Thirsty Topics
A weekly podcast dedicated to trending topics on social media, pop culture and entertainment.
Thirsty Topics
Wombat Snatching and Conservatorship Drama: The Week's Wildest Stories for 3/19/25
Dawn Robinson of En Vogue is living in her car despite creating hits we still hear today. Lawrence and Meryl unpack this shocking revelation about the music industry's exploitation of artists who received mere pennies per sale while creating cultural touchstones. How many other stars from our youth are facing similar financial hardships behind the scenes?
Meanwhile, Harvard University just revolutionized college accessibility by making tuition free for families earning under $200,000 annually. This game-changing approach could transform higher education, especially for middle-class families caught in the awkward financial gap of making too much for aid but not enough to comfortably afford elite schools.
The hosts also tackle Wendy Williams' disturbing conservatorship situation, Forever 21's latest bankruptcy filing, and a terrifying American Airlines engine fire incident that adds to mounting concerns about aviation safety. Kanye West and Kim Kardashian's latest public dispute over daughter North's music involvement raises questions about parental rights in the digital age.
The episode doesn't shy away from emerging cultural phenomena, from the worldwide Tesla boycott following Elon Musk's political activities to "revenge quitting" - where employees strategically leave jobs during critical periods to maximize disruption. Plus, an American influencer faces deportation after stealing a baby wombat from its mother for social media content, highlighting the dangerous extremes of content creation culture.
Ready for thought-provoking perspectives on today's most fascinating stories? Subscribe now and join the conversation about the financial extremes, ethical dilemmas, and cultural shifts shaping our world.
Hello, and thank you for listening to Thirsty Topics podcast! I'm Lawrence Elrod, and every week Meryl Klemow and I dive deep into the stories that matter, the conversations that shape our world."
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Hello everyone, Welcome to this week's episode of Thirsty Topics. I am Lauren Selrod.
Speaker 2:And I am Meryl Clemo. I almost started clapping immediately. There you go. No, we have to earn our clap. We have to earn our clap.
Speaker 1:So how are you doing today, Meryl?
Speaker 2:I'm doing really well. It's been rainy here in California and then the past couple of days the sun is finally out, so I feel like a spring is in my step and this is very sweet. But my boyfriend just got me some flowers.
Speaker 1:Nice.
Speaker 2:So they're not open yet, but very, very sweet, because he got me flowers because he was being a little bit of a pain on our vacation. So everything comes with a price.
Speaker 1:Well, at least he knows how to make it right.
Speaker 2:Exactly, and I'm sure he would love me sharing this publicly. But it's still very good. It still very good, it's all good.
Speaker 1:Yes, definitely. Well, we actually have a great show today and we're going to start off. I don't know if you know who En Vogue is. The group.
Speaker 2:I do.
Speaker 1:I do. This is actually a troubling thing. That just came up, dawn Robinson, she's an original member of the group. En Vogue and she just recently disclosed to everyone that she's been living in her car.
Speaker 2:I saw that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the sad part about it is that she had talked about, she had a few interviews about it, and she kind of said that when they were making their hits they literally each were getting around $0.02 per sale.
Speaker 2:Unbelievable.
Speaker 1:It was amazing to hear. But it goes back to how the industry basically treats us artists. It's kind of sad to see Even now you still basically treats us artists. Yeah, and you know it's kind of sad to see even now. You know you still hear her stuff every so often. And all these artists that was like selling millions and millions and millions of records. It's amazing how many of them you know are starving, are literally broke.
Speaker 2:Yes, especially ones that got deals in like the 80s or 90s. I feel like even back then a lot of the stuff wasn't known knowledge and people just signed contracts and then made little to no money. Our podcast listeners won't be able to see this, but I was going to show you this picture that I actually went to like see in Vogue a few months ago, or maybe about a couple of years ago at this point.
Speaker 1:I'm showing.
Speaker 2:Lawrence right now, like me with with the band I don't know which one it was, but, um, it was at a casino and we were all not laughing but we were all like now I feel way worse, but it definitely was like not a very packed crowd and you know, a lot of these boys to men slash in vogue right now are doing like casinos that have a couple hundred instead of a couple thousand that they're used to. And then if you split that between tour managers and bands and booking agents, it's like people are not making a lot.
Speaker 1:That's true. That's true and you know, I think it kind of goes into the new trend now where a lot of artists now don't even want anything to do with labels because of what they've done to artists over the years.
Speaker 2:Do you think that, like I saw some comment under here that people were like maybe she wants to sleep in her car. But in this day and age I just don't know. I mean, I know some people want to sleep in their car and travel and just have that remote flexibility, but this didn't sound like that. Like it didn't sound like, oh, she's traveling the world in her car happily.
Speaker 1:it sounded like she's under some financial situations no, I think what she's doing and I could be wrong, but I think she's just letting, sharing her story with the world and trying to own her situation. Yeah, she, she has social media, um, even though she does live out of her car. Starving artists is a lot more common than people think it is. This is just one of the famous people that you've heard of, but there's a lot of starving artists out there. I always say that if you're going to go after your dream of doing something, always have a way and I tell my son this always have a way to feed yourself.
Speaker 2:That's the reality. I mean, the good part is nowadays you don't have to live in like New York or California. You know you could live in Atlanta or a different city where hopefully it's a little bit less, and especially maybe if you share rent with a few other artists and you could be creative. But but then when you're someone like in Vogue and you're used to being one of the top bands performing, it's probably pretty hard to go from like probably lavish hotels and stuff to like the decline of how they are now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think you know. I think it goes back to what we always talk about. Is you really got to understand the business side of your craft? Yeah, Because that's where you lose the most money. That's where you're taking advantage of yep.
Speaker 2:Now, if you were in the group, like if you were another member, would you do? You think you would find, would you feel pressure to basically like come out and say, okay, well, she needs a place to stay with me, I can stay with her, or do you think it's like, I don't know, basically like that almost doesn't reflect good upon the people Around her, I think.
Speaker 1:I think it depends on the relationship. I mean, if there's a great relationship, no question about it. Obviously, if it's okay with my wife, I'm clear with her. Or if you're a woman, then clear with your husband. But it depends on the relationship, because If the relationship, because if the relationship isn't that great to begin with, then that wouldn't even be an option.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's tough, it's very tough. I was very surprised to hear about that.
Speaker 2:It's so funny, but I feel like musicians going down in their number of people they perform for makes me so much sadder than like old actors, or, for some reason, musicians make it even sadder Because, like I, used to work in a venue and we would have people very much on their way up and down you know in the industry and some of the older, especially, like the blues artists.
Speaker 2:We had people that had gone through a few divorces and you could tell their ex-wives took them for basically everything they had, and it's a little tiny man just up on stage playing guitars and it's I don't know why, but it's like so sad for me the thought of a musician just going like losing everything or not having or performing for the years and years and really not having anything to show for it yeah, that's true.
Speaker 1:That's that's true. I mean again, I think I think she's young enough, because I want to say, I want to say she's 57, I believe, wow, so she's not old, so it's not like she can't revitalize her career.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:You know. So I just hope that she lands on her feet and things get better for her.
Speaker 2:Me too, and this would be perfect too If a producer out there is watching or something. I feel like En Vogue would make great judges On music programs. There has to be something, even if it's not like an ABC or CBS. There should be some smaller thing that could use their Just their experience and their celebrity power.
