War, Media Mergers, And Everyday Fear for 3/4/26

We weigh the U.S.–Israel strikes on Iran with care, then unpack a $111 billion media merger, a public tragedy that demands empathy, how body standards get weaponised, why kids-and-cosmetics is a bad bet, and a chilling roommate poisoning caught on video. We keep the focus on people over headlines, asking for nuance, respect, and practical steps listeners can take.

• key facts on the Iran strikes and regional risks
• civilian harm, sleeper threats, travel and energy shocks
• listener questions invited with a call for respect
• why a Paramount–Warner merger could raise prices
• job losses, originality, and news diversity concerns
• suicide loss, 988 resources, and checking on friends
• body image, public shaming, and private struggles
• kids marketed anti-aging and cosmetic routines
• evidence-based concerns from pediatric experts
• roommate poisoning case and safety takeaways

Come hang out with Meryl Wednesday, May 13th in Minneapolis at Loons on the Lake

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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.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 1:13

Hello everyone. Welcome to this week's episode of Thirsty Topics. Hey, Beryl.

SPEAKER_00 1:19

Hey, hey, hey.

SPEAKER_02 1:21

How are you doing today?

SPEAKER_00 1:23

I'm really good. It's weird in this day and age to be like, I'm doing well, but that's because I I don't pay attention to the news unless it's for this show. So it's with a purpose. So I'm doing very well. How are you doing?

SPEAKER_02 1:37

You know what? I am doing great. Went uh went out with my wife for a couple times over the weekend. So I'm very happy about that. I'm looking forward to longer days and warmer days.

SPEAKER_01 1:49

I know.

SPEAKER_00 1:51

Yeah. I'm like, let me go ahead. Oh, I'm sorry, I was just gonna say I'm like, I I will wake up an hour earlier and be more tired if it means that it starts getting sunny at like 6 a.m.

SPEAKER_02 2:05

There you go. I'm looking forward to it getting dark much later now.

SPEAKER_00 2:11

Yeah, yeah, me too.

U.S.–Israel Strikes On Iran

SPEAKER_02 2:15

Alrighty. Well, I'm gonna go ahead and rip the band-aid off right now and um talk about the thing that um is really much the world is talking about right now, and that is um the United States and Israel uh bombing Iran. Um really did not think we'd be talking about this subject, um, but it is what it is. So um, based on the latest, um Trump on Iran, President Donald Trump told CNN's Jake Topper the big wave is yes to come in the war with Iran. In separate remarks, Trump said Iran ignored his warnings over its nuclear program, and he did not rule out sending U.S. troops to Iran if necessary. Um, one of the things that happened, of course, is that um um the leader over in Iran was killed um as a result of the strike. And also uh Iran has retaliated back, um aiming at um U.S. sites um along its borders and in neighboring countries. Um as of today, as of right now, four U.S. soldiers have lost their life as a result of this conflict. Um so from the Pentacon um uh briefs from the press, uh US Defense Secretary Pete Haskett called on Iranians to take advantage of the opportunity for a regime change, even as he said the war was not about uh was not about ousting the government uh in terrain. Israel and Hezbollah are trading blows as the conflict widens. While explosions have been heard in Gulf cities, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha, fighter jets shot down. Three U.S. fighter jets were accidentally shot down by Kuwaiti Air Defense and an apparent friendly fire incident, according to the US military. All crews uh are in stable condition. Global shockwaves, Qatar's state-run energy company has stopped its production of liquefied natural gas flowing and uh sorry, following an Iranian attack on this facility. This war has disrupted air travel with airspace closed in the Middle East. That's a lot to a lot to unpack.

