September 17, 2024 • 40 mins
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The true crime story of Tony Hathaway! Listen to investigative journalist Josh Dean, as he reveals how a respected aerospace engineer and suburban dad's opioid addiction spiraled into an astonishing string of bank robberies. Dean also comes through with insights into the darker corners of human opiate addiction and the stories that emerge from them.
Listen to BBC's true crime tale about chemical-producing corporations placing profits over people, and the investigative ecology sleuths, a movie star, and a deceased citizen who exposed how one indestructible, man-made chemical sickened and killed hundreds of people in the U.K. and the USA.
Mass hysteria or girls being marginalized? Join Dan Taberski as he delves into the perplexing events of 2012 in Leroy, New York, where 24 females mysteriously developed Tourette-like symptoms. Was it mass hysteria, environmental poisoning, or something entirely different?
Just in time for Halloween, Ashley Flowers has new supernatural stories on her mind, and "Woodbine," a favorite supernatural haunt for vampires and assorted cryptids, has just dropped. Listen to previews and Jeryl's commentary on One Good Thing Media.
Much more. xo Host Jeryl Spear
Website: https://www.onegoodthingmedia.com/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Welcome to One Good Thing Media, your official
podcast review channel.
We search the vast digitallandscape on a daily basis to
discover the best shows thatpodcasters have to offer.
Are you ready to discover newfavorites to add to your
playbook?
Stay tuned and listen to hostGerald Spears' latest podcast
reviews.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Hello everyone, I am so happy to be back with you for
yet another episode of One GoodThing Media.
For those of you who are new toour channel, my name is Gerald
Spe and I am the host of OneGood Thing Media.
If you have FOMO, like I do,that's fear of missing out.
Perhaps you're bored with yourcurrent playlist or maybe you're
just looking for your nextbinge-worthy show.
(01:17):
You've come to the right place.
Each week, I feature new andnewly discovered podcasts that
all of our eclectic listenerswant to hear more about.
This week, I'll be sharing twonew podcasts with you, plus
great insights into severalother shows that I've selected
for Season 2, episode 31.
(01:39):
And although we always have avariety of shows that we share
with you, there is an emphasisthis week on investigative
programs.
But first here is a word fromour sponsor, who Gives a Crap,
the cleanest, greenest personaluse paper product maker on the
planet.
Did you know that you cansupport us by supporting who
(02:03):
Gives a Crap, a company thatreally does give a crap?
We've been a loyal customer ofWGAC for five years.
They produce the greenesttoilet paper and paper towels on
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(02:23):
manage human waste.
Fyi, I recommend the bambootoilet paper.
It's three-ply soft and becausebamboo is a grass, you're
helping to preserve our forests.
Please give a crap by clickingon the sponsor's link in our
show notes and go even greener,starting today.
(02:47):
Alrighty, then let's get on withthe show.
Welcome to our news highlightsand updates segment.
(03:19):
In the news for this episode,ashley Flowers, the host and
(03:40):
creator of Crime Junkies and theDeck, to name just two programs
, has reinvented herSupernatural podcast and, like
its original podcast, soSupernatural deals with
unexplained occurrences thatcould be interpreted as, hmm,
otherworldly events.
I heartily recommend soSupernatural to everyone who's
(04:00):
like me and is drawn to storiesabout voices from the other side
, ghosts, real spiritualconnections, ufos and alien
visitations, cryptids and muchmore.
Congratulations, ashley, on agreat refresh and show.
Here's the trailer from soSupernatural.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
You're not imagining this, you're not sleepwalking or
having an out-of-bodyexperience.
It's really me, ashley FlowersFlowers, and this really is
supernatural.
I am back and I'm taking thisto a whole nother level, which
is why we're now calling thisshow so supernatural.
You guys, I have so much to getinto, not least of all today's
(04:59):
story.
But before we begin, I have totell you why I'm here, because
I've missed this show like so,so much.
And for anyone new listening, ifyou don't know me, I mostly
talk about crime.
Like, hi, it's kind of my thing, Nice to meet you.
But there is a whole notherside of me that loves aliens and
(05:20):
time travel and paranormalstuff, basically anything weird
or unexplained.
And that's what this show is.
Call it a passion project, onewhere I explore stories of the
paranormal UFOs, bizarre legendsand what it all says about what
lies beyond our realm.
And now that so Supernatural isback, you can expect more wild
(05:43):
stories and some fun surprisesin the coming episodes, but for
now I just want to stop thesmall talk and jump in, if
that's okay with all of you.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
So Supernatural drops a new show every Friday and,
for the binge babes like me,there are also over 100
Supernatural stories from yearspast, making this podcast a
binger's paradise.
And speaking of theSupernatural, are you a fan of
(06:21):
Parkdale Haunt?
It's a supernatural seriesabout a young woman who inherits
a house in the Parkdaleneighborhood of Toronto, and she
inherits this house from afamily member that she never
knew she had.
Sounds kind of suspicious,don't you think?
If you're a fan of thesupernatural and haven't
(06:43):
listened to it yet, all I haveto say is this is your lucky day
.
Written by Emily Kellogg andAlexuting on the Parkdale Haunt
feed on September 27, 2024.
(07:10):
And like Parkdale Haunt, ittakes place in Toronto and
there's at least one overlappingcharacter, and that is the
psychopathic realtor Austin Bird.
And like the Parkdaleneighborhood of Toronto, season
four takes place in Woodbine, anewer area in the same beautiful
(07:32):
city.
At the time of this recording,the information is sparse,
almost secretive.
Here's a clip from the city.
Speaker 5 (08:06):
If you're looking to find a place or to sell your own
.
Remember no one makes a nestlike a bird.
Even those enshrouded indarkness know that.
In hang on the spaces under thebed, the cracks in the
doorframe.
The eyes will watch you, thevampires within the city.
(08:27):
Do not walk again.
They never left.
They are here and waiting.
Miranda, did you write this?
What's this supposed to mean?
I told you we should never havedone this.
Live God.
An absolute waste of $1,500.
Is this your little fan fiction?
You shouldn't be going throughyour vampire phase in your 30s.
(08:48):
You know it's embarrassing Forall of us.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
The voice on the radio feels too loud to me these
days.
Everything feels like too much,from the seatbelt tied against
my chest to the weight of theair on my skin.
I am filled with worry, doubt,but not fear the man on the
radio.
He doesn't believe what hespeaks of, but I know that he
speaks the truth, that there aremonsters out there, that the
(09:21):
undead walk among us, that theyneed help and that I am one of
those who's tasked with helpingthem, not because of any
particular calling or destiny.
It is my day job.
Well, night job.
Now my boss Grace.
She's the one who brought meinto this world, one I never
(09:44):
thought could be real and I knowthis because I died and she
brought me back from thedarkness into a whole world of
night.
