Episode 34: Toxic Positivity, Skyquakes, & Aretha Franklin

Kathleen opens the show drinking a Black Cherry White Claw and providing listeners with an update on the success of her March Madness bracket in the Madigan Family pool. 

UPDATE ON KATHLEEN’S QUEEN’S COURT: In an update on her Queens, Kathleen tells the Termites that Dolly Parton has her own ice cream flavor called Strawberry Pretzel Pie, which will be available from Jeni’s Ice Cream. Tanya Tucker has released a duet of “You Ain’t Woman Enough” on Loretta Lynn’s 2021 release of “Still Woman Enough,” and Kathleen wishes Queen Chaka a very happy belated birthday which was March 23rd. 

“BAD GOOD FOOD”: In her quest for new and delicious not-so-nutritious junk food AND in continuing her search for the best Ranch, Kathleen samples Hidden Valley Ranch Garlic Parmesan Cheese Dip with a Ritz cracker, which she loves, as she does her next snack: Cheez-It Loaded White Cheddar Popcorn. Then in the spirit of March Madness, as she has watched (and bet on) every game, Kathleen picks up the new Wendy’s Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit as Charles Barkley and Greg Gumbel mention on CBS broadcasts that it is the official breakfast of the tournament. Kathleen had such strong feelings regarding the sandwich that she posted a separate commentary video on YouTube. 

CHINA + NEPAL AGREE TO HEIGHT OF EVEREST: As a follow up to Episode 33’s Everest story, Kathleen reads an article announcing that after years of dispute, China and Nepal have agreed that Everest’s official height is 29,032 feet. 

NEW MH370 DETAILS CLAIM A COVER-UP: As her Termites know, Kathleen has a long-going commitment to finding out what happened to the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 as detailed in her bit “Malaysian Flt 370.” When the plane crossed over into Vietnamese airspace, the co-pilot didn’t engage their air traffic control and an assumption lingers that all tracking devices had been disabled so that it could vanish. Kathleen is thrilled to read the news that Florence de Changy is a Far-Eastern correspondent who covered the case in detail, is releasing a new book alluding to a cover-up by the authorities. 

PRINCE HARRY’S NEW JOBS: Kathleen follows up on her Episode 31 update on the ongoings of Harry & Meghan in their new life in the US. Kathleen has never been a fan of the British Royal Family and is amused at the drama surrounding the couple’s departure from royal life. She reads the latest press advising that Harry has joined Silicon Valley startup BetterUp as their chief impact officer (which Kathleen calls a made-up title,) and he has also joined Aspen Institute’s new Commission on Information Disorder (which Kathleen feels as though he is COMPLETELY unqualified to formally manage.)

THE QUEEN OF SOUL: Kathleen LOVES soul music, and she’s a massive fan of Aretha Franklin’s recordings. She’s read 3 biographies discussing Aretha’s life, and after watching Nat Geo’s “Genius: Aretha” series Kathleen has headed to Muscle Shoals, AL to play golf and tour .css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}