Thirsty Topics podcast

Pickleball, Disney, SNAP, And Drake for 10/25/25

• Lawrence Elrod & Meryl Klemow

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A boom in play shouldn’t mean a spike in ER visits. We start with the surprising rise in pickleball injuries—especially eye trauma—and break down why close-court power shots, poor warmups, and casual “it’s just a game” habits lead to serious harm. We get practical about prevention: stretching, hydration, protective eyewear, and dialing down the aggro so a social match doesn’t become a medical bill.

The tone shifts oceanside with a harrowing Disney cruise story: a child fell through an open porthole after posing for a photo, and her father jumped in after her. We unpack the hard questions this raises about design standards, clear barriers, and parental assumptions. Safety on cruises—and in any public venue—depends on layered safeguards and unmistakable cues, so families aren’t left guessing where glass ends and open air begins.

Then we get urgent about the possible halt of SNAP benefits during a government shutdown. With tens of millions depending on food aid, delays would push families into impossible choices and cheaper, less healthy options. We talk time poverty, the myth that assistance funds “junk,” and why community support, nutrition education, and policy stability matter for real health outcomes and dignity.

We lift the mood with a story from Long Island, where more than a hundred teens rallied around a bullied boy for a supportive bike ride—proof that Gen Z and Gen Alpha often choose empathy at scale. To close, we break down the Drake vs Kendrick chapter that reached the courts: a judge dismissed Drake’s defamation suit against UMG over Not Like Us, framing it as opinion. We explore the blurry lines between art, brand, and law—and why the best response usually lives on the track, not in a filing.

If you enjoyed the mix of cultural analysis, practical takeaways, and real talk, follow the show, share this episode with a friend, and leave a quick review to help others find us.

Tired of surface-level inspiration? This raw, transformative documentary digs deep into turning pain into purpose. Mainstream platforms wouldn't touch these powerful stories of resilience, but you can access them now on elrodvnetwork.com.

Tired of surface-level inspiration? This raw, transformative documentary digs deep into turning pain into purpose. Mainstream platforms wouldn't touch these powerful stories of resilience, but you can access them now on elrodvnetwork.com.

Tired of surface-level inspiration? This raw, transformative documentary digs deep into turning pain into purpose. Mainstream platforms wouldn't touch these powerful stories of resilience, but you can access them now on elrodvnetwork.com.

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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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SPEAKER_00:

Hello everyone. Welcome to this week's episode of Thirsty Topics. I'm Lawrence El Rod.

SPEAKER_02:

And I'm Meryl Climo.

SPEAKER_00:

Hey Meryl, how are you?

SPEAKER_02:

I'm doing so awesome. How are you doing?

SPEAKER_00:

I am doing fantastic. Another week of craziness.

SPEAKER_02:

I know.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, we're gonna start off with something kind of fun here. I can't even believe this is a story, but it is. Um, there has been a huge surge in pickleball injuries.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00:

Pickleball injuries have surged as the sports popularity growth. With a recent estimate of over 1,200 eye injuries in 2024, most injuries are caused by being hit by the ball, followed by balls and paddle strikes, resulting from common issues like uh corneal abrasions and lacerations. Though more serious injuries such as orbital fractures and retinal detachment have also occurred. Experts are recommending that the governing body, USA Pickleball, develop evidence-based guidance for protective eyewear. What's interesting about this story is one, I am really shocked that these injuries are happening. So I saw some videos. Now, pickleball, you're actually a lot closer than tennis. Okay, first of all. Okay, I've never played pickleball. You know, I'll I'll put that disclosure out there, but you're relatively close. And I see people hitting the ball so hard, it's it's like they're spiking a volleyball, they hit it so hard. And I'm telling you, if I'm only three or four feet away from you and you hit me that hard that close with ball, yeah, I'm gonna be fighting.

SPEAKER_02:

Uh you know, that's the pickleball is gonna be somewhere where the sun doesn't shine or like the racket or whatever.