Speaker 1:Oh, I agree, I agree, and I think that there's going to be a point where people reach out to her, if they're not already doing that now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think so too. Well, they were very nice and I got to. Now I feel bad that I actually got to meet them for free when other people had to pay. My payment could have been the difference. It's okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we'll definitely keep her in our prayers.
Speaker 2:Yep, we will. Okay. Well, one thing maybe she can do is attend Harvard for free, because Harvard just something tells me she might not want to drive her car and attend Harvard. But Harvard has expanded its financial aid program to make the university free or lower cost for students whose families earn less than $200,000. A move that comes in the wake of last year's Supreme Court ruling that banned rates from being a consideration in the admissions process.
Speaker 2:I feel like this is huge news and the fact that this isn't like everywhere is crazy for me. So basically, if a student's family makes less than $200,000 annually, the cost of attendance is free. Their tuition is totally free, and if they make less than $100,000 annually, the cost of attendance is free, including tuition, food, housing, health insurance and travel costs, which is crazy. That's like insane. So I don't quite understand. Normally I was just going to say too usually the sticker price now for attending Harvard is an estimated $80,000 a year. So I don't quite understand. I don't know if you do at all, but like how this could happen. I don't know if it's through private funding or through, like, federal funding. I don't really. I read the article and I don't quite understand how that can happen, um, but they said that there are more than 100 universities that have adopted similar practices. Some smaller schools have been doing it before, like MIT, carnegie Mellon and University of Pennsylvania.
Speaker 2:To make tuition free or affordable and that is crazy to me, Like I honestly feel like that's enough that if you're parents and you have a child that is going to Harvard, it's like worth your while to almost not have someone work a second job or, you know, like to stay below that median, because that's a huge difference.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know the one thing I mean. I have mixed views on it.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:There's a catch somewhere like Especially since.
Speaker 1:I have a son in college and I'm paying for it. So you know, I think the thing is is that colleges definitely do need to do a lot more to make it affordable and achievable for people. And you know they want to set that, that break, at 200,000. That's fine, but I think you should have that. You know, let's say, in addition to that, if you make over 200, let's say from 200 to 300, you know, instead of getting 100 percent, maybe you get yeah, oh, that's really smart Totally, and if you go from 300 to 400, then you maybe just get 25% of it.
Speaker 2:Right, because that's not fair if a family is bringing in like $210,000 and now they have to pay like $85,000 a year, yeah.
Speaker 1:And the crazy thing about it is that a lot of people don't understand that. And here's a great example $100,000 is not $100,000. If you make $100,000, there's a few things that happen. One you're going to get hit with an additional tax because now you're in a higher tax bracket, that's the first thing. Second thing is as you get up to and including $100,000 or more, you start losing exemptions that you can't get anymore oh yeah, yeah, that's kind of like a double tag and then also, because of that income, you don't get any help when it comes to college.
Speaker 1:That's on you and you know you're making too much to get help, but you don't make enough to pay for it. So you have to take out a student loan in order to pay for college, and of course we all know about all the issues with student loans. So you're kind of like a triple or maybe a quadruple tax at that point. So that's why I was saying that $200,000, don't get me wrong is a blessing to make that kind of money if you're making it, but it's not a true $200,000.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Does that make sense?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it totally does, and that's, at least I feel like, especially in this instance, at least somewhat good for Harvard for at least trying to entice like some middle class families and I feel like the Harvard that we all think in our minds like years and years ago wouldn't have even you know, in our minds it's only for, like rich legacy people.
Speaker 2:And like and so, but this shows a step to me in somewhat of the right direction. I still like it will still maybe be even wealthy people, but like obviously it's very hard to get into, it's one of the best schools ever, but like I don't know. It'll just be very interesting to see, like, how that affects the alumni and how the school is perceived, and just the rate of admissions.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think what it's definitely going to do is attract a lot more admissions, and I think what it does it's going to open the door to a lot of students that never would have. Even if they have the grades, never thought they could ever get into Harvard financially.
Speaker 2:So I think that's a good thing.
Speaker 2:Oh, and I just found it too Okay. So it said the financial aid website says that the funds come from a variety of sources, including Harvard endowment funds, gifts from alumni, general tuition revenues and federal and state grants. Okay, so it's all of those things. And then it said between 1980 and 2020, the average price of tuition increased by 169%. Wow, so at least okay. The other thing, too, that makes me happy that if it is Harvard alumni like if you went to Harvard and you're making, you're like a multimillionaire. How nice to be able to give to. Like I mean, I can't think of better ways to spend your money. That's like helping the next generation of people and, you know, helping your college and stuff.
Speaker 1:Sure, now, the one thing that they didn't say and I'm quite sure there is there's probably a certain number they're basing that off of. So that's probably going to be a first come, first serve, I would imagine.
Speaker 2:Wait, so say that again. So for people that like get the tuition, you mean oh, oh, yeah, yeah, that's true, cause they can't have the whole school full of people that every other parents make less than a hundred thousand. Yeah, correct, I get that. Yeah, yeah, so, but but yeah like I said, I tip my hat off to him.
Speaker 1:That's actually with all the craziness going on. That's actually great news.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is. Now. I feel like an idiot, for whenever my college contacts me for like $25. I'm like, no, I don't have it Go away. Meanwhile people are donating millions. But I'm like, why don't you help me? Sarah?
Speaker 1:I hear you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, totally. I've never once like. I'm like, what I gave you is all my mission money for four years. That should be more than enough. Why are you asking me for more money?
Speaker 1:That is so, so true.
Speaker 2:Right and random fun fact that will just take 20 seconds is that I used to. When I worked, I went to Syracuse University and I worked in the call center, where we used to be the people that would call alumni and ask for money and while I was doing that job I choked on one of the dinner mints like the red and white dinner mints and I had to do the Heimlich by myself in front of everyone and then I quit the job and I cried. I ended up living, obviously, but like that was just karma for trying to get people to pay for alumni. Those dinner mints will get you.
Speaker 1:You probably will remember that for a long time.
Speaker 2:Oh, my parents. It was no joke. My parents had to come get me from school. They drove hours and I like it was so bad because I started crying. I don't know if you've ever choked knock on wood, I hope it doesn't happen but it's like truly a traumatic experience. And then it was those little like you know, the red and white like dinner mints, and I couldn't breathe and everything, and I had to pop it out myself and then I took two weeks off of school because it was like such a thing, wow. And now whenever I see those mints at restaurants, I tell everyone like stay away.
Speaker 1:Well, we're glad that you made it through.
Speaker 2:Thank you. So just all to say that now people should enjoy free admission in Harvard with no dinner pizza.
Speaker 1:Well, this is an interesting topic here. Wendy Williams is back in the news again. Yay, we hope. She took a trip out to get. I believe it was lunch and it was her niece that took her out.
Speaker 1:So there was a big controversy about, you know, she didn't have permission, they snuck her out. And then also she had an appointment with a doctor where she was escorted by police officers and she took a cognizance test, escorted by police officers and she took a cognizance test and you know she actually, you know, aced the test but they say is it's more than just getting the answers right, it's how this answer. You know how they answer and stuff like that. So it's a little bit more complicated. But, um, that was actually good to hear that she at least was able to answer all the questions with no problems. And then you know she's been, she was on the View by phone and you know she was talking about how she's being held hostage and all this stuff like this. And you know it's coming back into the forefront again about these conservatorships and you know, the other thing too is that I think part of the problem is we're talking about her health without knowing the backstory to her health, right, right?
