https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/real-life-survival-stories--7294778
Each story follows the sequence of events that turned an ordinary situation into a fight to stay alive. What warning signs were missed? Which decisions improved the chances of survival? How did weather, terrain, injuries, limited resources, or communication failures shape the outcome? The focus stays on the real circumstances of each ordeal and the practical choices people made as conditions became more dangerous.

What to Expect on Real Life: Survival Stories:

Immersive Survival Narratives: Follow real-life survival experiences from the first signs of danger through the critical moments that determined the outcome.

Critical Decisions: Examine the choices, mistakes, environmental conditions, and unexpected developments that can separate rescue from tragedy.

Human Endurance: Discover how people respond when exhaustion, fear, isolation, and limited resources push them beyond what they thought they could withstand.

Survival stories are ultimately about more than escaping danger. They reveal the consequences of preparation, instinct, resilience, and decisions made when there is little time and even less certainty. Behind every rescue or escape is a sequence of moments where circumstances could have ended very differently.

Follow Real Life: Survival Stories and enable notifications so you never miss the next remarkable account of survival.

Topics Covered: real life survival stories, survival stories, wilderness survival, disaster survival, rescue stories, extreme survival, survival at sea, lost and stranded stories, accident survival, human endurance, emergency survival, life or death stories]]>enHistoryCopyright OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENThttps://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/dcbed7725a1d39e253a9fbbd5b7f8649.jpghttps://www.spreaker.com/podcast/real-life-survival-stories--7294778Sun, 25 Oct 2026 08:03:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTOBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTcreators@obomedia.comWhen everything goes wrong, survival can depend on a single decision made under impossible pressure. Real Life: Survival Stories explores extraordinary accounts of people who faced disasters, accidents, isolation, extreme environments, and...
Each story follows the sequence of events that turned an ordinary situation into a fight to stay alive. What warning signs were missed? Which decisions improved the chances of survival? How did weather, terrain, injuries, limited resources, or communication failures shape the outcome? The focus stays on the real circumstances of each ordeal and the practical choices people made as conditions became more dangerous.

What to Expect on Real Life: Survival Stories:

Immersive Survival Narratives: Follow real-life survival experiences from the first signs of danger through the critical moments that determined the outcome.

Critical Decisions: Examine the choices, mistakes, environmental conditions, and unexpected developments that can separate rescue from tragedy.

Human Endurance: Discover how people respond when exhaustion, fear, isolation, and limited resources push them beyond what they thought they could withstand.

Survival stories are ultimately about more than escaping danger. They reveal the consequences of preparation, instinct, resilience, and decisions made when there is little time and even less certainty. Behind every rescue or escape is a sequence of moments where circumstances could have ended very differently.

Follow Real Life: Survival Stories and enable notifications so you never miss the next remarkable account of survival.

Topics Covered: real life survival stories, survival stories, wilderness survival, disaster survival, rescue stories, extreme survival, survival at sea, lost and stranded stories, accident survival, human endurance, emergency survival, life or death stories]]>falsed993a6b0-a270-5c55-aeab-b49550331e2cepisodichttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/five-seconds-to-decide-parent-or-something-else--74843111
Five Seconds to Decide: Parent or Something Else?

This episode recounts the harrowing events of a summer dance workshop where a quick decision saved lives. It explores the critical moments and the background of a perpetrator who had been on the radar of authorities.

Date: July 29, 2024
Location: 34A Hart Street, Southport
Event: Taylor Swift dance workshop
Perpetrator: Axel Muganwa Rudakubana
Victim: Leanne Lucas (initial encounter)

- Twenty-six children, aged six to eleven, were attending a sold-out Taylor Swift dance workshop.
- A young man arrived by taxi, gave a false name, and did not pay the fare.
- He was wearing a green hoodie and a surgical mask, and carried a 20-centimetre chef's knife.
- Leanne Lucas initially assumed he was there to collect a child when he walked through the unlocked front door.
- Axel Muganwa Rudakubana had been referred to the UK's counter-extremism program three times in under two years, but was not accepted each time.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843111Mon, 26 Oct 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA woman has five seconds to decide if the stranger at her door is a parent or something else entirely. What do you choose? Five Seconds to Decide: Parent or Something Else? This episode recounts the harrowing events of a summer dance workshop...
Five Seconds to Decide: Parent or Something Else?

This episode recounts the harrowing events of a summer dance workshop where a quick decision saved lives. It explores the critical moments and the background of a perpetrator who had been on the radar of authorities.

Date: July 29, 2024
Location: 34A Hart Street, Southport
Event: Taylor Swift dance workshop
Perpetrator: Axel Muganwa Rudakubana
Victim: Leanne Lucas (initial encounter)

- Twenty-six children, aged six to eleven, were attending a sold-out Taylor Swift dance workshop.
- A young man arrived by taxi, gave a false name, and did not pay the fare.
- He was wearing a green hoodie and a surgical mask, and carried a 20-centimetre chef's knife.
- Leanne Lucas initially assumed he was there to collect a child when he walked through the unlocked front door.
- Axel Muganwa Rudakubana had been referred to the UK's counter-extremism program three times in under two years, but was not accepted each time.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>827falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-wrote-from-a-prison-camp-and-america-finally-read--74843109
She Wrote From a Prison Camp - And America Finally Read

In this episode, we follow Hisaye Yamamoto from a childhood split between Japanese and English into wartime confinement and literary persistence. The episode traces how she kept writing inside Poston, the choices she made about names and stories, and what those decisions reveal about identity and art.

Person: Hisaye Yamamoto
Date: born 1921
Location: Poston incarceration camp, Arizona
Event: Pearl Harbor forced removal and wartime incarceration
Publication: first story under her own name, "The High-Heeled Shoes," 1948

- At fourteen she adopted the pen name Napoleon and published stories while living in California.
- After Pearl Harbor she was sent to Poston camp where she wrote for and edited the Poston Chronicle.
- She drafted a detective novel, "Death Rides the Rails to Poston," while still confined; it remained unpublished for decades.
- Her brother Jemo enlisted in the U.S. Army, fought in Europe, and died in Italy at age twenty-two.
- Her first story published under her real name appeared in Partisan Review in 1948 and was noted for its precise, controlled voice.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843109Sun, 25 Oct 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA fourteen-year-old Japanese American in an Arizona prison camp writes fiction under the name Napoleon, risking everything to be read. She Wrote From a Prison Camp - And America Finally Read In this episode, we follow Hisaye Yamamoto from a...
She Wrote From a Prison Camp - And America Finally Read

In this episode, we follow Hisaye Yamamoto from a childhood split between Japanese and English into wartime confinement and literary persistence. The episode traces how she kept writing inside Poston, the choices she made about names and stories, and what those decisions reveal about identity and art.

Person: Hisaye Yamamoto
Date: born 1921
Location: Poston incarceration camp, Arizona
Event: Pearl Harbor forced removal and wartime incarceration
Publication: first story under her own name, "The High-Heeled Shoes," 1948

- At fourteen she adopted the pen name Napoleon and published stories while living in California.
- After Pearl Harbor she was sent to Poston camp where she wrote for and edited the Poston Chronicle.
- She drafted a detective novel, "Death Rides the Rails to Poston," while still confined; it remained unpublished for decades.
- Her brother Jemo enlisted in the U.S. Army, fought in Europe, and died in Italy at age twenty-two.
- Her first story published under her real name appeared in Partisan Review in 1948 and was noted for its precise, controlled voice.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>848falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/an-executive-order-changed-your-publication-date--74843106
An executive order changed your publication date

This episode tells the story of Toshio Mori, a nurseryman and writer whose book, Yokohama, California, faced an uncertain future after the attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent internment of Japanese Americans. It explores the resilience required to continue creating when the world seems unready for your voice.

Person: Toshio Mori
Date: 1941
Location: Oakland, California
Event: Japanese American internment
Author: William Saroyan

- Toshio Mori, a nurseryman, wrote stories about Japanese American life, earning praise from celebrated authors.
- His collection of short stories, Yokohama, California, was accepted for publication with an introduction by William Saroyan.
- Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forced removal of Japanese Americans.
- Mori and his family were sent to the Topaz War Relocation Center in the Utah desert.
- Despite the harsh conditions of the internment camp, Mori continued to write, completing a novel titled Send These the Homeless.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843106Sat, 24 Oct 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA Japanese American writer’s debut novel is accepted, then an executive order upends his life. What would you do if your life's work was suddenly put on hold? An executive order changed your publication date This episode tells the story of...
An executive order changed your publication date

This episode tells the story of Toshio Mori, a nurseryman and writer whose book, Yokohama, California, faced an uncertain future after the attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent internment of Japanese Americans. It explores the resilience required to continue creating when the world seems unready for your voice.

Person: Toshio Mori
Date: 1941
Location: Oakland, California
Event: Japanese American internment
Author: William Saroyan

- Toshio Mori, a nurseryman, wrote stories about Japanese American life, earning praise from celebrated authors.
- His collection of short stories, Yokohama, California, was accepted for publication with an introduction by William Saroyan.
- Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forced removal of Japanese Americans.
- Mori and his family were sent to the Topaz War Relocation Center in the Utah desert.
- Despite the harsh conditions of the internment camp, Mori continued to write, completing a novel titled Send These the Homeless.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>785falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-step-off-the-evacuation-list-which-name-do-you-cross-out--74843105
You step off the evacuation list - which name do you cross out?

In this episode, we follow Jacobus Sinninghe Damsté from his childhood in Huizum to his years in the Dutch East Indies, through imprisonment on the Pekanbaru Death Railway, and into a postwar career that placed him at the centre of Dutch security. What choices did he make, and what did those choices cost others?

Person: Jacobus Sinninghe Damsté
Date of birth: July 16, 1902
Location: Huizum; Surabaya; Pekanbaru; Jakarta
Event: Forced labour on the Pekanbaru Death Railway (May 1944-August 1945)
Role: Head of the Netherlands Security Service (twelve years)

- Born in 1902 in Huizum, raised by a physician father and notable for an early absence of his mother.
- Studied law at the University of Groningen, moved to Surabaya, joined a prominent law firm and married Johanna Greebe in 1928.
- Active in civic life in Surabaya: city council member, club president, and local association secretary before his first wife’s death in 1935.
- Conscripted into the Landstorm, captured after Japan’s advance, and moved through multiple camps before being forced to build the Pekanbaru Death Railway.
- Returned to Jakarta in November 1945, resumed administrative work by January 1946, and later spent twelve years running Dutch intelligence with almost no public record except one quoted line.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843105Fri, 23 Oct 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA survivor of the Pekanbaru Death Railway returns from forced labour to run Dutch intelligence and quietly shapes what a nation may know - which name do you cross out? You step off the evacuation list - which name do you cross out? In this...
You step off the evacuation list - which name do you cross out?

In this episode, we follow Jacobus Sinninghe Damsté from his childhood in Huizum to his years in the Dutch East Indies, through imprisonment on the Pekanbaru Death Railway, and into a postwar career that placed him at the centre of Dutch security. What choices did he make, and what did those choices cost others?

Person: Jacobus Sinninghe Damsté
Date of birth: July 16, 1902
Location: Huizum; Surabaya; Pekanbaru; Jakarta
Event: Forced labour on the Pekanbaru Death Railway (May 1944-August 1945)
Role: Head of the Netherlands Security Service (twelve years)

- Born in 1902 in Huizum, raised by a physician father and notable for an early absence of his mother.
- Studied law at the University of Groningen, moved to Surabaya, joined a prominent law firm and married Johanna Greebe in 1928.
- Active in civic life in Surabaya: city council member, club president, and local association secretary before his first wife’s death in 1935.
- Conscripted into the Landstorm, captured after Japan’s advance, and moved through multiple camps before being forced to build the Pekanbaru Death Railway.
- Returned to Jakarta in November 1945, resumed administrative work by January 1946, and later spent twelve years running Dutch intelligence with almost no public record except one quoted line.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1063falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/spy-roses-the-gardener-who-came-back-from-camp--74843101
Spy Roses: The Gardener Who Came Back From Camp

This episode tells the story of Frank Rilett, an ordinary man whose extraordinary hobby of rose breeding led to his internment during World War II. Discover how his meticulous records and unusual equipment were misinterpreted, and what it meant for his freedom.

Person: Frank Rilett
Date: 1942
Location: Turramurra, Sydney, Australia
Status: Detained, interned
Event: Wartime internment

- Frank Rilett, a clerk by profession, began breeding roses in his backyard in Turramurra, Sydney, in his mid-fifties.
- He had no formal training in botany or genetics, learning from books and correspondence, and developed a famous climbing rose called 'Titian'.
- By 1942, authorities became suspicious of Rilett's activities, including his detailed notes and diagrams.
- Commonwealth security services officers arrived at his home with a warrant, finding a long-range radio antenna on his roof.
- His precise rose-breeding notebooks and hand-drawn property diagrams were seized, interpreted as potential coded communications and spy plans.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843101Thu, 22 Oct 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA backyard rose breeder is accused of endangering national security. Can he prove his innocence when his life's work is used against him? Spy Roses: The Gardener Who Came Back From Camp This episode tells the story of Frank Rilett, an ordinary...
Spy Roses: The Gardener Who Came Back From Camp

This episode tells the story of Frank Rilett, an ordinary man whose extraordinary hobby of rose breeding led to his internment during World War II. Discover how his meticulous records and unusual equipment were misinterpreted, and what it meant for his freedom.

Person: Frank Rilett
Date: 1942
Location: Turramurra, Sydney, Australia
Status: Detained, interned
Event: Wartime internment

- Frank Rilett, a clerk by profession, began breeding roses in his backyard in Turramurra, Sydney, in his mid-fifties.
- He had no formal training in botany or genetics, learning from books and correspondence, and developed a famous climbing rose called 'Titian'.
- By 1942, authorities became suspicious of Rilett's activities, including his detailed notes and diagrams.
- Commonwealth security services officers arrived at his home with a warrant, finding a long-range radio antenna on his roof.
- His precise rose-breeding notebooks and hand-drawn property diagrams were seized, interpreted as potential coded communications and spy plans.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>698falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-must-answer-for-your-name-trade-your-past-to-stay-alive--74843098
You Must Answer for Your Name: Trade Your Past to Stay Alive

This episode explores the extraordinary life of a brilliant scientist who was forced to abandon his identity to survive in a collapsing empire. It delves into the profound sacrifices made for survival and the hidden contributions that shaped history.

Person: Aleksandr Ignatyevich Ignatyevich (Yuri Vasilyevich Vasilyevich)
Date: 1917-1927
Location: Russian Empire (Poltava, Caucasian Front, Kiev, Odessa, Kuban, North Caucasus, Novosibirsk)
Event: Russian Revolution and Civil War
Topic: Astronautics, Identity, Survival

- In 1917, a 20-year-old Russian soldier on the Caucasian Front filled notebooks with advanced mathematics for lunar travel.
- His calculations included concepts like lunar orbit rendezvous and gravitational slingshots, precise enough for construction.
- The collapse of the Russian Empire and the subsequent revolution created a dangerous environment for individuals with certain backgrounds.
- To escape persecution, Aleksandr Ignatyevich assumed the identity of Yuri Vasilyevich Vasilyevich in 1921 at the age of 23.
- This new identity required absolute silence about his past, forcing him to meticulously avoid any mention of his true life.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843098Wed, 21 Oct 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA young Russian soldier calculates a journey to the Moon, but his name could get him killed. He must trade his past to stay alive. You Must Answer for Your Name: Trade Your Past to Stay Alive This episode explores the extraordinary life of a...
You Must Answer for Your Name: Trade Your Past to Stay Alive

This episode explores the extraordinary life of a brilliant scientist who was forced to abandon his identity to survive in a collapsing empire. It delves into the profound sacrifices made for survival and the hidden contributions that shaped history.

Person: Aleksandr Ignatyevich Ignatyevich (Yuri Vasilyevich Vasilyevich)
Date: 1917-1927
Location: Russian Empire (Poltava, Caucasian Front, Kiev, Odessa, Kuban, North Caucasus, Novosibirsk)
Event: Russian Revolution and Civil War
Topic: Astronautics, Identity, Survival

- In 1917, a 20-year-old Russian soldier on the Caucasian Front filled notebooks with advanced mathematics for lunar travel.
- His calculations included concepts like lunar orbit rendezvous and gravitational slingshots, precise enough for construction.
- The collapse of the Russian Empire and the subsequent revolution created a dangerous environment for individuals with certain backgrounds.
- To escape persecution, Aleksandr Ignatyevich assumed the identity of Yuri Vasilyevich Vasilyevich in 1921 at the age of 23.
- This new identity required absolute silence about his past, forcing him to meticulously avoid any mention of his true life.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>948falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-watch-the-men-take-paul-from-your-apartment-do-you-warn-the-others--74843096
You watch the men take Paul from your apartment-do you warn the others?

In this episode, we follow Roberta Gropper’s life from a cigarette factory in Ulm to the halls of the Reichstag, then into arrest and a Soviet camp. We trace the choices, loyalties, and the single sentence she speaks in custody that will haunt her comrades and the movement-what would you do in her place?

Person: Roberta Gropper
Person: Paul Langner
Date: Arrest November 1937
Location: Moscow / Soviet camp
Event: Workers' movement membership, Reichstag deputy 1930-1932

- At thirteen Roberta left school for factory work and joined the workers' youth organization, forming her politics on the shop floor.
- By twenty-one she sat on Ulm’s workers’ council and co-founded the local Communist Party in 1919.
- She rose through party ranks: treasurer in Stuttgart, leader of women's sections, and Reichstag member at thirty-three.
- Association with the Neumann-Remmele group cost her Berlin positions in 1932 and became the later basis for her 1937 arrest.
- On a January morning men in uniform took Paul from their apartment; inside the camp she told another prisoner a sentence that protected the workers’ illusions.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843096Tue, 20 Oct 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTYou watch men in uniform take Paul from your apartment-do you warn the others, or keep the secret that keeps them faithful? You watch the men take Paul from your apartment-do you warn the others? In this episode, we follow Roberta Gropper’s life...
You watch the men take Paul from your apartment-do you warn the others?

In this episode, we follow Roberta Gropper’s life from a cigarette factory in Ulm to the halls of the Reichstag, then into arrest and a Soviet camp. We trace the choices, loyalties, and the single sentence she speaks in custody that will haunt her comrades and the movement-what would you do in her place?

Person: Roberta Gropper
Person: Paul Langner
Date: Arrest November 1937
Location: Moscow / Soviet camp
Event: Workers' movement membership, Reichstag deputy 1930-1932

- At thirteen Roberta left school for factory work and joined the workers' youth organization, forming her politics on the shop floor.
- By twenty-one she sat on Ulm’s workers’ council and co-founded the local Communist Party in 1919.
- She rose through party ranks: treasurer in Stuttgart, leader of women's sections, and Reichstag member at thirty-three.
- Association with the Neumann-Remmele group cost her Berlin positions in 1932 and became the later basis for her 1937 arrest.
- On a January morning men in uniform took Paul from their apartment; inside the camp she told another prisoner a sentence that protected the workers’ illusions.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>792falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-hear-a-two-year-old-call-your-name-do-you-leave-the-laundry-room--74843094
You hear a two-year-old call your name - do you leave the laundry room?

In this episode, we follow the moments inside Nariman House on Wednesday, November 26, 2008, focusing on the choices made by Sandra Samuel when a toddler called for her amid an ongoing attack. We trace who she was, why she was there that night, and the decisions that led her toward the stairwell.

Person: Sandra Samuel
Person: Moshe Holtzberg
Date: November 26, 2008
Location: Nariman House, Colaba, Mumbai
Event: Coordinated attacks across ten locations in Mumbai

- Sandra was the long-term household employee and primary caretaker for the Holtzberg family, present since 2003.
- On Wednesdays she usually visited her own sons, but on this Wednesday she stayed inside Nariman House.
- The building was a five-story Chabad House with narrow stairwells and a rooftop, selected by attackers for prolonged occupation.
- During the siege a two-year-old boy, Moshe, stood over his parents with his trousers soaked in blood and called Sandra’s name repeatedly.
- Sandra was hidden in the laundry room when she heard Moshe call her and then climbed the stairs toward the sound.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843094Mon, 19 Oct 2026 08:00:02 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA two-year-old calls Sandra from a besieged Mumbai building - she’s in a laundry room with men with guns inside; do you leave the laundry room? You hear a two-year-old call your name - do you leave the laundry room? In this episode, we follow...
You hear a two-year-old call your name - do you leave the laundry room?

In this episode, we follow the moments inside Nariman House on Wednesday, November 26, 2008, focusing on the choices made by Sandra Samuel when a toddler called for her amid an ongoing attack. We trace who she was, why she was there that night, and the decisions that led her toward the stairwell.

Person: Sandra Samuel
Person: Moshe Holtzberg
Date: November 26, 2008
Location: Nariman House, Colaba, Mumbai
Event: Coordinated attacks across ten locations in Mumbai

- Sandra was the long-term household employee and primary caretaker for the Holtzberg family, present since 2003.
- On Wednesdays she usually visited her own sons, but on this Wednesday she stayed inside Nariman House.
- The building was a five-story Chabad House with narrow stairwells and a rooftop, selected by attackers for prolonged occupation.
- During the siege a two-year-old boy, Moshe, stood over his parents with his trousers soaked in blood and called Sandra’s name repeatedly.
- Sandra was hidden in the laundry room when she heard Moshe call her and then climbed the stairs toward the sound.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>864falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-book-bomb-that-built-hezbollah-how-an-assassin-failed-to-erase-him--74843091
The Book Bomb That Built Hezbollah: How an Assassin Failed to Erase Him

In this episode, we follow the life and decisions of Ali Akbar Mohtashamipour from Najaf exile to diplomatic envoy in Damascus. The episode traces how his choices, networks and methods contributed to a new militant architecture and asks where belief ends and political construction begins.

Person: Ali Akbar Mohtashamipour
Date: October 23, 1983
Location: Iranian embassy, Damascus; Beirut (airport bombings)
Event: Assassination attempt by a package bomb; embassy detonation
Topic: Formation of Hezbollah through fusion of six Lebanese groups

- Mohtashamipour studied in Najaf alongside Khomeini and chose to follow him to Paris in 1978.
- He received military training at a Fatah camp and lived in Yammoune in the Bekaa Valley before cofounding a militant group.
- In 1982 he was appointed Iranian ambassador to Syria, overseeing a vital overland corridor into Lebanon.
- He supervised the fusion of six Lebanese organizations into one structure linked to the IRGC via the Department for Islamic Liberation Movements.
- Investigators attribute a series of escalating Beirut attacks in 1983 to the network he supervised, culminating in massive bombings that shifted international calculations.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843091Sun, 18 Oct 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA cleric opens a book-bomb at the Iranian embassy in Damascus and survives-how did that failed assassination shape Hezbollah and the region? The Book Bomb That Built Hezbollah: How an Assassin Failed to Erase Him In this episode, we follow the...
The Book Bomb That Built Hezbollah: How an Assassin Failed to Erase Him

In this episode, we follow the life and decisions of Ali Akbar Mohtashamipour from Najaf exile to diplomatic envoy in Damascus. The episode traces how his choices, networks and methods contributed to a new militant architecture and asks where belief ends and political construction begins.

Person: Ali Akbar Mohtashamipour
Date: October 23, 1983
Location: Iranian embassy, Damascus; Beirut (airport bombings)
Event: Assassination attempt by a package bomb; embassy detonation
Topic: Formation of Hezbollah through fusion of six Lebanese groups

- Mohtashamipour studied in Najaf alongside Khomeini and chose to follow him to Paris in 1978.
- He received military training at a Fatah camp and lived in Yammoune in the Bekaa Valley before cofounding a militant group.
- In 1982 he was appointed Iranian ambassador to Syria, overseeing a vital overland corridor into Lebanon.
- He supervised the fusion of six Lebanese organizations into one structure linked to the IRGC via the Department for Islamic Liberation Movements.
- Investigators attribute a series of escalating Beirut attacks in 1983 to the network he supervised, culminating in massive bombings that shifted international calculations.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>917falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-find-the-garage-key-in-your-pocket-do-you-drive-to-berkeley--74843090
You find the garage key in your pocket - do you drive to Berkeley?

In this episode, we follow the life of Wendy Yoshimura from her birth inside the Manzanar internment camp to her years in the Bay Area counterculture and the day police discovered explosives in a Berkeley garage she had rented. The episode traces the choices, movements, and affiliations that put her name on an explosive investigation and asks what separates proximity from culpability.

Person: Wendy Yoshimura
Date: January 17, 1943 (birth) and March 31, 1972 (garage discovery)
Location: Manzanar; Berkeley; San Francisco (625 Morse Street)
Event: Police discovered a garage containing dynamite, blasting caps, a machine gun, and kidnapping/assassination notes
Topic: Association with Willie Brandt and the Revolutionary Army; underground networks of the 1970s

- Born inside the barbed wire of Manzanar, returned to the U.S. at thirteen and was placed in second grade for not speaking English.
- Graduated from the California College of Arts and Crafts in Berkeley and moved through Bay Area counterculture during the Vietnam era.
- Rented a Berkeley garage on Hearst Avenue that police later described as a “massive bomb factory.”
- Police found explosive materials, a machine gun, and handwritten plans targeting Robert McNamara and UC Berkeley at that garage.
- At the time of the March 31, 1972 raid, Wendy was not at the garage and was later found living under a false name in a San Francisco apartment.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843090Sat, 17 Oct 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA woman born at Manzanar wakes up thirty years later with a garage key in her pocket - what do you do? You find the garage key in your pocket - do you drive to Berkeley? In this episode, we follow the life of Wendy Yoshimura from her birth...
You find the garage key in your pocket - do you drive to Berkeley?

In this episode, we follow the life of Wendy Yoshimura from her birth inside the Manzanar internment camp to her years in the Bay Area counterculture and the day police discovered explosives in a Berkeley garage she had rented. The episode traces the choices, movements, and affiliations that put her name on an explosive investigation and asks what separates proximity from culpability.

Person: Wendy Yoshimura
Date: January 17, 1943 (birth) and March 31, 1972 (garage discovery)
Location: Manzanar; Berkeley; San Francisco (625 Morse Street)
Event: Police discovered a garage containing dynamite, blasting caps, a machine gun, and kidnapping/assassination notes
Topic: Association with Willie Brandt and the Revolutionary Army; underground networks of the 1970s

- Born inside the barbed wire of Manzanar, returned to the U.S. at thirteen and was placed in second grade for not speaking English.
- Graduated from the California College of Arts and Crafts in Berkeley and moved through Bay Area counterculture during the Vietnam era.
- Rented a Berkeley garage on Hearst Avenue that police later described as a “massive bomb factory.”
- Police found explosive materials, a machine gun, and handwritten plans targeting Robert McNamara and UC Berkeley at that garage.
- At the time of the March 31, 1972 raid, Wendy was not at the garage and was later found living under a false name in a San Francisco apartment.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>870falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-camp-barracks-handed-him-a-legendary-philosophy--74843088
The camp barracks handed him a legendary philosophy

This episode explores the life of George Nakashima, a renowned woodworker and architect, and the profound impact of his internment during World War II. It delves into how a period of profound injustice shaped his unique approach to furniture design and his vision for peace.

