Now It's Ruined

Happy 4/20! In honor of the informal holiday, we’re giving you this episode two entire days early! If you celebrate, grab your favorite means of ingestion and listen as Larkin talks all things sticky and icky, breaking down the history of how cannabis was used as an excuse for racism and anti-immigrant sentiment, eventually leading to its criminalization. The movement against this hearty “herb” has fueled oppression, fed the prison-industrial complex, and stalled research about the potential benefits. Plus, the formerly social drug is now increasing social isolation among 1 in 15 American adults.  References Kursgesagt - In a Nutshell “You Need to Quit Weed” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Brm71uCWr-I TIME Magazine article “420 Day: Why There Are So Many Different Names for Weed” Katy Steinmetz. April 20, 2017 https://time.com/4747501/420-day-weed-marijuana-pot-slang/ PBS Eons - “The Hazy Evolution of Cannabis” https://www.pbs.org/video/the-hazy-evolution-of-cannabis-cyjdln/ Science Advances research article: “Large Scale Whole-Genome resequencing unravels the domestication history of Cannabis sativa” 16 Jul 2021 Vol 7, Issue 29 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abg2286 NPR Codeswitch: The Mysterious History Of 'Marijuana' Matt Thompson July 22, 2013 https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/07/14/201981025/the-mysterious-history-of-marijuana The MIT Press Reader: ‘Cannabis Through the Ages’ Linda A. Parker  https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/cannabis-through-the-ages/ The MIT Press Reader. ‘A Brief Global History of the War on Cannabis’ Ryan Stoa https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/a-brief-global-history-of-the-war-on-cannabis/ Dictionary definition “Marijuana” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/marijuana The University of Sydney: Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics “History of Cannabis https://www.sydney.edu.au/lambert/medicinal-cannabis/history-of-cannabis.html HISTORY.com Authors: Marijuana https://www.history.com/articles/history-of-marijuana Lee, Martin A. “Smoke Signals: A Social History of Marijuana – Medical, Recreational and Scientific” Scribner, August 13, 2013 Anslinger Testimony  https://www.hempology.org/ALL%20HISTORY%20ARTICLES.HTML/1937%20ANSLINGER%20TESTIMONY.html ACLU Stats https://www.aclu.org/the-war-on-marijuana-in-black-and-white https://www.aclu.org/the-war-on-marijuana-in-black-and-white Brownie Mary  https://www.sfweekly.com/archives/the-legacy-of-brownie-mary/article_b9ac6c31-dd01-5228-8d63-f0418aed36dd.html Missouri Independent “Why some people believe ‘marijuana’ is a racist word, and why it doesn’t offend me: Latin American History Professor Isaac Campos recently published findings online of his study on the history of cannabis terminology” Rebecca Rivas. May, 2023 https://missouriindependent.com/2023/05/02/why-some-people-believe-marijuana-is-a-racist-word-and-why-it-doesnt-offend-me/ If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kate and Larkin welcome fashion enthusiast and content creator KP Deluxe, who tells us about the predictably racist, patriarchal origins of sizing in fashion. KP outlines our journey from bespoke, customizable pieces to the fast fashion nightmare of today, and how the realities of women’s bodies were repeatedly ignored in favor of mass production.  Follow KP/Styled Over Substance on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.  Check out Ifemi, the ready-to-wear line for plus-sized women, and sign up to be notified when it drops. References https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1860-1869/ https://books.google.co.za/books?hl=en&lr=&id=KqSjAgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=the+history+of+sizing&ots=UmW7pq8OC9&sig=AK2KmyOJ6RV91jbPGQRMxLaQPDE&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=the%20history%20of%20sizing&f=false https://time.com/3532014/women-clothing-sizes-history/ https://fashionmagazine.com/style/vanity-sizing/ https://www.bu.style/articles/clothing-sizing https://medium.com/sizolution/a-brief-history-of-sizing-systems-aee6bd066834 https://www.seamwork.com/style-and-wardrobe/the-origins-of-clothing-sizes?srsltid=AfmBOooeAY2Kg18VOTWGOTdHcnrk_AnkpuGgLW854Grs0v8X0cMId2Nl https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0887302X0502300301 https://twyg.co.za/struggle-for-size-inclusivity/ https://www.vogue.com/article/the-vogue-business-spring-summer-2026-size-inclusivity-report https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0891243218756010 https://www.theworldwar.org/learn/women https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1910-1919/ tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.2752/175174109X467512?__cf_chl_tk=LC4e9csNn0vhBSzAq2PuzNuxkRbH.a8azzTyxQOdVUM-1775066032-1.0.1.1-fqS2dfMCXo0s4.d9pjCv43thIg_j5LLPqLa13Jy38tc https://www.illustrationhistory.org/essays/flapper-fashion-illustrating-the-garments-worn-by-the-modern-woman-during-the-jazz-age-1919-1942 https://www.britannica.com/topic/flapper If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We’re upcycling this week to give Kate a break as she prepares for a panel at Wonder-Con (March 27, 2026 at 6 pm in room 207!). Thankfully we have a timely one for you: The story of the boycott, a great example of community advocacy that’s quite relevant today. Plus, it’s about the Irish, so the fact that it was recently St. Patrick’s day lined up nicely as well!  Get ready to learn about the man behind the movement, mediocre white man Charles Boycott. Boycott worked as a land agent for the oppressed tenant farmers of British-occupied Ireland in the 1850s, showing up post-famine and pissing off pretty much everyone. His refusal to lower rents, imposition of fines for petty violations, and general jerkishness did not ingratiate him to the locals. Little did he know that his name would live on as one of the most effective tools in the protest playbook.  Kate also gives you a hefty (yet woefully inadequate) summary of the conflicts between the English and Irish up to 1853. She does her best to hit the highlights from 700 years of war and rebellion, including the Norman invasion, Oliver Cromwell’s campaign of terror, and the pathetic English response to the famine that killed a million people.  And, as a bonus, you’ll hear the origin of boycatting! CW: Violence, Sexual Assault, Self-Harm References Captain Boycott and the Irish, by Joyce Marlow https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boycott https://apnews.com/article/trump-musk-tesla-sales-model-y-boycott-doge-deliveries-976a467eca5a179db58cbe4318f54a52 https://www.businessinsider.com/target-boycotts-making-mark-more-protests-are-coming-2025-5 https://www.newsweek.com/target-facing-permanent-boycott-june-2079736#:~:text=Pastor%20Jamal%20Bryant%2C%20in%20an,was%20cut%20by%2043%20percent. https://www.britannica.com/money/Charles-Cunningham-Boycott https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Boycott https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/corps-royal-engineers https://www.britannica.com/technology/sapper-military-engineering https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/marking-the-norman-invasion-of-ireland-850-years-and-counting-1.3877350 https://www.tcd.ie/news_events/articles/2023/how-ireland-served-as-a-laboratory-for-the-british-empire/ https://yourirish.com/history/16th-century/introduction-of-the-crown-of-ireland-act-1542 https://www.olivercromwell.org/wordpress/ireland/ https://www.hrp.org.uk/banqueting-house/history-and-stories/the-execution-of-charles-i/ https://www.britannica.com/event/Penal-Laws https://www.britannica.com/event/Irish-Rebellion-Irish-history-1798 https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/irish-rebellion-1798 https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/legislativescrutiny/parliamentandireland/collections/ireland/act-of-union-1800/ https://www.britannica.com/biography/Daniel-OConnell https://scholarship.law.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1653&context=mulr https://www.britannica.com/topic/Land-League https://cartlann.org/authors/charles-stewart-parnell/ennis-speech/ If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It’s our 1-year anniversary!!! To thank you for making our first year so fantastic, we finally did the full-length episode on hammocks that we’ve been promising since we started with the mini-sode a year ago.  Kate dives more into the history and culture of the Taino people, including their invention of the hammock, as well as the deeply horrific details of their encounters with the Spanish, instigated by Christopher Columbus.  This episode comes with an enormous CONTENT WARNING for graphic violence, including against children and infants, as well as torture, rape, and suicide.  