Speaker 2:Yes, I didn't hear the VIEW interview. Do you know if, like I mean right after it sounds like they should send someone immediately to like go check out the scene again? I don't know how many times maybe the police have been like over there just to check I don't know if it's zero or like once a week, or I don't know how many times maybe the police have been like over there just to check. I don't know if it's zero or like once a week, or I don't know. But that's so scary and sad and I hope that people take it seriously.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree, and you know, the crazy thing is and this is what's making this difficult is, you know, when she's talking, she's Wendy Williams, she understands what's going on around her, she's able to have a fluid conversation with you, but, again, without knowing the backstory is okay. Is she like this all the time, or is this just like spells going in and out? Yeah, because the dimension, depending on what degree it is. You know, sometimes they are very fluid. They knew what's going on, they can have a conversation, and other times they literally don't know who you are right and especially with, how we said before, with her money and managing her assets and estates and everything you know just we don't know how able she is to do that really well, um, but still that's so scary and like just her being wheeled around getting lunch and it's just.
Speaker 2:It's either very. Either way it's tiring for the family. I'm sure, whether or not they're like not wanting it to come out, they're taking advantage or they're just trying to help her, but to me, like I feel like if it was one of my parents and this was happening, I would like go on the TV with her Like.
Speaker 2:I would be as you know, open as possible and I would like almost hold a press conference and be like ask me anything. Here's her doctor, how much they can say about her doctor's stuff. But it feels like that's part of the issue.
Speaker 1:I think the only way, I think, in my opinion, the only way to really address this is to have her do a full panel to see does she still have dementia?
Speaker 1:Because she's complaining that you know, one of the things that she alleges is that they misdiagnosed her. Yeah, you know, at one time she had a drinking problem, um, and you know it's not. It's not, um, anything that was hidden. Everyone knew that right. So you know. Now she says she doesn't drink anymore and she's understanding what's going on around her. So I think that's the only way to really put this to bed, because you know it keeps coming up. And here's the crazy thing about it If they're really holding her hostage, as she says, she wouldn't. In my opinion, I don't think she would be able to call into the view, I know, or call into other places and do interviews over the phone, or be able to leave out and come back. And I could be wrong, but it just seems like you don't really know what the full story is.
Speaker 2:I think you're right, and I feel like if they were really holding her hostage, then she even if she called into the view that it would be a whole different story, she would say like, oh, I'm being, I'm fine, I'm, you know, I'm just. People are taking care of me, like they would almost make her say the opposite instead of being able to fully speak. What's happening? I wonder too, if, like when they go out in New York, if, if, if they're calling the paparazzi on themselves because I know that happens a lot you know where people will say, hey, like, catch me at this Chipotle on the corner soon, or if paparazzi are just like staking out 24 seven in front of her house hoping for anything to see.
Speaker 1:It makes you wonder. I mean, unfortunately, you know, they know where she, you know where she's, where she's at now, you know where the facility is, so it's not hard to stake it out because it is, I believe, in Manhattan. So it's hard to stake it out at that point. But I don't know. I think it's just getting crazier and crazier by the minute. Now Britney Spears proved that, though it may be difficult, you can come off a conservatorship.
Speaker 2:Yes, but yeah totally, and I hope I mean, I guess, in a good way. Britney's fine if she's just twirling around on her social media like dancing with knives In a good way. We haven't heard anything like terrible. You know it's almost been like the same, but hopefully what goes on in her life is way better.
Speaker 1:Sure sure you know, so Something tells me Wendy Williams will be back in the news again. I know.
Speaker 2:If I was a producer, I'd start a show and I'd put Wendy Williams and the woman from En Vogue and it would be like Lottery Dream Home, where I would just help these people out. I'm drooling.
Speaker 1:That would be one hell of a show, right.
Speaker 2:It's called like Conservator or something I could honestly see Lifetime doing it or some weird TLC channel.
Speaker 1:Actually, that is definitely a Lifetime show.
Speaker 2:Isn't it? Yeah, to watch everyone, but I hope she's okay. Yeah, I'm thinking about Wendy Williams.
Speaker 2:It seems like every month there's something and the fact that you're right, the fact that she did call into the View at least she feels like she has some type of lifeline to talk to people, you know that's true, that's true I have a feeling that, like either way it's, it's not easy on the parent, or you know the family and her, like I feel like for if I had to guess, I both sides probably are probably a little bit frustrating to work with I would imagine so too, so we will definitely be watching yep, we will.
Speaker 2:Um, okay to this. To my lifetime show I would also add forever 21, who has just announced for like the 10th time they're filing for bankruptcy. This time it seems really real because it plans to, quote, wind down its us operations unless it can find a buyer for the whole business or some of its parts. Um, now, I definitely remember when they filed for bankruptcy in 2019, just because at that time I was kind of shopping a little bit more there, not not so much anymore, but um, since then it survived as kind of a zombie brand with fewer stores. You know, malls in general are kind of going out of business and I feel like Forever 21 was always one of the big flagship stores at malls. But the chain has struggled to find life beyond the mall and now they have rivals like Timu and Sheen and a bunch of other people that are able to ship goods like very cheaply from China and other places. So, you know, I don't know, I have mixed thoughts on this forever 21,.
Speaker 2:They got bought out by um. They sold in the early. Uh, after the bankruptcy, the chain sold and I felt like ever since then their quality was already pretty low of clothes, but like since the sale it got even worse. Like they quality was already pretty low of clothes, but like since the sale it got even worse. Like they do collaborations with like bratz dolls and it just seems like even like 11 year olds don't want to wear it and, like you know, definitely women in their 20s and 30s kind of age out of it. Um, so it seems like almost the type of thing that just going behind the barn and just shooting it dead, it's the best thing to do?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think with Forever 21,. I forgot who was still in business.
Speaker 2:to be honest with you Really yeah, I think of it a lot just because it does have if you're going to a festival or something it does have good, cheap options. Yeah, remember a few months ago we talked about that fast fashion documentary and just about how all the clothes like wash up on the shore and stuff. I feel like Forever 21 is a big offender of that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think that, for whatever reason, a lot of the big box stores haven't made the switch to to online, to online.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Because the reality is they really only make money one time of the year, that's really at Christmas time, which is when most big box stores make their money.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:So to me it's amazing that no one has thought about hey, maybe we save this by you know kind of doing a model similar to Amazon, to where we put, you know, instead of you know, 80 to 90% effort into our big box stores, maybe we do 80 to 90% online, a small portion into the stores, and then the stores can act, as you know, like little mini warehouses, and then what you do is, instead of having these big, gigantic stores have a very small, a smaller footprint, because you know a lot of places only carry a certain amount of stuff in inventory the majority of stuff you have to go online to see, and that's how you save your brand.
Speaker 1:Um, but the the days of people walking in throughout the year to a store I think those days are gone.
Speaker 2:Right, especially in in exactly what you said about the online ordering and like forever 21's website I know for a fact cause I tried to order. It's like there's almost so much inventory that it's hard. Even like the cataloging system is weird, like if you type in red hoodie or something, then they're going to give you like sweatshirts with Mickey mouse on it and we cheap and confusing to use online, which I think a lot of people like me just get frustrated because the first like 10 pages of search results just look very cheap, but they're not conditioned to exactly like how Amazon gives us exactly what we want and we're able to like always find it pretty much on like the first or second page.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think what they think they're doing, because I've experienced that too in a lot of different places, where you put in something and you get all this other crap that you need to do. And most of it has nothing to do with what you put in there, and what they don't realize is that you're not showing me anything.
