smattering of high-fives for discussing, among other things, the reactions to Hilary Clinton’s speech, the poll bounce Obama enjoyed after day three at the DNC, the journalists arrested for encroaching on sensitive property in Denver, the foiled assassination attempt by racists who spouted “Blacks don’t belong in political office” and the eventual John McCain V.P. announcement coming on the heels of the DNC’s final morning. Congrats on another fine job, Sue.
It looks like even protecting your kids from kidnapping can get gadget-ified. In Mexico, paranoid parents have embedded RFID chips underneath their kids’ skin in order to help find their children in case of abductions, Michael Squires. For highlighting a serious international issue and penning such a clear description of the scenario, Michael wins the TopTechnology Award. Could you imagine sliding a chip under your kid’s hand? Have your say in the comments section of Michael’s article.
Paul Wallis investigated the FBI’s complicit role in allowing the housing meltdown to strike the U.S. In this TopBusiness Award-winning piece, Wallis also critiqued the ignorance of both the public and media. He wrote: “If a packet of corn flakes gets contaminated, the world knows about it. If a thriving business robbing mortgagees is operating in a multi trillion dollar industry, try finding out about it.” Break out the air freshener, Wallis told us, because something stinks, and that something reeks of corruption polluted with a nice layer of PR spin.
Remember the first “primitive man” discovered in 1991, the one nicknamed Iceman? Looks like his clothes were made from animal, which means he may have been a herdsman, Carl Feagans reported, a newbie already garnering his first TopScience Award. We learned about the revolutionary technique to study clothing samples 5,300 years old, what those researchers called “very difficult.” That’s an understatement, I’m sure. Kudos to Carl for bringing attention to this intriguing story, one that should all make us wonder about the fashion misfits of the Neanderthal era.
When a food story breaks, Bob Ewing is on it. Luckily, he’s not close enough to catch listeria, the bacterial virus making its way through some Canadian sliced meats. Bob wins the TopFood Award for alerting readers to the many updated recalls issued by Maple Leafs Foods, never shirking his duty as unofficial bacterial reporter. Writing nine articles on one topic within a week is no easy work, and we applaud Bob for his dedication, his attention to detail, and his aggressive attitude in tackling the story.
Would you change the NHL to include penalties for only the loser of a fight? Should fans throw streamers and chant songs, like in soccer, er, I mean football? Those are some of the quirky but strangely realistic rule changes Navin Vaswani would suggest to NHL suits. In another TopSports Award-winning piece, he flirted with a new NHL where fan participation is encouraged and failure can sink you out of the entire league. To understand why Navin earns another trophy for his mantle, check out the piece and suggest your own genie-wishes you’d mail to sports commissioners.
