Just the Gist

LiSTNR

Famous scandals, true crime, celeb dramas, conspiracy theories, politics, amazing people throughout history... if it's an incredible story, hilarious hosts comedian Rosie Waterland and Jacob Stanley will tell you about it without bogging you down with any of the boring bits. You'll get just the gist of what you need to know - only get the juiciest, most entertaining details (you know, the ones that make you look very smart and interesting when you repeat them at a dinner party).

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NOSTRADAMUS (And The Predictions That Made Him History's Most Famous Fortune Teller)
2d ago
NOSTRADAMUS (And The Predictions That Made Him History's Most Famous Fortune Teller)
He's been called a fortune teller, a prophet, a clairvoyant, a scammer... Nostradamus is said to have accurately predicted every major event in history, from the JFK assassination to 9/11 to the Covid pandemic. His books are still bestsellers, and people still live their lives today according to his readings of the stars, even though the French astrologer has been dead for over 500 years. So was 'Michel de Nostredame' and his most famous book The Prophecies (Les Prophéties) the real deal? How did he so accurately predict things like the existence of Hitler, or the exact year Queen Elizabeth II would die, hundreds of years before it all happened? Or... was he just a travelling salesman who started selling fake horoscopes for money and accidentally lucked into a very profitable scam?  We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's this: Watch this doco & try not to get distracted by thinking how much better it would be if Philomena Funk was narrating it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsrc0NHE5Fo This is a great article that’s worth a glance https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/future/quack-prophet  Read this translation of a transcription of Nasty’s “The Prophecies” in full, or just skim through and see if it gives you, I dunno, visions https://zelalemkibret.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/the-complete-works-of-nostradamus.pdf  Watch this video the guy who reckons he’s King Charles’ son reacting to Nosty’s predictions about the future of the crown https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/eerie-nostradamus-prediction-about-queen-death-stuns-internet-as-major-new-royal-upset-forecast-c-8207977  And here are some listicles covering the dozens of times The Simpsons predicted the future https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/simpsons-future-predictions-accurate-1140775/  https://www.insider.com/the-simpsons-is-good-at-predicting-the-future-2016-11  Follow us on Insta: @justthegistpodcast Send us your suGISTions for stories: justthegistpodcast@gmail.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Madeleine McCann
20-03-2023
Madeleine McCann
Everybody recognises her picture. 3-year-old Maddie McCann was on holiday with her British parents in Portugal when she disappeared from her bed one night, never to be seen again. Despite international media attention and millions in donations, investigations raised more questions than answers. Who was the man spotted carrying a sleeping child the night Maddie disappeared? Did cadaver dogs really find evidence of bodily fluids in a rental car? Why did Madeleine's parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, leave her and her twin siblings home alone while they went to dinner? What exactly happened in 2007, when little Madeleine McCann disappeared into the Praia da Luz night? We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's this: Some articles: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-52910472 https://people.com/crime/5-things-to-know-about-madeleine-mccann-disappearance/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/madeleine-mccann-suspect-christian-brueckner-charged-rape-child-sexual-abuse/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/11/AR2007081100496.html Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Madeleine_McCann The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann (Netflix documentary): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBnarCTOiCY 60 Minutes story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pvqu9Wd388cThe picture Rosie showed Jacob (distance from Tapas bar to apartment): https://www.irishexaminer.com/business/arid-20449056.html Follow us on Insta: @justthegistpodcast Send us your suGISTions: justthegistpodcast@gmail.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Most Expensive Party Ever Thrown
13-03-2023
The Most Expensive Party Ever Thrown
A private jet for every guest, who then walked down a red carpet and got into a custom built limousine, which took them to an opulent bungalow, where they would find an intricate tapestry portrait of themselves on the wall. And that was just the first half hour. In 1971, the Shah of Iran decided to celebrate 2500 years of the Persian Empire by throwing the most expensive 3-day party the world had ever seen. Over a year in the making, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi had an entire city built from scratch in the middle of the desert, complete with its own forest and 50,000 flown-in birds for the important international guests to enjoy. So why did the party end in disaster? Who was on the guest list (including exactly who you’d think from the British royal family)? And how much did the whole thing end up costing? We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's this: Watch the 2016 documentary Decadence and Downfall https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2JXYHZKZE8  Watch the film the Shah commissioned, Flames of Persia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n5Ilb5DT28  Explore the website someone set up to commemorate the event  https://www.angelfire.com/empire/imperialiran/persepolis1.html  Read some articles that feature interviews with some of the staff who worked the event https://www.alimentarium.org/en/magazine/history/most-expensive-party-ever  https://medium.com/blank-101/the-party-that-overthrew-the-iranian-empire-6fc89f46bfc1  If you want to understand more about the political situation in Iran, watch this doco 'Persia's Last Emperor: How Did The Iranian Monarchy Fall?' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5Xb0Lcehxo&t=6s  Resources and helpful info on Iran (thanks to friend of the pod Sanam for putting these together): Australian run page - great for info and also all local protests https://instagram.com/solidarity.with.iran?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= This page has a really small amount of followers but puts out great bite sized information about the progress in Iran and globally, along with footage from inside Iran https://instagram.com/amplify_iran?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= A week by week update from Iran and global affairs related to it https://instagram.com/diasporaforiran?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Queer led page which has a good mix of resources, footage and current events https://instagram.com/iraniandiasporacollective?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Great page on how to help but also a rundown of what happened from the moment Mahsa Amini was killed up to now https://stylecaster.com/how-to-help-iran-protests/#slide-3 Article about the marking of the anniversary of the Islamic revolution in Feb 2023 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna70223 Film that explains the political climate in the 70s https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persepolis_(film) Follow us on Insta: @justthegistpodcast Send us your suGISTions for stories and guests: justthegistpodcast@gmail.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
KONY 2012
06-03-2023
KONY 2012
It was the 30 minute 'documentary' that had an absolute grip on the world. Kony 2012 was the first Youtube video to reach 100 million views in less than a week. Everybody on the planet seemed swept up in the attempt to 'Make Kony Famous'. We shared the video along with the #Kony2012 hashtag. We donated. We agreed to 'COVER THE NIGHT'. Even Oprah was excited. Then, less than two weeks later, it all came crashing down (and the term 'slacktivism' was born). So what was Kony 2012 all about? What was with Invisible Children, Inc., the charity behind it? Why did Kony 2012 director Jason Russell end up naked and ranting on a public street? And, most importantly, what ended up happening to Joseph Kony? We give you Just The Gist, but if you want more, there's this: WATCH: Kony 2012: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc Invisible Children: The Musical: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg5-_Rib9S4 Jason Russell TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRtO9W6hhOk&t=886s The Story of Kony 2012: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7nymZEXjf8 READ: Kony 2012 wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kony_2012 Invisible Children, Inc. wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invisible_Children,_Inc. Huff Po article from 2012: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/joseph-kony-2012-children_b_1327417 NY Times look back: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/08/style/kony-2012-invisible-children.html Guardian look back: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/apr/27/kony-2012-10-years-africa-problem LISTEN: Binchtopia episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/lv/podcast/wtf-was-kony2012/id1542744511?i=1000543620339 It's A Continent episode: https://anchor.fm/its-a-continent/episodes/Kony-2012-Activism-or-Slacktivism-e1g246p Follow us on Insta: @justthegistpodcast Send us your suGISTions for stories and guests: justthegistpodcast@gmail.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Fine Cotton Affair
13-02-2023
The Fine Cotton Affair
How many boxes of hair dye does it take to change the colour of an entire race horse? One night in 1984, some very drunk Aussie criminals found out. John Gillespie and Hayden Haitana thought they had a sure fire way to win a lot of cash in horse racing - take a slow horse that nobody expects to win, and secretly swap it with an identical, but faster horse. A genius horse racing ring-in! The only problem? The fast 'Bold Personality' looks nothing like the slow 'Fine Cotton'. So Gillespie and Haitana get desperate, and just hope nobody notices on race day... Australian horse racing's biggest ever scandal, the Fine Cotton Affair involves the 'racing royalty' Waterhouse family, a secret hideout at the Big Banana, and a whole lot of empty hair dye boxes. We give you just the gist, but if you want more, there's this: READ “The Fine Cotton Fiasco”, the book Jacob mentioned https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-fine-cotton-fiasco-9780143793700  LISTEN to the first season of ABC’s podcast “Dig”, called “The Ring In” (hosted by our pal Veronica Milsom) https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/conversations/presents-dig-the-ring-in/13780332  LISTEN to a chat with the author of “The Fine Cotton Fiasco”, Peter Hoysted, from 2015  https://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2015/05/04/4228556.htm  PERUSE some articles with some references images https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-19/fine-cotton-racing-scandal-dig-podcast/100899712  https://www.punters.com.au/news/the-fine-cotton-affair-ringing-in-30-years-of-controversy-20140817/  https://www.alittlebithuman.com/fine-cotton-bold-personality-and-white-paint-the-infamous-australian-horse-racing-scandal/  https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/fine-cotton-mastermind-scandal/news-story/43e4e9657e7962fb21fa0b0c122dab65  WATCH a 2019 clip from A Current Affair featuring the guy whose lawn was destroyed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB1WNDyilNY  Follow us on Insta: @justthegistpodcast Send us your suGISTions for stories and guests: justthegistpodcast@gmail.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Elon Musk (and Rosie's back!)
