the buzz log

Our picks from the day's hottest searches.

• MacLaren Strollers (+4,166%). Heart-breaking reports about finger amputations have resulted in the one-million baby carriage recall.
• Mutual Funds (+331%). People are re-evaluating financial investments, especially as some pools are diversifying into old-fashioned gold.
• Joseph Cao (+296%). The Louisiana representative and first Vietnamese-American in Congress was the solo Republican to vote for the health care reform package. Boom, instant media circus.
• California State Bar (+268%). The state bar president has been speaking out after the governor rejected a bill authorizing the bar to collect annual dues, calling the organization "overtly political, unresponsive...and inefficient."
• Carrie Prejean (+84%). The ex-Miss California has gone on the regrets circuit for a naughty tape. The discovery spurred her to settle her lawsuit against the Miss California USA pageant over contractual issues.

Filed under: Politics, Recalls, Finance, Beauty, Babies, Law

What a week in the Buzz! A lad-mag released its list of "hottest women," while an astonishingly ugly "thing" washed up on the shores of Long Island. Also generating heat — the ongoing Miss California saga and the shockingly high number of Chrysler and GM dealerships shutting their doors. Take a look back at the week that was with the Buzz Week in Review.

Olivia Wilde: The world's hottest
Maxim magazine isn't known for its subtlety. The men's magazine is famous and unapologetic when it comes to its annual list of the world's 100 hottest women. This year's champ? Olivia Wilde of TV's "House." She's not exactly a household name, but after she was dubbed the world's most drool-worthy woman by the ogling experts at Maxim, interest in the actress surged to dizzying heights. Over the week, lookups on "olivia wilde pictures" and "olivia wilde maxim" posted triple digit gains in Search.

What monster is this?
People like to think that every species on the planet has been discovered. If so, how does one explain the Montauk Monster? Earlier this week, a bloated animal carcass washed up on the shores of Long Island, and folks have been doing their best to figure out what it is. If all this sounds familiar, it should. Last year, a similar creature was discovered in Long Island and set off a storm of searches. We still have no idea what it is (a raccoon, a pig, an actual monster?), but we do know that it has a sizable fan base in Search. Over the week, queries on this beast roared over 2,000%.

Miss California saga rages on
Yes, yes, we know. We're sick of this story, too. Unfortunately, its just too popular to ignore. The outspoken Miss California Carrie Prejean made news this week when Donald Trump, who owns the Miss Universe organization, allowed her to keep her title in spite of randy photos making their way around the Web. But that's not all. Shana Moakler, director of Miss California USA, quit in protest. There were also stories on Sarah Palin and Elizabeth Hasselbeck coming to Prejean's defense. Searches on the controversial beauty queen surged faster than you can say "world peace," and blogs weighed in on the surreal saga.

Also buzzing this week...
• Chrysler and GM announced that a huge number of dealerships are closing down.
• Nancy Pelosi said she was "misled" about CIA interrogation techniques.
• "Angels and Demons" opened to "meh" reviews from critics.

Filed under: Recalls, Week in Review, Wrap Up

Just when you thought it was safe to eat nuts, the FDA is warning consumers to avoid pistachios due to salmonella fears. Fortunately, folks are getting the message loud and clear. Lookups are soaring on "pistachio recall" (+9,012% in Search), "fda.gov" (+1,675%), and "salmonella symptoms" (+264%).

As is often the case when a scary new illness makes its way into the public space, queries for "salmonella symptoms" boasted an especially quick surge. Concerned folks want to know if they have any cause for alarm.

The San Jose Mercury News explains that "healthy people exposed to salmonella may experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain." Health officials say that folks should seek medical assitance if they have any of these symptoms. To be safe, the FDA recommends consumers not eat any pistachios until "the scope of the contamination" is clear.

So, what sort of products are affected? According to MSNBC, California-based Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc., was recalling more than 2 million pounds of the roasted nut. So far, there are no confirmed illnesses, however "two people called the FDA complaining of gastrointestinal illness that could be associated with the nuts."

Additionally, there is concern over products like spices and ice cream that may use pistachios. Officials are currently investigating what other products may need to be recalled. Again, to be on the safe side, stick with pretzels until somebody from the FDA says otherwise.

Filed under: Recalls