Speaker 1:You're really just pissing me off because it's like, okay, screw this, I'll just go someplace else. That just pissing me off, because it's like, okay, you know, screw this, I'll just go someplace else. That's all you're going to do. It's almost like when you go to the grocery store and every so often they change where stuff is because in their minds they figure well, we're going to make this person look at what's on the shelf. Now I can't speak for other shoppers, but for me. That just pisses me off. Yeah, me too. Me too, because now I'm running all over the store finding something that I used to be able to just walk in, grab and go.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I do, you're right. I think it's a lot of things too, because I feel like like women like me who kind of grew up on Forever 21, we're aging out of that and our bodies just like can't fit into like a teeny, weeny, extra small, like Hello Kitty shirt, which is what they're offering, you know, and so, and I also think you're right about the, the online situation too, where it's like if you just had a store that you could go into, but even the stores, too, are like teeny boppery, but that's not what, where the teeny boppers are going anymore. So it's like everyone is growing apart from the brand, and so, yeah, that's really interesting, but interesting, but and and I think people are just trying to be more, uh, economical and not like not go with fast fashion so much, or you know, I know I believe a lot of the younger gen z people are like thrifting more or just being more conscious than, like, my age was no definitely, definitely.
Speaker 1:And you know the thing is is even in the stores, when you see that they only carry um a certain up to a certain size. Yeah, and it's like you do realize like the bigger guys like me actually have the money to buy your product yeah, exactly like I'll go to forever 21 and I'm like this won't even fit on, like my right leg, or you know what I mean like it's it's a mini skirt that's like this big and I'm like I honestly would't even fit on like my right leg, or you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Like it's it's a mini skirt that's like this big and I'm like I honestly would shop here. I'm still in like arrested development. Like I you know I'm not ready yet to graduate to like Ann Taylor loft or you know whatever the the like grownup woman brands are. Like I still want to dress like I'm 15, but like, yeah, it's, it's not fair. Like it's definitely not fair and it's just gotten so. Like Tweety bird shirts, it's just like you know, no, 11 year old that I know would wear this, but also no, like 40 year old. So it's like who is your demographic now? And that's where I think like Timu and Sheen have gotten really cool. Like they, even though it's like fast fashion. Like they are, they're more stylish and they've kept up with the trends more, you know.
Speaker 1:That's true. That's true, I mean. The one thing about it is you have to be careful when you have niche stores like that, because if you don't have a huge following that's dedicated to you, it's very risky Because, like you say, people will grow out of those.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yep, I see Forever 21 a lot Like in the. If I ever like go thrifting at Goodwill or something. It's stuff that people tend to wear a few times and then just get rid of because the quality is not that good. Very interesting, I know. Last week we talked about Hooters going out of business and now it seems like all these big brands that we're seeing, like the Forever 21, the Hooters hopefully not Red Lobster, but all these ones we'll see.
Speaker 1:Yes, definitely, definitely so. We'll watch the merry-go-round on that one.
Speaker 2:Exactly, I will not be ordering the $8 Miss Piggy t-shirt, but yeah.
Speaker 1:Now talk about round and round again. It's amazing that we're Talking about this again, but An American Airlines engine caught on fire.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh no.
Speaker 1:Passengers say it was very nerve-wracking. It was terrifying. The Boeing 737, which took off from Colorado Springs Thursday, headed to Dallas, when the FAA says that the crew reported engine vibrations and the flight was diverted to Denver. Once the flight ended in Denver, the famous video is of people getting out, walking on the wing of the plane and moments later, a big fire on the engine.
Speaker 2:I can't Wait. Did you say was it American Airlines? Oh my gosh, come on. Did you say, was it American Airlines? Or what was? Oh my gosh, come on. Like if you're the PR person for American at this point, you're also, I mean, the aviation industry in general, but specifically American Airlines. But this one, I feel like I wonder if it is like a Boeing fault, or I know the bird flew into an engine, but it's like where are we going wrong with this? You know like what is. Or maybe a pilot is saying like we didn't go wrong anywhere with this and this was exactly like what was supposed to happen and everyone handled it well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, you know, thank God that you know it's very rare that we actually have a true plane crash where people lose their lives, but I don't know. It just seems like within the last six to eight months we've, especially within the last three or four months, we've had a hell of a lot of instances. Yes, your missus, you know playing a member of the plane that was upside down. Yeah, Engine catching fire. Remember, at one time you know tires and stuff falling off planes and stuff.
Speaker 2:Yes, oh my god and I think that's what's so scary too is like it seems like, you know, with a car, if you get into an accident, you're not guaranteed to be like blown up or like falling from the sky, and I think it's just so weird. Um, I was gonna say too that it made it seem like oh, at this point I don't understand how they can't make it so that birds can just like somehow get chopped up and not go in the onion in the engine and like it seems like for how, how, like high quality we've made planes like. Doesn't it seem like a bird should be able to go in there and somehow not like wreck the entire plane?
Speaker 1:You know what? I guess it depends, because I kind of think the same thing is like it's amazing that one bird can bring down the whole plane.
Speaker 2:I because I kind of think the same thing. It's amazing that one bird can bring down the whole plane. I know how. Have they not developed technology that is able to not have that happen? I don't understand.
Speaker 1:I mean, I would think that something as simple as a mesh wire on the front, and the only thing I can think of is maybe it interferes with either the weight balance on the plane or maybe the way the engine operates. But I would think that that would be such a simple.
Speaker 2:I know it seems like, because I feel like a bird in a plane has brought down a few. That has been a reason that you would think they would be working 24-7 on that to solve that issue. And in this day and age, if it's not going to be a bird, it's going to be like a random drone that someone's flying, or something.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but I'm just glad everyone got off safely.
Speaker 2:Oh come on, I'm going to start taking the train everywhere and I don't care if a bird gets a train. It's crazy. And imagine like if you're those people too, where you're just like already nervous and you're like okay, chances of anything happening, and now all of a sudden you're on the news running from a burning engine.
Speaker 1:Oh, definitely, Because I know they showed the passengers inside before the plane landed, how the I think the cockpit the plane started filling up with smoke too. Oh my gosh, I can't. I mean, it's just been crazy with all the stuff going on. You know, yeah, American Airlines have had a few issues, but you know, it's kind of been a few airlines, you know, with the near misses and stuff.
Speaker 1:Yes, and I don't know. Do you remember the story? And I want to say it was like maybe a couple weeks ago, where a plane, a passenger plane, was about to land and, for whatever reason, a private plane crossed paths and they had to veer back up in the air.
Speaker 2:No, oh my god. Imagine that I would like lose my cookies. I really truly may like get a prescription to Ativan or something like just a little tiny milligram for every single flight.
Speaker 2:I go on yeah it's been a lot of craziness going on lately, so I know which is so in like, because I really really used to have like severe flight anxiety and then I got over it and now it's like but it's crazy, how to have this? Because I used to have this like fear where it was almost surprising to me that I would like make my flight Like. You know what I mean. It almost gets how my body was feeling. But now and I know now like the chances of anything happening are still so minuscule and we hear like so many flights a day would go off without anything, but still like this does not help the nervous flyers of the world. That's true, that's true. So I used to like land and like cry and be like I can't believe. Like I landed in the pilot, everyone would be like why would you think you wouldn't land? It's just so weird. It's so weird, but I don't know. Okay, well, just as crazy.
