TUESDAY, Oct 15 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR TUESDAY, October 15, 2024
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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.)

NATIONAL GROUCH DAY
The National Day Calendar website says this:
“National Grouch Day is observed annually on October 15. According to Sesame Street Magazine, National Grouch Day was created for all grouches to celebrate their way of life.”

NATIONAL I LOVE LUCY DAY
The National Day Calendar website says this:
“National I Love Lucy Day is observed annually on October 15. This day celebrates one of television’s all-time greatest shows; ‘I Love Lucy.’ ‘I Love Lucy,’ an American sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawley, made its debut on October 15, 1951. The program created a new television experience with the first filmed and scripted program performed before a live audience. The studio literally knocked a hole in a concrete wall creating room for theater seating inviting the once-banned fans to see the stars perform – for free! The new format and I Love Lucy won five Emmy Awards. In four of its six seasons, ‘I Love Lucy’ was the most-watched show in the United States and was the first to end its run at the top of the Nielsen ratings.”

NATIONAL MUSHROOM DAY

October is:

Adopt a Shelter Dog Month
American Cheese Month
Car Care Month
Child Health Month
Consumer Information Month
Cookbook Month
Country Music Month
Fire Prevention Month
National Pizza Month
National Popcorn Month
National Service Dog Month
Vegetarian Awareness Month

THE BUZZELEPHANTS ARE LEFT-TRUNKED OR RIGHT-TRUNKED

According to a new study published in the Royal Society Open Science, wrinkles on elephants’ trunks can reveal the left or right “trunkedness” of the majestic animals. Just like humans are left-or right-handed, researchers at Humboldt University of Berlin discovered that elephants “prefer a direction when executing complex tasks with their trunks. What’s more, you can tell their preference by the wrinkles on the sides of the elephants’ trunks. Looking at both living and dead African and Asian elephants, the scientists saw that “left-trunked” elephants would have longer whiskers and about 10% more wrinkles on the left side of their trunks. The same goes for “right-trunked” elephants.
* You can use this information to win a bar bet, if you have an elephant handy.
* It really doesn’t matter in the general scope of things. It just frustrates a left-trunked elephant when you hand him a pair of right-trunked scissors.
* And baseball. It matters in elephant baseball. Speaking of which: What do you do to an elephant with three balls? You walk him and hope the rhino hits into a double play.
* One more: How do you make an elephant fly? Start with a 3 foot zipper.
* Nice job, Humboldt University of Berlin. Now do octopuses.

AUDIO: DREAM COMMUNICATING

A California-based sleep research startup called REMspace claims they have documented the first communication between two dreaming people. In an experiment on September 24th, researchers monitored two sleeping participants. When the first participant entered a lucid dream, they sent a random phrase to the participant through earbuds. The monitoring device then detected the participant repeating that phrase in their dream. Eight minutes later, the next participant also entered a lucid dream. The monitoring device transmitted the words from the first participant to the new sleeper, who confirmed it upon awakening. Additionally, two other people were able to pick up information from the server through their dreams. REMspace says this suggests “people could accomplish stuff related to their work or personal lives before waking up.”
* “Stuff.” What a great scientific word. “Stuff.”
* Could I accomplish crappy stuff before I wake up, like cleaning my toilets or doing my taxes?
* “The monitoring device then detected the participant repeating that phrase in their dream.” Yup. REMspace has a device THAT CAN TELL WHAT WORDS YOU’RE SAYING IN YOUR DREAMS. Sure. Y’know what I say? “In your dreams, REMspace.”
* I bet I know what the phrase was: “GRANT MONEY.”
* In the end, you know they’re just looking for a way to insert commercials into our dreams, like on YouTube.
* What I would like when I’m dreaming is for somebody to tell me what my locker combination is, or why I can see out the front of the plane when I’m sitting in the back, or where my clothes are before I give the big speech.
CLIP: Our classic parody spot, “SpeepAwake.”
CLIP URL: morningsidekick(dot)com/prep/wp-content/uploads/04-08-SleepAwake(dot)mp3

U.S. NEWS

AUDIO: CHINA SENDS MORE PANDAS TO THE NATIONAL ZOO

After taking back their giant pandas last November when US-China diplomatic relations were at their lowest, China is now sending another pair of pandas to the National Zoo in Washington, DC. China leases at least 60 pandas to more than 20 countries, using the money for conservation efforts. Though they are no longer considered endangered, only about 1,800 pandas live in the wild today. Bao Li, a 3-year-old male, and Qing Bao, a 3-year-old female, are headed to the National Zoo, where they will begin a 10-year residency in the nation’s capital.
* I hope they change up the set list every couple of years.
* Why are we doing a 10-year lease? We won’t be able to trade them in for newer models!
* Better check them for hidden microphones and cameras. You know the Chinese.
* As part of the animal exchange, America is sending China a pair of beautiful Spotted Lanternflys.
CLIP: Since we’ve got a couple of animal stories today, here’s our “Let’s Check In With The Animals” song.]
CLIP URL: morningsidekick(dot)com/prep/wp-content/uploads/LetsCheckInWithTheAnimals(dot)mp3

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

BRITISH WOMAN KILLED BY BED

A 39-year-old British woman was killed by her ottoman bed – a metal bed frame that sits on a box that’s the same size as the bed. By pushing a button, a set of pistons lift the bed like the hood of a car, exposing the box underneath where you can store bedding and stuff. The woman, Helen Davey, was apparently leaning into the storage area when a piston failed. The mattress and platform closed on her, trapping her neck against the side panel of the bed’s base, asphyxiating her. The coroner listed her death as accidental. He also wrote a letter to government ministers warning that future deaths might occur if they didn’t fix the problem.
* Way to take the lead there, Quincy.
* Asphyxiated by her bed. I’m all choked up.
* I want to die in my own bed, but not IN my own bed, if you know what I mean.
* It’s like the bed was possessed, and her sleep number was 666.
* Killer mechanical furniture. Makes me a little scared of my La-Z-Boy.

CHINESE AQUARIUM’S WHALE SHARK WAS ACTUALLY A ROBOT

A Chinese aquarium is being ripped after its much-hyped giant whale shark was revealed to be a robot. The Xiaomeisha Sea World in Shenzhen re-opened on October 1 following a five-year renovation. The new main attraction of the park was a whale shark, the world’s largest fish, capable of growing over 60 feet in length. There are only a few whale sharks in captivity. A very large tank is required and the shark has specialized feeding needs. So visitors felt a bit cheated when they noticed the whale shark was actually just a robot. There are gaps in its torso where its segments have been connected. The aquarium addressed the criticism, claiming that the robo-shark was not devised to lie to visitors but rather to adhere to international laws banning the trade of whale sharks.
* Catfished!
* Dummies! Advertise it as a cyborg shark and double the attendance!
* People aren’t asking for their money back, ’cause then they would just go missing.
* Like the workers who were supposed to cover those gaps with fake sharkskin.
* If I were to guess I’d say Elon Musk was behind this.

TRENDING

OLIVIA RODRIGO FALLS THROUGH TRAP DOOR

Pop star Olivia Rodrigo shocked fans in Melbourne, Australia, on Monday when she fell through a stage trapdoor while performing. Rodrigo, 21, was running across the stage when she fell into an opening in the floor at her “Guts World Tour” stop. “Oh my God, that was fun,” the singer told the crowd before adding, “I’m okay! Sometimes there’s just a hole in the stage.”

