Best Ruby Spears Podcasts (2025)

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Frosty the Snowman (Rankin/Bass, 1969) and Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire (Gracie Films, 1989) 1:46:08

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1d ago1:46:08

1:46:08

Even if the yule log has stopped burning and the eggnog is all drank up, the holiday cheer doesn't have to end on the 25th, right?? ... work with us here, this is what happens when a regular podcast schedule meets the realities of awkward holiday timing. Bakertoons returns to the podcast to help us check out the final member of the Festive Four, Fr…

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S11E14 A Chipmunk Christmas 1:20:23

5d ago1:20:23

1:20:23

Send us a text Merry Christmas! It's time to roast chipmunks on an open fire. No, wait. They're acting in this one. And it was before their Saturday Morning TV show. Here now are Alvin, Simon and Theodore to bring in the holidays and make you feel less glum about mortgaging your home to buy overpriced gifts. This is the true meaning of Christmas: L…

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Encanto (Disney Feature Animation, 2021) 1:36:22

15d ago1:36:22

1:36:22

The current era of Disney animated musicals arguably peaked right here, folks. Encanto was a brilliant, heart tugging movie about family bonds and overcoming trauma, filled to the brim with memorable characters and songs. It's been analyzed up and down, left and right, front to back, what could our podcast crew possibly add?? Well, to do it, they w…

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192: The 2025 Gift Guide - A Very Dark History Holiday Special 52:03

15d ago52:03

52:03

Hi, friends! Happy Wednesday! Listen... I know shopping for the holidays can be a total drag. You never know what to get that testy aunt who hates literally everything or the "woo woo friend" who won't shut up about their crystals. Don't worry, I got you covered. I would never leave you hanging, so I dug through my favorite stories from Season 4 to…

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142 SPECIAL - The Christmas Toys of 1981 38:55

19d ago38:55

38:55

Send us a text It's the return of Pods R Us! It's that time of year when we look back at the hottest Christmas toys of yesteryear! Let's set the Saturday Morning Time Machine for 1981, and see what's waiting. Happy Holidays, and thanks for 'tooning in!By Christopher Jay

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191: Chaos, Bloopers, and the most unhinged things Bailey said all year! 45:00

22d ago45:00

45:00

Hi, friends! Happy Wednesday! Welcome to the fourth... and maybe final... Joanie Awards. Tear. But don't be sad that it might be over... be happy because it all happened. After a season jam packed with horny nuns, rogue presidents, cursed statues, disastrous love lives (ancient AND modern), Britney impressions and some evil, shedding mittens… we’re…

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Strawberry Shortcake (MWS Productions, Nelvana and more, 1980-1985) 1:30:55

29d ago1:30:55

1:30:55

She walked so He-Man, My Little Pony, the Transformers and more could run. Strawberry Shortcake, from the pens of Barbi Sargent and Muriel Fahrion for American Greetings, was picked up by Kenner and aimed to be a multimedia smash via televised specials to help promote the character's world and toys on secondary, independent TV channels. Through thi…

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190: The Mysterious Cult Leader Who Inspired Jonestown - Father Divine 1:07:42

29d ago1:07:42

1:07:42

Hi, friends! Happy Wednesday! What if I told you that one of the most influential... and mysterious cult leaders in American history is someone most people have never heard of? And that Jim Jones himself, yes Jonestown Jim Jones, got many of his ideas from same guy? Today, we’re diving into the wild and complicated story of Father Divine—the charis…

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S11E12 Thanksgiving in the Land of Oz 1:31:35

1M ago1:31:35

1:31:35

Send us a text Happy Thanksgiving! To celebrate the season, we need Fall pumpkins. And a turkey, or at least a cowardly big cat. To me, Thanksgiving has always been about an evil Toymaker trying to take over the mythical land of Oz. As I'm sure it is for most families. Here now is a holiday feast you have to hear to believe. Thanks for ‘tooning in.…

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The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour (Hanna-Barbera, 1976) 1:49:02

1M ago1:49:02

1:49:02

He's fearless! Scarless! ... a little too careless. He's Dynomutt, and in 1976 he joined up with Scooby-Doo on the latter's new home on ABC. While Scooby's formula was still mostly working, things were getting a little sillier with the great dane at the same time. Half the show were the Scooby mysteries you knew, and the other half was a very goofy…

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189: The Wicked Truth Behind Hollywood’s Favorite Movie - The Wizard of Oz 1:01:04

1M ago1:01:04

1:01:04

Hi, friends! Happy Wednesday! You’ve seen The Wizard of Oz... the ruby slippers, the Yellow Brick Road, the flying monkeys… But you've also heard rumblings of some dark rumors, haven't you? Well, behind all that glitter and Technicolor magic was a nightmare of toxic makeup, real fires, starvation diets, terror in Munchkinland and a studio system th…

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S11E11 Thundarr the Barbarian (Redux) 1:21:13

2M ago1:21:13

1:21:13

Send us a text Okay, so here’s the story: When the moon is destroyed in 1994, it ensures that “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness” isn’t just an album, but a way of life. Flashforward 2000 years where recognizable monuments are rusting, “Jaws 9” was a thing, and a group of heroes try to put right what once went wrong. Or, something like that. H…

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188: The Mass Murders That Set The Stage for Hitler 1:10:52

2M ago1:10:52

1:10:52

Hi friends. Happy Wednesday. Today’s episode is personal. It’s painful. And it’s important. We’re talking about the Armenian Genocide... a chapter of history that millions experienced, yet many still deny or have never been taught. I’ve always known I wanted to cover this story because of my family history. But every time I tried, it never felt lik…

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Monster Force (Universal Cartoon Studios, 1994) 1:21:17

2M ago1:21:17

1:21:17

Dracula! Frankenstein's Monster! The Wolf Man! And this time not in the form of young crime fighters but from Universal, their most famous shepherds, and developed by comics legend Marv Wolfman!! What should have been a surefire thing turned out to be one of the most horrifying horror-themed failures in animation history, especially since Marv wasn…

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187: Possessed Nuns, Mass Hysteria, and an Influencer Priest: DH of Exorcisms 57:29

2M ago57:29

57:29

Hi friends. Happy Wednesday. More importantly... 🎃 Happy Halloween!! 👻 Grab your holiest water and close the curtains, because I've got the perfect episode to button up spooky season. We are diving headfirst into the real Dark History of Exorcisms — and it’s crazier than the movies ever showed us. From a convent full of “possessed” nuns shouting fi…

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S11E10 FLIP! and 2HIP4TV 1:46:36

2M ago1:46:36

1:46:36

Send us a text Okay, so here’s the story: A comedian and the kid of a famous singer get together at a bowling alley and have a great time. They perve on women, they introduce bubbling-under bands, and constantly clash with the executives of the network they’re on. Sounds like a great time for the kids. Here now is the story of how this kids variety…

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Hazbin Hotel (A24, 2024 to Present) 1:22:50

2M ago1:22:50

1:22:50

THIS EPISODE IS NOT FOR KIDS!!! I CANNOT SAY IT ANY MORE PLAINLY THAN THAT!!! I mean, yeah, most of you reading this know that, and that Hazbin Hotel is a uniquely conceived adult-oriented cartoon. The fandom for this series is massive and includes our own Krissi Harding, who picked this show for her birthday selection and introduced it to James an…

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186: Tales from the Dark History Crypt - A Spooky Season Special 4:05:14

2M ago4:05:14

4:05:14

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! No tricks. Just treats here this spooky season. Over the years, many of your have commented that your like to put Dark History on and just let it play in the background. So, instead of you having to shuffle through a mish mash of episodes... I did the hard work for you and created a special themed playlist, if you will.…

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S11E09 Going Bananas 56:01

3M ago56:01

56:01

Send us a text Okay, so here’s the story: There’s a night when an escaped zoo monkey gets zapped by an alien ship and then develops alien abilities. The only thing left to do is take up with a brother and sister and their grandmother. Oh, and throw in some flim flam men who are constantly trying to steal your monkey. Because that’s how you comedy. …

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185: The Alaska Triangle: Disappearances, Dead Ends, and the Dark Truth Beneath It All 48:21

3M ago48:21

48:21

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! I learned about a place in Alaska where more than 20,000 people have vanished — planes, hikers, politicians — and almost none have ever been found. And I had to do an episode on it. It’s called the Alaska Triangle and it's a remote stretch of wilderness bigger than California and notorious for swallowing people, aircraf…

