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  • Want to Protect Marriage? Ban Divorce!

    It may have begun as a joke, but it’s gaining some serious support. A California man listened to voters who wanted same-sex marriage outlawed claim that the state’s Proposition 8 was needed to “protect the sanctity of marriage.” So continuing with that theme, he’s proposed a ban on divorce.  This story makes [...]
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    Posted: December 02, 2009, 5:27am EST
    by Patrick

  • Ever Paid for One?

    It won’t be this week’s topic, but I’m working on a future edition of Better Blogging that focuses on premium themes versus free ones.  If you’ve ever paid for one, please click the Contact tab at the top of the page and let me know. Specifically, I’d like to know the [...]
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    Posted: December 01, 2009, 10:38pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Stuck at the DMV

    Number of comments: 1
    I’ll go ahead and get the moral of the story out of the way right up front: pay your vehicle property tax on time. Got it. I understand. Really. I managed to be one month off, thinking that I had until November 30 to pay my tax bill rather than October 30, [...]
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    Posted: December 01, 2009, 10:20pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Infamous Couple Hints on ‘Dramatic Turn’

    Number of comments: 1
    This morning on Today, the couple accused of crashing the president’s first state dinner appeared to give their side of the story. At least, that was what Today expected.  At one point, Matt Lauer asked Tareq Salahi about a phone call between the two of them prior to the appearance: “We spoke [...]
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    Posted: December 01, 2009, 8:07am EST
    by Patrick

  • 20 Gifts (Not) to Be Missed?

    Number of comments: 2
    Time magazine has released a list of 20 gift ideas for the gadget gurus on your shopping lists this holiday, and I’m happy to say that there’s almost nothing on the list that I’d want. Happy, and shocked! The most appealing things on the list relate to HD, but I’d have to [...]
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    Posted: November 30, 2009, 6:31pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Monday’s Morals – Episode 24

    Number of comments: 1
    People are still talking about Tiger Woods and the mysterious car crash that left him injured. He has now apparently decided not to talk to police about what happened, calling it a private family matter. Does this seem odd to you? If you’ve got an opinion about that, you’re ready for [...]
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    Posted: November 30, 2009, 10:39am EST
    by Patrick

  • Just in Time for Christmas: A Gift for Republican Friends

    Number of comments: 3
    Many of them shook their heads in mock disbelief at the notion that a candidate of a party other than their own could possibly be so revered. They rolled their eyes in disgust at Obama’s message of “Change.” Then their collective blood pressure nearly pushed the mercury out of the tube [...]
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    Posted: November 30, 2009, 2:23am EST
    by Patrick

  • For Police, Tiger’s Third Time Still No Charm

    Tiger Woods has canceled yet another meeting with police about that mysterious single-car accident that left him in serious condition according to a police report and with minor injuries according to a hospital spokesperson. Florida law does not require Woods to talk to police about what happened; he now seems to [...]
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    Posted: November 29, 2009, 10:34pm EST
    by Patrick

  • The Senile Box Atop the Boob Tube?

    I’ve highly recommended Tivo for years. I’ve had the same box now for almost eight years. Maybe longer than that. I was lucky to get Tivo back when they allowed you to pay a one-time “lifetime” service fee rather than monthly charges, so I’ve gotten my money’s worth out of its dedicated [...]
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    Posted: November 29, 2009, 5:13pm EST
    by Patrick

  • The Mailbag: Inside TV Part 2

    I received one follow-up question to last week’s edition of the Mailbag and an answer I gave about taking commercial breaks in live shows. I said that in a live program, commercial breaks didn’t always air at a specified time and that occasionally talent talks a little too much, requiring the [...]
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    Posted: November 29, 2009, 5:10pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Report: We Missed Our Chance

    Number of comments: 1
    Just three months after the terror attacks of September 1, 2001, Osama bin Laden was so sure he was cornered and about to be captured by American forces that he actually wrote his will. But decisions by the Bush Administration allowed him to escape, prolonging the search for him for [...]
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    Posted: November 29, 2009, 2:08pm EST
    by Patrick

  • The Week in Posts: Nov. 21-27, 2009

    Here’s a look at the posts that hit the blog last week (Saturday through Friday) in case you missed anything. They’re organized by most-applicable category for your browsing convenience. The holiday weekend limited my posting, but there were still a few highlights to be found: Abortion Legalizing Morality: Where is the Line? Advertising I’d Call [...]
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    Posted: November 29, 2009, 12:44pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Sunday Seven – Episode 213

