Why is obesity contagious? How can singing to your computer allow you to download a song? Should Dr. Phil be booted from TV? Find out the answers to all these questions, and many more, by revisiting the past week of breaking news from DigitalJournal.com.
Digital Journal — Curiosity might have killed the cat, but it’s what also compelled Citizen Journalists to hunt for compelling stories that itch their inquisitive minds. For instance, how effective was the YouTube-CNN Democrats debate this week? Is the National Basketball Association facing its worse scandal since the Indiana-Detroit brawl? What’s the deal with the Vietnamese dish, pho? Lucky for knowledge-hungry readers, writers were eager to let the answers fly so everyone can absorb an encyclopedia’s worth of current affairs.
Politics
One of the biggest stories this week centred around the Democrats debate on CNN, using questions submitted by YouTube users. Kudos goes to Left-Handed Elephant for his excellent coverage of the debate, including succinct answers to most of the aired questions. If you didn’t watch the debates, LHE’s article gives you the perfect Cole’s Notes version.
Other worthwhile political stories included: a teleconference between U.S. Army officials in Iraq and bloggers brought attention to the importance of sending positive news to Americans, Tremelord found; a DVD celebrating Nelson Mandela’s birthday is also calling for the deaths of white South Africans, kylalynn found; and President George W. Bush supposedly called the U.S. Constitution “a goddamned piece of paper”, museinspiredart wrote. So what’s the bigger surprise — Bush calling the supreme law of the U.S. no better than a flimsy piece of printer paper, or Bush using the Lord’s name in vain?
Health
Any new medical research study requires the reader to interpret the results carefully, and research from Harvard University on obesity deserves the same treatment, as Wanderlaugh noted. In a post on the contagious effects of obesity and weight loss, Wanderlaugh wrote about a study that said “that the perception of acceptable body size changes if one’s friends become obese.” Is this conclusive evidence that if your best buddy gains 20 pounds, you will as well? Probe the facts to find out for yourself.
Several other health posts caught a lot of attention. kylalynn told us about a study looking for volunteers to be intentionally sunburned and then stung by jellyfish, all the in name of testing a new brand of sunscreen (and volunteers only get compensated with free bottles of anti-jellyfish sunscreen). permafrog brought to light a study linking air pollution and high cholesterol, commenting later:
This information…can help reduce the rate of heart disease [and] so seems worth exploring.
Winning a place at the Good Find spot earlier this week, a story on the world losing the AIDS battle gave optimists a wake-up call. Planet Janet lamented the plight facing third world countries: The number of patients being treated is being overwhelmed by new cases all the time in these poorer places.
Technology & Internet
If I sing “Take me down to the paradise city” to my PC, will it find the Guns n’ Roses classic tune? According to geozone, next-gen search engines could do exactly that, in a story exploring how users singing song lyrics into a microphone attached to a PC could call up a menu of possible MP3s containing those words. There are still hurdles to jump before this technology becomes a reality, but it certainly gives music fans — and karaoke junkies — something to anticipate.
What other headlines crowned the Top News in tech? There was Wanderlaugh reporting on MySpace banning 29,000 sex offenders; there was aarontrippedout‘s post on why the Xbox 360 keeps breaking like Microsoft planned its obsolescence; there was skyangel5402‘s fascinating post on fiber optics cables that can bend around corners without losing their signal strength (Verizon, that post was for you!); and MDee enlightened us to the next tech scare tactic – bacteria on your cellphone. Motorola is getting into the clean-freak game by introducing a phone than inhibits the growth of microorganisms. Um…hooray?
Finally in technology, Google is nudging into the telecom industry by bidding for a slice of the public airwaves ideal for fast wireless Internet service, as Ringwraith reported. Don’t label Google a monopoly seeker yet. Ringwraith explained:
…Google doesn’t want to provide the service or buy airwaves itself, but is trying to spearhead the push against the grain for more choice for Internet users on a spectrum that is considered to be ideal for high speed wireless Internet.
Arts & Entertainment
Dick in a box. If that summons memories of a booze-soaked bacholerette party, that’s cool, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. But if those words bring to mind the Saturday Night Live skit now nominated for an Emmy, as jaguar reported, then you’re likely in the majority. The Justin Timerlake-fronted skit was posted again on DigitalJournal.com, so give it another view in case you’re feeling like tickling your funny bone.
Deserving of congratulatory mentions were several other intriguing A&E stories: pbrite wrote about two buried topics — on Star Wars social-networking playing cards and Netflix slashing prices; museinspiredart reported on a woman kissing a painting and facing a trial for ruining artwork; and ericswyatt gave us a taste of his music-reviewing skills with a personal story about discovering the talent of singer Erika Chambers. Just don’t jump ship to Rolling Stone yet, Eric!
Sports
There often isn’t a flood of sports stories within a week, but the past seven days gave readers a glimpse into the busy crises facing pro sports this summer. Accumulating most media coverage this week was the gambling scandal rocking the NBA, where referee Tim Donaghy is accused of leaking game info to the Mafia, as Ringwraith reported. Sounds like the Pete Rose saga all over again.
In a similar vein, SportsAndTheCity critiqued the Tour de France doping problems, summing up his opinions bluntly:
The clouds cast over the race by doping have brought so much shame and embarrassment to the sport that the race, and the sport, can no longer be taken seriously anymore.
Other sporty pieces included gohomelaker‘s post on golfer Sergio Garcia losing another major championship (ouch, that hurts!), and MDee’s piece on an anti-shark gadget used by surfers to deter the vicious sea creatures from getting all Jaws on them.
Food
The op-ed vibe got much love this week, and in particular pbrite was a fan of sharing his opinion on various matters. In the new category Food, pbrite critiqued Jamba Juice smoothies as a beverage loaded with sugar an carbs, acting as a consumer advocate for anyone addicted to Banana Berry or Orange Dream Machine.
The foodie news didn’t end there. Planet Janet discovered the story about a Chinese reporter penning a bogus story about “cardboard buns” sold in Beijing. And lensman67 profiled a popular Vietnamese entrée in his story What the Pho? Including some recipes was a smart move, because now DJ readers can experiment with their own Asian cuisine beyond the packaged Mr. Noodles shelved on supermarkets.
Lifestyle
What’s the deal with Girl Guides today? Posthappy answered that question with a thought-provoking look into how the merit badges in the 21st century vary widely from the badges of yesteryear. Use Microsoft Word? Practise safe sex? What’s next, perfecting the art of cellphone snapshots? As Posthappy writes, the times are a-changin’.
Also winning attention in this category were several articles you won’t find popping up in the mainstream media. aarontrippedout essayed on how technology affects creativity, getting all philosophical on us by exploring the reality behind everyday imaes. Also, momentsintime wrote a powerful post on U.S. war widows, peppering the piece with thoughtful quotes. It was the kind of article that was buried on a busy news day but deserves a second look for exposing us to an issue we rarely think about.
And finally, patxxoo wondered whether afternoon naps are beneficial to the body, especially in light of Hungary’s proposed law to mandate midday siestas. As interesting as the article was, the comments from DJ users offered inspiring tips on how long to get shut-eye to avoid feeling tired when waking up — no more than 20 minutes, phree said.
TopFinds Awards
Name the DigitalJournal.com greenhorn who, in one day, wrote about Richard Dawkins, futurism, Apple’s iPhone and two rock bands. He’s a Citizen Journalist who’s already impacting the site on his first week and is deserving of the TopFinds New DJ User of the Week Award. Congrats to Michael Krahn for bringing to Digital Journal impressive writing talent and a keen eye for what’s making news. Even when Michael covered an well-trodden topic like atheist Richard Dawkins, the story didn’t feel repetitive because he added new insight, writing, “[Dawkin’s book] is more of a ‘rah-rah we’re in the club’ document than one that attempts a winsome defense or appeal to a life without religion. By the way, nice vocabulary, Michael.
It’s often worth highlighting the importance of classified documents that come to light, whether the company issuing them likes it or not. Giving readers the goods on a classified bulletin from the U.S. Transportation Security Administration is a post courtesy of the latest winner of the TopJournalism Award — ericswyatt. Much like an investigate journalist, this neophyte reporter for DJ wrote about a TSA bulletin filled with instances that raise questions about the safety of American airways. eric wrote:In each of the incidents, common items were packed in an unusual way, often imitating one or more elements of an improvised explosive device.
By also posting the TSA bulletin, eric was able to add depth and integrity to this eye-opening story, a post that should be relevant to anyone even slightly concerned about airport security. We look forward to more probing journalism, eric.
Also worth noting was another Digital Journal rookie who made a splash with a thoroughly researched piece on the liberal view of gay rights. GayConservative takes home this week’s TopPolitics Award for letting his opinions fly in a post also steeped in facts. He proclaimed some bold statements, such as “All evidence proves that the goal of the Democratic party remains to keep blacks and gays in a sick-victim state to serve at their electoral pleasure.” Thought-provoking conclusion, GayConservative, and no matter where readers stand, they should realize it’s important to read a post that dives deep into an issue that will likely be at the forefront of the presidential debates in 2008.
Finally, a light opinion piece deserved appreciation for expressing personal distaste for a TV show so explicitly, it was hard not to agree with the writer. Winning this week’s TopOpEd Award is pbrite for the post Dr. Phil’s Show is a Joke. Why’s that? pbrite is sick of Dr. Phil guests who “are going to be on the show to be on TV and not for help.” Oh snap! For writing a concise argument backed by ideas to reshape the show, pbrite definitely deserves the honour of the TopOpEd Award. And in return, here’s a bunch of ice cream for you to enjoy, pbrite…just make sure you send the tab to muse.
Note: Back by popular demand is our video segment investigating a tech issue that could affect many Netizens — downloading movies and TV shows. As well, Digital Journal has decided to show you a bit more of the behind-the-scenes filming of this week’s TV segment, so stay tuned to the end of the vid to catch some priceless bloopers.
