The Salvation Army ( TSA ) is a Protestant church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London , England. The organisation reports a worldwide membership of over 1.7 million, [3] comprising soldiers, officers and adherents collectively known as Salvationists. Its founders sought to bring salvation to the poor, destitute, and hungry by meeting both their "physical and spiritual needs." As opposed to other charities, that only focus on things that exist....
Nov 23, 2022•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast An idiom is a phrase or expression that typically presents a figurative , non-literal meaning attached to the phrase; but some phrases become figurative idioms while retaining the literal meaning of the phrase. Categorized as formulaic language , an idiom's figurative meaning is different from the literal meaning. [1] Idioms occur frequently in all languages; in English alone there are an estimated twenty-five million idiomatic expressions....
Nov 16, 2022•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sometimes, even with the very best marketing research and R&D departments that money can by, companies make bafflingly stupid decisions and bring terrible products to the market. This week, we explore a sampling. Our theme song was written and performed by Anna Bosnick. If you’d like to support the show on a per episode basis, you can find our Patreon page here . Be sure to check our website for more details....
Nov 09, 2022•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast The 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt , also known as the August Coup , [a] was a failed attempt by hardliners of the Soviet Union 's Communist Party to forcibly seize control of the country from Mikhail Gorbachev , who was Soviet President and General Secretary of the Communist Party at the time. The coup leaders consisted of top military and civilian officials, including Vice President Gennady Yanayev , who together formed the State Committee on the State of Emergency (GKChP). They opposed Gorba...
Nov 02, 2022•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Eve Online (stylised EVE Online ) is a space-based , persistent world massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by CCP Games . Players of Eve Online can participate in a number of in-game professions and activities, including mining , piracy , manufacturing , trading , exploration , and combat (both player versus environment and player versus player ). The game contains a total of 7,800 star systems that can be visited by players. In 2009, a player alliance ...
Oct 26, 2022•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast The illegal drug trade or drug smuggling is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs . Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license , of many types of drugs through the use of drug prohibition laws . The think tank Global Financial Integrity 's Transnational Crime and the Developing World report estimates the size of the global illicit drug market between US$426 and US$652 billion in 2014 alone. [1] With a world GDP of ...
Oct 19, 2022•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Fall of Tenochtitlan , the capital of the Aztec Empire , was a decisive event in the Spanish conquest of the empire . It occurred in 1521 following extensive manipulation of local factions and exploitation of pre-existing political divisions by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés . He was aided by indigenous allies , and his interpreter and companion La Malinche . Our theme song was written and performed by Anna Bosnick. If you’d like to support the show on a per episode basis, you can find o...
Oct 12, 2022•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast The International Space Station ( ISS ) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit . It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada). [7] [8] The ownership and use of the space station is established by intergovernmental treaties and agreements. [9] The station serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory in which scientific ...
Oct 05, 2022•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms . [fn 4] He acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022 upon the death of his mother , Elizabeth II . He was the longest-serving heir apparent in British history and, at the age of 73, is the oldest person to ascend the British throne. Our theme song was written and performed by Anna Bosnick. If you’d like to support the show on a per episode basis, you can find our Patr...
Sep 28, 2022•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ghulam Mohammad Baksh Butt [1] (22 May 1878 – 23 May 1960), commonly known as Rustam-e-Hind ( Hindi-Urdu for Rostam of Hindostan ) and by the ring name The Great Gama , [7] was a pehlwani wrestler and strongman in British Raj . In the early 20th century, he was an undefeated wrestling champion of subcontinent . Our theme song was written and performed by Anna Bosnick. If you’d like to support the show on a per episode basis, you can find our Patreon page here . Be sure to check our website for m...
Sep 21, 2022•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Lewis and Clark Expedition , also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition , was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase . The Corps of Discovery was a select group of U.S. Army and civilian volunteers under the command of Captain Meriwether Lewis and his close friend Second Lieutenant William Clark . Clark and 30 members set out from Camp Dubois , Illinois, on May 14, 1804, met Lewis and ten other members of the ...
