[TobyD]

The Missing Cryptoqueen

Brilliant series about cryptocurrency scam.

Has anyone else listened to this? Now 6 episodes in and it's really compelling. I'd be happy to hear what anyone else thinks.

[slab_happy]

Yeah, listening at the moment (still on ep 5).

It's really interesting, though (as with a lot of investigative podcasts) I'm still waiting to see if they have any really big reveals.

[moose]

I took up your suggestion too, and am glad I did.  I thought the background episodes about One Coin was great and enough material for an entire series alone, suprised by the blast furnace diversion and interested to see how the pursuit develops.

Along very slightly similar lines (dirty economics), I'd recommend "Broken: Jeffrey Epstein", by Slate, a look into Epstein's rise, crimes, the people who facilitated him, and attempts to locate and reclaim his hidden billions.  Entertainingly and engagingly done, despite the grim subject material.

[moose]

Also, two of my favourite podcast series of recent years were the  Slate "Slow Burns" on the histories of Watergate and the Clinton / Lewinsky impeachment - incredible access to witness evidence and so much detail that I was utterly unaware of:

https://slate.com/slow-burn

Series 3 has been announced - on the murders of Biggie and Tupac.  Given the information unearthed for the previous series and subject matter (I remember lots of talk of gang rivalries and paid off Police at the time) I would be surprised of it's not fascinating.

https://slate.com/briefing/2019/04/slow-burn-season-3-tupac-biggie.html

Finally, some progress on the Slate Slow Burn podcast on Biggie and Tupac - a trailer has just been released and the series is meant to start on 30 October 2019.  The two previous Slow Burn seasons on Watergate and the Clinton impeachment were great, so I have high hopes for this.

https://player.fm/series/slow-burn-1776792/season-3-trailer

[TobyD]

 Slow burn sounds good.

The BBC has a good intrigue podcast Murder in the Lucky Holiday Hotel in which Carrie Gracie investigates the death / murder of Neil Heywood; I was totally unaware that this may have had a significant bearing on who now rules China. Quite snappy and easy to follow.

[Will Hunt]

I thought the China one was OK but it felt a bit half baked? You don't really get to the truth (and maybe we never will) so it just felt less satisfying. I'm sure there was plenty of skulduggery but we don't really know how much.


I can't recommend Tunnel 29 or The Ratline highly enough.

[Steve R]

Tunnel 29 had some good tense bits.  Some brave people but surprised more of them didn't end up in clink at the hands of the Stasi since they didn't seem particularly careful/competent!  Personally, think I enjoyed/found more interesting the China one.  More wide ranging maybe?  recommend all those Intrigue ones regardless though.

Also really enjoying the cryptoqueen one and the art heist last seen one so thanks a lot for the recommendations.

[moose]

This is the most purely enjoyable of my current listens.  Perhaps a bit of a niche interest on this forum but I think Dolly's story is interesting quite aside from any love of her music (I suspect the Venn diagram overlap between "Dolly Parton" and "limestone crimps" is small and possibly moose-shaped?!). 

So far it's covered the "sad ass" songs and reworked "murder ballads" of her early twenties, to her creative flowering and break-up with the slightly sinister seeming Porter Wagoner.  Great interviews with Dolly, who is funny and self-aware, and various talking-heads who talk about her place in US culture (the series was triggered by the host's realisation that she is one of the few celebrities who all Americans feel positively about, irrespective of political / cultural leaning - from red-state conservatives to hipsters).

https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/dolly-partons-america/episodes

[IanP]

This is the most purely enjoyable of my current listens.  Perhaps a bit of a niche interest on this forum but I think Dolly's story is interesting quite aside from any love of her music (I suspect the Venn diagram overlap between "Dolly Parton" and "limestone crimps" is small and possibly moose-shaped?!). 

https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/dolly-partons-america/episodes

Got episode 1 downloaded because it was put out as a Radiolab episode - based on above I'll add myself to that venn diagram and see what I think.

[Fultonius]

Slow burn sounds good.

The BBC has a good intrigue podcast Murder in the Lucky Holiday Hotel in which Carrie Gracie investigates the death / murder of Neil Heywood; I was totally unaware that this may have had a significant bearing on who now rules China. Quite snappy and easy to follow.

Just started the Crypto one and the Tunnel 29, but that one also sounds good. The new work van doesn't have DAB, so no radio 6....need to fill my drives with something better than swapping between Radio 4 and BBC Scotland while getting more and more irate!

[Fultonius]

You don't have to be "pro-Russia" (which I vehemently am not) do have doubts about the white helmet's narratives.

Who are the white helmets?

I'm re-evaluating my position on the white helmets. They're now in the "undecided, need more info" part of my brain. I'm still highly sceptical, but I'm equally sceptical about the criticisms, so I'm in some for of sceptolimbo.

They're a Syrian search and rescue NGO. They claim to be neutral. They've often been accused of working with or being a front for Al Qaeda, ISIS and other terrorist groups. They've also been accused of staging rescues etc. However, as I understand it these accusations are widely viewed as being part of a propaganda/misinformation campaign run by Russia and the Syrian regime. There'a a very good documentary called "The Last Men in Aleppo." I'm probably now going to be accused of being a sheeple who has fallen for the fake news about Russia/Syria. Who knows?

[Will Hunt]

It sounds like you've read much more about it than I have, but I'm puzzled by why you're still sceptical.

