TUESDAY, Oct 22 – DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION

MORNING SIDEKICK DAILY PREP TEXT VERSION FOR TUESDAY, October 22, 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 NUT DAY
The Natural News website says this:
“October 22 is National Nut Day, which started in 2009 in the UK by Libertarian Foods, the UK’s only farmer-owned Fairtrade nut company. National Nut Day has gained popularity in the United States as well.”

NATIONAL MAKE A DOG’S DAY … DAY
The Holiday Calendar website says this:
“Celebrate National Make a Dog’s Day by adopting, fostering, or donating to your local shelter – give a pup the forever home they deserve!”

SMART IS COOL DAY
The Days Of The Year website says this:
“If there’s ever a time to show off your IQ test results, Smart is Cool Day is probably it. Schools typically put together shows for their pupils and students and invite both street-smart youngsters and successful degree holders to speak to them about the importance of staying in school.”

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

ENTERTAINMENT & CELEBRITIES

CHICK-FIL-A TO LAUNCH STREAMING SERVICE

If you’re thinking “I really like Chick-fil-A, but I wish they could provide me with original streaming entertainment,” now you can. Chick-fil-A plans to launch a new app on Nov. 18, with a slate of original animated shows, scripted podcasts, games, recipes and e-books aimed at families. For example: there’s a show called “Legends of Evergreen Hills,” in which someone named Sam has adventures in the fantasy world of Evergreen Hills. There’s also “Hidden Island,” a scripted podcast about a family that gets shipwrecked on a deserted island.
* “Well, here we are on this desert island. If only we had a chicken sandwich.”
* None of the programs will be available on Sundays.
* They’ve got a bunch of Chick-fil-A themed shows in the works:
– Young Egg-shelldon
– The Kelly Cluckson Show
– Only Murders In The Coop
– Fryer Country
– Two-and-a-Half Hen
– Stranger Wings
– The Lincoln Layer
– Outer Free Range
– House of the Drumstick
– The Squawking Dead
– Hen and Stimpy
– Beaky Blinders
– Twin Peeps
– The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Poultry
– Saved By The Shell
– Kevin Can Cluck Himself
– The Young and the Range-Fed
– Matcluck
* The ball’s in your court, KFC.

THE BUZZ

THE TOP 25 HALLOWEEN COSTUME TRENDS

Here are Google’s 25 top-trending Halloween costumes for 2024.
25. Godzilla
24. Soulja Boy
23. Lydia Deetz from Beetlejuice
22. Peely the Banana from Fortnight
21. Joy from Inside Out
20. Shadow the Hedgehog
19. A Minion
18. The Popcorn Bucket from “Dune”
17. Gambit from X-Men
16. Delia Deetz from Beetlejuice
15. Anxiety from Inside Out
14. Wolverine
13. Disgust from Inside Out
12. Anger from Inside Out
11. A Chipotle Burrito
10. Lady Deadpool
9. Sabrina Carpenter
8. Dr. Doom
7. Red from Descendants
6. Envy from Inside Out
5. Pomni from “The Amazing Digital Circus”
4. Delores from Beetlejuice
3. Catnap from Poppy Playtime
2. Raygun, the awful Australian break dancer from the Paris Olympics
1. Shrunken Head Bob from Beetlejuice

MEET WEIRD

Reddit asked, “What’s the weirdest way you’ve met someone you dated?” Some of the responses:
– “I nearly ran him over in a 7-Eleven parking lot. It didn’t last too long but it was fun at the time.”
– “Met in the hospital because I broke my arm and he broke his leg.”
– “My boyfriend used to deliver me pizzas. One day he told me he’s fascinated with my last name cause he used to be friends with a guy with the same last name. Turns out that guy is my brother. My mom has loads of pics of my bf and my brother playing together as toddlers.”
– “I was rollerblading and this guy was jogging. He kept up with me for over 3 miles just to talk and get to know me. I was so impressed that I said yes when he asked me for a date.”
– “Husband and I met at a retail location when we watched a shoplifter get tazed.”
– “The parking lot of a movie theater while my friend was throwing up a big mac.”
– “Two of my fraternity brothers were physically fighting over a girl. While the other guys were trying to pull them apart, nobody was making sure the girl was okay. I took her for a walk while they cooled off. We dated for 18 months, then she cheated on me.”
– “My grandma had a heart attack, but she hooked me up with her paramedic after they got to the hospital.”
– “At a haunted house. Someone scared me, and instinctively I just held the hand closest to me and he didn’t let go.”
* PHONE TOPIC: Did you ever date someone that you met in a strange way? Are you still together?

