1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,680 Speaker 1: From UFOs to psychic powers and government conspiracies. History is 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:09,080 Speaker 1: riddled with unexplained events. You can turn back now or 3 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:12,079 Speaker 1: learn the stuff they don't want you to know. A 4 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:25,439 Speaker 1: production of I Heart Radio. Hello, welcome back to the show. 5 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:28,000 Speaker 1: My name is Matt, my name is Nol. They called 6 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:30,480 Speaker 1: me Ben. We are joined as always with our super 7 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 1: producer Alexis code named Doc Holiday Jackson. Most importantly, you 8 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:38,800 Speaker 1: are you. You are here, and that makes this stuff 9 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:41,600 Speaker 1: that they don't want you to know. It's the top 10 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:44,680 Speaker 1: of the week, which means it's time for our Strange 11 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:50,680 Speaker 1: News segment and we have some doozies for you. In 12 00:00:51,159 --> 00:00:55,520 Speaker 1: the interest of full disclosure. Uh, my contribution is a 13 00:00:55,680 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 1: bit silly, it's very out there. I think maybe we 14 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:02,400 Speaker 1: can save that one for the end because we've got some, 15 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:06,920 Speaker 1: uh we've got some important and troubling stuff as well, 16 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:09,800 Speaker 1: so maybe we maybe we get to the important headlines first. 17 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:11,880 Speaker 1: What do you guys think that sounds good to me? 18 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:13,840 Speaker 1: I gotta say, Ben, though, of all the headlines that 19 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:15,960 Speaker 1: you've ever done for the show, I have to say 20 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:20,280 Speaker 1: this is maybe my favorite. Um so spoilers zero spoilers 21 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:24,920 Speaker 1: certainly works with the Strange News concept that's indeed. Well, Matt, 22 00:01:24,959 --> 00:01:27,039 Speaker 1: I guess it's between me and you. What do you say, 23 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:29,480 Speaker 1: should we should we roll for it? Or what do 24 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:32,440 Speaker 1: you what do you think you win? Okay, I'll get cool. 25 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:35,319 Speaker 1: I guess I'll take it. Well, if you're if you're 26 00:01:35,319 --> 00:01:39,800 Speaker 1: not already going through uh COVID fatigue, UM, well, then 27 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:42,000 Speaker 1: you're in the right place or the wrong place. I 28 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:43,880 Speaker 1: don't know you're You're in a place and we're gonna 29 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:47,240 Speaker 1: talk a little bit about COVID and COVID conspiracies UM. 30 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 1: And it turns out that according to a study released 31 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:57,040 Speaker 1: today from you gov Cambridge Globalism Project UM, it found 32 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:00,800 Speaker 1: that of twenty six thousand people that were surveyed in 33 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:05,280 Speaker 1: twenty five different countries, there is quite an alarming trend 34 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:12,840 Speaker 1: of people believing that COVID nineteen the coronavirus, is a conspiracy. 35 00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:14,720 Speaker 1: And we can kind of divide that up into a 36 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:17,840 Speaker 1: couple of different categories, but one of the most This 37 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:21,160 Speaker 1: article comes from The Guardian. The headline is an article 38 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:26,520 Speaker 1: that came out today The of October survey uncovers widespread 39 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:32,040 Speaker 1: belief in dangerous COVID conspiracy theories and um one of 40 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:36,480 Speaker 1: the most widely believed COVID conspiracy theories is that the 41 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 1: death rate of the virus, which UM as I believe, 42 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:45,800 Speaker 1: according to JOHNS Hopkins, reached over one million people worldwide, 43 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:49,040 Speaker 1: one point one million. UM. There is a pretty widespread 44 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 1: belief that this number has been exaggerated. And the thing's 45 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:56,720 Speaker 1: interesting that Ben and I were talking about off air 46 00:02:56,760 --> 00:03:01,079 Speaker 1: about this study is that it is worldwide and we often, 47 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:04,920 Speaker 1: you know, the news that were served typically especially around 48 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 1: this since it's been so politicized, we hear a lot 49 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:10,600 Speaker 1: from folks from the voting populace here in the United States. 50 00:03:10,919 --> 00:03:14,520 Speaker 1: But this is a global pandemic and people have opinions 51 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:17,160 Speaker 1: about it all over the planet. And according to this 52 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:21,960 Speaker 1: UH survey, nearly sixty percent of those who responded in 53 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:27,920 Speaker 1: Nigeria felt that the number was definitely or probably UH 54 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:35,200 Speaker 1: exaggerated M Yeah, UM greatly exaggerated in fact and deliberately UM. 55 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:39,520 Speaker 1: In Greece more than forty percent of respondents felt this way. 56 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:43,840 Speaker 1: UM also South Africa, Poland, and Mexico UM had around 57 00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:47,160 Speaker 1: forty percent of respondents feeling this way, and then thirty 58 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:51,960 Speaker 1: percent percent rather of Americans, thirty percent of Hungarians and 59 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:58,120 Speaker 1: of Italians and then bringing up the rear of Germans 60 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 1: all feel like this number one point one million is 61 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:05,200 Speaker 1: a hoax and that has has been greatly exaggerated for 62 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:10,280 Speaker 1: political or some nefarious purposes. UM, which is so interesting 63 00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:14,000 Speaker 1: considering that you know, folks in these other countries don't 64 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:17,279 Speaker 1: really have the same political acts to grind as folks 65 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:19,440 Speaker 1: here in this country. UM. And since it has been 66 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:23,560 Speaker 1: so politicized, interestingly, in my opinion, it's it seems like 67 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:27,520 Speaker 1: such an easily confirmable thing based around science, and yet 68 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:30,320 Speaker 1: it has been sort of used as this divisive element 69 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:34,400 Speaker 1: um in this election. Very clearly, even things like wearing 70 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:37,960 Speaker 1: masks has become such a politicized issue of of you know, 71 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:41,440 Speaker 1: if you do wear masks, there's some that would say 72 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:44,560 Speaker 1: that as a sign of weakness in some way, or 73 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:49,400 Speaker 1: you know that you're being duped. And I don't really 74 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:52,159 Speaker 1: know what to make of these global numbers. What do 75 00:04:52,200 --> 00:04:56,719 Speaker 1: you guys think? Well, I would just say, well, it 76 00:04:56,800 --> 00:04:59,719 Speaker 1: does feel like there is quite a bit of misinformation 77 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:03,919 Speaker 1: and disinformation floating around out there on the Internet that 78 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:06,880 Speaker 1: we've talked about several times on the show before in 79 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:10,719 Speaker 1: other COVID episodes. UM, there is a troubling thing that 80 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:16,400 Speaker 1: we have noticed. That doesn't that doesn't necessarily mean that 81 00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:19,240 Speaker 1: the numbers are being overly exaggerated, but it does mean 82 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:21,720 Speaker 1: that there are problems with the numbers. And this is 83 00:05:21,839 --> 00:05:26,440 Speaker 1: this is let me explain this. UM. We've gotten messages 