Episode 17: RadioShack Comeback, Da Vinci Jesus, and the Loneliest Elephant

Kathleen opens the show pouring a Miller 64 beer into her Swig & Swine pint glass from her favorite Charleston, SC BBQ restaurant. She reviews Dolly Parton’s new Netflix musical “Christmas on the Square,” providing some color around the homeless character that Dolly portrays in the movie. Kathleen reads aloud Dolly’s recently-penned letter to Santa as published in Good Housekeeping magazine, asking Santa and Baby Jesus for peace on Earth, hope for those who have none, and a COVID-19 vaccine. NUMBER ONE QUEEN: Kathleen’s love for Dolly, Stevie Nicks, Cher, and Tanya Tucker is well-known in the Pub, and she explains to listeners her reason for being passionate about each singer. However, she admits that she could never be all-in on exclusively following Cher since it was recently revealed that Cher spent her Thanksgiving in Pakistan visiting Kaavan, known as the “world’s loneliest elephant.” The elephant lost his partner in 2012, and along with Four Paws International and US businessman Eric Margolis, Cher has been lobbying to relocate the pachyderm from its most recent home at the Islamabad Zoo to a sanctuary in Cambodia. The Pakistani government just agreed to allow for the transition, and Cher serenaded Kaavan before his departure for his new home. “BAD GOOD FOOD”: In her quest for new and delicious not-so-nutritious fast food, Kathleen describes to listeners Bibigo Korean Style Steamed Dumplings, which she first learned of watching The Masters golf tournament with Ron White. Kathleen loves any kind of Asian dumpling, and was excited that these can be readily available in her freezer. She also has a great love for Popeyes chicken, and was sad when she learned that due to her involvement in her Fantasy Football League, she missed the chain’s announcement that it was time to preorder their Cajun-style turkeys and “churkeys” for Thanksgiving 2020. Kathleen then moves on to describe the 12-hour wait for In-N-Out Burgers in Denver and Colorado Springs Grand Opening weekend, disclosing to listeners that she would never wait that long for any cheeseburger that had Thousand Island dressing-like sauce, which is her mom’s favorite salad dressing. She discusses her experience with the iconic California-based burger chain as a resident of LA, and learns what it means to order their food “Animal-style.” KICK LIKE A GIRL: Kathleen reviews the historical NCAA football game over the weekend between Vanderbilt and her Missouri Tigers, where Vanderbilt soccer star Sarah Fuller made history by playing the game as the kicker for the Commodores. ANIMALS MOST LIKELY TO KILL YOU BY STATE: Kathleen begins a new segment of the Pubcast: Animals Most Likely to Kill You (By State), as reported by the Center for Disease Control. If you live in Alabama or Arizona, the CDC says you’re most likely to be killed by a dog, and Alaskans and Mainers should be cautious of moose. SHOVELHEAD GARDEN WORM: In her continuing obsession with invasive species, Kathleen reports to listeners that sightings of shovel-headed garden worms, also known as hammerhead worms, have recently been reported in multiple locations in Georgia, including over 100 in the Atlanta area alone. The snake-like worm, grows up to nearly a foot in length, and their mouths are located midway down the bottom surface of their bodies rather than on their heads. AIRLINE SAFETY IN A PANDEMIC: With the COVID-19 pandemic surging and travel on the rise during the holiday season, Kathleen reads an updated report published by a the Department of Defense revising the findings presented by United Airlines and Boeing a few weeks ago that there is minimal transmission of the virus on airplanes. The infectious disease experts were concerned of the mass public misinterpretation of the original findings, stating that the carriers’ safety claims aren’t that conclusive and that some recent cases have documented transmission on flights even when passengers wore masks and sat far apart from each other. Kathleen explains to listeners that she refuses to travel on a commercial airplane until there is a COVID vaccine, because even in normal circumstances she manages to catch colds on flights. COLORADO-UTAH GLASS DOMED TRAIN: Kathleen’s favorite way to travel is by train, and she’s excited to tell listeners about a new glass-domed train service that is scheduled to begin service in 2021 between Colorado and Utah. Canadian company Rocky Mountaineer is launching an incredible new two-day rail journey named, "Rockies to the Red Rocks," which will take passengers from Denver to Moab, UT in luxury glass-domed trains. RADIO SHACK RESURGENCE: Kathleen advises listeners that 1970’s tech powerhouse RadioShack has joined other companies in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection amidst lagging sales brought on by the pandemic and the evolution of consumer buying platforms. The chain’s last profit posted was in 2011, and would celebrate its 100th birthday in 2021. Kathleen questions the general consumer awareness of investors Alex Mehr and Tai Lopez of company REV, who have purchased the RadioShack brand along with clothing chain Dress Barn in hopes of repackaging and introducing it to the online shopping world. She thinks both brands are unfit for the current shopping landscape, providing her thoughts around the Dress Barn name and telling stories of her brothers going to RadioShack to buy remote control cars and batteries as children. NEW DA VINCI MASTERPIECE DISCOVERED: Kathleen has a huge appreciation for art and history, and is thrilled to share an article announcing that a new Leonardo Da Vinci masterpiece has been discovered. The sketch of Jesus Christ resembles Da Vinci himself, and is believed to have been housed in a private art collection for centuries. MYSTERY OF THE WEEK: Kathleen discusses the mystery behind the murder of Canadian billionaire couple Barry and Honey Sherman, who were found hanging by belts from a railing in their Toronto mansion in 2017. The case has been cold for over a year, but Toronto police have recently stated that they have numerous new persons of interest that they are investigating. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.