Speaker 6 (10:01):
From the creators of Parkdale Haunt comes Woodbine, a
podcast about monsters, mysteryand new beginnings, coming
September 27th, distributed byRealm.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
I have a great update for you regarding our upcoming
podcast, skirting Danger.
For those of you who are new toour One Good Thing Media
podcast, we are launching oursecond show, skirting Danger, on
October 1st.
Skirting Danger will befocusing on women and how they
(10:50):
can navigate this upside-downworld safely and freely.
Behind the scenes, I've beenconsulting with and interviewing
experts, includingpsychologists, including
psychologists, police andprivate detectives, cyber
security experts, travelprofessionals and even reformed
(11:12):
criminals.
We'll be covering a widevariety of topics, ranging from
how to protect your purse andtravel safely to how to Prevent
a Deranged Criminal from Tryingto Carjack your Vehicle.
Here's a promo clip from ourupcoming show.
(11:40):
You may already be comfortablein your own skin, but do you
feel the same way about yoursafety?
Has your home been violated?
Have you been followed orharassed?
Are you friends with women whohave found themselves in
dangerous situations?
If you're nodding your headright now, you aren't alone.
(12:00):
Skirting Danger was founded tohelp all women live their life
safely and freely.
To do this responsibly, theSkirting Danger team has
assembled a host of crimeexperts who provide safety tips
for everything from how to vetsomeone you just met, how to
(12:20):
secure your home, going to work,going out at night and while
traveling.
Make your safety your priorityand don't allow anyone to steal
your possessions, your peace ofmind or your well-being.
Follow Skirting Danger whereveryou, listen to your podcasts
(12:44):
and check out our posts onInstagram, facebook and X,
formerly known as Twitter.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Gerald.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
Oh, no, not you again .
What are you listening to?
Are you spying on me?
Oh, ais, you can't trust them.
But yes, welcome to.
What Are you Listening To?
A segment where I share whatI've binged this week, and it's
a good one.
This week I fell down therabbit hole and didn't see
(13:22):
daylight until I listened to alleight episodes of Hysterical, a
true investigative podcast byPineapple Street and Wondery.
It's a recent podcast thatstarted this past July and ended
in late August of this year.
Hysterical involves a mysteryillness with severe symptoms
(13:46):
that afflicted at least 25people 24 females and one male
in a small town in upstate NewYork in 2012.
After extensive investigationby authorities and medical
experts, one question stilllingered Was it real, or were
(14:07):
those affected by this mysteryillness, which in many ways
mimicked Tourette's syndrome,actually suffering from some
form of mass hysteria?
Anytime a firm diagnosis proveselusive and all medical and
clinical tests prove negative,the debate between a real
illness and an imagined oneisn't unusual.
(14:31):
Some skeptics routinely cite theSalem Witch Trials of 1692 as a
prime example of mass hysteriain America.
Others refer to an event thathappened in 1994, after a
beautiful 31-year-old woman withterminal cancer was rushed to
(14:52):
the ER in severe pain.
Several female nurses weretreating her when suddenly many
of them became dizzy andextremely nauseous.
In fact, their symptoms were sosevere that several of them
ended up becoming patientsthemselves, with one staying in
the hospital for two weeks.
(15:14):
Unfortunately, the cancerpatient died soon after this
event, and after many tests thatall came back negative, the
affected nurses werecollectively diagnosed with mass
hysteria.
Needless to say, they wereconfused and more than a little
(15:35):
bit resentful.
Like most women, I view thesetypes of diagnoses through a
filtered lens.
It stems from being all tooaware of the history of women
and hysteria.
During the Victorian period,for instance, which lasted until
the early 20th century, ahusband could commit his wife to
(15:57):
a mental institution becauseshe was too emotional, aka
hysterical, depressed orsuffered from being
strong-willed.
And even in the not-so-distantpast, when a physician couldn't
find a physical reason for awoman's complaints, they often
attributed it to her imaginationand recommended psychiatric
(16:22):
care.
Were they right Sometimes?
Were they always right?
Nope, should a man ever tell awoman to calm down?
Not if they're smart.
It's also why I was on the fenceabout a mass affliction with
facial and body tics eyeblinking, grimacing and grunting
(16:45):
that affected 23 girls, one boyand one female nurse.
Naysayers maintained it was theresult of mass hysteria because
, as some so-called expertspointed out, belief is always
more powerful than truth.
But, countering that conclusion, many citizens cited a mass
(17:07):
poisoning that occurred when atrain derailed in the 1970s and
thousands of gallons of toxicchemicals poisoned their water
table, at least two factoriesthat dumped toxic chemicals into
an area canal, ironicallycalled the Love Canal, that
caused severe, sometimes lethal,health problems, plus the seven
(17:30):
natural gas wells thatsurrounded this school, where
most of these health eventsoccurred.
Whether you agree with theconclusion or not, hysterical is
an excellent show withinsightful and in-depth
reporting.
The narrator that you're aboutto hear is Dan Taberski, who was
(17:51):
the writer, director and theinvestigative journalist who was
tasked with unraveling thismystery.
Speaker 7 (18:02):
As the weather grew colder in Leroy that fall, the
symptoms continued to come tolife.
A thrashing junior one week, acouple sophomores the next, an
irregular heartbeat finding itsrhythm, but all still unofficial
.
The school's not talking aboutit publicly, the town isn't
acknowledging it, parents arejust kind of watching this thing
happen.
Speaker 8 (18:22):
I just kept thinking what's going on.
I didn't have any clue, I justwas like there's got to be an
answer, there's got to besomething at the root.
You know, what's the commondenominator?
Was basically all I keptthinking is what's the common
denominator?
Speaker 7 (18:34):
here the soccer moms and dads would hash out theories
on the sideline.
One of the first students tofall ill was on the soccer team,
so at first there was somesuspicion that maybe the coach
was pushing them too hard.
Soccer team.
Speaker 8 (18:46):
So at first there was some suspicion that maybe the
coach was pushing them too hard,but then maybe a few weeks
later, then it's another girl.
Well, she's not on the soccerteam.
Speaker 7 (18:53):
What's going on with her?
In fact, that first girl wasalso on the cheerleading squad.
Three weeks later, her bestfriend on the squad came down
with symptoms and as the soundof ticks and barks grew louder
in the school.
Speaker 8 (19:06):
I thought it had to be something to do with the
school or the school groundsonly, because that was the only
thing everybody had in common isthey went to the same school
and they were female.
Speaker 7 (19:20):
The focus for some turned to the athletic fields
where the kids played andpracticed.
The fields become notorious forbeing repeatedly soaked with
flood water from heavy rains.
There would even be complaintsfrom students about an orange
ooze coming up from the grassthere that stuck to their
sneakers and clothes.
Then there was the question ofwhy just girls so far?
