A quick review of about half a dozen movies (including They Live (1988) and Vice (2018)) that popped into my head while talking about the latest Dune (2021) and The Batman (2022), followed by a longer review of Wiebo's War (2011), a documentary by David York about the families in "Trickle Creek" and their fight against Big Oil and their pollution in northern Alberta.

Music: "Red Carper" by Yung Kartz, from the album February 2019

Music: "Hard XxX Ultra Yaoi Psychedelic Death Of Vintage Cluster Bomb Of Glitter" by Monplaisir, from the album PIGEONS ARE THE BEST

It took me about a month to finally edit this, I recorded it midway through April while sick. Here I focus on two articles by Katherine Eban, published in Vanity Fair, "The Lab Leak Theory: Inside the Fight to Uncover COVID-19's Origins" from June of last year and " "This Shouldn't Happen": Inside the Virus-Hunting Nonprofit at the Center of the Lab-Leak Controversy" from March of this year. Enjoy!

Samuel delves, belatedly, into the greatest moment in television in years: The Slap. A short update on the case of Mehdi Ali and other asylum seekers in Australia (they've been released from confinement) and an update on the alleged plot to kidnap the Governor of Michigan. 

The episode art is a photo of the red carpet from The Oscars the day after

Music: "Red Carpet" by Yung Kartz

Music: "Slap 'Em In The Face" by The Willing, from the album Splendid Gifts

Rambling episode about censorship and propaganda. I talk about the new (not official) Lego, Italian airport workers, a new baby rhino, blog post from the Canadian Council for the Arts, cancelled piano performances, and an ovation in the Washington Post to newest Sexiest Man in the World. 

Music: "Russian Dance" by Yair Yona

Samuel makes a list of the recent waves of panic that have dominated the news cycle since mid-November 2021, talks about difficulties finding reliable data about the situation in Ukraine, and digs into why a recent NY Times article about the possible origins of SARS-CoV-2 horribly missed the mark. 

Here's the story about the teenager heading off to fight in the war 

Here are multiple versions of the NY Times story about two pre-prints

As promised in the last few minutes of the podcast, Parisian Poutine (for context, I just learned this, in French the name of the dish and Russia's head of state are written exactly the same)

Music: "Isolation" by Audiobinger, from the album Quarantine Beats, Vol. 1

Recent poll (page 70) showed that 42% of Americans believe Russia is a communist country. This is what inspired episode art.

Samuel explores a whole bunch of recent stories all revolving around trucks! Rig aficionadxs tune in!

Here's the story of Leah Gorham I mention in the show

Music: "Freedom" by Slipper, from the album Attack of the Killer Lobsters

Music: "Freedom" by Classwar Karaoke, from the album Classwar Karaoke - 0018 Survey

Episode art: Found the image on Twitter and didn't bother to see who it was attributed to. The full thing has the line of rigs passing through a parted ocean (a la Moses parting the sea) with gnarly sharks on both columns of water. Notice the flaming water cross in the background. 

Samuel goes on a second rant about the most important news in Australia and tries to decipher what is and what is not a health measure.

Brawl in Montreal

Tara Moriarty

German police with sticks

Music: "Tejygo" by Mello C

Music: "Algorithms" by Chad Crouch

Episode art: By Carine06 (no real name given) - https://www.flickr.com/photos/43555660@N00/5935139063/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=100314042

Samuel talks on Novak Djokovic's Australian vacation (but first he rambles for 45 minutes about emerging non-variants, anti-vaxxers, Joe Rogan, Robert Malone, Yuri Deigin, vaccine passports, and reveals that he is sick with something).

Park Hotel story is HERE

Music: "Isolation" by Audiobinger, from the album Quarantine Beats Vol 2

Samuel and Monique do their inaugural YEAR END REVIEW! We talk about memes, frontiers, wizards, try to figure out what NFTs are, talk cats and early childhood experiences, spill drinks, discuss supply chains, and a whole lot more. 

Here's the story about the gazebo, for those who would like a visual

Music by Tusk Lord, "Second Christmas Song"

Samuel talks about the potential origins of the Omicron variant as presented by William A. Haseltine and manages to depress himself. Enjoy!

Music: "Bajará por el lado izquierdo" by Boris & Olivier, from the album Holiday On

Music: "Holiday" by Julie Byrne