High & Low

After spotting Tik Tok creator, "Current Fixation" Substack writer, and bestie, Lauren Skae, in the Dave & Busters episode, I knew I had to get her perspective on what it's like to witness peak reality tv in progress. She brings us into her experience as a friend attending Janet's birthday party, what it's like to see yourself on Bravo, as well as her opinions on the show and cast members she's interacted with. We delve into why she's Team Janet, our agreement that Jesse has a billionaire fetish, acknowledging that just about everything and everyone is an ad now, and how we can put regulations on podcast equipment for men. BONUS: a mini dive into NYC hotel heiress Leona Helmsley

All opinions are personal and not representative of any outside company, person, or agenda. Information shared is cited via published articles, legal documents, press releases, government websites, public videos, news reports, and/or direct quotes and statements, and all may be paraphrased for brevity and presented in layman's terms.

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Part Two of a thorough review of Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams picks up with Chapters 12-18. As the author begins to experience life working for Facebook as a new mother, the reality of how that milestone is viewed by her colleagues becomes apparent. More equally chilling and amusing insights about Sheryl and Mark are shared, including her experiences being included in Mark's luxurious travel, his private jet preferences, and the work, or lack thereof, that went into courting various governments. Awkward executive level dynamics and personalities continue to be revealed via Sarah's outsider's perspective as we witness her slowly becoming more jaded with each passing chapter. BONUS: a rant on Andrew Jackson 

Books/biographies about Andrew Jackson: 

Life of Andrew Jackson by James Parton

The Passions of Andrew Jackson by Andrew Burstein 

American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham

Fathers & Children: Andrew Jackson and the Subjugation of the American Indian by Michael Paul Rogin 

All opinions are personal and not representative of any outside company, person, or agenda. Information shared is cited via published articles, legal documents, press releases, government websites, public videos, news reports, and/or direct quotes and statements, and all may be paraphrased for brevity and presented in layman's terms.

Wanna support this independent pod? Links below:

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As the group enjoys their first episode without Jax by preparing to celebrating Janet's birthday, Kristen and Nia have a girls trip to a fertility acupuncturist, and Danny drops a bombshell on Luke during their bros babysitting date - one Luke feels compelled to share. Jesse continues to court Kristen by inviting her and Luke over for a tea party where he expresses frustrations about Michelle. Then, drama kicks off at Dave & Busters with the impact of what Danny told Luke finding its way back to the group. BONUS: a recap of the Aftershow at the 1hr mark 

All opinions are personal and not representative of any outside company, person, or agenda. Information shared is cited via published articles, legal documents, press releases, government websites, public videos, news reports, and/or direct quotes and statements, and all may be paraphrased for brevity and presented in layman's terms.

Wanna support this independent pod? Links below:

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Another rundown of the most horrifying news of the week, with a comedic take. George Santos' sentencing, more unjust deportations - this time of several U.S. Citizen children, cutting funding for 360 federal grants, arresting Judges, White House lawn signs, Karoline Leavitt's debts from illegal campaign donations in 2022, bad news for Elon and Zuck, and two shocking interviews with the President.

Find your representative's contact info at USA.GOV

All opinions are personal and not representative of any outside company, person, or agenda. This podcast is hosted by a United States citizen, born and raised in a military family that is so very proud of this country's commitment to free speech. Information shared is cited via published articles, legal documents, press releases, government websites, public videos, news reports, and/or direct quotes and statements, and all may be paraphrased for brevity and presented in layman's terms.

 “I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” - James Baldwin

Wanna support this independent pod? Links below:

BuyMeACoffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/BBDB

Venmo @TYBBDB

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A conversation with friend of the pod, and longtime Kyle supporter, Sarah Galli about season highlights, lowlights, and where the show goes from here. From guarded storylines, hypersensitive topics, and untouchable dramas, the reality of this reality show is that it's been lacking for a few seasons. We discuss all the ways The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills devolved into a surface level farce where viewers are expected to be thankful for crumbs. 

All opinions are personal and not representative of any outside company, person, or agenda. Information shared is cited via published articles, legal documents, press releases, government websites, public videos, news reports, and/or direct quotes and statements, and all may be paraphrased for brevity and presented in layman's terms.

Wanna support this independent pod? Links below:

BuyMeACoffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/BBDB

Venmo @TYBBDB

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jax's recent display of irrational anger and violence comes to a head in this episode when his friends and family encourage him to admit himself into a facility. As he's packing to leave, we witness another volatile argument with Brittany when she confronts him about breaking their rule not to have women stay over at their family home. That argument culminates in Brittany calling Jax out for substance abuse and leaving him speechless when she asks if he could pass a drug test. Meanwhile, Jesse and Michelle have a confrontation that ends with her bursting his shiny, new, love bubble. Zach's boyfriend Benji agrees to move in with him for the summer, Kristin tries to get through to Jax about the severity of his situation, and Janet laments her attempt to rebuild a friendship with Kristin. BONUS: recapping highlights from the AfterShow 

SAMHSA -Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/locators 

All opinions are personal and not representative of any outside company, person, or agenda. Information shared is cited via published articles, legal documents, press releases, government websites, public videos, news reports, and/or direct quotes and statements, and all may be paraphrased for brevity and presented in layman's terms.

