Look at the people in the background of any rich person's dinner party - real or fictional - and you'll see them: The butlers.

How did they get there? How did they learn? And what do they get out of it - beyond the money, of course?

To answer those questions the founder and CEO of The International Butler Academy joins us alongside his executive head butler.

And hear from a palace manager in the Middle East, talking about why she has been drawn to this kind of work for over 35 years.

GUESTS: 

• Mr. Robert Wennekes: Founder & CEO of The International Butler Academy in the Netherlands
• Mr. Adam Shimko: Executive Head Butler at The International Butler Academy in the Netherlands
• Marcia: Palace manager in the Middle East, serving for over 35 years

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Until 2003, very few people knew her name, and that was exactly as she liked it.

She was an undercover CIA operative working to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction - specifically, nuclear weapons.

But then, when members of the Bush administration leaked her identity to a journalist, all hell broke loose.

Hear about why she became an undercover agent, what exactly happened when her identity was exposed in 2003, and what life has been like since.

She is hosting the conference, "Spies, Lies, and Nukes" in Santa Fe, New Mexico from November 10-12.

GUEST: 

• Valerie Plame: Former undercover CIA operative specializing in nuclear weapons. Author of the memoir, "Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House", and spy novels, "Blowback" and "Burned"

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Some people collect stamps. Coins. Trading cards. And as you've heard on our show before, some people collect barf bags. Tiny chairs. Bricks.

And some people's collections are a bit… darker.

Today, come with me as I tour the John Zaffis Museum of the Paranormal in Stratford, CT, containing hundreds of objects that are suspected of being haunted.

And find out what William Harder has learned about humanity by amassing one of the world's largest collections of art solely created by convicted murderers and serial killers.

GUESTS: 

• William Harder: Collector of artwork made by imprisoned serial killers
• John Zaffis: Paranormal investigator, nephew of famous paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren, and owner of theJohn Zaffis Museum of the Paranormal in Stratford, Connecticut

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Oh my gourd do we want you to meet a man who set a world record for riding his giant pumpkin down the Missouri river!

And hold your breath as you hear from two women who won an underwater pumpkin carving contest!

And since it’s officially decorative gourd season, meet the author of that McSweeney's essay whose enthusiastic profanity somehow brings us all together every single autumn.

GUESTS: 

• Duane Hansen: Set a world record for traveling the longest distance in a pumpkin boat in August 2022. His pumpkin, Berta, was 846 pounds and together they sailed for 38 miles down the Missouri River. It took 12 hours
• Josephine Walker & Stephanie McClary: Mother/daughter duo who won the Underwater Pumpkin Carving contest at the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in October of 2019. Their design was of moray eels embracing a heart
• Colin Nissan: Author of It's Decorative Gourd Season, Motherfuckers, originally published in McSweeney’s in 2009

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Back in the day — with your Walter Cronkites and David Brinkleys — it felt kind of inappropriate for an interviewer to bring their full selves to the conversation. It was all about the guest, after all, so why bother bringing their own distinctive flairs?

But now, people tune in as much for the interviewer as the one being interviewed. And because of that, the experience feels much more authentic!

So today, you'll get to know three masters of the craft who each have their own distinct, but oh so compelling styles of asking tough, thought-provoking questions.

EXTENDED INTERVIEWS:

• Mehdi Hasan
• Ziwe
• Gayle King

GUESTS: 

• Mehdi Hasan: Host of The Mehdi Hasan Show on MSNBC and Peacock. His latest book is called Win Every Argument: The Art of Debating, Persuading, and Public Speaking
• Ziwe: Comedian, writer, actor, executive producer and star of ZIWE on Showtime. She is also known for her web series, Baited. Her book is called Black Friend: Essays
• Gayle King: Co-host of CBS This Morning, and editor-at-large of O, the Oprah Magazine. She is also the curator of the book, Note to Self: Inspiring Words From Inspiring People

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Mehdi Hasan is the host of The Mehdi Hasan Show on MSNBC and Peacock. His latest book is called Win Every Argument: The Art of Debating, Persuading, and Public Speaking.

Listen to our extended conversations with interviewers Ziwe and Gayle King.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ziwe is a comedian, writer, actor, executive producer and star of ZIWE on Showtime. She is also known for her web series, Baited. Her book is called Black Friend: Essays.

Listen to our extended conversations with interviewers Mehdi Hasan and Gayle King.

Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gayle King is the co-host of CBS This Morning, and editor-at-large of O, the Oprah Magazine. Curator of the book, Note to Self: Inspiring Words From Inspiring People.

Listen to our extended conversations with interviewers Mehdi Hasan and Ziwe.

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The poet, Atticus, wrote, “Have you ever smelled a smell and it instantly brings you back to a happy moment from your childhood? I always loved that. I hope that's what death is. Just sitting on a cloud, smelling old smells.”

That’s the inspiration for today’s episode, featuring 18 people talking about the smells that bring them back to childhood.

In addition to the guests below, you’ll hear the voices of Dave Borsvold from Mentor, Ohio, Higuchi Naoki from Osaka, Japan, Levi Lomaski from West Hartford, Brianne Decio from Waterford, Matthew from Ecuador, Nina Lesiga from Stratford, Lisa Niedermeyer and her mother, Michele, from Salt Lake City, Utah, Nicole Currivan from Syracuse, New York, Janice Wolf from Madison, and Brandon Blain from Lebanon, Connecticut.

GUESTS: 

• Dr. Angharad Rudkin: Author and clinical child psychologist working in Hampshire, UK
• Raquel V Reyes: Author of many books, including her latest, Calypso Corpses, and Cooking (A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery) Here, she demonstrates how to make Cafe Cubano
• O’Nell Agossa: Originally from Benin, Africa, featured on our show about being a part of a diaspora
• Tanya Ko Hong: Originally from Korea, featured on our show about being part of a diaspora
• Isaiah Herrington: 10 year-old living in Hartford, Connecticut
• Alua Arthur: Death doula in Los Angeles, CA, founder of Going With Grace
• Atticus: Poet and author of the new book, LVOE
• Heather Ream: Writer from East Tennessee, who is a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), originally featured on our show about super smellers

This show originally premiered October 14, 2022.

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Tired of the same old sports?

Well, listen to our show about weird sports!

Including extreme ironing, where people press their clothes at the top of volcanoes, in caves, even while hanging upside down in trees!

And there's cheese rolling, where people chase a cheese wheel which is barrelling down a steep hill.

And then there's the oh, so British sport of shin kicking! This is a centuries-old wrestling sport where opponents grab each other by the shoulders and kick the shin out of each other.

GUESTS: 

• Florence Early: Four-time women’s cheese rolling champion, and star of the Netflix Documentary, "We Are The Champions: Episode 1"
• Pete "Buzzsaw" Holland: Shin Kicking referee or “stickler”. Shin kicking is a 400 year-old British wrestling sport in which players try to get each other to fall down by kicking each other in the shin
• Matthew Battley: New Zealand astrophysicist and extreme ironer. He has ironed on places such as mountains, active volcanoes and in lakes and caves

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