CONNECT SELECT A wide selection of interesting and trending stories – rip ‘em, read ‘em and post ‘em! THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4th, 2021 TODAY IS… NATIONAL HOMEMADE SOUP DAY – Who’s feeling under the weather? From chicken to borscht to wonton soup, just about every culture has its own way of warming up with a comforting bowl of something delicious. NATIONAL HEMP DAY – This stuff can do anything! It’s been a part of human civilization for thousands of years and continues to amaze. It’s used to make clothes, CBD, paint and biofuels. It’s even being used now as a replacement for concrete (called hempcrete). Hemp got a bad rap when it was lumped into the same classification as heroin and LSD, but growing it was legalized again a few years ago. OPTIMIST DAY (First Thursday in February) – Celebrating all the optimists who made a difference in our lives. Whether they coach community sports or are inventing the next big thing, their can-do attitude is an inspiration to us all. Now go do something great! NATIONAL THANK A MAIL CARRIER DAY – Just because they deliver your credit card bill doesn’t mean they don’t deserve your gratitude. The first organized mail service in America was created back in 1775 and without them, this last year would have sucked a whole lot more. FRIENDS DAY/FACEBOOK’S BIRTHDAY – February 4 is 'Friends Day,’ aka Facebook’s birthday. The day is a way to celebrate people connected through Facebook, even if it’s just your crazy uncle. Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook in 2004 from his dorm room at Harvard as a way for students to connect with friends (but really it was a way for nerds to rank hot chicks). WORLD CANCER DAY – The 2021 World Cancer Day theme is 'I Am and I Will.’ This year, we give particular thanks to all the nurses, doctors, researchers, volunteers and caregivers who have worked through the coronavirus pandemic. BIRTHDAYS: ALICE COOPER (Vincent Furnier), 73 – Singer/songwriter. Considered the Godfather of “Shock Rock,” Cooper became known for his stage shows with pyrotechnics, fake blood, reptiles, electric chairs, and baby dolls. Alice Cooper was the name of his band. When they broke up, Vincent Furnier adopted the name Alice Cooper as his stage name AND his real name. HERE’S A LINK TO COOPER’S SONG “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY” CLINT BLACK, 59 – Singer. The GRAMMY-winning singer/songwriter took the Country music world by storm in the 90s and has had 22 #1 singles on Billboard’s Country music charts. Before hitting it big in Country, Black worked as a construction worker, a bait cutter, and a fishing guide. HERE’S A LINK TO BLACK’S SONG “KILLIN’ TIME” GAVIN DeGRAW, 44 – Singer/songwriter. DeGraw really broke out when his song “I Don’t Want to Be” became the theme song for the hit TV show “One Tree Hill.” DeGraw dropped out of Ithaca College after realizing he spent more time in his dorm room writing songs than he did attending classes. HERE’S A LINK TO HIS HIT “NOT OVER YOU” OSCAR DE LA HOYA, 48 – Boxer. Known as “The Golden Boy,” De La Hoya won a gold medal in boxing at the Summer Olympics in 1992. In the late 90s he was one of the top-rated boxers in the world. After his boxing career, he became a boxing promoter and then an MMA promoter. HANNIBAL BURESS, 38 – Comedian/Actor. This funny man has done lots of stand-up while starring on Adult Swim's “The Eric Andre Show” and being featured on Comedy Central's “Broad City.” He jokes about having trouble dating because girls associated his name with fictional character Hannibal Lecter. LAWRENCE “LT” TAYLOR, 61 – Hall of Fame NFL linebacker and two-time Super Bowl champion. He was part of the New York Giants “Big Blue Wrecking Crew” defense in the 80s. He’s ranked as one of the top defensive players in NFL history. HERE’S A LINK TO SOME FOOTBALL SOUND EFFECTS TRENDING/ODD: TODDLER RELEASES ALBUM RECORDED WHEN SHE WAS IN THE WOMB (00:21) Rock stars just keep getting younger and younger. Check out the toddler in Brooklyn who cut her first album before she was even born! Her parents (who, no surprise, were in bands) recorded her while she was still in the womb. The album - called ‘Sounds of the Unborn’ - used special recording software to convert 'in utero' movements into sound. Then they laid a fat bass track onto it. The album sells for 23 bucks. (It isn't exactly a good workout jam) CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO FOR ONE OF THE TRACKS (YUP, IT’S WEIRD!) THE POLAR VORTEX IS BRINGING FREEZING TEMPERATURES TO EVERY STATE (00:15) Every