Speaker 2:Um, kanye, I don't know if you've seen the craziness that came out this weekend between Ye posting some screenshots with Kim Kardashian, his baby mama and ex-wife. So on Saturday he posted a song called Lonely Roads Still Go to Sunshine on X and it's a new song by Diddy and it features Diddy's son, king Combs, and Northwest and the new Yeezy artist from Chicago, jasmine Williams. So, obviously, like, this just blew up and because people were saying, how can you have Northwest on the Diddy song? How can you do that? And before Kanye shared the track online, he posted screenshots of an alleged text between himself and Kim. He quickly took it down, but people were able to get screen grabs and it was saying kim was saying that she trade. Kanye can't do that because she trademarked northwest before and so basically, like, until she's 18, he can't use the daughter's vocals on a song, especially with diddy. Um, so this is messy and just crazy. I mean, it's just so weird to me that Kanye would want his daughter to be on a track with Diddy.
Speaker 1:Well, I mean, it doesn't surprise me, but I mean, we're talking about the same person that had his wife butt naked that's true At a horror show yeah, so this is the same person that tried to sell shirts with a Nazi symbol on them. That's true, so yeah, nothing.
Speaker 2:It's like whatever the worst choice is is going to be what he does and him posting the screenshots that Kim is writing honestly just makes her look like a mom that's trying to look out for her daughter. Kim's not acting crazy in the text, she's very even keeled. It doesn't change anyone's opinion of her.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I just feel it's sad with Kanye, because Kanye literally was he was either about to become a billionaire or he was a billionaire until he just started going left and, oh my God, I mean, he's losing money left and right. I know no one wants to deal with him anymore, you know, and it's like he's just he's literally killing his brand.
Speaker 2:Yep, he really is. And there's that saying like pick your partners wisely. I feel like one of the worst business and emotional and everything mistakes that Kim has made is partnering with Kanye to have kids. I feel like I would cry daily and be like why did I do this?
Speaker 1:But you know, Meryl Kanye always have been a little out there.
Speaker 2:But yeah, I I don't think anyone saw this coming no, no, I think he totally changed, like I think he was always a little bit, you know, probably like full of himself and arrogant and a little bit off the whatever, but like, I think he definitely changed a lot when they got together.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean like I said um, I'm I'm just really shocked at the stuff that he's doing. It's like it's getting worse and worse.
Speaker 2:I know it's also, don't you think, I mean, you're a parent, like, I guess, trademarking your kids names? I guess it's something that you have to do when you are Kim Kardashian or you're part of that family and people are going to be trying to Start like Northwest makeup lines and all that stuff.
Speaker 1:It's sad, but you have to do that, just because people will take advantage of your family. Yeah, it's sad, but you have to do that.
Speaker 2:You know you wouldn't think you'd have to do it against the baby's father, but yeah, exactly, that's a very good point where it's like you think of, of just like hungry shark business owners doing it, not, not the father. So it's just so weird and I feel like at this point, why is Diddy like releasing new music?
Speaker 1:It's just like, yeah, it's. It's amazing that cause I guess my question is when did he come? When did he work on this?
Speaker 2:I know, I don't know, and it features his son, which is like I feel bad for the son having to be involved with this as well. You know, like his teenage son is probably just trying to make it in the music industry and like now this yeah, that's true.
Speaker 1:I don't know. I just think it's a crazy combination right now.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But let's face it, there's not a lot of people lining up to work with Diddy right now either.
Speaker 2:No, the Northwest, it's crazy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we'll see. Well, let's see here. Ooh, this is a good one. Now. Did you know that there's a worldwide boycott for the Tesla?
Speaker 2:Oh is there.
Speaker 1:Big time. Oh yeah, in fact I know. In Chicago the dealership was vandalized. A lot of people are protesting, a lot of people stopped buying Teslas. A lot of people are selling their Teslas. They don't want to have anything to do with it. And I want to say the sales have been down so far as about a week or so ago About 15% worldwide.
Speaker 2:And that's probably why Trump did his Tesla infomercial, when he bought a Tesla. I don't know if you saw that when he was like I love Tesla.
Speaker 2:That was the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen in my life it really was and I'm like in the middle of wars in the economy and I'm like why are we, no matter what side you voted for this is just not needed for everyone. Who's going to get influence from Trump buying a Tesla if you're not? I just don't understand that, like and I'm happy honestly, like I said a million times, like with anyone voting for whatever they want to I still think this is like a such a weird thing to watch our president do. Yeah, and here's the reality of it.
Speaker 1:Do you really think Trump's going to be driving a Tesla?
Speaker 2:No, that's what a bunch of people said he's not. Could you imagine him charging it for like 45 minutes and just like the fact that he walked in and he was like everything's a computer and it's like, do we really need that? I think, obviously, like this is part of the, this is the main reason that it's gone down. So I wonder if, like, there's some level of him showing his support, because he also feels guilty, I'm sure on some level, for this happening. But I was just driving the other day and I saw it, because I mean, tesla is so big here in California, especially in LA, and I saw like a Tesla but then the bumper sticker said Elon, with like it crossed out. So that has to be a weird thing if you're driving a car and you like actively hate the founder and the whole company.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's true, and you know the reality is when you are a business person and you decide to get into politics. To me that's a dangerous thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Because what happens is, instead of people looking at you as just the owner of Tesla or whatever, now they're looking at you as a political figure and, depending on whether they like or dislike you, they're going to take that out on your company.
Speaker 2:Yes, that's very true. I would love to know, like a stat on when people do sell their Teslas, what, what they're going to, you know, like what the next car of their choices? I wonder what the trends are in that way.
Speaker 1:That's true. I mean, if someone really wants to stick with an electric vehicle, there are other options out there besides Tesla. Yeah, oh, yeah. So what's going to happen is you're going to have a lot of other manufacturers that are going to benefit from this. So what's going to happen is you're going to have a lot of other manufacturers that are going to benefit from this Yep?
Speaker 2:The Kamala Mobile? I don't know, Lovingly I don't want to drive like a Biden inspired electric car. I feel like I'm not very good at that. Yeah, I mean, that's so interesting and I think to me like the combination of this happening and the cyber truck being what's available on Tesla now is just like so crazy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's true, but I want to say there was a report that Elon lost what was it about? $140 billion. Wow, Even after losing that amount, he's still, you know, the richest man on earth.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But it's like $140 billion with a B.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's crazy.
Speaker 1:And it's like I don't know To me there's so much good that he could do if he really wanted to Me too, and I feel like knowing Elon if I had to.
Speaker 2:I mean not knowing him, but knowing what I've seen from him so far. Elon if I had to I'm not knowing him, but Knowing see what I've seen From him so far, like if I had To guess it's less even about the money and it's more about now people like hating Tesla or like turning them in, or you know what I mean like I feel like it Wouldn't even be the amount for him. It would be like the people viewing his Brand as, like, not high Value anymore that is so true.
Speaker 1:That is so so true. And you know, the thing is, I know he owns what is it? Spacex, spacex, yes, spacex, and the last two or three kind of blew up after takeoff. Yeah, I don't know. I think there's other things he could be concentrating on, because I don't think I'd be comfortable getting in that rocket going to go see anything I know because you know the vision is that.
Speaker 1:You know you and I well, maybe you I don't think I'll ever have that kind of money can pay to get on a rocket to go to the moon and come back, you know I'm not going, if I don't even want to go on like an american airlines flight that's two hours.
