the buzz log
Monday's Buzz You Missed
Monday usually means rip-the-bandage-off-fast bad news. Luckily, today wasn't too bad. Once Buzz readers became numb again to gas sticker-shock and Midwest aftershocks, they moved on to diplomats and games with Mother Nature.
Pumping Gas, Bleeding Cash
Yes, the Europeans have long paid more. Yes, fossil-fuel consumption should be cut back. But man, current gas prices do suck the cash out of a wallet! Buzz readers glommed onto yet another record-breaking price in the United States—an average $3.50 a gallon. The cost of crude also bubbled to new heights, but not for the usual reasons: A pirate rocket hit an empty Japanese oil tanker off the Yemen coast. Although no pirates yelled "avast" and boarded, the maritime aggression pushed landlubbing traders into a whirlpool of panic. Search Engine Journal shows sites that help find cheap gas ... but no tips on pirate defenses.
The Renegade Diplomat
Jimmy Carter went to Syria as a "private citizen," but not many private citizens can list Oval Office on their resumé. Following his meeting with Hamas leader Khaled Mashal, the former president delivered the message that Hamas would accept Israel as a "neighbor," but Israel and the U.S. must negotiate directly with what both governments deem a terrorist group. Still, the hopeful development earned the AP story high votes, as well as a Passover thank-you from a Huffington Post writer. Carter gives his own account in an NPR interview—including disputing reports that his visit had been discouraged.
Big Blessings, Little Trifles
Pope Benedict XVI left a trail of jubilance, munificence, questions, and trivia. For instance, GearLog poised the question, "Who knew that Sprint is a holy wireless carrier?" The New York Daily News reported the religious leader's headgear is called a "miter," in a story about a local artist who presented a handmade straw hat to Benedict to "wear in the country." And, readers purred over a New York Times' piece on the "pope's fondness for felines."
Also spiking in the Buzz ...
—An aftershock registered 4.5 on the Richter scale in the Midwest and on the wire stories. Now people really think Californians are crazy.
Filed under: Gas Prices, Earthquakes, Games, Pope Benedict XVI, Presidents, Daily Recap
The Pope Sparks Questions in Search
As Pope Benedict continues his tour of the U.S., searches for the Catholic leader have swelled. Over the past week, lookups for "pope benedict xvi" picked up more than 670%.
Searchers have turned to the Web to find out where the pontiff is ("pope in new york," "pope in dc," "pope in america"), what he looks like ("pope benedict xvi pictures"), who he's seen ("bush pope"), and what talk show hosts have been saying about him ("bill maher pope").
Benedict's presence in the U.S. has also stirred up a number of questions about the life and times of the papacy. Over the past seven days, we've logged queries that ranged from who the first pope was to how the modern-day ones drive around. Here are some of the fastest-moving "pope" searches from the past week...
Filed under: Pope Benedict XVI
The Popemobile Hits the Road
Batman and Pope Benedict XVI don't have a lot in common, but they do share a love of sweet rides. Lookups on the heavily armored "popemobile" are up 464% ever since the big guy hit American shores. Related terms like "popemobile route" and "popemobile car" are also redlining in Buzz. Eat your heart out, Bruce Wayne...
Filed under: Pope Benedict XVI
The Pope, His Speech, and the Buzz
Last Tuesday, Pope Benedict XVI gave an hour-long speech in Germany. At one point in the talk, he cited a Byzantine emperor who once described some of the Prophet Muhammad's teachings as "evil and inhuman."
The reaction to this quote was intense and rapid. Within days, protesters across the Muslim world swarmed city streets. Islamic religious leaders demanded an apology. And buzz on the pontiff's talk exploded. Searchers turned to the Web in droves for "pope comments," "pope islam," "pope muslims," "pope protest," "pope speech," and "what did the pope say." Even "byzantine empire" saw an unprecedented burst of attention.
On Sunday, the Catholic leader said he was "deeply sorry" for any offense taken from his remarks, and buzz on "pope apology" leapt. That same day, an Italian nun working in Somalia was shot and killed. No one is sure if it's related, but searches on the African country and "pope nun" rose.
Now, as The New York Times says Muslim fury "shows signs of easing," Benedict continues to plan a trip to Turkey, where protests have been fierce. Only time will tell whether the speech's blowback—and buzz—is truly on the wane.
Filed under: Religion, Pope Benedict XVI, Islam
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lin Chi Ling | Breakout! |
| 2 | Gloria Diaz | Breakout! |
| 3 | Freida Pinto | 27459% |
| 4 | Gloria Estefan | 9975% |
| 5 | Gloria Velez | 6463% |
| 6 | Gloria Trevi | 3878% |
| 7 | Faith Hill | 2081% |
| 8 | 60 Minutes | 1114% |
| 9 | Alexis Denisof | 994% |
| 10 | Lee Ann Womack | 987% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NFL | +464 | 575 |
| 2 | Britney Spears | +194 | 316 |
| 3 | Hi-5 | -11 | 244 |
| 4 | Black Friday | +23 | 212 |
| 5 | Freida Pinto | +198 | 199 |
| 6 | UFC | -24 | 194 |
| 7 | Club Penguin | -30 | 161 |
| 8 | Gloria Estefan | +149 | 150 |
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.