My Minute of News with Jeff Caplan
540 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 26 ratingsKSL Newsradio's Jeff Caplan offers his own unique spin on the fun, quirky things that happen alongside the news.
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Episodes
Utah has the Best Spellers
June 06, 2022 17:46 - 1 minute - 753 KBI’ve been around… and Utahns have more state pride than anywhere else. . Cept Tecxas. But Texas pride is an in your face kind of boastful proud that says “we’re great, you suck.” Utahns are just as proud… but with humble confidence. We have the mountains… the fry sauce… and we apparently spell better than the rest of the country. Google Trends just released the list of words most misspelled in each state. They basically compiled a list of every time somebody Googled “how do you spell… ...
MonkeyPox
May 24, 2022 17:22 - 1 minute - 801 KBMonkeyPox. MonkeyPox. Undoubtedly… when you first heard about it. You… or someone you love… immediately scratching going ooo ooo ooo. There are two types of people in this world. Those who did the ooo ooo … and those who roll their eyes at it… and that’s the problem with these scientists. I respect and appreciate the miracles they create in their laboratories. They've cured countless diseases …but they are absolutely horrible at naming sicknesses. MonkeyPox. Very descriptive it orig...
Proof! Kids will take years off your life
May 21, 2022 00:25 - 1 minute - 624 KBThe headline was jarring. Research confirms what most parents realize far, far too late. A study from Columbia University confirms that raising three kids can make you lose your mind. Here’s the information from Columbia’s School of Public Health and the University of Paris published in the Journal of Demogrraphy when they compared elderly people who’d raised three or more children with those who raised two. You ready? Feeding all those mouths and juggling soccer games and gymnastics and ...
As Goes Walmart...
May 21, 2022 00:22 - 1 minute - 749 KBWalmart’s Profits were down last quarter. If you think "ohhh too bad… Jimmy Walmart has to build a smaller summer mansion. What do I care?" Let’s reconsider this. Walmart cash registers ring up 20-thousand dollars in sales per second. In the time it took Jeff to type that they ran up 100-grand. And there’s another 100-grand. You get the idea? They have 5,000 stores chock full of - well - almost everything. And Eddie Elfbein from Crossing Wall Street says Walmart is a better barometer of th...
The Most Utah Board Game
May 20, 2022 23:06 - 1 minute - 688 KBJeff doesn’t play board games. Just, not his thing. Sure, he'll play a chaotic round of Trouble with the grandkids, When he was a kid that popping thing in the middle was his version high tech. It was an incredible innovation in board games… and he's serious. In Kansas and Nebraska to this day - another classic - Sorry remains their favorite board game. See, a site called Solitaire Bliss just released a map of America’s favorite board games by state. And Utah - according to this website -...
Depp v Heard: I know you're watching
May 19, 2022 01:05 - 1 minute - 954 KBJeff feel like we’ve been remiss. For the past three weeks, the English-speaking world has been transfixed by one thing. It’s not Elon Musk, Trump or Biden. It’s not gas prices, nor the inflation rate. We’re not focused on - what is it - this 18th wave of Covid. The war in Ukraine? Nope. Nope. As climate change steals our water. As fire crackles across the West. And India reaches temperatures that threaten human survival. We’re apparently worried and fascinated by Johnny Depp vs. Amber He...
The Crypto Bros Go Silent
May 19, 2022 01:03 - 1 minute - 766 KBWe’re all out of whack over inflation. Ground Beef costs an extra dollar a pound, but if you’d invested all your money in Bitcoin, well Matt Damon suggested you should. But now it's silence from him. The New York Times reports that with Bitcoin prices down by 39 percent since the Superbowl, we’re not hearing a single word from the celebrities who made some coin of their own by speaking up for crypto. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Gluing yourself in Protest (Superglue)
May 12, 2022 00:51 - 1 minute - 899 KBThe art of peaceful protesting has been the same for years now. You make signs, you chant, maybe you stage a sit in, or you lock yourself to something with handcuffs. Same old Same old. But have you noticed the newest innovation in peaceful protesting. People have been gluing themselves to stuff. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A Wordle Whoopsie
May 09, 2022 23:53 - 1 minute - 785 KBWe’ve already explained that Josh Wardle invented Wordle as an act of love for his girlfriend. When the daily puzzle game went viral, he sold it to The New York Times for a couple million dollars or so. A sweet nest egg for a puzzle where you use clues to guess the daily five letter word. For millions of people it’s a fun escape from a world gone crazy. But there was no escape Monday. The five-letter answer to the Monday puzzle was loaded into the system last year, before The New York Time...
