(Bono’s Writing to Appear in New York Times Print and Website soon)

It was announced on Friday that Bono will by writing a column for the New York Times. The first column appeared this Sunday, and others will appear occasionally on the the New York Times Op-Ed page. To read him online, Bono’s column can be found at NYT’s Opinion Column. The paper says he’ll be covering a “broad range of subjects”. Expect podcasts too.

If you don’t know about his admirable non-music happenings — Bono is the co-founder of ONE, a nonpartisan advocacy and campaigning organization backed by more than two million people dedicated to the fight against global poverty and disease. Bono also co-founded (RED), with Bobby Shriver, to gain more involvement from the corporate sector in the fight against AIDS in Africa.

He’s a busy guy and has lots to say. We look forward to reading his thoughts.
J

Today’s Graphic of the Day is a painting. It’s also an invitation to a cool art show happening in Brooklyn that runs until February 1st. If you don’t recognize some of these artists presenting, swing through and be inspired. It’s worth the trek out of the city.
J

I love PSA’s from different countries. This one is surreal. It’s an educational video with happy dancing condoms advising to protect yourself against HIV.

The beats are sick. Like an Indian Jam session. They’re singing in Telugu.
Enjoy!
J

The word “Zeitgeist” means “the spirit of the times”. What better way to understand the collective conscience than to see our Top Search Words — After all, Google Don’t Lie! And so comes my annual report of Google Zeitgeist (read Google’s 2007 Top Searches words later to see how we’ve evolved— or devolved)…

Here’s Google’s Top WORD searches for 2008

(UNITED STATES Top Google Searches)

TOP SEARCHES regarding Economy (US)
financial crisis
depression
bailout
mortgage crisis
wall street
oil
stock market
subprime
credit crisis
housing crisis

(The word “Layaway” makes a comeback)

TOP SEARCHES regarding Fond Farewells (US)
heath ledger
bernie mac
tim russert
isaac hayes
george carlin
brad renfro
randy pausch
paul newman
boyd coddington
michael crichton

TOP SEARCHES with “Who is” (US)
who is obama
who is mccain
who is palin
who is lil wayne
who is miley cyrus
who is dolla
who is jonas brothers
who is chris brown
who is biden
who is martin luther

TOP SEARCHES with “What is” (US)
what is love
what is life
what is java
what is sap
what is rss
what is scientology
what is autism
what is lupus
what is 3g
what is art

TOP SEARCHES with “How to” (US)
how to draw
how to kiss
how to write
how to cook
how to tie
how to hack
how to run
how to cite
how to paint
how to spell

FASTEST RISING OVERALL (US)
obama
facebook
att
iphone
youtube
fox news
palin
beijing 2008
david cook
surf the channel

TOP SEARCHES FOR POLITICAL NEWS (US)
fox
cnn
abc
cbs
msnbc
drudge report
new york times
snl*
huffington post
wall street journal

*A good portion of the volume of searches came from the show’s up-to-the-minute spoofs on the campaign.

(The Race to the Finish Line)

TOP SEARCHES FOR CAMPAIGN BUZZWORDS (US)
joe the plumber
jeremiah wright
maverick
william ayers
bridge to nowhere
lipstick pig
yes we can
that one
rashid khalidi
hockey mom

(Sports Searches)

TOP SEARCHES FOR OLYMPIC SPORTS (US)
gymnastics
swimming
soccer
tennis
basketball
volleyball
equestrian
bmx
boxing
baseball

TOP SEARCHES FOR BASEBALL (US)
red sox
yankees
cubs
phillies
mets

TOP SEARCHES FOR BASKETBALL (US)
lakers
celtics
suns
knicks
pistons

TOP SEARCHES FOR FOOTBALL (US)
giants
cowboys
patriots
steelers
packers

(Just to represent for our London Office and Clients)

UNITED KINGDOM Top Google Searches

FASTEST RISING OVERALL UK
iplayer
facebook
iphone
youtube
yahoo mail
large hadron collider
obama
friv
jogos
wiki

MOST POPULAR (UK)
facebook
bbc
youtube
ebay
games
news
hotmail
bebo
yahoo
jobs

POLITICIANS (UK)
gordon brown
david cameron
barack obama
tony blair
sarah palin
john mccain
george osborne
alistair darling
boris johnson
nicolas sarkozy

RECIPES (UK)
cupcake
meatballs
rocky road
crumble topping
eaton mess
pork belly
rhubarb fool
lemon posset
honey comb
beer batter

HOTTEST TICKETS (UK)
oasis
leonard cohen
ac/dc
the ashes
steve coogan
sos
oliver
gladiators
tina turner
nickleback

… [cue drumroll] …and now for the top searches in the whole world!

Top Search Words for Google in 2008 (GLOBAL)
sarah palin
beijing 2008
facebook login
tuenti
heath ledger
obama
nasza klasa
wer kennt wen
euro 2008
jonas brothers

Read more past archives at Google Zeitgeist.
Let’s mind our searches and self-educate in 09!
J