the buzz log
Bird Swarm, Giant Stingray, MIA Dog: Buzz Week in Review
This week we didn't just get to read about some amazing and mysterious animal stories. We got to see them in action, thanks to some very cool video footage. Witness a swarm of birds in Denmark, swim along with the largest stingray ever discovered, and have your heart melt for the incredible journey of one very lucky bomb-sniffing dog. These stories and more in the Buzz Week in Review.
It's a bird! It's a cloud! It's a bird cloud
Apologies to Alfred Hitchcock and his creepy movie about evil birds, but sometimes truth can be stranger than fiction. This bizarre swarm of starlings isn't evil, but it's pretty astonishing. A really, really big flock of 300,000 birds created a wavelike cloud over Denmark. According to ornithologists, these feathered friends really do prefer to roost together, and the massive formations are a sort of pre-roost ritual that take on these odd shapes. Sort of like a Rorschach test in the air. Or a flying lava lamp. In short, mesmerizing. As long as they don't attack. Sorry, we just can't get "The Birds" out of our heads. See for yourself.
Gentle giant of the sea
From in the air to underwater, another video emerged that is a first glimpse of the giant smalleye stingray, the largest of its species and only seen alive off the coast of Mozambique. The cartilaginous fish are actually related to sharks. The one seen on the video, measuring about eight feet across, looks like a very slow-moving aqua-fish-spaceship, with fins jutting out from a hard shell ending in a long, pointy stinger that, trust us, you don't want to get anywhere near. (They say the thing is only used in self-defense, but who wants to test that theory?) From the safe distance of a video screen, it sure does look cool.
A doggone miracle
By now you may have heard the good-news story of the Australian bomb-sniffing dog that was found in Afghanistan after she had been missing in action for over a year. Still, the heart-warmer bears repeating. The black lab, Sabi, had been on a joint Aussie-Afghan patrol, sniffing for roadside bombs and explosive devices. She disappeared after a fierce firefight that left nine soldiers wounded, including the pooch's handler. Amazingly, the highly trained canine was discovered by an American soldier in an isolated base after 14 months missing. Sabi will probably return home to Australia and has already been given a hero's welcome — a personal pat on the head from Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. All we can say is "good dog!"
Also buzzing…
• Lou Dobbs left CNN, and will be replaced by John King.
• Sarah Palin's book is sparking lots of buzz.
• Blake Lively has the hot new hairstyle.
Filed under: Week in Review
Swine Flu in Cats, Bigfoot Sightings, T. Rex Ancestor: Buzz Week in Review
Interspecies swine flu, the buzz on Bigfoot, and a really, really old fossil. All these stories and more for your Buzz Week in Review.
Please don't sneeze on your pet
It's enough that you have to worry about you and your kids catching swine flu this season. But now you also have to be concerned for … your cat. That's right. Your furry friend can catch it, from you. At least that's the case for a 13-year-old feline in Iowa diagnosed with H1N1 after its two owners both came down with the flu. The cat was treated at a veterinary hospital after appearing lethargic, losing its appetite and having trouble breathing. All three have recovered. Although this is the first documented case, consider it a cautionary tale. While searches on "swine flu symptoms" were up this week almost 400%, lookups on "swine flu in cats" also increased. (Read up on how to protect pets from the swine flu.)
Bigfoot gets big buzz
Bigfoot: It's a riddle wrapped in a mystery, or something like that. But is it an enigma because it doesn't exist (say it isn't so!) or because we haven't had the technology to properly document the evidence? Members of Sasquatch Watch are definitely in the latter camp. And a group of intrepid Bigfoot hunters were on the move in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia, armed with all the gee-whiz gadgets needed to prove, for sure, without ambiguity, definitely, that Bigfoot exists. Maybe.
