Condensed Soup

Bill Nye, beloved scientist and television personality, just received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame -- and that's not even his most impressive achievement. Bill Nye reflects on receiving Hollywood Walk of Fame star in moving post (Angeline Jane Bernabe, Good Morning America, Sep 23, 2025) 14 Deductive Facts About Bill Nye, the Science Guy (Janet Burns, Mental Floss, Mar 16, 2016) Bill Nye (...

A woman was recently sentenced for attempting to defraud the family of Elvis Presley by falsely putting Graceland up for option. Are you up on your Elvis history?  Woman convicted in Graceland fraud scheme sentenced to nearly 5 years in federal prison (Jared Kofsky, Ed Griffith, and Meredith Deliso, ABC News, Sep 23, 2025) Woman Pleads Guilty to Scheme to Defraud Elvis Presley's Family (Office of...

Some public restrooms in China are requiring you to watch an ad before they dispense toilet paper, but they're not the only country to ask for payment. In some places, it's definitely a privilege to pee! Outrage as new 'Black Mirror' public restrooms won't let you have toilet paper unless you watch 30-second ad first (Dan Seddon, Unilad, Sep 20, 2025) 10 International Toilets (Susan Batten, How St...

I have a wacky approach to Halloween costumes, but here's hoping my out-of-the-box thinking can save you some stress! Enjoy my take on the costumes to beat for 2025, including some 90s nostalgia.  Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast condensedsoup@proton.me *This episode was recorded on a cruise ship

Anna Hall just became the second American in history to win the women's heptathlon at the World Track and Field Championships, after the legendary Jackie Joyner-Kersee (who STILL holds several hold records!). It's all about heptathlons, decathlons, and the people that love them. Anna Hall wins heptathlon world title, creates club with Jackie Joyner-Kersee (Nick Zaccardi, NBC Sports, Sep 20, 2025)...

Rupert Everett is pulling pints at a village pub in Wiltshire, and it's not even for character research. It's part of a community effort to keep the place alive. British pubs are special places! Star at the bar: Hollywood actor pulls pints at pub to help save it from closure (Phil Norris and Laura Harding, Gloucestershire Live, Sep 2, 2025) A Guide to British Pub Etiquette (Active England Tours, a...

Somewhere off the coast of Scotland, thousands gather on a tiny island every year for the most serious stone skipping you've ever seen. We're talking measuring tools, aerodynamic rocks, and a grand finale called the Toss Off. But that's just the start—because once you learn there's a global debate over what makes a skip count, things get surprisingly intense. Cheating scandal rocks world stone ski...

A heist! At Walt Disney World, a man robs a Disney Springs restaurant in full scuba gear, then dives into the lake to escape. From there, we plunge into a world of underwater crime, where the thieves truly work under pressure Suspect in swim mask robbed restaurant at Disney Springs, leaving locals astounded (Michelle Meredith, WESH NBC News, Sep 16, 2025) Disney Springs restaurant robbed by man we...

Two tourists took a forbidden dip in Venice's Grand Canal—and let's just say, the city was not having it. We chat about the engineering marvel that birthed Venice and why, besides it being illegal, you absolutely should NOT swim in those canals.  Trust me.  Tourists banned from Venice after illegally diving into canal (Kathleen Wong, USA Today, Sep 15, 2025) Is Venice Sinking? Here's What You Need...

What happens when your fine is based on your fortune? In Switzerland, a wealthy driver got slapped with a $110,000 speeding ticket — for going just 17mph over the limit. We're heading into the world of income-based traffic fines, where a fast car plus a fat bank account equals a whole lot of francs. From Finland's "day fines" to the biggest ticket ever issued, this episode asks: should justice sca...

Here's something to look forward to: there's a new Girl Scout cookie flavor on the horizon! If you were an enterprising Girl Scout, where would you set up your shop? (Hint: aim hiiiiiiigh.) The Girl Scouts unveil new cookie inspired by a popular ice cream flavor (Chrissy Callahan, NBC News, Sep 10, 2025) Cookie Flavors (Girl Scouts, accessed Sep 14, 2025) Girl Scout sells 300 boxes of cookies outs...

Nuns on the run! First up: three Austrian nuns in their 80s who straight-up  ran away from their Catholic care home and broke back into their beloved convent. Then we head to Spain, where another group of excommunicated sisters started a restaurant to fund their standup with authority.  Defiant nuns flee care home for their abandoned convent in the Alps (Bethany Bell, BBC, Sep 13, 2025) How to Bec...

