The bacterial zoo living on our skin. Questioning YouTube’s practice of allowing Al-Qaeda to post videos. Olympics families failing to afford the cost to see their children compete. These are the top stories making headlines around the world.
Technology & Internet
“Where does the greed end?” That was a comment footnoting an article about Microsoft’s program to give money back to customers who shop online using its Live Search service, as reported by Chris V. Microsoft will give shoppers some money back based on a percentage of the product price, but Chris wondered if this is the company’s “desperate way of trying to gain shares in the search category.”
Several other tech and Net stories are worth reading: Israeli researchers are working on a sci-fi hybrid of a flying drone and robotic ambulance, Sheba wrote; the next-generation $75 laptop will launch in 2010, Chris V. told us (for once, a printer might cost more than a computer); a recent study revealed that a majority of journalists believe “blogs and social media were having a negative impact on the quality and accuracy of reporting,” Khalyboy reported; and Netflix will allow subscribers to watch free movies on their TV with a $100 set-top box. Is this the end of bricks-and-mortal movie rental chains? Connie M doesn’t think so, commenting:
As for the assumption that streaming will eventually spell the demise of DVDs, that probably has as much chance of happening as people giving up their book collections and choosing to read only ebooks.
Science & Health
Are you a microbiological zoo? Most likely, according to Paul Wallis, who wrote a fascinating feature on humans living with 70 different types of bacteria. For a peek into one exhibit into your bacterial stew, take a microscopic gander at your inner elbow, which contains six separate types of bacteria, all working to help moisturize the area. Yes, bacteria can do some good.
What other science and health stories made front-homepage news? Chemicals in passion fruit could alleviate asthmatic symptoms, KJ discovered; noncommunicable diseases like heart disease have become the chief causes of death around the world, Bob Ewing wrote; Maryland is experiencing a 50 per cent increase in lyme disease, Samantha A. Torrence reported; Chantix, a drug that helps smoker quit, is being linked to problematic side effects such as depression and suicidal tendencies, Sue D. informed us; and Cynthia T. gave us the gory details behind the toxins found in health and beauty products, alerting us to carcinogens in shampoo and dioxins in baby wash. She added an important warning in the comments:
Women who are pregnant and even those of child bearing age should be concerned with these types of reports.
World
In times of crises, nefarious criminals come a-crawling. KJ alerted us to scammers who are trying to bilk charitable folk out of money, saying they represent aid organizations helping victims from the Chinese earthquake. She’s hopeful that “karma will come back and kick these urchins in the bum.”
Many other world stories are required reading for any news junkie: France’s government has supposedly been communicating with Hamas and President Bush has let it be known private talks with the Palestinian groups doesn’t further Gaza peace talks, Can Tran wrote; the UK parliament is considering a system to monitor all phone calls and email, Sykos Masters said; the toy icon Hello Kitty has been named Japan’s Ambassador of Tourism, Samantha A. Torrence wrote (and Super Mario is the Minister of Education?); a young Iranian woman was caught on tape being arrested for a clothing violation, Johnny Simpson posted; and a British black Labrador is the oldest living dog at 200 years old (in human years), Michelle D. wrote. I guess chasing your tail in a park never gets boring.
TopFinds Awards
Does YouTube spread Al-Qaeda propaganda by allowing the terrorist group to post videos of attacks on U.S. soldiers? It was a powerful question at the heart of the article taking the TopInternet Award, written by Sue D. She wrote about Joe Lieberman questioning Google’s practice of allowing Al-Qaeda videos on YouTube, explaining YouTube’s position as a free-speech advocate. The article became extremely popular and stirred debate, allowing Nikki W. and RCB2875 (among others) to point out relevant arguments in a healthy discussion that definitely gave readers something to think about.
It may be a gloomy read, but the TopOpEd Award winner offered a treasure trove of information about the problems affecting the U.S. In Could the U.S. Empire Collapse?, TruthMan dissected the economic, foreign policy and public perception woes facing the country, comparing the American downturn to similar periods in European nations. He concluded: “The results of [the] failure to regulate the financial sectors of our economy has led to the United States becoming the world’s leading debtor and the largest importer of manufactured goods and oil.” You can almost hear the melancholic tone in TruthMan’s voice as he explained how his homeland is travelling down a tunnel that only gets darker by each passing year.
There’s nothing like a feature piece that snarkily buries a dead technology. Paul Wallis wins the TopBusiness Award by declaring “DRM is dead.” Using concrete examples and predicting the reason for the downfall of digital-rights management, Paul wrote a thoughtful piece ideal for anyone curious about the future of the music industry. As always, this Citizen Journalist supplied us with an insightful recommendation: “The sooner the music industry wakes up to the fact that it’s consumer-driven, not lawyer-driven, the better for everyone.”
It was a shocker of an intro: Half of British teens still don’t use condoms during sex with a new partner. For alerting to this important health issue, Michelle D. wins the TopHealth Award and earns kudos for describing how the Brit government will approach condom advertisement and sex education. Unprotected sex continues to be an issue, despite dire warnings about contracting HIV, and let’s hope Michelle’s article gets spread around to the right people faster than a case of crabs. Um, too soon?
A flying penis. Security swatting the one-eyed trouser snake. Are you laughing yet? If not, you will be after watching the video and accompanying story winning the TopWorld Award. Written by Samantha A. Torrence, the article related the strange occurrence of Russian political dissident Garry Kasparov giving a speech to Kremlin opponents in Moscow and suddenly facing a flying toy penis. The guard eventually disabled the soaring phallus, but not before the video was captured by an onlooker, giving DigitalJournal.com readers a hearty delicious laugh.
Have you everwondered how disabled people get around while travelling around the world? It’s a question Scott Rains focused on in his article on why an international human rights treaty should implement a policy on establishing proper conduct for travel destinations dealing with disabled visitors. The article, winning the TopLifestyle Award, exposed the glaring holes in the travel and hospitality industry, an issue that rarely sees the light of day. Kudos to Scott for giving us a new perspective on an issue he battles with all the time, allowing us to view each travel hotspot with another shade of skepticism.
American families are torn between seeing their Olympic-hopeful children compete in Beijing and dealing with the high costs of making that dream come true. This crisis was brought to us by Can Tran, who takes home the TopSports Award for uncovering a rarely told controversy some Americans are facing. Can told us about a family that would have to fork over up to $20,000 to check out a son competing in the wrestling competition in the upcoming Olympics. It’s all well and good to hear about Chinese censorship and environmental controversies relating to the Olympics, but it is this kind of simple and tragic story that makes us pause and reflect on how a family can be pained by prohibitive costs from seeing their children take the world stage.
