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MUNDANE MYSTERIES: What do the M’s in M&M’s stand for?

You’ve probably eaten M&M’s a million times, but have you ever wondered what the M’s actually stand for?

Each one stands for one of the two creators of the candy, Forrest Mars and Bruce Murrie. They were the two businessmen who originally created the candy-coated chocolates. The two actually butted heads a lot back in the 1940s. It was then that Mars leveraged Murrie out of his 20 percent share in the company. Then years later M&Ms became the best-selling candy in the country paying Murrie just $1 million for a share of business. Obviously the company went on to eventually be worth billions.

Photo credit: Getty Images

Attack Squirrels!?

There’s a major problem in Queens, NY. Attack squirrels! Learn about all about these little savage beasts on our podcast BUT the big question is, what animal is harmless but you are afraid of them?!

Image Source: Getty Images

Wellness Wednesday: The Benefit of Oranges!

Did you know that oranges have a TON of health benefits? And not just the orange itself, but the entire peel too!

The Anna & Raven Show: Wellness Wednesday; Strange Noises; Charcuterie

Wednesday, Jan 6th, 2021

Can you tell what’s gonna happen in a movie before it happens? Anna and Raven talk about all the rules that every movie follows, and Anna has fun spoiling Raven’s favorite show! Don’t worry, the podcast is spoiler free 😉!

Spencer Sheehan is a man on a mission! A mission to….stop fake vanilla? No really, it’s a thing! Get the full story in the podcast. (3:31)

Cookbooks are a nice gift during the holidays, but would you buy a cookbook that featured THIS as the main ingredient!? Find out what it is in the podcast! (7:24)

Would you eat THIS fruit with the skin still on it? Anna and Raven did, and it may be healthy, but that doesn’t mean it tastes good! Get the full story in the podcast. (11:11)

If you bring food to a party, but nobody eats it, is it ok to take it back home with you? Anna ran into this problem at a holiday party recently, and Raven definitely has some strong opinions about it! Get the full story (and hear Anna struggle to pronounce “Charcuterie”) in the podcast! (15:08)

The Grammy’s have been postponed due to Covid. Not too weird considering what been going on, right? Or is it?! Anna and Raven share their favorite Grammy Conspiracy theories in the podcast! (23:03)

Sometimes animals can be a little scary if they’re in a bad mood, but would you ever expect an attack from THIS little critter? Find out what it is in the podcast! (26:45)

Have you ever heard an explained noise in your house? It’s probably just the wind. But it could be a DEMON! Anna shares a story about a scary noise in her house, and you won’t believe what was causing it! Find out in the podcast! (30:30)

Charlie slipped on ice and fell outside of their house and Becky could NOT stop laughing! She thinks it’s so funny that she wants to share the Ring camera footage on social media. Charlie however thinks it’s disrespectful because he really hurt himself. He is even on crutches for a terrible ankle sprain. She says he’s overreacting and needs to learn to laugh at himself. Whose side are you on? (37:20)

Nikole takes on Raven for a chance at the $100 Jackpot! Can she do it, or will a new streak begin? (45:50)

Things to Know Wednesday January 6th

2021 legislative session opening day preview WTNH

Norwalk PD: Two officers charged for being found at hotel while on duty CT Post

Fairfield Police: Contractor stole from client’s home CT Post

Dr. Dre recovering well after being admitted into hospital CT Post

Panel says first responders, teachers, food workers to be part of next vaccine rollout phase WFSB

States call in National Guard and train volunteers to help boost vaccination pace as US hits a Covid-19 daily death toll record WFSB

Vaccine mix-up leads to 11 school workers getting doses early WFSB

Messages stating ‘Santa Claus is not real’ removed from Norwalk playgrounds The Hour

Shake Shack introduces new Korean-inspired items The Hour

Schumer declares himself majority leader following Senate run-offs in Georgia Stamford Advocate

I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT! Tuesday January 5: Cooking up a Storm

Welcome to an all new year of “I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT!”. To kick off 2021 I have these really cool LARQ water bottles for you to win this week. If you haven’t heard of them yet the LARQ Bottle is the world’s first self-cleaning water bottle and water purification system. It uses UV-C LED light to eliminate up to 99.9999% of bio-contaminants from your water and bottle. They’re awesome.

Play every day at 4:30pm to try and win. Here was today’s questions if you missed it:

Q: According to a recent survey THIS was the most popular hobby in 2020.

A: Cooking

Photo credit: Getty Images

TELL ME SOMETHING GOOD: Woman Gets Unexpected Help With Her Pay It Forward Idea

With the year we all just went through in 2020 you see more and more people doing good things and paying it forward. Sometimes your good deed gets amplified by the pay it forward gods.

That’s what happened over the holidays when Brittany Scharr a former bartender and restaurant manager in Philadelphia decided to go around to all the restaurants in her town and hand out holiday cards with $100 cash in them to restaurant workers in need. She only planned to do 12 of them but then people caught wind of her idea and started donating money for her to do more. $18,000 later she was able to hand out 100 more cards!!

Such a great story.

Photo credit: Getty Images

BREAKING: Grammys Postponed

Bummer!

Sources say a combination of health and travel concerns — not least the spike in COVID-19 cases in the show’s planned location of Los Angeles — led the Recording Academy and its network partner CBS to decide to postpone the #Grammys. https://t.co/5GJ49VuvTh

— Variety (@Variety) January 5, 2021

Hopefully they find a way to reschedule later this year. And maybe add in some much deserved nominations for The Weeknd while they’re at it.

My official theory on the @theweeknd vs. #THEGRAMMYS drama… pic.twitter.com/gv18dfH6Es

— Kevin Begley (@KevinBegley) November 25, 2020

Photo credit: Getty Images

MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Why do we use “Say Cheese!” when taking a photo?

I’m sure you took a million family photos over the holidays and inevitably someone yelled out “SAY CHEESE!” to get everyone to smile. But why do we do this? Why cheese?

The most popular theory behind it is that the word “cheese” is the perfect term to get you to make a great smile. The “ch” part gets your teeth into proper position while the “ee” parts your lips just enough to see those pearly whites. The earliest recorded moment that someone used it when taking a photo seems to be in the 1940s.

Personally, my photo taking trick has always been to laugh a little bit just before the photo is taken.

Photo credit: Getty Images

The More You Know!

Did you know that the Barbie doll actually has a full name?! We don’t just give away cash when we play Can’t Beat Raven, we also teach you something you may haven’t known before!