Thecuriousmanspodcast

Matt Crawford speaks with author Michael Cannell about his book, Blood and the Badge: The Mafia, Two Killer Cops, and a Scandal That Shocked the World. No episode in NYPD history surpasses the crimes committed by Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa, two decorated detectives who covertly acted as mafia informants and paid assassins for the mob in 1980s Brooklyn. For more than ten years, Eppolito and Caracappa moonlighted as the mob's early warning system, leaking names of mobsters secretly cooperating with the government and crippling investigations by sharing details of surveillance, phone taps, and impending arrests. The Lucchese boss called the two detectives his crystal ball: Whatever detectives knew, the mafia soon learned. Most grievously, Eppolito and Caracappa earned bonuses by staging eight mob hits, pulling the trigger themselves at least once. Cannell takes us on a deep dive, grabs us by the throat and never let's go. Expertly researched and written, Blood and the Badge reads like a screenplay, almost too outlandish to believe. But make no mistake, these stories are true and so are their victims. Cannell makes sure we maintain our humanity as we read and wait to see if justice will prevail. 

Matt Crawford speaks with Janice Kaplan the New York Times bestselling author of The Gratitude Diaries, What Your Body Knows About Happiness is your ultimate insight into the body-mind connection, guiding you to a happier, more pleasurable life.

Happiness isn't just a state of mind. It's also a state of body.

Standing straight can give you a shot of confidence and forcing a smile might improve your mood. But do you know why? We generally believe that the brain is the big computer telling our bodies how to respond, but new research shows that the system often works in reverse. Your body reacts first, and your brain then interprets the physical signals. As you walk by a dark alley, your heart starts pounding and only then does your brain get the message: I'm scared! The body can also send messages about positive emotions, allowing you to experience more happiness, love, and joy.

Based on groundbreaking research and expert opinions, What Your Body Knows About Happiness will teach you:

• How to use your body to spark your creativity
• How to find joy through your senses
• How changing your environment can improve your mood
• The unexpected powers of diet, exercise, and sex
• The ways your brain can resolve bodily pain
• How to create optimism through your body

In What Your Body Knows About Happiness, Janice Kaplan, the New York Times bestselling author of The Gratitude Diaries, explores the startling new evidence showing that our feeling bodies are often smarter than our thinking minds. Talking to experts in a wide range of fields, she brings her distinctive brand of conversation, humor, and storytelling to scientific research, drawing unexpected links that reveal the power of body-mind connections. You'll also get tips and strategies for knowing your body in a whole new way―leading to greater happiness and pleasure every day.

Matt Crawford speaks with author Shane Joaquin Jimenez about his novel, Bondage. Che Horowitz is on the run. A young loner raised by revolutionaries, she escapes from prison to find her sister, who has mysteriously vanished. Che’s search takes her to the one place she never wanted to return to: Las Vegas. Soon, Che is pulled into a nightmarish underworld of sadistic mobsters, crooked cops, double-dealing private eyes, and powerful men with unspeakable desires. This book reads like a chainsaw and grabs its reader by the throat and never lets go. Not only is it a great read it also causes us to think about the current state of our humanity. I believe everyone will take something different away from this book and that is the true measure of a great work.

Matt Crawford speaks with author Dr. Anthony D'Agostino about his book, Prejudice, Racism and Tribalism: A Primer for White People. We hear it all the time: Americans need to have a conversation about race. The obvious reason for that recommendation is what appears to be increasing racial polarization more than fifty years after the landmark civil rights legislation of the 1960s. Why is this happening at this time in history? Are these conversations only reinforcing existing attitudes and prejudices? Is it possible for White people to have a conversation about race, even with one another, without becoming angry? Is this why we (White people) have become so obsessed with military weaponry? When all is said and done, who's winning and who's losing? This book is the author's way of exploring these issues, one at a time. Prejudice, racism, and tribalism are, in a sense, variations on a theme. All people harbor prejudices. Racial prejudices are only one form among many. Raise someone in a racially homogeneous society, and similar prejudices are likely to appear. Tribal prejudices are so universal that they probably point to some biological imperative. What is racism? Is it just one of those things that we know when we see it, or is there value in defining it more precisely? Are all White people racists? Whose definition of critical race theory and/or the so-called great replacement theory do you like?

Matt Crawford speaks with author Robert D. Hicks about his book, Wounded for Life: Seven Union Veterans of the Civil War. Most histories of wounded Civil War veterans construe them as feminized men whose manhood has suffered due to their inability to provide for and raise families or engage in business. Wounded for Life complicates this picture by examining how seven veterans―six soldiers and one physician―coped with their changed bodies in their postwar lives. Through these intimate stories, author Robert D. Hicks looks at the veteran's body as shaped by the trauma of the battlefield and hospital and the construction of a postwar identity in relation to that trauma. Through his research, he reveals the changing social circumstances of the late 19th and early 20th centuries as they impacted the traumatized veteran's body. This engaging book is equal parts Civil War history, disability and gender history, and the history of the body that discloses the impact of war on a wounded warrior.