    Number of comments: 3
    This past Thursday, we celebrated Thanksgiving. It’s the day when we’re supposed to spend some time thinking about the things for which we’re the most thankful. But this week’s edition of the Sunday Seven gives that concept a bit of a twist. First to play last week: Aislinge of A Tale (Tail?) [...]
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    Posted: November 29, 2009, 3:48am EST
    by Patrick

  • The Week’s Really Weird Stories

    Number of comments: 2
    Tiger Woods managed to get into a one-car accident early Friday morning that left him barely conscious and completely incoherent right outside his own home at about 2:25 in the morning. His wife heard the sound of his SUV crashing into a fire hydrant and a neighbor’s tree, rushed outside, and [...]
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    Posted: November 28, 2009, 10:55pm EST
    by Patrick

  • A Good Game

    Number of comments: 1
    Though I am a Gamecock, having graduated from the USC, which no one but its graduates know means the University of South Carolina and not the University of Southern California, I am not a particularly big USC football fan. This is mostly because every time I try to watch a game [...]
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    Posted: November 28, 2009, 9:59pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Saturday Six – Episode 294

    Number of comments: 5
    By now, I hope your Thanksgiving food coma is wearing off and you’re up for answering a set of six questions. This time, we’re talking about the technology you love to hate: your cell phone. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great weekend! First to play last week: [...]
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    Posted: November 28, 2009, 3:32am EST
    by Patrick

  • Country Singer: Good Deeds Right Out of Surgery?

    Number of comments: 1
    Country singer Darryl Worley posted an update to his blog about the outcome of surgery to relieve worried fans. Worley just went through a discectomy and cervical fusion, so perhaps the grammar policeman in my brain ought to just chalk it up to a big load of painkillers.   But his message contains [...]
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    Posted: November 26, 2009, 9:43pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Happy Thanksgiving!

    I wanted to take a moment to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you’re able to spend some quality time with family and friends today, and that you take a moment to ponder the things for which you’re truly thankful.  One of them, incidentally, is the readers [...]
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    Posted: November 26, 2009, 10:52am EST
    by Patrick

  • I’d Call This One an ‘Epic Fail’

    Newsrooms everywhere have fallen in love with Twitter.  The service allows them to update their followers on news stories they’re covering, as well updates about additional features and upcoming specials they’re planning. It also gives them a way to interact with their customers in a quick and convenient way. Marketers are often [...]
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    Posted: November 25, 2009, 6:45am EST
    by Patrick

  • Ad Spotlights Bathroom Humor

    Well here’s a hillarious parody of a long-running ad campaign that sends a very different message. The original campaign being spoofed is for those “scrubbing bubbles” that “work so yo don’t have to” in your tub and bathroom. The unsuspecting victim uses her favorite cleaner and thinks that all of her problems are [...]
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    Posted: November 25, 2009, 3:53am EST
    by Patrick

  • The Strange Christmas Day Movie Marathon

    Number of comments: 4
    Every Christmas Day, TBS runs its 24-hour marathon of the classic movie A Christmas Story. And it’s one of those movies that I’ll always watch if I stumble upon it. But there’s a new marathon being planned by a different cable network for Christmas Day, and this one seems like a [...]
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    Posted: November 25, 2009, 3:23am EST
    by Patrick

  • Gone in Seconds

    On Monday afternoon, a North Charleston mother learned a lesson that too many parents have had to learn the hard way: that tragedy can occur in just seconds. A 26-year-old mom pulled into the parking lot of a North Charleston Post Office at about 5:00pm with her one-month-old infant secured in [...]
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    Posted: November 25, 2009, 12:22am EST
    by Patrick

  • New Video Game has Secret Sex Scene

    This is probably the kind of news every parent would love to hear as the Christmas shopping season is about to officially kick off. A new video game for the Xbox features a secret scene in which two characters have sex. To make it even more of a potential concern, both [...]
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    Posted: November 24, 2009, 10:45pm EST
    by Patrick

  • How Would the Vet Be Sure?

    I got an email from my veterinarian today.  Actually, it’s from my dog’s veterinarian, but I figured you already knew that much. Anyway, the email begins with this important question: “Does your dog suffer from a lower activity level, stiffness, limping or inability to jump?” If the answer is yes, the dog, the [...]
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    Posted: November 24, 2009, 6:59am EST
    by Patrick

  • Legalizing Morality: Where is the Line?

    Number of comments: 2
    Recently, I overheard a conversation in a restaurant between two angry conservatives who were apparently church-goers from things they said during their conversation.  One of them, to the total agreement of the other, said that the government should stop trying to bend over backwards so far to help the poor. [...]
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    Posted: November 24, 2009, 6:25am EST
    by Patrick

  • Those Clever Spambots!

