Tim Phillips Show, 5/1/26

When was the last time you had an eye exam? If it’s been so long you can’t even remember, you’re in good company. A new survey finds that 22% of Americans haven’t been to the optometrist in at least a year, while 15% don’t remember the last time they did.

According to a poll of 2-thousand adults across the country, a lot of us are overdue for an eye exam. It’s especially important since the average American spends seven hours a day, or nearly 50 hours a week, in front of screens.

Gen X leads the way with an average of 52 hours.
That adds up to more than 25-hundred hours of screen time in a year for the average person.
Gen Z is the most likely to have put off going to the optometrist (24%), but 20% of all respondents haven’t had an eye exam in the past year.
Across all age groups, 91% claim to care about preventative health, but only 55% commit to annual exams.⠀
More people are taking vitamins and supplements (64%), eating healthy foods (61%) and exercising regularly (56%).
Eye health is a priority for 20%, but more people feel mental health (61%), emotional health (32%) and oral health (21%) are priorities.
The thing is, a comprehensive eye exam can reveal larger health issues, something 22% of respondents weren’t aware of.
More than half (56%) also didn’t realize that it’s necessary to get a baseline eye exam before or shortly after starting a GLP-1 medication or that there are potential eye-related side effects from taking one (52%).
It turns out, permanent vision loss is a potential complication of taking a GLP-1, but only 13% knew that.
Respondents say they would get a comprehensive eye exam if they experienced sudden vision changes or issues (55%) and 40% say they’ll put more emphasis on their eyes as they get older.
Source: Talker

A new survey by Advance America reveals that 85% of people say payday meals strengthen family bonds. Other findings:
- 67% of people actively plan a payday meal when their paycheck arrives
- 77% of people say higher restaurant prices have changed their payday dining habits
- 23% of people say they've held onto their payday meal ritual despite the budget squeeze
- 36% of people say the most common emotion associated with a payday meal is a sense of reward for hard work
- 49% of people follow a specific payday routine
According to a new survey by Advance America
Catching up on bills — 26%
Going out for a family meal — 24%
Treating themselves or their kids — 19%
Meeting friends for drinks — 13%
Buying something for the home — 12%
Ordering takeout or delivery — 6%

Friday Flashback -

ALL YOU WANTED -    MICHELLE BRANCH
CAN’T GET YOU OUT OF MY HEAD  -  KYLIE MINOGUE
LET ME DOWN EASY -   CHRIS ISAAK

The United States’ seventh largest airline, US Airways files for bankruptcy during August.

The XIX Winter Olympics were held in Salt Lake City, Utah during February.

The Mars Odyssey finds signs of huge water ice deposits on the planet Mars

Popular Films

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Spider-Man

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Men in Black II

Die Another Day

Signs

Ice Age

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Minority Report

Chicago

The Pianist

About Schmidt

Gangs of New York

Do you often find that when late afternoon rolls around, you start craving a snack? Does it seem to happen around 3:42 p.m.? That is peak craving time, according to a new survey. Talker Research asked 5,000 people about their cravings and found that most of us get two cravings a day, and when we do, 60% cave within an hour and grab a snack. So, what's everyone craving? Comfort food tops the list. Things like pizza, burgers, fries, tacos, and fried chicken are the big national go‑to's. Respondents in New Mexico appear to have the most willpower and are able to hold out longer than anywhere else, while folks in Maine and West Virginia give into their cravings the quickest. 