Person: George Nakashima
Date: 1942
Location: Camp Minidoka, Hunt, Idaho
Event: Executive Order 9066

- George Nakashima studied architecture at the University of Washington and MIT, then traveled to Paris and Japan, working with influential figures like Le Corbusier and Antonin Raymond.
- He designed the Golconde Dormitory in Puducherry, India, a modernist landmark, and made his first pieces of furniture there.
- In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, leading to the forced removal and internment of Japanese American.
- Nakashima, despite his credentials and accomplishments, was sent to Camp Minidoka in the Idaho desert due to his ancestry.
- While interned, Nakashima was taught traditional Japanese carpentry by Gentaro Hikogawa, learning a new way of seeing and working with wood.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843088Fri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA Japanese American architect is interned when his country turns on him. What philosophy can emerge from injustice? The camp barracks handed him a legendary philosophy This episode explores the life of George Nakashima, a renowned woodworker and...
The camp barracks handed him a legendary philosophy

This episode explores the life of George Nakashima, a renowned woodworker and architect, and the profound impact of his internment during World War II. It delves into how a period of profound injustice shaped his unique approach to furniture design and his vision for peace.

Person: George Nakashima
Date: 1942
Location: Camp Minidoka, Hunt, Idaho
Event: Executive Order 9066

- George Nakashima studied architecture at the University of Washington and MIT, then traveled to Paris and Japan, working with influential figures like Le Corbusier and Antonin Raymond.
- He designed the Golconde Dormitory in Puducherry, India, a modernist landmark, and made his first pieces of furniture there.
- In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, leading to the forced removal and internment of Japanese American.
- Nakashima, despite his credentials and accomplishments, was sent to Camp Minidoka in the Idaho desert due to his ancestry.
- While interned, Nakashima was taught traditional Japanese carpentry by Gentaro Hikogawa, learning a new way of seeing and working with wood.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1125falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/survived-empire-served-nation-the-man-who-couldn-t-break--74843085
Survived Empire, Served Nation: The Man Who Couldn't Break

This episode explores the life of Carel de Villeneuve, a Dutch colonial lawyer who navigated immense personal and political upheaval. It examines the choices he made and the impact of world-scale events on his life.

Person: Carel Huibert Valchaire de Villeneuve
Born: Lochem, Netherlands, 1897
Died: Barcelona, 1974
Event: Indonesian independence negotiations
Location: Jakarta, Lake of Geneva, Lochem, Barcelona, Semarang, Washington, Bandung

- Carel de Villeneuve's 16-year-old son, Peter Josias, drowned in the Lake of Geneva in July 1946 while his father was in Jakarta.
- De Villeneuve was born in Lochem, Netherlands, in 1897 and died in Barcelona in 1974.
- He was a Dutch colonial lawyer who survived Japanese internment and helped negotiate Indonesian independence.
- In 1920, at 22, he joined the Scheltema law practice in Semarang, a firm known for producing colonial power figures.
- By 1938, he was a member of the Volksraad, the Dutch East Indies parliament, and met Franklin Roosevelt in Washington alongside an Indonesian railway union leader.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843085Thu, 15 Oct 2026 08:00:02 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA Dutch colonial lawyer negotiates a nation's future while his private world breaks. What does it cost to serve causes larger than oneself? Survived Empire, Served Nation: The Man Who Couldn't Break This episode explores the life of Carel de...
Survived Empire, Served Nation: The Man Who Couldn't Break

This episode explores the life of Carel de Villeneuve, a Dutch colonial lawyer who navigated immense personal and political upheaval. It examines the choices he made and the impact of world-scale events on his life.

Person: Carel Huibert Valchaire de Villeneuve
Born: Lochem, Netherlands, 1897
Died: Barcelona, 1974
Event: Indonesian independence negotiations
Location: Jakarta, Lake of Geneva, Lochem, Barcelona, Semarang, Washington, Bandung

- Carel de Villeneuve's 16-year-old son, Peter Josias, drowned in the Lake of Geneva in July 1946 while his father was in Jakarta.
- De Villeneuve was born in Lochem, Netherlands, in 1897 and died in Barcelona in 1974.
- He was a Dutch colonial lawyer who survived Japanese internment and helped negotiate Indonesian independence.
- In 1920, at 22, he joined the Scheltema law practice in Semarang, a firm known for producing colonial power figures.
- By 1938, he was a member of the Volksraad, the Dutch East Indies parliament, and met Franklin Roosevelt in Washington alongside an Indonesian railway union leader.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1314falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-jump-between-two-warships-to-save-a-stranger-would-you--74843083
You Jump Between Two Warships to Save a Stranger - Would You?

In this episode, we follow the life and decisions of Frederick Joseph Rutland, a Royal Naval aviator whose daring actions at sea and in the air shaped his career and complicated his loyalties. We trace key moments from his youth at sea to the missions and choices that defined him, and ask what it means to cross a line others will not.

Person: Frederick Joseph Rutland
Date: 1 June 1916 / 31 May 1916
Location: At sea during the Battle of Jutland; HMS Engadine and HMS Warrior
Event: Aerial reconnaissance flight of 41 minutes; rescue between two moving warships
Award: Distinguished Service Cross; Albert Medal in Gold

- Born 21 October 1886, Rutland joined the Royal Navy in 1901 at age 14 and earned his aviator certificate in January 1915.
- On 31 May 1916 he flew Short Type 184 (serial 8359) with observer Assistant Paymaster George Stanley Trewin and reported three cruisers and five destroyers.
- A fuel line failure forced a sea landing; Rutland repaired the plane on the water and signaled readiness to resume, but Engadine’s radio failed to relay his reconnaissance.
- For his actions at Jutland he received the Distinguished Service Cross and a subsequent Bar for anti-submarine patrols.
- On 1 June 1916 he dove between two moving ships to rescue a sailor from the water and was awarded the Albert Medal in Gold.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843083Wed, 14 Oct 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA decorated naval aviator jumps between two moving warships to save a stranger-would you risk everything for one life? You Jump Between Two Warships to Save a Stranger - Would You? In this episode, we follow the life and decisions of Frederick...
You Jump Between Two Warships to Save a Stranger - Would You?

In this episode, we follow the life and decisions of Frederick Joseph Rutland, a Royal Naval aviator whose daring actions at sea and in the air shaped his career and complicated his loyalties. We trace key moments from his youth at sea to the missions and choices that defined him, and ask what it means to cross a line others will not.

Person: Frederick Joseph Rutland
Date: 1 June 1916 / 31 May 1916
Location: At sea during the Battle of Jutland; HMS Engadine and HMS Warrior
Event: Aerial reconnaissance flight of 41 minutes; rescue between two moving warships
Award: Distinguished Service Cross; Albert Medal in Gold

- Born 21 October 1886, Rutland joined the Royal Navy in 1901 at age 14 and earned his aviator certificate in January 1915.
- On 31 May 1916 he flew Short Type 184 (serial 8359) with observer Assistant Paymaster George Stanley Trewin and reported three cruisers and five destroyers.
- A fuel line failure forced a sea landing; Rutland repaired the plane on the water and signaled readiness to resume, but Engadine’s radio failed to relay his reconnaissance.
- For his actions at Jutland he received the Distinguished Service Cross and a subsequent Bar for anti-submarine patrols.
- On 1 June 1916 he dove between two moving ships to rescue a sailor from the water and was awarded the Albert Medal in Gold.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>880falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-article-that-turned-a-generation-toward-fascism--74843080
The Article That Turned a Generation Toward Fascism

This episode explores the life of Ardengo Soffici, an artist who navigated the avant-garde movements of early 20th-century Europe and later embraced fascism. It asks what it means when the life you build contains something you can never fully defend.

Person: Ardengo Soffici
Date: August 1964
Location: Tuscan coast
Event: Death of Ardengo Soffici

- Ardengo Soffici was present in Paris in the early 1900s, interacting with artists like Picasso and Braque as cubism was being invented.
- He returned to Italy and introduced these new artistic visions to a generation of Italian artists.
- Soffici joined the futurist movement after an initial confrontation with its founders.
- He signed a fascist manifesto and co-founded a wartime propaganda magazine supporting Mussolini's alliance with Nazi Germany.
- Soffici was arrested by British forces at the end of World War II and held in a prisoner-of-war camp.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843080Tue, 13 Oct 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTAn old man holds his youngest grandchild, his hands steady, his face unreadable. Days later, he dies, leaving behind a life woven with both artistic genius and fascist propaganda. The Article That Turned a Generation Toward Fascism This episode...
The Article That Turned a Generation Toward Fascism

This episode explores the life of Ardengo Soffici, an artist who navigated the avant-garde movements of early 20th-century Europe and later embraced fascism. It asks what it means when the life you build contains something you can never fully defend.

Person: Ardengo Soffici
Date: August 1964
Location: Tuscan coast
Event: Death of Ardengo Soffici

- Ardengo Soffici was present in Paris in the early 1900s, interacting with artists like Picasso and Braque as cubism was being invented.
- He returned to Italy and introduced these new artistic visions to a generation of Italian artists.
- Soffici joined the futurist movement after an initial confrontation with its founders.
- He signed a fascist manifesto and co-founded a wartime propaganda magazine supporting Mussolini's alliance with Nazi Germany.
- Soffici was arrested by British forces at the end of World War II and held in a prisoner-of-war camp.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1050falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-are-offered-one-seat-on-the-maksim-gorki-who-do-you-send--74843078
You are offered one seat on the Maksim Gorki - who do you send?

In this episode, we follow the life and work that put Andrei Tupolev at the center of Soviet aviation and political contradiction. It covers his arrests, inventions, and the Maksim Gorki project, asking what choices people make when survival and state ambition collide.

Person: Andrei Nikolaevich Tupolev
Date: born 10 November 1888; arrested October 1937; built Maksim Gorki 1934
Location: Bolshevo (Tupolevka); Moscow; Pustomazovo (birth village)
Event: construction and testing of the Maksim Gorki, an eight-engine, 63-meter wingspan flying exhibition
Institution: TsAGI (Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute)

- Tupolev built a wind tunnel and flew his first glider while a student under Nikolay Zhukovsky.
- He was arrested in 1911 for revolutionary activity and exiled to his native village for three years.
- By 1925 he designed the TB-1, an all-metal twin-engine bomber that defied skeptics.
- In 1929 he led TsAGI and became the Soviet Union’s leading aeronautical designer by age forty.
- The Maksim Gorki, completed in 1934, was a state-built, eight-engine, 63-meter wingspan aircraft intended as a flying propaganda exhibition.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843078Mon, 12 Oct 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA convicted designer boards the Maksim Gorki to test a colossal state plane-who would you send when one seat decides a nation's pride? You are offered one seat on the Maksim Gorki - who do you send? In this episode, we follow the life and work...
You are offered one seat on the Maksim Gorki - who do you send?

In this episode, we follow the life and work that put Andrei Tupolev at the center of Soviet aviation and political contradiction. It covers his arrests, inventions, and the Maksim Gorki project, asking what choices people make when survival and state ambition collide.

Person: Andrei Nikolaevich Tupolev
Date: born 10 November 1888; arrested October 1937; built Maksim Gorki 1934
Location: Bolshevo (Tupolevka); Moscow; Pustomazovo (birth village)
Event: construction and testing of the Maksim Gorki, an eight-engine, 63-meter wingspan flying exhibition
Institution: TsAGI (Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute)

- Tupolev built a wind tunnel and flew his first glider while a student under Nikolay Zhukovsky.
- He was arrested in 1911 for revolutionary activity and exiled to his native village for three years.
- By 1925 he designed the TB-1, an all-metal twin-engine bomber that defied skeptics.
- In 1929 he led TsAGI and became the Soviet Union’s leading aeronautical designer by age forty.
- The Maksim Gorki, completed in 1934, was a state-built, eight-engine, 63-meter wingspan aircraft intended as a flying propaganda exhibition.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1020falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-ferry-pulled-you-from-the-island-would-you-have-stayed--74843075
The ferry pulled you from the island - would you have stayed?

In this episode, we follow a moment on July 22, 2011 when a small ferry left Utøya while shooting echoed across the island. The story tracks who was on that boat, what they knew in the minutes afterward, and the moral and public consequences that followed. What does it mean to survive when others did not?

Person: Eskil Pedersen
Date: July 22, 2011
Location: Utøya, Tyrifjorden, Norway
Event: Mass shooting and bombing in Oslo and on Utøya
Organization: Workers' Youth League (AUF)

- The MS Thorbjørn was the small ferry that left Utøya as gunfire began on shore.
- Eskil Pedersen, 27 and leader of the AUF, was on the ferry with a political adviser and seven others.
- Anders Breivik arrived disguised as a police officer after a car bomb in Oslo and then began shooting on the island.
- Sixty-nine people were killed on Utøya during the roughly seventy-seven minutes of the attack.
- Adrian Pracon, shot on the island, later wrote about watching the ferry pull away while people were still being killed.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843075Sun, 11 Oct 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA small ferry pulls away from Utøya as gunshots ring through the trees; a political youth leader boards it and lives - but what does survival cost? The ferry pulled you from the island - would you have stayed? In this episode, we follow a moment...
The ferry pulled you from the island - would you have stayed?

In this episode, we follow a moment on July 22, 2011 when a small ferry left Utøya while shooting echoed across the island. The story tracks who was on that boat, what they knew in the minutes afterward, and the moral and public consequences that followed. What does it mean to survive when others did not?

Person: Eskil Pedersen
Date: July 22, 2011
Location: Utøya, Tyrifjorden, Norway
Event: Mass shooting and bombing in Oslo and on Utøya
Organization: Workers' Youth League (AUF)

- The MS Thorbjørn was the small ferry that left Utøya as gunfire began on shore.
- Eskil Pedersen, 27 and leader of the AUF, was on the ferry with a political adviser and seven others.
- Anders Breivik arrived disguised as a police officer after a car bomb in Oslo and then began shooting on the island.
- Sixty-nine people were killed on Utøya during the roughly seventy-seven minutes of the attack.
- Adrian Pracon, shot on the island, later wrote about watching the ferry pull away while people were still being killed.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>761falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-bomb-the-countess-the-handshake-forgiving-the-unforgivable--74843073
The Bomb, The Countess, The Handshake: Forgiving the Unforgivable

In this episode, we follow Patricia Knatchbull’s life before and after the Shadow V bombing and how she responded to loss and duty. We trace the decisions she made in the wreckage of her family and the public roles she took on afterward, asking what survival and forgiveness require.

Person: Patricia Knatchbull
Date: 27 August 1979
Location: Mullaghmore, Ireland
Event: Bombing of the fishing boat Shadow V
Role: Patron of The Compassionate Friends

- Patricia was born 14 February 1924 and served in the Women's Royal Naval Service, commissioned in 1945.
- On 27 August 1979, eight people boarded Shadow V; a remote-triggered bomb detonated as it left the harbor.
- Four people died in the explosion, including Patricia’s father Earl Mountbatten and her 14-year-old son Nicholas.
- Patricia survived, inherited the earldom 27 days later, and continued public duties amid her grief.
- Thirty-eight days after the explosion she became an active Patron of The Compassionate Friends, sitting with other bereaved parents.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843073Sat, 10 Oct 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA countess who lost her father and son to a bomb must decide, in public, whether to call that morning forgiven - what would you do? The Bomb, The Countess, The Handshake: Forgiving the Unforgivable In this episode, we follow Patricia...
The Bomb, The Countess, The Handshake: Forgiving the Unforgivable

In this episode, we follow Patricia Knatchbull’s life before and after the Shadow V bombing and how she responded to loss and duty. We trace the decisions she made in the wreckage of her family and the public roles she took on afterward, asking what survival and forgiveness require.

Person: Patricia Knatchbull
Date: 27 August 1979
Location: Mullaghmore, Ireland
Event: Bombing of the fishing boat Shadow V
Role: Patron of The Compassionate Friends

- Patricia was born 14 February 1924 and served in the Women's Royal Naval Service, commissioned in 1945.
- On 27 August 1979, eight people boarded Shadow V; a remote-triggered bomb detonated as it left the harbor.
- Four people died in the explosion, including Patricia’s father Earl Mountbatten and her 14-year-old son Nicholas.
- Patricia survived, inherited the earldom 27 days later, and continued public duties amid her grief.
- Thirty-eight days after the explosion she became an active Patron of The Compassionate Friends, sitting with other bereaved parents.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>745falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-scraps-of-paper-that-kept-him-composing-what-would-you-do--74843072
The scraps of paper that kept him composing - what would you do?

This episode explores the extraordinary story of Hans Gál, a renowned composer who, after losing everything to the Nazis, was interned in a British camp during WWII. It delves into his resilience and the remarkable music he created under unimaginable circumstances.

Person: Hans Gál
Date: Summer, 1940
Location: Huyton Camp, near Liverpool
Status: Interned enemy alien
Topic: Classical music composition

- Hans Gál was born in 1890 in Brunn am Gebirge, Austria, and became a prominent figure in European musical life.
- He studied with Eusebius Mandyczewski, a close friend of Johannes Brahms, establishing a direct musical lineage.
- By 1929, Gál had won the First Austrian State Prize for Composition and was Director of the Mainz Conservatory.
- In March 1933, the Nazis dismissed him from his post due to his Jewish ancestry, banning his works across Germany.
- After fleeing to London and then Edinburgh, Gál was classified as an enemy alien and interned in Huyton Camp in May 1940.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843072Fri, 09 Oct 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA classical music composer, twice displaced by war, finds himself interned by the very country that offered him refuge. What would you create? The scraps of paper that kept him composing - what would you do? This episode explores the...
The scraps of paper that kept him composing - what would you do?

This episode explores the extraordinary story of Hans Gál, a renowned composer who, after losing everything to the Nazis, was interned in a British camp during WWII. It delves into his resilience and the remarkable music he created under unimaginable circumstances.

Person: Hans Gál
Date: Summer, 1940
Location: Huyton Camp, near Liverpool
Status: Interned enemy alien
Topic: Classical music composition

- Hans Gál was born in 1890 in Brunn am Gebirge, Austria, and became a prominent figure in European musical life.
- He studied with Eusebius Mandyczewski, a close friend of Johannes Brahms, establishing a direct musical lineage.
- By 1929, Gál had won the First Austrian State Prize for Composition and was Director of the Mainz Conservatory.
- In March 1933, the Nazis dismissed him from his post due to his Jewish ancestry, banning his works across Germany.
- After fleeing to London and then Edinburgh, Gál was classified as an enemy alien and interned in Huyton Camp in May 1940.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>931falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-bullet-that-closed-a-life-between-two-worlds--74843069
The Bullet That Closed a Life Between Two Worlds

This episode explores the life of Chiura Obata, a Japanese artist who immigrated to the United States and built a career as an instructor and co-founder of art societies. It delves into his experiences leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent challenges he faced.

Person: Chiura Obata
Born: November 18, 1885
Birthplace: Okayama, Japan
Location: San Francisco, California
Event: Pearl Harbor Attack

- Chiura Obata was drawing before he could write sentences, beginning formal training in Sumi-e around 1892.
- At 14, he ran away from military school to pursue art, becoming an apprentice and winning a prize as a teenager.
- In 1903, at 17, he immigrated to Seattle with plans to study American art and then go to Paris.
- He co-founded the Fuji Club, the first Japanese American baseball team, and sketched the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
- After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, a bullet was shot through the window of his art supply shop on Telegraph Avenue.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843069Thu, 08 Oct 2026 08:00:05 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA Japanese artist builds a life between two worlds in California, only for an executive order to take everything. What would you do with the hours that remained? The Bullet That Closed a Life Between Two Worlds This episode explores the life of...
The Bullet That Closed a Life Between Two Worlds

This episode explores the life of Chiura Obata, a Japanese artist who immigrated to the United States and built a career as an instructor and co-founder of art societies. It delves into his experiences leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent challenges he faced.

Person: Chiura Obata
Born: November 18, 1885
Birthplace: Okayama, Japan
Location: San Francisco, California
Event: Pearl Harbor Attack

- Chiura Obata was drawing before he could write sentences, beginning formal training in Sumi-e around 1892.
- At 14, he ran away from military school to pursue art, becoming an apprentice and winning a prize as a teenager.
- In 1903, at 17, he immigrated to Seattle with plans to study American art and then go to Paris.
- He co-founded the Fuji Club, the first Japanese American baseball team, and sketched the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
- After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, a bullet was shot through the window of his art supply shop on Telegraph Avenue.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>700falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-pick-the-two-books-and-stay-what-does-that-cost-you--74843066
You pick the two books and stay - what does that cost you?

In this episode, we follow Petrus Josephus "Piet" Zoetmulder from Utrecht to Yogyakarta and through choices that tethered a life to a language. We trace the practical and moral decisions he made as his scholarship, citizenship, and survival became inseparable - what did he give up to keep building?

Person: Petrus Josephus Zoetmulder (Piet)
Date: born January 1906; died July 1995
Location: Yogyakarta, Java (Indonesia) and Utrecht (Netherlands)
Event: Japanese internment, shipwreck of colleague, Nazi occupation, revolutionary violence
Topic: Old Javanese (Kawi) philology and a decades-long dictionary project

- He chose to settle and continue work in Java after doctoral study and service with the Jesuits rather than return to the Netherlands.
- Interned by Japanese forces in 1942, he brought only two technical books: Juynboll’s Adiparwa and the Gericke & Roorda Javanese dictionary.
- His dictionary project depended on microfilm holdings located at a university five thousand miles away, delaying completion for decades.
- He renounced his original Dutch citizenship and lived the rest of his life as a member of the Indonesian community he had joined.
- His doctoral work on Javanese Suluk literature (Pantheism and Monism) and lifelong scholarship were sustained through war, shipwreck, and imprisonment without abandoning the project.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843066Wed, 07 Oct 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA Dutch Jesuit in wartime Java holds two philology books and a life’s work on microfilm five thousand miles away - what does staying cost him? You pick the two books and stay - what does that cost you? In this episode, we follow Petrus Josephus...
You pick the two books and stay - what does that cost you?

In this episode, we follow Petrus Josephus "Piet" Zoetmulder from Utrecht to Yogyakarta and through choices that tethered a life to a language. We trace the practical and moral decisions he made as his scholarship, citizenship, and survival became inseparable - what did he give up to keep building?

Person: Petrus Josephus Zoetmulder (Piet)
Date: born January 1906; died July 1995
Location: Yogyakarta, Java (Indonesia) and Utrecht (Netherlands)
Event: Japanese internment, shipwreck of colleague, Nazi occupation, revolutionary violence
Topic: Old Javanese (Kawi) philology and a decades-long dictionary project

- He chose to settle and continue work in Java after doctoral study and service with the Jesuits rather than return to the Netherlands.
- Interned by Japanese forces in 1942, he brought only two technical books: Juynboll’s Adiparwa and the Gericke & Roorda Javanese dictionary.
- His dictionary project depended on microfilm holdings located at a university five thousand miles away, delaying completion for decades.
- He renounced his original Dutch citizenship and lived the rest of his life as a member of the Indonesian community he had joined.
- His doctoral work on Javanese Suluk literature (Pantheism and Monism) and lifelong scholarship were sustained through war, shipwreck, and imprisonment without abandoning the project.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>778falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-sit-across-from-alexander-raven-thomson-do-you-publish-his-denial--74843064
You sit across from Alexander Raven Thomson - do you publish his denial?

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843064Tue, 06 Oct 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTNo description available. You sit across from Alexander Raven Thomson - do you publish his denial?
You sit across from Alexander Raven Thomson - do you publish his denial?

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>807falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-camp-wire-that-framed-a-life-s-work--74843062
The camp wire that framed a life's work

This episode explores the extraordinary life of Franz Stampfl, a man who faced repeated interruptions and challenges, yet continuously returned to his passion for coaching. It asks how one maintains purpose when life is constantly derailed.

Person: Franz Stampfl
Date: 1913-1955
Location: Austria, Britain, Australia
Event: Breaking the four-minute mile

- Franz Stampfl was born in Vienna in 1913, growing up in a home that valued craft and physical training.
- He was banned from Austrian athletics at 23 for refusing to comply with officials, leading him to move to London.
- After Hitler annexed Austria in 1938, Stampfl became stateless in Britain and needed Harold Abrahams' influence to secure a coaching post.
- In July 1940, he was arrested as an "enemy alien" and deported to Australia on the HMT Dunera, where he staged a hunger strike.
- Stampfl spent sixteen months in an internment camp at Hay, New South Wales, where he organized sports for other prisoners.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843062Mon, 05 Oct 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA man survives a shipwreck and internment, only to be classified as an enemy alien. He must decide if his life's work as an athletics coach is worth fighting for. The camp wire that framed a life's work This episode explores the extraordinary...
The camp wire that framed a life's work

This episode explores the extraordinary life of Franz Stampfl, a man who faced repeated interruptions and challenges, yet continuously returned to his passion for coaching. It asks how one maintains purpose when life is constantly derailed.

Person: Franz Stampfl
Date: 1913-1955
Location: Austria, Britain, Australia
Event: Breaking the four-minute mile

- Franz Stampfl was born in Vienna in 1913, growing up in a home that valued craft and physical training.
- He was banned from Austrian athletics at 23 for refusing to comply with officials, leading him to move to London.
- After Hitler annexed Austria in 1938, Stampfl became stateless in Britain and needed Harold Abrahams' influence to secure a coaching post.
- In July 1940, he was arrested as an "enemy alien" and deported to Australia on the HMT Dunera, where he staged a hunger strike.
- Stampfl spent sixteen months in an internment camp at Hay, New South Wales, where he organized sports for other prisoners.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>932falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/would-you-keep-a-war-bill-with-a-stranger-s-pencil-promise-or-burn-it--74843060
Would you keep a war bill with a stranger's pencil promise or burn it

In this episode, we follow the life of Engelman Lívia from a small Hungarian town through Auschwitz, forced labor, and an eighty-year afterlife shaped around a single banknote. The episode traces the decisions, movements, and moments that kept her alive while asking what we choose to carry forward.

Person: Engelman Lívia (Lily)
Date: Born 29 December 1923; died 9 October 2024
Location: Bonyhád, Hungary; Auschwitz-Birkenau; munitions factory near Leipzig; London
Event: Deportation to Auschwitz in July 1944; forced marches in 1945
Detail: Kept a German banknote for eighty years with a soldier’s pencil message

- A family of eight in Bonyhád is rounded up after Germany invades Hungary in March 1944 and deportations begin by May.
- On arrival at Auschwitz a selection separates Lily, Renee, and Piri from their mother Nina, brother Bela, and sister Berta.
- Lily and her two sisters are transferred in November 1944 to a munitions factory near Leipzig to perform forced labor making weapons.
- In early 1945 the sisters are forced on a winter march away from advancing Allied and Soviet forces under conditions meant to cause attrition.
- For eighty years Lily keeps a single German banknote, folded until soft, bearing a pencil message from a soldier on the other side of the world.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843060Sun, 04 Oct 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA Hungarian Holocaust survivor keeps a German banknote with a stranger’s penciled message-what do you carry when the country gives you its currency? Would you keep a war bill with a stranger's pencil promise or burn it In this episode, we follow...
Would you keep a war bill with a stranger's pencil promise or burn it

In this episode, we follow the life of Engelman Lívia from a small Hungarian town through Auschwitz, forced labor, and an eighty-year afterlife shaped around a single banknote. The episode traces the decisions, movements, and moments that kept her alive while asking what we choose to carry forward.

Person: Engelman Lívia (Lily)
Date: Born 29 December 1923; died 9 October 2024
Location: Bonyhád, Hungary; Auschwitz-Birkenau; munitions factory near Leipzig; London
Event: Deportation to Auschwitz in July 1944; forced marches in 1945
Detail: Kept a German banknote for eighty years with a soldier’s pencil message

- A family of eight in Bonyhád is rounded up after Germany invades Hungary in March 1944 and deportations begin by May.
- On arrival at Auschwitz a selection separates Lily, Renee, and Piri from their mother Nina, brother Bela, and sister Berta.
- Lily and her two sisters are transferred in November 1944 to a munitions factory near Leipzig to perform forced labor making weapons.
- In early 1945 the sisters are forced on a winter march away from advancing Allied and Soviet forces under conditions meant to cause attrition.
- For eighty years Lily keeps a single German banknote, folded until soft, bearing a pencil message from a soldier on the other side of the world.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>788falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-gulag-lenin-s-dream-and-stalin-s-grave--74843057
The Gulag, Lenin's Dream, and Stalin's Grave

This episode explores the extraordinary life of Dora Abramovna Lazurkina, a revolutionary who defied the odds and confronted power. It delves into the pivotal moments that defined her journey and the profound question of what it takes to stand against an oppressive system.

