INTERPREP ★ OCTOBER 31, 2018

[printfriendly]

Audio • Bits & Breaks • Country Prep • Datebook • Datebook Tomorrow • Entertainment • Fun & Games • News & Nuggets • News Attack • Number for the Day • Television • Wacky-But-True • User’s Guide Facebook Group

DATEBOOK: OCTOBER 31, 2018

BIRTHDAYS

• Dan Rather is 87

• Deidre Hall (Days of Our Lives) is 71

• Jane Pauley (CBS Sunday Morning) is 68

• Director Peter Jackson is 57

• Rob Schneider is 54

• Mike O’Malley (Glee) is 53

• Vanilla Ice is 51

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1963: At the Indiana State Fair Coliseum in Indianapolis an explosion killed 74 people during an ice skating show. It also injured 400. A faulty propane tank connection in a concession stand was blamed.

• 1990: Singer Billy Idol dumped 600 dead fish on his opening act, Faith No More, during a Seattle concert and put four pigs and a goat in their dressing room. The group retaliated by parading naked on stage during Idol’s encore.

• 2002: A four-year-old Austrian boy was so disgusted by his grandmother’s plum dumplings he dialed 911 for help. The dispatcher pleaded with the boy to give grandmother’s dumplings another chance. He finally agreed and hung up.

• 2003: Bethany Hamilton was attacked by a tiger shark and lost her left arm.

• 2007: Shoppers had to “dive for cover” when a cloud of smoke settled over a neighborhood in London, England. Witnesses said the smoke smelled like “chemicals”. A terror alert was called and a hazmat team responded. It took three hours to trace the cloud to its source: a fire crew smashed through the door of the kitchen of a Thai restaurant, which was cooking up a six-month supply of chili paste.

• 2017 A judge in Maui, Hawaii ordered a man to write his ex-girlfriend 144 compliments after violating a protection order and sending 144 nasty text messages.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Halloween

• Books For Treats Day

• Magic Day

• Caramel Apple Day

• National Knock-Knock Jokes Day

UPCOMING

• November 4: Daylight Saving Time ends
• November 4: New York City marathon
• November 6: Election day
• November 6: College basketball season begins
• November 9: World Chess Championship (November 9-28) in London
• November 12: Veterans Day
• November 21: Hanksgiving. Always the day before Thanksgiving, Hanksgiving is a day to give thanks for one of the world’s most beloved actors, Tom Hanks.
• November 22: Thanksgiving
• November 23: Black Friday
• November 24: Small Business Saturday
• November 26: Cyber Monday
• November 27: Giving Tuesday
• December 2: Hanukkah starts
• December 6: Time Person of the Year
• December 6: Golden Globe nominees announced
• December 21: Winter begins (5:23 PM ET)
• January 6: Golden Globes
• January 21: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

NUMBER FOR THE DAY

327: Phones found under the Corkscrew roller coaster in England after the ride was turned off for the final time on November 9, 2008. After 28 years in operation, park staff also found 53 shoes, 10 items of underwear, 800 pieces of jewelry, over 1,000 hats, a prosthetic ear, and a false leg.

NEWS ATTACK!

Hundreds of women dressed as witches paddleboarded down a river in Oregon. [It’ll be weeks before the kids in Oregon are able to sleep again.]

NASA says its Kepler Space Telescope is officially dead. [But, then again, how many times did they say that about Star Trek?]

China is reversing its ban and now allowing trade in products made from endangered tigers and rhinos. [Who would have ever guessed that illegal poachers had a political lobby?]

Ben & Jerry has a new flavor of ice cream for opponents of the direction the country is headed. It’s called Pecan Resist. [For people who like the way the country is going they also have a new flavor — Krazy Kanye Krunch.]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is updating its definition of good food and bad food. That means that more grocery store items might qualify to be labeled as healthy. [The people who make Cheetos have their fingers crossed.]

Sociologists at the University of Alberta found that over time people with higher incomes become less and less concerned about social issues. [That is, until the underpaid factory workers who make their favorite $400 running shoes go on strike.]

A major study out of the UK shows that contrary to myth, boys and girls have equal talent at math. [The talent is split right down the middle, 52%-52%.]

