Story Stack

Story Stack is where stories first appear on the site. These stories have made our first cut, but haven't necessarily earned the "Smartly Selected" designation for inclusion as one of Pat's Picks.

  1. Breast-Fed Babies’ Advantage Comes From Books

    Researchers have long held that breast-fed babies have an academic edge over their formula-fed peers. But a new study from Brigham Young University says it’s not the breast milk that is behind that advantage. Mothers who breast feed were found to be more likely to read to their children and to respond to their emotional cues. Those techniques, the researchers say, can lead to a 2 to 3 month cognitive development boost by the time the child is 4 years old.

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  2. Tesla Looking Beyond the Automobile

    The San Francisco Chronicle says Tesla Motors is looking to power more than just cars. The upstart company wants to build batteries capable of powering homes or businesses. Tesla executives believe the company can become a leader in low-cost energy storage.

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  3. Chauffeurs: The Driving Force Behind the Oscars

    The Los Angeles Times has a front page story about the chauffeurs who get Hollywood’s elite to the Academy Awards. It’s a complicated effort as more than a thousand limos and SUVs must make their way through heavy security to get the stars to the show. So where do all those cars go during the show? The Hollywood Bowl, where one driver says they feed everyone; one burger, one fry, one soda.

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  4. Despite Bitter Cold, the Planet is Still Warming

    The term global warming may seem like a joke to many people in the U.S. this winter, but as the Chicago Tribune points out, the average global temperature in January was the fourth highest since record keeping began in the 1880s. While many of us were dealing with bitter cold, parts of South America and Africa were hit with record warmth. One climate scientist explains that global warming is a symptom of climate change but it’s not the symptom most of us see. She describes the symptom we see as “weather weirding.”

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  5. Facebook Ads Not Always Appropriate for Teens

    Targeted ads are big business for Facebook. But what happens when ads reach people they’re not intended for? The Wall Street Journal says younger Facebook users are sometimes being exposed to ads that are not age appropriate. Facebook says it removes inappropriate ads when notified about them, but the Journal says that with more than a billion users and more than a million advertisers, policing Facebook is no easy task.

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  6. Is There Really Such a Thing as the Hot Hand in Basketball?

    Basketball announcers love to talk about this - a player makes a few shots in a row so he’s got “a hot hand.” But is there really such a thing? The Wall Street Journal says most academics dismiss the idea as people mistakenly seeing patterns in randomness. But the Journal says new research finds the popular notion of a hot hand may have been right all along.

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  7. Dogs Feel No Shame

    Don’t believe that guilty look. The dog who just ate your steak feels no shame. Behaviorists say the cowered head and droopy eyes your dog shows you when you scold him are really just a reaction to the tantrum you’re throwing. But these scientific findings haven’t put a damper on dog shaming memes such as dogshaming.com and shameyourpet.com.

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  8. This Smartphone Will Self-Destruct

    Boeing is getting into the high-security smartphone business. The Wall Street Journal says the aerospace company has filed plans with the FCC for a secure smartphone aimed at defense and security customers. Boeing plans to keep many of the details about the phone secret, but it does say the phone is equipped with a self-destruct feature that will be activated if anyone tries to tamper with it.

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  9. Fighting Crime Via Twitter

    The San Francisco Chronicle says Oakland Police are increasingly turning to Twitter and other social media tools to fight crime. The platforms allow the police to quickly push out descriptions of suspects wanted for crimes. One police captain says in the past, it would have been days or weeks before the department would broadcast that information to the public.

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  10. Sarah Jessica Parker Launches Shoe Line, Displays Spider Veins

    Sarah Jessica Parker attracted attention for the wrong reasons when she launched a shoe line with Nordstrom. She had distractingly visible spider veins in her strappy green shoes.  A podiatrist offers some advice on how she could have minimized the blue lines when her feet were so prominently on display.

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  11. National Attention Over Anti-Service Bill Surprises Arizona Lawmakers

    The Arizona Republic says some state lawmakers were surprised about the national firestorm surrounding Senate Bill 1062, vetoed Wednesday by Governor Jan Brewer. It would have allowed businesses to refuse service to gay and lesbian patrons on religious grounds. Last year, a nearly identical piece of legislation passed through the state legislature with little fanfare before it was vetoed by Brewer. Among the differences this year, a rapidly changing gay rights landscape and fewer distractions at the statehouse.

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  12. Nutrition Labels Getting Overhauled

    Food nutrition labels are getting their first makeover in 20 years, with a new emphasis on calories and sugar content. The Washington Post says the change is likely to have a dramatic effect on what products people choose to eat and drink. Major changes include the calorie count in a larger font and more realistic serving sizes.

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  13. Boston Could Bid for 2024 Olympics

    A special commission has determined that having the Olympics in Boston is feasible, but the city would face challenges finding space for an 80,000 seat Olympic Stadium and a 100-acre athlete village. The Boston Globe obtained a copy of the report that finds Boston should set up a non-profit group to continue to explore the possibility of putting together a bid for the 2024 games.

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  14. The Road to Recovery for Wounded Police Officers

    The Dallas Morning News has a feature on the road to recovery faced by police officers shot in the line of duty. Many that return to the force struggle with their new roles as they are usually confined to desk duty. Those who do return to the street find moments of doubt, especially during high-pressure situations.

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  15. Hate the Taste? Just Wait

    New York Times Dining columnist Frank Bruni asks a great question about tastes. Are there foods we don’t like the taste of, or do we just not like the taste of them yet? Just as a child’s tastes broaden with age, so to do ours, Bruni argues. So while he may have sworn off oysters as a young man, he says now at age 49, he could eat them all day.