KSL has to SHARE its birthday?!?
May 07, 2022 00:02 - 1 minute - 801 KBHans Riegel was fed up with job. The German confectioner did what so many people are doing today, he quit his job to launch a start-up. In his home kitchen Hans cooked up batches of hard candy and sold them at street fairs. But back in 1920 there was nothing special about another guy peddling hard candy so he started noodling around in his kitchen. These days we’d call it a pivot as he mixed together fruit flavoring sugar and gelatin. He molded the soft candy mix into the shape of a dancing...
KSL has to SHARE it's birthday?!?
May 07, 2022 00:02 - 1 minute - 801 KBHans Riegel was fed up with job. The German confectioner did what so many people are doing today, he quit his job to launch a start-up. In his home kitchen Hans cooked up batches of hard candy and sold them at street fairs. But back in 1920 there was nothing special about another guy peddling hard candy so he started noodling around in his kitchen. These days we’d call it a pivot as he mixed together fruit flavoring sugar and gelatin. He molded the soft candy mix into the shape of a dancing ...
The Question we ask Google the Most
May 04, 2022 21:12 - 1 minute - 816 KBIs Google robbing us of the ability to think for ourselves? Google is great when you need a fact. Like - which country exports the most octopus? China. How many pounds in a kilogram? 2.2. Whaddaya call a vet who specializes in salamanders? A herpetologist. Wonderful. Thank you Google. THE one question google is asked the most worldwide is this. Are you ready? What is my IP Address. Now computer trouble-shooting makes sense. But for the life of Jeff, he can’t figure out why you would a...
Empty Plates in Garland (Salmon BBQ)
May 04, 2022 01:07 - 1 minute - 674 KBNow the food shortages are hitting a little too close to home. Specifically Garland Utah, where the fire department is typically getting ready for next months’ big Salmon BBQ. To host such an event you need bbq sauce, you need grills, you need utensils, you need volunteers and it’s all good. I’m happy to say heading toward summer, America is awash in Barbeque sauce. Garland has all the equipment and volunteers, but what they don’t have is salmon. Like none. See omnystudio.com/listener for ...
The Vegetable Wars (Garlic Festival)
May 03, 2022 21:12 - 1 minute - 849 KBIt’s funny how people can go crazy … as soon as they join a committee. Perhaps you’ve heard of the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival e. The central California community is the epicenter of garlic production here in the U-S. And a generation ago they started this quirky festival that celebrated all things garlic. People flocked by the 10s of thousands for freshly harvested garlic cloves ...Garlic ice cream.. bubble gum… you name it. And now the festival is no more. There was a mass shooting ...
Felony Inflation: Stealing ain't what it used to be
April 23, 2022 00:06 - 1 minute - 775 KBThank goodness Utah lawmakers had the wisdom to create a penal code that anticipated inflation. Because if they weren’t so wise, these rising prices be terrible for all the criminals. Let Jeff explain. In Utah, theft law says that if you steal something worth $1,500, when you’re caught, you get charged with a felony. That’s serious business. But if you steal something worth $1,499, it’s a misdemeanor, and you’re in a whole lot less trouble. In other states around the country, lawmakers are...
Earth Day
April 23, 2022 00:03 - 1 minute - 767 KBIt’s Earth Day. Jeff's already celebrated. Thursday, during the dust storm, he did the show outside Vivint Arena and the Jazz game. And for five solid hours he sat still in my little chair in our KSL booth and he talked on the radio. Which means his mouth was open. And he ate the earth. He could taste the grit on his teeth. Friday morning, he had to spend a half-hour washing the dust off the tech equipment. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ukraine Stamp
April 23, 2022 00:00 - 1 minute - 808 KBIf you remember when the Russians invasion began - the first glimpse we got of Ukraine’s determination and grit - the first time we we realized they weren’t going to roll over was when a Russian ship transmitted a message to a tiny island off the coast of Ukraine ordering troops on the Island to surrender. One of the Ukranian soldiers radioed back “**** You Russian Ship.” Except he didn’t say the explicative. It was the real deal. An emphatic, profane declaration of resistance that was lik...