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Piggsburg Pigs (Ruby-Spears, 1990) 1:33:48

3M ago1:33:48

1:33:48

We turn once more to Fox Kids, the legendary Saturday morning programming block that gave us Bobby's World, X-Men, Eek the Cat, the Tick, and... this show. Piggsburg Pigs, created by Fred Silverman's daughter Melissa and produced by Ruby-Spears, feels like the last gasps of the 70s and 80s style of Saturday morning fare before the revolutionary cre…

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184: The Devil's Secretaries or Scapegoats? The Witches History Erased 52:53

3M ago52:53

52:53

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! So the other night I was deep into my usual bedtime routine of doomscrolling, and I stumbled across this headline that said: “DID YOU KNOW: The Last Witch Trial Was in 1944.” And I was like… I’m sorry, what? 1944? Like while the rest of the world was fighting Nazis, someone was in a courtroom yelling, “She’s a WITCH”? B…

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S11E08 Wolf Rock TV 1:08:00

3M ago1:08:00

1:08:00

Send us a text Okay, so here’s the story: a rock and roll DJ is tasked with running a TV studio named after him. His young assistants are along for the ride, and they get into adventures of unspecified magnitude. Mainly because this show was [echo] LOST MEDIA! Here now is the story of how this wolf rockin’ show came to Saturday Morning. Who was the…

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183: The MESSY Life of Ronald Reagan: Snitching, Scandals & DEADLY Decision 1:01:37

3M ago1:01:37

1:01:37

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! So the other day, I was googling jelly beans. Don’t ask why, I was in a mood. But I ended up falling down a rabbit hole, and suddenly… I was reading about Ronald Reagan. Apparently, Reagan was *obsessed* with jelly beans. I guess he started eating them as a way to quit smoking. He swapped cigarettes for jelly beans. Ins…

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S11E07 Pound Puppies 1:27:03

4M ago1:27:03

1:27:03

Send us a text Okay, so here’s the story: A pack of dogs on death row have adventures outside of the Big House and experience freedom. Did that happen? Oh, God! What if they were dead when we started and these are just conflated memories and patchwork pieces so we knew who they were. Maybe they didn’t exist. Maybe on one could talk to the animals. …

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182: The Cult of Kellogg: Cornflakes, Celibacy, and Colonics?? 49:40

4M ago49:40

49:40

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! The other day I was craving a big fat bowl of Honey Smacks cereal with whole milk. When I was a kid, that was luxury to me. But I hadn’t had them in forever so I didn’t even know if they were still around. You know me - I googled “HONEY SMACKS… DISCONTINUED??” Good news, they’re around. Bad news… I found out about Kello…

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181: The Real Conjuring: Ghost Hunters or Grifters? Who Were Ed & Lorraine Warren 49:38

4M ago49:38

49:38

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! Listen… I know it’s not *officially* Fall yet, okay? But we all know Fall means Halloween, and Halloween is my favorite holiday. So I wanted to get started celebrating a little early this year. I did a soft launch on my decorations. Put out a few pumpkins and spider webs. The crows in my backyard approved. And I decided…

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S11E06 Rubik, the Amazing Cube 1:02:59

4M ago1:02:59

1:02:59

Send us a text Okay, so here’s the story: An alien comes to Earth and looks like a puzzle that took the world by storm. When he’s scrambled, he’s useless. But when he’s solved – LOOK OUT!!! – He’ll fight crime and put bad guys in their place. Throw in a dash of Hispanic representation and a certain Puerto Rican boy band, and you just might have a h…

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Snagglepuss (part of the Yogi Bear Show, Hanna-Barbera 1961-1962) 1:07:12

4M ago1:07:12

1:07:12

Heavens to thunderous theatricality! Hanna Barbera's scenery chewing mountain lion finally takes center stage after popping up here and there, and everywhere even! Whether matching wits with Major Minor or just trying to achieve his dreams of stage notoriety, few characters in the company's repertoire were quite as verbose. So don't exit stage left…

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180: Harmless or Toxic? The Hidden Killers in Your Beauty Routine 47:07

