Pat's Papers: Story Stack

Sharks Targeting Sea Otters

2012-02-17T13:21:00+00:00

There’s a serious story on the front page of the San Jose Mercury News. Apparently, the number of sharks attacks against sea otters has risen dramatically in the last few years, and scientists aren’t sure why. But I can’t get over the adorable photo accompanying it. Look at that little guy.

China a Tightrope for Hollywood Stars

2012-02-17T13:12:00+00:00

Christian Bale is not welcome in China. The actor got into a dust-up on a recent trip after he tried to visit the home of a political dissident. The LA Times says the incident illustrates the fine line Hollywood stars must walk in China—if they are too outspoken they risk run-ins with the government, if they are too soft they risk rebukes from human-rights groups.

“I’ll Have a Babyccino Please”

2012-02-17T13:04:00+00:00

“Babyccinos” are all the rage in Brooklyn, apparently. But don’t start worrying about a pack of caffeine-crazed kids—the New York Daily News says the specialty coffees are coffee-free—it’s just a cup of steamed milk. One barista thinks they’re so popular because it’s a way for parents to “incorporate their kids into their lifestyle.”

Kevin Costner To Headline Houston’s Funeral

2012-02-17T12:49:00+00:00

Kevin Costner is slated to pay his respects to Whitney Houston “at her final curtain” on Saturday says the New York Daily News. Her “Bodyguard” co-star is one of many A-listers expected to attend. Both Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder will pay tribute in song. Bobbi Brown will be there too, and then a few hours later he’ll be in Connecticut playing a reunion show with the members of New Edition at the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut.

Cartoon: Carmelo’s Back

2012-02-17T12:44:00+00:00

Funny editorial cartoon in the New York Post this morning. On one side of the court is Carmelo Anthony (who has missed most of the Lin-sanity due to a pulled groin); on the other are his teammates. He says “Hey Guys, I’m back!,” but no one notices his return because they’re too busy celebrating their new point guard.

New Apple OS Brings iPad Features to Macs

2012-02-17T12:29:00+00:00

They just released OS X Lion seven months ago, but Apple is ready to improve on its latest operating system. USA Today’s Ed Baig says Mountain Lion will bring iPad-like features to Macs when it debuts, likely in July. Baig got a sneak preview and says iCloud, Notification Center and iMessage will all make an appearance on the new system.

Deadly Asthma Attack Kills Times Reporter

2012-02-17T12:19:00+00:00

There’s a sad story on the front page of the New York Times this morning. Correspondent Anthony Shadid died yesterday after suffering a deadly asthma attack while on a secret reporting trip to Syria. After trying to revive him, Tyler Hicks, the photographer with him, carried Shadid’s body over the border to Turkey. Both men were part of the team of four Times reporters detained in Libya last year.

Hoosiers Love Their Casseroles

2012-02-17T12:04:00+00:00

Residents of Indiana love their casseroles. So much so that they are 30 percent more likely to search for casserole recipes than people from other states says the Indianapolis Star. The top most searched recipe by Hoosiers? Old-fashioned cheesy potatoes. And by the rest of the country? French toast breakfast casserole. Recipes

Food Network Boots Anne Thornton

2012-02-16T13:38:00+00:00

The Food Network has booted pastry chef Anne Thornton, reports the New York Post this morning. She’s been on the channel since 2010 but the Post says the network recently learned that her recipes were almost identical to published recipes from Martha Stewart and the Barefoot Contessa. Officially the network says Thornton’s departure is because of weak ratings.

Whiskey Wars

2012-02-16T13:29:00+00:00

There’s a whiskey war distilling in the Minnesota courts says the Star Tribune. Kieran Folliard’s bar has been honored by Jameson for the last five years as the “largest on-site seller of its whiskey in the world,” selling an average of 40 bottles (!) of Jameson a day. But now Folliard is suing the company for stealing a recipe to his signature drink—the Big Ginger.

$100 Deposit Turns into $3.3 Million Settlement

2012-02-16T13:22:00+00:00

In 2008 Rodolfo Valladares walked into a Florida bank to cash a $100 check. The teller thought he looked like a bank robber, says the Miami Herald, and hit the silent alarm. Police responded, restrained Valladares, and, according to his lawyer, kicked him in the head. Yesterday he won a settlement of $3.3 million. Whoops.

Damaged Reef to Get Transplant

2012-02-16T13:16:00+00:00

An unusual transplant is about to take place in Florida says the Sun Sentinel. Scientists are gearing up to transplant 100 basketball-sized pieces of coral into a damaged reef just off the state’s coast. It’s one of the first operations of its kind and the question is whether the coral will flourish in its new home.

Greening Mardi Gras

2012-02-16T13:10:00+00:00

Environmental activists have a new target in their sights says the LA Times: Mardi Gras beads. City officials estimate about 25 million pounds of plastic beads make their way into New Orleans every year. Traditional recycling plants can’t handle the petroleum-based beads, but several non-profits that can have cropped up in recent years.

