This wins the award for craziest story of the morning: The Wall Street Journal says Iranian-backed insurgents used a $26 software program to intercept video feeds from US spy planes. They used SkyGabber, a program widely available on the Internet,  to exploit “an unprotected communications link” and capture surveillance video.

“Some like it hot” says the LA Times. According to historical meteorologists, China has prospered in periods with above average temperatures. Consequently, some Chinese think global warming could be good for the country, an opinion that is taking a lot of heat.

Today is Free Shipping Day at many of the big online stores. It’s the last day you can order items online, have them shipped for free and guarantee they will arrive by Christmas. But as the down economy persists, the Chicago Tribune says some retailers are pushing back the deadline.

Sarah Palin has crossed John McCain, out. The New York Daily News says while on vacation with her family in Hawaii, Palin was spotted sporting a McCain visor with the name of her former running mate blacked out.

The Boston Globe writes that there is another casualty in the Tiger Woods drama: the golf industry. Already faced with slumping sales, some worry that without its biggest star people will lose interest in the sport. When Woods missed an annual tournament in Massachusetts last year, attendance dropped 20 percent.

Something must’ve smelled fishy. A South Dakota couple has been charged with fraud after telling their life insurance company that the husband had died from eating bad oysters. The Argus Leader says the FBI knew something was off when the man, very much alive, walked into the US Embassy in Indonesia to renew his passport.

Is cursive dying? We may soon be a nation of block letterers and chicken scratchers says the Detroit Free Press this morning. As more and more students complete their assignments on the computer, educators are reevaluating the place that handwriting has in elementary school curriculum.

This is amazing: The bullet-ridden pancreas of an US soldier was removed, flown to Walter Reed Hospital, had its insulin-producing cells harvested, and then was flown back and transplanted back into the man’s liver. The St. Petersburg Times says the operation was a medical first and that the 21-year-old soldier is feeling good.

Workers at an Ohio church daycare are being investigated for allegedly giving sleeping aids to the children in their care at nap time. Parents have filed a class action lawsuit against the church says the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Having a new baby can be stressful, but I didn’t realize just how stressful. The Oregonian says “one out of four married couples get divorced within five years of a baby’s birth.” The paper asked experts for advice on how new parents can maintain a healthy relationship.

Christmas requires so much planning that it’s easy to see why a breakfast menu might be put on the back burner. Never fear. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel asked the owners of three Wisconsin bed and breakfasts to share their tips.

Attention, discount shoppers: your life just got a whole lot easier. The Wall Street Journal has a story about comparison shopping tools like one called Shop Savvy. The idea is simple: You see something in a store. Scan the bar code using your camera phone. And you’re immediately told if there’s somewhere nearby or online you can get the item for less.

OMG. Americans sent 110 billion texts last year says the Boston Globe. That astounding number is double what it was the year before. And it means that on average, the country’s 270 million cell phone subscribers sent about 407 messages last year.

It turns out the Salahis weren’t the first. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says that a Georgia couple wrangled a private breakfast with the Obamas on their November trip to the White House. The couple says they showed up a day early for their scheduled tour and instead joined the first couple for a buffet in the East Room.

Perhaps it was getting ready for a life of late takeoffs and canceled arrivals. After two years of false starts, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner finally took flight yesterday reports the Seattle Times. The test run kicks off a series of safety trials that will begin in earnest at the end of this month.

This might be Sandra Bullock’s year. The LA Times says the actress has a real shot at an Oscar for her role in “The Blind Side.” It comes down to whether the movie, which eclipsed the Thanksgiving weekend sales of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” can impress Academy members as much as it impressed audiences outside New York and Los Angeles.

American men have a secret: they love Celine Dion. The New York Times says a new rating system adopted by the radio industry has brought to light very different statistics about listener preferences. Classical music stations and conservative talk radio have fewer fans than previously thought.

