TUESDAY, Dec 10 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR TUESDAY, December 10, 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 – including “holidays” created by the National Day Calendar and Wellcat websites to drive traffic to their websites – or the hundreds of disease awareness listings which occur each year.)

HUMAN RIGHTS DAY
The Holiday Insights website says this:
“On this date in 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Human Rights Day promotes awareness of the importance of Human Rights issues around the world.”

INTERNATIONAL ANIMAL RIGHTS DAY

NATIONAL LAGER DAY
The Punchbowl website says this:
“Lager is a type of German beer that is bottom fermented and lightly hopped. It is the dominant style of beer throughout the world, except in England where ale is the favorite style. The only real difference between ale and lager is that ales ferment and age quickly at warm temperatures, while lagers ferment and age slowly at cool temperatures. These different types of fermentation allow for a vast difference in flavor and aroma.”

NOBEL PRIZE DAY
The National Day Calendar website says this:
“Nobel Prize Day is celebrated annually on December 10. At the age of 17, Swedish Alfred Nobel spoke five languages fluently. Nobel became an inventor and businessman, and at the time of his death on 10 December 1896, he had 355 patents worldwide – one of them was the patent on dynamite. According to his will, Alfred Nobel’s enormous fortune was to be used to establish prizes to award those who had done their best to benefit mankind in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace. The first Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901, five years after Nobel’s death. In 1969, another prize was added – The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. The Nobel Laureates are announced at the beginning of October each year. A couple of months later, on 10 December, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death, they receive their prizes from the Swedish King – a Nobel diploma, a medal, and 10 million Swedish crowns per prize. All Nobel Prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden, except for the Nobel Peace Prize, which is awarded in Oslo, Norway.”

December is:

Exotic/Tropical Fruits Month
National Egg Nog Month
National Fruit Cake Month
National Stress-Free Family Holiday Month
National Write a Business Plan Month
Safe Toys and Gifts Month
Tomato Month
Winter Squash Month

ENTERTAINMENT & CELEBRITIES

KING CHARLES: MOM WORE HER CROWN GIVING US A BATH

King Charles has recalled how his mother would wear her royal crown when she was bathing him as a child. The reason, he said, is that she was practicing wearing it for her upcoming Coronation back in 1953. Having also worn one, he notes that “You have to get used to how heavy it is.” Despite being only four years old at the time of his mother’s Coronation in 1953, he said many of his memories of the run-up to the ceremony were still vivid. “I remember it all so well then, because I remember my sister and I had bath time in the evening. My mama used to come up at bath time wearing the crown to practice.” Charles made the recollection in a new documentary called “Coronation Girls,” about a group of 50 Canadian women who attended the late Queen Elizabeth’s coronation as 17-year-olds. Twelve of them made a return to London in 2023, where they attended a surprise tea party with King Charles.
* Is he wearing the crown and giving all the ladies baths? I’m kinda confused here.
* Then the King wondered whatever happened to his rubber ducky, and became very quiet.
* If she wore the crown while giving the kids a bath, I imagine she also wore it while sitting on the, uh, other throne. Wouldn’t THAT be a picture.
* She also used to use the royal scepter to smash flies in the kitchen while making lunch.

THE BUZZ

FASHION TRENDS THAT WE’RE OVER

Reddit asked, “What is a fashion trend currently ‘in’ that you’re already over?” Some of the responses:
– “Pajamas. Pajamas and slippers.”
– “Teen boys with alpaca hair.” (a.k.a. broccoli heads)
– “Eyebrows that are brushed upwards. I can’t see anything else when looking at someone who has that style brows.”
– “Microblade eyebrows – looks like a caterpillar ingrained into their foreheads”
– “Barrel jeans and bubble hems.”
– “Tiny sunglasses.”
– “Tucking your sweat pants into your pulled up socks.”
– “Whatever the youth is doing with their socks, it looks ridiculous.”
– “Took my cousin to prom and saw at least 30 dudes wearing a suit with shorts.” (* Took your cousin to the prom????)
– “Weird 80s moustaches, I’ve seen good looking guys made to look like Ned Flanders.”
– “Everything is ‘over-sized’ or ‘loose fit.’ Give me back my slim fit clothing so I don’t look like someone’s who’s mom just told them ‘oh you’ll grow into it.’”
– “Ladies with long hair that goes down the back of the head and comes around to rest on one shoulder. A lot of newsladies wear it that way.”
– “Beige everything.”
* PHONE TOPIC: What current fashion trend are you over?

U.S. NEWS

GRANDMA RUN OVER BY REINDEER

A grandma actually got run over by a reindeer at a Thanksgiving Day charity run. A pack of rogue deer knocked two women off their feet during Watertown, New York’s annual Turkey Day Run. The runners spooked four deer who came charging down the street. A video shows one of them plowing into two older women watching the runners pass by. The women were left sprawled out on the ground as the deer fled. One of the women was taken to a nearby hospital by ambulance, where she was treated for minor injuries. The other lady
was treated at the scene.
* Stupid reindeer games.
* Usually Dasher goes after a couple of Vixens.
* The deer also stole a couple of water bottles put out for the runners.
* Kind of a mini-Christmas version of the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona.
* Most wonderful time of the year, my eye.

