Strange Country Episode 163: The Crescent and Cecil hotels

Many hotels boast their ghosts, but for these two hotels, reality is scarier than the supernatural. Join Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly as they talk about the strange tales of quack Dr. Norman Baker and the mysterious death Elisa Lam.

Theme music: Big White Lie by A Cast of Thousands

Cite your sources:

Al-Samarrai, Noor. “Found: A Quack's Medicine Bottles, Buried Behind a Haunted Hotel.” Atlas Obscura, Atlas Obscura, 17 Apr. 2019, www.atlasobscura.com/articles/crescent-hotel-bottles-norman-baker.

Anderson, Jake. Gone at Midnight: the Tragic True Story behind the Unsolved Internet Sensation. Citadel Press, 2020.

“Cecil Hotel (Los Angeles).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Sept. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Hotel_(Los_Angeles).

“The Cecil Hotel Is Known as LA's Most Haunted for Many Horrifying Reasons.” Discovery, www.discovery.com/exploration/Cecil-Hotel-LA-Haunted-Reasons.

Chou, Katherine. “10 Haunted Hotels To Visit for a Fright.” Town & Country, Town & Country, 9 Sept. 2020, www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/travel-guide/g402/haunted-hotels/.

Dolezal, Antone, and Lara Shipley. “The Charlatan of the Ozarks Still Looms Over the Haunted Crescent Hotel.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, Jan. 2020, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/charlatan-ozarks-still-looms-over-haunted-crescent-hotel-180973743/.

“Eureka Springs: Legendary City of Healing.” Eureka Springs, Arkansas: City of Healing, eurekavacation.com/healing/history/.

“The Haunted Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs.” Legends of America, www.legendsofamerica.com/ar-crescenthotel/.

Heim, Bec. “Elisa Lam: Inside the Creepy Curse of LA's Hotel Cecil.” Film Daily, 30 Mar. 2020, filmdaily.co/news/elisa-lam/.

Hicks, Kyle. “Colorado Hotel with Haunted History Inspired 'The Shining'.” WFTS, WFTS, 29 Oct. 2019, www.abcactionnews.com/news/national/the-stanley-hotels-haunted-reputation-and-how-it-inspired-the-shining.

“The History of 1886 Crescent Hotel: Historic Hotels Of America.” Historic Hotels Worldwide, www.historichotels.org/us/hotels-resorts/1886-crescent-hotel-and-spa/ghost-stories.php.

“Norman Baker Archives.” America's Most Haunted Hotel, 30 Aug. 2019, www.americasmosthauntedhotel.com/blog/tag/norman-baker/.

Rylah, Juliet Bennett. “Cecil Hotel Employee Explains How He Found The Body Of Elisa Lam.” LAist, 2 Oct. 2015, laist.com/2015/10/02/elisa_lam_wrongful_death_suit.php.

“Unexplained Happenings at America’s Most Haunted Hotel.” 1886 Crescent Hotel Spa, 22 Oct. 2015, crescent-hotel.com/blog/unexplained-happenings-at-americas-most-haunted-hotel/.

Strange Country Episode 162: Witches Bitches

Something is brewing this October, and it is Kelly and Beth getting witchy--or not. The reality is, Beth does not fully believe in witches. Kelly is on the fence, or broom. There are witches, and stories of witches, and we will do our best to sum them up and let you decide. This October Dear Dash Hounds. Thank you always for listening, but especially now when the wind is chilly and the seasons are turning, and the president is sick.

Theme music: Big White Lie by A Cast of Thousands

Strange Country Episode 161: Patriotic Education

Get out your flag and wrap yourself in it because it's time for a little patriotic education. Donald Trump's desire to rewrite history is just a rehash of the past when other organizations clamored to control what kids learned in school. Join Beth and Kelly as they sing patriotic songs and deny reality to make you fall in love with America all over again.

Theme music: Big White Lie by A Cast of Thousands

Cite your sources:

Breed, Allen G. “'The Lost Cause': the Women's Group Fighting for Confederate Monuments.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 10 Aug. 2018, www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/10/united-daughters-of-the-confederacy-statues-lawsuit.

Doshi, Vidhi. “India's New Textbooks Are Promoting the Prime Minister's Favorite Policies, Critics Allege.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 6 Apr. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2018/06/01/indias-new-textbooks-are-promoting-the-prime-ministers-favorite-policies-critics-allege/.

Fairyington, Stephanie. “'Heather Has Two Mommies' Is Still Relevant 30 Years Later.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 17 Apr. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/04/17/parenting/heather-two-mommies.html.

Goldstein, Dana. “Two States. Eight Textbooks. Two American Stories.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 Jan. 2020, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/01/12/us/texas-vs-california-history-textbooks.html.

Hickman, Leo. “'Fracking' Company Targets US Children with Colouring Book | Leo Hickman.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 14 July 2011, www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2011/jul/14/gas-fracking-children-colouring-book.

Hix, Lisa. “Selling Shame: 40 Outrageous Vintage Ads Any Woman Would Find Offensive.” Mental Floss, 1 Sept. 2015, www.mentalfloss.com/article/67885/selling-shame-40-outrageous-vintage-ads-any-woman-would-find-offensive.

Honoroff, Zach. “Who Is Elizabeth Dilling, and Why Is Glenn Beck a Fan?” History News Network, historynewsnetwork.org/article/127931.

Laats, Adam. The Other School Reformers: Conservative Activism in American Education. Harvard University Press, 2015.

Serwer, Adam. “The Fight Over the 1619 Project Is Not About the Facts.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 21 Jan. 2020, www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/12/historians-clash-1619-project/604093/.

Shuster, George N. “Dr. Harold Rugg Replies To His Critics; ‘That Men May Understand’ Sets Forth His Purpose in Writing His Textbooks THAT MEN MAY UNDERSTAND: An American in the Long Armistice. By Harold Rugg. 350 Pp. New York: Doubleday, Doran & Co., Inc. $2.75.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 27 Apr. 1941, www.nytimes.com/1941/04/27/archives/dr-harold-rugg-replies-to-his-critics-that-men-may-understand-sets.html?searchResultPosition=2.

Strauss, Valerie. “Christopher Columbus: 3 Things You Think He Did That He Didn't.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 22 Apr. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2013/10/14/christopher-columbus-3-things-you-think-he-did-that-he-didnt/.

Tharoor, Ishaan. “Analysis | Trump Joins Dictators and Demagogues in Touting 'Patriotic Education'.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 21 Sept. 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/09/21/trump-patriotic-education-china-orban/.

