¶ Podcast News, Highlights and Updates
Welcome to One Good Thing Media , your official podcast review channel . We search the vast digital landscape on a daily basis to discover the best shows that podcasters have to offer . Are you ready to discover new favorites to add to your playbook ? Stay tuned and listen to host Gerald Spears' latest podcast reviews .
Hello everyone , I am so happy to be back with you for yet another episode of One Good Thing Media . For those of you who are new to our channel , my name is Gerald Spe and I am the host of One Good Thing Media . If you have FOMO , like I do , that's fear of missing out .
Perhaps you're bored with your current playlist or maybe you're just looking for your next binge-worthy show . You've come to the right place . Each week , I feature new and newly discovered podcasts that all of our eclectic listeners want to hear more about .
This week , I'll be sharing two new podcasts with you , plus great insights into several other shows that I've selected for Season 2 , episode 31 . And although we always have a variety of shows that we share with you , there is an emphasis this week on investigative programs .
But first here is a word from our sponsor , who Gives a Crap , the cleanest , greenest personal use paper product maker on the planet . Did you know that you can support us by supporting who Gives a Crap , a company that really does give a crap ? We've been a loyal customer of WGAC for five years .
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Please give a crap by clicking on the sponsor's link in our show notes and go even greener , starting today . Alrighty , then let's get on with the show . Welcome to our news highlights and updates segment .
In the news for this episode , ashley Flowers , the host and creator of Crime Junkies and the Deck , to name just two programs , has reinvented her Supernatural podcast and , like its original podcast , so Supernatural deals with unexplained occurrences that could be interpreted as , hmm , otherworldly events .
I heartily recommend so Supernatural to everyone who's like me and is drawn to stories about voices from the other side , ghosts , real spiritual connections , ufos and alien visitations , cryptids and much more . Congratulations , ashley , on a great refresh and show . Here's the trailer from so Supernatural .
You're not imagining this , you're not sleepwalking or having an out-of-body experience . It's really me , ashley Flowers Flowers , and this really is supernatural . I am back and I'm taking this to a whole nother level , which is why we're now calling this show so supernatural . You guys , I have so much to get into , not least of all today's story .
But before we begin , I have to tell you why I'm here , because I've missed this show like so , so much . And for anyone new listening , if you don't know me , I mostly talk about crime . Like , hi , it's kind of my thing , Nice to meet you .
But there is a whole nother side of me that loves aliens and time travel and paranormal stuff , basically anything weird or unexplained . And that's what this show is . Call it a passion project , one where I explore stories of the paranormal UFOs , bizarre legends and what it all says about what lies beyond our realm .
And now that so Supernatural is back , you can expect more wild stories and some fun surprises in the coming episodes , but for now I just want to stop the small talk and jump in , if that's okay with all of you .
So Supernatural drops a new show every Friday and , for the binge babes like me , there are also over 100 Supernatural stories from years past , making this podcast a binger's paradise . And speaking of the Supernatural , are you a fan of Parkdale Haunt ?
It's a supernatural series about a young woman who inherits a house in the Parkdale neighborhood of Toronto , and she inherits this house from a family member that she never knew she had . Sounds kind of suspicious , don't you think ? If you're a fan of the supernatural and haven't listened to it yet , all I have to say is this is your lucky day .
Written by Emily Kellogg and Alexuting on the Parkdale Haunt feed on September 27 , 2024 . And like Parkdale Haunt , it takes place in Toronto and there's at least one overlapping character , and that is the psychopathic realtor Austin Bird . And like the Parkdale neighborhood of Toronto , season four takes place in Woodbine , a newer area in the same beautiful city .
At the time of this recording , the information is sparse , almost secretive . Here's a clip from the city .
If you're looking to find a place or to sell your own . Remember no one makes a nest like a bird . Even those enshrouded in darkness know that . In hang on the spaces under the bed , the cracks in the doorframe . The eyes will watch you , the vampires within the city . Do not walk again . They never left . They are here and waiting .
Miranda , did you write this ? What's this supposed to mean ? I told you we should never have done this . Live God . An absolute waste of $1,500 . Is this your little fan fiction ? You shouldn't be going through your vampire phase in your 30s . You know it's embarrassing For all of us .
The voice on the radio feels too loud to me these days . Everything feels like too much , from the seatbelt tied against my chest to the weight of the air on my skin . I am filled with worry , doubt , but not fear the man on the radio .
