TUESDAY, Feb 1 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR TUESDAY, February 1, 2022
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COMEDY MP3s POSTED ON OUR PREP SITE FOR TODAY: CONTEST – MIXED-UP MOVIE

TODAY IS …
(All days repeat annually on today’s date unless otherwise noted; days may or may not be called “National”/”International”/”World” depending on source; sources listed often have additional info. We generally do not list special days which were created by commercial companies for the purpose of marketing, or the hundreds of disease awareness listings which occur each year.)

CAR INSURANCE DAY
The Days Of The Year website says this:
“It can’t compete for romance with Valentine’s Day. It can’t inspire the joy of Christmas. And it’s almost impossible to find an appropriate costume. But if you remember it, Car Insurance Day will keep you covered the whole year ’round. Why not ‘celebrate’ with a quick price comparison – or just a phone call to ask for a better deal. Then test the smoke alarm, tidy the garage and enjoy the peace of mind.”
* PHONE TOPIC: Can you name all the current car insurance spokes-characters and match them correctly to the insurance company?
Progressive Insurance – Flo and her cast of characters
Farmers Insurance – Professor Nathaniel Burke of the University of Farmers (played by actor J.K. Simmons)
Liberty Mutual Insurance – LiMu Emu and Doug (and miscellaneous characters filmed with the Statue of Liberty in the background)
Geico – Martin the gecko
State Farm – “Jake from State Farm”
Allstate – “Mayhem,” guy who acts out violent car incidents, also actor Dennis Haysbert, the “Are you in good hands?” guy
The General Car Insurance – The General cartoon character

CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD DAY

CHINESE NEW YEAR – THE YEAR OF THE TIGER

DECORATING WITH CANDY DAY

G.I. JOE DAY
The Giftypedia website says this:
“G.I. Joe Day commemorates the Hasbro toy that made it okay for boys to play with dolls, umm, action figures. The ‘doll issue’ was probably the driving force behind the coinage of the term ‘action figure’ that G.I. Joe was responsible for. By whatever name, the G.I. Joe was a hit and in 2004 it became a member of the National Toy Hall of Fame.

HULA IN THE COOLA DAY
The A Year Of Holidays website says this:
“The goal of Hula in the Coola is to ditch your winter clothing in favor of a grass skirt and simple top, add some leis and throw a backyard luau in the snow and ice. To cut down on the frostbite, I’d avoid going barefoot.”

INTERNATIONAL FACE AND BODY ART DAY

NATIONAL BAKED ALASKA DAY

NATIONAL FREEDOM DAY
Wikipedia says this:
“National Freedom Day is a United States observance on February 1 honoring the signing by Abraham Lincoln of a joint House and Senate resolution that later became the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. President Lincoln signed the Amendment outlawing slavery on February 1, 1865, although it was not ratified by the states until later.”

ROBINSON CRUSOE DAY
The Examiner website says this:
“February 1 is Robinson Crusoe day. The holiday memorializes the rescue of real life Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk who was the inspiration for Daniel Defoe’s classic novel.”

SPUNKY OLD BROADS DAY

February is:

Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month
African American History Month
Celebration of Chocolate Month
International Boost Self Esteem Month
International Friendship Month
National Bird Feeding Month
National Snack Food Month
National Sweet Potato Month
Spunky Old Broads Month
Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month

ENTERTAINMENT & CELEBRITIES

NEW EVENTS AT THE OLYMPICS

The upcoming Beijing Olympics will feature seven new events in five sports, ​​bringing the Games’ total number of events to a record 109. The new events are an attempt to create events that incorporate both male and female athletes working together:
– Women’s monobob. One woman. One bobsled. Ice at an angle.
– Mixed relay short track speed skating: The relay will consist of teams each with two female and two male athletes.
– Men’s big air freestyle.
– Women’s big air freestyle.
– Mixed team freestyle skiing aerials. Athletes take off from constructed ramps and perform jumps in midair, judged on their takeoff, height, distance, form, twisting technique, and landing precision.
– Mixed team ski jumping. Each team is made up of two men and two women.
– Mixed team snowboard cross. The men will complete the course first, followed by the women, with the first woman to finish first deciding the winning team.
* All these big air events. With all the smog in Beijing, I thought the the trick is to stay the heck out of the big air.
* If they ever consider adding checkers and Rubik’s Cube, you’ll know we’ve hit bottom.
* How about some bar games like tossing quarters into shot glasses?
* C’mon, it’s China! I want to see the 32-Man Bobsled. I want to see Karate Hockey. I want to see Synchronized Speed Skating.
* In the Chinese Biathalon, the Chinese athletes aren’t allowed to carry guns, so they just ski up to the target and yell, “Bang!”

