Audible Feast's Best Podcast Episodes of 2018

This week, a new Super Tech Support: after Lizzie's Snapchat gets hacked, things start getting really creepy. Alex investigates.Michael Bazzell's PodcastThe complete Security and Privacy PodcastSteps Michael Bazzell Gave Alex to Protect HimselfHow to port your phone numberPassword ManagerGoogle AuthenticatorYubikeyMichael's workbook to freeze your credit and remove yourself from public records websitesSudoStories about Sim Swapping and OGUsers by Vice/MotherboardBy Lorenzo Francheschi-BicchieraiThe SIM HijackersHow to Protect Yourself From SIM Swapping Hacks‘TELL YOUR DAD TO GIVE US BITCOIN:’ How a Hacker Allegedly Stole Millions by Hijacking Phone NumbersHow Criminals Recruit Telecom Employees to Help Them Hijack SIM CardsAlleged 19-Year-Old SIM Swapper Used Stolen Bitcoin to Buy Luxury CarsCops Arrest Infamous SIM Swapper Who Allegedly Stole $14 Million in CryptocurrencyBy Joseph Cox'I Could Ruin Your Business Right Now': Listen to a SIM-Jacking, Account-Stealing RansomThe Organization that Lizzie Donated ToByte Back

Your partner makes more money than you. What do you do? Mark meets a few men to learn about their economic insecurities and looks for some answers, as he fights to keep his own series of numbers a mystery. SPOILER ALERT - it does not go well.Become part of the team and support us on Patreon! Subscribe to our newsletter for monthly secrets, Facebook to meet our friends, Twitter to talk to us, and Instagram to look at pretty pics. For information regarding your data privacy, visit Acast.com/privacy

Sara collects sounds of her son, her second child, during the first year of his life. Laughter, cries, shrieks of joy... Her first child never made much sound and died three days after she was born. The story explores Sara's connection to both children as she listens to the sounds of her family and grieves for the sounds that are missing.

Writer Ben James and his wife Oona are raising their sons in a progressive and “queer-friendly” New England town. They actively encourage the boys to be themselves, never mind those traditional gender norms around “masculinity” and “femininity.” All was well. Until the elder son, Huck, went to sixth grade. Story by Ben James, with hosts Celeste Headlee and John Biewen, and psychologist Terrence Real. Music by Alex Weston, Evgueni and Sacha Galperine, Blue Dot Sessions, and Kevin MacLeod. Music and production help from Joe Augustine at Narrative Music.

Scott Pruitt, the embattled head of the Environmental Protection Agency, is facing a host of new scandals: a $43,000 soundproof phone booth, a security detail to Disneyland, and even using a siren on his car to get to a restaurant faster. But Vox’s Umair Irfan says that behind these controversies, Pruitt’s EPA has been one of the most consequential government agencies in the Trump administration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We thought today's show was going to bring a joyful surprise, but instead it is a difficult one. Hear what's been going on with Sarah, and why she hasn't been herself lately. We also discuss crazy news stories like the woman who was embalmed alive, Katy Perry's questionable shoes, roads that play music, and more. 

Featuring: Amanda (Wine & Crime), Dan (Podcast Meander), Hannah (Film Roast), and Jason (The Binge Movie Podcast)Today we're sharing the songs that changed the ways we listened to music. And as Jason says, 'This whole tracklist is totally fucked.'Plus: A song that inspired IKEA's nomenclature, a song to trash a grocery store to, and a song to lap dance to. Dan and Josh share a kiss. Jason fights a man over miscarriages. Dan is concerned about the state of home furnishings in 90s music videos. And a song that actually causes one of our guests to walk out on a job.This week's playlist:Svefn-G-Englar by Sigur Ros (Josh)I Luv The Valley OH by Xiu Xiu (Dan)Life Itself by Glass Animals (Hannah)Love You Madly by Ella Fitzgerald (Amanda)Pretty Good Year by Tori Amos (Jason)Spark by Tori Amos (Josh)Caroline Shaw's Allemande by Roomful of Teeth (Dan)Through The Wire by Kanye West (Hannah)Good Times by Chic (Amanda)Dragon Lady by The Geraldine Fibbers (Jason)Listen to the playlist at our-americana.com/playlist

