radio show prep: why does the internet hate mom? we are all going to be scary fat, and a woman who admits that she married her father...

Show Notes Thursday 09.20.12

cuttin' cake

• Gary Cole from Office Space (this guy) is 55 
• Actress Moon Bloodgood is 37
• Sophia Loren turns 77

It's National Punch Day (punch)

primetime thursday

abc: Wipeout is new at 8

cbs: all reruns

nbc: all new tonight including SNL Weekend Update Thursday, the premiere of Up All Night, the premiere of The Office, the premiere of Parks and Recreation, and a new Rock Center with Brian Williams

fox: The X Factor and Glee are both new tonight

cw: The Next is new at 9

pop quiz: music history

Can you believe it has been 10 years? This song was the #1 hit 10 years ago today... can you name the artists?

Play

Is it:

• Nelly and Beyonce
• Usher and Rihanna
• Nelly and Kelly Rowland

Answer: Nelly and Kelly Rowland

joke of the day

A Kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they drew. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's artwork. As she got to one little girl who was working

diligently, she asked what the drawing was.

The girl replied, "I'm drawing God."

The teacher paused and said, "But no one knows what God looks like."

Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, "They will in a minute.

The Internet Hates Moms

This is a fascinating little study about how the Internet portrays moms vs. dads. A data team from BuzzFeed looked at headlines from over 200 of their partner sites and determined that the Internet is a pretty harsh place for mothers. Here are the top 10 words that appeared in connection with "mom" or "mother" so far in 2012:

1. new
2. old
3. free
4. bad
5. best
6. full
7. happy
8. naked
9. good
10. real

So what about dads? Does the Internet serve up the same scrutiny to dads? Hardly.

1. American (may be associated with the TV show)
2. free
3. old
4. new
5. full
6. big
7. best
8. happy
9. greatest
10. real

"Bad," the fourth most-common adjective for moms didn't even crack the top 10 for dads. In fact, "bad" was 6-times more likely to be associated with "mom" than "dad."

Also interesting was the popularity of the word "naked" when associated with moms. None of the sites indexed were porn sites, so these were tips on things mom can do to look good naked. It was much more common for moms than dads.

Conclusion: Dad's are not under the microscope as much as moms when it comes to raising kids. Also, the term "daddy wars" has yet to enter the mainstream.

Is it Just Me?

Is it just me, or is this a frightening prediction. By 2030, half the population in most states will be obese. Every state will likely top 44%... Mississippi, with a 35% obesity rate right now, is expected to (excuse my pun) "balloon to" 67%.

Even Colorado, the thinnest state, where about one-fifth of residents are obese, is expected to top 45% by 2030.

The predictions were made by Trust for America's Health, and goes beyond government predictions of a 42% obesity level by 2030. Still, not a lot of difference between 42% and 44%, is there?

This makes me want to do three things to prepare for 2030:

1) Reform my diet to include less junk and fast food

2) Workout even more...especially cardio

3) Open a Dunkin Donuts franchise in Mississippi

T-H-E-R-A-P-Y

Whoa. WHOA. WHAT? A 60-year old woman named Valerie Spruill from Doylestown, Ohio, discovered something after her husband passed away. Something she never knew, and something that has put her into therapy ever since.

Valerie was married...to...her...father.

I'll give you a second to gather your thoughts.

Okay, it turns out Valerie was raised by her grandparents. Her mother was a prostitute who gave her up at 3-months old. Years later Valerie met a truck driver named Percy Spruill from Akron. 'Ol Percy set his sites on Valerie and the two were married.

What makes this worse is that Valerie suspects that Percy KNEW she was his daughter. AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! She heard "rumors" about their relationship, but didn't really look into it until Percy died. It turns out all she had to do was ask her uncle. He knew all along.

And you thought YOUR family was nuts?

Percy died in 1998, and Valerie has been dealing with it ever since. Valerie went public with the story to prove anyone can make it through a trauma:

"I want this to be more of an inspirational story. If I’ve come through this, anyone can come through anything through the help of the Lord."