It's been almost another year without an episode of the Shipped High In Transit podcast, but Tom and Steven are back to look into some more myths.

Tom begins this episode by looking into the 'ISIS hunter', Abu Azrael, who came to prominence after the 2015 terror attacks in Paris. Reportedly, he has single-handedly killed around 1500 members of the terrorist organisation using not only automated weaponry, but also swords and axes. But is the tale bigger than the man?

In the Quick S.H.I.T.s section Steven presents us with words that describe things that few people realise there are even words for, including tartle, groak, snudge and more. Tom also talks about words and phrases, ones that originate from nautical use but are now used so much in everyday conversation to the point that they have lost their original meaning.

Steven finishes the show by debunking the popular internet story of the disappearance of the Kansas town of Ashley in August 1952 after mysterious phenomena were reported by the town's populace. Was it supernatural, a series of earthquakes, or something else?

Thank you, again, for downloading this podcast. We hope to bring you episode more regularly in future. If you want to take part in an episode, or have a myth or story to debunk or is unexplainable send an email to [email protected] with the title Shipped High In Transit, comment on our Facebook page or on Twitter @ShippedHigh. Thank you so much for listening.

It's been over 18 months since the last episode of this podcast was released, so thank you so much for your patience while other things were allowed to take precedence.

In this episode, Tom is joined once more by Steven from A History of Misunderstanding Podcast. Steven is here to discuss the curse of Superman, a theory that various actors who have played the titular superhero and various co-stars have died after being involved with the character. We come to the conclusion that far more people survived and some have continued to be successful than have died, and even the most tragic deaths seem to be from outside influence like ill-health or drugs. Let us know your thoughts on this and any similar film franchises that are synonymous with curses.

In the quick S.H.I.T.s section, Tom debunks the playground myth that if you swallow chewing gum it stays in your stomach for seven years. It just simply isn't true. Steven brings the story of a stolen Oscar statue by an unknown man, collecting it on behalf of actress, Alice Brady at the 1937 ceremony, and the fact that it has never surfaced since. Perhaps it's still out there in an L.A. loft?

Tom closes out the show with a possible debunking of the phenomenon of the blood of St Januarius. Three times a year priests in Naples hold a ceremony where the blood has been known to liquify, signifying that the patron saint of the city is looking after the people. Scientists have not be allowed to study the blood to confirm it really is blood, rather than a medieval hoax. However, they have recreated a thixotropic substance from ingredients that would have been available around the first recorded instance of this miracle occurring. The substance is said to look and act just like the blood of St Januarius. Proof or coincidence? You decide.

Thank you, again, for downloading this podcast. We hope to bring you episode more regularly in future. If you want to take part in an episode, or have a myth or story to debunk or is unexplainable send an email to [email protected] with the title Shipped High In Transit, comment on our Facebook page or on Twitter @ShippedHigh. Thank you so much for listening.

In this brand new episode of Shipped High In Transit, Ant debunks the myth that you could kill a person by dropping a penny from the top of a tall building - in this case, the Empire State Building.

Here are the websites Ant used for reference.

jaypinkerton.com

howstuffworks.com

The Quick S.H.I.T.s section carries on from the Penny Myth in that Ant also debunks the myth that, if you were to throw yourself off a tall building - let's say the Empire State Building - you wouldn't die of a heart attack or your lungs exploding before you hit the ground. See here

A listener's question about spice being used as preservative is answered by Tom. Spices are used, predominantly, to enhance the flavour and aroma of food however, they have antimicrobial properties which slows the growth rate of bacteria that would spoil the meat.

Tom's story this week is about Spontaneous Human Combustion, a condition where a person burns away to ash with no obvious initial spark or fire. There are many theories from The Wick Effect to psychic-suicide.

If you have any stories for us to cover or if you want to debunk your own tales get in touch with us on Twitter, Facebook or send an email to [email protected] or [email protected]. Thank you so much for listening and commenting, please share, rate and review us on whatever podcast provider you use.

