As we do every year, we’ve collected the top news stories and images from 2013 and compiled them on one page. If you missed the news stories that got people talking this year, check out the content below and get caught up!
Top Digital Journal Reports
Worksheet asks children to remove parts of the Bill of Rights (Includes interview) by Justin King
A student in Bryant School District in Arkansas brought home a worksheet that presented her with a scenario that referred to the Bill of Rights as “outdated” and that as part of a special committee she would need to throw out two of the Amendments.
It’s that time of year when ‘The Nutcracker’ comes to life (Includes first-hand account) by W. Mark Dendy
It is that time of year when leaves turn color and commence to fall, snow begins to cover the mountains, children count the days til Christmas, and the Sacramento Ballet works relentlessly at perfecting the dances of “The Nutcracker.”
Op-Ed: Selecting the perfect celebratory beverage (Includes first-hand account) by W. Mark Dendy
If you are planning for the New Year and other holiday season parties, you do not have to import your Champagne from France.
Erdogan begins crackdowns against Turkish protesters (Includes interview and first-hand account) by Lonna Lisa Williams
In a pre-dawn raid, police drove protesters out of Taksim square in Istanbul as Prime Minister Erdogan rallies his supporters, arrests lawyers, and issues threats.
Person throws kitten out of car window at dolphin event (Includes interview) by Elizabeth Batt
In a sickening and senseless act, a person drove past a Japan Dolphins Day event in Charlotte, North Carolina, and in what appears to be a ‘just for kicks,’ moment, launched a kitten out of his car window.
This year, we also brought back our popular photo contest. The winners of our global photo essay contest were announced in October, so check out the article announcing the winners and honorable mentions here.
Below are the winning entries:
Top Images
In the Media
Op-Ed: Bombed by Blackfish, fallout continues for SeaWorld by Elizabeth Batt
Around 1.4 million people tuned in to watch Blackfish when it premiered on CNN last week. It was good news for CNN but bad news for SeaWorld. From open letters to tweets and Facebook comments, SeaWorld is being battered by public opinion.
Animal Planet’s Mermaid documentary hoax fools millions yet again by JohnThomas Didymus
Animal Planet managed, once again, to captivate viewers with a sequel to its 2012 fictional documentary “Mermaids: The Body Found.” “Mermaids: The New Evidence,” aired on Sunday, gave the channel its biggest audience ever, 3.6 million viewers.
Gawker: Toronto Mayor Rob Ford allegedly caught smoking crack in video by David Silverberg
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has been filmed smoking crack cocaine within the past six months, alleges U.S. news outlet Gawker. The Toronto Star claims it has also seen the video in question.
Religious fundamentalism could soon be treated as mental illness by JohnThomas Didymus
Kathleen Taylor, a neurologist at Oxford University, said that recent developments suggest that we will soon be able to treat religious fundamentalism and other forms of ideological beliefs potentially harmful to society as a form of mental illness.
2013 Top Ten Cities in the United States to live by Nicole Byerly
Whether you are a new graduate, starting a family, or planning to retire, you may now be at a point in your life when you are trying to figure out where you want to live. Researchers are trying to make this easier for you to determine.
Hawthorne police shoot Leon Rosby’s Rottweiler dog Max dead (Vid) by JohnThomas Didymus
Hawthorne police were caught on video shooting and killing a Rottweiler called Max while they were arresting his owner Leon Rosby. The police department has received hundreds of angry emails and calls after the video was uploaded to Reddit on June 30.
Letter to Italian President alleges Pope seeks ‘legal immunity’ by Greta McClain
A letter by the Secretary of the International Tribunal into Crimes of Church and State alleges Pope Benedict XVI is asking the Italian government to grant him protection and immunity from legal prosecution.
Man begged for his life as Kern Co. deputies beat him to death by Brett Wilkins
A California man begged for his life as a pack of Kern County sheriff’s deputies beat him to death before seizing the cell phones of witnesses who recorded the incident on video.
FBI calls half of populace with 9/11 doubts potential terrorists by Ralph Lopez
A Department of Justice memo instructs local police, under a program named “communities against terrorism,” to consider anyone who harbors “conspiracy theories” about 9/11 to be a potential terrorist.
Bush-Cheney began illegal NSA spying before 9/11, says telcom CEO by Ralph Lopez
Contradicting a statement by ex-vice president Dick Cheney on Sunday that warrantless domestic surveillance might have prevented 9/11, 2007 court records indicate that the Bush-Cheney administration began such surveillance at least 7 months prior to 9/11.
Top 5 Richest Bollywood Stars by Sonia D’Costa
All Bollywood stars are rich. Identifying the top 5 richest of them is slightly challenging because, quite understandably, they are not eager to publicly discuss their assets . Besides, media opinions regarding the richest Bollywood stars vary.
