TODAY IS THURSDAY - APRIL 16, 2009

The Morning Show With Jim & Karen
on Spirit FM!

TODAY IS:

This is National Coin Week, for obvious reasons. After you pay your income tax, all you have left is a few coins. Apparently that is the change the government speaks of us getting!

Wilbur Wright was born on this day in 1867. Wilbur was the second man in history to fly an airplane. He could have been the first, but somebody had to stay on the ground and lose the luggage. The challenge of an airplane is to keep it up—the challenge of airplane food is to keep it down.

The world's first air conditioned hat was patented on this day in 1889. It was a derby with ventilation ducts on four sides and a wind-up exhaust fan in the top. But you had to be careful: if you wound the spring too tight -- well, that's when the hair hit the fan.

On this day in 1978, over 50,000 runners competed in the Milan, Italy, Marathon -- the largest race ever. Some called it a stampede, but it wasn't. A "stampede" is what happens when there are 535 members of Congress and only one bribe.

The Book of the Month Club was founded on this day in1926. Instead of joining the Book of the Month Club, Here’s your money-saving tip for today…Instead of joining a book-of-the-month club I saved money by buying a dictionary. I have all the same words, though not necessarily in the same order.


NEWS & STUFF:

American Sea Captian Richard Phillips and his crew were reunited and are now back in the United States.

Pirate Attack
Another U.s. cargo ship has been attacked by Somali pirates. It's not clear if the attack was revenge for the killing of three Somali pirates on Saturday or if this was just another one of those anti-tax day protests.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the Somali pirates were all untrained teenagers with heavy weapons — which we call rap stars in this country.

Top Ten Questions To Ask Yourself Before Becoming A Somali Pirate
10. Is piracy a recession-proof industry?
9. How am I at ducking sniper fire?
8. Is there enough swash in my buckle?
7. Before committing, should I temp as a pirate?
6. Am I doing this just to get babes?
5. Is there an all-inclusive meal plan?
4. Will I get to meet Johnny Depp?
3. Will I get along with Ross Ohlendorf? (Sorry, that's a question to ask yourself before becoming a Pittsburgh Pirate)
2. Is there more opportunity for advancement in al-Qaida?
1. How's the commute fromMissouri?

President Obama is receiving high marks for the way he handled the pirate situation. But with all the problems we have right now, who would have guessed our new president would have to deal with pirates? What’s next, dragons?


Post Office Tax Day
Post offices across the country stayed open late last night so Americans can file their taxes on time... there was still only one person waiting on customers at each office, but they were open late!

Back at work: The co-pilot of the USAir jet that landed in New York's Hudson River is back behind the controls. JEFF SKILES resumed flying yesterday, the first member of the crew to return to work since the incident.

No Uniforms at Graduation
The El Paso, Texas school board has decided to bar a high school senior who has enlisted in the army from wearing his military uniform to his graduation. What do you think? Should he be allowed to wear his uniform to his high school graduation?

GM Recall
GM is recalling 1.5 million cars that are susceptible to engine fires. In fact the only thing that GM burns through faster than those engines is government bailout money. Fortunately the cars have been able to recall and locate because they are all still in the show rooms.

A northeast Missouri farming couple knows the government won't be giving them a bailout like so many big companies are getting, so they issued their own. Dennis and Janet Garlock (GAHR'-lahk) of rural Adair County have placed a large hay bale at the end of their driveway with a sign proclaiming: "I got my bale out!" The stunt has their neighbors talking and a lot of heads turning. Some of the Amish in the area apparently are confused by the sign. One inquired whether the sign means the bale is for sale.

WANT FREE PIZZA FROM PIZZA HUT? Do whatever you can to make friends with anybody named JOHN or SARAH CONNOR before May 21st of next month. Dayton Daily News reports Pizza Hut will give free pizzas to anyone with either of those names on that day. It's a promotional tie-in with the "Terminator Salvation" movie releasing at the same time, based of course on main characters John and Sarah Connor. To claim your pizza pie, you'll need to have a valid and legal ID.

Cities where Americans are relocating:
Rising jobless rates, tight credit and consumers holding onto their money means few of us are moving to new digs. But some cities saw population growth in 2008. What do they have in common? According to Forbes magazine, more business opportunities, better weather and more affordable housing. (Maiman)
The top 10:
10. Denver
9. Atlanta
8. New Orleans
7. Houston
6. San Antonio
5. Dallas
4. Phoenix
3. Charlotte, NC
2. Austin, TX
1. Raleigh, NC

BLAGO TO STAR IN REALITY SHOW – PENDING THE COURT’S APPROVAL
Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich has made a deal to star in NBC's upcoming summer reality show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here, the network confirms.
"Rod Blagojevich will be a participant on the show pending the court's approval," said NBC in a statement.

