Kathleen opens the show drinking a Holy Donut Stout by Maine’s Lone Pine Brewing, brought to her by her friend and fellow comedian Kelly MacFarland. She also gives a shoutout to Little Big Town for the “Day Drinking” trucker hat that was sent after Kathleen tasted their Day Drinking canned wine on a previous Pubcast.

TERMITE SHOUTOUTS: Kathleen gives thanks to the Termites who leave notes at shows and send mail to her PO Box. She begins by thanking Termite Adam, who made his mother proud by sending the completed set of South Carolina rocks glasses. Also big thanks to Termite Summer for the Trader Joe’s Carolina Gold bbq sauce and the “Calm Down Karen” t-shirt.

“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 Pumpkin Spice Cheerios, which she doesn’t like because she doesn’t like ANY pumpkin flavor (she and her dad always ask her mom to make a chocolate pie for any holiday), and then moves onto Taco Bell’s Avocado Ranch sauce, which she recommends putting on anything. Kathleen finishes her tasting by sampling Cheeto’s Crunch Pop Mix, telling Termites to stick with the original Cheeto’s.

ISABELLA STEWART GARDNER MUSEUM REVIEW: As a follow-up to Episode 38, Kathleen visited the ISGM when she was recently in Boston for shows. She describes the rooms and the artwork exhibited (which you can also see video of on her YouTube channel), with her favorite area being the iconic courtyard. Then in continuing to do the Lord’s work, Kathleen mentions her official chowder tasting at Black Rose, the Chart House, and Legal Seafood in downtown Boston.

UPDATE ON KATHLEEN’S QUEEN’S COURT: Kathleen provides an update on the Queens, reporting that Queen Tanya has canceled the remainder of her 2021 Tour dates, stating that she needs to concentrate on rehabilitating her hip after her recent surgery. Tanya has also recorded a very cool song with RuPaul called “This Is Our Country,” which Kathleen recommends cranking UP and listening to. In super breaking bombshell news, Queen Stevie has delivered a TKO to former boyfriend and bandmate Lindsey Buckingham after his latest rant to the press challenging Stevie’s involvement in his firing from Fleetwood Mac. Buckingham dissed all of his former bandmates in his tirades, which Kathleen advises is probably not the best way to approach a possible reunion.

HIDDEN VALLEY HALLOWEEN: Kathleen is thrilled to read an announcement that Hidden Valley is releasing limited-edition Halloween treats for Ranch lovers, as well as a Ranch bottle costume.

BALTO HOLMES AND MORE THERANOS TRIAL UNCERTAINTY: In another chapter of the saga of Elizabeth Holmes’ lies, Kathleen reports to the Termites that in 2017, Vanity Fair reports that Holmes flew first-class across the U.S. to adopt a 9-week-old Siberian husky. She named him Balto after the world-famous sled dog that made a dangerous 600-mile journey in 1925, bearing medicine to save an entire village from diphtheria. Holmes went on to boast to people that Balto is a wolf, which his AKC paperwork states otherwise. Kathleen then goes into detail on the latest developments in the Theranos trial, including issues with jurors, the ways in which Holmes as altered her appearance to look more “maternal,” and the and exquisite home that she’s residing in with her new baby and billionaire husband while on trial for fraud.

RESURRECTING THE WOOLLY MAMMOTH: Kathleen reads an article outlining where scientists are making a pitch to resurrect the woolly mammoth from extinction. Colossal, a biosciences and genetics company, has raised $15 million to bring back the mammoth in an altered genetic form. The move could help restore the fragile Arctic tundra ecosystem, however, the ethical issues involved are creating a firestorm with the Genetics community. Kathleen asks listeners what they think of the campaign, and Paddles votes to proceed as long as the end result produces a mini mammoth (much like a baby goat).

BITCOIN BECOMES LEGAL TENDER IN EL SALVADOR: As listeners of the Pubcast know, Kathleen holds mad love for cryptocurrency. She’s thrilled to read an article announcing that El Salvador has adopted Bitcoin as an official currency alongside the US dollar. Supporters argue the move will make it cheaper and easier for migrants to send money home to El Salvador, which is important given such remittances account for over 24 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, according to figures from the World Bank reported by CNBC. Baby steps for big gain states Mama T.

RIPPER THE TALKING DUCK: Kathleen reads an article from New Zealand where a duck, who was raised in captivity in the late 1980s, was recorded uttering the phrase: “You bloody fool!” Scientists have analyzed the recordings, and have added musk ducks to a small number of animals able to imitate human speech.

THE BEST PLACE TO LIVE IN THE USA: Kathleen is excited to announce that Money Magazine has evaluated big cities and small towns all over the US and has determined that the best place to live is Chanhassen, Minnesota. The magazine revealed its 35th annual “50 Best Places to Live” list last week, looking at metrics across nine different categories to create its definitive ranking for 2021-22. Situated southwest of the Twin Cities, Chanhassen made the #1 pick overall, with two additional cities in Minnesota making the top fifty as well. Skol!

A $400B UTOPIAN DESERT CITY PLANNED: Kathleen reads an article where former Walmart president and billionaire Marc Lore has announced his plans for a $400 billion utopian city. Lore wants to capture the cleanliness of Tokyo, the diversity of New York, and the social services of Stockholm, and his vision will incorporate 5-million-people. He has appointed world-famous architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group to finalize the design and location, using scouting teams to review possible targets including Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Texas, and the Appalachian region. Stay tuned for UPDATES ☺

THE CAROLINA MURDAUGH MURDERS: Kathleen’s ID Channel love attracts her to the bizarre details surrounding the murder of the family of a South Carolina lawyer, Alex Murdaugh. News of the deaths of Paul Murdaugh, 22, and Maggie Murdaugh, 52, has led to national headlines, not only for the mystery surrounding their murders but for the ties to other death investigations in the Lowcountry area: Stephen Smith in 2015, Gloria Satterfield in 2018 and Mallory Beach in 2019. Kathleen reads through the timeline of events leading up to the recent arrest of Alex Murdaugh, after admitting to enlisting a hitman to end his own life in an effort to release an insurance policy for his remaining living son. More to come as details unfold…