Was it a week of gloomy news about a hypocritical Live Earth concert and phone companies screwing seniors? Or was it full of good news about ethanol assisting Brazil’s economy and Nintendo Wii introducing health-conscious add-ons? Read on to find out.
Digital Journal — Politics has often been criticized for becoming so partisan, it’s practically entertainment for the masses. So it’s no surprise both politics and entertainment were popular categories for Citizen Journalists this week. Add healthy servings of tech, environment and world news, and readers got a solid overview of the bleak and hopeful headlines winning attention across the world.
Politics
This week, there were enough American politics stories to fill two issues of Time. First, Picasso alerted us to Cindy Sheehan’s plans since her retirement from anti-war activism: she plans to run for Congress against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. As expected, Sheehan isn’t afraid to dub herself the common-person’s choice, even calling her campaign the “people’s accountability movement.” Nice title. Even makes for a pithy acronym – PAM.
Other U.S. political stories grabbing eyeballs this week included: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales lied to Congress about FBI’s abuses of power, BoVandy reported; Sen. David Vitter, R-La., apologized for procuring the services of a female escort, museinspiredart found out; and more than 24,000 staffers in Harrisburg, Pa., were out of work earlier this week when the governor shut down all state jobs because of a legislative stalemate, patxxoo wrote. Imagine that happened in your neck of the woods and you can sense why this kind of story can echo for anyone concerned about job security.
One of the best video supplements came from GotTheScoop, who found the YouTube video showing Michael Moore blasting CNN’s Wolf Blitzer for media complacency (and that’s putting it mildly). GTS didn’t just post the video; she included quotes from the interview and her own analysis of the situation. And, as expected, the comments about Moore’s blow-up segued into a debate on the health-care situations in both the U.S. and Canada.
Speaking of Canucks, the big news in the country’s most populous province was the announcement of news anchor David Onley being appointed Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. gohomelaker had only positive things to say about Onley’s contributions to Ontario culture, and it’s hard to disagree: as a former contributor to Digital Journal, we’ve seen up close how Onley’s determined attitude can influence everyday citizens. Watching his move from media to politics will be very intriguing for us Ontarians.
Entertainment and Celebrity
As a Canadian icon is born, another one passes to the afterlife. Toronto entrepreneur Ed Mirvish died this week at 92, leaving behind a legacy of landmarks such as his Honest Ed’s superstore and the Princess of Wales Theatre he builed in 1993. Bart B. Van Bockstaele did a thorough job of giving us the precise details of Mirvish’s storied past, even posting an original photo of the Honest Ed’s façade. It was a fitting tribute to a man admired by the entire city.
The celebrity wattage was turned up several notches when museinspiredart reported on Metallica frontman James Hetfield facing border problems because of his “Taliban-like beard.” And msemj gave music fans a summary of the impressive young career of singer Amy Winehouse, whose impact on the pop scene is merely in its honeymoon phase.
malan was busy with his entertainment news, posting one story on a Springfield city being named the official hometown of the cartoon family The Simpsons, and later attacking the wretched freestyle performance of Kanye West during The Police’s gig at Live Earth. JustJoe summed up the fiasco nicely by commenting: “Kanye West has zero class. Just like summer.” No, he di’nt!
When it comes to the Pink Panther movie franchise, it’s best to forget any kind of modern remake but Planet Janet offered a tasty tidbit of news: the car used in the original film, a lengthened 1969 Oldsmobile Tornado, is up for auction on July 14 and is expected to be sold for at least $2 million US. Sorry, I’m saving my money for Knight Rider.
And although it was a short post, momentsintime invited us into the world of green celebs who are trying to do some good to the environment (after polluting our cinemas with stinky movies…I’m looking at you, Leo and The Beach!) Matt Damon, Sheryl Crow and George Clooney are all doing their part to lessen their carbon footprint and publicize environmentally-friendly events. But a healthy dose of scepticism is in order — are these celebs looking out for Earth or their public image?
