Hey, folks. This week, NO SUCH THING is hosting Origin Stories, a new podcast from Campside Media. Each week, veteran journalist Matthew Shaer talks to a different writer or director about the creation of a work close to their own hearts, and this episode is the perfect example. Palestinian filmmaker Yousef Srouji is the creator of the critically-acclaimed documentary "Three Promises," which uses his mother’s old home video footage to tell an intimate story of life during the Second Intifada. Srouji talks to Matthew about coming to documentary film as a newbie and learning the tools of the trade on the job. He also discusses the difficulty of finding distribution for “Three Promises,” despite the project being largely apolitical. Listen to Origin Stories.

NO SUCH THING will be back next week!

Don't forget to cast your votes for the Signal Awards. We've been nominated for: Best Buddy Podcast and Activism, Public Service, & Social Impact for our episode about Online Pedophile Hunters. 

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This week, we’re asking: what do you do when your favorite artist becomes a self-proclaimed N*zi? And we dive into the new documentary In Whose Name?, which claims to show Kanye in a new light. 

Don't forget to cast your votes for the Signal Awards. We've been nominated for: Best Buddy Podcast and Activism, Public Service, & Social Impact for our episode about Online Pedophile Hunters. 

Follow us on Instagram and sign up for our newsletter at nosuchthing.show.

Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why does it seem so common that modern sculptures of iconic figures look so bad? Soccer star Ronaldo, NBA legend Dwyane Wade, and even the great Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. have been frankly disgraced by sub-par and strange renditions. Is creating a great statue a lost art, or are we being unfair? This week, we talk to a real sculptor to find out. 

Our guest this week is John Belardo. 

To follow along with the sculptures in the episode, check out our newsletter or Instagram.

Some exciting news, we’ve been nominated for two (2) Signal Awards: Best Buddy Podcast and Activism, Public Service, & Social Impact for our episode about Online Pedophile Hunters. If you’re feeling generous, head over to those links and vote for us :))

Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286

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What is therapy exactly, and what is it supposed to do? How do you know if you need therapy? If you’re in therapy, how do you know if it’s working? NO SUCH THING talks to Lilly Kaplan, therapist and author of the Reality Test newsletter, who gracefully demystifies the practice of therapy for us and answers a barrage of questions.

Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286‬

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Why do some people seem to suffer the ills of foodborne illness at an alarming frequency, while others cruise through rare steaks unimpeded? In this episode, we bravely (or foolishly) ask: does food poisoning actually exist? This week, we talk to food safety experts to find out what food poisoning actually is, where it comes from, and what  you can do to avoid it. Also discussed: Did your family have a dedicated bowl to vomit in? Will leftover rice kill you? And do you have to wash your chicken? 

Our guests this week are Dr. Ben Chapman, Extension Food Safety Specialist at North Carolina State University, and food safety lawyer Bill Marler.  

Check out Ben’s podcast Food Safety Talk.

Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286‬

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This week, we’re turning our attention to our weather apps. Are they getting worse? Are Trump’s DOGE cuts to blame? Why don’t we use feels like as the default temp? And what does the percentage of precipitation (PoP) actually mean?

Then, we answer a listener's question on how Spotify’s shuffle feature actually works.

Check out Heather McCalden’s “The Observable Universe.”

The last track in this week’s episode is from Certain Self’s  “Girl in the Walls” from his new EP You Look Tired.

Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286‬

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This week we settle your dumb arguments. Yup, it’s mailbag time. We’ll argue about the RIGHT way to load a dishwasher, revisit a right-wing conspiracy theory about cat litter in schools, solve an intersection conundrum involving a funeral procession and a school bus, and finally reveal how this beautiful friendship actually began.

Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286‬

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In this episode, Manny, Noah, and Devan revive a debate from almost a decade ago, albeit with modern framing: if you're in a relationship, and you're romancing an AI chatbot, should that be considered cheating? They chat to Tatum Hunter, tech reporter for the Washington Post, and couples therapist Jeff Guenther, better known as Therapy Jeff. And finally, they decide to try it for themselves, and go on a date with an AI chatbot.

Check out Tatum's work here, and scroll through Therapy Jeff's Instagram for wisdom and advice.

Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286‬

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See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

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You might remember To Catch a Predator with Chris Hansen, but now streamers are making their own version, and they’re a lot more violent. New York Times reporter Aric Toler takes us inside the world of modern-day “pedophile hunters,” while Stefan Turkheimer, VP of Public Policy at RAINN, shares what justice could—and should—look like for survivors.

Check out Aric's visual investigation on online pedophile hunters.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you are not alone. RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support in English and en Español. Call 800.656.HOPE (4673), chat at hotline.RAINN.org, or text "HOPE" to 64673. 

Additional music for this episode by Zeno Pittarelli, check out his new project You Look Tired.

Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286‬

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This week, we take a deep dive into the frustrating conundrum of the kids menu. Why would a restaurant show me they’re capable of making a delicious and adorably small offering of chicken nuggets, only to restrict it to those fortunate to be 12 years old or younger? Are these restrictions an economic necessity, a moralizing judgment, or something else? We speak with a few industry insiders to learn the history of the kids menu and put these limits to the test. 

Our guest this week is Kate Lindsay, longtime sufferer at the hands of Big Kids Menu, host of Slate’s internet culture podcast ICYMI and writer of the newsletter Embedded. Thank you to our restaurant industry expert Lori Rakoczy from Technomic, and our anonymous movie theater server. 

If you liked this episode, check out Ep. 11: Can you cure picky eating? (w/ Search Engine)

Have a question you want us to answer? Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(860) 325-0286‬

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