Scientists have discovered a new species of butterfly in Fiji. [Wait a second. Are you telling me that I could have gotten a job looking for butterflies on a tropical island?]

The Cartoon Network is building a hotel based on its cartoons. [Interesting business decision. Are there a lot of 10-year-olds with credit cards?]

Tyler Perry announced that next year he’s going to retire his Madea character. [Too bad. I was hoping that she would take over for Roseanne.]

NEWS & NUGGETS

FREE TACO BELL TACO TOMORROW _ Reminder: Tomorrow, November 1, you get a free taco at Taco Bell. Last week Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts stole a base in the World Series game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Thanks to Taco Bell’s Steal A Base, Steal A Taco promotion, we can all get free Doritos Locos tacos between 2 and 6 PM Thursday.

ENERGY DRINKS CAUSING LONG-TERM HEALTH EFFECTS ON SOLDIERS _ Energy drinks that are used to ward off sleep deprivation in the military are having long-term adverse health effects on soldiers, according to a study in the Military Medicine journal. Over 600 male infantry soldiers, mostly aged 18 to 24, were surveyed on their energy drink consumption after their combat team returned from a 12-month deployment to Afghanistan. They were asked questions designed to analyze the association between energy drink use and sleep deprivation, depression, insomnia, anxiety, PTSD, alcohol abuse, fatigue, and aggressive behavior.

… Nearly half of troops drink at least one energy drink per day during deployment, but seven months after being deployed, 16 percent of soldiers of them “consume two or more energy drinks per day in the post-deployment period.” People in that group are more likely to say they suffer from mental health problems, anger-related behaviors, and fatigue.

HEADLESS TODDLER COSTUME IS GRUESOME AND AWESOME _ A young child’s Halloween costume in the Philippines has set the bar for creativity and creepiness. • VIDEO

ST. LOUIS DAYCARE HOSTED ‘FIGHT CLUB’ FOR PRESCHOOLERS _ A video obtained by a St. Louis TV station (Fox-2) shows preschoolers being encouraged to beat on each other at a local daycare. The video from December 2016 shows teachers at Adventure Learning Center setting up small children to fight one another in a classroom. The video was taken by a ten-year-old in a room adjacent to where the fights were happening. He saw that his little brother crying in the room next door and captured the scene on an iPad and sent it to his mother.

… According to the TV station, the children’s mother called the director of the daycare and the fighting was stopped. Daycare cameras recorded more than 30 minutes of match-ups that had taken place between students that day, with the children punching each other’s heads into the floor as the teachers watched and seemed to cheer them on. The daycare’s director fired both teachers and called the child abuse hotline, and though the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute, authorities did increase inspections of the daycare after the incident.

EVEN A 10-MINUTE WALK MAY BE GOOD FOR THE BRAIN _ A new study (University of California-Irvine, University of Tsukuba) shows ten minutes of mild exercise can immediately alter how certain parts of the brain communicate and coordinate with one another and improve memory function. The findings suggest that exercise does not need to be prolonged or intense to benefit the brain and that the effects can begin far more quickly than many of us might expect.

CANADA CONSIDERS CANCER WARNING ON EVERY CIGARETTE _ Canada could become the first country in the world to require cigarette manufacturers to include warnings about the dangers of tobacco on individual cigarettes. The Canadian government has launched a consultation process looking at regulations around warnings on tobacco products. If it happens, small warnings on every individual cigarette could read something like “Smoking causes cancer”.

PIZZA HUT INTRODUCES NEW ROBOT PIZZA-MAKING TRUCK _ Imagine you’re on a road trip when you have a sudden and urgent craving for pizza. Sure, you could pull up Google or Yelp and use GPS to find the nearest convenience store serving a luke-warm slice that’s been spinning under a heat lamp for six hours. Or you could pull over and have a fresh-made pie in six minutes. Pizza Hut partnered with Toyota to create a one-of-a-kind, zero-emission pizza making machine affectionately named the Tundra PIE Pro. The Tundra PIE Pro features a unique truck bed converted into a fully-functioning pizza factory on wheels which contains a refrigerator, a pair of computer-guided robotic arms, and a portable conveyor oven. Like the truck itself, all components are powered by a hydrogen fuel-cell electric powertrain. From start to finish, the pizza-making process takes between six and seven minutes.