He doesn't believe what he speaks of , but I know that he speaks the truth , that there are monsters out there , that the undead walk among us , that they need help and that I am one of those who's tasked with helping them , not because of any particular calling or destiny . It is my day job . Well , night job . Now my boss Grace .
She's the one who brought me into this world , one I never thought could be real and I know this because I died and she brought me back from the darkness into a whole world of night .
From the creators of Parkdale Haunt comes Woodbine , a podcast about monsters , mystery and new beginnings , coming September 27th , distributed by Realm .
I have a great update for you regarding our upcoming podcast , skirting Danger . For those of you who are new to our One Good Thing Media podcast , we are launching our second show , skirting Danger , on October 1st . Skirting Danger will be focusing on women and how they can navigate this upside-down world safely and freely .
Behind the scenes , I've been consulting with and interviewing experts , including psychologists , including psychologists , police and private detectives , cyber security experts , travel professionals and even reformed criminals .
We'll be covering a wide variety of topics , ranging from how to protect your purse and travel safely to how to Prevent a Deranged Criminal from Trying to Carjack your Vehicle . Here's a promo clip from our upcoming show . You may already be comfortable in your own skin , but do you feel the same way about your safety ? Has your home been violated ?
Have you been followed or harassed ? Are you friends with women who have found themselves in dangerous situations ? If you're nodding your head right now , you aren't alone . Skirting Danger was founded to help all women live their life safely and freely .
To do this responsibly , the Skirting Danger team has assembled a host of crime experts who provide safety tips for everything from how to vet someone you just met , how to secure your home , going to work , going out at night and while traveling . Make your safety your priority and don't allow anyone to steal your possessions , your peace of mind or your well-being .
Follow Skirting Danger wherever you , listen to your podcasts and check out our posts on Instagram , facebook and X , formerly known as Twitter .
Gerald .
Oh , no , not you again . What are you listening to ? Are you spying on me ? Oh , ais , you can't trust them . But yes , welcome to . What Are you Listening To ? A segment where I share what I've binged this week , and it's a good one .
¶ Host Jeryl Spear's Binge-worthy Podcast of the Week!
This week I fell down the rabbit hole and didn't see daylight until I listened to all eight episodes of Hysterical , a true investigative podcast by Pineapple Street and Wondery . It's a recent podcast that started this past July and ended in late August of this year .
Hysterical involves a mystery illness with severe symptoms that afflicted at least 25 people 24 females and one male in a small town in upstate New York in 2012 .
After extensive investigation by authorities and medical experts , one question still lingered Was it real , or were those affected by this mystery illness , which in many ways mimicked Tourette's syndrome , actually suffering from some form of mass hysteria ?
Anytime a firm diagnosis proves elusive and all medical and clinical tests prove negative , the debate between a real illness and an imagined one isn't unusual . Some skeptics routinely cite the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 as a prime example of mass hysteria in America .
Others refer to an event that happened in 1994 , after a beautiful 31-year-old woman with terminal cancer was rushed to the ER in severe pain . Several female nurses were treating her when suddenly many of them became dizzy and extremely nauseous .
In fact , their symptoms were so severe that several of them ended up becoming patients themselves , with one staying in the hospital for two weeks . Unfortunately , the cancer patient died soon after this event , and after many tests that all came back negative , the affected nurses were collectively diagnosed with mass hysteria .
Needless to say , they were confused and more than a little bit resentful . Like most women , I view these types of diagnoses through a filtered lens . It stems from being all too aware of the history of women and hysteria .
During the Victorian period , for instance , which lasted until the early 20th century , a husband could commit his wife to a mental institution because she was too emotional , aka hysterical , depressed or suffered from being strong-willed .
And even in the not-so-distant past , when a physician couldn't find a physical reason for a woman's complaints , they often attributed it to her imagination and recommended psychiatric care . Were they right Sometimes ? Were they always right ? Nope , should a man ever tell a woman to calm down ? Not if they're smart .
It's also why I was on the fence about a mass affliction with facial and body tics eye blinking , grimacing and grunting that affected 23 girls , one boy and one female nurse . Naysayers maintained it was the result of mass hysteria because , as some so-called experts pointed out , belief is always more powerful than truth .