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  16. Employers Asking for SAT Scores

    Do you remember what you got on your SATs? If you’re looking for a job, you may want to track down your scores. The Wall Street Journal says plenty of companies ask prospective employees what their SAT scores were, even if the candidate has been out of high school for decades. A low score doesn’t kill your chances of getting a job, but some firms do have target scores, especially on the math section.

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  17. Couple Discovers $10M in Buried Coins

    Get ready for another gold rush. The San Francisco Chronicle has the story of a couple who dug up $10 million worth of gold coins in their own backyard. The perfectly preserved $20 coins dated back to the 1890s. The couple is keeping their identity (and location) secret so as not to attract treasure hunters. The coins will soon go up for auction.

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  18. Surviving the Dreaded Conference Call

    It’s one of the worst parts of office life for many, the conference call. The Wall Street Journal says conference calls are rife with abuses, from the interrupter to the person who zones out to the one who forgets to hit mute as they take care of their kids. The Journal has some tips from experts on improving conference calls, from setting a firm agenda to encouraging all participants to speak up by asking questions and listening more.

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  19. Should Opening Day be a Federal Holiday?

    It’s a great day for baseball fans, no doubt. And many take the day off or skip out of work early. But should it be a federal holiday? The Washington Post says there’s a movement afoot to have Congress declare baseball’s opening day as a federal holiday. Mind you, we can’t even get Congress to declare Election Day a holiday. If I’m going to get an extra holiday, why would I want a random day in spring and not a nice long weekend in August?

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  20. Riding the Rails to Racial Harmony

    The Boston Globe details a new Harvard University study that finds riding commuter trains with people of different ethnic backgrounds can change people’s attitudes about immigration. Researchers found prolonged contact with people of different ethnic backgrounds initially led to stronger anti-immigrant attitudes. After a little more than a week, those anti-immigrant feelings began to soften. Researchers say the commuter train was an ideal testing ground since it offered a chance to run their experiment in a real-world setting.

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  21. Improve Your Balance Before It’s Too Late

    The Wall Street Journal says most people don’t think about their sense of balance until they fall. Although most people don’t have balance issues until their 50s, doctors say doing some exercises in your 30s and 40s can keep you steadier as you get older. One issue many people face is that as they age and their balance worsens, they become more sedentary because they fear falling. That compounds the problem of their poor balance.

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  22. Colorado State Troopers Learning to Spot Stoned Drivers

    The Denver Post says state troopers are getting more training on how to spot drivers impaired by marijuana. Troopers say stoned drivers can be harder to spot than drunk drivers. One instructor says some topics still need to be studied, like the nature of different strains of marijuana and the effects of different drug combinations.

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  23. How Gender Affects Performance in Olympic Athletes

    The Washington Post breaks down the physiological differences that affect the performance of male and female athletes. Men have a greater percentage of lean muscle which leads to more power, giving a man the advantage in sprinting, jumping and lifting sports. Women have more flexibility, leading to better performance in sports such as gymnastics and figure skating.

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  24. Is Harry Potter Behind Higher Disney World Prices?

    Walt Disney World got a head start raising ticket prices this year. A one-day pass to the Magic Kingdom is now $99. That’s up 5 percent from last year - and up 60 percent from 2005. The Orlando Sentinel suspects Disney may be raising prices ahead of the opening of the new Harry Potter-themed land at Universal Orlando. Increasing prices now could allow Disney to raise them again before the summer rush.

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  25. Remembering Harold Ramis

    The Chicago Tribune calls Harold Ramis the most successful comedy writer-director the city has ever produced, and perhaps the greatest of all time. The man behind Caddyshack, Animal House, Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day and many more died of a rare autoimmune disease at the age of 69. Reporter Mark Caro says Ramis’ combination of smart and gut-bustingly funny films inspired many of today’s best comedy directors.

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  26. Opinion: NBC’s Overdone Olympic Coverage was Nearly Perfect

    USA Today’s Robert Bianco says NBC nailed its Olympic coverage by offering live coverage during the day for those who wanted to see it all and the usual, tape-delayed coverage in prime time for those who wanted only the highlights. He says NBC should make a few tweaks to improve for the next Olympics, including keeping Bob Costas healthy and moving skating commentators Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir to prime time.

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  27. Sharks May Help Forecast Hurricanes

    The South Florida Sun-Sentinel says hundreds of sharks and other tagged fish are gathering data on temperatures and salinity in the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. Researchers hope this data could one day help improve hurricane forecasts since a storm’s strength depends largely on how much warm water it will come across. Scientists realized the fish stay in water that’s about 79 degrees, the minimum temperature required for tropical systems to develop. That could give forecasters an early warning that a system is in the making.

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  28. Sochi Ski Lifts: What Now?

    The Wall Street Journal says now that the Olympics are over, there is a question of what to do with all the ski lifts built for the games. More than 50 chair lifts and gondolas were built for the games, 20 more than in all of Vail, Colorado. Sochi was unique in that it wasn’t already a ski resort with all the infrastructure in place. In contrast, Vancouver didn’t build a single lift for the 2010 games.

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  29. Alec Baldwin Threatens to Bolt New York

    The New York Daily News says Alec Baldwin is once again threatening to leave New York. In a New York Magazine cover story, the “30 Rock” star says the paparazzi have made it impossible to raise a family in the city. Baldwin says he now craves the privacy of Los Angeles. He also railed against MSNBC, which dropped his talk show after he allegedly used an anti-gay slur on a photographer.

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  30. Moviefone Line Going Dead

    In a sign of the times, the Moviefone line, 777-FILM will soon go silent. The New York Times says the company is shutting down the once-popular phone line and shifting resources to its App. At its peak in the mid-1990s, Moviefone received more than 3 million calls a week. It was so popular, it was even lampooned on an episode of Seinfeld. VIDEO

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