They're a rescue organisation operating in an area where there are lots of fighters who we would consider baddies. There are also lots of civilians who are caught up in the fighting.
First point: when they start digging at the rubble of a destroyed building, they don't know whether they're digging out an ISIS combatant or a toddler. If they find a male of fighting age in the rubble, are they supposed to interrogate him before they pull him out? Or chuck the fragmented concrete back on top of him?
Second point: people carrying out humanitarian work (quite rightly) don't discriminate on political allegiance. If you're a doctor your job is to treat the injured. If you're a white helmet your job is to rescue people.

You've not presented any evidence at all to suggest that their intention is to be anything but a rescue organisation, so why still sceptical?

[turnipturned]

 This podcast is awesome 

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4Dz33eprUAPss0bnkvFoou?si=TBv89YocR2KFr5cjreBxxw

[largeruk]

You don't have to be "pro-Russia" (which I vehemently am not) do have doubts about the white helmet's narratives.

Who are the white helmets?

I'm re-evaluating my position on the white helmets. They're now in the "undecided, need more info" part of my brain. I'm still highly sceptical, but I'm equally sceptical about the criticisms, so I'm in some for of sceptolimbo.

They're a Syrian search and rescue NGO. They claim to be neutral. They've often been accused of working with or being a front for Al Qaeda, ISIS and other terrorist groups. They've also been accused of staging rescues etc. However, as I understand it these accusations are widely viewed as being part of a propaganda/misinformation campaign run by Russia and the Syrian regime. There'a a very good documentary called "The Last Men in Aleppo." I'm probably now going to be accused of being a sheeple who has fallen for the fake news about Russia/Syria. Who knows?

The White Helmets

One perspective - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/18/syria-white-helmets-conspiracy-theories.

An opposing view - https://renegadeinc.com/monbiot-the-guardian-gatekeepers-for-the-white-helmets/

Bellingcat's take - https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2018/12/18/chemical-weapons-and-absurdity-the-disinformation-campaign-against-the-white-helmets/

[Ged]

Tunnel 29 on BBC sounds is a phenomenal story. Totally gripping tale of tunnels being dig between East and west Berlin

[Fultonius]

You don't have to be "pro-Russia" (which I vehemently am not) do have doubts about the white helmet's narratives.

Who are the white helmets?

I'm re-evaluating my position on the white helmets. They're now in the "undecided, need more info" part of my brain. I'm still highly sceptical, but I'm equally sceptical about the criticisms, so I'm in some for of sceptolimbo.

They're a Syrian search and rescue NGO. They claim to be neutral. They've often been accused of working with or being a front for Al Qaeda, ISIS and other terrorist groups. They've also been accused of staging rescues etc. However, as I understand it these accusations are widely viewed as being part of a propaganda/misinformation campaign run by Russia and the Syrian regime. There'a a very good documentary called "The Last Men in Aleppo." I'm probably now going to be accused of being a sheeple who has fallen for the fake news about Russia/Syria. Who knows?

The White Helmets

One perspective - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/18/syria-white-helmets-conspiracy-theories.

An opposing view - https://renegadeinc.com/monbiot-the-guardian-gatekeepers-for-the-white-helmets/

Bellingcat's take - https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2018/12/18/chemical-weapons-and-absurdity-the-disinformation-campaign-against-the-white-helmets/

Mods: thread split?

Craig Murray's take:  https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/05/the-world-what-is-really-happening/comment-page-2/

Who to believe?

[jwi]

Speaking of podcasts. Which android app is best for podcasts? It need to be able to pull from all kind of sources as I'm pretty eclectic in my listening habits. I don't mind paying a bit.

[SA Chris]

Obv depending on your phone, but I just download them and play them through Samsung Music. Don't know about streaming options.

[remus]

I use spotify a I already pay for it. You can stream or download podcasts.

[TobyD]

Speaking of podcasts. Which android app is best for podcasts? It need to be able to pull from all kind of sources as I'm pretty eclectic in my listening habits. I don't mind paying a bit.

I just use BBC sounds for BBC content, and Spotify for everything else, seems to work absolutely fine, and it's free.

[jwi]

Spotify is less than useless for french & swedish podcasts. I rather not download one app for BBC, one for France Inter, one for NPR and one for Swedish Public Radio — and the web interfaces are really frustrating.

[dontfollowme]

I use Pocket Casts. Has a good search facility, sleep timer and interface.

[SA Chris]

On the subject (kind of) anyone know of any good podcasts for learning French? I had the Duolingo app, but I've done it to death now.

[crzylgs]

@jwi - Android user here I've always used an app called 'Podcast Republic' not sure how it stacks up for French/Swedish stuff but does every non-BBC podcast I've ever wanted. Then I used 'BBC Sounds' (don't get me started moaning about how much of a downgrade from iPlayer Radio it is...) for a couple of beeb offerings.

[sdm]

On the subject (kind of) anyone know of any good podcasts for learning French? I had the Duolingo app, but I've done it to death now.

The free lessons from Rocket French are good for a beginner. There's quite a lot of free lessons and there is additional resources online to expand on the audio. There is a premium version which I haven't paid for but if you choose to pay for it, they always have a 60% offer around any public holidays.

Radio France international do a 10 minute news bulletin in simple French with a transcript.
https://savoirs.rfi.fr/fr/apprendre-enseigner/langue-francaise/journal-en-francais-facile

There is also the News in Slow French podcast.