References A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, Bartolomé de las Casas, first published 1552, translated to English 1689 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-were-taino-original-inhabitants-columbus-island-73824867/ https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bartolome-de-Las-Casas https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/july-2015-bartolom-de-las-casas-and-500-years-racial-injustice https://www.britannica.com/topic/Taino https://www.britannica.com/place/Lesser-Antilles https://www.britannica.com/place/Greater-Antilles https://www.britannica.com/topic/shifting-agriculture https://www.taino-tribe.org/tribal-culture.html https://tainomuseum.org/taino/ https://www.rutopia.com/en/blog/the-hammocks-mayan-handcrafts-for-your-home https://www.caneycircle.org/female/ https://www.britannica.com/biography/Christopher-Columbus#ref25447 https://www.biography.com/history-culture/christopher-columbus https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/content/did-you-know-spread-islam-southeast-asia-through-trade-routes https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2045/the-gold-of-the-conquistadors/ https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/gold-of-the-indies https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/transatlantic-slave-trade-begins https://www.njstatelib.org/research_library/new_jersey_resources/highlights/african_american_history_curriculum/unit_2_rise_of_afro-americans/ https://www.britannica.com/biography/Christopher-Columbus/The-second-and-third-voyages https://www.hatueyproject.org/who-is-hatuey/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1769869/ https://chacruna.net/latinos-coast-to-coast/ If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dodger Stadium is an icon of Los Angeles. The massive structure comes complete with a parking lot that can accommodate 16,000 cars. And that parking lot was built on the remains of a community that was literally dragged from their homes so they could be leveled for new construction.  Join us as Larkin sorts through the tale of displacement and discrimination behind one of the largest ballparks in the U.S. References Follow Minna Lee Jameson: https://www.instagram.com/minnaleejamison LA Dodgers https://www.laalmanac.com/sports/sp06.php They Moved Home Plate! How baseball’s geography has evolved with the US Jenny Schuetz and Cecile Murray March 28, 2018 https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-baseballs-geography-has-evolved-with-the-u-s/ NY Times Archive Article 1957 https://www.nytimes.com/1957/10/09/archives/dodgers-accept-los-angeles-bid-to-move-to-coast-team-will-play-in.html Gabrielino/Tongva Nation of the Greater Los Angeles Basin State of California Native American Heritage Commision https://nahc.ca.gov/cp/tribal-atlas-pages/gabrielino-tongva-nation/ Jackie Robinson Foundation https://jackierobinson.org/jackie-robinson/ HIstory - Jackie Robinson’s Battles for Equality on and off the Baseball Field Martin Stezano https://www.history.com/articles/jackie-robinson-color-barrier-baseball Negro League https://www.britannica.com/sports/Negro-league Farm Team https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farm_team History Baseball owners allow Dodgers and Giants to move https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/may-28/baseball-owners-allow-dodgers-and-giants-to-move PBS SoCal - Lost LA Once Upon a Time in Chavez Ravine https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/lost-la/clip/once-upon-a-time-in-chavez-ravine Where is Chavez Ravine, Exactly? Nathan Masters September 8, 1014 https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/lost-la/where-is-chavez-ravine-exactly PBS SoCal - They Moved Mountains to Build Dodger Stadium https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/lost-la/they-moved-mountains-to-build-dodger-stadium Before the Dodgers https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/lost-la/episodes/before-the-dodgers Chavez Ravine: Community to Controversial Real Estate https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/lost-la/chavez-ravine-community-to-controversial-real-estate The Dark Heart of Dodger Stadium: The History of Chavez Ravine Lauren Vandivier April 25, 2025 https://thelemur.org/2025/04/25/the-dark-heart-of-dodger-stadium-the-history-of-chavez-ravine/ CHAVEZ RAVINE AND THE DODGERS: MYTHS AND REALITIES John Caragozian California Supreme Court Historical Society: Sept. 28, 2021 issue of the Los Angeles Daily Journal https://www.cschs.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/History-Resources-Caragozian-Chavez-Ravine-the-Dodgers.pdf.pdf CLU Smart Justice: Chavez Ravine - Elysian Park https://www.callutheran.edu/college-arts-sciences/history/civilliberties/chavez_ravine_civil_liberties_ver2.html Julian Chavez, the Old Spanish Trail Angela Reiniche https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/julian-chavez-the-old-spanish-trail.htm Proclamation 2257 https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/proclamation-2257-pacific-mercado-international-exposition-and-worlds-fair National Parks Service - Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo https://www.nps.gov/cabr/learn/historyculture/juan-rodriguez-cabrillo.htm LA Times 48-Year-Old Armory Rises From Ashes to Serve Again DENISE HAMILTON Oct. 2, 1986 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-10-02-ga-3747-story.html WPA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Works_Progress_Administration Aurora Arechinga Vargas https://share.google/images/ENoOTovry4l6kYQzw Eminent Domain - Cornell https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/eminent_domain Barrio https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/barrio Arroyo  https://www.britannica.com/science/arroyo ​​NPR - Remembering the Lost Communities Buried Under Center Field October 31, 2017 Janice Llamoca https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/10/31/561246946/remembering-the-communities-buried-under-center-field HUAC https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/education/presidential-inquiries/house-un-american-activities-committee If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Happy Olympics! Get ready to learn a TON of ruinous stuff about the games, from the unpleasant inventor of the torch relay to how the 1984 games changed the way Los Angeles was policed. Washington Whistles Network: https://linktr.ee/wa.whistlesSupport legal aid in Minnesota: https://legalrightscenter.org/Support the Peoples’ Bail Fund of Minnesota: https://pbfmn.org/Support the ACLU: https://action.aclu.org/give/nowMinneapolis Mutual Aid Linktree with tons more places to give: https://linktr.ee/mplsmutualaidFollow Lee Stedman: https://www.instagram.com/ghost_lee19/Follow John Carlos: https://www.instagram.com/johncarlos1968/?hl=enReferenceshttps://hmh.org/event/the-impact-of-racist-ideologies-jim-crow-and-the-nuremberg-laws/https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691172422/hitlers-american-model?srsltid=AfmBOopIJ8XgP5D-qsXzbdgv5Txx5QWVIMW6PY6vhZ-DGrQ9IKisoXHnBombing of Prague/Challenger Explosionhttps://english.radio.cz/80-years-ago-american-bombs-fell-prague-8842882https://www.mentalfloss.com/holidays/valentines-day-horrible-historical-eventsHistory of the Olympic Gameshttps://www.olympics.com/ioc/faq/history-and-origin-of-the-games/what-is-the-origin-of-the-olympic-gameshttps://www.britannica.com/sports/Olympic-Gameshttps://www.britannica.com/event/Classical-antiquityhttps://researchguides.cpcc.edu/his111-112/world-timelinehttps://www.britannica.com/sports/Pythian-Gameshttp://britannica.com/sports/pentathlonhttps://www.suu.edu/blog/2016/08/naked-athletes-olympic-history.htmlhttps://www.olympics.com/ioc/ancient-olympic-gameshttps://www.metmuseum.org/essays/roman-copies-of-greek-statueshttps://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/nero.htmlhttps://www.historyskills.com/classroom/ancient-history/nero-olympics/?srsltid=AfmBOoolsB8Q-kP0EylmFHnvmXcnwDvcwEddg8XdqrcZFkZ6hRNh3COdhttps://www.olympics.com/ioc/ioc-overview/ioc-history/ancient-olympics/the-end-of-the-ancient-gameshttps://www.olympics.com/ioc/faq/history-and-origin-of-the-games/when-were-the-first-olympic-winter-games-heldhttps://www.olympics.com/ioc/paris-1894-olympic-congresshttps://www.3wiresports.com/articles/2025/3/20/the-iocs-first-female-and-first-african-president-kirsty-coventryhttps://www.olympics.com/ioc/mrs-kirsty-coventryhttps://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/sports-and-leisure/salt-lake-city-olympics-bid-scandalElitism/Racism in the Olympicshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0033350617301282https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/interactive-wealth-equality-and-olympic-successhttps://thecrimsonwhite.com/94225/opinion/the-olympics-reveals-inequalities-in-sports/https://theconversation.com/why-some-college-sports-are-often-out-of-reach-for-students-from-low-income-families-167334https://www.rutgersuniversitypress.org/special-admission/9781978821200https://www.businessinsider.com/parents-of-olympic-athletes-have-these-3-traits-in-common-2021-8https://fox59.com/2024-olympics/do-olympic-medalists-get-paid-it-depends/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incentives_for_Olympic_medalists_by_countryhttps://www.olympics.com/en/milano-cortina-2026/news/norway-support-lower-profile-wintersport-nationshttps://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/47618178/norway-coaches-banned-18-months-ski-jumping-suit-scandalhttps://nypost.com/2026/01/17/world-news/ski-jumping-rocked-by-penis-gate-claims-athletes-manipulated-genitals-for-aerodynamic-edge/https://www.usopc.org/us-olympic-and-paralympic-foundationhttps://www.dorfonlaw.org/2016/08/the-olympics-amateurism-and-american.htmlhttps://usopm.org/jim-thorpe/https://www.americanindianmagazine.org/story/jim-thorpe-backlash-olympic-medals-debacle-and-demise-carlislehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_stripped_Olympic_medalshttps://www.them.us/story/history-of-racism-at-the-olympic-gameshttps://www.britannica.com/topic/worlds-fairhttps://www.scribd.com/document/298308484/The-1904-Anthropology-Days-and-Olimpic-Gameshttps://www.npr.org/2004/05/31/1909651/living-exhibits-at-1904-worlds-fair-revisitedhttps://asianamericanedu.org/1904-worlds-fair-exhibition-of-the-igorot-filipino-people.htmlhttps://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-16295827https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a37039437/1904-olympic-marathon/https://www.olympics.com/en/news/the-strange-case-of-the-st-louis-1904-marathonhttps://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-olympic-torch-relays_b_96648https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-nazi-olympics-berlin-1936https://jesseowens.com/​​https://www.ushmm.org/online-calendar/event/MAHATEIMPCTDC0319https://www.olympics.com/ioc/news/jesse-owens-and-the-greatest-45-minutes-in-sporthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avery_Brundagehttps://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20231011-in-history-how-tommie-smith-and-john-carloss-protest-at-the-1968-mexico-city-olympics-shook-the-worldhttps://www.britannica.com/event/Moscow-1980-Olympic-Gameshttps://www.aaihs.org/black-los-angeles-and-the-lapd-in-the-early-1960s/https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/04/26/492848045/-it-s-not-your-father-s-lapd-and-that-s-a-good-thinghttps://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/gangs-terrorism-and-radicalizationhttps://digitalscholarship.umich.edu/lsa-history/showcase/season-1-episode-6-transcript/https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/operation-hammer-1987-1990/https://cityclerk.