The Alarmist

On this week’s Aftermath REWIND, Rebecca speaks with 2 experts! First, Rebecca Rieder, organic farmer and author of Dreaming the Biosphere: The Theater of All Possibilities. And John Adams, the Deputy Director of the current Biosphere 2. Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Early stop by to help absorb it all. Will there be a Biosphere 2 field trip in our future?! LIVE SHOW on May 2nd at...

Who’s to blame for Biosphere 2? On this week's REWIND, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) decides who’s to blame for the epic experiment and epic fail, Biosphere 2. She’s joined by comedian/musician/podcaster Ethan Edenberg, Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Early. Could Experimental Theater take the fall for this one?! LIVE SHOW on May 2nd at The Elysian Theater in Los Angeles. Don’...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca revisits the Jeremy Thorpe and Norman Scott affair/very British scandal with Professor Lucy Robinson. Lucy is a Professor in Collaborative History at the University of Sussex and very eloquently details the troubling and very relevant dynamics playing out between the establishment, politics and working class British citizens at the time. Afterwar...

Who’s to blame for the Thorpe Affair Scandal? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes comedian Kiki Andersen to discuss British political icon Jeremy Thorpe, his taboo love affair (at the time) and the very salacious political scandal that ensued. Was the idea of political “perfection” the problem here? Did a societal fixation on the traditional family structure have something to...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with author, civil engineer and science educator Grady Hillhouse about the 1981 Hyatt Regency Walkway collapse. Host of the popular YouTube series Practical Engineering , Grady shares some simple yet infuriatingly shocking details about the failures that led to collapse of the walkways. Thankfully, he shares some good that has come out of...

Who’s to blame for the 1981 Hyatt Regency Walkway Collapse? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes fellow podcaster Mangesh Hattikudur, host of Part-Time Genius , to discuss the haunting collapse of multiple walkways inside a Hyatt Regency in Kansas City, Missouri circa 1981. Were 3 indoor walkways an architectural triumph or just architectural hubris? Could a mid-construction en...

New Mailbag Episode! Hey Alarmy. You have thoughts and we have your mail to prove it. This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) sits down with Producer Clayton Early and Fact Checker Chris Smith to catch up on some good old fashioned snail mail. And surprise surprise! We’ve found a few old pieces that somehow got lost in the pile. We’re reconsidering covering the Holocaust, we’re talking abo...

Who’s to blame for the “Going Postal” Workplace Murders in 80’s & 90’s America? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes Becca Platsky, co-host of the Corporate Gossip podcast, to discuss the string of postal shootings that haunted America in the 1980’s and 90’s. Who or what was responsible for the toxic work environment that prevailed at the USPS? Did a fetishization with prod...

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with author and attorney Kenneth Ackerman about the life and death of President James A. Garfield. Ken walks us through the world of American politics at the time and shares some fascinating details about the “Spoil System” which calls into question the ultimate cause of President Garfield’s undoing. Afterwards, Patreon subscribers can hea...

Who’s to blame for the death of President James A. Garfield? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes writer and friend CeCe Pleasants Adams to discuss the bizarre and ultimately tragic circumstances around the assassination attempt, and eventual death shortly thereafter, of The United States 20th President, James Garfield. Did the recently established Secret Service have a cavalie...

Mail Call! Hey Alarmy. It’s been awhile since we checked in with you. So, we’re headed on over to the mailbag to see what’s been on your mind. Our international listeners are really showing up for this one. We have updates and episode suggestions from Australia, some fascinating responses and insight from our German listeners about the Love Parade Disaster and a long overdue update from the Alarmi...

Who’s to blame for the making of The Room? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes back Adam Lustick to discuss 2003 box office flop The Room. Written, produced, starring and directed by the one and only Tommy Wiseau, it’s a masterclass in that ever so relatable phrase, “you’re doing it wrong.” Did a lack of pushback lead to this epic cinematic failure? Could divine inspiration by...

Hey Alarmy! We have some big news! The Alarmist will be doing a live taping of their show in Los Angeles at The Elysian Theater on Friday, May 2nd, 2025 (7:30pm)! Join The Alarmist herself (Rebecca Delgado Smith), Producer Clayton Early, Fact Checker Chris Smith for a night of blaming! With special guests: OG Producer Amanda Lund, Jamila Webb and Dusty Warren. Tickets are on sale now. Click here t...