Strange or obtuse; a stinging homophobic slur; a radical political rejection of normativity; a broad term encompassing every and any variation on sexual orientation and gender identity: the word ‘queer’ has a multifarious past and complicated present. Tracing its movements are Kathy Tu and Tobin Low from Nancy podcast, Eric Marcus from Making Gay History, historian and author Amy Sueyoshi, and Jonathan Van Ness from Queer Eye.  Find out more about this episode at http://theallusionist.org/queer. Content note: this episodes contains discussions of sexuality and sexual acts, as well as some problematic terms. See the Allusionist live in Australia and New Zealand in the next month: show listings are at http://theallusionist.org/events The Allusionist’s online home is http://theallusionist.org. Stay in touch at http://twitter.com/allusionistshow and http://facebook.com/allusionistshow. The Allusionist is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX, a collective of the best podcasts on the interwaves. Hear all the shows at http://radiotopia.fm. This episode is sponsored by Bombas and Babbel. Get a 20% discount on Bombas’s expertly engineered socks by visiting http://bombas.com/allusionist and entering the offer ALLUSIONIST in the checkout code space. There are fourteen languages you can learn via Babbel, the number 1 selling language app in the world. To get 50% off your first 3 months of Babbel, use the code ALLUSION when you go to babbel.com/allusion.

The retired Argentine midfielder Diego Armando Maradona is regarded by many soccer fans as the greatest player who ever lived. They’ll say he was creative, surprising, masterful—a gift to the game. But there are others who will tell you the opposite. That Maradona was the worst: A scoundrel, a villain, a cheat. In this episode, we tell the tale of soccer’s most complicated icon.CREDITS: We Came to Win is hosted by Nando Vila. This episode was produced by Emma Morgenstern, Emily Ulbricht, and Ngofeen Mputubwele with help from Anna Foley and Jasmine Romero. Our senior producer is Matthew Nelson. Our editors are Caitlin Kenney, Devon Taylor, and Jessica Weisberg. This episode was scored, sound designed, and mixed by Bobby Lord. Additional music by Emma Munger and Bliss Blood & Al Street. Check out more Gimlet podcasts at gimletmedia.com.To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers

William and Jordan share very different advice as they help you navigate the struggles of going to the gym. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Flexi-discs are thin plastic or plastic-coated paper records, and in the 1980s they were all the rage in fast food. Burger King teamed up with the popular sitcom character ALF for such hits as “Melmac Rock” and “Take Me, ALF, to the Ballgame.” But McDonald’s truly upped the ante in 1989 when it ran the biggest flexi-disc promotion ever, sending out 80 million discs (playing the “Menu Song”) as inserts in newspapers all over the country. If one of those 80 million recipients was fortunate enough to not only find the plastic disc, but recognize that it could be played on their turntable - they’d win a million dollars. Charlene Price of Galax, Virginia was that lucky winner, and her son Scotty keeps the record as his most prized possession. Reporter Richard Parks III ventured out to Galax to become one of only a handful of people to hear that winning record, and along the way he discovered the complicated history of the family that claimed the prize.Scotty’s most prized possession. Photo courtesy of Richard Parks III.Charlene at the Price is Right, her grocery store. Photo courtesy of Richard Parks III. Charlene’s boyfriend striking a pose with a large sum of money. Photo courtesy of Richard Parks III.Tammy at the Galax motel. Photo courtesy of Richard Parks III.Scotty in front of the house he grew up in, where he found the winning record. Photo courtesy of Richard Parks III.

There are between eight and ten thousand wildfires in the United States each year, but most quietly burn out and we never hear about them. The Pagami Creek Wildfire in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area was supposed to be like that, but things turned out differently. And Greg and Julie Welch were camping right in its path.

A healthy relationship is meant to feel like a warm hug from your mum after about a year, according to psychologists. But if your partner doesn’t feel like your perfect soul mate all the time, you might feel like you settled for something you didn’t sign up to. So does 'settling' exist or is it just a reality of long-term monogamy?

