Shows
Conspiracy ClearinghouseSpirits in the Material World: Mediums and SpiritualismEPISODE 141 | Spirits in the Material World: Mediums and Spiritualism
The late 19th and early 20th were rife with claims of contact with spirits of the departed, and plenty of people made a pretty penny convincing the grieving or the curious that they had the right stuff, the special connection to the Other Side. But it has continued past then, and even today there are those who would prey upon people to make a fast buck, supercharging the woo space in the process.
We’ll look at mediums, magicians, seances, channelers and more, including some of th...2025-07-1654 minConspiracy ClearinghouseA Numbers Game: MathspiraciesEPISODE 139 | A Numbers Game: Mathspiracies
Guest: Gary Arndt, writer and host of the Everything Everywhere Daily podcast
We aren't really very good with numbers, so naturally we've come up with a lot of wacky ideas about them. Gary Arndt talks about numbers of all sorts, like why Pi is stupid, why prime numbers are cool, why the Fibonacci sequence isn't all that, when math leads to murder and much more.
Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three via our page on Buy Me a Coffee. Review us here or on ...2025-06-1847 minConspiracy ClearinghouseMidnight Sun: Arctic TalesEPISODE 138 | Midnight Sun: Arctic Tales
The Far North is a region of extremes and stark beauty, and it is also trying to kill you if you’re a human. And yet we still live there, around 4 million of us call the Arctic our home, and we still weave stories about it, often quite fanciful ones.
It’s a land of adventure, danger, murder, mishap, giants, ancient aliens, the origin of white people, secret tropical paradises, political talking points and even an overly generous fat guy in a red suit. It all depends on who you talk...2025-06-0450 minConspiracy ClearinghouseTell Me a Story: 3 UFO Tall TalesEPISODE 137 | Tell Me a Story: 3 UFO Tall Tales
When a narrative takes off, some folks want to get in on the action, and this is especially true in the world of woo or conspiracy, and really especially true when it comes to UFOs. Here are three tall tales from the UFO space - Whitely Streiber’s abduction writings, Budd Hopkins's Manhattan Alien Abduction and Linda Moulton Howe's incredible, fanciful, tale of a secret black pyramid buried in central Alaska.
Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three via our page on Buy Me...2025-05-2156 minConspiracy ClearinghouseIncel-ationEPISODE 136 | Incel-ation
Some say there’s a crisis of masculinity, or maybe it’s just that there’s still a lot of misogyny in our culture. Whatever the causes, one thing is clear – there are some young men out there who have difficulty interacting with women while also buying into the narrative that sex and female attention is somehow their right. And every once in a while, one of these guys goes postal, and violence is the result.
This is the sad and sometimes scary world of incels.
Like what we do? Then buy us a...2025-05-0756 minConspiracy ClearinghouseOn Shakey Ground: More Shakespeare AuthorshipEPISODE 135 | On Shakey Ground: More Shakespeare Authorship
Guest: Scott Jackson, Mary Irene Ryan Executive Artistic Director of Shakespeare at the University of Notre Dame, current president of the Shakespeare Theatre Association (STA), stage actor and director
On the anniversary of Shakespeare's life and death (both), a look at some of the more fringe of fringe theories as to who "really" wrote the plays and sonnets attributed to the "Man from Stratford".
Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three via our page on Buy Me a Coffee. Review us here or on...2025-04-2348 minConspiracy ClearinghouseBehind the History MysteriesEPISODE 134 | Behind the History Mysteries
Guest: Neil Laird, Emmy-nominated TV producer (Discovery, BBC, PBS, History, National Geographic), author of the Prime Time novel series
TV has so many of these Secrets of..., Mysteries of... shows, you have to wonder how they keep the stories fresh and compelling. Well, wonder no more, as Emmy-nominated producer Neil Laird takes us behind the camera on some of the many shows he's produced to kick off the start of our sixth year.
Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three via our page on Buy M...2025-04-0947 minConspiracy ClearinghouseCult Pop Suicide: Japanese CultsEPISODE 133 | Cult Pop Suicide: Japanese Cults
Japan is a land of many contradictions - very forward-looking but also retrograde. And when it comes to the spiritual side of things, quite a few people seem to fall for various cults, scammers and charlatans. And just offbeat beliefs, like that Jesus' brother died on the cross while He moved to Aomori Prefecture in northern Honshu, where he married and taught and lived until 106.
Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three via our page on Buy Me a Coffee. Review us here or on IMDb...2025-03-2657 minConspiracy ClearinghouseKeel Hauled: UAP UpdateEPISODE 132 | Keel Hauled: UAP Update
Recent revelations, reports, videos and hearings have been leading up to what many UAP folks call Disclosure. Some interesting things have come out, and a whole lot of nonsense as well.
Spoiler: UFOs are real. Apart from that single fact, no one really has any hard evidence for anything else. So, they speculate.
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03...2025-03-1259 minConspiracy ClearinghouseHotlantis: The Lost ContinentEPISODE 131 | Hotlantis: The Lost Continent
We all love mysteries, and Atlantis is one of the biggest ones. Was it a real place or just an allegory? If real, then where was it? Many people have spent a lot of time and money trying to discover the answer to that question.
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02:22 - Let the Mermaids Flirt with Me - Plato's Tim...2025-02-2645 minConspiracy ClearinghouseLost Cities of the New WorldEPISODE 130 | Lost Cities of the New World
Guest: Neil Laird, Emmy-nominated TV producer (Discovery, BBC, PBS, History, National Geographic), author of the Prime Time novel series
What's commonly called the "New World" is actually very old, and for a long time, people have been trying to track down supposedly lost locations in the Americas. While these folks have not succeeded, advances in technology are allowing us to make astonishing discoveries that are rewriting the history of human habitation in the Western Hemisphere.
Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three v...2025-02-1246 minConspiracy ClearinghouseThe Fermi Paradox: Here Comes NobodyEPISODE 129 | The Fermi Paradox: Here Comes Nobody
If we are not unique as a species, an intelligent one that builds civilizations, then there must be lots and lots of other civilizations out there in the galaxy and the rest of the universe beyond. But if so, where the hell is everybody?
That’s the question at the heart of the Fermi Paradox. And this has kicked off a chain of reasoning and speculation that crosses disciplinary boundaries, and lets us start to envision, not just what might be out there, but where we ourselves want to...2025-01-2948 minConspiracy ClearinghouseEstimated Prophets: Nostradamus & CayceEPISODE 128 | Estimated Prophets: Nostradamus & Cayce
Even though almost none of the things that prophets say will happen actually do, we still persist in believing in the capability anyway. We do not like to change out minds very much. Two of the biggest prophets that still hold sway today over Western culture are Nostradamus and Edgar Cayce, and we’ll take a look at each one in turn.
Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three via our page on Buy Me a Coffee. You can also SUBSCRIBE to this podcast. Review us here...2025-01-1549 min
Conspiracy ClearinghouseCognitive Biases: Thanks, Big Brain! (BR 12)EPISODE 127 | Cognitive Biases: Thanks, Big Brain! (Because Reasons 12)
This episode looks at the final two categories of biases in the Cognitive Biases Codex – what we tend to do when the information we’re presented with doesn’t contain enough meaning, and the brain’s tendency to favor quick assessments over complete ones, because it feels it need to act quickly.