“Top 5 Atrocities Committed by Christopher Columbus.” Rapid City Journal Media Group, 9 Oct. 2019, rapidcityjournal.com/lifestyles/people/top-5-atrocities-committed-by-christopher-columbus/collection_76ebb2b8-f63d-11e3-a137-001a4bcf887a.html#2.

Strange Country Episode 160: Surviving a Pandemic

Heya there Dear Dash Hounds. Are you taking your daily dose of bleach? If you paused on that suggestion on how to survive this terrible pandemic of 2020, you may appreciate stories of survival from the other pandemic of 1918. It’s funny, (but it isn’t) how that terrible virus was downplayed by politicians, killed an unknown number of people, and had people up in arms about their right to wear or not wear a mask. Strange Country, isn’t it? Listen as Beth and Kelly survive another week through stories, personal outbursts and laughter. Thanks always for listening- it is an act of love, and nowadays survival!

Theme music: Big White Lie by A Cast of Thousands

Cite your sources:

Boeckman, Katherine, Woolly Bear Caterpillars and Weather Prediction. August 2020. The Old Farmer's Almanac. https://www.almanac.com/woolly-bear-caterpillars-and-weather-prediction

Durso, Joseph. Stengel's Death at 85 Widely Mourned. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1975/10/01/archives/stengels-death-at-85-widely-mourned-casey-stengel-baseball-and-the.html

Fleaury, Bruce, PhD. Tulane University. The 1918 Spanish Flu A Conspiracy of Silence by https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MHT5xTkL2g

Goldman, Kara. The White Scraf on the Door. A Lifesaving Lesson from the Spanish Flu. Stat.https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/23/white-scarf-door-lifesaving-lesson-1918-pandemic/

History.com Editors. Roaring 20's History https://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/roaring-twenties-history

Kelly, Pete. History Time: The Spanish Flu and How The World Bounced Back https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0AoRkmj9YM,

https://archives.alabama.gov/

https://www.cdc.gov/publications/panflu/stories/survived_gregory.html

Strange Country Episode 159: Minik Wallace

You know how things are terrible? Well this should give you comfort--things have always been terrible. Settle in, dear dash hounds, as Beth and Kelly share the tale of Minik Wallace. Minik was brought to America's shores in 1897 as a boy along with five other Greenlanders to be put on display like a museum piece. And when you think of people as objects, it turns out as bad as you expect.

Theme music: Big White Lie by A Cast of Thousands

Cite your sources:

“Caught in the Middle: The Tragic Life of Minik Wallace.” Bowdoin News Archive, 29 Oct. 2018, community.bowdoin.edu/news/2018/10/caught-in-the-middle-the-tragic-life-of-minik-wallace/.

Claiborne, William. “THE SKELETON IN THE MUSEUM'S CLOSET.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 5 Apr. 1992, www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1992/04/05/the-skeleton-in-the-museums-closet/d1ef741a-84cc-45c2-94ca-779c3e085962/.

Fagan, Kevin. “Ishi's Kin To Give Him Proper Burial / Indians to Bury Brain in Secret Location in State.” SFGate, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Aug. 2012, www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Ishi-s-Kin-To-Give-Him-Proper-Burial-Indians-to-2744424.php.

Harper, Kenn. Minik: the New York Eskimo. Steerforth Press, 2017.

Henderson, Bruce. “Who Discovered the North Pole?” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 1 Apr. 2009, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-discovered-the-north-pole-116633746/.

James, David A. “The True Story of an Inuit Boy Who Ended up in a New York Museum.” Anchorage Daily News, Anchorage Daily News, 3 Feb. 2018, www.adn.com/arts/books/2018/02/03/the-true-story-of-an-inuit-boy-who-ended-up-in-a-new-york-museum/.

Jiménez, Jessíca. “UC Berkeley Looks Back on Dark History, Abuse of Ishi 106 Years Later.” The Daily Californian, 2 Sept. 2017, www.dailycal.org/2017/09/01/uc-berkeley-looks-back-on-dark-history-abuse-of-yahi-man-106-years-later/.

McGreevy, Nora. “The Racist Statue of Theodore Roosevelt Will No Longer Loom Over the American Museum of Natural History.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 23 June 2020, www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/statue-theodore-roosevelt-removed-reexamination-racist-acts-180975154/.

Meier, Allison C. “Minik and the Meteor.” Narratively, 18 June 2019, narratively.com/minik-and-the-meteor/.

“Minik.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 31 Mar. 2008, www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/minik/.

Pogrebin, Robin. “Roosevelt Statue to Be Removed From Museum of Natural History.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 21 June 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/06/21/arts/design/roosevelt-statue-to-be-removed-from-museum-of-natural-history.html.

Smith, Dinitia. “An Eskimo Boy And Injustice In Old New York; A Campaigning Writer Indicts An Explorer and a Museum.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 15 Mar. 2000, www.nytimes.com/2000/03/15/books/eskimo-boy-injustice-old-new-york-campaigning-writer-indicts-explorer-museum.html.

Strange Country Episode 158: Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart's disappearance is one of the greatest mysteries of the century. Listen today Dash Hounds as Beth and Kelly dive into who this tousled-hair woman really was, and what lead up to her last flight. There is mystery, love, and determination to prove that women can do anything! It’s a story worth telling and a life worth knowing. Enjoy readers, as always, listening is an act of love.

Theme music: Big White Lie by A Cast of Thousands

Cite your sources:

Fleming, Candace. Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart.

https://www.beautyofbirds.com/verreauxseagles.html

Netter, Sarah. Birds Hit PLanes Every Day but don't usually cause crashes. ABC News. Jan. 15, 2009. Accessed 8/31.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=6658028&page=1#:~:text=Birds%20can%20disable%20planes%2C%20Ostrom,causing%20pilots%20to%20lose%20control.&text=While%20there%20are%20wildlife%20mitigation,avoid%20birds%20in%20the%20air.

Strange Country Episode 157: John Murray Spear

You may not have heard of John Murray Spear, but he ran with cool kids like Frederick Douglass and Victoria Woodhull, preaching for equality and against exploitation. So why isn't he in our history books? Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly discuss Spear's illustrious life and his quest to build a God Machine with blueprints provided in real-time by a dead Ben Franklin. This God Machine required a special kind of power, one that is likely why Spear has been erased and cast off to the margins.

Theme music: Big White Lie by A Cast of Thousands

Cite your sources:

Buescher, John. “John Murray Spear.” Dictionary of Unitarian & Universalist Biography, uudb.org/articles/johnmurrayspear.html.

