Comedy

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Strange Country Ep. 90: Love Canal

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What if your home sat on 22,000 tons of buried chemical waste? That was the reality of the roughly 1,000 residents of the Love Canal neighborhood in Niagara Falls, NY. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly use their chemaginations to take us back to the 1970s, the idyllic time when polluters could just dump whatever wherever.

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

Cite your sources:

“Background Information.” University at Buffalo Libraries Love Canal Collections, library.buffalo.edu/archives/lovecanal/about/.

Brown, Michael H. “Love Canal and the Poisoning of America.” The Atlantic, Dec. 1979, www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1979/12/love-canal-and-the-poisoning-of-america/376297/.

“Delisting Love Canal.” The New York Times, 22 Mar. 2004, www.nytimes.com/2004/03/22/opinion/delisting-love-canal.html.

Gibbs, Lois. Love Canal : Start of a Movement, www.bu.edu/lovecanal/canal/.

Greene, Ronnie. “From Homemaker to Hell-Raiser in Love Canal – Center for Public Integrity.” Center for Public Integrity, 15 Apr. 2013, publicintegrity.org/environment/from-homemaker-to-hell-raiser-in-love-canal/.

Herbeck, Dan. “Exclusive: Are Love Canal Chemicals Still Making People Sick? .” The Buffalo News, 1 June 2018, buffalonews.com/2018/06/01/new-lawsuit-claims-love-canal-chemicals-still-causing-health-problems/.

Herbeck, Dan. “More Than 550 Notices of Claim Have Been Filed in Love Canal Lawsuit.” The Buffalo News, 27 Feb. 2013, buffalonews.com/2013/02/27/more-than-550-notices-of-claim-have-been-filed-in-love-canal-lawsuit/.

Kleiman, Dr. Jordan. “Love Canal: A Brief History.” SUNY Geneseo, www.geneseo.edu/history/love_canal_history.

Liu, Qina. “You Asked, We Answered: Why Do People Still Live at Love Canal?” The Buffalo News, 7 Aug. 2018, buffalonews.com/2018/08/07/you-asked-we-answered-why-do-people-still-live-at-love-canal/.

“Love Canal.” Center for Health, Environment and Justice, 2016, chej.org/about-us/story/love-canal/.

Moran, Jay, and Mike Desmond. “Reporter's Notebook: Love Canal Sparked a Change in Environmental Coverage.” WBFO, news.wbfo.org/post/reporters-notebook-love-canal-sparked-change-environmental-coverage.

Newman, Richard S. Love Canal: a Toxic History from Colonial Times to the Present. Oxford University Press, 2016.

Prohaska, Thomas. “Love Canal Today: 'We Know What's In Our Backyard'.” The Buffalo News, 4 Aug. 2018, buffalonews.com/2018/08/04/love-canal-today-monitoring-and-reminders-for-those-living-nearby/.

Revkin, Andrew C. “Love Canal and Its Mixed Legacy.” The New York Times, 25 Nov. 2013, www.nytimes.com/2013/11/25/booming/love-canal-and-its-mixed-legacy.html.

Thompson, Megan, et al. “Residents Say Love Canal Chemicals Continue to Make Them Sick.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 5 Aug. 2018, www.pbs.org/newshour/show/residents-say-love-canal-chemicals-continue-to-make-them-sick.

Waldman, Scott. “State Official Jumps in Lake, Ripples Continue.” Politico PRO, 31 July 2015, www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2015/07/state-official-jumps-in-lake-ripples-continue-024123.

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Strange Country Ep. 89: Beauty Tips

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In Strange Country Ep. 89, co-hosts Beth and Kelly share their beauty secrets before candida auris takes over the planet and destroys us all. Might as well look good during the next pandemic, right? Here's what you can do: make your breasts look like pineapples, enamel your face, and slather on the spermaceti. Cook for 20 minutes, and viola! Cancer!

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

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Strange Country Ep. 88: Road Trip

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Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly hit the road and travel to the place that started this whole venture--the Fox sisters home in Hydesville, NY. They are there to celebrate the anniversary of the knocking that launched the spiritualist movement and enjoy the thicker thin mints.