Fears, Unknowns, And Civilian Harm

SPEAKER_00 4:57

Yeah. I mean, it's so scary, and of course, we're worried about like sleeper cell people here and and how it would directly affect. Um, I don't even know if you mentioned this. You might have already mentioned it when you were saying things, but there was like a shooting in Austin that I'm sure we'll talk about at some point, but it they they were thinking that it was related. Um, I'm sure we'll get into that. But like um, yeah, just obviously it's scary. Of course, it's very like nuanced too, because once again, like I feel like my perspective is a very privileged Westerner, Westerner where it's like, I don't know what it's like to live in Iran. I don't know. Obviously, like some of the people are probably relieved about their their leader is not great, but it's like the way that this is happening is not great, I think, for any country. And I just I hate war in general. I know sometimes over history it's been necessary, but um, you know, this type of stuff. I felt this way with the Israel and Palestine stuff too. It's like it's just so like to me, no civilians at all should die in any way, and it just seems like it's so annoying that we're fighting over religion and land in 2026.

SPEAKER_02 6:03

Yeah, that's true. I mean, there have been reports that um the regime there has been very brutal, and you know, a lot of people are celebrating uh his death. Um like I said, I never want to celebrate anyone losing their life, you know, even people that probably deserve it. But the one thing that's scary to me is that you know, while we're taking a look at what's going on, it's the unknowns. In other words, yeah, how long is this gonna be? Is this gonna be a few weeks, a few months, or are we in store for another full-blown war that lasts for years? That's the one thing we don't know. Um, the other thing we don't know, and you know you made a great point about it, is you know, the effects of you know sleepers waking up in the United States and other places around the world to harm Americans. Um there's a lot of unknowns with this situation, and I just think that people need to be really careful and you know, be vigilant, pay attention to your surroundings. And I don't know. I mean, I I really don't know how to comment on this one way or the other, Mill. What do you think?

SPEAKER_00 7:13

I know. I think this kind of stuff is is tough too, because it's like we have our opinions, but there's there's so much stuff we don't know. There's like our government involvement that we probably don't know once again. And um, it's so hard. Like, I've never even been to the Middle East. So for me to even like have an opinion about how they should feel or how we should feel about it is just so like I feel like that's such like a stupid, ignorant, like kind of Western, you know, American way to feel. Um, I just think about like like before, I think you mentioned too that they were hitting neighboring countries, and it's like watching people on vacation in Dubai in their hotel just watching bombs go by and like targeting innocent people, I think is just such a bad, um, obviously a sad thing for for all sides.

SPEAKER_02 7:58

Yeah, I mean the administration did acknowledge that um unfortunately there's probably gonna be more um more casualties as a result of this conflict. Um, the other thing that most people don't talk about is um the civilian casualties because no matter how careful you are, um there are gonna be some civilian casualties. Hopefully, it's to a minimum. But again, it's one of those things where we just don't know. And you know, I'm really curious to see what our listeners and the people watching us think. We would love to know your your opinion. What do you think about this conflict? Do you think it was a bad thing? And what do you think the future holds for for this conflict and you know for our country? Um, the only thing I ask is be respectful when you Yeah yeah, exactly. That's the only thing I I don't mind people having differences of opinion. That's a beautiful thing, but we still need to make sure that we respect each person's opinion and not make it personal. So that's that's my two-minute pitch.

Listener Reactions And Respect

SPEAKER_00 9:07

Me too. I I feel the same way, and it must be very tough for uh people, um Iranian people here, because it's like, you know, we want everyone to feel safe as well. And it's like people that live here that are Iranian that have nothing to do with this, and they just want to live like a normal life and you know, take care of their family and kids. And unfortunately, a lot of the like targeting when this kind of stuff happens now goes back to to that group. So um, yeah, it's not not good. And then I even think of like the innocent troops that are getting called over, and I think there's already been like four deaths for troops, and it's just I know this is what they signed up for, and this is like under the guise of freedom and fighting and stuff, but um, it just seems like some of it is kind of not it shouldn't be warranted nowadays, but it just it is what it is.

SPEAKER_02 9:55

That's true, that's true. Um, we'll definitely pray for pray for our troops and pray for our country, and you know, hopefully we get through this um without too many more casualties. So we'll see.

