TUESDAY, July 8 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR TUESDAY, July 8, 2025
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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. We present only those specially designated days we feel your listeners would find most interesting or significant.)

NATIONAL BLUEBERRY DAY

NATIONAL CHOCOLATE WITH ALMONDS DAY

NATIONAL FREEZER POP DAY

NATIONAL ICE CREAM SUNDAE DAY

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

THE BUZZRESEARCHERS: SLEEP TWICE A DAY

A couple of researchers say our body clocks are better suited to two shorter chunks of sleep rather than for one long period. Around a third of the population have trouble sleeping, including difficulties maintaining sleep throughout the night. Dr. Melinda Jackson, a psychologist specializing in sleep disorders at RMIT University in Australia and Dr. Siobhan Banks, a sleep researcher at the University of South Australia, say sleeping for 8 hours is a modern concept and split sleep used to be normal. They say that throughout history there have been accounts of segmented sleep – and such patterns are seen today in cultures who take a siesta. Sleeping in two periods may increase alertness in the day and provide people with more flexibility to carry out work and spend time with their family, they said.
* The two doctors had more to say, but it was time for their nap.
* A good schedule might be to sleep during the night, and then again while you’re listening to this show.
* Hey, maybe these doctors could write a note telling our bosses we need to take a nap in the afternoon.
* I put this in the same category as eating 6 small meals a day. There might be some science to it, but it’s just not going to happen.

U.S. NEWS

MAN ATTACKED BY BEAR HE HIT WITH HIS CAR

A 59-year-old California man was hospitalized last week after a bear encounter. The unnamed man was driving on Berry Summit in the northern California mountains when he hit a 400-pound male bear with his vehicle. He quickly got out of his vehicle and saw the bear was struggling to get over the guardrail and back into the woods. As he tried to help the injured animal over the guardrail, the bear bit him several times. The bear died shortly thereafter. An off-duty EMT who witnessed the incident responded immediately and applied a tourniquet to the injured man’s arm before calling an ambulance. The man was taken to a local hospital to be treated for his injuries.
* Barely made it.
* I’d say things kind of balanced out in a karmic kind of way.
* It happened on Berry Summit? More like BEAR-Y Summit.
* Some days you get the bear, other days the bear gets you, and on a few days, you both get each other.
* Well, it’s a nice break from the shark bite stories.

NYC WOMAN WILL MOVE YOUR CAR FOR YOU

An Upper West Side New York woman has a business where she moves people’s cars around so they don’t get a ticket. As many city dwellers know, there are dates and times when drivers must move their vehicles from one side of the street to the other for street cleaning. Residents who fail to comply with the city rules risk receiving a $65 fine — or possibly get towed. Sydney Charlet started a business called “The Car Sitter.” She charges up to $50 for a 90-minute carsitting session on those days when a car has to be moved. She’ll move the car, and sit in it until the sweeper comes by. She says that she’s also a “good” parallel parker. Charlet says she’s inundated with clients. She has been able to provide her service to about 20 people, and the money she earns covers half of her monthly Manhattan apartment rent.
* In New York City, most residential streets are subject to street cleaning twice a week. So… 20 x $50 = $1000, twice a week… that’s $8000 a month! And that’s only HALF her rent!
* This must be one of great those new jobs the president says we’re all going to have: sitting in other people’s cars all day.
* Will she clean the trash out of the car for an extra $20?
* Enjoy it while you can, Sydney – in two more years, the cars will be able to move themselves.

NUDE BOWLING IS BACK, BABY!

The Pittsburgh Area Naturalists group is hosting another naked bowling event this Saturday. They call it Balls Out Bowling event, where you can bowl in the nude. Nudity is required with the exception that women can wear bottoms. The event will be held at the Crafton Ingram Lanes in Pittsburgh. Tickets are $30 for four hours of unlimited bowling and shoe rental, and you must pay $30 whether you bowl or not. No photography or video is allowed, thank god.
* You can see all the way up the alley.
* Nudity is mandatory. Please tell me towels on the chair seats are, too.
* Men are being cautioned to stay the hell away from the ball return.
* 300 is a perfect score in bowling. In nude bowling it’s also the weight of most of the bowlers.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