    I’m usually pretty good at spotting comment spam when I see it. Normally, that’s because the “name” entered winds up being something suspicious like “Stress Management Ideas” or “Christian Dating” or something that is clearly a business-related title. Most of the time, if the comment is associated with a name I [...]
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    Posted: November 23, 2009, 3:02pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Monday’s Morals – Episode 23

    Number of comments: 1
    The day after Thanksgiving will be a crazy day in retail. In some cases, Thanksgiving Day itself will be crazy, because more stores are toying with the idea of trying to cash in on those who aren’t too packed full of turkey and dressing to get up and shop after [...]
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    Posted: November 23, 2009, 10:10am EST
    by Patrick

  • Turning 40: Laughs Galore!

    Number of comments: 3
    Since we’ve reached the big day, the good news is that this will conclude the weeklong series on Turning 40. I figured I might as well laugh at the situation, so I decided I’d go with a few bits of humor about one’s 40th birthday. Harry Belafonte did a special for [...]
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    Posted: November 23, 2009, 8:22am EST
    by Patrick

  • Turning 40: Gift Ideas for Life’s “Beginning”

    Over at Buzzle.com, I found an article about great gift ideas for guys turning 40. Although I’m not so sure. The first paragraph talks about how the 40th birthday is an “exciting” moment and that it is celebrated with “great enthusiasm.” So the site’s judgment is immediately in question before I ever [...]
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    Posted: November 22, 2009, 4:56am EST
    by Patrick

  • Sunday Seven – Episode 212

    Number of comments: 5
    We all know fruits are good for us. Most of us don’t eat nearly enough of them. We don’t, for the most part, eat enough vegetables, either, but that’s another Sunday Seven for another day: this week, we’re talking about produce of the fruit persuasion! First to play last week: Cat. [...]
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    Posted: November 22, 2009, 2:30am EST
    by Patrick

  • Turning 40: Health Tips for Men

    Number of comments: 3
    Forty is the year that a lot of people seem to believe the body starts falling apart. Is it any wonder so many people dread hitting the big four-oh? I’ve found a list of ten things that men should be doing as they hit that milestone age. Some of them are [...]
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    Posted: November 21, 2009, 1:45pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Peter Found, But Still Missing

    For the past few years now, a familiar holiday commercial has been missing from the airwaves.  I’m talking about that Folger’s Coffee commercial in which “Peter” returns home, apparently earlier than expected, for Christmas while his family is still asleep.  Ever the considerate son, he wakes the family not by [...]
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    Posted: November 21, 2009, 3:01am EST
    by Patrick

  • Saturday Six – Episode 293

    Number of comments: 5
    Here’s a toast to the 293rd edition of the Saturday Six and this week the subject is alcoholic beverages. Not that I expect anyone to get tipsy while they’re answering questions, but I do hope you have fun! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great weekend! First to [...]
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    Posted: November 21, 2009, 2:31am EST
    by Patrick

  • CSS Drives Me Nuts!

    Number of comments: 2
    There.  I said it. Since I switched to this new theme — and very soon there will be an entire post about that experience — there have been a few little issues I’ve had with various sections not displaying quite the way I wanted them to. One of the first issues I [...]
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    Posted: November 21, 2009, 1:13am EST
    by Patrick

  • The Week in Posts

    This is a new little idea I decided to experiment with:  it’s a weekly recap of the posts made over the last seven days here at Patrick’s Place. There’s nothing new in this post, actually; it’s just quick links, by category, to some of the posts I’ve done recently.  Let me [...]
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    Posted: November 20, 2009, 11:58pm EST
    by Patrick

  • The Mailbag: Inside TV

    Number of comments: 2
    Mika asked a few questions about what happens behind the scenes in TV, so I figured I’d answer a few of them here and a few more in a future post.  I also thought they might answer some questions you’ve asked to yourself as well.  If you have any, leave [...]
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    Posted: November 20, 2009, 6:24am EST
    by Patrick

  • Turning 40: I Got Skills!

    Last year, Esquire published a list of the 75 Skills Every Man Should Master. Some of them are no brainers, like #2: “Tell if someone is lying.” That’s a great skill to have, and that’s one I’ve got a pretty good handle on. Some of them seem remarkably random and pointless, like [...]
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    Posted: November 20, 2009, 3:17am EST
    by Patrick

  • The Stupidest Tie Breaker Ever!