Ever heard of a Coastie? I hadn’t until I read this article in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel this morning. Apparently it’s a term used by University of Wisconsin students to describe “a privileged East or West Coast transplant, often a woman of a certain look: black tights, Ugg boots, oversize sunglasses and sporting a Starbucks cup.” The term has inspired a song and music video that some critics say is anti-Semitic. Watch Video

I guess this is what happens when you have eight idle hands. The St. Petersburg Times says scientists in Australia have discovered an octopus that collects coconut shells for building a shelter. The paper has a great AP video of the octopus choosing shells, emptying them and then reassembling the two halves to create a house. Watch Video

Do-see-doing to “Thriller”? If that’s what it takes, then yes. Square Dancing is dying says the Wall Street Journal.  Fans of the dance are trying to lure young people back to the floor by adding U2, Michael Jackson and hip hop to the repertoire.

Workers at an Ohio church daycare are being investigated for allegedly giving sleeping aids to the children in their care at nap time. Parents have filed a class action lawsuit against the church says the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Clearly, I need to give up on the news and shift to quirky online videos. USA Today looks at the success of some of YouTube’s home-based video partners. iJustine says she makes about $75,000 a year from her share of the ad revenue YouTube collects from her videos.

Perhaps it was getting ready for a life of late takeoffs and canceled arrivals. After two years of false starts, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner finally took flight yesterday reports the Seattle Times. The test run kicks off a series of safety trials that will begin in earnest at the end of this month.

American men have a secret: they love Celine Dion. The New York Times says a new rating system adopted by the radio industry has brought to light very different statistics about listener preferences. Classical music stations and conservative talk radio have fewer fans than previously thought.

President Obama has found his seventh cousin, three times removed says the Chicago Tribune: Warren Buffett. Ancestry.com announced the family connection after identifying a 17th century Frenchman who links the two men to each other.

The Star Tribune asks how many people actually read the holiday newsletters that pile up in mailboxes and on kitchen tables around this time of year. Why not try tweeting your greeting instead? The paper prints ten funny examples to get you started.

There’s a major feature in the New York Times about unemployment. A new poll has highlighted “the depth and trauma of joblessness” says the paper. More than half of the country’s unemployed have borrowed money from friends or loved ones and 47 percent of those polled are without health care coverage.

The down economy may evoke the Grinch as the holidays near, but there’s no reason to let a tight budget steal your Who-roast. The Oregonian has a good article about stretching a less expensive beef tenderloin into a delicious and decadent holiday meal.

I saw in the New York Post that Rihanna is on the cover of GQ’s January issue, trying to get some attention for her new record.  And with her topless cover pose, I’m sure that she will likely succeed.

This is not an advertisement for Botox. There’s another reason to be jealous of people who age well says the Sacramento Bee: they live longer. According to a new study, younger-looking people possess a key element of DNA that is linked to longevity.

A little stress is good for you says the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. But let it linger and it “steals your sleep, saps your immune system [and] brings on bad habits faster than a trip to Las Vegas.” The paper has a good, and timely, article about the physical ramifications of living with too much stress and strategies for reducing yours.

Are you allergic to your wedding ring? No, that’s not another dig at Tiger Woods. The Wall Street Journal says nickel is usually the culprit behind “wedding-ring dermatitis.” According to the Journal, up to 36 percent of women have a nickel allergy. Only 15 percent of men do.

Another day, another Tiger Woods story. This time it’s news from the New York Post that Woods’ wife, Elin Nordegren, has stopped wearing her wedding ring. The Post says Woods is scared Nordegren’s next step might be moving back to Sweden with their two children.

New York Times columnist Susan Dominus looks at a new iPhone application called Type n Walk in this morning’s paper. The premise is that it puts footage from your phone’s video camera in the background as you type so you don’t run into anything. Dominus says she gave up after ten minutes after realizing she had turned into a “walking urban menace.”

Tesla Motors is challenging the Energizer Bunny, sort of. The San Francisco reports that the company is planning to drive one of its electric sports cars from Los Angeles to Detroit this week in an effort to show consumers that battery power is not an issue. The 3,100-mile trip, which would ordinarily take six days, is expected to take 18 in the Tesla.

It seems like it might have been easier and less expensive to invest in some gloves. Police in Boston are holding a man who they say tried to elude arrest by mutilating his own fingers reports the Globe this morning.