Matt Crawford speaks with Dan Mulligan the creator and founder of Tidus Wallet. Dan is the Founder and CEO of Nycrypto and Tidus Wallet. With 12 years of experience in product and digital marketing, Dan specializes in optimizing user journeys and driving customer acquisition. He holds an MBA with a focus on advertising and has served as Director and CMO for Web3 companies, S&P 500 firms, and SaaS startups. As CEO, Dan leads efforts in Product UX/UI design, marketing strategy, business development, and operational management.

Matt Crawford speaks with preacher Jim Wallis about his book, The False White Gospel: Rejecting Christian Nationalism, Reclaiming True Faith, and Reclaiming Democracy. It is time says Jim Wallis, to call out genuine faith―specifically the “Christian” in White Christian Nationalism―inviting all who can be persuaded to reject and help dismantle a false gospel that propagates white supremacy and autocracy. We need–to raise up the faith of all of us, and help those who are oblivious, stuck, and captive to the ideology and idolatry of White Christian Nationalism that is leading us to such great danger. Wallis turns our attention to six iconic texts at the heart of what genuine biblical faith means and what Jesus, in the gospels, has called us to do. It is time to ask anew: do we believe these teachings or not? This book isn’t only for Christians but for all faith traditions, and even those with no faith at all. When we see a civic promotion of fear, hate, and violence for the trajectory of our politics, we need a civic faith of love, healing, and hope to defeat it. And that must involve all of us–religious or not. Learning to practice a politics of neighbor love will be central to the future of democracy in America. And more than ever, the words of Jesus ring, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Matt Crawford speaks with author Patricia Walsh Chadwick about her book, Breaking Glass: Tales from the Witch of Wall Street. Patricia grew up in a religious community-turned-cult in the Boston area. At the age of seventeen, she was forced out of her home, leaving behind her entire family, and without access to higher education. From her first job as a receptionist at a brokerage firm, she clawed her way up the ladder—rung by rung—in that bastion of male chauvinism: Wall Street. By going to college at night, she achieved her degree in economics from Boston University, and from there, she headed to New York City. With a drive that earned her the moniker “Witch of Wall Street,” she rose from the ranks of research analyst to portfolio manager, where she was responsible for billions of dollars in pension and endowment assets. A turning point in her life was giving birth to twins at the age of forty-five, and she continued forward in her career, becoming a global partner at Invesco. At the turn of the millennium, she left Wall Street behind and embarked on a second career as a corporate board director.

Matt Crawford speaks with journalist and author Betina Anton about her book, Hiding Mengele: How a Nazi Network Harbored the Angel of Death. Josef Mengele, known worldwide for unimaginably cruel human experiments and for sending thousands of people to the gas chambers at Auschwitz, was a fugitive in South America for thirty-four years after World War II, sought by the Israeli secret service and Nazi hunters. Hidden for half that time in Brazil, Mengele created his own paradise, a life where he could speak German, maintain his beliefs, his friends, and his connection with the homeland. Never caught, he lived out the rest of his days thanks to a small circle of expatriate Europeans willing to help him. One such person was Austrian ex-pat Liselotte Bossert, who buried Mengele with false documents to keep his true identity hidden even after his death in 1979. When the world finally discovered where the remains of Josef Mengele were in 1985, kindergarten teacher Liselotte was escorted from the São Paulo school without further explanation to the students. One six-year-old, Betina Anton, could not let this mystery go. Decades later as an experienced journalist, Betina decided to investigate, but when she found Liselotte, she could not imagine how deep this case would take her. Translated from the Brazilian Tropical Bavaria edition by the author and based on extensive research, including interviews, unpublished documents, and news coverage from that era, Hiding Mengele is a suspenseful narrative not only haunted by the doctor’s horrific experiments, but also by the motivations driving a community to protect one of the most evil people known to mankind.

Matt Crawford speaks with author Dr. James Gregory about his novel, Zephyr's War. Zep Zephyr cultivated sunflowers in the shadow of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, yearning for a life beyond the fields. Determined to escape his humble beginnings, Zep flees his family farm and sets his sights on New York City, driven by a burning desire to amass wealth. As he delves into finance, Zep discovers the tantalizing promise of riches through a lucrative initial public offering on Wall Street. Brimming with ambition, Zep spares no effort in identifying vulnerable companies to conquer and mold into his entrepreneurial vision. Yet, his triumphs draw the attention of a sinister syndicate—the Russian mafia—who desire a slice of his success. Their ruthlessness mirrors Zep's relentless pursuit of wealth. To solidify his IPO's legitimacy, Zep enlists the services of Crocker & Stackhouse, a consultancy renowned for their expertise in navigating Wall Street's treacherous waters. Under the guidance of Steve Stackhouse, these corporate brands flourish, their presence on the market soaring to unprecedented heights. Meanwhile, the Securities Exchange Commission and the FBI have launched a relentless investigation into the surging criminal underworld seeking to infiltrate Wall Street's impregnable fortress. Time becomes the enemy as the clock ticks ominously, propelling Zep and Steve into a high-stakes battle for their reputations, their futures, and their very lives. Will Zep and Steve emerge unscathed from the crucible of Wall Street's underworld? Or will they become mere casualties in a war fought on the bloodstained battleground of finance?