Hollywood Mega-Merger Shake-Up

SPEAKER_00 10:08

Yep. Well, uh a war that I kind of understand a little bit more is here locally in Hollywood. Um, we talked a little less serious, but still somewhat serious nonetheless, is uh Warner Brothers. And you know, like we thought a few weeks ago we reported on possibly Netflix and Warner Brothers merging and getting acquired, and then uh how that would look. But it turns out that um Paramount is now set for a$111 billion deal with Warner Brothers after Netflix declined to raise its offer, ending a month-long bidding contest. Executives say they plan to fold Paramount Plus and HBO Max into a single streaming platform aiming for greater scale against Netflix and other rivals. Um I thought this was crazy. The combined company would carry about$79 billion in net debt and Paramount CEO, so there's no plan to sell or spin off spin off cable assets. So just if you feel bad about your like$5,000 credit card balance, just remember that uh some of these companies have a debt of$79 million.$79 billion. Um now, obviously, what this like what a lot of talks are going into a bunch of different angles of this. The thing that I kind of wanted to talk with you about is the fact that this also may change how like CNN is, and you know, this this overall may change how the news is reported and the slant on things or the lack of a slant on things, and just the overall talk of like a monopoly owning so much um in one chunk.

SPEAKER_02 11:46

Yeah, that's true. I mean, one of the things that's interesting, Meryl, is you know, a lot of companies aren't trying to grow vertically anymore. What they're doing is just buying other companies to expand. And, you know, obviously it's a good thing on the one hand for a company to do that because it's instant growth. They're buying market share, they're buying, you know, resources. There's a bunch of reasons to do this. The negative thing is that it kind of ices out competition, and the other thing too is that um sometimes it doesn't lower the cost, it raises the cost because you have bought out your competition. Yeah. And um like I said, I mean it's it's one thing to to kind of merge, but it's the effects of the merge. Because a lot of times when companies merge, especially in a in the streaming channel, um, you have these mega companies where all of a sudden, well, this one streaming service was at this price. Well, now this one's at this price. Well, I doubt they're gonna lower the price of the other one. They're probably just gonna go ahead and raise the price of this one here because they're no longer a competition anymore. And the other thing too is, you know, what does it do to originality? Because each platform has its own unique identity as far as the type of programming that they do and also what they what they give their viewers to watch and enjoy. So it's it's um it's interesting, but the other thing too is in this environment, I don't think this merger would happen. Um probably under this under different administrations. Um I don't know. What do you what do you what's your take on this, Merle?

SPEAKER_00 13:39

I mean, I'm like I'm friends with people that are part of like the writers' guild and the SAG and stuff, and they they one of my friends and I respect a lot, she was saying, like, this is the worst of the worst, you know, situations of how we didn't want it to go. Um, but of course, it's one of those only like only time will tell things. They could, I feel like this could happen and we could there could be no difference and we can't tell any difference, or this can happen and then there's like no dissenting news and everything looks like Fox News, you know, like one way or another, or there's just no like diversity in our media. Um, but I still feel like then other things will pop up. So I don't know. I I tend to take like an optimistic view on this as well. I think maybe I'm just like detached from all these huge businesses and corporations in general, just of how I like you know like to organize my mind. But um, but yeah, it to me it's like one of those time will tell types of things.

Jobs, Prices, And Originality Risks

SPEAKER_02 15:29

Do you think it's a good idea for big streaming networks to um to merge like this?

SPEAKER_00 15:36

No. I mean, I mean, even from the the layoff point of view, I feel like a lot of people are gonna get laid off and Paramount is is going to keep a lot of their people. Um, and of course, like I do I see it here too, between like this writer's strike and COVID and everything. I'm my my friends in the industry are just like literally hanging by a thread of like their job. So I feel like this, I hope this doesn't come and um kind of wipe away a a next round of them.