Person: Dora Abramovna Lazurkina
Born: May 6, 1884
Location: Novozybkov, Chernihiv region (now Ukraine)
Event: 17th Party Congress (Congress of the Executed)

- Dora Abramovna Lazurkina, a Jewish girl from a provincial town, earned a gold medal from the Novozybkov Girls' Gymnasium, which served as her "armor."
- At 15, she joined her first socialist reading circle after reading Nikolai Chernyshevsky's "What Is to Be Done?"
- By 18, she was teaching workers to read and distributing Lenin's underground newspaper "Iskra" in Saint Petersburg, risking arrest.
- She lived with Vladimir and Nadezhda Ulyanov (Lenin and Krupskaya) in Geneva for eight months at 19 years old.
- In 1937, she confronted Andrei Zhdanov to defend Ivan Kodatsky, despite a clear warning that the conversation would "end badly for her."

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843057Sat, 03 Oct 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTAfter 18 years in the Gulag, a 77-year-old woman stands before 4,000 delegates to tell a dream that could reshape history. The Gulag, Lenin's Dream, and Stalin's Grave This episode explores the extraordinary life of Dora Abramovna Lazurkina, a...
The Gulag, Lenin's Dream, and Stalin's Grave

This episode explores the extraordinary life of Dora Abramovna Lazurkina, a revolutionary who defied the odds and confronted power. It delves into the pivotal moments that defined her journey and the profound question of what it takes to stand against an oppressive system.

Person: Dora Abramovna Lazurkina
Born: May 6, 1884
Location: Novozybkov, Chernihiv region (now Ukraine)
Event: 17th Party Congress (Congress of the Executed)

- Dora Abramovna Lazurkina, a Jewish girl from a provincial town, earned a gold medal from the Novozybkov Girls' Gymnasium, which served as her "armor."
- At 15, she joined her first socialist reading circle after reading Nikolai Chernyshevsky's "What Is to Be Done?"
- By 18, she was teaching workers to read and distributing Lenin's underground newspaper "Iskra" in Saint Petersburg, risking arrest.
- She lived with Vladimir and Nadezhda Ulyanov (Lenin and Krupskaya) in Geneva for eight months at 19 years old.
- In 1937, she confronted Andrei Zhdanov to defend Ivan Kodatsky, despite a clear warning that the conversation would "end badly for her."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>842falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-refuse-the-ship-to-exile-you-spend-eight-years-in-solitary--74843054
You Refuse the Ship to Exile - You Spend Eight Years in Solitary

In this episode, we follow Anna Ivanovna Abrikosova from a Cambridge education to a quiet conversion in Paris and back into a Moscow that closes its doors. We trace the choices she and her husband made, the community she built in an apartment, and the costs of staying when escape was possible - what would you have done?

Person: Anna Ivanovna Abrikosova
Date: December 20, 1908 (received into Catholic faith at 9:00 a.m.)
Location: Chapel of the Daughters of Charity, Church of the Madeleine, Paris
Event: Refused emigration from Moscow in 1922; remained under Soviet rule
Period: Born January 23, 1882 - arrested and spent eight years in solitary confinement

- Granddaughter of a freed serf and heiress to an Abrikosov commercial dynasty who grew up in a Moscow house with iron chains visible in its walls
- Studied at Girton College, Cambridge (arrived 1901), nicknamed "In Dead Earnest," fluent in five languages and classmates with future notable intellectuals
- Converted to Catholicism on December 20, 1908 in Paris; husband Vladimir followed into the same faith one year and one day later
- Returned to Moscow in 1910, faced social ostracism for Eastern Rite Catholicism and transformed apartment 34 at 23 Prechistenskii Boulevard into a religious and community space
- Offered passage out of Russia in 1922 by the Soviet government and urged by her husband to leave, but she refused and remained in Moscow under escalating state repression

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843054Fri, 02 Oct 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA Russian heiress refuses exile in 1922 and chooses to stay in Moscow; her refusal risks everything as the Soviet state tightens around her. You Refuse the Ship to Exile - You Spend Eight Years in Solitary In this episode, we follow Anna...
You Refuse the Ship to Exile - You Spend Eight Years in Solitary

In this episode, we follow Anna Ivanovna Abrikosova from a Cambridge education to a quiet conversion in Paris and back into a Moscow that closes its doors. We trace the choices she and her husband made, the community she built in an apartment, and the costs of staying when escape was possible - what would you have done?

Person: Anna Ivanovna Abrikosova
Date: December 20, 1908 (received into Catholic faith at 9:00 a.m.)
Location: Chapel of the Daughters of Charity, Church of the Madeleine, Paris
Event: Refused emigration from Moscow in 1922; remained under Soviet rule
Period: Born January 23, 1882 - arrested and spent eight years in solitary confinement

- Granddaughter of a freed serf and heiress to an Abrikosov commercial dynasty who grew up in a Moscow house with iron chains visible in its walls
- Studied at Girton College, Cambridge (arrived 1901), nicknamed "In Dead Earnest," fluent in five languages and classmates with future notable intellectuals
- Converted to Catholicism on December 20, 1908 in Paris; husband Vladimir followed into the same faith one year and one day later
- Returned to Moscow in 1910, faced social ostracism for Eastern Rite Catholicism and transformed apartment 34 at 23 Prechistenskii Boulevard into a religious and community space
- Offered passage out of Russia in 1922 by the Soviet government and urged by her husband to leave, but she refused and remained in Moscow under escalating state repression

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>847falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-hold-a-rubik-s-cube-in-the-dark-how-would-you-stay-sane--74843052
You hold a Rubik's Cube in the dark - how would you stay sane?

In this episode, we follow the story of Avinatan Or from the morning of October 7, 2023 through the long months his family spent hoping for news. We lay out his background, how he was classified by his captors, and the conditions of his confinement to ask how someone endures total isolation and literal darkness.

Person: Avinatan Or
Date: October 7, 2023; 738 days in captivity
Location: Gaza
Occupation: Electrical and computer engineer at NVIDIA
Family actions: Fundraising, public rallies, video messages, reward offered

- Or and his partner Noa Argamani were filmed during their capture at the Nova music festival as militants separated them.
- Because of prior service in the Gidonim Unit, Hamas classified Or as a captured soldier, affecting his treatment.
- For 738 days Or was held in solitary confinement in a space described repeatedly as literal darkness.
- The family raised 250,000 New Israeli shekels and appealed publicly for verified information about his condition or location.
- During part of his captivity, the only physical object Or had was a Rubik's Cube, which his father later confirmed.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843052Thu, 01 Oct 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA captured engineer is held in Gaza with only a Rubik's Cube - how do you stay a person when no one can confirm you're alive? You hold a Rubik's Cube in the dark - how would you stay sane? In this episode, we follow the story of Avinatan Or from...
You hold a Rubik's Cube in the dark - how would you stay sane?

In this episode, we follow the story of Avinatan Or from the morning of October 7, 2023 through the long months his family spent hoping for news. We lay out his background, how he was classified by his captors, and the conditions of his confinement to ask how someone endures total isolation and literal darkness.

Person: Avinatan Or
Date: October 7, 2023; 738 days in captivity
Location: Gaza
Occupation: Electrical and computer engineer at NVIDIA
Family actions: Fundraising, public rallies, video messages, reward offered

- Or and his partner Noa Argamani were filmed during their capture at the Nova music festival as militants separated them.
- Because of prior service in the Gidonim Unit, Hamas classified Or as a captured soldier, affecting his treatment.
- For 738 days Or was held in solitary confinement in a space described repeatedly as literal darkness.
- The family raised 250,000 New Israeli shekels and appealed publicly for verified information about his condition or location.
- During part of his captivity, the only physical object Or had was a Rubik's Cube, which his father later confirmed.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1048falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-car-bomb-that-stole-his-leg-and-his-army--74843050
The car bomb that stole his leg and his army

This episode explores the story of Colonel Riad Mousa al-Asaad, who built a formidable fighting force in Syria. It delves into the complexities of leadership when a movement takes on a life of its own, and the personal cost of defying a regime.

Event: Car bomb detonation
Date: March 25, 2013
Location: Mayadin, eastern Syria
Person: Colonel Riad Mousa al-Asaad
Organization: Free Syrian Army

- Colonel Riad Mousa al-Asaad, born in 1961, was a Syrian Air Force colonel who chose to defy the Assad government in 2011.
- On July 4, 2011, al-Asaad publicly announced his defection and joined the Free Syrian Movement.
- On July 29, 2011, al-Asaad and other defectors declared the establishment of the Free Syrian Army with the goal of overthrowing the Assad government.
- By March 2012, the Free Syrian Army had grown to an estimated 75,000 fighters, though its chain of command was publicly disputed.
- Al-Asaad, based in Turkey under intelligence protection, faced accusations from protesters of being too slow to leave the regime.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843050Wed, 30 Sep 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA Syrian Air Force colonel defects to lead a rebel army, but as the Free Syrian Army grows, he faces a brutal choice: control or survival. The car bomb that stole his leg and his army This episode explores the story of Colonel Riad Mousa...
The car bomb that stole his leg and his army

This episode explores the story of Colonel Riad Mousa al-Asaad, who built a formidable fighting force in Syria. It delves into the complexities of leadership when a movement takes on a life of its own, and the personal cost of defying a regime.

Event: Car bomb detonation
Date: March 25, 2013
Location: Mayadin, eastern Syria
Person: Colonel Riad Mousa al-Asaad
Organization: Free Syrian Army

- Colonel Riad Mousa al-Asaad, born in 1961, was a Syrian Air Force colonel who chose to defy the Assad government in 2011.
- On July 4, 2011, al-Asaad publicly announced his defection and joined the Free Syrian Movement.
- On July 29, 2011, al-Asaad and other defectors declared the establishment of the Free Syrian Army with the goal of overthrowing the Assad government.
- By March 2012, the Free Syrian Army had grown to an estimated 75,000 fighters, though its chain of command was publicly disputed.
- Al-Asaad, based in Turkey under intelligence protection, faced accusations from protesters of being too slow to leave the regime.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>846falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-re-handed-a-rifle-with-your-family-behind-barbed-wire-what-would-you-do--74843048
You're handed a rifle with your family behind barbed wire - what would you do?

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843048Tue, 29 Sep 2026 08:00:05 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTNo description available. You're handed a rifle with your family behind barbed wire - what would you do?
You're handed a rifle with your family behind barbed wire - what would you do?

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>698falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/would-you-answer-the-loyalty-questionnaire-and-lose-your-country--74843044
Would you answer the loyalty questionnaire and lose your country?

In this episode, we follow Violet Kazue de Cristoforo’s account of being forced from her home, giving birth in a makeshift camp, and continuing to write through incarceration and displacement. It traces how a two-question loyalty registration forced impossible choices about citizenship, identity, and survival - what would you have done?

Person: Violet Kazue de Cristoforo
Event: Forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor
Location: Fresno Assembly Center; Jerome War Relocation Center; Tule Lake Segregation Center
Date: Questionnaire issued early 1943; book dated 1944 and finished 1993
Topic: Loyalty registration (questions 27-28) and its consequences

- Born in 1912 in Coalinga, California, Kazue was an American citizen who ran a Japanese-language bookshop in Fresno and was active in haiku circles.
- After Executive Order 9066, Kazue and her family were sent to the Fresno Assembly Center, where she gave birth on a table made from fruit crates inside a horse stall.
- The War Relocation Authority’s “loyalty” questionnaire arrived in early 1943 with two pivotal items: willingness to serve in the U.S. armed forces, and renouncing allegiance to the Japanese emperor.
- Answering yes to renounce allegiance could strip legally barred immigrants of their only citizenship; answering no marked detainees as disloyal and risked transfer to places like Tule Lake.
- Kazue wrote in real time during camps and after, producing a book with a cover date of 1944 that she completed in 1993, preserving the contemporaneous thoughts of poets inside the camps.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843044Mon, 28 Sep 2026 08:00:05 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA pregnant Japanese American poet gives birth on orange crates in a converted horse stall - will a government “loyalty” questionnaire strip them of country and rights? Would you answer the loyalty questionnaire and lose your country? In this...
Would you answer the loyalty questionnaire and lose your country?

In this episode, we follow Violet Kazue de Cristoforo’s account of being forced from her home, giving birth in a makeshift camp, and continuing to write through incarceration and displacement. It traces how a two-question loyalty registration forced impossible choices about citizenship, identity, and survival - what would you have done?

Person: Violet Kazue de Cristoforo
Event: Forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor
Location: Fresno Assembly Center; Jerome War Relocation Center; Tule Lake Segregation Center
Date: Questionnaire issued early 1943; book dated 1944 and finished 1993
Topic: Loyalty registration (questions 27-28) and its consequences

- Born in 1912 in Coalinga, California, Kazue was an American citizen who ran a Japanese-language bookshop in Fresno and was active in haiku circles.
- After Executive Order 9066, Kazue and her family were sent to the Fresno Assembly Center, where she gave birth on a table made from fruit crates inside a horse stall.
- The War Relocation Authority’s “loyalty” questionnaire arrived in early 1943 with two pivotal items: willingness to serve in the U.S. armed forces, and renouncing allegiance to the Japanese emperor.
- Answering yes to renounce allegiance could strip legally barred immigrants of their only citizenship; answering no marked detainees as disloyal and risked transfer to places like Tule Lake.
- Kazue wrote in real time during camps and after, producing a book with a cover date of 1944 that she completed in 1993, preserving the contemporaneous thoughts of poets inside the camps.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>973falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-letter-that-saved-some-japanese-but-exiled-its-author--74843043
The letter that saved some Japanese but exiled its author

This episode explores the extraordinary life of Naka Nakane, a man who reinvented himself multiple times, from a Japanese pastor to a Canadian cafe owner, and finally to a mysterious figure in Depression-era Detroit. It delves into the profound question of what compels someone to shed their identity and build a new one, and what it means when that second life impacts more people than the first.

Person: Naka Nakane (aka Major Satokata Takahashi)
Born: 1870
Location: Kitsuki, Japan
Event: 1912 Saskatchewan anti-Asian employment bill
Event: Vanishing in Tacoma, 1926

- Naka Nakane was born into a prosperous former samurai family in Kitsuki, Japan, and was educated by an American Methodist missionary.
- He became a pastor and founded a church in his hometown before being expelled for alleged sexual impropriety.
- In 1903, at 33, he sailed for Canada, eventually settling in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, where he married and ran a cafe.
- In 1912, he wrote a letter to the Saskatchewan Attorney General, William Turgeon, opposing a bill that would bar Asian men from employing white women.
- His letter contributed to a meeting between Turgeon and the Japanese consul, leading to an exemption for Japanese businessmen from the law by 1913.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843043Sun, 27 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA man walks into a Black Muslim meeting in 1932 Detroit, claiming to be a Japanese major. He is not. What drives a man to abandon everything and invent a new life? The letter that saved some Japanese but exiled its author This episode explores...
The letter that saved some Japanese but exiled its author

This episode explores the extraordinary life of Naka Nakane, a man who reinvented himself multiple times, from a Japanese pastor to a Canadian cafe owner, and finally to a mysterious figure in Depression-era Detroit. It delves into the profound question of what compels someone to shed their identity and build a new one, and what it means when that second life impacts more people than the first.

Person: Naka Nakane (aka Major Satokata Takahashi)
Born: 1870
Location: Kitsuki, Japan
Event: 1912 Saskatchewan anti-Asian employment bill
Event: Vanishing in Tacoma, 1926

- Naka Nakane was born into a prosperous former samurai family in Kitsuki, Japan, and was educated by an American Methodist missionary.
- He became a pastor and founded a church in his hometown before being expelled for alleged sexual impropriety.
- In 1903, at 33, he sailed for Canada, eventually settling in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, where he married and ran a cafe.
- In 1912, he wrote a letter to the Saskatchewan Attorney General, William Turgeon, opposing a bill that would bar Asian men from employing white women.
- His letter contributed to a meeting between Turgeon and the Japanese consul, leading to an exemption for Japanese businessmen from the law by 1913.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>891falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-refugee-who-found-photography-s-ghost--74843041
The Refugee Who Found Photography's Ghost

This episode tells the story of Helmut Gernsheim, a man whose life was shaped by displacement and an unwavering devotion to photography. It explores the tension between his personal history and his monumental contributions to preserving photographic heritage.

Person: Helmut Gernsheim
Date: 1913 (birth)
Location: Munich, Germany
Event: Discovery of the world's first photograph
Status: Friendly enemy alien

- Helmut Gernsheim, born in Munich, Germany, came from a partially Jewish family, a fact that profoundly impacted his life in the 1930s.
- Following his brother's advice, Helmut studied photography, a portable skill, and art history, becoming an expert in both the technical and historical aspects of images.
- In 1940, Britain, which had accepted him, reclassified him as a "friendly enemy alien" and deported him to Australia on the HMT Dunera.
- While interned at the Hay camp in New South Wales, Gernsheim lectured, wrote a manuscript, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society.
- Encouraged by American critic Beaumont Newhall, Gernsheim began a mission to rescue and collect early photographic material and the works of pioneering photographers.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843041Sat, 26 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA German refugee finds the world’s first photograph - but when the place that discarded him holds it, will his loyalty hold? The Refugee Who Found Photography's Ghost This episode tells the story of Helmut Gernsheim, a man whose life was shaped...
The Refugee Who Found Photography's Ghost

This episode tells the story of Helmut Gernsheim, a man whose life was shaped by displacement and an unwavering devotion to photography. It explores the tension between his personal history and his monumental contributions to preserving photographic heritage.

Person: Helmut Gernsheim
Date: 1913 (birth)
Location: Munich, Germany
Event: Discovery of the world's first photograph
Status: Friendly enemy alien

- Helmut Gernsheim, born in Munich, Germany, came from a partially Jewish family, a fact that profoundly impacted his life in the 1930s.
- Following his brother's advice, Helmut studied photography, a portable skill, and art history, becoming an expert in both the technical and historical aspects of images.
- In 1940, Britain, which had accepted him, reclassified him as a "friendly enemy alien" and deported him to Australia on the HMT Dunera.
- While interned at the Hay camp in New South Wales, Gernsheim lectured, wrote a manuscript, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society.
- Encouraged by American critic Beaumont Newhall, Gernsheim began a mission to rescue and collect early photographic material and the works of pioneering photographers.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>907falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-swiss-passport-in-your-pocket-refuses-to-get-you-out-what-do-you-do--74843037
The Swiss passport in your pocket refuses to get you out-what do you do?

This episode explores the life of Eugeniusz Bodo, a celebrated Polish actor whose world was upended by war, and how his inherited Swiss identity became a pivotal factor in his fate. It asks how the objects we use to carry our identities can also be used against us.

Person: Eugeniusz Bodo
Birth Name: Bohdan Eugène Junod
Nationality: Swiss (inherited)
Occupation: Actor, Singer, Producer, Café Owner
Died: October 7, 1943

- Eugeniusz Bodo, born Bohdan Eugène Junod, was Poland's biggest film star, voted King of Polish Actors in 1932.
- His father, Teodor Junod, a Swiss immigrant, opened Urania, the first permanent cinema in Łódź around 1903.
- Bodo opened his own café on Pierackiego Street in Warsaw on January 10, 1939, just months before Germany invaded Poland.
- After the fall of Warsaw, Bodo fled east to Lwów, then under Soviet occupation, and continued to perform with the Tea-Jazz band.
- He carried a Swiss passport, inherited from his father, which was supposed to be his means of escaping the war.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843037Fri, 25 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA Polish film star's café opens just months before war engulfs Europe. His Swiss passport should offer escape, but identity becomes a deadly trap. The Swiss passport in your pocket refuses to get you out-what do you do? This episode explores the...
The Swiss passport in your pocket refuses to get you out-what do you do?

This episode explores the life of Eugeniusz Bodo, a celebrated Polish actor whose world was upended by war, and how his inherited Swiss identity became a pivotal factor in his fate. It asks how the objects we use to carry our identities can also be used against us.

Person: Eugeniusz Bodo
Birth Name: Bohdan Eugène Junod
Nationality: Swiss (inherited)
Occupation: Actor, Singer, Producer, Café Owner
Died: October 7, 1943

- Eugeniusz Bodo, born Bohdan Eugène Junod, was Poland's biggest film star, voted King of Polish Actors in 1932.
- His father, Teodor Junod, a Swiss immigrant, opened Urania, the first permanent cinema in Łódź around 1903.
- Bodo opened his own café on Pierackiego Street in Warsaw on January 10, 1939, just months before Germany invaded Poland.
- After the fall of Warsaw, Bodo fled east to Lwów, then under Soviet occupation, and continued to perform with the Tea-Jazz band.
- He carried a Swiss passport, inherited from his father, which was supposed to be his means of escaping the war.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>885falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/survived-the-machete-found-dead-in-munich-the-unfinished-truth--74843035
Survived the Machete - Found Dead in Munich: The Unfinished Truth

In this episode, we follow Humayun Azad from his rural origins to international scholarship, through the attacks at a Dhaka book fair and his move to Munich to continue working. We trace the decisions, publications, and threats that shaped his life and ask what it costs a person to say something true out loud.

Person: Humayun Azad
Date of attack: 27 February 2004
Location of attack: Bangla Academy book fair, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Book contested: Pak Sar Jamin Sad Bad (excerpts published 2003)
Previous legal fight: Naree ban lifted by High Court in 2000

- Born Humayun Kabir on 28 April 1947 in Rarhikhal, Bikrampur, he legally changed his surname to Azad on 28 September 1988.
- Educated at the University of Dhaka (undergraduate and master's) and completed a doctorate at the University of Edinburgh in 1976 on pronominalization in Bengali.
- After winning a Bangla Academy literary award in 1986, he published Naree, a comprehensive Bengali feminist treatise that was banned in 1995 and reinstated in 2000 after a High Court victory.
- In 2003 he published the novel Pak Sar Jamin Sad Bad, its excerpts appearing in the Daily Ittefaq and provoking parliamentary calls for a ban and blasphemy measures a week before the attack.
- On 27 February 2004 two attackers with machetes struck his jaw, throat, and hands at the Dhaka book fair; he was later treated in Thailand and then traveled to Munich to research poetry.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843035Thu, 24 Sep 2026 08:00:07 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA wounded Bangladeshi writer flies to Munich to research poetry months after machete attackers; what happens next tests what it costs to speak? Survived the Machete - Found Dead in Munich: The Unfinished Truth In this episode, we follow Humayun...
Survived the Machete - Found Dead in Munich: The Unfinished Truth

In this episode, we follow Humayun Azad from his rural origins to international scholarship, through the attacks at a Dhaka book fair and his move to Munich to continue working. We trace the decisions, publications, and threats that shaped his life and ask what it costs a person to say something true out loud.

Person: Humayun Azad
Date of attack: 27 February 2004
Location of attack: Bangla Academy book fair, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Book contested: Pak Sar Jamin Sad Bad (excerpts published 2003)
Previous legal fight: Naree ban lifted by High Court in 2000

- Born Humayun Kabir on 28 April 1947 in Rarhikhal, Bikrampur, he legally changed his surname to Azad on 28 September 1988.
- Educated at the University of Dhaka (undergraduate and master's) and completed a doctorate at the University of Edinburgh in 1976 on pronominalization in Bengali.
- After winning a Bangla Academy literary award in 1986, he published Naree, a comprehensive Bengali feminist treatise that was banned in 1995 and reinstated in 2000 after a High Court victory.
- In 2003 he published the novel Pak Sar Jamin Sad Bad, its excerpts appearing in the Daily Ittefaq and provoking parliamentary calls for a ban and blasphemy measures a week before the attack.
- On 27 February 2004 two attackers with machetes struck his jaw, throat, and hands at the Dhaka book fair; he was later treated in Thailand and then traveled to Munich to research poetry.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>987falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-camp-newspaper-that-defied-a-nation-and-defined-a-writer--74843034
The camp newspaper that defied a nation and defined a writer

This episode explores the life of Albert Fairchild Saijo, named after his father's employer, and the profound impact of his experiences during WWII internment. It delves into how he found his voice as a writer amidst adversity and refused to let others define his story.

Person: Albert Fairchild Saijo
Date: 1942
Location: Heart Mountain Relocation Center, Wyoming
Event: WWII Japanese American internment
Publication: Heart Mountain Echoes

- Satoru Saijo, Albert's father, arrived in the US from Japan in 1900 and named his son after his Ohio industrialist employer.
- Albert Saijo was 15 years old when his family was moved from Los Angeles to the Pomona Assembly Center, then to Heart Mountain.
- He became the editor of the Heart Mountain Echoes, the camp newspaper, which was supervised by the War Relocation Authority.
- On the first anniversary of Pearl Harbor, Saijo published an editorial in the Echoes arguing against racial prejudice.
- The camp newspaper, under Saijo's editorship, directed readers to Gordon Hirabayashi's federal court challenge against his internment order.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843034Wed, 23 Sep 2026 08:00:06 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA Japanese American teen in a WWII internment camp edits a rebellious newspaper. What would you do? The camp newspaper that defied a nation and defined a writer This episode explores the life of Albert Fairchild Saijo, named after his father's...
The camp newspaper that defied a nation and defined a writer

This episode explores the life of Albert Fairchild Saijo, named after his father's employer, and the profound impact of his experiences during WWII internment. It delves into how he found his voice as a writer amidst adversity and refused to let others define his story.

Person: Albert Fairchild Saijo
Date: 1942
Location: Heart Mountain Relocation Center, Wyoming
Event: WWII Japanese American internment
Publication: Heart Mountain Echoes

- Satoru Saijo, Albert's father, arrived in the US from Japan in 1900 and named his son after his Ohio industrialist employer.
- Albert Saijo was 15 years old when his family was moved from Los Angeles to the Pomona Assembly Center, then to Heart Mountain.
- He became the editor of the Heart Mountain Echoes, the camp newspaper, which was supervised by the War Relocation Authority.
- On the first anniversary of Pearl Harbor, Saijo published an editorial in the Echoes arguing against racial prejudice.
- The camp newspaper, under Saijo's editorship, directed readers to Gordon Hirabayashi's federal court challenge against his internment order.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>813falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-cover-up-that-saved-a-life--74843033
The Cover-Up That Saved a Life

This episode delves into the extraordinary life of Ken Eto, a man who navigated the complexities of identity and survival in 20th-century America. It explores the choices he made when every system around him had already decided who he was.

Person: Ken Eto
Date of Birth: October 19, 1919
Location of Birth: Stockton, California
Organization: Chicago Outfit
Operation: Bolita

- Ken Eto left home before finishing high school, choosing to build a life on his own terms.
- During World War II, Eto was interned at the Minidoka War Relocation Center in Idaho for seven months.
- He received a fourteen-year prison sentence for a fraudulent opium deal, maintaining he was deceived.
- Eto became the highest-ranking Asian American in the Chicago Outfit, running an illegal lottery.
- His bolita operation generated between $150,000 and $200,000 a week, with $3,000 weekly bribes to police.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843033Tue, 22 Sep 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA man is shot three times in the head at point-blank range, yet walks away. The cover-up of an organized crime hit accidentally saves a life, but what happens next? The Cover-Up That Saved a Life This episode delves into the extraordinary life...
The Cover-Up That Saved a Life

This episode delves into the extraordinary life of Ken Eto, a man who navigated the complexities of identity and survival in 20th-century America. It explores the choices he made when every system around him had already decided who he was.

