the buzz log

Is the to-read pile of June magazines clogging your inbox? A few periodicals celebrate their anniversaries this month... just in case you need an excuse to wallow in the pleasures of the slickly printed word. Whet the appetite by reading some features online.

Gastric Guzzlers
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Budget Magazine has gone UGC: user-generated content. With the exception of one feature, every tip comes from a regular Joe, including a state-by-state gastronomical tour of "America's Favorite Restaurants." Speaking of insiders, Coastal Living gets a native son to talk about Waikiki. If you're traveling abroad, Conde Nast Traveler tells you not to twirl your pasta in its etiquette guide.

Corraling the Round-Ups
Wired magazine is another birthday boy. The grown-up geek hits 15, and celebrates by hitting the carbon issue. Naturally, there must be one shamed trip down memory lane, and the issue reminisces gear lust gone bad. In another round-up, Rolling Stone puts Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" first in its list of top 100 guitar songs… guitar hero wannabes, take note.

Emo Under Fire and Other Stories
Glossy covers usually belie magazines' investigative features, but dig deep and you'll find pieces like Blender's Mexican world of emo racism. Elle magazine explores how some organizers are trying to change some states' surprisingly stringent divorce laws. New York Magazine shows how one woman made her case on YouTube, and Glamour follows some women's descent into "mortgage hell."

Other slick June must-reads...