84 00:05:26,480 --> 00:05:29,600 Speaker 1: from a lot of you listening out there who are 85 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:36,800 Speaker 1: in positions at hospitals, positions of other care facilities where 86 00:05:36,839 --> 00:05:39,600 Speaker 1: there seems to be a bit of an issue when 87 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:43,800 Speaker 1: it comes to describing someone's death and the nature of 88 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:48,400 Speaker 1: someone's death when that person appears to have contracted the 89 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:53,000 Speaker 1: coronavirus and is experiencing the effects of the of COVID nineteen, 90 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:56,839 Speaker 1: when they are also experiencing the effects of other illnesses 91 00:05:57,000 --> 00:05:59,359 Speaker 1: that they've been grappling with, or a you know, a 92 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:04,440 Speaker 1: heart attack or another uh, possibly fatal event that's occurring 93 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:08,760 Speaker 1: with that person's health. So I think it I think 94 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:12,880 Speaker 1: it is a I think it's based in a true 95 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:15,320 Speaker 1: thing where there is a bit of confusion when it 96 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:18,159 Speaker 1: comes to actual hospitals and facilities in the in the 97 00:06:18,200 --> 00:06:22,680 Speaker 1: reporting of the death of an individual UM on whether 98 00:06:22,760 --> 00:06:26,320 Speaker 1: or not it is COVID related or COVID was the 99 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:29,560 Speaker 1: reason this person died. UM and just how that's how 100 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:32,160 Speaker 1: that's being treated, that that that would be my I 101 00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:35,240 Speaker 1: think that's an excellent point because it's something we explored 102 00:06:35,279 --> 00:06:38,760 Speaker 1: in our previous episodes on COVID, which still hold up 103 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:42,000 Speaker 1: despite the fact that we did not have all the information. 104 00:06:42,200 --> 00:06:44,600 Speaker 1: And like a lot of people, I think we were 105 00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:47,840 Speaker 1: a little optimistic about how long the pandemic would or 106 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:50,520 Speaker 1: would not last. But you're right, it's tough to find. 107 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:55,240 Speaker 1: It's tough to determine with solid methodology what counts as 108 00:06:55,279 --> 00:07:00,680 Speaker 1: a COVID related death because what you're describing matter come orbidities. 109 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:04,919 Speaker 1: Someone already has heart disease, right, someone already is immuno 110 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:10,200 Speaker 1: compromised due to one condition or another. Then would they 111 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 1: have did they just die of a heart attack while 112 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:16,680 Speaker 1: they also had COVID when you know in in such 113 00:07:16,720 --> 00:07:20,679 Speaker 1: way that COVID did not truly contribute meaningfully to the death. 114 00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:23,960 Speaker 1: It's a good question. And also what I really like 115 00:07:24,040 --> 00:07:27,480 Speaker 1: your know about the global look at this is it 116 00:07:27,560 --> 00:07:31,480 Speaker 1: helps people in the West understand a very very important 117 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:34,960 Speaker 1: thing about other regions of the world, which is their 118 00:07:35,040 --> 00:07:39,840 Speaker 1: relationship with conspiracy theories. Just because every country has some 119 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:42,600 Speaker 1: version of the Internet does not mean every country approaches 120 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:46,360 Speaker 1: it in the same manner. The Middle East is rife 121 00:07:46,640 --> 00:07:49,640 Speaker 1: with conspiracy theories. Just look at our earlier work on 122 00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:53,120 Speaker 1: animals as spies. I'm sure there's some more news stories 123 00:07:53,160 --> 00:07:56,400 Speaker 1: about that. If you look into the numbers and you 124 00:07:56,440 --> 00:08:00,200 Speaker 1: see the types of theories that are commonly accept is 125 00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:03,920 Speaker 1: fact here, you'll see that a lot of people in 126 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:08,360 Speaker 1: parts of central Europe, parts of what I guess you 127 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:14,080 Speaker 1: could call them the Bridge of Asia, Western Asia to Europe, 128 00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:17,440 Speaker 1: and uh part large parts of Africa. Uh, you'll see 129 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:20,600 Speaker 1: that a lot of people believe that the Chinese government 130 00:08:21,320 --> 00:08:26,320 Speaker 1: created and spread coronavirus purpose and that's simply that's not 131 00:08:26,400 --> 00:08:31,080 Speaker 1: necessarily people being actively deceived. That's the communicative game of 132 00:08:31,120 --> 00:08:35,760 Speaker 1: telephone because everybody sees research that largely agrees it came 133 00:08:35,800 --> 00:08:38,600 Speaker 1: from somewhere in China. So the next step is just 134 00:08:38,679 --> 00:08:43,840 Speaker 1: to ascribe agency uh in place of incompetence, which is 135 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:47,320 Speaker 1: a comforting thing about conspiratorial thinking. Oh. A lot of 136 00:08:47,360 --> 00:08:52,439 Speaker 1: these things point to sort of a comfort factor where 137 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:54,960 Speaker 1: there's a really great quote. Um, there's an interview in 138 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:58,440 Speaker 1: this piece from from a cognitive psychologist from the University 139 00:08:58,440 --> 00:09:03,040 Speaker 1: of Bristol named Steve Lewandowski, who talks about how who 140 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:06,200 Speaker 1: is actually an expert on misinformation and the way it spreads, 141 00:09:06,520 --> 00:09:08,880 Speaker 1: and he talks about how in an in a time 142 00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:13,079 Speaker 1: when people are feeling powerless, this can give people a 143 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:16,640 Speaker 1: sense of psychological comfort and a sense of taking back 144 00:09:16,679 --> 00:09:19,440 Speaker 1: the narrative and like owning their own destiny in some 145 00:09:19,480 --> 00:09:22,720 Speaker 1: way by choosing to believe some of these, you know, 146 00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:25,880 Speaker 1: perhaps more fringe e theories. And the interesting thing is, 147 00:09:25,920 --> 00:09:27,920 Speaker 1: I completely agree with you, Matt. Of all of the 148 00:09:27,920 --> 00:09:30,920 Speaker 1: theories discussed in this the one about the death toll 149 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:35,760 Speaker 1: is certainly the most easy to understand why people would 150 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:39,600 Speaker 1: believe that, because it is problematic even the whole notion 151 00:09:39,679 --> 00:09:42,440 Speaker 1: of oh, we test more, therefore we have more cases. 152 00:09:42,800 --> 00:09:44,960 Speaker 1: I've always struggled with that one a little bit. But 153 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:47,959 Speaker 1: when you think about it, there's a little something to that. 154 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:50,240 Speaker 1: You know, it's not to say that if we didn't test, 155 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:52,640 Speaker 1: there would be no cases. But when the when you 156 00:09:52,679 --> 00:09:55,880 Speaker 1: test more and you start to things get lumped into 157 00:09:55,960 --> 00:10:00,920 Speaker 1: being COVID related, but not necessarily completely he caused by COVID. 158 00:10:01,080 --> 00:10:03,160 Speaker 1: That sort of muddies the waters a little bit and 159 00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:06,360 Speaker 1: can make those numbers inflated. But when you come down 160 00:10:06,360 --> 00:10:10,280 Speaker 1: to things like it was manufactured and disseminated purposefully by 161 00:10:10,280 --> 00:10:14,360 Speaker 1: the Chinese government. That starts to become a little more uh, 162 00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:16,720 Speaker 1: you know where you're getting this information from. Or the 163 00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:19,440 Speaker 1: idea that that it was caused by five G technology. 