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2020/20-1376-S1_ord_draft_7-02-21.pdf If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week, Kate and Larkin are thrilled to chat with professional cosplayer Alia Pyatt, aka Magical Black Girl Alia, who discusses her experiences as a Black female cosplayer. While her time in cosplay has been overwhelmingly positive, she’s also seen her fair share of racism, sexism, and ableism in the community. Tune in to learn about the rampant gatekeeping that has driven many cosplayers out of a hobby that was once an escape for them. CW: Suicide. If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide or self-harm, visit this support site for help.Support legal aid in Minnesota: https://legalrightscenter.org/Support the People's Bail Fund of Minnesota: https://pbfmn.org/Support the ACLU: https://action.aclu.org/give/nowSupport Magic Wheelchairs: https://www.magicwheelchair.org/Follow Alia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/magicalblackgirlalia/Follow Alia on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@magicalblackgirlaliaReferenceshttps://www.csustan.edu/sites/default/files/2023-11/borjonashley_article-the-social-phenomenon-surrounding-b_ashley-borjon.pdf If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Gynecological exams and procedures are notoriously unpleasant, and the field is frustratingly under-researched. It seems like it’s already ruined, so why do an episode on it?Well, Larkin has an abundance of unpleasant history to add to the mix, including a long line of men known as the “fathers” of the practice, who committed horrific acts while barely advancing their understanding. From murdering the poor to performing unanesthetized surgeries on enslaved people, graphic atrocities abound. Listener discretion is definitely advised.Content Warning: Medical Trauma, Birth TraumaReferences  If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

New Year’s Resolutions are a common way to set goals for the upcoming year. But they can also cause self-doubt and unnecessary pressure. Anti-burnout coach Rhia Batchelder teaches Kate and Larkin about the puritanical origins of the tradition and gives tips on how to make resolutions that will actually motivate you, without driving you into a shame spiral.Book a free assessment with Rhia on her website, rebuildwithrhia.com, and follow her on TikTok and Instagram for more amazing insights and advice. Referenceshttps://www.history.com/articles/the-history-of-new-years-resolutionshttps://www.almanac.com/history-of-new-years-resolutionshttps://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/when-did-new-years-resolutions-starthttps://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/history-of-new-years-resolutionshttps://www.thetimes.com/life-style/luxury/article/a-history-of-new-years-resolutions-times-luxury-dst9n092x?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqd3VPsIuXrvrVZDRfOJpxE_ulWWU5iKyynDv6QwyftHeRPphJwesshI5wjSa2k%3D&gaa_ts=6942ec2c&gaa_sig=xPzgGd7NZVEVRoniYVBzX4kxeH9-W1m5nhlMrd0zoLJQrX-ON8w4VrbgDEd4S5owePl-xdZXxtTbTKCNWfisiA%3D%3Dhttps://www.cnn.com/2024/12/31/health/new-years-resolutions-history-wellnesshttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7725288/Norcross JC, Ratzin AC, Payne D. Ringing in the new year: The change processes and reported outcomes of resolutions. Addict Behav. 1989;14(2):205–212. 10.1016/0306-4603(89)90050-6https://www.britannica.com/procon/New-Years-resolutions-debate If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It’s a Now It’s Ruined holiday special! Kate breaks the usual format to bring you three shorter Christmas-related ruins. She discusses a cannibalistic scarecrow, the murder-riddled true story behind Good King Wenceslas, and how the Vikings permanently deforested Iceland. Happy holidays!Special thanks to Elisa Hanssen, aka Elisa in Iceland, for helping us pronounce Icelandic words! Follow her on Instagram and TikTok.ReferencesHans Trapphttp://frenchmoments.eu/hans-trapp/#t-1702120300802https://usghostadventures.com/haunted-stories/25-days-of-christmas/hans-trapp-the-christmas-cannibal-scarecrow/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palatinate_(region)https://www.britannica.com/event/Italian-Warshttps://www.ripleys.com/stories/hans-trappKing Wenceslashttps://genius.com/Christmas-songs-good-king-wenceslas-lyricshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenceslaus_I,_Duke_of_Bohemiahttps://www.britannica.com/biography/Wenceslas-I-prince-of-Bohemiahttps://www.umnews.org/en/news/the-real-story-behind-good-king-wenceslashttps://www.britannica.com/event/East-West-Schism-1054https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East%E2%80%93West_Schismhttps://magicbohemia.com/drahomira-and-the-gateway-to-hell/Iceland, The Yule Lads, and the Vikingshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/before-the-yule-lads-evolved-into-icelandic-versions-santa-claus-they-terrorized-children-into-following-rules-180948162/https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-europe/elves-and-dwarves-0017783https://adventures.is/blog/the-icelandic-yule-lads/?srsltid=AfmBOop5efv3ZPK06PA-xkZGzqpTLJWgJwkqF_fGGC5cThqPhaFSf2uVhttps://restless-viking.com/2019/12/05/icelandic-yule-lads/https://guidetoiceland.is/history-culture/history-of-icelandhttps://www.britannica.com/topic/Viking-peoplehttps://www.visitnorway.com/things-to-do/art-culture/vikings/https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/maritime-history/viking-shipshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278416524000369https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/little-known-role-slavery-viking-society-180975597/https://www.reddit.com/r/Norse/comments/1i6m4cg/what_were_blood_brothers_in_norse_society/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Harald-I-king-of-Norwayhttps://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/apaa.12102https://www.savingiceland.org/2017/08/icelands-troubled-environment/https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/sciencebitesvolume2/chapter/5-6-soil-erosion-in-iceland-reclaiming-a-fragile-environment/ If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kate dives into the Lindbergh Baby kidnapping, exploring the crime, evidence, and theories about who was involved. She and Larkin discuss whether they think the man convicted of the crime acted alone, if the kidnapping was an inside job, and whether Charles Lindbergh’s interest in eugenics motivated him to get rid of his sickly child. CW: Violence against childrenReferencesThe Baby Alice Thumb Guardhttps://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/lindbergh-kidnappinghttps://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/lindbergh-kidnapping/https://www.rutgers.edu/news/was-lindbergh-kidnapping-inside-jobhttps://www.geneticsandsociety.org/biopolitical-times/why-newest-lindbergh-baby-conspiracy-theory-isnt-all-out-there-disabilityhttps://famous-trials.com/hauptmann/1405-clinderberghtestimonyhttps://famous-trials.com/hauptmann/1404-amlinderberghtestimonyhttps://crimearchives.net/1935_hauptmann/html/1935-01-07_trial_gow.htmlhttps://www.fbi.gov/image-repository/lindberg_note.jpg/@@images/image/highhttps://famous-trials.com/hauptmann/1389-#:~:text=Wilentz%20asked%20Lindbergh%20if%20he,a%20bizarre%20line%20of%20questioning.https://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1726&context=lcphttps://famous-trials.com/hauptmann/1398-ransomhttps://www.bullionvault.com/gold-guide/gold-certificatehttps://www.washoeschools.net/cms/lib/NV01912265/Centricity/Domain/1116/Suspect%20Number%202%20Violet%20Sharpe.pdfhttps://dogs-in-history.blogspot.com/2024/03/dogs-in-charles-lindberghs-life.htmlhttps://www.criminalelement.com/how-the-tragic-death-of-violet-sharpe-inspired-a-classic-mystery/https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2004-15002-003https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=WIT19350202-01.2.18&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxCO%7ctxTA--------0------https://www.agathachristie.com/news/2017/the-case-that-inspired-murder-on-the-orient-expresshttps://www.britannica.com/biography/Bruno-Hauptmannhttps://www.rutgers.edu/news/was-lindbergh-kidnapping-inside-jobhttps://www.the-sun.com/news/10801407/charles-lindbergh-baby-kidnapping-suspect/https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/was-wrong-person-executed-in-death-of-lindbergh-baby-ex-judges-book-and-dna-quest-raise-issues