Paper that Has No Digital Equivalent

2012-02-16T12:39:00+00:00

What’s the kind of paper that the “digital revolution can’t replace?” Toilet paper. The Wall Street Journal profiles a paper plant that has stayed in business by switching to the production of toilet paper. Population growth, it turns out, has become a boon for the paper industry.

What Would College Be Without Lectures?

2012-02-16T12:29:00+00:00

“Active learning” is the catchphrase du jour says the Washington Post. And that has led educators back to the drawing board, as they brainstorm better ways to teach math and science at the college level. Their main concern is that the standard format—the lecture—is driving students away.

500 Episodes and Counting for ‘Simpsons’

2012-02-16T12:16:00+00:00

“The Simpsons” will hit the 500-episode mark this Sunday, a milestone only achieved by two other scripted shows—“Gunsmoke” and “Lassie.” Producer Dave Mirkin tells USA Today the best part of his job is being able to cast anyone he wants as a guest star: “It’s a pretty cool way to get to meet your heroes and idols.”

Review: Samsung Galaxy Note a “Phablet”

2012-02-16T12:08:00+00:00

Sometimes you feel like a tablet, sometimes you don’t. Luckily, the Samsung Galaxy Note is both—I guess. Ed Baig calls it a “phablet” in his USA Today review this morning. Not only is it smaller than a tablet and bigger than a smartphone, it comes with a throwback—a stylus pen. Baig says historically, hybrids have not done well in the US market and predicts the Galaxy Note will have a niche following at best.

‘The Voice” Closing in on ‘Idol’

2012-02-16T12:03:00+00:00

Watch out “Idol.” According to USA Today, “The Voice” came within…singing distance of its established Fox rival on Monday, reeling in 16.3 million viewers. That’s just 13 percent less than Idol’s audience from last week. The show got a big boost the week before when it debuted following the Super Bowl.

“Simon Cowell of ‘Shark Tank’”

2012-02-16T11:51:00+00:00

My fellow Canadian Kevin O’Leary is called the “Simon Cowell of ‘Shark Tank’” in the New York Post this morning. O’Leary says he may come off as ruthless on the show but that he has only one qualification for his investments, both on the show and in real life: “I want to go to bed richer than when I woke up.”

Chinese VP to Make Iowa Stop

2012-02-15T13:35:00+00:00

Washington, Los Angeles, Iowa. Not a typical itinerary for visiting dignitaries. But the Chicago Tribune says when China’s vice president arrives in the US this week, a visit to Iowa is high on his agenda. Xi Jinping, who many consider next in line for the presidency, spent time in Muscatine to study farming techniques 27 years ago. Now Iowans are hoping their connection will yield some returns.

Doctors Firing Vaccine Resisters

2012-02-15T13:29:00+00:00

Doctors are fed up with parents that refuse to vaccinate their kids because of worries that it will cause autism. So they’re firing them these days, says the Wall Street Journal. Experts say refusing patients is something the medical profession has always looked down on but that vaccnine resisters have caused a sea change.

26 Years on the Job, No Sick Days

2012-02-15T13:20:00+00:00

I thought I had done well only taking a handful of sick days in the past 15 years at NY1. But this morning the Wall Street Journal profiles one guy who’s gone 26 years at his job with perfect attendance. Unfortunately, fewer employers reward perfect attendance any more.

Indian Goes Through Chipotle Revolution

2012-02-15T12:49:00+00:00

Is this the next Chipotle? The New York Times looks at a Denver business called Bombay Bowl, which applies the assembly line approach to Indian food. And it seems like it might be catching on. There’s another startup called Chutneys in Massachusetts and one called Merzi in Washington DC. Interestingly owners of the new breed of Indian dining say their competitors aren’t curry houses but other fast food joints, like Panera, Subway and…Chipotle.

Aereo Aims to Deliver Broadcast TV to Anywhere

2012-02-15T12:20:00+00:00

Barry Diller is launching a TV-on-a-tablet service called Aereo. For $12 a month, Aereo customers can get network TV streamed to their smartphones and tablets. That means you can start watching a game at home, continue watching on your smartphone and pause and rewind if you miss anything. To try to get around copyright challenges, the company has built thousands of tiny antennas. Each subscriber gets his own antenna.

Shakira Attacked by (Sea) Lion

2012-02-15T12:05:00+00:00

Shakira was on vacation in South Africa recently when she was attacked by a wild animal—a sea lion. Don’t worry, she wasn’t that hurt. Seconds after the ambush, the star posted all the details on her Facebook page, including a hypothesis: that it was her shiny BlackBerry that the hungry (sea) lion was after.

Fast Food Intervention for Kate Upton

2012-02-15T11:53:00+00:00

Sports Illustrated fans, you can now breathe a sigh of relief. The New York Post says Kate Upton “packed on enough pounds to jeopardize her career” this summer. Her friends were worried she wouldn’t make it on the cover of the swimsuit edition again, so they staged an intervention.

Lin Delivers Another Win in Last Half Second

2012-02-15T11:41:00+00:00

It seems like the whole continent is infatuated with Jeremy Lin. I was in Toronto yesterday and the papers were crazy with “Lin Sanity.” This morning, it’s the New York papers that are going crazy, after Lin scored the game winner with half a second left. The Post calls him “Thrillin” on its front page and inside columnist Mike Vaccaro gives a second-by-second run down of the action.

