Tim Phillips Show, 4/29/26

A new survey by the National Retail Federation reveals that people are going to spend a combined $38 billion on Mother's Day this year. That's a new record and up from last year's total of $34.1 billion. Other findings:

-the average person is going to spend $284.25 on gifts this year. That's up from $259 last year.

-top things people are going to purchase … flowers (75%) followed by greeting cards (74%), special outings such as dinner or brunch (63%), gift cards (55%) and clothing or clothing accessories (51%).

Do you consider yourself to be friendly? According to new research, nearly eight in 10 Americans do. But some parts of the country are known for being friendlier than others, and a new study ranks which states are the friendliest.

Researchers surveyed more than 2-thousand adults from all over the U.S. on factors like volunteering, charitable giving, talking with neighbors, kindness in everyday interactions and road rage incidents. After analyzing the data, each state was given a “Friendliness Score” from one to 10.
So, what is the friendliest state overall? Minnesota tops the list, thanks to its high volunteering rates and strong sense of community, as more than half (57%) of residents give to charity, and 77% regularly talk with their neighbors.
Montana and Vermont tie for second. While Montana ranks especially high for charitable giving, it also has the highest road rage score.
On the flip side, the least friendly state is New Mexico, with a score of just 4.69. It has one of the highest rates of road rage in the country and low scores for charitable giving.
The Friendliest States in the U.S.

Minnesota
Montana & Vermont (tie)
Utah
Nebraska
Delaware
Oregon
Massachusetts
Maryland
Wyoming
The Least Friendly States in the U.S.

New Mexico
Louisiana
Florida
Nevada
Texas
California
Hawaii
North Carolina
Oklahoma
West Virginia
Source: NY Post

EVERLASTING LOVE -    ROBERT KNIGHT    #13 in 1967

Born on 4/24/1945 in Franklin, Tennessee. R&B singer

Robert Knight was a protégé of Mac Gayden and Buzz Cason, who wrote the song for him. The song has been recorded by a number of prominent artists, with four different versions charting in the United States and an astounding seven versions in the UK, the biggest of which was by the English band Love Affair, who reached #1 on the UK charts in 1968, relegating Knight's original to #40. However, the Knight version was reissued in the UK in 1974 and reached #19.
Chart breakdown of the "Everlasting Love" covers:

Robert Knight (1967): #13 US, #19 UK
Carl Carlton (1974): #6 US
Rex Smith/Rachel Sweet (1981): #32 US, #35 UK
Gloria Estefan (1995): #27 US, #19 UK
Love Affair (1968): #1 UK
Worlds Apart (1993): #20 UK
Cast From Casualty (1998): #5 UK
Jamie Cullum (2004): #20 UK

One of the best parts about fast food is that it’s predictable. You pull up to the drive-thru knowing what you like and what to expect when you order. But sometimes chains try to branch out and introduce new items to tap into trends and stir up excitement. While some of these generate a lot of buzz and fans enjoy them, a lot of them don’t last long, whether that’s because they didn’t sell well or they slowed operations down.

These are some of the strangest fast food items to hit menus across the country:

McDonald’s Hula Burger - The name is a big stretch, since it was a slice of grilled pineapple topped with cheese and served on a bun, but it came out in the 1960s as a meatless option for Lent to keep Catholic customers coming in on Fridays. But the Hula Burger got crushed by the popular Filet-O-Fish, and disappeared after barely selling.
Taco Bell Seafood Salad - Back in the 1980s, Taco Bell tried this combo of shrimp, snow crab and white fish mixed with lettuce, tomatoes, and olives served in a fried tortilla shell as a fresher, lighter alternative to tacos and burritos. But it didn’t last long because people weren’t buying up seafood from a drive-thru that was served like a taco.
KFC Double Down - This sandwich swapped bread for two fried chicken fillets, which held bacon, cheese and sauce together. It was over-the-top and grabbed viral attention, from those who loved the excess of it, and critics who felt like they were eating what seemed like an inside-out sandwich.
McDonald’s McSalad Shakers - When chains were trying to go healthier, this salad served in a clear plastic cup that you shake to mix still seemed like more of a gimmick than an upgrade.
Burger King Whopperito - It had all the Whopper fillings - beef, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese - but they were wrapped in a tortilla instead of a bun and there was queso-style sauce to try to make the mashup work. But it only had a short run before disappearing forever.
Little Caesars Spaghetti Bucket - It was just a bucket filled with pasta, and while it was a lot of food for little money, the bucket presentation was a turn-off for many.
Burger King Bacon Sundae - It really was a vanilla soft serve sundae with chocolate fudge and caramel, and strips of bacon. When it came out in 2012, the bacon craze had it in everything from cocktails to donuts, but this felt like a stretch and people didn’t get behind it.
Source: Parade