ALMANAC

NOTABLE DATES, UPCOMING U.S. OBSERVANCES

TOMORROW – National Boss’s Day
Oct. 31, Thursday – Halloween
Nov. 3, Sunday – Daylight Saving Time Ends, turn clocks back 1 hour
Nov. 11, Monday – Veterans Day
Nov. 28, Thursday – Thanksgiving
Dec. 21, Saturday – Winter begins, winter solstice occurs at 4:21 a.m. (EST)
Dec. 25, Wednesday – Christmas
Dec. 31, Tuesday – New Year’s Eve
Jan. 1, Wednesday – New Year’s Day

BIRTHDAYS

Kimberly Schlapman (singer w Little Big Town) … 55
Sarah Ferguson, Duchess Of York … 65
Emeril Lagasse (TV chef) … 65
Larry Miller (comedian, actor) … 71
Richard Carpenter (musician, singer with The Carpenters) … 78

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

“In order to be big, you have to think big. If you think small, you’re going to be small.”

(A) Dwayne Johnson
(B) Godzilla
(C) Emeril Lagasse

ANSWER: (C) Emeril Lagasse

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

2011 – Legoland Florida (the world’s largest Legoland theme park) opened in Winter Haven, Florida.
* Wear hard shoes.

2009 – A false report that a 6-year-old boy (later called Balloon Boy) was aboard a runaway balloon in Colorado captivated a global TV audience. The boy’s parents later pleaded guilty to charges they made up the story.
* I blame that movie “Up.”

2005 – Iraqis voted to approve a constitution.
* Mission Accomplished!

1997 – A jet-powered car became the first automobile to break the sound barrier.
* Or was it really just a jet with no wings?

1993 – South African President F. W. De Clerk shared the Nobel Peace Prize with a recently released Nelson Mandela.
* And the Nobel judges were awarded the World Irony Prize from the rest of civilization.

1962 – Human Rights group Amnesty International was created.
* Now you can’t murder, punish and torture thousands of innocent people without some bunch of busybodies poking their noses in.

1924 – President Calvin Coolidge declared the Statue of Liberty to be a national monument.
* Instantly adding $5 to the admission price.

1919 – The first nude scene in a movie was filmed as Annette Kellerman took it all off for a film called “Daughter of the Gods”.
* It’s the first nude scene if you don’t count all those secret porno flicks Thomas Edison made.

1581 – The first major ballet was performed in Paris.
* Followed by the first major sore calves.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2014 – U2 frontman Bono said he was sorry after their latest album was automatically added to the libraries of all iTunes users around the world, saying the move was a “drop of megalomania, a touch of generosity.” iTunes users complained that the 11-track Songs of Innocence had been added to their music library without permission and that it was not clear how to delete it.

2013 – Madonna was banned from a U.S. cinema chain after being accused of texting during a film. Attending the New York Film Festival screening of 12 Years a Slave, the 55-year-old was reportedly asked to stop texting by an audience member. Tim League, CEO of the Alamo Drafthouse chain, tweeted: “Until she apologizes to movie fans, Madonna is banned from watching movies at Alamo.”

2007 – Britney Spears visited a Los Angeles police station to be photographed and fingerprinted ahead of her hit-and-run court case. The 25-year-old singer was charged for allegedly crashing into a parked car while driving without a valid license.

1997 – Virginia concert promoter Patricia Ann Richardson filed suit against Snoop Dogg, his former manager Sharitha Knight, and Death Row Records for allegedly tricking her into transporting packages containing seven pounds of marijuana to a venue where Snoop Dogg was performing. Richardson claimed she was stopped, searched and arrested by local, state and federal law enforcement officers at the entrance to the club.

1976 – Ike and Tina Turner broke up after working together for 19 years.

1968 – Led Zeppelin made its performance debut at Surrey University in England.

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. 16% of people say THIS is the last thing they do before getting into bed. What is it?
Turn off the light

2. For 18% of adults, THIS is the last thing they do before getting into bed. What is it?
Make sure the doors are locked

3. 22% of people say THIS is the last thing they do before getting into bed. What is it?
Wash their hands or face

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