When a news story ripples into our lives, we pay attention. That’s the case with the issue of American hikers caught in Iran and now possibly facing an espionage trial. Michael Krebs goes beyond the headline to interview Mary D’Ambrosio, founding editor of Big World Multimedia, publisher of Big World Magazine. She offers some advice to adventure travelers on how to avoid the kind of dangers those hikers faced. Travelers should ask themselves: “Are you going to learn about or experience something that will be useful to someone, or to yourself? Or are you needlessly endangering your life, and the lives of your travel partners, for a gonzo experience?”
Ever been curious about the psychology behind sports? This interview with Dr. Jay P. Granat, an expert sports psychotherapist, reveals some interesting details about the mind-play behind tennis and other sports. Kudos to Ernest Dempsey for posting a thoughtful Q&A with Granat.
As he often does, Earl Dittman snags some impressive celebrity interviews. Check out this one with Sandra Bullock, star of the new film All About Steve. She talks about how she relates to the main character, how she makes peace with her life, and why she went blond in the film. There are also some bonus reviews of new DVD releases.
A selection of other notable stories include:
• Plane overshoots runway in Kingston, Jamaica by Gar Swaffar: This isn’t the kind of story you want to hear if you are travelling over the holidays. Gar reports on an American Airlines flight that split in two after it landed past the runway in Kingston, Jamaica. The airline promises to investigate the incident, which left dozens injured but everyone luckily survived. The article is complemented with some photos courtesy of the Jamaica Observer.
• Islamic center being built near Ground Zero in New York by Andrew Moran: Bound to stir up some controversy, a multi-million dollar Islamic Cultural Center will be built near the site of New York’s Ground Zero. It’s important to note this project began before 9/11, Andrew writes, and Sarah123 comments: “I’m glad we’re continuing to spread tolerance and showing foreign radicals that we’re united.”
• UK Priest Advises Poor People to Shoplift by Chris Dade: Talk about an odd duck of a story: a parish priest in northern England told his congregation that “those who felt they had to steal should only do so from ‘large national businesses’ and not ‘small, family businesses’, but explained that he believes shoplifting is preferable to prostitution, mugging or burglary.” Comedians know have a new source of endless jokes.
• Study: ‘Green’ shoppers more likely to steal and cheat by Gordon K. Chan: On a somewhat related note, Gordon tell us about a new study that found how eco-friendly shoppers have a predilection to stealing and cheating. This article discusses the idea of moral licensing, a heady topic that relates to everything from shoplifting to Tiger Woods.
• Tiger Woods, Wife Elin Vacationing Separately by Leo Reyes: Segueing smoothly once again, this article reports on Woods and his wife deciding to spend the holidays apart (big surprise). Tiger is reportedly vacationing in his yacht, despite news that it’s still docked. Elin is taking the kids to visit family in Sweden. Suffice to say, this is not a merry Christmas at all for the Woods family.
• Actress Brittany Murphy Dead At 32 by KJ Mullins: In a span of five minutes, two articles on Murphy’s tragic death were reported, one by KJ and another by Gemma Fox. The articles detailed what occurred and the theories surrounding the cause of death. It’s like Heath Ledger all over again, and once again the mystery shrouds what truly happened.
• Welsh Rugby Union Legend Admits That He is Gay by Chris Dade: You don’t hear this everyday — a beefy top-notch rugby player is coming out of the closet. Gareth Thomas told a reporter that since 17 he knew he was gay. Thomas doesn’t want to crusade for homosexual rights, though: “I don’t want to be known as a gay rugby player. I am a rugby player first and foremost. I am a man. I just happen to be gay. It’s irrelevant.”
• Play Based on Caylee Anthony Case Shows Tickets Sell Well by Carol Forsloff: Carol reports on a theatre piece called Tot Mom opening in Sydney based on the life of Caylee Anthony. She explains what some media reviews are saying about the play, and lets us know the context of the play’s idea. Good job, Carol!
• Pacquiao Says Floyd Mayweather, Jr. Scared to Fight Him by Leo Reyes: By now, you might’ve heard that the anticipated Pacquia-Mayweather boxing match may be in jeopardy. Leo highlights Pacman’s comments on how Mayweather may be “scared” to fight him, and if those aren’t fighting words…It all comes down to Mayweather insisting Pacquiao take a drug test before the match. Edwin Ladaga believes “Pacquiao should not comply with Floyd’s unnecessary demands.”
The Top Blog Post of the Week is awarded to Dark Horse for his wonderful photos of cats meandering through Cyprus. As he writes, “They are not afraid of being washed away by strong waves pounding the rocks along the beach, close to the busy port in Limassol,” he wrote. Dark Horse is consistently posting stunning original photography, and we can’t wait to see what else he has in store for Digitaljournal.com in 2010.
On that note, we’d like to thank everyone who makes Digitaljournal.com what it is today. We appreciate your dedication to finding the news between the cracks, for posting high-quality reports, and for making this community a very special place. Have a safe holidays and see you in 2010!