THE BUZZ

GROUNDHOG DAY FACTS

Here are some facts about Groundhog Day, which is tomorrow, Wednesday, February 2nd:
– The earliest mention of Groundhog Day is a diary entry made by James L. Morris of Morgantown, Pennsylvania, on Feb. 2, 1840.
– The first reported news of a Groundhog Day observance didn’t come until 1886, when it was mentioned in the Punxsutawney Spirit newspaper of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
– How accurate is Groundhog Day? Studies have found no conclusive evidence or a consistent correlation between a groundhog seeing its shadow – or not – and the weather.
– The largest Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where crowds as large as 40,000 gather each year. The tradition of watching a groundhog emerge from his burrow began as a custom among the German “Dutch” community in Pennsylvania in the 1880s.
– The club that runs the Groundhog Day events claims that famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil is immortal – and that it’s been the same Punxsutawney Phil for all 132 years of the tradition. He’s not.
– Punxsutawney Phil comes out at 7:25 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 2 at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. There will be a live broadcast available on VisitPa’s website.
* How does this work? Does the groundhog have an alert scheduled in its iPhone calendar app?
* Punxsutawney Phil is not immortal? What’s the deal, then? It’s a zombie? A vampire?
* Other Groundhog Day facts:
– Punxsutawney is an old Indian expression meaning, “Separate the white man from his money.”
– To get him out of the hole, they lower a small child down on a rope, to poke him with a stick.
– In the event of illness, Punxsutawney Phil’s understudy is a giant rat named Dennis.
– The Punxsutawney groundhog has eaten 8 fingers over the years. You never hear about that.
– Punxatawneyans really need something more to occupy their time.
CLIP: From “Groundhog Day,” the clock radio goes off and plays Sonny & Cher’s “I Got You Babe.”
CLIP URL: morningsidekick(dot)(com)/prep/wp-content/uploads/groundhog-day-clock-radio(dot)mp3

FISH CAN TALK WITH EACH OTHER

New research from a team at Cornell University reveals fish can actually “talk” to each other using sound waves. Researchers examined a branch of fish that have an anatomy capable of creating sounds, such as certain bones, an air bladder, or sound-specific muscles, which helps in the making of noise. Scientists identified 175 “fish families” that either do, or are at the very least likely to, communicate via sounds. The findings appear in the journal Ichthyology & Herpetology.
* What do they talk about? The weather?
* Well, crap. I guess no more undressing in front of the aquarium.
* Mostly, their communication boils down to, “Something smells like fish.”
* “Did you ever think how weird it is that we breathe water?”
* What did one fish say to the other fish when they swam into a wall? “Dam.”