    Number of comments: 3
    I’m really not a fan of Survivor.  But I caught the tail end of tonight’s episode and saw something truly ridiculous. There were ten people at tribal council, the ending segment of each episode in which someone gets voted off the island.  Or continent.  Or wherever they are. Anyway, there were 10 [...]
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    Posted: November 19, 2009, 10:12pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Better Blogging: Pick a Topic, Any Topic

    Number of comments: 2
    This is an ongoing series of posts about making blogs better. I’ll take a look at what “experts” say we bloggers should be doing to attract more readers and make our blogs more user-friendly, and then I’ll throw in my take. Your input is always welcome, because I’d love to [...]
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    Posted: November 19, 2009, 12:16pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Turning 40: Bucket List Rejects

    Number of comments: 2
    The older people get, the more they like to talk about “bucket lists,” compilations of things they hope to try before they “kick the bucket.” I’ve never had one, and I really don’t feel a need to start one. There are only a few “exotic” things I’d like to do that I [...]
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    Posted: November 19, 2009, 3:03am EST
    by Patrick

  • Ethics Panel: Governor Should Face Charges

    And the good news just keeps rolling out of the Palmetto State. The ethics panel investigating travel and campaign finance records of Governor Mark Sanford says it believes he should face charges he violated state laws. Sanford disappeared for several days this summer after telling his staff that he was going hiking [...]
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    Posted: November 18, 2009, 9:24pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Word of Year: Can’t We Just Get Along?

    Blame it on social media, where the word was born. Blame it on the madness surrounding social media, where the need for such a word became clear. Blame it on a bad economy and political polarization, where the function is used with great zeal. But the New Oxford American Dictionary says unfriend is [...]
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    Posted: November 18, 2009, 3:05pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Stressful Jobs That Pay Badly

    From social workers to teachers, reporters to photographers, CNN Money recently posted a list of Stressful Jobs That Pay Badly. Guess what else made the list! I pondered showing this to my boss to see if there was a chance I might get a raise up to the “median pay,” but I then [...]
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    Posted: November 18, 2009, 1:24pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Turning 40: A Dangerous Statistic

    Number of comments: 2
    Not everything that approaches 40 is good, you know. A new study, for example, suggests that if current trends continue, the level of adult obesity in this country will hit 40% by 2018. 2018 isn’t as far away as it looks when you think about it. And maybe that’s a good reminder [...]
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    Posted: November 18, 2009, 11:35am EST
    by Patrick

  • It’s a Christmas Tree, Charlie Brown!

    Leave it to my crazy state! South Carolina has screwed up its own Christmas tree. The tree is being heavily criticized because the bottom of it looks terrible. It’s missing limbs and is shockingly bare. One passerby said it looked like Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree, referring to the ageless Peanuts special in [...]
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    Posted: November 17, 2009, 9:55pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Turning 40: In Good Company

    Number of comments: 1
    I’m about to have something in common with the Internet and Sesame Street: I’ll be blowing out 40 candles this year. Although I don’t really want that many candles burning at once: the last thing I need is any sprinkler system snafu. I’m not doing anything special for that big day. [...]
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    Posted: November 17, 2009, 12:10pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Rethinking the Third Commandment

    Number of comments: 1
    The Ten Commandments were one of the first things I remember hearing about in Sunday School. To a kid, some of them are a lot easier to understand than others. The whole adultery thing isn’t exactly the kind of thing an old blue-haired church lady-type would want to have to [...]
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    Posted: November 17, 2009, 3:25am EST
    by Patrick

  • The Final Week of Thirtysomething

    One week from today, I celebrate a milestone that has been the butt of jokes for as long as jokes have existed. I turn that age Jack Benny refused to turn. The big four-oh. Am I happy about that? Well, yes and no. I’ll be happy to still be here to turn [...]
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    Posted: November 16, 2009, 10:20pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Monday’s Morals – Episode 22

    Number of comments: 1
    CNN caught a little criticism last week about an ad for TravelZoo that was designed to look exactly like a clickable thumbnail for one of its top story windows. The ad mimicked the size and even the headline style of the two legitimate news stories to the left of it. Everybody [...]
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    Posted: November 16, 2009, 8:28am EST
    by Patrick

  • Thirty Years Later, Green Gets His Award

    It was 1979. A commercial premiered featuring a limping football player forced to leave the game early, and a little boy who regarded him as a hero sneaking behind him to offer him a Coke. After drinking the Coke, the tough-guy football player offers his jersey to the boy.  Thanks to [...]
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    Posted: November 15, 2009, 2:30pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Sunday Seven – Episode 211