STUDY: SCREW EXERCISE, TAKE A BATH

According to research from Johannes Naumann at the University of Freiburg in Germany, people feel more relief from depression symptoms by taking an afternoon bath as opposed to exercising. The study appeared in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine (* of course it did). In the small study of just 45 people, some of who were suffering from depression, half of the participants were assigned to exercise twice a week, and the second group was instructed to go to a local spa to soak for up to 30 minutes in water that was about 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Post-soak, they were told to wrap up in blankets for another 20 minutes. The idea was to raise the body temperature by 2 degrees. Why? Normally, body temperature rises during the day and falls at night. The cooling off at night encourages the body to release melatonin, which helps us sleep. Depressed people often have “flatter” circadian rhythms, and don’t have this natural increase in temperature. People in the bathing group in the experiment reported that their symptoms were reduced by six points on a scale used to determine depression severity. The exercisers only lowered theirs by three points. Bathing seemed to work more quickly than the exercise as well.
* And the depression was even less if you took a bath with a rubber ducky.
* This soaking ritual – did it by any chance include a bottle of wine?
* Something about this study stinks. I think it’s the people who exercised but didn’t get to take a bath.
* I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that some time after you give up exercise in favor of taking baths, your depression is going to return. ‘Round about the time you’ve gained 40 pounds.
* 45 whole test subjects. Shouldn’t there be a minimum number of participants before you’re allowed to call it a ‘study’?

U.S. NEWS

SEAWORLD ORCA POOPS JUST BEFORE HE SPLASHES GUESTS

If you’ve ever been to a SeaWorld park, you know that the front rows of the orca show are designated as “splash zones,” because you’re going to get wet. Over the weekend at SeaWorld in San Antonio, Texas, guests were watching Shamu swim around the tank preparing for his next trick – I’m sorry – his next “behavior” – when suddenly Shamu did in the tank what bears do in the woods. And then, he jumped, and the feces-filled water splashed over the first few rows of SeaWorld guests. Park employees quickly led impacted guests to a designated decontamination location where they received bottled water, soap, and towels. They were also invited to use the park’s bathing facilities. SeaWorld San Antonio issued an apology saying, “We regret this unfortunate event and are taking every step to ensure the safety and comfort of our guests. Our team followed established protocols to minimize health risks and will review our procedures to prevent this from happening again.”
* Shamu? More like Sham-poo.
* “SeaWorld – The Crappiest Place on Earth!”
* In the Inuit culture, this means you’ll have good luck. Good, smelly luck.
* The “splash zones” are now called “splash-n-plop zones.”
* I suppose now they need to hire someone to give the whale an enema before the show.
* (knock knock) “Shamu, showtime! You’re on!” “Can you give me five more minutes? I’m having tummy troubles.” “No! Get out of there and perform for the people!”

“HAUNTED HOUSE” WALK-THRU JUST A TORTURE CHAMBER

A Tennessee haunted house is being probed for allegedly traumatizing visitors and torturing them as part of the experience. McKamey Manor, in Summertown, Tennessee, has for years been dogged by complaints of violence and inhumane treatment against participants, who are required to present proof that they recently had a healthy physical exam and take a background check. Participants are also forced to sign a 40-page waiver just to enter. The waiver indicates that tooth-pulling, finger-breaking or head-shaving also might have to be endured. (* note: now THIS is how you pre-scare people before they go in.) A 2019 promotional video from McKamey Manor’s YouTube page depicts some of the horrors visitors are subjected to, which includes getting dragged via heavy chains or locked into confined spaces while water pours in. McKarney Manor was featured in a Hulu documentary last year. Some participants complained on camera about the violence and claimed there was no way to escape their ordeal once it was under way — prompting Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti to launch an investigation. Some participants said they were waterboarded, tased, whipped, taunted with spiders and trapped in boxes. Owner Russ McKamey boasts, “We’re known for no quitting and no safe word.” He adds, “Either you actually complete the tour, which is not going to happen, or you mentally or physically are at such a breaking point that it’s not safe for you to continue and I need to take you out.” he said.
* Now THAT is how you promote your lame haunted house.
* It almost sounds worse than buying a used car.
* Let me guess – the guy’s a former fraternity house president?
* I’m shocked! How is this not a reality show??
* If I want to be yelled at and tortured for entertainment I’ll just go home for Thanksgiving.