Person: Ken Eto
Date of Birth: October 19, 1919
Location of Birth: Stockton, California
Organization: Chicago Outfit
Operation: Bolita

- Ken Eto left home before finishing high school, choosing to build a life on his own terms.
- During World War II, Eto was interned at the Minidoka War Relocation Center in Idaho for seven months.
- He received a fourteen-year prison sentence for a fraudulent opium deal, maintaining he was deceived.
- Eto became the highest-ranking Asian American in the Chicago Outfit, running an illegal lottery.
- His bolita operation generated between $150,000 and $200,000 a week, with $3,000 weekly bribes to police.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1067falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-pedal-to-sachsenhausen-and-ask-to-enter-who-do-you-save--74843030
You pedal to Sachsenhausen and ask to enter - who do you save?

In this episode, we follow the unfolding of a moral and historical knot centered on Johan Bernhard Hjort and his family during World War II. The story traces decisions, movements, and lists that linked a farmhouse near Potsdam to the rescue of thousands and asks what to do with a person whose worst and best chapters are the same life.

Person: Johan Bernhard Hjort
Date: October 1944 memo; February 21, 1941 arrest; 24 February 1969 death
Location: Gross Kreutz estate, 20 km west of Potsdam; Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Event: Compilation of field-verified prisoner lists used in the 1945 rescue operation led by Folke Bernadotte
Number saved: 15,345 prisoners repatriated; 7,795 Scandinavian; 423 Danish Jews from Theresienstadt

- Hjort co-founded Nasjonal Samling in 1933 and served as its de facto deputy leader and commander of the Hirden by 1935.
- He proposed reintroducing a clause to bar Jews from Norway in 1935 yet broke with the party in February 1937.
- After writing a legal brief declaring the German occupation illegal, Hjort was arrested on 21 October 1941 and moved through Grini, the prison ship Donau, and Alexanderplatz.
- Released on condition he remain in Germany, Hjort lived under supervision at his cousin’s Gross Kreutz estate and compiled precise lists of concentration camp prisoners over nearly three years.
- In October 1944 a memo from Stockholm connected to Hjort’s lists would later factor into the Bernadotte operation that coordinated white buses across occupied Europe.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843030Mon, 21 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA daughter pedals to the gates of Sachsenhausen and asks to enter; a former Norwegian fascist's lists may decide who gets out. You pedal to Sachsenhausen and ask to enter - who do you save? In this episode, we follow the unfolding of a moral and...
You pedal to Sachsenhausen and ask to enter - who do you save?

In this episode, we follow the unfolding of a moral and historical knot centered on Johan Bernhard Hjort and his family during World War II. The story traces decisions, movements, and lists that linked a farmhouse near Potsdam to the rescue of thousands and asks what to do with a person whose worst and best chapters are the same life.

Person: Johan Bernhard Hjort
Date: October 1944 memo; February 21, 1941 arrest; 24 February 1969 death
Location: Gross Kreutz estate, 20 km west of Potsdam; Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Event: Compilation of field-verified prisoner lists used in the 1945 rescue operation led by Folke Bernadotte
Number saved: 15,345 prisoners repatriated; 7,795 Scandinavian; 423 Danish Jews from Theresienstadt

- Hjort co-founded Nasjonal Samling in 1933 and served as its de facto deputy leader and commander of the Hirden by 1935.
- He proposed reintroducing a clause to bar Jews from Norway in 1935 yet broke with the party in February 1937.
- After writing a legal brief declaring the German occupation illegal, Hjort was arrested on 21 October 1941 and moved through Grini, the prison ship Donau, and Alexanderplatz.
- Released on condition he remain in Germany, Hjort lived under supervision at his cousin’s Gross Kreutz estate and compiled precise lists of concentration camp prisoners over nearly three years.
- In October 1944 a memo from Stockholm connected to Hjort’s lists would later factor into the Bernadotte operation that coordinated white buses across occupied Europe.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>956falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-two-votes-that-almost-saved-a-country--74843029
The two votes that almost saved a country

This episode explores the early life and political rise of Balthazar Johannes Vorster, detailing his journey from a small town to a position of immense power in South Africa. It examines the pivotal moments and decisions that shaped his career and the country's future.

Person: Balthazar Johannes Vorster
Born: December 13, 1915
Location: Jamestown, Cape Province
Political Affiliation: Ossewabrandwag, Afrikaner Party, National Party
Role: Minister of Justice, Police, and Prisons

- Balthazar Johannes Vorster was the fifteenth child in his family, born in Jamestown, Cape Province.
- He graduated from Stellenbosch University with a law degree in 1938, having served as president of the student council.
- Vorster joined the Ossewabrandwag in 1938, an organization rooted in Afrikaner nationalism and resentment of British rule.
- In 1942, he publicly declared Christian nationalism in South Africa an ally of National Socialism, leading to his internment by British authorities.
- In 1948, Vorster lost his first parliamentary election bid in Brakpan by just two votes.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843029Sun, 20 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA commission's finding reveals a president's complicity in apartheid, challenging his claims of innocence. What happens when the architect of oppression is the face of order? The two votes that almost saved a country This episode explores the...
The two votes that almost saved a country

This episode explores the early life and political rise of Balthazar Johannes Vorster, detailing his journey from a small town to a position of immense power in South Africa. It examines the pivotal moments and decisions that shaped his career and the country's future.

Person: Balthazar Johannes Vorster
Born: December 13, 1915
Location: Jamestown, Cape Province
Political Affiliation: Ossewabrandwag, Afrikaner Party, National Party
Role: Minister of Justice, Police, and Prisons

- Balthazar Johannes Vorster was the fifteenth child in his family, born in Jamestown, Cape Province.
- He graduated from Stellenbosch University with a law degree in 1938, having served as president of the student council.
- Vorster joined the Ossewabrandwag in 1938, an organization rooted in Afrikaner nationalism and resentment of British rule.
- In 1942, he publicly declared Christian nationalism in South Africa an ally of National Socialism, leading to his internment by British authorities.
- In 1948, Vorster lost his first parliamentary election bid in Brakpan by just two votes.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>881falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/your-memory-rebuilds-everything-you-lost-alone-at-seventy--74843026
Your Memory Rebuilds Everything You Lost, Alone, at Seventy

This episode explores the life of Ludwig Hirschfeld-Mack, a Bauhaus artist who invented a new art form. It asks what it means to lose everything you've created and then be asked to reconstruct it decades later.

Person: Ludwig Hirschfeld-Mack
Date: 1922
Location: Bauhaus school in Weimar
Event: First public performance of Farbenlichtspiele

- Ludwig Hirschfeld-Mack, born in 1893, grew up in a household that valued materials and learned to work with his hands before theorizing.
- In 1922, at the Bauhaus, he created the Farbenlichtspiele, or Colour-Light Plays, using mechanically operable stencils and his own music.
- His work was featured in a 1923 Berlin program called Der Absolute Film alongside other notable artists.
- In 1930, he was dismissed from the Weimar College of Architecture due to a Nazi-aligned administrator.
- He left Germany in 1936, finding work in England supervising a carpentry workshop as part of the Brynmawr Experiment.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843026Sat, 19 Sep 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTEverything you built is gone, not stolen or burned, but vanished. At seventy, alone, you are asked to rebuild it from memory. Your Memory Rebuilds Everything You Lost, Alone, at Seventy This episode explores the life of Ludwig Hirschfeld-Mack, a...
Your Memory Rebuilds Everything You Lost, Alone, at Seventy

This episode explores the life of Ludwig Hirschfeld-Mack, a Bauhaus artist who invented a new art form. It asks what it means to lose everything you've created and then be asked to reconstruct it decades later.

Person: Ludwig Hirschfeld-Mack
Date: 1922
Location: Bauhaus school in Weimar
Event: First public performance of Farbenlichtspiele

- Ludwig Hirschfeld-Mack, born in 1893, grew up in a household that valued materials and learned to work with his hands before theorizing.
- In 1922, at the Bauhaus, he created the Farbenlichtspiele, or Colour-Light Plays, using mechanically operable stencils and his own music.
- His work was featured in a 1923 Berlin program called Der Absolute Film alongside other notable artists.
- In 1930, he was dismissed from the Weimar College of Architecture due to a Nazi-aligned administrator.
- He left Germany in 1936, finding work in England supervising a carpentry workshop as part of the Brynmawr Experiment.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1095falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-chose-a-new-name-at-fifteen-would-you-keep-it-if-the-state-erased-you--74843024
You chose a new name at fifteen-would you keep it if the state erased you?

This episode explores the extraordinary story of Nelly Semper, a woman who faced the Soviet state's attempts to erase her identity. It delves into how she navigated a system designed to break individuals and what she built within herself to survive.

Person: Nelly Semper
Date: July 1949
Location: Moscow, Vyatlag
Charge: Article 58

- Nelly Semper was born in Moscow in 1911 to an artist father and a Bolshoi dancer mother.
- At fifteen, she chose her own name, Nelly Semper, a decade before the Soviet state's machinery would reach her.
- She studied languages at Moscow institutes and worked at VOKS, the Soviet organization for cultural exchanges.
- In 1949, she was arrested under Article 58, a broad political category, and held in Lubyanka and Butyrka prisons.
- She was sentenced to ten years and spent six years in Vyatlag, a labor camp in the Vyatka region of the Gulag system.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843024Fri, 18 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTIn 1949 Moscow, a woman is arrested and sent to a Gulag labor camp for six years under Article 58. She later calls this the thing that saved her. You chose a new name at fifteen-would you keep it if the state erased you? This episode explores...
You chose a new name at fifteen-would you keep it if the state erased you?

This episode explores the extraordinary story of Nelly Semper, a woman who faced the Soviet state's attempts to erase her identity. It delves into how she navigated a system designed to break individuals and what she built within herself to survive.

Person: Nelly Semper
Date: July 1949
Location: Moscow, Vyatlag
Charge: Article 58

- Nelly Semper was born in Moscow in 1911 to an artist father and a Bolshoi dancer mother.
- At fifteen, she chose her own name, Nelly Semper, a decade before the Soviet state's machinery would reach her.
- She studied languages at Moscow institutes and worked at VOKS, the Soviet organization for cultural exchanges.
- In 1949, she was arrested under Article 58, a broad political category, and held in Lubyanka and Butyrka prisons.
- She was sentenced to ten years and spent six years in Vyatlag, a labor camp in the Vyatka region of the Gulag system.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>764falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-forced-words-that-asked-her-to-cooperate--74843021
The forced words that asked her to cooperate

This episode explores the harrowing experience of a young woman abducted from a music festival, focusing on the specific, daily challenges she faced during her captivity. It delves into the profound question of what one does when forced to use their own voice against themselves.

Person: Mia Schem
Age: 21
Location: Nova music festival, Negev desert, Israel
Date: October 7, 2023
Status: Hostage

- Mia Schem, a 21-year-old tattoo artist with dual French and Israeli citizenship, attended the Nova music festival with her friend Elia Toledano.
- At 7:17 AM, Mia sent a text message from the festival grounds: "They are shooting at us please come save us."
- During the attack, Mia was shot in the arm and then dragged into a car that crossed into Gaza.
- On the day after her surgery for the gunshot wound, Mia was filmed saying that she was being treated with care and hospitality.
- Nine days after the attack, Hamas released this footage, making Mia the first person to appear in a hostage video during the crisis.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843021Thu, 17 Sep 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA tattoo artist texts from a music festival, then vanishes for 54 days. What choices would you make when survival means cooperating with your captors? The forced words that asked her to cooperate This episode explores the harrowing experience of...
The forced words that asked her to cooperate

This episode explores the harrowing experience of a young woman abducted from a music festival, focusing on the specific, daily challenges she faced during her captivity. It delves into the profound question of what one does when forced to use their own voice against themselves.

Person: Mia Schem
Age: 21
Location: Nova music festival, Negev desert, Israel
Date: October 7, 2023
Status: Hostage

- Mia Schem, a 21-year-old tattoo artist with dual French and Israeli citizenship, attended the Nova music festival with her friend Elia Toledano.
- At 7:17 AM, Mia sent a text message from the festival grounds: "They are shooting at us please come save us."
- During the attack, Mia was shot in the arm and then dragged into a car that crossed into Gaza.
- On the day after her surgery for the gunshot wound, Mia was filmed saying that she was being treated with care and hospitality.
- Nine days after the attack, Hamas released this footage, making Mia the first person to appear in a hostage video during the crisis.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>939falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-empty-stall-that-held-a-life-open--74843019
The Empty Stall That Held a Life Open

This episode explores the story of Elkana Bohbot, a logistics manager and aspiring ice cream vendor, whose life was interrupted on October 7, 2023. It delves into the small, impactful decisions made by those who waited for his return and the unexpected ways they held onto hope.

Person: Elkana Bohbot
Date: October 7, 2023
Location: Nova Music Festival, near Kibbutz Re'im
Status: Taken
Event: Hamas attack on southern Israel

- Elkana Bohbot was working as a logistics manager for an events production company, building stages for concerts and festivals.
- He had secured a market stall in Tel Aviv to open an artisanal ice cream shop, a dream he shared with his wife Rivka and son Re'em.
- On the morning of October 7, 2023, he told his mother he was helping people evacuate from the Nova Music Festival.
- A video released by Hamas later that day showed Bohbot on the ground, bound and bloodied, before being loaded into a pickup truck.
- His family continued to pay the rent for his empty market stall in Tel Aviv every month for over two years.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843019Wed, 16 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA man is taken from a music festival, leaving behind a market stall and a family who must decide what to do with the empty space. What would you do? The Empty Stall That Held a Life Open This episode explores the story of Elkana Bohbot, a...
The Empty Stall That Held a Life Open

This episode explores the story of Elkana Bohbot, a logistics manager and aspiring ice cream vendor, whose life was interrupted on October 7, 2023. It delves into the small, impactful decisions made by those who waited for his return and the unexpected ways they held onto hope.

Person: Elkana Bohbot
Date: October 7, 2023
Location: Nova Music Festival, near Kibbutz Re'im
Status: Taken
Event: Hamas attack on southern Israel

- Elkana Bohbot was working as a logistics manager for an events production company, building stages for concerts and festivals.
- He had secured a market stall in Tel Aviv to open an artisanal ice cream shop, a dream he shared with his wife Rivka and son Re'em.
- On the morning of October 7, 2023, he told his mother he was helping people evacuate from the Nova Music Festival.
- A video released by Hamas later that day showed Bohbot on the ground, bound and bloodied, before being loaded into a pickup truck.
- His family continued to pay the rent for his empty market stall in Tel Aviv every month for over two years.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>975falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/manzanar-to-mangroves-the-desert-that-bloomed--74843017
Manzanar to Mangroves: The Desert That Bloomed

This episode tells the story of Gordon Hisashi Hisashi, a Japanese-American scientist whose early experiences in a World War II internment camp shaped his later work. It explores how a personal history of displacement can inspire a lifetime of cultivating life in barren conditions.

Person: Gordon Hisashi Hisashi
Born: December 17, 1927
Location: Terminal Island, California
Event: Manzanar internment camp
Field: Biochemistry, Biophysics

- Gordon Hisashi was born on Terminal Island, a Japanese-American fishing community in East San Pedro, California.
- In 1942, at age fourteen, Gordon and his family were sent to Manzanar, a concentration camp in California's Owens Desert.
- While detained, Gordon attended Manzanar High School, played baseball, and joined a jazz band called the Jive Bombers.
- He graduated from Manzanar High School in 1944, carrying a knowledge of cultivating life in harsh conditions.
- After serving in the US Army in Korea, Gordon earned degrees in biochemistry and biophysics, working with future Nobel laureates.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843017Tue, 15 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA fourteen-year-old boy is sent to a desert concentration camp. What do you do with the place that tried to erase you? Manzanar to Mangroves: The Desert That Bloomed This episode tells the story of Gordon Hisashi Hisashi, a Japanese-American...
Manzanar to Mangroves: The Desert That Bloomed

This episode tells the story of Gordon Hisashi Hisashi, a Japanese-American scientist whose early experiences in a World War II internment camp shaped his later work. It explores how a personal history of displacement can inspire a lifetime of cultivating life in barren conditions.

Person: Gordon Hisashi Hisashi
Born: December 17, 1927
Location: Terminal Island, California
Event: Manzanar internment camp
Field: Biochemistry, Biophysics

- Gordon Hisashi was born on Terminal Island, a Japanese-American fishing community in East San Pedro, California.
- In 1942, at age fourteen, Gordon and his family were sent to Manzanar, a concentration camp in California's Owens Desert.
- While detained, Gordon attended Manzanar High School, played baseball, and joined a jazz band called the Jive Bombers.
- He graduated from Manzanar High School in 1944, carrying a knowledge of cultivating life in harsh conditions.
- After serving in the US Army in Korea, Gordon earned degrees in biochemistry and biophysics, working with future Nobel laureates.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1130falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-stall-that-became-her-classroom--74843015
The Stall That Became Her Classroom

This episode explores the early life of Evelyn Seiko Nakano, who, as a child, was forcibly relocated with her family during World War II. It delves into the profound impact of being displaced from one's home and how those experiences shaped her future as a renowned scholar.

Person: Evelyn Seiko Nakano
Date: Summer 1942
Location: Turlock, California
Event: Japanese American incarceration

- In 1942, two-year-old Evelyn Seiko Nakano was relocated with her family to a horse stable at a California racetrack.
- Her parents, Makoto Nakano and Haruye Ito, were Nisei (second-generation Japanese American), and Evelyn was Sansei (third generation).
- President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forced relocation of people of Japanese ancestry from the Pacific Coast.
- The Nakano family was moved from Turlock to Gila River in the Arizona desert, and then to Heart Mountain, Wyoming, before Evelyn turned five.
- After their release in 1945, the family moved to Chicago, as there was no home to return to in California.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843015Mon, 14 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA two-year-old girl sleeps in a horse stable at a California racetrack, her family assigned there by the government. What does it do to a life when the first place you are told you do not belong is home itself? The Stall That Became Her Classroom...
The Stall That Became Her Classroom

This episode explores the early life of Evelyn Seiko Nakano, who, as a child, was forcibly relocated with her family during World War II. It delves into the profound impact of being displaced from one's home and how those experiences shaped her future as a renowned scholar.

Person: Evelyn Seiko Nakano
Date: Summer 1942
Location: Turlock, California
Event: Japanese American incarceration

- In 1942, two-year-old Evelyn Seiko Nakano was relocated with her family to a horse stable at a California racetrack.
- Her parents, Makoto Nakano and Haruye Ito, were Nisei (second-generation Japanese American), and Evelyn was Sansei (third generation).
- President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forced relocation of people of Japanese ancestry from the Pacific Coast.
- The Nakano family was moved from Turlock to Gila River in the Arizona desert, and then to Heart Mountain, Wyoming, before Evelyn turned five.
- After their release in 1945, the family moved to Chicago, as there was no home to return to in California.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>859falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/would-you-keep-bandung-s-name-on-your-letterhead-for-fifteen-years--74843014
Would you keep Bandung's name on your letterhead for fifteen years?

This episode explores the life and work of architect Albert Frederik Aalbers, focusing on his transformative years in Bandung. It delves into the profound connection between a person and the place where their work truly flourishes, and what remains when that connection is severed.

Person: Albert Frederik Aalbers
Location: Bandung, Dutch East Indies
Period: 1930s
Architectural Style: Expressionism, Modernism
Building: DENIS Bank

- Albert Aalbers studied at the Rotterdam Academy of Visual Arts and Techniques from 1910 to 1918, influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier.
- After an initial bankruptcy in Rotterdam, Aalbers moved to the Dutch East Indies in 1929, following his brother Theo.
- He arrived in Bandung in 1930, a city then considered an architectural laboratory due to Dutch colonial government planning.
- In Bandung, Aalbers partnered with Rijk de Waal, and their firm, Aalbers en De Waal, built extensively for a decade and a half.
- His design for the DENIS Bank on Braga Street in 1935 featured a continuous horizontal curve facade contrasted with a straight vertical tower.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843014Sun, 13 Sep 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTAn architect builds a city that defines his career, only for a global upheaval to take it all away. What does he hold onto when he can never return? Would you keep Bandung's name on your letterhead for fifteen years? This episode explores the...
Would you keep Bandung's name on your letterhead for fifteen years?

This episode explores the life and work of architect Albert Frederik Aalbers, focusing on his transformative years in Bandung. It delves into the profound connection between a person and the place where their work truly flourishes, and what remains when that connection is severed.

Person: Albert Frederik Aalbers
Location: Bandung, Dutch East Indies
Period: 1930s
Architectural Style: Expressionism, Modernism
Building: DENIS Bank

- Albert Aalbers studied at the Rotterdam Academy of Visual Arts and Techniques from 1910 to 1918, influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier.
- After an initial bankruptcy in Rotterdam, Aalbers moved to the Dutch East Indies in 1929, following his brother Theo.
- He arrived in Bandung in 1930, a city then considered an architectural laboratory due to Dutch colonial government planning.
- In Bandung, Aalbers partnered with Rijk de Waal, and their firm, Aalbers en De Waal, built extensively for a decade and a half.
- His design for the DENIS Bank on Braga Street in 1935 featured a continuous horizontal curve facade contrasted with a straight vertical tower.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1019falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-take-the-forged-rail-pass-and-ride-away-from-your-family--74843012
You take the forged rail pass and ride away from your family

This episode explores the life of Simon Wiesenthal, a man who survived the Holocaust and dedicated his life to hunting Nazis. It delves into the complexities of his story and the choices he made after liberation.

Person: Simon Wiesenthal
Date: May 5, 1945
Location: Mauthausen concentration camp
Weight: 41 kilograms
Family losses: 89

- Simon Wiesenthal survived six concentration camps, two death marches, and an attempt on his own life.
- He was found by American soldiers in the Mauthausen concentration camp in a ward for the dying.
- Wiesenthal's survival in Janowska camp depended on a German inspector, Adolf Kohlrautz, for whom he drafted architectural drawings.
- He obtained false papers for his wife, Cyla, through the Polish underground resistance, providing them with railway schedules and movement data.
- Wiesenthal used Kohlrautz's travel passes to escape Janowska at the end of 1943.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843012Sat, 12 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA Holocaust survivor, weighing 41 kilograms, is found in a concentration camp. He must decide what story to tell about his life. You take the forged rail pass and ride away from your family This episode explores the life of Simon Wiesenthal, a...
You take the forged rail pass and ride away from your family

This episode explores the life of Simon Wiesenthal, a man who survived the Holocaust and dedicated his life to hunting Nazis. It delves into the complexities of his story and the choices he made after liberation.

Person: Simon Wiesenthal
Date: May 5, 1945
Location: Mauthausen concentration camp
Weight: 41 kilograms
Family losses: 89

- Simon Wiesenthal survived six concentration camps, two death marches, and an attempt on his own life.
- He was found by American soldiers in the Mauthausen concentration camp in a ward for the dying.
- Wiesenthal's survival in Janowska camp depended on a German inspector, Adolf Kohlrautz, for whom he drafted architectural drawings.
- He obtained false papers for his wife, Cyla, through the Polish underground resistance, providing them with railway schedules and movement data.
- Wiesenthal used Kohlrautz's travel passes to escape Janowska at the end of 1943.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1235falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-western-clothes-that-defined-a-life-of-impossible-choices--74843010
The Western Clothes That Defined a Life of Impossible Choices

This episode explores the life of Jamal al-Husayni, a Palestinian Arab political figure who navigated a fracturing world through diplomacy and impossible choices. It questions what happens when the cause you've fought for collapses slowly, conference by failed conference.

Person: Jamal al-Husayni
Period: 1892-1982
Location: Jerusalem, Beirut, London, Southern Rhodesia
Status: Diplomat, attorney, political figure

- Jamal al-Husayni was born into a prominent Arab family in Jerusalem, a city of competing calendars and diverse influences.
- At St. George's School in Jerusalem, Jamal was the first pupil to wear Western clothes, a detail that foreshadowed his approach to diplomacy.
- He studied medicine in Beirut, but the fracturing Ottoman Empire and the elimination of Arab nationalist voices forced him to flee back to Jerusalem.
- After surviving an Ottoman crackdown, a world war, and captivity, Jamal emerged as a "reasonable and pragmatic" Palestinian Arab political figure to the British.
- Jamal al-Husayni founded the Palestine Arab Party and was known for not taking bribes, a rare quality in the political landscape of the 1920s and 1930s.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843010Fri, 11 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA diplomat is interned for four years in Southern Rhodesia, captured because the British don't know what to do with him. He watches the war that will decide everything unfold without him. The Western Clothes That Defined a Life of Impossible...
The Western Clothes That Defined a Life of Impossible Choices

This episode explores the life of Jamal al-Husayni, a Palestinian Arab political figure who navigated a fracturing world through diplomacy and impossible choices. It questions what happens when the cause you've fought for collapses slowly, conference by failed conference.

Person: Jamal al-Husayni
Period: 1892-1982
Location: Jerusalem, Beirut, London, Southern Rhodesia
Status: Diplomat, attorney, political figure

- Jamal al-Husayni was born into a prominent Arab family in Jerusalem, a city of competing calendars and diverse influences.
- At St. George's School in Jerusalem, Jamal was the first pupil to wear Western clothes, a detail that foreshadowed his approach to diplomacy.
- He studied medicine in Beirut, but the fracturing Ottoman Empire and the elimination of Arab nationalist voices forced him to flee back to Jerusalem.
- After surviving an Ottoman crackdown, a world war, and captivity, Jamal emerged as a "reasonable and pragmatic" Palestinian Arab political figure to the British.
- Jamal al-Husayni founded the Palestine Arab Party and was known for not taking bribes, a rare quality in the political landscape of the 1920s and 1930s.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>847falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-choose-the-page-of-the-map-that-names-kolyma-and-go-back--74843008
You choose the page of the map that names Kolyma - and go back

In this episode, we follow Avraham Shifrin’s journey from a childhood marked by his father’s arrest to surviving punishment battalions, the Gulag, and eventual emigration. It traces how his memories of camps became a deliberate map and a public record - and asks what one man does with knowledge the world has forgotten.

Person: Avraham Shifrin
Date of birth: October 8, 1923
Location: Minsk, then Soviet Union
Event: Sentenced to 25 years (commuted from death) in 1953; served 10 years; released 1963
Location after emigration: Zichron Ya'akov, Israel

- His father Isaak was arrested in 1937 and sentenced to ten years of corrective labor in Kolyma.
- Labeled syn vraga naroda (son of an enemy of the people), Avraham was assigned to a Shtrafbat during WWII and fought at the Battle of Königsberg.
- After the war he studied law and worked for the Soviet Union of Defense while secretly networking in the Zionist movement.
- In 1953 he was accused of espionage, sentenced to death which was commuted to 35 years; he served ten years in the Gulag before release in 1963.
- By 1970 he emigrated to Israel and began transforming his detailed memories of Soviet camps into a four-hundred-page guidebook and mapped record.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843008Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA son of an “enemy of the people” returns from Soviet prisons with a hand-drawn map of Kolyma and a lifetime of proof - what would you do with it? You choose the page of the map that names Kolyma - and go back In this episode, we follow Avraham...
You choose the page of the map that names Kolyma - and go back

In this episode, we follow Avraham Shifrin’s journey from a childhood marked by his father’s arrest to surviving punishment battalions, the Gulag, and eventual emigration. It traces how his memories of camps became a deliberate map and a public record - and asks what one man does with knowledge the world has forgotten.