But , countering that conclusion , many citizens cited a mass poisoning that occurred when a train derailed in the 1970s and thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals poisoned their water table , at least two factories that dumped toxic chemicals into an area canal , ironically called the Love Canal , that caused severe , sometimes lethal , health problems , plus the seven natural
gas wells that surrounded this school , where most of these health events occurred . Whether you agree with the conclusion or not , hysterical is an excellent show with insightful and in-depth reporting . The narrator that you're about to hear is Dan Taberski , who was the writer , director and the investigative journalist who was tasked with unraveling this mystery .
As the weather grew colder in Leroy that fall , the symptoms continued to come to life . A thrashing junior one week , a couple sophomores the next , an irregular heartbeat finding its rhythm , but all still unofficial . The school's not talking about it publicly , the town isn't acknowledging it , parents are just kind of watching this thing happen .
I just kept thinking what's going on . I didn't have any clue , I just was like there's got to be an answer , there's got to be something at the root . You know , what's the common denominator ? Was basically all I kept thinking is what's the common denominator ?
here the soccer moms and dads would hash out theories on the sideline . One of the first students to fall ill was on the soccer team , so at first there was some suspicion that maybe the coach was pushing them too hard . Soccer team .
So at first there was some suspicion that maybe the coach was pushing them too hard , but then maybe a few weeks later , then it's another girl . Well , she's not on the soccer team .
What's going on with her ? In fact , that first girl was also on the cheerleading squad . Three weeks later , her best friend on the squad came down with symptoms and as the sound of ticks and barks grew louder in the school .
I thought it had to be something to do with the school or the school grounds only , because that was the only thing everybody had in common is they went to the same school and they were female .
The focus for some turned to the athletic fields where the kids played and practiced . The fields become notorious for being repeatedly soaked with flood water from heavy rains . There would even be complaints from students about an orange ooze coming up from the grass there that stuck to their sneakers and clothes .
Then there was the question of why just girls so far ?
At first it was whispers . It was like , oh , it's this one girl , like we don't know what's going on , like blah , blah , blah and the next thing I know it's like doubling and tripling and it's all these girls .
This is Rose , another eighth grader at Leroy that year .
I remember hearing at some point , since it was all girls , it must be a bad batch of tampons .
And I'm just like what ? Did the school give you sort of marching orders about how to deal with this ?
Yeah , yeah . They said , like you know , we're handling it , and they basically just wanted everybody to keep quiet .
There's a mystery in Leroy that no one seems to be able to solve In .
November , one of the girls finally goes public with her symptoms on local news , but she hides her identity . She's backlit by the setting sun , so you just see her silhouette this is my eighth or ninth day straight ticking and doesn't stop .
For 17 year old michaela , as we've chosen to call her , sleeping is the only form of relief she has from the uncontrollable ticks that constantly shake her head I felt like linda blair in theorcist .
I remember exactly like getting out and just like standing there staring at the cameras like holy shit , like what the hell is going on .
There's just a history in the US of women being dismissed by doctors . Hysteria , it's all in your head . Oh my gosh , you're exaggerating .
There is something actually happening to their bodies , Something I believe is coming from the outside the environment somehow .
I could live with conversion disorder . I could not live with the environment did it to me . That , to me , was terminal .
State and school officials came to believe that this whole thing was a mass psychogenic illness , a mass hysteria , and that nothing else made sense , until , that is , someone slipped a document and a note under the doormat of one of the affected families . The details of how this went down are sketchy .
The note was anonymous and we still know nothing about the messenger , except they clearly had a sense for the drama of the moment . But the note said basically , if you're looking for the cause of the outbreak , go back farther .
Go back to something that happened 40 years ago , to an event that was huge at the time but that everyone seems to have forgotten it was December 6 , 1970 .
Somewhere around 3.30 in the morning , a Lehigh Valley train I think there were 25 cars cars on it derailed and emptied two tons of cyanide crystals and 30 to 35 000 gallons of trichloroethane solvent . I mean , everybody knew what cyanide was , nobody knew what trichloroethane was trichloroethylene is a degreasing solvent used in manufacturing .
35,000 gallons of it went into the ground that night and into the groundwater , and it's still there . Long-term exposure to TCE has been known to cause dizziness , nausea , headaches , liver damage , several forms of cancer and neurological complications . What is in the water in Leroy , new York ?
And if poisons are bubbling up from the ground beneath your feet , why would you ever believe the people telling you ? It's all in your head .
Why , indeed , if you love mysteries , then you're going to love this podcast Hysterical .