Here are the  links to the scientific papers Tom used to research his Quick S.H.I.T.  here & here

This episode of the Shipped High In Transit Podcast features the first guest host, Steven, from A History of Misunderstanding Podcast. And, boy does he bring the goods with a fascinating story about Crystal Skulls, giving us the history of their discovery, the mystical powers it's claimed they possess and the impossibilities of their manufacture by primitive tribes in Central America.

Tom's feature this time round is the mystery surrounding the death of Joseph Merrick, a.k.a. The Elephant Man. It was widely believed - not to mention depicted, by John Hurt in the David Lynch film of the same name - that Merrick choked to death trying to sleep like a normal person. However, new evidence has been unearthed that points to an even more tragic story.

The 'Quick S.H.I.T.s' section of the show debunks the theory that clinking glasses together as a toast was a way for people at medieval feasts to prove they weren't trying to poison each other and why the symbol for the dollar is '$'.

An added layer of production has been provided by Steven for this episode to give atmosphere to the stories. Find his film podcast at www.hompodcast.com

Please give us feedback on this episode or ask to be on a future show by contacting us at [email protected], comment on our Facebook page or on Twitter @ShippedHigh. Thank you so much for listening.

In the second episode of Shipped High In Transit, Ant & Tom reunite to debunk more stories from around the world. Tom kicks the episode off with a claim that a perfectly preserved 2 year old girl, mummified in 1920, opens and closes her eyes on a daily basis in a Sicilian catacomb. See the link below:

Why does this mummy appear to open and close her eyes?

Ant brings a story about why Kentucky Fried Chicken changed its name to KFC back in the 1990s which sparks some debate, disputing the veracity of picture depicting genetically modified chickens with 4 legs, 4 wings and no beak. (In no way do Ant, Tom or the ABH Podcast Network in any way support the REAL methods of battery farming used by the likes of KFC's parent company, Yum! Brands, it's still barbaric and wrong.) See the link to this story below:

Tastes Like Chicken

A listener's question is answered to the best of the ability of the hosts after a disappointing lack of response from the U.K. Gamekeepers Association about the rise in dead pheasants around roadways. And two more Quick S.H.I.T.s are put forward, one that margarine may well be one molecule away from plastic, but one molecule makes a lot of difference!

Is margarine plastic? 

And another where, perhaps, Marie Antoinette may not have said "Let them eat cake" - let alone meant it in an ironic way.

Let them eat cake! 

Apologies for the amount of time between episode 1 and now, we promise to stay on top of things going forward. If you would like to get in touch to co-host, or host your own show, please get in contact at show@shippedhighintransit or [email protected], alternatively, get in touch @shippedhigh or at the Facebook group. Thank you for checking us out.

This special pilot episode is the first in, what is hoped, to be an on going series looking into strange stories from the internet that may not be as mysterious as they are believed to be. Either these stories have been debunked but may still be presented as true by the internet or they are utterly unsolvable.

Ant brings the big international story this time and it's called The Bloop. The Bloop is a sound recording taken in 1997 by the NOAA (the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). It is widely theorised that this is the call of a giant sea creature such as H.P.Lovecraft's Cthulu... but is it?

Tom brings in a ghost story from closer to home; the tale of the Bluebell Hill Ghost. This is one of the most famous hauntings in Kent but, is it the spirit of a young woman who died after a car crash on the A229 on the eve of her wedding that just wants to get back to Gillingham or the imaginations of tired motorists?

If you have any urban legends or unexplained stories to tell, you can get in touch with us (for the moment) at [email protected], just remember to put S.H.I.T. in the subject line! Also, if you're a podcaster (or not) and want to present your own findings, please get in touch or follow @abhpod on Twitter and we'll try to sort out a time for having you on the show - perhaps even host it with your friends. We want this to be as interactive as possible and know the podcasting community to be the most approachable group out there. So, give us a shout, even if it's to correct or enhance what you've heard on the show.

We hope you enjoy this brand new podcast!