They’ve literally reinvented the wheel. The New York Times says MIT scientists have figured out a way to capture the energy that’s normally wasted when a bicyclist brakes. The energy is stored in a specially designed wheel until the biker needs a “boost.” Scientists used the same technology hybrid cars rely upon to collect and store energy.

President Obama has found his seventh cousin, three times removed says the Chicago Tribune: Warren Buffett. Ancestry.com announced the family connection after identifying a 17th century Frenchman who links the two men to each other.

Make sure you love your presents before opening them. The Boston Globe says a growing number of stores are imposing a fee on returned items, especially electronics, regardless of whether the item has been opened or is damaged.

Top bankers spent some time at the White House yesterday, where President Obama reminded them that they were saved by the American people a year ago. USA Today says the president made it clear that the banks ought to return the favor by extending loans to those who deserve them. The Wall Street Journal made its opinion on the matter clear in today’s main editorial, writing, “if Mr. Obama wants the banks to lend more he should tell the Fed to start to rein in its excessively easy credit.”

There’s a scary article in the LA Times this morning for anyone who’s had a CT scan. A new study has found that overuse of CT scans and similar machines expose patients to dangerously high levels of radiation and will lead to “tens of thousands of new cancer cases and deaths.”

Another day, another Tiger Woods story. This time it’s news from the New York Post that Woods’ wife, Elin Nordegren, has stopped wearing her wedding ring. The Post says Woods is scared Nordegren’s next step might be moving back to Sweden with their two children.

If you’re worried about how you are going to pass the time over the holidays with a house full of relatives, the Cleveland Plain-Dealer has a suggestion: a bingo game inspired by your family’s most annoying sayings.

Call him Father Christmas - tree. The Seattle Times says a Washington State University professor has set out to create a genetically engineered Christmas tree without the season’s most complained about attribute: stray needles.

If you’re thinking about mailing some packages off today, be ready for a wait. According to the USPS, the Monday a week before Christmas (today) is the post office’s busiest day of the year reports the Orange County Register.

Turns out double-dipping is more than just a party foul. The Omaha World Herald says scientists have weighed in and concluded that “three to six double dips in one bowl transferred about 10,000 bacteria from the eaters’ mouths to the remaining dip.”

You have more than just friends on Facebook. The New York Times says con artists are increasingly using social networking sites to promote their scams.

You may be able to soon avoid the mute button during commercial breaks if one Washington lawmaker has her way. The San Jose Mercury News says California Rep. Anna Eshoo is gaining ground on her proposal to ban advertisers from turning up the volume in their commercials.

Zip codes, according to the Boston Globe, are so last season. Google and other companies are banking on bar codes, readable by smart phones, as the future of commerce. Stickers with bar codes are popping up in storefront windows all over the country so customers can scan them and learn more about businesses participating in Google’s Favorite Places program.

The Washington Post calls her a “roadside vigilante” in a profile this morning about one woman’s fight to clean up the signs cluttering Virginia’s roads.

Introducing the math master of the Internet. It began as a tutorial for his niece, but Salman Khan’s online math lessons have grown into a mecca for those who can’t afford expensive prep courses says the San Francisco Chronicle.

The US Supreme Court announced this morning that it will hear a case about whether an employer can snoop at an employee’s text messages. The LA Times has the background, including an interview with a lawyer who says courts may be backing away from the idea that “because the employer owns it, the employee has no privacy.”

The big consulting company Accenture says Tiger Woods is “no longer the right representative” for its brand. The loss of the sponsorship, according to the New York Post, will cost Woods as much as $15 million a year. Other major sponsors have pulled their television campaigns, but so far have shown more patience.

Besides movies and restaurants, the St. Petersburg Times says there is something new to rate: cops. A California start-up, following in the footsteps of ratemyprofessor.com, has created a database and ranking system for the nation’s police officers.

They have a state flower, a state tree and a state motto. But lawmakers in Wisconsin aren’t satisfied says the LA Times. A bill in the state Assembly is seeking to add a state microbe to the list. And guess what it’s known for - making milk into cheese.

Forget about doctor-patient confidentiality. The LA Times reports that pharmaceutical companies make a practice of mining the prescription patterns of doctors for marketing information. Experts worry that this can lead to the over-prescribing of both high cost and unnecessary medication.

