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A wide selection of interesting and trending stories – rip ‘em, read ‘em and post
                                       ‘em!
                     FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021
TODAY IS…
     NATIONAL CHOCOLATE MINT DAY – The ancient Mayans may have discovered
     chocolate, but it was a New York candy-maker who invented the chocolate mint back in the
     1800s. The Girl Scouts pounced on the trend and they’ve been selling out of their ’Thin Mint’
     cookies every year since 1953!
     NATIONAL LASH DAY – Bust out your best mascara or slap on a pair of ‘falsies’ - they’re
     like a weave for your eyes!
     LASH DAY FUN FACTS:
           Mascara has been around for more than 6-thousand years.
           It was first used by the ancient Egyptians (who apparently loved a dramatic eye) and
              used it to ward off evil spirits. Back then, it was made of ground-up rocks and coal.
           Modern-day mascara wasn’t developed until the 18-hundreds.
           Don’t be lazy! Sleeping in mascara can ruin your lashes.
           There is such thing as eyelash mites that live in your lashes and cause your eyes to
              get red and crusty.
     NATIONAL VET GIRLS RISE DAY – Recognizing the dedication and sacrifice of nearly
     2 million U.S. veteran women. Women have served in the armed forces since the
     Revolutionary War, and many have gone unrecognized for their service and valor.
     NATIONAL CAREGIVERS DAY (3rd Friday in February) – Honoring the health care
     professionals who have put their own health and safety at risk during COVID to provide long-
     term and hospice care to millions of people across America.
     NATIONAL TARTAR SAUCE DAY (Friday after the start of Lent) – Now that
     millions of Americans are observing Lent, a lot of us are eating more fish. And what
     condiment goes better with that slab of halibut that a side of Tartar sauce!
     TARTAR SAUCE FUN FACTS:
           The French invented it in the 18-hundreds.
           It’s made with Mayonnaise, chopped up pickles, lemon juice and sometimes dill.
           It’s really hard to get tartar stains out your boss’s car seat…just sayin’.

SATURDAY IS…

NATIONAL CHERRY PIE DAY – There may be nothing more “American” than Apple
   pie, but the cherry variety is pretty close. Cherry pie is known as ‘the great American dish’
   and has been around since the first English settlers.
   HERE’S A LINK TO WARRANT’S ‘CHERRY PIE’ (DON’T LET YOUR MOM HEAR YOU
   PLAYING IT!)
   NATIONAL LOVE YOUR PET DAY – Do we really need a day for this? Whether your
   best friend happens to be a lizard, a cockatoo or even a goldfish, give ‘em a little extra love
   today.
   CLICK HERE FOR A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT ANIMAL SOUNDS (SOME DON’T MAKE
   GREAT PETS)
   NATIONAL MUFFIN DAY – Muffins were invented in the 17-hundreds and were
   originally called ‘Moofins’ (but they eventually decided ‘muffin’ sounded more delicious).
   DID YOU KNOW…?
         In England, they call muffins ‘American muffins’ so they’re not confused with English
            muffins
         Muffins have become more fattening: 50 years ago, a 3-inch muffin had about 120
            calories, today’s equivalent packs about 6 times the fat and sugar.
         The Blueberry muffin is consistently voted Americas favorite, followed by Chocolate
            Chip, Apple Cinnamon and Banana Chocolate Chip
   HERE’S A REALLY ANNOYING VERSION OF ‘THE MUFFIN MAN’ SONG
   MAYWEATHER VS LOGAN PAUL BOXING MATCH – Here’s your chance to watch
   an annoying YouTube ‘influencer’ get punched in the face! Former five-weight boxing world
   champion Floyd Mayweather takes on YouTuber Logan Paul in a 'special exhibition' match
   tonight. Mayweather went unbeaten for 50 matches while Paul has fought twice
   professionally…so this should be really good!
   HERE’S A LINK TO A BOXING BELL SOUND EFFECT
   GIRL SCOUT COOKIES WEEKEND – Load up on ‘Do-si-dos’, ‘Tagalongs’ and ‘Thin
   Mints’, it’s National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend! Scouts across the country will be selling
   cookies at booths, door to door, and through Digital Cookie. This year, GrubHub is also
   selling cookies on their platform and waiving all fees. The proceeds stay local, and Girl
   Scouts invest all the money into leadership experiences and community projects.