NEW YORK SCHOOL DISTRICT SWITCHES ON FACIAL RECOGNITION _ An Upstate New York school is using facial recognition technology to help it spot possible school shooters or escaped felons on campus. Lockport City School District near Buffalo has installed a surveillance system in a high school, middle school and several elementary schools that scans students’ faces to check for matches in its security database. On its website, the facial recognition tech company (SN Technologies) describes the tech as being able to be used ‘to alert school officials if anyone from the local Sex Offenders Registry enters a school or if any suspended students, fired employees, known gang members or an affiliate enters a school.’

… The tech has gotten pushback from local parents, privacy advocates and some legislators who say it could invade students’ privacy.

ALGORITHM THAT CALCULATES YOUR IDEAL CAFFEINE INTAKE IS COMING _ Caffeine has been popular for centuries, but US Army researchers think we’re only beginning to scratch the surface of how to get the most from the stimulant. With the right personalized schedule, it’s possible to ensure that each drop of caffeine is used to maximize alertness and performance. And better yet, this tool may be in civilian hands next year.

… The app, called 2B-Alert, is still in development at Montana State University’s Tech Link Center in collaboration with the US Army’s Medical Research and Materiel Command. Reportedly, the app has a series of algorithms that help determine the closest thing we currently have to a personalized schedule for caffeine dosing.

NASA ABOUT TO TURN OFF KEPLER SPACECRAFT _ After more than nine years in operation, the Kepler Space Telescope has run out of fuel. Mission managers will now send a command to the spacecraft to turn off its transmitters. It will be cast adrift into the silent blackness of space. Kepler is presently trailing Earth’s orbit about 150 million kilometers away,

… Even though Kepler is going dark, mountains of data are still needing to be processed. During its lifetime, the spacecraft found 2,681 confirmed planets and an additional 2,899 candidate planets that require follow-up confirmation from ground-based telescopes.

INTERNSHIP WILL PAY YOU $100 PER HOUR TO PET PUPPIES _ Mutts Canine Cantina describes itself as a dog friendly restaurant, bar and dog park. There are two locations: Dallas and Fort Worth. And Mutts is looking for its first ever Puptern — an internship that will pay you $100 an hour to pet puppies, greet Mutts members, and show all dogs some love. The Puptern will work for about four hours per week, and eight weeks total through fall and winter.

… In an Instagram post Mutts wrote: Post a photo or video by 11/12 that shows us your puppy petting skills and use #MUTTSpuptern and tag @muttscantina for a chance to be hired as our Puptern and get PAID $100 per hour to pet puppies at our new location! Creativity is encouraged — tell us why you’re the best fit for the position in your caption.”

KIDS CAN SWAP OUT UNWANTED CANDY AT REESE’S CONVERTER MACHINE _ When you were a kid, there was nothing like taking stock of your candy inventory after trick-or-treating on Halloween, and trading all the stuff you didn’t like with your friends and siblings. Well, Reese’s is taking that to a whole other level this year with their brand new Reese’s candy converter machine. The candy converter will be set up on Fifth Avenue in New York City for five hours (or up to 10,000 cups) today (Halloween).

ELDERLY EXERCISERS HAVE FEWER BROKEN BONES AFTER FALLS _ Older adults who exercise are less likely to fall, but if they do, they’re also less likely to get hurt. Researchers (University of Paris-Sud) found that older adults taking part in fall prevention exercise programs were about 37 percent less likely to be injured during a tumble, compared to non-exercising participants.

TIME TO BOOK THAT HOLIDAY AIRPLANE TICKET _ For travelers looking to go home for the holidays, travelers should purchase Christmas airfare by November 12. Trends show a spike beginning around six weeks before Christmas day (around November 13). If travelers are not sure of their travel plans yet, data shows that there is usually a drop in fares three weeks before the holiday (around December 4–10) and then it will increase again.

