Wednesday, May 23, 2012 @ 12:04pm

Habla Espanol? Debate rages over pizza promotion

A promotion offering free pizza for anyone ordering in Spanish is causing indigestion for Enlish-first advocates

Quieres pizza? Some people don't, at least in Spanish. What was supposed to be a light hearted promotion is facing plenty of backlash. Several groups attacked the 'free pizza' offer to anyone ordering in Spanish at Pizza Patron in Dallas on June 5.

"I think people are sick and tired of picking up a phone and having to wait and press "line 1" if you want English and "line 2" if you want something else," said Peter Thomas of the Conservative Coalition in an interview with Ross and Burbank.

Thomas calls the campaign discriminatory and says it's just the latest in an ongoing erosion of the English language.

"You just keep turning your back a little here a little there and it just keeps going on and on and it keeps building up and pretty soon we'll find it gone," Thomas complains.

"I don't think that there's this huge problem with people not learning English in this country because you occasionally have to press 1," counters co-host Luke Burbank.

"If a company wants to make a business decision for whatever reason to have you speak Spanish or English, why shouldn't they be free to do that in a free market state?" asks co-host Dave Ross.

Thomas insists he has no problem with people speaking any language in their homes, but argues for laws mandating English.

"It just surprises me that a self described conservative would want to enforce a language requirement which you couldn't really enforce unless you expanded the government in a way I don't think even you would be comfortable with," Ross argues.

What do you think?

Wednesday, May 23, 2012 @ 11:49am

Dave Recalls Wilder Days

Defense attorneys say the Florida A&M band member who died during hazing wanted to be hazed. This story got Dave thinking about his wild days with the Cornell University band. He says band members used to have to do something called "The Aardvark". He found this photo of students doing it in 2009:

From the Big Red Band Notes newsletter:

Freshmen go through a rite of passage as they aardvark during band camp.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012 @ 8:44am

Thank you Facebook

Dave Ross was THIS close to picking up Facebook stock. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

I don't follow the stock market that closely. But I do look at my monthly statement, and I will admit I've always been a little disappointed that after all this time it shows that I'm still solidly middle class.

I would have thought that by now I'd be able to endow a modest professorship, or do a little dressage -- and I always blamed the fact that my broker never got me in on an IPO.

I missed Microsoft, I missed Apple, I missed Amazon, I missed Google, and so I figured my last chance to win an IPO payday was Facebook.

I was this close to picking up the phone and telling my adviser,'I don't care what you say, buy Facebook! Zuckerberg's a genius, demand is high, it's all anyone talks about here at work, they made a movie about it, it can't lose -- plus since the big crash I'm sure there are rules to protect investors.' Then today, I hear Rebecca Jarvis report on allegations that:

"The lead banks on the deal cut Facebook's revenue forecast just days before it went public, but only shared the information with a select few."

And then what did these banks allegedly do?

"Morgan Stanley increased Facebook's offering price and the size of the deal signalling greater demand at a higher price," said Jarvis.

So they took a product they allegedly knew was losing value, and made it look like it was worth more.

Where have we heard that before?

Anyway, as I say, I came very close to saying 'Buy Facebook,' but at the last moment I got distracted by some free pizza in the newsroom.

And thank goodness, because the Facebook stock chart looks like one of those compostable eco-spoons that melt in your soup. So thank you Facebook, for reminding us that the the only secure place to put your money is under a big rock.

By the way, I'll be happy to sell you shares in my rock. $38 a share.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012 @ 11:19am

Burbank on Oklahoma City Celebration: "Those were supposed to be our riots!"

As the team formerly known as the Seattle Supersonics blew out the LA Lakers last night to advance to the NBA's Western Conference finals, a heartbroken Luke Burbank sat forlornly while players and fans on the prairie partied (some rioted, not realizing you're supposed to wait until you actually win a championship.)

"This is supposed to be my basketball team," lamented Luke.

The lifelong Sonics fan likens it to a spouse who sacrifices all, only to be left by their lover after carrying them through the lean times.

"Seattle was married to the Seattle Supersonics and they were working their way through med school, and we Seattle got a job as a waitress to pay for the Sonics to go through med school," says Luke.

"As soon as the Sonics finally become a well paid high powered surgeon they say 'adios, sorry Seattle. Sorry you had to be there for all the bad times for all the growing pains.'"

"Why don't we sue them for palimony," wonders co-host Dave Ross. "Oh wait, didn't we try that already?"

Adding insult to injury, some mean spirited Thunder fans are even profiting on our misery, selling T-shirts with the team's name over the old Sonics logo, and "Thank You Seattle," on the back.

"Really, Oklahoma City. It isn't enough that you got our man, now you have to rub it in our face?!" decries Luke.

Still, Luke admits he still feels a connection to the team. And begrudgingly will be rooting for the talent laden Thunder as they take on San Antonio in the next series.

"If Oklahoma City wasn't the former Seattle Supersonics, they'd be my favorite team," Luke sighs.

Josh Kerns/My Northwest.com

(AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Tuesday, May 22, 2012 @ 11:16am

Paper airplane throwing world-record holder from Bellevue unseated in controversial flight

Joe Ayoob and John Collins line up for their record-breaking paper airplane flight. (Image: YouTube)

One of the men currently listed in The Guinness Book of World Records for longest paper airplane flight didn't actually throw the plane, and that doesn't sit well with the former world-recorder holder in the category who is from Bellevue.

"Competitive paper airplane flying had always been, in my mind, what can one person do with one piece of paper," 23- year-old Stephen Kreiger of Bellevue tells The Wall Street Journal.

Two people now share credit for the longest flight as Guinness acknowledged both plane designer John Collins and plane thrower, ex-Cal quarterback Joe Ayoob.

Plane designer Collins tells 97.3 KIRO FM's Ross and Burbank Show he didn't even expect to be named in the record book.

"The thrower and I had talked about this, and my family and all my friends knew that in all likelihood I was not going to be in the Guinness Book of World Records. I just wanted to make a plane go that far," said Collins. "I was really flattered when Guinness decided to include me in the record."

>>Listen to John Collins on The Ross and Burbank Show

Kreiger, of Bellevue, had held the record since 2003, from a 207 foot flight he threw when he was 15. Kreiger told WSJ that he worked for an entire summer on his throwing arm before his attempt.

At age 51, Collins said he faced different challenges. "If the haters are 51-years-old, they would understand trying to throw that plane with my shoulder."

He sought out to find a stand-in, and after testing multiple QBs, settled on Ayoob. The pair worked together for 18 months to get things just right, Collins said.

"Stephen [Kreiger]'s point is that it is not in the spirit of traditional paper airplane competition, but I just have to defer to Guinness on what they think is tradition, and what they think is in the spirit of their own rules," said Collins. "The way I approached this thing is, world records are there for people to innovate and get past."

In fact, he's not opposed to others using his design to go after the world record themselves.

"Please fold my plane."

Collins makes the design available at his website thepaperairplaneguy.com.

"I'm encouraging people to go there, learn how to fold my plane and beat my record. I want to know how far my plane goes," said Collins.

Watch the paper airplane's record-breaking flight:

By JAMIE GRISWOLD, MyNorthwest.com Editor

Tuesday, May 22, 2012 @ 10:11am

Olympic Beauty Can't Find a Date

This gorgeous Olympian can’t get a date because she wants to maintain her virginity until she's married. She apparently can’t find any guys who will accept those terms. Would you?

Check out Lolo Jones' crush-worthy interview on HBO's Real Sports.