¶ Gripping Investigative Podcast Recommendations
It's time for our favorite segment , where I review two podcasts that I am absolutely over the moon about , and I think you will be too .
Before I get going with my first review , I just want to say that , as a journalist , I have been reporting on different topics for health , beauty and lifestyle for longer than I care to admit , but that's softball reporting when you compare it to investigative journalism , and even though I didn't get involved in the latter , I am still a fan of that genre .
It's one of my favorite types of movies , novels , podcasts , you name it . That's why , when I discover a well-done investigative podcast , I'm generally hooked right away , and this is why the podcast I'm going to be talking about today , hooked , took me by surprise .
I'm constantly scouring podcast news sites to find compelling new , or at least newish , shows to bring to you . But Hooked , which is an Apple original show with investigative journalist Josh Dean and if you ever look up Josh's body of work , anything that he's involved in , you know I'm there .
But oddly , hook dropped in 2021 , and somehow it slipped completely off my radar . To be honest , I was really shocked because I wasn't familiar with Hook until I started looking for podcasts that had to do with opiates , started looking for podcasts that had to do with opiates After the surprise started wearing off . Like me , I didn't know about that .
I reminded myself . With over 350,000 podcasters , I was fortunate to have found it at all . Hooked is about a man named Tony Hathaway , the most prolific bank robber in American history . But who Tony was before he turned to crime and how he views his exploits today will definitely surprise you . Fyi , tony didn't grow up as an abused and neglected child .
He wasn't raised in poverty . He didn't graduate from petty theft to burglary before robbing banks . In fact , the only life altering event he ever experienced was severely injuring his back , having two back surgeries . Having two back surgeries and being prescribed opiates to help him deal with the pain .
Tony's story that was eventually turned into the Hooked podcast unfolded over three years of prison interviews and , even though what I'm about to tell you will sound bizarre , tony comes off as an affable suburban dad as he tells about robbing 30 banks within a 30-mile radius of his home and how much fun it was to do it .
And despite having no criminal experience prior to becoming hooked on opiates , he also relates how he managed to stump several police departments and the FBI before finally being apprehended .
I also enjoyed this podcast because , in true Josh Dean style , hooked also provides an intimate view of addiction , the opioid crisis and how , under certain circumstances , no matter how respectable we are and how many degrees we've earned , we could become hooked on opiates , just like Tony and millions of other Americans . Here's a clip from the show I'm Josh Dean .
I'm a journalist and the co-creator of both the Clearing and Chameleon Hollywood Con Queen . But I knew even before I made those shows that I wanted to tell Tony Hathaway's story . A few years ago I was poking around looking for stories about bank robbers , like really successful ones .
I wanted to find someone who was gifted , I guess , at robbing banks and I stumbled across a small thing in the Seattle newspaper Local man robs 30 banks . Damn , I thought that's a lot of banks , like an in the record books kind of number Seemed like exactly the kind of story I was looking for , maybe even better .
So I wrote to Tony , who was in prison at the time , and when he finally got back to me by email his response left me kind of speechless . Not sure how much of my story you're familiar with . He wrote , but in short , I worked for a very large commercial airplane company .
For 22 years as a technical designer and engineer airplane company . For 22 years as a technical designer and engineer . Injured my back , had two surgeries , then became addicted to oxycontin , then heroin robbed 30 banks in a year and now prison airplane engineer .
did he say heroin ? And he robbed 30 banks . I mean what ? I went in looking for a successful bank robber , found one like maybe one of the most successful ever , and it turns out that's not even the most interesting part of this story . In an instant , the story I thought I was looking for spiraled into something totally different , almost unbelievable .
It wasn't just a tall tale about some ingenious bank robber . It was about a middle-aged dad with a comfortable career who became an ingenious bank robber . That's one hell of a midlife crisis . How does that happen ?
In his very next email , tony summed up his saga I guess you could call it as a quote painful story about a guy who pretty much had it made and lost it all because he became addicted to pain medication that he was prescribed by his family doctor .
What I didn't know at the time is what I was really being prescribed . I didn't realize that this is basically pharmaceutical heroin .
Tony obviously never thought he would become addicted no one does but it happened fast and it cost him everything His job , his savings , his dignity , everything . And his addiction still looms over him every day , which explains a lot , but it doesn't explain how he ended up wanted by the FBI .
I'm a heroin addict and I had to do something , you know , to not just feed my drug habit but to also help take care of my family . So for me , bank robberies was the easiest way to get money .