164 00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:22,959 Speaker 1: That's another piece that was people were surveyed by and 165 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:26,640 Speaker 1: a surprising number of folks believe that that UM it 166 00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:29,560 Speaker 1: was either deliberately created by the Chinese government or that 167 00:10:29,640 --> 00:10:33,880 Speaker 1: it was caused by five G mobile technologies UM something 168 00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:37,679 Speaker 1: in the neighborhood of A fifth of respondents in Egypt, 169 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:42,040 Speaker 1: Saudi Arabia, and Nigeria and Turkey and also South Africa 170 00:10:42,080 --> 00:10:47,200 Speaker 1: believed it was definitely or probably quote caused or enhanced 171 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:50,920 Speaker 1: by the direct physical effects on the human body of 172 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:55,840 Speaker 1: five G M. Yeah, there's a There's another thing here 173 00:10:56,200 --> 00:10:59,880 Speaker 1: that I want to trust, which is the most popular, 174 00:11:00,160 --> 00:11:03,600 Speaker 1: the most popular theory that I believe you have found 175 00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:06,520 Speaker 1: in their study UM by far and away. It's the 176 00:11:06,559 --> 00:11:11,200 Speaker 1: belief that there is some sort of international cabal conspiring 177 00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:17,560 Speaker 1: to direct the spread or the degree of fatality and 178 00:11:17,679 --> 00:11:21,600 Speaker 1: COVID nineteen and the thing is, to a degree it 179 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:25,760 Speaker 1: is correct that there are cobals in play they're like 180 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:30,679 Speaker 1: we find whenever we look at world controlling organizations usually 181 00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:34,560 Speaker 1: throughout human history, there's not one big, shadowy organization controlling 182 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:39,640 Speaker 1: the world. There are multiple organizations who want to control 183 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:42,120 Speaker 1: the world, and they don't get along with each other, 184 00:11:42,559 --> 00:11:46,000 Speaker 1: and they they are rivals, but they will work together 185 00:11:46,320 --> 00:11:51,280 Speaker 1: when necessary. So, yeah, there are members whatever country you're 186 00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:53,760 Speaker 1: listening to this show in, there are members of your 187 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:57,760 Speaker 1: government and members of your business elite class that have 188 00:11:57,960 --> 00:12:03,160 Speaker 1: conspired to pursue oportunities, often unethical, as a result of 189 00:12:03,200 --> 00:12:08,120 Speaker 1: the chaos of the coronavirus pandemic. But that doesn't mean 190 00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:11,640 Speaker 1: like the builder birds are getting together and say all right, 191 00:12:11,760 --> 00:12:15,240 Speaker 1: let's tick the fatalities up two percent in Sweden, lower 192 00:12:15,320 --> 00:12:18,320 Speaker 1: them by four in Peru, and then sell some lithium. 193 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:22,480 Speaker 1: They don't like people would do that if they were possible, 194 00:12:22,520 --> 00:12:25,720 Speaker 1: but they don't have they they don't have the logistical 195 00:12:25,720 --> 00:12:29,480 Speaker 1: ability to do so. Yet. No, and and and we 196 00:12:29,600 --> 00:12:31,679 Speaker 1: I believe you made this point in a previous episode 197 00:12:31,679 --> 00:12:35,720 Speaker 1: we did about the coronavirus about how if this were 198 00:12:35,800 --> 00:12:39,800 Speaker 1: the case, wouldn't they have picked a more effective biological weapon, 199 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:42,280 Speaker 1: you know, that that had more of a you know 200 00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:47,720 Speaker 1: chance of taking out those infected, whereas this one clearly 201 00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:50,040 Speaker 1: there's a lack of understanding as to how it works. 202 00:12:50,400 --> 00:12:53,160 Speaker 1: And that's to me, the scariest part is just not knowing. 203 00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:56,080 Speaker 1: And and I have to ask you guys, and I'm 204 00:12:56,120 --> 00:12:59,680 Speaker 1: sure it's out there, but have you seen a spread 205 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:05,079 Speaker 1: of like age, ages affected and ages in the mortality group? 206 00:13:05,800 --> 00:13:07,240 Speaker 1: Because I mean, we go, we hear, you know, we 207 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:09,839 Speaker 1: hear occasionally a new story about oh we can affect 208 00:13:09,880 --> 00:13:12,240 Speaker 1: young people too, or a child died, but I would 209 00:13:12,280 --> 00:13:15,280 Speaker 1: I've never seen a chart like or a graph that 210 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:18,320 Speaker 1: measures like you know, the age and the age spread 211 00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:21,960 Speaker 1: and and actual numbers, uh, and where those kind of 212 00:13:22,559 --> 00:13:25,720 Speaker 1: net out. I haven't seen a global version of it, 213 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:29,320 Speaker 1: like a macro version, but I've I've got some from 214 00:13:29,360 --> 00:13:34,320 Speaker 1: a couple of different countries, especially countries that did a 215 00:13:34,440 --> 00:13:40,000 Speaker 1: better job tracking COVID cases because they already have that data. 216 00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:43,240 Speaker 1: They have all the demographic data you would imagine entirely 217 00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:47,479 Speaker 1: because of their process of tracking infections or possible infections 218 00:13:47,480 --> 00:13:50,440 Speaker 1: and playing the Kevin Bacon game, which the US has 219 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:54,320 Speaker 1: not done in this regard. Uh, it's dark lottery. You know, 220 00:13:54,480 --> 00:13:56,800 Speaker 1: It's true that most of the people who contract it 221 00:13:56,840 --> 00:14:01,520 Speaker 1: will not die uh, at least immediately. For COVID, However, 222 00:14:02,480 --> 00:14:06,120 Speaker 1: we know that it has long term, delatorious effects on 223 00:14:06,240 --> 00:14:10,920 Speaker 1: various bodily systems. So it's possible, quite possible actually that 224 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:15,319 Speaker 1: in the next ten twenty years, maybe sooner, will see 225 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:20,600 Speaker 1: a higher level of heart failure or a higher level 226 00:14:20,800 --> 00:14:25,760 Speaker 1: of respiratory related conditions that can be traced to this pandemic. 227 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:32,080 Speaker 1: In so, we we have. What I'm saying is we 228 00:14:32,160 --> 00:14:35,160 Speaker 1: have the data. We just don't have it for every 229 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:38,680 Speaker 1: country in the world. Um. It is. It is true 230 00:14:38,760 --> 00:14:42,200 Speaker 1: that age is a factor. Children seem to sort more 231 00:14:42,240 --> 00:14:45,960 Speaker 1: likely to survive. Uh. The older you get, the more 232 00:14:46,080 --> 00:14:50,960 Speaker 1: likely it is that you will have a serious medical 233 00:14:51,040 --> 00:14:55,680 Speaker 1: condition as a result of contracting COVID. But again, in 234 00:14:55,720 --> 00:15:00,640 Speaker 1: the absence of transparency and the absence of information, speculation 235 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:05,000 Speaker 1: thrives because that's the one thing that humanity is very 236 00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:10,160 Speaker 1: very good at creating explanations, especially when there are none 237 00:15:10,200 --> 00:15:15,240 Speaker 1: readily at hand. Yeah, no, it's very true. Um. Well. 238 00:15:15,320 --> 00:15:18,360 Speaker 1: And then speaking about vaccinations, that's one of the other 239 00:15:18,400 --> 00:15:22,400 Speaker 1: big parts of this questionnaire, right of the survey is 240 00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:25,640 Speaker 1: how how do you feel about a vaccination that would 241 00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:28,240 Speaker 1: prevent you from ever getting it. And it seemed like 242 00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:31,120 Speaker 1: there was a whole lot of skepticism about of of 243 00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:35,760 Speaker 1: possible vaccination. Yeah, not only that, though, the survey at 244 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:43,360 Speaker 1: large revealed something of an anti vaxer sentiment overall, that 245 00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:48,240 Speaker 1: that vaccinations aren't to be trusted. And um, of the 246 00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:54,320 Speaker 1: nineteen different countries that responded, um, they there were of 247 00:15:55,040 --> 00:15:57,760 Speaker 1: or more of the folks that that that answered the 248 00:15:57,800 --> 00:16:01,520 Speaker 1: survey that said they elt there was at least some 249 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:05,320 Speaker 1: credibility to the notion that the truth about the harmful 250 00:16:05,360 --> 00:16:10,840 Speaker 1: effects of vaccines is being deliterately, deliberately hidden from the public. Uh. 251 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:14,560 Speaker 1: And that was fifty seven percent of South Africans, thirty 252 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:17,600 Speaker 1: eight percent of French people, thirty eight percent of people 253 00:16:17,640 --> 00:16:21,480 Speaker 1: in Turkey, and thirty three percent of Americans not to mention, 254 00:16:21,520 --> 00:16:24,720 Speaker 1: thirty one percent of Germans and twenty percent of Swedes. 