Buescher, John Benedict. The Remarkable Life of John Murray Spear: Agitator for the Spirit Land. University of Notre Dame Press, 2006.

Kleyman, Katia. “11 Gross Facts About The Surprisingly Prolific Sex Life of Benjamin Franklin.” Ranker, 14 June 2019, www.ranker.com/list/benjamin-franklin-private-life/katia-kleyman.

Lenoir, Andrew. “When 19th-Century Spiritualists Believed a ‘God Machine’ Would Save Humanity.” Mental Floss, 13 Feb. 2019, www.mentalfloss.com/article/571569/spiritualist-god-machine.

“Serial Killers / Murderers and their Head Injuries as a Child.” The Murder-Mile True Crime Podcast, 10 September 2017. https://www.murdermiletours.com/blog/serial-killers-murderers-and-their-head-injuries-as-a-child#:~:text=Richard%20Ramirez%20%22The%20Night%20Stalker,suffer%20from%20epileptic%20seizures%20which

Strange Country Episode 156: The Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping

It's hard to imagine a more beloved figure than Charles Lindbergh (pre-1939) so when his baby was kidnapped, it was like everybody's baby had been abducted. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly talk about this "crime of the century" and also reminiscence about their three years on the air as the most beloved podcast (pre-1939).

Theme music: Big White Lie by A Cast of Thousands

Cite your sources:

“The American Experience | Lindbergh | Fallen Hero.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.shoppbs.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lindbergh/sfeature/fallen.html.

Batcha, Becky. “This Case Never Closes.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 29 June 2003, www.nytimes.com/2003/06/29/nyregion/jerseyana-this-case-never-closes.html.

Brody, Richard, et al. “The Frightening Lessons of Philip Roth's ‘The Plot Against America.’” The New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2017, www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-frightening-lessons-of-philip-roths-the-plot-against-america.

Carlson, Pete. “(The Last) Trial of the Century!” The Washington Post, WP Company, 4 Jan. 1999, www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/trial010499.htm.

Green, Penelope. “But Enough About Them.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 17 Apr. 2008, www.nytimes.com/2008/04/17/garden/17lindbergh.html.

“Lindbergh Baby Kidnapped.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 24 Nov. 2009, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/lindbergh-baby-kidnapped.

“Lindbergh's Double Life.” Minnesota Historical Society, www.mnhs.org/lindbergh/learn/family/double-life.

Mccord, Shanna. “Man, 79, Says He's Lindbergh's 'Baby'.” East Bay Times, East Bay Times, 15 Aug. 2016, www.eastbaytimes.com/2010/02/11/man-79-says-hes-lindberghs-baby/.

Manas, Steve. “Was the Lindbergh Kidnapping an Inside Job?” Rutgers University, 28 Aug. 2012, www.rutgers.edu/news/was-lindbergh-kidnapping-inside-job.

Myre, Greg. “'America First': From Charles Lindbergh To President Trump.” NPR, NPR, 6 Feb. 2017, www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/02/06/513240634/america-first-from-charles-lindbergh-to-president-trump.

Price, Mark J. “The Lindbergh Maybe.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 30 July 2000, www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/07/30/the-lindbergh-maybe/af2d4ba0-e0a9-444c-9b8d-d95fd48a411b/.

Zito, Tom. “The Sorrows Of Anna Hauptmann.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 15 Oct. 1981, www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1981/10/15/the-sorrows-of-anna-hauptmann/7b44dcca-2219-4242-8f9b-65d556753759/.

Strange Country Episode 155: Word of Faith Fellowship

Are you inflicted by a Strange Country demon? If so, this episode will provide the cure you need, a cure as beautiful as a hot dog stuck into a clam. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly take their dear dash hounds to Spindale, N.C., where parishioners of the Word of Faith get blasted to rid them of their demons, and are forbidden to play air guitar.

Theme music: Big White Lie by A Cast of Thousands

Cite your sources:

Dias, Elizabeth. “'Christianity Will Have Power'.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 9 Aug. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/08/09/us/evangelicals-trump-christianity.html.

Gordon, Michael, and Deanieel Chemtob. “Controversial, Secretive NC Church Received a Federal PPP Small Business Relief Loan.” Cult Education Institute, The News and Observer, 9 July 2020, culteducation.com/group/1232-word-of-faith-fellowship/35427-controversial-secretive-nc-church-received-a-federal-ppp-small-business-relief-loan.html.

Gordon, Michael. “Member of Controversial Church Sues Online Critics Who Claimed He Helped Spread COVID-19.” Charlotteobserver, Charlotte Observer, 5 Aug. 2020, www.charlotteobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article244610242.html.

Juneau, Jen. “'One of America's Most Dangerous Cults' Insists It Wants Love: What Ex Members Say Really Goes On.” PEOPLE.com, 1 Mar. 2020, people.com/crime/word-of-faith-fellowship-cult-new-book/.

Schmidt, Samantha. “Gay Man Says Church Members Beat, Choked Him for Hours to Expel 'Homosexual Demons'.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 2 June 2017, www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/06/02/gay-man-says-church-members-beat-choked-him-for-hours-to-expel-homosexual-demons/.

Weiss, Mitch. “AP Exclusive: Ex-Congregants Reveal Years of Ungodly Abuse.” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 27 Feb. 2017, apnews.com/e9404784f9c6428a8d4382f5ada8f463/AP-Exclusive:-Ex-congregants-reveal-years-of-ungodly-abuse.

Weiss, Mitch. “Former Disciples Describe Storage Annex for 'Worst Sinners'.” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 27 Feb. 2017, apnews.com/10ec0dce8ddb437e80e6052cbc4f6576.

Weiss, Mitch, and Holbrook Mohr. Broken Faith: inside the Word of Faith Fellowship, One of Americas Most Dangerous Cults. Hanover Square Press, 2020.

Weiss, Mitch, and Holbrook Mohr. “Ex-Members Say North Carolina Church Uses Power, Lies to Keep Grip on Kids.” The Denver Post, The Denver Post, 13 Nov. 2017, www.denverpost.com/2017/11/13/word-of-faith-fellowship-children-custody/.

“Welcome to Word of Faith Fellowship.” WOFF. https://www.familiesagainstcultteachings.org/resources/WOFF---RULES-FOR-NEW-MEMBERS.pdf

“Who Is Jane Whaley?” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 27 Feb. 2017, apnews.com/afs:Content:752500045.