SPEAKER_00:

And when I saw this, Meryl, I was sitting there thinking, what the hell's wrong with these people?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah. I I have a friend um whose husband tore his Achilles heel from playing pickleball. And she it was so funny because she was always complaining, saying, and I I I feel like this might be the case for a lot of pickleballers, where like he would go straight from work and then it would he'd play like an hour of pickleball in the middle of his workday, and she would always say, like, you're not stretching, you're not taking any precaution, you know, you're just like coming from work, you have coffee, they're just showing up and you're playing pickleball. And and she was like, I don't know if she manifested it or what happened, but um one day he like turned really fast and his Achilles heel just like snapped and he had to have full surgery and everything. And I think I think maybe what's happening too is a lot of people are just like not treating it as like a real athletic sport, they're just kind of treating it as something that you're doing to like meet up with friends after work or in the middle of the day.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that's true, but I I'm really shocked. I mean, I don't even think I heard this many injuries for tennis, you know.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, me too. Because I feel like people take it more seriously. I cannot take whether it's ping pong or like pickleball, when people are just as a joke, they like slam the ball. How you said I it's because I feel like injuries happen on their own from just running around and turning and just accidentally getting hit. But like when you're people slam the ball, that is I that is like one of my pet peeves the most in this holy world.

SPEAKER_00:

So if you're like three feet away from your friend and your friend hits that ball so hard it like hits you in the eye and you have a black eye.

SPEAKER_02:

Like, I'm not kidding, I seriously would probably not like the person anymore. Like our friendship would be ended not only because of that action, but just because the someone that does that is just like not my type of person. You know, like I don't really want to surround myself with someone that is like that uh flagrant of a player.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I mean you even see it like when when older men my age they play basketball, and for whatever reason they think they're in the NBA, they're not. And yeah, they ripped their, you know, they they hurt their knee, they ripped their their tendons, and it's like, dude, you know, you you're not in the NBA. Why are you taking this so seriously? Relax, you know?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. I had a friend that signed a very single friend looking for like a husband, and she signed up for pickleball because that's what someone said. Oh, that's where like the cute guys are in like their 30s, and it was her and like a bunch of 80-year-old people, so she's like, Well, I'm friends with them all, but like maybe they have a grandson, but it's all people in their 80s.

SPEAKER_00:

I take it she's not 80, right?

SPEAKER_02:

No, no, she's 32, looking for a husband. But I mean, maybe that would be actually a very cute way of meeting someone, is like their grandson, you know. But but that's to say, too, it's like these are people that aren't really warming up for the sport, and like it might be the only activity they do all week is getting on the pickleball court. So I could see I can see why injuries happen.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that's true, that's true. I just I I still just say it's for fun, you're not getting paid for it, relax, enjoy the game.

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly. Just have it. I feel like that's what makes tennis fun too, is just when you have like a nice volley. To me, it's like that's what's fun about the game. The same as ping pong. I just like the people that have to make it into like this weird aggro thing that just ruins everything.

SPEAKER_00:

I agree, I agree. So next time you play pickleball, Meryl, you know, have you got fun.

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly. Well, with every sport, I'm like so cautious. That's why I I used to ski growing up and I just can't do it anymore because I'm too much of a hazard to like myself and other people, where I'll just be barreling down the mountain screaming like I'm out of control. So so I only stick like pickleball would be something I would do, but with someone that was like, okay, let's go slowly and like safely. You know. But it's and stretch and drink water. That's I feel like everyone should do that whenever you're about to do something athletic.