255 00:16:25,120 --> 00:16:28,840 Speaker 1: So I mean that's significant. That's just in general, like 256 00:16:28,880 --> 00:16:32,440 Speaker 1: you know, not just this vaccine, any vaccine, and not 257 00:16:32,560 --> 00:16:36,120 Speaker 1: to mention. There's certainly been discussion or the idea of 258 00:16:36,240 --> 00:16:38,840 Speaker 1: quote fast tracking this thing, and like what that would 259 00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:42,200 Speaker 1: look like and are you bypassing you know, these kinds 260 00:16:42,240 --> 00:16:45,480 Speaker 1: of safeguards that that actually make sure that there aren't 261 00:16:45,520 --> 00:16:48,480 Speaker 1: any you know, horrible side effects that might be unseen 262 00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:51,760 Speaker 1: at the time. That's why, you know, it's important to 263 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:54,160 Speaker 1: vet these kinds of things. But in a situation like this, 264 00:16:54,160 --> 00:16:56,640 Speaker 1: where there's so much pressure to put something out as 265 00:16:56,680 --> 00:16:59,880 Speaker 1: soon as possible, I understand that urge, But when people 266 00:16:59,880 --> 00:17:03,160 Speaker 1: already distrustful of vaccines in the first place, and I know, 267 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:05,360 Speaker 1: even before this study came out, there was a lot 268 00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:09,000 Speaker 1: of of of surveys in the US, or at least 269 00:17:09,160 --> 00:17:11,640 Speaker 1: maybe it was just anecdotal, but it seemed like I 270 00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:14,359 Speaker 1: was hearing a lot of sentiment from folks saying I 271 00:17:14,440 --> 00:17:16,600 Speaker 1: don't even know if I would take it if it 272 00:17:16,640 --> 00:17:20,160 Speaker 1: came out tomorrow. Sure, I mean, to a degree, I'm 273 00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:23,200 Speaker 1: one of those thirty three percent at least in regard 274 00:17:23,240 --> 00:17:28,240 Speaker 1: to the way Russia ruled out it's quote unquote vaccine, 275 00:17:28,480 --> 00:17:33,600 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. They did something that Cold 276 00:17:33,600 --> 00:17:37,119 Speaker 1: War Americans would stereotype as the Russian approach, which is, 277 00:17:37,359 --> 00:17:41,720 Speaker 1: throw bodies at a problem until the solution exists. Right. 278 00:17:41,760 --> 00:17:44,960 Speaker 1: That's why there's still rumors of lost cosmonauts, and that's 279 00:17:44,960 --> 00:17:52,640 Speaker 1: why people uh distrust the Russian coronavirus vaccine. However, Brazil 280 00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:56,480 Speaker 1: had just a company in Brazil to companies have decided 281 00:17:56,520 --> 00:18:01,679 Speaker 1: to start producing it UH. There are multiple studies that 282 00:18:01,720 --> 00:18:04,439 Speaker 1: are coming out a lot from our tea in the 283 00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:08,040 Speaker 1: Moscow times UH touting, touting the popularity of it. But 284 00:18:08,080 --> 00:18:11,000 Speaker 1: we have to understand, you know, people's position on this 285 00:18:11,080 --> 00:18:15,240 Speaker 1: does not automatically mean they're not exercising critical thinking. There 286 00:18:15,320 --> 00:18:20,520 Speaker 1: is a problematic history of vaccination, especially on the African continent, 287 00:18:20,800 --> 00:18:24,000 Speaker 1: and it is to a degree tied up with colonialism. 288 00:18:24,040 --> 00:18:26,760 Speaker 1: People aren't just making up these fears out of whole cloth. 289 00:18:27,280 --> 00:18:30,480 Speaker 1: But that being said, you know, we have we have 290 00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:36,080 Speaker 1: trials for a reason in in the modern world. And 291 00:18:36,320 --> 00:18:39,840 Speaker 1: if you I think it's less a matter of being 292 00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:44,000 Speaker 1: so called anti vax uh as it is more matter 293 00:18:44,280 --> 00:18:49,479 Speaker 1: of personal safety. When you're thinking about personal safety with 294 00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:53,640 Speaker 1: regard to any medicine, any medicine that has powerful, powerful 295 00:18:53,680 --> 00:18:58,080 Speaker 1: effects or efficacy needs to be tested extensively before it 296 00:18:58,119 --> 00:19:00,280 Speaker 1: gets to you know, John and Jane and j and 297 00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:06,879 Speaker 1: whomever I would. I'm completely on board with UH tested vaccine, 298 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:11,000 Speaker 1: but not completely on board and all honesty with an 299 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:15,560 Speaker 1: untested vaccine being given to anyone unless they try, unless 300 00:19:15,560 --> 00:19:18,520 Speaker 1: they sign up for a trial with full informed consent. Oh, 301 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:21,080 Speaker 1: I I'm with you, no, no doubt about it, no 302 00:19:21,119 --> 00:19:23,639 Speaker 1: doubt about it. I I do think one thing this, uh, 303 00:19:23,720 --> 00:19:25,879 Speaker 1: this survey did that I thought was really interesting and 304 00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:29,040 Speaker 1: certainly would be for us and our listeners is they 305 00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:32,520 Speaker 1: sort of did a a B comparison with some popular 306 00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:36,480 Speaker 1: non COVID conspiracy theories, likely the notion that the moon 307 00:19:36,560 --> 00:19:40,360 Speaker 1: landing was faked, or that global warming is a hoax, or, 308 00:19:40,520 --> 00:19:42,880 Speaker 1: like you said, Matt, the big one was this whole 309 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:45,680 Speaker 1: international cabal thing that's sort of the idea of like 310 00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:48,639 Speaker 1: this consortium of secret societies, you know, that's at the 311 00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:54,120 Speaker 1: center of so much you know, conspiracy, Charlie Day, pegboard string, 312 00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:57,800 Speaker 1: you know, kind of situation stuff. Um. And they found 313 00:19:57,920 --> 00:20:03,520 Speaker 1: that a very similar proportion of folks that believed that 314 00:20:03,560 --> 00:20:07,240 Speaker 1: the coronavirus was a hoax also believed that the moon 315 00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:10,560 Speaker 1: landings were faked. Mm hmm. You know, we've talked about 316 00:20:10,560 --> 00:20:14,760 Speaker 1: it before. It feels like people's willingness to believe in 317 00:20:14,800 --> 00:20:20,200 Speaker 1: a particular conspiracy theory is increasing. Um, And it does 318 00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:23,520 Speaker 1: feel like we're on that track. I think it probably 319 00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:26,560 Speaker 1: has something to do with social media. Also, with just 320 00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:29,280 Speaker 1: the Internet in general, where I think humanity is going 321 00:20:29,359 --> 00:20:32,119 Speaker 1: to be on a steady inclined when it comes to 322 00:20:32,200 --> 00:20:36,199 Speaker 1: that kind of thinking, because we have access to so 323 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:39,400 Speaker 1: much more information and not all of it is perfect, 324 00:20:39,960 --> 00:20:43,959 Speaker 1: not all of it is correct, and other stuff is 325 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:47,399 Speaker 1: correct and is perfect, and it makes you question the 326 00:20:47,520 --> 00:20:54,600 Speaker 1: nature of organizations like governments and corporations and power structures. 327 00:20:54,640 --> 00:20:59,000 Speaker 1: So it it, all of this makes very much sense. 328 00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:01,320 Speaker 1: I think it where they were at a place where 329 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:06,520 Speaker 1: we're between twenty like what what was it? And of 330 00:21:06,600 --> 00:21:10,159 Speaker 1: people believing in a lot of these and governments conspire 331 00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:17,440 Speaker 1: against their people, made up governments and companies conspire. That's okay, 332 00:21:17,480 --> 00:21:20,200 Speaker 1: We've got another. The next story we're gonna talk about 333 00:21:20,359 --> 00:21:24,240 Speaker 1: is uh, just that both of you are absolutely correct, 334 00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:26,600 Speaker 1: And of course that doesn't take much of a leap 335 00:21:26,640 --> 00:21:29,080 Speaker 1: at all to accept that that's the case. The very 336 00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:33,280 Speaker 1: nature of politics and policy and and governing requires some 337 00:21:33,359 --> 00:21:37,359 Speaker 1: degree of of subterfuge and deception. That's just that, you know, 338 00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:40,920 Speaker 1: we talk about things like spycraft and all of the intrigue, 339 00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:43,200 Speaker 1: and we assume, oh, I only do it to the enemies. 340 00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:45,520 Speaker 1: Of course that's not true. They do it and when 341 00:21:45,560 --> 00:21:47,600 Speaker 1: when what what what, whatever makes sense for them to 342 00:21:47,640 --> 00:21:49,879 Speaker 1: do and whatever way it gives in the upper hand. Uh. 343 00:21:49,880 --> 00:21:51,720 Speaker 1: And on a lot of that upper hand is over 344 00:21:51,880 --> 00:21:55,080 Speaker 1: us as citizens. Um. And I'm not saying that US 345 00:21:55,119 --> 00:21:58,400 Speaker 1: government is inherently evil or worse than any other government, 346 00:21:58,480 --> 00:22:00,480 Speaker 1: but I just think, you know, it's full is to 347 00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:03,800 Speaker 1: to think that our best interests are always at heart. 