Writer. Actor. Trailblazer. How Cristela Alonzo makes room for stories like hers in every medium.Love the show? Show your love and become a Latina to Latina insider here!

As a child, Lawrence Lessig was a gifted singer. His church choir director encouraged him to attend a choir camp at a prestigious boarding school in New Jersey. He was so talented that the school invited him to stay and join their official choir. He sang at Carnegie Hall and toured the world. But it was what happened behind the scenes that would change his life forever. Criminal is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. If you haven't already, please review us on iTunes! It's an important way to help new listeners discover the show: iTunes.com/CriminalShow. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for The Accomplice. If you'd like to introduce friends or family members to podcasts, we created a How to Listen guide based on frequently asked questions. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Sponsors: Burrow Promo code: CRIMINAL (all caps)  The Alienist  Rocket Mortgage  Squarespace (promo code CRIMINAL to save 10%)

On the morning of July 16, 1996, someone walked into a furniture store in downtown Winona, Mississippi, and murdered four employees. Each was shot in the head. It was perhaps the most shocking crime the small town had ever seen. Investigators charged a man named Curtis Flowers with the murders. What followed was a two-decade legal odyssey in which Flowers was tried six times for the same crime. He remains on death row, though some people believe he's innocent. For the second season of In the Dark, we spent a year digging into the Flowers case. We found a town divided by race and a murder conviction supported by questionable evidence. And it all began that summer morning in 1996 with a horrifying crime scene that left investigators puzzled. Support investigative journalism with a donation to In the Dark.

In this IMMERSIVE episode, “Risk,” our goal is to immerse you in a soundscape that pulled and pushed you to alternatively feel risk-seeking and risk-averse. To preserve this immersive experience, we stripped out a lot of the reporting we did on the science of risk. Here, you can find out more about the science of risk perception. We’ll walk you through the episode, and point out materials – interviews we did with researchers, journal articles we dug up, books we read – that let you dig deeper into the research. SCENE: You finally make it to the top after a long climb (after a strenuous skinning up). WHAT THIS ILLUSTRATES: This should make you feel like you’ve invested a lot of resources and effort into an activity. Later, when you make a decision, this investment of resources can color your choice even though it shouldn’t if you’re objectively evaluating a risk. FIND OUT MORE: Read Heuristic Traps in Recreational Avalanche Accidents. NARRATION: You’re imagining this environment because it is the perfect environment because it’s the perfect setting to explore your feelings towards risk. FIND OUT MORE: Listen to our interview with Leaf VanBoven (starting at 03:40). SCENE: You’re very close to skiing down the mountain. You feel the powder under your skis. The wind pushes on your cheeks. WHAT THIS ILLUSTRATES: Proximity to something (especially something you find somewhat addictive) makes you perceive it as more rewarding than if you would be considering it from a distance. FIND OUT MORE: Listen to our interview with Fernbach (starting at 39:00). SCENE: WE ARE INVINCIBLE! WHAT THIS ILLUSTRATES: When you are overconfident, you disregard evidence that contradicts your confidence. FIND OUT MORE: Listen to our interview with McKell Carter and Kim Farrelly (starting at 57:00) SCENE: CINDY’S AVALANCHE STORY WHAT THIS ILLUSTRATES: Hearing a distastrous result from an expert, which occurs from a similar situation to your own will decreases your confidence in taking the risk and makes you more risk averse. Of course, this is assumming you are not brimming with overconfidence. FIND OUT MORE: By reading SEVERAL(most) of the articles here. SCENE: My intuition is telling me something’s off. Come on, Jake, what are you afraid of? WHAT THIS ILLUSTRATES: Groups heavily influence decision making during risky situations. Males are particularly good at evoking risky decisions. However, there is a lot of nuance in this dynamic. FIND OUT MORE: Listen to our interview with VanBoven (starting at 13:00 and 30:00) SCENE: You’re normally cautious, so if you think it’s fine then I’m sure it’ll be OK. WHAT THIS ILLUSTRATES: Contagious understanding. You can get a house of cards effect, where your knowledge in something rests on the belief that someone else in the community has done the intellectual heavy-lifting and have a solid knowledge of something. However, this is not always the case and many people can believe they have knowledge of something even though nobody does. FIND OUT MORE: Listen to our interview with Fernbach (starting at 48:20) SCENE: Question! Why is one type of snow better for avalanches? How do you know? You just guessing? WHAT THIS ILLUSTRATES: In our lives, we often do not notice complexity because it’s cumbersome and doesn’t actually change our decisions. We have an illustion of knowledge. But in risky situations, complexity really matters and one way to poke holes in our normal knowledge illusion is by asking very simple questions, which will (hopefully) give you more pause and consider more factors. FIND OUT MORE: Read Phillip Fernbach’s book “The Knowledge Illusion”. Listen to our interview with Fernbach (starting at 9:30). Our website: qualiapod.com Listen to us on the RadioPublic app to help support the show. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Qualiapod/   Twitter: @qualiapod