SPEAKER_02 16:04

It's true, because one of the the dangers about this merger is there is gonna be some possible overlap, you know. Um as far as the content itself, maybe not as much, but when it comes to the back office, you know, there's gonna be some things where they may say, well, we don't need two of this type of department, two of this. We can either just get rid of one altogether. And then it also comes to the fact of uh are they positioning themselves to kind of go deeper into AI as well, too. So it kind of it kind of poses some questions that you know we don't really know the answer to, but it's it's gonna be interesting to see what happens through their lineup to see if they're gonna still run, I um run the way they're going now with the way you understand those networks to be, or are they gonna change the whole view to be more of a uniform?

SPEAKER_00 17:00

Yeah, I know. I keep saying only time will tell. We'll see. I I live right by Warner Brothers studio, so uh I can I'll do some boots on the ground journalism there.

SPEAKER_02 17:13

Oh, there you go. You just walk up.

SPEAKER_00 17:14

Hey, I'll expect to see the exactly it's like illegally blonde, where I'm like, can I just talk to the president? Or like, you know, I would like to ask exactly his opinion.

SPEAKER_02 17:27

Um my next story is uh another story, and uh, and I I just hate to be the bearer of bearing news today, because uh, but um as everyone is uh is well aware, Martin Short's daughter um has died by suicide. Uh Martin Short's daughter, her name is Katherine Short, uh was 42 years old. Um Martin Short's daughter has taken her own life, um, as confirmed by several media outlets, including TMZ. Uh the 42-year-old died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Law enforcement uh enforcement sources have told TMZ. Uh LAPD and the fire department responded to her Hollywood Hills home Monday, shortly after 6 40 p.m., where she was found deceased. A representative tells TMZ it is with profound grief that we confirm the passing of Catherine Hartley Short. The Short family is devastated by this loss and acts for privacy at this time. Catherine was beloved by all and will be remembered for the light and joy she brought into the world. This is so sad.

SPEAKER_00 18:46

So sad. Yeah, that's very, very, very sad. Um, and Martin Short always seems like a like obviously he's so funny and talented, but he seems like an intentionally private person. Um, this was the first time I had you know heard of his daughter, and obviously, like I'm sure he likes to keep his family life mostly private. So this is yeah, it's so sad.

Celebrity Tragedy And Mental Health

SPEAKER_02 19:09

Yeah, that's true. Um, I was actually surprised myself. I didn't even know whether he had kids or not. And no, me neither. And I think it highlights something very important. If you think about the success that our fathers had, um Hollywood royalty, okay, no question about it, um, has the fame, the notary, and the money, but yet felt that this was her only option. People gotta understand that when people are dealing um with heavy issues, serious issues, most of the time it has nothing to do with money or anything else. There's something that's going on inside of them where they feel that this is their only option. And I would say that, you know, pay attention to your friends, your family members. And if something seems off, just talk to them. You know, just sometimes just say, hey, you know what? I don't know what's going on with you, but you know, if you just want to shoulder the crown and just want to vent, I'm here. You'll be amazed, or even just something as simple as say, hey, I love you. You'll be amazed at how simple those words are that can have so much power because, and I know we we talk about it all the time, but you don't know what a person's going through. A lot of people are fighting demons and battles that no one's even aware of.

SPEAKER_00 20:28

Yeah, yeah, exactly. And sometimes, like, who knows what this what she was going through. And I think sometimes like people have we all have problems that seem like, okay, like it's pretty solvable to other people, but we just we think that it's like insurmountable, whether that's people a lot of times, you know, going through debt or feeling like they just lost their relationship or their job. And like we know looking from the outside that that's something that will pass with time, and that there's resources available to people for pretty much any subject that you can get into, whether it's like financial help, relationship help, you know, like physical help, but there's like nothing is really screwed. I mean, there's a few like diagnoses that are like, okay, you're kind of screwed. But other than that, pretty much anything can be like solved or worked out or anything. But I think especially for younger people, they feel a lot of times like these things, there's just no way around them. Um, or everything is fine and it's like a chemical imbalance, and that's its own sad thing, too. And you know, like medications can alter things, and so it's just very sad.

