FRIDAY, July 12 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR FRIDAY, July 12, 2024
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COMEDY MP3s POSTED ON OUR PREP SITE FOR TODAY: THE FRIDAY CLUSTERFLICKS

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 DIFFERENT COLORED EYES DAY

NATIONAL FRENCH FRY DAY – The second Friday in July

NATIONAL PECAN PIE DAY

PAPER BAG DAY
The National Day Calendar website says this:
“Each July 12th, we recognize the significance of an invention that we take for granted on Paper Bag Day. Millions of people use paper bags every day. Readily recyclable, paper bags have been around for many years. American inventor Francis Wolle received credit for his patent of the first paper bag machine in 1852. Margaret E. Knight became known as ‘the mother of the grocery bag’ after she designed the square, flat bottom and the machine that would fold and paste them in 1870.”

SIMPLICITY DAY – Birthday of Henry David Thoreau

July is:

Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month
Air Conditioning Appreciation Month
Baked Bean Month
Cell Phone Courtesy Month
Family Reunion Month
International Blondie and Deborah Harry Month
National Blueberries Month
National Grilling Month
National Hot Dog Month
National Ice Cream Month
Melon Month

ENTERTAINMENT & CELEBRITIES

HALLMARK+ STREAMING IS COMING

There’s another streaming service coming. This time, it’s Hallmark+, which is launching in mid-September. The new platform will cost $80 a year and offer the “very best of Hallmark with new exclusive content and membership benefits program.” Those benefits include e-cards and “surprising gifts,” such as rewards that can be used in Hallmark stores. Members will earn reward points based on content that they are watching. Those points, or rewards, can be used in Hallmark stores.
* To buy eye bleach, for example.
* To put this another way… Hallmark will pay YOU to watch it.
* But if a channel showed great, high-quality programming, wouldn’t that be its OWN reward? Oh, wait … never mind.
* Good news for insomniacs – subscribing to Hallmark+ is cheaper than Ambien, and safer.

THE BUZZ

THE FOUR MOST COMMON VACATION FIGHTS

There’s no better time for couples to argue than when they’re on vacation. According to relationship experts, here are the four most common arguments couples have on a holiday:
– We Need To Relax vs. We Need Some Adventure
– We Need A Plan vs. Let’s Just Be Spontaneous
– You’re Spending Too Much vs. You’re Being Too Frugal
– Let’s Make Time For Romance vs. I’m Just Not In The Mood
The solution to not having these arguments on vacation: talk about these things before you go.
* And THAT’S why relationship experts make the big bucks.
* This is different than daily life at home how?
* One thing you don’t want to experience on vacation is have someone come up and ask if they can use your story on the next season of The White Lotus.
* There are other less-common arguments couples have. Like, I Asked You To Pack My Bathing Suit vs. You Didn’t Tell Me This Was A Nude Beach.
* PHONE TOPIC: Did you ever have a big fight on vacation? What happened?

U.S. NEWS

SAN FRANCISCO NUDISTS RESCUE TOURIST FROM MAN WITH BLOWTORCH

A pair of California nudists rescued a tourist from a blowtorch-wielding madman in a fight caught on camera in San Francisco’s Castro district. Pete Sferra and Lloyd Fishback were enjoying a totally naked walk through the famously gay-friendly neighborhood on July 2 when they encountered what they called a “crazy kind of pirate guy” menacing a Brazilian tourist with a blowtorch. Footage from the encounter showed Sferra and Fishback trying to talk down the attacker. Then the action started: The owner of a nearby coffee shop sprang forward and snatched away the blowtorch. The disarmed attacker then jumped on the tourist and started punching his head. Naked Mr. Fishback sprang into action and took him to the ground with a right hook. Police soon arrived and detained the attacker, who was identified as 38-year-old Zero Triball – a reputed menace who has harassed the neighborhood for years. As for the naked guys, Mr. Sferra hopes his and Fishback’s naked display of justice will help normalize the culture of nudity in the neighborhood.
* Well, if you’re a criminal and two naked guys approach to take you down, you’re not going to be looking at their hands.
* Sadly, the neighborhood’s rating just went way down on TripAdvisor.
* There are eight million stories in the naked city. This has been one of them.
* The city wants to give the guys a medal. But where would you pin it?
* Nudists, blowtorch, Brazilians – are you sure this isn’t one of those A.I. news stories?
* Folks, don’t name your kid “Zero.” It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