SPEAKER_00:

I agree a hundred percent on that.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep. Um, well, Disney this past month has definitely been having its own, not only with like the Jimmy Kimmel Disney stuff, but then Disneyland and Disney World, there was like an older woman that passed away inside the haunted horror thing here in Disneyland, and then unfortunately there was just someone that took their own life um at Disney World who jumped out of a window thing. That's a whole separate thing. But now uh a young girl who fell out of a Disney dream cruise was told by her mom to pose in front of an open porthole, cop said. Um, a five-year-old girl who plummeted 50 feet into the ocean off of a Disney cruise ship was asked to pose in front of a port uh porthole by her mother just moments earlier. And uh her father dove in after her, which like totally a hero, you know. What father wouldn't do that? And um he lifted his daughter up on the railing before she slipped. And I just think, I mean, that definitely is a lawsuit waiting to happen if there's like an open porthole or something, you know. But I just think people need to be more careful on on cruises. But I mean, what are the chances you don't really think you're gonna fall? Like, I understand people think not to jump off, but like falling through a porthole is not really an expected thing.

SPEAKER_00:

No, and and the thing is, is too, is that must have been one large porthole for a child to just fall right through it.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, well, um except for like a five-year-old, you know, can like squeeze in, like she probably was really little. Um, and then at first, criminal charges were recommended against the mother, but then after finding the incident, it didn't equate to any like negligence or anything. And so, um, I mean, if that's true, and it's the Disney crew's fault, talk about that girl's now set up for college and beyond Disney University.

SPEAKER_00:

That's true. I mean, do I think the mom did it personally? No, I don't. I I think it was I think it was maybe not the greatest idea in the world, but obviously she did not, you know, meant to cause harm to her child. But you know, it's just some things is like I don't know. I don't I still say the common sense thing just kind of kicked. It's almost like when you see people and they still do it today, go to a gas station, they fill the car up with key and ignition, oh yeah, and then someone jumps in and drives off with your vehicle.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

It's like this has been happening for how long now?

SPEAKER_02:

And you still I know yes, I just I think all of us are so like just overloaded with emails and phones and everything that it's we need to like just take a minute and be like, what am I doing in this world? Okay, like calm down. Um, it also said the mom assumed that the porthole had a window or plexiglass, and she thought that her daughter would be caught by the glass, but instead she kept falling. But it's like, why would you even think that like a glass is gonna catch your daughter?

SPEAKER_00:

You know the crazy thing is I kind of was feeling sorry for her at first before you said it.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, exactly. It said she was walking along the deck when the mom pointed to the opening and offered for her daughter to take a picture in the porthole.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay now.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

That changes a little bit.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, so it's just I don't want to say stupidity because I don't know if the I don't not say the mom is stupid, but we all do stupid things, you know, like it was it was a stupid moment and something happened.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I don't think I would be putting my child in a porthole.

SPEAKER_02:

No, but you know lawyers and attorneys are clamoring to like be on the on the team of the parents because they probably do have like at least maybe not even a lawsuit, but Disney will probably settle with them for like a big chunk.

SPEAKER_00:

As large as Disney is, I'm quite sure they've already settled that very fast.

SPEAKER_02:

For sure. Yeah, yep.

SPEAKER_00:

Wow. That's interesting. I did not know that part of it.

SPEAKER_02:

It's like go there, the glass will catch you.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, um, something that I do want to bring up that's really not a funny matter, it's actually pretty sad. Um, and this is based on unfortunately things going on um with the government shutdown right now. So millions of Americans are at risk of losing their SNAP benefits. Um SNAP benefits um is another way of saying food stamps, you know, that's what they call it now. So starting November 1st, if the government shutdown continues, the USDA may not have enough funding to disperse um them uh the people that's on on the SNAP program. States has started warning residents with some potentially halting November payments entirely. Oh my gosh, as the shutdown is resolved, recipients should immediately seek local food banks and community support and ensure that all of their personal information is updated with their state SNAP program. And the sad part about this, Merle, is that approximately 42 million Americans or about one eighth uh one in eight people are at the risk of losing food assistance.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh my gosh. Yeah, that's so sad. I mean, I know a few months ago we talked about the fact that some people are having to put their meals on like payment plans, you know, just to even have dinner, they have to like put it on Klorna or something. And I think just to cut it for no reason, that's not solving any issues, like of what I feel like it's not doing what they think it's doing. And like that's also not helping people get back on their feet and like find a full-time job if they don't have one, or even with full-time jobs, people that have like a family of four, it's still so so so expensive. Like this everyone I know, even like families that are making like normal livings and full-time, it's just it's like so expensive. I definitely feel it at the grocery store too. It's just it's so scary.

