On Today’s Show

➢A single Mom in B.C. who recently left an abusive relationship fell behind on rent because of the pandemic, and her landlord responded by removing all the doors and windows from her house.

Officials stepped in and made him replace them all after a reporter did a story on it.  Now someone’s working with them to figure out a solution, and the landlord says it was a learning experience for him.

➢On Tuesday, there was a show by British indie musician SAM FENDER at The Virgin Money Unity Arena in Newcastle, England.  This particular venue bills itself as the world’s first socially distanced concert venue.

It’s a former horse track with a bunch of “pods”, that are just square areas with metal barriers around them, separated from each other by several feet.  Several people fit in each pod, and there’s no intermingling with other groups.

To avoid concession lines, fans preordered food and drinks, which they received as they entered the venue.

➢ The world’s last remaining Blockbuster Video location is now offering to rent area residents…an overnight stay. The video-rental store in Bend, Oregon has posted an offer on the vacation-rentals site Airbnb for one-night stays between Sept. 18-20, hosting up to four people at a time. How much? Just $4 – a penny more than the cost of a vintage video rental. Guests can expect to spend their nights in a living-room set up next to aisles of shelves full of videotapes, complete with a pull-out couch in front of a television, snacks such as Doritos and Pepsi

➢ A 19-year-old guy in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada was drunk around 5:00 A.M. on Saturday and someone called the cops on him for, quote, “causing a disturbance.”

When the cops showed up, the guy ran . . . and then hopped in the backseat of a cab and said, quote, “Take me to 17th Street, bro!”

There was just one problem:  It wasn’t a taxi.  The guy had jumped into an unmarked COP CAR.

So instead of taking him to 17th Street, they took him to a holding cell until he sobered up.  And they wound up releasing him without charges.

➢ The Hallmark Channel is set to make the classic pairing of drinking wine and watching movies even more delightful. The network has teamed up with Wines That Rock to launch “Hallmark Channel Wines”, a set of holiday-themed wines inspired by the network’s many Christmas films. The wines can be purchased as a 2, 4, or 6-pack or a case of 12, but only a limited number will be bottled in time for the holiday season. The wines will ship in October and arrive just in time for the launch of “Countdown to Christmas,” the annual marathon of Hallmark movies that begins later that month and runs through the new year.

TODAY IS……………….

• “Navajo Code Talkers Day”, ‘code talkers’, as they became known, used English code words that they translated into their language to send messages during World War II. The Japanese military could hear them, but couldn’t understand them because the Navajo language was not well known. They saved many lives and helped the allies win the war.

• “Kool-Aid Day”, the annual weekend celebration of the soft drink mix originally made in Hastings, Nebraska. Edwin E. Perkins first marketed the stuff in 1927 in 6 flavors

(raspberry, cherry, grape, lemon, orange, and root-beer).

2003 [17] A massive power failure in eastern Canada and northeast USA leaves 50 million people without electricity for up to 2 days

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COUNTRY MUSIC NOTE

Luke Bryan‘s debut album, I’ll Stay Me, was released in 2007.

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NO DRAMA LLAMA

The protests in Portland, Ore., have been calmer in recent days. But even during the intensity of the unrest, there were pockets of calm around Caesar McCool.

Caesar, better known as “Caesar the No Drama Llama,” is a retired 6-year-old Argentine grand champion show llama that now works as a therapy llama and “llamactivist.” One of his best talents is offering emotional-support hugs, which people line up to give him at protests and other places where Caesar shows up.

Llamas generally are not known to be cozy with humans, and at 5-foot-8 and 350 pounds, Caesar could appear intimidating. But Caesar doesn’t turn from affection or back away from chaos.

Caesar and McCool were at a Portland protest late last month, with 10,000 protesters when violence broke out in the distance. People were shouting and flash bombs were being deployed by police. McCool said he quickly moved Caesar, careful about his safety.

So far this year, Caesar and McCool have attended 10 Black Lives Matter protests in Oregon, including five in Portland’s epicenter, to offer support and a tranquil presence to protesters. In recent years, they have attended more than 50 marches in support of a variety of civil and environmental causes.

When they’re not protesting, McCool and Caesar go to retirement homes to visit residents outside their windows. Before the pandemic, they would go to schools, malls and visit foster children and people with special needs. The visits are on a volunteer basis, though sometimes McCool accepts donations to offset transportation and other costs.

FOUR RANDOM FACTS

1. Pigeons have an incredible ability to remember human faces.  In fact, if you chase or feed a pigeon even once, it will remember you in the future.

2. The first time a computer successfully ran a piece of software was June of 1948.  A computer in England ran a program that was, basically, just a calculator.

3. When Nokia was founded in Finland in 1865, it made toilet paper and other paper products.  They didn’t get into communications until 100 years later.

4. Arnold Schwarzeneggergot paid $75,000 for “Terminator” . . . and $15 million for “Terminator 2” seven years later.

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GOOD NEWS

A brother and sister in Texas opened a lemonade stand, and used the profits to buy snacks for doctors and nurses in their hometown.

They ended up with about $400, plus some donations from Venmo after their mom talked them up on Facebook.

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BIRTHDAYS

[75] Steve Martin, comedian/actor

[61] (Earvin) “Magic” Johnson, Lansing MI, retired pro basketball player (spent his entire 13-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers)

[33] Tim Tebow, Makati former pro football player

[54] Halle Berry, actress

[37] Mila Kunis, actress (“That ’70s Show” 1998-2006)/married to actor Ashton Kutcher 2015

Serial Bank Robber Is Finally Caught

Between 2012 and 2016, a guy in his 60s named James Wersick robbed more than a dozen banks in the Potomac, Maryland area.  Then he stopped.  The cops never caught him, and it’s entirely possible that they never would.

But . . . last week, 71-year-old James broke his four-year hiatus and robbed another bank.  And this time, the cops caught him in the act.

So why did he go back to robbing banks?  The same reason everything happens in the world these days: coronavirus.

His attorney says James is an electrician who wasn’t getting work because of the pandemic, and he needed the money.

He’s facing 16 felony counts for armed bank robbery.

A Canadian Bank Robber Follows Social Distancing Rules and Politely Waits in Line

Canadians sure take the pandemic . . . and politeness . . . seriously.

A 58-year-old guy named Davis Morris robbed a bank in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on Friday morning.  But he did it in the most Canadian way possible.

He politely and patiently waited in the line outside the bank that was set up for social distancing . . . and then, when it was finally his turn, he went inside and slipped the teller a note demanding money.

He got away with an undisclosed amount of cash, but the cops tracked him down and arrested him later that day.

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Sylvester Stallone Is Selling His $350,000 SUV

SYLVESTER STALLONE is selling his SUV . . . for more than your HOUSE is probably worth.

It’s a 20-foot, fully customized 2019 Cadillac Escalade, and he wants $350,000 for it.

It has a 43-inch UHD LCD smart TV built into the center divider and 12-inch screens for rear-facing passengers . . . with two SIM cards from different carriers to ensure the most reliable connection.

The windows have electric curtains, and there are two fully electric rear bucket seats with leg rests.

The car only has 1,000 miles on it.  He’s unloading it because his, quote, “requirement for it has recently changed.”

(Here’s a picture of Stallone in this beast.  And here’s video.)

FRIDAY AUGUST 14^TH  

1. Columbus 3          Tampa Bay      1

Carolina          3          Boston             2

Dallas              5          Calgary            4

Las Vegas        4          Chicago           3  (OT)             Vegas leads 2 – 0

2. The Seattle Seahawks have cutcornerback Kemah Siverand, after he reportedly tried to sneak a woman into the team’s hotel. And he really put some effort into it.  He had her dress up in Seahawks gear so she’d be disguised as a player.  He might have gotten away with it, but the scheme was caught on video. As amusing as this story is, there’s a lot at stake these days . . . and putting the team at risk will DEFINITELY come with consequences.

Siverand went undrafted out of Oklahoma State and got a $2,000 signing bonus from Seattle.  There’s no comment from him or his agent.

