Episode 45: Super Termites, The Veiled Prophet, & Jaws vs Star Wars

Madigan's Pubcast

Kathleen opens the show drinking Banff Springs Tunnel 30 Anniversary Lager from Grizzly Paw Brewing Company in Banff, Alberta (one of Kathleen’s favorite places to visit.)

UPDATE ON KATHLEEN’S QUEEN’S COURT: In an update on her Queens, Kathleen reports the latest bombshell that Lindsey Buckingham’s latest wife has filed for divorce, which makes her ask Cardboard Stevie what her thoughts are on the developments. Kathleen tells Paddles that she doesn’t think that any of the Queens in her Court would put up with Lindsey’s bullsh!t, so anticipates that he will remain single for a while.

“GOOD BAD FOOD”: In her quest for new and delicious not-so-nutritious junk food AND in continuing her search for the best Ranch, Kathleen samples Frank’s Red Hot Goldfish, which she can’t wait to trick her nieces and nephew with the heat. She LOVES her next tasting sauce: Ortega Taco Ranch Taco Sauce, which she vows to take with her to eat Mexican food with her friends Mark and Nicole after the Pubcast is finished. She finishes off this week’s tasting menu with Chewy Chips Ahoy with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, in which she’s overcome with the sweetness and vows to give to her mom. She wraps her tasting segment discussing her recent day drinking shenanigans with her friends Raelyn and JB, and Raelyn asking their bartender “Do You Have Any Ranch?” to go with her well-timed fries after a few beers.

BRITNEY SPEARS CONSERVATORSHIP DEVELOPMENTS: Kathleen is intrigued with the Britney Spears conservatorship drama, and UPDATES her Termites that Britney recently went on a bizarre rant on social media, referring to herself as a "motherf***ing snake" (referring to her iconic MTV Music Awards performance with a Burmese python). The 39-year-old wore a snakeskin bodysuit in her recent Instagram post, which comes as she prepares to speak out against her father, Jamie Spears, in court amid her conservatorship legal battle. Back in April 2021, Britney asked a judge to permanently end her father’s control over her $60M fortune and personal life.

JEFF BESOS SPACE AUCTION: As a follow-up to Ep44, Kathleen reads an article updating the progress of Jeff Besos’s initial space flight aboard his New Shepard rocket. The richest man in the world is auctioned off a seat on its upcoming first crewed spaceflight in June 2021 for $28 million.

The winning bidder will fly to the edge of space with the Amazon founder and his brother Mark on July 20th. Blue Origin advised that New Shepard’s first passenger flight will carry four people, including both Bezos brothers, the auction winner and a fourth person to be announced later.

INVASION OF THE SUPER TERMITES: All of Kathleen’s Termites know that she has a fondness for all things “Termite,” and she laughs as she reads an article out of Israel advising of a “Super Termite” invasion in June 2021. This species has been coined as of the most destructive pests in the world, will eat anything containing cellulose, such as wood, paper, or cardboard, and has also been known to devour copper and lead sheets, plaster, asphalt foam insulation boards, plastics, and even underground power lines.

THE AUCTION OF AN INVISIBLE SCULPTURE: Kathleen finishes her beer and laughs at the absurdity of an article detailing the recent auction of an invisible sculpture. Italian artist Salvatore Garau just sold an invisible sculpture for $18,000 USD and the work, titled Io Sono or "I Am," doesn't exist except in the artist's imagination. According to the artist, the sculpture doesn't not exist per se, rather it exists in a vacuum, Newsweek reports. "The vacuum is nothing more than a space full of energy," Garau explained. "And even if we empty it and there is nothing left, according to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, that 'nothing' has a weight. Therefore, it has an energy that is condensed and transformed into particles, that is, into us." Ummmm, ok. Kathleen moves on to tell the termites her own story of “selling something invisible “ to her grade school nuns when she and her dad crafted an oversized vodka display bottle and an egg to demonstrate the power of vacuum energy. Yes Termites, Mama Termite attempted to demonstrate advanced science to nuns.

MYSTERIOUS CANADIAN BRAIN DISEASE: Kathleen reads an article about a mysterious disease impacting a small area in Eastern Canada where 48 people have been struck with a baffling mix of symptoms including insomnia, impaired motor function, and hallucinations such as visions of the dead. Conspiracy theories blamed the illness on everything from cellphone towers to vaccine complications. These are some plots of a mystery that has stumped the medical establishment, attracted the attention of top neurologists, and scared residents of New Brunswick, a province of 770,000. In the past 6 years, dozens have fallen ill from the disease, and 6 people have died.

ST LOUIS’S VEILED PROPHET BALL: Kathleen reads an article about St. Louis’s Veiled Prophet ball, as it has been in the news lately when actress Ellie Kemper was discovered to have been named the ball’s “Queen of Love and Beauty” when she was 19 years of age. Inspired by the Mardi Gras krewes of New Orleans and a character in a then-popular poem, the Veiled Prophet organization was established in response to major labor strikes that shut down the city — and the threat of Black and white workers uniting. The entire process of choosing the “queen” every summer was originally suffused with elaborate ritual: A person would be chosen by a secret board of local elites to anonymously play the role of the Veiled Prophet. The Veiled Prophet would choose a Queen of Love and Beauty from among the elite ball attendees (of course, invitation list to be kept strictly confidential as well) with whom he would dance a “Royal Quadrille” before presenting her with an expensive keepsake such as a tiara or pearls. Often these gifts were so expensive that they became family heirlooms. The ball would be accompanied by a just-as-spectacular parade and fair. In October of 1878, civic elites in St. Louis organized the first parade, which attracted more than 50,000 spectators. Kathleen provides her own commentary around attending the parade with her friends, which she says one of the highlights was that you could bring your own cooler of beer.

WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK: Kathleen recommends watching “Hacks” on HBO Max.

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