SPEAKER_00:

This would be catastrophic because um there's a lot of people that the snap program literally is their lifeline for food.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And now you're gonna have a situation where you could potentially push a lot of Americans in the poverty level without having a snap program and also having to make a decision. Do I keep the lights on? Do I put food on the table?

SPEAKER_02:

I know, exactly.

SPEAKER_00:

Or do I put food on the table? Yeah, no one should have to make that decision for their family. No one.

SPEAKER_02:

Totally. And I think it also doesn't help make America healthier, too, which I know is whole the they want to make America healthy again, quote unquote, because I feel like people are going to the first thing that's gonna happen is they're going to like opt more for fast food or like really cheap things, you know. And I I think there's like this misnomer that people that use food stamps are using it for like only Cheetos or, you know, just like kind of trashier food, but I don't I think that's farthest from the case. I feel like a lot of people are buying like pantry items and healthy things that they need to feed their families. So I think one of the things that's gonna happen is people are going to go to like McDonald's and Taco Bell and the cheap options more frequently, and then that's going to make everyone like a just an even sicker nation.

SPEAKER_00:

I totally agree with that. And and the other thing too is unfortunately you're gonna start seeing a lot more theft, a lot more shoplifting now because people they don't have the benefits, they don't have the money, and they need to feed it's it's a it's a tough situation, it's a really tough situation.

SPEAKER_02:

I know it's so weird. Like, I just I mean, I know that's like a socialist economy, but I feel like we should be entitled if you pay taxes to just like a hundred dollars worth of like fresh fruits and vegetables like a month or something, you know what I mean? And the I don't know, it seems like if you're like a citizen living here, you should have like some access of like, oh okay, I get like this many fruits and vegetables that I can go and like pick up a month or whatever.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, yeah. And and the sad part is Merle, is lawmakers still get paid while the shutdown goes on. Then you have the construction happening at the White House, which is a whole different story all by itself. That's still going on right now, even though it is a government shutdown. So it's it's kind of like, you know, and then plus, you know, again, there's a lot of people that have strong opinions on both sides of the uh of the aisle when it comes to the ice agents and stuff, but that's not free to have them, you know, spread out coming into cities and stuff like that. That's not free. So you're literally spending hundreds, even billions of dollars on all these different things, but then you'll turn around in the same breath to say, well, we don't have money for this and money for that. That gets old after a while.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep, I agree. Yeah, I think it's I think it's very beneficial to have that. And I think the more education we can do, teach everyone, like no matter what income, of how to like use fruits and vegetables and potatoes and onions and more whole foods. And in the long run, like that, those actually are way cheaper than like fast food, you know. But we just have to learn a lot of people don't know how to make it or don't have the time. And a lot of these people are working full-time and like taking the bus to their job and taking it back, and then you don't have time to come home and like make a be chopping onions for an hour if you have like kids or whatever.

SPEAKER_00:

That is so true. That is so true. But man, I I I hope it doesn't come to that. But I mean, it's already the the twin, you know, we're already towards the end of October, so it's not looking good at all, you know.

SPEAKER_02:

I know. I don't know how, but during the pandemic, like they just gave me snap. I was just getting random, like I was on unemployment because my our radio job had just ended, and then I don't know like what happened, but they also were like, now you're receiving this, and then it was like a two-month mistake or something. Then I have to say I did not people I don't have kids or whatever, so and I was getting like weird stimulus checks and everything, so I did not use it very well. I think I didn't go to Whole Foods and like buy a lobster and stuff. So I I am part of the problem, but I feel like normally nice people use it very uh when they need it, you know, for their kids and their family.