4M ago47:07

47:07

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! Did you guys ever see those ads for the Rejuvenique face mask? It was this electric face mask that looked like it was straight out of Friday the 13th. The guy on the infomercials was like “imagine what doing 8 situps a second could do for your abs! Well, Rejuvenique is doing exactly that… but with your face!” Well, appa…

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S11E05 Benji, Zax and the Alien Prince 1:10:19

4M ago1:10:19

1:10:19

Send us a text Okay, so here’s the story: Take a beloved children’s character, add a bumbling robot, an alien prince, put them on the run, and then scratch your head because that all sounds like word salad. Look, just come with me on the journey, I guarantee it will be rewarding. And heart-warming. And family friendly. And no bitch jokes. Here now …

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Fox's Peter Pan and the Pirates (Fox Kids, 1990) 1:22:01

4M ago1:22:01

1:22:01

Alternate Title: The Ballad of a Brooklyn Broom Bandit What started as a spat over DuckTales turned into Fox making their own kids entertainment, with an ambitious take on J M Barrie's tale of the boy who never grew up. It's a story of the intricacies of the public domain, schedule slip-ups, ensemble darkhorses and the brilliance of the one and onl…

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179: The Oil Scandal They Tried to Erase from History 51:21

4M ago51:21

51:21

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! I always wanted to date Robbie Sinclair from Dinosaurs. Anyone else? [CRICKETS] So whenever I drive by a Sinclair gas station, you know, the one with the dinosaur logo? I always think of him. His spiky hair. That letterman jacket. I don’t care that he was a foam puppet. I was eight and I knew what I wanted. And what I w…

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178: The Most F*ed Up Baby Products in History 51:53

5M ago51:53

51:53

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! I don’t know if this is happening to any of you out there, but suddenly, everyone I know is having a baby. Which means I’m looking at one baby registry after another. Honestly I don’t mind, I love buying baby stuff. It’s so little and cute. But lately, I’ve noticed that the stuff people have on their registry is *next l…

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S11E04 Meatballs & Spaghetti 1:17:07

5M ago1:17:07

1:17:07

Send us a text Okay, so here’s the story: A band of people and their dog hit the open road to tour and help people along the way. No, it’s not a Scooby-Doo show. I swear it’s not. But it’s sort of a Scooby prequel. Here now is the story of how this rock n roll show came to Saturday Morning. Where did this show come from? Can dogs play the drums? Wa…

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Super Chicken (Jay Ward Productions, 1967) 1:04:10

5M ago1:04:10

1:04:10

Looks up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a bird in something akin to a plane!! Super Chicken was a project Jay Ward had tried to get to air for over seven years by the time it reached ABC in 1967, when it finally did as part of George of the Jungle. One sip of the super sauce and Henry Cabot Henhouse III fights like a comet! I mean, com…

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177: They Used Nun Urine For What?! The Dark History of Getting Pregnant 38:31

5M ago38:31

38:31

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! One of my friends is having a baby, so we’ve been talking about baby stuff a lot. And of course… my stupid phone is listening. So now my TikTok feed is filled with all these freaking baby videos. Usually I just scroll past it, but the other day… one of them caught my eye. It was a viral video all about how this girl got…

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S11E03 Space Stars 1:45:42

5M ago1:45:42

1:45:42

Send us a text Okay, so here’s the story: Space Ghost meets the Herculoids, meets Astro, meets a few other Hanna-Barbera footnotes. And at the end, they all get together to blow away the big bad of the week in a finale that's epic. It's just too bad it's kinda forgotten. Here now is the story of how this future-verse show came to Saturday Morning. …

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The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat (Film Roman, 1995-1996) 1:54:34

5M ago1:54:34

1:54:34

After 100 episodes of pratfalls, birdcalls, stock gags, flea bags, wild takes and corn flakes, we finally get REALLY TWISTED! It's the wild story of Felix the Cat's 1990s revival series that was as turbulent behind the scenes as it was surreal on the screen. Marc and Jordan from the That's Not Quite All Folks podcast join us as we break down and bu…

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176: Who Invented Breakfast? The Breakfast Industry’s Dirty Little Secrets 36:13

5M ago36:13

36:13

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! The other day I woke up starving — like, hangry. So I wandered into the kitchen and stood there, just… staring. Eggs? Too much work. Pancakes? Ehhh Toast? Meh. I mean why is choosing breakfast this complicated? It’s supposed to be “the most important meal of the day,” right? At least that’s what we’ve all been told. But…

