Listener Mail: Mobile Phone Tracking, the Psychology of Healthcare, The U.S. is Firing So Many People
Anonymous Fed provides a chilling first-hand experience with the US government's recent and sudden moves to fire, lay off, or buy out numerous federal employees amid a flurry of other intensely bizarre moves -- Ben shares aspects of the now-infamous "Fork In The Road" email. Cosmic asks about favorite Magic:The Gathering cards, as well as the psychological effects of private healthcare. Curt prompts a deeper conversation about the fact and fiction surrounding mobile phone surveillance, Faraday grifts, and the nature of secret government programs. All this and more in this week's listener mail segment.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
6 Helmi 56min
Accident or Murder? The Mystery of the Manchester Pusher
Manchester, England is a city with an amazing history and -- according to some -- a terrible secret. For years a rumor has been spreading, first through local circles, and now across the globe. Could all the tragic deaths and disappearances near canals and waterways really be accidents, as law enforcement maintains today? Or could there be something more sinister at work... an active serial killer, operating with dark impunity? Join Ben and Matt as they delve into the harrowing theory of the Manchester Pusher.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
5 Helmi 1h 16min
CLASSIC: ODESSA: The Secret Nazi Escape Route
As World War II drew to a close, multiple Nazi officials saw the writing on the wall: Germany would lose the war, and members of the Nazi party would have to answer for their crimes -- if, that is, they were caught. In a desperate bid to avoid justice, various factions of the SS and other Nazi officials created secret international escape routes called ratlines. Just how big was the operation? Tune in to learn more about the mysterious organization called ODESSA, and why it remains a subject of intrigue and controversy in the modern day.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
4 Helmi 55min
Strange News: Chinese Corgi Cops, Massive Tuberculosis Outbreak, ICE Cream Trucks, The Doomsday Clock, DeepSeek, and More
A Chinese Corgi Cop loses his bonus. The largest tuberculosis outbreak in US history is occurring, right now, in Kansas. A Las Vegas ice cream truck is mistaken for an Immigration and Customs Enforcement -- or ICE -- truck. The AI company DeepSeek sparks a massive stock selloff. Pope Frances officially dissolves Sodalitium Christianae Vitae. All this and more in today's weekly strange news segment.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
4 Helmi 1h 7min
Horror in the Jungle: Crossing the Darién Gap, Chapter Two
As the only land bridge between South and Central America, the notorious Darién Gap is a lawless, unforgiving region through which thousands of people, every year, traverse in search of survival and escape. In the second chapter of this special two-part series, Ben and Matt explore the harrowing reality of making this passage. Beset with bandits, crime, corruption, cartels and danger, innocent people are hoping against hope to survive the horrors of the jungle, and arrive at a better place in the north.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
31 Tammi 1h 12min
Listener Mail: Chimera, The Bible, A Controversial Salute
Griffin explores the nature of chimera and ethics.Oz Woman prompts the guys to quote the Bible. Marvelous Marvin has questions about salutes. All this and more in this week's listener mail segment.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
31 Tammi 1h 4min
Horror in the Jungle: Crossing the Darién Gap, Chapter One
If you look at a world map, you'll see one tiny stretch of land connecting South, Central, and North America. As the only break in the great Pan-American Highway, the Darién Gap has long been one of the world's most inhospitable places. It's rife with crime, disease, and danger. Yet, in current decades, this single geographic chokepoint has evolved into what some describe as a migration 'superhighway' -- every year, thousands upon thousands of innocent people risk their lives traversing this lawless land on foot, hoping against hope for a better life in the north. In the first chapter of this special two-part series, Ben, Matt and Noel explore the history of the infamous Darién Gap.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
29 Tammi 50min
CLASSIC: Secret Rooms, Secret Societies and an Unexpected Guest
When the guys get together to trace the story of secret societies, they aren't expecting a surprise guest to crash their podcast, revealing first-hand experience with some the most elite, secretive organizations in the United States. Wait. How did John Hodgman get in here?They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
28 Tammi 34min