SUNDAY IS…
   NATIONAL STICKY BUN DAY – We’re NOT talking about cinnamon buns! This
   German-American treat is believed to have been invented in Pennsylvania sometime in the
   17-hundreds. Traditionally, it’s topped with nuts, and is so dang sticky, you’ll need a Wet
   Wipe (or maybe a bath)!
   NATIONAL GRAIN FREE DAY – Put down the bread! Today, let’s try eating in solidarity
   with those who don’t do so well with stuff like wheat, oats and barley. A growing number of
   Americans are developing dietary issues with grain-based foods. It’s believed Celiac Disease
   affects at least 3 million people in the US.
   THE AMERICAN BLACK FILM FESTIVAL – The American Black Film Festival Honors
   takes place today. It celebrates black actors and writers, movies and television shows that
   have had a significant impact on US entertainment; as well as those who champion diversity
   and inclusion in Hollywood.

BIRTHDAYS:

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19:

SMOKY ROBINSON, 81 – Singer/songwriter. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Motown
   legend who’s best known for his monster hits ‘Tears of a Clown’ and ‘I Second That
   Emotion’.
   HERE’S A LINK TO THE MIRACLES’ “TEARS OF A CLOWN”
   HERE’S A LINK TO HIS SOLO HIT “BEING WITH YOU”
   SEAL (Henry Samuel), 58 – Singer/songwriter. The British GRAMMY-winning singer
   became a superstar with his 90s hits ‘Crazy’ and “Kiss from a Rose”. He was also famously
   married to supermodel Heidi Klum (kloom).
   HERE’S A LINK TO HIS HIT “KISS FROM A ROSE”
   CLICK HERE FOR SEAL’S ‘CRAZY’ (WARNING: THIS SONG MAY INDUCE BODY
   ROLLING)
   MILLIE BOBBY BROWN, 17 – Actress. Best known for her role as ‘Eleven’ in the
   popular Netflix series “Stranger Things.”
   CLICK HERE FOR THE “STRANGER THINGS” THEME
   JEFF DANIELS, 66 – Actor. Best known for his goofball role in ‘Dumb and Dumber’. He’s
   also starred in “Terms of Endearment”, “Pleasantville,” “The Squid and the Whale” and the
   HBO series “The Newsroom.”
   VICTORIA JUSTICE, 28 – Actress/Singer. After roles in “Zoey 101” and iCarly,” she
   really hit big in her won Nickelodeon series “Victorious.” In 2015 she starred in MTV’s “Eye
   Candy.” She started acting and modeling when she was just eight years old.
   CLICK HERE FOR THE “VICTORIOUS” THEME