Opinion: Twitter, a Double-Edged Sword

2012-02-13T13:26:00+00:00

Twitter is on David Carr’s mind this morning. The “indefinite suspension” of CNN’s Roland Martin (after he tweeted about David Beckham’s H&M underwear ad during the Super Bowl) inspired the New York Times’ columnist to call Twitter a double-edge sword: It offers media personalities a way to build their personal brands but it eschews “contemplativeness,” which can lead to PR nightmares.

Westminster Contestant Has Famous Roots

2012-02-13T13:19:00+00:00

The Westminster Dog Show kicks off today in New York and this morning the Times profiles Winnie, a Siberian Husky who is a descendant of Togo—one of the dogs who helped deliver the diptheria serum to Nome, Alaska in 1925. Balto is the more famous of the two dogs but the Times says Togo actually carried the serum longer than any other team did.

Whitney Houston: A Tribute

2012-02-13T13:10:00+00:00

She was a sunbeam, says New York Times writer Jon Carammanica, in a tribute to Whitney Houston this morning. He writes that Houston’s signature move—to let her big voice soar—would’ve seemed like a gimmick done by anyone else but “from her it was par for the course, just a freakishly gifted athlete leapfrogging everyone around her.”

Collecting Smiths

2012-02-13T12:53:00+00:00

The Wall Street Journal profiles a guy who collects business cards from anybody with the name Smith. Well not just anybody. The part-time security guard—whose last name is not Smith, by the way—says he’s after successful and influential Smiths. After a print media-only search, (he feels like Googling would be cheating) he sends out a handwritten note requesting a business card. So far, 379 Smiths have responded.

“Goose Busters”: Waterfowl Eradication Service

2012-02-13T12:47:00+00:00

Zen, the border collie spends her days playing Duck, Duck, Goose. Zen and her owner are the only employees of Goose Busters, a ” no-kill, no-attack, no-pain waterfowl eradication service” says the Raleigh News and Observer. Their technique is to harass the geese—using barks, lasers, remote-control boats—until they skip town.

All the President’s Socks

2012-02-13T12:35:00+00:00

Former President Bush, says the Houston Chronicle, is a fan of shocking socks. Pink, blue on blue stripes, mismatched—whatever the occasion, he’s got a pair. He’s always been a fan, but those close to the former president say the “sock thing” has definitely become more pronounced recently: “He used to wear them on special occasions and not very often, but he has lately gotten more outrageous. Now he goes out of his way.”

Woods Continues Title Drought

2012-02-13T12:04:00+00:00

Tiger Woods managed to extend his “title drought” yesterday in Pebble Beach. San Jose Mercury News sports columnist Cam Inman says Woods’ “once-epic ability to close out competitors has faded in recent years as his career - and personal life - have undergone a serious makeover.”

Valentine’s Day Tech Help

2012-02-13T11:53:00+00:00

Not quite ready for Valentine’s Day? Lucky for you—there are several apps for that. The San Jose Mercury News has a nice run down of the technological love assistance out there. Like the Love Finger Scan, which determines the compatibility between you and your date. And Ladida, which helps you write and record a love song for your sweetheart,

Grammys a Tribute to Whitney Houston

2012-02-13T11:33:00+00:00

The LA Times says there were two women with “towering, timeless voices” celebrated at the Grammys last night. Adele collected six awards for her sophomore album, “21.” And although she gave a great performance of “Rolling in the Deep,” the audience was reeling from the “still-raw reactions” to Whitney Houston’s death on Saturday.

Sports Illustrated Goes to the Gulf

2012-02-10T13:26:00+00:00

Not like many people will be paying attention to the backdrop, but USA Today says Sports Illustrated decided to shoot their annual swimsuit edition in the Florida panhandle to help out the Gulf Coast region after the 2010 BP oil spill.

“World’s Digital Bank” Has Tech Glitch

2012-02-10T13:04:00+00:00

“The world’s digital bank” had a little technology glitch the other day. If you do online banking with Citibank using your IPad, then you know all about this. The New York Times says the bank has just admitted it found a programming error. Some bills were paid twice, a problem that took months to notice.

UK Bank Heist Suspect Arrested in Missouri

2012-02-10T12:57:00+00:00

“Not so Fast, Eddie” is the headline in the Kansas City Star this morning. A British man accused of stealing $1.6 million in a 1993 bank robbery was just found living in Missouri. Nicknamed “fast Eddie” by the British press, Eddie Maher has been working as a cable guy since disappearing almost 20 years ago.

Need a Challenge? Consider Extreme Racing

2012-02-10T12:35:00+00:00

Marathons a little too easy? You might want to consider extreme racing, says the Arizona Republic, a new obsession among the super-fit. It’s described as “‘Survivor’ meets ‘Wipeout’ meets military boot camp. Add a lot of mud, a few miles of running, greased walls to scale and perhaps a jolt of electricity. Then add more mud.”