Wicker, Mackenzie. “US Attorney Closes Case on Word of Faith Fellowship.” The Asheville Citizen Times, The Citizen-Times, 27 Sept. 2019, www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2019/09/27/word-faith-fellowship-investigation-closed-us-attorney-says/3785638002/.

“Word of Faith.” Peopel Magazine Investigates Cults, 2019, www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B07SGKW46P/ref=atv_yv_hom_c_unkc_1_1.

Strange Country Episode 154: J. Marion Sims

Dear Readers and Dashhounds, if you have ever suffered from VVF, we are so very sorry and are thankful you live in this Er-ah. But the history that led up to the medical advancement in treating VVF and basically the beginning of all gynecology work had terrible beginnings with one J. Marion Sims. Learn about him in today's episode and the women he took advantage of in trying to make a buck. We hope you learn about racism and its lasting affects in medicine. if you happen to laugh so hard you pee yourself, thank your lucky stars it's just old age and not a leaky hole. You'll understand. Thank you always for listening!

Theme music: Big White Lie by A Cast of Thousands

Cite your sources:

Cooper Owens, Deirdre. Medical Bondage,

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6792412/

Sayej, Nadja. J Marion Sims Controversial statue Taken Down but debate still rages. April 2018 https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/apr/21/j-marion-sims-statue-removed-new-york-city-black-women

Wall. LL. The Medical Ethics of J Marion Sims. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2563360/

Washington, Harriet A. Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial times to the Present. Anchor, 2008.

https://www.webmd.com/women/qa/what-is-a-vaginal-fistula

Strange Country Episode 153: Kentucky Meat Shower

Hold on, chicken littles, the sky isn't falling. It's just some pieces of meat. Wait--what? In 1876, pieces of beef fell from the Kentucky sky leaving some to wonder why and some to say "let me put this in my mouth." Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly talk about meat storms and other strange weather phenomena.

Theme music: Big White Lie by A Cast of Thousands

Cite your sources:

“Can It Rain Frogs, Fish, and Other Objects?” The Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/everyday-mysteries/item/can-it-rain-frogs-fish-and-other-objects/.

Cereno, Benito. “The Strangest Things That Ever Fell from the Sky.” Grunge.com, Grunge, 20 Apr. 2020, www.grunge.com/73743/strangest-things-ever-fell-sky/.

Crew, Bec. “The Great Kentucky Meat Shower Mystery Unwound by Projectile Vulture Vomit.” Scientific American Blog Network, Scientific American, 1 Dec. 2014, blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/the-great-kentucky-meat-shower-mystery-unwound-by-projectile-vulture-vomit/#:~:text=On 3 March 1876, large,making soap when it happened.

Dapcevich, Madison. “Poop Is Raining From Canada's Skies And Nobody Knows Why.” IFLScience, IFLScience, 4 July 2020, www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/poop-is-raining-from-canadas-skies-and-nobody-knows-why/.

Dias, Elizabeth. “The Apocalypse as an 'Unveiling': What Religion Teaches Us About the End Times.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 2 Apr. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/04/02/us/coronavirus-apocalypse-religion.html.

Dickey, Colin. The Unidentified: Mythical Monsters, Alien Encounters, and Our Obsession with the Unexplained. Viking, 2020.

“Flesh Descending in a Shower An Astounding Phenomenon in Kentucky—Fresh Meat Like Mutton or Venison Falling from a Clear Sky.” The New York Times, 10 Mar. 1876, pp. 1–1, www.nytimes.com/1876/03/10/archives/flesh-descending-in-a-shower-an-astounding-phenomenon-in.html.

Furst, Elaine. “10 Weird Things That Have Fallen From the Sky.” Listverse, 19 June 2014, listverse.com/2013/03/03/10-weird-things-that-have-fallen-from-the-sky/.

Hasler, Joe. “Weird Stories of Objects Falling From the Sky-Explained.” Popular Mechanics, Popular Mechanics, 14 Nov. 2017, www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a4525/4331114/#:~:text=1, 1969, when a seemingly,no explanation was ever given.

“It's Raining Poop! What to Do If a Plane Drops Human Waste on Your House.” KFOR.com Oklahoma City, KFOR.com Oklahoma City, 5 Jan. 2017, kfor.com/news/its-raining-poop-what-to-do-if-a-plane-drops-human-waste-on-your-house/.

Jones, Meghan. “10 Of the Strangest Things That Have Fallen from the Sky.” Reader's Digest, Reader's Digest, 29 Apr. 2020, www.rd.com/list/weird-things-fallen-from-sky/.

Kastenbine, L. D. The Kentucky Meat Shower The Louisville Medical News:a weekly journal of medicine and surgery. v. 1-20. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015074156194&view=1up&seq=263

“Mass Bird Deaths in Arkansas Explained.” American Veterinary Medical Association, 1 Apr. 2011, www.avma.org/javma-news/2011-04-01/mass-bird-deaths-arkansas-explained.

McManus, Melanie Radzicki. “10 Times It Has Rained Something Other Than Water.” HowStuffWorks Science, HowStuffWorks, 27 Jan. 2020, science.howstuffworks.com/nature/climate-weather/storms/10-times-it-rained-something-other-than-water2.htm.

Mersereau, Dennis. “5 Weird But Real Weather Events.” Mental Floss, 5 July 2017, www.mentalfloss.com/article/502477/5-weird-real-weather-events.

Pearson, Jordan. Poop Is Raining From the Sky in Canada, and the Government Says It's Not Planes, 29 June 2018, www.vice.com/en_us/article/wjbm3w/poo-raining-from-the-sky-in-canada-government-says-not-planes.

“Punta Gorda Golfball Rain.” Report from the Florida Zone, 21 May 2014, floridazone.blogspot.com/2014/05/punta-gorda-golfball-rain.html.

Rogers, Kayleigh. The Mystery of the Kentucky 'Meat Shower', Vice, 3 July 2018, www.vice.com/en_us/article/kzkmgw/the-mystery-of-the-kentucky-meat-shower.

“The Science of the 10 Plagues.” LiveScience, 11 Apr. 2017, www.livescience.com/58638-science-of-the-10-plagues.html.

Specktor, Brandon. “The Weirdest Things That Fell From The Sky.” LiveScience, 20 Mar. 2018, www.livescience.com/62066-weirdest-things-that-fell-from-the-sky.html.

Tabor, James. “Apocalypticism Explained | Apocalypse! FRONTLINE.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/apocalypse/explanation/brevelation.html.

