Episode 59: The Loch Ness Monster Surfaces, LuLaRoe’s Scandal, & Passive Aggressive Corporate Email

Kathleen opens the show drinking a Briney Mary bloody Mary from the Pittsburgh Pickle Company, which she looks forward to drinking every time she’s in Pittsburgh. TERMITE SHOUTOUTS: Kathleen gives thanks to the Termites who leave notes at shows and send mail to her PO Box. She begins by thanking Termites Jennifer and Steve, who made her laugh out loud in anticipation of putting on her new “Vodka Cranberry, Please” face mask when she boards an airplane. Termite April from Wyoming sent in a very cool Ranch dressing Christmas tree ornament, and Kentucky Termite Carolyn sent an awesome Time & Oak whiskey aging stick, which Kathleen can’t wait to try with her brother Patrick. Finally, Termite Diane (from “south of Boston”) sent a very touching note which makes Mama T tear up, along with a gold ribbon representing support for Pediatric Cancer in honor of her granddaughter. UPDATE ON KATHLEEN’S QUEEN’S COURT: Kathleen provides an update on the Queens, reporting that the Court has been quiet. She asks the Termites to vote for a new queen to try to shake up some new activity. What say you, Termites? “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 Jalapeno Popper Goldfish, which she doesn’t like as much as original Goldfish crackers. She moves on to taste Marzetti Buttermilk Romano Ranch, which she finds to be VERY tangy but she likes the flavor. Kathleen finishes her tasting session with a dessert: Apple Cider Donut Oreos which she absolutely hates, comparing the taste to “eating perfume.” She then shares with listeners that growing up in the Midwest her dad preferred Hydrox cookies to Oreos, and now she misses the flavor of those cookies over any Oreo. NEW EXPLOSIVE BRITNEY SPEARS DOCUMENTARY: Kathleen continues down her months-long rabbit hole following the conservatorship of Britney Spears and the #FreeBritney movement. She reads details behind a new documentary released by FX and Hulu entitled “Controlling Britney Spears,” an unannounced follow-up to “Framing Britney Spears” covered in an earlier episode of the Pubcast. In it, several former friends and colleagues of Spears’s came forward to offer new glimpses into the heretofore well-concealed world of her conservatorship. LULAROE’S CORPORATE SCANDALS: Kathleen is fascinated as she reads an article about multilevel marketing company LuLaRoe, and goes on to describe to listeners her thoughts after watching “LuLaRich,” Amazon’s new docuseries about the creation of the company and their fraud that was eventually settled through the legal system. The brand succeeded by targeting a group of stay-at-home moms seeking financial security and extra income, and for a few years, LuLaRoe was quite good at spreading empowerment through selling printed clothes. The company generated $2.3 billion in sales in 2017. But then scandals started rocking the business, including allegations of moldy, low-quality products, copyright infringement, and lawsuits calling LuLaRoe a pyramid scheme. Kathleen feels terribly sorry for the victims who suffered after being involved in this scam, but also states that she has yet to see something overly successful come from buying into a business whose primary business mantra advertises that you can “Work From Home In Your Pajamas.” THERANOS VICTIM TESTIMONIALS: In her reporting from the Elizabeth Holmes Theranos trial currently taking place in California, Kathleen provides an update to Termites regarding victims who received incorrect test results from the Theranos technology which resulted in emotional trauma. TERM LIMITS AND GRASSLEY VS THURMOND: Kathleen has a bit in her act where she makes a pitch for term limits for politicians, and is appalled to read an article stating that Sen. Chuck Grassley recently announced that he will run for reelection in 2022 — a decision Republicans believe will give them their best chance to hold onto the coveted Senate seat. Grassley, 88, released the highly anticipated news in characteristically understated fashion, posting the news to Twitter with little additional fanfare. COMEDIAN’S INTERPRETATION OF CORPORATE EMAILS: Kathleen laughs out loud reading an article on the underlying meaning behind buttoned-up corporate email language, and outlining how successful people communicate. She translates each email sample into “comic speak,” or how comedians (without an HR department) would address similar situations via email. MICHAEL FLYNN’S LATEST CONSPIRACY THEORY: Kathleen is bewildered when she reads an article where former Trump National Security Advisor Michael Flynn pushed a theory that COVID-19 vaccines are being snuck into salad dressing being sold in US supermarkets. Flynn was speaking this week to Clay Clark, the host of the conservative podcast "The Thrivetime Show.” Kathleen’s comments can’t necessarily be put into print ☺ OSAGE INDIAN “PICTURE CAVE” SOLD IN MISSOURI: Kathleen reads an article from her home state of Missouri where the infamous Osage Indian “Picture Cave” was sold in September 2021 for over $2 million. More than 1,000 years ago, Indigenous people journeyed into a dark cave on the land now called Missouri and painted nearly 300 detailed images on its walls. The cave was a sacred space, where tribes performed ceremonies, made sense of the universe, and buried their dead. A millennium later, the paintings contained within it continue to offer clues about how those civilizations lived and what they believed. And for the Osage Nation, whose ancestors created much of the artwork in the cave, the sale came as a huge blow as it will prohibit access to their ancestral grounds. DISCOVERY OF OLDEST HUMAN FOOTPRINTS IN NORTH AMERICA: Kathleen reads an article announcing that 23,000-year-old footprints found in New Mexico recently could shed light on when humans arrived on the continent. Archaeological evidence, including spearheads used to kill mammoths, has long suggested a 13,500-year-old settlement was considered the continent’s first civilization, and the forerunner of groups that became known as Native Americans. SPOTTING THE LOCH NESS MONSTER: Kathleen is a firm believer in the existence of the Loch Ness Monster and is thrilled to read an article stating that the Loch Ness Monster has been spotted by recent drone footage taken by a British outdoorsman paddling through Scotland’s Loch Ness for a long-distance charity canoe trip. Watch the footage and state your opinions, Termites… WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK: Kathleen recommends watching the “Framing Britney Spears” documentary on Hulu, and “LuLaRich” on Amazon Prime. 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