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20:
   RIHANNA, 33 – Singer/songwriter. Ri-Ri took the music world by storm with her 2007 hit
   “Umbrella” and has since launched many more hits, a cosmetics line, and co-starred in the
   film “Ocean’s 8.” She is the youngest solo artist in Billboard charts history to achieve 11 #1
   singles.
   CLICK HERE FOR HER HIT “ONLY GIRL”
   CHARLES BARKLEY, 58 – NBA Star and Analyst. The ’Round-Mound-Of-Rebound’ was
   an 11-time All-Star before becoming the best reason to watch TNT’s ‘Inside the NBA’. FUN
   FACT: as a player, he didn’t want to be seen on TV with chapped lips, so he would hide a
   stash of Vaseline in his belly button that he’d use when the cameras weren’t on him.
   TREVOR NOAH, 27 – Comedian/Talk Host. The South African comedian replaced Jon
   Stewart as host of “The Daily Show” in 2015. He’s scheduled to host the GRAMMY Awards
   next month on CBS.
   BRIAN LITTRELL, 46 – Singer. One fifth of the popular band Backstreet Boys. He had
   his first solo in church at the age of seven, and by 16 was singing at weddings. He’s the
   father of Country singer Baylee Littrell and cousins with bandmate Kevin Richardson.
   CLICK HERE FOR BACKSTREET BOYS’ “AS LONG AS YOU LOVE ME”
   CINDY CRAWFORD, 55 – Supermodel. The supermodel with the famous mole was
   once named one of the top three of VH1’s “Hottest Hotties of the 90s” list. She now has a
   successful beauty line and is the mother of model Kaia Gerber.
   SIDNEY POITIER (pwa-tee-ay), 94 – Actor/Director. The legendary actor was the first
   black man to be both nominated (“The Defiant Ones”) and later win an Oscar (“Lillies of the
   Field”) for “Best Actor.” He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21:

SOPHIE TURNER, 25 – Actress. All hail the Queen of the North, Sansa Stark from
        “Game of Thrones.” She also played Jean Grey in “X-Men: Apocalypse.” And if ruling a
        kingdom and having superpowers wasn’t enough, she then married singer Joe Jonas.
        CLICK HERE FOR THE “GAME OF THRONES” THEME”
        JORDAN PEELE, 42 – Actor/Director. Known for his shows with comedy partner Keegan-
        Michael Key, he also wrote and directed the films “Get Out” and “Us.” He’s married to
        Brooklyn Nine-Nine actress Chelsea Peretti.
        KELSEY GRAMMER, 76 – Actor. Forever known as uppity fictional TV psychologist
        Frasier Crane, he’s the only actor to be nominated for an Emmy Award for three television
        series, all for the same character in “Cheers,” “Frasier,” and for a guest appearance as
        Frasier on “Wings.”
        CLICK HERE FOR THE “FRASIER” THEME
        JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT, 42 – Actress. She got her start on “Kids Incorporated” and
        has been acting ever since – from “From Party of Five” to “The Ghost Whisperer” and “The
        Client List.” She made her performing debut at a livestock show when she was just three
        years old.
        CORBIN BLEU, 32 – Actor/singer. He broke out playing Chad Danforth in the “High
        School Musical” films and later had roles on “One Life to Live,” “The Fosters,” and
        “Supergirl.” He started acting in TV commercials when he was two years old.
        HERE’S A LINK TO BLUE SINGING “PUSH IT TO THE LIMIT”
        HAYLEY ORRANTIA, 27 – Actress/Singer. Before her current role as sister Erica on the
        sitcom “The Goldbergs,” she performed on the first season of “The X Factor” as part of the
        Country girl group Lakoda Rayne. She released her debut single “Love Sick” in 2015.
        CLICK HERE FOR THE “LOVE SICK” VIDEO

TRENDING/ODD

PETA DOESN’T WANT YOU CALLING THEM ‘PETS’ ANYMORE (00:23)
The folks at 'PETA' now want you stop calling them ‘pets’ because they say that's derogatory.
Instead, the animal activist group wants you to call them 'animal companions' - which could make the
signs outside pet stores a lot bigger. By the way, these are the same guys who, just this month, said
we should stop using animal names to insult people, like calling somebody a "snake," or a "chicken"
or a 'pig'.

WHAAAA?! ITALY CANCELS ‘EVENT’ TO MARK COVID PANDEMIC (00:18)
What the heck was Italy thinking? The country had planned events to mark the first anniversary of
the start of their outbreak…which might just be the dumbest reason for a public celebration during a
pandemic. And they only reason they cancelled was because that British variant is running wild in
Italy, forcing local lockdowns.

