the buzz log
The Castro Death Watch
On Tuesday, Fidel Castro let slip in Cuba's Communist Party newspaper that he was going to quit his job. News of the retirement exploded online. Searches for "fidel castro" surged nearly 6,000%. Demand for "castro"—no first name necessary—jumped more than 3,500%.
People seeking more on "castro resigns" and "castro resignation" explored the dictator's employment change. But the biggest buzz of all came from folks investigating "fidel castro death."
By all accounts, the bearded revolutionary is very much alive. And yet, the actual news that he's relinquishing his 49-year post was overwhelmed by the rumor (or idea) of his passing. Besides "fidel castro death," we logged sharp spikes in terms like "castro dead," "fidel castro dead," and "fidel castro death havana."
Some analysts predict the Cuban ruler will now play the role of elder statesman. No matter what he does, searches seeking evidence of his demise will surely dog him to the end.
Filed under: News, Fidel Castro, Cuba
Adios, Fidel?
The news that Fidel Castro might have terminal cancer sparked a frenzy of activity online. Anti-communists, pro-revolutionaries, and curious onlookers alike turned to the Web, where they pounded out searches for "fidel castro death," "castro health," and "fidel castro colon cancer." Buzz on the bearded revolutionary's name leapt 564% to land in our top 5 movers.
Apparently, U.S. spy physicians think the Cuban dictator might not make it through 2007. Of course, the 80-year-old has defied American expectations—and spies of all kinds—before. But when Death comes knocking at his door, he won't be able to hunker down in Havana and wait it out.
Filed under: Fidel Castro, Cuba
Cuba in Flux?
Searches on ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro have bombarded the Buzz. Castro queries jumped 308% yesterday and placed him firmly in our top 100 search terms. Curious searchers also inspired a spike in searches on the long-time president's biography and news on his current condition.
While rumors of his imminent demise swirl around the Web, some searchers jumped the gun—as evidenced by the increase in searches on "fidel castro dead" and "fidel castro death." The man known as El Presidente did pass political power off briefly to his brother while he underwent surgery, sending queries on Chief Hermano (and Defense Minister) Raul Castro soaring.
Cuban news outlets including "granma" and "diario de juarez" surged in Search along with the more mundane "noticias de cuba." Queries on Cuba jumped 246% and were joined by related spikes on "cuban flag," "history of cuba," and "cuba libre." Historical events related to Castro's reign were also on the rise—searches on "bay of pigs," "che guevara," and "cuban missile crisis" all made an impact on Buzz. We'll be following the search spikes as news filters in from the island nation.
Filed under: Fidel Castro, Cuba
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford 400 | Breakout! |
| 2 | Indonesia Ferry | Breakout! |
| 3 | Jordan Chandler | 3481% |
| 4 | Evan Chandler | 2322% |
| 5 | American Music Awards | 1841% |
| 6 | John F. Kennedy | 1529% |
| 7 | Turkey Stuffing Recipes | 1361% |
| 8 | Liam Hemsworth | 1172% |
| 9 | Lou Dobbs | 1142% |
| 10 | Hendrick Motorsports | 888% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Friday | +340 | 1290 |
| 2 | NFL | +489 | 670 |
| 3 | Jennifer Lopez | +451 | 515 |
| 4 | New Moon | -67 | 250 |
| 5 | American Music Awards | +236 | 249 |
| 6 | UFC | -36 | 239 |
| 7 | Miley Cyrus | +66 | 169 |
| 8 | Hulu | -11 | 154 |
what's the buzz?
A subject's buzz score is the percentage of Yahoo! users searching for that subject on a given day, multiplied by a constant to make the number easier to read. Weekly leaders are the subjects with the greatest average buzz score for a given week.
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