    Number of comments: 2
    Last week, I managed to pick a topic — de-stressing — that just happened to coincide with National Stress Øut Week. I had absolutely no idea. This week, I’m not picking a topic that really relates to anything. In fact, this one is sort of an offbeat, funny question that might [...]
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    Posted: November 15, 2009, 12:44pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Johnston Completes the Big Shoot

    There’s a headline rich with punniness, isn’t it? Non-celebrity Levi Johnston has completed the photo shoot for Playgirl that is getting far more attention than it ever should have, so there is at least slight hope that we are one step closer to getting his 15 minutes of fame over with. According [...]
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    Posted: November 14, 2009, 8:56pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Palin’s Gripe with Couric Speaks Volumes

    Number of comments: 5
    In her new book Going Rogue, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin reveals her anger with Katie Couric over the debacle of an interview that aired last fall on the CBS Evening News. In the book, which will be released this Tuesday, Palin recalls that a John McCain campaign aide urged [...]
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    Posted: November 14, 2009, 4:15pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Saturday Six – Episode 292

    Number of comments: 5
    Here’s the first edition of the Saturday Six with the new look here at Patrick’s Place. I’m glad you’ve found it and I appreciate your visit! First to play last week: Ambrosia Jefferson of Birth of a Notion. Congratulations! (According to the rules, “First to Play” requires you to be the first [...]
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    Posted: November 14, 2009, 12:34pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Welcome to the New Look!

    Number of comments: 4
    I promise that I’m not trying to ask for trouble by introducing a brand new design for this blog on, of all days, Friday the 13th! I’ve been particularly happy with the previous design, based on ... [...]
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    Posted: November 13, 2009, 1:59pm EST
    by Patrick

  • The Things We Worship

    Number of comments: 1
    While I was at work today, I spent some time in an edit bay pulling in footage for a promo I was working on. The editor who normally works in that bay had just arrived, and ... [...]
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    Posted: November 13, 2009, 1:42am EST
    by Patrick

  • Better Blogging: Quantity or Quality?

    Number of comments: 3
    This is the first in a series of posts about making blogs better. I’ll take a look at what “experts” say we bloggers should be doing to attract more readers and make our blogs more user-friendly, and then I’ll throw in my take. Your input is always welcome, because I’d [...]
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    Posted: November 12, 2009, 4:05am EST
    by Patrick

  • The One Shocking Part of the Plate Problem

    Number of comments: 1
    Over at his blog, Signal 46, Chris posts about what appears to be the end of the “I Believe” license plate saga in South Carolina. In his post, titled “Not a Shocker,” he says it’s sad that it had to go all the way to a federal district court to end the [...]
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    Posted: November 11, 2009, 9:26pm EST
    by Patrick

  • NBC Stations Have Rumored Remedy for Leno

    The media insider website Newsblues made mention of an interesting rumor about NBC and its struggling Jay Leno Show: some of the network’s affiliates may have a “trigger clause” that would allow them to run their local news at 10pm and tape-delay Leno, presumably at 10:30pm or 10:35pm. Though no affiliate managers [...]
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    Posted: November 11, 2009, 6:28am EST
    by Patrick

  • Enjoying National Stress Øut Week?

    This past weekend’s editions of the Saturday Six and Sunday Seven shared a theme of getting de-stressed. I had no idea how appropriate that timing was! The Anxiety Disorders Association of America has declared November 9-15 National Stress Øut Week. The week highlights the benefits of mind-body practices to reduce stress [...]
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    Posted: November 11, 2009, 5:27am EST
    by Patrick

  • So Stupid It’s Actually Entertaining

    Number of comments: 2
    Maybe it’s because it doesn’t feature either the tired cavemen or that weird stack of cash with the big eyes, but this Geico commercial cracks me up. Sooooooooo…. [...]
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    Posted: November 11, 2009, 5:16am EST
    by Patrick

  • A Reporter Reflects on the Beltway Sniper Case

    Amy Morris and I went to college together, and for a few short years, we worked together at the same small little television station. My passion had always been television.  Hers was and is radio.  Amy is a co-host of The Daily Debrief on Washington D.C.’s FederalNewsRadio AM 1500, featuring news [...]
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    Posted: November 10, 2009, 9:35pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Prejean: Media Attacks Conservative Women

    Appearing Tuesday morning on NBC’s Today show, former Miss California Carrie Prejean told Meredith Viera that the liberal media attacks conservative women. Prejean said she has been the target of attacks for the past seven months, since answering a question about same-sex marriage in the wake of Vermont legalizing it. She [...]
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    Posted: November 10, 2009, 8:53pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Your Cell Phone Company’s Clever Secret