MAN FINISHES ATHLETIC CHALLENGE AFTER GIRLFRIEND PASSES OUT

A viral video from Australia has sparked debate online. The video is of an athletic event called the Sydney HYROX, a fitness race that focuses on endurance running with functional strength challenges. Competitors complete eight 1km runs, each followed by a different workout station, such as sled pushes, burpee jumps, rowing, and wall balls. The video shows a man continuing to complete the race after his girlfriend passed out. The man who took the video claims that the man tapped his girlfriend on the leg and then asked the race’s judge if he needed her to finish the race. When he was told that he “technically didn’t,” he ran off and finished the race without her. While she’s on the floor being treated by paramedics, he goes off and does wall balls.
* Well, it’s not like she was going anywhere.
* And neither is the relationship, apparently.
* Maybe that tap on the leg meant “You’re in good hands, sweetheart – I’m going to finish the race and dedicate it to you!”
* Or he wishes he’d said that’s what it meant.
* PHONE TOPIC: Ladies, ever had a guy just abandon you in your time of need?

AUDIO: MAN IN ICE CREVASSE SAVED BY CHIHUAHUA

A Chihuahua is being hailed for helping save a man who fell into a glacier crevasse in Switzerland. Last Friday in the southern Swiss Alps, a man had been hiking on the Fee Glacier with his Chihuahua – as one does – when he suddenly plunged into a 26-foot deep crevasse, leaving the tiny dog alone on the edge. The man was carrying an amateur walkie-talkie – as one does – and managed to call for help, but rescue workers could not locate the site of the accident. Until— one of the rescuers spotted a small movement on a rock: the Chihuahua had not budged from the edge of the crevasse. Thanks to the loyal dog’s behavior, the crew was able to locate the exact site of the accident, and rescue the hiker.
* And all these years we’ve been wasting our money on St. Bernards.
* How many treats do you give a dog for that? An entire bag of chicken jerky strips? Two bags?
* Now the guy’s wondering if maybe he should have his dog walk AHEAD of him.
* Of course, all the Chihuahua yipping caused an avalanche.
CLIP: Here’s our “Hero Dog” song, which can be also found in the Work Parts section of the Sidekick website.
CLIP URL: morningsidekick(dot)com/prep/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/HeroDog-VocalOpen(dot)mp3

AUDIO: UAE HIGHWAY PLAYS BEETHOVEN’S 9TH SYMPHONY

For many years now, there have been highways where they put grooves in the road that, if you drive your car at a certain speed, it will play a song. The United Arab Emirates has what they believe is the first one in the Arab world. This one is along the E84 highway. Motorists in the right-hand lane coming into the city of Fujairah can play Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony where the rubber meets the road. Ali Obaid Al Hefaiti, the director of Fujairah Fine Arts Academy, was behind the project which he thinks will “raise awareness about the importance of art culture.”
* Now do Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir.”
* The first time is fun. If you commute by car, within three days it’s playing in your head 24/7.
* I don’t need musical rumble strips. My car makes plenty of noises on its own.
* Why has nobody in America done this with, like, the Kit Kat Bar jingle, or “Subway – Eat Fresh”? Advertising, baby!
CLIP: “Beethoven’s 9th” as played by car.
CLIP URL: morningsidekick(dot)com/prep/wp-content/uploads/HighwayPlays9thSymphony(dot)mp3

STELLA MCCARTNEY MAKES ORGANIC SNEAKERS

Fashion designer and nepo baby Stella McCartney has created plant-based sneakers. When the sneakers wear out, the soles can either be composted or recycled. A bio-materials company called Balena worked with McCartney for two years to develop the shoe. The upper part is made from a mix of hemp and agricultural waste from the pineapple industry. The soles are made from castor beans and dyed with cinnamon waste. When you’re done with the sneakers, rather than toss them out – where they’ll end up in a landfill – you can send them back to Stella McCartney. The company will then separate the components and recycle the soles into new shoes. A basic white version of the new sneaker, called the S-Wave, costs $550.
* For that price, I would want to eat them when I’m done with them.
* “Oh, we’re out of salad again. Honey, can you hand me your sneakers?”
* Do not machine-wash them in hot water or you’ll end up with soup.
* What happens if they start composting themselves before you’re done wearing them? I’ve had a few pair of regular sneakers that did that.
* You can send your stinky shoes back to Stella McCartney, or there’s also a weird guy named Dwayne who lives in a basement in Dayton, Ohio, who’ll take them.