SPEAKER_00:

Wow. So did the system you without you asking for it?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I like I think it was just something like when I got set up with unemployment, I don't know what happened, but it was just like during the stim or during the pandemic, you know that part where like the stimulus checks were coming and then they were like, and you're getting another 1500. We don't know why. And so I I should have saved it, but I remember getting a card in the mail, and then I'm like, what is this? And then I went to the grocery store and I was able to use it, but okay, hey. That was the best, it was the best like two months of my life, but then uh then I was like, okay, it got taken away. Well, that is serious, and I hope it um changes, or I hope people step in. And but I have some some good news for us is that um on Long Island in New York, more than a hundred teens rallied around um a young boy named Tyler Roche Tilden for a bike ride to remember after he was bullied. I thought this was a cute little like extra dose of sweetness that uh, you know, just when we think teens are bad and bully each other, this was a good story. So he um he was bullied and needed extra kindness, and I think a lot of teens just like instead of piling on, they surrounded him and cheered him on. Um, and he was, you know, he did his bike ride, but I think that's extra cute.

SPEAKER_00:

That is a great story.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. So I I think sometimes like the new generation, like Gen Z and whatever Gen Alpha, whatever is after them. I think they can surprise us in really good ways because I do think they're exposed to like so much of good and bad that I think they can quickly like have personalities and make opinions. And I think I don't know, sometimes like they they act even better than we do.

SPEAKER_00:

I agree, I agree, and you know, we do need to see some kindness in the world with all the craziness going on.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, I've noticed that too. TikTok, like the young, young people, they don't stand for like bullying and meanness. Like, I think our generation, like the millennials, can sometimes have a very sarcastic sense of humor or we're kind of like snarky to each other, but the young people are like very nice. Like I've seen uh the other day there was like a very overweight woman dancing in the mirror, and she was kind of like, I feel ashamed of doing this, so I just wanted to dance. And like the younger people were so so so nice to her. So um, if anything, their sensitivity helps in that realm.

SPEAKER_00:

That's true. Do you think we're gonna see uh maybe more stories like this with all the craziness going on?

SPEAKER_02:

I do, I definitely do. What do you think?

SPEAKER_00:

I hope so. Because um you know, with all the stuff, Chris, we need to balance the news out with some good, some good topics to talk about, you know.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, and maybe the trope of like the geeky person at high school gets bullied, maybe that was like leaving with our generations, and maybe now it's a new one.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that's true. That's true. But I do have to say we have been seeing this coming up quite a bit, you know, good stories like this. So I would just say let's just keep it keep them going, you know.

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly. If anything, the young people are just bullying the millennials, not each other, they're nice to each other, they're just mean to us.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, the last topic of the day is very interesting. Um, a judge dismisses Drake's lawsuit against his own record label. So, are you watching the the the the uh keeping up with the Drake, Lamar Kendrick uh beef that's going on?

SPEAKER_02:

