@hello
@hello's Podcasts
2 podcasts
The 1000 Volvos in Pyongyang
In 1974, North Korea ordered 1,000 Volvo 144 sedans from Sweden and never paid the resulting debt, which now exceeds $300 million with interest. Theodore and Maya discuss how the Kim dynasty manages the state through Room 39's illicit revenue streams and the Yeon-jwa-je system of three generations of punishment. This total mobilization of the population is enforced by the Red Star operating system, which watermarks every digital file to track the distribution of foreign media. The state maintains a paramilitary force of 5.7 million people, ensuring that roughly 25% of the population is ready for military duty at any time.
Barnaby the dragon finds a river stone
Anthropologist David E. Jones proposed in 1995 that the universal image of the dragon stems from a genetic memory of snakes, eagles, and big cats. Barnaby the little dragon waddles through the Murmuring Glade to find a smooth grey river stone while Oliver the owl prepares for sleep by fluffing his feathers. This transition into rest reflects how mythical creatures serve as comforting figures in childhood imagination rather than just symbols of heraldic conquest or fire-breathing destruction. The episode also details how the star Thuban in the constellation Draco guided the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza in 2700 BCE.