Why we may never run out of crude oil. Investigating Las Vegas scams. President Obama calls Kanye West "jackass." These are the top stories around the world.
Is journalism dead?
KJ Mullins explores this question in a Toronto
event focusing on who will pay for free journalism today. She offers us some intriguing ideas such as "the one area of print newspapers that has not faced the economic crisis is the small town newspaper. These smaller papers have a solid advertising base that keeps them running." She also quotes speaker Ira Basen who said, "We are now having to have conversations with the audience." Great coverage, KJ, we look forward to seeing you at our own
Future of Media event this Thursday at Toronto's Drake Hotel.
Jay David Murphy goes behind the scenes to investigate the
Las Vegas "hustle." If you've been to Vegas, you've seen the various street theatre and scams meant to pry money from tourists' hands. Murphy tells us about the bottled-water scheme, the Zorro character, escort services and more. Check out the article for wonderful pics snapped by DigitalJournal.com's intrepid photojournalist.
It's always encouraging to see a Digital Journalist interview celebrities in person, catching them with unexpected questions.
Andrew Moran attends Canada's
Walk of Fame event, featuring stars such as Elisha Cuthbert, Howie Mandel, Kim Cattrall and Brian Williams. Moran was able to grab musician Tom Cochrane for a question about his guitar, which he posts as an embeddable video in the article. A hearty kudos to this adventerous writer for earning some serious professional cred.
Andrew Moran
Elisha Curthbert talks to some of the staff members and enjoys a laugh.
image:56928:11::0
|
There's a certain sexy actor that's the talk of Tinseltown: Megan Fox is the demonic seductress in the film
Jennifer's Body, opening this week. Our Hollywood reporter
Earl Dittman interviews Fox and publishes a thorough
Q&A showing a different side of the
Transformers star. Read the article to learn about making out with a fellow female actor, her take on horror films, and whether she'll appear in
Transformers 3.
Also worth noting is a fascinating opinion
article on how Canada's privacy law has impacted more than just Canucks.
Michael Geist, lawyer and Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa, writes a thorough article ideal for anyone interested in privacy issues, new media law and data policies. Welcome to the team, Michael!
A selection of other notable stories include:
•
Rep. Joe Wilson rebuked by House with 240 to 179 vote: It was the shout heard around the world. When Rep. Joe Wilson screamed "You lie!" during President Obama's health care speech to Congress, the U.S. House of Representatives moved quickly to punish the politician. As Kay Matthews reports, Wilson refused to apologize on the floor of the House but the "resolution of disapproval" passed the House along party-lines. It's a wrist slap, nothing too major, but let's see if Wilson learned his lesson.
•
Cornell student dies from swine flu, virus impacting colleges: The swine flu virus is careening its way through U.S. colleges, already killing at least one university student. Michael Krebs also finds out how the college football season could be affected by this flu strain. He bookends the article with a dire warning from a professor of pediatrics: "Probably by the time your roommate's sick, you've already been exposed."
•
Washing your hands doesn't stop swine flu: In other swine flu news, Digital Journalist Nathaniel Benton tells us that as much as hand-washing has won favour with swine flu worriers, it's not foolproof. In fact, simply breathing makes one vulnerable to the virus. Do you agree with this info or are you suspicious?
•
Revolutionary discovery means world may not run out of crude: A widely popular story on DigitalJournal.com, this article probes why the world may never run out of oil. The science behind this discovery is somewhat complex, but if you get past the ten-dollar words to learn about the implication behind this major find, you might never look at the gas pump the same way again.
By bullionvault
Gold bars
image:57152:5::0
|
•
China urges its citizens to purchase gold and silver: Imagine if your TV network suggested you buy gold and silver. That's what is happening in China, according to Andrew Moran, who says "this is a complete 180 in China, where the government put strict controls on the bullion market and dissuaded its citizens to enter that market." The economic crisis has changed that ideology, and some insiders opine that if China owns the majority of bullion in the world then "where will the U.S. go to purchase gold and or silver?"
•
400-pound pet python, 'Delilah,' seized in Florida: If you like snakes, you'll like this article. A 400-pound 16-foot long Burmese python was recently rounded up in Florida. It was fed seven rabbits (!) after its capture, we learn. Quite appropriate for this snake to be dubbed "Delilah" after the mighty Samson's love.
Courtesy A&E Television
Patrick Swayze will star in A&E's upcoming series The Beast
image:46101:5::0
|
• '
Dirty Dancing' star Patrick Swayze dies after cancer battle: Fans of Ghost, Dirty Dancing, and Roadhouse won't soon forget the impact Patrick Swayze had on those classic films. Swayze recently left this mortal coil after his battle with cancer, Gemma Fox reports.
Raquel couldn't help but express her feelings in the comment section: "His character in Dirty Dancing: Johnny Castle, was my first on-screen love of my life."
•
Serena Williams' outburst at tennis match costs her US Open: Stephanie Dearing brings us this sports gem -- tennis star Serena Williams going ballistic at a line judge after a foot fault. The outburst not only messed up her chances at making it through the US Open in the singles competition but she also was slapped with a serious fine. We expect this kind of behaviour in hockey and basketball, but in the prim-and-proper sport of tennis?
•
President Obama Calls Kanye West a 'Jackass' Off the Record: When Kanye West stormed the MTV Music Video Awards stage to interrupt Taylor Swift's winning speech, the world boo'ed West. Who else isn't a fan of his embarrassing actions? President Barack Obama, who called West a jackass in an off-the-record portion of a media interview. Check out the article for some stunning (but candid) video.
•
Facebook adds Facebook Lite and Tagging features: If you use the social network Facebook, this article is a must-read. Tylor Sweeney updates us some new features introduced by the website, including a "lite" version where most of the frills are stripped away, and a "tagging" feature similar to Twitter's "@ replies." Michael Krebs says about Facebook: "It has very successfully become another platform for us all - and I have to admit that I'm hooked." You're not alone, Michael.
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,
Gemma Fox,
Jay David Murphy,
Kay Matthews,
Kevin Jess,
Stephanie Dearing,
Nathaniel Benton,
Earl Dittman,
Plinio Granado,
Michael Krebs,
Chris Dade,
Michael Geist,
Tylor Sweeney and
Andrew Moran.
The Top Blog Post of the Week is awarded to
Plinio Granado for his heart-wrenching
piece about the true value of education. No spoilers here, you will have to give the post a read to find out why Gemma Fox called this "fantastic" and Cynthia to say, "it is a lesson that those students will never forget."