WOMAN SWEPT OUT TO SEA, RESCUED 36 HOURS LATER

A Chinese woman who was swept out to sea while swimming at a Japanese beach was rescued 36 hours later and 50 miles away. She did have an inner tube with her. She had gone missing around 7:30pm Monday while swimming at Shimoda, about 125 miles southwest of Tokyo. Japan’s coast guard launched a search for the woman, identified only as a Chinese woman in her 20s. But the woman, still floating in the tube, was spotted by a cargo ship around 8am Wednesday, about 36 hours after she disappeared, off the southern tip of the Boso Peninsula. Two crew members jumped into the sea and rescued her. She was airlifted by a coast guard helicopter, found to be slightly dehydrated, but was in good health and walked away after being examined at a nearby hospital.
* Then she was hit with a $40 fee by the tube rental guy for an extra two days.
* Next time, spend the extra ten bucks for flippers.
* Her fingers should stop being pruny by next Thursday.
* Lucky for her all the sharks are currently hanging around Florida.
* Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the newest TikTok challenge.

SINGAPORE ALLOWS 16 INSECT SPECIES AS HUMAN FOOD

Singapore’s state food agency is now allowing 16 species of insects for human consumption, and therefore legal to be served at restaurants and food stands. The only caveats are that the bugs cannot be “harvested from the wild,” they must be farmed in government-inspected facilities. If you go to Singapore, here’s what’s on the menu:
– Western honey bee/European honey bee
– Silkworm/silk moth
– Lesser wax moth
– Honeycomb moth/greater wax moth
– Giant Rhino beetle grub
– Whitegrub
– Mealworm
– Lesser mealworm
– Superworm beetles/giant mealworm beetle/king mealworm
– Grasshopper
– American desert locust/desert locust
– African migratory locust
– Black/field cricket/two-spotted cricket
– Common/field cricket
– Banded cricket
– House cricket
* Do they at least dunk ’em in batter and deep-fry ’em?
* No offense, but this is different from the past 3,000 years in Singapore how?
* Just because they’re called mealworms doesn’t mean they make a great meal.
* I’ve eaten some of these things before. I’ve been to summer camp.
* “Waiter, I specifically asked for Banded Cricket, and these are definitely House Crickets.”

TRENDING

SHELLY DUVALL DEAD AT 75

Shelley Duvall, the versatile actor who starred in “The Shining,” “McCabe & Mrs. Miller,” “Nashville,” “Popeye” and “3 Women,” died Thursday. She was 75. Duvall died in her sleep of complications from diabetes at her home in Blanco, Texas, according to her long-term life partner, Dan Gilroy. “My dear, sweet, wonderful life partner and friend left us. Too much suffering lately, now she’s free. Fly away, beautiful Shelley,” Gilroy said.

WHOOPI GOLDBERG DUMPED HER MOTHER’S ASHES IN “IT’S A SMALL WORLD”

On Wednesday night’s episode of “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” Whoopi Goldberg disclosed that she and her late brother, Clyde, spread her mother’s ashes inside Disneyland’s classic It’s a Small World ride shortly after she died in 2010. “She loved Small World. So, in the Small World ride, periodically, I’d scoop some of her up and drop her in the water. She adds, “We didn’t get caught, but I confessed it later to a park employee. They weren’t surprised, and they certainly were not happy about it.”