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COMPLICAT...2025-01-0154 minConspiracy ClearinghouseCognitive Biases and the Brain: Thanks, Evolution! (BR 11)EPISODE 126 | Cognitive Biases and the Brain: Thanks, Evolution! (Because Reasons 11)
The first of two episodes looking at cognitive biases - this one at how memory works and how we prevent input overload by filtering out information. Hopefully, this will give us some insight into why people think they way they do.
The primary source material for this is the Cognitive Biases Codex, created by Buster Benson and John Manoogian III, as used by the EU's Marie Curie CogNovo program for Conspiracy-Theories.EU.
Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three v...2024-12-1856 minConspiracy ClearinghouseLast Flight: More Airliner WeirdnessEPISODE 125 | Last Flight: More Airliner Weirdness
While it's totally normal that things break, sometimes there is also some kind of secret or mystery around something as monumental as an airplane crash or disappearance. And so lots of "theories" get spun, some by those who have lost someone dear to them, others by those who seek to profit from the disaster.
This follow-up episode to our previous one about airplanes, One of Our Aircraft Is Missing, is likewise dedicated to my godson, Vova, or Rusty, who just loves, loves, loves, loves commercial aircraft.
Like wh...2024-12-0434 minConspiracy ClearinghouseOne of Our Aircraft Is MissingEPISODE 124 | One of Our Aircraft Is Missing
A look at a few outstanding cases of plane crashes and disappearances, commercial flights that have gone awry, and some of the weirdness surrounding those mishaps. And, of course, the ones we’ll look at have had conspiracy theories spun about them.
This episode is dedicated to my godson, Vova (or Rusty, as we call him), because he absolutely loves commercial aircraft.
Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three via our page on Buy Me a Coffee. You can also SUBSCRIBE to this...2024-11-2043 minConspiracy ClearinghouseA Heritage of Nonsense: More JKF StoriesEPISODE 123 | A Heritage of Nonsense: More JKF Stories
Guest: Fred Litwin, author of A Heritage of Nonsense: Jim Garrison's Tales of Mystery and Imagination
The JFK assassination truly is the gift that keeps on giving, as this third book on the topic by Fred Litwin demonstrates. People who became suspects after just a two-minute phone call, a comedian who claimed to have channeled Oswald's ghost, a dishwasher spy, Jim Garrison's theory of propinquity and more weirdness than you can shake a stick at.
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02:37 - What's the problem with Jim Garrison?
08:44 - B...2024-11-0644 minConspiracy ClearinghouseHow to Be a CommunistEPISODE 122 | How to Be a Communist
One of the many words tossed about these days as a snarl term is “communist”, but do the people using this sobriquet know what that really means? It certainly doesn’t mean every leftwing philosophy or ideology. In fact, Communism is a very specific set of applications of very certain ideas, and, like it or not, helped define the 20th century.
So let’s look at what Communism is and what it isn’t, and what other systems and suites of thought have crossover with it. Like all the different...2024-10-2359 minConspiracy ClearinghouseCoup Coup G'joob: Civic Disturbances in the U.S. 1900 - PresentEPISODE 121 | Coup Coup G'joob: Civic Disturbances in the U.S. 1900 - Present
This is a continuation of our previous episode about coup attempts, rebellions and civic unrest in the United States prior to the 20th century. This time, we jump into the 20th century and bring us right up to the present day. After hearing all this, you decide if things really are, as some would have you believe, the worst it’s ever been, or if in fact, America has always struggled with its foundational problems and original sins, coupled with an unusual appetite for, or at...2024-10-0956 minConspiracy ClearinghouseOOPArts Doompa-Dee-DooEPISODE 120 | OOPArts Doompa-Dee-Doo
Sometimes people find something… interesting, maybe even mysterious. What is that? they ask. And then they or someone else makes a logical leap and says oh, wow, here is the missing link I’ve been looking for that proves all my theories that until now have been ridiculed or ignored. And not even scientists are immune to this very common and very human process.
We’re looking at out of place artifacts, or OOPArts – things found in an unusual context. This might, upon examination, indicate that certain civilizational develops happened much earlier than we...2024-09-2556 min
Conspiracy ClearinghouseFalse-Flag-A-Go-Go (World Is Weird 14)Episode 119 | False-Flag-A-Go-Go (WIW 14)
The false flag trick started with naval warfare, but has also been used to initiate wars and to sabotage political opponents. And the conspirasphere uses the idea of the false flag, both in general and specific terms, quite often to justify certain narratives. In that regard, the two most influential are the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and the attacks in New York City and Washington D.C. on September 11, 2001. Since that latter event, nearly every major public incident has been called a false flag by someone or another.
Since today is...2024-09-1147 minConspiracy ClearinghousePublic Enemy AntifaEPISODE 118 | Public Enemy Antifa
Much has been made about Antifa. Is it a concept, socio-political stance, or an organized group? Do they oppose oppression by any means necessary, or are they simply hooligans who want to break things? Or, as Trump and others in the Maga mirror world have suggested, are they the quasi-military arm of some insidious plot to undermine the very foundations of western society? Are they, in fact, terrorists? So, let’s trace what it is, where it comes from and who is part of it.
Like what we do? Then buy us...2024-08-2843 minConspiracy ClearinghouseStay Awake: The Wokeness IssueEPISODE 117 | Stay Awake: The Wokeness Issue
In a classic example of the weird mirror world days we are currently moving through, a term used by Black people to mean one thing has been turned by opportunists into something totally different.
So, let's look at the origin of the term "woke", how it's been used, African-American Vernacular English (AAVE), the Black Lives Matter movement, Defund the Police, and the appropriating of the word by those who see more personal profit in keeping us all divided.
Like what we do? Then buy us a beer o...2024-08-1455 minConspiracy ClearinghouseHigh(er) Strangeness w/Eric BickernicksEPISODE 116 | High(er) Strangeness w/Eric Bickernicks
Guest: Eric Bickernicks, writer, author of High Strangeness and Higher Strangeness
What does a guy who's made novelty songs, short comedy videos, an indie film for $32k, kettle corn aplenty, and a novel about art theft do next? If he's Eric Bickernicks, he writes two books about UFOs, hoaxes, alien thoughts, UFO cults, gullibility and Cape Cod.
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You can also SUB...2024-07-3144 minConspiracy ClearinghouseCuckoo Coups in the U.S.EPISODE 115 | Cuckoo Coups in the U.S.
Alarmist rhetoric has been used multiple times in America’s past with the express intent of fomenting a rebellion or even a coup. The game is to create a sense of urgency in the hopes that enough people will commit to extreme actions, so you can get what you want (which is power).