NBC has been looking for household names for its version of the U.K. hit, which launches June 1. With NBC taking the unusually intensive step of airing the show four nights a week at 8 p.m. for nearly a month, a successful launch could help fuel the network's entire summer schedule.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Blagojevich's attorney told a federal judge Tuesday that he will file a request to loosen his client's travel restrictions to participate in the show, which will be shot in Costa Rica. Blago was indicted April 1 on 16 counts -- 11 counts of wire fraud, three of extortion, one of racketeering and one of lying to federal investigators. He has plead not guilty.

Given Blagojevich's notoriety following his arrest on federal corruption charges, he's bound to garner some curiosity tune-in for the network. Celebrity is produced by Granada, which signed Blagojevich for the show (provided the court rules the ex-governor facing multiple federal counts isn't a flight risk and permits him to leave the country to participate in a reality show).

Official Celebrity description: "Ten celebrities of various backgrounds will be dropped into the heart of the Costa Rican jungle to face challenges designed to test their skills in adapting to the wilderness and to raise money for their favorite charities."


PRESIDENT ORDERS PIZZA FROM ST. LOUIS
St. Louis — After wowing the immense crowd at a campaign rally under the
Gateway Arch last fall, Barack Obama found himself wowed by the pizza his staff
ordered from the Delmar Loop.

Now that he's the big cheese in Washington, he's calling for seconds.

Pi, which opened in St. Louis just over a year ago, is expanding its political
circumference all the way to Pennsylvania Avenue, where later this week the
proprietors will prepare a pizza feast for Obama and his family.

It's a rare honor for anyone other than the president's personal staff to cook
at the White House kitchen, especially for an establishment that offers
recycled cardboard to-go boxes instead of fine dining.

But Obama, whose culinary tastes lean more toward comfort food than gourmet
cuisine, enjoys pizza enough that he's calling across the country to get a
slice.

And the staff at Pi is thrilled to deliver.

"What can you say?" said Pi partner Ryan Mangialardo. "It's incredible."

Mangialardo, 27, hopes to carry his own dough — enough for 20 pizzas — on the
plane with him to Washington. Getting a cooler full of ingredients past airport
security could be difficult, though, even if it is for the commander-in-chief.

Even if something gets confiscated, Mangialardo — who started in the pizza
business as a teenager — should be well equipped once he reaches the White
House. At his disposal will be a full-service commercial kitchen built to
prepare dinner for 140 and hors d'oeuvres for more than 1,000.


Two-thirds of college graduates leave school nearly $20,000 in debt,
according to the National Postsecondary Student Aid study. With mounting job
losses and unemployment at a 25-year high, those considering changing
careers and pursuing passions must weigh the risk of a pay cut. But now
some students can reduce - or even wipe out their debt - just by following
their calling. More liberal loan forgiveness programs are adding a financial
incentive to working in traditionally low-paying fields.

Under certain circumstances, the federal government will reduce payments,
and ultimately forgive all or part of an educational loan for those who
choose a career in the military, volunteering, teaching or practicing law or
medicine in low-income communities. And some may even be able to reduce
their payments, based solely on their income and family size.

To apply for either the programs you can call the US Department of Education at 1-800-557-7392. Have we placed the pursuit of a degree and masters to ensure you make more money in your career over the simple idea of doing what you love? And then following the logic that if what you really want to do with your life requires college then go for it, but if not, don’t go tens of thousands of dollars in debt when a trade school or apprenticeship would suffice. I’m off my soapbox now.


Susan Boyle. She’s the latest hit on Youtube and the Internet.
Unassuming, 47 year old, lady who shocked Simon Cowell and the other judges on Britain’s Got Talent with her singing. She doesn’t fit the package.
Thought you should know it’s the latest water cooler topic. What talent do you have that takes people by surprise?


Football Widows, the 2009 NFL schedule has been released. I’m sorry.
Possibly the AFC’s two best teams of 2008 will kickoff the 2009 season as
the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Tennessee Titans. The Titans were the No.
1 seed in the AFC playoffs, but the Steelers one-upped them by winning the
Super Bowl. The two teams will play Thursday Sept. 10. The always-popular
Dallas Cowboys lead all teams with six scheduled nationally televised games,
even without Terrell Owens. The Cowboys will open their new $1.1 billion
stadium in a nationally televised Sunday night game against the New York
Giants on Sept. 20.


