The Swerve Podcast: Obscure Topics | Conspiracy Theories

The “Wendigo” is a monstrous, malevolent cryptid that pursues human flesh at all costs. Folklore, traditional knowledge, and even some alleged “modern-day” sightings of the Wendigo have caused people to speculate this creature could be more than mere myth. 

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This evil mythical creature is based in the northern forests of Nova Scotia, the East Coast of Canada, and the Great Lakes regions. Sightings are still reported to this day, especially near the “Cave of the Wendigo” near the town of Kenora in Ontario, Canada. 

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In addition to ruthlessly murdering and shredding its victims to pieces, the Wendigo may also possess humans and induce “Wendigo psychosis”, a psychological state in which the possessed individual will suddenly crave human flesh and turn on anyone around them. 

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The Wendigo is alleged to be 2-3 times the size of a normal man. It is decrepit and sickly looking, covered with blood-stained and matted fur, lipless with a mouth lined with jagged teeth, long arms with razor-like claws, and hooved feet. It is also extremely nimble, so it is almost impossible to defeat. 

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Humans that have resorted to cannibalism, or extreme greed, or acts of murder can BECOME a Wendigo through strange transformational means. 

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Herein, we discuss the folklore and traditional knowledge that alleges the existence of the “Wendigo”, stories associated with Wendigo killings, how Wendigo’s are created, how to overcome the nimbleness of these creatures and defeat them, and other alternative theories that may explain this legendary cryptid. 

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What say you?   

#cryptid #mythology #monster

“Simo Häyhä” was a fearless Finnish military sniper known as the “White Death” during the 1939-40 Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union. - Estimations vary, but Simo Hayha has been attributed between 300-800 kills during a 100-day period, while fighting on the frontlines in the harsh, frozen (-20 to -40 Celsius), Finnish terrain. 

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Simo Häyhä NEVER used a scope when sniping (wtf!?) and employed a set of unique battle techniques and mindsets in order to maximize his ability to defend Finland. 

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The Red Army severely outnumbered the Finns during the Winter War and relied on sheer expendable bodies to overwhelm the Finnish army. However, what the Finns lacked in numbers, they made up for in spirit and adept understanding of their unique territory. - Although the Finns ultimately “lost” the Winter War, they put a massive dent in The Red Army – the Soviets lost between 138,000 to 168,000 men, while the Finns lost 25,904. 

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Due to this, the Winter War played a major role in the fall of Nazi Germany as it led Hitler to believe the Soviet Union was weaker than they actually were (i.e., if Finland could stand up to The Red Army, Germany MUST be able to…). Germany later ended up spreading their resources thin when they attacked the Soviet Union, having to fight a war on both sides, contributing to their defeat. 

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This is a story about a true champion among men. Simo Häyhä represents the mastery that is within all of us. He represents the ability to draw massive strength from within and stand up to a giant despite overwhelming odds. He is the embodiment of raw practice and training that leads to skills with unexpected consequences. We should always seek to do our best, like Simo Häyhä, you never know when your best will change the world. 

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This topic was a pleasure to research and discuss. 

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What say you? 

#winterwar #sniper #hero

“Alex Jones” hosts The Alex Jones Show and is a well-known conspiracy theorist. He also is associated with several prominent websites including Infowars, NewsWars, and PrisonPlanet. 

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Over the years, Jones has been at the heart of a plethora of controversial claims associated with the Oklahoma City bombings, the 1969 Moon landings, September 11th attacks, Bohemian Grove, and Sandy Hook (among others). 

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Jones’ unique presentation style distinguishes him from other radio show hosts. His ability to get “fired up”, scream “truth”, frantically shake while violently yelling, tear his shirt off, and in general speak with extreme passion, is unprecedented. 

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Alex Jones has been cancelled (or “de-platformed”) by the majority of online platforms including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, among many others. He also was involved in several legal battles for some of his claims. 

