Bug in a Rug

Ep. 99 Extraordinarily Risky Vacation Destinations

We've narrowed down our vacation destinations to these three based on ability to social distance, sheer danger, and what will look best on our Christmas cards. Help us choose between weird boulders, a pit of fire, and a deadly stream!
 
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Sources:
Trovants, the living stones of Romania: They grow, multiply and move! | MRU MEDIA (mysteriesrunsolved.com)
Trovants: The Growing Stones of Romania (whenonearth.net)
‘Living Stones’ in Romania: Grows and Can Move, Breathe and Reproduce (anomalien.com)
Carbonate chemistry — Science Learning Hub
Darvaza gas crater - Wikipedia
The Gates of Hell – Turkmenistan - Atlas Obscura
The Gates of Hell in Derweze, Turkmenistan (thoughtco.com)
The Real 'Gates of Hell' Haven't Stopped Burning For 46 Years (inverse.com)
Turkmenistan hopes 'Door to Hell' will boost tourism | CTV News
The Bolton Strid: The Most Dangerous River In The World? - WorldAtlas
Bolton Strid: A Stream That Swallows People | Amusing Planet
Birthday boy, 8, dies in beauty-spot river tragedy | Bradford Telegraph and Argus (thetelegraphandargus.co.uk)
The Strid - extremely dangerous | At its narrowest point the… | Flickr
How many have died in the Bolton strid? – Restaurantnorman.com

Ep. 98 Jessica Renee Johnson

Jessica Renee Johnson's death looked staged to everyone except local law enforcement who quickly ruled it a suicide. We share her story in hopes that her family will one day find the answers they are looking for. 
 
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Sources:
https://truecrimedaily.com/2017/10/18/suicide-or-murder-what-happened-to-jessica-johnson/
https://dreamindemon.com/community/threads/police-say-jessica-johnson-hanged-herself-from-a-38-inch-tall-mailbox-post-found-by-mailman.90239/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mississippi-woman-found-hanging-from-mailbox_n_596f4821e4b0000eb19742ae
Jessica Renee Johnson - Chilling Crimes
https://www.wmcactionnews5.com/story/35958382/tuesday-10-how-did-jessica-really-die/
Murder or Suicide? The Baffling Case of Jessica Renee Johnson

Ep. 97 Yōkai II

This week we revisit the spooky subject of Yōkai while misquoting a famous movie franchise!
 
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Sources:
@momento.mari on TikTok
Aka manto | Yokai.com
Aka Manto - Wikipedia
Kuchisake onna | Yokai.com
Kuchisake-onna - Wikipedia
Kuchisake-onna | Monster Wiki | Fandom
Ao andon | Yokai.com
Yōkai Types | Yokainosekai Wiki | Fandom
5 Yokai to Run Away From Really Fast (+1 Friendly Yokai) - Voyagin Blog (govoyagin.com)

Ep. 96 Kelpies

If a horse or handsome stranger approaches you near a body of water and their hair is wet, BEWARE! There is a chance that a kelpie is about to drag you to a watery grave. 
 
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Sources:
http://ynysseamaiderp.blogspot.com/p/merrows.html
https://www.scotclans.com/scotland/scottish-myths/scottish-monsters/kelpie/
https://clan.com/blog/folklore-friday-the-kelpie
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43797/address-to-the-devil
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelpie

Ep. 95 Sylvestre "Train Wrecker" Matuschka

We try not to kink shame as we discuss serial train-wrecker Sylvestre Matuschka, a potential symphorophiliac.
 
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Sources:
Szilveszter Matuska - Wikipedia
An Obsessive Disaster Fetish Turned This Man Into a Crazed Mass Murderer (gizmodo.com)
Biography: Sylvestre Matuschka (archive.is)
The Train Bomber: How a '30s Crime Spree Seized Europe | Medium
Lard – Sylvestre Matuschka Lyrics | Genius Lyrics
performan.org || Sylvester Matuschka

Ep. 94 The Cadaver Synod

A pope walks into a courtroom as the defendant. Except... he doesn't walk. He is carried because he is a skeleton. They put a dead pope's skeleton on trial in 897 AD. 
 