AUDIO: WAR ON XMAS – GREEN SANTA

People are reportedly outraged – OUTRAGED – that the Santa at Bloomingdale’s department store in New York City is dressed in green and not red. Like the rest of the western world, the store has partnered with the movie “Wicked,” and the Santaland at the Bloomingdale’s 59th Street flagship store has been “Oz-ified” to be more Emerald City than North Pole. There are pink Christmas trees, wands instead of candy canes, and the store Santa is wearing a green suit with elaborate gold details, instead of the traditional red and white suit. Said one dejected mom on Facebook: “If your child is expecting Santa in his traditional red and white suit, Bloomingdale’s is only offering green Santa. We left a bit disappointed without a photo.” Said another: “There’s no reason to have a green Santa except to promote a movie in an already overly commercialized holiday. Green Santa is stupid … Hard pass.” The man who plays Santa at Bloomie’s, Santa Doug, noted that it is mainly parents, not kids, who miss the red suit. His response is usually a jolly laugh and a quip along the lines of “Well, we’re in the Emerald City.”
* You see, kids are smart enough not to tick off the big guy right before Christmas.
* And Santa Doug wants to keep his job.
* They’re lucky the store didn’t tie-in with that show “Wednesday.” Santa would have a black suit and braids.
* Better an Oz-ified Santa than an ossified Santa, I always say.
CLIP: A “War on Christmas” sounder.
CLIP URL: morningsidekick(dot)(com)/prep/wp-content/uploads/WarOnXmas1(dot)mp3

HELP WANTED: ASSISTANT LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS

Ever dreamed of becoming a lighthouse keeper? The White Shoal Lighthouse Preservation Society is looking for lighthouse keepers to work May to September 2025. The White Shoal Lighthouse is on Lake Michigan in the middle of the Mackinac Straits. It’s the tallest lighthouse – 125 feet – in the Great Lakes. Here’s the job: it’s a 90-minute commute by boat. Then you climb off the boat onto a 22-foot vertical ladder to get to the boathouse. Then you climb 143 steps from the boathouse to the lantern room to monitor the mechanical systems. The lighthouse is also open to guests, so you’ll have to keep an accurate head count of all personnel and guests, and respond to emergencies or other situations. There’s a 24-hour watch: the Head Lighthouse keeper has the 8pm-to-midnight watch, the second assistant keeper is on the midnight-4am watch, and the first assistant keeper is on 4-8am watch. Also, you have to pay $250 to do it.
* Who’s on lighthouse watch duty during the day?
* The hardest part of the job is, if it goes out, you have to replace 40,000 Ray-O-Vak D-batteries.
* Ironically, this job is best for people who aren’t too bright.
* I would say, listen to the message of this lighthouse and DON’T COME TOO CLOSE. KEEP YOUR DISTANCE.
* If you’re interested in volunteering, contact actor Willem Defoe, care of beebeebrrbbrrbbeeb [finger-on-your-lips crazy sound], Funny Farm, Michigan.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

“SUPERMAN CHALLENGE” CAUSING INJURIES

A political party in North Macedonia on Saturday demanded authorities ban TikTok after a new “Superman challenge” began causing injuries to kids. The “Superman challenge” is when you run and jump through the air like Superman flying, and your friends are supposed to catch you in their arms, but the joke is that your friends pull their arms away and you fall face-first onto the ground. And the bigger joke is, you KNOW they’re going to do it so you KNOW you’re going to fall on the ground. Hilarious. right? Health authorities in North Macedonia said at least 17 kids, ages 10 to 17, were brought to hospitals over the past week with broken bones, contusions and bruises.
* There’s a reason North Macedonia isn’t known for rocket science.
* Superman: man of steel, head of pudding.
* If your friends aren’t going to catch you, there’s no reason for them to be there. You could just spend the day in the living room jumping stretched out and slamming onto the floor.
* Who thought up this TikTok challenge? Lex Luthor?

TRENDING

GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINATIONS

The nominations for the Golden Globe Awards have been announced. Here they are, the movies and TV shows everyone’s talking about, the biggest pictures of the year, the ones everybody’s gossiping about around the water cooler…
– Best Drama: The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Dune Part 2, Nickel Boys, September 5
– Best Comedy or Musical: Anora, Challengers, Emilia Perez, A Real Pain, The Substance, Wicked
– Best Animated Film: Flow, Inside Out 2, Memoir of a Snail, Moana 2, Wallace and Gromit, Wild Robot
– TV series (drama): The Day of the Jackal; The Diplomat; Mr. and Mrs. Smith; Shogun; Slow Horses; Squid Game
– TV series (comedy or musical): Abbott Elementary; The Bear; The Gentlemen; Hacks; Nobody Wants This; Only Murders in the Building
– Limited TV series or TV movie: Baby Reindeer; Disclaimer; Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story; The Penguin; Ripley; True Detective: Night Country

TAYLOR SWIFT PAID OUT $197 MILLION IN BONUSES

Taylor Swift reportedly gave out $197 million in bonuses to the crew of the Eras Tour over the past two years. Recipients included the truck drivers, caterers, instrument techs, merch team, lighting, sound, production staff and assistants, carpenters, dancers, band, security, choreographers, pyrotechnics, riggers, hair, makeup, wardrobe, physical therapists and video team.