Lucky Charms WARNING
April 21, 2022 00:48 - 1 minute - 847 KBLong before healthful eating was a thing, long before healthful was even a word, Jeff's mom refused to buy Lucky Charms. Even back then, when a typical breakfast would mean cocoa krispies, sugar pops, apple jacks, or Cap’n Crunch…. mom drew the line at Lucky Charms. Even in 1966, she had a hunch that processed artificially colored dried up marshmallow bits were not breakfast food, and on this point she refused to budge. Which is why to this day, Jeff goes down the cereal aisle. He see the ...
The Chocolate Diet
April 19, 2022 00:24 - 1 minute - 735 KBFriends, Jeff has to tell you about an Amazing diet he's about to start. He has a lot to lose, so he's gonna start tomorrow - right after the egg salad is gone. All those expensive eggs the kids colored, he's not gonna waste them. He will slide his wfie’s creamy and dreamy chopped egg leftovers between two slices of bread for lunch. He's gonna start the Amazing and Ridiculously Delicious Jeff Caplan Diet. Here’s how it works and it’s really simple. You just eat chocolate. Nothing else. G...
Ridiculous Congressional Word Games
April 13, 2022 23:13 - 1 minute - 827 KBI’m going to assume you already know how a bill becomes a law, thanks to the little scrolled-up fella from Schoolhouse Rock. That goes back to your childhood, but these days, there’s a new wrinkle. When they introduce a new bill members of Congress go acronym crazy. They make up a clunky name for the bill like the Sensible Oversight for Technology which Advances Regulatory Efficiency Act. Pure word salad. But take the first letter of each word and suddenly it’s the SOFTWARE act. And th...
Albert Pujols "A strange moment for a divorce"
April 05, 2022 23:17 - 1 minute - 798 KBJeff's not here to judge. He will just report that baseball superstar Albert Pujols showed up at spring training a bit creaky, after all the 10-time all-star has been at it for two decades. Albert Pujols is a lock for the Hall of Fame, he’s fifth on the all-time home run list, and he’s wearing the Cardinal uniform the season, going back to where it all started. But it’s also a new chapter in his life. The whispers started last week, during the first day of spring training. For Pujols, it ...
A Whale Story from Utah
April 05, 2022 00:14 - 1 minute - 907 KBOver the weekend, Jeff went to see the giant whale in Salt Lake City. In the middle of the round about at 9th South and 11th East, there’s a massive blue leviathan beast, breaching the the ground, shooting straight up in the air. This fiberglass humpback whale soars 23 feet up, his fins are 46 feet across. In the middle of Salt Lake City. But Why? This is the proverbial fish out of water. But before you shake your head and see the art piece as another example of ridiculous folly from t...
Are you a Salt "Laker"?
April 05, 2022 00:12 - 1 minute - 711 KBFor a story Jeff was writing, he asked people: what do you call a person from Salt Lake? And they get this glazed over look, shrug their shoulders and say "I dunno … Salt Laker? Maybe. Yeah." I mean do you really say that? I haven’t heard it out of anyone’s mouth in 11 years. A Parisian is from Paris A Roman is from Rome But what do you call a personwho calls Salt Lake his home? Ogdenians and Heberites have names that both make sense Or maybe their Hebernians-‘bout this I’m on the ...
The Magic of Dune
March 26, 2022 00:40 - 2 minutes - 971 KBThey had me at the Rice Krispies. See, ever since Jeff learned that old time radio shows would use live sound effects in the shows, Jeff's been transfixed by this job that no longer exists. Sound effects guy. Did you know that to create the sound of eggs frying in the pan? They’d crumble up cellophane. So the Oscars are Sunday Night, and the only award Jeff cares about is the Best Sound Editing because of the movie Dune. Turns out they created a sci fi desert planet that doesn’t exist wi...
Was it Putin or a Punk? The Okta Hack
March 25, 2022 17:42 - 1 minute - 892 KBAn unknown hacker claims he’s broken into Okta - which you’ve never heard of. It’s a computer system that manages logins for thousands of companies and hundreds of millions of users. This is huge because Okta is supposedly as secure as secure gets, and the passwords they manage are the keys to the American castle. So the obvious question is, was it the Russians? Well, it’s complicated. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
St Peters Glass Slipper is a Moustache
March 25, 2022 17:41 - 1 minute - 742 KBMarch Madness continues with eight games Thursday, but all eyes are on Philadelphia, where this year's Cinderella team takes the court tomorrow night. The St. Peters’ Peacocks face Purdue at 5 o’clock and for some reason this Cinderella team has captured America’s imagination more so than most. Every year there’s a team that rises above humble roots, but St Peter’s is such a small forgotten school that this is the kind of run they make movies about. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy ...