Speaker 2:I'm not going to go to the moon anytime soon, you mean tell me, if you had the money, you wouldn't want to do it. No, 0%. I barely want to leave my neighborhood. No, no, no, totally. I don't want to go Other planets, not so much Countries. Yes, I love going to other countries, but not planets.
Speaker 1:I hear you. Yeah, watching those rockets blow up doesn't give me a whole lot of comfort there.
Speaker 2:No, I feel like the beginning Teslas that Elon put out was the only thing of his that I like Him changing Twitter to X and Cybertrucks and SpaceX I don't really like his aesthetic. I feel like he doesn't seem to make things nicer. I don't think he improves on the design a lot for me personally. There's millions of people that feel differently, but I'm not always looking at what he creates being like wow, this is so much better now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think that most people buy a Tesla or buy the Cybertruck as a status symbol.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I don't think a lot of people think that those are sexy looking vehicles. I literally think it's a status symbol.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, it's so funny because I feel like the very first people that I could think of that wanted the Tesla when it came out were like my most liberal, like green friends, you know who just wanted to not obviously like go electric and that's like so crazy now that just the 180 that we've all done.
Speaker 1:Oh, absolutely, and I just have a feeling that it's going to get worse as far as people not buying those vehicles.
Speaker 2:Yeah, me too. We're in for a ride. I'm calling it. I feel like Elon's going to hop on a Kanye song pretty soon. That's going to be, Honestly, the pairing would make sense right 2026,. I could totally see Kanye and Elon putting out a diss track.
Speaker 1:You know, the scary part is that if that happened, no one would be surprised.
Speaker 2:No, I can't believe that already hasn't happened. I can't believe Elon hasn't launched a rap career yet too.
Speaker 1:That's true, not to say it won't happen, though.
Speaker 2:Okay. Well, this might be for a lot of people working at Tesla, this new trend of something called revenge quitting. So I mean, we've all heard of this and probably done it ourselves, but this made news week now about how many people are revenge quitting, which is when employees who feel undervalued or frustrated leave their jobs in a way that's abrupt and designed to cause as much chaos and dismay as possible. For example, if you're quitting, you know you wait until basically a busy Christmas season and then you're kind of giving the middle finger to everyone saying I'm out, you know, right at the worst time, giving the middle finger to everyone saying I'm out, you know, right at the worst time.
Speaker 2:I know a lot of jobs people tend to quit when, like their managers during that time, especially in sales or something, when they're like everyone, no one takes vacations, it's all hands on deck. I think that's a lot of times when people are like, nope, not me, I'm out, you know. And so this is, as with many new employment trends, it's largely being driven by Gen Z, as the younger generation's entry into the workforce has caused major shifts in the discourse just about the approach to work. And so I mean, I think a lot of people feel at this point they don't have the ability to revenge quit because the job market is so crazy that it's just, you know, not having a job doesn't seem like a very common thing for people that they want to have it. So, yeah, I want to know have you ever revenge quit anything?
Speaker 1:Well, I have left positions before Now. Supposedly you're supposed to give two weeks notice.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:There's a lot of industries, like the industry I work in, where you give your two weeks notice. You're gone either the same day or the next day.
Speaker 2:Right, exactly, and it's like we're logging you out of your password, your email, you know yeah.
Speaker 1:And you know, if once they do that, they're not obligated to pay you for those two weeks, even though you get two weeks notice notice. So to me I feel that why even play the stupid game? I'll just go ahead and quit. Right now we're done. You know, because technically, if they let you go, you have to say you were let go and then you have to explain why I actually get my two week notice but they let me go, blah, blah, blah. Okay, I'm gonna make it real simple for you. I'll just just quit.
Speaker 2:Exactly. Give me as much money as you possibly can and let me go.
Speaker 1:And I've seen people do this to where they leave right at the time where, let's say, there's someone coming in that they need to train, or let's say it's a busy time of the year. Oh, I've seen it done. And these are people that are really, really angry too, that have really been stepped on by the company. And the thing is what companies don't realize years ago, companies they're always going to look out for their best interest, but they at least made you feel like they care.
Speaker 1:And now it's the point to where they literally go out of their way to let you know that, hey, you're replaceable, you don't matter to us, we can go and get this on the next day. Well, now, especially with the younger generations, they're like OK, no problem, I'll return a favor.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly, and I'll leave you high and dry and I won't train the next person and like I understand where that comes from, especially if you're working something like a seasonal job and that stress is getting too high. You know what? Like I feel like a lot of younger kids are just like why am I? I don't need this, you know I can, I can leave, yeah.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, and you know the crazy thing about it, merle, is it's amazing If you lie, they can fire you. Okay, you know you're looked at real badly, but I mean, haven't you ever gone to a job and you've said to yourself these fuckers have lied to your teeth? Yeah, you know, maybe like 20 of what they said is true, but this is like, and exactly you try and like. Okay, you know you don't want to bounce around you you try and make it work. Well, that's not the thing now, especially the special young Gen Zers and all that the youngsters I tip my hat off, because once they figure out that they've been lied to, oh, they're out of there.
Speaker 2:Right. It is like a toxic relationship where we've almost just I feel like our generations have just been almost taught to be like hang in there or take it on the chin, you know all that stuff, because I, I would never, not, I would never. But I have never been in a situation where I have like revenge quit just because all my jobs seem to be more about like I feel like I don't take jobs that like quickly or feverishly, or like I really take my time before I like take the next job and I think about it, um, but it's definitely if I had had worked like a seasonal job, I could see myself at some point just being like I can't do this.
Speaker 2:You know I'm quitting immediately. But I don't think, even if my manager sucked, I don't think I would go out of my way to like screw up things just because of karma or just because I, you know, I would hope that. I don't know. I just I hate the thought of like leaving something a mess, even if the manager is annoying, just for the sake of having it be so disorganized. Yeah, that's true.
Speaker 1:I can understand that point.
Speaker 2:But I can see too. If you're working at McDonald's and people are just being customer after customer is rude. I can see a situation where I just throw fries at myself and just leave myself and just leave. Or with Starbucks, it's like I wouldn't be mean, I think, at the actual workplace. But I could see just being so fed up with like whatever the process is, that I would just up and leave immediately.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I can definitely see that. I mean, if you work in a minimum wage job. I can see them like revenge, quitting without even giving a second thought.
Speaker 2:I can see them like revenge, quitting without even giving a second thought. You know, yeah, yeah, exactly. And like I mean I think managers tend to some can drive people nuts and so sometimes like if they're harassing you or if you're not on the schedule and they're making you come in last minute and being passive, aggressive, then like yeah, I probably would, I'd probably be a little bit more on the like and where I just go someone and don't reply back to them and they get the hint eventually.
Speaker 1:But, um, I don't think I would like intentionally screw up a place, knowing that like it would be hard to to write that wrong.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's true, but you know, the thing is is that you reap what you sow yeah, exactly, exactly and that's, and I think, like more, managers need to be trained better too, so that this doesn't happen.
Speaker 1:That is so so, so, so, true Talk about bad behavior.
Speaker 2:Oh no, I think this is the one I'm ready.
Speaker 1:This is unbelievable. An American influencer she was a tourist that went to Australia, her name is Sam Jones and she actually went and took a baby wombat from the mother to go take pictures to put on social media. I mean, to me this is getting out of hand. This is just ridiculous. It's ridiculous. And the thing is is that you know Australia is thinking about deporting her yeah, from the country. And you know there's a few things here. One, the obvious thing of you know there's nothing wrong with taking pictures of nature.
