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TopFinds: How Natasha Richardson’s Death Could’ve Been Avoided

The aftermath of the Natasha Richardson tragedy. The CIA’s prediction for the Middle East. And why Microsoft’s new Internet Explorer 8 could be worth the hype. These are the top stories gaining attention around the world.

When breaking news smacks the world in the face, Digital Journalists are quick to file stories before printing presses even warm up. We saw this journalistic commitment in several stories finding favour on DigitalJournal.com.

KJ Mullins should be commended for her dedication to the Natasha Richardson tragedy. She not only reported on the sudden death of the actress, but also filed excellent articles on skiing safety and emergency responses to the accident. Her series of articles highlighted ideas on how this death could have been averted. It’s always heartening to know there’s a Digital Journalist out there hungry to report important news as it happens…and willing to stick to the issue, no matter what else is tugging at her attention.

Also, Carol Forsloff followed up her first piece on the Katrina disaster with two articles probing deeper into why the levees broke. Her second part turned to the history of the Gulf, because you can’t know who you are if you don’t know where you came from, as the saying goes. Part 3 went even more investigative, and succeeded in summing up the engineering failures surrounding New Orleans. Original interviews and book references filled out the story perfectly, as Carol once again proved how thorough she can be in tackling heavy stories. We can’t wait for the next few parts!

Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina was the worst of the 2005 hurricane season, hitting New Orleans the hardest. Katrina was also one of the top five deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history
Photo by FirstBaptistNashville

Finally, a high-five to Kim Hartman for her interview with restaurant owners in Tucson, Arizona. A light-hearted piece about Mexican cuisine, and why this resto stands apart from the rest, is a nice respite on a gloomy news day of bankrupt businesses and murderous fathers. It was a compelling Q&A, and it gave foodies an opportunity to check out a specific locale if they ever find themselves in Tucson.

Many other major stories are winning acclaim on DigitalJournal.com, including:

Morgellons’ disease remains a mystery, says CDC: Even the name sounds creepy — Morgellons is a skin disease that some people describe as “collective intelligence within the bodies they have parasitized.” But the Center for Disease Control says the disease’s origins and causes are unknown. It isn’t imaginary, per se, since the sufferers face very real symptoms, yet the Morgellons mystery has yet to be solved.

CIA Report Predicts Israeli Collapse in 20 Years, Exodus to U.S.: A CIA report drops a pseudo-bombshell, predicting “an inexorable movement away from a two-state to a one-state solution, as the most viable model based on democratic principles of full equality that sheds the looming specter of colonial Apartheid while allowing for the return of the 1947/1948 and 1967 refugees.” Michael Krebs brought us this story about the CIA assessment, which also suggests Israelis might return to U.S. en masse. Do you think the CIA is right about this idea?

UFO formation in South Africa filmed by cops: UFO news is always popular on DigitalJournal.com, and this article by Adriana Stuijt is no different. So how can experts explain the strange array of lights high above Witbank, South Africa? Adriana didn’t just profile this sighting, but also described the other UFO “appearances” dotting the country. Her section titled “Only a small percentage are hoaxes” is definitely worth checking out.

Predator X s jawbones

The jaws of “Predator X” compared to the jaws of a T. Rex
From History Channel

Super marine dinosaur? New pliosaur, Predator X, sets records: So what stretches 50 feet long, and weighs 45 tons? What animal has teeth each measuring 12 inches, which chewed on prey with an estimated 33,000lbs of bite force? Yes, it’s the freakily-named Predator X, a new species discovered by researchers in Norway. Sorry, T. Rex, you have been dethroned.

Remembering Jailed Casey Anthony’s Birthday Might Prevent Suicide: Casey Anthony celebrated her birthday on March 19 and Carol Forsloff wondered who is giving the arrested mother tons o’ love. Carol speculates that if Casey gets depressed behind bars on her big day, she may get suicidal. She even quotes Shakespeare, writing about “the quality of mercy that shouldn’t be strained and that drops upon the earth like gentle rain.”

Former Bush Aide To Serve Prison Time: And so it begins…A Bush aide has been convicted of stealing funds from a government agency. Read all the sordid details in Sadiq Green’s well-written piece on why greed and avarice is not just confined to the financial schemers in the U.S.

Microsoft releases IE8 for download, now wait for the response: Microsoft debuted its new Internet Explorer version, promising faster speeds and more tools than its predecessor. Digital Journalist Paul Wallis has his say on the release, hoping “that IE8 or some other bit of software isn’t the tipping point for a real exodus from the Windows platforms. That would be messy, and expensive, and not necessarily better, either.” Agree or disagree? Have your say in the article’s comments section.

Boy, 6, has 176 IQ, called ‘one in a million’: Nothing like a feel-good story about a genius kid with an IQ of 176. Pranav Veera is a name to watch, as the Ohio 6-year-old boy is already amazing everyone with his math skills. While his classmates are learning to count to 100, Pranav can already count to one million. Wow, we feel pretty inadequate right now.

Manny Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao (born December 17, 1978), is a Filipino professional boxer.
Mike Gonzalez

What Makes Manny Pacquiao so Popular the World Over?: My guess? Leo Reyes writing about him, because time after time his articles on the Filipino boxer garners impressive page views on DigitalJournal.com. To answer the question seriously, Leo quoted from boxing promoters that congratulate Manny for his character, respect and humility. He also has become one of the top role models for Filipino youth.

Rihanna, Battered and Bruised Yet Somehow to Blame?: It’s a revelation to some — a recent poll of teens found that almost half of those surveyed believe Rihanna is responsible for the beating she endured. Carolyn E. Price investigated this stunning statistic and explained what other details from this troubling relationship point to Chris Brown’s explosive anger.

TopFinds Awards

The honourees of this week’s TopFinds Awards attracted impressive attention and widest readership. Digital Journal thanks the following Digital Journalists with Awards for their passion for covering the top issues of the day: Paul Wallis, Michael Krebs, Chris V. Thangham, KJ Mullins, Carolyn E. Price, Adriana Stuijt, Sadiq Green, Leo Reyes, and Carol Forsloff.

The Top Blog Post of the Week
goes to skeptikool for alerting DigitalJournal.com readers to a powerful letter-to-the-editor submitted to the Vancouver Sun. Can’t go wrong with the statement, “Sometimes a letter says it so well.” So true. And kudos to skeptikool for peppering the blog feed with intriguing and newsworthy links.

The Top Comment of the Week is awarded to Nikki Weingartner for her insightful opinion found here on an article about Bush’s upcoming memoirs. She railed against critics who bashed Bush in the past eight years, suggesting Obama deserves similar treatment. “I also find if funny how individuals take his alcoholism and run with it or his golfing and criticize it while you NEVER hear about the drug use of President Obama.” This short summary of Nikki’s top comment doesn’t do it justice so make sure you give it a full read to learn more about her views on U.S. politics.

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