Person: Avraham Shifrin
Date of birth: October 8, 1923
Location: Minsk, then Soviet Union
Event: Sentenced to 25 years (commuted from death) in 1953; served 10 years; released 1963
Location after emigration: Zichron Ya'akov, Israel

- His father Isaak was arrested in 1937 and sentenced to ten years of corrective labor in Kolyma.
- Labeled syn vraga naroda (son of an enemy of the people), Avraham was assigned to a Shtrafbat during WWII and fought at the Battle of Königsberg.
- After the war he studied law and worked for the Soviet Union of Defense while secretly networking in the Zionist movement.
- In 1953 he was accused of espionage, sentenced to death which was commuted to 35 years; he served ten years in the Gulag before release in 1963.
- By 1970 he emigrated to Israel and began transforming his detailed memories of Soviet camps into a four-hundred-page guidebook and mapped record.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1013falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-step-back-from-beslan-s-closing-doors-who-do-you-pull-with-you--74843004
You step back from Beslan's closing doors - who do you pull with you?

In this episode, we follow the narrow moments that separated a child from a massacre and the path that led him to the world wrestling mat; the story traces how a small city’s trauma threaded into a sporting life and asks what you do with a life you almost didn’t have.

Person: Zaurbek Sidakov
Event: Beslan school siege
Date: September 1-3, 2004
Location: Beslan, North Ossetia-Alania
Outcome: Sidakov became 2018 senior world wrestling champion in Budapest

- Zaurbek Sidakov was eight on September 1, 2004, evacuated as Beslan School Number One’s doors closed behind others.
- More than 1,100 people were trapped inside the school gym, windows wired with explosives, with no food, water, or ventilation.
- The siege lasted three days; Russian special forces entered on September 3 after an explosion triggered a chaotic end.
- Sidakov grew up in a town where nearly every family lost someone and many athletes trained alongside or against survivors and the bereaved.
- At age 22 in Budapest 2018, Sidakov won the senior world wrestling title by the narrowest margins against top champions: 6-5, 3-2, and a 2-2 victory on criteria.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843004Wed, 09 Sep 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTAn eight-year-old walks away as Beslan School Number One’s doors close; years later he fights for a world title. What would you pull with you? You step back from Beslan's closing doors - who do you pull with you? In this episode, we follow the...
You step back from Beslan's closing doors - who do you pull with you?

In this episode, we follow the narrow moments that separated a child from a massacre and the path that led him to the world wrestling mat; the story traces how a small city’s trauma threaded into a sporting life and asks what you do with a life you almost didn’t have.

Person: Zaurbek Sidakov
Event: Beslan school siege
Date: September 1-3, 2004
Location: Beslan, North Ossetia-Alania
Outcome: Sidakov became 2018 senior world wrestling champion in Budapest

- Zaurbek Sidakov was eight on September 1, 2004, evacuated as Beslan School Number One’s doors closed behind others.
- More than 1,100 people were trapped inside the school gym, windows wired with explosives, with no food, water, or ventilation.
- The siege lasted three days; Russian special forces entered on September 3 after an explosion triggered a chaotic end.
- Sidakov grew up in a town where nearly every family lost someone and many athletes trained alongside or against survivors and the bereaved.
- At age 22 in Budapest 2018, Sidakov won the senior world wrestling title by the narrowest margins against top champions: 6-5, 3-2, and a 2-2 victory on criteria.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>742falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-hold-a-single-flashlight-do-you-hand-it-over-or-keep-living--74843003
You hold a single flashlight - do you hand it over or keep living?

This episode recounts the harrowing experience of Eliya Cohen, from the moment of his abduction to his 505 days in captivity, exploring the profound question of what remains when all else is lost.

Person: Eliya Cohen
Date: October 7, 2023
Location: Negev desert, Israel
Event: Nova music festival attack
Duration: 505 days

- Eliya Cohen, a 26-year-old event producer, attended the Nova music festival with his girlfriend and nephew.
- Rocket sirens at 6 AM scattered the crowd, leading to chaos and separation from his girlfriend.
- Cohen survived an attack on a concrete shelter, where his nephew and his nephew's partner were killed.
- He was abducted by Hassan Mahmoud Hassan Mahmoud of Hamas's al-Bureij Battalion and transported with other captives, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
- During his captivity, Cohen endured surgery on a gunshot wound without anesthesia, constant chaining, and severe rations of one flatbread divided among four people.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843003Tue, 08 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA young man is taken captive after a music festival attack, forced to endure 505 days underground. What does one hold onto when everything is stripped away? You hold a single flashlight - do you hand it over or keep living? This episode recounts...
You hold a single flashlight - do you hand it over or keep living?

This episode recounts the harrowing experience of Eliya Cohen, from the moment of his abduction to his 505 days in captivity, exploring the profound question of what remains when all else is lost.

Person: Eliya Cohen
Date: October 7, 2023
Location: Negev desert, Israel
Event: Nova music festival attack
Duration: 505 days

- Eliya Cohen, a 26-year-old event producer, attended the Nova music festival with his girlfriend and nephew.
- Rocket sirens at 6 AM scattered the crowd, leading to chaos and separation from his girlfriend.
- Cohen survived an attack on a concrete shelter, where his nephew and his nephew's partner were killed.
- He was abducted by Hassan Mahmoud Hassan Mahmoud of Hamas's al-Bureij Battalion and transported with other captives, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
- During his captivity, Cohen endured surgery on a gunshot wound without anesthesia, constant chaining, and severe rations of one flatbread divided among four people.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>867falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-stand-outside-the-wire-with-a-scrap-of-wood-what-do-you-burn--74843002
You stand outside the wire with a scrap of wood - what do you burn?

In this episode, we follow Joan Aiko Aiko from a childhood spent behind the Tule Lake internment fence to a career building cultural programs and access at national institutions. We trace the decisions, moves, and small, steady acts that shape a life answering a childhood of exclusion without ever announcing the link. What choices did she make, and why did she keep the connection quiet?

Person: Joan Aiko Aiko
Location: Tule Lake internment camp, high desert near Oregon-California border
Period: winter 1942, approximately eighteen months internment
Education: Bryn Mawr College, graduated 1958
Organizations: CBS, NBC Today Show, WNET, Barnard College

- Joan remembers her mother Yoshiko searching the frozen ground for tiny pieces of wood to burn for heat inside Tule Lake.
- Her family-father George, mother Yoshiko, brother George Jr.-were confined after Executive Order relocations that moved about 120,000 Japanese Americans.
- Joan turned six behind the wire, watched her brother suffer whooping cough in thin-tarp barracks, and left the camp after roughly eighteen months.
- She moved to New York to make documentary films but encountered gendered ceilings in television production and worked under producer Julian Claman at CBS as an assistant.
- Rather than abandon her goals, Joan made lateral moves-NBC Today Show, WNET, theater production, and director of admissions at Barnard-building toward a career in institutions and programs.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74843002Mon, 07 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA six-year-old at Tule Lake watches her mother gather wood to burn-how do you build a life after that moment? You stand outside the wire with a scrap of wood - what do you burn? In this episode, we follow Joan Aiko Aiko from a childhood spent...
You stand outside the wire with a scrap of wood - what do you burn?

In this episode, we follow Joan Aiko Aiko from a childhood spent behind the Tule Lake internment fence to a career building cultural programs and access at national institutions. We trace the decisions, moves, and small, steady acts that shape a life answering a childhood of exclusion without ever announcing the link. What choices did she make, and why did she keep the connection quiet?

Person: Joan Aiko Aiko
Location: Tule Lake internment camp, high desert near Oregon-California border
Period: winter 1942, approximately eighteen months internment
Education: Bryn Mawr College, graduated 1958
Organizations: CBS, NBC Today Show, WNET, Barnard College

- Joan remembers her mother Yoshiko searching the frozen ground for tiny pieces of wood to burn for heat inside Tule Lake.
- Her family-father George, mother Yoshiko, brother George Jr.-were confined after Executive Order relocations that moved about 120,000 Japanese Americans.
- Joan turned six behind the wire, watched her brother suffer whooping cough in thin-tarp barracks, and left the camp after roughly eighteen months.
- She moved to New York to make documentary films but encountered gendered ceilings in television production and worked under producer Julian Claman at CBS as an assistant.
- Rather than abandon her goals, Joan made lateral moves-NBC Today Show, WNET, theater production, and director of admissions at Barnard-building toward a career in institutions and programs.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>758falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-copy-machine-that-rewrote-history--74842999
The Copy Machine That Rewrote History

This episode tells the story of Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga, who, after being incarcerated during World War II, dedicated her life to uncovering the suppressed history of Japanese American internment. It explores the personal cost of seeking truth when official narratives conflict with lived experience.

Person: Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga
Event: Japanese American incarceration
Date: February 1942
Location: Manzanar, Jerome, Rohwer
Document: Executive Order 9066

- Aiko Yoshinaga was a 17-year-old honors student in Los Angeles when Executive Order 9066 authorized the forced removal of Japanese American.
- Her high school principal denied her a diploma, claiming Japanese American were responsible for bombing Pearl Harbor.
- To avoid separation from her partner, Aiko strategically eloped before being sent to the Manzanar incarceration camp.
- After the war, she left the camps with $25 and no diploma, working clerical jobs for decades.
- Forty years later, guided by Michi Weglyn, Aiko arrived at the National Archives with her own discount copy machine to research the incarceration.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842999Sun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA woman sent to an incarceration camp as a teenager returns decades later with a copy machine to expose the truth about Japanese American confinement. The Copy Machine That Rewrote History This episode tells the story of Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga,...
The Copy Machine That Rewrote History

This episode tells the story of Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga, who, after being incarcerated during World War II, dedicated her life to uncovering the suppressed history of Japanese American internment. It explores the personal cost of seeking truth when official narratives conflict with lived experience.

Person: Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga
Event: Japanese American incarceration
Date: February 1942
Location: Manzanar, Jerome, Rohwer
Document: Executive Order 9066

- Aiko Yoshinaga was a 17-year-old honors student in Los Angeles when Executive Order 9066 authorized the forced removal of Japanese American.
- Her high school principal denied her a diploma, claiming Japanese American were responsible for bombing Pearl Harbor.
- To avoid separation from her partner, Aiko strategically eloped before being sent to the Manzanar incarceration camp.
- After the war, she left the camps with $25 and no diploma, working clerical jobs for decades.
- Forty years later, guided by Michi Weglyn, Aiko arrived at the National Archives with her own discount copy machine to research the incarceration.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>919falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/which-bowl-would-you-eat-from-to-keep-everyone-alive--74842997
Which bowl would you eat from to keep everyone alive?

In this episode we lay out the situation facing George Vance Allen from arrival at Changi Prison to the moment the camp’s shortages become a medical crisis. We follow his background, choices and the makeshift systems he set up under occupation, and ask what a medical leader does when the only resources left are his training and the people around him. What would you do with nothing?

Person: George Vance Allen
Date: Born 16 April 1894; died 2 October 1970
Location: Changi Prison, Singapore; College of Medicine, Singapore
Topic: Improvised medical and food survival in internment during WWII
Event: Fall of Singapore and internment, February-March 1942

- Converted the College of Medicine into a blood transfusion center as siege began.
- Organized cultivation of food on any available land before and after surrender.
- Moved into Changi on 6 March 1942, where space shrank from designed 600 to thousands.
- Trained and led men with medical knowledge to diagnose and treat as supplies vanished.
- A former prisoner later wrote that Allen had kept him and others alive using unlikely food sources.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842997Sat, 05 Sep 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA doctor in Changi must choose which bowl to eat from to keep fellow prisoners alive when food, tools and certainty are gone. Which bowl would you eat from to keep everyone alive? In this episode we lay out the situation facing George Vance...
Which bowl would you eat from to keep everyone alive?

In this episode we lay out the situation facing George Vance Allen from arrival at Changi Prison to the moment the camp’s shortages become a medical crisis. We follow his background, choices and the makeshift systems he set up under occupation, and ask what a medical leader does when the only resources left are his training and the people around him. What would you do with nothing?

Person: George Vance Allen
Date: Born 16 April 1894; died 2 October 1970
Location: Changi Prison, Singapore; College of Medicine, Singapore
Topic: Improvised medical and food survival in internment during WWII
Event: Fall of Singapore and internment, February-March 1942

- Converted the College of Medicine into a blood transfusion center as siege began.
- Organized cultivation of food on any available land before and after surrender.
- Moved into Changi on 6 March 1942, where space shrank from designed 600 to thousands.
- Trained and led men with medical knowledge to diagnose and treat as supplies vanished.
- A former prisoner later wrote that Allen had kept him and others alive using unlikely food sources.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>916falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-general-who-toppled-his-own-cousin--74842993
The General Who Toppled His Own Cousin

In this episode we follow Fazlollah Zahedi through the weeks that made a nation. It lays out his military rise, his family ties to Mohammad Mosaddegh, and the four-day decision that could change everything - would he act or vanish?

Person: Fazlollah Zahedi
Date: 17 May 1892 (birth)
Location: Tehran; Hamadan; Isfahan; Khuzestan
Event: Royal decree naming Zahedi prime minister found in Tehran, summer 1953
Status: Hunted and in hiding with four days to decide

- Zahedi trained in the Imperial Russian-era Cossack Brigade alongside men who later built the Pahlavi state.
- By the 1920s he was military governor of Khuzestan, overseeing an oil-rich province dominated by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.
- In 1941 British forces arrested and interned him in Palestine after Operation PONGO, seizing objects from his bedroom that suggested Nazi links.
- He returned in 1945 to regain political power, becoming senator and then interior minister under Mohammad Reza Shah.
- In summer 1953 a hidden royal decree named Zahedi prime minister while he was officially in hiding and his cousin Mosaddegh still held power.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842993Fri, 04 Sep 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA decorated general in Tehran holds a royal decree naming him prime minister while hunted and hiding - he has four days to decide. What would you do? The General Who Toppled His Own Cousin In this episode we follow Fazlollah Zahedi through the...
The General Who Toppled His Own Cousin

In this episode we follow Fazlollah Zahedi through the weeks that made a nation. It lays out his military rise, his family ties to Mohammad Mosaddegh, and the four-day decision that could change everything - would he act or vanish?

Person: Fazlollah Zahedi
Date: 17 May 1892 (birth)
Location: Tehran; Hamadan; Isfahan; Khuzestan
Event: Royal decree naming Zahedi prime minister found in Tehran, summer 1953
Status: Hunted and in hiding with four days to decide

- Zahedi trained in the Imperial Russian-era Cossack Brigade alongside men who later built the Pahlavi state.
- By the 1920s he was military governor of Khuzestan, overseeing an oil-rich province dominated by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.
- In 1941 British forces arrested and interned him in Palestine after Operation PONGO, seizing objects from his bedroom that suggested Nazi links.
- He returned in 1945 to regain political power, becoming senator and then interior minister under Mohammad Reza Shah.
- In summer 1953 a hidden royal decree named Zahedi prime minister while he was officially in hiding and his cousin Mosaddegh still held power.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1107falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-german-passport-that-forced-you-to-choose-stay-or-flee--74842990
The German passport that forced you to choose stay or flee

In this episode, we follow Ernst Kitzinger from Munich to Rome and then to Britain, tracing the choices he faced after defending a dissertation that would become influential. We explore the practical and moral decisions forced by exile and the question of how a scholar rebuilds a life when homeland and profession are both suddenly unavailable.

Person: Ernst Kitzinger
Date: defended dissertation fall 1934; crossed border the morning after
Location: Munich; Rome; England; Egypt; Istanbul; Suffolk
Topic: early medieval/Roman painting and Anglo-Saxon ornament

- He completed a dissertation on seventh-eighth century Roman painting and defended it in fall 1934.
- He left Germany the morning after his defense and never returned.
- In Rome he worked at the Sapienza and the Bibliotheca Hertziana and connected with Richard Krautheimer.
- In Britain he volunteered at the British Museum, did fieldwork on pre-Norman stone sculpture, and wrote on Anglo-Saxon vinescroll ornament.
- Classified as an "enemy alien" in summer 1940 despite fleeing Nazi persecution, his German passport governed his status.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842990Thu, 03 Sep 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA young German-Jewish art historian leaves Munich after his defense - stay or flee? The German passport that forced you to choose stay or flee In this episode, we follow Ernst Kitzinger from Munich to Rome and then to Britain, tracing the...
The German passport that forced you to choose stay or flee

In this episode, we follow Ernst Kitzinger from Munich to Rome and then to Britain, tracing the choices he faced after defending a dissertation that would become influential. We explore the practical and moral decisions forced by exile and the question of how a scholar rebuilds a life when homeland and profession are both suddenly unavailable.

Person: Ernst Kitzinger
Date: defended dissertation fall 1934; crossed border the morning after
Location: Munich; Rome; England; Egypt; Istanbul; Suffolk
Topic: early medieval/Roman painting and Anglo-Saxon ornament

- He completed a dissertation on seventh-eighth century Roman painting and defended it in fall 1934.
- He left Germany the morning after his defense and never returned.
- In Rome he worked at the Sapienza and the Bibliotheca Hertziana and connected with Richard Krautheimer.
- In Britain he volunteered at the British Museum, did fieldwork on pre-Norman stone sculpture, and wrote on Anglo-Saxon vinescroll ornament.
- Classified as an "enemy alien" in summer 1940 despite fleeing Nazi persecution, his German passport governed his status.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>862falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-refuse-to-remarry-for-nineteen-years-could-you--74842988
You Refuse to Remarry for Nineteen Years - Could You?

In this episode, we follow Sonya’s choice to remain unmarried while Karlo Štajner is taken by the NKVD and sent into the Soviet prison system. The episode traces their separate lives through arrests, camps, sentences, and silence, asking what sustains someone when all signals say to let go.

Person: Karlo Štajner
Person: Sonya Yefimovna Moiseeva
Date: 4 November 1936
Location: Moscow
Event: NKVD arrest and Gulag sentences

- Sonya was twenty years old and nine months pregnant when NKVD agents arrested her husband in Moscow.
- Karlo, a Viennese-born typographer and Comintern publisher, was sentenced to ten years and transported north.
- Sonya gave birth to their daughter Lida while Karlo was already in transit; Lida died at age two.
- Karlo was moved through camps including Solovki, Nadezhda, and Dudinka and was forced to do heavy construction work like building Norilsk.
- In 1943 Karlo received a second ten-year sentence plus five years’ loss of civil rights, extending his time in the system.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842988Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:31:20 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA pregnant young wife in Moscow refuses to remarry for nineteen years after her husband is seized by the NKVD - what would you hold onto? You Refuse to Remarry for Nineteen Years - Could You? In this episode, we follow Sonya’s choice to remain...
You Refuse to Remarry for Nineteen Years - Could You?

In this episode, we follow Sonya’s choice to remain unmarried while Karlo Štajner is taken by the NKVD and sent into the Soviet prison system. The episode traces their separate lives through arrests, camps, sentences, and silence, asking what sustains someone when all signals say to let go.

Person: Karlo Štajner
Person: Sonya Yefimovna Moiseeva
Date: 4 November 1936
Location: Moscow
Event: NKVD arrest and Gulag sentences

- Sonya was twenty years old and nine months pregnant when NKVD agents arrested her husband in Moscow.
- Karlo, a Viennese-born typographer and Comintern publisher, was sentenced to ten years and transported north.
- Sonya gave birth to their daughter Lida while Karlo was already in transit; Lida died at age two.
- Karlo was moved through camps including Solovki, Nadezhda, and Dudinka and was forced to do heavy construction work like building Norilsk.
- In 1943 Karlo received a second ten-year sentence plus five years’ loss of civil rights, extending his time in the system.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>968falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-door-that-locked-from-the-inside--74842986
The Door That Locked From the Inside

This episode explores the life of Pinchus Kahanovich, a Yiddish writer known as Der Nister, whose refusal to conform to political demands led to a decades-long effort to erase his existence. It asks what it means to live authentically when the cost is everything.

Person: Pinchus Kahanovich (Der Nister)
Date: August 2017 (grave discovery)
Location: Vorkuta, Russia
Period: Early 20th Century

- In 2017, a research team found an unmarked grave near Vorkuta, Russia, where they built a Star of David from barbed wire.
- Pinchus Kahanovich, born in 1884 in Berdychiv, Ukraine, chose the pen name Der Nister, meaning "The Hidden One" in Yiddish.
- He left his hometown in 1904, drawn to Enlightenment and Zionist ideas that challenged his Hasidic upbringing.
- By 1907, his first book was published, contributing to a vibrant Yiddish literary scene that included Sholem Aleichem and I.L. Peretz.
- Der Nister moved to Berlin in the early 1920s, where he co-edited the journal Milgroim and published two volumes of symbolic stories titled "Gedakht."

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842986Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:31:16 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA team of researchers discovers an unmarked grave in the Russian Arctic, the final resting place of a Yiddish writer erased by a totalitarian regime. What does a person do when the world demands they hide who they are? The Door That Locked From the...
The Door That Locked From the Inside

This episode explores the life of Pinchus Kahanovich, a Yiddish writer known as Der Nister, whose refusal to conform to political demands led to a decades-long effort to erase his existence. It asks what it means to live authentically when the cost is everything.

Person: Pinchus Kahanovich (Der Nister)
Date: August 2017 (grave discovery)
Location: Vorkuta, Russia
Period: Early 20th Century

- In 2017, a research team found an unmarked grave near Vorkuta, Russia, where they built a Star of David from barbed wire.
- Pinchus Kahanovich, born in 1884 in Berdychiv, Ukraine, chose the pen name Der Nister, meaning "The Hidden One" in Yiddish.
- He left his hometown in 1904, drawn to Enlightenment and Zionist ideas that challenged his Hasidic upbringing.
- By 1907, his first book was published, contributing to a vibrant Yiddish literary scene that included Sholem Aleichem and I.L. Peretz.
- Der Nister moved to Berlin in the early 1920s, where he co-edited the journal Milgroim and published two volumes of symbolic stories titled "Gedakht."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>946falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-stand-at-doors-that-call-you-obstinate-would-you-keep-knocking--74842980
You stand at doors that call you "obstinate" - would you keep knocking?

This episode delves into the early life and formative experiences of Margaret Thatcher, tracing her journey from a modest upbringing to the cusp of a groundbreaking career. It asks what it means to persist when the world tells you to change.

Person: Margaret Hilda Thatcher
Born: October 13, 1925
Birthplace: Grantham, Lincolnshire
Education: Somerville College, Oxford
Early Career: Research chemist, barrister

- Margaret Thatcher was born above her father's grocery shop in Grantham, a market town in England.
- Her father, Alfred Roberts, a Methodist preacher and local politician, instilled in her values of duty and discipline.
- At age twelve, Margaret and her sister Muriel saved their pocket money to help shelter a teenage Jewish refugee.
- After graduating from Oxford with a chemistry degree, she was rejected by Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), with a note describing her as "headstrong, obstinate, and dangerously self-opinionated."
- She married Denis Thatcher and, within five years, became a qualified barrister specializing in taxation, while also giving birth to twins.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842980Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:31:12 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA grocer's daughter from Grantham faces constant rejection for being "too much." This political biography explores what happens when she refuses to become "a little less." You stand at doors that call you "obstinate" - would you keep knocking?...
You stand at doors that call you "obstinate" - would you keep knocking?

This episode delves into the early life and formative experiences of Margaret Thatcher, tracing her journey from a modest upbringing to the cusp of a groundbreaking career. It asks what it means to persist when the world tells you to change.

Person: Margaret Hilda Thatcher
Born: October 13, 1925
Birthplace: Grantham, Lincolnshire
Education: Somerville College, Oxford
Early Career: Research chemist, barrister

- Margaret Thatcher was born above her father's grocery shop in Grantham, a market town in England.
- Her father, Alfred Roberts, a Methodist preacher and local politician, instilled in her values of duty and discipline.
- At age twelve, Margaret and her sister Muriel saved their pocket money to help shelter a teenage Jewish refugee.
- After graduating from Oxford with a chemistry degree, she was rejected by Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), with a note describing her as "headstrong, obstinate, and dangerously self-opinionated."
- She married Denis Thatcher and, within five years, became a qualified barrister specializing in taxation, while also giving birth to twins.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>945falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-bomb-the-boycott-and-the-woman-who-fought-back--74842978
The Bomb, The Boycott, And The Woman Who Fought Back

This episode explores the life of Carmen Elmakiyes, who survived a devastating bombing in Tel Aviv. It delves into how this event, combined with her upbringing in a marginalized community, fueled her determination to challenge systemic inequalities.

Event: Dizengoff Center bombing
Date: Spring 1994
Location: Tel Aviv, Israel
Person: Carmen Elmakiyes
Casualties: 14 dead, over 120 wounded

- Carmen Elmakiyes was thrown several meters by the force of the blast at the Dizengoff Center.
- She grew up in a neighborhood in Ashkelon that residents called "Harlem," reflecting its segregated conditions.
- Her father, Michael Elmakiyes, was a Mizrahi social activist who co-founded the Gesher party.
- Carmen dropped out of Ort Negev trade school after noticing Mizrahi students were routed to trade schools while Ashkenazi students were prepared for university.
- After the bombing, Carmen independently sat for her matriculation exams and later enrolled at Kinneret Academic College for a film degree.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842978Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:31:08 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA sixteen-year-old survives a bombing, uncovering a deeper injustice in her community. What happens when you decide to fight back? The Bomb, The Boycott, And The Woman Who Fought Back This episode explores the life of Carmen Elmakiyes, who...
The Bomb, The Boycott, And The Woman Who Fought Back

This episode explores the life of Carmen Elmakiyes, who survived a devastating bombing in Tel Aviv. It delves into how this event, combined with her upbringing in a marginalized community, fueled her determination to challenge systemic inequalities.

Event: Dizengoff Center bombing
Date: Spring 1994
Location: Tel Aviv, Israel
Person: Carmen Elmakiyes
Casualties: 14 dead, over 120 wounded

- Carmen Elmakiyes was thrown several meters by the force of the blast at the Dizengoff Center.
- She grew up in a neighborhood in Ashkelon that residents called "Harlem," reflecting its segregated conditions.
- Her father, Michael Elmakiyes, was a Mizrahi social activist who co-founded the Gesher party.
- Carmen dropped out of Ort Negev trade school after noticing Mizrahi students were routed to trade schools while Ashkenazi students were prepared for university.
- After the bombing, Carmen independently sat for her matriculation exams and later enrolled at Kinneret Academic College for a film degree.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1078falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-shout-kill-the-jap-in-your-old-street-do-you-join-or-stop-the-game--74842974
You shout "Kill the Jap" in your old street-do you join or stop the game

In this episode, we trace one family's forced removal, the small moments that shaped a childhood, and the ripple of choices that followed. It follows Roger Shimomura from Seattle to Camp Harmony, Minidoka, Chicago and back, asking how a country’s actions become a child's language and choices.

Person: Roger Shimomura
Date: June 26, 1939 (birth); spring 1942 (internment)
Location: Seattle, Washington; Camp Harmony (Puyallup); Minidoka War Relocation Center (Idaho); Chicago
Event: Forced removal and internment of Japanese-Americans after Executive Order 9066
Topic: Childhood memory, internment, identity

- Roger was taken at age two from Seattle to Camp Harmony, a fairground turned internment center.
- Families lived in horse stalls with lingering smells, then were transferred to Minidoka’s wind-blown barracks.
- The Shimomuras relocated to Chicago when Eddy found work, where their daughter Carolyn later died of meningitis.
- After the war the family returned to the same Seattle street and six-year-old Roger played a game called "Kill the Jap."
- Roger later became an artist, using painting to confront and hold the memory of those early years.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842974Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:31:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA two-year-old labeled "enemy" is sent to an internment camp and returns to play a street game called "Kill the Jap" - what do you do? You shout "Kill the Jap" in your old street-do you join or stop the game In this episode, we trace one...
You shout "Kill the Jap" in your old street-do you join or stop the game

In this episode, we trace one family's forced removal, the small moments that shaped a childhood, and the ripple of choices that followed. It follows Roger Shimomura from Seattle to Camp Harmony, Minidoka, Chicago and back, asking how a country’s actions become a child's language and choices.