According to Wikipedia, there have been 13 coup attempts in the United States since it won its independence from the British crown, plus an additional 29 rebellions and well, lots of moments of civil unrest. Things are no...2024-07-1754 minConspiracy ClearinghouseAll Your Base Are Belong to Us: U.S. Military InstallationsEPISODE 114 | All Your Base Are Belong to Us: U.S. Military Installations
The United States spends more on their military than the next nine countries combined. With around 450 bases (or maybe 500 or maybe 750 or maybe 800 or even more) operating more than 111,000 installations in 80 or more countries, there’s a lot to keep track of. In fact, no one is really sure how accurate those numbers are, since a lot of places are deemed classified or even top secret, and yes, cover stories have sometimes been deployed.
Some of the things we do know about are pr...2024-07-0350 minConspiracy ClearinghousePower Is Power: The Vulnerable Electrical GridEPISODE 113 | Power Is Power: The Vulnerable Electrical Grid
Guest: Chris Underwood, author of the The Cold Winter series
Our digital age needs electricity more than anything else. But what would happen is part of the power grid went down during one of the worst winter storms in history? That's the premise of Chris Underwood's thriller series The Cold Winter. The fact is that power grid is vulnerable, and a series of low-tech in recent years have highlighted some serious problems that have still not been addressed.
Like what we do? Then buy us a...2024-06-1945 minConspiracy ClearinghouseGESARA & the Red CaesarEPISODE 112 | GESARA & the Red Caesar
What do proposed economic reforms, the idea of a post-constitutional American dictator and Christian Nationalism have in common? Donald Trump, for starters - at least for some people. Scammers and grifters of all stripes find common ground with would-be authoritarians in a weird confluence of conspiracy narratives that hope to create and capitalize on chaos to further their own agendas.
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You can also SUBSCRIBE to...2024-06-0554 minConspiracy ClearinghouseUs vs. Them: Antisemitism Goes to SchoolEPISODE 111 | Us vs. Them: Antisemitism Goes to School
Guest: Scott Shay, president of Chai Mitzvah and author of Conspiracy U
Hamas forces swept into Israel on October 7, 2023, committing atrocities and taking hostages. Literally the next day, American student groups were blaming Israel. Protests on campuses began to multiply and today the situation seems out of control and pro-Israel and pro-Palestine groups go at one another while school administrations react heavy-handedly. What's behind all the shrill rhetoric?
Scott Shay's 2021 book Conspiracy U looked at antisemitic trends on American campuses, and saw an uptick in s...2024-05-2252 minConspiracy ClearinghouseHow to Be a FascistEPISODE 110 | How to Be a Fascist
People use the term "Fascist" a lot these days, but do they really know what that means? Fascism is a very specific combination of ideas and goals that occurred within very clear historical and philosophical contexts.
This is a look at where Fascism came from, Mussolini's rise to power, and variations and offshoots of the first Fascist ideologies. And while not everyone you don't like is a "Fascist", there are some actual fascists out there, and they are not being all that quiet.
Like what we do? Th...2024-05-0859 minConspiracy ClearinghouseWhat's in a Name? The Shakespeare Authorship DebateEPISODE 109 | What's in a Name? The Shakespeare Authorship Debate
Guest: Scott Jackson, Mary Irene Ryan Executive Artistic Director of Shakespeare at the University of Notre Dame, current vice president of the Shakespeare Theatre Association (STA) and incoming president, actor, director and Shakespeare scholar
William Shakespeare wrote at least 36 plays, 154 sonnets, two narrative poems and a few shorter poems - more than 884,000 words total, more than 1700 of which he invented. But just who was this guy? Was he really "the Man from Stratford", or merely a pen name for... well someone else?
We look a...2024-04-2457 minConspiracy ClearinghouseSwiftboating Redux: Taylor Swift Derangement SyndromeEPISODE 108 | Swiftboating Redux: Taylor Swift Derangement Syndrome
She's the most successful pop star today, yet some people seem to suffer brain meltdowns when thinking about Taylor Swift. Call it TDSD, Taylor Swift Derangement Syndrome, and it takes hold especially in MAGAmaniacs, Trumpeteers, Trad Chads and broflakes.
Tracing the conspirasphere's treatment of Swift along with her career and life, including Kanyegate and the Masters Dispute, shows some interesting connections as TDSD spreads far and wide, outpaced only by her own wildly popular musical output.
THIS EPISODE MARKS THE BEGINNING OUR 5TH YEAR. THANKS FOR A...2024-04-1059 minConspiracy ClearinghouseTraces of Reality: Abstract Art and the CIA (WIW 13)EPISODE 107 | Traces of Reality: Abstract Art and the CIA (World Is Weird 13)
Guest: Mandy Theis, founder and director of the School of Atelier Arts, academic director and professor at the Florence Academy of Art
Maybe you've walked into a museum or gallery and seen a big white, blank canvas, or a huge circle, and thought, "So, this is art, eh?". But why is there so much of this abstract stuff around? The answer might be surprising - because the CIA promoted it as part of the Cold War.
And then it rather got...2024-03-2752 minConspiracy ClearinghouseSuffer the Children: Pizzagate, Wayfair & the Seeds of QAnonEPISODE 106 | Suffer the Children: Pizzagate, Wayfair & the Seeds of QAnon
"Without a clear indication of the author's intent, it is difficult or impossible to tell the difference between an expression of sincere extremism and a parody of extremism."
In the world of the internet, this is known as Poe’s Law, and it’s especially applicable to the weird narrative Gordian Knot known as Pizzagate. The adage applies not just to how absurd some beliefs are, but also to the arguments made by people who hold these beliefs. First formulated in 2005 by Nathan Poe, it buil...2024-03-1359 min
Conspiracy ClearinghouseCapitol Assets: Weird DC (Travelogue 4)EPISODE 105 | Capitol Assets: Weird DC (Travelogue 4)
Guest: Fayge Horesh, co-creator, writer and host of the D Listers of History podcast, and licensed tour guide
Washington D.C. is an interesting place and, like many cities, has some oddities. We take a look at some of the things around town that might not be obvious at first glance, like (not-so secret) tunnels, ghost cats, strange clocks, hollow domes, street plans, statues, snipers, protected trees, food trucks and more.
Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three via our page on Buy M...2024-02-2838 minConspiracy ClearinghouseFatal Attraction: Magnet WooEPISODE 104 | Fatal Attraction: Magnet Woo
While we use magnets all the time, most of us don’t know some of the subtleties of magnetic fields and the electromagnetic force. This lack of knowledge is the perfect opening for scam artists to sell unsuspecting folks all kinds of sham cures for illnesses and injuries, opening up a wide world of woo and pseudoscientific narratives.
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You can also SUBSCRIBE to this podca...2024-02-1451 minConspiracy ClearinghouseDown in Bermuda, It’s Easy to Believe: The Devil’s TriangleEPISODE 103 | Down in Bermuda, It’s Easy to Believe: The Devil’s Triangle
Back in the 70s, the Bermuda Triangle was all over the place but today, not so much. Whatever happened with that? Did it go away? Was it debunked? Or did the woosphere simply get bored and move on to juicer subjects?
A bit of both. Plus, the are lots of other supposed interesting/mysterious/dangerous triangles out there. They do have sharp corners, after all.
Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three via our page on Buy Me...2024-01-3148 minConspiracy ClearinghouseConspiracy Thinking in the Middle East w/Adel AaliEPISODE 102 | Conspiracy Thinking in the Middle East (Because Reasons 10)
Guest: Adel Aali, creator and host of the podcasts History Behind News and Unravelling the Middle East
Conspiracy theories seem to thrive in the Middle East, but why? Adel Aali takes a look at some of the more common CTs, as well as where they come from and why that region might be primed for conspiracy thinking due to its history.
Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three via our page on Buy Me a Coffee. #ConspiracyClearinghouse #sharingiscaring #donations #support #bu...2024-01-1748 minConspiracy ClearinghousePanic! at the Disco: The Jan. 6 Event (WIW 12)EPISODE 101 | Panic! at the Disco: The Jan. 6 Event (World Is Weird 12)
On January 6, 2021 at 12:53 EST, a mass of people overwhelmed police on the west side of the US Capitol Building in Washington DC. At 2:11, a window was broken, and they entered the building. What followed was a bizarre scene, with some happy to just wander around, while others had more active plans. When it was over, 5 people were dead, 138 law enforcement personnel were injured (15 needing hospitalization), and an untold number of civilians were also injured. Eventually, more than 1100 people would be charged with various crimes committed that...2024-01-0356 minConspiracy ClearinghouseConspirasphere Rising w/Derek Arnold (BR 9)EPISODE 100 | Conspirasphere Rising - A Talk w/Derek Arnold (Because Reasons 9)
Guest: Derek Arnold, Senior Instructor at Villanova University, where he teaches a course on The Rhetoric of Conspiracy Theories
The modern conspirasphere sort of starts with the assassination of JFK, and events in the two decades that follow help shape a growing trend toward conspiracy thinking in the United States. Mr. Arnold teaches his students all about this, and also offers guidance in how to construct a toolkit for analyzing conspiracy theories that they can take with them out into the world.
...2023-12-2042 minConspiracy ClearinghouseA Bridge Too Far: The Mothman Visits Point PleasantEPISODE 99 | A Bridge Too Far: The Mothman Visits Point Pleasant
The strange events of 1966-1967 in and around Point Pleasant, West Virginia gave rise to one of America's most enduring legends - the Mothman. It made the headlines and also the careers of Gray Barker and John Keel. But it was more than just a large winged creature. There were visits from the Men in Black, UFOs aplenty, poltergeists and other high weirdness.
Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three via our page on Buy Me a Coffee. #ConspiracyClearinghouse #sharingiscaring #donations #su...2023-12-0644 minConspiracy ClearinghouseSmoke & Mirrors: Unintentional Dangers and Slow Thinking (Because Reasons 8)EPISODE 98 | Smoke & Mirrors: Unintentional Dangers and Slow Thinking (Because Reasons 8)
Guest: Kent Weishaus, licensed clinical social worker, author of Stop Breaking Down: The Secret to Avoiding Overwhelm and Crack-Up
Why are there so many adherents to conspiracy theories these days? What are the mechanisms that encourage people to latch onto a particular narrative?
We are modern creatures with out-dated brains. Clinical social worker (and former TV guy) Kent Weishaus talks about various theories and cognitive biases, and champions slow thinking in an age that seems too fast for our minds to keep pace w...2023-11-2250 minConspiracy ClearinghouseÜst akıl: Totally TurkeyEPISODE 97 | Üst akıl: Totally Turkey
Turkey is a place with a complex history and a diverse population, which can lead to a sense of uncertainty and instability. Conspiracy theories that offer simple explanations for complex events and interactions, seem to take hold easily there, especially lately.
This can make it difficult for people to distinguish between reliable information and propaganda and can contribute to the spread of false information and conspiracy theories.
All told, Turkey seems to be particularly susceptible to the spread of conspiracy narratives. Which is a darned shame, since th...2023-11-0843 minConspiracy ClearinghouseInside Out: Neuroscience & Memory w/Gary Simonds (Because Reasons 7)EPISODE 96 | Inside Out: Neuroscience & Memory (Because Reasons 7)
Guest: Dr. Gary Simonds, neurosurgeon, professor and author of Death's Pale Flag
What happens when a lauded neurosurgeon starts thinking about ghosts and the scientific approach to the paranormal? You get a novel like Death's Pale Flag. This is the fictional work by Gary R. Simonds, who spends a lot of his time thinking about the brain, how it works, how it doesn't work, and areas that still need to be explored with open minds.
Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three vi...2023-10-2547 minConspiracy ClearinghouseBodyguard of Lies: The Ghost Army & Wartime Deception (WIW 11)EPSIODE 95 | Bodyguard of Lies: The Ghost Army & Wartime Deception (World Is Weird 11)
More than 100 million soldiers took part in WWII, but not all of them were fighting with guns. There was obviously a lot of administration and infrastructure to deal with, there were codebreakers and spies, and there were even some who engaged in secret deception to trick the enemy.
This episode is not abouts ghosts, but rather the Ghost Army. No, not a battalion of unstoppable undead like Aragorn brings with him against the forces of Mordor, but a dirty tricks tactical deception unit...2023-10-1147 minConspiracy ClearinghousePeek-A-Boo: Project Star GateEPISODE 94 | Peek-A-Boo: Project Star Gate
The US military heard the Soviets were working on creating psychic spies, so they started their own program, which would, after many name changes, get dubbed Project Star Gate. This would attract cranks and flim-flammers of all kinds over its 25 year run, resulting in not much useful intel but inspiring some participants to make a number of outlandish claims and starting various conspiracy theories about remote viewing techniques.
Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three via our page on Buy Me a Coffee. #ConspiracyClearinghouse #sharingiscaring #donations #s...2023-09-2753 minConspiracy ClearinghouseFrom Sea to Sea: More Canada Mysteries & HistoriesEPISODE 93 | From Sea to Sea: More Canada Mysteries & Histories
Guest: Nile Séguin, comedian, actor, writer, French-Canadian
Canada, northern neighbor to the United States, a sovereign nation that’s only party sovereign, second largest country in the world by size but 37th by population. It’s a place filled with fairly reasonable people, lots of trees and many mysteries.
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Review...2023-09-1349 minConspiracy ClearinghouseOctopus’s Garden: Dan Casolaro, INSLAW & Death (WIW 10)EPISODE 92 | Octopus's Garden: Dan Casolaro, INSLAW & Death (WIW 10)
A number of unusual deaths, law enforcement software, mob families, casinos, drug running, arms dealing, and a possible nationwide, possible international, conspiracy known as the Octopus – this wild and complicated tale reads like a whole series of thriller novels and is further proof that the world is weird indeed.
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Review us here or on...2023-08-3054 minConspiracy ClearinghouseTartaria Sauce: The Tartarian Empire and 15-Minute CitiesEPSIODE 91 | Tartaria Sauce : The Great Tartarian Empire and 15-Minute Cities
One day, I wondered if there were any conspiracy theories about architecture, which is something I am quite keen on, so I fired up the laptop and did a Google search, and sure enough, there is. One. One that’s weird and funny and just a little bit sad.