Tim's News You Can't Use 

The Kentucky Derby is not the only race taking place in Louisville, Kentucky. The Weenie Derby was recently held at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park. More than 60 dachshunds raced as dozens of spectators watched. Proceeds went to the Kentucky Humane Society and youth sports scholarships. Another race is being planned for next year
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Southern Living magazine says a limited edition Kentucky Derby ice cream flavor, called Backstretch Bourbon Cherry, is going viral. The bourbon ice cream is blended with black cherries and praline pecans. It is available at certain stores for a limited time.  The Kentucky Derby is Saturday 
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Things are getting seriously quirky as Burt's Bees and Grillo's Pickles join forces to drop a limited-edition cucumber dill lip balm that mixes classic beeswax smoothness with a surprisingly pickle-inspired twist. The playful product hit shelves exclusively at Walmart last week, leaning into fun, novelty, and that “grab it before it’s gone” energy. Not stopping there, Grillo’s is also diving deeper into bold flavor territory with Pabst Blue Ribbon on a tangy pickle-themed beer launching May 4th at select retailers. Between lip care and canned drinks, this unexpected wave of pickle-powered collabs is clearly aiming to win over both curious shoppers and die-hard fans alike.
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Capri Sun is jumping into the hydration game with Capri Sun Hydrate, its first-ever electrolyte drink made just for kids. The new pouches come in Fruit Punch, Tropical Punch, and Lemon Lime, and are designed to feel a bit more functional with added Vitamin E, no artificial extras, and 50% less sugar than typical sports drinks. It’s a shift from pure lunchbox nostalgia to something parents might feel better about tossing in, blending fun with a more purposeful twist. Rolling out at major retailers like Walmart, Target, and Amazon, the big question is whether kids will treat it like a true sports drink or just another pouch in their lineup.
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A Chinese vacuum and home appliance company called Dreame has unveiled a wild electric supercar concept that it claims can do zero to 62 miles per hour in just 0.9 seconds. The Dreame Nebula NEXT 01 Jet Edition uses twin solid rocket boosters capable of producing 100 kilonewtons of thrust, bypassing the grip limits of tires entirely. The current world record for EV acceleration, 0.956 seconds, was set by a 300-pound student-built car with no roof.
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A mother-daughter team of amateur plant breeders in Northern Virginia has grown watermelons no bigger than chicken eggs, and they taste just as good as the full-size version. High school researcher Delaney Raptis and her mother started the project in 2021 using a non-GMO chemical mutation technique, putting the plants through several generations of selective breeding. Preliminary tests show the tiny melons still have their signature sweet flavor and red or orange flesh
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Everyone needs a hobby, right? For Colorado’s Lou Salas, that hobby, for the last four years, has been putting together a single jigsaw puzzle. Called “The World’s Largest Jigsaw Puzzle,” Salas says it arrived in five dozen boxes, consisted of over 60K pieces, and measured out to 29 feet once it was completed. Salas estimates that it took him over 800 hours to finally put it all together on a customized table and platform designed by his friends that he could maneuver and work around. 
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A Wall Street Journal investigation into YouTube use on school-issued devices found a seventh-grader in Wichita, Kansas named Ben Warren watched 13,000 YouTube videos between December 2024 and February 2025, He was swiping endlessly through YouTube Shorts on a school iPad, mostly Fortnite content, The Journal also found an Oregon tenth-grader who logged 200 video views in a single school morning, and another student who watched four straight hours of YouTube in one day and had been placed in an addiction treatment program
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WPLG says an exotic dancer recently used a seven-foot stripper pole as a weapon at a North Miami Beach gentleman’s club called Taboo Miami. Exotic dancer Princess Bell had been terminated for bizarre behavior and conflicts with staff. She swung the pole and then fled. Police chased Bell and arrested her after a brief struggle. She faced seven charges and was held without bond, and a security guard told police he was "in fear for his life."
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An Indiana sheriff's deputy got a call about an animal in the roadway and showed up to find that essentially an entire farm had escaped. Deputy Korporal of the Grant County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to Marion after a report of a loose animal, but when he arrived, he found chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, and goats freely roaming the street.  Body camera video shows Korporal momentarily at a loss for words before he starts calling out and herding the animals back toward the farm. Most followed him through the gate with little fuss. The sheriff's office later posted the footage on social media, noting all animals were safely returned and adding that in law enforcement, "you truly never know what the next call will bring."