Story StackStory 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.

Pigs on a Police Car

Written by Pat's Papers | Friday, 3 February 2012 8:30 AM

Pigs on a Police Car

The Burlington Free Press says officials failed to notice a modification to a decal used on state police cruisers until the paper pointed it out yesterday. Apparently, a prisoner-artist added a pig while updating the logo four years ago as part of a work program in the state’s Correctional Industries Print Shop. I’d call that getting the last laugh. Want to see the prank pig? Look at the cow’s spots.

 
 

Opinion: Media Got Trumped

Written by Pat's Papers | Friday, 3 February 2012 8:20 AM

Opinion: Media Got Trumped

In the leadup to the Nevada primary, Donald Trump made a surprising wager: he decided to back Mitt Romney. In his column this morning, the Washington Post’s Paul Fahri focuses on how many major media outlets—the Associated Press, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Politico, The Washington Post and CNN, to name a few—incorrectly reported that Trump would endorse Gingrich instead.

 
 

Jason Gay’s Advice for a Fun Super Bowl Party

Written by Pat's Papers | Friday, 3 February 2012 8:08 AM

Jason Gay’s Advice for a Fun Super Bowl Party

The Wall Street Journal’s Jason Gay has a classic column, doling out 21 tips for having fun at a Super Bowl party. Like tricking your guests into thinking when they arrive that you have no TV and you’ve planned to have everyone listen to the game on the radio instead. Also, he has some advice for guests: “Bringing a box of doughnuts to a Super Bowl party is like telling your friends you hate them.”

 
 

Twin Cities Use Beethoven to Discourage Vagrants

Written by Pat's Papers | Friday, 3 February 2012 7:56 AM

Twin Cities Use Beethoven to Discourage Vagrants

Transit officials in the Twin Cities are using an unusual strategy to deter rowdy teens from loitering in the city’s rail stations. In addition to adding more lights and security cameras, they’re pumping in Beethoven and music by other classical composers. Explains Transit Police Chief: “If it encourages some people to wander away because it’s not their favorite type of music, I guess that’s OK.”

 
 

Iowa Man Sets Speeding Record

Written by Pat's Papers | Friday, 3 February 2012 7:50 AM

Iowa Man Sets Speeding Record

James Foldenauer has set a new record. The Iowa man was just in court to settle a speeding ticket he got in 2009—for going 188 miles an hour on his motorcycle. The Des Moines Register says that’s a state record for speed on a public highway. He was driving a 2003 Suzuki Hayabusa, which is about as fast as the bike can go without modifications.

 
 

The Cultish Appeal of the Turkey Leg

Written by Pat's Papers | Friday, 3 February 2012 7:44 AM

The Cultish Appeal of the Turkey Leg

Dewayne Bevil, the Orlando Sentinel’s theme park reporter (!), investigates a curious thing that he’s seen on the job but never fully understood: the allure of the turkey leg. Bevil writes that the “overgrown snack is too messy, too Cro-Magnon, too mysterious” for his tastes but he’s in the minority—Disney sells 1.5 million pounds of turkey legs each year.

 
 

“Waitress Moms” Key to Elections

Written by Pat's Papers | Friday, 3 February 2012 7:39 AM

“Waitress Moms” Key to Elections

The San Francisco Chronicle says “waitress moms” will be especially important in this year’s elections. And they’re of particular importance in Nevada—in Las Vegas alone there an estimated 30,000 waitresses whose average income is about $22,000.

 
 

Iron Lung Lady Dies

Written by Pat's Papers | Friday, 3 February 2012 7:28 AM

Iron Lung Lady Dies

Interesting obituary in the San Diego Union-Tribune this morning. Dolores Thompson died last month at the age of 71. She was one of only 40 people in the entire country who still used an iron lung to treat the polio she’d contracted as a young child. Once the go-to treatment, the 700-pound cylinders used to be a common sight in hospital wards.

 
 

PHOTO: The Real “Big Miracle”

Written by Pat's Papers | Friday, 3 February 2012 6:51 AM

PHOTO: The Real “Big Miracle”

A great photo of a grey whale being rescued back in 1988, the inspiration for the movie “Big Miracle,” makes the front page of the Anchorage Daily News. It was a weird rescue crew, says writer Richard Mauer: “Greenpeace, oil giant Arco, Ted Stevens, the Soviets, the U.S. military, a chainsaw distributor, a guitar-playing whale-song singer, a couple of Minnesota ice fishermen…brigade of Inupiat whalers.” And Mauer should know—he was there too.

 
 

Komen Controversy Continues to Heat Up

Written by Pat's Papers | Friday, 3 February 2012 6:37 AM

Komen Controversy Continues to Heat Up

The Susan G Komen controversy is really blowing up—it’s the lead story on the front page of the New York Times this morning. The paper says the social media outcry and immediate response—26 senators have asked the Komen foundation to reverse its decision to end its financial support of Planned Parenthood—is the latest example of how social media “can change the national conversation with head-snapping speed.”