Would you get aboard a Self Flying Plane?
March 25, 2022 17:40 - 1 minute - 739 KBWould you get on a plane with no pilot? Jeff's guessing your reflexive answer is “no” — but there’s a 7-billion dollar bet that your answer will eventually change to “yes.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How to Slide under an Iron Curtain
March 25, 2022 17:39 - 1 minute - 817 KBA recent survey shows the majority of Russians support the country’s war in Ukraine. But the war they support isn’t the one that’s actually happening. Russian media tells fairy tales about evil Ukranian Nazis and Mother Russia’s brave rescue of its neighbor. Truth gets blocked at the border. So there’s no easy way to find out about the bombs raining down on hospitals and children’s shelters and senior centers. About the failure of the ground assault. They have no idea that 10-thousand Rus...
Now a Pasta Shortage
March 21, 2022 23:57 - 1 minute - 889 KBWe are grappling with a pasta shortage. It’s not as bad as the toilet paper shortage. You’re still gonna find a few stray boxes of noodles on the grocery shelf. But Jeff went shopping this weekend and there’s a gaping hole where the buccatini and fusilli and farfalle are supposed to be. Now he knows, it used to be we had like three kinds of pasta. There’s always spaghetti - to feed a family on the cheap. Lasagna is a family chef who has patience. And Mac (paired with powdered cheese). Wel...
Thoughtful Farmers and The Headless Tractor
March 19, 2022 00:18 - 1 minute - 853 KBA long awaited tractor has just rolled off the John Deere assembly line for the first time ever. They call it a headless tractor. While we still wait for truly autonomous self-driving cars, John Deere has developed a $500,000 tractor with no seat, no steering wheel, no pedals and no farmer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Bravest Russian
March 18, 2022 21:44 - 2 minutes - 1 MBWe work in a newsroom here at KSL. A giant floor where there’s a section for radio, another for KSL-TV. We all see each other in the break room and work together. And for the life of Jeff, he can’t imagine a staff member here running onto the TV news set standing behind Deannie Wimmer and holding up in a protest. But in another newsroom far far away that’s exactly what a staff member did. In a country that’s been washed clean of truth, Russian TV airs Vladimir Putin’s myths 24/7. The abs...
Gas Lines? GAS LINES!?!?
March 10, 2022 01:11 - 1 minute - 912 KBGas is cheaper for Costco members, and yesterday Jeff heard there were long lines at the pumps at at least one local Costco. Look. He can handle a pandemic, political upheaval, BUT he gets a bad case of PTSD when you say the words “gas lines” And if you’re older than say, 55, you know what he's talking about. 1973, and again in 1979, Middle East Oil Producers cut our supply of oil they raised prices overnight, and America suffered a meltdown. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...
Speeding Ticket Excuses: Here's one that won't work
March 03, 2022 23:46 - 1 minute - 747 KBSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What is an oligarch anyway?
March 02, 2022 23:22 - 1 minute - 957 KBSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A deadly career choice — journalism in Russia
March 02, 2022 23:22 - 1 minute - 931 KBSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
I watched Russian TV
February 28, 2022 23:12 - 1 minute - 820 KBMost Russians get their news from state run television. 70% of them say it’s their primary source of information. And Jeff wondered what they could possibly be seeing on TV, as most of the world turns its back on Russia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
"It's Pronounced KEEV... why?"
February 28, 2022 23:11 - 1 minute - 766 KBImagine for a second, if suddenly you learned South Jordan is actually pronounced "South Jhordann." Or that West Valley is actually "West Vallay." That’s what it’s like for newspeople in almost every city that becomes a global hotspot. For instance, during the Gulf War the country Jeff's geography teacher called Qatar became "Cutter." During the olympics, he learned that the city his World Geography teacher called Peking… with a P… is not Beijing with a B… But actually Bei-Jing with a ha...