Speaker 4 (19:42):
At first it was whispers.
It was like, oh, it's this onegirl, like we don't know what's
going on, like blah, blah, blahand the next thing I know it's
like doubling and tripling andit's all these girls.
Speaker 7 (19:51):
This is Rose, another eighth grader at Leroy that
year.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
I remember hearing at some point, since it was all
girls, it must be a bad batch oftampons.
Speaker 7 (20:01):
And I'm just like what?
Did the school give you sort ofmarching orders about how to
deal with this?
Speaker 8 (20:08):
Yeah, yeah.
They said, like you know, we'rehandling it, and they basically
just wanted everybody to keepquiet.
Speaker 9 (20:14):
There's a mystery in Leroy that no one seems to be
able to solve In.
Speaker 7 (20:18):
November, one of the girls finally goes public with
her symptoms on local news, butshe hides her identity.
She's backlit by the settingsun, so you just see her
silhouette this is my eighth orninth day straight ticking and
doesn't stop.
Speaker 9 (20:33):
For 17 year old michaela, as we've chosen to
call her, sleeping is the onlyform of relief she has from the
uncontrollable ticks thatconstantly shake her head I felt
like linda blair in theorcist.
Speaker 4 (20:47):
I remember exactly like getting out and just like
standing there staring at thecameras like holy shit, like
what the hell is going on.
Speaker 8 (20:53):
There's just a history in the US of women being
dismissed by doctors.
Hysteria, it's all in your head.
Oh my gosh, you're exaggerating.
Speaker 10 (21:00):
There is something actually happening to their
bodies, Something I believe iscoming from the outside the
environment somehow.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
I could live with conversion disorder.
I could not live with theenvironment did it to me.
That, to me, was terminal.
Speaker 7 (21:18):
State and school officials came to believe that
this whole thing was a masspsychogenic illness, a mass
hysteria, and that nothing elsemade sense, until, that is,
someone slipped a document and anote under the doormat of one
of the affected families.
The details of how this wentdown are sketchy.
The note was anonymous and westill know nothing about the
(21:38):
messenger, except they clearlyhad a sense for the drama of the
moment.
But the note said basically, ifyou're looking for the cause of
the outbreak, go back farther.
Go back to something thathappened 40 years ago, to an
event that was huge at the timebut that everyone seems to have
forgotten it was December 6,1970.
Speaker 11 (21:59):
Somewhere around 3.30 in the morning, a Lehigh
Valley train I think there were25 cars cars on it derailed and
emptied two tons of cyanidecrystals and 30 to 35 000
gallons of trichloroethanesolvent.
I mean, everybody knew whatcyanide was, nobody knew what
(22:21):
trichloroethane wastrichloroethylene is a
degreasing solvent used inmanufacturing.
Speaker 7 (22:29):
35,000 gallons of it went into the ground that night
and into the groundwater, andit's still there.
Long-term exposure to TCE hasbeen known to cause dizziness,
nausea, headaches, liver damage,several forms of cancer and
neurological complications.
What is in the water in Leroy,new York?
(22:50):
And if poisons are bubbling upfrom the ground beneath your
feet, why would you ever believethe people telling you?
It's all in your head.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
Why, indeed, if you love mysteries, then you're
going to love this podcastHysterical.
It's time for our favoritesegment, where I review two
(23:30):
podcasts that I am absolutelyover the moon about, and I think
you will be too.
Before I get going with myfirst review, I just want to say
that, as a journalist, I havebeen reporting on different
topics for health, beauty andlifestyle for longer than I care
to admit, but that's softballreporting when you compare it to
(23:53):
investigative journalism, andeven though I didn't get
involved in the latter, I amstill a fan of that genre.
It's one of my favorite typesof movies, novels, podcasts, you
name it.
That's why, when I discover awell-done investigative podcast,
(24:13):
I'm generally hooked right away, and this is why the podcast
I'm going to be talking abouttoday, hooked, took me by
surprise.
I'm constantly scouring podcastnews sites to find compelling
new, or at least newish, showsto bring to you.
But Hooked, which is an Appleoriginal show with investigative
(24:38):
journalist Josh Dean and if youever look up Josh's body of
work, anything that he'sinvolved in, you know I'm there.
But oddly, hook dropped in 2021, and somehow it slipped
completely off my radar.
To be honest, I was reallyshocked because I wasn't
(24:59):
familiar with Hook until Istarted looking for podcasts
that had to do with opiates,started looking for podcasts
that had to do with opiatesAfter the surprise started
wearing off.
Like me, I didn't know aboutthat.
(25:20):
I reminded myself.
With over 350,000 podcasters, Iwas fortunate to have found it
at all.
Hooked is about a man named TonyHathaway, the most prolific
bank robber in American history.
But who Tony was before heturned to crime and how he views
his exploits today willdefinitely surprise you.
Fyi, tony didn't grow up as anabused and neglected child.
(25:46):
He wasn't raised in poverty.
He didn't graduate from pettytheft to burglary before robbing
banks.
In fact, the only life alteringevent he ever experienced was
severely injuring his back,having two back surgeries.
Having two back surgeries andbeing prescribed opiates to help
(26:07):
him deal with the pain.
Tony's story that was eventuallyturned into the Hooked podcast
unfolded over three years ofprison interviews and, even
though what I'm about to tellyou will sound bizarre, tony
comes off as an affable suburbandad as he tells about robbing
(26:29):
30 banks within a 30-mile radiusof his home and how much fun it
was to do it.
And despite having no criminalexperience prior to becoming
hooked on opiates, he alsorelates how he managed to stump
several police departments andthe FBI before finally being
apprehended.
(26:50):
I also enjoyed this podcastbecause, in true Josh Dean style
, hooked also provides anintimate view of addiction, the
opioid crisis and how, undercertain circumstances, no matter
how respectable we are and howmany degrees we've earned, we
could become hooked on opiates,just like Tony and millions of
(27:14):
other Americans.
Here's a clip from the show I'mJosh Dean.
Speaker 12 (27:24):
I'm a journalist and the co-creator of both the
Clearing and Chameleon HollywoodCon Queen.
But I knew even before I madethose shows that I wanted to
tell Tony Hathaway's story.
A few years ago I was pokingaround looking for stories about
bank robbers, like reallysuccessful ones.
I wanted to find someone whowas gifted, I guess, at robbing
(27:44):
banks and I stumbled across asmall thing in the Seattle
newspaper Local man robs 30banks.
Damn, I thought that's a lot ofbanks, like an in the record
books kind of number Seemed likeexactly the kind of story I was
looking for, maybe even better.
So I wrote to Tony, who was inprison at the time, and when he
(28:04):
finally got back to me by emailhis response left me kind of
speechless.
Not sure how much of my storyyou're familiar with.
He wrote, but in short, Iworked for a very large
commercial airplane company.