Um, okay, once again, very unpopular take. Very, very I am I know I'm unpopular take, but I did I'm like a little bit more team Drake, don't be mad at me. But like I especially I did not think Kendrick did that well, the Super Bowl. I understand the good parts of it and that it was very significant in many different ways, but like performance-wise, I just wasn't a fan. Um I know this is people are gonna not like me for this, so I don't know. I'm kind of secretly rooting for Drake.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, a federal judge has dismissed Drake's defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar's hit this track, Not Like Us. The ruling marks the legal culmination of a prolific feud between Drake and Lamar that spanned much of 2024 when the two rappers dropped a slew of tracks aimed at each other. In January, Drake, whose real name is R.B. Drake Graham, sued his record label in the U.S. District Court for of the Southern District of New York, accusing UMG of defaming him by promoting Not Like Us, which contains lyrics accusing Drake of being a pedophile. Uh Lamar was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit. Um G, which represents both Drake and Lamar through different divisions, fired fired back in March with a motion to dismiss, claiming the suit was no more than Drake's attempt to save face for his unsuccessful rap battle with Lamar. In her decision on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Jeanette Vargas granted the record labels motion to dismiss, stating that the alleged defamant uh defamatory statements in Not Like Us are non-actionable opinion. Now, what's interesting about this beefs between rappers and artists have been going on for years. Um what was interesting about it when when Not Like Us came out, I was probably one of the very few people that knew it was a diss track, to be honest with you. Really? Until it started getting, you know, a lot of uh a lot of talk for the Super Bowl. But it is one of those things where you know, if you have a diss track and you're going back and forth, you really can't sue anybody because you don't like the records, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah, exactly. I think this does make Drake like suing does make him look like a little, you know what, like especially the people that don't like him, they're like, oh, go cry about it. You're gonna like sue me instead of you know working it out in the remix, as they say. Um, I feel like I feel bad for Drake for this one because I mean everyone was like piling on him and just kind of weird.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and and you know, it's one of those things where sometimes you get the best of a person, sometimes they get the best of you.

SPEAKER_02:

I know. I I feel like both of them are very talented and smart, and probably both of them have like skeletons in their closet and are probably not what we think good for worse for better and worse in the public eye. You know what I mean? Like Kendrick is not like a angel savior person, the way like it I feel like it's not good versus evil. It's like two artists that probably have like nuanced lines.

SPEAKER_00:

It seems like since they had this beef though, you haven't really seen anything from Drake, or you know, Drake's been kind of low-key.

SPEAKER_02:

Maybe it's just I know I think he's been like touring in different countries and stuff. He had to leave America.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, he could say face and say, Well, you know, I'm not really from America, he's a Canadian, so he could say face and say that.

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly. And it's probably because like I am coming from the perspective, like of I am like an annoying white girl, that I think to me, like Drake has more. I know I understand Kendrick is probably like the better musician and all around the better lyricist, blah blah blah. But like to me, like Drake has more music outside of this beef that like I would listen to, or that you know, but that's expected with like my annoyingness.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I I I I just wonder how awkward it is now that you've sued your label. That's you know, you still can't find it now, you know what I mean? That's gonna be an awkward, you know, type of situation.

SPEAKER_02:

Exactly. And and I do think like calling someone like a pedophile or something is that is like slander. That is so I wonder if there's different workarounds, but then when you're doing it in music, I wonder if there's like a clause that it's like, oh, if you're expressing yourself or he didn't fully come out and say his name, so like how would he know it's exactly about him? You know, who knows?

SPEAKER_00:

That's true, or what you could do is just find a uh an excellent record producer and then go out right back at them, you know.

SPEAKER_02:

I know, and it's crazy too because it's like everyone, both of them probably want the last word, but like I think at this point, like just let the beef fly into the world and you know end peacefully.

SPEAKER_00:

That is true, that is true. But talk about the world. What's going on with you, Meryl? What do you have coming up?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, okay. I know I keep promoting this, but I mean, if you're not Drake or Kendrick, you have to promote your own shows. So I'm looking to have beef with anyone, but I don't have it. Um, October 29th at the La Jolla Comedy Store, and it's a pretty funny witches show.

SPEAKER_00:

So yes. Well, if you're in the area, make sure you come out and support Merle. She would definitely appreciate it. So much. So I want to thank everyone for watching our show and listening to us on podcast. Make sure that you tell everyone who we are and follow us as well. I'm Lawrence Elrod.

SPEAKER_02:

And I'm Meryl Climo.

SPEAKER_00:

Take care, everyone.

unknown:

Bye bye.

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Lawrence Elrod

Host
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Meryl Klemow

Co-host