 
 

Simon Says: I Want Beyonce

Written by Pat's Papers | Friday, 3 February 2012 6:25 AM

Simon Says: I Want Beyonce

“The Voice” has Christina. “American Idol” has J Lo. And now Simon Cowell wants Beyonce as a full-time judge on “The X Factor.” And he’s willing to pay $100 million to get her, says the New York Post. Apparently, Cowell has decided that his first choice, Mariah Carey, “is no longer the hot ticket she once was.”

 
 

Phil Says Six More Weeks of Winter; Staten Island Chuck Disagrees

Written by Pat's Papers | Thursday, 2 February 2012 9:09 AM

Phil Says Six More Weeks of Winter; Staten Island Chuck Disagrees

Breaking news from the Punxsutawney Spirit this morning, though it may be hard to believe after the 760-degree weather we had in New York yesterday. Phil’s verdict is in and he says we’re going to have six more weeks of winter. Speaking of New York, on Staten Island, Charles G. Hog, the borough’s “own prognosticating groundhog,” didn’t see his shadow, and predicted an early spring.

 
 

Komen Decision to Stop Planned Parenthood Payments Causes Uproar

Written by Pat's Papers | Thursday, 2 February 2012 9:01 AM

Komen Decision to Stop Planned Parenthood Payments Causes Uproar

Fury is mounting over the decision by a cancer charity to pull its funding for Planned Parenthood says the San Francisco Chronicle. Planned Parenthood is accusing Susan G. Komen for the Cure of bowing to pressure from anti-abortion lobbyists, something the charity denies.

 
 

Ray WJ Raking in the YouTube Bucks

Written by Pat's Papers | Thursday, 2 February 2012 8:56 AM

Ray WJ Raking in the YouTube Bucks

Have you ever watched RAY WJ on YouTube? The Wall Street Journal says over 5 million people subscribe to be notified when he posts a new video. As one media expert points out—that’s bigger than the audience of some cable channels. Ray makes an estimated million dollars a year on his YouTube advertising share.

 
 

Facebook Reveals Financial Details Before IPO

Written by Pat's Papers | Thursday, 2 February 2012 8:50 AM

Facebook Reveals Financial Details Before IPO

Details about Facebook’s finances are trickling in as the company prepares for its IPO. The San Jose Mercury News says the company earned $1 billion in profit last year, on $3.7 billion in revenue. The filings also reveal that Facebook now has over 845 million users, which is about half of world’s Internet users. Not bad for a company everyone thought didn’t have a business plan.

 
 

Shorten Meeting Length By Taking Away Chairs

Written by Pats Papers | Thursday, 2 February 2012 8:28 AM

Shorten Meeting Length By Taking Away Chairs

If meetings run too long at your company, the answer may be to take away the chairs. Some companies are eliminating chairs at meetings to give people an incentive to keep their remarks brief. The Wall Street Journal says in a tech culture sitting “has become synonymous with sloth.”

 
 

“Soul Train” Creator Don Cornelius Dead at 75

Written by Pat's Papers | Thursday, 2 February 2012 8:10 AM

“Soul Train” Creator Don Cornelius Dead at 75

Don Cornelius, the man who created “Soul Train,” has died. The Chicago Tribune says Soul Train’s impact on style was just as monumental as its impact on music. Just look at the sales for one of its main sponsor, Johnson Products, maker of Ultra Sheen and other African-American hair products. When Soul Train first went on the air in 1971, sales were about $12 million. When the show relocated to LA in 1977, annual sales were up to $40 million.

 
 

Bloodless Cancer Treatment for Jehovah’s Witnesses

Written by Pat's Papers | Thursday, 2 February 2012 8:05 AM

Bloodless Cancer Treatment for Jehovah’s Witnesses

There’s an interesting profile in the LA Times this morning, about a doctor who treats Jehovah’s Witness patients suffering from leukemia. Their religion does not allow them to get blood transfusions. Instead he builds up their white blood cell count with medication and when he must draw blood, he uses tiny tubes used for pediatric patients. 

 
 

Sunken Platinum Bars Lead Man on Treasure Hunt

Written by Pat's Papers | Thursday, 2 February 2012 7:41 AM

Sunken Platinum Bars Lead Man on Treasure Hunt

Greg Brooks is convinced only 700 feet of water separate him from his fortune. The Maine man was granted salvage rights, says the Portland Press-Herald, to excavate the S.S. Port Nicholson, which sunk in 1942 and which Brooks believes was carrying $3 billion in platinum bars. Others are skeptical. But he’s undeterred: “I’m going to get it, one way or another, even if I have to lift the ship out of the water.”

 
 

Review: Avoid Gaga’s Parents’ Restaurant

Written by Pat's Papers | Thursday, 2 February 2012 7:25 AM

Review: Avoid Gaga’s Parents’ Restaurant

Lady Gaga’s parents’ new restaurant gets panned by New York Post restaurant critic Steve Cuozzo this morning. In fact, he warns you might gag. Apparently, the Italian trattoria wasn’t even close to being ready last night at its opening. Cuozzo says it took 50 minutes for appetizers to show up and then when they did, the grilled calamari “were the worst I’ve had in a lifetime of squid-mongering.”

