1. Bieber Arrest a Wake-up Call

    The Toronto Star reacts to Justin Bieber’s arrest, saying he might one day thank the Miami Beach Police Department for saving him from himself. Columnist Vinay Minon says all of Bieber’s earlier transgressions have come without consequence. But now his arrest on DUI charges may finally be the wake-up call he needs to turn things around.

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  2. Harvard Lampoon Gets First Black Female Editor

    The Boston Globe says next week, 21-year-old Harvard College junior Alexis Wilkinson will become the first African-American woman to lead the 138-year-old Harvard Lampoon. Her classmate, Eleanor Parker, will serve as second-in-command and head writer. That marks the first time two women will be atop the masthead at the venerable college humor magazine.

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  3. Eating at Your Desk: Convenience or Annoyance?

    The Minneapolis Star-Tribune says your desk is the new lunch hot spot. With heavier workloads and little access to restaurants or cafeterias, many workers find eating at their desks to be their only option. Even the IT worker interviewed in the article says he eats at his desk, despite being called upon to clean other people’s keyboards when they get clogged with crumbs. If you must eat at your desk, the Star-Tribune says, skip foods with strong odors and toss your trash in the breakroom, not in the garbage can by your desk.

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  4. Surveillance “Blimps” Raise Privacy Concerns

    The Washington Post describes an upcoming, 3-year test of two Army Aerostats. From 10,000 feet above Maryland, the blimp-like aircraft will cast a radar net from Raleigh, North Carolina up to Boston and as far west as Lake Erie. They’re designed to detect cruise missiles or enemy aircraft before they reach Washington. The Army says it has no plans to mount cameras on the Aerostats, but the American Civil Liberties Union says the Aerostats raise privacy concerns.

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  5. Vintage Federer Reaches Australian Open Semifinal

    The Wall Street Journal’s Jason Gay says Roger Federer looked like the Federer of old in dispatching Andy Murray in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, setting up a semifinal match with rival Rafael Nadal. Gay says Federer’s decline has been openly talked about. But now Federer is only two wins away from capturing his first Grand Slam title since 2012.

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  6. Los Angeles Prepares for Outdoor Hockey Game

    The NHL has been staging games outdoors for several years now. But Saturday, the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks will square off at Dodger Stadium, where the temperature during the day is expected to reach 80 degrees. The Los Angeles Times says advances in refrigeration technology and game-time temperatures in the 50s should make for a playable surface. The New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils face off Sunday at Yankee Stadium, where temperatures will be in the 20s.

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  7. Meet the 91-Year-Old Swiffer Commercial Stars

    The New York Times visits the home of Lee and Morty Kaufman, where the spry, 91-year-old couple filmed a series of commercials for Swiffer. The Times says the Kaufmans “project an appealing picture of marriage and old age.” The couple spends much of their time in his and hers dens. The Times says Mrs. Kaufman’s den is noticeably cleaner. VIDEO

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  8. Stolen Jade Recovered 35 Years Later

    An 18th Century Jade incense burner is back where it belongs, at Harvard University, 35 years after it was stolen. The Boston Globe says the $1.5 million piece was recovered after a search that stretched 8,000 miles, from the midwest to a Hong Kong auction house. Investigators say it lends hope to the idea that other long-lost works of art may also be recovered.

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  9. “Urban UFO” Creator Turns Cars Into Works of Art

    The San Francisco Chronicle introduces us to Eric Staller, an artist who creates what he calls “urban UFOs.” There’s a gray VW Beetle called the Lightmobile adorned with 1,659 lightbulbs. There’s also the Bubbleboat, a floating craft that resembles a silver Hostess Sno Ball and the Big Bang Theory, a 1970 Fiat 500 with 10 bowling pins sticking out the passenger-side door. Of the Lightmobile, Staller says “I defy people not to laugh or smile at it.”

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  10. Famed New York Restaurant Rao’s Takes on Los Angeles

    Can you transfer a legendary restaurant from one coast to another? The owners of the Harlem institution Rao’s are trying to find out. They’ve recently opened an outpost in Los Angeles. The co-owner of Rao’s tells the New York Times the Los Angeles outpost has a ways to go before dining there can be considered an event, like it is in Harlem.

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  11. Shirt Camera Records Your Entire Day

    The Wall Street Journal’s Geoffrey Fowler tested out the $279 Narrative Clip and $399 Autographer, two wearable cameras that snap photos all day long. At first, he says, you might think, why would anyone do this? But he says, why wouldn’t you? Moments with his kids produced memorable shots. And he was even able to find his lost watch by scanning his photo log.

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  12. Buffett Offers $1B for Perfect NCAA Bracket

    The odds are long, about 9.2 quintillion to 1. But if you happen to predict the outcome of each game of this year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, you could win $1 billion. The contest is being run by Detroit-based Quicken Loans, with the backing of Warren Buffett. The good news is if you actually know something about basketball, your odds of nailing a perfect bracket go down to 1 in 128 billion.

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  13. 1980s Low-Budget Horror Film Director’s Newfound Fame

    The Chicago Tribune introduces us to Chester Novell Turner - a Horror-film legend, who had no idea he was one. Back in the 1980s, Turner directed two, low-budget horror films. They were awkward, direct-to-video films, shot with a four-person crew. After making about $4,000, Turner gave up on directing films. But unbeknownst to him, his films began to circulate - and eventually - became cult classics.

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  14. Delorean’s Future is All Electric

    Think the Delorean is dead? The car made famous in Back to the Future is making a comeback. The Houston Chronicle says Stephen Wynne bought a warehouse full of car parts in the 1990s, more than a decade after Delorean went bankrupt. He’s now working on a prototype for an electric version of the Delorean.