single state in the US is gonna see below freezing temperatures over the next week. Even Hawaii - which doesn't happen a lot. Next Monday’s gonna be especially cold. Forecasters are blaming something called a polar vortex, which is just a fancy way of saying…winter. WATCHING OTHER PEOPLE CLEAN IS NOW A THING ON YOUTUBE (00:18) Watching videos of people cleaning their house is now a 'thing.' YouTube is filling up with strangely satisfying time-lapse videos of regular people scrubbing their bathrooms (and they're not even naked or anything). Some are pulling 3 million views per video, showing close up shots of scrubbing drains with a toothbrush and even critiquing cleaning products. CLICK HERE TO WATCH SOMEONE SCRUB THE HECK OUT OF HER LIVINGROOM AMAZON KEPT 62 MILLION IN TIPS INTENDED FOR DRIVERS (00:21) Apparently the 21 BILLION dollars Amazon made last year wasn't enough for them, so they kept all the tips that were intended for their drivers (allegedly). The Federal Trade Commission claims Amazon stiffed their 'Flex' delivery drivers out of 62 million bucks in tips. The gig workers - kinda like Uber drivers for parcels - were promised the cash, but the feds say they never got it. WORLD’S TALLEST, FASTEST ROLLER COASTER (00:22) There's another good reason to go to Six Flags Great Adventure…They're building a record- breaking roller coaster that has an 87 degree drop - that's nearly straight down - and goes as high as 130 feet! They call it 'the Jersey Devil'. The final piece of track was laid this week and when it's finished this summer, it'll be the tallest, longest and fastest single-rail coaster in the world. LOWE'S OFFERS VALENTINE'S DATE NIGHT TO SPLASH PAINT ON CANVAS (00:21) Lovers of Lowe's home improvement store now have a chance to take their honey there after hours for romance. The store is offering a date night with flowers and a chance to splash paint on a canvas. Sherwin Williams paint that is. Ten Lowe's stores are offering the Valentine's fun, in cities Lowe's says are the most romantic; think New Orleans, Nashville and Milwaukee. WEIRD SCIENCE & TECH STUDY: THESE ARE THE PEOPLE SPREADING COVID THE MOST (00:19) A new study has zeroed in who spreads COVID the most: it's adults 20-to-49. And now researchers think they should be the ones getting the vaccine next. Scientists at Imperial College in London say out of 10 million infections, more than 70 percent of cases came from 20-to-49 year olds. Kids were responsible for just 5 percent of the spread (in spite of their dirty little hands). STARTUP CLAIMS THEY CAN 3D PRINT A STEAK (00:20) You can 3D print just about anything… a house, a gun, meat - WAIT, meat? There's a Spanish startup making plant-based meat substitutes, and they've just figured out a way to 3D print a fake steak. Novameat claims its printers can squeeze out 'the world's biggest whole cuts of cultured meat' that look, taste and even 'chew' just like a pork chop or steak. CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF A MACHINE SQUEEZE OUT A PORK CHOP AS WE STAYED HOME THE EARTH GOT WARMER IN 2020 (00:22) As we checked for fever during the coronavirus crisis, Mother Earth had her own slight fever. Scientists say 2020 saw less pollution, allowing for warmer temperatures. Around the globe, the weather was up nearly one degree. Car exhaust and burning coal normally cool the atmosphere. But with less of us commuting and factories not at capacity, the sun's rays didn't have the usual smog to fight. YOUR MONEY/SHOPPING DRUG STORE VACCINATIONS START FEBRUARY 11th (00:17) Starting next week, you can get your COVID shot at the drug store. The US government has given permission for CVS, Walmart and Walgreens pharmacists to vaccinate people at no charge. 40- thousand American pharmacies can administer vaccines starting next Thursday - they'll get a million doses every week. KROGER WOULD RATHER CLOSE STORES THAN GIVE HAZARD PAY (00:20) Looks like a big grocery chain would rather close a couple of stores than pay more to their employees. In Long Beach, California the city council passed a hazard pay law for grocery store workers. Kroger is gonna close the Ralphs and Food 4 Less it owns to avoid the extra four bucks an hour. Kroger executives say they can't absorb that kind of huge labor cost. LIFE/SURVEY SAYS… OBESITY EXPERTS WANT THE CALORIE COUNT ON ALCOHOLIC DRINKS (00:15) If you knew how many calories were in a daiquiri or margarita, would you still drink 'em? Obesity experts say calorie labels should be on boozy drinks because many of us have no clue how many calories we're taking in.