REMEMBER THIS? A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK: SURVEY SAYS WE LOVE THE LIKE BUTTON _ It was 11 years ago (2007) this week that Like appeared on a social media service. The button originally debuted on a platform called FriendFeed. At the time, it just looked like a blue hyperlink with the word “Like” as anchor text. FriendFeed, which was acquired by Facebook in 2009 and shut down in 2015, may have been the first to debut the feature, but it was Facebook which popularized the feature.

… So how much do online users — meaning all of us — like the Like? A lot, apparently. An online poll shows 88% of regular social media, blog and website visitors say the Like button, or something similar, makes the online experience better.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: STOLEN TRUCK DRIVES BY POLICE OFFICER OWNER _ A police officer directing traffic in Dallas noticed a familiar-looking truck driving by — his own. The officer parked his pickup about 100 yards from where he was directing traffic. He said he didn’t notice anyone breaking in but recognized his truck coming toward him. He ordered the driver to pull over. Instead, the man put the truck in reverse and attempted to flee, striking several vehicles. Police cars eventually surrounded the truck.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DRESS THIEF RETURNS WEARING DRESS _ In Florida a woman stole a $300 dress from a store. She must have really thought she looked good in it, because less than one week later she was back at the store looking for another one. And she was wearing the stolen dress. Employees recognized her and called police.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ROBBER GIVES BACK _ After a robbery in Michigan, the victim saw his opportunity and grabbed the robber in a choke hold. The robber then grabbed all of the cash he had in his pocket and threw it at the victim after he demanded it back. When the robber fled, the victim counted the money and realized the bad guy was so scared that he gave him $80, all of the money in his pocket, instead of just the $50 he stole.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: VICTIMS GET INTRUDER DRUNK _ Confronted with an armed intruder in their home, two Florida women used food and booze to bring the situation to a safe conclusion. The women — both in their 60s — made the intruder a sandwich, gave him a bottle of rum and suggested he shower and shave so he could sort of be disguised in his getaway. He eventually become groggy from the booze and passed out. Police took care of things after that.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DISCOVERY OF SUSPICIOUS CASSETTE TAPE CAUSES EVACUATION _ Tuesday morning at about 7AM, a suspicious package was found at the Duke Energy Building in Charlotte, North Carolina. Employees called 911 and police proceeded to evacuate several of the buildings in the area. The bomb squad investigated the package and determined that it was a cassette tape from the popular ’80s band Journey.

WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN WITH CHAINSAWS ON SUBWAY ARRESTED _ A woman on an Oakland, California, commuter train tweeted video to local authorities which showed a man holding a chainsaw — then opening another box that contained a second chainsaw. Police received multiple calls about the incident and were on hand when the double-chainsaw carrying man got off. The 47-year-old was taken into custody for having several outstanding arrest warrants and for making threats.

ON TELEVISION

SURVIVOR (8p ET, CBS) — New. Tribes battle to win a food reward.

CHICAGO MED (8p ET, NBC) — New. Manning and Halstead must act fast to save the life of a physically abused wife.

AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE (8:30p ET, ABC) — New. In discussing body image with the kids, Katie and her mom realize they are bad influences on Anna-Kat and Taylor. Wendie Malick guest stars

SEAL TEAM (9p ET, CBS) — New. While rescuing a group of American students being held hostage in Mumbai, the team suffers life-threatening injuries.

CHICAGO FIRE (9p ET, NBC) — New. Brett and Foster respond to a call where a Halloween prank has turned deadly serious.

MODERN FAMILY (9p ET, ABC) — New. Phil is told that his real estate class will be canceled if any more students drop it.

CRIMINAL MINDS (10p ET, CBS) — New. The team investigates a local ghost story after two people go missing in the woods.

CHICAGO P.D. (10p ET, NBC) — New. The wife of an alderman is beaten to death.

SERIES PREMIERE: TELL ME A STORY (CBS All Access) — This new 10-episode series puts a modern, horror spin on classic fairy tales. The stories weave together, set in modern day New York City. James Wolk, Paul Wesley and Kim Cattrall are among the stars. New episodes will be released weekly.