    I was browsing through the website Lifehacker and found a post called, Top 10 Clever Fixes for Your Broken Stuff. When you scroll down to item #3 in the post, it has a few solutions that might help rescue your cell phone if you ever accidentally submerge it in water. What [...]
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    Posted: November 10, 2009, 2:05am EST
    by Patrick

  • Fake Guide Keeps Newsies Laughing

    For journalists, the AP Stylebook is a revered guide to writing. It contains the grammar and usage rules that tend to standardize the way we write. But a clearly — and intentionally — fake version of the AP Stylebook has made its way to Twitter and it is keeping journalists and non-journalists [...]
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    Posted: November 09, 2009, 7:17pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Exactly What We Need: Another Reality Show

    If you can’t get enough of the Jackson family — and you aren’t willing to seek professional help — then a new reality show will be like an early Christmas present for you. The rest of us will just have to remember to stay away from A&E at 9:00pm on December 13.  [...]
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    Posted: November 09, 2009, 12:56pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Monday’s Morals – Episode 21

    Number of comments: 2
    A Texas teacher is suing her state because it is attempting to require her to be fingerprinted as part of a background check program. Her objection, she says, has nothing to do with any skeleton in her closet that such a check might turn up; in fact, she says she has [...]
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    Posted: November 09, 2009, 8:15am EST
    by Patrick

  • Malware Designed to Load Child Porn to Your PC

    Number of comments: 1
    Here’s another reason to make sure your anti-virus software is up to date! A former Massachusetts government employee has finally been cleared of child pornography charges, after eleven months of struggling to clear his name. The culprit, it turns out, was a computer virus designed to visit up to 40 child porn [...]
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    Posted: November 08, 2009, 9:32pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Copy Editor Takes Revenge on Employer’s Memo

    Number of comments: 1
    There’s a very old joke in the media business that those of us who work in communications are generally the worst at communicating. A recent internal memo at the Toronto Star points out that the economy is leading the publication to wipe out some of its union editor positions in favor [...]
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    Posted: November 08, 2009, 7:00pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Sesame Street Quip Angers Viewers

    Just days before it celebrates its 40th birthday, Sesame Street has angered some of its obviously-conservative viewers with a sketch that parodies cable news. In the sketch, Oscar the Grouch is trying to cover a story for “GNN,” his “Grouchy News Network.”  After his interview, an angry viewer calls to complain [...]
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    Posted: November 08, 2009, 11:05am EST
    by Patrick

  • Sunday Seven – Episode 210

    Number of comments: 3
    Continuing with the “de-stressing” theme that began in yesterday’s edition of the Saturday Six, I present a list from LifeHacker of people’s favorite stress relievers. Just to keep everyone on an even playing field, these will be your only options for this week’s answers, though I’m sure there are others [...]
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    Posted: November 08, 2009, 3:26am EST
    by Patrick

  • The Health Care Debate’s Weakest Argument

    Number of comments: 2
    My friends have a wide range of political views. I have some friends who are far on the left who think that “Obamacare” is the greatest thing since the Polio vaccine. I have some friends on the far right who think that Obama is somehow trying to reinvent health care [...]
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    Posted: November 07, 2009, 4:27pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Saturday Six – Episode 291

    Number of comments: 4
    Having a stressful week? Oh, the stress meter’s off the scale here at Patrick’s Place, so I thought I’d make de-stressing a topic for this week. It might even make its way to tomorrow’s quiz, too. First to play last week: Otowi of Otowi. Congratulations! (According to the rules, “First to Play” [...]
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    Posted: November 07, 2009, 7:45am EST
    by Patrick

  • Just Back Off! My Bad Mood’s Good for Me!

    Number of comments: 1
    A new study in Australia suggests that bad moods can actually be good for you. It also finds that people who tend to be more sad are less gullible and have a greater ability to discern other people’s character. Being sad also boosts memory, the study suggests. Way FM, a Christian radio [...]
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    Posted: November 07, 2009, 2:14am EST
    by Patrick

  • Suicide Prevention Group Protests The Office

    Did you happen to see the Halloween episode of The Office? I didn’t, but the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention did and they, along with other mental health organizations say NBC and other entertainers should stop using suicide as a punchline. In the episode, the paper company hosted a haunted house event [...]
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    Posted: November 06, 2009, 9:58am EST
    by Patrick

  • A Little Late to Worry About Size

    Number of comments: 2
    If you had worries about how you look without any clothes, a good time to allow those fears to enter your consideration might be before you agree to pose nude in a magazine. Levi Johnston, the father of Sarah Palin’s grandchild, is still getting ready for his naked Playgirl shoot. But [...]
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    Posted: November 05, 2009, 11:03pm EST
    by Patrick

  • AT&T Not Laughing Over “There’s A Map For That” Spot

    Number of comments: 1
    Verizon Wireless is being sued by AT&T for their new “There’s a Map for That” commercial, which parodies Apple Computer’s “There’s an Ap for That” campaign for its iPhone. The ad shows a Verizon customer and an AT&T customer walking around with translucent United States maps floating over their heads to illustrate [...]
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    Posted: November 05, 2009, 10:06pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Sesame Street at 40: Are Today’s Kids More Dumb?