348 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:05,840 Speaker 1: And I will say too that I think the reason 349 00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:07,880 Speaker 1: to your point, Matt, that that that number is going 350 00:22:07,960 --> 00:22:10,639 Speaker 1: up is because so many of these types of conspiracy 351 00:22:10,680 --> 00:22:14,240 Speaker 1: theories and conspiratorial thinking have been mainstreamed in a very 352 00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:17,959 Speaker 1: real way, um, because of the Internet, but then because 353 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:21,520 Speaker 1: of people in power and and the notion that you know, 354 00:22:21,560 --> 00:22:26,720 Speaker 1: are the president in campaign events, especially in recent days 355 00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:32,159 Speaker 1: after getting COVID nineteen himself and emerging unscathed supposedly, you know, 356 00:22:33,040 --> 00:22:36,920 Speaker 1: after getting the best medical treatment humanly possible, is leaning 357 00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:39,960 Speaker 1: into this conspiracy notion, pet peddling this idea that the 358 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:43,239 Speaker 1: media is blowing up all of these numbers. And with 359 00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:46,560 Speaker 1: all of that in insecurity and doubt in the first place, 360 00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:51,800 Speaker 1: I'd be surprised if it wasn't working. Which president are 361 00:22:51,800 --> 00:22:54,200 Speaker 1: you're talking about, because there are multiple do you mean Trump, 362 00:22:54,280 --> 00:22:57,639 Speaker 1: Do you mean bull Snaro, do you mean Uh? Do 363 00:22:57,720 --> 00:23:02,080 Speaker 1: you perhaps mean presidents him a couple of Southeast Asian countries. 364 00:23:02,200 --> 00:23:05,120 Speaker 1: I think it's very important not to single this out 365 00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:08,560 Speaker 1: because just because your president or used to be president 366 00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:11,720 Speaker 1: at some point in your life does not mean that 367 00:23:11,800 --> 00:23:16,560 Speaker 1: you are necessarily a great or an intelligent person, or 368 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:19,399 Speaker 1: that you ever got out of the dirty business of politics, 369 00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:25,119 Speaker 1: which is I'm trying to segue match. So it's perfect. Yeah, 370 00:23:25,240 --> 00:23:28,840 Speaker 1: And to that end, we're gonna be right back after 371 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:32,520 Speaker 1: a word from our sponsor and talk about a former president. 372 00:23:39,320 --> 00:23:43,480 Speaker 1: And we're back and we are traveling a bit. Well, 373 00:23:43,520 --> 00:23:45,760 Speaker 1: I mean, right now, if you imagine that last segment, 374 00:23:45,800 --> 00:23:47,840 Speaker 1: we were looking at the entire globe, right so if 375 00:23:47,840 --> 00:23:50,040 Speaker 1: you're in Google Earth, we got the whole thing. It's 376 00:23:50,080 --> 00:23:52,520 Speaker 1: in full view right here. We're spinning around just a 377 00:23:52,520 --> 00:23:55,199 Speaker 1: little bit like keep going, okay, now stop now, zoom 378 00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:59,359 Speaker 1: in to the continent of Africa, head kind of towards 379 00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:03,240 Speaker 1: the Democrat Republic of Congo Tanzania a little bit, and 380 00:24:03,240 --> 00:24:05,840 Speaker 1: then go right in the middle between those two and 381 00:24:05,920 --> 00:24:11,760 Speaker 1: head towards Burundi. It is situated directly beneath Rwanda. Uh, 382 00:24:11,760 --> 00:24:14,240 Speaker 1: and this is where we're headed today. And I'm going 383 00:24:14,280 --> 00:24:17,399 Speaker 1: to read you a bit from this article that was 384 00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:24,280 Speaker 1: posted on DW. It was posted very recently because this 385 00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:30,520 Speaker 1: news was just released. Here's the headline, Burundi X president 386 00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:37,040 Speaker 1: gets prison term for killing another former president. Okay, so 387 00:24:37,960 --> 00:24:41,040 Speaker 1: before before if you know nothing about Burundi, and and 388 00:24:41,119 --> 00:24:44,680 Speaker 1: honestly I know very very little besides what I read 389 00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:48,680 Speaker 1: on occasion here. Um, just the concept that one president 390 00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:55,800 Speaker 1: killed another president. Um, how often does that happen in 391 00:24:55,960 --> 00:24:59,320 Speaker 1: you know, in the world, in politics, in life. We 392 00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:03,399 Speaker 1: just got FK. I mean, they're clearly beating us. So 393 00:25:03,520 --> 00:25:07,880 Speaker 1: your your strang say it was lb J. I don't 394 00:25:07,880 --> 00:25:14,040 Speaker 1: know the sorry, Okay, Burundi Bundi Brundi very least that 395 00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:16,560 Speaker 1: would have been a good episode of celebrity Deathmatch lb 396 00:25:16,720 --> 00:25:21,720 Speaker 1: J versus JFK. All right, but j rolls in a 397 00:25:21,840 --> 00:25:24,600 Speaker 1: in a constant tag team. You know, him and Jumbo 398 00:25:24,920 --> 00:25:32,080 Speaker 1: are like master Blaster. Okay, these references, So so let 399 00:25:32,080 --> 00:25:33,640 Speaker 1: me let me just go a little bit deeper into 400 00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:36,239 Speaker 1: this article because there's some characters here that we're going 401 00:25:36,280 --> 00:25:39,080 Speaker 1: to need to learn about. And we'll get there together 402 00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:42,760 Speaker 1: through reading this article. Uh, this is the subheading. So 403 00:25:42,840 --> 00:25:47,639 Speaker 1: former President Buyoya was accused of the murder of Melchior Indade, 404 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:54,520 Speaker 1: who defeated him to become Burundi's first freely elected president. Okay, 405 00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:58,480 Speaker 1: So there is a top court in Burundi that was 406 00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:01,159 Speaker 1: going through this trial. It had been it had been 407 00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:04,920 Speaker 1: going through it for quite a long time. And this 408 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:12,040 Speaker 1: trial just finished and they officially sentenced President Pierre Buyoya 409 00:26:12,480 --> 00:26:16,840 Speaker 1: to life imprisonment. On Tuesday. A former president was sentenced 410 00:26:16,840 --> 00:26:21,880 Speaker 1: to life imprisonment for murdering another former president way back 411 00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:27,480 Speaker 1: in three Uh. Whoa, you might think, oh my god, 412 00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:32,280 Speaker 1: a president being sentenced to life and imprisonment again, when 413 00:26:32,320 --> 00:26:36,360 Speaker 1: does that happen? Right? And they also sentenced a whole 414 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:39,680 Speaker 1: group of other people who were supposed to be associated 415 00:26:39,680 --> 00:26:42,640 Speaker 1: with this murder in some way, this homicide. Uh. They 416 00:26:42,640 --> 00:26:45,880 Speaker 1: sentence eighteen others related to the case, three of whom 417 00:26:45,960 --> 00:26:49,040 Speaker 1: were given twenty years in prison. And it's really interesting 418 00:26:49,080 --> 00:26:52,520 Speaker 1: because these people. You think, if there's going to be 419 00:26:52,520 --> 00:26:54,680 Speaker 1: a court, if there's someone on trial, they need to 420 00:26:54,720 --> 00:26:58,119 Speaker 1: be in trial to stand trial, correct, But not in 421 00:26:58,160 --> 00:27:02,000 Speaker 1: this case, all all us, all of the eighteen others 422 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:04,680 Speaker 1: who were accused as well as the former president were 423 00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:07,879 Speaker 1: not present for any of the proceedings of this trial. 424 00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:13,200 Speaker 1: And this is what Buyoya, the guy who just got 425 00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:15,760 Speaker 1: life imprisonment for killing a former president, this is what 426 00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:19,000 Speaker 1: he said. We reject these judgments which are in no 427 00:27:19,160 --> 00:27:25,600 Speaker 1: way binding on us. Wait what he Uh? He argued 428 00:27:25,600 --> 00:27:29,760 Speaker 1: that the trial had been quote purely political and a sham, 429 00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:33,960 Speaker 1: alleging that the defense lawyers had been blocked from accessing 430 00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:37,800 Speaker 1: case files that were being used by the prosecution. It's 431 00:27:37,840 --> 00:27:40,520 Speaker 1: pretty intense right here. And besides, you know, actual jail 432 00:27:40,560 --> 00:27:44,120 Speaker 1: time and all of that of the several people are 433 00:27:44,119 --> 00:27:47,040 Speaker 1: collectively they were ordered to pay a fine of a 434 00:27:47,119 --> 00:27:51,639 Speaker 1: hundred and three billion Burundian francs, which is equivalent to 435 00:27:52,520 --> 00:27:56,160 Speaker 1: fifty three million dollars US. They're also, uh do want 436 00:27:56,160 --> 00:27:59,359 Speaker 1: to point out so he calls kangaroo cork. You do 437 00:27:59,440 --> 00:28:01,320 Speaker 1: want to point out this guy is not doing any 438 00:28:01,359 --> 00:28:04,639 Speaker 1: of this from a jail cell. As we mentioned, he 439 00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:09,240 Speaker 1: is in fact currently a representative for the African Union 440 00:28:09,359 --> 00:28:13,800 Speaker 1: in Mali and Sahil, So he's got a job and 441 00:28:13,920 --> 00:28:20,160 Speaker 1: he's completely it seems unconcerned about this. Uh. One really 442 00:28:20,200 --> 00:28:23,879 Speaker 1: important fact here that has to come into play is 443 00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:26,240 Speaker 1: I think because of Hotel Rwanda. A lot of people 444 00:28:26,280 --> 00:28:31,879 Speaker 1: in the West are cognizant of the long standing uh 445 00:28:31,920 --> 00:28:39,080 Speaker 1: animosity between the Hutu and the Tutsi and the Meltor 446 00:28:39,840 --> 00:28:42,560 Speaker 1: who he mentioned there, Matt He was the first Hutu 447 00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:46,960 Speaker 1: president of Brundi and this this is something that did 448 00:28:46,960 --> 00:28:52,480 Speaker 1: not sit well with Boyoya and his supporters. So there's 449 00:28:52,880 --> 00:28:58,040 Speaker 1: there's a lot of socio political context to this because 450 00:28:58,080 --> 00:29:01,400 Speaker 1: Brundi is like, this is something else we should mention. 