ALMANAC

NOTABLE DATES, UPCOMING U.S. OBSERVANCES

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

Raven-Symone (actress, “Raven’s Home,” “That’s So Raven”) … 39
Meghan Linsey (country singer) … 39
Patrick Flueger (actor, “Chicago P.D.”) … 41
Bobby Flay (TV chef) … 60
Kenneth Branagh (actor, director) … 64
Susan Dey (actress, “L.A. Law”, “The Partridge Family”) … 72

Today’s Birthdays grade: When you have six celebrity birthdays and the most sort-of relevant one is Bobby Flay, the best this to do is give the day a C grade and get back to tackling that Christmas card list.
[Want to try something different with the daily birthdays? Try grading them! Some days have “good” celebs, some have “great” celebs, some have “lousy” celebs. For fun, give the group an arbitrary grade: A-plus through F-minus. Sidekick will give you our take on it; you can to take the concept and run with it.]

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

“It’s important to have balance in your life between work and play.”

(A) Nancy Pelosi
(B) Mitch McConnell
(C) Bobby Flay

ANSWER: (C) Bobby Flay

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

2012 – Google began selling $99 Chromebook laptops to schools.
* Guess which search engine they came with. C’mon – guess!

2007 – NFL star Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison for bankrolling a dogfighting operation and killing dogs that underperformed.
* Sick puppy!

1998 – Six astronauts entered the international space station, becoming its first occupants.
* It was just like rooming in college – cramped, noisy, cold, and everybody was really high.

1984 – The first planet outside the solar system was discovered today in 1984.
* If you don’t count the ones on Star Trek.

1958 – The first domestic passenger jet flight took place in the United States as a National Airlines Boeing 707 flew 111 passengers from New York City to Miami.
* While another flew their luggage to Chicago.

1948 – The U.N. General Assembly adopted its Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
* Void where prohibited by law.

1901 – The Nobel prizes were awarded the first time, on the third anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death, recognizing achievements in peace, economics, literature, physics, chemistry and medicine.
* At my school, all we got was a gold star.

1845 – Pneumatic tires were patented by Scottish inventor and civil engineer Robert Thompson.
* And they were an INCREDIBLE pain to inflate until someone invented the foot pump.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2015 – Janis Joplin’s psychedelic 1965 Porsche was sold at RM Sotheby’s car auction in New York City. Originally expected to fetch between $400,000 and $600,000, the car sold for $1.76 million.

2011 – A copy of The Beatles ‘Love Me Do’ 1962 Demonstration Record sold for $17,339.31 during a 10-day eBay auction.

2010 – The original hand-written lyrics to Bob Dylan’s ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’ sold at a New York auction for $422,500. Adam Sender, a hedge fund manager and art collector, outbid five others, placing telephone bids. The song, one of Dylan’s most politically charged, was the title track of his 1964 album.

2008 – The Associated Press reported that the U.S. military used loud music to “create fear, disorient and prolong capture shock” for prisoners at military detention centers at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Among the songs blasted 24 hours a day were ‘Born In The USA’ by Bruce Springsteen, ‘Hell’s Bells’ by AC/DC, ‘White America’ by Eminem, ‘The Theme From Sesame Street,’ and ‘I Love You’ from the Barney and Friends children’s TV show.

2007 – Led Zeppelin played their first concert in 19 years, at London’s O2 Arena. Original band members Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones were joined on stage by Jason Bonham, the son of their late drummer John Bonham.

2003 – Coldplay singer Chris Martin married actress Gwyneth Paltrow in Santa Barbara, California. The couple also announced that Paltrow was pregnant.

1998 – A recording of a 1963 Beatles concert was sold at auction at Christies in London for $41,500. The tape of The Beatles’ 10-song concert was recorded by the chief technician at the Gaumont Theatre in Bournemouth during one of six consecutive nights which The Beatles played.

1990 – Janet Jackson was the big winner at the first Billboard Music Awards, taking home trophies in eight categories. Other multiple winners were New Kids on the Block, Randy Travis, Clint Black and Phil Collins.

1965 – The Grateful Dead played their first concert, at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco.

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. 30% of men in a recent survey said they haven’t done THIS in at least 5 years. What is it?
Worn a bathing suit in public

2. A recent study found that men with THESE will end up making better life decisions. What are they?
Daughters

3. Half of men in a recent survey said they do THIS on a daily basis. What is it?
Check for bald spots and thinning hair

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