SPEAKER_02 21:32

That's true. And and you know, for anyone that's watching us or listening to us that are having suicide thoughts or in a very, very dark place, yeah. Just understand that you're not alone. Um, you can always reach out to the um suicide prevention hotline, uh, which is 988. Um, you can either give them a call, you can also text them. Um, just understand that you're not alone. And if you really feel on the brink of darkness, don't don't suffer in silence. Reach out. There are people that are there to help you.

SPEAKER_00 22:06

Yep. And you can always start over in your life, whether that's moving to a different location or finding a new friend group or finding new relationships. Like, it's amazing how much I've been in relationships before where I'm like, oh my god, this I'm never gonna find anything again, or you know, like nothing's ever gonna happen. And then all of a sudden it's like there's a new boyfriend, there's a new job, there's a new friend group, you know. So it's like situations can change very quickly or over time.

SPEAKER_02 22:34

So great point. Great point, Merle.

Body Shaming, Image, And Empathy

SPEAKER_00 22:38

Thank you. Um, well, this is another, it seems like the the children of celebrities often have some tough, uh, some tough times. Where Kelly Osborne fired back at cruelty over criticism over her appearance and weight loss. Uh, after attending the 2026 Brit Awards, where she accepted a lifetime achievement honor on behalf of her lead father, Ozzy Osborne. Kelly Osborne said she was flooded with body shaming comments. She responded on Instagram stories calling it cruel to attack someone who is clearly going through something and said that she's in the hardest time of her life. Okay. I have I have my honest thought, like, obviously, we should not be cruel to people. I I feel like you may feel a little bit different than me on this one. I don't feel like obviously like we should not be cruel or mean, but I do feel like her appearance looks, it looks shocking. And it's like, it's not something that I feel like should be like the Hollywood norm. And so I understand it's good that she's honest and saying like I am going through something rather than just denying and being like, no, I'm healthy and I'm happy, you know, because that's like a little bit gaslighty. Um, I feel bad being mean, I would never be cruel outward to her, but like when I did see how she looked. Like it looks ridiculous and it does look insane. And it it like to me it's not only about the weight loss. It like looks like some someone's Botoxed beyond belief. Um and I would never be mean to someone about it, but like I am being honest that as a human, like this looks crazy. It it looks crazy to me. Like that's my honest thoughts. And so I'm sorry if I feel that way. I would never like be mean to the person. I would just think it privately. But I don't know how more and more celebrities are showing up looking like emaciated and scary and Botox to the gods, and it's just like I think it's making normal people feel a little bit freaked out. And so unfortunately, Kelly is bearing the brunt of this, but um, like so once again, I don't think we should be mean to anyone ever, but I do I don't know what I want from her. Like, I don't know what, but it to meet the whole she does look alarming.

SPEAKER_02 24:46

Yeah, I mean, I could definitely uh see your point. Um, I just I I guess I have a couple of of different ways to look at this. Um, like for one, whatever reason, you know, weight loss has always been a thing in Hollywood. That's nothing new, but yeah, it's going to the extreme these days. Um with some people looking totally different with the uh the amount of weight that they've lost. Um, you know, whether they've been exercising, whether it's, you know, with a weight uh supplement. You know, we don't know, that's up to them. Um sometimes it's a good thing, sometimes it's health related. It's kind of hard to really pinpoint. But I do want to talk about when Chad Boswick made um when he made the movie Wokanda. And yeah, a lot of people were saying some harsh things about how it looks like he's on drugs, he must something must be going on, you know, he needs some help. Well, it wasn't discovered until later that you know he was battling cancer.

SPEAKER_00 25:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:53

And exactly everything switched dramatically. Like, oh my god, I am so sorry I did not know this. And Chad had a great team around him because no one leaked out what he was going through.

SPEAKER_00 26:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:07

And I hate to read I hate to say this and I hope I'm wrong, but I think that if the world or even his production company knew he was fighting cancer, I don't know if he would have been it if he was given that role. It may have been. I know, yeah. I would just say that, you know, everyone's gonna have their opinions, but just understand that sometimes you may not understand what's going on behind a person's issues, you know. Sometimes they could be going through something, and sometimes they could just say, F it, this is me. This is the new me, take it or leave it. You know, you just don't know.