Speaker 2:Don't go over there messing with them, right, and why pick it up?
Speaker 2:I know she said I wanted to make sure they're okay, they're on the side of the road, but, like you can see, the video is horrendous and like the video makes it look, I think, worse than even because, like the way that she's running to the car and like the mom is screaming and the baby is screaming, it's like how on on earth, like if you're an animal lover, what, how stupid you have to be to like take a baby from its mom and like I mean, if you're, if you're that concerned, then like grab something from your car and like usher them off.
Speaker 2:But but you should never like pick it up and like run to your car and then, like a lot of animals, the mom won't touch them after. If a human touches them, so like you know, the mom may shun it, or like not feed it and it could be left to die and stuff, and like it's so funny because I we talked about this before we went on air, but it was just some things make me like so, so, so mad and I feel like I don't know if I want her deported, but it's like I want her like taking off social media or like losing any brand deals and like it's just you know, you know my thing is, if you're so interested and caring and you want to get these pictures, here's an idea Find a grizzly bear.
Speaker 1:Yeah, with their kids Go grab one of their cubs, not when the mother leaves, when the mother's sitting there. Exactly, let's see how that goes out, exactly, maybe. Yeah, go find a polar bear with her cubs, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:A great white shark or tickets.
Speaker 1:maybe that would impress the hell out of me.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 1:You might not live to tell the story, but still you know, let's see you do that.
Speaker 2:Right, we all did young stupid things. But I was trying to think back like when I was a teenager. But I really pick up a wild animal and run, like laughing, towards my car and I could really say, like, of all the stupid things, no, I wouldn't do that because it's just, you have to have some thing. We all have this innate thing where it's like you just don't take a baby from its mom and run to your own car To be missing. That chip in your brain is so weird to me.
Speaker 1:In all honesty, Meryl, you don't see too many black people doing that.
Speaker 2:You know we, we don't play with wild animals like that.
Speaker 2:No, it's a, it's an annoying white woman thing and it's like it's and it really is, and it's like and I just don't even understand I don't. I don't it's so terrible and like I mean I don't know, of course, like the amount of anger I feel towards her is probably not justified in like what the actual punishment should be. But hopefully she really feels shame and like feels bad about it, cause I think I was seeing some posts from her that kind of seemed defensive and it's like okay, okay, this isn't that bad and like I do understand I think she was getting like death threats and everything, which I understand the emotion behind that, but that's obviously not the answer.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and she's lucky she wasn't bit, because some of those wombats can be very vicious.
Speaker 2:I know, or they have rabies, we don't know what they have, or any diseases or anything. I mean.
Speaker 1:I don't wish bad on anyone, but wouldn't it be something if that wombat mother bit her, and he did have rabies she did have rab babies, you know, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:I think it would be if I saw the story, because we always hear things about like okay, they got a selfie with like a buffalo and then it attacked them. But seeing the video is so cruel, how she just like keeps going towards her car and like actively separates the baby from the mom.
Speaker 2:I know it's probably like overblown how angry some of us feel, but it's just like I don't know. You could almost just feel, and if you're the mom, if you're the mom wombat, just like wondering why someone is taking your baby. It's just like so weird.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean it was kind of heart wrenching to hear the mother wombat screaming the way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't understand how you can do that as a human, I really don't.
Speaker 1:But and you know, I think it's more than just Sam, it's also the people that are with her, because obviously, when she was doing this nonsense, there was someone actually videotaping her doing it.
Speaker 2:I know and to post that It'd be one thing to have that happen and then be like okay, well, I felt really weird that I just did that.
Speaker 1:Like, let's take that down you know, yeah, but um, I think that, um, there's going to be places that that are getting you a little sick of this and again, when you do stuff outside of america, people forget this you're in a different country, which means you're in a different rules, so the the liberties that you enjoy in this country won't be the same all over again.
Speaker 2:Some countries, she'd literally be in jail for her life almost yes. There's some people that go to jail for messing with the rocks on the trees. Oh yeah, it's just so weird. I'd like to have some piece of forgiveness in my brain for like youth and stupid things, just because we're all able to make mistakes, but like this is just really like I wouldn't trust a person like that and I feel like you kind of have to be a crappy person to have done something like this.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree with that? I agree, but I think that at some point countries are going to get sick of this nonsense, and even in America they're going to get sick of this nonsense give up on their youth when they, after they've been touched by humans and they just like let them go, you know.
Speaker 2:So they kind of become like shunned by their mom. So even if you like return it after three minutes, it still is not good, that's true.
Speaker 1:Cause. The problem is, some people don't think about the consequences of their actions.
Speaker 2:Yep, oh, that got me heated.
Speaker 1:Let's hope that that she learns her lesson Exactly, you know. Again, I don't know what the punishment is, but there's got to be some repercussions to that, because that was just ridiculous that was just outright ridiculous.
Speaker 2:You know, I feel like this week the theme is we're smushing people together like Kanye and Elon, and now we're going to smush from last week, the woman that hit the other person in the head with a baton. I feel like that woman and the wombat stealer are now going to live together in a house. That's my punishment. They're going to share like a cell block and see what happens.
Speaker 1:There you go.
Speaker 2:Okay, well, my last one is pretty crazy. The US government paid people $5,000 to eat junk food for a month. A 20-year-old Florida college student named Sam Shrisada lived the dream life, if ever. So briefly, for a month, sam ate rich, fatty, ultra-processed foods as part of a scientific research study to see what happens to our bodies when we jam them full of bad stuff like chips, sugary cereals, chicken nuggets. He was the guinea pig from a research person named Kevin Hall from the National Institutes of Health, and so this is kind of crazy.
Speaker 2:I was just going to say what he had to do in the name of science. He had to get his blood drawn often and for long stretches so they could collect up to 14 vials at a time, and he had to go into this like metabolic chamber with an airtight room where he was slapped with a bunch of sensors that monitored how his body processed food and he could go outside. But for the most part, like this is a lot of work for $5,000 for a month to basically make yourself have an ultra-processed diet. Now, admittedly, I bet what he ate was a lot of what I eat normally in a week. But I was going to ask you, would you get paid. What would be your price to go through all this?
Speaker 1:I would have to have more than $5,000.
Speaker 2:Me too especially with 14 vials of blood, and like you're missing if you're missing a day by being in the metabolic chamber like it just seems like a lot of wear and tear on your body.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, and then the other thing too is, the research only looks at the short-term effect. Right you don't know what the long term effects are, Because sometimes people have issues going on in their bodies and unless there's some kind of symptoms you have no idea. So this kind of a diet can make it 10 times worse.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 1:You know you got to ask yourself is it really worth the 5,000? I know.
Speaker 2:I do it for 50,000 and then hire like a nutrition coach immediately. But also also, I don't know why I'm acting so shocked because I before this, I really just did have like a handful of chips and I was like, why don't you just pay me? I'm already living like this. I need to change my diet around.
Speaker 1:But and also, I think the important thing is do you have to do this every single day or only certain days of the week? That's true, that's huge, because if I have to do it every single day, I would not do it no but if it's like, okay, you have to do it three or four times and the money's right yeah oh no, you know exactly, and it's like a 20 year old kid.