    Number of comments: 1
    If you’ve browsed over at Google over the past few days, you’ve seen that the search engine’s giant is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street (on November 10th) by featuring characters from the Emmy Award-winning show in its logo. There’s something disturbing about the thought of Sesame Street hitting its [...]
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    Posted: November 05, 2009, 9:14pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Wapner Returns to the Bench

    Number of comments: 1
    Judge Judy is a pussycat compared to Judge Joseph Wapner, the original jurist who presided over The People’s Court in the 1980s.  A lot of younger viewers probably have no memories of the gray-haired judge who was stern to litigants he felt were in the wrong. “It was a happy marriage [...]
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    Posted: November 05, 2009, 8:21pm EST
    by Patrick

  • The Price is Right Celebrates 7,000 Shows

    The Price is Right, which is the longest-running game show in television history, is celebrating 7,000 shows on today’s edition. That’s despite the fact that by all counts, what was really their 7,000th show actually hit back in January or so.  (It seems that the show’s numbering system for its episodes [...]
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    Posted: November 05, 2009, 8:44am EST
    by Patrick

  • Exposing the New White House Anti-Christmas Myth

    If you haven’t already received it — several times — in your email inbox, just give it time.  You will. We received it at the television station, and I’m sure it won’t be the first time we do, particularly among those God-fearing Republicans who are convinced that Obama is on a [...]
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    Posted: November 04, 2009, 9:34pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Monday’s Morals – Episode 20

    Number of comments: 2
    Advertisements that use models tend to use “beautiful people” over out of shape or even “average” folk. That’s one thing. But parents and children’s advocacy groups complain that those “beautiful people” are then secretly made more beautiful with selective Photoshopping and image editing that presents realistic results that aren’t truly physically [...]
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    Posted: November 02, 2009, 1:38pm EST
    by Patrick

  • The Missing Day

    In this week’s Saturday Six, I posed the following question: There’s only one day of the week that Halloween hasn’t fallen on since this blog began. What day of the week would you guess that is? For those who weren’t motivated to look it up, I wanted to be sure to [...]
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    Posted: November 02, 2009, 9:29am EST
    by Patrick

  • Now That It’s November…

    Number of comments: 1
    The nicest part about November 1st is that it means that for the most part, it’ll be another year before I have to battle with the word Halloween again.  For some reason, I almost always misspell it as Hallowwen, then I get the little red dotted line from the spell-checker, [...]
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    Posted: November 01, 2009, 12:25pm EST
    by Patrick

  • Sunday Seven – Episode 209

    Number of comments: 2
    Continuing with the Halloween theme, since the day after Halloween is the day that parents are still dealing with the leftover candy, those trick or treat handouts become the subject of this week’s question. First to play last week: Candy of Soulistic: Candy’s Blog. Congratulations! (According to the rules, “First to Play” [...]
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    Posted: November 01, 2009, 1:52am EST
    by Patrick

  • The End of It All

    Number of comments: 2
    Eh, not so much. I don’t know about anyone else, but I fully plan to still be alive and well on December 22, 2012. That’s the day after the world is supposed to come to a grand, sweeping end because of the fact that the Mayan Calendar cycle happens to end on [...]
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    Posted: November 01, 2009, 1:37am EST
    by Patrick

  • ‘Stunning’ Debut

    Apple’s new 27-inch iMac is stunning, says Compuworld.  Apple sent the site one of its newer widescreen versions for review purposes.  How do I get on that list?? Related Posts:Killer RecordingApple Comes to TownFractured PhrasesCellular SatisfactionWhat a Tangled Web... [...]
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    Posted: October 31, 2009, 8:02pm EDT
    by Patrick

  • Why Be Afraid?

    Number of comments: 1
    One of the things I’ve learned through having a blog for more than five years is that there are certain things I’m always going to get a lot of reaction about. One of those things is the subject of parenting. People who are parents sometimes get upset when I suggest [...]
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    Posted: October 31, 2009, 4:00pm EDT
    by Patrick

  • BOA: Here’s a Tip!

