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• Hurricane, Civil War, Kardashian Wedding: August 2011 Buzz
• Man Finds $150,000 in Garden
• An Unlikely Friendship

Hurricane, Civil War, Kardashian Wedding: August 2011 Buzz Posted: 31 Aug 2011 02:32 PM PDT by Vera H-C Chan August should have been a quiet month for Islamic observers celebrating Ramadan and for countries that take their seasonal break. In the Middle East, though, Arab spring became a bloody summer as civil war continued in Libya and Syria. Meanwhile, the U.S., which has already endured record-breaking snowfall and extreme drought, braced itself for one jolt after another. Here now, the heat in August, as seen through the top online news stories and searches. Acts of God One tweak in the grand universe and suddenly quakes were rattling Virginia and floods devastating Vermont. On August 23, even as the eastern half of the United States was eyeing Hurricane Irene, a 5.8-magnitude temblor emanated from Virginia — troublingly, near the North Anna Power Station, which promptly shut down its nuclear reactors — but made its presence felt from Maine to South Carolina, and cracked the Washington Monument. The quake turned out to be a dress rehearsal, as the East Coast went into emergency preparation mode. Irene swelled and then diminished, but it still had the strength to collapse turnpikes, swamp roads, and sweep away bridges. Picturesque Vermont (population 625,741) suffered shocking damage: The state had already gone through record snowfall, spring flooding, and a dry summer. But Irene inflicted Vermont's worst weather disaster in 80 years, although some Vermonters blame a man-made pipeline for tweaking Mother Nature. Click here for hurricane aid resources. Search sampling: hurricane irene path, irene storm tracker, noaa hurricane, hurricane evacuation zones, hurricane preparedness, national grid power outages, cape hatteras irene damage, new york state thruway, tappan zee bridge, quechee covered bridge, bartonsville covered bridge, vermont emergency platform, bogue inlet pier, merritt parkway, pompton lakes fire, 287 collapses, home generators, fema hurricane irene jobs, verizon phone outages, cell phone batteries, sump pump, fema camps. Holy month, civil war Ramadan fell during the month of August, but observing its rituals of abstinence and self-purification wasn't possible in a besieged Middle East. In Sudan, street protests have been met with gunfire. Among the body count of 2,200 and counting, one activist group calculates nearly a quarter died during the holy month. Yet the civilian deaths, according to the Economist, as well as rebel success in Libya have "emboldened" protesters. As for Libya, the country celebrated Eid al-Fitr without Moammar Gadhafi, who remains absent but vocal after his compound was raided and ransacked August 23. As fighters eye the colonel's hometown and defiance from at least one son, damage — ranging from mass hunger to an estimated 50,000 dead after six months of civil war — is being assessed. Search sampling: libya map, map of syria, libya air strikes 2011, syria revolution 2011, gunfire hama syria, gadhafi libya, assad syria, gadhafi rebels libya, rebels libya tripoli, activists arrests syria, biblical name of syria libyan lockerbie, plans libyan, rebuilding libya, truth libya, libya flag. Royal reality wedding Some countries have royal weddings. Americans deal in reality. The one-woman empire called Kim Kardashian married NBA power forward Kris Humphries — which a few searches referred to as "kris hump." Some gushed over "kim kardashian wedding ring" and "kim kardashian wedding dresses," others checked out her first union with music producer Damon Thomas (+27,744%). The hookup may help stall slightly slipping Search buzz, and her credibility: A poll released two days before her wedding ranked her among the 10 least-trustworthy personalities. Still, the hitch went without a hitch, replete with diamonds ($15 million), flowers ($50,000), celebrity guests (nearly 400), cake (six feet tall), cameras (E! will air "Kim's Fairytale Wedding" in October), and a People magazine cover. Search sampling: reggie bush kim kardashian, how tall is kim kardashian, kim kardashian wedding invitation, kim kardashian twitter, kim kardashian psoriasis, kim kardashian and kris hump wedding, kim kardashian married at 19, kim kardashian first marriage, kim kardashian sex tape, kim kardashian people magazine, kim kardashian jam turn it up video, kim kardashian honeyoon, kim kardashian sexual orientation. Yahoo! August 2011 Web-Hot Searches Search Terms With Significant Percentage Changes   Hurricane Irene 2011 (off the charts). See above. Selena breakup (off the charts). No, no, a thousand times no — Selena Gomez and her Bieber beau's hearts still beat as one, despite Kathy Griffin's best efforts. Nick Ashford dies (off the charts). The Motown songwriter who co-wrote songs such as "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" died August 22 at age 70. Will and Jada (off the charts). The Smiths' luxe mansion-home made Architectural Digest's September cover, but it didn't quash August marital problems between the celebrity powerhouse duo. Honda recall (off the charts). Stalled engines made Honda recall 2.49 million vehicles. Viola Davis (+89,723%). Attributed with saving "The Help" from itself by many critics. Bank of America stock (+25,134%). Plummeting stock, capital fundraising, and lawsuits, oh my. Charla Nash (+62,522%). The chimp attack victim revealed her new face. The Client List (+34,248%). Jennifer Love Hewitt gets a series for 2012. Damon Thomas (+27,744%). See above. Biggest Search Terms   Anne Hathaway Kim Kardashian Casey Anthony Lucille Ball Jennifer Lopez Nicole Kidman William Shatner Rose McGowan Fantasy Football Heather Locklear Follow us on Twitter - Find us on Facebook

