Oct 31, 2019
The Satanic Panic is a veritable cornucopia of skeptical angles, and for this episode we limit ourselves to a look back at the cultural feel of the 80s and early 90s and some seminal court cases that brought metal musicians to court to defend their craft and educate jurors on audio pareidolia. Along the way we...
Oct 24, 2019
Just in time for Halloween, when scary clowns abound, Ben takes us on a tour of the modern clown panic phenomenon . . . from bands of phantom clowns in white vans showing up in the 1980s to the "Great Clown Panic of 2016" that went worldwide, to more recent fears about effects of homicidal clowns in our media. Clown...
Oct 17, 2019
First, we look into an outrage-inspiring headline about a woman arrested for being topless at her own home. Then we dive into animal carcasses and reasons why suspicious dead animals have unnerved us throughout history. Hailed by Biblical prophecies and superstitions as a portent of doom, or seen as proof of...
Oct 4, 2019
We begin with a longer-than-usual opening segment (because gosh darn it, a lot happened). Ben recounts his latest TV appearance and chupacabra follow-up. The AlienStock / Storm Area 51 thing happened, or tried to happen. And two movies open this week that are unsettling audiences due to clown content--one of the...
Sep 20, 2019
We open with Dr. Hans House, who schools us on infectious diseases, especially some little-known facets of ebola, measles and the flu. He shares some knowledge on public health efforts and how we can all do our part to reduce disease vectors and save lives. Then we chat with Kenny Biddle about his recent investigations...