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

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Strange Country Ep. 87: Satanic Panic

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"We believe the children" became the rallying cry of the Satanic Panic even as stories tottered on the ridiculous. Bones being replaced by Satan's bones; kids being flown to Mexico to be raped by soldiers; shot than brought back to life. The 1980s and early 1990s were rife with stories of abuse at day care centers throughout the country. Over 80 people were falsely convicted and it sometimes took decades to overturn. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly have chosen the best guitar riff to accentuate all this craziness.

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

Cite your sources:

Beck, Richard. We Believe the Children: a Moral Panic in the 1980s. Perseus Books Group, 2015.

Gayle Dove - National Registry of Exonerations, www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=3947.

Nathan, Debbie, and Michael Snedeker. Satans Silence: Ritual Abuse and the Making of a Modern American Witch Hunt. Authors Choice Press, 2001.

Selk, Avi. “Falsely Accused of Satanic Horrors, a Couple Spent 21 Years in Prison. Now They're Owed Millions.” The Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2017, www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/08/24/accused-of-satanism-they-spent-21-years-in-prison-they-were-just-declared-innocent-and-were-paid-millions/?utm_term=.80d8ad1925f1.

Smith, Jordan. “Believing the Chldren.” The Austin Chronicle, 27 Mar. 2009, www.austinchronicle.com/news/2009-03-27/believing-the-children/.

Zirpolo, Kyle. “I'm Sorry.” The Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2005, articles.latimes.com/2005/oct/30/magazine/tm-mcmartin44.

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Strange Country Ep. 86: Richard Jewell

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Richard Jewell was called a hero, credited for saving lives when a bomb ripped through the Olympics park in Atlanta, Ga. in 1993. Then the security guard was called a zero, and many other things--mainly by Jay Leno--and Jewell's life was turned upside down as the media descended upon his house and the FBI took his mom's Tupperware. Join Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly as they dissect this case and do really brilliant impressions of Jay Leno and Tom Brokaw. Even today, Jewell's name is forever linked to the bombing. And Jay Leno is forever linked with being unfunny.

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

Cite your sources:

Barringer, Felicity. “Once Accused, Now the Accuser; Ex-Bomb Suspect's Suit Challenges an Atlanta Newsroom.” The New York Times, 8 Feb. 1999, www.nytimes.com/1999/02/08/business/once-accused-now-accuser-ex-bomb-suspect-s-suit-challenges-atlanta-newsroom.html.

Bragg, Rick. “Focus on Bombing Suspect Brings Tears and a Plea.” The New York Times, 27 Aug. 1996, www.nytimes.com/1996/08/27/us/focus-on-bomb-suspect-brings-tears-and-a-plea.html.

Brenner, Marie. “American Nightmare: The Ballad of Richard Jewell.” Vanity Fair, Feb. 1997, www.vanityfair.com/magazine/1997/02/brenner199702.

Goodman, Brenda. “Falsely Accused Suspect Pursues Libel Case.” The New York Times, 27 May 2006, https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/27/us/27jewell.html

Graham, Bryan Armen. “The Atlanta Olympic Park Bombing, 20 Years on: Have We Learned the Lessons?” The Guardian, 27 July 2016, www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jul/27/olympic-park-bombings-atlanta-1996-richard-jewell.

“Postscript: The Ballad of Richard Jewell.” Vanity Fair, Sept. 2007, www.vanityfair.com/magazine/2007/09/postscript200709.

Sack, Kevin. “A Man's Life Turned Inside Out By Government and the Media.” The New York Times, 28 Oct. 1996, www.nytimes.com/1996/10/28/us/a-man-s-life-turned-inside-out-by-government-and-the-media.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm&module=inline.

Sack, Kevin. “Retro Report: A Bombing Suspect, and the Rush to Judgment.” The New York Times, 7 Oct. 2013, www.nytimes.com/2013/10/07/booming/a-bombing-suspect-and-the-rush-to-judgment.html.'

Sack, Kevin. “Richard Jewell, 44, Hero of Atlanta Attack Dies.” The New York Times, 30 Aug. 2007, www.nytimes.com/2007/08/30/us/30jewell.html?rref=collection/timestopic/Jewell, Richard A&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=4&pgtype=collection.