SPEAKER_00 26:41

Yeah. Exactly. Like you think about like how I mean, to me, I am not a fan of how a lot of women are looking like so Botoxed and like kind of fake looking. Like I really miss the 90s when people looked like they just had normal faces. But but I love like how Joan Rivers was always just Botoxed and had you know all the lips and everything, but she was like, This is me, take it or leave it. So I think I think it's both. And I think like for someone like me, that if you don't like the way it looks, like even to me, like Emma Stone is looking weird now and stuff, then okay, like I don't try I don't go out of my way to consume that content. Like I, you know, like I'm not buying magazines, I'm not like looking at these people's Instagram. So if you don't like it, just I try to, you know, look away instead of being mean. So I I wouldn't I just would never like tell someone something mean. I might think it or whatever, but um, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 27:33

No, I I definitely understand. Um, I think that she may be still mourning uh her father's death.

SPEAKER_00 27:41

Um yeah, absolutely.

Kids And Cosmetics Concerns

SPEAKER_02 27:43

Because you know, it it's rough to be in the limelight, and you know, in the limelight, you you you have to put on a uh a brave face, you gotta be smiling, you know, you can't really show emotion. And sometimes people keep forgetting that these people are human, you know, they go through emotions just like everyone else. This person lost her her father, so um, she may be still going through emotions right now, and you know, it's probably 10 times worse having to deal with it in the in the limelight and in public.

SPEAKER_00 28:12

Yeah, yep, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 28:17

Well, my last topic for today is a very interesting one, and I would love to get your take on this, Merle. Cosmetic companies are targeting children under six, and it's a growing concern among pediatricians, child psychologists, and consumer advocates. Here's a breakdown of what's happening, who's involved, and why it matters. So, in recent years, cosmetic and personal care brands have increasingly marketed skincare routines for toddlers and preschoolers. And no, that's not a misprint. Toddlers, attention schoolers, uh, kit theme makeup kits, clean beauty products labeled, safe for babies, spa theme birthday parties, and influencer content. Much of uh driven by social media exposure, uh, parent influencers, uh, mini me beauty trends. Um I I tell you, this is kind of amazing to me. Um, some of the concerns that are brought up, which are very valid, uh, research shows that children from body image concepts as early as three to five, beauty-focused marketing may include reinforced um appearance-based validation, encourage gender stereotypes, normalizing, fixing uh natural features, and some of the chemical exposure risks include um fragrances, um flatties, uh heavy metals, and low-cost cosmetics and preservatives. Regulations for cosmetics in the U.S. overseen by the U.S. Foot Food and Drug Administration. So oh my gosh. I would love to get your take on this, Meryl.

SPEAKER_00 30:21

I I miss the days when uh when I was growing up, we would just paint our fingernails with like weird fingernail paint that I would just eat off and then not feel well. That was the extent of our uh spa parties and everything. No, I mean it goes back to just kind of what we just talked about, where I am not a big fan of like the altering of facial features, and I feel like it's starting more and more at a younger age. Um, you know, obviously these aren't like Botox, they're not getting Botox at age six, but I just think using expensive face products for like anti-aging when you're nine or something is just so ridiculous to me. And I miss kind of more of like the childhood type of thing, whether it's like more playful type kid stuff, like bubbles or you know, like actual kid type things instead of kids wanting to be little mini teenagers. Um, I am not a mom, but I could imagine like if I was one, I would love to do fun beauty things with my kid and like have little spa days, but it would definitely fall more towards like the younger end of thing and not like the mature Sephora end of things.

SPEAKER_02 31:28

Yeah, definitely, definitely. I'm just amazed that kids this young is really a target for come cosmetic companies. I mean, yeah, are they really that desperate for business or am I missing something?