06-02-2023
Elon Musk (and Rosie's back!)
Rosie is back! And she's giving us just the gist on her favourite reason to say "why are men": ELON MUSK. We all have a bit of a sense of him - he invented Tesla, right? Also PayPal? He designs rockets for SpaceX? He's the richest man in the world and he bought Twitter? Nobody seems to know much more than the big headlines. But where did Elon Musk actually come from? How did he get rich? And did he really build himself up from nothing to become "the real life Tony Stark" just by being a brilliant genius? Yeah...NOT SO MUCH. We'll be back in your feed on Thursday with Breakin' Nooz We give you just the gist but if you want more, there's this... 'Pivot' podcast episode with Kara Swisher: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/elon-musk-somebody-that-i-used-to-know-on-with-kara-swisher/id1073226719?i=100059167482 Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk Elon Musk: Superhero or Supervillain: https://www.bbcselect.com/watch/elon-musk/ The Elon Musk Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQD7Ua0K9Mc Elon Musk: The Real Life Iron Man: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=_ZiYTC9Av3Q Interview with Maye Musk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGQB6b1G940 Elon Musk is an Idiot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVj4kZF-Fgk&t=453s How Elon Musk Got Rich: The $230 Billion Myth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU7QM3MZ2Vs Follow us on Insta: @justthegistpodcast Send us your suGISTions for stories and guests: justthegistpodcast@gmail.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The World’s Most Dangerous Running Race with Producer Lindsey
02-02-2023
The World’s Most Dangerous Running Race with Producer Lindsey
Who on earth would CHOOSE to run 217km through the desert in the middle of summer in temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius in under 48 hours? In 1987 someone did just that and now it’s become one of the most popular and exclusive ultramarathons in the world. The first person to put themselves through this ordeal BY CHOICE was Al Arnold. He was almost 50 years old when he set himself the seemingly impossible challenge of running from the lowest point in North America at Badwater Basin, to the highest point in the contiguous United States, at Mount Whitney, by himself, in the middle of summer. He barely survived. And yet, since then, thousands of people have lined up to do the exact same thing. Our beloved producer/running enthusiast Lindsey Green serves us the story of the Badwater 135: the toughest foot race on earth and the people who line up to race it. Skip straight to the story: approx 5:55 We turned the tables this week and Producer Lindsey shared the story with Jacob We give you just the gist but if you want more, there's this: These articles tell the story of Al's runs and what happened after https://www.badwater.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/2002wallack.pdf https://www.badwater.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/2018JulyBadwater.pdf The 2022 results http://dbase.adventurecorps.com/results.php?bw_eid=96&bwr=Go  Al's blog offering advice for prospective runners https://www.badwater.com/blog/category/al-arnolds-insights/  This episode shares what it's like to crew someone in Badwater https://www.richroll.com/podcast/rrp-40-josh-spector-badwater-135-worlds-toughest-foot-race/ Running On The Sun documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl3laLhbCsw&t=4725s Running For Freedom documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhIdO3U3wsg  Follow us on Insta: @justthegistpodcast Send us your suGISTions for stories and guests: justthegistpodcast@gmail.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Power Balance Bracelet Scam with Josh Garlepp
26-01-2023
The Power Balance Bracelet Scam with Josh Garlepp
Just a few short years ago a bunch of elite athletes started wearing silicone wristbands with shiny bits of holographic plastic on them (yes, like on a Pokemon card). Why? They claimed the shiny plastic bangles made them faster & stronger & even helped improve their sense of balance. How did they work? Nobody seemed to know… but that didn’t seem to matter. Millions of people around the world were willing to buy a Power Balance Band to see what it could do to enhance their own performance. David Beckham and Shaquille O’Neill were on board, and the rest of the world didn’t want to miss out.  Our guest Josh Garlepp serves us the gist of how the Power Balance Band craze kicked off, how it peaked, and of course how it crashed when people realised that silicone bracelets with holographic insets don’t actually *do* anything much.  