Houston just elected their first openly gay mayor. And there’s an interesting piece in the Chronicle this morning about what a to-do the national media is making of it.

Even for sophisticated and careful eaters, buying fish is a confusing experience says the Boston Globe. Experts worry that the “fear-mongering” regarding mercury levels and contaminant reports unduly scare people from a good source of protein.

How would you grade 2009? President Obama says he’d give it about a B plus. He’ll change that to an A or A minus if he gets to sign a health care bill. The president and first lady sat down with Oprah last night to discuss the past year and the upcoming holidays reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

Introducing the math master of the Internet. It began as a tutorial for his niece, but Salman Khan’s online math lessons have grown into a mecca for those who can’t afford expensive prep courses says the San Francisco Chronicle.

The big consulting company Accenture says Tiger Woods is “no longer the right representative” for its brand. The loss of the sponsorship, according to the New York Post, will cost Woods as much as $15 million a year. Other major sponsors have pulled their television campaigns, but so far have shown more patience.

You used to have an impressive music collection. It filled entire shelves. Now you have a 500 gig hard drive. The Boston Globe asks whether your status as a “collector” has been set back.

The LA Times says one curiousity has emerged for many people following the Tiger Woods story. How did he keep his secrets for so long?

A front page story in the New York Times describes a couple that involved five people and two brokers in having a baby through IVF and a surrogate. With little regulation, the Times says there is an “emerging commercial market for surrogate babies that raises vexing ethical questions.”

The call girl who met with New York governor Eliot Spitzer has refashioned herself as an advice columnist for the New York Post. She introduces herself and starts taking questions such as “My girlfriend says she doesn’t like porn. Is she lying?” VIDEO

The Washington Post asks Jason Reitman, Richard Linklater and Tom Ford to justify the credit that directors get for a good movie.

Tiger’s out. He’s leaving the golf tour to become a “better husband, father and person.” The Orlando Sentinel notes that the announcement on his website used the word “infidelity” for the first time.  Sentinel column George Diaz says now Tiger needs to pick a spot—maybe Oprah or 60 Minutes—and answer some questions. 

It’s “instructive.” That’s it. I knew there was a reason we’ve devoted so much time over the past two weeks to learning what Tiger did wrong. The Wall Street Journal publishes an analysis by an expert who says the endless talk about Woods delivers a message that long-term commitments are “a thing worth having.”

Warren Buffett knows when to say “no.”  One analyst sums him up this way: “I don’t think Buffett gets enough credit for all the pitches he doesn’t swing at.” The Wall Street Journal says one reason the legendary investor was able to make great deals this year was because he turned down so many deals others might have loved.

Seattle Times reporter Dominic Gates has watched the newest Boeing airplane, the Dreamliner, come together from concept to reality. He shares the history in a fascinating package of stories. Seven years into the project, he says Boeing “judged the market dead right.”

New York Times money columnist Ron Lieber’s Saturday column focuses on store gift cards. It’s quite likely that you’ll end up leaving behind some or all of the value on a gift card.

Nothing sounds better as the temperature continues to plunge than curling up with a hot beverage, which, I assume, is why the Cleveland Plain-Dealer decided to print a round up of the best variations.

My many years of winter driving in Alberta qualify me to comment on the need to warm up your car before driving in the winter. GM released a statement this week encouraging drivers to let their cars idle for ten minutes before driving, saying it will actually reduce overall pollutants.  But everyone has a different opinion. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel explores a few philosophies in today’s paper.

If you are waiting by the door for the UPS truck, you might want to keep an eye on the bike lane. The San Jose Mercury News says the shipping giant is using bikes to help deliver their holiday load.

My wife Dawn loves the JibJab e-cards. “Pat, come take a look at this one, It’s the funniest yet!” she says. The focus of the creators was originally on political satire, but USA Today says the shift to e-cards has been the key to the company’s recent success. VIDEO: Pat’s “Wonderful Life”

Should the United States have a VAT? Instituting a a value added tax is a controversial idea to say the least. But those who support it say a consumption tax is a fair way to raise government revenue. The New York Times writes, “like universal health care, every other industrialized country in the world already has a value added tax.”