While researching this, a new conspiracy pops up on the interwebs, this time about urban planning, another subject I‘m very interested in. And so, between the Tartarian Empire/Great Mud Flood theory, and the newly mint...2023-08-1647 minConspiracy ClearinghouseOh, Canada!EPISODE 90 | Oh, Canada!
The Great White North, the Just Society - Canada is a cold place filled with reasonable people. For the most part. But not even they are immune to the pull of the conspirasphere, and have hatched some wacky ideas all their own.
This episode is by request of a Canadian fan of the podcast. So enjoy!
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Rev...2023-08-0245 min
Juggling Joy With Karen Jane DeWitt8. Love The Phase You're In: Derek and Jamie PhelpsFor the first time ever on the show, I got to sit down with a married couple, Jamie and Derek Phelps. The ex-Austinites tell us what motivated them to move to Colorado to parent their now 5 ½ year old son. We discuss the struggles of managing fight or flight when our kids yell at us, and how a little perspective can help you love the phase of parenthood you’re in, no matter how frustrating it can sometimes be. Derek is a comedian known for having a sense of humor drier than a Texas summer, so grab a tall glass of...2023-07-2139 minConspiracy ClearinghouseJBS BS: The John Birch SocietyEPISODE 89 | JBS BS: The John Birch Society
History is full of those who became tyrants or aspired to become one. Even in a country like the United States in the fairly enlightened 20th century, there were those who thought that, well, actually, their vision of how things should be was the best one, and that they should probably just be in charge. And if you opposed them, they said all sorts of disagreeable things about you. And sometimes they just outright lied.
Welcome to the John Birch Society, where anything and everything goes in the...2023-07-1936 minConspiracy ClearinghouseWeird AI Yankovic (Not-So-Scary AI Futures)EPISODE 88 | Weird AI Yankovic (Not-So-Scary AI Futures)
Guest: Josh Bachynski, AI consultant
AI is here and it's here to stay. And despite all the hand wringing and doom-and-gloom predictions, the AI-powered future actually looks pretty bright. AI is already being used in a number of applications, and more are on the way.
Josh Bachynski and I talk about the inherent ethics of intelligence; AI/robot bees, burgers and beers; AI's predictive capabilities, AI religions, the Singularity and the most probable futures we will see in the next 50 years.
Think of this a...2023-07-0556 minConspiracy ClearinghouseCSI: Conspiracy: Three Cold Cases (WIW 9)EPISODE 87 | CSI: Conspiracy: Three Cold Cases (World Is Weird 9)
True crime is a popular genre, mainly because people love mysteries. Here are three cases from the conspiracy world that fit the bill, from three different decades and three different countries, where the weird and the unexplained meet head on.
We’ll look at the Lead Masks Case from Brazil, the UK’s Zigmund Adamski case (sometimes called the first UFO murder), and the Yuba County Five, also known as “America’s Dyatlov”.
Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three via our pag...2023-06-2147 minConspiracy ClearinghouseThe Skynet Matrix: AI Goes RogueEPISODE 86 | The Skynet Matrix: AI Goes Rogue
Guest: Josh Bachynski, AI thought leader and programmer
AI seems to be everywhere, and plenty of folks have freaked out about it over the years. AI expert Josh Bachynski talks about doomsday scenarios, their likelihood and what's probably coming in the near future.
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SECTI...2023-06-0748 minConspiracy ClearinghouseProject Pegasus: Mars and Beyond!EPSIODE 85 | Project Pegasus: Mars and Beyond!
The United States has secret bases on Mars, which they may or may not share with aliens. This base is there, but also not there, because it might only exist in the future, accessible using time travel technology, or maybe in a bubble universe. People, such as a young Barack Obama, are sent to this base to perform various tasks, like fighting a vast war in space. This is a huge secret, only now coming to light thanks to a few brave "whistleblowers". But their stories don't always match up, and...2023-05-2452 minConspiracy ClearinghouseSound Advice: A440 vs. A432EPISODE 84 | Sound Advice: A440 vs. A432
Guest: Andrew Currie, Owner & Lead Sound Engineer of Mechanizer Studios
Today, most musicians use 440Hz as the reference pitch for orchestras, but they use to use all sorts of different ones, especially 432Hz. Wow, that’s interesting, I guess. But even something as seemingly innocuous as international musical pitch standards can be fair game for the conspirasphere.
Sure, maybe the switch happened because of the physical properties of musical instruments as they warm up. Or maybe it was all part of a plan to separate humanity from th...2023-05-1043 minConspiracy ClearinghousePlay Ball!: SportspiraciesEPISODE 83 | Play Ball!: Sportspiracies
Guest: Mark Fitzhenry, EFL teacher in Prague, co-founder of the Imperfectionists improv group
Sport seems to almost lend itself to rumor, innuendo and conspiracy thinking with accusations of wrongdoing, curses that plague a team for years and even the occasional crossover of the geopolitical and athletic worlds.
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SE...2023-04-2647 min
Conspiracy ClearinghouseReptiles of the Mind: The Reptilian ConspiracyEPISODE 82 | Reptiles of the Mind: The Reptilian Conspiracy (Big 'Uns 7)
The conspirasphere thrives on the idea that things are not what they seem to be on the surface. And for some, the very people around us are not what they seem. Why, they might not even be human, at all.
Some of the supposed “people” you see are actually shapeshifting aliens, possibly from somewhere in Orion, maybe from inside the hollow earth. In their true form, they are humanoid reptiles, and they thrive on pain and suffering. These loathsome creatures are either part of an ongo...2023-04-1257 minConspiracy ClearinghouseThe Logos Prophecy w/Martin TreanorEPISODE 81 | The Logos Prophecy
Guest: Martin Treanor, author of The Logos Prophecy (Fall of Ancients 1)
What if all the conspiracy theories were true? That's what writer Martin Treanor used as the starting point for an ambitious trilogy of novels that starts in the present day (with a conspiracy theorist and a science guy), then travels back 13,000 years, and finishes thousands of years in the future.
We talk about this project, as well as some of Treanor's other work, his ideas on the conspiracy mindset, the New World Order, his pal Sal, tea and mo...2023-03-2939 minConspiracy ClearinghouseFair Dinkum: 4 Mysteries from Down UnderEPISODE 80 | Fair Dinkum: 4 Mysteries from Down Under
Australia - a land with a checkered past where everything, it seems, wants to kill you (even the magpies). It's the land of the Dreamtime, and vegemite, and Zooper Dooper ice blocks, and shopping trolleys dumped in car parks. It's also a land of mystery and the unexplained. Sometimes.
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Review us here or on ...2023-03-1551 minConspiracy ClearinghouseFilm Flam: JFK & Stone w/Fred LitwinEPISODE 79 | Film Flam: JFK & Stone
Guest: Fred Litwin, author of Oliver Stone's Film-Flam: The Demagogue of Dealey Plaza
Former JFK conspiracy theorist turned JFK conspiracy debunker Fred Litwin has written a new book, this time taking aim at Oliver Stone's 1991 film "JFK" and his 2021 four-part TV series defending that movie, JFK: Destiny Betrayed.