LIVE AMMO ALL OVER THE “RUST” MOVIE SET

It came out Thursday at Alec Baldwin’s trial for involuntary manslaughter in the “Rust” movie shooting that there was live ammo all over the set. According to crime scene technician Marissa Poppell, investigators found some live rounds on a prop cart, in a box of ammo and also in two prop gun holsters – the one worn by Alec Baldwin and another in a bandolier worn by co-star Jensen Ackles.

ALMANAC

NOTABLE DATES, UPCOMING U.S. OBSERVANCES

Sept. 2, Monday – Labor Day
Sept. 11, Wednesday – Patriot Day
Sept. 23, Sunday – Fall begins (Autumn Equinox is 8:44 a.m. EDT)

BIRTHDAYS

Rachel Brosnahan (actress, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) … 34
Melissa O’Neill (actress, “The Rookie”) … 36
Michelle Rodriguez (actress, “Fast & Furious” movies) … 46
Cheryl Ladd (actress, “Charlie’s Angels”) … 73
Richard Simmons (fitness guru and pitchman) … 76
Bill Cosby (former comedian, actor) … 87

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

“I don’t see the point of marriage. But when I need my love, I get my love.”

(A) Bill Clinton
(B) Hillary Clinton
(C) Michelle Rodriguez

ANSWER: (C) Michelle Rodriguez

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1996 – England’s Prince Charles and Princess Diana reached a divorce agreement.
* She got custody of the paparazzi.

1960 – The first “Etch-A-Sketch” went on sale. Over 50 million were sold in the next 25 years.
* And it’s STILL impossible to draw a circle on one.

1960 – The USSR launched spacecraft Sputnik 5 containing two dogs.
* They spent most of the trip trying to trying to stick their heads out the window.

1954 – U.S. president Eisenhower proposed the construction of America’s interstate highway system.
* They figured it would give 100,000 people construction jobs, and employ another 800,000 to stand around and watch them work.

1933 – A minimum wage of 40 cents an hour was established in the US.
* Somebody tell my boss.

1928 – A tennis match was televised for the first time.
* And when the TV producers saw how much money they saved by not needing writers and actors, network sports coverage was born.

1920 – U.S. president Woodrow Wilson opened the Panama Canal.
* At least we let Panama keep their name on it.

1859 – The paper bag manufacturing machine was patented.
* Finally, carpenters no longer had to carve individual paper bags out of blocks of wood.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2012 – Pollstar magazine announced that as of this date, former Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters had grossed up $158.1 million in concert ticket sales worldwide so far during the year with The Wall Live show. Bruce Springsteen came in second place with $79.9 million.

2008 – Rolling Stone Ron Wood left his wife of 23 years and moved in with an 18-year-old Russian cocktail waitress. The 61-year-old dad-of-four met the teenager while out drinking and took her away to his luxury pad in Ireland.

1996 – Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlain was charged with drug possession after the death of the band’s keyboard player Jonathan Melvoin in his New York hotel room.

1988 – Michael Jackson arrived in the UK for his first ever-solo appearances. He performed a total of eight nights to 794,000 people.

1979 – This was Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park in Chicago, Illinois. Two Chicago radio DJs came up with the idea of having people bring unwanted disco records to the stadium. The spurned records would be burned between doubleheader games with the White Sox and the Detroit Tigers. Lead by the chant, “Disco Sucks!” most of the records weren’t burned, but sailed through the stands during the game – nearly inciting a riot. Some fans started their own fires and mini-riots. There was so much commotion that the ballplayers couldn’t even finish the last game of the doubleheader; the White Sox forfeited.

1962 – The Rolling Stones made their live debut at the Marquee Jazz Club, London, with Dick Taylor on bass (later of The Pretty Things) and Mick Avory on drums, (later of The Kinks). Billed as The Rollin’ Stones, they were paid £20 (about $56 then in U.S. dollars) for the gig.

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. A recent study found that about 40 million people have purchased one of THESE, but
36 million of them will never use it. What is it?
A gym membership

2. We spend more money on THESE when it’s cloudy than when it’s sunny. What are they?
Lottery tickets

3. The average person spends about 25 cents a year doing THIS. What is it?
Charging their phone

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