Zoom Lesson: How to War
February 25, 2022 23:16 - 1 minute - 909 KBThe world is on edge, Ukraine is ablaze, and their President says that with no help coming, Ukranians should make molotov cocktails. To those who don’t know a molotov cocktail is not a drink. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
"A TV Comic being watched by the entire world"
February 24, 2022 23:36 - 2 minutes - 996 KBThree years in office and the President of Ukraine was at the epicenter of the Trump Impeachment Remember the perfect phone call? It was this president. Now he’s in the crosshairs.. literally. Intelligence reports say he’s on Kill List. Three years ago, I did minute of news about the President of Ukraine the day after he was elected. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What Putin wants YOU to do
February 24, 2022 23:35 - 1 minute - 663 KBYou never know what Vladimir Putin is thinking, but his bizarre speech rewriting Ukrainian history was a big clue. He was filled with fire and fury as he spoke. Then… he warned the rest of the world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nobody Watches what I Watch
February 24, 2022 18:05 - 1 minute - 801 KBUsed to be everybody watched the same TV shows. You had three networks, and a typical office conversation the next morning would be “did you see Cheers” last night? And everybody would say, yeah, that was pretty funny when Sam and Rebecca, y’know. But times change. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Phil Mickelson's in a Sand Trap
February 24, 2022 18:04 - 2 minutes - 963 KBWhat’s up with the Golf guys? Tiger, well, we know his story. But now his rival from the good ole days Phil Mickelson has suffered an abrupt fall from grace. No women. No drugs. Just stupidity. Mickelson’s best days are behind him - like the 2004 Masters. Mickelson can still swing a driver at age 51. Fans always loved him as the 2nd best golfer. They enjoyed his dry sense of humor. Here. After one victory, he explained how he did it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...
Garage Doors
February 18, 2022 01:26 - 1 minute - 771 KBWhen you get home tonight and hit the button to open the garage door, whisper a prayer - because you’re fortunate enough to have a garage door. If you’re like thousands of Utahns moving into new construction, you’re probably waiting, and waiting for that one last piece of the construction puzzle that never arrives. The New York Times did a deep dive into the garage door shortage and discovered first of all - prices have doubled. That’s before we even get started. One builder told the Tim...
Ice Skaters Don't Get Dizzy
February 18, 2022 01:25 - 1 minute - 795 KBFor two weeks now we’ve watched the best ice skaters in the world jump, leap, dance and pirouette. We’ve watched toe loops lutzes and triple axels, and even the salchows - Jeff had to look it up - a salchow is a jump where you’re going backwards, and leap off the inside edge of one skate and land on the outside edge of the other. It’s named after Sweidsh Skater Urich Salchor who invented the move in 1909. But back to The Minute - watching Nathan Chen twist his way to a gold medal, and se...
Are Super Bowl Commercials Worth it?
February 12, 2022 01:36 - 1 minute - 894 KBEvery year they make a big deal about the Super Bowl Commercials. Just like Crypto people drop insane amounts to buy invisible money . This weekend, hopeful companies will drop $7 Million to buy 30 seconds of… air. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What is that Blob at the Olympics?
February 12, 2022 01:35 - 1 minute - 866 KBHave you noticed that when somebody wins gold in Beijing? Instead of a medal, you see them holding a white Mardi Gras mask surrounded by something shiny. At first I was like - “is that a skull they’re holding? No can’t be. What is that." Turns out, it’s their Olympic mascot. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Air Bag Olympics
February 10, 2022 01:35 - 1 minute - 796 KBThere are two kinds of snowboarders at the Olympics. The grizzled veterans who measure their success in torn cartilage and broken bones, and the younger ones who came up in the era of airbags. The New York Times points out, they’ve managed to create these mind blowing mid-air moves by testing their twists with the knowledge that trial and error jumps will end with a soft landing on a giant marshmallow. For the record, the highest dive onto an airbag ever was 342 feet straight down. Se...
Putin's Super Bowl Ring
February 09, 2022 01:43 - 1 minute - 908 KBOn Sunday, while you’re scooping up 7 layer dip, 100 men will go into battle using all the strenghting skill and cunning they can muster hoping to win what Vladimir Putin already has. The most coveted piece of Sports Jewelry in the World: a shimmering Super Bowl Ring. Last year’s ring featured 340 diamonds and a first! Aflipp off top that revealed a gold replica of the stadium on the inside. Now that is bling! But that’s not the one Putin pilfered. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...
Tipping 50 Cents
February 05, 2022 01:26 - 1 minute - 680 KBYou gracious, gracious people. Turns out as we weather the tail end of the pandemic, we’re finally learned how to tip better. On average, Americans are digging deeper into pocket and tipping one percent more. One percent! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Chernobyl is on the Ukraine border
February 04, 2022 17:29 - 1 minute - 861 KBTroops from Ukraine aren't just guarding the border with Russia. They're also guarding Chernobyl, an infamous nuclear disaster site -- lest the Russians invade and take back the mess they created. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.