Environment
There’s no better way to transition from green celebs to Live Earth than to showcase museinspiredart’s caustic op-ed, Jive Earth Concerts. Going so far as to label Al Gore as the anti-Christ, muse wasn’t regarding the eco-promo Live Earth shows as anything but wasteful. He pointed out the silly idea behind staging all those concerts just contributed to waste and jet mileage: “Even if you believe Gore’s version, a better idea would have been to simulcast it all over Earth and market it as something that can be truly green.” Global warming took top spot this week, thanks to Wanderlaugh‘s probing account into why the sun and cosmic rays don’t contribute to climate change. Solar cause of global warming is now dead, he wrote, and it’s impressive how this theory is finally debunked on Digital Journal. After all, not everyone reads BBC, where Wanderlaugh originally found the story.
Another must-read story comes from the diligent pen of permafrog, who told us about the alarming news that gas and oil shortages could be a reality within five years. permafrog ends the piece with a thoughtful sentiment on how we can reconsider the use of fossil fuels in order to avoid this unfortunate scenario, prompting one commenter to gloomily proclaim:The only green people care about is money.
Business
But sometimes, going green (environmentally) can bring on another kind of green. The biodiesel known as ethanol is giving Brazil an economic boost since the South American country has become the top ethanol producer made from sugarcane. shoyu said the U.S. can learn about biofuel production from Brazil, especially because American ethanol costs more to produce than Brazil’s variety. Illuminating and a buried story, and definitely worth a read.
Another mention goes to shoyu for writing a well-researched piece on how budding entrepreneurs can make money (sorta) through online money-making services. It’s a good reminder for anyone who thinks they can make a quick buck by answering surveys and placing ads on a site.
The News Corp-Dow Jones deal isn’t fading from financial newspaper section anytime soon, which is why Wanderlaugh’s post on alternatives to the buyout is so newsworthy. If phrases like “equity reshuffle” and “voting stock register” make your eyes glaze over, this article might not be for you. But anyone interested in the takeover of the year should glance at this piece for all the nuanced theories it offers.
Technology
We swear, this is the last iPhone-related story in TopFinds (yeah right): iPhone’s chief competition belongs to a Linux phone courtesy of OpenMoko, wrote malan. Comparing the two phones’ specs was a nice touch, although barryb took issue with the piece, stating: “Comparing these phones is like comparing apples to oranges… They have very different options so it would depend on what you wanted it for.” malan, I bet barryb awaits your response.
Other intriguing tech stories finding their way to the Top News tab included: devices in car that could possibly spy on American drivers, as momentsintime reported; the threat of getting seriously injured by lightening while wearing an iPod, Wanderlaugh discovered (not Lightening?); and Nintendo Wii unveiled an exercise-oriented gadget due in early 2008, saran81kid91 found out. If Wii Fit takes off like the console’s other titles did in 2007, obese video gamers could soon be an oxymoron.
And here’s a quirky story from MDee bound to make you think twice about Cingular: the phone company wrongly billed a senior $32,000, even though the customer regularly pays $150 a month. To quickly save face, Cingular cleared the charges but not before the miffed customer declared he would change carriers. As he should — that $32,000 bill would’ve given even youthful hearts a sudden attack.
Internet
Not content to sit out of the action too long, cgull joined the fray by posting a couple stories on Google, notably a great piece introducing readers to GrandCentral. Known as a one-stop site that assigns customers one phone number for all uses, the company was recently bought by Google. So now Google could be involved in all your phone lines with GrandCentral, begging the question: Will the Google search box soon allow people to find the source of every cellphone number in the world?
A short-but-sweet article comes from the pen of Lady Justice in the post Legit Opportunity for Hackers? Detailing a site that pays hackers to find bugs or flaws, the article showed a different side of code-crackers who might get a bad rap from media afraid of what the more malicious hackers perpetrate.
Want to know how to write for the Web? Blog postings were the subject of malan’s piece on Jakob Nielson, known as the “guru of web usability.” I can’t resist offering a tip that every Citizen Journalist should consider: [Nielson] recommends that when the writer finishes an article or blog they wait at least a few hours before posting to ensure that they have crafted the piece in the most informative, informational manner possible.
Science
Although science didn’t get a massive amount of love this week, two stories deserve another read for both topic matter and writing quality. First, give your brain a workout by reading malan’s post on replacements for the human mind. Custom-built brains could arrive with a host of problems, malan wrote, but it’s worth noting how high-tech machinery could soon give our cerebrals a makeover, for better or worse.