If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Need a break from your family this Thanksgiving? Come celebrate Now It’s Ruined-style! Larkin busts the idyllic myth of the first Thanksgiving before giving a rundown of how nutritional standards were shaped by the military-industrial complex and horrific experiments on Indigenous Canadian children. CW: Graphic Violence, Food Trauma, Medical TraumaIf you’d like to make a difference to people who are living with food insecurity, check out https://www.feedingamerica.org/ for opportunities to give back. ReferencesHistory of nutrition sciencehttps://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/361/bmj.k2392.full.pdfCanada’s shameful history of nutrition research on residential school children: The need for strong medical ethics in Aboriginal health researchNoni E MacDonald, Richard Stanwick, Andrew Lynkhttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3941673/The dark history of Canada's Food Guide: How experiments on Indigenous children shaped nutrition policy; Zoe Tennant 2021https://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/how-food-in-canada-is-tied-to-land-language-community-and-colonization-1.5989764/the-dark-history-of-canada-s-food-guide-how-experiments-on-indigenous-children-shaped-nutrition-policy-1.5989785https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3787164/https://gladue.usask.ca/sites/gladue1.usask.ca/files/gladue/resource559-2d380424.pdfMilitary Influence on Modern American Nutritionhttps://news.stanford.edu/stories/2019/01/historian-traces-militarys-influence-modern-american-nutritionHannah LeBlancThe Myths of the Thanksgiving Story and the Lasting Damage They ImbueClaire Bugos 2019https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/thanksgiving-myth-and-what-we-should-be-teaching-kids-180973655/https://wampanoagtribe-nsn.gov/wampanoag-historyhttps://plimoth.org/for-students/homework-help/who-are-the-wampanoaghttps://www.history.com/articles/squanto-pilgrims-help-plymouth-thanksgivinghttps://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/resources/Cranberry-Dayhttps://www.rd.com/article/history-of-thanksgiving/King Philip’s Warhttps://www.history.com/articles/king-philips-warhttps://www.history.com/articles/turkey-thanksgiving-mealNutritionhttps://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/vitamins/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20805686/https://www.britannica.com/science/aminehttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK216786/Nuremberg Codehttps://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-nuremberg-codeHungerplanhttps://www.nobelpeacecenter.org/en/news/hitler-s-hungerplanhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34907689/ If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

There are lots of fun facts about bananas: They’re radioactive, they may be the oldest fruit in the world, and they’re technically berries! So how did the bright yellow, comedy-inspiring fruit cause massacres, coups, and human rights violations? It’s a colonialist tale as old as time, full of not-so-fun facts about bananas and the men who steamrolled entire countries in order to sell them. Referenceshttps://www.epa.gov/radtown/natural-radioactivity-foodhttps://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2021/02/10329710/how-to-eat-a-banana-correctlyhttps://gardenbetty.com/a-banana-plant-is-an-herb-or-little-known-banana-facts/https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/why-dont-banana-candies-taste-like-real-bananas/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monoculturehttps://www.britannica.com/topic/banana-republichttps://abgc.org.au/our-industry-old/history-of-bananas/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Cavendish,_6th_Duke_of_Devonshirehttps://revista.drclas.harvard.edu/harvesting-history-the-untold-story-of-united-fruit-in-costa-rica/https://www.unitedfruitcompany.com/biographies/the-seldom-recorded-life-of-minor-cooper-keithhttps://www.maritimeheritage.org/vips/meiggsHenry.htmlhttps://www.unitedfruitcompany.com/timeline/1855-1880https://www.crcdaily.com/p/the-lost-legacy-of-costa-ricas-railroadshttps://library.harvard.edu/collections/united-fruit-company-photographshttps://provincetownindependent.org/history/2020/07/02/wellfleets-most-famous-son-and-a-fateful-partnership/https://www.unitedfruitcompany.com/biographies/lorenzo-dow-bakerhttps://twailr.com/locating-the-united-fruit-company-in-the-history-of-international-law/http://investopedia.com/terms/v/verticalintegration.asphttps://www.unitedfruitcompany.com/timeline/1900-1910https://visitpuertoarmuelles.com/united-fruit-company-the-great-white-fleethttps://greatwhitefleet.com/https://visualizingtheamericas.utm.utoronto.ca/race-1https://hir.harvard.edu/the-dark-side-of-bananas-imperialism-non-state-actors-and-power/https://history.wsu.edu/rci/sample-research-project/https://www.anumuseum.org.il/blog/sam-zemurray/https://www.unitedfruitcompany.com/biographies/samuel-zemurrayhttps://www.thecollector.com/colombia-banana-massacre-1928-story/https://visualizingtheamericas.utm.utoronto.ca/1928-massacre-1https://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/23/tye.phphttps://coha.org/peeling-back-the-truth-on-the-guatemalan-banana-industry/https://www.thenation.com/article/economy/united-fruit-guatemala/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c6pprpd3x96ohttps://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/pr/2007/March/07_nsd_161.html If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Happy Halloween! We’re joined again by our guest and muse, Erica Vogel, who busts some myths- and tells us some disturbing truths- about the concept of tainted Halloween candy. Where did this panic come from? How many children have been poisoned by candy? Has anyone ever actually found a razor blade in their taffy apple? Wtf is a taffy apple? And what the hell was Ann Landers’ problem with Halloween? Hear about all this and more in this fun (but still upsetting) episode that will have you saying, “Oh my god and but of course.”Content warning: Child death, poisoning deathsMore from Erica: https://www.ericavogel.com/ Referenceshttps://www.cnn.com/2019/10/30/health/halloween-candy-panic-conversation-wellnesshttps://www.britannica.com/topic/urban-legendhttps://www.snopes.com/urban-legend/https://westridgespyglass.org/5981/op-ed/the-backstory-hersheys-happy-accidents-flavorful-failures/https://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyle/factbox-the-history-and-facts-of-halloween-idUSN23504990/ If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In honor of Indigenous Peoples' Day, we wanted to dive into the life of the incredible Indigenous American athlete, Jim Thorpe.Despite a life marked with abuse, racism, alcoholism, and loss, Jim became the greatest athlete of the 20th century (we’d say ever), as well as an exceedingly generous member of his community. On top of his athletic accomplishments, Jim created a legacy of selflessness and love, truly living up to the name given to him by his Sac and Fox family: Wa-Tho-Huk, or Bright Path. Jim’s story also leads us to a discussion of the government-sanctioned abduction and abuse of Indigenous American children by "Indian Boarding Schools." It’s an emotional journey that we hope you find infuriating but inspiring. Content Warning: Racial violence, child abuse, child sexual abuseReferenceshttps://www.americanindianmagazine.org/story/jim-thorpe-backlash-olympic-medals-debacle-and-demise-carlislehttps://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=TH016https://www.pbs.org/native-america/blog/warrior-spirit-jim-thorpes-lasting-impact-on-sportshttps://oklahomasportshalloffame.org/jim-thorpe-museumhttps://www.wrhistoricalsociety.com/thorpe-jimhttps://www.vice.com/en/article/a-thanksgiving-reminder-jim-thorpe-is-a-native-american-hero/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jim-Thorpe-American-athletehttps://www.biography.com/athlete/jim-thorpehttps://www.americanindianmagazine.org/story/akapamata-forgotten-hollywood-legacy-jim-thorpehttps://www.britannica.com/biography/Pop-Warnerhttps://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/packages/html/sports/year_in_sports/11.09.htmlhttps://www.olympics.com/en/athletes/jim-thorpehttps://www.tribaltribune.com/sports/article_292f1e78-df3f-11e6-906f-0f16a174ec94.htmlhttps://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/17163767/heated-debate-now-lawsuit-burial-ground-jim-thorpe-remains-continues-todayhttps://www.profootballhof.com/football-history/oorang-indians/https://mcgrath.nd.edu/assets/390540/expert_guide_on_the_assimilation_removal_and_elimination_of_native_americans.pdfhttps://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/08/30/us/native-american-boarding-schools.htmlhttps://www.ou.edu/gaylord/exiled-to-indian-country/content/remembering-the-stories-of-indian-boarding-schoolshttps://boardingschoolhealing.org/us-indian-boarding-school-history/https://www.stateoftheunionhistory.com/2017/04/1818-james-monroe-indian-civilization.html?view=classichttps://www.cambridgescholars.com/resources/pdfs/978-1-4438-4976-0-sample.pdfhttps://calendar.eji.org/racial-injustice/mar/03https://www.theindigenousfoundation.org/articles/us-residential-schoolshttps://pulitzercenter.org/stories/kids-were-marched-everywhere-was-concentration-camphttps://www.history.com/articles/jim-thorpe-athlete-indian-boarding-schoolhttps://www.pbs.org/articles/the-history-and-impact-of-residential-schoolshttps://eji.org/news/federal-investigation-finds-at-least-973-children-died-in-federal-indian-boarding-schools/https://www.theindigenousfoundation.org/articles/us-residential-schoolshttps://apnews.com/article/indigenous-boarding-schools-biden-apology-reaction-666f5d55496a36bd0dc40a357714273ehttps://nativephilanthropy.org/blog/2022/09/29/how-to-learn-more-about-national-day-of-remembrance-for-indian-boarding-schools#:~:text=September%2030%20th%20is%20National%20Day%20of%20Remembrance,deep%20generational%20trauma%20caused%20by%20Indian%20boarding%20schools.https://boardingschoolhealing.org/national-day-of-remembrance-for-us-indian-boarding-schools/https://ictnews.org/news/i-would-not-cry-national-day-of-remembrance-recognizes-boarding-school-survivors-and-families/https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/03/18/us-truth-and-healing-commission-indigenous-boarding-schools-long-overduehttps://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/761/all-actionshttps://www.congress.gov/legislative-process/calendars-and-schedulinghttps://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/code-talkers/boarding-schools/ If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How would you describe Hello Kitty? Cute? Innocent? A cat? You’d be partly right, but hold up on that last one…Larkin walks us through the history and legacy of Hello Kitty, shares some facts about her that make Kate absolutely furious, and describes how a culture of cute helped heal the economy (and image) of post-war Japan.ReferencesYano, Christine R. (2013) Pink Globalization - Hello Kitty’s Trek Across the Pacific. Duke University Press, Durham and Londonhttps://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/hello-kitty-kawaii-imperial-japan?showLogin=true&cds_email=bGFya2luLmJsYWtlQHlhaG9vLmNvbQ%3D%3D&loggedin=true&rnd=1757021759654https://hellokitty.fandom.com/wiki/Dear_Danielhttps://kirj.ee/wp-content/plugins/kirj/pub/TRAMES-3-2023-311-324_20230821152905.pdf?v=7516fd43adaahttps://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/regency-shotoku-taishihttps://iris.unive.it/retrieve/160ac5ac-4281-41e7-b5d1-0abefc110df3/SoniaFaviTesi.pdf#:~:text=%E2%80%9CGiapam%E2%80%9D%20for%20the%20archipelago.%20In%201556%2C%20%E2%80%9CGiapam%E2%80%9D,Universale%20della%20parte%20del%20mondo%20nuovamente%20ritrovatahttps://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/YR49cBP9YY9wzmSqxhTLDX/i-created-hello-kittyhttps://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/the-fascinating-history-behind-the-popular-waving-lucky-cathttps://time.com/6993173/hello-kitty-anniversary-50-years-sanrio-tsuji/https://medium.com/@Joey121/why-japan-and-not-nihon-in-english-775df3db7df6https://thewire.in/culture/hello-kitty-at-50-years-old-how-is-it-so-successfulhttps://bokksu.com/blogs/news/celebrating-50-years-of-cuteness-hello-kittys-milestone-anniversary?srsltid=AfmBOop9w2q_8Uile-oSwJ2JXmqtjrYWqkdpwtku0RWztC1zPs3DIuhLhttps://apjjf.org/mark-selden/2724/article If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Happy American football season! Let’s talk about head trauma.Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease that’s especially common in athletes. CTE has cascading effects that can cause memory loss, aggression, and other disturbing cognitive and personality changes, and football ranks second-highest on the list of sports with the most CTE exposure. This episode will teach you more about this upsetting disease, why certain positions in football may carry a higher risk (it’s not all about concussions), and how the NFL dismissed the problem for decades while players suffered and died. Trigger Warning: Violence, suicide, sexual assaultReferenceshttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5094259/https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/neurodegenerative-disorderhttps://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/chronic-traumatic-encephalopathy/symptoms-causes/syc-20370921https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2022.938163/fullhttps://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/subconcussive-head-impacts#vs-concussionhttps://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/concussion/symptoms-causes/syc-20355594https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6748163/https://www.britannica.com/sports/American-footballhttps://www.olympics.com/en/athletes/jim-thorpehttps://usopm.org/jim-thorpe/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Camphttps://footballplayershealth.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/40_App_J.pdfhttps://blog.networldsports.co.uk/american-football-positions-explained/https://www.inverse.com/article/37934-nfl-funded-study-brain-injuryhttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4628259/https://www.bumc.bu.edu/camed/2023/02/06/researchers-find-cte-in-345-of-376-former-nfl-players-studied/https://www.npr.org/2025/07/29/nx-s1-5484101/manhattan-shooter-cte-nfl-explainerhttps://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=1972285https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/injury-violence-prevention/recognizing-patterns-truthhttps://www.gq.com/story/nfl-players-brain-dementia-study-memory-concussionshttps://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/04/18/474702082/concussion-update-u-s-appeals-court-affirms-deal-between-nfl-retired-playershttps://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/03/15/470513922/in-a-first-nfl-executive-admits-football-is-linked-to-brain-damagehttps://bleacherreport.com/articles/1113196-tracing-the-evolution-of-player-safety-throughout-nfl-historyhttps://theconversation.com/new-nfl-helmet-accessory-reduces-concussions-but-players-and-fans-may-not-be-ready-to-embrace-safety-over-swag-236928https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10650906/https://theconversation.com/new-nfl-helmet-accessory-reduces-concussions-but-players-and-fans-may-not-be-ready-to-embrace-safety-over-swag-236928https://www.reuters.com/article/sports/arrests-in-us-general-population-higher-than-for-nfl-players-study-idUSKCN0QU2EL/https://www.allprobailbond.com/blog/news/sports-and-crime-rates/https://www.biography.com/athletes/aaron-hernandezhttps://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/aaron-hernandez-timeline-murders-trials-prison-suicide/1886y82a8bgyx123qxcgg04lb5https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/aaron-hernandez-found-to-have-had-severe-case-of-cte/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/youre-rich-aaron-hernandezs-suicide-note-to-fiancee-released/https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/head-games/202006/the-nfl-has-race-related-ejection-problemhttps://lasallefalconer.com/2022/01/the-complicated-legacy-of-ben-roethlisberger/https://web.archive.org/web/20190420024228/https://www.si.com/vault/2010/05/10/105935652/the-hangover-roethlisbergerhttps://sports.yahoo.com/ben-roethlisberger-talks-past-porn-alcohol-addictions-not-the-best-christian-i-can-be-000140079.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHiklcHUILx8e76VAtwOm84XFvGFN9qJmB3QPJ5KAvM4kdaouLqFCpVq9r26hUQz6eVKWbVd1vtniiEXVGGlGhIdUticYZFGIbujfVIOI_FZHFRC-Qi_Ji6-gdUcGXk2J3tka1YzuuDR_DUNVBbUvzue9I1_r5MrsX-WZJOQ_C0lhttps://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=5099224https://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/04/16/roethlisberger.incident/index.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/18/sports/football/deshaun-watson-suspension-11-games.html?name=styln-deshaun-watson&region=TOP_BANNER&block=storyline_menu_recirc&action=click&pgtype=Article&variant=show&is_new=falsehttps://www.cnn.com/2022/03/11/sport/deshaun-watson-no-criminal-charges-spt/index.htmlhttps://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/31208850/nike-suspends-sponsorship-deshaun-watson-amid-sexual-assault-allegationshttps://sports.yahoo.com/third-civil-suit-filed-against-houston-texans-quarterback-deshaun-watson-alleging-sexual-assault-173153176.htmlhttps://www.cleveland.com/browns/2022/03/where-deshaun-watson-ranks-among-the-25-most-expensive-contracts-in-the-nfl.htmlhttps://www.forbes.com/sites/darreonnadavis/2022/06/21/deshaun-watson-settles-20-of-24-suits-alleging-sexual-misconduct/?sh=c0c1374237ab If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Since we had “too much fun” in our last episode about emus, Kate decided to bring us back down hard with an episode about a seemingly innocuous topic: Road signs. We all see road signs all the time. But have you ever wondered who makes them? Then answer is the same as for many products in the United States: Prisoners.This episode covers the history of road signs in the U.S., the history of prisons around the world, and how America’s prison system was built on forced labor from the very start. We also go into how the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution left a convenient loophole that maintained the slavery status quo and motivates the disproportionate imprisonment of Black people. Finally, we take a peek at the prison system in Finland, Norway, and Denmark to get a glimpse of how things could be different.Trigger warning: Prison and race-related trauma, violence.Follow Wyatt Cenac and stay up to date with Everything is Racist:Wyatt Cenac SubstackWyatt Cenac YouTubeWatch The Farm: Angola USA.Watch The 13thReferenceshttps://freakonomics.com/podcast/highway-signs-and-prison-labor/https://www.marketplace.org/story/2015/09/22/ever-wonder-who-makes-those-big-highway-signshttps://www.sentencingproject.org/reports/private-prisons-in-the-united-states/https://plsny.org/https://www.interstatesignways.com/post/why-us-signage-differs-from-the-rest-of-the-world&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1754862494573257&usg=AOvVaw2brh4pFwS5oavSxctQF7JLhttps://www.correctionenterprises.com/vision-mission-values/https://www.npr.org/2023/11/13/1210564359/slavery-prison-forced-labor-movement#:~:text=Five%20years%20ago%20this%20month,on%20this%20issue%20in%202024. https://www.freedomunited.org/news/nevada-ends-forced-prison-labor/#:~:text=Nevada%20has%20become%20the%20latest,true%20freedom%20from%20forced%20laborhttps://pressbooks.pub/alaskacriminallaw2022/chapter/1-5-the-purposes-of-punishment/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prison#:~:text=During%20the%20Middle%20Ages%20in,on%20naval%20or%20merchant%20vesselshttps://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA*/Ergastulum.htmlhttps://www.google.com/books/edition/Discipline_and_Punish/6rfP0H5TSmYC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PP5&printsec=frontcoverhttps://daily.jstor.org/the-invention-of-incarceration/https://www.aclu.org/issues/smart-justice/mass-incarcerationhttps://review.law.