Person: Roger Shimomura
Date: June 26, 1939 (birth); spring 1942 (internment)
Location: Seattle, Washington; Camp Harmony (Puyallup); Minidoka War Relocation Center (Idaho); Chicago
Event: Forced removal and internment of Japanese-Americans after Executive Order 9066
Topic: Childhood memory, internment, identity

- Roger was taken at age two from Seattle to Camp Harmony, a fairground turned internment center.
- Families lived in horse stalls with lingering smells, then were transferred to Minidoka’s wind-blown barracks.
- The Shimomuras relocated to Chicago when Eddy found work, where their daughter Carolyn later died of meningitis.
- After the war the family returned to the same Seattle street and six-year-old Roger played a game called "Kill the Jap."
- Roger later became an artist, using painting to confront and hold the memory of those early years.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>813falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-blacked-out-windows-you-serve-a-country-that-blinds-your-child--74842972
The Blacked-Out Windows: You Serve a Country That Blinds Your Child

This episode explores the life of Makoto Honda, born into a Japanese internment camp during World War II while his father served the US military. It delves into the profound irony of this situation and the path Makoto chose in response.

Person: Makoto Honda
Date: 1942
Location: Southeastern Colorado
Event: Japanese American internment

- Makoto Honda was one year old when his family was transported to Camp Amache with blacked-out windows.
- His father, Giichi Honda, was simultaneously working for the US Army's Military Intelligence Service, decoding enemy transmissions.
- The Honda family, including Makoto, spent years in Camp Amache, where Makoto learned to walk.
- After their return to California in 1953, the family worked as strawberry sharecroppers, with Makoto picking berries before school.
- Makoto Honda later pursued a career in public service, starting with an appointment to San Jose's Planning Commission in 1971.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842972Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:31:00 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA family is forced into a Japanese internment camp, their windows blacked out, while the father serves the US Army. What would you do? The Blacked-Out Windows: You Serve a Country That Blinds Your Child This episode explores the life of Makoto...
The Blacked-Out Windows: You Serve a Country That Blinds Your Child

This episode explores the life of Makoto Honda, born into a Japanese internment camp during World War II while his father served the US military. It delves into the profound irony of this situation and the path Makoto chose in response.

Person: Makoto Honda
Date: 1942
Location: Southeastern Colorado
Event: Japanese American internment

- Makoto Honda was one year old when his family was transported to Camp Amache with blacked-out windows.
- His father, Giichi Honda, was simultaneously working for the US Army's Military Intelligence Service, decoding enemy transmissions.
- The Honda family, including Makoto, spent years in Camp Amache, where Makoto learned to walk.
- After their return to California in 1953, the family worked as strawberry sharecroppers, with Makoto picking berries before school.
- Makoto Honda later pursued a career in public service, starting with an appointment to San Jose's Planning Commission in 1971.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>877falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/her-question-about-her-husband-landed-her-in-a-windowless-room--74842969
Her question about her husband landed her in a windowless room

This episode explores the life of Elizabeth Choy Su-Moi, a woman who navigated the Japanese occupation of Singapore with extraordinary courage. It delves into her actions during a time of immense danger and the profound question of how one finds peace amidst destruction.

Person: Elizabeth Choy Su-Moi
Event: Japanese occupation of Singapore
Date: February 1942
Location: Singapore
Status: Civilian

- Elizabeth Choy was 31 and married for six months when Singapore fell to Japanese forces in February 1942.
- She and her husband, Choy Khun Heng, ran a canteen at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, using it as cover for smuggling.
- They smuggled cash, clothing, medicine, letters, and radio parts to Allied soldiers and civilian internees at Changi Prison.
- In September 1943, after a covert Australian military raid, the Kempeitai arrested Choy Khun Heng.
- Elizabeth went to the Kempeitai offices to inquire about her husband, only to be detained herself in a windowless room.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842969Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:30:56 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTWhen Singapore falls, Elizabeth Choy smuggles supplies - but her question about his disappearance lands her in a windowless room. Her question about her husband landed her in a windowless room This episode explores the life of Elizabeth Choy...
Her question about her husband landed her in a windowless room

This episode explores the life of Elizabeth Choy Su-Moi, a woman who navigated the Japanese occupation of Singapore with extraordinary courage. It delves into her actions during a time of immense danger and the profound question of how one finds peace amidst destruction.

Person: Elizabeth Choy Su-Moi
Event: Japanese occupation of Singapore
Date: February 1942
Location: Singapore
Status: Civilian

- Elizabeth Choy was 31 and married for six months when Singapore fell to Japanese forces in February 1942.
- She and her husband, Choy Khun Heng, ran a canteen at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, using it as cover for smuggling.
- They smuggled cash, clothing, medicine, letters, and radio parts to Allied soldiers and civilian internees at Changi Prison.
- In September 1943, after a covert Australian military raid, the Kempeitai arrested Choy Khun Heng.
- Elizabeth went to the Kempeitai offices to inquire about her husband, only to be detained herself in a windowless room.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>946falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-mace-that-broke-a-man-in-parliament--74842968
The Mace That Broke a Man in Parliament

This episode delves into the life of John Warburton Beckett, a man whose journey from promising politician to radical figure is marked by personal hardship and ideological shifts. It explores the forces that shaped his decisions and led him down an unexpected path.

Person: John Warburton Beckett
Date: 1940
Location: Britain
Event: Drafting of an alternative government cabinet

- John Warburton Beckett, born in 1894, experienced a family fracture before his birth and his father's financial ruin at age fourteen.
- He served in the First World War, with a discrepancy in his official discharge reason and his personal account of a war wound.
- After the war, he became a Labour MP, working alongside Clement Attlee, who would later become Prime Minister.
- In 1930, during a Commons debate, Beckett lifted the Ceremonial Mace and had to be physically restrained.
- After losing his seat in 1931, he traveled to Italy and returned impressed by the concept of the "corporate state," later joining the British Union of Fascists as Director of Publications.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842968Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:30:53 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA former Labour MP drafts an alternative cabinet while British intelligence watches-what drives a man to walk away from everything he built? The Mace That Broke a Man in Parliament This episode delves into the life of John Warburton Beckett, a...
The Mace That Broke a Man in Parliament

This episode delves into the life of John Warburton Beckett, a man whose journey from promising politician to radical figure is marked by personal hardship and ideological shifts. It explores the forces that shaped his decisions and led him down an unexpected path.

Person: John Warburton Beckett
Date: 1940
Location: Britain
Event: Drafting of an alternative government cabinet

- John Warburton Beckett, born in 1894, experienced a family fracture before his birth and his father's financial ruin at age fourteen.
- He served in the First World War, with a discrepancy in his official discharge reason and his personal account of a war wound.
- After the war, he became a Labour MP, working alongside Clement Attlee, who would later become Prime Minister.
- In 1930, during a Commons debate, Beckett lifted the Ceremonial Mace and had to be physically restrained.
- After losing his seat in 1931, he traveled to Italy and returned impressed by the concept of the "corporate state," later joining the British Union of Fascists as Director of Publications.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1413falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-suitcase-that-went-but-left-you-behind--74842963
The Suitcase That Went, But Left You Behind

This episode explores the harrowing choices made by Anita Lasker-Wallfisch after her family is targeted during the Holocaust. It delves into the profound question of how one maintains agency when confronted with systematic erasure.

Person: Anita Lasker-Wallfisch
Date: September 1942
Location: Breslau station
Event: Gestapo arrest

- Anita's father, Alfons Lasker, was a lawyer and a decorated veteran of WWI, awarded the Iron Cross, which initially gave the family a false sense of immunity.
- In April 1942, Anita's parents were taken, and her eldest sister Marianne had already left on the Kindertransport in 1939.
- Anita and her middle sister Renate found work at a paper factory in Breslau, where they met French prisoners of war.
- They decided to forge documents to create false identities, aiming to escape to France.
- Anita viewed this act as choosing to commit a crime rather than being killed for her birth, asserting authorship over her fate.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842963Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:30:48 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA 17-year-old watches her suitcase leave as she’s left on a platform facing the Gestapo. What would you do when the world decides you have no right to exist? The Suitcase That Went, But Left You Behind This episode explores the harrowing choices...
The Suitcase That Went, But Left You Behind

This episode explores the harrowing choices made by Anita Lasker-Wallfisch after her family is targeted during the Holocaust. It delves into the profound question of how one maintains agency when confronted with systematic erasure.

Person: Anita Lasker-Wallfisch
Date: September 1942
Location: Breslau station
Event: Gestapo arrest

- Anita's father, Alfons Lasker, was a lawyer and a decorated veteran of WWI, awarded the Iron Cross, which initially gave the family a false sense of immunity.
- In April 1942, Anita's parents were taken, and her eldest sister Marianne had already left on the Kindertransport in 1939.
- Anita and her middle sister Renate found work at a paper factory in Breslau, where they met French prisoners of war.
- They decided to forge documents to create false identities, aiming to escape to France.
- Anita viewed this act as choosing to commit a crime rather than being killed for her birth, asserting authorship over her fate.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>816falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-gulag-s-shadow-what-happens-after-you-escape--74842961
The Gulag's Shadow: What Happens After You Escape?

This episode explores the extraordinary escape of Vladimir Tchernavin and his family from a Soviet labor camp. It delves into the difficult choices they faced and the profound question of whether survival truly equates to rescue.

Person: Vladimir Tchernavin
Date: 1931
Location: Soviet Arctic
Event: Escape from Gulag
Status: Scientist

- Vladimir Tchernavin, his wife, and their 14-year-old son walked for 22 days through the Arctic wilderness to escape a Soviet labor camp.
- Vladimir was born in 1887 and, after his father's death, pursued a career in natural sciences, eventually becoming a professor of ichthyology.
- He became Director of Production and Research for the Northern Fisheries Trust in Murmansk, overseeing Soviet Arctic fishing operations.
- In 1930, after colleagues in the food industry were arrested and executed for economic sabotage, Vladimir was interrogated.
- Vladimir was arrested at home and taken to Shpalernaya prison, where he was threatened with execution if he did not confess to sabotage.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842961Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:30:44 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA scientist escapes a Soviet labor camp with his family, but freedom becomes another kind of prison. What happens after the Gulag? The Gulag's Shadow: What Happens After You Escape? This episode explores the extraordinary escape of Vladimir...
The Gulag's Shadow: What Happens After You Escape?

This episode explores the extraordinary escape of Vladimir Tchernavin and his family from a Soviet labor camp. It delves into the difficult choices they faced and the profound question of whether survival truly equates to rescue.

Person: Vladimir Tchernavin
Date: 1931
Location: Soviet Arctic
Event: Escape from Gulag
Status: Scientist

- Vladimir Tchernavin, his wife, and their 14-year-old son walked for 22 days through the Arctic wilderness to escape a Soviet labor camp.
- Vladimir was born in 1887 and, after his father's death, pursued a career in natural sciences, eventually becoming a professor of ichthyology.
- He became Director of Production and Research for the Northern Fisheries Trust in Murmansk, overseeing Soviet Arctic fishing operations.
- In 1930, after colleagues in the food industry were arrested and executed for economic sabotage, Vladimir was interrogated.
- Vladimir was arrested at home and taken to Shpalernaya prison, where he was threatened with execution if he did not confess to sabotage.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>971falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-have-one-sentence-would-you-call-rembrandt-treason-and-save-your-life--74842958
You have one sentence - would you call Rembrandt treason and save your life?

In this episode a single opinion about portraits sets the stage for a life-altering prosecution. We follow Nikolay Punin’s career protecting art, his ties to Anna Akhmatova and the Soviet cultural apparatus, and the slow accumulation of a dossier that turns a lecture into evidence-what choices did he make that mattered most?

Person: Nikolay Nikolayevich Punin
Date: born December 11, 1888
Location: Leningrad (Petrograd), Sheremetyev Palace (Fontanka)
Event: public lectures on Rembrandt and European art
Status: targeted by a secret police file compiled by Lieutenant Prussakov

- Punin rose to head roles in Petrograd’s education and museum administration after 1918, charged with protecting collections officials wanted removed.
- He was a committed Soviet who nonetheless defended Rembrandt and Impressionism as artistically valuable, not politically suspect.
- From 1922 he lived with poet Anna Akhmatova in the Sheremetyev Palace, turning their apartment into a hub for Leningrad’s intelligentsia.
- His brother Leonid’s service with the White Army provided a legal pretext for surveillance and file-building under Soviet law.
- Lieutenant Prussakov assembled mostly fabricated accusations, using Punin’s public lectures and a remark about Lenin portraits as the basis for prosecution.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842958Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:30:40 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTAn art historian in Leningrad calls portraits of Lenin “tasteless” and faces a file that may erase him-what would you do to save your life? You have one sentence - would you call Rembrandt treason and save your life? In this episode a single...
You have one sentence - would you call Rembrandt treason and save your life?

In this episode a single opinion about portraits sets the stage for a life-altering prosecution. We follow Nikolay Punin’s career protecting art, his ties to Anna Akhmatova and the Soviet cultural apparatus, and the slow accumulation of a dossier that turns a lecture into evidence-what choices did he make that mattered most?

Person: Nikolay Nikolayevich Punin
Date: born December 11, 1888
Location: Leningrad (Petrograd), Sheremetyev Palace (Fontanka)
Event: public lectures on Rembrandt and European art
Status: targeted by a secret police file compiled by Lieutenant Prussakov

- Punin rose to head roles in Petrograd’s education and museum administration after 1918, charged with protecting collections officials wanted removed.
- He was a committed Soviet who nonetheless defended Rembrandt and Impressionism as artistically valuable, not politically suspect.
- From 1922 he lived with poet Anna Akhmatova in the Sheremetyev Palace, turning their apartment into a hub for Leningrad’s intelligentsia.
- His brother Leonid’s service with the White Army provided a legal pretext for surveillance and file-building under Soviet law.
- Lieutenant Prussakov assembled mostly fabricated accusations, using Punin’s public lectures and a remark about Lenin portraits as the basis for prosecution.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1060falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/sixteen-seconds-the-axe-rose-what-would-you-do--74842957
Sixteen seconds: the axe rose - what would you do?

In this episode, we follow the moment Kurt Westergaard faced a sudden axe attack and the sixteen-year arc that followed after one cartoon split his life. We explore the decisions, protections and daily realities that shaped how he and others responded to escalating threats - what did they choose to protect, and at what cost?

Person: Kurt Westergaard
Date: Cartoon published September 2005
Location: Aarhus, Denmark
Event: Axe attack inside Westergaard's home and prior arrest plot in February 2008

- A turbaned cartoon with a lit bomb, drawn by Westergaard, was published as part of a commission testing self-censorship.
- After months of wider circulation in early 2006, the cartoons were amplified through international channels and provoked violent demonstrations and embassy attacks.
- Danish intelligence (PET) arrested three men in February 2008 accused of planning to kill Westergaard, prompting immediate security upgrades.
- Westergaard, aged seventy-four during the axe incident, lived under continuous police protection for sixteen years while carrying on a constrained private life.
- Security measures at his home included steel doors, reinforced glass windows, and corner cameras as officials and family negotiated his safety.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842957Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:30:36 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA 74-year-old cartoonist watches a stranger raise an axe in his hallway-what would you do in sixteen seconds of terror about free speech? Sixteen seconds: the axe rose - what would you do? In this episode, we follow the moment Kurt Westergaard...
Sixteen seconds: the axe rose - what would you do?

In this episode, we follow the moment Kurt Westergaard faced a sudden axe attack and the sixteen-year arc that followed after one cartoon split his life. We explore the decisions, protections and daily realities that shaped how he and others responded to escalating threats - what did they choose to protect, and at what cost?

Person: Kurt Westergaard
Date: Cartoon published September 2005
Location: Aarhus, Denmark
Event: Axe attack inside Westergaard's home and prior arrest plot in February 2008

- A turbaned cartoon with a lit bomb, drawn by Westergaard, was published as part of a commission testing self-censorship.
- After months of wider circulation in early 2006, the cartoons were amplified through international channels and provoked violent demonstrations and embassy attacks.
- Danish intelligence (PET) arrested three men in February 2008 accused of planning to kill Westergaard, prompting immediate security upgrades.
- Westergaard, aged seventy-four during the axe incident, lived under continuous police protection for sixteen years while carrying on a constrained private life.
- Security measures at his home included steel doors, reinforced glass windows, and corner cameras as officials and family negotiated his safety.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>754falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-stand-with-two-suitcases-under-a-government-order-do-you-go--74842955
You stand with two suitcases under a government order - do you go?

This episode explores the life of Kazuko Itoi, a Seattle-born woman of Japanese descent, as she faces the profound question of identity and belonging when her government issues a forced removal order. It delves into her unique upbringing and the challenges she confronted before and during her incarceration.

Person: Kazuko Itoi
Date of Birth: September 1, 1919
Location of Birth: Seattle, Washington
Event: Executive Order 9066
Camp: Minidoka War Relocation Authority camp

- Kazuko Itoi was born in Seattle to Japanese immigrant parents and grew up balancing American public school with Japanese language and cultural school.
- Her father managed the Carrollton Hotel on Seattle's Skid Road, where Kazuko spent her childhood.
- Before the forced removal, Kazuko contracted tuberculosis and spent nine months recovering at Firland Sanatorium.
- In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the removal of people of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast.
- Kazuko and her family were first taken to the Puyallup Assembly Center and later transferred to the Minidoka War Relocation Authority camp in Idaho.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842955Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:30:32 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTBorn in Seattle, a young woman navigates two cultures until her own government orders her removal. What do you do when your country no longer recognizes you? You stand with two suitcases under a government order - do you go? This episode...
You stand with two suitcases under a government order - do you go?

This episode explores the life of Kazuko Itoi, a Seattle-born woman of Japanese descent, as she faces the profound question of identity and belonging when her government issues a forced removal order. It delves into her unique upbringing and the challenges she confronted before and during her incarceration.

Person: Kazuko Itoi
Date of Birth: September 1, 1919
Location of Birth: Seattle, Washington
Event: Executive Order 9066
Camp: Minidoka War Relocation Authority camp

- Kazuko Itoi was born in Seattle to Japanese immigrant parents and grew up balancing American public school with Japanese language and cultural school.
- Her father managed the Carrollton Hotel on Seattle's Skid Road, where Kazuko spent her childhood.
- Before the forced removal, Kazuko contracted tuberculosis and spent nine months recovering at Firland Sanatorium.
- In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the removal of people of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast.
- Kazuko and her family were first taken to the Puyallup Assembly Center and later transferred to the Minidoka War Relocation Authority camp in Idaho.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>954falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-loaf-you-split-who-you-let-eat-when-the-bread-ran-out--74842953
The loaf you split-who you let eat when the bread ran out

In this episode, we follow Langdon Gilkey’s time inside the Weixian internment camp and the everyday decisions that exposed the limits of his convictions. The story traces how scarcity, space, and authority forced choices about distribution, hierarchy, and moral identity - what would you do when the bread runs out?

Person: Langdon Gilkey
Location: Weixian internment camp, Shandong province
Date: 1943 (internment began), two and a half years confinement
Background: Harvard graduate, magna cum laude; son of theologian Charles Whitney Gilkey

- Gilkey arrived at age twenty-two with pacifist convictions and a belief in educated human goodness.
- The compound held roughly two thousand civilians - missionaries, doctors, teachers, professors - compressed into buildings meant for far fewer.
- Food distribution was the first flashpoint: Gilkey served on the housing committee and then the distribution team handling rations.
- Missionaries argued for greater shares citing spiritual work; doctors claimed medical necessity to justify extra allocation.
- Prolonged scarcity, confinement, and unclear end dates revealed tensions between principle and self-interest among people trained to serve.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842953Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:30:29 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA Harvard grad in a walled Japanese internment camp must decide who eats as food runs out, testing beliefs about human goodness under pressure. The loaf you split-who you let eat when the bread ran out In this episode, we follow Langdon Gilkey’s...
The loaf you split-who you let eat when the bread ran out

In this episode, we follow Langdon Gilkey’s time inside the Weixian internment camp and the everyday decisions that exposed the limits of his convictions. The story traces how scarcity, space, and authority forced choices about distribution, hierarchy, and moral identity - what would you do when the bread runs out?

Person: Langdon Gilkey
Location: Weixian internment camp, Shandong province
Date: 1943 (internment began), two and a half years confinement
Background: Harvard graduate, magna cum laude; son of theologian Charles Whitney Gilkey

- Gilkey arrived at age twenty-two with pacifist convictions and a belief in educated human goodness.
- The compound held roughly two thousand civilians - missionaries, doctors, teachers, professors - compressed into buildings meant for far fewer.
- Food distribution was the first flashpoint: Gilkey served on the housing committee and then the distribution team handling rations.
- Missionaries argued for greater shares citing spiritual work; doctors claimed medical necessity to justify extra allocation.
- Prolonged scarcity, confinement, and unclear end dates revealed tensions between principle and self-interest among people trained to serve.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1108falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/wear-the-black-shirt-under-your-jacket-would-you-have-hid-the-uniform--74842950
Wear the black shirt under your jacket - would you have hid the uniform?

This episode delves into the life of Neil Hawkins, a figure who operated in the shadows of British fascism, contrasting his methods with the public personas of his contemporaries. It explores the power of unseen influence and administrative control in shaping historical movements.

Person: Neil Lanfear Maclean Francis Hawkins
Date: 1936
Organization: British Union of Fascists
Act: Wearing a black shirt under a jacket

- Neil Hawkins, a salesman by trade, was born in September 1907 and never married, dedicating his life to the organization.
- He joined the British Union, Britain's first self-described fascist group, and worked his way onto its Headquarters Committee.
- When a merger with Mosley's New Party failed by one vote, Hawkins circumvented the decision by moving the bulk of the British Union's membership directly into Mosley's British Union of Fascists.
- Hawkins held various internal roles within the British Union of Fascists, including National Defence Force Adjutant and Head of the Blackshirts, while remaining publicly invisible.
- In 1936, after the Public Order Act banned political uniforms, Hawkins instructed members to wear their black shirts under their jackets.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842950Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:30:24 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA man in 1936 Britain dons a black shirt under his jacket, a quiet act concealing his role in the largest fascist organization the country has ever seen. What would you hide to build a movement? Wear the black shirt under your jacket - would you...
Wear the black shirt under your jacket - would you have hid the uniform?

This episode delves into the life of Neil Hawkins, a figure who operated in the shadows of British fascism, contrasting his methods with the public personas of his contemporaries. It explores the power of unseen influence and administrative control in shaping historical movements.

Person: Neil Lanfear Maclean Francis Hawkins
Date: 1936
Organization: British Union of Fascists
Act: Wearing a black shirt under a jacket

- Neil Hawkins, a salesman by trade, was born in September 1907 and never married, dedicating his life to the organization.
- He joined the British Union, Britain's first self-described fascist group, and worked his way onto its Headquarters Committee.
- When a merger with Mosley's New Party failed by one vote, Hawkins circumvented the decision by moving the bulk of the British Union's membership directly into Mosley's British Union of Fascists.
- Hawkins held various internal roles within the British Union of Fascists, including National Defence Force Adjutant and Head of the Blackshirts, while remaining publicly invisible.
- In 1936, after the Public Order Act banned political uniforms, Hawkins instructed members to wear their black shirts under their jackets.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>835falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-in-the-thirteenth-night-speak-one-word-and-lose-everything--74842948
You, in the thirteenth night, speak one word and lose everything

This episode delves into the life of Nadezhda Ulanovskaya, a woman who dedicated her life to the Soviet cause, only to find herself a target of the very system she served. It explores the profound question of what one does when their chosen path turns against them.

Person: Nadezhda Ulanovskaya
Date of Birth: 1903
Location of Birth: Bershad, Ukraine
Organization: GRU (Soviet military intelligence)
Event: Great Purge

- Born Esther Markovna Fridgant, she changed her name to Nadezhda, meaning "hope," at age fourteen during the Russian Civil War.
- At sixteen, she was involved in occupying a police station in Odessa with revolutionary forces.
- She worked for the Cheka in Germany in 1921 and later for the Profintern in Hamburg under the name Maria Andreyevna Sorokina.
- In 1928, she was stationed in Shanghai as a radio operator for the GRU, working alongside Richard Sorge.
- She ran a spy network in New York in 1932, where one of her contacts was Whittaker Chambers.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842948Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:30:20 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA Soviet intelligence officer is held in solitary confinement, facing charges that could mean her end. Her loyalty to the cause is tested when the state turns against her. You, in the thirteenth night, speak one word and lose everything This...
You, in the thirteenth night, speak one word and lose everything

This episode delves into the life of Nadezhda Ulanovskaya, a woman who dedicated her life to the Soviet cause, only to find herself a target of the very system she served. It explores the profound question of what one does when their chosen path turns against them.

Person: Nadezhda Ulanovskaya
Date of Birth: 1903
Location of Birth: Bershad, Ukraine
Organization: GRU (Soviet military intelligence)
Event: Great Purge

- Born Esther Markovna Fridgant, she changed her name to Nadezhda, meaning "hope," at age fourteen during the Russian Civil War.
- At sixteen, she was involved in occupying a police station in Odessa with revolutionary forces.
- She worked for the Cheka in Germany in 1921 and later for the Profintern in Hamburg under the name Maria Andreyevna Sorokina.
- In 1928, she was stationed in Shanghai as a radio operator for the GRU, working alongside Richard Sorge.
- She ran a spy network in New York in 1932, where one of her contacts was Whittaker Chambers.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1206falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-had-one-radio-call-you-told-two-million-to-stand-still--74842944
You had one radio call - you told two million to stand still

This episode explores the life of Kārlis Ulmanis, the founder of Latvia, who made a controversial decision when Soviet forces invaded in 1940. It asks what it means to build a nation, and when to let go.

Person: Kārlis Ulmanis
Date: June 17, 1940
Location: Latvia
Event: Soviet invasion
Population: Two million

- Kārlis Ulmanis founded Latvia and later ruled it as a dictator for six years.
- In 1905, Ulmanis participated in revolutionary activity against Tsarist rule, forcing him to flee to Switzerland, Germany, and eventually Nebraska.
- He earned a bachelor's degree in agriculture from the University of Nebraska and briefly attempted to run a dairy operation in Houston, Texas, which failed.
- After returning to Latvia in 1913, Ulmanis co-founded the Latvian Farmers' Union and the People's Council.
- On May 15-16, 1934, Ulmanis dissolved the Saeima and banned all political parties in a bloodless coup, detaining approximately two thousand people.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842944Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:30:16 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA nation's founder faces an impossible choice when tanks roll in: fight a hopeless battle, or tell two million people to stand still? You had one radio call - you told two million to stand still This episode explores the life of Kārlis Ulmanis,...
You had one radio call - you told two million to stand still

This episode explores the life of Kārlis Ulmanis, the founder of Latvia, who made a controversial decision when Soviet forces invaded in 1940. It asks what it means to build a nation, and when to let go.

Person: Kārlis Ulmanis
Date: June 17, 1940
Location: Latvia
Event: Soviet invasion
Population: Two million

- Kārlis Ulmanis founded Latvia and later ruled it as a dictator for six years.
- In 1905, Ulmanis participated in revolutionary activity against Tsarist rule, forcing him to flee to Switzerland, Germany, and eventually Nebraska.
- He earned a bachelor's degree in agriculture from the University of Nebraska and briefly attempted to run a dairy operation in Houston, Texas, which failed.
- After returning to Latvia in 1913, Ulmanis co-founded the Latvian Farmers' Union and the People's Council.
- On May 15-16, 1934, Ulmanis dissolved the Saeima and banned all political parties in a bloodless coup, detaining approximately two thousand people.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>914falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-run-toward-the-gunfire-and-hold-her-up-while-she-bleeds--74842941
You run toward the gunfire and hold her up while she bleeds

In this episode we follow the morning a congresswoman who had just read the First Amendment was shot outside a Safeway and the immediate choices that decided whether she lived. We trace the seconds, the people who were there, and the medical chaos that followed to ask: what would you do in that moment?