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S11E02 The Herculoids (Retro Special) 51:20

6M ago51:20

51:20

Send us a text Okay, so here’s the story: A gang of alien supers, who can do all kinds of party tricks, get their own show. And one day, they might even unite with others to save the universe. Until then, they’ll defend their planet while wearing as little as possible. Here now is the story of how this blobby show came to Saturday Morning. Can shap…

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175: How Bodybuilding Went from Freak Show to Fitness Empire 37:01

6M ago37:01

37:01

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! You know, lately I’ve noticed something strange. It feels like every celebrity these days is... jacked. Like, not just in “good shape.” I’m talking veins popping out of places I didn’t even know veins existed. I mean, back in the day, you had, what? 2 or 3 action stars. But now? Even the comedians are huge. Like, why is…

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S11E01 Space Ghost (Retro Special) 1:17:35

6M ago1:17:35

1:17:35

Send us a text Okay, so here’s the story: A super hero of unknown origin and seemingly super natural, has adventures in the deepest reaches of space against a rogue’s gallery of nasty baddies. And then he’s off-set with a boy who parachuted into the valley of the dinosaurs and must survive in a hostile wilderness. Eat your heart out, Doug McClure! …

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Felix in the 1950s (Trans-Lux and Paramount Animation, 1958-1960) 1:01:36

6M ago1:01:36

1:01:36

Righty-O! It's Felix, the Professor, Poindexter, Rock Bottom, and the rest of one of the most enduring 1950s television animated series of all time. It's also DEEPLY strange with oddball gags and the episodes being split in two roughly three and a half minute parts. So does it hold up at all? Would you believe "maybe"? Come see what we pull out of …

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174: Murder, Incest, and Castration: How Nero DESTROYED Rome 54:36

6M ago54:36

54:36

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! So you guys know I love dictators. And you ended up *LOVING* the Caesar episode… So it made me wonder what other, *older* dictators were out there who I assumed were boring but actually had these scandalous lives. And that’s when I found out about a certain emperor we’re gonna talk about today. Not only did he mass murd…

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130 SPECIAL - The Flintstone Kids 'Just Say No' 1:14:55

6M ago1:14:55

1:14:55

Send us a text Back in the 1980s, everyone, and I mean everyone, was trying to spread one simple message: Drugs Are Bad! There were a ton of PSAs telling kids to leave narcotics alone. Celebrities said to stay clean, and networks invested in one off specials to keep kids from taking one toke over the line. Or any tokes for that matter. Here now is …

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Record of Lodoss War (Madhouse Inc, 1990) 59:40

6M ago59:40

59:40

Unbeknownst to a much younger James, Western sword and sorcery tropes, motifs were a big deal in gaming in 1980s Japan, and from that wellspring would arise one of the most enduring fantasy franchises in that nation. Record of Lodoss War has it all: goblins, dragons, wizards, thieves, and leggy Elvish women that a young Pemmy fell in love with. So …

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173: Stripper Wars: Chippendales’ Glamour, Greed & MURDER?! 50:42

6M ago50:42

50:42

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! For some reason, female nudity feels *way* more common than male nudity. In pop culture at least, we’re way more used to seeing women being naked and sexualized. Think how many times you see titties on tv. And then think about how everyone loses their minds when there’s a penis on HBO or White Lotus. It’s rare! Back in …

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172: Earthquakes: From Human Sacrifice to Nuclear Disaster… Is the Big One Coming?? 56:15

7M ago56:15

56:15

Hi friends, happy Wednesday! Do you guys remember earthquake drills? I grew up in California… So earthquake drills were just part of my life growing up. It seemed like we did earthquake drills nonstop. And despite that, I can never seem to remember what to do during an earthquake. Like, do I go to a doorway? Do I hide under a desk? Do I stop, drop,…

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129 SPECIAL - Drugs R Bad 52:04

7M ago52:04

52:04

Send us a text Back in the 1980s, there was a problem: Drugs! There was an effort to shelter the kids from the threat. There was an effort to equip them against peer pressure. Here now are the Top Ten Anti-Drug PSAs from the 80s. See how many you remember, and thanks for 'tooning in.By Christopher Jay