Man Finds $150,000 in Garden Posted: 31 Aug 2011 11:47 AM PDT by Claudine Zap Money doesn't grow on trees, the saying goes. But sometimes it sprouts up in the garden. An unemployed man in northern Illinois was in his backyard when he came across some serious green: bags filled with $150,000 cash. Wayne Sabaj was headed to pick some broccoli to go with his roast. The carpenter spotted duffel bags that looked like trash by the peppers -- but they turned out to be a cash crop: stacks of $20 bills that added up to about $150,000. The 49-year-old, who is living with his dad, did not exactly jump for joy. The out-of-work carpenter told ABC7, "I could really use this money." But with this money comes trouble. He explained, "With my luck, it would be bank robbery and I'd get caught and say I'd robbed a bank." So the honest man with money troubles alerted the police to his amazing backyard treasure. For now, police haven't a clue to where the cash came from: There are no reported burglaries in the area, and no banks have been robbed. Then there was the concern that whoever left the money behind would be back, and that's a problem the Sabaj men would rather have solved by the police. If nobody comes forward to legitimately claim the cash, there may be a happy ending for the green thumb: Police will help figure out if Sabaj can keep the money. The carpenter has retained an attorney just in case. For now, the cash is in custody with the country sheriff, who left behind a card on the lawn where the bags were found with a request: Please call. Follow us on Twitter - Find us on Facebook

An Unlikely Friendship Posted: 31 Aug 2011 10:59 AM PDT by Mike Krumboltz For anyone who lost a loved one on 9/11, the urge to be vengeful toward those connected to the attackers must be overwhelming. But that isn't true of everyone. Phyllis Rodriguez lost her son Greg in the attack on the World Trade Center. In the years since that terrible loss, she has formed what many consider to be an unusual friendship with Aicha el-Wafi, the mother of Zacarias Moussaoui, who was convicted of playing a large role in the attacks. He is currently serving a life sentence for his crimes. Back in December, the two spoke at a conference for women, where Rodriguez talked about their mutual admiration for each other. Rodriguez remarked, "When I saw Aicha in the media coming over when her son was indicted, I thought, 'what a brave woman, someday I want to meet her... when I'm stronger.'" In 2002, el-Wafi asked to be put in touch with the parents of the victims. She was introduced to five families. She met Phyllis, and she "saw in her eyes that she was a mother" (like el-Wafi). A respectful relationship quickly formed.  When the two met, they were both nervous, not knowing what they wanted from each other. By the end of the afternoon, they felt like they'd known each other for a long time. Rodriguez says she feels the two have "a special connection which she values very much, that's all about being afraid of the other but making that step." Rodriguez goes on to say that when people heard that her son had died on 9/11, she got immediate sympathy. But el-Wafi earned no such sympathy even though, in Rodriguez's words, "her suffering is equal." So how did Rodriguez come to forgive? In an interview with the Forgiveness Project, she spoke a bit about her philosophy. "When Greg was killed, I thought, 'I will never forgive the people who murdered my son,' but I have come to see forgiveness as more than a word; it's a context, a process. I don't forgive the act, but trying to understand why someone has acted in the way they have is part of the process of forgiving. Forgiveness is being able to accept another person for being human and fallible." Generosity, tolerance, and speaking out against violence are things the two women agree on -- strong beliefs that have helped them through unimaginable pain and suffering. You can watch their interview on TED below.  Follow us on Twitter - Find us on Facebook

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