Weilenman, Donna Beth. “Front Page.” Benicia Herald, 23 Aug. 2015, beniciaheraldonline.com/meat-shower-mystery-endures/

Strange Country Episode 152: John Todd

Listen up, dear dash hounds, your reptilian overlords Beth and Kelly have an odd tale about the Illuminati, witchcraft, the apocalypse, and eternal damnation. Strange Country is talking conspiracies and includes a special Jack Chick readers theater!

Theme music: Big White Lie by A Cast of Thousands

Cite your sources:

Austin, Jon. “Bill Clinton Tried to Discover Truth about UFOs and JKF Murder – This Is What He Found.” Express.co.uk, Express.co.uk, 30 Jan. 2018, www.express.co.uk/news/weird/911978/Bill-Clinton-truth-UFO-aliens-JFK-murder.

Egan, Nancy. “The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 29 May 2016, www.britannica.com/topic/The-Covenant-the-Sword-and-the-Arm-of-the-Lord.

Godwin, Richard. “One Giant ... Lie? Why so Many People Still Think the Moon Landings Were Faked.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 10 July 2019, www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jul/10/one-giant-lie-why-so-many-people-still-think-the-moon-landings-were-faked.

Greene, Andy. “The 10 Wildest Led Zeppelin Legends.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2019, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/the-10-wildest-led-zeppelin-legends-fact-checked-153103/if-you-play-stairway-to-heaven-in-reverse-you-hear-satanic-messages-154807/.

Hayes, Polly. “Here's How Scientists Know Coronavirus Wasn't Made in a Lab.” ScienceAlert, 17 July 2020, www.sciencealert.com/here-s-how-we-know-coronavirus-was-not-made-in-the-lab.

Ito, Robert. "Fear Factor: Jack Chick is the World's Most Published Author--And One of the Strangest." Los Angeles Magazine, May 2003, pp. 56-63, books.google.com/booksid=v10EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA56&dq=%22Chick+tract%22&hl=en#v=onepage&q=%22Chick%20tract%22&f=false.

Jablon, Robert. “Jack T. Chick, Cartoonist of Conspiracy-Minded Attacks, Dies at 92.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 25 Oct. 2016, www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/jack-t-chick-cartoonist-of-conspiracy-minded-attacks-dies-at-92/2016/10/25/e3b7a94c-9ac3-11e6-9980-50913d68eacb_story.html.

Martin, Sean. “End of the World: NEOWISE, Asteroid and Ring of Fire Eclipse 'Sign of the APOCALYPSE'.” Express.co.uk, Express.co.uk, 15 July 2020, www.express.co.uk/news/weird/1309725/end-of-the-world-comet-neowise-asteroid-ring-of-fire-eclipse-apocalypse-september-1.

Olito, Frank. “35 Of the Most Popular Conspiracy Theories in the US.” Insider, Insider, 4 May 2020, www.insider.com/popular-conspiracy-theories-united-states-2019-5#some-people-believe-the-american-military-installation-area-51-is-researching-and-experimenting-on-aliens-and-their-spacecraft-1.

Rohde, David, et al. “Conspiracy Theories, Denial, and the Coronavirus.” The New Yorker, 18 July 2020, www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/conspiracy-theories-denial-and-the-coronavirus.

Sides, John. “Fifty Percent of Americans Believe in Some Conspiracy Theory. Here's Why.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 19 Feb. 2015, www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2015/02/19/fifty-percent-of-americans-believe-in-some-conspiracy-theory-heres-why/.

Walker, Jesse. The United States of Paranoia: a Conspiracy Theory. Harper Perennial, 2014.

Yuhas, Alan. “The Pentagon Released U.F.O. Videos. Don't Hold Your Breath for a Breakthrough.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 28 Apr. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/04/28/us/pentagon-ufo-videos.html.

Zitelmann, Rainer. “How Many Americans Believe In Conspiracy Theories?” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 28 June 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/rainerzitelmann/2020/06/29/how-many-americans-believe-in-conspiracy-theories/#17d7dc515e94.

Strange Country Episode 151: Wanda Holloway

Sometimes we are so invested in our children's lives that we don't make the best choices. Like, say, listen to Betsy DeVos about reopening schools normally during a pandemic or hire someone to murder another mom. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly talk about Wanda Holloway's dream deferred and desire to see her daughter be the cheerleader she never was regardless of the cost. Oh--that's right we can say irregardless now because 2020 is a never-ending hell scape.

Theme music: Big White Lie by A Cast of Thousands

Cite your sources:

Brady, Jonann. “Exclusive: Teen Talks About Her Role in Web Hoax That Led to Suicide.” ABC News, ABC News Network, 26 Feb. 2009, abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=4560582&page=1.

Collins, Lauren. "FRIEND GAME: ANNALS OF CRIME." The New Yorker, vol. 83, no. 44, Jan 21, 2008, pp. 34. ProQuest, https://search-proquest-cay.orc.scoolaid.net/docview/233134642?accountid=34664.

Edmonds, Patricia. "In Texas, an Obsession for Cheers // Charge: Mom Tried Hitman Hire: [FINAL Edition]." USA TODAY (pre-1997 Fulltext), Aug 28, 1991, pp. 03A. ProQuest, https://search-proquest-cay.orc.scoolaid.net/docview/306485672?accountid=34664.

Hageman, William. “When a Parent Is Stage-Struck.” Chicagotribune.com, 19 Mar. 2013, www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/sc-fam-0319-stage-parent-20130319-story.html.

Horton, Alex. “Channeling 'The Social Network,' Lawmaker Grills Zuckerberg on His Notorious Beginnings.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 11 Apr. 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/04/11/channeling-the-social-network-lawmaker-grills-zuckerberg-on-his-notorious-beginnings/.

Knapp, Gwendolyn. “The Mom Who'd Stop at Nothing to Get Her Daughter on the Cheerleading Team.” Houstonia Magazine, Houstonia Magazine, 30 Nov. 2018, www.houstoniamag.com/news-and-city-life/2018/11/wanda-webb-holloway.

Maag, Christopher. “Internet Hoax That Turned Fatal Draws Anger but No Charges.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 28 Nov. 2007, www.nytimes.com/2007/11/28/world/americas/28iht-28hoax.8508834.html?searchResultPosition=2.

Maysh, Jeff. “Why One Woman Pretended to Be a High-School Cheerleader.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 26 July 2017, www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/07/wendy-brown/486152/.

