Caustic Soda

Dr. Rosie Redfield joins Joe, Kevin, and Toren to talk about NASA and the Shadow Biosphere, blinded scientists all over the place, extreme solutions to illegal parking, and one of our favorite sciencey shows goes terribly awry.

In another installment of our "Evil Dudes in History" we explore the history and legend of the Wallachian voivod Vlad Tepes, the inspiration for the most famous vampire of all time. Plus: Which is the lesser of two evils: being impaled Vlad style, or being left to die of exposure on the top of a mountain as an Incan sacrifice? Music: "The Wheel of Hurt" by Margaret Whiting Images Videos http://youtu.be/LHQ7J4IbW8I http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AXIFn8zQOY Charity o' the Week: Relief Fund for Romania

Horsetrack Hooligans podcaster and Vietnam War movie afficionado Jordan Pratt joins us to talk about the Gulf of Tonkin incident, The Battle of Hue, Operation: Rolling Thunder, cluster bombs, napalm, fragging, the My Lai massacre, tunnel rats, torture, agent orange, unexploded ordnance and more. Plus movies, comics and Lesser of Two Evils: would you rather be an American soldier or a Viet Cong?

In this episode: Przewalksi's horse, quartering, Caligula's horse Incitatus, diving horses, Clever Hans, horse racing, and that's just the first half!

Sexsomnia sells! Dr Rob joins us to talk about a whole host of sleep disorders including chronic insomnia, sleep paralysis, night terrors, Kleine-Levin syndrome, narcolepsy, exploding head syndrome, homicidal somnambulism, sleep apnea, periodic limb movement disorder, myoclonic jerks, encephalitis lethargica and the horrible fatal familia insomnia. All this plus weird sleeping habits in the animal kingdom.

Sticks and stones will break your bones, and so will a heck of a lot of other things! Lisa Gemino joins Toren, Joe, and Kevin for a look at all kinds of blunt weapons from sticks to maces to truncheons!

We are joined by solar physicist Dr. Ian O'Neill of Discovery News and astroengine.com as we discuss solar flares, coronal mass ejections, the Carrington event, red giants and white dwarfs, and tornadoes on the sun! All this plus pop culture. Music: "You Are My Sunshine" Gene Autry Images Links http://www.astroengine.com/ Videos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xKRBkBBEP0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-zt8qnTcLM

Not one, not two, but three guests join Toren, Joe, and Kevin for a live podcast event in Vancouver, BC on Sunday, March 25, 2012! We welcome Dr. Rob, Dr. Jenna, and Chris "Stewie" Stewart back on for a plethora of gruesome topics including the Demon Core, badgers, and the man with the giagantic scrotum. Images Links Sincerely, Natalie Reed

Dr. Jenna Capyk joins us to discuss the lighter and darker side of ebola. Spoiler alert: it's mostly dark. Plus news and pop culture, plus Lesser of Two Evils: ebola versus serving on a slave ship. Music: "Fever" by Little Willie John Images

Kevin, Joe and Toren bring you organized sporting riots in France, a multi-billionaire ancient sports hero, hockey skates to the throat and all sorts of painful sporting insanity! Music: "Bear In A Ladies Boudoir" by Cliff Edwards Images Videos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwQlIibBEgA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHCXNt4P8Xg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjJHYGu669w http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR-wA4SmbO4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4os7Wa8gtM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_j_69c7KyI  

Some of the most wretched and caustic ghost towns are discussed, including "blue sky mine" Wittenoom, Picher's chat piles, Oradour-sur-Glane's nazi massacre legacy, the dioxin-tainted roads of Times Beach, Centralia's ongoing coal fire, and more. All this and pop culture too! PS - Don't worry Soda Jerks, we didn't forget Chernobyl - it will get its own episode at some point! Music: "G'Bye Now" by Martha Tilton Images Videos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPdIBbBETw4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTDAJMXZQKo Links Detroit's Beautiful, Horrible Decline Ordos, China: A Modern Ghost Town

RN Katie Scoular returns for the science and rather unpleasant history of that old Neapolitan bone-ache: syphilis. Plus news & pop culture. Music: "Hot Nuts" by Williams Washerboard Band Charity o' the Week: http://www.optionsforsexualhealth.org/ Images Links The National Archives released files from the 1946 Guatemala experiments. Quiks & Quarks "Solving Syphilis" Videos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW3AJ9xPSWE