Samsung Galaxy S5 accurate image and tech specs finally released? by Milton Este
Less than a year since the Samsung Galaxy S4 was introduced, the Galaxy S5 is already making waves. The much anticipated Galaxy S5 may finally have an accurate image and technical specifications.
Why Philadelphia schools will close their doors forever by Jay McClung
The School District of Philadelphia, the eighth largest school district in the United States, nestled in the country’s fifth largest city, will make history when it permanently closes it doors within the next two years.
Angela Merkel nude photos go viral by Katerina Nikolas
It wasn’t enough that photographs of German Chancellor Angela Merkel clad in a black bathing suit appeared in the morning press. Now photos of a naked young Merkel strolling along a beach have emerged.
Video: Man brutally whips daughters for ‘twerking’ Facebook video by JohnThomas Didymus
A father was caught on camera whipping his two teenage daughters brutally with a cable wire for posting to Facebook a sexually suggestive “twerking” video.
Video: Massive fireball in the sky over central Spain by Anne Sewell
Astronomers were stunned by a huge fireball which lit the skies over central Spain this weekend. Apparently this was a fragment from a meteor which burst into flames.
Gold-medal winning champ lives in a South African squatter camp by Anne Sewell
Irene van Niekerk is a 15-year-old runner who lives in a squatter camp near Pretoria, South Africa. She has won, in total, 27 gold medals, but owns no shoes.
Beyonce Super Bowl Illuminati conspiracy theory goes viral by JohnThomas Didymus
Did Beyonce flash the Illuminati sign during the halftime show at Super Bowl? New World Order conspiracy theorists say she did and that she may have declared to the world that she and her husband are members of the super-secret cult.
625 wolves left in Montana, over 6000 permits to hunt them issued by Justin King
Conservation groups are in an uproar over Montana’s decision to issue over 6000 permits to hunt the last 625 remaining wolves in the state. In addition to 6000 permits, the state loosened regulations governing the hunting of the animals.
Omar Borkan Al Gala, deported from Saudi for being too handsome by JohnThomas Didymus
Meet Omar Borkan Al Gala, the hunk from UAE deported from Saudi Arabia because officers of the country’s morality police, fearing for the safety of their women, thought he was too handsome to be allowed to stay.
More than 1 million Facebook Likes earns boy sex with girl by Paul Bradbury
A schoolboy Facebook post in northern Norway goes viral, as a million people answer the call for him to win some sex with a friend. The girl would have sex with him if he received a million Likes on a Facebook post.
US House passes bill charging $5,000 to file complaint against drilling by Justin King
House Resolution 1965, known as the Federal Land Jobs and Energy Security Act, passed the House on Wednesday. The bill contains a benefits package for oil companies seeking to lease land from the federal government.
Cleveland kidnap victim Michelle Knight shuns mom and family by JohnThomas Didymus
Cleveland kidnap victim Michele Knight, 32, has reportedly shunned her family for failing to search for her while she was missing. She was kidnapped in 2002 at the age of 20 and held captive for 11 years.
Samsung Galaxy S5 rumored to feature carbon fibre body and more by Milton Este
Not even a year since the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and while the Galaxy S4 Mini is still making its way to the market, it looks like Samsung is going ahead with plans to launch the Galaxy S5 estimated somewhere between Q3 and December.
Las Vegas woman Kara Vandereyk, arrested for sex with pit bull by JohnThomas Didymus
Police have arrested a Las Vegas woman Kara Vandereyk, 23, Tuesday for allegedly having sex with a pit bull. Officers reportedly caught her having sex with a dog in her backyard in “the full view of her neighbors.”
Video: Giovanna Plowman, ‘Tampon girl’ sucks used hygiene product by JohnThomas Didymus
A New York teenager Giovanna Plowman uploaded a video to her Facebook page that appears to show her sucking at her own used tampon. If fame was what she craved so much, she has achieved it. She is now an Internet star of sorts known as the “Tampon girl.”
CNN video of police charge at Sandy Hook is not Sandy Hook by Ralph Lopez
At the words “they arrived to carnage,” the CNN Anderson Cooper report cuts to helicopter footage of seven police officers charging across a parking lot and toward a school. It is breaking news coverage of the Sandy Hook shooting just hours earlier.
Scientists fear ‘female Viagra’ could make women nymphomaniacs by JohnThomas Didymus
Fears are being expressed by scientists conducting trials of the new “female viagra,” Lybrido, a pill about the size of an aspirin designed to boost female libido, that it could turn women into nymphomaniacs and threaten the “fabric” of stable society.
Hoax: New Harry Potter book confirmed, 75 percent written by Dinh Nguyen
Citing a five-months-old April Fools article, some news agencies have published stories claiming that an eighth Harry Potter book has been confirmed and is near completion – 75 percent complete to be exact.
Power Users