So what indulgences have you given up due to the recession? I don’t buy Starburst Jelly Beans anymore. Had to say goodbye to them. Withdrawal symptoms were horrible.


Earth Day is Wednesday, April 22nd, instead of confusing your four year-old son with talk of his or her “carbon footprint,” why not mark the day by sharing the four age-appropriate “Green Start” board books from Innovative Kids.

They feature soy-based ink illustrations that seem to pop off the thick brown pages that are made almost entirely from recycled materials. Basically, they’re cool, colorful, tough, toddler books. Each Green Start kids’ book covers a different topic, like One Tree, which teaches why a single tree is so important to living creatures, or Baby Animals, which allows kids to have a ball searching for the different babies in their habitats. But the books’ eco-friendly teachings don’t end with the story — each title includes ways parents can bring the lessons to life. Find all four Green Start board books, Baby Animals, One Tree, In the Garden and The Five Senses, at Amazon.


Sweet! Ben & Jerry’s has some new ice cream flavors that include Chocolate Macadamia, Peanut Butter Cookie Dough and Mission to Marzipan which is sweet cream ice cream with almond cookies and Marzipan Swirl. You’re right, I have know idea what Marzipan is. I’m gonna ask our listeners. By the way, Tuesday, April 21st is Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s. Check your local store for details.


A new workout option for the Wii. Following up on the success of Wii Fitness, there is now the Gold’s Gym Cardio Workout. However, keep in mind a computer game workout is not exactly the same as a real-life workout. Here’s my thoughts:

1. You leave your real life workout, sweaty and buff. You finish your Wii workout with thumb pain and slight blurriness of vision.
2. Potential problems could occur when you put the wrong Wii game in the machine and end up in the dark mystical land of Zworn the headless swordsman of the apocalyptic under earth minion sanctuary (and you end up dueling with Marnia the powerful myth mistress of Vilman).
3. One sweaty hand, one slippery Wii controller, third new TV this week!


Things To Do With Flour! You can clean playing cards with it. Just put the cards in a plastic bag with a half-cup of flour. Shake for a minute. Remove cards, and shuffle the deck a few times over the sink to clear.

You can also un-stick a lid. Have a plastic container that closes a little too tightly for your taste? Dip the container edged in flour to prevent sticking. Flour also works great for spot cleaning white fabrics, linens, leather and such. Just rub flour into the dirt lines and then brush clean. And of course we can’t forget…CLAY! When’s the last time you did this? Knead together 1 cup water, 3 cups flour and 1 tsp vegetable oil. Add food color. To store, moisten and wrap it in plastic, then place in fridge.


Did you know that it’s illegal to drop cell phones into the trash in California? More states are expected to follow. So, why not send them to Cell Phones for Soldiers, a nonprofit that accepts all models and resells them to a recycling company. Proceeds buy calling cards for U.S. soldiers abroad to call their families–27 million minutes have been provided so far. Mail your phone to: Cell Phones for Soldiers, 2555 Bishop Circle West, Dexter, MI 48130-9916. You can also visit www.CellPhonesforSoldiers.com.


Fat Cat. Felines are twice as likely as canines to be obese, according to APOP. Apparantly, cats should be exercised just like dogs are. Get out the laser pointer or whatever and get that corpulant cat movin’! O.K., here are some signs to help you know if your cat is fat:

1. Your cat has 9 lives and 10 chins.
2. Enormous belly keeps your hardwood floors freshly buffed.
3. He only catches mice that get trapped in his gravitational pull.


THIS IS LIFE:

Fingerprints! Everywhere!! Our windows have more fingerprints then the FBI. Constant infiltration of kids in our home and they all MUST touch glass windows. Don’t know why, they just do it. Anyway, I read from Women’s Day that you can repel fingerprints by first cleaning your windows and glass doors with rubbing alcohol, then use a clean, soft cloth to rub on a dab of polymer car wax. The wax will fend off fingerprints and make the glass easier to clean the next time around.


You can tell it’s Prom season, so many teenage girls are walkin’ around with fresh “tans from a can.” Answer me this, why don’t guys do that? Is it simply because of the dresses the ladies end up wearing? TIME Magazine had an article a while ago that pointed out an estimated 2.3 million teens go to a tanning parlor at least once a year. It’s a $5 billion dollar or more industry! Heads up though, dermatologists say ANY change in skin color, whether a golden tan or a beet-red sunburn, is a sign of UV damage. So much for the idea a base tan is a form of protection.