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  15. Letter to “Daughter Killed in Crash” Sparks Data Mining Criticism

    How much do companies need to know about us - and how do they use that information? Those questions are being asked after an Illinois man received a flier from OfficeMax addressed to “Mike Seay, Daughter Killed In Car Crash.” The company only said it had used a list rented from a third-party provider.

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  16. Sherman Will Be Face of Super Bowl

    If you didn’t know him before Sunday, you know him now. Seattle Seahawks’ cornerback Richard Sherman is the talk of the sports world for his WWE-Style post-game interview with Erin Andrews. Mike Lupica of the Daily News says, love him or hate him, Sherman will be the face of the Super Bowl. Sherman, for his part, says he doesn’t want to be the villain, and a lot of what he said was just adrenaline talking. VIDEO

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  17. Kosher Meal Requests Overwhelming Prisons

    The New York Times says there’s a battle brewing in Florida over kosher meals in prisons. Prisoners, much like airline passengers, have discovered that kosher meals are often more tasty than the standard fare. But they’re also four times as expensive. Florida officials are trying to eliminate kosher meals, but a legal battle has hampered their efforts so far.

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  18. The Health Effects of Sitting Poorly

    We all know we’re supposed to sit up straight. But the Washington Post explains why it’s so important. It turns out, poor posture while sitting can cause problems from head to toe. Sitting the wrong way can lead to ailments from a stiff neck to poor circulation in your legs. If you do have poor posture, the Post has some exercises that can help.

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  19. Vacationing in North Korea

    It turns out North Korea is surprisingly easy to visit. USA Today says vacationing in North Korea is not for the fainthearted, but more and more Americans are choosing to visit the place where the Cold War lives on. Some say they visit just to see a country frozen in time. Others want to see for themselves if the country is really as bad as it’s made out to be.

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  20. Mom, Dad, 12 Kids Live in R.V.

    The Tampa Bay Times introduces us to the Kellogg family. Dan and Susie Kellogg sold their home in 2012 and hit the road in their RV with their 12 kids in tow. The kids are home schooled, and Dan is a software engineer who works from his laptop. The kids spend their mornings doing schoolwork and their afternoons hiking, climbing or kayaking. They’re in Tampa for the annual RV convention.

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  21. Northridge Quake 20 Years Later

    In the Los Angeles Times, rescuers and the rescued recall the earthquake that rattled the San Fernando Valley 20 years ago today. Firefighter Mike Henry talks about surveying the damage and discovering that the second and third floors of an apartment complex had collapsed onto the first floor. 16 people were killed in the building.

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  22. Researchers Aim to Erase Painful Memories

    Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have come up with a drug that helped mice forget a painful memory from the past. The Boston Globe says the research is far from being applied to people, but it does offer promise that we will one day have better ways of treating conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

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  23. Less Variety Helps Radio Compete With Streaming Music

    How do radio stations compete with streaming music services like Spotify and Pandora? By offering less variety than ever. The Wall Street Journal says research has confirmed that listeners stay tuned when they hear a familiar song - and tune out when they hear something they don’t recognize. The top 10 songs of last year were played twice as often on the radio as the top 10 songs from a decade ago.

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  24. The Lockdown is Today’s Duck and Cover

    Those who grew up in the Cold War era remember duck-and-cover drills. The New York Times says the lockdown is today’s equivalent. In the wake of recent school shootings, schools regularly hold lockdown drills, where teachers will flick off the lights and students will move away from doors and windows. Some students say the drills are more of an annoyance while some parents say it contributes to paranoia among children. VIDEO

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  25. Lance Armstrong Works on Golf Game

    Banned for life from sanctioned events including cycling races and triathlons, Lance Armstrong spends a lot of time working on his golf game. Armstrong tells USA Today he will eventually disclose his cycling misdeeds, but only as part of a global effort to reform the sport. He says there will one day be a test for blood transfusions, and it will prove his 2009 Tour de France victory was clean.

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  26. Ex-SeaWorld Trainers Cast Doubt on Blackfish

    The documentary Blackfish, which questioned the treatment of whales kept in captivity, has led to a backlash against SeaWorld. But two former SeaWorld trainers are casting doubts about some of the claims made in the documentary. The trainers tell the San Antonio Express-News that the film was made to push an agenda and relied on trainers who were not involved in the incidents they discussed.

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  27. Make Your Own Bagels

    The Minneapolis Star-Tribune has some tips for making your own bagels. Ingredients are key - and you should look for barley malt syrup as your sweetener. And the secret ingredient - a little bit of ground black pepper. You won’t taste it, but you’ll notice the bagel has more flavor.

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  28. Rooting for a Cold, Snowy Super Bowl

    Former NFL wide receiver Nate Jackson writes an Op-Ed in the New York Times where he says football fans should be rooting for a cold, snowy Super Bowl next month at Met Life Stadium. He says too often football has no variables and is unexciting. Jackson says extreme weather causes coaches to throw out the carefully crafted playbook and the players are forced to rely on their raw athletic skills.

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  29. Dry Winter Leads to Spectacular Sunrises & Sunsets

    Pollution isn’t all bad. This winter’s dry air in California has been leading to some spectacular sunrises and sunsets. Scientists tell the San Jose Mercury News that pollution particles trapped in the dry air scatter light to create the beautiful array of colors. One meteorologist says go ahead and take pictures, just don’t breathe.

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  30. Bill Belichik’s Practice Squad Clones

    The Wall Street Journal says New England Patriots’ coach Bill Belichik really is a mad scientist. In an effort to prepare his team for playoff games, Belichik brings in practice squad players that are virtual clones of the opposing team members. Players that match the height, weight and even the speed of stars on the opposing team are signed for the week for about $6000.

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