Sep 14, 2022•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast A common misconception is a viewpoint or factoid that is often accepted as true but which is actually false. They generally arise from conventional wisdom (such as old wives' tales ), stereotypes , superstitions , fallacies , a misunderstanding of science, or the popularization of pseudoscience . Some common misconceptions are also considered to be urban legends , and they are often involved in moral panics . Our theme song was written and performed by Anna Bosnick. If you’d like to support the ...
Sep 07, 2022•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Victor-Marie Hugo (26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician . During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the greatest French writers of all time. Our theme song was written and performed by Anna Bosnick. If you’d like to support the show on a per episode basis, you can find our Patreon page here . Be sure to check our website for more details....
Aug 31, 2022•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Piltdown Man was a paleoanthropological fraud in which bone fragments were presented as the fossilised remains of a previously unknown early human . Although there were doubts about its authenticity virtually from the beginning, the remains were still broadly accepted for many years, and the falsity of the hoax was only definitively demonstrated in 1953. An extensive scientific review in 2016 established that amateur archaeologist Charles Dawson was responsible for the fraudulent evidence. O...
Aug 24, 2022•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Frederick Russell Burnham DSO (May 11, 1861 – September 1, 1947) was an American scout and world-traveling adventurer. He is known for his service to the British South Africa Company and to the British Army in colonial Africa , and for teaching woodcraft to Robert Baden-Powell in Rhodesia . He helped inspire the founding of the international Scouting Movement . Our theme song was written and performed by Anna Bosnick. If you’d like to support the show on a per episode basis, you can find our Pat...
Aug 17, 2022•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast The United Federated Forces of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) was an American far-left organization active between 1973 and 1975 that considered itself a vanguard army. The SLA was considered by the FBI and American law enforcement as the first terrorist organization to rise from the American left. Most fugitives of the group were apprehended in 1975 and prosecuted.
Aug 10, 2022•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Among Ancient Romans , bestiarii (singular bestiarius ) were those who went into combat with beasts, or were exposed to them. It is conventional [1] to distinguish two categories of bestiarii : the first were those condemned to death via the beasts (see damnatio ad bestias ) and the second were those who faced them voluntarily, for pay or glory (see venatio ). [2] The latter are sometimes erroneously called gladiators ; to their contemporaries, however, the term gladiator referred specifically t...
Aug 03, 2022•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast William Magear Tweed (April 3, 1823 – April 12, 1878), often erroneously referred to as William "Marcy" Tweed (see below ), [1] and widely known as " Boss " Tweed , was an American politician most notable for being the political boss of Tammany Hall , the Democratic Party 's political machine that played a major role in the politics of 19th-century New York City and state . At the height of his influence, Tweed was the third-largest landowner in New York City, a director of the Erie Railroad , a...
Jul 27, 2022•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast This episode is about forbidden places, like Ilha da Queimada Grande , also known as Snake Island , an island off the coast of Brazil in the Atlantic Ocean . It is administered as part of the municipality of Itanhaém in the State of São Paulo . The island is small in size, only 43 hectares (106 acres), and has a temperate climate. The island's terrain varies considerably, ranging from bare rock to rainforest. Our theme song was written and performed by Anna Bosnick. If you’d like to support the ...
Jul 20, 2022•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Vincenzo Pipino (born 22 July 1943), also known as Encio , is an Italian thief from Venice whose exploits earned him the nickname "the gentleman thief". He is the first person to successfully steal from the Doge's Palace , and has been responsible for some of the most sensational art thefts in the city. Our theme song was written and performed by Anna Bosnick. If you’d like to support the show on a per episode basis, you can find our Patreon page here . Be sure to check our website for more deta...
Jul 13, 2022•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin ( / ˈ p uː t ɪ n / ; Russian: Владимир Владимирович Путин ; [vlɐˈdʲimʲɪr vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ ˈputʲɪn] ( listen ) ; born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who is the president of Russia , a position he has filled since 2012, and previously from 2000 until 2008. [7] [c] He was also the prime minister from 1999 to 2000, and again from 2008 to 2012. He is also a diabolical monster bent on world domination....