451 00:29:01,440 --> 00:29:06,280 Speaker 1: Brundi is a textbook example of research resource extraction by 452 00:29:06,520 --> 00:29:10,120 Speaker 1: neo colonists. It's like one of the ten least developed 453 00:29:10,160 --> 00:29:15,400 Speaker 1: countries on the continent. Uh, it's abundantly rich and natural resources. 454 00:29:15,480 --> 00:29:19,600 Speaker 1: And UH, every time that the people in the country 455 00:29:19,800 --> 00:29:25,080 Speaker 1: were getting closer and closer to agency and fair representation, boom, 456 00:29:25,640 --> 00:29:31,800 Speaker 1: European power swept in Germans Belgians. Later, I think more recently, 457 00:29:31,840 --> 00:29:34,840 Speaker 1: I'm sure that they're hiding under the names of international 458 00:29:35,200 --> 00:29:40,440 Speaker 1: private conglomerates. UH. But this kind of coup stuff sometimes 459 00:29:40,520 --> 00:29:44,120 Speaker 1: happens organically, and at the risk of sounding conspiratorial, it 460 00:29:44,320 --> 00:29:48,280 Speaker 1: often happens with a helping hand from a foreign power. 461 00:29:48,680 --> 00:29:50,920 Speaker 1: So what I read about this. One of my questions 462 00:29:51,120 --> 00:29:54,520 Speaker 1: was who is the hidden hand? Is there one, you 463 00:29:54,560 --> 00:29:58,160 Speaker 1: know what I mean? Like who who helped that with 464 00:29:58,240 --> 00:30:04,240 Speaker 1: that original coup, who supplied the arms, who supplied the logistics? 465 00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:10,200 Speaker 1: And why was it to keep resources flowing? Because I mean, again, 466 00:30:10,600 --> 00:30:14,080 Speaker 1: you know, before the European nations carved these countries up, 467 00:30:14,760 --> 00:30:20,200 Speaker 1: they existed with wildly different borders along ancients community lines. 468 00:30:20,360 --> 00:30:26,040 Speaker 1: These countries were purposely designed too, in many cases to 469 00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:30,080 Speaker 1: have this sort of baked in ethnic tension so that 470 00:30:30,120 --> 00:30:33,480 Speaker 1: they could be leveraged by the foreign powers. So I 471 00:30:33,480 --> 00:30:37,520 Speaker 1: think we're seeing an iteration of it, but also another president. 472 00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:40,760 Speaker 1: I keep going back to the well, let's talk about 473 00:30:40,760 --> 00:30:45,239 Speaker 1: the circumstances of this assassination or murder, whatever you'd like 474 00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:47,960 Speaker 1: to call it. It is an assassination, as we've learned 475 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:52,800 Speaker 1: from our history of assassination episodes. Um, So we're talking 476 00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:59,400 Speaker 1: about and that is when and to die A was 477 00:30:59,560 --> 00:31:02,600 Speaker 1: elect did he was only in place where he had 478 00:31:02,640 --> 00:31:06,560 Speaker 1: only just won the election four months prior before he 479 00:31:06,760 --> 00:31:09,840 Speaker 1: was assassinated. He was killed along with several of his 480 00:31:09,920 --> 00:31:15,040 Speaker 1: cabinet members in an ambush by Tutsi soldiers. And at 481 00:31:15,080 --> 00:31:20,440 Speaker 1: that time that's there was serious turmoil as Ben as 482 00:31:20,520 --> 00:31:24,959 Speaker 1: describing there within Burundi when it when it comes to governance, 483 00:31:25,120 --> 00:31:29,000 Speaker 1: who was in charge and and there were several low 484 00:31:29,240 --> 00:31:32,000 Speaker 1: ranking officials who were arrested for that assassination. They were 485 00:31:32,040 --> 00:31:34,720 Speaker 1: blamed for it and they were tried. And that was 486 00:31:34,760 --> 00:31:41,400 Speaker 1: back in so five years after the actual assassination. And 487 00:31:41,680 --> 00:31:44,680 Speaker 1: again what Ben is describing here is the intense political turmoil. 488 00:31:44,920 --> 00:31:49,120 Speaker 1: There was a civil war there. There's been intense civil 489 00:31:49,120 --> 00:31:52,040 Speaker 1: war that has occurred in Burundi for quite some time. 490 00:31:52,560 --> 00:31:57,960 Speaker 1: And I believe it was Buyoya who actually he yeah, 491 00:31:57,960 --> 00:32:04,320 Speaker 1: he became empower in uh. That's that was because of 492 00:32:04,360 --> 00:32:07,320 Speaker 1: that mility that the coup, the military coup that we're 493 00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:10,560 Speaker 1: kind of describing here, and he ruled the nation until 494 00:32:10,640 --> 00:32:15,840 Speaker 1: two thousand and three. And again, when when any anytime 495 00:32:15,920 --> 00:32:19,000 Speaker 1: something like that occurs, when there's a military force coming 496 00:32:19,040 --> 00:32:23,080 Speaker 1: in and taking over and establishing itself as the power, 497 00:32:23,280 --> 00:32:28,320 Speaker 1: the individuals who made the coup occur, uh, there's going 498 00:32:28,360 --> 00:32:31,000 Speaker 1: to be tensions in you know, the people who are 499 00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:37,400 Speaker 1: now under rule of anyone individual or group. And my goodness, 500 00:32:37,400 --> 00:32:40,880 Speaker 1: in Burundi, which it's it's been, it's been pretty terrible. 501 00:32:40,920 --> 00:32:45,280 Speaker 1: I can only imagine for many people living there. Oh yeah, 502 00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:49,560 Speaker 1: the country is almost completely the forested again by h 503 00:32:50,160 --> 00:32:56,200 Speaker 1: large scale private enterprises. It's also his flowing as we're sharing, uh, 504 00:32:56,400 --> 00:33:00,920 Speaker 1: some depressing facts about Burundi which many people don't know 505 00:33:01,080 --> 00:33:03,760 Speaker 1: much about here in the West. I would also like 506 00:33:03,840 --> 00:33:07,960 Speaker 1: to point out that the World Happiness Report in ranked 507 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:13,800 Speaker 1: Burundi as the world's least happy nation. Geez wow, is 508 00:33:13,840 --> 00:33:15,880 Speaker 1: that what? What does that survey look like? Well, well, 509 00:33:18,280 --> 00:33:20,120 Speaker 1: I would say that probably has to do with with 510 00:33:20,920 --> 00:33:24,280 Speaker 1: with the presidential election I believe of two thousand and fifteen. 511 00:33:25,120 --> 00:33:27,880 Speaker 1: I believe I'm not saying that the any of the 512 00:33:27,880 --> 00:33:32,560 Speaker 1: problems started then, but things have definitely, uh seemed to 513 00:33:33,040 --> 00:33:37,880 Speaker 1: have gotten worse since when there was another presidential election 514 00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:44,080 Speaker 1: when oh, Pierre Conziza I think is his is his name? 515 00:33:44,720 --> 00:33:48,080 Speaker 1: He held two terms as a president and then all 516 00:33:48,080 --> 00:33:50,760 Speaker 1: of a sudden he announced, you know what, I'm going 517 00:33:50,840 --> 00:33:55,080 Speaker 1: to run for a third term. And the Constitution of 518 00:33:55,120 --> 00:33:57,800 Speaker 1: Burundi states that no, you there are two terms for 519 00:33:57,880 --> 00:34:01,400 Speaker 1: a president and he's straight up just now I'm gonna 520 00:34:01,440 --> 00:34:04,520 Speaker 1: do a third. We're gonna we're gonna do a third. Um. 521 00:34:04,560 --> 00:34:08,719 Speaker 1: You can only imagine did that created more tensions in 522 00:34:08,760 --> 00:34:11,200 Speaker 1: a place where there was already feeling a lot of tension. 523 00:34:11,880 --> 00:34:14,160 Speaker 1: And all of this is to say that this specific 524 00:34:14,200 --> 00:34:16,560 Speaker 1: topic is worth our time and I think we should 525 00:34:16,560 --> 00:34:19,759 Speaker 1: probably do a full episode on it um if you 526 00:34:19,800 --> 00:34:24,520 Speaker 1: would like to. You can go to BBC BBC dot 527 00:34:24,560 --> 00:34:28,120 Speaker 1: com search for Burundi and you can see a whole 528 00:34:28,160 --> 00:34:31,319 Speaker 1: news thread going back quite a while of all of 529 00:34:31,400 --> 00:34:34,879 Speaker 1: the things that have been happening there that are worth 530 00:34:34,880 --> 00:34:36,759 Speaker 1: your time to know. It's worth your time to know 531 00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:41,520 Speaker 1: this kind of stuff. Think about a sitting president that 532 00:34:41,640 --> 00:34:45,879 Speaker 1: just decides that, even though it's unconstitutional, he's just going 533 00:34:45,920 --> 00:34:48,040 Speaker 1: to run for a third term because he wants to, 534 00:34:48,400 --> 00:34:50,759 Speaker 1: or because you know, he and the people around him 535 00:34:50,760 --> 00:34:53,280 Speaker 1: decide that that's the right thing to do. That's that's 536 00:34:53,320 --> 00:34:57,960 Speaker 1: literally happened. Uh, it's happening in in Burundi right now. 537 00:34:58,040 --> 00:35:01,399 Speaker 1: That's a military qu right. I mean, that's essentially like 538 00:35:01,520 --> 00:35:04,200 Speaker 1: saying I'm taking over and I'm not going to play 539 00:35:04,239 --> 00:35:06,640 Speaker 1: by the rules, and I have forces that you know 540 00:35:07,520 --> 00:35:10,960 Speaker 1: respond to my command, and I'm going to use that. Yeah, 541 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:12,880 Speaker 1: I don't think it's a military que It's it's just 542 00:35:13,239 --> 00:35:16,480 Speaker 1: a guy who decided that, Hey, I'm going to run 543 00:35:16,520 --> 00:35:20,040 Speaker 1: for a third term, um, because he feels he has 544 00:35:20,040 --> 00:35:22,680 Speaker 1: the power to do so. Right. But I mean, if if, 545 00:35:22,719 --> 00:35:27,760 Speaker 1: if the system in place isn't strong enough to say no, sorry, 546 00:35:27,880 --> 00:35:31,759 Speaker 1: aren't you flexing some sort of you