 
 

How Much of the Deficit is Obama’s?

Written by Pat's Papers | Wednesday, 1 February 2012 8:26 AM

How Much of the Deficit is Obama’s?

There’s a great analysis in the Washington Post this morning examining how much of the national deficit is President Obama’s and how much is left over from former President Bush’s administration. Columnist Ezra Klein says although the deficit has soared $4 trillion during the Obama administration, he’s only responsible for about $983 billion of that.

 
 

Letterman’s 30th Anniversary Goes Under the Radar

Written by Pat's Papers | Wednesday, 1 February 2012 8:22 AM

Letterman’s 30th Anniversary Goes Under the Radar

It’s one of the least hyped milestones you can imagine. Tonight is David Letterman’s 30th anniversary on late night TV. But at his own request, there’s no celebration planned. Bill Carter of the New York Times says Letterman won’t ignore it, but that the anniversary won’t dominate the show. It will probably be the subject of the Top 10 List, according to executive producer Rob Burnett.

 
 

Boy Scouts Find Ownerless Land

Written by Pat's Papers | Wednesday, 1 February 2012 8:15 AM

Boy Scouts Find Ownerless Land

The Boy Scouts of Troop 965 discovered something rare on a recent camping trip, says the Baltimore Sun. The land adjacent to their campground is not on state tax rolls because it doesn’t have an owner. The troop is now trying to be declared the official owner, but first they muddle their way through a Colonial-era land patent.

 
 

Romney Tramples Gingrich in Florida

Written by Pat's Papers | Wednesday, 1 February 2012 8:07 AM

Romney Tramples Gingrich in Florida

Mitt Romney handily won the Florida primary yesterday, getting almost 47 percent of the vote. The Miami Herald says women, seniors and Hispanics pushed him far ahead of his closest rival, Newt Gingrich, who managed to get only 32 percent. The paper says Romney’s win showed the state’s Republican leadership that he could go head-to-head with President Obama, come November.

 
 

“The Tweet Seats”

Written by Pat's Papers | Wednesday, 1 February 2012 8:02 AM

“The Tweet Seats”

More and more arts organizations are setting aside seats for those who want to tweets during performances, a development that’s angered more traditional audience members. The San Jose Mercury News says it’s a battle between those who want to interest a new generation and those who think the practice is a dangerous one, which leads to “distracted viewing.”

 
 

Headline of the Day: No Shirt, Sherlock

Written by Pat's Papers | Wednesday, 1 February 2012 7:56 AM

Headline of the Day: No Shirt, Sherlock

Classic New York Post headline in today’s paper: No Shirt, Sherlock. The story’s about Ray Kelly’s recent decision that cops can’t wear anything emblazoned with the NYPD logo, even when they’re off-duty. Apparently some inappropriate shirts were cropping up, like the one favored by homicide detectives that reads: “Our day begins when your day ends.”

 
 

PHOTO: Occupy Fairbanks

Written by Pat's Papers | Wednesday, 1 February 2012 7:28 AM

PHOTO: Occupy Fairbanks

Awesome photo out of Alaska this morning. That’s the entire Occupy Fairbanks camp on the front page of the Daily News-Miner. There are about 15 core members of the group, and they take turns occupying the snow-covered headquarters. Curiosity led me to check the weather in Fairbanks—it’s negative 31 right now.

 
 

Alabama’s State Bread Controversy

Written by Pat's Papers | Wednesday, 1 February 2012 7:20 AM

Alabama’s State Bread Controversy

There’s a serious debate going on in Alabama about what the state’s official bread should be: biscuits or cornbread. The argument for biscuits is that they’re versatile, can be eaten from breakfast to dinner and, in a pinch, can make the base of a sandwich. Cornbread, on the other hand, can be served with more things, and has greater sopping-up power. The Birmingham News has recipes for both, if you’d like to do some research. 

 
 

How to Write a Goodbye Letter at Work

Written by Pat's Papers | Wednesday, 1 February 2012 7:07 AM

How to Write a Goodbye Letter at Work

There’s some great advice in the Wall Street Journal this morning to help you leave your job in style, specifically about how to write a goodbye letter that won’t make your colleagues cringe. Or maybe what not to write, would be more apt. Like the guy who sent around a photo of himself with his employment dates as a caption…which several of his colleague mistook for a death notice.

 
 

Can I Have a Tall, Hot Blonde (Coffee) Please?

Written by Pat's Papers | Wednesday, 1 February 2012 6:53 AM

Can I Have a Tall, Hot Blonde (Coffee) Please?

Last time I was in Starbucks, the guy in front of me ordered a tall blonde. And they gave him one! After years of promoting dark roasts, Starbucks and other national coffee chains are pushing light roasts—the Wall Street Journal calls them the “hot blondes” at the coffee shop.

 
 

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