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Strange Country Ep. 85: Clearly Clelia

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Well if you are sick of hearing friends, librarians and uber-researchers Beth and Kelly talk about our periods, then just stop listening. This one is period gold. Period. Clelia Duel Mosher was one of America's first physicians, a major researcher, and proponent of women's health issues and a woman on a mission to ease the pain of period cramps via "mosher-ing." And horseback riding and basketball. So get off your chocolate-covered potato chip eating rear-ends and have a listen to Strange Country. Heads up: you may get an earful about the current vaccination debate-and we love you. All of you..

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

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Strange Country Ep. 84: Witchy Tales

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You know what cures a depressing winter? A baker's dozen of cookies, that's what. Have you ever heard that expression or been the recipient of such dozen? Kelly and Beth will take you down history's path to where this baking expression originated, in good old New York- Dutch County. Hear a haunted house story that is sure to... leave you wanting a better ghost story. Join librarians, friends, and former reporters this week as we ramble through some strange little New York tales as told in the old book by Harold Thompson, Body, Boots and Britches. Hike up your britches or else you're going to Hell in a Handbasket this week on Strange Country.

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

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Strange Country Ep. 83: Amy Bishop

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America, the land of truck nutz and morbid obesity, is also the land of guns. In episode 83, Beth and Kelly explore our obsession while telling the story of Amy Bishop, a biology professor at University of Alabama in Huntsville, who opened fire at a faculty meeting, killing three colleagues. Her trail of violence didn't begin there, but started decades earlier with Bishop killing her brother Seth in a shooting deemed accidental. This show's going to get stuck inside your head.

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

Cite your sources

Ammons, Pat. “Stephanie Monticciolo Sees 1-Year Mark as 'Rebirth' from UAH Shooting Injuries.” AL.com, 12 Feb. 2011, mediabiasfactcheck.com/al-com-alabama-news/.

Aizenman, Nurith. “Deaths From Gun Violence: How The U.S. Compares With The Rest Of The World.” NPR, NPR, 9 Nov. 2018, www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/11/09/666209430/deaths-from-gun-violence-how-the-u-s-compares-with-the-rest-of-the-world.

Beckett, Lois. “How Often Are US Mass Shooting Carried Out by Female Attackers?” The Guardian, 4 Apr. 2018, www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/apr/04/youtube-shooting-gun-attacks-in-the-us-are-rarely-carried-out-by-women.

Daly, Michael. “The First Modern School Shooter Feels Responsible for the Rest.” The Daily Beast, The Daily Beast Company, 30 May 2014, www.thedailybeast.com/the-first-modern-school-shooter-feels-responsible-for-the-rest.

Fisher, Max, and Josh Keller. “What Explains U.S. Mass Shootings? International Comparisons Suggest an Answer.” The New York Times, 7 Nov. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/11/07/world/americas/mass-shootings-us-international.html.

Jamieson, Christine. “Gun Violence Research: History of the Federal Funding Freeze.” American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, Feb. 2013, www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2013/02/gun-violence.

Johnson, Alex. “After 5 Years, Alabama University Killer Apologizes for the First Time.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 19 Oct. 2015, www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/after-5-years-alabama-university-killer-apologizes-first-time-n447481.

Keefe, Patrick Radden. “A Loaded Gun.” The New Yorker, 11 Feb. 2013, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/02/11/a-loaded-gun?mbid=contentmarketing_facebook_citizennet_paid_magazine_a-loaded-gun_5-8-visit.

“Mass Shootings in 2019.” Gun Violence Archive, 2019, www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting.

Pappas, Stephanie. “Female Mass Killers: Why They're So Rare.” LiveScience, Purch, 3 Apr. 2018, www.livescience.com/53047-why-female-mass-shooters-are-rare.html.

Roop, Lee. “Joseph Leahy, Survivor of Amy Bishop Shooting, Died of Heart Attack, Coroner Says.” The Huntsville Times, 7 Oct. 2017, www.al.com/news/huntsville/index.ssf/2017/10/joseph_leahy_survivor_of_amy_b_1.html.

Wallace, Amy. “What Made This University Researcher Snap?” Wired, 28 Feb. 2011, www.wired.com/2011/02/ff-bishop/.

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Strange Country Ep. 82: Stephen Glass

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Journalist Stephen Glass just seemed to have a knack for being in the craziest scenarios surrounded by the most quote-worthy subjects. He wrote about working for a psychic hotline, finding a George H. W. Bush cult and attending a hacker's convention to the delight of his editors at The New Republic. Trouble was, it was all a steaming pile of horse doo. Glass made it all up. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly discuss their own reporting experiences while shattering Glass's tale of lies and Kelly finds a new motivation for working out.

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

Cite your sources:

Bissinger, Buzz. “Shattered Glass.” Vanity Fair, Sept. 1998, www.vanityfair.com/magazine/1998/09/bissinger199809.

Gross, Terry. “Former Editor of The New Republic Charles Lane.” Fresh Air, NPR, 17 Nov. 2003, www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/2003/11/17/13039121/.

HACK HEAVEN by Stephen Glass (The Realist No. 140, Autumn 1998), The Realist Archive Project, www.ep.tc/realist/140/11.html.

Hiltzik, Michael. “Stephen Glass Is Still Retracting His Fabricated Stories--18 Years Later.” Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2015, www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-stephen-glass-is-still-retracting-20151215-column.html.

Kroft, Steve. “Stephen Glass: I Lied for Esteem.” 60 Minutes, season 35, episode 37, CBS, 7 May 2003, www.cbsnews.com/news/stephen-glass-i-lied-for-esteem-07-05-2003/.

Mahbubani, Kishore, et al. “Letters.” Harper's Magazine, harpers.org/archive/2016/01/letters-841/.

Mullen, Benjamin. “Stephen Glass Says He's Repaid $200,000 to 4 Magazines.” Poynter, 29 Mar. 2016, www.poynter.org/ethics-trust/2016/stephen-glass-says-hes-repaid-200000-to-4-magazines/.

Noer, Michael. “Read The Original Forbes Takedown Of Stephen Glass.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 12 Nov. 2014, www.forbes.com/sites/michaelnoer/2014/11/12/read-the-original-forbes-takedown-of-stephen-glass/#b7436b6683ae.

Ray, Billy, director. Shattered Glass. 2003.

Rosin, Hanna. “Hello, My Name Is Stephen Glass, and I'm Sorry. The New Republic, 10 Nov. 2014, newrepublic.com/article/120145/stephen-glass-new-republic-scandal-still-haunts-his-law-career.

Rosin, Hanna. “Remembering the Fall of Stephen Glass.” Slate Magazine, Slate, 21 May 2003, slate.com/culture/2003/05/remembering-the-fall-of-stephen-glass.html.

Shafer, Jack. “The Trial of Stephen Glass.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 7 Dec. 2011, blogs.reuters.com/jackshafer/2011/12/07/the-trial-of-stephen-glass/.

S196374. In Re STEPHEN RANDALL GLASS on Admission. 27 Jan. 2014, assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2647356/CSC-Glass.pdf.

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Strange Country Ep. 81: Hit Me Baby One More Time

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Hit Me Baby One More Time: Rule Following with Beth and Kelly Hey Readers, are you rule followers? Really what we are asking here is, are you a potential Nazi? Join friends, librarians, contrarians, and mothers Kelly and Beth as they grapple with the rules of society and just how far we will go to please someone who appears to have authority. In this episode of Strange Country, we uncover the complexities of psychologist Stanley Milgram’s famous experiment of the 1960’s. Subjects in the experiment were paid $4 to play a teacher armed with a little electricity to zap a student if they were incorrect. Sounds fun right? Would any of you have signed up for this experiment? As you listen, you may find out if Beth deserves a parking ticket or a sticker for being a good rule follower, while Kelly tries to figure out if there are any good rules worth following. Dashhounds- listen in-or it’s 350 volts for you!

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

Cite Your Sources:

Beck, Martha. What Redefining Virtue Can Teach You About Happiness. http://www.oprah.com/inspiration/how-to-handle-bad-luck-martha-beck-life-advice. Accessed Feb. 2019

Blass, Thomas. The Man Who Shocked the World. Basic Books, 2009.

Cherry, Kendra. Stanley Milgram, A Biography. VerywellMind. https://www.verywellmind.com/stanley-milgram-biography-2795532. Accessed Feb. 2019.