On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with Harriet Strahl about the White Ship Disaster. A PHD student at Durham University, Harriet has done extensive research on the various accounts of the tragic event from different scholars at the time and lends an equally balanced 12th century and 21st century take on the problematic circumstances of this doomed voyage across the English Channel. Afterwar...

Who’s to blame for the White Ship Disaster? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes Sara Wile, Matt Roen & Xen (creators of the Midst Podcast series ) to discuss the tragic circumstances around the White Ship Disaster in 1120. Was this a celebrating too soon kind of situation? Could the fact that hardly anyone knew how to swim during this time be part of the problem? Or maybe...

On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with Dr. Graham Fogg about the Hinkley, CA Groundwater contamination incident and water safety and regulation in America generally. In general, we’re alarmed! Dr. Fogg shares some crucial insight into the laborious process of treating contaminated groundwater as well as some shocking news about bottled water you might not be aware of. Afterward, Patreon sub...

Who’s to blame for the Hinkley, CA Groundwater Contamination?  This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes Tim Rock to the show to discuss the conundrum of the groundwater contamination in Hinkley, CA. Or perhaps more famously known as the Erin Brokevich story. Is America suffering from a missing empathy chip? Is this a classic case of late stage capitalism? Or is there something...

On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca revisits the lost history of composer Joseph Bologne with Professor Charles Pettaway, Chair of the Music Department at Lincoln University. A concert pianist himself, Charles offers helpful insight for understanding the popularity of the Chevalier de Saint George’s music at the time and discusses the advantages and disadvantages his race and talent afforded him. Af...

Who’s to blame for the Lost History of Composer Joseph Bologne (AKA Chevalier de Saint-Georges)?  This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes Dr. Jon Higgins ( The B.F.F. Podcast , Black. Fat. Femme: Revealing the Power of Visibly Queer Voices in Media and Learning to Love Yourself ) to discuss history’s neglect of 18th century composer (and swordsmen?!) Joseph Bologne, also know...

On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca revisits the Bhola Cyclone with Dr. Ahmed Mushfiq Mobarak. A professor of Economics at Yale University and founder/faculty director of the Yale Research Initiative on Innovation and Scale, Dr. Mobarak gives us incredible insight into the socio-political history between East and West Pakistan leading up to the 1970 Bhola Cyclone that struck modern-day Bangladesh.&n...

Who’s to blame for the Bhola Cyclone?  This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes guest Scotty Landes ( Bananas Podcast) to discuss the deadliest cyclone in history. How did the Bhola Cyclone claim the lives of an estimated 500,000 people off the coast of East Pakistan (modern-day Bangladesh)? Were there not enough shelters for people to evacuate to? Did the strained relationshi...

On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca revisits the Love Parade Disaster in Duisburg, Germany with crowd safety expert Professor Keith Still. Keith played a key role in investigating the crowd crush at the Love Parade Festival and shares some invaluable information and perspective on the science of crowd safety and public assembly. Afterward, Patreon subscribers can join Fact Checker Chris Smith and Pr...

Who’s to blame for the Love Parade Disaster?  This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes guest Becky Yamamoto to discuss the Duisburg, Germany music festival turned nightmare in 2010. What was intended as a free day of music, love and camaraderie ended in panic taking the lives of 21 people and injuring hundreds more. Was this a crowd control problem, a venue issue or a lack of...

On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca welcomes Captain Scott Miller back on the air to discuss the tragic demise of Alaska Airlines Flight 261. A certified Flight Instructor with decades of experience as a pilot for a major US airline under his belt, Scott masterfully explains the unique technical issues happening during this routine flight. He also shares a few surprising details that might change yo...

Who’s to blame for the Alaska Airlines Flight 261 Crash? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) sits down with Producer Clayton Early and Fact Checker Chris Smith to discuss the tragic fate of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 on January 31, 2000. Given the valiant efforts by the pilots and flight crew to stabilize the plane and bring it down gently to safety, it seems all the more a cruel fate...