Speaker 13 (28:18):
For 22 years as a technical designer and engineer
airplane company.
For 22 years as a technicaldesigner and engineer.
Injured my back, had twosurgeries, then became addicted
to oxycontin, then heroin robbed30 banks in a year and now
prison airplane engineer.
Speaker 12 (28:37):
did he say heroin?
And he robbed 30 banks.
I mean what?
I went in looking for asuccessful bank robber, found
one like maybe one of the mostsuccessful ever, and it turns
out that's not even the mostinteresting part of this story.
In an instant, the story Ithought I was looking for
(28:57):
spiraled into something totallydifferent, almost unbelievable.
It wasn't just a tall taleabout some ingenious bank robber
.
It was about a middle-aged dadwith a comfortable career who
became an ingenious bank robber.
That's one hell of a midlifecrisis.
How does that happen?
In his very next email, tonysummed up his saga I guess you
(29:22):
could call it as a quote painfulstory about a guy who pretty
much had it made and lost it allbecause he became addicted to
pain medication that he wasprescribed by his family doctor.
Speaker 13 (29:32):
What I didn't know at the time is what I was really
being prescribed.
I didn't realize that this isbasically pharmaceutical heroin.
Speaker 12 (29:40):
Tony obviously never thought he would become
addicted no one does but ithappened fast and it cost him
everything His job, his savings,his dignity, everything.
And his addiction still loomsover him every day, which
explains a lot, but it doesn'texplain how he ended up wanted
by the FBI.
Speaker 13 (30:01):
I'm a heroin addict and I had to do something, you
know, to not just feed my drughabit but to also help take care
of my family.
So for me, bank robberies wasthe easiest way to get money.
Speaker 12 (30:15):
Well, easy until you get caught.
This is Hooked, an Appleoriginal podcast produced by
Campsite Media, A story aboutcops and robbers, doctors and
dealers and getting high versusgetting by.
Yeah.
Speaker 13 (30:38):
I was a mess.
I mean, I Overall I think I wasa good person.
You know, like to my friendsand you know as far as like just
being kind to people, but I'mrobbing banks like crazy, which
is obviously wrong.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
My last podcast review for episode 31 is called
Buried the Last Witness.
It's by the BBC for Radio.
It is a story about chemicalpoisonings and what can happen
(31:22):
when companies put profits overpeople.
Now, I'm not saying that allcompanies are villains, but
there are certainly bad actorsout there and, unfortunately,
unless they're caught, it is thearea people who pay the price.
In the case of Buried the LastWitness witness.
(31:46):
The poison chemical is calledpolychlorinated biphenyls or
PCBs.
It's a toxic, fire retardantchemical or group of chemicals,
I should say, that were used ineverything from paint to paper
to being used for insulatingfluids and electrical equipment
like transformers and capacitors.
They were also used in, of allthings, microscope oils and
electric appliances likerefrigerators and television
(32:09):
sets, until they were banned inmost countries in the late 1970s
and the early 1980s.
The first series of Buried wasa terrific investigative podcast
that was done by environmentalreporters Dan Ashby and Lucy
Taylor.
It was a hit podcast.
(32:30):
I know I listened to it twice.
I haven't mentioned it on myshow yet but I will in the
future.
The second series, buried theLast Witness, the same pair of
environmental reporters team up,but this time with Welsh actor
Michael Sheen, and togetherexplore a shocking story of the
(32:52):
PCBs and how this particularchemical impacted lives,
families and homes in the UK.
Whether or not it was planned Idon't have any inside
information on it it ended upgoing international when the
team went to America, went tothe deep south, where this
(33:14):
chemical was also beingmanufactured, and discovered
some heinous activity anultimate triumph of the people
who lived in that area.
Back in 2017, michael Sheen wasscrolling the internet when he
saw a reference to this mancalled Douglas Gowan, a former
(33:36):
National Farmers Unionconsultant, who had become
concerned about the impact ofPCBs leaking from landfill sites
in South Wales, and how hespent years trying in vain to
blow the whistle on theegregious behavior of the
companies responsible forproducing these chemicals.
(33:59):
For producing these chemicalsBuried Last Witness is really a
testament to human spirit, humandetermination, bravery and the
ability of even people who donot have a lot of clout they're
(34:26):
not famous, they're notpoliticians to make changes for
the good.
Speaker 14 (34:27):
Here's a clip from the show.
Late one night, I found myselfstaring at this diagram of a
chemical two hexagons connectedby a line.
It was so simple, yet soelegant.
The shapes were hydrocarbonsand locked together they make a
chemical that can withstand fire.
I couldn't believe thatsomething so tiny could be so
transformative, and I knewnothing about it.
Here's another thing I didn'tknow In the story of this
(34:49):
chemical.
There was a witness who stoodin the way.
Speaker 13 (34:54):
Greed and money will conquer just about everything.
Speaker 10 (34:59):
A man who knew something I've seen the dark
side.
And left behind files ofevidence that have never been
seen.
Speaker 14 (35:17):
That's how I find myself rushing to collect his
lifetime's work.
I'm going to take a turn down aroad to an industrial estate
with a box of secrets Beforeit's too late.
Is this what we've been lookingfor?
I've got it.
(35:37):
I've got them.
Just stuff them all in a bagfor life and left.
Speaker 10 (35:41):
Good, the way all good stories begin.
Because that witness there wassomething he wanted us to know.
The chemical we mentioned itnot only affects fire, but also
the human brain.
Speaker 14 (36:15):
This is Series 2 of Buried.
Welcome back.
In the first series we dug intowaste crime, but this is a new
investigation, the story of aman who stumbled upon a chemical
secret.
You can't see it.
It's a silent killer Buried intowns across the UK.
Speaker 1 (36:36):
Horrify it.
Speaker 11 (36:37):
Horrify it.
Speaker 14 (36:38):
And the trials of going after the truth.
Threatened, beaten up, Ajourney into a chemical with
lethal power.
Speaker 10 (36:56):
That drags everyone in, even a Hollywood film star.
What do those in charge know?
Speaker 14 (37:05):
Collusion conspiracy .
I'm naming names, and could thewitness be right?
It's buried, isn't it?
But it's going to come backthat it wasn't just him under
threat.
Speaker 10 (37:19):
Just inserting the needle.
Speaker 14 (37:21):
Trepidation.
Speaker 10 (37:22):
I mean it's terrifying.
Speaker 14 (37:23):
But all of us.
Speaker 10 (37:27):
We're Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor, and from BBC Radio
4, this is Buried, the LastWitness.
Speaker 1 (37:34):
Buried.
The Last Witness is soelegantly produced and the
investigators are so relentlessand courageous, so I know you're
going to love this show.
It does have some down moments,but the ultimate reward is that
we do have the power to changethings.
It's a wrap for Episode 31 ofOne Good Thing Media.