ALMANACNOTABLE DATES, UPCOMING U.S. OBSERVANCES

Sept. 1, Monday – Labor Day
Sept. 11, Thursday – Patriot Day
Sept. 22, Monday – Fall begins (Autumn Equinox is 2:19 p.m. EDT)

BIRTHDAYS

Maya Hawke (actress, “Stranger Things”) … 27
Sophia Bush (actress, “Chicago P.D.”) … 43
Milo Ventimiglia (actor, “This Is Us,” “Gilmore Girls”) … 48
Beck (rock musician, songwriter, singer, born Bek David Campbell now Beck David Hansen) … 55
Drew Womack (country singer w Sons of the Desert) … 5
Kevin Bacon (actor) … 67
Anjelica Huston (actress) … 74

Today’s Birthdays grade: A unique, prolific, award-winning musician-singer-songwriter, Mr. Six Degrees himself, and a handful of other folks you might recognize. Not a bad lineup and nobody awful. We’ll take it. Grade: B-minus.

[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!

“Things could be worse. You remember that, and you go on with your life.”

(A) Jeff Bezos
(B) Elon Musk
(C) Kevin Bacon

ANSWER: (C) Kevin Bacon

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1997 – The Mayo Clinic and the government warned the diet-drug combination known as “fen-phen” could cause serious heart and lung damage.
* That’s nice, but I thought they were supposed to be studying mayo?

1969 – Cigarette advertising was banned from radio and TV in the U.S.
* And cigarettes disappeared from the country within two years.

1947 – A press release stating that the wreckage of a crashed flying disk had been recovered near Roswell, New Mexico was issued by William Blanchard, Commander of the nearby 509th Bomb Group. Hours later the release was rescinded and a new one issued saying the 509th had mistakenly identified a weather balloon as wreckage of a flying saucer.
* Commander Blanchard also apologized, and explained he was kinda new at the whole “cover-up” thing.

1911 – The first woman to ride across America on horseback arrived in New York.
* Just couldn’t scrape together $900 for a Model T, huh?

1835 – The Liberty Bell was cracked on this date in 1835 while being rung during the funeral of Chief Justice John Marshall.
* This is what they get for giving the Liberty Bell casting job to the lowest bidder.

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2023 – Elton John completed his international “Farewell Yellow Brick Road: The Final Tour” at the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.

2016 – Drake was at No.1 on the U.S. chart with his fourth studio album “Views.” With “Views” Drake also joined Adele, Michael Bublé and Taylor Swift as the only artists in the 2010s decade to have an album remain at No.1 on the Billboard 200 for six consecutive weeks.

2007 – Prince was forced offstage by police halfway through his set at the First Avenue nightclub during a late-night gig in his home town of Minneapolis. The club was only allowed to stay open until 3 a.m. but Prince took to the stage at 2.45 a.m.

2002 – Michael Jackson unleashed a sudden tirade on the music industry, accusing several music execs of racism and calling Sony head Tommy Mottola in particular “very, very, very devilish.”

1954 – Dewey Phillips of Memphis’ WHBQ radio played a new song, “That’s All Right (Mama),” and its flip side, “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” on his “Red Hot & Blue” R&B show. An instant hit, the song was immediately played 14 more times. Callers to the station insist that the singer, a local boy named Elvis Presley, must be a black man. Elvis himself, who knew of the airplay in advance, hid out at a local movie show, but response was so immediate and positive that Dewey tracked him down for a live radio interview later that evening.

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. Every year kids in North America spend close to a half a billion dollars on THIS. What is it?
Chewing gum

2. About a third of people say THIS is their least favorite thing about having kids. What is it?
Vacationing with them

3. 43% of parents report that they have their best bonding moments with their kids when they do THIS. What is it?
Go back-to-school shopping

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