On Today’s Show
➢ Remember the World War Two vet who raised over $50 million for charity by walking on his back patio? His name is Captain Tom Moore and now he’s being knighted by the Queen for his efforts. Here’s what he had to say about it yesterday when he found out.
➢ Police were called after receiving reports of an alligator swimming in a storm drainage pond in Brampton, Ontario, north of Toronto. The gator was said to be five to six feet in length. After a few hours of searching, police tweeted that based on video from social media, it had been determined the feared gator was actually — a beaver. Although animal control officers were also on hand, police stood by — quote –“ready to provide Gator-aid.”
➢ Monopoly games can be pretty intense at the best of times, but there’s a new “Breaking Bad” version of the classic board game that brings meth and crime to the table. Instead of the little dog and the boot, players have a choice of Heisenberg’s hat, Tio’s bell, a money barrel, a gas mask, a pink teddy bear or an RV. Houses are referred to as “Tented Houses” and hotels as “SuperLabs”, and the board features locations such as ‘Unncle Jack’s Compound’, ‘JP Wynne High School’ and ‘Schrader House’. The game, which is recommended for 17+, is currently only available in the US, priced at $39.99.
➢ A man was taken into custody for camping at Walt Disney World’s Discovery Island while the company’s parks are closed amid the outbreak. Police say 42-year-old Richard McGuire had made his way onto the island on Monday or Tuesday to camp for a week. Police caught up with him on Thursday and charged him with trespassing on posted property. The man claimed he did not know he was trespassing and thought he was just exploring a “tropical paradise.” Discovery Island, originally called “Treasure Island,” has been closed to the public since 1999.
➢ The NBA is planning to get back to playing games in two “bubble cities.” Players like LeBron James will be kept in a “bubble.” To explain more, here’s Los Angeles Lakers’ forward and player rep, Jared Dudley. (He says players will be tested constantly, and if they leave and come back with the virus, they can’t play.)
TODAY IS……………….
- “Red Cross Founder’s Day” marks the anniversary of the American Red Cross, which was founded in 1881 by Clara Barton, the first president of the organization. Barton led the organization for the next twenty-three years.
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COUNTRY MUSIC NOTE
Kellie Pickler won season 16 of ABC’s Dancing With The Stars in 2013.
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No One Is Buying Pants, But Pajama Sales Are Soaring
Working from home in the coronavirus age means Americans are buying a lot more groceries and far fewer pants online. To persuade customers to shop, online clothing stores dropped their prices to the floor.
Clothing stores were forced to slash prices by an average of 12% between March and April — the largest monthly price decrease on record for Adobe Analytics. That helped boost apparel sales, which rose 34% over the same period. Many major apparel retailers were forced to close physical stores because of stay-at-home orders.
People who don’t have to travel to work also don’t need to buy clothes to wear to the office, the gym, or to other social outings. That helped boost pajama sales by 143% but fueled a 13% sales decline for pants, Adobe Analytics said. The price for bras also dropped by 12%.
FOUR RANDOM FACTS
- Westerns were once so popular that in 1959, there were 30 prime time Westerns on TV . . . on just three channels.
- When the word “girl” started being used in the 1300s, it just meant a child. It didn’t specifically refer to a female until the 1400s.
- During the Vietnam War, Super Glue was used to seal up wounds on the battlefield.
- The longest-ever Monopoly game lasted more than 70 days.
GOOD NEWS
Six-year-old Callaghan McLaughlin has a new routine. Every day, he wakes up early, eats breakfast, gets his schoolwork done — and then sets up his joke stand outside.
His goal: To spread joy and laughter to his neighbors, without violating any social distancing rules. “I know about 13 or 14 jokes,” Callaghan, who is from Saanich, British Columbia usually operates a lemonade stand around this time of year — but because of the pandemic, his mom chose a safer alternative.
He is at his joke stand by 9:30 a.m. each morning, and stays put for about 45 minutes.
The young McLaughlin gets most of his witticisms from a kid’s joke book, called “Laugh Out Loud Jokes For Kids” by Rob Elliott.
“It does bring a smile to people’s face,” Kelsea McLaughlin said. “It kind of reminds them of pre-pandemic times and kind of doing something fun.” What are Callaghan’s top jokes you ask?
What do you call a lazy kangaroo? A pouch potato!
What do you call a bug that’s bad at football? A fumble-bee!
Where did the bull take the cow on a date? Dinner and a moooovie!
The McLaughlin’s neighbors aren’t the only ones to appreciate Callaghan’s efforts to make others laugh. Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds tweeted that Callaghan is a “hero.”
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BIRTHDAYS
[68] Mr. T, actor (“The A-Team” 1983-87)/movie actor “Rocky III”
[63] Judge Reinhold, actor (“Fast Times at Ridgemont High”, “Beverly Hills Cop” movies)
THINGS THAT MAKE YA GO HMMM…
• 68% of men have kept their baseball glove as a memento of their childhood.
- 66% of women say going to work without makeup would be more stressful than a job interview or a first date.
- 40% of females take a friend along when they’re getting a tattoo.
- 25% of men admit they have stolen lip balm from their partner.
- 20% of parents privately regret what they named their kids.
- 10% of women blow-dry their hair before jumping on the scale, to feel like they weigh less.
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CLEANING FACE MASKS AT HOME:
• Materials: Disposable fiber masks should never be reused. If you are using a fabric mask, use a breathable, high-performance fabric. The tighter weave structure, the better.
- Washing machine: Putting your mask in the laundry and drying on a high setting will get it clean and ready to re-use, according to the CDC.
