Facebook rolling out its chat service to every member. The challenges facing the Iraqi army. How the U.S. government is the catalyst behind gasoline’s high price. These are the top stories making headlines around the world.
Technology & Internet
Oh Facebook, you and your feature creep. As cgull reported, the social network’s chat service has been rolled out to every member, allowing “friends” to do more than just “poke” each other in the virtual ribs. Now, they can bother people they barely know with instant-message conversations.
What other Internet and tech stories got us talking? Cellphone manufacturers are catering to their handsets to specific religions, momentsintime wrote (I’m gonna get me a kosher phone!); an Australian blogger is courting controversy by revealing the sordid secrets behind the country’s rag trade magazines, Paul Wallis told us; a U.S. lawyer wants network firms to better investigate “Net neutrality,” Planet Janet posted; bloggers can now browse Encyclopedia Brittanica’s site free, cgull said; and Microsoft’s PR team is in full spin mode after CEO Steve Ballmer expertly inserted a foot in his mouth when he said he would extend the cutoff date for Windows XP. As the article stated:
In an age where the words ‘Windows Vista’ scares the pants off most people, Ballmer has to learn to bite his tongue and not talk until there is something to say.
Science & Environment
Concerned about the effect of climate change on the Arctic? Then read Bob Ewing‘s piece on how Arctic ice is unusually vulnerable to sunny weather. Here’s a staggering number: this year is seeing 43 percent less ice coverage in the Arctic than in 1979.
Several science and environment stories are worth a closer look: famed scientist Stephen Hawking says there is alien life but those creatures are likely primitive compared to humans, cgull reported; music professors have created a new way to analyze and categorize music that takes advantage of complex mathematics, Theodora L. posted; marine scientists are amazed at extravagant coral growths in Bikini Atoll, an area damaged by dozens of nuclear tests, Gar Swaffar wrote (could radioactive coral breed a new type of Loch Ness monster?); the alarmist food crisis is forcing Sam’s Club and Costco to limit their rice sales, momentsintime warned us; and PETA is rewarding $1 million to the person who concocts a way to produce meat without killing animals. Brant David McLaughlin isn’t a fan of the proposal, capping his comment with:
I’ve long believed that PETA needs to change the spelling of its name to PITA to more faithfully reflect the organization’s true values.
World
Vladimir Putin won a Nobel Prize? It sounds like a much-too-late April Fool’s Day joke but Maverick‘s feature on the Russian president winning a Nobel isn’t a gaffe — Putin is being lauded for stopping lawlessness in Russia, and took home a special Nobel for Russian nominees only. It’ll be a censorship-free day in Moscow before Putin wins a real Nobel Peace Prize.
In other Putin news, Mike Tippitt wrote about the Russian president’s rumoured love affair with a young Olympic gymnast, and how the publication breaking the story mysteriously closed shop a day after the story dared to run. Hopefully, the Kremlin doesn’t get upset we’re reporting on this reporting of a rumour.
What other global stories should you bookmark? NATO forces mistakenly armed and fed Taliban fighters in a massive oops-eration, Susan Duclos wrote; Army General David Petraeus has been selected to lead U.S. Central Command, Can Tran told us; Atlantic City casinos will soon enforce a smoking ban, momentsintime explained, giving chain-smoking gamblers more reason to stress out while losing their life savings on Texas Hold ‘Em; a Middle East analyst predicts the world will become more violent if the U.S. loses its dependence on Middle East oil, Brant David McLaughlin wrote; on the same topic, Brazil found two of the three largest oil fields discovered in the last 30 years, giving Saudi Arabia a run for its money, Gar Swaffar wrote; Oprah’s “Big Give” show is assisting victims of the Highland, AR, tornado, S.H. Mills said, adding original reporting and photos to this important story; and Prince William is getting a beating by the British press for abusing his helicopter privileges, TheMadKing reported. Well, I can sympathize with the Prince. Being cooped up in a luxurious mansion and swathed in wealth and yes-men could definitely be stressful.
TopFinds Awards
Will the Iraqi army be able to stand up on its own? That’s a question at the heart of the excellent and timely feature winning this week’s TopJournalism Award. Written by Maverick, the piece explored where the Iraqi army stands today and how it can be successful in the future. He didn’t just write an overview of the situation; he quoted soldiers and commanders of Iraqi forces to give us impressive insight into the challenges facing the region right now. His last line capped off an article any war observer should pore over: Despite the heroic efforts of the men on the ground, [Iraq] seems like a quagmire without the comfort of a bottom.
The FLDS scandal gave us a deluge of articles on DigitalJournal.com but a different perspective shone in the winner of the TopOpEd Award. Awash with well-researched facts and strong conviction, TheMadKing wrote about the hypocrisy in America regarding statutory rape. He attacked the government for going after the FLDS men but “ignoring, overlooking, legally facilitating and even subsidizing the epidemic of statutory rapes that have been occurring under their noses for decades now.” These were powerful words served to us at a time when we’re caught in a media frenzy, giving us a proper moment to pause and reflect over how we treat our children.
Controlling video games with your brain only could be coming to a living room near you. So says the article taking home the TopTechnology Award, written by Nathalie C. In 628 words we learned how Emotiv created a brain-reading device that translates brain signals into recorded emotions, then transfers them into recognizable applications. Virtual reality just got a booster shot of potential, this article explained, and it’s only a matter of time before the simple computer mouse and keyboard become relics of our non-virtual past.
It’s only fitting that a Citizen Journalist debunked all the myths and fairy-tales surrounding user-generated news. Winning the TopInternet Award is Paul Wallis for his exhaustive piece on citizen journalism’s role in the news cycle. With his trademark quirky wit and playful wordplay, Wallis explored the misconception surrounding citizen media and how “traditional journalism is no longer capable of doing its job.” It was enlightening to read what happens when an intrepid Netizen searches for citizen journalism news on the Web, later trying to separate the truth from the half-baked ideas. And give some love to the comments to learn what other Citizen Journalists think of the craft they enjoy.
“It seems fair to say that the government — through high taxes, foreign intervention, and ethanol subsidies — has been a major player in causing the current energy crisis and high price of gasoline.” Interested in all the evidence to support that eye-opening argument? Then turn to the TopPolitics Award winner, written by TheRationalAnarchist. He looked at what the U.S. marketplace can do to select the appropriate alternative fuel, as opposed to the Feds bullying their policies forward. Peppered with illuminating stats, the article touched upon ethanol costs and subsidies, and the government’s interference in the matter. Well done, TRA!
The U.S.-Mexico border will continue to be a relevant news story, and momentsintime updated us on the makeover of its virtual fence in a story deserving of the TopWorld Award. She informed us about the new plan to create 17 towers with communications gear and cameras along the border. Like any responsible journalist, momentsintime also included criticism from those unhappy with the controversial project. Stay tuned to find out if high-tech ideas like this one can truly combat illegal immigration.
Flirting is banned in San Antonio. Men can’t become “sexually aroused” in public in Mississippi. Boyfriends can’t serenade their girlfriends in Kalamazoo. These are some of the weird and archaic sex laws dotting U.S. states, published by Nikki W. in a piece that saucily takes home the TopOffBeat Award. As much as the piece may have made readers furrow their eyebrows in disbelief, most of the “laws” were so ridiculous the article ended up being a dose of delicious humour. I’m waiting for the sequel, Nikki — Weird Sex Laws in Canada (no French-kissing grizzly bears in Algonquin Park).
