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. Review: Robin Thicke’s ‘Paula’ an “Incoherent Mea Culpa”

    Monday, 30 June 2014 8:27 AM | by Pat's Picks

    Washington Post music critic Chris Richards offers his take on Robin Thicke’s new album “Paula” - the singer’s attempt to win back his wife of nine years. Richards says as a mea culpa, this album is “inexplicably smug, bawdy and incoherent.” He says Thicke’s lyrics are as “lazy and careless as ever.” Richards says that while Thicke is inviting us into the world of his celebrity break-up - he doesn’t have a “Blurred Lines 2” to make us want to stick around.

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  2. Facebook Playing With Users’ Emotions

    Monday, 30 June 2014 8:13 AM | by Pat's Picks

    Facebook’s revelation that it secretly manipulated the news feeds of more than half a million randomly selected users is rubbing some users the wrong way. Facebook changed the number of positive and negative posts those users saw as part of a psychological experiment on how emotions can be spread on social media. The New York Times says many feel Facebook crossed a line by conducting tests on users without their knowledge.

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  3. Anti-Social Nuptials

    Monday, 30 June 2014 7:54 AM | by Pat's Picks

    More and more brides and grooms are telling their guests to check their phones at the church door to prevent them from posting to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The New York Daily News says while many celebrities have these rules so they can sell the rights to photos later, unplugged weddings are becoming popular among regular couples want to keep their events as a private celebration between them and their guests.

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  4. How to Make Sure Your Doctor is Listening

    Monday, 30 June 2014 7:10 AM | by Pat's Picks

    The Denver Post has some advice on how to avoid a misdiagnosis by making sure your doctor is listening to you at your next appointment. The average doctor listens to a patient for just ten seconds during a typical outpatient visit. It’s important to make that time count. Your best bet is to think through in advance what you want to tell the doctor, including when you first noticed the problem you’re having, what you were doing before it happened, have you been using pain relievers, etc.

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  5. Meet the Boxing Priest

    Monday, 30 June 2014 6:51 AM | by Pat's Picks

    64-year-old Rev. Jose Antonio Rubio, a Roman Catholic priest in Northern California, is an art collector and opera lover. He’s also a boxer. He took up the sport after undergoing prostate cancer surgery six years ago. The San Jose Mercury News says his diocese and the pastor of his church are o.k. with his boxing, but they’re not about to start a priestly boxing team any time soon.

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  6. Cellphone Privacy a Concern for Supreme Court Justices Too

    Thursday, 26 June 2014 8:44 AM | by Pat's Picks

    In a New York Times Op-Ed piece, Linda Greenhouse writes of the Supreme Court’s 9-0 decision in favor of cellphone privacy. She says in cases involving technology, “the court seems free of ideological baggage and is trying hard, collectively, to get it right.” She says the big difference in this case as opposed to other search and seizure cases is that Supreme Court Justices have cellphones too, and they could just as easily be searched by law enforcement.

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  7. Brazilian Spirit Makers Hope World Cup Leads to Global Exports

    Thursday, 26 June 2014 8:22 AM | by Pat's Picks

    Those who make Brazil’s most famous liquor cachaça (kah-SHAH-sah) are hoping the World Cup is the tipping point that finally popularizes the spirit around the world. The sugar cane-based liquor is the main ingredient in the country’s national cocktail, the caipirinha (kigh-puh-REEN-ya). The Wall Street Journal says cachaça makers are hoping that tourists and fans who sample the drink ask for it when they get back home, that is, if they can pronounce it.

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  8. Supreme Court Decision Leaves Loophole for Aereo 2.0

    Thursday, 26 June 2014 7:54 AM | by Pat's Picks

    Is Aereo dead? Not necessarily. The New York Post says the decision by the Supreme Court that the digital antenna and cloud-based DVR violated broadcast networks copyrights left open the possibility of a tweak that could keep the service going. If the service were to shift from offering live viewing to “time shifted” viewing, it would seemingly be protected by a 1984 decision in the Betamax case that found such time shifting to be legal.

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  9. ABC News Moves Mark a Turning Point

    Thursday, 26 June 2014 7:18 AM | by Pat's Picks

    ABC made big news when it announced David Muir would replace Diane Sawyer as host of World News. But perhaps more important, was the announcement that George Stephanopoulos, not Muir, would be the network’s “chief anchor” to be relied upon in the event of breaking news and major political coverage. USA Today’s Gary Levin says it marks the first time that someone other than the evening news anchor will be the main face of a network news team. Levin says it’s the strongest signal yet that the flagship evening newscast is no longer the most important.

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  10. Amelia Earhart Gearing Up for Around-the-World Flight

    Thursday, 26 June 2014 7:01 AM | by Pat's Picks

    Call it destiny. A 31-year-old Denver woman named Amelia Earhart is preparing to recreate the around-the-world flight attempted by the famous, yet unrelated, female pilot in 1937. She’ll be bringing along photos of the parents who named her Amelia, hoping to give her a name no one would forget. The Kansas City Star says Earhart quit her job as a traffic reporter in March to prepare for the flight which she will make with her co-pilot Shane Jordan.

