The Absurd

Our first story is rather disgusting. So if you’re eating, you might want to finish up before listening. That’s all we’re saying about that one. Mel will then take us back to 10th century Ukraine to meet Olga who shows that vengeance and kickin’ ass are by no means gender specific. Not that any sensible person could think otherwise. Then we’ll nip next door to Russia to learn about some fascinating and bizarre transplants made by a scientist who could rightly be called mad. Lastly, we’ll go to the 1870’s and look at an incident in which meat fell from the heavens. Sure wish that would happen with some chicken wings.

This is our first ever recording on location, and we were at Rural Roots Brewing Company in Elmira, ON. Cannot recommend it enough! Great beer, great staff, and great wings too. We open on a chat with owner and proprietor Roger Lichti. Mel than tells us about someone with entirely too much money who went bananas for a banana. Next, Rod amazes and confounds us with some absurd facts. Then we’re off to Florida where an idiotic stunt involving fireworks inside a car may have ended a man’s manhood. Ever been to Iran? Me neither. But let’s go and meet a man who has not bathed in 60 years! Eww! Lastly, neuroscientists have taught rats … to drive. Why would you not?

The Tsar Bomba, the most powerful nuclear weapon ever designed and tested, and the largest human-made explosion. It’ll blow your mind! Next we’re off to Mel’s home province to learn about a series of mysterious and as yet unexplained loud booms reported in 1978. We will then meet four people whose attempts to commit insurance fraud could best be described as grizzly. Lastly we will learn about a burgeoning population of hippopotami in Colombia. Colombia? That’s right, you heard me. Colombia.

Anyone who has flown knows that it is not an overly comfortable experience. Cramped seats, screaming kids, mediocre food. But here’s one thing I hope none of us will ever have to experience. We will next meet a man who while under the influence of GHB decided it would be best to insert 15 hard boiled eggs into his rectum. What an oeuf! We rely on doctors to dispense healing treatment as spelled out in the Hippcratic oath. It is perhaps the greatest of betrayals for a doctor to use his or her training to cause harm. This doctor must have skipped that part of his training. Lastly, we’ll go back to 1518 when several dancing plagues swept through the area of what was then western Germany. Was it mass hysteria? Ergot poisoning, which is very much like LSD?

You like pizza? Of course. Who doesn’t? Are you a user of cannabis? If so, you might want to head to Stoughton, Wisconsin where a pizzeria mistakenly added THC oil to their pizza dough. Next, Mel takes us down to Kentucky where police make a truly grizzly discovery. Next, we’ll head to a village in Japan where the population has declined so much that residents have made life sized dolls in an attempt to make the place less lonely. Lastly, imagine moving into a new house and finding the previous owners left a chest freezer behind. Whatever could be in there?

Hey everyone. This is the second of our Hallowe’en focused episodes, and by focused we mean scarier and darker. First, Mel will tell us about various different monsters we associate with Hallowe’en. Next, Rod will tell us about a cannibal restaurant in South Africa. Grab your plates! We will then look at the strange sightings of the “Mothman” which has been associated with the collapse of a bridge in West Virginia that killed 46 people in 1967. Lastly, if you’re old enough to remember the game show The Dating Game, you will find this terrifying tale of a near miss.

Welcome to our first Hallowe’en episode, where the stories are a little more macabre and dark. First we’re off to South Africa where two patients incapable of walking disappeared shortly after their surgeries. Where they were found defies explanation. Then Mel will tell us about a very strange and potentially terrifying type of geocaching. In our final story, we look at a case of organ donation, of which we are both strong supporters. However, we, along with most people I suspect (hope), believe that the donor should be deceased before the organs are harvested.

Anyone who cooks knows that meat must be brought to a certain temperature to kill any parasites that may naturally exist in that meat. In case you’re thinking of cooking up a hunk of bear meat, you might want to listen to this first. Next, Mel will tell us about a disturbing case of a woman who went to great lengths to hide her gambling debts. Then Rod will tell us a fun tale about a burglar who took a different approach to his break and enters. Lastly, we’ll see that your robot vacuum can be made to do some things you probably don’t want it to.

Psilocybin is a compound found in “magic mushrooms” which are often used recreationally as a harmless distraction. It is also the subject of much clinical study to determine if it has application to treat a myriad of mental health issues. In this instance however, a very large dose coupled with an axe proves … life-altering for the user. Then we’re off to Indiana for a foul incident at a Dollar Tree (we love Dollar Tree) store. And this is not the first time the candles in the store have been befouled by some cretin. Then some closure on a man who was driving home from a bar in 1997, and went missing for 22 years and was found using Google Earth. Lastly, we’ll bring things up with a happy story about two young girls and a series of incredible coincidences.

In this episode, Rod has a cold, and he’s not happy about it! Mel will tell us about a liposuction procedure using a dental suction device. Yeah, it didn’t go well. Next, Rod will take us to St Louis to learn about a fight club orchestrated by teachers at a daycare centre. Sounds fun right, but it really is a bad idea. For those of you with children, you ever thought of selling one of your babies? In Arkansas, the asking price is a $1,000 and a six-pack. Lastly, an actual beautiful story about a cat who helped ease the passing of elderly patients.