Barack Obama officially becomes president of the U.S. The dark side of working for Google. And a chicken wing shortage threatens Super Bowl parties. These are the top stories making news right now.
It’s hard to deny the hottest news story of the week: Barack Obama taking over the wheel at the White House. Numerous stories on the inauguration flooded DigitalJournal.com, from the school children getting excited about Obama’s presidency to technologies such as the iPhone allowing users to check out the ‘naug event live.
And when Obama’s presidency finally became official, the world noticed. Carol Forsloff compiled a thorough review of the various nations celebrating his ascension, from Saudi Arabia to Scotland. As she summed up: “Barack Obama is being hailed around the world as having the potential to be a truly great leader.”
Those weren’t the only popular stories getting love on DigitalJournal.com. Check out these other intriguing articles:
• Americans Critical of the Bush Presidency: It’s not the most surprising headline, but an appropriate article as George W. Bush leaves the White House for more Texan pastures. A new survey revealed forty-six percent of respondents rated him as a poor president. No word on how many would have preferred Gore instead.
• Limbaugh Attacks Early, Says He Hopes Obama Fails: The hard-right commentators took every opportunity to blast Obama early on, as Rush Limbaugh is quoted as saying “…what’s new, what is unfair about my saying I hope liberalism fails? Liberalism is our problem.” John Rickman, in the comments section, was quick to call shenanigans on Rush’s statement: “To hope Obama fails is to hope that America as a whole fails since he is our leader. I guess that is what passes for ‘patriotism’ among the Wing Nuts.” Lucky Rush isn’t a DJ user, he might’ve hit “report abuse” on that one.
• First Lady’s Inaugural Wear Shows Michelle Obama a Trendsetter: Every inauguration session always gets the lifestyle reporters in a tizzy: they can finally be called into duty to report on presidential garments! Michelle Obama’s wardrobe caught the attention of fashionistas, as her golden form-fitting dress with matching coat won over critics. Why is Obama’s dapper suit getting no kudos?
• Obama Not President? Oh, Those Crazy Guys at Fox News: Sitting at the top of the front page on DigitalJournal.com was this head-turning story. Apparently, Chris Wallace of Fox News said Obama may not be president because he and Chief Justice Roberts messed up on the oath. Does Wallace not understand that the Constitution states Obama was president at noon on Tuesday, no matter what? Oh Fox News, how you entertain us.
• Openly Gay Portland Mayor in Hot Water for Sexual Irregularities: In other U.S. news, Mayor Sam Adams is embroiled in a controversy surrounding his affair with a boy barely past the age of consent. There is talk of resignation (sound familiar, Blago?) and folks in Oregon are concerned whether these distractions are hurting Adams’ chances at leading Portland properly. What do you think? Have your say in the comments section.
• Baby dials 911, gets dad arrested at home: One of the stranger stories this week comes from the pen of Chris V. Thangham, who reported on a baby who accidentally dialled 9-1-1 and when the police showed up, they arrested the father for having marijuana plants. Somehow, the baby narc’d on her father. Odd stuff, indeed, but we wonder if this child has a future in law enforcement.
• The dark side of working for Google: What’s this, a negative story about Google? We learned how disgruntled employees aren’t incredibly stoked about the Big G’s workplace policies. Incompetent managers, low pay, incredibly long hours, shoddy hiring process…sounds like a fast-food resto instead of a Silicon Valley superstar. It also didn’t help when Google said it was cutting jobs last week.
• A Super Bowl Without Hot Wings? The Nationwide Shortage: Football fans are crying out, “Say it ain’t so!” A reported chicken wing shortage is outbreaking across the U.S., wrecking havoc with many a Super Bowl plan. Nikki Weingartner wrote how a a major supplier of buffalo wings, a poultry farm in Texas, recently filed for bankruptcy, causing a shortage in supply. Maybe the desperate can opt for skeptikool‘s idea for a sports snack favourite: pickled pigs’ feet. Yum?
Looking for some intriguing stories written by experts in the field? Then check out this week’s Celebrity Guest Writer series, featuring stories written by anti-Prohibition enthusiasts, viral video producers, star surgeons, business leaders and government heads. There’s something for every taste, and it’s definitely mentally nourishing to read about the various insights into well-known topics such as robotics and accessibility for disabled people.
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, Sandy Sand, Naved Akhtar, Carol Forsloff, Nikki Weingartner, and Joan Firstenberg.
The Top Blog Post of the Week goes to Ssozi Javie for his compelling piece on education in Uganda. He questioned how Africans can progress successfully after an educational system he sees as flawed. One of his most poignant statement, albeit a tad run-on, came at the end of the post: “Our governments and education system should emphasize creativity in the system of learning such that jobless graduates do not have to entirely depend on the employers but can initiate small research and development projects which the governments can fund such that their skill can be utilized on a National and perhaps on a global scale.” Great job, Ssozi, it is truly fascinating to learn about an under-reported issue from this corner of the world.
The Top Comment of the Week is awarded to cynthia mills for her clear-headed comment regarding Casey Anthony’s arrest. She combatted ideas of Anthony’s guilt, writing, “A liar does not equal murderer.” Extending the comment beyond the Anthony issue, she also addressed the need for user etiquette in the comments section. She said, “Sometimes we must agree to disagree…This doesn’t mean we have to shut up , it simply means we aren’t always going to agree.” We’ve all been there, undoubtedly.