(38:15):
If you haven't had a chancealready, please make sure to
follow our podcast and if yourheart is so moved, leave us a
five star rating.
Thank you so much forsupporting us and listening to
our program.
We will see you next week andyou know I love you.
(38:36):
Bye.
Speaker 2 (39:04):
One Good Thing Media is brought to you by our host
and creator, gerald Spear, allthings technical are by David
Dodd and our announcer is RobertSpear.
Our theme song for Season 2 isForce by HGST.
Thank, you.
Welcome to One Good Thing Media, your official
podcast review channel.
We search the vast digitallandscape on a daily basis to
discover the best shows thatpodcasters have to offer.
Are you ready to discover newfavorites to add to your
playbook?
Stay tuned and listen to hostGerald Spears' latest podcast
reviews.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Hello everyone, I am so happy to be back with you for
yet another episode of One GoodThing Media.
For those of you who are new toour channel, my name is Gerald
Spe and I am the host of OneGood Thing Media.
If you have FOMO, like I do,that's fear of missing out.
Perhaps you're bored with yourcurrent playlist or maybe you're
just looking for your nextbinge-worthy show.
(01:17):
You've come to the right place.
Each week, I feature new andnewly discovered podcasts that
all of our eclectic listenerswant to hear more about.
This week, I'll be sharing twonew podcasts with you, plus
great insights into severalother shows that I've selected
for Season 2, episode 31.
(01:39):
And although we always have avariety of shows that we share
with you, there is an emphasisthis week on investigative
programs.
But first here is a word fromour sponsor, who Gives a Crap,
the cleanest, greenest personaluse paper product maker on the
planet.
Did you know that you cansupport us by supporting who
(02:03):
Gives a Crap, a company thatreally does give a crap?
We've been a loyal customer ofWGAC for five years.
They produce the greenesttoilet paper and paper towels on
the planet, have a microcarbonfootprint and donate 50% of
their profits to helpunderdeveloped countries safely
(02:23):
manage human waste.
Fyi, I recommend the bambootoilet paper.
It's three-ply soft and becausebamboo is a grass, you're
helping to preserve our forests.
Please give a crap by clickingon the sponsor's link in our
show notes and go even greener,starting today.
(02:47):
Alrighty, then let's get on withthe show.
Welcome to our news highlightsand updates segment.
(03:19):
In the news for this episode,ashley Flowers, the host and
(03:40):
creator of Crime Junkies and theDeck, to name just two programs
, has reinvented herSupernatural podcast and, like
its original podcast, soSupernatural deals with
unexplained occurrences thatcould be interpreted as, hmm,
otherworldly events.
I heartily recommend soSupernatural to everyone who's
(04:00):
like me and is drawn to storiesabout voices from the other side
, ghosts, real spiritualconnections, ufos and alien
visitations, cryptids and muchmore.
Congratulations, ashley, on agreat refresh and show.
Here's the trailer from soSupernatural.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
You're not imagining this, you're not sleepwalking or
having an out-of-bodyexperience.
It's really me, ashley FlowersFlowers, and this really is
supernatural.
I am back and I'm taking thisto a whole nother level, which
is why we're now calling thisshow so supernatural.
You guys, I have so much to getinto, not least of all today's
(04:59):
story.
But before we begin, I have totell you why I'm here, because
I've missed this show like so,so much.
And for anyone new listening, ifyou don't know me, I mostly
talk about crime.
Like, hi, it's kind of my thing, Nice to meet you.
But there is a whole notherside of me that loves aliens and
(05:20):
time travel and paranormalstuff, basically anything weird
or unexplained.
And that's what this show is.
Call it a passion project, onewhere I explore stories of the
paranormal UFOs, bizarre legendsand what it all says about what
lies beyond our realm.
And now that so Supernatural isback, you can expect more wild
(05:43):
stories and some fun surprisesin the coming episodes, but for
now I just want to stop thesmall talk and jump in, if
that's okay with all of you.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
So Supernatural drops a new show every Friday and,
for the binge babes like me,there are also over 100
Supernatural stories from yearspast, making this podcast a
binger's paradise.
And speaking of theSupernatural, are you a fan of
(06:21):
Parkdale Haunt?
It's a supernatural seriesabout a young woman who inherits
a house in the Parkdaleneighborhood of Toronto, and she
inherits this house from afamily member that she never
knew she had.
Sounds kind of suspicious,don't you think?
If you're a fan of thesupernatural and haven't
(06:43):
listened to it yet, all I haveto say is this is your lucky day
.
Written by Emily Kellogg andAlexuting on the Parkdale Haunt
feed on September 27, 2024.
(07:10):
And like Parkdale Haunt, ittakes place in Toronto and
there's at least one overlappingcharacter, and that is the
psychopathic realtor Austin Bird.
And like the Parkdaleneighborhood of Toronto, season
four takes place in Woodbine, anewer area in the same beautiful
(07:32):
city.
At the time of this recording,the information is sparse,
almost secretive.
Here's a clip from the city.
Speaker 5 (08:06):
If you're looking to find a place or to sell your own
.
Remember no one makes a nestlike a bird.
Even those enshrouded indarkness know that.
In hang on the spaces under thebed, the cracks in the
doorframe.
The eyes will watch you, thevampires within the city.
(08:27):
Do not walk again.
They never left.
They are here and waiting.
Miranda, did you write this?
What's this supposed to mean?
I told you we should never havedone this.
Live God.
An absolute waste of $1,500.
Is this your little fan fiction?
You shouldn't be going throughyour vampire phase in your 30s.
(08:48):
You know it's embarrassing Forall of us.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
The voice on the radio feels too loud to me these
days.
Everything feels like too much,from the seatbelt tied against
my chest to the weight of theair on my skin.
I am filled with worry, doubt,but not fear the man on the
radio.
He doesn't believe what hespeaks of, but I know that he
speaks the truth, that there aremonsters out there, that the
(09:21):
undead walk among us, that theyneed help and that I am one of
those who's tasked with helpingthem, not because of any
particular calling or destiny.
It is my day job.
Well, night job.
Now my boss Grace.
She's the one who brought meinto this world, one I never
(09:44):
thought could be real and I knowthis because I died and she
brought me back from thedarkness into a whole world of
night.
Speaker 6 (10:01):
From the creators of Parkdale Haunt comes Woodbine, a
podcast about monsters, mysteryand new beginnings, coming
September 27th, distributed byRealm.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
I have a great update for you regarding our upcoming
podcast, skirting Danger.
For those of you who are new toour One Good Thing Media
podcast, we are launching oursecond show, skirting Danger, on
October 1st.
Skirting Danger will befocusing on women and how they
(10:50):
can navigate this upside-downworld safely and freely.