INTERNATIONAL

SURFER DIES, IMPALED BY SWORDFISH

Italian surfer and coach Giulia Manfriri was killed last week in Sumatra, Indonesia, after a swordfish impaled her in the chest. Manfrini, 36, was surfing off Masokut Island on October 18 when a swordfish leapt from the water, piercing her chest with its bill, according to eyewitness reports. She reportedly had a stab wound nearly two inches deep (5cm) on the left side of her chest. Other surfers at the break were able to transport her to a local health clinic but she died shortly after.
* Holy mackerel.
* Even Steve Irwin The Crocodile Hunter was impressed. Or would be.
* Like they say, Cod works in mysterious ways.

ALMANAC

NOTABLE DATES, UPCOMING U.S. OBSERVANCES

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

Zac Hanson (drummer with Hanson) … 39
Michael Fishman (actor, “The Connors”) … 43
Jesse Tyler Ferguson (actor, “Modern Family”) … 49
Carlos Mencia (comedian, sit-com star, talk show host) … 57
Bob Odenkirk (actor, “Better Call Saul”) … 62
Jeff Goldblum (actor) … 72
Christopher Lloyd (producer, actor, “Back to the Future” movies, “Taxi”) … 86

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

“I, uh, don’t think I’m, y’know, so different than your average, y’know, average.”

(A) Neil deGrasse Tyson
(B) Dwayne Johnson
(C) Jeff Goldblum

ANSWER: (C) Jeff Goldblum

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

1962 – The “Cuban Missile Crisis” began when U.S. President John Kennedy announced he had ordered the blockade of Cuba after discovering Russia was building nuclear missile sites on the island. When Kennedy demanded Russia dismantle the site, many thought the confrontation would lead to World War Three.
* Imagine! The world came THIS CLOSE to never having The Beatles!

1939 – The first televised pro football game was telecast.
* A good day to buy stock in La-Z-Boy recliners.

1897 – The first car dealership opened, in London.
* And two days later was the first time anybody uttered the phrase: “I’ve been buggered!”

1797 – Frenchman Andre-Jacques Garnerin made the first successful parachute jump when he leapt from a hot air balloon at about 3,000 feet and landed in a Paris park.
* “Break open the champagne … and a new pair of pants.”

THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY

2008 – In England, a homeless man claimed a £2,000 reward by returning a waxwork head of ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney which had been left on a train. Anthony Silva found the item in a trash bin at Reading station after auctioneer Joby Carter left it under a seat at Maidenhead station. The homeless man thought it was a Halloween mask and had been using it as a pillow before realizing what it was. The wax model sold the following week for £5,500 at auction.

2000 – George Michael paid over $2 million for the Steinway piano on which John Lennon wrote “Imagine.” George said, “I know that when my fingers touch the keys of that Steinway, I will feel truly blessed. And parting with my money has never been much of a problem, just ask my accountant.”

1997 – Elton John’s tribute to Princess Diana, “Candle in the Wind 97,” surpassed Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” to become the biggest-selling single record of all time. It sold 31 million copies in just 37 days.

1990 – Pearl Jam played their first ever concert when they appeared at the Off Ramp in Seattle.

1976 – Keith Moon performed for the last time with The Who.

1966 – The Beach Boys released the single “Good Vibrations.”

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 survey found about 20% of airline passengers refuse to do THIS. What is it?
Use the airplane’s bathroom

2. A recent survey indicates that we do THIS 35% less than we think we do. What is it?
Smile

3. Almost 20% of people surveyed said they always wear THIS to bed. What is it?
Socks

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