‘AS IF!’ LEADERSHIP EXPERTS WANT TO CANCEL THESE WORDS (00:19)
Some language and leadership experts now want to ‘cancel’ the word “If”. They say 'if' casts doubt
and can usually be replaced with "when". They also have a problem with 'I think' because it
'introduces uncertainty'. And words like 'might', 'should' and 'enough' also need to be turfed because
(they say) they offer no value or accountability.

ROVER ‘PERSEVERANCE’ LANDS ON MARS (00:23)
And you thought parallel parking was hard! NASA's ‘Perseverance’ Rover' has landed on Mars. The
thing - about the size of a pickup truck - stuck the landing after a 300-million mile journey, coming
down inside a crater they think used to be a lake. Now they'll start looking for signs of ancient life.

'Perseverance' also piggybacked a small helicopter - it'll be the first thing NASA has ever flown on
another planet.
CLICK HERE FOR MISSION CONTROL’S REACTION

TEXAS WEATHER: POWER RETURNING BUT STILL NO RUNNING WATER (00:19)
They’re slowly getting power back on in Texas. They say about a million customers are still in the
cold and dark. But a lot of people still don’t have running water. Tons of pipes burst from the cold
and that’s adding to the misery. That nasty winter storm has killed at least 30 people - some of
whom froze to death in their own homes.

THE VATICAN THREATENS TO FIRE EMPLOYEES WHO REFUSE COVID VACCINE
(00:16)
Well, the Vatican sure isn't playing any games when it comes to the battle against COVID-19. High-
ranking officials in Rome say that any Vatican employee who refuses to get the vaccine runs the risk
of being fired. That's unless they actually have a valid medical excuse, with proof. Yikes!

LAW & DISORDER
BONEHEADS POSE AS US MARSHALS TO AVOID WEARING MASKS (00:22)
When hotel staff near Fort Lauderdale, Florida saw two men walking around the resort without
masks, they politely reminded them of the rules. But the guys allegedly flashed US Marshal Badges
and threatened to arrest and fine them. So staff called the cops, who brought a real US Marshal. The
two guys are now in lockup, where masks are mandatory and face charges of impersonating a
federal officer.

WEIRD SCIENCE & TECH
STUDY: CAFFEINE DOESN’T SPOIL SLEEP BUT IT WILL ERASE YOUR BRAIN
(00:26)
A new study about caffeine finds it doesn't actually keep you up at night, but it will mess with your
brain. Scientists in Switzerland tested the effects of caffeine on the human body and found it
significantly reduces your grey matter - those are the brain cells connected to memory. The research
found consuming caffeine daily (about 1-2 cups of coffee) won't ruin your sleep, but it might make
you forget some stuff. They said the grey matter levels increased after 10 days of no caffeine.

DOCTORS SAY STOP WORKING FROM YOUR BED (00:19)
We know it seems like a dream come true to be able to lounge in your cozy bed while you are
working from home, but it will only lead to back nightmares. Doctors say being in bed all day is
terrible for your back, your entire body, and your posture, and they say an ergonomic chair is the
only way to go unless you want long-term pain issues.

SCIENTISTS FIND WEIRD CRITTERS HALF A MILE UNDER ANTARCTIC ICE
(00:15)
Scientists in Antarctica dug half a mile under the ice and found life in the pitch black sea. The critters
look like sponges. They're alive, which is baffling scientists 'cause not much else down there is. Now
they wanna dig again to see what else they find.

AN IRREGULAR SLEEP SCHEDULE CAN MAKE YOU VERY DEPRESSED (00:20)
So this can explain why a lot of people out there have pretty scary mood swings. A new study says
having an irregular sleep schedule can increase a person's risk of depression, make you very cranky

and give you major mood swings. The study was conducted by a team from Michigan Medicine at
the University of Michigan, and it is published in "npj Digital Medicine."

YOUR MONEY/SHOPPING
CORSETS ARE MAKING A COMEBACK (00:20)
They may be considered torture devices by many women, but it looks like women are going cuckoo
for corsets these days! It's all thanks to the steamy "Bridgerton" series on Netflix! According to recent
stats, online searches for body-sculpting corsets have soared, and so had the demand for four-
poster beds like we see all over the insanely popular series.