It was an advertising dream team. Now, it seems more like a nightmare. The Boston Globe says Gillette got “razor burn” after the three star athletes (Roger Federer, Thierry Henri and Tiger Woods)  it chose to promote their product burned a little too brightly in the public eye.

I was saying yesterday that we’d hit two straight weeks of Tiger Woods on the front page of the New York Post and the New York Daily News. A shooting in Times Square almost pushed him off but then the story roared back to life - and front page dominance - when a Hollywood madam revealed she had sent a number of call girls to Tiger during the years he was married. 

There’s an important story in the world of journalism on the front page of today’s New York Times.  Britain is known for having a libel law that is very much tilted in favor of the complainant. The Times says British politicians are embarrassed that they’ve become a magnet for libel lawsuits and so are seriously considering a rewrite of the 19th century law.

“Get off our barstools” says an editorial in today’s Oregonian. The paper takes issue with the heated debate on Capitol Hill this week - about college football. Expressing their outrage at deliberations over the BCS ranking system, the editors say the conversation is more suited for the local tavern than the halls of Congress.

Ever want to know what it feels like to give away $5 million? The Newark Star-Ledger says JP Morgan Chase is letting Facebook users decide whether their hefty write-off will go. Anyone with an account can vote for their favorite charity by midnight tonight. The top hundred selections will receive $250,000 and a chance at $1 million more.  (Among the groups in the running is WISE—a financial literacy group I’ve supported.)

For the most part, people want nice dogs. Dogs that they can play catch with, will romp around with children and go on long walks. Everyone, that is, except Steve Markwell. The LA Times profiles Markwell, who runs a sanctuary for “the cat-killers, face-biters and snarling, drooling wretches,” in a great article about how to tame a mean dog.

A Minnesota man swears he caught Bigfoot on tape says the Star Tribune. The man and his two sons set up a motion-activated camera on the family’s hunting land. But instead of a bear or a moose, the camera captured a shot of “a black creature about 7 feet tall” walking in the woods.

Doctors in Israel are studying whether listening to Mozart can speed up the growth of babies born prematurely. The Star Tribune says initial results from the study showed that babies who listened to Mozart expended less energy, which allowed them to grow faster.

Inspired by news that ABC bought the rights to a reality dating show featuring men on a conveyor belt, the Chicago Tribune decided to reassure the public that all hope is not lost. They put together a great list of the best TV quotes of 2009 in today’s paper. My favorite is from “Mad Men”: “He might lose his foot.” “Just when he got it in the door.”

There’s a story in the Wall Street Journal about the success of the TV show “NCIS.” And the headline explains the whole story: “NCIS isn’t young, hip or edgy. it just has the most viewers.” The Journal says at a time when the paradigm for a successful series is changing, NCIS makes money with a tried and true method: “through foreign sales and reruns.”

The LA Times sat down with Lady Gaga for a two-hour interview covering “feminism, sexuality and fame.” Pop music critic Ann Powers writes that Gaga “views her music as a liberating force” and quotes the star saying, “When I say to you, there is nobody like me, and there never was, that is a statement I want every woman to feel and make about themselves.”

It will be a boy after all for “Good Morning America.” George Stephanopoulos will step in to fill the shoes of Diane Sawyer reports the Washington Post this morning. Howard Kurtz writes that Stephanopoulos will try and maintain his cred as a political insider while trying to fit in with GMA’s lighter tone.

The future of fine dining looks small says the Wall Street Journal. Tapas-style menus, big bars and hotel locations are trademarks of restaurants that have been the best at weathering the economic downturn. And industry insiders say the trend will likely continue.

It was only a matter of time. The Orange County Register has look at one man’s mission to educate the masses on marijuana culture via his cable access show, “Cannabis Planet.”

I have to quote the entire lead of this story from the Seattle Times - because it is priceless: “Although it may not be completely accurate to call Douglas Elliott Lloyd the Winnie the Pooh of suspected burglars, this much is clear: He got stuck in a window while breaking into a building Wednesday, and police had to pull him out before they hauled him off.”