3. A woman in Tampa recently gota pack of face masks in the mail that she didn’t order, and they were mailed from China.  It turns out it’s a type of scam called “brushing,” and a lot of shady companies do it.  They send their cheap products to random people, then pose as them online and leave good reviews to up their sales.  The woman who got the masks says it freaked her out, especially because they were sent from China.

4. Comedian Jeff Foxworthy took his entire family on vacation one time.  He can tell you how it went.

Five Ways to Relax for National Relaxation Day this Weekend

Tomorrow is National Relaxation Day, and we need it more than ever this year.  So here are five things you can do tomorrow that should help you relax . . .

1. Get a house plant.  Studies have shown patients in hospital rooms with plants report lower stress levels.  And plants may help improve the quality of your air.

2. Eat a banana, some citrus, or dark chocolate.  The potassium in bananas helps your body regulate blood pressure.  Vitamin C in citrus helps with some of the effects of stress on your body.  And just 40 grams of dark chocolate a day can reduce your levels of stress hormones.

3. Drink green tea sweetened with honey.  L-theanine in green tea can help lower your heart rate and blood pressure, and honey has been shown to counteract free radicals and reduce inflammation, which is sometimes linked to depression.
4. Give yourself a hand massage.  If you spend all day at a computer, your hands can get really tense.  A quick massage should get them loosened up.

5. Mow the lawn.  There’s a chemical released in that freshly-cut grass smell that makes people feel happy and relaxed.  Plus, knocking it off your to-do list will give you one less thing to worry about.

KANE BROWN’S ‘MIXTAPE’ EP DROPS TODAY

Kane Brown‘s seven-song EP called Mixtape Vol. 1 is available today (Friday, August 14th). The project includes four tracks that Kane has released since the start of 2020, along with three previously unreleased songs, all of which he co-wrote. Mixtape Vol. 1 includes Kane’s two current singles, the Top 10-and-climbing country hit, “Cool Again,” and his Top 40 hit, “Be Like That,” a collaboration with Swae Lee and Khalid.

Kane tells us this collection of songs is appropriately titled Mixtape because it shows his diversity as an artist. [“Country music always has my heart. I’ll never leave country music, but it’s cool to be able to do all these things. When everybody’s like, ‘Oh, this is pop country,’ yeah, I’m a pop country artist and this EP’s kind of just showing everybody that. Like I have a song with Swae Lee and Khalid, album’s gonna have a song with H.E.R. on it. There’s  probably gonna be some other artists on there, like features on there, but then I like having ‘BFE’ on there cause it’s kind of like this is what I grew up on, the 90s sound of country music. That’s why I called it the ‘Mixtape’ because it’s like all of my sounds into one.”]

Kane recently released a remix of “Cool Again” featuring rapper Nelly, along with the video which the two recently shot in Miami.

LUKE BRYAN, DARIUS RUCKER PLAY THE OPRY THIS WEEKEND

Luke Bryan and Darius Rucker will step into the circle together for the Grand Ole Opry’s 4,937th consecutive Saturday night broadcast this Saturday (August 15th). The Opry will air on Circle TV and SiriusXM as well as the Opry’s flagship home 650 WSM AM and wsmonline.com.

Luke tells us that playing the Opry is always an honor. [“You know, it’s really important for me to get on that stage and feel the emotions of what the Opry is, you know and I know I get criticized on what my music is based on the parameters of what maybe Country is but as long as I’m allowed to bring my version of music and my version of Country music to the Opry I’m always honored by that and I’m always proud of it.”]

FAST FACTS

Luke first played at the Grand Ole Opry in April 0f 2007.

Darius offically became an Opry member in October of 2012.

Luke Bryan Wishes He Smelled as Good as Keith Urban

LUKE BRYAN was on “Watch What Happens Live” answering fan questions, and somebody wanted to know what cologne he wears . . . because they met him once and he smelled terrific.  He gave all the credit to Keith Urban.

Quote,  “Keith taught me to take a bunch of Tom Ford [cologne] and blend it in the air and run through it.  [He] crushes my smell by the way.  He smells a lot better than me.”

Categorised in: Mornings

This post was written by Dave Palmer