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Herein, we outline the career of Alex Jones (in a nutshell) up to present day, discuss some of the major claims he has been associated with, reflect on his presentation style, and attempt to better understand freedom of speech. 

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What say you? 

#AlexJones #Legend #Yelling

“Rebecca Zahau” was found hanging – her hands and feet bound by red rope, mouth gagged, and completely nude – over a balcony at Spreckels Mansion in Coronado California on July 13, 2011. 

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Her case is nuanced, complex, and full of unanswered questions. 

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Two days before her bizarre death, Max Shacknai (Rebecca’s boyfriend’s son) suffered a serious accident under Zahau’s care, and later passed away on July 16, 2011. Max was not biologically related to Rebecca, but was the 6-year old child of Jonah Shacknai (Rebecca’s boyfriend) and Dina Romano (Jonah’s ex-wife). 

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Clearly, motive for murder could be argued given the circumstances, but also suicide, given the level of guilt Rebecca MAY have been under (if she played role in Max’s accident). 

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Jonah Shacknai’s brother, Adam, was staying in the Spreckels Mansion’s guesthouse during the period Rebecca died, and as a result was a prime suspect in the case. He proclaims innocence to this day. 

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Furthermore, a crazy cryptic message reading “she saved him, can you save her”, was painted in black on the door of the room Rebecca was hanging out of. Jonah Shacknai (her boyfriend) was also rich af. 

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Herein, we lay out the events that transpired, outline the evidence associated with Rebecca Zahau’s case, provide evidence for and against various theories, and then close with our own personal takes on the case. Was it murder? Was it suicide? Was it ritual magic? 

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What say you?   

#truecrime #murder #suicide

The “Philadelphia Experiment” was allegedly a military project involving the USS Eldridge DE-173 destroyer, in which invisibility cloaking, teleportation of the vessel, and other uncanny events occurred. 

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In 1955, Morris K. Jessup (an author, astronomer, and ufologist) received letters from Carlos M. Allen, who claimed he witnessed bizarre secret military operations during WWII at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. These claims were not corroborated at the time, but the plot thickened in 1957… - 

In 1957, the Office of Naval Research received a peculiar, annotated version of one of Morris K. Jessup’s books from an anonymous source, and contacted Jessup. Jessup’s book, “The Case for the UFO”, had strange notes written throughout it that alleged strange claims relating to the Philadelphia Experiment and advanced technology. The notes in the margins, appeared to be written by extraterrestrials… 

- Morris K. Jessup later ends up suspiciously dead (ruled a suicide…) after arranging to discuss a “breakthrough” relating to the Philadelphia Experiment in 1959. 

- Herein, we discuss the claims associated with the Philadelphia Experiment, Einstein’s theories and how they relate to the claims, the history of Morris K. Jessup, Carlos M. Allen, and the Office of Naval Research, and alternative explanations that may explain these events. 

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What say you?

“Tarrare” was a French showman and soldier who lived in the late 1700’s and was renowned for his insatiable appetite and bizarre consumption of various creatures. 

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Tarrare could eat meals fit for fifteen people to himself all at once, dabbled with the consumption of snakes, lizards, live cats and puppies, and was also allegedly suspected of even eating a toddler. - Despite crushing absolutely everything he could find, Tarrare was slim, weighing only approximately 100 pounds. To date, although there is documentation of many individuals with eating disorders resembling Tarrare, no other case study approaches the same extreme EXTENT of Tarrare. 

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Old medical records outlining Tarrare’s uncanny case study were written by Dr. Baron Percy in “Memoirs of a Polyphage”. 

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Herein, we discuss the historical accounts of Tarrare, his involvement as a specialized secret message carrier in the French Revolutionary Army, his ridiculous feats of consumption, and speculate on what disorder(s) Tarrare may have had based on modern day knowledge. 

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What say you?

“Skinwalker Ranch” is a property located in Utah associated with many paranormal phenomena, high strangeness events, UFO sightings, trickster activity, and other strange characteristics. 