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  11. 984 Ways the US Can Advance in the World Cup

    Thursday, 26 June 2014 6:41 AM | by Pat's Picks

    If you’re watching today’s USA/Germany World Cup match, you don’t want to be doing math to figure out whether the US will advance depending on what happens in their game and the simultaneous Portugal/Ghana game. So the New York Times’ Upshot column broke down 984 scenarios in which the US could advance to the round of 16 and put them into a handy interactive table.

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  12. Singing Chinese Tycoon to Treat 1000 Homeless to Lunch

    Wednesday, 25 June 2014 8:33 AM | by Pat's Picks

    Chinese recycling tycoon Chen Guangbiao is planning to treat 1000 homeless New Yorkers to lunch in the swanky Central Park Boathouse restaurant. After lunch, he’ll hand each attendee $300 in cash. He says he wants to inspire others and prove that Chinese people are generous. But not everyone wants his money. The New York Post caught Guangbiao trying to hand a $100 bill to a homeless man who brushed him off. The South China Morning Post says Guangbiao is also known for his habit of singing “We Are the World” which he plans to do at his series of free lunches. VIDEO

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  13. In Bitter Feud, Tiny Nebraska Town Votes Itself Out of Existence

    Wednesday, 25 June 2014 8:15 AM | by Pat's Picks

    A bitter battle over a law banning livestock from a tiny Nebraska town has threatened to wipe the town off the map. Residents there, so upset over the law, voted by one vote to dissolve the town altogether. On the surface, the story of Seneca, Nebraska is very much a local interest piece. But if you dig a little deeper, Matthew Hansen of the Omaha World-Herald says the story of Seneca really is a microcosm of the worst of modern-day America. Hansen says we live in a world where “winning an empty argument always trumps the harder labor of searching for common ground.”

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  14. Despite Debts, College Degrees Still Worth the Investment

    Wednesday, 25 June 2014 8:08 AM | by Pat's Picks

    Even with rising tuition costs and falling wages, data suggest college graduates will go on to earn far more over their lifetime than a worker with only a high school diploma. USA Today says the main reason is that average wages for those without college degrees have fallen as well. Over the past 40 years, those with a bachelor’s degree generally earned 56% more than high school graduates.

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  15. Experts Say Chronic Pain Statistic Exaggerated

    Wednesday, 25 June 2014 7:19 AM | by Pat's Picks

    There’s an oft-cited statistic that 100 million Americans (or about 40% of the adult population) suffer from severe chronic pain. But according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, experts say that figure is exaggerated and misleading. The paper found that of the 19 members of the Congressional panel that came up with the statistic, 9 had close ties to the narcotic drug industry. Experts say in reality, only about 20% to 25% of adults are substantially impaired by chronic pain and only half of them can’t work because of it.

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  16. Microsoft Outage Forces Workers to Interact in Person

    Wednesday, 25 June 2014 7:09 AM | by Pat's Picks

    It was just like the old days for a few hours yesterday. If you wanted to talk to a colleague, you had to pick up the phone - or actually get up and walk over to them. The Washington Post says a widespread outage of Microsoft’s email service meant workers throughout North America who rely on Outlook had no access to their email.

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  17. Building the Next Generation of Restroom Hand Dryers

    Wednesday, 25 June 2014 6:44 AM | by Pat's Picks

    Restroom hand dryers have come a long way in recent years, but many people still prefer the old fashioned paper towel. The Wall Street Journal says dryer manufacturers aren’t giving up. The new generation of hand dryers promises to be more efficient and cleaner. One company describes the sensation as a “fresh breeze off the ocean.”

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  18. Retro Television Bigger Than Ever

    Tuesday, 24 June 2014 8:33 AM | by Pat's Picks

    You don’t need an antenna to enjoy your favorite reruns these days. The Orange County Register says a few changes in technology have led to an explosion of classic television series’ being rerun on cable and through streaming video services. And it’s not just older viewers tuning in - Antenna TV says a good segment of its audience is in its 30s and 40s.

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  19. Customers Flooded With Satisfaction Surveys

    Tuesday, 24 June 2014 8:07 AM | by Pat's Picks

    If you think you’re being asked to fill out more and more surveys - you’re right. The Boston Globe says the best known online survey platform, SurveyMonkey, is now processing survey responses at the rate of 2.2 million per day, up from 1 million a day in January 2013. Experts say companies want to get real-time feedback quickly, before negative reviews can spring up on social media. The surveys actually serve a dual purpose; to see how a company is doing and to gather information that might help draw more customers.