SCARIEST STORIES FROM THE NIGHT SHIFT

Reddit asked the question, “Night shift workers, what’s the creepiest thing that’s happened to you?” Some of the responses:
– “I was working in a 35-story high-rise building. I was exhausted, could barely stay awake. As I approached the elevator, I noticed the door was open. I was happy that I didn’t need to wait so I started walking faster until I realized there was no elevator car – and it was a 10-story drop.”
– “I used to clean a church alone late at night. There was a piano upstairs in the attic. One night I started hearing piano music from the attic, so I immediately assumed someone was up there pranking me. But I went up and didn’t see anyone.”
– “I used to be an executive director of a family science museum. We once hosted a human cadaver type exhibit (similar to Body Worlds). Three times during the exhibit run, in the middle of the night, the alarm company called me to say motion sensors are going off in that exhibit hall. Three times I had to get out of bed, drive to the museum, and walk the exhibit floor amongst the posed cadavers and specimens with a flashlight to confirm all was well. Never found anything.”
– “Night shift on an ambulance… Thanksgiving 2016. I got called out for a suicide. We run the call, do what we do, and head back to the station. As I’m pulling into the spot, the electronics in the cab go nuts. Radio starts changing stations, dash lights dim off and on, and cab lights flicker. Me and my partner freaked out, and as we bailed, the truck shut off. We went to check the key, and it was still on.”
– “I worked nights driving a taxi, and occasionally I’d take a nap waiting for a job. I was waiting at a hospital since the hospital would give patients vouchers to go to another hospital or a shelter. I woke up and someone was sitting in the back seat – I’d forgotten to lock the doors. The guy admitted he’d been sitting there for a bit but didn’t know what to do since I was napping.”
– “I was working remotely, it was late at night, and I was alone in my house working. Something felt strange, so I went about checking the security cameras — and saw the rocking chair of a recently passed relative rocking alone on its own in the living room.”
– “I worked at a big box toy store. One night, I was stocking the board games section. I left the section to stock another part of the store when I heard a loud crash of several board games falling to the floor. I walked back to the board game aisles and found that every single box had fallen off the shelf. All but one…a single Ouija board, sitting alone on the shelf.” (* Oh, please! The guy’s just a bad stacker! Gimme a break!)
– “I worked at a grocery store, and it was in a bad neighborhood. So periodically I’d go to the front and check my car. Well one night as I was up front, every register started turning on and off rapidly. And the receipt machines started going crazy, like they were trying to print but nothing was coming out. I literally said, ‘Nope’ — and turned around and went to the back to continue work.”
* Nothing good ever happens after 11 pm, my dad used to say.
* Night Shift? This is more like “Night Gallery.”
* And every one of these really happened, you betcha.
* PHONE TOPIC: What’s your weird Night Shift story?

U.S. NEWS

SONIC DRIVE-IN WORKER’S CAR EXPLODES

A Sonic Drive-In restaurant worker in Houston, Texas was about to head home around 11 p.m. on Friday after his shift. When he sat down in his car, he immediately noticed a strange smell, like some kind of gas. He rolled his windows down to air out the odor, then stepped out of the car. The vehicle blew up just after he exited. The blast could be heard for miles, and sent debris flying over the Sonic and elsewhere. Parts of the car were found over 100-feet from where it was parked. The employee was taken to a hospital with minor injuries Investigators say the explosion was likely caused by a leaking acetylene tank in the trunk of the car. The Sonic worker has a relative who does welding and left the tank behind.
* “Likely”? That’s some fine police work there, Lou.
* Maybe the relative can weld the pieces back together.
* So this gas smell had nothing to do with “He who smelt it, dealt it.”
* I was thinking spontaneous combustion from all the old greased-up Sonic wrappers tossed in the back seat, but, sure, acetylene tank.
* Hey – Sonic boom!
* This Sonic worker – he’s not sleeping with his relative’s wife or something, is he? Because this has all the appearances of a hit.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

FUNERAL HOME USES GIRLS IN LINGERIE TO SELL SERVICES

A funeral home in Moscow, Russia, is facing backlash over an Instagram video featuring women in lingerie posing and dancing around coffins during a photo shoot. The 42-second Instagram clip for the Horonim funeral home shows models in lingerie and stripper heels posing with the coffins. One model hops inside a casket and writhes around. Another poses on top of the closed casket with her butt in the air. Another shows off her flexibility inside an open casket doing a backbend with one leg in the air. The campaign was created by the company’s 29-year-old social media manager, Albert Mazzafarov, who says his work “is connected with the mournful events that happen in the life of every person, so I, as a specialist in such a difficult field, can help in the quality organization of the funeral.”
* Maybe it’s the translation, but that makes no sense: “People die, coffins are a tough sell, these are high-end strippers.”
* I don’t have a problem with it, but I wonder how the guy inside the coffin feels. Lucky stiff.
* “Hey! America! Never mind about us invading Ukraine. Look over here! Models in lingerie!”
* Well how else are you going to get people to follow a funeral home on social media?

TRENDING

NICK CANNON CONTINUES TO OVERPOPULATE THE WORLD

Comedian Nick Cannon confirmed on his talk show Monday that he is expecting his eighth child — this time with Bre Tiesi, who was previously married to quarterback Johnny Manziel. Cannon is already the father of – and none of these names are made-up, apparently – 10-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe with ex-wife Mariah Carey; 4-year-old son Golden “Sagon” and 1-year-old daughter Powerful Queen with Brittany Bell; and 7-month-old twins Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir with Abby De La Rosa.

