the buzz log

Not all was about financial lows and jittery panic this week. Good news slipped in among the black yawning chasm of bad news, as celebrities made pitches for motherhood, college football fans exulted in pigskin hotspots, and lawmakers got to yell at Wall Street executives. Here now is the week in Buzz.

The Economy Just Needs a Mud Bath
Timing is everything. The Buzz Log reported an incensed surge for "aig spa" searches, but no, not for recommendations. AIG, which may have to dip back in taxpayer pockets after last month's $85 billion bailout, was handed a clue during this week's Senate hearing, when lawmakers chewed out execs for a $440,000 spa trip to reward "top-performing" life insurance agents. The Wall Street firm cancelled another junket and the plan to pay for pricy ads to apologize. Now free: $400/night rooms available at the Ritz Carleton in California's Half Moon Bay. Still wanted: Apology.

Hot Magazine Mamas
Motherhood isn't just sexy, it's high fashion. Halle Berry, the Oscar winner who also tortured audiences as Catwoman, now wears the Esquire crown of Sexiest Woman Alive. Berry's acceptance essay pondered hip dysplasia, the ripe smell of her man's (Gabriel Aubry) car, and how she feels sexier after motherhood. Meanwhile, 2004 honoree Angelina Jolie has received props from advocates like La Leche League International for being W magazine's breastfeeding cover woman for November. No essay, but she talks up pregnancy and her beau Brad Pitt. 

Something to Cheer About
At least there's always college football. USA Today lowered its head and ran with its list of "10 great places to stand and cheer college football." Among the stadiums, Neyland got kudos for passion, Husky for its views, and Camp Randall for its deep-fried cheddar balls.

Also buzzing this week ...
 • A 92-year-old tradition ended in a sad pun when Mother's Cookies baked its last Circus Animal cookies. Even NPR couldn't resist the crumbling metaphor, when the private equity firms that bought the company three years ago now declared it bankrupt.
 • Markets may fall, but the two wheels keep turning: The Economist reports pumped-up bike sales worldwide, thanks to gas prices and the battle of the bulge.
 • Forget staycation. People hankering to get away from the madding crowd found budget travel sites devoted to the cause of relaxation.

Filed under: Football, Finance, Business, Celebrities, Transportation, Pregnancy, Breastfeeding, Week in Review, Cookies, Wrap Up

Samoas, Peanut Butter Patties, and those oh-so-addictive Thin Mints. Girl Scout cookies never met an artery they couldn't clog.

Until now. The pushers in khakis and polos are taking the cookie market hostage once again as they move their product into the top 7,000 searches. But for the first time in 90 years of sales, the girl scouts have squeezed the trans fat out of their addictive confections.

Trans fat has replaced smoking as the whipping boy among health watchdogs, and a spate of lawsuits and food labeling changes have spurred a clean-up at food companies and restaurant chains.

Naturally, with the Big Apple's restaurant ban (effective in July), New Yorkers lead queries on the nasty unsaturated fat, followed by California, home to the first trans fat-free city and theme park. But interest in partial hydrogenation has peaked across the nation, including Ohio (where jailbirds have been cut off from eating doughnuts—nope, no cop jokes here), Massachusetts (considering its own ban) and Georgia (as a southwest chain aims for zero trans).

With the trans sucked out of their fat, are the Girl Scouts' offerings more appealing? Maybe—searches are 23% higher than this same time last year, with Ohio the first in line for boxes of those tasty treats.

Filed under: Cookies, Girl Scouts, Trans Fats