Person: Gabrielle Giffords
Date: January 8, 2011
Location: Safeway parking lot, Casas Adobes, Arizona
Person: Daniel Hernández Jr.
Event: "Congress on Your Corner" constituent meeting

- A congresswoman read the First Amendment on the House floor two days before she was shot in public.
- The shooting lasted seconds: nineteen people were struck and six people were killed, including a nine-year-old.
- An intern five days into his job, twenty years old, ran toward the gunfire, applied pressure to her wound and held her upright until help arrived.
- Surgeons removed skull fragments, left a section of skull open for swelling, and placed her in an induced coma on a ventilator.
- Initial medical reports said the bullet entered from the back and exited the front; later examinations reached the opposite conclusion.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842941Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:30:12 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA congresswoman speaks in a supermarket parking lot, then a bullet rips her life apart - what would you do when the person you were is suddenly gone? You run toward the gunfire and hold her up while she bleeds In this episode we follow the...
You run toward the gunfire and hold her up while she bleeds

In this episode we follow the morning a congresswoman who had just read the First Amendment was shot outside a Safeway and the immediate choices that decided whether she lived. We trace the seconds, the people who were there, and the medical chaos that followed to ask: what would you do in that moment?

Person: Gabrielle Giffords
Date: January 8, 2011
Location: Safeway parking lot, Casas Adobes, Arizona
Person: Daniel Hernández Jr.
Event: "Congress on Your Corner" constituent meeting

- A congresswoman read the First Amendment on the House floor two days before she was shot in public.
- The shooting lasted seconds: nineteen people were struck and six people were killed, including a nine-year-old.
- An intern five days into his job, twenty years old, ran toward the gunfire, applied pressure to her wound and held her upright until help arrived.
- Surgeons removed skull fragments, left a section of skull open for swelling, and placed her in an induced coma on a ventilator.
- Initial medical reports said the bullet entered from the back and exited the front; later examinations reached the opposite conclusion.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1178falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-choose-to-call-your-son-george-and-the-country-takes-him-anyway--74842938
You choose to call your son George - and the country takes him anyway

This episode explores the story of George Takei, from his childhood experiences in Japanese American internment camps during World War II to his later career. It delves into the profound impact of displacement and the search for belonging.

Person: George Takei
Event: Japanese American internment
Date: 1942
Location: California, Arkansas

- Hosato Takei was given the name George by his father, Takekuma Norman Takei, in 1937, as an act of faith in America.
- In February 1942, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forced removal of Japanese American from the West Coast.
- The Takei family was first taken to Santa Anita Park racetrack, where they slept in a converted horse stall.
- The family was later transferred to the Rohwer War Relocation Center in Arkansas and then the Tule Lake War Relocation Center in California.
- After the war, the family returned to Los Angeles and lived on Skid Row for five years, with no home or savings.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842938Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:30:08 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA family is forced from their home and into an internment camp, their only crime being their Japanese heritage. What does a child carry from that experience? You choose to call your son George - and the country takes him anyway This episode...
You choose to call your son George - and the country takes him anyway

This episode explores the story of George Takei, from his childhood experiences in Japanese American internment camps during World War II to his later career. It delves into the profound impact of displacement and the search for belonging.

Person: George Takei
Event: Japanese American internment
Date: 1942
Location: California, Arkansas

- Hosato Takei was given the name George by his father, Takekuma Norman Takei, in 1937, as an act of faith in America.
- In February 1942, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forced removal of Japanese American from the West Coast.
- The Takei family was first taken to Santa Anita Park racetrack, where they slept in a converted horse stall.
- The family was later transferred to the Rohwer War Relocation Center in Arkansas and then the Tule Lake War Relocation Center in California.
- After the war, the family returned to Los Angeles and lived on Skid Row for five years, with no home or savings.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>888falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-handed-thirty-six-hours-and-a-cedar-sign-choose-what-to-keep--74842935
You, handed thirty-six hours and a cedar sign, choose what to keep

In this episode we follow Miwako Kai’s life across continents, from concert halls to an assembly center, and trace the objects she carried and left behind. We ask what decisions she faced in thirty-six hours and how those choices shaped a life in and beyond confinement.

Person: Miwako Kai
Date: April 1942 (thirty-six hours to report)
Location: Santa Anita Assembly Center, Southern California
Object: Imperial medal presented by Emperor Akihito; hand-carved cedar sign made in a Utah internment camp
Archive: Thirty-one linear feet of papers at Columbia University

- Born May 24, 1913 in San Francisco into a family that ran O. Kai and Company importing Japanese art
- Trained in Japan from age nine, won the Grand Prize of the First Japan Music Competition at nineteen
- Performed major concert works in Tokyo under conductors Nikolai Shifferblatt and Hidemaro Konoye
- Ordered to pack in thirty-six hours and report to a racetrack-turned-assembly center in spring 1942
- Left behind a legacy preserved in archives, a cherry tree donation, and two objects displayed side by side in a Columbia reading room

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842935Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:30:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA celebrated pianist with an imperial medal and a cedar sign is given 36 hours to pack-what would you keep when America rejects you? You, handed thirty-six hours and a cedar sign, choose what to keep In this episode we follow Miwako Kai’s life...
You, handed thirty-six hours and a cedar sign, choose what to keep

In this episode we follow Miwako Kai’s life across continents, from concert halls to an assembly center, and trace the objects she carried and left behind. We ask what decisions she faced in thirty-six hours and how those choices shaped a life in and beyond confinement.

Person: Miwako Kai
Date: April 1942 (thirty-six hours to report)
Location: Santa Anita Assembly Center, Southern California
Object: Imperial medal presented by Emperor Akihito; hand-carved cedar sign made in a Utah internment camp
Archive: Thirty-one linear feet of papers at Columbia University

- Born May 24, 1913 in San Francisco into a family that ran O. Kai and Company importing Japanese art
- Trained in Japan from age nine, won the Grand Prize of the First Japan Music Competition at nineteen
- Performed major concert works in Tokyo under conductors Nikolai Shifferblatt and Hidemaro Konoye
- Ordered to pack in thirty-six hours and report to a racetrack-turned-assembly center in spring 1942
- Left behind a legacy preserved in archives, a cherry tree donation, and two objects displayed side by side in a Columbia reading room

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>747falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-re-offered-a-thousand-dollars-a-night-what-do-you-make-of-it--74842934
You're offered a thousand dollars a night-what do you make of it?

In this episode, we follow a woman who survived wartime internment, migration, and cultural dislocation as she makes a radical life decision in New York City. What does she build when she refuses to let others write her terms?

Person: Xaviera Hollander
Date: 1968 (fee cited), born 1941
Location: Surabaya; Amsterdam; New York City (East Sixty-Seventh Street)
Event: Japanese internment camp; postwar migration; establishment of a high-class brothel
Status: Widely regarded by 1971 as New York City's leading madam

- Born in 1941 in Surabaya to a Dutch Jewish physician and a Dutch mother, she spent early childhood behind wire in a civilian internment camp.
- After the war the family relocated to Amsterdam, where she trained as a secretary and later worked in South Africa before moving again.
- In 1967 she moved to New York at age 26 with no clear plan but a determination to redefine herself.
- By 1968 she was charging one thousand dollars a night, marketing discretion, language skills, and curated experience to elite clients.
- She operated an East Sixty-Seventh Street apartment as a meticulously run, high-class house of pleasure for lawyers, politicians, businessmen, and celebrities.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842934Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:30:00 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA former internee turned New York madam is offered $1,000 a night in 1968-she must choose how to rewrite her life after war, exile, and reinvention. You're offered a thousand dollars a night-what do you make of it? In this episode, we follow a...
You're offered a thousand dollars a night-what do you make of it?

In this episode, we follow a woman who survived wartime internment, migration, and cultural dislocation as she makes a radical life decision in New York City. What does she build when she refuses to let others write her terms?

Person: Xaviera Hollander
Date: 1968 (fee cited), born 1941
Location: Surabaya; Amsterdam; New York City (East Sixty-Seventh Street)
Event: Japanese internment camp; postwar migration; establishment of a high-class brothel
Status: Widely regarded by 1971 as New York City's leading madam

- Born in 1941 in Surabaya to a Dutch Jewish physician and a Dutch mother, she spent early childhood behind wire in a civilian internment camp.
- After the war the family relocated to Amsterdam, where she trained as a secretary and later worked in South Africa before moving again.
- In 1967 she moved to New York at age 26 with no clear plan but a determination to redefine herself.
- By 1968 she was charging one thousand dollars a night, marketing discretion, language skills, and curated experience to elite clients.
- She operated an East Sixty-Seventh Street apartment as a meticulously run, high-class house of pleasure for lawyers, politicians, businessmen, and celebrities.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>959falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/would-you-keep-the-mosley-photograph-on-your-priest-s-mantel--74842933
Would you keep the Mosley photograph on your priest's mantel?

In this episode, we follow the life decisions that kept British fascism alive in the postwar years through one man’s choices and networks. It traces Edward Jeffrey Hamm’s path from a London street corner in 1934 to wartime internment, enlistment, conversion, and continued organizing - and asks what it takes to carry an ideology forward.

Person: Edward Jeffrey Hamm
Date: born 1915
Location: Wembley, England
Event: wedding officiated by Father Clement Russell with Nazi salutes
Topic: postwar persistence of British fascism

- At 19 Hamm heard a BUF speaker on a London street corner and moved to London the next year to join the movement.
- In 1939 he left for the Falkland Islands; in 1940 he was arrested under Defence Regulation 18B and interned at Leeuwkop with German POWs.
- MI5 recorded his exposure to Nazi propaganda in camp; he joined a failed escape attempt and was returned to Britain in 1941.
- He enlisted in the Royal Tank Regiment, was discharged in 1944 as a disruptive influence, then worked at Royal Coach Works and as an accountant in a hat shop.
- Around 1944-45 he converted to Roman Catholicism under Father Clement Russell, who displayed a photograph of Oswald Mosley and later officiated Hamm’s wedding where guests gave Nazi salutes.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842933Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:29:56 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA Catholic priest in Wembley keeps a photo of Oswald Mosley on his mantel - a Mosleyite builds a postwar fascist life. What would you have done? Would you keep the Mosley photograph on your priest's mantel? In this episode, we follow the life...
Would you keep the Mosley photograph on your priest's mantel?

In this episode, we follow the life decisions that kept British fascism alive in the postwar years through one man’s choices and networks. It traces Edward Jeffrey Hamm’s path from a London street corner in 1934 to wartime internment, enlistment, conversion, and continued organizing - and asks what it takes to carry an ideology forward.

Person: Edward Jeffrey Hamm
Date: born 1915
Location: Wembley, England
Event: wedding officiated by Father Clement Russell with Nazi salutes
Topic: postwar persistence of British fascism

- At 19 Hamm heard a BUF speaker on a London street corner and moved to London the next year to join the movement.
- In 1939 he left for the Falkland Islands; in 1940 he was arrested under Defence Regulation 18B and interned at Leeuwkop with German POWs.
- MI5 recorded his exposure to Nazi propaganda in camp; he joined a failed escape attempt and was returned to Britain in 1941.
- He enlisted in the Royal Tank Regiment, was discharged in 1944 as a disruptive influence, then worked at Royal Coach Works and as an accountant in a hat shop.
- Around 1944-45 he converted to Roman Catholicism under Father Clement Russell, who displayed a photograph of Oswald Mosley and later officiated Hamm’s wedding where guests gave Nazi salutes.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>927falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-paper-they-signed-that-called-you-illegally-exiled--74842930
The Paper They Signed That Called You Illegally Exiled

This episode delves into the story of Enrico Mizzi, exiled by a colonial government during a desperate bombing campaign in Malta. It explores what happens when the system that punishes you cannot explain why, and you still choose to return.

Person: Enrico Mizzi
Event: Exile from Malta
Date: 1940
Location: Malta, British Crown Colony
Status: Illegally exiled

- Enrico Mizzi returned to Malta seven days after five years of exile, despite never being formally charged with a crime.
- Malta, a British Crown Colony in 1940, was strategically vital, sitting between Gibraltar and Alexandria.
- Mizzi was born in 1885 into a family deeply involved in advocating for Malta's Italian cultural identity.
- He studied law in Rome and Urbino, returning to Malta in 1911 with a law degree.
- Mizzi founded a newspaper and co-led the Partit Nazzjonalista, earning the honorific "Senza macchia e senza paura" (Without stain or fear).

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842930Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:29:52 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA colonial administration deports a political leader without charge during wartime, calling it "illegally exiled." He returns to a world that tried to define him. The Paper They Signed That Called You Illegally Exiled This episode delves into...
The Paper They Signed That Called You Illegally Exiled

This episode delves into the story of Enrico Mizzi, exiled by a colonial government during a desperate bombing campaign in Malta. It explores what happens when the system that punishes you cannot explain why, and you still choose to return.

Person: Enrico Mizzi
Event: Exile from Malta
Date: 1940
Location: Malta, British Crown Colony
Status: Illegally exiled

- Enrico Mizzi returned to Malta seven days after five years of exile, despite never being formally charged with a crime.
- Malta, a British Crown Colony in 1940, was strategically vital, sitting between Gibraltar and Alexandria.
- Mizzi was born in 1885 into a family deeply involved in advocating for Malta's Italian cultural identity.
- He studied law in Rome and Urbino, returning to Malta in 1911 with a law degree.
- Mizzi founded a newspaper and co-led the Partit Nazzjonalista, earning the honorific "Senza macchia e senza paura" (Without stain or fear).

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>990falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-border-he-crossed-made-him-disappear--74842929
The border he crossed made him disappear

This episode explores the extraordinary life of Walter Ciszek, a Jesuit priest who was presumed dead for years while secretly serving in Soviet prison camps. It delves into the profound challenges he faced and the unexpected path he forged.

Person: Walter Ciszek
Date: 1952
Location: Arctic Circle
Status: Presumed deceased
Religious Order: Society of Jesus

- Walter Ciszek's family and religious order in Pennsylvania mourned his death in 1952, believing he had died in Siberia.
- Despite being declared dead, Ciszek was secretly conducting Mass for prisoners in a brutal Soviet prison camp for fifteen years.
- Born in a coal-mining town, Ciszek was an unruly youth before a spiritual shift led him to join the Jesuits.
- He volunteered for the dangerous Russian mission in 1929, knowing the risks of ministry in the Soviet Union.
- In 1940, Ciszek crossed the Soviet border under a false identity, working as a lumberjack while secretly ministering to Catholics.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842929Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:29:48 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTDeclared dead by his family and order, a Catholic priest secretly ministers to prisoners in a Soviet gulag, facing the ultimate question of existence. The border he crossed made him disappear This episode explores the extraordinary life of...
The border he crossed made him disappear

This episode explores the extraordinary life of Walter Ciszek, a Jesuit priest who was presumed dead for years while secretly serving in Soviet prison camps. It delves into the profound challenges he faced and the unexpected path he forged.

Person: Walter Ciszek
Date: 1952
Location: Arctic Circle
Status: Presumed deceased
Religious Order: Society of Jesus

- Walter Ciszek's family and religious order in Pennsylvania mourned his death in 1952, believing he had died in Siberia.
- Despite being declared dead, Ciszek was secretly conducting Mass for prisoners in a brutal Soviet prison camp for fifteen years.
- Born in a coal-mining town, Ciszek was an unruly youth before a spiritual shift led him to join the Jesuits.
- He volunteered for the dangerous Russian mission in 1929, knowing the risks of ministry in the Soviet Union.
- In 1940, Ciszek crossed the Soviet border under a false identity, working as a lumberjack while secretly ministering to Catholics.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1205falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/one-hundred-dollars-one-life-the-nantucket-crash-that-never-ended--74842928
One Hundred Dollars, One Life: The Nantucket Crash That Never Ended

In this episode, we follow the immediate aftermath of a summer crash that linked two lives for decades and the long arc of consequences that followed. We trace what the law, insurance, and personal responsibility each demanded, and ask how people reckon with the costs that money cannot erase.

Person: Joseph Patrick Kennedy II
Person: Pamela Kelley
Date: Summer 1973; Pamela Kelley death: November 20, 2020
Location: Nantucket; born: Brighton, Boston
Settlement: $668,000 insurance payment

- A Jeep overturned on a Nantucket dirt road, injuring Pamela Kelley and fracturing David Kennedy’s vertebra.
- Joseph Kennedy was cited for reckless driving, fined $100, and had his license suspended and later returned.
- Doctors recorded Pamela’s paralysis as permanent from the chest down and predicted she would not live past forty.
- An insurance settlement totaling $668,000 was paid to cover lifelong care needs that continued for decades.
- Pamela built a life and disability advocacy work on Cape Cod while the gap between her needs and resources persisted.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842928Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:29:44 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA Jeep flips on a Nantucket road in 1973; a young woman is paralyzed and Joseph P. Kennedy II is fined-what does justice look like? One Hundred Dollars, One Life: The Nantucket Crash That Never Ended In this episode, we follow the immediate...
One Hundred Dollars, One Life: The Nantucket Crash That Never Ended

In this episode, we follow the immediate aftermath of a summer crash that linked two lives for decades and the long arc of consequences that followed. We trace what the law, insurance, and personal responsibility each demanded, and ask how people reckon with the costs that money cannot erase.

Person: Joseph Patrick Kennedy II
Person: Pamela Kelley
Date: Summer 1973; Pamela Kelley death: November 20, 2020
Location: Nantucket; born: Brighton, Boston
Settlement: $668,000 insurance payment

- A Jeep overturned on a Nantucket dirt road, injuring Pamela Kelley and fracturing David Kennedy’s vertebra.
- Joseph Kennedy was cited for reckless driving, fined $100, and had his license suspended and later returned.
- Doctors recorded Pamela’s paralysis as permanent from the chest down and predicted she would not live past forty.
- An insurance settlement totaling $668,000 was paid to cover lifelong care needs that continued for decades.
- Pamela built a life and disability advocacy work on Cape Cod while the gap between her needs and resources persisted.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>881falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-jammed-gun-that-let-the-bullet-miss-what-would-you-have-done--74842926
The jammed gun that let the bullet miss - what would you have done?

This episode recounts the attempted assassination of Lars Hedegaard Jensen, a Danish writer whose controversial work led to legal battles and a violent attack. It explores the profound implications of a life spent speaking truth to power.

Person: Lars Hedegaard Jensen
Date: February 5, 2013
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Event: Attempted assassination
Age: 70

- Lars Hedegaard Jensen spent decades writing material that made powerful people uncomfortable, leading to court cases and job losses.
- In 1969, he converted to Judaism and married Barbara Levin, building a life shaped by conviction.
- While editor-in-chief of Dagbladet Information, he published material about the Blekinge Street Gang, exposing criminals who were ideological allies of the paper's readership.
- In 2004, he founded the Danish Free Press Society after Danish PEN rejected his membership application.
- In 2009, he was charged under Denmark's hate speech statute for comments made at a private gathering, eventually being acquitted by the Supreme Court in 2012.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842926Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:29:40 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA 70-year-old writer opens his door to a mailman, only for a bullet to narrowly miss him. What happens when a mechanical failure is your only defense? The jammed gun that let the bullet miss - what would you have done? This episode recounts the...
The jammed gun that let the bullet miss - what would you have done?

This episode recounts the attempted assassination of Lars Hedegaard Jensen, a Danish writer whose controversial work led to legal battles and a violent attack. It explores the profound implications of a life spent speaking truth to power.

Person: Lars Hedegaard Jensen
Date: February 5, 2013
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Event: Attempted assassination
Age: 70

- Lars Hedegaard Jensen spent decades writing material that made powerful people uncomfortable, leading to court cases and job losses.
- In 1969, he converted to Judaism and married Barbara Levin, building a life shaped by conviction.
- While editor-in-chief of Dagbladet Information, he published material about the Blekinge Street Gang, exposing criminals who were ideological allies of the paper's readership.
- In 2004, he founded the Danish Free Press Society after Danish PEN rejected his membership application.
- In 2009, he was charged under Denmark's hate speech statute for comments made at a private gathering, eventually being acquitted by the Supreme Court in 2012.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>783falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/one-microliter-could-you-pick-one-tiny-vial-to-save-a-life--74842924
One microliter: could you pick one tiny vial to save a life?

In this episode, we follow Paul Ichiro Terasaki’s path from childhood in a wartime detention camp to a lifelong career at UCLA, tracing how his experience and choices shaped a method that shrank transplant testing to a single microliter. What does it take to ask: what is the least I need?

Person: Paul Ichiro Terasaki
Date: September 10, 1929 (birth); February 19, 1942 (Executive Order 9066)
Location: Gila River War Relocation Center, Arizona; UCLA, California
Event: Publication of microcytotoxicity assay in Nature, 1964
Topic: One microliter tissue typing for organ transplant

- At age twelve, Terasaki and his family were sent to the Gila River War Relocation Center after Executive Order 9066.
- After the war he completed undergraduate, master’s, and doctorate degrees in zoology at UCLA and joined its medical faculty.
- In 1964 Terasaki and J.D. McClelland published the microcytotoxicity assay that required only one microliter of sample.
- Before this method, tissue typing used large volumes, limiting the scale and speed of organ transplants.
- By 1973 Terasaki and colleagues linked a specific HLA antigen (w27) to ankylosing spondylitis, extending HLA’s relevance beyond rejection.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842924Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:29:36 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA Japanese-American scientist returns to his old campus and invents a one-microliter tissue test - what pushed him to work with almost nothing? One microliter: could you pick one tiny vial to save a life? In this episode, we follow Paul Ichiro...
One microliter: could you pick one tiny vial to save a life?

In this episode, we follow Paul Ichiro Terasaki’s path from childhood in a wartime detention camp to a lifelong career at UCLA, tracing how his experience and choices shaped a method that shrank transplant testing to a single microliter. What does it take to ask: what is the least I need?

Person: Paul Ichiro Terasaki
Date: September 10, 1929 (birth); February 19, 1942 (Executive Order 9066)
Location: Gila River War Relocation Center, Arizona; UCLA, California
Event: Publication of microcytotoxicity assay in Nature, 1964
Topic: One microliter tissue typing for organ transplant

- At age twelve, Terasaki and his family were sent to the Gila River War Relocation Center after Executive Order 9066.
- After the war he completed undergraduate, master’s, and doctorate degrees in zoology at UCLA and joined its medical faculty.
- In 1964 Terasaki and J.D. McClelland published the microcytotoxicity assay that required only one microliter of sample.
- Before this method, tissue typing used large volumes, limiting the scale and speed of organ transplants.
- By 1973 Terasaki and colleagues linked a specific HLA antigen (w27) to ankylosing spondylitis, extending HLA’s relevance beyond rejection.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>716falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-letters-she-wrote-from-camp-changed-a-nation--74842922
The letters she wrote from camp changed a nation

This episode tells the story of Yuri Kochiyama, a woman whose life was irrevocably altered by government fear and injustice. It explores the courage it takes to persevere when your own country deems you an enemy.

Person: Yuri Kochiyama
Date: February 21, 1965
Location: Washington Heights, New York
Event: Malcolm X shooting
Context: Japanese American internment

- Yuri Kochiyama's father, Seiichi Nakahara, was taken by FBI agents the day after Pearl Harbor.
- Seiichi Nakahara died shortly after his release, before Executive Order 9066 was signed.
- Yuri and her mother were sent to the Santa Anita Assembly Center, then to the Jerome War Relocation Center.
- From inside the Jerome camp, Yuri wrote approximately 3,000 letters to Nisei soldiers serving in the US Army.
- After marrying Nisei soldier Bill Kochiyama, Yuri moved to Harlem in 1960 and opened her apartment to the community.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842922Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:29:32 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA Japanese American woman sent to an internment camp begins a fight for decency with 3,000 letters - will it change anything? The letters she wrote from camp changed a nation This episode tells the story of Yuri Kochiyama, a woman whose life was...
The letters she wrote from camp changed a nation

This episode tells the story of Yuri Kochiyama, a woman whose life was irrevocably altered by government fear and injustice. It explores the courage it takes to persevere when your own country deems you an enemy.

Person: Yuri Kochiyama
Date: February 21, 1965
Location: Washington Heights, New York
Event: Malcolm X shooting
Context: Japanese American internment

- Yuri Kochiyama's father, Seiichi Nakahara, was taken by FBI agents the day after Pearl Harbor.
- Seiichi Nakahara died shortly after his release, before Executive Order 9066 was signed.
- Yuri and her mother were sent to the Santa Anita Assembly Center, then to the Jerome War Relocation Center.
- From inside the Jerome camp, Yuri wrote approximately 3,000 letters to Nisei soldiers serving in the US Army.
- After marrying Nisei soldier Bill Kochiyama, Yuri moved to Harlem in 1960 and opened her apartment to the community.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>872falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-library-that-vanished-do-you-begin-anyway--74842918
The Library That Vanished: Do You Begin Anyway?

This episode tells the story of Harry Keith, a forester who arrived in Borneo in 1925 and committed himself to protecting its vast tropical rainforests. It explores the challenge of undertaking work that transcends one's own lifetime and asks what it means to begin anyway.

Person: Harry George Keith
Location: Sandakan, British North Borneo
Period: 1925-1946
Status: Assistant Conservator of Forests, Conservator of Forests
Event: Japanese occupation of Borneo

- Harry Keith, a 26-year-old forester from New Zealand, arrived in Sandakan, British North Borneo, in 1925.
- He spent six years meticulously cataloguing every species and commercial timber in the rainforests.
- Keith built what his wife described as "perhaps the most complete private library on Borneo in existence."
- By 1930, less than half of one percent of North Borneo's land had formal protection, prompting Keith to set a target of ten percent.
- In 1942, Japanese forces occupied Sandakan, leading to Keith's internment and the disappearance of his extensive library.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842918Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:29:28 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA forester dedicates his life to protecting Borneo's ancient rainforests, building an unparalleled library of knowledge. But war arrives, and everything he built vanishes. The Library That Vanished: Do You Begin Anyway? This episode tells the...
The Library That Vanished: Do You Begin Anyway?

This episode tells the story of Harry Keith, a forester who arrived in Borneo in 1925 and committed himself to protecting its vast tropical rainforests. It explores the challenge of undertaking work that transcends one's own lifetime and asks what it means to begin anyway.

Person: Harry George Keith
Location: Sandakan, British North Borneo
Period: 1925-1946
Status: Assistant Conservator of Forests, Conservator of Forests
Event: Japanese occupation of Borneo

- Harry Keith, a 26-year-old forester from New Zealand, arrived in Sandakan, British North Borneo, in 1925.
- He spent six years meticulously cataloguing every species and commercial timber in the rainforests.
- Keith built what his wife described as "perhaps the most complete private library on Borneo in existence."
- By 1930, less than half of one percent of North Borneo's land had formal protection, prompting Keith to set a target of ten percent.
- In 1942, Japanese forces occupied Sandakan, leading to Keith's internment and the disappearance of his extensive library.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>813falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-spoke-to-survive-the-priest-who-outlived-gulag-silence--74842916
He Spoke to Survive: The Priest Who Outlived Gulag Silence

In this episode, we follow Pietro Leoni’s journey from a peasant village in Italy to the Russicum in Rome, into wartime Eastern Europe, and finally into the custody of the NKVD. We trace the decisions he made-staying in Odessa, refusing demands, and continuing to preach-and ask what it meant to keep speaking under surveillance.