Albania just appointed an AI-generated minister -- is this a harbinger of things to come? With AI radio and podcast hosts, maybe a government official was inevitable... Albania's prime minister appoints an AI-generated 'minister' to tackle corruption (Llazar Semini, AP, Sep 12, 2025) Albania appoints world's first AI-made minister (Politico, Alice Taylor, Sep 11, 2025) Albania appoints AI bot 'min...

Come stroll through Minneapolis's Mall of America, a shrine to air-conditioned capitalism. We're talking 12,000 parking spaces, a log ride, and a Ferris wheel you can ride in your wedding dress. This episode digs into the history and quirks of the Mall, from a Twins home plate to their very unique way of heating during the winter.  10 Facts About the Mall of America (Stacy Conradt, Mental Floss, M...

This episode starts in grief — the world is dark these days, but I believe community will save us. I'm feeling my feelings in this episode, but I want you, listener, to know how grateful I am to have you here.  Then we go to Germany, where a story that begins with nighttime doorbell pranks ends with a lesson that the world isn't always out to get you.  Sending you love out there, y'all.  Doorbell...

If you're tossing and turning after dessert, you're not alone. New research reveals that late-night dairy, sweets, and spicy foods may be linked to poor sleep and even nightmares. In this episode, we dive into foods that help you sleep (hello kiwi and chamomile) and ones that might keep your brain buzzing. Plus: the truth about melatonin, resistant starch, and whether your midnight hot chocolate i...

What do you do after retiring from accounting? If you're Kent Broussard, you learn the tuba from scratch and march into LSU's student band… at 65 years old. It's not just a story about brass and boldness—it's about why the only real failure is not trying. We get into marching band memories (including one fainting incident), the drilldown, and why marching and musical theatre are NOT in step. LSU's...

A shocking new sunscreen study has exposed major brands—including one $50 cult favorite—as dramatically overstating their SPF protection. With 2 in 3 Australians facing skin cancer, the fallout could be global. If you use sunscreen (and you should), press play before your next sunblock slather. The sunscreen scandal shocking Australia — the world's skin cancer hotspot (Tabby Wilson and Tiffanie Tu...

A snail named Ned has a rare trait: his shell coils to the left, making him part of a 1-in-40,000 group with mirrored anatomy—and a very limited dating pool. Discovered in a New Zealand veggie patch, Ned inspired a nationwide search for a match, echoing a 2017 quest for Jeremy, a similarly sinistral snail whose romantic journey included love triangles and 56 offspring. Turns out, snail mating is w...

It's National Cheeseburger Day soon, and Dairy Queen is giving away free cheeseburgers -- a fact that leads us to look at the DQ's influence in pop culture and its relationship with retro mall favorite Orange Julius. We chat about the surprise ingredient that made Orange Julius so unique, and how it can dress up your favorite cocktail. Dairy Queen announces National Cheeseburger Day deal: See how...

At a 7-Eleven in Alhambra, California, a woman flashed a hand signal behind her back — and someone inside the store recognized it as a silent plea for help. That simple gesture, created during the pandemic by the Canadian Women's Foundation, led to the arrest of a man with an active warrant, a stun gun in his possession, and ties to a domestic violence incident. We talk about the viral "signal for...

James Patterson just gave 12 writers a golden ticket: $50,000 each to finish their books. It's part of his new "Go Finish Your Book" campaign — and it's not the only way he's quietly becoming publishing's greatest philanthropist. From grants for teachers and librarians to scholarships, bookseller bonuses, and even military book donations, Patterson's funding the future of storytelling one check at...

In today's episode: howling drones, heavy metal wolves, and the science behind why your dog gives you those eyes. Ranchers are blasting AC/DC and dramatic scenes from the sky to scare off gray wolves — but what really separates those wild cousins from our couch-surfing pets? We're going from wolf psychology to oxytocin experiments. Who rescued whom, indeed. Drones blasting heavy metal and Hollywoo...

A proposed Chinese embassy (with secrets) is drawing scrutiny in London, which leads us to a gift that hung above the U.S. ambassador's desk for seven years (but was listening the whole time.) Today we're tracing the strange, musical science behind Soviet espionage in plain sight, how a Beach Boys–adjacent inventor pulled it off, and how to make sure you're not being spied on in your Airbnb.  'The...

First, we catch up with the crosswalks in Orlando and how citizens are showing up. Then we shift to real crimes. From Miami high-rises to Margaritaville resorts, we're looking at the people who can't keep their beer bottles to themselves. Plus: the myth of the lethal penny dropped from the Empire State Building. Judge frees man arrested at former Pulse memorial crosswalk, no wrong doing found (Gra...