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/03/Rushin-Edwards-73-Stan.-L.-Rev.-637.pdfhttps://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/stop_and_friskhttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8389488/https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/13th-amendmenthttps://jimcrowmuseum.ferris.edu/origins.htm#:~:text=During%20the%20Jim%20Crow%20period%20there%20were%20separate%20hospitals%20for,place%20to%20sit%20or%20eathttps://justice.tougaloo.edu/sundown-towns/using-the-sundown-towns-database/state-map/https://innocenceproject.org/news/how-the-13th-amendment-kept-slavery-alive-perspectives-from-the-prison-where-slavery-never-ended/https://www.bop.gov/inmates/custody_and_care/work_programs.jsphttps://onlinedegrees.kent.edu/blog/how-much-do-prisoners-make-in-each-state#:~:text=agencies%20or%20nonprofits.-,1,Wages%20Can%20Be%20Taken%20Awayhttps://www.epi.org/publication/rooted-racism-prison-labor/https://naacp.org/resources/criminal-justice-fact-sheethttps://jpia.princeton.edu/news/two-roads-reform-marijuana-policy-changes-arrest-trends-and-racial-disparities-chicago-andhttps://www.forbes.com/sites/javierhasse/2021/09/07/colin-hanks-on-cannabis-and-handkerchiefs-appealing-to-everyone-from-models-to-mechanics/https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/law/research/projects/feminist-recovery-plan/teaching/policy-briefs/prison_labourin_the_uk_-_rebecca_cole_et_al.pdfhttps://www.prison-insider.com/en/articles/kenya-the-dehumanisation-and-exploitation-of-inmates-in-state-prisonshttps://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/posts/the-danish-prison-systemhttps://www.prisonstudies.org/sites/default/files/resources/downloads/inbrief_updateddec.2012.pdfhttps://www.reddit.com/r/AskEurope/comments/he4y5s/do_prisoners_in_your_country_get_paid_for_labor/https://www.brown.edu/news/2017-02-15/enslavementhttps://impactjustice.org/building-justice-through-humanity-how-scandinavias-prisons-changed-me/#:~:text=Open%20Prisons,spend%20time%20with%20their%20families If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, we ruin (and somehow simultaneously enhance) our first animal, the emu. Larkin tells us terrifying facts about these giant dinosaur birds, then goes into the story of the “Emu War” that took place in post-WWI Australia. It’s a distinctly fun episode that will also depress you with stories of trench warfare and, as ever, colonialism.Referenceshttps://www.science.org/content/article/why-did-new-zealands-moas-go-extincthttps://www.britannica.com/animal/elephant-birdhttps://www.britannica.com/animal/moahttps://www.britannica.com/animal/emuhttps://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/emuhttps://www.awm.gov.au/articles/atwar/first-world-warhttps://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/birds/the-emu-war-of-1932https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/australian-emu-war-historyhttps://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/soldier-settlementhttps://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/conscription/ww1https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yeomanhttps://www.etymonline.com/word/yeomanhttps://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/aboriginal-australianshttps://www.historyhit.com/the-great-emu-war/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Emu-Warhttps://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/evidence-of-first-peopleshttps://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/january-26/australia-dayhttps://www.survivalinternational.org/tribes/aboriginalshttps://www.aboriginalcontemporary.com.au/pages/what-is-the-dreamtime-and-dreaminghttps://www.mabonativetitle.com/info/dreamingCreatures.htmhttps://blogs.kent.ac.uk/sciencecomma/2017/05/17/emus-in-space/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/may/21/aboriginal-astronomy-can-teach-us-about-the-link-between-sky-and-land If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We're sorry to upcycle again so soon, but we're actually kind of excited because this is one of our favorite things we've recorded.In it, Larkin outlines her effort to track down the red-eyed, child-eating cryptid she talked about in our False Eyelashes episode. It turns out she may have invented a Now It's Ruined original cryptid, the Dusty Werewolf. But her journey to identify it led her to many fascinating child-stealing cryptids from around the world! Listen to learn about Manananggals, Gytrashes, and more (oh my!).We'll be back with a brand new episode next time! Plus, there will be a new bonus episode for $5 and up Patrons released before the end of July. Thank you as always for your understanding!Referenceshttps://www.jahernandez.com/posts/el-coco-el-cucuy-the-child-eaterhttps://astonishinglegends.com/astonishing-legends/2023/10/30/drekavachttps://godsandmonsters.info/drekavac/https://brickthology.com/2023/06/14/drekavac/https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/monstrum/episodes/manananggal-n4c1zfhttps://mythlok.com/ijiraq/https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Oude_Rode_Ogenhttps://www.fascinatingspain.com/articulo/history-and-legends/monster-scares-half-world-coco/20211021124637068642.html If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome to the episode that gave Kate “the deepest ick” of any we’ve done yet. And don’t worry, it’s not about factory farms or the morality of eating meat. We all know bacon and eggs as an iconic breakfast combo. But have you ever thought about why we eat it for breakfast? It’s because it was sold to the American public by a master of propaganda: Edward Bernays.Bernays revolutionized the advertising industry by using psychology to appeal to people’s feelings rather than their logic. He manipulated the world of fashion to push cigarettes on women, helped overthrow a Guatemalan president to protect banana sales, and pioneered techniques that were used by the Nazis and the orchestrators of the opioid crisis. It’s one of our wildest rides yet, so buckle up and get ready to question whether your tastes are really your own… and who benefits from them.On that note, check out Larkin’s sister’s Etsy shop, mentioned in the episode. We promise your purchase won’t secretly benefit big tobacco. *Kate misspeaks at the beginning of the episode and states that "Propoganda" was written in 1828: She meant 1928.ReferencesWatch Bernays talk about his bacon and eggs strategy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLudEZpMjKUhttps://www.britannica.com/biography/Edward-Bernayshttps://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/12/consumerhttps://blogs.loc.gov/preservation/2022/11/housing-bernays-scrapbooks/http://www.ww1plays.com/2020/08/eugene-brieuxs-damaged-goods-les-avaries.htmlhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-woodrow-wilsons-propaganda-machine-changed-american-journalism-180963082/https://www.loc.gov/collections/stars-and-stripes/articles-and-essays/a-world-at-war/timeline-1914-1921/https://www.theworldwar.org/learn/about-wwi/unrestricted-u-boat-warfarehttps://americanillustration.org/project/james-montgomery-flagg/https://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/educate/other-resources-image/official-bulletin.html?start=567https://www.britannica.com/money/George-Washington-Hillhttps://www.periodpaper.com/products/1923-ad-pall-mall-turkish-tobacco-cigarettes-flapper-wife-smoking-husband-price-127939-col3-335https://www.google.com/books/edition/Propaganda/p3NDAAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA9&printsec=frontcoverhttps://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.163.3.386https://apsa.org/about-psychoanalysis/https://www.womenshistory.org/articles/womens-political-participation-after-1920-myth-and-realityhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44311/#A6558https://tobacco.stanford.edu/cigarette/img1093/https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/98/08/16/specials/bernays-father.html?scp=8&sq=bernays&st=csehttps://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/heart/smokinghttps://alswh.org.au/resources/smoking-linked-to-painful-periods/https://news.weill.cornell.edu/news/2004/01/female-smokers-twice-as-likely-as-men-to-develop-lung-cancer-weill-cornell-study-findshttps://chibe.upenn.edu/news/the-scientists-who-shape-what-and-how-we-eat/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9339402/https://www.heraldnews.com/story/opinion/2019/04/12/stop-blaming-my-late-husband/5452825007/https://www.mahf.com/inductee/arthur-m-sackler/https://www.npr.org/2021/04/13/986929541/empire-of-pain-the-secret-history-of-the-sackler-dynasty-profiles-pharma-familyhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2051498/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2622774/https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs/651/backgrnd.htmhttps://restaurantexpertwitness.com/blog/flashback-friday-2317/https://thecounter.org/hairnet-food-safety-laws/https://history.wsu.edu/rci/sample-research-project/https://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/23/tye.phphttps://theconversation.com/the-manipulation-of-the-american-mind-edward-bernays-and-the-birth-of-public-relations-44393 