Person: Pietro Leoni
Date: 29 April 1945 (arrest)
Location: Odessa; Lubyanka; Arctic prison camps
Topic: Jesuit priesthood, Russicum training, ministry under occupation
Event: NKVD registration of Leoni as official parish priest (Nov 1944)

- Born 1 January 1909 in Montaltovecchio, Emilia-Romagna; entered minor seminary at 13 and joined the Society of Jesus at 18.
- Trained five years at the Russicum to serve the Russian Greek-Catholic Church and was ordained in 1939 in the Byzantine Rite.
- Served as a military chaplain in Albania and occupied Greece in 1940, then assigned to Dnipropetrovsk and later stayed in Odessa as a missionary.
- Built a congregation of about eight thousand, celebrated liturgy in Church Slavonic, preached in Russian, and received Orthodox Christians into the Greek-Catholic Church.
- Registered by the NKVD as the official parish priest in April 1944, then arrested without charge on 29 April 1945 and taken to Lubyanka.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842916Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:29:24 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA Jesuit priest in a Soviet Arctic prison decides to speak to the inmates-knowing his voice could cost him years. What would you do? He Spoke to Survive: The Priest Who Outlived Gulag Silence In this episode, we follow Pietro Leoni’s journey...
He Spoke to Survive: The Priest Who Outlived Gulag Silence

In this episode, we follow Pietro Leoni’s journey from a peasant village in Italy to the Russicum in Rome, into wartime Eastern Europe, and finally into the custody of the NKVD. We trace the decisions he made-staying in Odessa, refusing demands, and continuing to preach-and ask what it meant to keep speaking under surveillance.

Person: Pietro Leoni
Date: 29 April 1945 (arrest)
Location: Odessa; Lubyanka; Arctic prison camps
Topic: Jesuit priesthood, Russicum training, ministry under occupation
Event: NKVD registration of Leoni as official parish priest (Nov 1944)

- Born 1 January 1909 in Montaltovecchio, Emilia-Romagna; entered minor seminary at 13 and joined the Society of Jesus at 18.
- Trained five years at the Russicum to serve the Russian Greek-Catholic Church and was ordained in 1939 in the Byzantine Rite.
- Served as a military chaplain in Albania and occupied Greece in 1940, then assigned to Dnipropetrovsk and later stayed in Odessa as a missionary.
- Built a congregation of about eight thousand, celebrated liturgy in Church Slavonic, preached in Russian, and received Orthodox Christians into the Greek-Catholic Church.
- Registered by the NKVD as the official parish priest in April 1944, then arrested without charge on 29 April 1945 and taken to Lubyanka.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>879falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-survived-a-hijacking-and-a-bullet-then-died-alone-oven-on--74842913
He Survived a Hijacking and a Bullet - Then Died Alone, Oven On

In this episode, we trace the life of Victor Sen Yung from his childhood loss and return, through a career that shifted him from Berkeley animal husbandry to Hollywood character roles, to the strange end found with his oven still on. We follow the moments that kept pulling him back-family, war service, public panels-and ask what endurance looks like when recognition never arrives.

Person: Victor Sen Yung
Date of death discovery: early November 1980
Birth: October 18, 1915, San Francisco, California
Notable roles: Jimmy/Tommy Chan in Charlie Chan films; Hop Sing on television
Event: Survived a hijacking where two others died; later found dead at home with gas leaking and oven on

- As a child he lost his mother to influenza, was placed in a shelter, and his father left for three years before returning with a new wife.
- He studied animal husbandry at UC Berkeley long before his first film appearance in 1938 as Jimmy Chan on Charlie Chan in Honolulu.
- He navigated decades of limited, typecast roles-from comic relief in Monogram pictures to small dramatic parts in Warner Bros. films like The Letter.
- He served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II with the First Motion Picture Unit, appearing in training films and Winged Victory.
- Three years before his death he publicly recounted the hijacking and shooting on a panel where not one judge identified him as the survivor.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842913Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:29:20 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA veteran character actor returns to his kiln after surviving a hijacking and a bullet - what does invisibility cost him? He Survived a Hijacking and a Bullet - Then Died Alone, Oven On In this episode, we trace the life of Victor Sen Yung from...
He Survived a Hijacking and a Bullet - Then Died Alone, Oven On

In this episode, we trace the life of Victor Sen Yung from his childhood loss and return, through a career that shifted him from Berkeley animal husbandry to Hollywood character roles, to the strange end found with his oven still on. We follow the moments that kept pulling him back-family, war service, public panels-and ask what endurance looks like when recognition never arrives.

Person: Victor Sen Yung
Date of death discovery: early November 1980
Birth: October 18, 1915, San Francisco, California
Notable roles: Jimmy/Tommy Chan in Charlie Chan films; Hop Sing on television
Event: Survived a hijacking where two others died; later found dead at home with gas leaking and oven on

- As a child he lost his mother to influenza, was placed in a shelter, and his father left for three years before returning with a new wife.
- He studied animal husbandry at UC Berkeley long before his first film appearance in 1938 as Jimmy Chan on Charlie Chan in Honolulu.
- He navigated decades of limited, typecast roles-from comic relief in Monogram pictures to small dramatic parts in Warner Bros. films like The Letter.
- He served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II with the First Motion Picture Unit, appearing in training films and Winged Victory.
- Three years before his death he publicly recounted the hijacking and shooting on a panel where not one judge identified him as the survivor.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>698falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-hand-out-every-rifle-in-the-armory-who-do-you-let-live--74842911
You hand out every rifle in the armory - who do you let live?

In this episode, we follow Ismail Khan from a single morning in March 1979 through decades of choices that shaped Herat and Afghanistan. We trace the decisions he made-distributing weapons, running a city, holding power-and ask what it means to keep surviving when those beside you do not.

Person: Ismail Khan
Date: March 1979; September 27, 2009
Location: Herat, Afghanistan
Event: Armory opened and rifles distributed to insurgents
Topic: Decisions that cost lives and reshape a region

- A 32-year-old Afghan Army captain broke open the armory in Herat and handed every rifle to protesters.
- The uprising prompted a Soviet bombardment of Herat that preceded the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
- Up to 24,000 people died in the immediate aftermath of the Herat bombardment cited in contemporary accounts.
- After fighting the Soviets, Khan returned to Herat in 1992, took the city, and governed using customs revenue he kept locally.
- Reports attribute both public services under his rule and documented abuses by forces under his command.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842911Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:29:16 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA captain in Herat hands out every rifle in the armory to a crowd - what do you do when survival demands sacrifice? You hand out every rifle in the armory - who do you let live? In this episode, we follow Ismail Khan from a single morning in...
You hand out every rifle in the armory - who do you let live?

In this episode, we follow Ismail Khan from a single morning in March 1979 through decades of choices that shaped Herat and Afghanistan. We trace the decisions he made-distributing weapons, running a city, holding power-and ask what it means to keep surviving when those beside you do not.

Person: Ismail Khan
Date: March 1979; September 27, 2009
Location: Herat, Afghanistan
Event: Armory opened and rifles distributed to insurgents
Topic: Decisions that cost lives and reshape a region

- A 32-year-old Afghan Army captain broke open the armory in Herat and handed every rifle to protesters.
- The uprising prompted a Soviet bombardment of Herat that preceded the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
- Up to 24,000 people died in the immediate aftermath of the Herat bombardment cited in contemporary accounts.
- After fighting the Soviets, Khan returned to Herat in 1992, took the city, and governed using customs revenue he kept locally.
- Reports attribute both public services under his rule and documented abuses by forces under his command.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>899falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-mortgage-that-kept-a-family-s-land-alive--74842909
The mortgage that kept a family's land alive

This episode explores the story of the Tsukamoto family, American citizens of Japanese ancestry, who were removed from their Florin, California farm by executive order during World War II. It delves into the profound question of what it means to rebuild a life within a system that has broken it.

Person: Mary Tsukamoto
Date: 1942
Location: Florin, California
Event: Japanese American incarceration

- Mary Tsukamoto's parents, immigrants from Okinawa, worked the land in Florin, California, growing strawberries and grapes, despite California law prohibiting them from owning property.
- Mary faced racial segregation in school and was disqualified from an oratory competition due to her immigrant parents, but her teacher, Mable Barron, helped her continue her education.
- Mary and her husband Al Tsukamoto built a life on their grape farm in Florin, raising their daughter Marielle, before the United States entered World War II.
- In February 1942, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forced removal of people of Japanese ancestry from designated zones.
- A neighbor named Bob Fletcher quit his job to manage the Tsukamoto farm and two other Japanese American farms, paying their mortgages and taxes and maintaining the grapevines for three and a half years.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842909Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:29:12 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA Japanese American family is forced from their California grape farm during WWII. But a neighbor's quiet act of defiance keeps their land alive. The mortgage that kept a family's land alive This episode explores the story of the Tsukamoto...
The mortgage that kept a family's land alive

This episode explores the story of the Tsukamoto family, American citizens of Japanese ancestry, who were removed from their Florin, California farm by executive order during World War II. It delves into the profound question of what it means to rebuild a life within a system that has broken it.

Person: Mary Tsukamoto
Date: 1942
Location: Florin, California
Event: Japanese American incarceration

- Mary Tsukamoto's parents, immigrants from Okinawa, worked the land in Florin, California, growing strawberries and grapes, despite California law prohibiting them from owning property.
- Mary faced racial segregation in school and was disqualified from an oratory competition due to her immigrant parents, but her teacher, Mable Barron, helped her continue her education.
- Mary and her husband Al Tsukamoto built a life on their grape farm in Florin, raising their daughter Marielle, before the United States entered World War II.
- In February 1942, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forced removal of people of Japanese ancestry from designated zones.
- A neighbor named Bob Fletcher quit his job to manage the Tsukamoto farm and two other Japanese American farms, paying their mortgages and taxes and maintaining the grapevines for three and a half years.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>883falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-sentence-that-made-her-an-enemy-in-her-own-classroom--74842906
The sentence that made her an enemy in her own classroom

This episode tells the story of Aki Kurose, a Japanese-American woman whose name now graces a Seattle school. It explores the challenges she and her family faced, and how she chose to respond to injustice.

Person: Aki Kurose
Date: 1925
Location: Seattle, Washington
Event: Executive Order 9066

- Harutoshi and Murako Kato, Aki's parents, managed an apartment building in Seattle's Central District but could not legally own it due to Washington State's alien land laws.
- Aki Kurose was born in Seattle in 1925, the third of four children, into a neighborhood shaped by redlining and restrictive housing covenants.
- On December 7, 1941, Aki was in her final year at Garfield High School when Pearl Harbor was bombed.
- The next morning, a teacher told 16-year-old Aki, a US citizen who had never been to Japan, "You people bombed Pearl Harbor."
- In February 1942, Executive Order 9066 led to the removal of approximately 112,000 Japanese Americans from the West Coast, including the Kato family, who were sent to Camp Harmony and then to Minidoka, Idaho.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842906Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:29:08 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA Japanese-American teen accused by her teacher of bombing Pearl Harbor-her family faces removal, but will she disappear into bitterness? The sentence that made her an enemy in her own classroom This episode tells the story of Aki Kurose, a...
The sentence that made her an enemy in her own classroom

This episode tells the story of Aki Kurose, a Japanese-American woman whose name now graces a Seattle school. It explores the challenges she and her family faced, and how she chose to respond to injustice.

Person: Aki Kurose
Date: 1925
Location: Seattle, Washington
Event: Executive Order 9066

- Harutoshi and Murako Kato, Aki's parents, managed an apartment building in Seattle's Central District but could not legally own it due to Washington State's alien land laws.
- Aki Kurose was born in Seattle in 1925, the third of four children, into a neighborhood shaped by redlining and restrictive housing covenants.
- On December 7, 1941, Aki was in her final year at Garfield High School when Pearl Harbor was bombed.
- The next morning, a teacher told 16-year-old Aki, a US citizen who had never been to Japan, "You people bombed Pearl Harbor."
- In February 1942, Executive Order 9066 led to the removal of approximately 112,000 Japanese Americans from the West Coast, including the Kato family, who were sent to Camp Harmony and then to Minidoka, Idaho.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>882falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-lived-the-camp-then-said-we-ve-been-mistaking-it--74842905
He Lived the Camp - Then Said We've Been Mistaking It

In this episode, we follow a man who carried the memory of a childhood in a Japanese internment camp and turned it into a lifelong intellectual project. The episode traces his displacement from the Dutch East Indies to the Netherlands, his role in postwar literary life, and the moment he publicly disputed how those camps were remembered - a claim that cost him dearly and reframed a national conversation. What happens when a survivor challenges memory itself?

Person: Rudy Kousbroek
Date: 1 November 1929 (birth)
Location: Pematang Siantar, Dutch East Indies; later Netherlands
Event: Publication of The East Indies Camp Syndrome (1992)
Topic: Comparison of Japanese internment camps and German camps in WWII

- Born in Pematang Siantar, Sumatra, he experienced colonial life and the specific sensory world of the Dutch East Indies before the war.
- Interned with his family at age thirteen, he lived for years behind the camp fence rather than recounting it as an abstract trauma.
- Sent to the Netherlands as a postwar teenager, he confronted cultural displacement while learning Dutch and integrating into Dutch literary life.
- Co-founded the magazine Braak in 1950 and spent decades applying rigorous, disciplinary thinking to memory and literature.
- In 1992 he published an argument, later titled The East Indies Camp Syndrome, claiming that equating Japanese camps with German camps was historically mistaken and implicitly racist.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842905Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:29:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA former child internee returns to the Netherlands and challenges the accepted wartime memory - what would you have done? He Lived the Camp - Then Said We've Been Mistaking It In this episode, we follow a man who carried the memory of a...
He Lived the Camp - Then Said We've Been Mistaking It

In this episode, we follow a man who carried the memory of a childhood in a Japanese internment camp and turned it into a lifelong intellectual project. The episode traces his displacement from the Dutch East Indies to the Netherlands, his role in postwar literary life, and the moment he publicly disputed how those camps were remembered - a claim that cost him dearly and reframed a national conversation. What happens when a survivor challenges memory itself?

Person: Rudy Kousbroek
Date: 1 November 1929 (birth)
Location: Pematang Siantar, Dutch East Indies; later Netherlands
Event: Publication of The East Indies Camp Syndrome (1992)
Topic: Comparison of Japanese internment camps and German camps in WWII

- Born in Pematang Siantar, Sumatra, he experienced colonial life and the specific sensory world of the Dutch East Indies before the war.
- Interned with his family at age thirteen, he lived for years behind the camp fence rather than recounting it as an abstract trauma.
- Sent to the Netherlands as a postwar teenager, he confronted cultural displacement while learning Dutch and integrating into Dutch literary life.
- Co-founded the magazine Braak in 1950 and spent decades applying rigorous, disciplinary thinking to memory and literature.
- In 1992 he published an argument, later titled The East Indies Camp Syndrome, claiming that equating Japanese camps with German camps was historically mistaken and implicitly racist.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>797falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-marry-mosley-in-goebbels-s-living-room-while-hitler-signs-your-wedding-frame--74842904
You marry Mosley in Goebbels's living room while Hitler signs your wedding frame

In this episode, we follow the life of Diana Mosley from privileged debutante to controversial figure tied to European fascism. The episode traces key decisions, meetings with Adolf Hitler, a secret wedding in Berlin, and the personal fallout that fractured a famous family - how did she arrive there?

Person: Diana Mosley (born Diana Freeman-Mitford)
Date: Wedding 6 October 1936; birth 17 June 1910
Location: Joseph Goebbels's living room, Berlin
Event: Six documented meetings with Adolf Hitler; secret wedding; imprisonment without trial
Family: One of seven Mitford children; two sons Jonathan (b.1930) and Desmond (b.1931)

- At 18 Diana married Bryan Guinness and bore two sons, yet left that marriage to live with Oswald Mosley by 1932.
- Oswald Mosley, a former Conservative and Labour politician, founded the British Union of Fascists in 1932 and attracted Diana’s allegiance.
- Diana met Hitler at Unity Mitford’s introduction and would sit with him at least six times before the war.
- The Mosley marriage took place privately in Goebbels’s home in October 1936 while Hitler presented a signed silver-framed wedding photograph.
- Her choices split the Mitford family: public satire, political estrangement, and lifelong controversy followed her decisions.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842904Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:29:01 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA British socialite marries Britain’s fascist leader in Joseph Goebbels’s living room - what would you do? You marry Mosley in Goebbels's living room while Hitler signs your wedding frame In this episode, we follow the life of Diana Mosley from...
You marry Mosley in Goebbels's living room while Hitler signs your wedding frame

In this episode, we follow the life of Diana Mosley from privileged debutante to controversial figure tied to European fascism. The episode traces key decisions, meetings with Adolf Hitler, a secret wedding in Berlin, and the personal fallout that fractured a famous family - how did she arrive there?

Person: Diana Mosley (born Diana Freeman-Mitford)
Date: Wedding 6 October 1936; birth 17 June 1910
Location: Joseph Goebbels's living room, Berlin
Event: Six documented meetings with Adolf Hitler; secret wedding; imprisonment without trial
Family: One of seven Mitford children; two sons Jonathan (b.1930) and Desmond (b.1931)

- At 18 Diana married Bryan Guinness and bore two sons, yet left that marriage to live with Oswald Mosley by 1932.
- Oswald Mosley, a former Conservative and Labour politician, founded the British Union of Fascists in 1932 and attracted Diana’s allegiance.
- Diana met Hitler at Unity Mitford’s introduction and would sit with him at least six times before the war.
- The Mosley marriage took place privately in Goebbels’s home in October 1936 while Hitler presented a signed silver-framed wedding photograph.
- Her choices split the Mitford family: public satire, political estrangement, and lifelong controversy followed her decisions.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>971falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-go-to-the-door-for-a-package-and-the-car-is-waiting-outside--74842902
You go to the door for a package - and the car is waiting outside

In this episode, we follow Lina Prokofiev’s life from transnational soprano to a Moscow apartment where one knock changes everything. We trace the decisions, relationships, and legal moves that reshaped her decades under Soviet rule and ask what choice she faced at that door.

Person: Lina Prokofiev (born Carolina Codina y Llubera)
Date: February 20, 1948
Location: Moscow apartment
Event: Called to collect a non-existent package; a car waited outside
Period: 1936-1974

- Born in Madrid in 1897, Lina moved with her singer parents to Odessa, Switzerland, then New York, where she trained and performed as soprano Lina Llubera.
- She married composer Sergei Prokofiev in Germany in 1923, bore sons Sviatoslav (1924) and Oleg (1928), and lived between Paris and other European cities.
- In 1936 Sergei chose to return to the Soviet Union; Lina followed, bringing her children and effectively closing a door that would prevent easy departure.
- Sergei began a long relationship with Mira Mendelson in 1938 while remaining legally married to Lina, altering the household’s dynamics without immediate separation.
- On the night of February 20, 1948, Lina was summoned to collect a supposed package and encountered a car outside her Moscow apartment-an encounter that set the shape of the next eight years.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842902Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:28:57 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA woman in Moscow answers a late-night call about a package and finds a car waiting-how far will she go when the Soviet state closes a door? You go to the door for a package - and the car is waiting outside In this episode, we follow Lina...
You go to the door for a package - and the car is waiting outside

In this episode, we follow Lina Prokofiev’s life from transnational soprano to a Moscow apartment where one knock changes everything. We trace the decisions, relationships, and legal moves that reshaped her decades under Soviet rule and ask what choice she faced at that door.

Person: Lina Prokofiev (born Carolina Codina y Llubera)
Date: February 20, 1948
Location: Moscow apartment
Event: Called to collect a non-existent package; a car waited outside
Period: 1936-1974

- Born in Madrid in 1897, Lina moved with her singer parents to Odessa, Switzerland, then New York, where she trained and performed as soprano Lina Llubera.
- She married composer Sergei Prokofiev in Germany in 1923, bore sons Sviatoslav (1924) and Oleg (1928), and lived between Paris and other European cities.
- In 1936 Sergei chose to return to the Soviet Union; Lina followed, bringing her children and effectively closing a door that would prevent easy departure.
- Sergei began a long relationship with Mira Mendelson in 1938 while remaining legally married to Lina, altering the household’s dynamics without immediate separation.
- On the night of February 20, 1948, Lina was summoned to collect a supposed package and encountered a car outside her Moscow apartment-an encounter that set the shape of the next eight years.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1045falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-shard-of-metal-you-press-through-your-temple-to-save-yourself--74842899
The shard of metal you press through your temple to save yourself

In this episode, we follow Genrich Eiche from his Riga childhood and Imperial Army honors through revolutionary command and decades of service in Soviet institutions. We trace the moment in Lefortovo Prison in spring 1938 when he makes an irreversible decision and the long path afterward that raises the question: why did he do it?

Person: Genrich Eiche (born Johans Indriķis Mārtiņš Ēķis)
Date: 29 September 1893 (birth); spring 1938 (Lefortovo incident)
Location: Lefortovo Prison, Moscow
Event: self-inflicted temporal bone wound causing permanent hearing loss
Career: Imperial Army captain, Red Army commander, Narkomvneshtorg official

- He trained at Riga Commercial Academy, interned at a Baltic trading house, and studied composition in Berlin before World War I.
- Drafted 17 October 1914 into the 245th Infantry Regiment and later ended WWI as a General Staff captain with five imperial decorations.
- In 1917 he led the Military Revolutionary Committee of his regiment and joined the Council of Soldiers' Deputies of the Tenth Army.
- As commander in 1919 he led the 26th Infantry Regiment across the Belaya River, earned a Revolutionary Military Council certificate and a gold watch, and wrote a 1928 monograph on the crossing.
- Between 1920-1921 he commanded the People's Revolutionary Army of the Far Eastern Republic, expelling Japanese forces from Trans-Baikal, the Amur region, and Primorye.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842899Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:28:52 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA seasoned Red Army commander in a Moscow prison forces a blade through his temple to buy a chance at survival; what choice would you make? The shard of metal you press through your temple to save yourself In this episode, we follow Genrich...
The shard of metal you press through your temple to save yourself

In this episode, we follow Genrich Eiche from his Riga childhood and Imperial Army honors through revolutionary command and decades of service in Soviet institutions. We trace the moment in Lefortovo Prison in spring 1938 when he makes an irreversible decision and the long path afterward that raises the question: why did he do it?

Person: Genrich Eiche (born Johans Indriķis Mārtiņš Ēķis)
Date: 29 September 1893 (birth); spring 1938 (Lefortovo incident)
Location: Lefortovo Prison, Moscow
Event: self-inflicted temporal bone wound causing permanent hearing loss
Career: Imperial Army captain, Red Army commander, Narkomvneshtorg official

- He trained at Riga Commercial Academy, interned at a Baltic trading house, and studied composition in Berlin before World War I.
- Drafted 17 October 1914 into the 245th Infantry Regiment and later ended WWI as a General Staff captain with five imperial decorations.
- In 1917 he led the Military Revolutionary Committee of his regiment and joined the Council of Soldiers' Deputies of the Tenth Army.
- As commander in 1919 he led the 26th Infantry Regiment across the Belaya River, earned a Revolutionary Military Council certificate and a gold watch, and wrote a 1928 monograph on the crossing.
- Between 1920-1921 he commanded the People's Revolutionary Army of the Far Eastern Republic, expelling Japanese forces from Trans-Baikal, the Amur region, and Primorye.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1053falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-delegation-s-thirty-six-people-waited-you-chose-a-name--74842897
The delegation's thirty-six people waited - you chose a name

In this episode, we follow the moments around a cultural delegation in Mumbai and the choices a single leader faced when the city became a battlefield. The story traces his background, the decisions that led him there, and the question of how prior convictions shape action under fire.

Person: Ferran Mascarell
Event: Mumbai attacks, November 2008
Group size: 36 people in the delegation
Prior affiliation: Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya (18 years)
Role: Head of a cultural delegation; former director of Spain's Institute of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences

- He was born into a family shadowed by the name Francesc Cambó and a cultural-political inheritance that framed expectations.
- He wrote a doctoral thesis on what parties owe each other when unforeseen laws make agreements impossible.
- He spent eighteen years building a career inside Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya before refusing its shift toward full independence.
- After leaving party candidacy he led Spain’s Institute of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences and later worked on an Arab Spring media solidarity program.
- In November 2008 he led thirty-six people in Mumbai during coordinated attacks; records note the delegation was unharmed and describe the episode only "anecdotically."

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842897Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:28:48 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA cultural delegation leader must guide thirty-six people through Mumbai as gunmen strike - what do you do when the streets become a battlefield? The delegation's thirty-six people waited - you chose a name In this episode, we follow the moments...
The delegation's thirty-six people waited - you chose a name

In this episode, we follow the moments around a cultural delegation in Mumbai and the choices a single leader faced when the city became a battlefield. The story traces his background, the decisions that led him there, and the question of how prior convictions shape action under fire.

Person: Ferran Mascarell
Event: Mumbai attacks, November 2008
Group size: 36 people in the delegation
Prior affiliation: Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya (18 years)
Role: Head of a cultural delegation; former director of Spain's Institute of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences

- He was born into a family shadowed by the name Francesc Cambó and a cultural-political inheritance that framed expectations.
- He wrote a doctoral thesis on what parties owe each other when unforeseen laws make agreements impossible.
- He spent eighteen years building a career inside Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya before refusing its shift toward full independence.
- After leaving party candidacy he led Spain’s Institute of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences and later worked on an Arab Spring media solidarity program.
- In November 2008 he led thirty-six people in Mumbai during coordinated attacks; records note the delegation was unharmed and describe the episode only "anecdotically."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1055falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-math-of-survival-why-he-kept-coming-back--74842894
The Math of Survival: Why He Kept Coming Back

This episode explores the life of Salim Lone, a man whose existence was repeatedly shaped by moments of profound instability and unexpected survival. It delves into the question of what a life looks like after being saved multiple times by different versions of luck.

Event: Canal Hotel Bombing
Date: August 19, 2003
Location: Baghdad, Iraq
Casualties: 22 deaths
Person: Salim Lone

- Salim Lone was born in Jhelum, British India, a city that changed nationalities to Pakistani Punjab before he turned five.
- He was part of the Kennedy airlift scholarship program, which sent hundreds of East African students to American universities.
- While interning at the Village Voice, the program's namesake, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated.
- Lone became editor of the Sunday Post in Nairobi but was forced out by political pressure, leading him to found Viva magazine.
- He was prosecuted and convicted for his journalistic work in Kenya alongside Wangari Maathai, who later received the Nobel Peace Prize.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74842894Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:28:44 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA truck bomb rips through a Baghdad hotel, killing the UN mission head. His spokesman survives, left to grapple with the math of survival. The Math of Survival: Why He Kept Coming Back This episode explores the life of Salim Lone, a man whose...
The Math of Survival: Why He Kept Coming Back

This episode explores the life of Salim Lone, a man whose existence was repeatedly shaped by moments of profound instability and unexpected survival. It delves into the question of what a life looks like after being saved multiple times by different versions of luck.

Event: Canal Hotel Bombing
Date: August 19, 2003
Location: Baghdad, Iraq
Casualties: 22 deaths
Person: Salim Lone

- Salim Lone was born in Jhelum, British India, a city that changed nationalities to Pakistani Punjab before he turned five.
- He was part of the Kennedy airlift scholarship program, which sent hundreds of East African students to American universities.
- While interning at the Village Voice, the program's namesake, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated.
- Lone became editor of the Sunday Post in Nairobi but was forced out by political pressure, leading him to found Viva magazine.
- He was prosecuted and convicted for his journalistic work in Kenya alongside Wangari Maathai, who later received the Nobel Peace Prize.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>889falsefull