SPEAKER_00 31:43

Yeah, and I think it's just the whole industry, like they want to get them thinking about anti-wrinkles and like you know, I've seen like kids that are 16 and 17 that are doing the same products that like 45-year-olds are doing, or you know, like anti-aging and everything. So, I mean, of course, like little girls and little boys are like going to want to do if it's a birthday party, like maybe they want to dress up or have like glitter in their hair or something like that, but I think it's becoming more like cosmopolitan and less kid-ish. So I'm I vote for like kids to stay their age as long as possible.

SPEAKER_02 32:19

I mean, would you be comfortable with your daughter at six years old, you know, wearing makeup and doing spot shoots and other stuff?

SPEAKER_00 32:30

No, maybe like like growing up, we had chapstick that was root beer flavored, like you know, that type of stuff where it's like the kissing coolers or they had uh like chapstick. So I feel like very kid type things I think is great. And and I like of course, like I wanted to practice with my grandma's blush, and like you know, you want you're kind of mesmerized by like older women's uh makeup when you're younger and you want to try it on and everything, but to me that's like a luxury that should be done supervised, not like uh I don't know, I don't really see like a six-year-old having her own like real adult makeup station. To me, it's should should still be kiddish.

Roommate Poisoning Nightmare

SPEAKER_02 33:10

Yeah, I I think that um I know for me I would not be comfortable with that at all. And I think another thing that we kind of forget too is you know, it's hard enough being a young adult, having to worry about peer pressure, having to worry about, you know, do I look good enough? Do I need to look like so-and-so? To me, that can, in a negative way, enforce those bad habits. And with some girls dealing with image issues as it is, I think this is just gonna make it worse. And and I could be wrong, I could be a thousand percent wrong, but I don't see self-esteem.

SPEAKER_00 33:53

Yeah, no, it's always gonna make you feel like I feel bad sometimes that I can't keep up with like new mascara and new perfumes and new makeup all the time. You know, like I think it's a it's a lot of money and time to keep up with like the latest trends and brands and everything. So I also feel for parents because this is going to make things more expensive once you kind of open up that monster.

SPEAKER_02 34:16

That is so true. That is so so true. So um, I don't know. I just hope that this train kind of breaks off because I think you know, six years old toddlers, I think that's way too young. Way too young.

SPEAKER_00 34:31

Yeah, me too. And and if anything, it's like pretend makeup, like little pretend blush or like mead four kids, and you know, extra sensitive things is is good.

SPEAKER_02 34:43

But uh that is so so true.

SPEAKER_00 34:49

Well, my last one is Cray Cray. Um, a California couple took a surveillance video that showed their roommate wearing a gas mask and hoodie while allegedly spraying a substance around their kitchen onto groceries and appliances. Um, so basically they they weren't feeling well, and uh their suspicions escalated after a visit where blood work suggested possible poisoning. Then they set up the cameras and they um police arrested Timothy Bradbury, age 42, and he was booked on a poisoning-related charge. Um the video is crazy. He's wearing a gas mask and he's spraying everything, including like pantry items, the coffee pot. Um, they weren't sure at first if it was like rat poison or wasp spray, but uh obviously like they weren't feeling well, they were both sick, and I think this is just so scary. And of course, like I get door dashed and Uber eats every now and then, and if I think about it too much, I'm like, no, I don't want anyone near my food. And every now and then I look I've been with my boyfriend for 12 years, and every now and then I'm like, you're not putting rat poison drops into my coffee, are you? Like, okay.

SPEAKER_02 36:01

You know, the crazy thing, bro, I saw that video multiple times. And I just got one question: what the hell did they do to him to make him want to do that?

SPEAKER_00 36:11

I know exactly, and like how did he think it's going to end? Because also a simple blood work test can like very easily a lot of times tell you about these kind of traceable poisons. Like, if anything, there's undetectable ones that you can probably look up, but like, but for this is just crazy. And the fact that he puts on like a full-on gas mask to do it is like that's really scary, and to me, that's like attempted murder.

SPEAKER_02 36:37

Yes, and you know the crazy thing, Merle, he wasn't in any kind of hurry. I mean, he was taking his time, he was making sure he's like, wow, I mean, what did they do to you?

