Episode 46: Tee-Ball Bouncers, Putin’s Tiny Giraffe, & The Battle of the Space Billionaires

Kathleen opens the show drinking a Robot Crush from Aeronaut Brewing in Somerville, MA which was sent to her via the great USPS from a Worthy Termite. TERMITE SHOUTOUTS: Kathleen is thrilled to go through mail from the PO box, thanking Termites Quinn/Stearns (aka “Dr. Quinn”) for her Robot Crush and Marshmallow Fluff (both “born” in Massachusetts), and big thanks to Max for her Dogecoin (which she vows to carry for good gambling luck in her wallet.) Also massive thanks to Creative Termite Elisa (her company’s name is Texrah Designs in Dallas) who sent Paddles a very cool Post Malone prayer candle, since Post is one of Paddles’ favorite singers. UPDATE ON KATHLEEN’S QUEEN’S COURT: Kathleen announces to the Termites that she has no worthwhile updates from the Queens over the past week, but will continue her hunt for breaking news. “GOOD BAD FOOD”: In her quest for new and delicious not-so-nutritious junk food AND in continuing her search for the best Ranch, Kathleen samples Tessemae’s Everything Bagel Ranch , which she thinks is too tangy and tastes more dill than “everything.” Next on the menu are Roulette Nacho Cheese Doritos , which she loves and can’t WAIT to offer her young nieces and nephew to watch their shock at the heat. She finishes her tasting menu telling Termites to add Texas Pete Dust Dry Seasoning on any meat they put on the grill, and that Marshmallow Fluff is delicious AND has a stickiness comparable to Gorilla Glue. TENNESSEE GETS A BUC-EE’S TRUCK STOP: As listeners know, Kathleen is a massive fan of good truck stops. She’s absolutely excited to read an article that her friend Heidi forwarded announcing that crews have broken ground on the Crossville TN Buc-ee’s travel center – the first one in Tennessee ; which will be more than 53,400 square feet and offer 120 fueling positions just outside its store with thousands of snack, meal and drink options for travelers on the go. GUN-WAVING STL COUPLE UPDATE: Kathleen reads an update from her hometown of St. Louis, where Mark and Patricia McCloskey were fined and charged with a misdemeanor for pointing guns at social justice demonstrators last year. BATTLE OF THE SPACE BILLIONAIRES: Kathleen provides an update on the space race currently underway between billionaires Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and now Richard Branson. Just after Bezos announced that he would join his Blue Origin’s first crewed flight on July 20th, Branson announced plans to launch over the July 4th holiday weekend, making him the FIRST to reach space on his private Virgin Galactic craft. Stay tuned, Termites. PINK FLOYD VS FACEBOOK: Listeners who follow Kathleen know that she can’t stand Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, feeling that he is a morally bankrupt human. She’s delighted to hear that Pink Floyd star Roger Waters shares her opinion, when he recently rejected an offer from Zuckerberg for the use of his classic track Another Brick in the Wall Part II. Speaking at a recent event, Waters opened up about the financial offer from Zuckerberg, who he called “one of the most powerful idiots in the world”, revealing the Facebook boss wanted to use his 1979 song in a film to promote Instagram. ELIZABETH HOLMES MERCH SOARS: As Termites know, Kathleen is committed to seeing the end of the Theranos scandal with its founder, Elizabeth Holmes, in prison for her fraudulent activities. Holmes is facing federal wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud charges in connection with allegedly deceiving investors, patients, and doctors about her company’s blood-testing technology, and is facing 20 years in prison if convicted. Kathleen reports that Internet sellers are cashing in on swag despite the fraudulent undertones of the trial, cashing in before her criminal fraud trial starts in August 2021. Kathleen is absolutely committed to obtaining a “Theranos: Early Investor” coffee mug from Etsy before the trial begins, because it’s important to have goals ☺ MEGHAN MARKLE’S BOOK FLOPS: Kathleen delightedly reads an article announcing that Meghan Markle’s children’s book release, “The Bench,” profoundly flopped in sales in its release week. Online reviewers dismissed the publication as a vanity project which should have been kept within the Royal family, while her sister-in-law Kate Middleton’s photography book “ Hold Still ” remains at the top of the bestseller list. Kathleen mentions that karma might play a part in this situation… WHAT RICH PEOPLE ARE SPENDING MONEY ON: Kathleen laughs that she’s starting a new segment to the Pubcast called “What Rich People Are Spending Money On,” after weeks of reading about sales of stolen art and trips to space for auction. This week she reads a press release that shoe magnate Stuart Weitzman has sold a secret coin, his 1933 Double Eagle “Mona Lisa” of collector coins, for $18.9M. Kathleen expands on the story with her own childhood tales regarding having pride in her ownership of Silver Dollars that her grandparents had gifted to her, citing that the only people that would care about her rare coins and stamps would be her super-nerd and incredibly gifted cool friends Lorene Machado and Jackie Kashian , whom she is looking into ordering “Super Nerd” capes for on Etsy. A DEATH IN CRYPTOLAND: In continuing her obsession with cryptocurrency and her love for all things Canadian, Kathleen recommends listening to the CBC Canada podcast “ A Death In Cryptoland ” about the alleged death of Quadriga CEO Gerald Cotten. Cotten started Canada’s largest cryptocurrency exchange in his twenties and is reported to have died while honeymooning in India at the age of 30. The alleged death set off a cataclysmic chain of events that would leave approx 76,000 people out of a quarter of a billion dollars and a trail of conspiracy theories around whether he is dead or alive. KENTUCKY TEE-BALL GAME BRAWL: Kathleen takes another sip of beer and laughs out loud reading an article surrounding a tee-ball championship game in Kentucky that erupted into a brawl when parents began fighting after a spectator ran onto the field, leaving the young players in tears amid the chaos. Witnesses told local media that a spectator ran onto the field, prompting the umpire to end the game and the scheduled trophy and medal presentation ceremony to be canceled. The incident began when the opposing coaches got into an argument over a call when the fan ran on the field. Other spectators said the man took off his shirt and began cursing and shoving people. RENTAL CAR PRICES SOAR: An avid traveler and a big supporter of the rental car industry (especially her hometown based Enterprise Rental Car), Kathleen is amazed when reading an article advising US travelers that US rental car prices could double by August amidst a nationwide shortage of cars. The skyrocketing prices come as demand for rental cars outstrips supply, when in a desperate move to survive pandemic lockdowns that halted global travel last year, many rental companies sold off their fleets for cash. Now Americans are ready to travel again, car rental services have been hard-pressed to rebuild their fleets with limited new vehicle inventory. Kathleen advises traveling Termites to secure their rental cars now to avoid disappointment. WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK: Kathleen recommends watching Season 1 of “ Dirty John ” on Netflix, which she thinks Connie Britton absolutely crushes in, and listen to the podcast “ A Death in Cryptoland ” 6-part podcast wherever you get podcasts. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .