On Today’s Show
➢ Imagine riding a mile through a sewage system… a woman in New Jersey recently did just that. A powerful storm came through the area Monday afternoon, and left many without power and cars trapped across the state.
The 24-year-old DoorDash driver tried to drive through floodwaters and hercar began to float and the tide moved it toward a large viaduct opening. She got out of the car and was swept into a large drainage system that runs under the city. She was carried underground for one mile and eventually shot out into the Passaic River, where she swam to shore. She survived with only minor injuries.
➢ This is sort of a lucky catch. A six-year-old girl was fishing in the Severn River in Maryland recently when she reeled in a cellphone in a waterproof case. The girl’s mother, Emily, took the phone home and let it rest in some rice to absorb any moisture and then plugged it in to find it still functioned properly. They discovered the phone belonged to Preston Shapiro, an eighth-grader who said he lost the phone in the water while kayaking about a year earlier.
➢ Free smartphone chargers might be going the way of free checked luggage. Recently Apple said they would exclude a free chargers with the release of the new iPhone, and now Samsung is saying it may do the same. Reports say Samsung may no longer include a free charger with the purchase of a new phone because users typically have a charger from a previous purchase, and it’s a way to cut costs. They also argue that the move is good for the environment. The decision isn’t final yet.
➢ Daniel Craig has been voted the best ‘James Bond’ ever. More than 18,000 readers of the British website LADBible voted in the final round, with Craig coming out on top with 51% of the vote, beating Sean Connery in second (24%), Pierce Brosnan in third (17%), and Roger Moore in fourth (9%). In the earlier rounds of voting, Timothy Dalton, who starred in two movies, was decisively eliminated by Connery and Brosnan, with just 3.7% of the vote, while George Lazenby fared even worse, receiving just 1.5% against Moore and Craig.
➢ When Billy Joel is walking down the street, and sees a piano on the sidewalk, what do you think he does? He PLAYS it, of course. This actually happened a few weeks ago in Huntington, Long Island. Billy happened to see an upright piano someone was throwing away, so have gave it a spin. And he was pretty impressed.
TODAY IS……………….
- “Gummi Worm Day”, celebrating the ooey-gooey candies first created by German company Trolli in 1981. ‘Gummi’ means ‘rubber’ in German.
- “St Swithun’s Day”, honoring the 7th-century Bishop of Winchester. According to legend, if it rains on St Swithun’s Day, it will rain for the next 40 days. If it is clear, no rain will fall for 40 days.
- “I Love Horses Day”. Horses played an important part of our history by helping us explore new territories, deliver mail, and have served in wars.
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COUNTRY MUSIC NOTE
Brooks & Dunn‘s Red Dirt Road album was released in 2003.
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I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING:
The are plenty of good reasons to exercise, but I’m willing to bet you weren’t aware of this one: It’s good for your eyes.
Researchers found that exercise can help prevent, or at least slow down, vision loss. More specifically the findings suggest that exercise is particularly effective at battling macular degeneration, one of the most common causes of blindness.
Working out may also help prevent other eye problems including glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. And even better, according to the study, you don’t have to work out all that hard to reap these visual rewards.
In the study, using mice, all that mattered was that they were exercising, not the intensity of the activities. And more exercise did not necessarily lead to more protection.
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FOUR RANDOM FACTS
- The Aztecs used chocolate as currency.
- The phrase “‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all” comes from a Lord Tennyson poem from 1849 called “In Memoriam A.H.H.” It’s NOT about romantic love . . . he was mourning a friend’s death.
- The Harlem Globetrotters were founded in Chicago. Their offices are now in Georgia. They’ve never been based anywhere in New York . . . let alone Harlem.
- It is impossible to hum and whisper at the same time.
GOOD NEWS
There’s a woman on TikTok named Lexy Kadey who started something called the “Venmo Challenge.” She asks her followers to donate what they can, even if it’s a few cents. Then she uses that money to leave HUGE tips at restaurants. She went to a Cheesecake Factory in Baltimore on the Fourth of July, and left her waitress $628.
Tens of thousands of people have joined Facebook groups and become “Wine Fairies” in the last few months. They put together gift baskets that usually include wine, and leave them on people’s doorsteps. Hundreds of chapters have popped up all over the country. The biggest one we’ve seen has about 80,000 members.
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BIRTHDAYS
[59] Forest Whitaker, actor (“The Butler”, Oscar-“The Last King of Scotland”)
[47] Brian Austin Green, actor (“Beverly Hills, 90210” 1990-2000)
THINGS THAT ARE TABOO IN SOME COUNTRIES
Somebody asked people from around the world to share weird things that are taboo in their country.
Here’s what they had to say. (For example: In Turkey you shouldn’t cross your legs in front of elders . . . in Sweden it’s taboo to sit next to or speak to strangers . . . and in Saudi Arabia it’s taboo to talk about sex, drugs, or alcohol, although they talk about them in secret all the time.)