Well , easy until you get caught . This is Hooked , an Apple original podcast produced by Campsite Media , A story about cops and robbers , doctors and dealers and getting high versus getting by . Yeah .
I was a mess . I mean , I Overall I think I was a good person . You know , like to my friends and you know as far as like just being kind to people , but I'm robbing banks like crazy , which is obviously wrong .
My last podcast review for episode 31 is called Buried the Last Witness . It's by the BBC for Radio . It is a story about chemical poisonings and what can happen when companies put profits over people .
Now , I'm not saying that all companies are villains , but there are certainly bad actors out there and , unfortunately , unless they're caught , it is the area people who pay the price . In the case of Buried the Last Witness witness . The poison chemical is called polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs .
It's a toxic , fire retardant chemical or group of chemicals , I should say , that were used in everything from paint to paper to being used for insulating fluids and electrical equipment like transformers and capacitors .
They were also used in , of all things , microscope oils and electric appliances like refrigerators and television sets , until they were banned in most countries in the late 1970s and the early 1980s . The first series of Buried was a terrific investigative podcast that was done by environmental reporters Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor . It was a hit podcast .
I know I listened to it twice . I haven't mentioned it on my show yet but I will in the future .
The second series , buried the Last Witness , the same pair of environmental reporters team up , but this time with Welsh actor Michael Sheen , and together explore a shocking story of the PCBs and how this particular chemical impacted lives , families and homes in the UK .
Whether or not it was planned I don't have any inside information on it it ended up going international when the team went to America , went to the deep south , where this chemical was also being manufactured , and discovered some heinous activity an ultimate triumph of the people who lived in that area .
Back in 2017 , michael Sheen was scrolling the internet when he saw a reference to this man called Douglas Gowan , a former National Farmers Union consultant , who had become concerned about the impact of PCBs leaking from landfill sites in South Wales , and how he spent years trying in vain to blow the whistle on the egregious behavior of the companies responsible for
producing these chemicals . For producing these chemicals Buried Last Witness is really a testament to human spirit , human determination , bravery and the ability of even people who do not have a lot of clout they're not famous , they're not politicians to make changes for the good .
Here's a clip from the show . Late one night , I found myself staring at this diagram of a chemical two hexagons connected by a line . It was so simple , yet so elegant . The shapes were hydrocarbons and locked together they make a chemical that can withstand fire . I couldn't believe that something so tiny could be so transformative , and I knew nothing about it .
Here's another thing I didn't know In the story of this chemical . There was a witness who stood in the way .
Greed and money will conquer just about everything .
A man who knew something I've seen the dark side . And left behind files of evidence that have never been seen .
That's how I find myself rushing to collect his lifetime's work . I'm going to take a turn down a road to an industrial estate with a box of secrets Before it's too late . Is this what we've been looking for ? I've got it . I've got them . Just stuff them all in a bag for life and left .
Good , the way all good stories begin . Because that witness there was something he wanted us to know . The chemical we mentioned it not only affects fire , but also the human brain .
This is Series 2 of Buried . Welcome back . In the first series we dug into waste crime , but this is a new investigation , the story of a man who stumbled upon a chemical secret . You can't see it . It's a silent killer Buried in towns across the UK .
Horrify it .
Horrify it .
And the trials of going after the truth . Threatened , beaten up , A journey into a chemical with lethal power .
That drags everyone in , even a Hollywood film star . What do those in charge know ?
Collusion conspiracy . I'm naming names , and could the witness be right ? It's buried , isn't it ? But it's going to come back that it wasn't just him under threat .
Just inserting the needle .
Trepidation .
I mean it's terrifying .
But all of us .
We're Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor , and from BBC Radio 4 , this is Buried , the Last Witness .
Buried . The Last Witness is so elegantly produced and the investigators are so relentless and courageous , so I know you're going to love this show . It does have some down moments , but the ultimate reward is that we do have the power to change things . It's a wrap for Episode 31 of One Good Thing Media .
If you haven't had a chance already , please make sure to follow our podcast and if your heart is so moved , leave us a five star rating . Thank you so much for supporting us and listening to our program . We will see you next week and you know I love you . Bye .
One Good Thing Media is brought to you by our host and creator , gerald Spear , all things technical are by David Dodd and our announcer is Robert Spear . Our theme song for Season 2 is Force by HGST . Thank , you .