McLeod, S. A. (2017, Feb 05). The Milgram experiment. Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/milgram.html

Milgram, Stanley. Obedience to Authority: An Experimental View. Harper Perennial Modern Thought. Reprint 2009.

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Strange Country Ep. 80: John Brinkley

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On this very special Valentine's Day episode, Beth and Kelly discuss the life and work of John Brinkley, a man who put goat testicles where no goat testicles had gone before. Brinkley, who bought his medical diploma for $100, made millions "curing" erectile dysfunction with the help of goat balls he sewed into patients' scrotums. People say love hurts for a reason.

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

Cite your sources:

Brock, Pope. Charlatan: America’s Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flim Flam. Crown Publishers, 2008.

Edemariam, Aida. “John Kerry: 'People Are Going to Die Because of the Decision Donald Trump Made'.” The Guardian, 16 Nov. 2018, www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/16/john-kerry-paris-climate-donald-trump-presidential-bid.

Gunter, Jen. “Dear Gwyneth Paltrow, I'm a GYN and Your Vaginal Jade Eggs Are a Bad Idea.” Dr. Jen Gunter, Dr. Jen Gunter, 12 May 2017, drjengunter.wordpress.com/2017/01/17/dear-gwyneth-paltrow-im-a-gyn-and-your-vaginal-jade-eggs-are-a-bad-idea/.

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Strange Country Ep. 79: Women Troubles

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In this Strange Country episode, friends Kelly and Beth talk about what smoking meant to women in New York City's Bowery district one New Year's Day in the early 1900's - jailtime! One woman, Kate What's Her Name, was arrested right on the spot for striking a match on a brick building, preparing to enjoy a smoke as one does.

It's another ride down our country's memory lane when a politician named Little Tim, with the urge from righteous religious groups, tried to keep the ladies as pure as...well we don't talk about the pure things so it's hard to come up with a good simile.

But we do talk about how Little Tim, back in the day, is just like all the other men trying to make rules for us ladies...even today...in 2019. Heaven's to Betsy!

Enjoy!

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

Check out this online article:

Harris, Karen. Kate Mulcahey and New York's Short-Lived Women's Smoking Ban. August 29, 2018. https://historydaily.org/katie-mulcahey-and-new-yorks-short-lived-womens-smoking-ban. Accessed Feb. 2019.

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Strange Country Ep. 78: Madeline Pollard

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In 1893, Madeline Pollard did the unthinkable. She went public with her ruin by filing a lawsuit against her older, married lover Congressman Willie Breckinridge, the silver-tongued orator known for his long-winded speeches about monogamy. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly talk about the double standard that destroyed women's lives and how things are so hunky-dory now. Wait--are they?

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

Cite your sources:

“3 Red Flags Of The Damaged Woman.” DARK TRIAD MAN®, 14 Dec. 2017, darktriadman.com/2015/11/23/3-red-flags-of-the-damaged-woman/.

Dreier, Peter. “Trump And Gingrich: Two Men. Six Wives. Family Values.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 7 Dec. 2017, www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-dreier/trump-and-gingrich-two-men_b_10689992.html.

Ioffe, Julia, et al. “The Millennial's Guide to Newt Gingrich.” POLITICO, POLITICO, 14 July 2016, www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/07/2016-newt-gingrich-scandals-accomplishments-veepstakes-running-mate-trump-gop-republican-214050.

Miller, Patricia. Bringing down the Colonel: a Sex Scandal of the Gilded Age, and the "Powerless" Woman Who Took on Washington. Sarah Crichton Books, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2018.

Vermes, Geza. “Mary Was Probably Not a Virgin in the Modern Sense of the Word, Says Geza Vermes.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 16 Dec. 2006, www.theguardian.com/world/2006/dec/16/religion.commentisfree.

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Strange Country Ep. 77: Lord Timothy Dexter

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Lord Timothy Dexter was a lucky kind of eccentric from the 1700s. His life in one quick summary: married for money, made ridiculous money through luck, tried to hobnob with the wealthy but wasn’t up to snuff, terrible speller but had the money to published a book anyway, and faked his death. He was also a shitty eccentric--beating his wife when she didn't cry at his fake funeral. In episode 77, Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly talk about what they'd do with gobs of money; likely invest in whalebone corsets.