Although some suspicious footprints were preserved with plaster of Paris in areas where there have been previous so-called sightings of the beast, un-fun skeptics are unsure if this is the real deal. But enthusiasts of the furry biped have already helped launch big buzz on the Web. Searches on "latest bigfoot sightings" shot up over 100%. Amateur sleuths also sought out "real bigfoot pictures," "bigfoot evidence," and "bigfoot research organization."
Tyrannosaurus Rex has ancestors
We knew T. rex was old and big, but that he had family? This comes as a surprise. Here's the story: Thanks to CT scans, a newly identified dinosaur Proceratosaurus has been named as the oldest known T. rex. That dates the tyrannosauroid group back
to 170 million years, older than any other known fossil, according to Scientific American. But here's the thing: While the bigger, badder T. rex lived 65 to 99 million years ago, the Jursassic-Era cousin was still a meat eater, but way smaller, measuring just 10 feet. But it was just as ferocious, with four knife-like teeth and a pointy horn jutting from its nose. Of course, all these gigunda-saurs were the earliest ancestors of birds, like the ones we eat. Take that, dinos.
Also buzzing…
•Sarah Palin's book spawned a publishing bonanza.
•The movie "Precious" opened to rave reviews and lots of buzz.
•Jon Stewart takes on Glenn Beck.
Filed under: Week in Review
Crossbows, a New Drill, and the Sisterhood: Buzz Week in Review
Outbursts, rebukes, and undercover videos made for a raucous week, but the Buzz sat up and took notice of some tough femmes going on the offensive this week.
Prey Tell
In their maiden alligator hunts, two females armed with crossbows bagged some mighty big prey.
New mom Arianne Prevost, 23, took a break from diaper duty and snagged an 11-footer in Florida. Over in South Carolina, 16-year-old Cammie Colin was better known for being a softball player and a junior varsity cheerleader, until she went out in the dead of night with her male kin and brought down a gator measuring 10' 5" and 353 pounds. Their beginner's luck have
made them Fox News darlings
for being straight shooters. Both Florida and South Carolina issue limited hunting permits for alligators as part of state programs to control their reptile populations.
Drill Major Drill
Teresa King—or Command Sgt. Maj. to you—will be the first female top honcho of the U.S. Army Drill Sergeant School in Fort Jackson. The daughter of a sharecropper, King learned about strict discipline from the get-go with her dad being a strict disciplinarian to his 12 kids. A 28-year army vet who has served in South Korea and Europe, she'll start her new job Sept. 22.
Telling West Where to Go
The celeb sisterhood rallied around singer Taylor Swift after Kanye West lost his mind and his manners at the MTV Video Music Awards. West, who has a long history of speaking out, interrupted the 19-year-old's acceptance speech for Best Female Video. His behavior got a chorus of boos and even two presidential vetos, but the firmest slap-downs came from Pink, Katie Perry, Kellie Pickler, and Kelly Clarkson, who used firm and decidedly unladylike language in angry tweets and blog posts. Since the Sunday outburst, West apologized on "Jay Leno," his website, and finally to Swift herself after she appeared on the ultimate sisterhood cocoon, "The View."
Also buzzing this week...
- A passing of three entertainment eras with the deaths of Henry Gibson; Mary Travers of Peter, Paul, and Mary; and Patrick Swayze...
- Dan Brown's instant bestseller's out, but don't forget Jane Austen's sea monsters...
- One year after Lehman Brothers falls, the recession's over...
Filed under: Music, Hunting, Military, Women, Week in Review, Scandals, Wrap Up
Steve, Tyra, and One Angry Joe: Buzz Week in Review
This past week, folks got a chance to see a famous CEO's return to the spotlight, as well as the long hidden hair of one of daytime's biggest names. Not to mention a congressman who couldn't hold back. Take a look back at those stories and more with the Buzz Week in Review.
Back on the job
Few CEOs can be considered celebrities. Steve Jobs, the big guy at Apple, is certainly one of 'em. The visionary founder has been out of the public eye for months after undergoing a liver transplant earlier this year. This past week, the mock-turtlenecked Jobs returned to the stage to announce some new products from his company. Truth be told, the announcement didn't really create much buzz, but Jobs' appearance and his public thank you to his organ donor inspired a huge boom in search. Queries on "steve jobs cancer," "steve jobs photos," and "steve jobs liver transplant" all roared.
