Former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich gets no love from his Senate. Why Starbucks is stiff-arming decaf in the afternoon. And a penis-size argument leads to murder. Get all the answers in these top stories making news on DigitalJournal.com.
It seems this week has been all about disgrace: shamed politicians taking their final bow, chest-puffing guys embarrassing their entire gender by killing each other over penis length, boxers trying to cheat by stuffing their gloves with plaster. Lest we forget, there are even nefarious folks trying to extort the bereaving Travoltas.
Not a good week for humanitarians.
And as the economy worsens around the world, expect some not so graceful stories about how companies want to cut expenses as neatly as possible. Decaf lovers, you’re not going to like what a Citizen Journalist reported about Starbucks.
These stories and many more are popular right now on our news network:
• Obama Talks With Arab TV, Promising Respect for Muslims: Is it for real or for show? Either way, when President Obama agreed to his first post-inauguration TV interview with an Arab network, the world double-taked. This story explained the rationale behind the decision and what exactly Obama told the Muslim world. We’ll say this for him, Obama doesn’t like predictable.
• Blagojevich Given the Boot by Illinois Senate: Some saw this coming an eon away. The disgraced governor has been pink slipped by the Illinois Senate. If you want to the entire sordid tale of Blagojevich’s fall from grace — wait, he had grace? — then this post acts as a perfect summary. And do you think Blago will continue his fight to prove his innocence? Have your say in the comments section.
• Layoffs not an option, what some companies are doing instead: The recession is getting uglier every nanosecond. But some companies are getting creative with their cost-cutting strategies: Nikkie Weingartner reported on a restaurant that only pays waiter in tips, sparking a torrential downpour of kindness from patrons. And more companies are encouraging unpaid vacations, prompting the journalist to write: “…it is safe to say that the loss of a couple of week’s salary may be a little better than the alternative of not having a job at all.”
• Ann Coulter: I Hope Obama ‘Succeeds‘: What won’t Ann Coulter say to get media attention? The ultra-right celebrity actually defended Obama after Rush Limbaugh bad-mouthed the president. But don’t worry, Coulter is still herself: she added that she thinks Obama will fail during his time in the White House.
• Grandparents to Set Burial Date for Caylee Anthony This Week: The Caylee Anthony case keeps on popping up, thanks to our dedicated reporter Carol Forsloff. She broke to DigitalJournal.com readers the story on the burial date of the child, chosen by the grandparents. Also, Casey Anthony appeared in court late this week, giving Florida crime reporters plenty to speculate about in the coming month.
• Travoltas Victimized by Extortion Plot: In what sounds like the lowest of the low a criminal could go, Bahamian lawmakers tried to extort money out of the Travolta family by “protecting” photos of the son dying to media hordes. The tragedy of their son’s death seems to be exacerbated by greedy politicians. No one is safe, it seems.
• Harper Government Tables Canadian Budget: Big news out of Canada — the Conservative government released their budget plans for 2009, injecting millions into infrastructure, improved rail service and tax cuts. $20 billion in tax cuts, actually. This news isn’t over yet; the opposition Liberals promise to keep the Harper government on “a short leash.” We smell a showdown.
• Triple-killing after penis-size row, five men on trial: File this story in the Victims of Male Bravado section. As Adriana Stujit reported, five Indian men gunned down white men over an argument about penis size. Cynthia Trowbrdige couldn’t believe machoism resulted in murder: “Men are really strange creatures to think the size of their penis makes any difference to most people.”
• Substance Found in Margarito’s Gloves Could have Killed Mosley: In case you hadn’t noticed, boxing is looking more like the prison show Oz these days. Match officials stepped in to inspect Margarito’s gloves before his fight with Shane Mosley. There was evidence of a “plaster-like substance” that could have done serious damage to Mosley’s mug. What’s next, shanking your opponent while bear-hugging him?
TopFinds Awards
The honourees of this week’s TopFinds Awards attracted impressive attention and widest readership. Digital Journal thanks the following Citizen Journalists with Awards for their passion for covering the top issues of the day: Chris V. Thangham, Sadiq Green, Can Tran, Carolyn E. Price, Adriana Stujit, Carol Forsloff, Nikki Weingartner, Leo Reyes, and Joan Firstenberg.
The Top Comment of the Week Award goes to Amy C. She said on Nikki’s unique cost-cutting piece that “employees who love their company are also fiercely loyal to them” and also clearly explained the benefit of bringing creative initiatives to the workplace. We hope you share your voice on other articles too, Amy. Welcome!