Behind the scenes, I've beenconsulting with and interviewing
experts, includingpsychologists, including
psychologists, police andprivate detectives, cyber
security experts, travelprofessionals and even reformed
(11:12):
criminals.
We'll be covering a widevariety of topics, ranging from
how to protect your purse andtravel safely to how to Prevent
a Deranged Criminal from Tryingto Carjack your Vehicle.
Here's a promo clip from ourupcoming show.
(11:40):
You may already be comfortablein your own skin, but do you
feel the same way about yoursafety?
Has your home been violated?
Have you been followed orharassed?
Are you friends with women whohave found themselves in
dangerous situations?
If you're nodding your headright now, you aren't alone.
(12:00):
Skirting Danger was founded tohelp all women live their life
safely and freely.
To do this responsibly, theSkirting Danger team has
assembled a host of crimeexperts who provide safety tips
for everything from how to vetsomeone you just met, how to
(12:20):
secure your home, going to work,going out at night and while
traveling.
Make your safety your priorityand don't allow anyone to steal
your possessions, your peace ofmind or your well-being.
Follow Skirting Danger whereveryou, listen to your podcasts
(12:44):
and check out our posts onInstagram, facebook and X,
formerly known as Twitter.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Gerald.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
Oh, no, not you again .
What are you listening to?
Are you spying on me?
Oh, ais, you can't trust them.
But yes, welcome to.
What Are you Listening To?
A segment where I share whatI've binged this week, and it's
a good one.
This week I fell down therabbit hole and didn't see
(13:22):
daylight until I listened to alleight episodes of Hysterical, a
true investigative podcast byPineapple Street and Wondery.
It's a recent podcast thatstarted this past July and ended
in late August of this year.
Hysterical involves a mysteryillness with severe symptoms
(13:46):
that afflicted at least 25people 24 females and one male
in a small town in upstate NewYork in 2012.
After extensive investigationby authorities and medical
experts, one question stilllingered Was it real, or were
(14:07):
those affected by this mysteryillness, which in many ways
mimicked Tourette's syndrome,actually suffering from some
form of mass hysteria?
Anytime a firm diagnosis proveselusive and all medical and
clinical tests prove negative,the debate between a real
illness and an imagined oneisn't unusual.
(14:31):
Some skeptics routinely cite theSalem Witch Trials of 1692 as a
prime example of mass hysteriain America.
Others refer to an event thathappened in 1994, after a
beautiful 31-year-old woman withterminal cancer was rushed to
(14:52):
the ER in severe pain.
Several female nurses weretreating her when suddenly many
of them became dizzy andextremely nauseous.
In fact, their symptoms were sosevere that several of them
ended up becoming patientsthemselves, with one staying in
the hospital for two weeks.
(15:14):
Unfortunately, the cancerpatient died soon after this
event, and after many tests thatall came back negative, the
affected nurses werecollectively diagnosed with mass
hysteria.
Needless to say, they wereconfused and more than a little
(15:35):
bit resentful.
Like most women, I view thesetypes of diagnoses through a
filtered lens.
It stems from being all tooaware of the history of women
and hysteria.
During the Victorian period,for instance, which lasted until
the early 20th century, ahusband could commit his wife to
(15:57):
a mental institution becauseshe was too emotional, aka
hysterical, depressed orsuffered from being
strong-willed.
And even in the not-so-distantpast, when a physician couldn't
find a physical reason for awoman's complaints, they often
attributed it to her imaginationand recommended psychiatric
(16:22):
care.
Were they right Sometimes?
Were they always right?
Nope, should a man ever tell awoman to calm down?
Not if they're smart.
It's also why I was on the fenceabout a mass affliction with
facial and body tics eyeblinking, grimacing and grunting
(16:45):
that affected 23 girls, one boyand one female nurse.
Naysayers maintained it was theresult of mass hysteria because
, as some so-called expertspointed out, belief is always
more powerful than truth.
But, countering that conclusion, many citizens cited a mass
(17:07):
poisoning that occurred when atrain derailed in the 1970s and
thousands of gallons of toxicchemicals poisoned their water
table, at least two factoriesthat dumped toxic chemicals into
an area canal, ironicallycalled the Love Canal, that
caused severe, sometimes lethal,health problems, plus the seven
(17:30):
natural gas wells thatsurrounded this school, where
most of these health eventsoccurred.
Whether you agree with theconclusion or not, hysterical is
an excellent show withinsightful and in-depth
reporting.
The narrator that you're aboutto hear is Dan Taberski, who was
(17:51):
the writer, director and theinvestigative journalist who was
tasked with unraveling thismystery.
Speaker 7 (18:02):
As the weather grew colder in Leroy that fall, the
symptoms continued to come tolife.
A thrashing junior one week, acouple sophomores the next, an
irregular heartbeat finding itsrhythm, but all still unofficial
.
The school's not talking aboutit publicly, the town isn't
acknowledging it, parents arejust kind of watching this thing
happen.
Speaker 8 (18:22):
I just kept thinking what's going on.
I didn't have any clue, I justwas like there's got to be an
answer, there's got to besomething at the root.
You know, what's the commondenominator?
Was basically all I keptthinking is what's the common
denominator?
Speaker 7 (18:34):
here the soccer moms and dads would hash out theories
on the sideline.
One of the first students tofall ill was on the soccer team,
so at first there was somesuspicion that maybe the coach
was pushing them too hard.
Soccer team.
Speaker 8 (18:46):
So at first there was some suspicion that maybe the
coach was pushing them too hard,but then maybe a few weeks
later, then it's another girl.
Well, she's not on the soccerteam.
Speaker 7 (18:53):
What's going on with her?
In fact, that first girl wasalso on the cheerleading squad.
Three weeks later, her bestfriend on the squad came down
with symptoms and as the soundof ticks and barks grew louder
in the school.
Speaker 8 (19:06):
I thought it had to be something to do with the
school or the school groundsonly, because that was the only
thing everybody had in common isthey went to the same school
and they were female.
Speaker 7 (19:20):
The focus for some turned to the athletic fields
where the kids played andpracticed.
The fields become notorious forbeing repeatedly soaked with
flood water from heavy rains.
There would even be complaintsfrom students about an orange
ooze coming up from the grassthere that stuck to their
sneakers and clothes.
Then there was the question ofwhy just girls so far?
Speaker 4 (19:42):
At first it was whispers.
It was like, oh, it's this onegirl, like we don't know what's
going on, like blah, blah, blahand the next thing I know it's
like doubling and tripling andit's all these girls.
Speaker 7 (19:51):
This is Rose, another eighth grader at Leroy that
year.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
I remember hearing at some point, since it was all
girls, it must be a bad batch oftampons.
Speaker 7 (20:01):
And I'm just like what?
Did the school give you sort ofmarching orders about how to
deal with this?
Speaker 8 (20:08):
Yeah, yeah.