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

Cite your sources:

Currier, John James. Ould Newbury: Historical and Biographical Sketches. https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=vws1AAAAIAAJ&rdid=book-vws1AAAAIAAJ&rdot=1 Accessed Jan. 13, 2019.

Dexter, Lord Timothy. A Pickle for the Knowing Ones. 1802

Lynn, Eleri. Well Rounded a Hoistory of Corsetry from Whalebone to Lycra. Slate Magazine. NOV 16, 2010

https://slate.com/culture/2010/11/a-short-history-of-corsetry-from-whalebone-to-lycra.html

Tattersoll, Ian. Nevraumont. Hoax, A History of Deception. Balck Dog and Leventhal Publishers. New York. 2018.

https://priceonomics.com/the-strange-life-of-lord-timothy-dexter/

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4462621

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Strange Country Ep. 76: Leopold and Loeb

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Nathan Leopold Jr. and Richard Loeb set out to commit the perfect crime in 1924. Spoiler alert: they got caught. Join Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly as they explore this sordid tale of affluenza, privilege and--get the ladies out of room, now!!! Now, I say!---penises. Beth would also like to mention that she says a few things she regrets, but since she does not know how to edit, there it is.

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

Cite your sources:

Baatz, Simon. “Leopold and Loeb's Criminal Minds.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 1 Aug. 2008, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/leopold-and-loebs-criminal-minds-996498/.

Barrett, Nina. The Leopold and Loeb Files: an Intimate Look at One of Americas Most Infamous Crimes. Midway, 2018.

Park, Madison. “Ethan Couch of 'Affluenza' Case Released from Jail.” CNN, Cable News Network, 2 Apr. 2018, www.cnn.com/2018/04/02/us/ethan-couch-affluenza-jail-release/index.html.

PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/video/american-experience-perfect-crime/.

“Richard Loeb.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 2 Apr. 2016, www.biography.com/people/richard-loeb-227821.

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Strange Country Ep. 75: The Feather Thief

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Why can't we just kill everything? It's a good question that Beth asks the world, along with who bought TrumpyBear for the holidays (https://www.gettrumpybear.com/), and is there such thing as feather porn? C'mon-we know you already knew that.

Today's episode, our 75th-yes 75th! Readers will discover the strange story of Edwin Rist, a young thief who decimated natural history in one fell swoop. His fly-tying obsession and highly intellectual take on life led him down the dark and dirty world of stealing feathers and selling them on eBay for lots of money. Strange that he got caught. You will learn about Darwin's potential rival, the Feather Fever of the late 19th century, and fly-fishing.

This is the episode you get to hear a little of Kelly's own bird obsession, and Beth's former obsession with furs. We really are a layered and complicated pair of women worth your listening time. Just once a week Dash hounds. Or should we start calling you Cumberbitches? It's fun to say. 

Check this book out: The Feather Thief; Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century By Kirk Wallace Johnson

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

Cite your sources:

Johnson, Kirk Wallace. The Feather Thief. Viking. Hudson, NY. 2018

Johnson, Kirk Wallace. The Ornithologist the Internet Called a Murderer. Accessed 12/28/2018 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/15/opinion/sunday/moustached-kingfisher-internet-harassment.html

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Strange Country Ep. 74: Amy Archer Gilligan

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Amy Archer Gilligan was a good Christian woman who ran a good Christian nursing home--if you substituted "good Christian" for "serial killer" that is. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly share this macabre story and show off their acting chops in a scene from Arsenic and Old Lace, a play and movie loosely based on Amy Archer Gilligan. Words to live by: Don't drink the lemonade.

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

Cite Your Sources:

“Amy Archer Gilligan: The Truth on Trial.” 26 Dec. 2018, Windsor, CT, www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Amy Archer-Gilligan&view=detail&mid=F6EFBA975EE0C94F8839F6EFBA975EE0C94F8839&FORM=VIRE

“Annie's Formative Years (1866-1886).” Vision Rehabilitation Services for Older People Who Are Visually Impaired - American Foundation for the Blind, www.afb.org/asm/asmgallery.asp?FrameID=97.

Barnard, Tara Siegel. “Costly Rehab for the Dying Is on the Rise at Nursing Homes, A Study Says.” The New York Times, 12 Oct. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/10/12/business/nursing-home-residents-rehabilitation-therapy.html.