Pesce, Carolyn. "`Pompon Mom' Gets 15 Years: [FINAL Edition]." USA TODAY (pre-1997 Fulltext), Sep 05, 1991, pp. 03A. ProQuest, https://search-proquest-cay.orc.scoolaid.net/docview/306452399?accountid=34664.

Smith, Sonia. “Daughter of ‘Cheerleader Mom’ Breaks 20-Year Silence.” Texas Monthly, 14 Feb. 2012, www.texasmonthly.com/articles/daughter-of-cheerleader-mom-breaks-20-year-silence/.

Swartz, Mimi. “The Cheerleader Murder Plot.” Texas Monthly, 1 May 1991, www.texasmonthly.com/articles/the-cheerleader-murder-plot/.

"TV, Tabloids, Hollywood Jump all Over Story: [FINAL Edition]." USA TODAY (pre-1997 Fulltext), Aug 28, 1991, pp. 03A. ProQuest, https://search-proquest-cay.orc.scoolaid.net/docview/306477825?accountid=34664.

“Wanda Holloway 's Daughter Shanna Breaks Silence over Texas Cheerleading Murder Plot.” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 9 Feb. 2012,

Zetter, Kim. “Judge Acquits Lori Drew in Cyberbullying Case, Overrules Jury.” Wired, Conde Nast, 4 June 2017, www.wired.com/2009/07/drew-court/.

Strange Country Episode 150: Synanon

If you're like us, you likely never heard of Synanon, but its tactics live on in "tough-love" drug rehabilitation programs. Synanon was founded in 1958 by Charles Dederich, and it was the first ever non-medical drug rehabilitation program. And then it became a cult. Join Beth and Kelly as they share the story of shaved heads, forced abortions and the origin story of one of Nancy Reagan's favorite programs.

Theme music: Big White Lie by A Cast of Thousands

Cite your sources:

“Doris Gambonini, a Ranch Woman Who Comforted Synanon Refugees, Dies at 80.” The Point Reyes Light, 2 Oct. 2014, www.ptreyeslight.com/article/doris-gambonini-ranch-woman-who-comforted-synanon-refugees-dies-80.

Etler, Cyndy. “I Spent 16 Months Of My Childhood Locked In A Warehouse.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 1 Mar. 2019, www.huffpost.com/entry/straight-inc_n_5c76a914e4b062b30eba021e.

Fang, Lee. “GOP Mogul Behind Drug Rehab 'Torture' Centers Is Bankrolling Opposition to Pot Legalization in Colorado.” The Nation, 29 June 2015, www.thenation.com/article/archive/gop-mogul-behind-drug-rehab-torture-centers-bankrolling-opposition-pot-legalization-colo/.

Gelder, Lawrence Van. “Charles Dederich, 83, Synanon Founder, Dies.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Mar. 1997, www.nytimes.com/1997/03/04/us/charles-dederich-83-synanon-founder-dies.html?searchResultPosition=1.

Hillel Aron. “The Story of This Drug Rehab-Turned-Violent Cult Is Wild, Wild Country-Caliber Bizarre.” Los Angeles Magazine, 27 Feb. 2020, www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/synanon-cult/.

Jollett, Mikel. Hollywood Park: a Memoir. Celadon Books, 2020.

King, Wayne. “SYNANON MEMBERS ACCUSED IN BEATING.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 Mar. 1981, www.nytimes.com/1981/03/01/us/synanon-members-accused-in-beating.html?searchResultPosition=1.

Mitchell, Dave. “Light to Celebrate 25th Anniversary of Its Pulitzer.” Cult Education Institute, Point Reyes Light, 15 Aug. 2014, culteducation.com/group/1179-synanon/20123-light-to-celebrate-25th-anniversary-of-its-pulitzer.html.

Morantz, Paul. The History of Synanon and Charles Dederich, 2 Aug. 2008, culteducation.com/group/1179-synanon/20127-the-history-of-synanon-and-charles-dederich.html.

Morgan, Fiona. “One Big Dysfunctional.” Cult Education Institute, Salon Magazine, 29 Mar. 1999, culteducation.com/group/1179-synanon/20120-one-big-dysfunctional-family.html.

Novak, Matt. “The Man Who Fought the Synanon Cult and Won.” Paleofuture, 27 Sept. 2014, paleofuture.gizmodo.com/the-man-who-fought-cults-and-won-1634267961.

Novak, Matt. “Synanon's Sober Utopia: How a Drug Rehab Program Became a Violent Cult.” Paleofuture, 15 Apr. 2014, paleofuture.gizmodo.com/synanons-sober-utopia-how-a-drug-rehab-program-became-1562665776.

Pendle, George. “Shaved Heads, Snipped Tubes, Imperial Marines, and Dope Fiends: George Pendle.” CABINET , www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/48/pendle.php.

Shenon, Philip. “9 LINKED TO SYNANON INDICTED BY U.S.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 2 Oct. 1985, www.nytimes.com/1985/10/02/us/9-linked-to-synanon-indicted-by-us.html.

“Synanon.” RationalWiki, rationalwiki.org/wiki/Synanon.

“Synanon Calls Sex Tapes ‘Liturgy’ - Group Claims Constitute Protects Wife-Swap Records.” Cult Education Institute, San Diego Union, 2 Nov. 1979, culteducation.com/group/1179-synanon/20119-synanon-calls-sex-tapes-liturgy-group-claims-constitute-protects-wife-swap-records.html.

“Synanon Foundation, Inc. v. Bernstein, District of Columbia Court of Appeals, State Courts, COURT CASE.” Court Case, www.ecases.us/case/dc/1995369/synanon-foundation-inc-v-bernstein.

Szalavitz, Maia. “The Cult That Spawned the Tough-Love Teen Industry.” Mother Jones, 20 Aug. 2007, www.motherjones.com/politics/2007/08/cult-spawned-tough-love-teen-industry/.

Szalavitz, Maia. "Breaking addicts in order to fix them: how Synanon revolutionized drug treatment and poisoned the politics of prohibition." Reason, vol. 49, no. 5, Oct. 2017, p. 72+. Gale OneFile: Popular Magazines, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A506607207/PPPM?u=nysl_sc_flls&sid=PPPM&xid=27bca0d6. Accessed 25 June 2020.

