Category: 9-NotNowMaybeSomeday

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Ben, Matt and Noel have a special, spoiler-filled episode just for you, fellow Conspiracy Realists! You see, something strange happened over recent years: Santa, Rudolph and all the usual characters of Christmas have been joined by a new entity... a little Elf, hanging around your house from Thanksgiving to Christmas Day, and reporting your behavior to Santa Claus every single night. At first blush, this is wholesome and delightful. But... why are so many parents, experts and journalists concerned about the Elf on the Shelf? Is the Elf normalizing an Orwellian surveillance state?

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

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HO! HO! HO, Y'ALL! In this episode, Rivers is snowed-in at Disgraceland Studios hangin' out and roasting some chestnuts with our ol' pal, comedian Justin Lain! We test out Sprite + Tea and talk about Christmas in Justin's hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana. We also chat about some of the worst gifts ever given according to folks on Reddit, and we've got a new batch of horrible Christmas songs to check out. Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby" is our JAM OF THE WEEK! Happy Holidays, folks! Hope it's a good one. Thank you for listening. Follow Justin on social media @TheJustinLain Follow our show @TheGoodsPod on absolutely everything! Rivers is @RiversLangley Sam is @SamHarter666 Carter is @Carter_Glascock Subscribe on Patreon for an UNCUT video version of the show as well as HOURS of bonus content! http://patreon.com/TheGoodsPod Pick up a Goods from the Woods t-shirt at: http://prowrestlingtees.com/TheGoodsPod

The gang discuss escalation with Venezuela, an AI executive order, the trial of Judge Dugan, the mass shooting at Brown University, and a new travel ban.

Sources:

https://gothamist.com/news/ice-enters-nyc-shelters-armed-and-without-judicial-warrants-reports-show

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/12/designating-fentanyl-as-a-weapon-of-mass-destruction/ 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/12/restricting-and-limiting-the-entry-of-foreign-nationals-to-protect-the-security-of-the-united-states/ 

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70255703/united-states-v-dugan/ 

https://bsky.app/profile/klasfeldreports.com/post/3ma4gf7vm772z 

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71930356/pablo-pablo-v-lyons/  

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g562vz34ro

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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For most of modern history, the world has run on oil. In the US and abroad, the price of gasoline is often the subject of intense concern, and prices at the pump vary widely. The difference of a few dollars per gallon can incite widespread unrest. But there's a question rarely asked: How much should gas actually cost?

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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In the second of two parts, James and Andrew talk about the downfall of the revolution in Grenada and what we can learn from the failure of the revolution and the New JEWEL Movement.

Sources:

Grenada: Revolution and Invasion by Patsy Lewis et al

None Shall Escape by Fundi

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Duck bills. Beaver tails. Underground lairs. Eggs. Milk. Venom? A platypus has it all. Scholar, conservationist, and Ornithorhynchologist Dr. Tahneal Hawke is here to run through the baffling anatomy and answer all of our WHAT’S THE DEAL, WHAT EVEN *ARE* THEY questions, and chat about field work, evolution, how to spot a platypus, why you can’t have one in your bathtub, and myths about platypus espionage. Also, a platypus might be sexier than you. 

Follow Dr. Hawke on Instagram and Google Scholar

A donation went to the Platypus Conservation Initiative

Pods Fight Poverty is raising money for Rwandan families via GiveDirectly.org/ologies

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Other episodes you may enjoy: Mammalogy (MAMMALS), Oology (EGGS), Dasyurology (TASMANIAN DEVILS), Lutrinology (OTTERS), Castorology (BEAVERS), Evolutionary Biology (DARWINISM), Chickenology (HENS & ROOSTERS)

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Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

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We go through a number of moral panics about technology — vaping in schools,porn consumption online, social media use by teens — that are boiling over right now. In each of these cases, real problems have been identified and real policies have been implemented, while their real causes and concerns have been ignored. Instead, the critique of technology is used as a trojan horse for ramping up regressive forms of social paternalism and moral conservatism, which set strict boundaries and burdens on users, rather than producers. ••• Vaping Is ‘Everywhere’ in Schools—Sparking a Bathroom Surveillance Boom https://www.wired.com/story/vaping-surveillance-school-bathrooms/ ••• Half of the US Now Requires You to Upload Your ID or Scan Your Face to Watch Porn https://www.404media.co/missouri-age-verification-law-porn-id-check-vpns/ ••• Why Tech Moral Panic Matters https://www.hdavidsessions.com/p/why-tech-moral-panic-matters ••• Australia's social media ban for under-16s starts today. Here is what you should know https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-10/australias-social-media-ban-for-under-16s-starts-today/106119800 Standing Plugs: ••• Order Jathan’s book: https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520398078/the-mechanic-and-the-luddite ••• Subscribe to Ed’s substack: https://substack.com/@thetechbubble ••• Subscribe to TMK on patreon for premium episodes: https://www.patreon.com/thismachinekills Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (bsky.app/profile/jathansadowski.com) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (www.x.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (bsky.app/profile/jebr.bsky.social)