SPEAKER_00 36:48

I mean, I'm just exactly or just move out. You this isn't your spouse of like 19 years that you're trapped with, just get a new apartment.

SPEAKER_02 36:56

Yes, that that's true, but wow, that was an incredible video to watch. And I literally had to watch it several times to see if it was real, and it was definitely real.

SPEAKER_00 37:06

Yeah, it made me, I think, I think for like one day I stopped ordering food and I just didn't trust anyone. But now I because I I always feel that way about um like open, you know, at grocery stores, if they have like not a buffet, but if they have like a to-go bar, like a like a hot bar at a grocery store store, I'm always like, what would it take for just one crazy person to like put droppers everywhere?

SPEAKER_02 37:31

Yeah, that is scary. I mean, to me, if I go to a uh a salad bar or a buffet or whatever, I do pay attention to where it's at. The reason being is that yeah, I want a place where I know that there's a lot of staff around that around that bar me too to watch it because you know, unfortunately, there are some people that do stupid stuff, you know.

SPEAKER_00 37:53

Exactly, that are just evil or in this case vindictive for whatever reason. Um, but I'm glad they caught him, and that's also I I'm glad it's always one of those things that like if you suspect something, go get it checked out, like don't say no for an answer because I'm sure people told them, Oh no, you're crazy, like your roommate would never do this, and then so it's like I'm in favor of setting up the camera and trying to you know find stuff out.

SPEAKER_02 38:20

Yeah, I would just say obviously, in this times where you know things are so expensive, I get it while people get roommates. But if if you can afford it, don't get a roommate, just just yeah, oh my gosh, we a whole not in a in a commit relationship with this person, think about it. You know what I mean?

Wrap-Up And Tour Plug

SPEAKER_00 38:42

Yeah, it's it's it's a whole separate literally one day when we do like a fun, just personal podcast that we can Jack and I had a roommate one time, and she like she was she had definitely had an issue with alcohol. And one time I came downstairs and she wasn't wearing any pants, and she was eating my my last slice of pizza. Wow, okay, it was as if like you it's like you can't write this kind of stuff who she was, and so anyway, I hope she's gotten the help she needs, but I I don't even know if she was like intelligent enough to spray to like get the poison to poison us, but it was okay.

SPEAKER_02 39:16

Something told me after that incident she wasn't there any longer.

SPEAKER_00 39:20

No, definitely not, and I and I remember her telling her, and she was crying while wearing no pants, and it was just okay, all right now.

SPEAKER_02 39:32

Another reason why you don't get roommates when you have a relationship, but exactly.

SPEAKER_00 39:38

It's not worth it just get a second job and just pay the mortgage that way.

SPEAKER_02 39:44

Well, Meryl, what do you have coming up?

SPEAKER_00 39:47

Okay, I'm gonna promote something far away because I mean in every aspect, location and time, in case we have people. Um, Wednesday, May 13th, I know I will be in Minneapolis, which is very exciting. Um, at a uh comedy festival called Loons on the Lake. And yeah, that's so if we have any Minneapolis people, come hang out with me Wednesday, May 13th.

SPEAKER_02 40:12

Sounds like a lot of fun. So hey, mark it on your calendars. Merrill's giving you plenty of time to get over there, and I'm quite sure she'll mention it again beforehand.

SPEAKER_00 40:22

So uh every minute, every minute. So, yeah, any of our Minneapolis peeps, come on out.

SPEAKER_02 40:29

Well, everyone, thank you so much for watching and listening to us. We really appreciate your support, and we also um do appreciate your comments that you leave on there. Um, and you know, any comments that you want to tell us about our show, maybe some suggestions or some ideas, definitely feel free to share that with us on any of our uh social media platforms. Well, everyone, enjoy the rest of your day. I'm Lawrence Elrod.

SPEAKER_00 40:58

And I'm Merrill Climo.

SPEAKER_02 41:00

Take care, everyone.

SPEAKER_00 41:02

Bye bye.