Szalavitz, Maia. "Tainted Love." Stanford Social Innovation Review, vol. 4, no. 2, Summer, 2006, pp. 66-67. ProQuest, https://search-proquest-cay.orc.scoolaid.net/docview/217168587?accountid=34664

Strange Country Episode 149: Annie Londonberry

Are you feeling a little trapped in your life these days? Surprisingly, Kelly and Beth are as well because masks and limited travel are your best bet at avoiding COVID. One of the few things that helps us feel a little free is a good, long bike ride. But if that is too arduous for you, fear not, you can imagine yourself peddling as you listen to this week’s episode about the famed Annie Londonberry (really Cohen Kopchovsky). A woman who said "screw the kids, I’m taking a ride...around the world!" Among all the things you will learn this week- a penny farthing has nothing to do with flatulence.

Theme music: Big White Lie by A Cast of Thousands

Cite your sources:

Alderman, Liz. “Corona Cycleways Become the New Post-Confinement Commute.” New York Times, www.nytimes.com/2020/06/12/business/paris-bicycles-commute-coronavirus.html.

McCrackin, Suzie. “Annie Londonderry: 10 Facts You Didn't Know.” Total Women's Cycling, totalwomenscycling.com/lifestyle/10-facts-annie-londonderry.

Friedman, Lisa. “New Research Links Air Pollution to High Death Rates.” New York Times, 7 Apr. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/04/07/climate/air-pollution-coronavirus-covid.html?searchResultPosition=1.

Weber, Bruce. “Overlooked No More: Annie Londonberry, Who Traveled the World by Bicycle.” New York Times, 6 Nov. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/11/06/obituaries/annie-londonderry-overlooked.html.

“Science of Cycling: Bicycle Tires.” Exploratorium, www.exploratorium.edu/cycling/wheel3.html.

Zheutlin, Peter. Around the World on Two Wheels: Annie Londonderry's Extraordinary Ride. Citadel Turnaround, 2008.

Strange Country Episode 148: Eugenics, Part II

One way to get rid of people was to petition to have them declared feeble-minded and locked away. That's what happened to 17-year-old Carrie Buck in 1924. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly talk about the Supreme Court case, Buck v. Bell, that led to Buck's sterilization, and the sterilization of a voiceless many under the banner of eugenics. And hey, it's still on the books so. . . ugh.

Theme music: Big White Lie by A Cast of Thousands

Cite your sources:

Amend, Alex. “From Eugenics to Voter ID Laws: Thomas Farr's Connections to the Pioneer Fund.” Southern Poverty Law Center, 4 Dec. 2017, www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/12/04/eugenics-voter-id-laws-thomas-farrs-connections-pioneer-fund.

Cohen, Adam. Imbeciles: the Supreme Court, American Eugenics, and the Sterilization of Carrie Buck. Penguin Press, 2017.

Edgers, Geoff. “The 30-Year Love Affair between Germany and David Hasselhoff Started at the Berlin Wall.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 17 Dec. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/12/17/year-love-affair-between-germany-david-hasselhoff-started-berlin-wall/?arc404=true.

Gamboa, Suzanne. “Fearing Trump's Green Card Policy, Families with Immigrants May Opt out of Coronavirus Care.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 18 May 2020, www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/fearing-trump-s-green-card-policy-families-immigrants-may-opt-n1209196.

Holbrook, Sara. “I Can't Answer These Texas Standardized Test Questions About My Own Poems.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 5 Jan. 2017, www.huffpost.com/entry/standardized-tests-are-so-bad-i-cant-answer-these_b_586d5517e4b0c3539e80c341.

Johnson, Corey G. “Female Inmates Sterilized in California Prisons without Approval.” Reveal, 7 July 2013, www.revealnews.org/article/female-inmates-sterilized-in-california-prisons-without-approval/.

Lombardo, Paul A. Three Generations, No Imbeciles: Eugenics, the Supreme Court, and Buck v. Bell. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008.

Okrent, Daniel. Guarded Gate: Bigotry, Eugenics and the Law That Kept Two Generations of Jews, Italians, and... Other European Immigrants out of America. Scribner, 2020.

Rosenberg, Jeremy. “When California Decided Who Could Have Children and Who Could Not.” KCET, 1 Jan. 2017, www.kcet.org/history-society/when-california-decided-who-could-have-children-and-who-could-not.

Yang, Jia Lynn. “The Surprising Origin of Our Modern Nation of Immigrants.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 13 June 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/06/13/sunday-review/immigration-history-us.html.

Strange Country Episode 147: Eugenics, Part I

Not too long ago, America's elite thought they could stamp out the bad genes by closing our borders and sterilizing some people. This was the era--Er-ahh--of eugenics, the idea that people inherited traits like shiftlessness from their parents. The Nazis would take the eugenicists theories to their logical conclusion. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly talk about the racism and classism underlying policies passed under the eugenics banner, which will make you cry out for more protoplasm. Or probably not because that would be weird.

Theme music: Big White Lie by A Cast of Thousands

Cite your sources:

Boissoneault, Lorraine. “Literacy Tests and Asian Exclusion Were the Hallmarks of the 1917 Immigration Act.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 6 Feb. 2017, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-america-grappled-immigration-100-years-ago-180962058/.

Cohen, Adam. Imbeciles: the Supreme Court, American Eugenics, and the Sterilization of Carrie Buck. Penguin Press, 2017.

Epstein, Kayla. “'Over Our Dead Bodies': Lindsey Graham Vows Congress Won't Extend Additional $600 Coronavirus-Related Unemployment Benefits, as US Death Toll Crosses the 60,000 Mark.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 30 Apr. 2020, www.businessinsider.com/lindsey-graham-congress-coronavirus-unemployment-benefit-over-our-dead-bodies-2020-4.

Fisher, Max. “Sorry, Romney: Neither America Nor the U.K. Are 'Anglo-Saxon' Countries.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 17 July 2013, www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/07/sorry-romney-neither-america-nor-the-uk-are-anglo-saxon-countries/260309/.

Franck, Thomas. “Treasury Secretary Mnuchin Says 'We Can't Shut down the Economy Again'.” CNBC, CNBC, 11 June 2020, www.cnbc.com/2020/06/11/treasury-secretary-mnuchin-says-we-cant-shut-down-the-economy-again.html.

Montopoli, Brian. “S.C. Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer Compares Helping Poor to Feeding Stray Animals.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 25 Jan. 2010, www.cbsnews.com/news/sc-lt-gov-andre-bauer-compares-helping-poor-to-feeding-stray-animals/.

Okrent, Daniel. Guarded Gate: Bigotry, Eugenics and the Law That Kept Two Generations of Jews, Italians, and... Other European Immigrants out of America. Scribner, 2020.