ENTERTAINMENT

GAME OF THRONES PREQUEL CASTS NAOMI WATTS _ Naomi Watts will star in the Game of Thrones prequel pilot at HBO. The exact details of Watts’ character are being kept under wraps, but it is known she is playing “a charismatic socialite hiding a dark secret.” It was recently announced that Watts had signed on to play Gretchen Carlson in the Roger Ailes limited series currently in the works at Showtime. Watts earned Academy Award nominations for her roles in 21 Grams and The Impossible.

MEGHAN MARKLE’S POT-FARMER NEPHEW WON’T SPEW HATE LIKE REST OF FAMILY _ Not all members of the Markle family think it’s fine to blast the Duchess of Sussex in the press. Meghan Markle’s marijuana-farmer nephew, Tyler Dooley — who is starring in the upcoming MTV International reality show The Royal World — called his relatives’ negativity toward his famous aunt “an embarrassment.” He told the Times of London: “You know what goes on in the media with members of my family and it’s just terrible. It’s an embarrassment to have family members out there speaking negatively about Meghan, and it’s just something that shouldn’t be reported.” Dooley is the son of Thomas Markle Jr., Meghan’s half-brother.

JAVIER BARDEM AND JENNIFER ANISTON AMONG TV’s TOP-PAID STARS _ Javier Bardem, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and Norman Reedus are among TV’s top earners. According to Variety, which released a list of TV actor’s salaries, Bardem is taking home $1.2 million per episode for his upcoming 4-part series with Amazon (called Cortes), while Witherspoon and Aniston are raking in $1.1 million per episode for their upcoming morning show drama on Apple. Reedus is making $1 million per episode for The Walking Dead, while Hulu is paying out Elisabeth Moss $1 million for Handmaid’s Tale.

… The article notes that some of the celebrities, like Aniston, Witherspoon and Bardem, may be making more because they are listed as executive producers on their shows.

… Note: Last week’s list (Forbes) of highest paid actors and actresses included endorsement deals, side projects, and other sources of income.

KANYE WEST ANNOUNCES HE IS ABANDONING POLITICS _ Donald Trump appears to have lost the backing of his most high-profile supporter, as Kanye West announced that his burgeoning political activism is over and adds: “I’ve been used”. The 41-year-old rapper had ignored the pleas of his fellow musicians and decided to openly endorse Trump, visiting him in the White House in a surreal, televised, Oval Office encounter.

… On Tuesday evening, in a series of Twitter posts, West said he had had enough, implying that his views had been misconstrued. He singled out Trump’s proposal this week to end accepting asylum requests at the southern border: “I believe in love and compassion for people seeking asylum and parents who are fighting to protect their children from violence and war. I would like to thank my family, loved ones, and community for supporting my ACTUAL beliefs and my vision for a better world.”

… He also distanced himself from a movement called Blexit, which was launched to encourage black people to abandon the Democrats.

BARBRA STREISAND DOES CARPOOL KARAOKE _ Barbara Streisand will be a part of James Corden’s next Carpool Karaoke on the Late Late Show. On Thursday night the duo will sing some of her better known tunes. • VIDEO

AUDIO

Find these audio files on the PRO AUDIO PAGE.

• BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY: Charlene McMahon from Scotland shared a cute video of her sassy three-year-old daughter, Holly Lee, belting out an adorable rendition of Queen’s 1975 rock classic Bohemian Rhapsody while sitting in her car seat. • VIDEO

• WE WILL ROCK YOU: The movie about the rock band Queen is out Friday. Here’s a quick version of We Will Rock You to set up your movie review.

• HALLOWEEN: A random caller answers your question, “What are your favorite Halloween treats?” She likes ’em all… and even some non-Halloween candy.

• HALLOWEEN: What kids are dressing as for Halloween.

• HALLOWEEN: What kids want in their bag.

• HALLOWEEN: A big collection of Halloween related drops.

BITS & BREAKS

JOCK LINE

I still don’t think (jock) is still up to speed after the change from Daylight Saving Time. For most people, it’s “Spring Forward, Fall Back.” For him it’s “Spring Forward, Fall On Your face.”