Jul 06, 2022•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast A common misconception is a viewpoint or factoid that is often accepted as true in current times. They often arise from conventional wisdom (such as old wives' tales ), stereotypes , a misunderstanding of science, or popularisation of pseudoscience . Some common misconceptions are also considered to be urban legends , and they are often involved in moral panics . Our theme song was written and performed by Anna Bosnick. If you’d like to support the show on a per episode basis, you can find our P...
Jun 29, 2022•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jeffrey Stephen Wigand ( / ˈ w aɪ ɡ æ n d / ; born December 17, 1942) is an American biochemist and whistleblower . He is a former vice president of research and development at Brown & Williamson in Louisville, Kentucky , who worked on the development of reduced-harm cigarettes and in 1996 blew the whistle on tobacco tampering at the company. This was adapted for 1999 film The Insider , with Russell Crowe portraying Wigand. Our theme song was written and performed by Anna Bosnick. If you’d like ...
Jun 22, 2022•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing burnable material, typically tobacco , that is rolled into thin paper for smoking . The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhaled via the opposite end. Cigarette smoking is the most common method of tobacco consumption. Manufacturers have described the cigarette as "a drug administration system for the delivery of nicotine in acceptable and attractive form". [1] [2] [3] [4] The term cigarette , as com...
Jun 15, 2022•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Frank William Dux ( / ˈ dj uː k s / ; born April 6, 1956) is a Canadian-American martial artist and fight choreographer . According to Dux, a ninjutsu expert named Senzo Tanaka trained him as a ninja when he was a teenager. He established his own school of ninjutsu called Dux Ryu Ninjutsu, and has said he won a secret martial arts tournament called the Kumite in 1975. He was all the way lying about this, but his alleged victory at the Kumite served as the inspiration for the 1988 film Bloodsport...
Jun 08, 2022•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast On October 14, 2004, Pinnacle Airlines Flight 3701 ( ICAO : FLG3701, IATA : 9E3701, or Flagship 3701) crashed near Jefferson City , Missouri , United States, while flying from Little Rock National Airport in Little Rock , Arkansas , United States, to Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport in Minnesota , United States. Flight 3701 was a repositioning flight with no passengers aboard; both pilots were killed. Federal investigators determined the crash was due to the pilots' unprofessional be...
Jun 01, 2022•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Pankration ( / p æ n ˈ k r eɪ t i ɒ n , - ˈ k r eɪ ʃ ən / ; Greek : παγκράτιον ) was a sporting event introduced into the Greek Olympic Games in 648 BC, which was an empty-hand submission sport with few rules. The athletes used boxing and wrestling techniques, but also others, such as kicking, holds, joint-locks, and chokes on the ground, making it similar to modern mixed martial arts . [1] The term comes from the Greek παγκράτιον [paŋkrátion] , meaning 'all of power', from πᾶν ( pan ) 'all' and...
May 25, 2022•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Bone Wars , also known as the Great Dinosaur Rush , [1] was a period of intense and ruthlessly competitive fossil hunting and discovery during the Gilded Age of American history, marked by a heated rivalry between Edward Drinker Cope (of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia ) and Othniel Charles Marsh (of the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale ). Each of the two paleontologists used underhanded methods to try to outdo the other in the field, resorting to bribery, theft, and...
May 18, 2022•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen ( German: [ˈmanfreːt fɔn ˈʁɪçthoːfn̩] ; 2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918), known in English as Baron von Richthofen or the Red Baron , was a fighter pilot with the German Air Force during World War I . He is considered the ace-of-aces of the war, being officially credited with 80 air combat victories. Our theme song was written and performed by Anna Bosnick. If you’d like to support the show on a per episode basis, you can find our Patreon page here . Be sure t...
May 11, 2022•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Pornhub is a Canadian-owned internet pornography website. It is one of several pornographic video-streaming websites owned by Mindgeek . [4] [5] As of June 2020, Pornhub is the 10th most trafficked website in the world and the third most-trafficked adult website after XVideos and XNXX . Our theme song was written and performed by Anna Bosnick. If you’d like to support the show on a per episode basis, you can find our Patreon page here . Be sure to check our website for more details....
May 04, 2022•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
