What is diplomatic immunity? Part III: Shadow Diplomacy

At first, it sounded too good to be true: grass that never died, never wilted, and never gave way to weeds. Major league baseball hailed it as one of the greatest innovations in the world of professional sports. As thousands and thousands of 'astroturf' fields sprouted up across the US and Canada -- and then spread to playgrounds -- adults and children alike enjoyed seas of endless, verdant green. Until, that is, the reports came in. In today's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel slide headlong into the home base of a troubling conspiracy decades in the making: Does artificial turf give you cancer?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.

21 Apr 202359min

As chaos reigned across the Korean peninsula from 1950 to 1953 in a war that has still not officially ended, one group of US soldiers found themselves overwhelmed by an object they couldn't identify. A sphere -- apparently metallic -- capable of changing color and moving at unimaginable angles. In today's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel explore the story of a UFO that may have led to the creation of Project Blue Book.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.

19 Apr 202357min

Sure, we worked way too hard for that pun in the title, but it's a serious question: CERN, or the European Organization for Nuclear Research is one of the world's largest, most prominent centres for scientific research. The experts at CERN use the world's largest and most complex scientific instruments to study the fundamental building blocks of matter, and over the years it's become the subject of numerous rumors, allegations, concerns and conspiracy theories. Join the guys as they delve into the fact, fiction and controversy surrounding CERN and the Large Hadron Collider.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.

18 Apr 202355min

When University of Vermont student Jessica Card modified a Furby to use ChatGPT, it eventually informed her of plans to take over civilization. The US is rocked by a massive intelligence leak. More news emerges about Ye's controversial Donda Academy. All this and more in this week's 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.

17 Apr 202351min

Even if you're not a fan of social media, you've probably heard of TikTok. In recent months, countries around the planet have enacted bans on this app, due to security concers. As we record, the US is also considered a nationwide ban on TikTok -- but, according to critics, there may be another conspiracy at play. In today's episode, Ben and Matt explore the allegations and rumors surrounding the RESTRICT Act... and what this might mean for the future of online freedom.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.

14 Apr 20231h 2min

The Grand Canyon is a breath-taking natural formation, and every year more than 4 million people visit. Despite its popularity, areas of the canyon remain dangerously remote, and it’s no secret that numerous people have disappeared in or around the canyon over the years. But what if there was more to the story than missing couples and individuals? Is it possible that an entire civilization went missing in the canyon?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.

13 Apr 202353min

How do we ensure rulers of a country obey the laws they create? Not too long ago, the FBI ran against this question during a sting called ABSCAM. While they originally planned to bust art scams, the project grew bigger and bigger -- and, eventually, the FBI conducted sting operations on Congress. And Congress, apparently, conspired to make sure this would never happen again.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.

12 Apr 20231h 4min

For centuries people in countries across the planet have reported seeing mysterious, glowing lights that appear to move of their own volition through the darkness. Whether you call them Ghost Lights, Spook Lights, Will o' the Wisps or any other number of names, chances are there's a local version of this legend somewhere in your region. So what exactly are these things?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.

11 Apr 202357min