FASHION MISTAKES MEN MAKE THAT WOMEN DESPISE

• Socks that don’t match your outfit

• Mismatched socks

• Your idea of “dressed up”

• Socks with sandals

• Short ties

• Un-tailored suits

• Not refreshing your wardrobe

• Holes and rips

• Fishing shirts

• Flat billed hats

• Cargo pants and shorts

• No belts

• Undershirts

• Flip flops

• Visors

• Wrinkles

• Underwear showing

HORRIBLE (BUT CLEAN) HALLOWEEN JOKES

Q. What do goblins and ghosts drink when they’re hot and thirsty on Halloween? A. Ghoul-aid

Q. What is a Mummie’s favorite type of music? A. Wrap!

Q. What did the skeleton say to the vampire? A. You suck.

Q. Why did the ghost go into the bar? A. For the Boos.

Q. Why didn’t the skeleton dance at the party? A. He had no body to dance with.

Q. What happens when a ghost gets lost in the fog? A. He is mist.

Q. Why is a ghost such a messy eater? A. Because he is always a goblin.

Q. Why did the Vampire read the New York Times? A. He heard it had great circulation.

Q. Why didn’t the skeleton cross the road? A. He didn’t have the guts.

Q. What does a ghost eat for lunch? A. A BOO-logna sandwich.

Q. Why do ghouls and demons hang out together? A. Because demons are a ghoul’s best friend!

Q. What happened to the guy who couldn’t keep up payments to his exorcist? A. He was repossessed.

Q. Why did the mummy call the doctor? A. Because he was coffin.

RESUME LIES AND MISTAKES

Hiring manages have shared the most common and unusual mistakes they’ve found on resumes. While only 12 percent of workers say they’ve lied on a resume, nearly half of employers say they’ve caught a lie on a resume.

• Applicant touted her “aquatic research” at the University of “Whales”

• Applicant wrote “I am good at speling” (missing L)

• Applicant claimed to be a project manager on a very large project — the interviewer’s son was actually the project manager

• Male applicant included the name of the school he attended — it was an all girls school

• Applicant said he worked for company starting in 1966, but was not born until 1978

• Two candidates for the same job had the exact same opening paragraph — they were friends

• Applicant said he served in a particular war, but the dates were completely wrong

FUN & GAMES

TRIVIA: Women who commit this crime outnumber men 5 to 1. (Shoplifting)

TRIVIA: One in four of us have named this. (Our car)

TRIVIA: The average person will lose 40 pounds of this in their life. (Shedding skin)

TRIVIA: The very first vending machines in the U.S. dispensed what? (Gum)

DATEBOOK: NOVEMBER 1, 2018

BIRTHDAYS

• Toni Collette (The United States of Tara, Little Miss Sunshine) is 46

• Jenny McCarthy is 46

• Matt Jones (Breaking Bad) is 37

• Penn Badgely (Gossip Girl) is 32

IT HAPPENED TODAY

• 1800: U.S. President John Adams became the first President of the United States to live in the Executive Mansion, later renamed the White House.

• 1870: In the United States, the Weather Bureau — later renamed the National Weather Service — made its first official meteorological forecast.

• 1913: The forward pass gained national prominence when used in Notre Dame’s startling upset of Army 35-13. Just a few years before, the forward pass had been authorized by a rules committee of what would become the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

• 1990: McDonald’s announced it would replace styrofoam burger boxes with paper containers.

• 2012: Scientists detected evidence of light from the universe’s first stars, predicted to have formed 500 million years after the big bang.

SPECIAL EVENTS

• November is Movember, American Diabetes Awareness Month, Aviation Month, National Adoption Month, National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, National Georgia Pecan Month, National Novel Writing Month, Vegan Month, National Fun with Fondue Month, National Peanut Butter Lover’s Month, National Pepper Month, National Stuffing Month, National Raisin Bread Month

• All Saints’ Day

• Author’s Day

• Calzone Day

• Give Up Your Shoulds Day

• Deep Fried Clams Day

• Family Caregiver Day

• Go Cook For Your Pets Day

• Men Make Dinner Day

• World Vegan Day

UPCOMING