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Review us here or on IMDb...2023-03-0141 minConspiracy ClearinghouseKhazar Love TriangleEPISODE 78 | Khazar Love Triangle
An obscure 10th century confederation of Turkic-speaking peoples between the Caspian and Black Seas gets transformed through the power of imagination into anything and everything. The Khazars become symbols for a number of claims, including being the origin of the Cossacks (or at least some of them), the real Jews, fake Jews and more. Today, the Khazar Myth is often used to bolster antisemitic tropes, support pseudohistorical narratives and even justify invading another country.
Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three via our page on Buy Me a...2023-02-1549 min
Conspiracy ClearinghouseMonster Mash: Werewolf? There Wolf!EPISODE 77 | Monster Mash: Werewolf? There Wolf!
Tales of shapeshifters go back many moons in human history, and wolves seem to be especially in the spotlight. When people get accused of this, they often find themselves in serious trouble. And once in a blue moon, someone claims that they are actually a werewolf. This is often a mental disorder known as clinical lycanthropy.
And then there are those today who think that they really are part animal, in some way, or part hobbit or part unicorn or even part alien. And they like to talk to...2023-02-0146 minConspiracy ClearinghouseKlown Kar: The KKK Can KMA (WIW 8)EPISODE 76 | Klown Kar: The KKK Can KMA (World Is Weird 8)
We're always products of the time and place we live in, so when a Southern group of friends got together in the wake of the American Civil War to start a fun club, it’s really not that big a surprise that it quickly transformed into the largest racist organization in the country. We’re talking about the Ku Klux Klan, a terrorist group that has been responsible for literally thousands of deaths and violent acts over the years.
But the Klan is not just one...2023-01-1842 minConspiracy ClearinghouseOrg Chart: Insidious InstitutionsEPISODE 75 | Org Chart: Insidious Institutions
Men with power meeting behind closed doors - an idea that makes some people pretty suspicious.
Perhaps memories of old star chambers, which carried out extra-judicial proceedings, are what worry people. Or maybe it’s just an inherent distrust of powerful people plotting to influence the world and reshape it to their own benefit, which just might also mean to the detriment of the rest of us, the 99%.
We’ll look at four real gatherings and groups, and one proposed international alliance that already has a few real-world comp...2023-01-0447 minConspiracy ClearinghouseRed Alert: UFOs as Threat!EPISODE 74 | Red Alert: UFOs as Threat!
Some think UAPs might be a "threat" and there have been a few incidents that might be indicative of intent to harm. Or at least, encounters that we interpret as maybe not so friendly, though that might say more about us than about any glowing orbs flying around in the sky.
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Review us here or...2022-12-2148 minConspiracy ClearinghouseMy Chemtrail RomanceEPISODE 73 | My Chemtrail Romance
Planes go by in the sky and leave white trails behind them. Some of us see this and think, wow, ice crystals. Other think it’s a nefarious evil plot to take away our minds or our virility or something else.
As soon as someone starts talking about chemtrails, you sort of know where you stand with them. They're a conspiracy nut and can be easily dismissed. Especially since there seems to be little consensus about what, exactly, the problem with these lines in the sky is. The only thing they se...2022-12-0746 minConspiracy ClearinghouseEverywhere Is Haunted w/Bob LeMentEPISODE 72 | Everywhere Is Haunted
Guest: Bob LeMent, creator and host of the Static Radio podcast and Everywhere Is Haunted YouTube channel
The unseen world is intriguing to many of us, especially those of us embroiled in pop culture. Plenty of people believe in ghosts, spirits, shades, spectres, shadows, phantoms, eidolons, or whatever you want to call them. We talk with Bob LeMent, who runs the Everywhere Is Haunted YouTube channel about ghost hunting TV shows, equipment, theories and a couple of anomalous events that have actually happened to him, one involving the Shadow People and...2022-11-2345 minConspiracy ClearinghouseThe Starfighter & the Condor (WIW 7)EPISODE 71 | The Starfighter & the Condor (World Is Weird 7)
The story of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter starts fine, but then takes a turn into comedy, then tragedy before veering into corporate malfeasance, corruption, far-right ultranationalism, secret agents, a modern kamikaze attack, a finance giant and a bag lady, MK-ULTRA Manchurian Candidates and South American state-sponsored terror.
Because the world is weird.
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2022-11-0941 minConspiracy ClearinghouseMonster Mash: VampiresEPISODE 70 | Monster Mash: Vampires
With Halloween just around the corner, it’s natural to start think about the supernatural. While superheroes and characters from TV and movies are increasingly popular costumes, it’s very often the classics we turn to when choosing what to dress up as for All Hallow’s Eve.
Vampire is still a popular choice, and the idea of undead blood-drinking fiends frightens some and titillates others. And some people even say that they are, in fact, vampires.
Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three via our pa...2022-10-2642 minConspiracy ClearinghouseElectoral Collage: Voter Fraud, Election Interference & Other Shenanigans (WIW 6)EPISODE 69 | Electoral Collage: Voter Fraud, Election Interference & Other Shenanigans (The World Is Weird 6)
The US midterms are coming up and there's lots of chatter about fraud. Are they legit? Has there been fraud and interference in the past? Yes, but not every time foul has been cried. A look at claims and scandals 1792-1982, plus a thumbnail history of American political parties.
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...2022-10-1255 minConspiracy ClearinghousePersistent Illusion: Time TravellersEPISODE 68 | Persistent Illusion: Time Travellers
We are accustomed to thinking of time as a fourth dimension, though Einstein says space and time are really, when you get down to it, the same thing. As he once said, “The distinction between the past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.”
This makes us wonder – will it one day be possible to travel in time the same way we do in space? If so, one can only assume that, if time travel exists at some future date, there must be some people from our future walkin...2022-09-2848 minConspiracy ClearinghousePixels & Paranoia: Video Game ConspiraciesEPISODE 67 | Pixels & Paranoia: Video Game Conspiracies
From its humble beginnings, the video game industry has expanded from cabinet arcade games to PCs and home consoles. Two-thirds of adults in the US and three-quarters of children play them. It makes more than the film industry, which got to around $21 bn last year; and music, which made almost $26 billion in 2021. Globally, gaming hit $192 bn in 2021 and is expected to break $200 bn this year.
And it should come as no surprise that there have been rumours, urban legends, controversies and even outright conspiracy theories about video games. Games...2022-09-1449 minConspiracy ClearinghouseReally Stranger Things: The U.S. Satanic Panic of the 1980sEPISODE 66 | Really Stranger Things: The U.S. Satanic Panic of the 1980s
For episode 66 (that's two-thirds of the Beast), we look at the large-scale freakout about "Satanism" that swept across America in the 80s. Music was a frequent target, but so was Dungeons & Dragons, Proctor & Gamble and even McDonald's. Plus a pitstop in Northern Ireland in the early days of the Troubles, when it seems British Intelligence fostered their own scare stories.
Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three via our page on Buy Me a Coffee. #ConspiracyClearinghouse #sharingiscaring #donations #support #b...2022-08-3155 minConspiracy ClearinghouseAcronyms for Satan: CERN, LHC, WWW & MoreEPISODE 65 | Acronyms for Satan: CERN, LHC, WWW & More
Ever since its very beginning, wild speculation has circulated about the LHC at CERN. That it causes shifts in reality, leading to the dreaded Mandela Effect. That it actually sucked the earth into a black hole (where we now presumably reside). That it creates antimatter. That it is a secret temple to the dark lord of the underworld, SATAN, and it trying to open a portal to the Netherworld. That its spacetime bending properties were harnessed by American Democrats to steal the 2020 presidential election (this despite it being in S...2022-08-1740 minConspiracy ClearinghouseAccidental Tourists: Interdimensional TravellersEPISODE 64 | Accidental Tourists: Interdimensional Travellers
Sometimes the fabric of our world thins out, and people slip through - either from another dimension or into one. So some people think, while others claim it happened to them. Come along on a trip through different times and places, visiting 12th century England, 19th century Germany, Spain, Japan, Mormon mythology and, of course, the United States, including Ong's Hat, New Jersey - site of the very first internet conspiracy theory.
Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three via our page on Buy Me a C...2022-08-1045 minConspiracy ClearinghouseParanoia, the Destroyer: Gangstalking, Targeted Individuals & Havana SyndromeEPISODE 63 | Paranoia, the Destroyer: Gangstalking, Targeted Individuals & Havana Syndrome
A look at the phenomena of gangstalking and TIs, targeted individuals, who are either suffering a psychotic break, have schizophrenia, or have done something to royally piss off some very powerful people who possess technology so advanced, it borders on magic.
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SECTIONS
02:37 - Th...2022-07-2048 minConspiracy ClearinghouseNikola Tesla: The Monster from Venus (Big ’Uns 6)EPISODE 62 | Nikola Tesla: The Monster from Venus (Big 'Uns 6)
Balkan genius inventor Nikola Tesla shows up all over the place in the conspirasphere, and the stories about him are legion. He was really the father of electricity but his rival Thomas Edison screwed him out of his due, he was assassinated, he never died, his clones live on, he built a death day, and an earthquake machine and oh, so many more. Tesla is one of the Big 'Uns.
Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three via our page on Buy M...2022-07-0643 minConspiracy ClearinghouseThe Great Replacement: The White Wing Goes MainstreamEPISODE 61 | The Great Replacement: The White Wing Goes Mainstream
The world keeps changing and some people have had just about enough. So they revert to tried and true paradigms that worked for them in the past, but with a new twist. Like the Great Replacement - the idea that white people are being systematically replaced by non-white people with an eye to eliminating whites altogether. They say the puppet masters are probably Jews, though maybe Muslims, liberals or women. It may seem like a new idea, but it's really just pseudoscientific lipstick on a racist pig.
2022-06-2245 minConspiracy ClearinghouseUnder My Skin: Morgellons DiseaseEPISODE 60 | Under My Skin: Morgellons Disease
A boy with a rash, a concerned mother, the internet and a lack of medical knowledge combine to create the phenomenon known as Morgellons Disease. It's a nefarious condition where coloured fibers appear under your skin, causing fatigue and pain, possibly placed there by evil forces. Or it might be a mental delusion transmitted from person to person by reading about it on the internet.
Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three via our page on Buy Me a Coffee. #ConspiracyClearinghouse #sharingiscaring #donations #support #buymeacoffee2022-06-1051 minConspiracy ClearinghouseAtlas Sank: Titanic ConspiraciesEPISODE 59 | Atlas Sank: Titanic Conspiracies
The lure of the sea is an ancient one, and perhaps no sailing vessel has garnered more attention than the RMS Titanic. It's a story we all know, or think we know - a classic tale of ship meets iceberg. But what if that's not the story? What if the iceberg is an innocent patsy and something else was the cause, like a fire, or a U-boat, or a cursed mummy? Maybe the Titanic never really sank at all.
Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three...2022-05-2546 minConspiracy ClearinghouseSpanish Caravan (Travelogue 3)EPISODE 58 | Spanish Caravan (Travelogue 3)
Spain is a fascinating country - rich in variety and history, and its fair share of high weirdness. We travel to Madrid, Catalonia and Valencia for statues to Lucifer, UFOs, haunted metro stations, abandoned villages, tomato fights and much more.
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SECTIONS
01:38 - A Spain Primer
03:25 - Comunidad de M...2022-05-1146 minConspiracy ClearinghousePseudolaw: Cabbages & KingsEPISODE 57 | Pseudolaw: Cabbages & Kings
The law is complicated, or maybe it isn't. Maybe there are secrets that the clever can tease out to their advantage. Did you know the government opens a secret bank account for you when you're born? Or using ALL CAPS when writing documents absolves you from legal responsibilities? That juries are illegal? And the highest law in the land is the local sheriff, or the Navy or maybe the post office. Welcome to the convoluted world of pseudolaw, where nonsense is packaged as the real deal, which some people fall for and others...2022-04-2749 minConspiracy ClearinghouseRed Pill This!: The Simulation ProposalEPSIODE 56 | Red Pill This!: The Simulation Proposal
Mainly inspired by a 1999 movie, many people suspect we may be living in a computer simulation of some sort. If we are, how can we tell? Maybe by looking at some ideas from physics, which has some truly unusual ideas as to the nature of things. The universe might be made of tiny vibrating strings, or physicalized information. It might be a hologram, or a big brain, or an artifact of statistics. All these ideas seem to point to an underlying code of some kind. Or maybe everything we think...2022-04-1352 minConspiracy ClearinghouseThe Dead Internet TheoryEPISODE 55 | The Dead Internet Theory
Weirdly similar but also somewhat nonsensical tweets, emails that seem written by bots, the same posts showing up again and again - something seems to be amiss with the internet. And some people think they have found the answer: the internet died a few years ago and is now almost entirely run by sophisticated AI bots. This is the Dead Internet Theory.
We'll look at the reasoning behind this notion, a timeline of events that includes some creepy real-world DARPA projects, the state of AI and computer-brain interfaces, and a...2022-03-3046 minConspiracy ClearinghousePootie-Poot on the Prowl: V. Putin Takes Center StageEPISODE 54 | Pootie-Poot on the Prowl: V. Putin Takes Center Stage
Many see parallels between Putin's invasion of Ukraine and Hitler's of Poland in 1939. Other see echoes of Stalin in today's Russian leader. But maybe we need to go back further, to Napoleon, to see what's up with this guy. Here's a look at "Little Boney", as British satire of Napoleon had it, and "Pootie-Poot", which was George W. Bush's nickname for Putin, as well as what's going on, how it's really all the same playbook, conspiracy theories about the Russo-Ukraine War and more.
See a...2022-03-1652 minConspiracy ClearinghouseTime to Get Ill: DST, Y2K & 2012EPSIODE 53 | Time to Get Ill: DST, Y2K & 2012
We can find doom and gloom anywhere we focus our attention. Even time itself is not free from the shadowy glances of the suspicious. This is a look at some time-related freakouts - Daylight Saving Time, time zones, Y2K and the 2012 phenomenon.