Phelps, M. William. The Devil's Rooming House. Lyons Press, 2010.

“Windsor's ‘Murder Factory.’” ConnecticutHistoryorg, connecticuthistory.org/windsors-murder-factory/.

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Strange Country Ep. 73: Jack Parsons

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Jack Parsons helped take rocketry out of the realm of science fiction and into reality. But his involvement with a sex magick cult led to him being shuttled to the corner like Baby at the end of Dirty Dancing. In Strange Country Ep. 73, Beth and Kelly discuss Parsons' accomplishment but focus way more on the sex magick cult because sex magick. Oh and did we mention his involvement with L. Ron Hubbard? Well, we do and it's a doozy.

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

Cite Your Sources:

Pendle, George. Strange Angel: the Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteside Parsons. Harcourt, Inc., 2006.

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Strange Country Ep. 72: Warren Jeffs

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So as you know, you ain't getting into heaven unless you have at least three wives. Warren Jeffs took that to heart marrying between 50 to 80 women, many of these "women" being actually 12-year-old girls. He was the Prophet, the voice of God so parents willingly gave their children to this sociopathic sexual deviant. In ep. 72 of Strange Country, Beth and Kelly get back into the wine and cringe while they recount his awful deeds. Remember: "One hole is not enough!"

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

Cite your sources!

Brower, Sam. Prophet's Prey. Bloomsbury, 2011.

Carlisle, Nate. “The Long Search for the Missing Child Brides of a Mormon Polygamist Sect.” Vice, Vice, 30 Aug. 2016, www.vice.com/en_us/article/9b8ky5/the-search-for-the-missing-child-brides-of-mormon-polygamist-leader-warren-jeffs.

Carlisle, Nate. “Lyle Jeffs, One-Time Leader of Utah Polygamous Sect, Sentenced to Prison for Food Stamp Fraud, Absconding.” The Salt Lake Tribune, 18 Dec. 2017, www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2017/12/13/lyle-jeffs-to-be-sentenced-today-ending-polygamous-sect-food-stamp-fraud-case/.

Christie, Joel. “ Legal Wife of Polygamist Cult Leader Lyle Jeffs Files for Divorce 'Citing Rape and Illegal Practices within the Church'.” The Daily Mail, 24 Apr. 2015, www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3054640/Legal-wife-polygamist-cult-leader-Lyle-Jeffs-files-divorce-citing-rape-illegal-practices-church.html.

“Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.” Southern Poverty Law Center, www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/fundamentalist-church-jesus-christ-latter-day-saints.

“Fumarase Deficiency - Genetics Home Reference - NIH.” U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/fumarase-deficiency.

Hauser, Christine. “Leader of Polygamous Breakaway Sect Is Arrested After a Year on the Run.” The New York Times, 15 June 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/06/15/us/lyle-jeffs-polygamist-mormon.html.

Hyde, Jesse. “A Polygamist Cult's Last Stand: The Rise and Fall of Warren Jeffs.” Rolling Stone, 9 Feb. 2016, www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/a-polygamist-cults-last-stand-the-rise-and-fall-of-warren-jeffs-230800/.

Jeffs, Rachel. Breaking Free: How i Escaped Polygamy, the Flds Cult, and My Father, Warren Jeffs. HarperCollins, 2018.

Pearson, Muriel, and Joseph Diaz. “Jailed Polygamist Leader Warren Jeffs Issues Hundreds of Orders From Prison.” ABC News, ABC News Network, 21 Nov. 2012, abcnews.go.com/US/jailed-polygamist-leader-warren-jeffs-issues-hundreds-orders/story?id=17770090.

Sanders, Linley. “Woman Abused by FDLS Cult Elected First Female Mayor in Journey to Save Her Hometown.” Newsweek, 16 Nov. 2017, www.newsweek.com/woman-abused-flds-cult-elected-first-female-mayor-712667.

"Short Creek Shift.” Southern Poverty Law Center, www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/11/13/short-creek-shift.

Ventre, Sarah. “Short Creek: Beyond FLDS.” KJZZ, 21 Oct. 2018, kjzz.org/shortcreek#start.

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Strange Country Ep. 71: John Harvey Kellogg

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