the buzz log
Hit the Road with Cars.gov
Since taking office in January, President Obama has been a very busy guy. When he's not dealing with the economy, issuing carefully worded statements on foreign elections, and helping to raise his two kids, he's running a slew of government websites.
OK, so the President probably isn't coding the sites, updating the HTML, and monitoring server load. But still, under his watch, the government has launched change.gov, recovery.gov, serve.gov, and now, cars.gov. Each site offers visitors a chance to see what the government is doing in straight-forward terms.
The newest site, Cars.gov, has caused some serious traffic in the Search box. Since launching, queries on the site redlined to a 234% gain. The site lays out the government's much-talked-about "Cash for Clunkers" program. It explains who qualifies, who doesn't, and what people can expect to get for their old jalopies (according to the site, usually between $3,500 and $4,500).
Filed under: Autos, Barack Obama
Obama's Speech Inspires Searches
President Obama made a highly anticipated visit to the Middle East earlier this week. Folks around the world listened closely to his speeches. In the end, a few words and phrases stood out, either because they were said or because they weren't even alluded to.
There were no fist bumps, but there were many interesting moments during Obama's speech in Cairo. The moment that got the most attention, in Search anyway, was Obama's use of "assalamu alaikum." Said the President: "I'm also proud to carry with me the goodwill of the American people, and a greeting of peace from Muslim communities in my country: Assalaamu alaykum." After the speech, searches soared on the greeting, its meaning, and translation. According to the Islamic Dictionary, it literally means: "Peace be upon you." It is a shortened form of a phrase that translates to "Peace be unto you and so may the mercy of Allah and His blessings."
A blog from The Atlantic highlighted some of Obama's other phrases from the Cairo speech. It is interesting, though not particularly surprising, that the President played up his ties to Islam during his visit... something his campaign downplayed during the election. The President quoted from the Holy Koran several times, including this key quote that drew big applause: "The Holy Koran teaches that whoever kills an innocent, it is as if he has killed all mankind; and whoever saves a person, it is as if he has saved all mankind."
Just as notable was the President's omission of a very controversial word: terrorism. Politico explains that this was likely a very conscious decision on Obama's part. Instead of the "t-word" in his speech, Obama used the word "extremism" to get his point across. "Islam is not part of the problem in combating violent extremism," Obama said. "It is an important part of promoting peace."
Filed under: Barack Obama
Is Sotomayor the First (or Second) Hispanic Pick for the Supreme Court?
Sonia Sotomayor, President Barack Obama's pick to fill David Souter's seat, could be the first Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court. That is, unless legal scholars get picky about defining one Benjamin Cardozo as Hispanic.
Legal-minded searchers haven't forgotten Justice Cardozo, who sat on the bench from 1932 to 1938. But his Portuguese heritage gives him the ethnicity asterisk: The Washington Post calls him the "disputed Justice Benjamin Cardozo" on the subject, although outlets like National Journal and The Wall Street Journal ask if Herbert Hoover beat Obama to the historic punch.
Hispanic civil rights organizations like The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and National Council of La Raza are calling Sotomayor "The One." Columnist Ruben Navarrette hedged his bets earlier this month by paying his respects to the "New Yorker of Portuguese heritage" and then calling for a fresh Latino face.
So does Cardozo deserve his place in identity-politics history? Let's look at his lineage, courtesy of his biographer: The Portuguese part of his Portuguese and Jewish ancestry is the stuff of "family legend," but without firm documentation. His forebears do boast names like Mendes, Gomez, Riveiro, and Navarro. Plus, they went a roundabout route via the Netherlands and merry ol' England before heading to the 13 colonies.
Of course, the whole "Hispanic" question itself can be a little messy: The Census outlines the term's definition, then gets a little vague on the matter by leaving people to self-identify. National Journal took a shot at defining the demographic when George W. Bush had to find someone to fit the black robes (No. 43 appointed John Roberts and Samuel Alito during his term).
Whatever Cardozo's heritage, at least his fascinating history gets a second look. According to Wikipedia, he was apparently so well-regarded that Justice Harlan Fiske Stone offered to resign to make room for him. And not only was he a Democratic appointed by a Republican president, but he was a twin. That ought to be a first.
As for Puerto Rican Sotomayor, the woman who grew up in a Bronx housing project gets to be the first Latina considered for the highest court in the land. That's almost better than her earlier title as the "Baseball Savior." Almost.
Filed under: Politics, Supreme Court, Legal Cases, Barack Obama
Farrah's Story, Obama's Speech, and a Filly's Victory: Buzz Weekend Recap
The past weekend was full of inspiration and controversy. A famous actress shared her feelings on her battle with cancer, while President Obama gave a commencement address to a less-than-adoring crowd. Also buzzing: horse racing's newest superstar and Michael Phelps' losing (gasp!) effort. Check out all those stories and more with the Buzz Weekend Recap.
Farrah shares her story
For years, Farrah Fawcett was one of the world's biggest stars. Now, she's fighting for her life. The one-time star of "Charlie's Angels" was the subject of a hugely popular television special on Friday night. Titled "Farrah's Story," the documentary was seen by nearly 9 million viewers. According to USA Today, "the film was NBC's most-watched program in its Friday night time slot in more than a year, excluding the Olympics." Of course, when the subject is as dire as terminal cancer, it seems silly to focus on ratings. Not surprisingly, searchers didn't. Instead, we saw huge upticks in "cancer symptoms" and "anal cancer diagnosis." Predictably, bloggers weighed in with their thoughts — was the special inspiring or exploitive? Was it even legal?
Obama's visit to Notre Dame
Barack Obama may be the first rock-star president, but not everybody agrees with all his policies and beliefs. This weekend, after cheering his daughters on in two intense soccer matches, the president gave a highly anticipated commencement speech at the University of Notre Dame. Why the controversy? Many in the Notre Dame community felt it inappropriate for a president who supports abortion rights to make a speech at a Catholic institution. Protesters made their displeasure known, with rallies and "anti-abortion" speeches throughout the weekend. Of all the protesters, Norma McCorvey seemed to generate the most buzz. McCorvey was plaintiff "Jane Roe" in the famous Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision. Searches on "obama notre dame speech" and "obama speech transcript" both soared, as did interest in stem cell research.
Runs like a girl
At the annual Preakness Stakes horse race, all eyes were on wünder-filly Rachel Alexandra. The 3-year-old star was the odds-on favorite to take home the title, and she did not disappoint her supporters. Though no female horse had won the Preakness in more than 80 years, and no horse (period) had ever won from the outside position, Rachel didn't pay any attention to the doubters. She blasted out of the gate and held on down the stretch to beat Kentucky Derby champ Mine That Bird. Over the weekend, lookups for Ms. Alexandra galloped into the winner's circle, with queries for "rachel alexandra pictures" and "rachel alexandra jockey" also finishing several lengths ahead of the pack.
Also buzzing this weekend...
• A newly goateed Michael Phelps lost his first race following his suspension. He then lost again on Sunday.
• Michelle Obama gave a commencement speech of her own at the University of California, Merced.
• The L.A. Lakers defused the Houston Rockets and the Celtics fell to the Orlando Magic in the NBA playoffs.
Filed under: Health, Recaps, Horse Racing, Barack Obama
Opportunity Knocks: New Website for Jobless
Lost your job? That's the bad news. But the better news is that you don't have to count down the days watching daytime TV (the horror). You can go back to school with a government-funded grant.
With yet another half-million workers laid off in April alone, the jobs that are available often require skills the unemployed haven't acquired: high-tech know-how, for example. That's where the new website Opportunity.gov comes in. It's a new government initiative to help the jobless go back to school while they're out of work. Immediately, searches for the website surged online.
Admitting that the old jobs lost may never be regained, Obama wants those who have been laid off to find training for, as he put it, "the industries of tomorrow." The website is set up to assist the unemployed with Pell Grants from their state, so they can go back to school and get equipped for the future. Hey, it beats sitting on the couch waiting for the phone to ring.
Filed under: Education, Barack Obama
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.