See a video version on our YouTube channel.
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R...2022-03-0947 minConspiracy ClearinghouseThe Mandela Effect & Memory (Because Reasons 6)EPISODE 52 | The Mandela Effect & Memory (Because Reasons 6)
Nelson Mandela died in the early 80s, or he didn't. The comedian Sinbad was in a genie movie in the 90s, or he wasn't. Brand names keep getting changed, or not. Either our memories are not as reliable as we think they are, or someone is going around changing the very fabric of reality.
See a video version on our YouTube channel.
Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three via our page on Buy Me a Coffee. #ConspiracyClearinghouse #sharingiscaring #donations #support #buymeacoffee...2022-02-1644 min
Conspiracy ClearinghouseEt Tu, Reptilicus: Mythconceptions About the Ancient WorldEPISODE 51 | Et Tu, Reptilicus: Mythconceptions About the Ancient World
History is a concept, often imperfectly recounted and remembered, sometimes purposefully obscured or confused. So, we think we know things that, in fact, we don't really know. Let's jump into the Wayback Machine and take a look at some things we think we know about the ancient world.
See a video version on our YouTube channel.
Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three via our page on Buy Me a Coffee. #ConspiracyClearinghouse #sharingiscaring #donations #support #buymeacoffee
You can al...2022-02-0243 minConspiracy ClearinghouseThe JFK Assassination w/Fred Litwin (Big ’Uns 5)EPISODE 50 | The JFK Assassination (Big 'Uns 5)
Guest: Fred Litwin, author of On The Trail of Delusion: Jim Garrison: The Great Accuser
The JFK assassination is sort of a gateway drug for conspiracy theories, and boy there are lots of ideas about what happened that day in 1963. Fred Litwin once believed a lot of those theories, but has since changed his mind and is firmly in the lone gunman camp. For our 50th episode, we talk about why he thinks it was just Oswald, the Zapruder film, why Jim Garrison had it totally wrong and more. 2022-01-1950 minConspiracy Clearinghouse’Merican Monuments (Travelogue 2)EPISODE 49 | 'Merican Monuments (Travelogue 2)
Nations help tell the story of themselves to themselves with monuments, so let's look at two famous ones in the US of A - Mount Rushmore and the Washington Monument. Secret rooms and hatches, astonishing racial insensitivity, UFOs, Bigfoot, interdimensional portals, ancient weather control tech and a countdown calendar to the Apocalypse. That's a lot to deal with.
See a video version of this episode on our YouTube channel.
Like what we do? Then buy us a beer or three via our page on Buy Me a Coffee. #ConspiracyClearinghouse #sh...2022-01-0542 minConspiracy ClearinghouseIce Ice Baby: Songs of Ice & SnowEPISODE 48 | Ice Ice Baby: Songs of Ice & Snow
Baby, it’s cold outside. That sentiment is not just part of a kind of rapey Xmas song, but a fact brought about by the ROUND Earth orbiting the sun in the way that it does and tilting on its axis. To mangle a phrase – winter has come.
And with winter comes ice and snow, at least at the latitudes closer to the poles. And even here, in this brittle transparent crystalline solid, usually water, you can snow shovel up some conspiracy theories.
We’ll look a...2021-12-2245 minConspiracy ClearinghouseWhat Lies Beneath: The Hollow Earth (Big ‘Uns 4)EPISODE 47 | What Lies Beneath: The Hollow Earth (Big 'Uns 4)
Is our world hollow, possibly inhabited by evil descendants of the Yeti, or malevolent Detrimental Robots, or aliens, or dinosaurs, or Bigfoot, or Atlanteans, or Tarzan, or Neanderthal Batman? Maybe the Arctic has a giant hole leading into the interior, or is really Atlantis or Eden or Avalon or Mt. Meru or Hyperborea, or part of Yggdrasil or Irminsul, or the homeland of the Vedas. Or maybe the earth is actually expanding all the time. Or the Book of Genesis is really all about Mars. And on and...2021-12-0846 minConspiracy ClearinghouseFakespiracies: Anyone Can Play!EPISODE 46 | Fakespiracies: Anyone Can Play!
As another holiday season rolls around, there's the looming threat of dealing family & friends who subscribe to this conspiracy theory or that one. Here's a collection of some fake conspiracy theories, #fakespiracy, that you can use to confound those folks, as well as entertain and maybe even educate a bit. From hidden messages about 9/11 in the film "Back to the Future" to nefarious truths about snack foods, and even some tools for creating your own #fakespiracies out of whole cloth, this episode will help you prepare for the onslaught on CT conversation...2021-11-2442 minConspiracy ClearinghouseRumours & CTs in the Workplace (Because Reasons 5)EPISODE 45 | Rumours & CTs in the Workplace (Because Reasons 5)
Guest: Andrew Brown, co-founder of the Academy of Business Communications
Watercooler talk has moved online, so the speed and spread of rumours and conspiracy theories is growing every day, and it's not just inter-office gossip. How do such things take root in a work environment and what can organizations do to address them?
Andrew Brown walks us through the conditions that create fertile ground for rumors, the very human and social reasons behind them, and some real-world stories and advice for how organizations should and s...2021-11-1044 minConspiracy ClearinghouseThe Philadelphia Experiment & the Montauk Project - Time Tunnel VisionEPISODE 44 | The Philadelphia Experiment & the Montauk Project - Time Tunnel Vision
It's 78 years since one of the most storied military experiments in history, wherein a whole ship vanished and/or teleported and/or moved through time. And this dovetails with another famous military project at the tip of Long Island that's a grab bag of elements: virus labs, monster animals, Nikola Tesla, Ian Fleming, creating superhumans, teleportation, hyperspace, psychic spies, Nazi occultists, MIBs, the internet, AIDS, mind control, time travel, aliens and much more. Or so some say. Quite loudly, at times.
Like what we...2021-10-2746 minConspiracy ClearinghouseConspiracy U with Scott ShayEPISODE 43 | Conspiracy U with Scott Shay
Guest: Scott Shay, author of Conspiracy U, In Good Faith & Getting Our Groove Back; President of Chai Mitzvah, Chairman of the Board & Co-founder of Signature Bank
The academic world is supposed to be a place to open and expand minds, but some professors actively promote conspiracy theories about Israel and the Jewish people that do the exact opposite. Scott Shay has written a book about how this is happening on both the right and left sides of the political spectrum, especially at his alma mater, Northwestern University.
...2021-10-1340 minConspiracy ClearinghouseJ.K. Rowling & the Gauntlet of HysteriaEPISODE 42 | J.K. Rowling & the Gauntlet of Hysteria
A secretary got an idea on a train and some years later had created an international entertainment sensation, gaining fame and fortune. A feel good story? Or is she a witch? A Satanist? A spendthrift? A TERF? A transphobe? A spendthrift Satanist TERF transphobe witch? Or maybe she doesn't really exist at all.
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2021-09-2941 min