The 1994 Freaknik spring break in Atlanta is the scene. College spring break is a perfect time to come out of your insecurities and let loose. My breaking loose was more practiced and rehearsed, but it did the job well. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

If there’s one thing we never have enough of, it’s time. So how can we be more mindful of it -- appreciating each moment without losing momentum? Relationship expert Eve Rodsky shares her groundbreaking research about how couples divide their time and household labor; Maria Menounos tells us how being diagnosed with a brain tumor changed her perception of time; and neurosurgeon Dr. May Kim-Tenser explains what it’s like to make life and death decisions in a matter of minutes.Hosted by Diane Guerrero. Brought to you by Reese Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine. We want to hear YOUR story. Find us @hellosunshine on Instagram and Twitter and hello-sunshine.com. #HowItIsEpisode sponsors: Phlur.com/howitis and Ritual.com/howitis.

Radio legend Terry Gross (we’re not worthy!) is in the studio to tell Phoebe about her early days in radio, her marriage, and how the Trump administration is ruining her music listening.  ---- About the podcast:  Phoebe Robinson is tired of being the token black woman in an ocean of white dude comedians. So in this podcast, Phoebe’s calling the shots. She hosts intimate, funny and super honest conversations with musicians, actors, writers and comedians who are killing it in their fields—AND who aren’t white dudes! Stay tuned for the one token white guy (it’s only fair), cameos by Phoebe’s ball-busting executive producer Ilana Glazer, and a whole lot of hijinks. Catch up on Phoebe's other hit podcast, 2 Dope Queens: www.2dopequeens.org Produced by WNYC Studios. www.wnycstudios.org

*Please note that this episode contains explicit language*What makes a place home? Is it a place that feels like a refuge? Is it somewhere you sleep really, really well? Does it matter if it’s a place you’re not technically allowed to be? What if the place that feels like home lives only in your memory, like a perpetually interrupted dream? Michael Townsend has made and lost more than one home, but only one of them was born of a unique blend of grief, curiosity, imagination, and mischief.  And only one of them was accessed by crawling through a series of pitch black caverns in the bowels of a giant mall.

Emus! Woo hoo! It’s our 100th episode and we have all sorts of fun stuff in store! First, we’re joined by nationally recognized biologist and [...]

Marvel’s Black Panther was released in theaters on February 16, 2018, and in just a few weeks, it made over a billion dollars worldwide. It’s already broken some box office records and it looks like it’s going to break some more. The score for the film was created by Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson. His film and TV credits include Creed and New Girl. He’s also Grammy-nominated producer, who’s worked most often with rapper Childish Gambino. In this episode, Ludwig takes apart one of his pieces from Black Panther. The track is called “Killmonger,” and it’s the theme for Erik Killmonger, a character played by Michael B. Jordan. Black Panther is set in the fictional African nation of Wakanda, and coming up, Ludwig tells the story of doing research and making recordings in Africa, and how he incorporated that into the score for the film. songexploder.net/black-panther

Medellín, Colombia, is lauded as one of the most innovative and tourist-friendly cities in the world. But 30 years ago, the city was the world's cocaine capital—ravaged by the cartel war led by Pablo Escobar. Latino USA travels to Medellín to hear how the city's violent and narcotic history changed the lives of one family and how Medellín went from being one of the most dangerous places in the world to the "model city" it is today.