They said, like you know, we'rehandling it, and they basically
just wanted everybody to keepquiet.
Speaker 9 (20:14):
There's a mystery in Leroy that no one seems to be
able to solve In.
Speaker 7 (20:18):
November, one of the girls finally goes public with
her symptoms on local news, butshe hides her identity.
She's backlit by the settingsun, so you just see her
silhouette this is my eighth orninth day straight ticking and
doesn't stop.
Speaker 9 (20:33):
For 17 year old michaela, as we've chosen to
call her, sleeping is the onlyform of relief she has from the
uncontrollable ticks thatconstantly shake her head I felt
like linda blair in theorcist.
Speaker 4 (20:47):
I remember exactly like getting out and just like
standing there staring at thecameras like holy shit, like
what the hell is going on.
Speaker 8 (20:53):
There's just a history in the US of women being
dismissed by doctors.
Hysteria, it's all in your head.
Oh my gosh, you're exaggerating.
Speaker 10 (21:00):
There is something actually happening to their
bodies, Something I believe iscoming from the outside the
environment somehow.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
I could live with conversion disorder.
I could not live with theenvironment did it to me.
That, to me, was terminal.
Speaker 7 (21:18):
State and school officials came to believe that
this whole thing was a masspsychogenic illness, a mass
hysteria, and that nothing elsemade sense, until, that is,
someone slipped a document and anote under the doormat of one
of the affected families.
The details of how this wentdown are sketchy.
The note was anonymous and westill know nothing about the
(21:38):
messenger, except they clearlyhad a sense for the drama of the
moment.
But the note said basically, ifyou're looking for the cause of
the outbreak, go back farther.
Go back to something thathappened 40 years ago, to an
event that was huge at the timebut that everyone seems to have
forgotten it was December 6,1970.
Speaker 11 (21:59):
Somewhere around 3.30 in the morning, a Lehigh
Valley train I think there were25 cars cars on it derailed and
emptied two tons of cyanidecrystals and 30 to 35 000
gallons of trichloroethanesolvent.
I mean, everybody knew whatcyanide was, nobody knew what
(22:21):
trichloroethane wastrichloroethylene is a
degreasing solvent used inmanufacturing.
Speaker 7 (22:29):
35,000 gallons of it went into the ground that night
and into the groundwater, andit's still there.
Long-term exposure to TCE hasbeen known to cause dizziness,
nausea, headaches, liver damage,several forms of cancer and
neurological complications.
What is in the water in Leroy,new York?
(22:50):
And if poisons are bubbling upfrom the ground beneath your
feet, why would you ever believethe people telling you?
It's all in your head.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
Why, indeed, if you love mysteries, then you're
going to love this podcastHysterical.
It's time for our favoritesegment, where I review two
(23:30):
podcasts that I am absolutelyover the moon about, and I think
you will be too.
Before I get going with myfirst review, I just want to say
that, as a journalist, I havebeen reporting on different
topics for health, beauty andlifestyle for longer than I care
to admit, but that's softballreporting when you compare it to
(23:53):
investigative journalism, andeven though I didn't get
involved in the latter, I amstill a fan of that genre.
It's one of my favorite typesof movies, novels, podcasts, you
name it.
That's why, when I discover awell-done investigative podcast,
(24:13):
I'm generally hooked right away, and this is why the podcast
I'm going to be talking abouttoday, hooked, took me by
surprise.
I'm constantly scouring podcastnews sites to find compelling
new, or at least newish, showsto bring to you.
But Hooked, which is an Appleoriginal show with investigative
(24:38):
journalist Josh Dean and if youever look up Josh's body of
work, anything that he'sinvolved in, you know I'm there.
But oddly, hook dropped in 2021, and somehow it slipped
completely off my radar.
To be honest, I was reallyshocked because I wasn't
(24:59):
familiar with Hook until Istarted looking for podcasts
that had to do with opiates,started looking for podcasts
that had to do with opiatesAfter the surprise started
wearing off.
Like me, I didn't know aboutthat.
(25:20):
I reminded myself.
With over 350,000 podcasters, Iwas fortunate to have found it
at all.
Hooked is about a man named TonyHathaway, the most prolific
bank robber in American history.
But who Tony was before heturned to crime and how he views
his exploits today willdefinitely surprise you.
Fyi, tony didn't grow up as anabused and neglected child.
(25:46):
He wasn't raised in poverty.
He didn't graduate from pettytheft to burglary before robbing
banks.
In fact, the only life alteringevent he ever experienced was
severely injuring his back,having two back surgeries.
Having two back surgeries andbeing prescribed opiates to help
(26:07):
him deal with the pain.
Tony's story that was eventuallyturned into the Hooked podcast
unfolded over three years ofprison interviews and, even
though what I'm about to tellyou will sound bizarre, tony
comes off as an affable suburbandad as he tells about robbing
(26:29):
30 banks within a 30-mile radiusof his home and how much fun it
was to do it.
And despite having no criminalexperience prior to becoming
hooked on opiates, he alsorelates how he managed to stump
several police departments andthe FBI before finally being
apprehended.
(26:50):
I also enjoyed this podcastbecause, in true Josh Dean style
, hooked also provides anintimate view of addiction, the
opioid crisis and how, undercertain circumstances, no matter
how respectable we are and howmany degrees we've earned, we
could become hooked on opiates,just like Tony and millions of
(27:14):
other Americans.
Here's a clip from the show I'mJosh Dean.
Speaker 12 (27:24):
I'm a journalist and the co-creator of both the
Clearing and Chameleon HollywoodCon Queen.
But I knew even before I madethose shows that I wanted to
tell Tony Hathaway's story.
A few years ago I was pokingaround looking for stories about
bank robbers, like reallysuccessful ones.
I wanted to find someone whowas gifted, I guess, at robbing
(27:44):
banks and I stumbled across asmall thing in the Seattle
newspaper Local man robs 30banks.
Damn, I thought that's a lot ofbanks, like an in the record
books kind of number Seemed likeexactly the kind of story I was
looking for, maybe even better.
So I wrote to Tony, who was inprison at the time, and when he
(28:04):
finally got back to me by emailhis response left me kind of
speechless.
Not sure how much of my storyyou're familiar with.
He wrote, but in short, Iworked for a very large
commercial airplane company.
Speaker 13 (28:18):
For 22 years as a technical designer and engineer
airplane company.
For 22 years as a technicaldesigner and engineer.
Injured my back, had twosurgeries, then became addicted
to oxycontin, then heroin robbed30 banks in a year and now
prison airplane engineer.
Speaker 12 (28:37):
did he say heroin?
And he robbed 30 banks.
I mean what?
I went in looking for asuccessful bank robber, found
one like maybe one of the mostsuccessful ever, and it turns
out that's not even the mostinteresting part of this story.