Speaker 2:I mean thinking back to like I still eat this way a lot, but I think in college, like I was eating ramen packets every single day, like you know, and eating at the dining hall and stuff, so I feel like this was that's probably just like a fun way to make five thousand dollars and eat how you're already eating, you know that's true.
Speaker 1:I mean, if you're gonna do it for, do it, do it. Do it for young people because, let's face it, most of them are eating like that anyway, so they might as well make a few dollars doing it.
Speaker 2:So what's it called? Um, they're like the viral oh, those have you ever heard of. Like the bulldack noodles uh, they're ramen. I bet you'll probably see them after this. But they're like ramen noodles but they have like cheesy carbonara flavor, but they're so, so spicy and like the young people eat them. Like I mean by young people I also mean I eat them too. But but but they're like if you look at the ingredient list, there's like 70 things and everyone's like don't eat more than one pack in a month or you'll get an ulcer.
Speaker 2:Like they're very, very highly chemical all righty now yeah so it also like to me is like do we need a lot of research on what happens to the body? We kind of all know you. You'll develop diseases, you'll get hypertension. I don't feel like I need a study to tell me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's true. I mean, let's face it, roman noodles are good. Yes, they're definitely not something you want to eat every day.
Speaker 2:No, but they're addictive. Whenever I have a packet it's hard to like. That's definitely, like you know, the sodium, and everything does get addicting.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, and you know, the crazy thing about it is and I never understood this but healthy foods, even the simplest foods, are so expensive, where most of your fast foods are cheap. Yeah, there's no such thing as cheap anymore. Less are expensive. You would think it would be the other way around.
Speaker 2:I know I feel like to. Really, at the grocery store you really just almost have to buy single ingredients like an onion, a pepper, a sausage. Then it gets a little bit better, because I feel like if you're just buying whole ingredients and not the pre-cut up stuff, it's a little bit better because I feel like if you're just buying whole ingredients and not the pre-cut-up stuff, it's a little bit better.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's true.
Speaker 2:I get in trouble because I like to buy the convenient, the cut-up pineapples and the salads that are already made.
Speaker 1:But it's boring, oh yeah, I saw this one skit on social media and it's hilarious. Oh yeah, I saw this one skit on social media and it's hilarious, and it's showing this woman at the cash register and she looks up and she likes probably like about three or four items, and it's already two hundred dollars like oh, my god. She's like oh, my god, my god. And then the cashier is hilarious, like okay, okay, stop looking at it, you're only making it worse, we'll get through this. And then she puts one more thing across it $90. It's like what the?
Speaker 1:hell.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no.
Speaker 1:And I'm like this is hilarious, but so true though. It is you blink your eye and it's like wait a minute, Hold on. How is this $200?
Speaker 2:What the yes, and it's like, if you have the means to a lot of people, don't choose to buy the rice out of the bins and the big black beans that are. You know what I mean. It's almost like you really do have to trade time, because it's like soaking the beans and getting everything prepared. It's like you have to be so disciplined about it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's true, that's true.
Speaker 2:I really thought about taking DoorDash off of my phone the other day because I'm like I cannot, I need to delete that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like I said, we're not paying $20 for eggs yet.
Speaker 2:Right? Not yet, exactly Not yet, but who knows? There's ways to earn money if you want to be in a scientific study and gorge yourself full of cupcakes. There you go.
Speaker 1:Hey, even though with Twinkies they said, twinkies will last 20 years.
Speaker 2:I know they're probably still inside of us, right? We haven't gotten rid of Twinkies yet I don't know.
Speaker 1:It's one of those things where if you're going to enjoy it, enjoy it and don't look at the ingredients. Yeah, you know you'd be like what, what?
Speaker 2:What do you think like the most processed thing Like for me it, honestly, is probably ramen. Like what do you think the most processed thing that you like is or mine would be Doritos like Cool Ranch or regular Doritos.
Speaker 1:I, or mine would be Doritos Like Cool Ranch or regular Doritos, I would say probably potato chips, because as I've gotten older I've tried to eat a little bit healthier, so I don't eat a lot of stuff I used to Like. For example, I used to love Twizzlers, so it's like every Blue Moon I eat those.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Roman noodles. I don't eat anymore. I haven't eaten those in years. You know that's so good, even though they're very delicious, you know yeah, but it's almost like.
Speaker 2:It's almost like just close the can of worms and don't even go near it. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Like just to not even have it be an option now the one thing I used to used to eat growing up, but I will never eat now. You ever had those Vienna sausages?
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, those are so good, those are so good.
Speaker 1:So I'm like, okay, as you get older, I'm like, okay, I'm going to try to eat. And then one day you make the mistake of reading the ingredients. Oh my God.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yes, and there's some stuff like if I got a Little Caesars pizza or something, yes, and there's some stuff like if I got a Little Caesars pizza or something, then the next couple of days I just don't feel well, like my mood feels lower and I feel like so puffy and it's just. It's amazing how it really directly makes us feel oh, yeah because I rarely eat any red meat now. Really.
Speaker 1:Every so often, often. And the thing is it has to be good red meat when I do do it, because my body instantly, instantly reacts to it, because I rarely eat it now, yeah yeah, yeah, just so, like big and heavy, you could just tell the difference of like your mood and your creativeness and everything oh yeah, definitely.
Speaker 1:It's amazing when you give up something for a while, you really, truly don't miss it. Oh yeah, I think you would. You know, yeah, and there'll be. There'll be times where, like I haven't drank for you give up something for a while you really, truly don't miss it.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, thank you. Yeah, and there'll be, there'll be times where, like I haven't drank for like weeks or even a month or whatever, and then I almost feel hungover from the food. You know, like I'll have like a pizza party or something, and then the next, day. I'm like, oh my God, I actively feel hungover.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, definitely, Because your body is like hey, we left this alone, what are you doing?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's like you don't want dominoes, even though you definitely do Also right now. This is reminding me that I have a burger ready for me to make.
Speaker 1:There you go.
Speaker 2:Good timing.
Speaker 1:Well, talk about timing. What do you have coming up, Meryl?
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh. I have a fun show on Friday at the Comedy Store in Hollywood and I'm hosting it, so it should be very fun. So I will not have 10,000 bowls of ramen beforehand, otherwise I'd have no energy.
Speaker 1:Nice, nice, and you said, there's this Friday coming up.
Speaker 2:Yep this Friday at the Comedy Store in Hollywood. And, of course, if anyone ever comes to one of my shows and you're one of our listeners, say hi, because I would love to say hi to people.
Speaker 1:Oh, that would be awesome if they did that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I've had some from other stuff I've done. I've had some people come to shows before and I had one girl come by her and she was so cute. She came by herself and she was like so sheepish and nervous and I'm like oh my god come on Now. She's like my friend and everything Nice.
Speaker 1:Well, this was a fun, fun show.
Speaker 2:It was Also your teeth look so white and bright and healthy.
Speaker 1:Thank you, thank you.
Speaker 2:It's all the non-red meat that you're consuming, totally worth it for you.
Speaker 1:Well, I try, I try, I try. Well, everyone, thank you for watching. We had such a great time. Thank you all for watching and supporting us. Please continue to support us and tell as many people as you can to watch us and also listen to us as well.
Speaker 2:Yes, all the things.
Speaker 1:I am Lawrence Elrod.
Speaker 2:And I am Meryl Clemo. Have a great day everyone. All the things. I am Lauren Zellroth and I'm Meryl Clemo.
Speaker 1:Have a great day everyone.