know, control in 547 00:35:31,760 --> 00:35:35,600 Speaker 1: that respect. Yeah, I'm currently empower military answers to me 548 00:35:36,600 --> 00:35:39,560 Speaker 1: deciding to run for a third term. Got it, um 549 00:35:39,760 --> 00:35:42,080 Speaker 1: for sure. But a short leap from that too, just 550 00:35:42,320 --> 00:35:44,960 Speaker 1: all out coup and just saying not only am I 551 00:35:44,960 --> 00:35:46,440 Speaker 1: I'm not, Let's take it a step further, I'm just 552 00:35:46,480 --> 00:35:49,279 Speaker 1: not gonna leave. Yeah. And that, by the way, we're 553 00:35:49,280 --> 00:35:55,720 Speaker 1: speaking of of President Pierre Nkunziza, not not Buyoya, former 554 00:35:55,760 --> 00:35:58,680 Speaker 1: president Buyoya. There's also a really good timeline on the 555 00:35:58,760 --> 00:36:01,560 Speaker 1: article that you reference Matt on d W dot com. 556 00:36:01,680 --> 00:36:04,400 Speaker 1: Um at the bottom there is a nice kind of 557 00:36:04,440 --> 00:36:07,160 Speaker 1: like slide show explaining the chronology of a lot of 558 00:36:07,160 --> 00:36:08,879 Speaker 1: these things that we're talking about. So I definitely would 559 00:36:08,880 --> 00:36:11,399 Speaker 1: recommend if listeners want to catch up on all these things, 560 00:36:11,560 --> 00:36:14,560 Speaker 1: check out this arcle Burundi ex president gets prison term 561 00:36:14,600 --> 00:36:18,640 Speaker 1: for killing another former president on DW dot com. And 562 00:36:18,680 --> 00:36:20,640 Speaker 1: by the way, all of this when we were speaking 563 00:36:20,640 --> 00:36:24,080 Speaker 1: about Buyoya, the man who who has been given life 564 00:36:24,120 --> 00:36:27,880 Speaker 1: in prison. Uh. In November ofen, there was an international 565 00:36:27,960 --> 00:36:31,360 Speaker 1: arrest warrant that was issued against Buyoya, and this is 566 00:36:31,400 --> 00:36:34,600 Speaker 1: what he said at that time. It was another diversionary 567 00:36:34,640 --> 00:36:39,080 Speaker 1: move aimed at burying painful, unresolved questions. He was again 568 00:36:39,120 --> 00:36:43,359 Speaker 1: speaking about the political crisis that followed the elections there, 569 00:36:43,960 --> 00:36:47,520 Speaker 1: and he just made note like we did already here 570 00:36:47,840 --> 00:36:51,560 Speaker 1: that those who had killed in dead Day had already 571 00:36:51,600 --> 00:36:55,799 Speaker 1: been arrested. Uh. So again like don't look at me, 572 00:36:55,880 --> 00:36:57,840 Speaker 1: don't look at this, don't look at those eighteen people 573 00:36:58,120 --> 00:37:00,520 Speaker 1: that you just tried, even though they weren't there. We 574 00:37:00,560 --> 00:37:04,360 Speaker 1: didn't do anything. And again he's he's in a position 575 00:37:04,360 --> 00:37:08,359 Speaker 1: of power already, he's essentially a diplomat, So who knows 576 00:37:08,360 --> 00:37:13,640 Speaker 1: if anything would actually will actually happen to him and others? Yeah, 577 00:37:13,760 --> 00:37:17,880 Speaker 1: peak behind the curtain. Uh. A long time ago, I 578 00:37:17,920 --> 00:37:19,480 Speaker 1: can't remember if you were part of this map, But 579 00:37:19,520 --> 00:37:23,160 Speaker 1: a long time ago, I had pitched a podcast where 580 00:37:23,200 --> 00:37:26,560 Speaker 1: we did an episode on every country, which I think 581 00:37:26,560 --> 00:37:30,799 Speaker 1: would be really useful and also terrifying for a lot 582 00:37:30,840 --> 00:37:35,760 Speaker 1: of people. Uh, BRUNDI it's worth more than a single 583 00:37:35,800 --> 00:37:38,520 Speaker 1: episode of this show. But It's definitely worth a full 584 00:37:38,520 --> 00:37:45,320 Speaker 1: episode because we can explore how the actions of colonialism 585 00:37:45,360 --> 00:37:48,560 Speaker 1: impacted the country in the modern day. I still can't 586 00:37:48,560 --> 00:37:51,880 Speaker 1: believe it least happy country in the world. That's a 587 00:37:51,920 --> 00:37:57,240 Speaker 1: bummer statistic. And one of those glorial powers is Belgium, 588 00:37:57,360 --> 00:38:00,520 Speaker 1: which plays a big role in our final story today. Yeah, 589 00:38:00,520 --> 00:38:02,480 Speaker 1: well that's actually who they won their independence from in 590 00:38:02,680 --> 00:38:06,960 Speaker 1: the sixties. And we'll move to Belgium for one more 591 00:38:06,960 --> 00:38:09,880 Speaker 1: piece of strange news after a word from our sponsor 592 00:38:16,719 --> 00:38:21,160 Speaker 1: and we have returned. We're going to Belgium. Then we're 593 00:38:21,200 --> 00:38:25,640 Speaker 1: gonna give you a headline and be aware that every 594 00:38:25,640 --> 00:38:29,239 Speaker 1: word of this headline is uh, is just an escalation 595 00:38:29,480 --> 00:38:32,239 Speaker 1: and a plot twist on its own. Here we go, 596 00:38:33,360 --> 00:38:44,920 Speaker 1: Escaped cloned female mutant crayfish take over Belgian cemetery. Is 597 00:38:44,920 --> 00:38:50,640 Speaker 1: that a madeleb Yeah? I was expecting Ninja Turtle to 598 00:38:50,680 --> 00:38:54,600 Speaker 1: be thrown in there somewhere they're getting Yeah, can you 599 00:38:54,600 --> 00:38:58,280 Speaker 1: read it again at speed? Sure, Escaped cloned female mutant 600 00:38:58,320 --> 00:39:03,880 Speaker 1: crayfish take over Belgians matterry Uh, This this is a 601 00:39:04,200 --> 00:39:07,360 Speaker 1: twist there at the end. Yeah, this is a true story. 602 00:39:07,920 --> 00:39:13,200 Speaker 1: This is something that I found recently digging digging through 603 00:39:13,239 --> 00:39:17,440 Speaker 1: some uh you know, some haunts of the Internet that 604 00:39:17,440 --> 00:39:21,440 Speaker 1: I frequent and I found that this is that there's 605 00:39:21,520 --> 00:39:23,640 Speaker 1: more to this story. So let me let me first 606 00:39:23,680 --> 00:39:28,799 Speaker 1: give you guys just the beginning tale, and then we can, 607 00:39:29,040 --> 00:39:32,200 Speaker 1: uh we can explore the context, which is even wilder 608 00:39:32,239 --> 00:39:38,440 Speaker 1: than the headline. Okay, so true story. There is a population, 609 00:39:39,280 --> 00:39:43,360 Speaker 1: uh what could be called an invasive species of crayfish 610 00:39:43,440 --> 00:39:47,879 Speaker 1: in Europe right now as we speak, and they're quite successful. 611 00:39:48,920 --> 00:39:53,080 Speaker 1: They are mutants. They can all be traced to a 612 00:39:53,200 --> 00:39:59,000 Speaker 1: single female crayfish. They are self cloning. They are capable 613 00:39:59,040 --> 00:40:02,799 Speaker 1: of breeding with l crayfish, but they cannot create, uh, 614 00:40:03,120 --> 00:40:06,680 Speaker 1: cannot create baby crowd ads in the process. They can 615 00:40:06,800 --> 00:40:12,799 Speaker 1: only like clone each other and recently, uh, they invaded 616 00:40:12,960 --> 00:40:16,719 Speaker 1: a Belgian cemetery. They can dig down to a meter 617 00:40:16,840 --> 00:40:19,319 Speaker 1: in the earth. There are hundreds of them, each one 618 00:40:19,400 --> 00:40:23,680 Speaker 1: of which can duplicate itself, and they pose a deadly 619 00:40:23,800 --> 00:40:29,600 Speaker 1: threat to local biodiversity in Antwerp. Kevin Shears, who is 620 00:40:29,680 --> 00:40:33,120 Speaker 1: the who's working for the Flemish Institute for Nature and 621 00:40:33,120 --> 00:40:36,239 Speaker 1: Woodland Research, says it's impossible to round them all up. 622 00:40:36,520 --> 00:40:39,640 Speaker 1: It's like trying to empty the ocean with a thimble. 623 00:40:39,920 --> 00:40:43,160 Speaker 1: They travel across land and water. They're nocturnal, they eat 624 00:40:43,200 --> 00:40:47,080 Speaker 1: whatever they can. They are not discriminatory. Uh their band 625 00:40:47,560 --> 00:40:52,120 Speaker 1: in the European Union. But they were bred by unscrupulous 626 00:40:52,239 --> 00:40:57,200 Speaker 1: German pet traders back in the nineteen nineties. Yeah, apparently 627 00:40:57,200 --> 00:41:01,680 Speaker 1: their mutation occurred around twenty five five years ago. And 628 00:41:01,800 --> 00:41:04,319 Speaker 1: this means that if you take just one of these 629 00:41:04,360 --> 00:41:08,800 Speaker 1: things pro Camberris virgin alis get it, because they're self cloning. 630 00:41:08,880 --> 00:41:10,520 Speaker 1: If you take just one of those and put it 631 00:41:10,560 --> 00:41:14,160 Speaker 1: somewhere in the world, then they can create their own 632 00:41:14,920 --> 00:41:20,080 Speaker 1: cloning population. And you can't tell who brought like the 633 00:41:20,080 --> 00:41:23,879 Speaker 1: EU bands possession, you can't tell who owns them because 634 00:41:23,920 --> 00:41:27,520 Speaker 1: all the crayfish are genetically exactly the same. You guys, 635 00:41:27,600 --> 00:41:34,200 Speaker 1: this feels unreal to me. Crayfish that can literally create 636 00:41:34,360 --> 00:41:38,279 Speaker 1: another one? They can what that? That doesn't seem like 637 00:41:38,520 --> 00:41:43,239 Speaker 1: a biological possibility for a crustacean like this. But I 638 00:41:43,280 --> 00:41:46,000 Speaker 1: have to say that is insane and my head is 639 00:41:46,000 --> 00:41:47,920 Speaker 1: definitely having a hard time wrapping around that. But I 640 00:41:47,960 --> 00:41:50,840 Speaker 1: have to say, Ben, when you initially read this headline, 641 00:41:51,400 --> 00:41:55,560 Speaker 1: because crayfish is its own plural, I pictured a single 642 00:41:55,760 --> 00:42:00,840 Speaker 1: mutant female crayfish running a muck and it's emitary. It 643 00:42:01,040 --> 00:42:05,840 Speaker 1: essentially such like a giant one. Yeah that's what I 644 00:42:05,880 --> 00:42:09,439 Speaker 1: thought it is. Yeah, it's like an invasive species. It's issue. 645 00:42:09,480 --> 00:42:12,760 Speaker 1: But I pictured it as being like a like a 646 00:42:12,840 --> 00:42:15,560 Speaker 1: gero kind of issue, you know, yeah, like a kaiju. 