ALMANAC

NOTABLE DATES, UPCOMING U.S. OBSERVANCES

TODAY – Chinese New Year (The Year of the Tiger)
TOMORROW – Groundhog Day
February 12, Saturday – Lincoln’s Birthday
February 14, Monday – Valentine’s Day
February 21, Monday – Presidents’ Day / Washington’s Birthday
March 1, Tuesday – Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras
March 13, Sunday – Daylight Saving Time Begins
March 17, Thursday – St. Patrick’s Day
March 20, Sunday – Spring begins, Spring Equinox is 11:33 a.m. EDT
March 21, Monday – First full day of Spring

BIRTHDAYS

Harry Styles (singer, One Direction) … 28
Michael C. Hall (actor, “Dexter: New Blood,” “Dexter,” “Six Feet Under”) … 51
Lisa Marie Presley (Daughter of Elvis Presley, ex-Mrs. Michael Jackson. ex-Mrs. Nicolas Cage) … 54
Sherilyn Fenn (actress, “Twin Peaks”) … 57
Bill Mumy (actor-writer-producer, Will Robinson on “Lost in Space”) … 68
Mike Campbell (guitarist w/ Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) … 72

BIRTHDAY QUOTE QUIZ – Ask your listeners “Who said it?” HINT: Today’s their birthday!

“I think you have to take me for me. I am who I am.”

(A) Joe Rogan
(B) Kanye West
(C) Harry Styles

ANSWER: (C) Harry Styles

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

2003 – Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard.

1999 – Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky gave a vidotaped deposition for senators weighing impeachment charges against President Bill Clinton.
* She told her story blow by blow.

1994 – Jeff Gillooly, Tonya Harding’s ex-husband, pleaded guilty in Portland, Ore., to taking part in the attack on figure skater NancyKerrigan.
* Gee, if you hate figure skating so much, just change the channel!

1951 – An atomic explosion was televised for the first time.
* It remained the biggest bomb ever shown on television until “Happyish.”

1920 – The Royal Canadian Mounted Police came into existence.
* Their first official act was to draw straws to see who would clean up after the horses.

1919 – The first Miss America was crowned in New York City.
* Nice hosting job by Dick Clark.

1898 – The first auto insurance policy was issued to a motorist in Buffalo, New York.
* That must have been scary – driving around knowing everyone else in the world is an uninsured motorist.

1893 – Thomas Edison completed building the world’s first movie studio.
* It’s believed he also invented the casting couch.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2012 – Don Cornelius, the host of US TV’s Soul Train, (from 1971 until 1993), who helped break down racial barriers and broaden the reach of Black culture, died. Police officers responded to a report of a shooting at 12685 Mulholland Drive and found Cornelius with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was 75.

2004 – Singer Janet Jackson’s breast was briefly exposed during a duet with Justin Timberlake during the Super Bowl halftime show. Timberlake later referred to the incident as a “wardrobe malfunction.”

2001 – A collection of Sir Elton John’s private photos on display at a museum in Atlanta were withdrawn. The exhibition, which included snaps of nude men, was said to be too explicit, and some school trips to the museum were cancelled.

1997 – Boy George was beaten up by two bouncers after trying to jump the waiting line outside The Ministry Of Sound in London where George had been a guest DJ.

1992 – George Michael and Elton John went to No.1 on the U.S. singles chart with “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me”. All proceeds from the single went to Aids charities.

1988 – The Cars announced they were breaking up after 12 years of working together.

1986 – Diana Ross married Norwegian shipping magnate Arne Naess in Geneva. Stevie Wonder performed at the reception. The couple divorced in 2000.

1975 – Neil Sedaka had his second U.S. No.1 single with “Laughter In The Rain”, over 12 years after his last chart topper “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do.”

X-TREME TRIVIA CHALLENGE

Every installment of X-Treme Trivia Challenge includes three mystery factoids. Create your own “Impossible Question” contest – great for listener giveaways and phone interaction starters! Also a perfect sponsorship opportunity!

1. According to a recent survey, having one of THESE adds 7 hours of housework to the average woman’s week. What is it?
A husband

2. The average woman spends one year of her life doing THIS. What is it?
Deciding what to wear

3. The average adult woman says life is just too … What?
Tiring

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