The boycott of Glenn Beck’s boycott groups. Facebook releases a new app for the iPhone. The Simpsons enjoy an African makeover. These are the top stories around the world.
The saga of New Orleans’ recovery from Hurricane Katrina continues to make news. Carol Forsloff publishes a thorough examination of what frustrates New Orleans residents today. “New Orleans continues to wait for strong levee protection promised years ago,” she writes. She also maintains some people don’t understand all the facts relating to living in New Orleans. In a clear and forthright manner, Forsloff ends her piece with a list of facts anyone should learn.
Weather stories continue to make headlines and Kevin Jess‘s article on a hurricane storming through Nova Scotia and forcing park closures is no exception. A Nova Scotian himself, Jess interviews a spokesman from the Kentville, Nova Scotia office of the Department of Natural Resources to further supplement some info into the article. Great intrepid reporting, Kevin!
Want to know if the latest Facebook app for the iPhone is worth the effort? Then read Brenton Currie‘s in-depth review of the Facebook for iPhone app — find out how the user interface has been improved, how you can upload videos to the 3G S model, and other new features your friends will surely “like”. Digital Journal is proud to have a tech writer of Brenton’s stature on our site and we always look forward to his reviews and insight.
Madonna is booed in Bucharest. Yes, it’s a verifiable headline, thanks to Kay Matthews and her special effort to interview a Romanian concert goer who saw the booing first-hand. Kay discovers why Madonna’s comments about the Roma people raised the ire of the concert audience, despite the singer’s widespread popularity. You can call her the Risque Material Girl now.
A selection of other notable stories include:
• Supporters of Glenn Beck and Whole Foods Challenge Boycotts: Nothing like Fox News boycotts to get Americans in a tizzy. Supporters of commentator/anchor Glenn Beck are up in arms about the advertiser boycott currently hurting the bottom line at Fox News. Also, after a petition circulated to boycott the food chain Whole Foods after the CEO published an op-ed criticizing health care reform, fans have started their own Buy Whole Foods websites. Digital Journalist also writes some intriguing words about boycotts in general, a definite history lesson.
• Prison denies Madoff dying of pancreatic cancer: For reasons only known to him, Bernie Madoff reportedly told his fellow prison inmates that he’s dying of cancer. Maybe he wanted clemency when he dropped the soap? It looks like the claim is a lie, as the Federal Bureau of Prisons said they have no knowledge about Madoff’s sickness. Once a scam artist, always a scam artist.
• Factory Workers Pose For Nude Calendar To Save Jobs: Desperate times call for desperate…bare bums? Workers at a French factory are posing nude for a calendar in order to raise funds to save 204 jobs. As M Dee Dubroff reports, “The staff at the Chaffoteaux et Maury factory in Brittany will use the proceeds gleaned from sales to fund a trip to Italy where they plan to stage a protest at their parent company, Ariston Thermo Group.”
• Matternow.org crashes over demand of political T-shirt: Most websites and e-retailer would love a surge in popularity, but not when that surge crashes the servers. Matternow.org created a T-shirt with “R.I.P U.S. Constitution” on the front and a Reagan quote on the back — and a flood of people want to slap the cotton blend on their bodies. But the founders will have to meet new demand after they appeared on Fox & Friends. Better than not being noticed, right?
• Alabama family feud details coming out: “It appears that yesterday’s all-out riot in a small American town, Marion Alabama, was the result of an escalation of a long-running dispute between two families.” So begins Stephanie Dearing’s captivating account of two feuding families finally breaking into mad violence, complete with baseball bats and hair-pulling. Why couldn’t they give peace a chance?
• Jaycee Dugard found alive after 18 years: Speaking of breaking news, KJ Mullins is quick to alert us to a stunning story — a girl who disappeared from her family 18 years ago suddenly resurfaced, and the parents both confirmed she’s the real deal. What do you think of the Jaycee Dugard saga?
• Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. involved in shooting in Vegas?: Digital Journalist Jay David Murphy investigates the Las Vegas shooting incident involving renown boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. Through his sources, Jay tells us how Mayweather muddied himself in this shooting and what’s being done about it. Worth a read if you’re interested in the after-hours life of boxers.
• Unlikely Outkast hit tops Pitchfork’s decade list: If you know music sites, you know Pitchfork, which claims to be a hipster authority on the hits of today. Recently, they announced their top songs of the decade and Outkast’s “B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)” took the #1 spot. Pitchfork even went so far to claim the song is the decade, a strong assertion that some people might not agree with.
• The Simpsons goes African: In other entertainment news, this popular story describes why The Simpsons show is finally receiving an African makeover in Angola. Andrew Moran quotes Antonio Pascoa, the Creative Director of Executive Center, to say, “Our goal was to adapt the satirical parody of the typical middle-class American family to Angola. If people don’t like it than I guess they don’t have a sense of humor big enough to enjoy the Simpsons.” We wonder if Ralph Wiggum’s playful sense of humour will translate across the ocean.
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: KJ Mullins, Patrick McMahon, Michael Cosgrove, Brenton Currie, Carol Forsloff, Brenton Currie, Kevin Jess, Johnny Simpson, Stephanie Dearing, Kay Matthews, Samantha A Torrence, M Dee Dubroff, David James Young, Jay David Murphy, Gemma Fox, and Andrew Moran.
The Top Blog Post of the Week goes to Gemma Fox. She tells us about the importance of embracing a “me” day and her love of some personal maintenance day. It was relaxing to even just read the post, let alone follow its suggestion. We look forward to more stress-free posts, Gemma.
