Episode 65: Disappearing Cities, Drive-Thru Robots, & a 1,200-Year-Old Canoe

Kathleen opens the show drinking a Keybilly Amber Ale from Lakeland, Florida, and gives a review of her fantastic weekend at The Villages in Florida with a shoutout to the JW Marriott in Orlando for having a cool lazy river pool that she spent more time in than she’d planned to. “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 Brach’s Turkey Dinner Candy Corn, which she describes the smell as “candy corn on steroids” and doesn’t actually think it tastes anything like turkey dinner OR candy corn. She moves on to taste Pringles Ranch Crisps, which she absolutely loves. She finishes her tasting menu with the limited edition Holiday Chocolate-Covered Ritz Crackers, which isn’t her thing but she also thinks would wow guests at a Midwest holiday party. KATHLEEN’S QUEEN’S COURT: Kathleen gives an update on the Court, showcasing her new Dolly Parton holiday spatula and Holly Dolly holiday cookie cutter set from Williams Sonoma, which she intends to use while baking Christmas cookies with her nieces. UPDATES: Kathleen gives updates on LAX’s “Jetpack Guy,” new QAnon’s conspiracy theories, the golden parachute of WeWork’s Adam Neumann, the Colorado elk’s liberation from his tire necklace, and the latest in the Elizabeth Holmes trial. NEW ORLEANS IS SINKING: Kathleen reads an article outlining the Climate Central project, which creates maps that show the impact of flooding due to rising sea levels. The project identifies specific cities around the globe that could find themselves underwater as early as 2030, based on the most reliable climate-change data from IPCC. MCDONALD’S ROBOTIC DRIVE-THRU: Kathleen shares McDonald’s new drive-thru concept utilizing robots. The fast-food chain announced that it has a strategic partnership with IBM to develop artificial intelligence technology that will help McDonald’s automate its drive-thru lanes to increase speed and volume. The concept was recently testedin the Chicago market, with evaluation and a potential roll-out strategy still in the works. FACEBOOK’S METAVERSE TROUBLES: Kathleen laughs when sharing an article outlining the Facebook rebranding efforts that have already failed within a few weeks of the launch, as the new company name “Meta” has been proven to already exist before the Zuckerberg team filed their trademark request. Meta PC has been a company for over a year, but only recently filed for a trademark on the name. Filing takes time to process so neither company has been granted the trademark yet, but Meta PC was the first to file and has offered to cancel their trademark request if Facebook is willing to pay them $20 million. ANCIENT CANOE DISCOVERED IN WISCONSIN: Kathleen is excited to read a news release out of Wisconsin where a dugout canoe thought to be 1,200 years old has been retrieved from Lake Mendota. Historians believe that dugout canoes are most likely the earliest forms of constructed watercraft in the world. MEET POLIO PAUL: Kathleen shares an article about a Texas man named Paul Alexander, who has been confined to an iron lung for over 70 years since contracting polio at the age of 6. Alexander states that he has had a fulfilling life, becoming a lawyer specializing in fighting for patient rights and promoting vaccination efficiency. Kathleen shares her own childhood stories regarding how vaccinations were handled in their Catholic school. SITTING BULL’S GRANDSON CONFIRMED: Kathleen is thrilled to read an article confirming that a South Dakota man who has maintained for decades that he is the great-grandson of the legendary leader Sitting Bull has confirmed his lineage through DNA analysis. A lock of the famous Lakota chief‘s hair once stored at the Smithsonian Institution was used to confirm the claim, Reuters. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.