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The property has several previous owners including Kenneth and Edith Meyers, Terry and Gwen Sherman and others. - Notably Robert Bigelow, a billionaire interested in the bizarre reports frequently coming out of Skinwalker Ranch, owned the property from 1996-2016. Bigelow funded the National Institute of Discovery Science (NIDS) which was instrumental in performing a plethora of studies on the grounds in an attempt to resolve the mysteries. 

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Brandon Fugal acquired the property from Bigelow in 2016 and maintains investigating the strange anomaly’s still reported to be occurring at Skinwalker Ranch.  

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Herein, we discuss the bizarre events that have been reported to have occurred at Skinwalker Ranch, the studies NIDS was involved with, Robert Bigelow, Brandon Fugal, and attempt to better understand what might be going on here. 

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What say you? 

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Shoutout to Steve Baxter for Artwork:https://www.pexels.com/@steve-baxter-1059180 

#UFO #paranormal #secret

The “God Gene” is a hypothesis proposed by geneticist Dean Hamer in 2004, that a specific gene, referred to as vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2), predisposes humans towards spiritual or mystical experiences. 

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The idea is expanded on in the book, “The God Gene: How Faith is Hardwired into our Genes”. 

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It is important to note that Hamer is not saying a single gene codes for belief in God, but rather is saying that genes likely allow for physiological experiences that produce perceptions or sensations of mystic experience, therefore predisposing individuals towards spirituality. VMAT2 is simply an example of one gene that MAY represent this idea. 

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Herein we discuss the “God Gene” theory, the scientific methods used to develop these claims, scientific criticism and religious criticism of the theory, modern research involving VMAT2, and try determine to what extent genetics may contribute to religious predisposition. 

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What say you?

Robert Monroe, an early pioneer in consciousness exploration, alleged that various techniques could be used to facilitate “out of body exploration” of various planes of existence (referred to as “focus levels”). 

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Additionally, Robert Monroe founded The Monroe Institute and created Hemi-Sync technology; the former, a training/research institution with the goal to enhance consciousness exploration of interested individuals, the ladder, a binaural beat technology used to enhance these experiences. 

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Details outlining “Project Gateway” and its scientific feasibility were released via a declassified CIA document. - In this document, Wayne McDonnel is writing to his commander at the US Army Operational Group, Fort Meade, MD about an analysis and assessment of “Gateway Process” (i.e. Project Gateway) – which was highly tied to Robert Monroe, The Monroe Institute, and Hemi-Sync technology. 

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The declassified document attempts to explain how out of body experiences and exploration of other dimensions may be possible given the current understandings of the science at the time (the declassified document was written in 1983). 

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Herein, we attempt to explain the declassified CIA document and how it relates to Robert Monroe, The Monroe Institute, Hemi-Sync technology, Project Gateway, and consciousness exploration. 

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What say you?   

#astral #cia #consciousness

“5G” is the fifth-generation technology for cellular networks enabling greater bandwidth than current 4G LTE technologies. 5G began developing and being deployed in 2019 and is predicted to service 1.7 billion individuals by 2025. 

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Currently, new mobile phone devices are rolling out capable of using 5G infrastructure including the Samsung Galaxy S20/A71, the Motorola One,  and the LG V60 ThinQ (among others), indicating 5G networks will become increasing integrated into the mainstream. 

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5G networks will enable the “Internet of Things (IoT)” – a network of physical systems capable of exchanging data with other devices and systems over the internet. This includes SmartTVs, Smart appliances, Smart homes, etc. 

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Although 5G will enable a plethora of enhanced internet and technology capabilities, legitimate concerns, including weather prediction interference and privacy/security concerns have arisen. Furthermore, many conspiracy theories have emerged that are associated with 5G. 

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Herein, we dive into the basics of 5G networks and the main applications. We further discuss the pros and cons of 5G, dive into various conspiracy theories, and review scientific opinions and several current engineering/scientific review papers on the matter. 

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What say you? 

- Shoutout to pixundfertig for artwork used in this episode. 

#5G #technology #explained