- Hand washing: Detergents, laundry soap, and even hand soap are strong enough to combat flu viruses, according to the CDC. Refraining from touching your face is recommended to prevent any chance of infection.
- Bleach: Bleach is not a recommended cleaning agent for face masks—even in a diluted solution – because inhaling the ensuing fumes from the mask could cause health problems. That means no Lysol or Clorox either.
- Microwave and boiling: While microwaving might be an effective way to kill the virus, there is some concern that it may escape the oven into your kitchen. Boiling your mask is not a good idea due to fiber degradation, which could allow the virus through.
- Keep spares: NYC Health Dept. guidelines suggest keeping at least two cloth face masks on hand, so you can wash used masks at least once a day.
Here’s How People Want to See Work Change Once They’re Going to the Office Again
The coronavirus pandemic has led to changes at work for tons of people . . . but will any of the changes stick once those people go back to the office?
A new survey asked workers what they’d like to see changed once they’re going to the office again. And here are the top five . . .
- Allowing more frequent working from home.
- Better cleaning.
- Fewer in-person meetings.
- Staggered work schedules.
- Requiring employees to wear masks.
The survey also found that almost three-quarters of people are going to stop shaking hands so much.
Some of us might only need to make the trip in to the office once a week. And for those who are required to show up on site every day, David Zweig, an associate professor of organizational behaviour and human resource management at the University of Toronto, says you might come across new Plexiglas barriers, revamped heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems, boot sanitizing trays, hand sanitizer dispensers for both employees and customers, and enforced hand washing, plus outdoor meeting protocols.
THURSDAY MAY 21ST
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS
[68] Mr. T, actor (“The A-Team” 1983-87)/movie actor “Rocky III”
[63] Judge Reinhold, actor (“Fast Times at Ridgemont High”, “Beverly Hills Cop” movies)
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- The town of Bristol, on the Virginia-Tennessee border, has totally different rules if you cross the street. On the Tennessee side, restaurants are allowed to have customers. On the Virginia side, they’re not. (Casesin Tennessee are still on the rise.)
- Matthew McConaughey would love it if we could stop politicizingthe coronavirus. He said, quote, “This is not about politics. It’s about us, the USA. We’re gonna take care of each other. Right now we have a collective purpose . . . “This is a tug of war at the virus. We need all hands on the rope.”
- Todd Berry jokes about how a fraternity tried to lure him into joining, while at college.
- NFL helmets with built-in face masks, face mask tests on hamsters, the Oscars won’t happen in February, Pier 1 Imports is bankrupt, and the Belmont Stakes is causing controversy. (From Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and Jimmy Kimmel, on Wednesday, May 20, 2020.)
DID YOU KNOW?
The annual Summer Solstice Celebration at Stonehenge will be livestreamed this year for the first time. The ancient, mystical site typically hosts one of the world’s most popular summer solstice celebrations, attracting thousands of people, including the druid and pagan community, on the longest day of the year to watch the sun rise behind the Heel Stone. Due to COVID-19, the usual celebration won’t be possible this year, but the summer solstice at Stonehenge will stream live on June 21 on English Heritage’s social media accounts.
Today’s 2020 Tour Cancellations Are from Tim McGraw, Jason Aldean, and Sugarland
Three more 2020 country tours have been either postponed or cancelled because of the worldwide pandemic. This time it’s TIM MCGRAW, JASON ALDEAN, and SUGARLAND.
Tim shuttled his Here on Earth Tour but didn’t close the 2020 door. Quote, “We’re working with our teams to figure out when and how we can get back on the road and see you all safely. In the meantime, we’re looking for new ways to connect with you and get more music out.”
Jason is postponing the We Back Tour until 2021 but is still working on next year’s calendar. Quote, “I can promise you we’ll get new dates as soon as we can, and that me and the boys will be back next year bigger and louder than ever.”
Sugarland tried to soften the blow with good news and bad news. The good news is that “new music is coming very soon.” No word when. The bad news is their entire summer tour will “no longer be taking place.” (Here’s video.)
Nicole Kidman Broke Her Ankle, So No Dancing with Keith Urban
KEITH URBAN posted a video back in March of a virtual concert he did in his warehouse, and his wife NICOLE KIDMAN was there dancing around. Well, soon after that she went for a run and BROKE her ankle.
This happened at their place in Nashville, but he recently talked about it in an interview with the Australian talk show The Project. Quote, “She broke her ankle so there’s not been a whole lot of dancing.
“About five weeks ago she was running around the neighborhood as she does and didn’t see a pothole and rolled her ankle and got a small break in her ankle.
“So she’s been relegated to the boot for the last handful of weeks and is still sort of getting through it . . . but her spirits have been amazing, I gotta say. She’s been handling it way better than I would’ve.”
There’s video of the interview, and you can see a pic of her in the boot. (Here’s the clip)
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CARLY PEARCE ON CORONAVIRUS: IT HAS ‘TAKEN A HIT IN MY IMMEDIATE FAMILY’
Everyone is feeling the affects of the coronavirus pandemic, but for Carly Pearce it’s especially frightening. Her mother has a lung condition to begin with, so as Carly tells us, she’s not really able to see her and is quite worried. [“Even though I’m going to see her, I’m staying at a different house. I’m not going to be really around her. She has stage four COPD. So this is a really, just terrifying time for my family of . . . she already has probably 30 percent lung use. So, I am literally one of those people that’s like, ‘Do this for my mom if you’re not doing it for anybody else. It’s killing her to not be able to be around me. So, this coronavirus has taken a hit in my immediate family of just trying to make sure she’s all right.”]