Squaring The Strange

First, we run down the "mysterious monoliths" found so far, and get a special call out to Louie Raffloer, the blacksmith who created a much more true-to-Kubrick monolith back in 2001. For our main segment, we are joined by Dr. Leo Igwe, who tells of the latest witchcraft accusations and attacks he and his organization have fought against in Africa. Dr. Igwe delves into some of the factors that cause this dangerous type of superstition to run rampant in the region, and lays out steps that Africans, as well as the rest of the world, can take to help end it. Dr. Igwe's goal is to end witchcraft persecution by 2030, and if you wish to support this cause, you can donate at BetterPlace.org (click "English" at bottom right, then search for "Advocacy for Alleged Witches Nigeria.")

Ben, Celestia, and Pascual discuss the otherworldly monolith that's popped up in a remote part of Utah, and Ben shares another in his series of "used book mysteries," this one perfectly timed for the election. For our main segment, we have a lengthy discussion with newly minted CFI fellow (and just plain jolly good fellow) Kenny Biddle. Ben and Kenny bring up some of their investigative heroes, lay out some principles of skeptical investigation, and tell us why they have a passion for digging into cold-case mysteries. Good advice to be had for anyone who wants to sharpen their investigation tool set.    

After some chatting about the recent election and alleged voter fraud, we dive into the Ghost Army, a tactical unit of hoaxers in WW2 that saved thousands of lives by pulling off elaborate frauds complete with sound, improvisational theater, props, and set design. Joining us is Col. Francis Park, Ph.D., a military historian who has a few stories about tactical deception from other eras.

Ben and Celestia go through a timeline of the different ways people have tried (or pretended) to chat with dead people and get meaningful information back. Join us as we go from rap-tap-tapping to mysterious music to written words, then books, then actual recordings of a ghost's voice! Or so the theory goes. Spiritualism was of course a major development in the "technology" of dead communications, and we pay special attention to the intersection of social forces at play in that movement and what benefits it bestowed upon its female practitioners.

In this episode Pascual takes the helm and brings us some audio goodies to puzzle over. Several lawsuits have resulted over pop songs that are too similar to each other, and while some are cut and dry, others tread into that weird, philosophical territory of "what is originality, anyway?" Are we all a necessary, determinate product of our creative influences? Are notes but simple ingredients that can only be combined a certain number of ways, so we should expect recurrent themes in music on a cyclical basis? We go from pop music to the much, much older operas and even Gregorian chants, to look at the "universality" of particular note combinations that are recycled endlessly without most listeners ever knowing it. Plus, alien music!  

Ben brings in two guests, Scott Mardis and Darren Naish, to discuss two different instances of alleged "baby" versions of lake monsters and sea serpents. These cryptozoological cuties have made waves a few times in the history of monster lore. Whether it's pipefish in pails, pickled puppies, or plesiosaur progeny, there's some strange things afoot with these tall tales of terrifying tadpoles.

After some chatting about current and upcoming events, we dive into a mysterious entity in a women's toilet in Bangladesh. Ben brings his love of ghosts and mass hysterias to the party, as we examine all the cultural and folkloric factors that play into why female factory workers are experiencing ghostly (or djinny?) encounters in the loo.

Who would fake their own abduction? It turns out, plenty of people. Whether it's the "runaway bride," who says the stress of wedding planning made her snap, or the McDonald's worker who claimed a maniacal clown kept her from getting to work, hoaxed kidnapping cases end up taking time away from legitimate crimes as well as creating fodder for news and social media. Why do people do it? Some crave attention or simply paint themselves into a corner with one lie leading to another. Others narrate a harrowing tale on Facebook about how they narrowly avoided a kidnapper's grasp. People also lie about kidnapping attempts upon their children--or they invent fictional kidnapped children in order to make their stolen car into a high priority carjacking. Ben has researched kidnapping hoaxes for decades and brings us his thoughts on the patterns and repercussions from these bizarre crimes.    

First, Ben, Pascual, and Celestia discuss the recurring social media uproar about why something isn't being covered by the media, as well as the recent public concern over disappearing mailboxes. Then for our main segment, Ben celebrates the 25th anniversary of his favorite cryptid beastie, the chupacabra, and we examine it's past, present, and future as a legend. Ben digs into his original notes about the very first sighting, and shows us some interesting discrepancies that are always overlooked in the chupacabra lore.

Susan Gerbic, of Guerilla Skepticism on Wikipedia, joins Celestia and Ben to bring us up to date on her recent psychic research and writings, as well as her team's ongoing efforts in shoring up the information on various Wikipedia pages in response to pandemic misinformation. Ben shares his thoughts on one of the last public theatrical events he attended before Covid-19: the Theresa Caputo Experience! We compare and contrast some of the psychological tricks and showmanship involved in a psychic's stage performance and how people get sucked into a celebrity psychic's crafted image.