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EGGSISTENTIAL CRISIS:
We’ve always been told that it’s important to eat a good breakfast in order to “rev up” your metabolism for the day and to prevent overeating later. And that those who don’t eat in the morning actually tend to weigh more than those don’t.
But a new analysis of seven past studies has found just the opposite. The results, published in “The BMJ”, showed that those who skipped breakfast over a period of at least four weeks lost an average of 1.19 pounds, compared to those who didn’t .
There was no significant difference between the groups when it came to Body Mass Index or fat mass. The researchers concluded that while results showed those who don’t eat breakfast lost weight, skipping breakfast won’t have a significant effect on weight loss.
Instead it is the quality of breakfast that matters most.
WEDNESDAY JULY 15TH
- A 30-year-old woman in Phoenix diedi n a fire recently. But her baby survived because of a guy named Phillip Blanks. He’s a former Marine who was a wide receiver in college. And when she dropped her son from her third-floor balcony, he ran in and caught him.
- A Mom in Tampa wasout on a pontoon boat with her family on the Fourth of July when she went into labor. And she ended up giving birth right there on the boat.
- The Sacramento Kings’ Harrison Barnesrevealed Tuesday (July 14th) that he has COVID saying that he’d tested positive last week. Barnes is the only Kings’ player to have started all 64 of the team’s games this season before the coronavirus suspension. The NBA season is set to restart on July 30th.
About 10 Major League Baseball umpires have decided not to work during the coronavirus-shortened season because of concerns about the virus. There are 76 full-time umpires, and with some 10 of them out, many Triple-A umpires will work MLB games, most of whom have done it before as fill-ins. About a dozen MLB players have also opted out of playing this year because of coronavirus concerns. The season will begin on July 23rd.
Former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal helped out a driver on a Florida highway Monday after she was left stranded when her tire blew, according to a Facebook post Tuesday (July 14th) by the Sheriff’s Office. O’Neal, who lives in the Orlando, was driving on Interstate 75 near Gainesville when he saw the woman pull onto the side of the road. He pulled off the road himself and stayed with her until deputies arrived. The sheriff’s office thanked O’Neal in the Facebook post, which showed video of what happened after deputies arrived.
The woman hasn’t commented publicly, but it’s probably safe to assume that she recognized Shaq. I mean, if nothing else, he’s seven-foot-one, so it wouldn’t have been hard to figure out.
- Seth Myers begins his Netflix special, he pokes fun at the difference between the so-called “Twin Cities.” (From his 2019 Netflix special, “Lobby Baby”)
DID YOU KNOW?
Research shows that the ideal sleep position is on your side.
Dr. Robert Hayden, a Georgia-based chiropractor and spokesperson for the American Chiropractic Association, says this position keeps your spine straight and aligned by helping “prevent stress points that may aggravate joints and connective tissue.”
Additionally, side sleeping is crucial for those who snore or suffer from sleep apnea since it’s an effective way to keep your airways open.
LUKE COMBS’ LATEST FEAT BREAKS TAYLOR SWIFT’S BILLBOARD RECORD
Luke Combs makes history once again this week as the first artist ever to have his first two studio albums spend 25 weeks or more at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.
The feat breaks Taylor Swift’s previously held record at 24 weeks.
The achievement comes as his global No. 1 record, What You See Is What You Get, once again tops the chart this week, while his 2017 debut, This One’s For You, has spent 50 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1, tying the record for the longest reign atop the chart with Shania Twain’s Come On Over in 1997.
Luke is nominated in three categories at the upcoming 55th ACM Awards: Entertainer of the Year, Male Artist of the Year and Album of the Year for What You See Is What You Get. The ACM Awards will air on CBS on September 16th at 8 p.m. ET.
Luke will return to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon this Thursday (July 16th) to perform his current single, “Lovin’ On You,” a Top 20 hit and climbing at country radio.
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TRAVIS DENNING’S ‘AFTER A FEW’ CERTIFIES GOLD
Travis Denning is racking up another accolade, his #1 single “After A Few” has officially been certified GOLD by the RIAA.
The news came as a surprise to Travis when his team at his label and management companies showed up with a plaque and did a drive-by parade at his home.
[“After a Few’ really shows all the sides that I want everybody to see. I’m a songwriter at heart. I love telling stories. I try to be as goofy and funny as possible at all points in my life, but really, I’m a huge lover of music. That’s probably the first thing that I ever fell in love with was loving all kinds of music.”]
He’s had songs recorded by Jason Aldean, Justin Moore, Michael Ray and more.
JUSTIN MOORE KIDS
JUSTIN MOORE says his kids love country music, which certainly makes life easy when they’re in the car together listening to great stations like ours.
But sometimes he and his wife like to mess with the kids.
He says, quote, “We also push some old school rap on ’em. Eazy-E, Snoop [Dogg] and those guys, just kind of out of the fun of it, and they go, ‘Aaarrrhhhh.'”