Nearly a quarter century ago, a group of women accused a prominent playwright of sexual misconduct. For the most part, the allegations went nowhere. In 2017, in the midst of the #MeToo movement, more women came forward to accuse the same playwright of misconduct. This time, everyone listened. On this episode — originally broadcast in February 2018 — we explore the story through the lens of social science research and ask, "Why Now?" What has changed in our minds and in our culture so that allegations of sexual harassment and assault are being taken more seriously than they were in the past? A note: This story includes descriptions of sexual harassment and assault. It may not be suitable for all listeners.

Al Letson and Willie Evans Jr. are back with season two of Errthang! After a long hiatus, the dynamic duo returns to tell stories, and have a good time. This season Letson and Evans focus on stories and interviews about fatherhood, the political unrest in the country, and ruminations on love. It’s a wild, fun ride with a lot of heart and depth. In episode one, Al tells the stories of three excruciating heartbreaks that will leave you laughing. Errthang is produced and hosted by Al Letson, with co-host and music supervisor Willie Evans Jr., show systemizer Brie Burge and actor Jason Stephens. Check out season one here. Errthang is a production of Showcase, from PRX’s Radiotopia. Find out more and listen to the previous series, Ways of Hearing, The Polybius Conspiracy and Secrets, at radiotopia.fm/showcase.

Hearing your manager say you’re doing a great job is, of course, lovely. But without examples of your greatness in action, or suggestions for how to be even better, you don’t have the information you need to keep improving. Studies have found that women tend to get feedback that’s vague or tied to their personalities, which doesn’t boost our performance ratings. Meanwhile, men get feedback that’s specific and tied to business outcomes, which sets them up to develop and be promoted. First, we talk with Harvard Business School professor Robin Ely about the research on women and feedback. Next, we talk with Tuck School of Business professor Ella Bell Smith about how to draw out actionable, useful feedback from our managers, and how to respond when we’re not getting what we need to succeed. Our HBR reading list: “What Most People Get Wrong About Men and Women,” by Catherine H. Tinsley and Robin J. Ely “The Gender Gap in Feedback and Self-Perception,” by Margarita Mayo “How Gender Bias Corrupts Performance Reviews, and What to Do About It,” by Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio “Research: Vague Feedback Is Holding Women Back,” by Shelley Correll and Caroline Simard Get the discussion guide for this episode on our website: hbr.org/podcasts/women-at-work Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

There's a Brooks Brothers store across the street from the World Trade Center in New York. Shortly after the attacks on September 11, a young doctor named Sandeep Jauhar headed to ground zero to help. He ended up at the store, which was transformed into a makeshift morgue. Suddenly, he’s put in charge, which was the last thing he wanted. This is a story of ties and white collared shirts, and how heroism is often improvised.

Did I stutter? Erin did. Erin does. And here's what it's like to live with a speech impediment that people still make jokes about. You can catch up with TTFA on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook using @ttfapodcast. Nora's Instagram is @noraborealis. Check out our sponsors this week: Talkspace -- talkspace.com/ttfa Calm-- calm.com Brooklinen -- brooklinen.com and get $20 off plus free shipping with promo code THANKS Ritual -- ritual.com/thanks

Maeve is a lamppost. She sees all of us, but does anybody see her?

Meghan DePonceau, Christian Finnegan and Jenn Gavlin share stories about a mushroom overdose, a tumultuous romance and living life to the fullest.

For years, KalaLea experiences debilitating periods. It gets so bad that she has to stay in bed two days every month. And even when she’s not on her period, she’s exhausted and in pain. We often define “normal” based on our friends and family. Lots of women have period problems. And so for a long time, KalaLea thought that this was just something that she needed to deal with.    When she finally gets a diagnosis, she discovers that her experience is common for Black women like herself, but very far from normal. KalaLea also believes her experience is connected to a generational kind of pain—the pain of being a Black woman in America. Distrustful of Western medicine, KalaLea embarks on a journey to heal herself. To learn more and to share your own story, visit our Facebook group here. Nothing is off the table, and everyone is welcome.