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  20. White Artists Transforming Hip Hop

    Tuesday, 24 June 2014 7:49 AM | by Pat's Picks

    New York Daily News music critic Jim Farber says more Caucasian artists have risen to prominence in the past year than ever before - helping to transform the rap genre. From Grammy winners Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, to breakout star Iggy Azalea, industry experts say whiteness has become an advantage. Some observers wonder if rap will end up like rock and the blues, started by blacks but eventually dominated by whites.

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  21. Stoppage Time Means No One Knows When a Soccer Game Will End

    Tuesday, 24 June 2014 7:05 AM | by Pat's Picks

    One of soccer’s oddities came back to bite the United States in its 2-2 draw with Portugal on Sunday - stoppage time. In soccer, the game is over when the referee decides it is. At the end of each 45 minute half, the referee adds on an amount of time he or she feels will account for time lost to substitutions, injuries, goals and other delays. The New York Times says people in the soccer community have mixed feelings over whether this setup is part of the charm or in need of more clarification.

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  22. College to Offer Athletic Scholarships to Video Gamers

    Tuesday, 24 June 2014 6:58 AM | by Pat's Picks

    Robert Morris University in Chicago is looking for recruits for a new slate of athletic scholarships - aimed at gamers. The Chicago Tribune says the school will hand out 30 athletic scholarships to students who play the game “League of Legends.” The school’s associate athletic director says the game, while not physical, is like a sport in that you need to work as a team and know your role. Some students will receive scholarships worth about $19,000 — half the cost of Robert Morris’ tuition and room and board.

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  23. Slouching Really Is Bad For You

    Tuesday, 24 June 2014 6:28 AM | by Pat's Picks

    Looks like your mom was on to something when she told you to “sit up straight.” The Wall Street Journal says evidence is mounting that good posture contributes to a host of health benefits, from reducing back and joint pain to boosting one’s mood. Doctors say many people develop poor posture sitting in front of a computer and carry over that posture while standing and walking.

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  24. Excavating New Jersey’s First Rest Stop

    Monday, 23 June 2014 8:19 AM | by Pat's Picks

    Rest stops are plentiful along the New Jersey Turnpike. Long before the highway was built - the Cedar Bridge Tavern welcomed travelers. It was a popular rest stop in the 1700s. The Newark Star-Ledger says Monmouth University students are spending the summer conducting an archaeological dig at the site. They’ve turned up relics from those early travelers - and from Native Americans who frequented the area even before the tavern was built.

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  25. Taller Vans a Rail Challenge for Ford

    Monday, 23 June 2014 8:07 AM | by Pat's Picks

    Rail cars have been a key mode of transportation for automobile makers since the 1950s. But when Ford started producing its Transit cargo van, the company soon realized it had a problem. The van is 110 inches tall, but each level of the standard, double-decker auto transport rail car is only 90 inches. The Detroit News says Ford has modified hundreds of rail cars to keep shipments of the Transit van running smoothly.

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  26. U.S. Troops Relearning Lost Horseback Riding Skills

    Monday, 23 June 2014 7:55 AM | by Pat's Picks

    Horseback riding skills were once a key part of the U.S. military. Now, USA Today says the military is placing a new emphasis on horsemanship. Horses are still seen as an effective way to move through the battlefield in certain situations. So troops, usually Army Special Forces soldiers, are being taught how to control, care for and load horses.

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  27. The Battle Over Vice Media

    Monday, 23 June 2014 7:25 AM | by Pat's Picks

    Suitors are lining up for a piece of Vice Media, with Disney, 21st Century Fox and Time Warner all clamoring for a piece of the company and its young audience. The New York Times says Vice could be valued at anywhere from $1.5 to $2.5 billion. Although Vice has only produced 11 hours of television programming, the company wants its own TV network, a movie deal and the maximum price for investors.

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  28. High School Students Design, Manufacture Prosthetic Hand

    Monday, 23 June 2014 7:13 AM | by Pat's Picks

    A Texas man has a new prosthetic hand, thanks to some local high school students studying advanced engineering. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram says the students designed and built the prosthetic hand using a 3-D printer and instructions from the internet about creating low-cost prosthetics. The hand cost the students less than $50 in materials.

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  29. Is Gluten-Free Actually Healthy?

    Monday, 23 June 2014 6:33 AM | by Pat's Picks

    Gluten-free products are everywhere. An estimated one-third of Americans are trying to avoid the element found in grain. But is going gluten-free actually good for you? The Wall Street Journal says many health experts believe there are no proven benefits to a gluten-free diet, unless you’re one of a small percentage of people whose bodies can’t process the protein. In fact, many gluten-free foods contain fewer vitamins, less fiber and more sugar.

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  30. Teen Smoking Hits Landmark Low

    Friday, 13 June 2014 8:25 AM | by Pat's Picks

    Teen smoking is on the decline. Just 15.7% of U.S. high school teenagers were smokers in 2013 - that’s down from 27.5% when officials began tracking teen smoking rates in 1991 and down from a peak of 36.4% in 1997. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey also finds teens are drinking less alcohol and fewer sodas, getting into fewer physical fights and having less sex with more birth control.

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