Every weekday, PR Daily associate editor Alan Pearcy highlights the day’s most compelling stories and amusing marginalia on the Web in this, #TheDailySpin.

Comic books readers are used to their superheroes fighting evils lurking around every corner. Fighting breast cancer, though—now that’s another story. However, the disease is the next villain that Marvel has its characters pursuing; the company teamed up with Susan G. Komen for the Cure to help raise awareness that men are also at risk of the often deadly and frequently late diagnosed illness.

Comic book superheroes also make an appearance in this “geektastic” gallery of kids and babies’ Halloween costumes from parenting blog Babble.

Letting my nerd flag continue to fly, I’d like to wish Atari a happy belated birthday. On Sunday, the video game manufacturer’s classic 2600 console turned 35 years old. To mark the occasion, Yahoo’s Plugged In blog assembled these 35 factoids about the system that brought us the gifts of “Asteroids” and “Pong.”

Speaking of gifts, “Oprah’s Favorite Things” show is returning to television, this time in its own two-hour special set to air Sunday, Nov. 18 on OWN. According to The Hollywood Reporter, this year’s lucky recipients will be military spouses from each branch of the Armed Forces. viewers can also win select items from the show by texting key words throughout the telecast.

While texting is certainly a mobile technology that has caught on with marketers and some consumers, the prevalence of inane QR codes often leaves me scratching my head. I’m not alone; it seems the creator(s) of “WTF QR Codes,” a Tumblr account that requires little explanation, feels the same way.

Pizza Hut needn't explain why it backed out on its promise of free pizza for life to any attendee at Tuesday’s town hall presidential debate who asks candidates Obama and Romney which topping they preferred on their pizza: pepperoni or sausage. After receiving a great deal of backlash following the offer, the chain rethought its idea and decided to move the promotion online instead.

While it does little to settle Pizza Hut’s topping debate, The New York Times amassed a throng of photos that show our commander-in-chiefs, both past and present, stuffing their faces with other grub.

Elsewhere, an attendee at last week’s vice presidential debate managed to stuff her foot in her mouth when she told Chris Matthews of “Hardball” that President Obama is a “communist,” despite not being able to explain what a communist is.



As long as the PR pros on the campaign trail can explain themselves better than that lady could, they shouldn’t have a problem nabbing a job at the end of the election season. The question is where will they land. As Advertising Age notes, it’ll be a battle among large corporations, lobbying firms, consultancies, and smaller shops, all of which are looking to snatch up the race’s top talent.

Despite the promising talent produced by MBA programs at some of the top ranked business schools in the nation, Bloomberg Businessweek reports that a majority of these institutions' marketing professors aren’t participating on Twitter.

Businessweek also shared a report on the unlikely partnership brewing between Starbucks and clothing brand Rodarte. The sister’s behind the indie fashion brand, Laura and Kate Mulleavy, have teamed with the coffee giant to design a series of limited-edition products for the holiday season.

A limited-run exhibit featuring live butterflies at the Tate Modern in London titled “In and Out of Love” might have been praised by art critics, but after it was revealed that more than 9,000 of the insects died during the work’s 23-week stint, artist Damien Hirst is now being condemned by animal welfare groups such as the RSPCA and PETA.

Is there something you think we should include in our next edition of #TheDailySpin? Tweet me @iquotesometimes with your suggestions. Thanks in advance.

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