A Burgeoning Trend

I dare somebody to tell me this one is intentional.

M. Hoops | Insert Yale Headline [DP]
Feb. 11: FILL IN HEADLINE

Trendspotting: Copper Thievery

As part of Philadelphia Will Do’s commitment to bringing you the latest in hot trends, I bring you the latest:

9/26/06:

Theft: Edgely Rd., overnight, Sat, 5 rolls of copper wire, no value given.

9/27/06:

Theft: PECO substation, Mill Creek Rd., time/date unknown, 4 rolls of copper, chainsaw, gas grill from trailers, $1,350 value.

10/5/06:

Man charged in theft of $6,700 in copper

A man who police said posed as an employee of a New Britain roofing and siding company was charged Tuesday with stealing $6,700 worth of copper on five occasions from Bradco Supply at Route 309 and Park Drive.

Steven Dumon, 25, who has no fixed address, was charged after he tried to steal a sixth truckload of copper at 2:38 p.m. Tuesday, police said. Police said Dumon had never been employed by the roofing and siding company.

A Bradco manager who recognized Dumon from previous “purchases” that were never paid for called the roofing and siding company after Dumon requested 500 pounds of copper. The manager was told that Dumon had never worked for the company. When the manager confronted him, Dumon left a truck he had apparently borrowed from a Quakertown woman and ran off into the woods.

He was found by a police canine unit and charged with attempted theft, theft by deception and receiving stolen property.

Yesterday:

Copper tubing stolen: An estimated $5,800 worth of three-quarter-inch copper tubing was stolen over the weekend from the Pennland Construction site on Scott Road just north of Smith School Road, said Bedminster police. Seventeen coils, totaling 1,700 feet and each individually boxed, were taken from a locked storage container, said Officer Brian Pfaff.

If you want to be hip, be sure to go steal some copper tonight.

Puppies are so in right now

We journalists are always looking for trends. That way, we can write a trend story, get ahead of the curve, get noticed by readers and other journalists and maybe one day actually make some money in this business. (Well, the last one is probably pretty unlikely.)

Trend stories are sometimes fairly bogus, other times dead on and usually very unscientific. No big deal there; it’s just journalism, and if the readers approach trend stories with a healthy dose of skepticism, it’s all good.

And, well, I think I’ve spotted the newest trend: Doggies!

Yes, doggies (and by extension puppies) are the hottest thing on the market right now. My evidence? Inquirer columnist John Grogan’s new book, Marley & Me: Life and Love With the World’s Worst Dog, hit No. 1 on the Publisher’s Weekly bestseller list. It’s a runaway best seller in its 17th printing. The Inky did a nice profile of Grogan in Sunday’s paper. It was also a bit of a trend story, since the humor columnist for Bark magazine has a new book coming out, Grogan’s book is all the rage and there are other copydog books soon to follow.

I write about this simply to notify you, the reader, of who’s at the forefront of this doggies/puppies are awesome fad: Well, John Grogan. But know who else is? That’s right, yours truly. I’ve been posting puppy photos since early September.

I can only assume that other things I harp on in my little corner of the Internet will soon become big trends as well, which is why I’m writing up a pitch right now for The Complete Northeast Times Letters Collection. I mean, who wouldn’t buy that?

Dog’s tale unleashes canine passion [Inky]

Where are the salons with puppies to play with?

An article from the AP datelined Philadelphia today highlights a new trend — remember, trend stories have to be taken with a grain of salt, but still — about male salons.

Male salons, like the one in the photo (American Male in Center City), offer beer, sports and pedicures, though they call them by different names. Fair enough, though I don’t know if I like beer enough to drink it while getting a manicure. (Incidentally, the guy in the photo’s name is Steven Wooke, which I’m really hoping is pronounced “Wookie.”)

What’s best about the story is what American Male calls its services: a manicure is hand detailing, a pedicure is foot detailing. And getting rid of gray? “Camouflage.” Which, you know, proves that even if men are comfortable enough to get manicures and pedicures, we’re still going to call them something else so to not be labeled weak or something. Naturally.

Male salons catch on with sports, beer and waxing [AP via Boston.com]