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Sources:
https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-events/dead-pope-put-on-trial.htm
https://daily.jstor.org/the-cadaver-synod-putting-a-dead-pope-on-trial/
Conclave: How cardinals elect a Pope - BBC News
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posthumous_trial
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Verdun
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Boniface_VI

Ep. 93 The Richmond TV Fairy

The TV Fairy didn't require payments or sacrifices of teeth to leave unsuspecting neighbors old television sets on their porches. A master of secret identity and an unsolved mystery still loom over Richmond, Virginia. 
 
Twitter and Instagram - @biarpodcast
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Sources:
‘TV man’ mysteriously leaves old television sets at Virginia homes | Fox News
The Richmond TV Fairy: Virginia's Strangest Criminal Case | Weapons Grade Viral Media
More than 20 vintage TVs left on Henrico front porches: ‘It’s so weird’ (wtvr.com)
Police believe they know the identity of the masked man leaving vintage TVs on doorsteps (wtvr.com)
Who Was The Richmond TV Vigilante - The Truth - YouTube
TV Head Man Leaves 52 Old TVs on Doorsteps. WHY? - Weekly Weird News - YouTube
Who Is the Virginia TV Man? - YouTube
fanblog for the richmond virginia tv head man (tumblr.com)

Ep. 92 The Disappearance of Prime Minister Harold Holt

Australia's Prime Minister, Harold Holt, claimed to know the Cheviot Beach like the back of his hand just moments before he disappeared from its shore. 
 
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Sources:
https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2013/03/australias-dangerous-animals-the-top-30/
https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/House_of_Representatives/Powers_practice_and_procedure/00_-_Infosheets/Infosheet_20_-_The_Australian_system_of_government
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Harold-Edward-Holt
https://www.cnn.com/2017/12/16/asia/australia-harold-holt-missing-anniversary-intl/index.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L--ZgqX4o4

Ep. 91 The Murder of Amanda Milan

The tragic loss of Amanda Milan on June 20th, 2000 sparked outrage amongst the LGBTQ+ community. Her death shown further light on the inequalities and biases that the community faced and became a stepping stone for protective legislation.
 
Twitter and Instagram - @biarpodcast
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Sources:
Murder of Amanda Milan - Wikipedia
Amanda Milan | LGBT Info | Fandom (wikia.org)
The crying game | Salon.com
MAN GUILTY IN SLAYING OF TRANSSEXUAL (nypost.com)
Watershed of Mourning At the Border of Gender - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
TransGriot: Amanda Milan Anniversary
Metro Briefing - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Remembering Our Dead - Amanda Milan (18 Jun 2000) (translivesmatter.info)
UCR Publications — FBI
New FBI Hate Crimes Report Shows Increases in Anti-LGBTQ Attacks - HRC
LGBT Rights | New York State Attorney General (ny.gov)

Ep. 90 Karl Schmidt Got Bit

Karl P. Schmidt dedicated his entire life to the study of herpetology. Some people go out with a bang. Unfortunately, he went out with a bite.
 
Twitter and Instagram - @biarpodcast
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Sources:
https://www.reptilesmagazine.com/the-death-diary-of-noted-herpetologist-dr-karl-schmidt/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Patterson_Schmidt
https://www.pri.org/stories/2015-11-10/he-documented-his-own-death-snakebite-instead-going-hospital
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/snakes/symptoms.html
https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-snake-bites/basics/art-20056681
https://agriculture.wv.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Common-Snakes-of-WV.pdf#:~:text=The%20timber%20rattlesnake%20and%20copperhead,vipers%2C%20which%20also%20includes%20cottonmouths.
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/snakes/symptoms.html
https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-snake-bites/basics/art-20056681
https://agriculture.wv.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Common-Snakes-of-WV.pdf#:~:text=The%20timber%20rattlesnake%20and%20copperhead,vipers%2C%20which%20also%20includes%20cottonmouths.