LIFE/SURVEY SAYS…
SENIORS ARE TRAVELING AGAIN THANKS TO COVID VACCINE (00:18)
Since millions of people 65 and over were first in line to get their covid vaccines, many have decided
it's safe to travel again! Hotels, airlines, and cruise lines are seeing tons of new bookings from older
Americans ready to explore some new places. Hawaii and Key West, Florida are very popular
destinations right now.

‘SILENCE OF THE LAMBS’ HOUSE TURNS INTO AIRBNB (00:16)
Remember the terrifying "Buffalo Bill" house in The Silence of the Lambs where he took all his
victims? Well, the REAL house, in Pittsburgh, has been sold and is turning into a Bed & Breakfast.
(Here's a tour) They're even installing a realistic 'hole' like the one where Bill kept his victims!

STUDENT SUICIDES RISING DURING THE PANDEMIC (00:24)
The pandemic is turning deadly in a whole different way and it is absolutely heartbreaking. Officials
in New York City say five students have taken their own lives so far this school year. Maine and Las
Vegas are also dealing with student suicides. Many parents say it's another reason schools have to
re-open as soon as possible. If you or someone you know is suicidal, call the National Suicide
Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-8255.

ENTERTAINMENT
DEMI LOVATO SAYS SHE HAD 3 STROKES AND A HEART ATTACK (00:19)
Demi Lovato has revealed she had 3 strokes and a heart attack after her drug overdose in 2018.
She dropped that bomb in her upcoming 4-part YouTube documentary series called Dancing with
the Devil. The 28 year old says doctors told her family she had 10 minutes to live. She wants to
come clean to help other people struggling with heroin addiction.
HERE’S A TEASERS FOR THE DOCUMENTARY
CLICK HERE FOR HER SINGLE ‘HEART ATTACK’ (Yeah, we know it’s a little ‘on the nose’!)

HISTORY CHANNEL MAKING ‘TOOL TIME’ REBOOT (SORTA) (00:22)
The History Channel is bringing back the 90s sitcom 'Home Improvement'...sorta. The original stars -
Tim Allen and Richard Karn - are reuniting to host a reality competition show for the History Channel,
called 'Assembly Required'. Contestants will have to invent appliance mash-ups (like an ice maker-
slash-leaf blower), just like Tim 'The Toolman' Taylor did on the old primetime comedy. The new
show premieres next Tuesday at 10.
HERE’S THE THEME TO ‘HOME IMPROVEMENT’
CLICK HERE FOR TIM ALLEN’S FAMOUS GRUNT
HERE’S A PROMO FOR ‘ASSEMBLY REQUIRED’

MADONNA'S DAUGHTER IS THE NEW FACE OF MARC JACOBS (00:17)
Let's give it up for Lourdes Leon! Madonna's gorgeous 24-year-old daughter has scored a pretty
sweet gig as the new face of the Marc Jacobs fashion empire. You'll see "Lola" all over The Jacobs
2021 Spring Line. He says it celebrates "eclecticism and an individualized approach to personal
style."

"WEDNESDAY" GETS HER VERY OWN SERIES (00:22)
Ok, so who doesn't love the creepy yet adorable character of "Wednesday" from The Addams
Family TV shows and movies? She is priceless, and now a new Netflix series is on the way simply
called "Wednesday, and it's going to be directed by the Gothic God" himself, Tim Burton. The series
will feature Wednesday Addams as a student at Nevermore Academy, and you can bet she'll be up
to no good!

PARIS HILTON IS GETTING HITCHED (00:17)
If ya haven't heard, Paris Hilton is getting married! She's engaged to businessman "Carter Reum."
On her Insta, Paris says her fairy-tale dream has come true! Just in case you are wondering, Paris is
a hotel heiress, socialite, model, actress, successful D.J., and now she can soon add "wife" to that
list!

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