Tracking her beat like the ardent journalist she is, franklin posted one of my favourite stories of the week, The Math Behind Beauty. Attempting to answer the question “What is beauty?” is never easy but franklin laid out a nuanced explanations of the “golden ratio” and The Golden Mask to determine what humans find appealing in other humans. I can get into technical detail about the math behind someone’s face, but I suggest you revisit this mentally nourishing piece to learn why you find yourself staring at Jessica Alba or Matt Damon way too long.
Health
Why scour medical news sites when you have Digital Journal‘s health stories to update you on important stories of the week? There was kylalynn writing about the healing powers of poetry; there was permafrog warning us about ground beef contaminated with a deadly strain of E. coli; and MDee posted a thorough analysis of the rise of diabetes cases and what people can do to avoid this debilitating disease. It was also emotionally wrenching to learn which Citizen Journalists are afflicted with diabetes, and how they deal with its life-changing conditions.
And here’s an eye-opener: Asian women are more at risk to breast cancers if they have fatty Western diets. Planet Janet found a study that suggested Chinese women who scarf down red meat, bread and stodgy puddings increase their risk of breast cancer. Doctors recommend these women return to their nation’s traditional diet of fresh fish and vegetables, which might not sound as good as a cheeseburger combo. Then again, who wants a burger with a side order of cancer?
World
News from all over the world found a home on Digital Journal this week. One of the more are-you-serious? stories came from jaguar, who wrote about Osama Bin Laden’s son marrying a British councillor. I wonder if Bin Laden Jr. will casually slip the whereabouts of Osama to his new wife. Scotland Yard, are you listening?
An even stranger story courtesy of geozone from Britain centres on an 18-year-old girl who sold her virginity online for $24,000 US. Since she needed money for college tuition, and was becoming curious about the opposite sex, she thought this idea would like “killing two birds with one stone.” Um, insert obvious joke here.
Other stories spanning other nations included Tremerlord posting a piece on how Iraq forces can effectively control the war zone; JustJoe wrote on Liberia making the unprecedented move of reclaiming assets from former president and war criminal Charles Taylor; and a lighter story from museinspiredart looked at a Rome fashion show that barred skeletal too-skinny models from strutting down the catwalk. When a model’s wrist is thinner than her finger, you know something’s not right.
TopFinds Awards
Is it me or was there a kilo’s worth of pot news this week? Whether the issue of medical marijuana hits home or not, Digital Journal readers were treated to tons of news about the issue, but there was one story that had the making of a TopJournalism story. The post on the U.S. stance on medi-pot by patxxoo gave us an in-depth look into how a government agency and a marijuana proponent group view the plant differently. pat laid out the two groups’ theories next to each other for easy reference, and also included a useful primer of medicinal marijuana heroes. And there were enough links at the bottom of the piece to give a Wikipedia article a run for its money. Good job, pat, and we look forward to more investigate posts.
It seems the addition of presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee to Digital Journal has sparked a huge reaction from the site’s writers. People want to know where he stands on various issues. Late this week we were privy to a post that definitely deserves the honour of the TopOpEd Award — we congratulate Amaranth for diving deep into Huckabee’s responses at a recent South Carolina debate. Filled with unedited quotes and Am’s opinion on each response, the article was a fine example of how voters can’t just take political statements at face value. Anyone reading Am’s op-ed quickly learned how important it is to criticize political leaders, no matter their alignment. After all, it’s not enough to speak with authority, you have to question it too.
So who noticed the inclusion of the Arts category on the left? Of course you did, and we at DJ spotted some noteworthy articles in Arts worth highlighting. But only one truly deserves the inaugural TopArts Award: Genetic Art: David McAllister and Friends by Wanderlaugh. Brimming with new ideas surrounding this niche art form, the article shone a light on artist David McAllister and his work with DNA-inspired creations. Most impressive was Wanderlaugh’s journalistic determination — he contacted McAllister to get a quote from him, proving the power of Citizen Journalists to find stories and submit original content. Wanderlaugh’s article is an inspiration to writers who hope to interview cultural heroes they’ve always admired.
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Special DigitalJournal.tv Feature Interview
DigitalJournal.com is taking a quick break from the Weekly Top Finds video to bring you an in-depth interview with David Onley.
As a TV anchor for more than 22 years on City TV in Toronto, David Onley was recently appointed lieutenant-governor for Ontario.
In a special one-on-one interview with Digital Journal Editor, Chris Hogg, Onley tells Digital Journal about disability, leaving colleagues behind, and the death of TV.