Joe, Kevin, and Toren have gathered up so much information on compulsive hoarding in this episode it's threatening to tip over and crush us all under its weight! Food hoarders, animal hoarders, cosmic-powered hoarders -- they're all here! Music: "Put 'Em In A Box" by Doris Day Caustic Charity: Institute for Challenging Disorganization. Images Videos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVg-_e-jPO4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqJkJt1UF-E  

Ian Boothby, The Simpsons comics writer and co-host of Sneaky Dragon podcast, joins Kevin, Joe and Toren to talk about cyclopean albino sharks, crab parasites, octopus wrestling, prehistoric krakens, the Glore Psychiatric Museum, cement butt implants, ancient Roman lead poisoning, alkaline hydrolisis and other funerary awkwardness. All this plus how to stay in the eye of a tornado and... BADGERS! Music: "Panic Patrol" by Kenny Graham Caustic Charity Adopt an octopus! Images Links Sneaky Dragon Bongo Comics http://www.stjosephmuseum.org/glore.htm Videos

Kevin, Joe, and Toren cover cocaine-laced products with papal approval, cocaine intake options, some personal insight on cocaine addiction from a friend of the show, plus cocaine-centric songs and movies! In case you hadn't figured it out, this week's topic is cocaine! Music: "Cocaine Blues" by Luke Jordan   Images Movies Blow Kevin: 7/10 Joe: 6/10 Toren: 7/10 True Romance Kevin: 9/10 Joe: 9/10 Toren: 8/10 Half Nelson Kevin: 10/10 Toren: 8/10 (would have been higher if I knew why it was called 'Half Nelson')

The secret world of burns is investigated with the help of veteran firefighter Allan Newell. How does one distinguish the four degrees of burns? What's the 'rule of nines?' How did burning at the stake work? Also news and pop culture. Plus: Which is the lesser of two evils? Having 50% of your body burned in a car fire or getting mercury poisoning? Music: "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" by The Ink Spots Charity of the week: Burn Camps: http://www.canadianburnfoundation.org/donate.php Images Links GQ - Burning Man Videos

Forensic entomologiest Gavin Pitts joins the hosts to talk about the hemiptera order of insects, more commonly known as 'true bugs.' Assassin bugs, chagas disease, bat bugs and water bugs that take down reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals are all on topic! Plus: The Lesser of Two Evils - would you rather spend a few years in an Uzbekistan bug pit or trying to farm out a living under the Khmer Rouge? Music: "I'm Just a Jitterbug" by Chick Webb & Ella Fitzgerald Charity de Jour: The Chagas Disease Foundation Images  

This episode Joe, Kevin, and Toren look at the giant waves known as tsunami. You'll hear about the biggest and deadliest waves known to man, incredible stories of survival during one of nature's deadliest disasters, and tsunami vs. kittens! Music: "Tidal Wave" by Fletcher Henderson Images Links The Passionate Eye - Tsunami Caught On Camera - only available for 45 days after last airing, sorry. If there's another airing this will work again so I'm keeping the link up. Hideaki Akaiwa - Badass of the Week XKCD on "Tidal Wave" (we recorded before this went up, but agree with him!) Videos Hereafter Tsunami scene (can't embed)

Succubi, oni, pishacha - call them what you will. Whether they're scapegoats for serial killers or epilepsy, demons have been a part of human culture for aeons. The boys talk history, news and pop culture, plus as a special bonus: practical tips on how to summon a demon! Music: "Kamakilas" by S. Satoh (from Son of Godzilla) Images Links List of Demon Names Legend of the Five Rings Half in the Bag - Jack and Jill Movies Night of the Demon Toren: 5/10 The Keep Toren: 5/10 Hellraiser Toren: 6/10 Kevin: 7/10 The Evil Dead Kevin: 8/10 Joe: 7/10 Evil Dead 2 Toren: 8/10 Kevin: 9/10 Joe: 8/10 Army of Darkness Toren: 9/10 Kevin: 8/10 Joe: 9/10 Drag Me To Hell Toren: 7/10 Kevin: 7/10

Continuing the Evil Dudes in History series, Kevin, Toren, and Joe look at Cambodian Communist leader Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. Music: "Call Me Irresponsible" Images Videos Pol Pot (can't embed, sorry) Links Photos from S21 Forced Marriage and the Khmer Rouge