Wanna support this independent pod? Links below:

BuyMeACoffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/BBDB

Venmo @TYBBDB

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week brought more headaches for former Fox (Entertainment) "News" host turned Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Amidst whispers of chaos at the Pentagon, Pete ranted about the media on the White House lawn as attendees enjoyed a holiday dedicated to a risen savior by rolling expensive eggs and learning about corporate sponsorships. As more Federal agencies and jobs are dismantled, a whistleblower submitted a report on DOGE's concerning activity to remove sensitive data. Meanwhile, Harvard became the first major university to refuse to comply with administration demands, setting off a chaotic but amusing game of chicken. Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland made good on his promise to go to El Salvador and try to get Kilmar Abrego Garcia out of CECOT, speaking with him under supervision and with shameless efforts to sway the optics of their meeting. The judicial branch is still fighting back, with one judge moving forward to hold the administration in contempt for violating his order, and with the Supreme Court at a crossroads in the hell of their own making. Through it all, RFK Jr. continues to remind people why no one should listen to him - ever. Also, a bunch of women in skin tight bodysuits and glam went high up in the air in a rocket shaped like a penis and got upset when no one thought it was cool. 

Send a letter to the Supreme Court at: 1 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20543

All opinions are personal and not representative of any outside company, person, or agenda. This podcast is hosted by a United States citizen, born and raised in a military family that is so very proud of this country's commitment to free speech. Information shared is cited via published articles, legal documents, press releases, government websites, public videos, news reports, and/or direct quotes and statements, and all may be paraphrased for brevity and presented in layman's terms.

 “I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” - James Baldwin

Wanna support this independent pod? Links below:

BuyMeACoffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/BBDB

Venmo @TYBBDB

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Season 2 premier starts with an alarming update as viewers are brought into the aftermath of an alarming fight between Jax and Britney, one bad enough to result in everyone encouraging him to seek professional help. Then, we flashback to a week prior and see Britney's efforts to find her own place within the friend group, and the world, independent of Jax. Jesse and Michelle navigate contentious divorce proceedings and co-parenting drama as they both establish new relationships. Kristin and Luke are still focused on starting a family - and standing by Kristin's comments revealing Janet's rumored conversations about Michelle from last season. Now that Janet has had her baby, she wants to mend the issues with Kristin, but still has it out for Zach. Nia and Danny continue to debate where to move and when to have another child, Jasmine and Melissa are getting more serious, and through it all, we're reminded of what it looks like when people actually "mention it all" on a show. 

All opinions are personal and not representative of any outside company, person, or agenda. Information shared is cited via published articles, legal documents, press releases, government websites, public videos, news reports, and/or direct quotes and statements, and all may be paraphrased for brevity and presented in layman's terms.

Wanna support this independent pod? Links below:

BuyMeACoffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/BBDB

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The last segment of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Reunion is a meeting that could have been an email. Beyond seeing Garcelle pushed to her limits, the conversations ruminate on mostly tired topics, save for new crumbs of information from Kyle about Mo - per her tried and true formula to dangle the possibility of progress at the very end of a stalemate storyline. Dorit finds joy in exhaustively berating Sutton as Boz chimes in to support her new bestie's endeavors, Erika publicly states that Tom Girardi is incompetent, Sutton can't break free from the trap of seeking clique-acceptance, and the additions of Kathy/Jennifer Tilly continue to provide much needed comedic relief. Despite Garcelle starting the reunion hoping for a cast photo, when the moment comes AFTER the reunion has completed, she opts out and leaves, and no one follows to check on her - until it's too late. 

All opinions are personal and not representative of any outside company, person, or agenda. Information shared is cited via published articles, legal documents, press releases, government websites, public videos, news reports, and/or direct quotes and statements, and all may be paraphrased for brevity and presented in layman's terms.

Wanna support this independent pod? Links below:

BuyMeACoffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/BBDB

Venmo @TYBBDB

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The summary of yet another chaotic week kicks off by acknowledging the testimonies of Liz Oyer and Rachel Cohen, both of whom have been mentioned previously for standing up to pressures from the administration in their own ways. From there, we cover the impact of losing CDC and DOJ personnel, Project 2025's warped progress, how more "loyalists" are showing their fealty, the SAVE Act's pink poll tax, and blowback from placing steep tariffs on China. However, most news pales in comparison to the significance of Kilmar Abrego Garcia still not being returned from a maximum security prison for terrorists in El Salvador after being mistakenly sent there - and the added enthusiasm that U.S. citizens deemed "monsters" could be next.

Find your representative's contact info at USA.GOV

All opinions are personal and not representative of any outside company, person, or agenda. This podcast is hosted by a United States citizen, born and raised in a military family that is so very proud of this country's commitment to free speech. Information shared is cited via published articles, legal documents, press releases, government websites, public videos, news reports, and/or direct quotes and statements, and all may be paraphrased for brevity and presented in layman's terms.

 “I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” - James Baldwin

Wanna support this independent pod? Links below:

BuyMeACoffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/BBDB

Venmo @TYBBDB

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.