647 00:42:15,719 --> 00:42:19,440 Speaker 1: But yeah, I pictured the same thing. But the the 648 00:42:19,480 --> 00:42:21,640 Speaker 1: weird thing is that we're not too far off the 649 00:42:21,640 --> 00:42:26,000 Speaker 1: mark because genetically this is the same crayfish, you know 650 00:42:26,040 --> 00:42:30,080 Speaker 1: what I mean, it's uh, it's just everywhere. Uh So 651 00:42:30,160 --> 00:42:34,040 Speaker 1: the roots of this mutation, as I said, or date 652 00:42:34,040 --> 00:42:37,280 Speaker 1: back a quarter century, people believe, But it wasn't until 653 00:42:37,360 --> 00:42:40,800 Speaker 1: two thousand and eighteen that scientists from the German Cancer 654 00:42:40,920 --> 00:42:45,759 Speaker 1: Research Center we're able to prove all these crayfish are 655 00:42:45,840 --> 00:42:49,360 Speaker 1: the same crayfish. You may be comic book fans in 656 00:42:49,400 --> 00:42:53,880 Speaker 1: the crowd. You may remember an X Men X Force 657 00:42:54,239 --> 00:42:58,040 Speaker 1: character named multiple Man Jamie matt Rocks. He has the 658 00:42:58,200 --> 00:43:02,040 Speaker 1: he has the power to reproduced copies of himself whenever 659 00:43:02,040 --> 00:43:06,000 Speaker 1: he's like smacked upside the head. And this crayfish is 660 00:43:06,040 --> 00:43:08,520 Speaker 1: a lot like that. It's a real life version of 661 00:43:09,000 --> 00:43:12,080 Speaker 1: the multiple Man, except you know, it's a female crayfish. 662 00:43:12,120 --> 00:43:14,920 Speaker 1: But let's not get lost. And you know, everything changes 663 00:43:15,040 --> 00:43:17,600 Speaker 1: when you do an adaptation, right just a little bit. 664 00:43:18,000 --> 00:43:21,920 Speaker 1: And uh, this this thing. Once it was proven that 665 00:43:21,960 --> 00:43:27,680 Speaker 1: they're all these marbled crayfish are genetically identical. Uh, it 666 00:43:27,800 --> 00:43:30,640 Speaker 1: became the subject of a lot of forensic research, and 667 00:43:30,680 --> 00:43:33,960 Speaker 1: it became the subject of a lot of agreed by 668 00:43:34,040 --> 00:43:38,879 Speaker 1: on the part of unscrupulous animal collectors. So people would 669 00:43:38,920 --> 00:43:41,239 Speaker 1: take it and put it in their aquariums and just 670 00:43:41,480 --> 00:43:44,319 Speaker 1: like uh, just like the old stories about crocodiles and 671 00:43:44,360 --> 00:43:48,640 Speaker 1: sewer systems or alligators and sewer systems, this thing, uh 672 00:43:48,880 --> 00:43:53,960 Speaker 1: flourished in the wild. The fancy name for what it's 673 00:43:53,960 --> 00:43:59,680 Speaker 1: doing is called parthenogenesis, natural form of a sexual reproduction. 674 00:44:00,200 --> 00:44:04,200 Speaker 1: The EU has tried to uh tried to ban it, 675 00:44:04,280 --> 00:44:07,400 Speaker 1: but again they don't have much luck. The crayfish has 676 00:44:07,440 --> 00:44:11,600 Speaker 1: been distributed across the world via the aquarium trade in 677 00:44:11,760 --> 00:44:15,719 Speaker 1: less than a decade. It is spread across Madagascar, for instance. 678 00:44:15,960 --> 00:44:18,800 Speaker 1: Because it's also a cheap source of protein for human 679 00:44:18,840 --> 00:44:23,160 Speaker 1: beings and it can Yeah, it's edible, that's the other thing. 680 00:44:23,280 --> 00:44:28,839 Speaker 1: It tastes good. This is incredible. It's potentially have we 681 00:44:29,080 --> 00:44:32,880 Speaker 1: have we unlocked an unlimited source of food for the world. 682 00:44:37,360 --> 00:44:39,560 Speaker 1: You guys, is there a difference between a crayfish and 683 00:44:39,560 --> 00:44:42,759 Speaker 1: a crawfish or is that just a colloquialism. It's a 684 00:44:42,760 --> 00:44:45,279 Speaker 1: good question, so I would say, first off, there are 685 00:44:45,360 --> 00:44:50,560 Speaker 1: multiple species of crayfish, and crayfish is the standard name, 686 00:44:50,880 --> 00:44:53,640 Speaker 1: but crawfish is just what we call them in the South. 687 00:44:54,080 --> 00:45:01,759 Speaker 1: Maybe crawdads mudbugs, but bugs the least appetizer, the least appetized. Yes, 688 00:45:01,880 --> 00:45:05,960 Speaker 1: that's true. So this is interesting because you're right, Matt, 689 00:45:06,000 --> 00:45:09,120 Speaker 1: I like your point that we could potentially have some 690 00:45:09,239 --> 00:45:14,359 Speaker 1: sort of uh solution to starvation, at least for people 691 00:45:14,400 --> 00:45:16,920 Speaker 1: who aren't allergic to shellfish as a really kick in 692 00:45:16,960 --> 00:45:20,759 Speaker 1: the pants for that crowd. Yeah, or religiously prevented from 693 00:45:20,800 --> 00:45:23,960 Speaker 1: from partaking right, or all of the above, or just 694 00:45:24,000 --> 00:45:29,640 Speaker 1: think mudbugs are gross. But but it's interesting because despite 695 00:45:29,640 --> 00:45:34,200 Speaker 1: the fact that they are terrorizing this cemetery in Antwerp, 696 00:45:35,440 --> 00:45:40,719 Speaker 1: the schoon sell Off Cemetery, we should mention, uh, despite 697 00:45:40,760 --> 00:45:44,400 Speaker 1: that they may have something beneficial to provide to humans 698 00:45:44,840 --> 00:45:49,760 Speaker 1: in addition to unending low country boils. It turns out 699 00:45:49,800 --> 00:45:55,080 Speaker 1: that their adaptability may teach us more about how cancer 700 00:45:55,440 --> 00:45:59,160 Speaker 1: adapts to its environment, and we may be on the 701 00:45:59,200 --> 00:46:03,680 Speaker 1: forefront of a new era in medicine based on the 702 00:46:03,880 --> 00:46:11,160 Speaker 1: scrappy uh the scrappy evil empire of identical crayfish. So yeah, 703 00:46:11,280 --> 00:46:13,880 Speaker 1: so maybe there's something good. I just thought this was 704 00:46:14,080 --> 00:46:17,640 Speaker 1: this was such a strange headline, and I was also 705 00:46:17,680 --> 00:46:20,560 Speaker 1: in full disclosure, kind of hungry when I was reading 706 00:46:20,560 --> 00:46:25,440 Speaker 1: about this. It's yeah, it's an ongoing story. Uh, it is. 707 00:46:26,040 --> 00:46:28,200 Speaker 1: It is a story that does sound like it's straight 708 00:46:28,200 --> 00:46:31,680 Speaker 1: out of a comic book, but it's also an important 709 00:46:31,719 --> 00:46:35,080 Speaker 1: story because it's about invasive species, and it's about the 710 00:46:35,200 --> 00:46:39,960 Speaker 1: radical mutations that one sort of ex millions millions of 711 00:46:40,040 --> 00:46:44,040 Speaker 1: times may end up providing a benefit to an animal, 712 00:46:44,160 --> 00:46:46,840 Speaker 1: even if that benefit is a detriment to the world 713 00:46:46,840 --> 00:46:51,759 Speaker 1: in which that animal resides. So this this is our 714 00:46:51,760 --> 00:46:54,399 Speaker 1: show as always, Thank you so much for tuning in. 715 00:46:54,560 --> 00:46:57,040 Speaker 1: We would love to hear from you. What did your 716 00:46:57,080 --> 00:47:01,160 Speaker 1: take on the infamous ex president of burrun S, What 717 00:47:01,360 --> 00:47:04,200 Speaker 1: do you hear people in your neck of the global 718 00:47:04,200 --> 00:47:07,960 Speaker 1: wood saying about COVID nineteen And of course, what is 719 00:47:08,000 --> 00:47:11,600 Speaker 1: the coolest or most terrifying recent mutation that you can 720 00:47:11,640 --> 00:47:14,279 Speaker 1: think of in the animal or the human world. Let 721 00:47:14,360 --> 00:47:16,160 Speaker 1: us know. We try to be easy to find on 722 00:47:16,160 --> 00:47:19,480 Speaker 1: the internet. We're on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, the whole shebang, 723 00:47:19,480 --> 00:47:21,520 Speaker 1: the whole nine, all the hits, all the good ones 724 00:47:21,760 --> 00:47:24,359 Speaker 1: we like to recommend. Here's where it gets crazy, our 725 00:47:24,440 --> 00:47:26,960 Speaker 1: Facebook page, where you can interact with our favorite part 726 00:47:26,960 --> 00:47:29,759 Speaker 1: of the show, your fellow listeners. Yeah, head on over there, 727 00:47:29,960 --> 00:47:31,840 Speaker 1: and you know, make sure you let anyone know if 728 00:47:31,880 --> 00:47:35,600 Speaker 1: you've got extra old bass seasoning sitting around, because Belgium 729 00:47:35,760 --> 00:47:41,680 Speaker 1: needs it right now. Several other places like Flanders. Uh, 730 00:47:41,800 --> 00:47:44,359 Speaker 1: they've got these crayfish too. Hey. And if you got 731 00:47:44,360 --> 00:47:47,560 Speaker 1: those crayfish, hey, I don't care, I don't care, send 732 00:47:47,600 --> 00:47:49,600 Speaker 1: them my way. I almost I'll set something up in 733 00:47:49,600 --> 00:47:53,920 Speaker 1: my backyard and I will just forever be eating various 734 00:47:53,960 --> 00:47:56,560 Speaker 1: types of food that have crayfish. One of those giant 735 00:47:56,600 --> 00:48:00,279 Speaker 1: propane cradle tank things with the big pot. Now, are 736 00:48:00,320 --> 00:48:07,480 Speaker 1: you potatoes in there? Food? Some newspapers, uh, some indugo sausage. 737 00:48:07,640 --> 00:48:09,919 Speaker 1: You know, let's let's do it. Let's make a day 738 00:48:09,960 --> 00:48:12,560 Speaker 1: of it. I uh, I gotta tell you though that 739 00:48:12,760 --> 00:48:16,520 Speaker 1: I mean, clearly everybody's listening along. The biggest concern here 740 00:48:16,680 --> 00:48:19,480 Speaker 1: is what is what's going to be our potato to 741 00:48:19,640 --> 00:48:22,000 Speaker 1: see food ratio, because that's how they get you with 742 00:48:22,040 --> 00:48:25,080 Speaker 1: the little country oil in uh in wrestling, how do 743 00:48:25,120 --> 00:48:28,719 Speaker 1: you guys feel about sucking the head? Yeah, I'm not 744 00:48:28,800 --> 00:48:33,960 Speaker 1: a half measures and I am so Yeah. Well, more 745 00:48:34,040 --> 00:48:35,960 Speaker 1: more heads for us, more heads for me and ben 746 00:48:36,480 --> 00:48:40,200 Speaker 1: enjoy if you uh, if you have anything else to 747 00:48:40,360 --> 00:48:42,640 Speaker 1: add to that conversation, you can give us a call 748 00:48:42,719 --> 00:48:45,520 Speaker 1: right now. Our number is one eight three three st 749 00:48:45,719 --> 00:48:50,160 Speaker 1: d w y t K. Leave a message and really 750 00:48:50,200 --> 00:48:52,360 Speaker 1: you can say anything you want to. We'll be listening. 751 00:48:52,520 --> 00:48:54,120 Speaker 1: And if you don't want to do any of that stuff, 752 00:48:54,320 --> 00:48:56,919 Speaker 1: you can send us a good old fashioned email where 753 00:48:56,960 --> 00:49:00,279 Speaker 1: we are conspiracy at i heart radio dot com. Yeah. 754 00:49:18,400 --> 00:49:20,520 Speaker 1: Stuff they don't want you to know. Is a production 755 00:49:20,560 --> 00:49:23,680 Speaker 1: of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, 756 00:49:23,840 --> 00:49:26,640 Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 757 00:49:26,719 --> 00:49:28,040 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows,