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Squaring the Strange


Squaring the Strange brings evidence-based analysis and commentary to a wide variety of topics, ranging from the paranormal to the political.

 

Investigating ghosts. Debunking conspiracies. Dodging chupacabras.

If a claim seems strange, Ben and Pascual will try to square it with the facts.

 

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Nov 8, 2025

Celestia is fresh from the Very Vegas SkeptiCamp, and a week earlier Jon Michael presented at the West Virginia SkeptiCamp, so he visits to compare notes and then chat about will o' the wisps, RFK's "walkback" on Tylenol, J.D. Vance speculating on UFOs being supernatural, and the resurgence of the Welfare Queen boogeyman. For our main segment, Ben and Celestia take a tour of legends involving brands, corporations and products. Anyone in marketing will appreciate the merging of folklore, commercial design and crisis communication all these stories bring to light. From Tootsie Pop contests to the allegedly Satanic imagery in the Proctor & Gamble logo, there's a lot to dig into. Did a Coke "magic can" kill someone? Did Pepsi have to give some teenager a military jet? Are secret symbols stamped into Oreo cookies, turning these delicious dunkers into a devilish communion wafer? And what was the real origin story behind Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer?