Sofa King Podcast

On this episode of the World Famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about a strange bit of true crime, the case of Dr. Quincy Fortier. He was a fertility expert for four decades, and he’s known to have impregnated at least 26 women with his own sperm. Aside from dozens of unwitting children across the nation, he also molested his own children, even impregnating one with his own sperm! This monster died before any strong legal action could be brought his way, but he impacted so many lives He started as a Norman Rockwell type Americana doctor. He took interest in medicine watching the cows give birth back home on the farm, got into medicine, and then served as a field surgeon in World War Two, making it all the way to the rank of Colonel. Once back in the states, he opened his own women’s hospital, and that’s where the dirty deeds were done. One by one, he would impregnate women with his own sperm, instead of random sperm from donors. In some cases, he was supposed to use the husband’s sperm but used his own instead, and in the case of his own daughter, he impregnated her during a medical examination. His evils came to light in the film Baby God, which follows a woman named Wendy Babst. She bought herself a home DNA kit as a retirement present when she stepped down from being a police detective. What she learned changed her world, and the film maker Hannah Olson followed her investigation and journey. Listen, laugh, learn Visit Our Sources: HBOmax: Documentary, Baby God https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/12/01/hbo-fertility-doctor-fortier-babygod-documentary/ https://www.oxygen.com/true-crime-buzz/dr-quincy-fortier-of-baby-god-also-accused-of-molesting-his-kids https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a34814705/baby-god-hbo-dr-quincy-fortier-nevada-law/ https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/dec/01/baby-god-dna-testing-fertility-fraud-quincy-fortier-nevada https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/quincy-fortier-obituary?pid=142068964

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we get our Golden Girls on and talk about the life of the one and only Betty White. While most of you known her from her role as Rose on that smash hit show, some may know her from her life in game shows or any of the endless rolls and Emmys afterward. She is the oldest person to host Saturday Night Live (was 88 at the time), and she was pioneer for both women and black actors in Hollywood. She started off wanting to be a forest ranger. Why? She loves animals and the outdoors. But turns out, back in the day, women couldn’t be rangers. So, she set her sights on acting and entertainment. After a bit of a dis, some movie execs told her she didn’t have the looks for film, so she started in Radio. She took off, landing lots of local jobs in LA, then a local TV show in LA, and then finally a national show on NBC called Life With Elizabeth. In her role as head of the show, she pissed off the south by insisting a black actor stay in the show, even though it may be what got the show cancelled. Good for her. She spent years doing game shows, most notably the Password and Matchgame. She in fact met her one true love, Allen Ludden the host of Password and married him. From there, she did numerous shows and guest spots, finally making it to Mama’s Family, a sitcom that was successful enough to make them want to cast her on Golden Girls. She was a breakout hit in that show, earning an Emmy for best actress in the first season and getting nominated every other season of the show (The first time that has happened). So, who was she supposed to play on Golden Girls originally? How old is she now? How did social media land her on SNL? How old was she when she finally became a forest ranger? Listen, laugh, learn. Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/actor/betty-white https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_White https://www.pbs.org/wnet/pioneers-of-television/pioneering-people/betty-white/ https://people.com/tv/betty-white-preps-for-99th-birthday-and-says-a-sense-of-humor-keeps-her-forever-young/ https://apnews.com/article/mary-tyler-moore-sandra-bullock-betty-white-fecd6ed6db7f9f82c5fcc4d587084d68 https://www.insider.com/betty-white-facts-career-2019-1

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we do a somewhat unique show and do a deep dive on the Netflix documentary called The Social Dilemma. What exactly is the dilemma? Well, for one it’s privacy and the way that apps like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and all the rest use our data and manipulate us. Worse, however, is the ability to the platforms to isolate us in ocean of our own making, where our own politics, fears, prejudices, and hopes are the only thing we see. These apps distort our world view to the point where there is no more truth, just bias and a divide that keeps putting a wedge between us more and more. We talk about the three main goal of the apps—engagement, growth, and advertising. The algorithms used by these companies are far more sophisticated that we could dream, and even the creators no longer have control of what their AIs do or how they do it. More to the point, the social media apps are leading us to a dystopia where we all hate each other and only see one narrow world view. If you’ve wondered why politics have moved from divisive to destructive, this episode talks about why that is. So, what tricks to the social media apps use to get your attention and hold it? What can be done to stop them? What effect has this had on teenage mental health? What is the real commodity that is being sold by the likes of Facebook and Google? What can you do to stop yourself from being used? Listen, laugh, learn. Visit Our Sources: Netflix Documentary, The Social Dilemma

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we talk one of the all-time legends of the music industry, the one and only Quincy Jones. He wasn’t just a music prodigy, he understood the business in a way nobody else ever has. He worked with some of the greatest of all time, from Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles to Dizzy Gillespie and Elvis Presley. He created the sound of Michael Jackson’s three biggest albums, and has won a whopping 28 Grammy awards. He created The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Mad TV, and worked on film with greats like Steven Spielberg. But he started with humble beginnings in Chicago. After his mother went insane, his father moved to Seattle, and he started to learn music. At 14, he met a young Ray Charles, and they broke into the music world together. He got into a prestigious music school and then transferred to another one, but ultimately left, so he could tour with legendary Lionel Hampton’s big band. From there, he met and worked with bigger and bigger stars until he was hired by Mercury records to create his own albums and produce others. Then, the film and tv started. He got his foot in the door doing scores for films, and has now done over 50 films. He produced the class film The Wiz and then did so again with The Color Purple. He created “We are the World,” the Montreux Jazz Festival, got Miles Davis to come out of retirement, and spends a lot of time and money helping the world in general. So even though, you may not know the accomplishments of this amazing man, you’ve certainly listened to them without even knowing it. Give this episode a download, and you’ll learn the secrets of the man behind everyone else’s success.   Visit our Sources: https://www.famousfix.com/topic/quincy-jones/dating https://www.biography.com/musician/quincy-jones https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quincy_Jones https://www.quincyjones.com/ https://www.vulture.com/2018/02/quincy-jones-in-conversation.html https://www.cnn.com/2014/06/12/showbiz/quincy-jones-fast-facts/index.html#:~:text=Jones%20has%2080%20Grammy%20Award,television%20shows%2C%20documentaries%20and%20shorts. pbs.org/black-culture/explore/renaissance-man-quincy-jones/ https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-businessmen/producers/quincy-jones-net-worth/#:~:text=Quincy%20Jones%20Net%20Worth%3A%20Quincy,net%20worth%20of%20%24500%20million. https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/quincy-jones-claims-he-used-to-date-ivanka-trump/

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we look back at a little known group from World War Two called the Night Witches. Known as the 588th Night Bomber Regimen, this all female group of Soviet pilots were such a terror to the Nazis that any German who could shoot one down would instantly receive their prestigious Iron Cross medal. Over the course of the war, they flew around 30,000 missions. They were the most decorated unit in the entire Soviet air force. Their story is a very interesting one. At first, women couldn’t serve in the Soviet air force, but a woman named Major Marina Raskova (The Russian Amelia Earhart) convinced Stalin to let it happen. He signed in three women regiments, including the 588th. Ironically, the biggest difficulty they faced was also the biggest part of their legacy and infamy. They flew the worst planes. They were given old plywood biplanes meant for crop dusting. They had no armor, no radio, no parachute, no light. However, they were so old and slow, that they flew under the stall out speed for all German aircraft. Also, they were too small and light to be picked up on radar. Once over a target, they’d cut their engines and drift until over their target and drop their bombs. This is what made the Nazis call them the Night Witches. All they’d hear on the ground was the whoosh of what they said was a witches' broom and the cackle of the pilot's laughter before the explosions started. So, how many of these women were there? How many died in combat? How many missions would they fly in one night? Why does one historian think they are crazy? Why didn’t the Soviets include them in the victory parade at the end of the war? Listen, laugh, learn.     Visit Our Sources: https://www.history.com/news/meet-the-night-witches-the-daring-female-pilots-who-bombed-nazis-by-night https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Witches https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/03/01/fierce-feared-female-wwii-pilots-known-night-witches/ https://www.wrightmuseum.org/2020/10/01/the-soviet-night-witches/ https://allthatsinteresting.com/night-witches-ww2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A88qXWtP6Sc https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irina_Sebrova

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we look at the one and only kings of rock, the immortal Run-DMC. Composed of DJ Run (Joseph Simmons), DMC (Darryl McDaniels), Jam Master Jay (Jason Mizzel), this trio set the world of Hip Hop on fire and managed to take it from streets and dance clubs to the entire world. Without Run-DMC, Russel Simmons, and their unique take on style and marketing, the rap world would be an entirely different place. The three of them met each other as teens in Hollis, Queens, New York. When Run was only 17, he worked with the legendary Kurtis Blow thanks to his promoter/producer brother Russel Simmons. Eventually, Run, DMC, and JMJ wanted to record together, but it took them some convincing to get Russel on board. He changed their name to Run-DMC, insisted they keep a street looking style, and the rest was rap history. They started release hit after hit, becoming the first rap albums to make national attention and even get played on MTV. They had a lucrative deal with Adidas since that was their signature style. They were part of the recording and touring stable of Def Jam records along with LL Cool J, the Beastie Boys, and the Fat Boys. They starred in movies, rejuvenated the career of Aerosmith, and merged rock and rap in ways nobody had done sense. So why did they break up? What made Run change his stage name? What helped cure DMC of his years long depression? Why did they team up with the unlikely Aerosmith? Why was Jam Master Jay Murdered? Did it have to do with a 50 Cent beef or a massive drug deal? Listen, laugh, learn.   Visit our Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Run-DMC https://www.rundmc.com/ https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/run-d-m-c/ http://www.oldschoolhiphop.com/artists/emcees/rundmc.htm https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/6296910/how-run-dmc-changed-rap-game-in-1984 https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102675250 https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/02/aerosmith-run-dmc-and-story-behind-walk-way/582220/ https://www.npr.org/2020/08/17/903335189/two-men-charged-in-cold-case-murder-of-jam-master-jay https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jam_Master_Jay https://www.songfacts.com/facts/run-dmc  

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we go back in time and look at two of the most famous train robbers and desperadoes from Cowboy Days, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. These two are linked through all of U.S. history, but they were really part of a much larger game called The Wild Bunch (and weren’t even that good of friends). The Wild Bunch led the most successful career of train robbery in the American West, and some scholars say they were only brought down by the hiring of the Pinkerton Detective Agency. Butch Cassidy was born Robert Parker, but took his name from a mentor he met, who probably taught him how to steal and sell cattle and how to shoot a gun. Cassidy frowned upon violence, ironically, and boasted to have never killed a man. The other famous member of the gang was The Sundance Kid, aka Alonzo Longabaugh. Both of these men did various crimes from petty to preposterous and eventually joined forces in the Wild Bunch. They were joined by a cast of characters with amazing names: “Elzy Lay", The "Tall Texan", Kid Curry, News Carver, Deaf Charley Hanks, and Flat-Nose Curry. Men and women were part of the Wild Bunch. They gained fame across the nation for their gonzo train robberies and a little bit of a Robin Hood complex. So, what forced the surviving members to head south of the border? How did these wild characters die as the gang shrank? Did Butch and Sundance really go down in a blaze of glory in Bolivia? How much were their heists worth? What year did the oldest member of the Wild Bunch finally die? Listen, laugh, learn.   Visit our Sources: https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/butch-cassidy https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/sundance-kid https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butch_Cassidy https://www.history.com/news/6-things-you-might-not-know-about-butch-cassidy https://www.history.com/news/butch-cassidy-sundance-kid-robberies-death https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundance_Kid https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butch_Cassidy%27s_Wild_Bunch https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/78459/8-fascinating-facts-about-butch-cassidy

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about one of the strongest cases of UFO sightings, the Ariel School Encounter in Zimbabwe. What makes this one such a good case? For one, it was in a rural area, and it had over 60 witnesses. They were in such a remote location, they were not subjected to bias from mass media and popular culture, and they came from different ethnicities and religious backgrounds. What did they see? Well, common story is that several glowing silver orbs in the sky were flashing red lights. They lowered, and then two beings came out and bounced from the earth as if they were humans walking on the moon. They were riffs on a Gray Alien, almond eyes, short, thin bodies, but these had long flowing black hair. Once they were near the children, they looked at them with “evil eyes” and apparently sent a message to their brains. We are destroying the planet, and we need to stop. An African Ufologist named Cindy Hind was there the next day to investigate and reached out to a man named John E Mack. Mack was a psychiatrist from the Harvard Medical school and Pulitzer Prize winning author. It doesn’t get better than that for a UFO investigation with repute. He and his partner interviewed the children, filmed it, and sort of became UFO rock stars. So how did Mack’s academic colleagues greet this new line of UFO work? Why was he in Africa in the first place? Why were there no teachers out there? Could this have been mass hysteria, and why does one investigator think not? What is up with Randal Nickerson and his documentary using the original footage shot by Dominique Callimanopulos? How did Mack Die? Where are the students now? Listen, laugh, learn.   Visit Our Sources: https://www.afrikaiswoke.com/ufo-incident-in-zimbabwe-ariel-school/ https://mg.co.za/article/2014-09-04-remembering-zimbabwes-great-alien-invasion/ https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/05/americans-alien-abduction-science?verso=true https://new-cryptozoology.fandom.com/wiki/Ariel_School_Aliens https://www.news24.com/witness/archive/The-day-the-aliens-landed-20150430 https://www.bostonherald.com/2009/05/31/film-takes-closer-look-at-african-ufo-sighting/ https://mysticsciences.com/2018/03/04/the-mass-ufo-encounter-of-ariel-school/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3588562/ https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/77o49s/i_am_randall_nickerson_director_of_doc_on_ariel/ https://youtu.be/c5L6r6AazkU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5L6r6AazkU&list=PLhsvo3kvN2K7YAOyBAlWaikpzV1s-3Ypc&index=25  

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we talk about one of the most revealing figures of World War Two, Anne Frank. Born to a Jewish family in 1929, her story perfectly captures the plight and flight of Jews as they tried to avoid the pure evil of the Third Reich. Though her father fought for Germany in WWI, they had to go in hiding to save themselves. During their two year stay in what came to be called the Secret Annex, Anne kept her world famous diary. It shows the mind of a very bright young woman, and it captures the fear, dread, and hope that people felt during World War Two. Who all was in the Annex with Anne Frank? What types of things did she put in the diary? What things did her father not allow to be published? What type of friction was there as Anne fell in love with Peter Van Pels, leaving her older sister out of the loop? What happened to Anne and the others? Who survived and who died? Listen, laugh, learn.   Visit Our Sources: https://www.biography.com/activist/anne-frank https://www.annefrank.org/en/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Frank https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/anne-frank-1

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we explore the meteoric rise, scandal, and fame of the one and only Hulk Hogan. Born Terry Bollea, this six foot seven inch monster became synonymous with wrestling for several decades. It is said that nobody ever sold as many tickets to a wrestling match as Hulk Hogan. Starting in humble beginnings, Bollea was a big guy who bragged about becoming a wrestler—so much so that on day one of his training, they broke his leg on purpose and sent him home. But this didn’t stop him. For the better part of a decade, he traveled to different wrestling territories. Eventually, he ended up in New York working for Vince McMahon Sr., and this is where he got the name Hulk Hogan and started to get real fame. However, he was fired for his work in Rocky III and went elsewhere. Eventually, the WWF was bought by Vince Jr, and he instantly hired Hogan as the most popular wrestler in America. Together, they broke all the rules and lit wrestling on fire. They conquered every territory and told amazing stories in the ring. So, what happened between him and Macho Man involving his wife? Why did Hulk Hogan get fired from the WWE, even when he was on top of the world? What happened with the sex tape of him? What’s the story with him and the Andre The Giant body slam? Who tried to pay the Iron Sheik $100,000 to break Hogan’s leg? Listen, laugh, learn. Visit our Sources: The Stone Cold Steve Austin Show: SAS Classic, Hulk Hogan https://www.biography.com/personality/hulk-hogan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hulk_Hogan https://playersbio.com/hulk-hogan/ https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/hulk-hogan-1654.php https://prowrestling.fandom.com/wiki/Hulk_Hogan https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/hulk-hogan-gets-115m-verdict-876768 https://www.factinate.com/people/24-smashing-facts-hulk-hogan/ https://www.thethings.com/things-no-one-knows-about-hulk-hogan/    

I will just leave this right here. Merry Christmas.

This holiday season has hit us with some unexpected time restraints as we are visiting and spending quality time with our families.  We hope all of you are healthy and doing well in this joyous season.  Please excuse our absence as we will be back next week on our normal schedule, well as normal as we three can be. On this very merry episode of The Sofa King Podcast, we discuss Christmas. But it wouldn’t be us if we didn’t dig back the layers and come to some strange and ugly truths about the holiday that is associated with the birth of Jesus Christ. You may think this topic is a no brainer (a recent Pew Poll showed that 65% of Americans believe the Christmas story to be true), but be prepared to learn some odd truths about this beloved holiday. For one thing, the origins of the holiday and how it is celebrated date back to ancient pagan rites and were only adopted by the Catholic Church as a way to lure pagans to church membership. That’s right: gingerbread cookies, the Yule Log, a Christmas ham, Christmas trees, all of it tie back to Germanic and Norse pagans and were part of a celebration of fertility and reverence for the dead. Also, we look at Santa Claus, the truth of the real man named Saint Nicholas of Parara, how his bones were stolen by sailors and moved to start the Cult of Nicholas in the 11th century, and how Siberian shamen tripping on amanita muscaria mushrooms may be the birth of the red-suited reindeer part of the myth. You may have also heard about Krampus, Zwarte Pete, and the ancient feast of Saturnalia, but we talk about some crazy facts that you might not believe. Lastly, we discuss the birth of Jesus and the Nativity itself (something that Pope Benedict XVI largely even denounced when he was the head of the church a few years ago). So, be prepared to get your Christmas bubble burst and learn how you are actually a pagan, how Santa was an anti-Semite, and how gingerbread cookies are a way to symbolically eat human flesh to venerate the dead.

This holiday season has hit us with some unexpected time restraints as we are visiting and spending quality time with our families. We hope all of you are healthy and doing well in this joyous season. Please excuse our absence as we will be back next week on our normal schedule, well as normal as we three can be. Hello and welcome to Brewing The 99 where we talk about all facets of the Magic: the Gathering’s Commander format. This episode we are giving you some ideas on how to play webmander, online live commander games.  We will also be answering a no stupid questions question asked by one of patrons.  And we bring you another week of hot picks.  Lastly, we break down our successes and failures collecting for Commander, so you can learn from our mistakes, and start your collection off right.  We hope you stick around for the show and we also hope you take something away from it as well. Follow us on Twitter! @Brewingthe99 Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brewingthe99/ Follow us on Instagram: @brewingthe99 Email us: brewingthe99@gmail.com Visit our website: http://www.brewingthe99.com We are a member of the Podbelly Podcast Network (https://instagram.com/podbelly/).  Check out our show and other great podcasts on the network by going to http://www.podbelly.com Commander/EDH Official Rules, Ban list, FAQ, and more: https://mtgcommander.net

This holiday season has hit us with some unexpected time restraints as we are visiting and spending quality time with our families. We hope all of you are healthy and doing well in this joyous season. Please excuse our absence as we will be back next week on our normal schedule, well as normal as we three can be. The old man lingered in the liminal place that presaged sleep, that space where reality had variable density and fluctuating tactile strength. Moments of clarity, of skies with a blue so sharp they caused him to ache, were interspersed with vagaries, memories, haunting scars and echoes of the psyche in which he was intruding. This episode of Mindframe is a Prelude of the whole story. It introduces you to some of the major characters as seen through the eyes of a very interesting “Old Man” who doesn’t have the best grip on reality. He travels from place to place and time to time, checking in on people who he knows. It may be trippy and seem innocent, but the key themes (such as WorldGov and the World Navy) and the most important characters are introduced in this dream like fugue state episode. Go along for the ride on this episode. And remember. The Lariat is closing…

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about a true-crime story. It is a case that feels like the plot of the next Grand Theft Auto game. The first character is a Ukrainian mobster named Tarzan who owns a strip club called Porky’s (named after the classic 80’s movie) and who used to be an enforcer for the Gambino crime family. Additionally, the second character is an elite car and power boat salesman/thief/grifter from Miami who starts to sell black market military equipment from Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union. The third character? A member of the Cali Drug Cartel named, who is considered violent even among cartel members. What do they have in common? Well, for one, the rapper Vanilla Ice. Next, they love to make money and do illegal things. Additionally, they are pretty awesome. They try everything from selling Russian military helicopters to impersonating Pablo Escobar to trying to buy a Soviet era submarine to sell 40 tons of cocaine per trip. The characters are unbelievable. The story even more so! Visit Our Sources: https://www.wsj.com/articles/operation-odessa-review-soviets-subs-and-lots-of-cocaine-1522358096 https://www.thedailybeast.com/strippers-cocaine-and-murder-the-crazy-true-story-of-two-crooks-pursuit-of-a-soviet-submarine https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tiller-russell-operation-odessa-chasing-down-ludwig-fainberg-juan-almeida-nelson-yester-operation-odessa/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Fainberg https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/operation-odessa-how-a-russian-mobster-tried-to-sell-a-russian-sub-to-coke-smugglers-10218893 Film: Operation Odessa.