Releasing Tyra's locks
Tyra Banks has been keeping her hair prisoner for years. The talk show host has been wearing wigs and weaves and apparently never once let her real hair out on her TV show. This week she finally shared it with the world. In celebration of her show's fifth anniversary, Ms. Banks performed her hosting duties sans wig. The "big reveal" brought in a boatload of buzz. Searches on "tyra banks hair" and "tyra banks real hair" posted big gains. As for the hair itself, it looked perfectly ordinary to us. Kind of a letdown, really.
Say it ain't so, Joe
On Wednesday night, President Obama gave a highly anticipated speech on health care reform. Everybody knew passions would be running high. Still, it came as a bit of shock when Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina yelled, "You lie!" while the president was speaking. Rep. Wilson apologized to Obama a short time later, but by then the search engine had left the station. Queries on "joe wilson" and "who yelled you lie" both screamed to the top of the search box. And, while both Republicans and Democrats criticised Wilson's behavior, it's worth noting that he took in $200,000 in donations in the days following his outburst (his Democratic opponent for 2010 earned $750,000 in donations, thanks to the episode).
Also buzzing this week...
• The NFL season just started and Pittsburgh is already down a man.
• Tyler Perry released another Madea movie on the masses.
• GM announced a new money-back guarantee.
Filed under: Recaps, Week in Review, Wrap Up
Jenna, Maria, and Marvel: Buzz Week in Review
Two of the Web's biggest stars made big comebacks in the search box this week. A former first daughter announced her new gig and promptly saw her searches soar. Meanwhile, the blonde bombshell of the tennis court kicked some butt and brought in the buzz. Check out those stories and more with the Buzz Week in Review.
Jenna's new job
There's gonna be a new face on the "Today" show. Jenna Bush, daughter of our illustrious 43rd president, was hired as a correspondent for NBC's morning program. She'll contribute stories about once per month, usually on education. In a popular article from TV Guide, Ms. Bush Hager (her married name) explains that being on TV isn't something she ever thought of doing. The announcement caught searchers by surprise — lookups on "jenna bush" and "jenna bush today show" immediately posted huge gains. Whether Jenna's popularity translates into higher ratings for "Today" is something we should see later this month when Jenna makes her debut.
Sharapova brings the heat
A few years ago, you couldn't walk down the street without a stranger wanting to talk to you about Maria Sharapova. But then, as is often the case with the suddenly famous, Sharapova sort of dropped off the radar. A big part of that was due to injuries — she was out nearly 10 months with a shoulder problem. But this past week, she roared back in a big way. Seeded 29th at this year's U.S. Open, Sharapova proved that she's no chump, on the court or in search. Queries on the leggy Russian surged 459% and related lookups on "maria sharapova pictures" spiked predictably. Even if she loses in the next round, Sharapova has shown that she still owns the Search box.
Mickey buys Spidey
Business deals get done every day, and nobody seems to notice. Not this time. This past week, when Disney purchased Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion, comic nerds around the world took notice. Searches on "disney buys marvel" and "marvel disney" both jumped from nil into the thousands. Blogs seemed most interested in whether or not the transaction would have an effect on Marvel's cast of superheroes. Will the Hulk suddenly get all cute and soft just because he now works for Mickey Mouse? Will Magneto suddenly learn the importance of sharing? Even true believers are scared.
Also buzzing this week...
• An animal resembling the infamous Chupacabra showed up in Texas.
• Levi Johnston dished on Sarah Palin in an upcoming issue of Vanity Fair.
• "All About Steve" opened to dismal (and hilarious) reviews.
Filed under: Recaps, Week in Review, Wrap Up
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.
For more detailed information, visit our FAQ.