    Note to Bank of America: When I’m on the phone with you because of a problem with your online payment system suddenly forgetting that it has ever heard of me, effectively locking me out of my accounts just days before a credit card payment is due, don’t then insult my intelligence [...]
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    Posted: October 31, 2009, 12:00pm EDT
    by Patrick

  • Saturday Six – Episode 290

    Number of comments: 5
    Though I’m sure I’ve asked Halloween-themed Saturday Six questions before, this is the first time since this blog began that Halloween actually fell on a Saturday. So I couldn’t possibly ignore the holiday this time around! First to play last week: Mika of Mika Salakka. Congratulations! (According to the rules, “First to [...]
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    Posted: October 31, 2009, 10:03am EDT
    by Patrick

  • An Entertaining Fiasco

    Number of comments: 2
    If you needed a reason to hate the reality show genre — and really, who needs a reason — there’s this item: the former producer of Cheaters says he’s pairing up two people some of us have gotten more than enough of: John Gosselin and Octomom Nadya Suleman. The pilot of this show [...]
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    Posted: October 30, 2009, 12:51am EDT
    by Patrick

  • The ‘Agenda’ Agenda

    Number of comments: 5
    As a general rule, I’m not one of the people in my station’s newsroom who responds directly to viewer questions or comments. Most of the time, like yesterday, that’s a really good thing. My newsroom received an email from a viewer complaining about our having missed a story. What is typical [...]
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    Posted: October 29, 2009, 3:12am EDT
    by Patrick

  • The Weirdest ‘Fall Back’ Reminder You’ve Ever Seen

    Number of comments: 4
    This weekend, clocks in the United States “fall back” one hour at 2:00am on Sunday morning.  This means we get an extra hour of sleep that night, which almost all of us need. What I didn’t realize was that the same ritual happens in Great Britain.  To remind viewers, they’ve created [...]
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    Posted: October 29, 2009, 12:05am EDT
    by Patrick

  • Grounded!

    Number of comments: 1
    Those pilots who missed their destination by more than 150 miles and were unreachable by radio and cell phone during a flight from California to Minnesota have had their licenses revoked by the FAA. The agency chastised them in a letter, stating they had “endangered the public” by failing to contact air [...]
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    Posted: October 28, 2009, 5:21am EDT
    by Patrick

  • Definite Overexposure

    Levi Johnston, who gained far more popularity than he ever should have by impregnating the daughter of Sarah Palin, is gearing up for a photo shoot for Playgirl magazine. And Johnston’s manager says the would-be model isn’t remotely nervous about losing his clothes for the shoot, which is planned to include [...]
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    Posted: October 27, 2009, 10:50pm EDT
    by Patrick

  • Saturday Six – Episode 289

    Here’s a new set of Saturday Six questions that might just make you hungry! It’s all about ethnic food, of any variety. My most unusual recent experience with ethnic food was with my close friends Archie and Rebekah in California. During my last visit there, along with Archie’s brother Sam, we [...]
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    Posted: October 24, 2009, 1:45pm EDT
    by Patrick

  • The Mystery of Flight 188

    By now you’ve heard about that Northwest Flight that put the FAA on full alert, fearing that some kind of hijacking was underway, when tower officials were unable to reach the flight crew for more than an hour.  The plane was flying from San Diego to Minneapolis on Wednesday night.  [...]
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    Posted: October 24, 2009, 1:11pm EDT
    by Patrick

  • The Heart Attack Promotion

    To celebrate the release of Windows 7, Burger King restaurants in Japan are offering something special to their first 30 customers of the day:  a Septuple Whopper.  (They’re not calling it that, exactly, but that’s what it is:  seven patties between two buns.) At 2,100 calories, it’s a full day’s calories [...]
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    Posted: October 24, 2009, 11:10am EDT
    by Patrick

  • Soupy Sales: 1926-2009

    Number of comments: 1
    My favorite story about Soupy Sales, who passed away last night at 83, is most likely the same one most everyone else would pick: that New Year’s broadcast in 1965 when Sales told his young viewers to tiptoe into their parents’ rooms and pull those funny-looking little green pieces of [...]
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    Posted: October 23, 2009, 10:19pm EDT
    by Patrick

  • Losing It With a Live-In

    She gained national attention as one of the physical trainers on NBC’s reality hit The Biggest Loser.  Now, NBC is tapping Jillian Michaels to host her own reality show, Losing It With Jillian. This time, instead of the weight-loss hopefuls coming to her, she’s going to them, and moving in! She’ll spend [...]
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    Posted: October 23, 2009, 2:40pm EDT
    by Patrick
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