This is a bonus episode (free to all, as I'm not clicking the box that says "charge patrons for this creation"), wedged between episodes 126 and 127, in which we chat about recent rumors floating around the interwebs--often intersecting with Covid-19 fears and the ever-present existential threat of "stranger danger," where people see nefarious rings of child-trafficking in otherwise mundane happenings. In addition to all the other issues the current pandemic is shining a spotlight on, our societal tendency to form and spread rumors is certainly in high gear during this time of uncertainty and unease.

With statues being front and center in the news earlier this month, we decided to take a few tours of the stranger side of statues. From graveyard statues that take strolls when you're not looking to spooky statues that allegedly can't be photographed. Myths involving statues coming to life, or live people being turned to stone, is a rich vein of folklore that reaches forward even to our most recent pop culture. Ben recounts some cases he personally investigated of miraculous "weeping" statues, and then we cover statues as guerilla art pieces that appear mysteriously overnight as publicity stunts and political statements.

Heard about the college parties where kids are intentionally trying to infect themselves with Covid--even betting money on who can catch it first? We sure have, and there will likely be many more tales popping up as the pandemic continues. And it provides an intersection of folklore, moral panic, media literacy, and helpful versus harmful "public awareness" that we (meaning Ben) love to dissect and learn from. Why has this rumor taken off, and is there anything to it? We also take a look at other types of disease urban legends and the alleged HIV "bug chasers" that Rolling Stone (mis)reported on in the early 2000s.

After some discussion on a few current events that resulted in quick debunkings, Ben, Pascual, and Celestia take a close look at what could be real-time formation of a social panic. Antifa has all the hallmarks of a propped-up paper tiger used by some as a political tool, and by others as a social boogeyman. We look at the coverage, the rumors, the Trump tweets, the implications, and the real statistics. How has the reputation of this nebulous non-organization caused harm? Plus we look into the price of bricks versus hippie crystals and the best state to register a converted schoolbus.

We are joined today by filmmaker and encyclopedia of weird film knowledge Erik Kristopher Myers. The notion of a "snuff film" is a strange convergence of conspiracy thinking, urban legend, moral panic, and actual film trivia, and we tour the genre--or, rather, things that have been assumed part of this elusive genre--from the Manson family to Faces of Death to an early found-footage gore fest called Cannibal Holocaust. Have any real snuff films ever been uncovered, or any black market snuff rings investigated? What are the factors that play into our belief in, and fear of, these monstrous commodifications of our mortality? And how have moviemakers and underground video producers capitalized on the idea?

We chat a bit about various news, including the passing of physicist Peter Brancazio, who explored popular sports illusions, and Ben's recent outreach project attempting to get answers from the "Plandemic" filmmaker. Then our main segment covers a veritable salad of plant-based folklore. From very old tales to modern misconceptions, we touch on the ancient Greek dryads and related myths, how to safely dig up a mandrake root, and whether or not houseplants purify the air.

First, Ben and Celestia briefly discuss the roller coaster that was the rise and fall of "Plandemic," then we talk murder hornets with Heidi McMaster, an invasive species coordinator out of Washington. Our main guest is Noah Nez, a Native American critical thinker who blogs as the Native Skeptic. Noah helps us peel back misconceptions about the noble savage trope, native homogeneity, crown dancers and the clown/trickster figure, and the co-opting of native traditions in cryptid pseudohistories. Native lore is an ever-present theme in skeptical topics; the varied nature of these legends, coupled with their existence mainly as oral tradition and reluctance to discuss taboo subjects, makes native culture an easily misinterpreted, commodified, and exploited landscape. From herbal remedies to horror films to Skinwalker Ranch (tm), we look at examples and see what we can learn.

First, Ben, Celestia, and Pascual discuss a few pandemic-related things that set off some skeptical alarms over social media this past week. Then we are joined by Southern California-based comedian and film editor Emery Emery to talk about his soon-to-be-released project with Brian Dunning. With the help of many science communicators and experts (Ben himself among them), Emery and Dunning have crafted a documentary called Science Friction, revealing the myriad ways experts have been manipulated, maligned, and misrepresented by producers of questionable documentaries. 

You know, Ben came up with the pun for this title and we are just so darned proud of him for coming over to the pun side of life. We chat about various Covid-related topics and then dive into a few examples of bad or misleading polls. First we go over a couple that don't really set off alarm bells, like whether beards are sexy or what determines people's beer-buying habits. Then Ben dissects some bad reporting on polls and surveys that relate to much more important topics like Native American discrimination or the Holocaust, and we see how a bit of media literacy on how polls can be twisted around is a vital part of anyone's skeptical toolbox.

For anyone who has been craving an episode with far less research, facts, or formality, this is the episode for you! Ben, Pascual, and Celestia, reflect on their various circumstances during the coronavirus national emergency, and then we talk about this, our third year in podcasting. We dish on past guests and future guests we have in the works, answer a couple of listener questions, and Ben quizzes Pascual about the finer points of air guitar. Enjoy the podcast--it's almost as fun as other people!