A rural town, known as The Troll Capital of the World, unites over the attemped banning of a book reading and its very close-to-home consequences.   To learn more or sponsor the show: www.ouramericanapodcast.com    Written, edited, and produced by Josh Hallmark  Research by Vanessa York, Nicola Jezequel, Shannon DeFilippas, Jennifer Menges  Guests: JoEllen Graber, Amy Lyle, and Sarah  Library recordings from: Carly Fisher, Jane Burns, and Julie Plotkin  Featuring "Legend of the Wild Horse" by Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton  Other music by Lee Rosevere, Borrtex, Ketsa, Derek Clegg, Chris Zabriskie / Courtesy of Free Music Archive  Sponsors: Podbean

The justice system isn’t the catch-all for every struggling kid. Desperate parents with means can turn to a whole network of private programs before their kids even get caught. The state of Utah houses a $400 million industry for just such families. For an average cost of $513 a day, parents can send their kids to one popular option: wilderness therapy camps. These are programs that claim sending kids into the wild can cure all kinds of issues, including everything from drug use to screen addiction, anxiety, and defiance. For a young person named James, this type of intervention in his teenage years was life-changing. Caught: The Lives of Juvenile Justice is supported, in part, by the Anne Levy Fund, Margaret Neubart Foundation, the John and Gwen Smart Family Foundation, and the Economic Hardship Reporting Project.

Celebrity chef and Travel Channel host Andrew Zimmern has made a reputation as a culinary expert with an adventurous streak, traveling the world and sampling tree grubs, shark meat, tarantulas, and horse rectums among many other cuisines. But before his current fame, he was on the street, stealing handbags to fuel his alcoholism, which existed to deaden his long-held depression. We hear about hitting bottom, redemption, and Andrew’s friend, the late Anthony Bourdain.

In February 2017, Srinivas Kutchibhotla fell victim to an alleged hate crime. In the aftermath, his widow, Sunayana Dumala, had her life and her immigration status thrown into question. Now, she's trying to figure out what it means to stay — and find community — in the small Kansas town where her husband was killed.

In 1971, David Alexander went for a run in Central Park and started talking to a stranger. For our first episode of This Is Love, a story about what's possible when we bet everything on each other. This Is Love is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. If you haven't already, please subscribe to the show and review us on iTunes! https://apple.co/2BmMZr5 Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Sponsors: Sunbasket Virtue Zola

Marcus Eriksen wanted to draw attention to a problem no one could see. So he sailed into the middle of it. (more…)

Allergies. Nose jobs. Smell nostalgia. Street drugs. Septum piercings. Snoring. Hang on to your faces because Dr. John Craig goes deep and shares why he's so passionate about rhinology. You'll have a whole new relationship with your whiffer, appreciating what happens behind your nas-holes and coming away with some strategies to combat hay fever, Afrin addiction plus: a very legal substitute for illegal party drugs. Also: why you may want to shove a crayon into your nose. Dr. John Craig's YouTube ChannelHelp send Aidan to camp via this t-shirt fundraiserBecome a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a month: www.Patreon.com/ologiesOlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, pins, totes!Follow @Ologies on Twitter or InstagramFollow @AlieWard on Twitter or InstagramMore links at www.alieward.comSupport the show.

Boys Don't Cry by The Cure is, on the surface, a tribute to teenage angst and a slice of pop perfection. Lol Tolhurst, the band's drummer, wrote the song with his band mates in Robert Smith's parents' house extension. Poorna Bell saw the song's lyrics echo her husband's struggle with expressing his emotions, and describes the devastating impact which that can have. Runner Derek Redmond recalls the moment he lost his 'game face' at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, and Sara Pacella and Jeffrey Axt chart the changing fortunes of a giant Boys Don't Cry poster. Producer Sally Heaven.

Concussion is taking much of the sheen off America’s behemoth national sport and leading to many parents forbidding their children from taking it up. Bill Littlefield asks whether this multi-billion dollar business can survive if so many players turn their backs on the sport. Where will the next generation of players needed come from?