If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In our slightly belated second Pride episode, Larkin discusses the dark history behind the pink triangle, a symbol of activism in the LGBTQIA+ community. Once used by the Nazis to identify gay male prisoners in concentration camps, the symbol was reclaimed in the 80s and used as a call to action during the AIDS crisis. Listen and learn about queer trailblazer Magnus Hirschfeld, which member of Hitler’s regime was openly gay, and Kate’s one red flag about Colin Hanks (slightly off-topic but cut us some slack).TW: Violence and SA, particularly directed at the LGBTQIA+ communityNothing in this podcast should be considered legal advice. Follow Michael Foote, the attorney Larkin referenced, on TikTok and Instagram. Follow Reb Masel on TikTok and Instagram.Referenceshttps://www.holocausthistoricalsociety.org.uk/contents/germanbiographies/ernstrohm.htmlhttps://www.history.com/articles/pink-triangle-nazi-concentration-campshttps://jewishcurrents.org/the-men-with-the-pink-trianglehttps://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/the-men-with-the-pink-triangle-heinz-hegerhttps://perspectives.ushmm.org/item/chart-of-prisoner-markingshttps://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/dachauhttps://khc.qcc.cuny.edu/jacket/themes/dehumanization-categorization/https://eguide.arolsen-archives.org/fileadmin/eguide-website/downloads/Haftarten_engl.pdfhttps://cupola.gettysburg.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?params=/context/student_scholarship/article/1985/&path_info=Homosexuality_during_the_Transition_from_the_Weimar_Republic_to_the_Third_Reich.pdfhttps://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/brief-history-paragraph-175-germanyhttps://hsp.org/blogs/fondly-pennsylvania/karl-heinrich-ulrichshttps://www.history.com/articles/oscar-wilde-trialhttps://www.timesofisrael.com/100-years-ago-germanys-einstein-of-sex-began-the-gay-rights-movement/https://www.nycaidsmemorial.org/timelinehttps://www.thehenryford.org/explore/blog/silence-equals-death-the-early-fight-against-the-aids-epidemichttps://www.holocaust.org.uk/news/homosexual-victims-of-nazi-persecutionhttps://dp.la/primary-source-sets/act-up-and-the-aids-crisis/sources/1263 If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Content Warning: This episode contains detailed descriptions of a deadly building fire. Listener discretion is advised.Due to the unexpected passing of Kate's mom, we're upcycling our first Patreon bonus episode so we don't leave you without content for a week. More ruinous content will come your way soon, but we appreciate your understanding and support during this tough time. We didn't know much about this tragedy before we researched it for the show, and it was even worse than we remembered. We hope it's educational (and entertaining) for you.You can find pictures referenced by Kate here. Slide 3 is the floor plan of 9th floor of the Asch building.This is a list of the victims. And here's more about the elevator operator, Joseph Zito, who made as many trips as he could despite being stabbed with shears by panicked workers attempting to escape the fire. When the elevator cables snapped, Joseph was trapped at the bottom of the shaft with a broken leg, nearly drowning in water from the firehoses until he was rescued. If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Happy Pride!!! In our first guest episode, Kate and Larkin are joined by Erica Vogel, author of the book Advice from Your Trans Aunty and the episodic Substack memoir Blue Sky Bird. Erica has spent the majority of her life solving a wide variety of trials and tribulations as both a closeted and out transgender woman. Drawing from her experiences, her education, and her interactions with thousands of transgender people, she provides a point of view focused on personal agency as a transgender individual. She is a frequent public speaker on trans affairs in and out of workplaces across the United States. She also happened to be an early supporter of the show, so when Kate and Larkin put out a call for topics, she said, “I could ruin allyship…” Now before you ask, “Why don’t you want us to be allies?!” that is not the point of this episode. Erica “ruins” allyship by discussing the bad forms of allyship some of us may be guilty of. So show up, shut up, and get ready to do the work as Erica walks Kate and Larkin through how you can take your allyship from performative to genuine. Of course, what would Now It’s Ruined be without a little history? Erica walks us through the origin of the word “boycott,” and how laws put in place by Henry VIII were used to spread oppression and eventually caused WWII hero Alan Turing’s tragic end. Plus, you’ll never again be able to disentangle Bruce Springsteen from a very particular sexual act…We highly recommend checking out the Wheel of Privilege and Power to see where your traits land. You can also take Buzzfeed’s quiz to determine your level of privilege. It includes some questions about COVID so is a bit outdated, but it’s very thorough. Kate scored a 63/67, Erica scored a 49/67, and Larkin scored a 52. TW: Self harmReferencesAllyship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AllyshipNeolgisms: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NeologismBoycott: https://www.britannica.com/money/Charles-Cunningham-Boycott1533 Buggery Act: https://shirehalldorset.org/a-timeline-of-lgbtq-law-and-justice/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buggery_Act_1533Alan Turinghttps://www.britannica.com/biography/Alan-Turing/Computer-designerhttps://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/8-things-didnt-know-alan-turingThe handkerchief codehttps://historyproject.org/news/2019-04/hanky-panky-abridged-history-hanky-code-0https://www.thesaintfoundation.org/community/hanky-code-bob-damrons-address-bookCode words & Flowershttps://gcn.ie/exploring-queer-coded-language/ If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We’re ruining our first person as Kate tells us the dirt on thrill-seeking American hero (and fan of Nazi Germany) Charles Lindbergh. It’s a story that’s all the more frustrating because it could have been so romantic! Charles’ early days sound like a thrilling fairytale, and he could have been a highly influential catalyst for positive change. Instead, Charles devolved into a stubborn, deeply problematic figure who insisted on expressing opinions that would put him at odds with President Roosevelt and tarnish the Lindbergh legacy forever. Oh, and then there’s the womanizing.We hope you (don’t) enjoy this deeply disappointing look at Lindbergh’s life and controversies.Referenceshttps://www.biography.com/history-culture/charles-lindberghhttps://www.mnhs.org/lindbergh/learn/controversieshttps://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/concentration-camps-1939-42http://www.charleslindbergh.com/ny/105.asphttps://www.biography.com/history-culture/charles-lindberghhttps://www.mnhs.org/lindbergh/learn/aviation/early#:~:text=Learning%20to%20fly,Aircraft%20Corporation%20in%20Lincoln%2C%20Nebraska. https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/transatlantic-100https://www.mnhs.org/lindbergh/learn/aviation/promotinghttps://www.mnhs.org/lindbergh/learn/aviation/annehttps://www.mnhs.org/lindbergh/learn/aviation/commercialhttps://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/lindbergh-kidnappinghttps://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1726&context=lcphttps://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_688713https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2621292/https://www.airandspaceforces.com/PDF/MagazineArchive/Magazine%20Documents/2014/August%202014/0814lindbergh.pdfhttps://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/dachauhttps://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-nuremberg-race-lawshttps://www.mnhs.org/lindbergh/learn/controversieshttps://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/lindbergh-fallen-hero/https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/invasion-of-poland-fall-1939#:~:text=German%20troops%20invaded%20Poland%20on,declared%20war%20on%20Nazi%20Germany.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Fordhttps://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/05/america-first-was-not-a-pro-nazi-organisationhttps://www.cfr.org/blog/twe-remembers-charles-lindberghs-des-moines-speech#:~:text=Lindbergh%20couldn't%20have%20been,United%20Stateshttps://www.mnhs.org/lindbergh/learn/other-occupations/environmentalisthttps://www.mnhs.org/sites/default/files/-paragraphs/image/edit/cal_700x470_environmentalist.jpghttps://www.mnhs.org/lindbergh/learn/family/double-lifehttps://www.today.com/popculture/book-lindbergh-had-children-europe-wbna8088935 If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In Part 2 of our Mother’s Day Special, Larkin tells Kate the story of not-so-good mom Leonarda Cianciulli, the Soap Maker of Correggio. We don’t want to call her a “bad” mom, because she was doing everything she could to protect her child. But the methods she used move her out of “good mom” territory pretty fast. Leonarda had been told by a fortune teller that she would outlive all of her children. So when she found out her oldest son was planning to enlist in WWII, she went to extremes to keep him safe. Transferring her cooking and soap-making skills into witchcraft, she set about casting a spell of protection for her precious boy. But to save a life she had to sacrifice a life. Or- as it turned out- three. This is a great episode to put on while you’re in the bath, but we don’t recommend snacking on tea cakes (or anything else) while you listen. If you want a deeper dive into the Cianciulli case, the fantastic true crime podcast RedHanded did a two-parter on it (episodes 186 and 187). You can find it on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.And find books written by Kate's mom, Tessa Bridal, here: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/8918.Tessa_BridalTW: Graphic Violence, Sexual Assault, SuicideReferences:https://mail.murderpedia.org/female.C/c/cianciulli-leonarda.htm    https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27257822 If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In honor of Mother’s Day, we decided to do our first two-part episode! Kate and Larkin will be doing a story swap, with Kate covering a good mom from history and Larkin covering a… not-so-good mom. Even though it’s not a traditional Now It’s Ruined, both episodes are deeply dark and depressing, so don’t worry: Mother’s Day will still be ruined.In our first episode, Kate shares the incredible story of Sojourner Truth and her fight to free her son from slavery. Truth is famous for her participation in the abolitionist and women’s suffrage movements. But long before she was hanging out with the likes of Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony, she bravely walked into a courthouse and asked a grand jury to help her get her son back from an illegal sale to Alabama. The case made legal history, which is why Kate (who’s technically still a lawyer) was so enthusiastic to nerd out about it.Despite being our good mom story, it is still a rough one. We recommend having tissues nearby. Look out for part two tomorrow, when we'll take our first foray into the world of true crime as Larkin tells us about Leonarda Cianciulli, the Soap Maker of Coreggio.TW: Violence against childrenhttps://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/sojourner-truthhttps://www.google.com/books/edition/Narrative_of_Sojourner_Truth/i3HhAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PR6&printsec=frontcoverhttps://www.thesojournertruthproject.com/the-readingshttps://www.npr.org/2020/02/27/809723362/in-the-1700s-an-enslaved-massachusetts-woman-sued-for-her-freedom-and-wonhttps://freedomcenter.org/voice/henrietta-wood/https://rep.club/products/sojourner-truth-a-life-a-symbol?srsltid=AfmBOopEbv9dOdn6x7N2QY5M_x-G0-FGrcfA2zpRz4taWbymmp3hcJlGhttps://apnews.com/article/new-york-education-slavery-kingston-government-and-politics-3b0d38ed6e556d77ba074f58dfb3c131 If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Malaria has plagued humans for centuries. It was written about by the ancient Mesopotamians, Greeks, Romans, Hindus, and Chinese. The cure was waiting quietly in the bark of a tree in South America- A place malaria never touched until European colonizers brought it there.What does this have to do with gin and tonics, you ask? Give a listen to find out.Referenceshttps://www.britannica.com/plant/juniperhttps://www.craftginclub.co.uk/ginnedmagazine/what-is-gin-made-from-and-how-is-it-madehttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9714995/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK555962/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK215638/https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-worldcivilization/chapter/the-indo-aryan-migration-and-the-vedic-period/#:~:text=The%20Vedic%20Period%20refers%20to,with%20them%20specific%20religious%20traditions. https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(12)65320-8/fulltexthttps://www.britannica.com/plant/Cinchonahttps://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20200527-the-tree-that-changed-the-world-maphttps://daily.jstor.org/cinchona-a-legacy-of-extraction-and-extirpation/https://www.britannica.com/topic/East-India-Company If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In our gnarliest episode yet, Kate teaches Larkin the unfortunate history of the chainsaw. You’ll learn about human evolution, the religious makeup of Ireland, and a fly-by-night surgical procedure performed by a professional cow castrator. Hold on to your people parts, because this one gets graphic. TW: Medical trauma, childbirth trauma, abortion traumaHelpful links:How to connect Patreon to other podcasting apps: https://support.patreon.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005429546-Which-podcast-apps-will-my-custom-audio-RSS-link-work-withRead the full account of the first recorded C-Section in the United States here.References (Current as of 4/9/2025):https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/fun-fact-unfortunately-chainsaws-were-invented-for-childbirthhttps://www.iflscience.com/we-regret-to-inform-you-that-chainsaws-were-originally-invented-for-childbirth-58685https://www.healthline.com/health-news/husband-stitch-is-not-just-mythhttps://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/23025-pubic-symphysishttps://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(22)00733-5/fulltexthttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39581635/https://www.commonwealthfund.org/press-release/2018/us-women-more-likely-die-pregnancy-and-childbirth-and-skip-care-because-costhttps://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-cesarean/c-section-complication-risk-rises-with-mothers-age-idUSKCN1RN2SN/https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2024/jun/insights-us-maternal-mortality-crisis-international-comparisonhttps://sph.tulane.edu/study-finds-higher-maternal-mortality-rates-states-more-abortion-restrictionshttps://www.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/research/findings/nhqrdr/2023-NHQDR-appendixes-ACDE.pdfhttps://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/women-and-pain-disparities-in-experience-and-treatment-2017100912562https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/cesarean/part1.html#:~:text=Perhaps%20the%20first%20written%20record,unable%20to%20deliver%20her%20baby. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1258/jmb.2009.009019https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epdf/10.1177/003693300404900218https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigli_saw (Tsk, tsk)https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/cesarean/part3.htmlhttps://www.cnn.com/2015/01/30/europe/ireland-symphysiotomy/index.htmlhttps://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2023/06/01/irish-catholic-census-religion-decrease-245404https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2022/11/22/church-ethos-and-role-in-healthcare-or-education-can-no-longer-be-funded-by-state/#:~:text=Twelve%20of%20Ireland's%2018%20private,conglomerate%2C%20Bon%20Secours%20Mercy%20Health. https://www.thejournal.ie/readme/column-symphysiotomy-was-seen-as-a-gateway-to-childbearing-without-limits-401570-Apr2012/https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/dec/12/symphysiotomy-irelands-brutal-alternative-to-caesareans If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In our first full episode, Larkin ruins false eyelashes with tales ranging from ancient Egypt to the present day. You’ll learn things like what fashions are currently trending among orcas, how Pliny the Elder died, and which director of a famously racist film had eyelashes glued to a starlet’s lids with spirit gum. Plus, a foray into werewolf dust (don’t ask, just listen) and Henry Cavill’s smooth tsking. Orca Fads:https://www.livescience.com/animals/orcas/orcas-start-wearing-dead-salmon-hats-again-after-ditching-the-trend-for-37-yearsHenry Cavill Tsk Video: https://www.reddit.com/r/HenryCavill/comments/1gdmw2g/smoothest_tsking_ever/ Support the showIf you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this first mini-episode, recorded a few years ago before we really knew what we were doing, Kate fills Larkin in on the horrifying history of how the hammock came to Europe. It's a tale of greed and bloodshed starring colonizer- and famously terrible navigator- Christopher Columbus. As a note, the Google pronunciation lied to Kate about how to pronounce "Taíno," so she mispronounces it throughout the episode. Apologies.Sound quality will improve in subsequent episodes! But we thought this was a good taste of what you can expect from the show. We're planning to re-do the episode in more detail at some point down the line. Learn more about the Taíno people.Read A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies by Bartolomé de Las Casas.Support the showIf you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. If you know something we can ruin, send the topic and a brief hint at how it's ruined to [email protected]. Let us know if you'd like us to credit you if we choose your topic!Follow us on Patreon for updates, video episodes, and lots of fun bonus content (even for unpaid members). You can also follow us on YouTube and Instagram.You can also follow Kate and Larkin! Kate is on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Larkin is on TikTok and Instagram. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.