Rambaran-Olm, Mary. “Misnaming the Medieval: Rejecting ‘Anglo-Saxon’ Studies.” History Workshop, 30 Oct. 2019, www.historyworkshop.org.uk/misnaming-the-medieval-rejecting-anglo-saxon-studies/?fbclid=IwAR3WF_8pt8YqjA0Wjfe7n6v4HB3d7iOdk2D5kD0cX4ztcS9lJdVqZTvET0s.

Strange Country Episode 146: Legionnaires Disease

As if it returning to work during a pandemic isn't worrisome enough, your building may be teeming with Legionella bacteria due to the stagnant water. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly discuss the latest scare and what gave it its name. In 1976, delegate from the American Legion met in Philadelphia for a conference. A few weeks later, 34 were dead from some mysterious virulent pneumonia.

Theme music: Big White Lie by A Cast of Thousands

Cite your sources:

Honigsbaum, Mark. The Pandemic Century: One Hundred Years of Panic, Hysteria, and Hubris. W. W. Norton & Company, 2019.

Horberry, Max. “After Coronavirus, Office Workers Might Face Unexpected Health Threats.” The New York Times, 20 May 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/05/20/health/coronavirus-legionnaires-offices.html.

Hu, Winnie, and Noah Remnick. “A Belated Look at New York's Cooling Towers, Prime Suspect in Legionnaires' Outbreak.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Aug. 2015, www.nytimes.com/2015/08/05/nyregion/new-york-officials-move-to-regulate-towers-tied-to-legionnaires-disease-outbreak.html.

“Legionnaires' Disease.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 17 Sept. 2019, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/legionnaires-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20351747.

Markel, Dr. Howard. “How a Hotel Convention Became Ground Zero for This Deadly Bacteria.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 23 July 2018, www.pbs.org/newshour/health/how-a-hotel-convention-became-ground-zero-for-this-deadly-bacteria.

McQuade, Dan. “Philadelphia's 5 Most Disastrous Independence Days.” Philadelphia Magazine, Philadelphia Magazine, 3 July 2013, www.phillymag.com/news/2013/07/03/5-disastrous-independence-days-philadelphia-history/.

Schrag, Zachary M. “Nativist Riots of 1844.” Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, 2013, philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/nativist-riots-of-1844/.

Thacker SB;Bennett JV;Tsai TF;Fraser DW;McDade JE;Shepard CC;Williams KH;Stuart WH;Dull HB;Eickhoff TC; “An Outbreak in 1965 of Severe Respiratory Illness Caused by the Legionnaires' Disease Bacterium.” The Journal of Infectious Diseases, U.S. National Library of Medicine, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/361897/.

Strange Country Episode 145: Emmett Till

Well Dash Hounds, it just keeps happening. We think maybe telling the stories of the past each week will enlighten us to become better humans. But really our little podcast reminds you each week that yes, history does repeat itself. And here we are together as a hurting nation and sick world, watching white racist men in power continue to abuse people and their power. This week Kelly and Beth tell the heartbreaking story of Emmett Till. It is important to know his story as new stories of racism in America continue to unfold. Know history, change the future. We love you Dash Hounds, and as always, thank you for listening- it is an act of love.

Theme music: Big White Lie by A Cast of Thousands

Cite your sources:

Tyon, Timothy. The Blood of Emmit Till. 2017

https://billieholiday.com/signaturesong/strange-fruit/.

Blair, Elizabeth, The Strange Story of the Man Behind Strange Fruit. NPR https://www.npr.org/2012/09/05/158933012/the-strange-story-of-the-man-behind-strange-fruit

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/25/emmett-till-long-wait-for-justice

https://emmetttilllegacyfoundation.com/emmetts-story/

Stewart, Nikita. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/30/nyregion/central-park-video.html

Pena, Richard Perez. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/27/us/emmett-till-lynching-carolyn-bryant-donham.html

Epstein, Kayla. “This Emmett Till Memorial Was Vandalized Again. And Again. And Again. Now, It's Bulletproof.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 20 Oct. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/10/20/this-emmett-till-memorial-was-vandalized-again-again-again-now-its-bulletproof/.

Strange Country Episode 144: Shark Attacks of 1916

As beaches open up for the summer, remember there's more than COVID-19 to worry about. No, actually, that should be the main thing to worry about. Oh and sun cancer. While Strange County is talking about shark attacks, shark attacks are pretty rare. You have a better chance of having Trump grab you by your genitalia. But in the summer of 1916, a shark or sharks terrorized the Jersey Shore over 12 days. Scientists still don't know definitively what sparked it, but Beth and Kelly put forth a theory that is pretty incredible.

Theme music: Big White Lie by A Cast of Thousands

Cite your sources:

Brown, Elizabeth. “How a Century of Fear Turned Deadly for Sharks.” Florida Museum, 3 May 2019, www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/how-a-century-of-fear-turned-deadly-for-sharks/.

Capuzzo, Michael. Close to Shore: the Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916. Crown Publishers, 2003.

The Case of the New Jersey Man-Eater, www.elasmo-research.org/education/topics/saf_nj_maneater.htm.

Copeland, Matthew. “A History of Shark Attacks in Texas.” KIIITV, 24 July 2018, www.kiiitv.com/article/news/local/a-history-of-shark-attacks-in-texas/503-577105458.

Evelyn, Kenya. “Amazon Threatened with Closure of Wisconsin Campus over Coronavirus.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 22 May 2020, www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/may/22/amazon-coronavirus-wisconsin-campus-closure-threat.

Fernicola, Richard G. Twelve Days of Terror: a Definitive Investigation of the 1916 New Jersey Shark Attacks. The Lyons Press, 2002.

Gambino, Megan. “The Shark Attacks That Were the Inspiration for Jaws.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 6 Aug. 2012, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-shark-attacks-that-were-the-inspiration-for-jaws-15220260/.

“Great White Shark.” National Geographic, 21 Sept. 2018, www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/g/great-white-shark/.

“Great White Shark.” Smithsonian Ocean, 18 Dec. 2018, ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/sharks-rays/great-white-shark#section_690.

McCall, Matt. “2 Weeks, 4 Deaths, and the Start of America's Fear of Sharks.” 1916 New Jersey Shore Shark Attacks Inspired Jaws and Changed the Way We View Ocean Predators, 12 June 2019, www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/07/150702-shark-attack-jersey-shore-1916-great-white/.

Picchi, Aimee. “Trump Adviser Says America's ‘Human Capital Stock’ Ready to Return to Work, Sparking Anger.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 26 May 2020, www.cbsnews.com/news/human-capital-stock-kevin-hassett-trump-economic-advisor-back-to-work/.

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