In an instant, the story Ithought I was looking for
(28:57):
spiraled into something totallydifferent, almost unbelievable.
It wasn't just a tall taleabout some ingenious bank robber
.
It was about a middle-aged dadwith a comfortable career who
became an ingenious bank robber.
That's one hell of a midlifecrisis.
How does that happen?
In his very next email, tonysummed up his saga I guess you
(29:22):
could call it as a quote painfulstory about a guy who pretty
much had it made and lost it allbecause he became addicted to
pain medication that he wasprescribed by his family doctor.
Speaker 13 (29:32):
What I didn't know at the time is what I was really
being prescribed.
I didn't realize that this isbasically pharmaceutical heroin.
Speaker 12 (29:40):
Tony obviously never thought he would become
addicted no one does but ithappened fast and it cost him
everything His job, his savings,his dignity, everything.
And his addiction still loomsover him every day, which
explains a lot, but it doesn'texplain how he ended up wanted
by the FBI.
Speaker 13 (30:01):
I'm a heroin addict and I had to do something, you
know, to not just feed my drughabit but to also help take care
of my family.
So for me, bank robberies wasthe easiest way to get money.
Speaker 12 (30:15):
Well, easy until you get caught.
This is Hooked, an Appleoriginal podcast produced by
Campsite Media, A story aboutcops and robbers, doctors and
dealers and getting high versusgetting by.
Yeah.
Speaker 13 (30:38):
I was a mess.
I mean, I Overall I think I wasa good person.
You know, like to my friendsand you know as far as like just
being kind to people, but I'mrobbing banks like crazy, which
is obviously wrong.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
My last podcast review for episode 31 is called
Buried the Last Witness.
It's by the BBC for Radio.
It is a story about chemicalpoisonings and what can happen
(31:22):
when companies put profits overpeople.
Now, I'm not saying that allcompanies are villains, but
there are certainly bad actorsout there and, unfortunately,
unless they're caught, it is thearea people who pay the price.
In the case of Buried the LastWitness witness.
(31:46):
The poison chemical is calledpolychlorinated biphenyls or
PCBs.
It's a toxic, fire retardantchemical or group of chemicals,
I should say, that were used ineverything from paint to paper
to being used for insulatingfluids and electrical equipment
like transformers and capacitors.
They were also used in, of allthings, microscope oils and
electric appliances likerefrigerators and television
(32:09):
sets, until they were banned inmost countries in the late 1970s
and the early 1980s.
The first series of Buried wasa terrific investigative podcast
that was done by environmentalreporters Dan Ashby and Lucy
Taylor.
It was a hit podcast.
(32:30):
I know I listened to it twice.
I haven't mentioned it on myshow yet but I will in the
future.
The second series, buried theLast Witness, the same pair of
environmental reporters team up,but this time with Welsh actor
Michael Sheen, and togetherexplore a shocking story of the
(32:52):
PCBs and how this particularchemical impacted lives,
families and homes in the UK.
Whether or not it was planned Idon't have any inside
information on it it ended upgoing international when the
team went to America, went tothe deep south, where this
(33:14):
chemical was also beingmanufactured, and discovered
some heinous activity anultimate triumph of the people
who lived in that area.
Back in 2017, michael Sheen wasscrolling the internet when he
saw a reference to this mancalled Douglas Gowan, a former
(33:36):
National Farmers Unionconsultant, who had become
concerned about the impact ofPCBs leaking from landfill sites
in South Wales, and how hespent years trying in vain to
blow the whistle on theegregious behavior of the
companies responsible forproducing these chemicals.
(33:59):
For producing these chemicalsBuried Last Witness is really a
testament to human spirit, humandetermination, bravery and the
ability of even people who donot have a lot of clout they're
(34:26):
not famous, they're notpoliticians to make changes for
the good.
Speaker 14 (34:27):
Here's a clip from the show.
Late one night, I found myselfstaring at this diagram of a
chemical two hexagons connectedby a line.
It was so simple, yet soelegant.
The shapes were hydrocarbonsand locked together they make a
chemical that can withstand fire.
I couldn't believe thatsomething so tiny could be so
transformative, and I knewnothing about it.
Here's another thing I didn'tknow In the story of this
(34:49):
chemical.
There was a witness who stoodin the way.
Speaker 13 (34:54):
Greed and money will conquer just about everything.
Speaker 10 (34:59):
A man who knew something I've seen the dark
side.
And left behind files ofevidence that have never been
seen.
Speaker 14 (35:17):
That's how I find myself rushing to collect his
lifetime's work.
I'm going to take a turn down aroad to an industrial estate
with a box of secrets Beforeit's too late.
Is this what we've been lookingfor?
I've got it.
(35:37):
I've got them.
Just stuff them all in a bagfor life and left.
Speaker 10 (35:41):
Good, the way all good stories begin.
Because that witness there wassomething he wanted us to know.
The chemical we mentioned itnot only affects fire, but also
the human brain.
Speaker 14 (36:15):
This is Series 2 of Buried.
Welcome back.
In the first series we dug intowaste crime, but this is a new
investigation, the story of aman who stumbled upon a chemical
secret.
You can't see it.
It's a silent killer Buried intowns across the UK.
Speaker 1 (36:36):
Horrify it.
Speaker 11 (36:37):
Horrify it.
Speaker 14 (36:38):
And the trials of going after the truth.
Threatened, beaten up, Ajourney into a chemical with
lethal power.
Speaker 10 (36:56):
That drags everyone in, even a Hollywood film star.
What do those in charge know?
Speaker 14 (37:05):
Collusion conspiracy .
I'm naming names, and could thewitness be right?
It's buried, isn't it?
But it's going to come backthat it wasn't just him under
threat.
Speaker 10 (37:19):
Just inserting the needle.
Speaker 14 (37:21):
Trepidation.
Speaker 10 (37:22):
I mean it's terrifying.
Speaker 14 (37:23):
But all of us.
Speaker 10 (37:27):
We're Dan Ashby and Lucy Taylor, and from BBC Radio
4, this is Buried, the LastWitness.
Speaker 1 (37:34):
Buried.
The Last Witness is soelegantly produced and the
investigators are so relentlessand courageous, so I know you're
going to love this show.
It does have some down moments,but the ultimate reward is that
we do have the power to changethings.
It's a wrap for Episode 31 ofOne Good Thing Media.
(38:15):
If you haven't had a chancealready, please make sure to
follow our podcast and if yourheart is so moved, leave us a
five star rating.
Thank you so much forsupporting us and listening to
our program.
We will see you next week andyou know I love you.
(38:36):
Bye.
Speaker 2 (39:04):
One Good Thing Media is brought to you by our host
and creator, gerald Spear, allthings technical are by David
Dodd and our announcer is RobertSpear.
Our theme song for Season 2 isForce by HGST.
Thank, you.
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