the buzz log
September 2009 Buzz
Holidays both holy (Ramadan and Yom Kippur) and secular (Labor Day) dominated September, but the autumnal change of pace didn't always mean peace. Interruptions and protests testified to high anxieties. Those were dwarfed by an unrelenting series of natural disasters. Below, the events that bestirred the Buzz.
The disaster roll
Some took mere seconds, others lasted for days, but all left a wracked landscape. In the state of Georgia, five days of rain dumped as much as 20 inches, left at least nine dead, and flooded more than 1,000 homes. Typhoon Ketsana left a crueler mark through Southeast Asia, wiping away villages and killing more than 300. Quakes shattered Samoa, American Samoa, and the Sumatra island of Indonesia. Help has been at the ready: Federal aid has come to Georgia and the Samoa, the international community—already helping the hard-hit Philippines—are also reaching out to the tiny Pacific islands, and charities worldwide are heading to West Sumatra.
Outbursts, tantrums, and protests
Lots of angst was unleashed in September. Thousands converged to protest big government in a tea-party style gathering fueled by Glenn Beck and organized by FreedomWorks. Talk-show host Beck was awarded a ceremonial key to his hometown, but he may not want to use it. And while President Obama made some UN headway at the general assembly, his follow-up act Moammar Khadafy caused walkouts and his translator to collapse. Would have been a good time for Kanye West to pop up.
In memoriam
"Nobody puts baby in a corner" became the online eulogy for Patrick Swayze, who died of pancreatic cancer this month. Other passings noted: journalist William Safire who famously penned "nattering nabobs of of negativism" for Nixon's vice president Spiro Agnew; neoconservative architect Irving Kristol; and the "father of the green revolution" Norman Borlaug.
Search Terms with the Biggest Percentage Changes
| Biggest Search Terms |
Filed under: Politics, Monthly Wrapup, Disaster, Recaps, Death
Buzz Week in Review
Ever get that sinking feeling, say, two football fields long? That pretty much encapsulates the week of news that was in Buzz.
Another Cyclone?
The tragedy of the Myanmar cyclone hit on many levels: its potential avoidability, its actual devastation, and rejected assistance. Days before the military junta's impending referendum, 120-mph winds tore open what critics called the country's despotic and ineffective governance. Any natural disaster these days also brings up global-warming issues, which USA Today pursued, although one scientist pointed out that removing "protective vegetation" is the bigger environmental mistake. The long-suffering country may have more to fear this monsoon season. Even in such horror, however, the citizens of Myanmar may see divine intervention for change.
Another Child?
An Arkansas woman who has already conceivably gone more than 11 years without seeing her feet is pregnant again. Michelle Duggar will determinedly push out child number 18 on New Year's Day. The Discovery Health cable network has returned to film the run-up to the Duggar family's latest addition. And Barack Obama thinks it's a big deal to pick up nine more superdelegates.
Another Tax Return?
Cindy McCain has gained in public scrutiny and Search curiosity, as her husband, John, prepares to represent his party in the presidential race. Her refusal to release her tax returns, which she files separately, has already added the odd "cindy mccain beer" query to the usual ones posed about her age, biography, and wedding. (The beer relates to her shares in a Phoenix beer distributorship.)
Also spiking in Buzz this week...
• Blogs continued to embrace an ESPN story of good "sportsgirlship" in the NCAA softball playoffs. Searchers followed up on one Sara Tucholsky (+109%), who tore a knee ligament before she could finish her first and only career home run. However, it was home run queen and opposing team member Mallory Holtman who got a 21,492% boost in searches for helping to carry Tucholsky around the bases, so she could savor her victory.
• Of all the breathless stories swirling around the union of Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon, NY Mag's Daily Intel reassured rumormongers that the couple's "breakneck" courtship didn't dint Mariah's biz savvy. Carey required a prenup. Just like the McCains.
• "Harold and Kumar" aside, teens and marijuana can become lethal mix, especially when depression is added to the mix, according to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Filed under: Weddings, Politics, Pregnancy, Disaster, Recaps, Week in Review
Monday's Buzz You Missed
Monday's Buzz followed up on the disaster that forced Myanmar to reach out for help, the virus that pushed China to utter reassurances, and the refunds that compelled financial experts to administer common sense.
Requests for Disaster Aid
The death-toll numbers coming in from Myanmar were already mind-numbing at nearly 4,000, but Cyclone Nargis—which the AP described as having turned the "country's largest city into a pre-modern state of existence"—may claim up to 10,000 lives. The situation prompted the country's isolationist government to reach out for help, and other nations' governments and celebrities to lend their aid. Early reports of the disaster prompted searches for Asian tsunami of 2004, but the follow-up coverage generated Buzz revolving around two Laura Bush stories: one about The First Lady scolding the country (referring to it by its old name, Burma) for not warning its own citizens in time, and another about her press conference going off on a tangent about an upcoming wedding.
Assurances of Health Safety
A virus has sickened hundreds and killed 25 children so far in China's southern provinces. Although the World Health Organization has said the contagion will not affect the thousands expected to converge in Beijing for the upcoming Olympics, the enterovirus 71 (aka EV71 virus) has not yet run its course and has spread to the capital. The intestinal virus is a regular occurrence among children, but Time.com reported that this season's atypical symptoms are preventing proper diagnoses.
Advice for Tax Rebates
Retailers may be flying like buzzards around your tax rebate check, but a
Yahoo! Finance story suggests investing that chump change in its list of
the 10 best mutual funds. U.S. News & World Report also recommends five low-entry investment funds to earn the bragging rights to say, "Yeah, I got me a port-fol-io." In case the advice sounds way too sensible, New York Magazine's suggestions run the gamut from retirement accounts to custom-made fake ponytails.
Other stories spiking in Buzz ...
- At the 161st convention of the American Psychiatric Association, attendees talked about how about 1 in 5 soldiers suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and/or depression, and the need for public care to address this long-term issue.
- You'd have to pool a bunch of tax rebates to get 50 Cent to perform at a bar mitzvah. TheStreet.com breaks down how much the talent costs, including a one-nighter with Madonna (no, not that kind of a one-nighter), or having J.Lo at your wife's 30th birthday party. How much for the opportunity to say, "You're much hotter than J.Lo?" Priceless.
- With more primaries looming, the Democratic contenders' gas-tax ads have undergone critical scrutiny worthy of a quickie dissertation. The Washington Post posits gas, already laden with environmental baggage, as political shorthand for class issues—working stiff vs. elitist effete. Meanwhile, Salon delves into accuracy and a bit on just what the federal gas tax is, which may help those searchers looking up "federal gas tax" and "federal gas tax holiday" online. In case that holiday never comes, Mashables has pulled together an online list of cheap-gas trackers.
Filed under: Health, Taxes, Disaster, Recaps, Daily Recap
This Just In: You're Screwed
Four out of five meteorologists agree: No matter where you live in this country, you're pretty much screwed. Southerners suffer hurricanes. Middle America has tornadoes. The West Coast gets the shakes from earthquakes. And everywhere else puts up with floods, blizzards, locusts, etc. While Mother Nature's wrath stretches from coast to coast, searches show that people are learning to be prepared.
These days, tornadoes are the most-searched-for natural disaster, followed by earthquakes and hurricanes (we don't count tactical nuclear strikes). Of course, this changes from season to season, and place to place. Interest in tornadoes is highest in Indiana, Missouri, and Nebraska. Not surprisingly, earthquake queries are huge in California (more than double anywhere else). Hurricane searches are biggest in Louisiana, Florida, and Texas (i.e., places all too familiar with their devastation).
A disaster preparedness kit is essential. Searches on "disaster preparedness," "emergency preparedness," and "survival preparedness" are all gaining followers. We suggest you put one together, too. After all, it's better to be safe and have extra bottled water stored away than sorry and have to drink from the toilet for a week, or worse.
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Worst Airports For Delays 2009 | Breakout! |
| 2 | How To Survive A Recession | Breakout! |
| 3 | Ice Cream Calorie Counter | Breakout! |
| 4 | Jayson Williams | Breakout! |
| 5 | Alexandra Kerry | Breakout! |
| 6 | Chaz Bono | 10707% |
| 7 | Kelly Osbourne | 3298% |
| 8 | Jennifer Hudson | 3218% |
| 9 | Nicole Richie | 2075% |
| 10 | Thierry Henry | 1125% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Friday | +413 | 1016 |
| 2 | Elizabeth Lambert | -677 | 263 |
| 3 | NFL | +66 | 235 |
| 4 | New Moon | +74 | 213 |
| 5 | Bing | +83 | 209 |
| 6 | Kelly Osbourne | +193 | 199 |
| 7 | Hulu | +7 | 139 |
| 8 | Nicole Richie | +124 | 130 |
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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