Skip straight to the story: approx 10:50 Josh Garlepp shares the story with Jacob Follow Josh on Instagram and TikTok @joshgarlepp Listen to Josh's podcast 'Full Credit' on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5eokwhUFJuZphyaspSOZdL We recommend the India prank call episode https://open.spotify.com/episode/1QG8AB7bZ1v9lkI37GlCOq  And the Thorpie's Angels episode https://open.spotify.com/episode/10jLMr0zdxeS80K3zJfoM6  We give you just the gist, but if you want more, there's this: Watch the Power Balance Band test video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gIMxjr3n5U Watch Shaquille O'Neal endorse the Power Balance Band https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcLt16Otmmc  Watch the Today Tonight story about it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF7gvhj6140&t=1s  Follow us on Insta: @justthegistpodcast Send us your suGISTions for stories and guests: justthegistpodcast@gmail.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dolly Parton with Lem Zakharia
12-01-2023
Dolly Parton with Lem Zakharia
It’s the Dollysode! This is one of our most frequently requested topics, and it’s our pleasure to finally serve up the gist of Miss Dolly Rebecca Parton’s rise from rags to rhinestones.  They call her the Backwoods Barbie, the Smoky Mountain Songbird, the Dolly Llama. She's probably the #1 most beloved & respected person on the planet, and by the time you’ve finished gistening to this one, we hope you’ll appreciate her even more than you already do. Yeehaw, y’all.  Skip straight to the story: approx 10:03 Jacob shares the story with Lem Zakharia  Hear more from Lem every week on the podcast 'It's A Lot' with Abbie Chatfield https://link.chtbl.com/Jb84IMRs  We give you just the gist, but if you want more, there's this:  LISTEN to the podcast 'Dolly Parton’s America' https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/dolly-partons-america READ/LISTEN to Dolly’s autobiographies Songteller - This one explores her life through the lens of 175 of the songs she’s written https://www.audible.com.au/pd/Dolly-Parton-Songteller-Audiobook/1980072159?  Dream More - This one expands on her graduation speech from 2009 https://www.audible.com.au/pd/Dream-More-Audiobook/B01BCVP1LI?  My Life, and Other Unfinished Business (just be warned, there is a very 1994 description of disordered eating in the second half of the book)  WATCH Dolly’s graduation speech from 2009 at the University of Tennessee. Then watch it again ;) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuOm2lLIOoU WATCH these docos. This Netflix one 'Dolly Parton: Here I Am' is ace, and Kylie Minogue is in it https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11497544/  'Dolly Parton: Queen of Country' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGYnFFMcUOE READ Rupaul’s interview with Dolly https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/a34688302/dolly-parton-december-2020-interview/  WATCH Dolly's interview with Barbara Walters https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If-oWqUYzlQ  Follow us on Insta: @justthegistpodcast Send us your suGISTions for stories and guests: justthegistpodcast@gmail.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The spear that killed Jesus...and Hitler? - with Amos Gill
05-01-2023
The spear that killed Jesus...and Hitler? - with Amos Gill
So, we didn’t know this, but apparently there’s this special spear that makes any army that wields it totally invincible. Yeah. It’s called the Spear of Destiny and it's believed it was first used to kill Jesus Christ, then various different emperors & kings took turns owning it, and then Hitler got his hands on it. Over the centuries, every man (of course it was only men) who owned the spear was victorious in almost all his battles… until he inevitably lost or dropped the magic stick & dropped dead.  Is the legend real? And what does it have to do with Donald Trump’s 2024 re-election bid? Comedian / history nerd / friend-of-the-pod Amos Gill is here to serve us the gist of it all!  Skip straight to the story: approx 9:50 Follow Amos on Instagram to find out when he's performing next: @abitofamosgill We give you just the gist, but if you want more, there's this:  Amos first read about the story in The Nazis and the Occult https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57065398-the-nazis-and-the-occult  He saw the Spear at Kaiserliche Schatzkammer in Vienna https://www.kaiserliche-schatzkammer.at/en/  https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-spear-of-destiny-trevor-ravenscroft/book/9780877285472.html https://www.history.com/shows/brad-meltzers-decoded/season-2/episode-5 Follow us on Insta: @justthegistpodcast Send us your suGISTions for stories and guests: justthegistpodcast@gmail.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.