Podcasts about Polish

“Fizyczna atrakcja” is Polish for “physical attraction,” and in this micro-lesson you'll say it without sounding like a textbook. First you hear the phrase at native speed, then slowed down so you can nail the soft “fizyczna” and the flowing “atrakcja.” We drop it into three flirt-ready sentences: – “Czuję fizyczną atrakcję.” (I feel physical attraction.) – “Ona jest bardzo atrakcyjna.” (She's very attractive.) – “To nie tylko wygląd.” (It's not just looks.) Repeat-along track included—perfect while you swipe right or pick an outfit. Challenge: record a 5-second clip saying “fizyczna atrakcja” with your best smile, tag us @learnpolishpodcast, and we'll repost our favorites!  

In the whimsical world of Goop Tales, Imaginativa possesses the most vivid imagination of all the Goops. While other students doze off during Miss Wigglebutt's boring lectures, Imaginativa transforms ordinary moments into extraordinary visions. When she picks up her magical binoculars and a mysterious paintbrush in her playroom, she paints a blue door in mid-air and steps through it, vanishing into another dimension entirely. Imaginativa finds herself in Zalipie, Poland—a real village where every surface bursts with hand-painted flowers in brilliant reds, yellows, and greens. But when she discovers a haunting blank wall guarded by creeping vines and a terrifying painted squid, she becomes trapped. A friendly golden sunflower warns her that this wall once held the most beautiful paintings in the entire village, until something stole its light and buried it deep underground. Can Imaginativa's powerful imagination defeat the sinister squid and restore the wall's stolen brilliance? Or will she remain trapped in the painted village forever, unable to return home to Goop World? Click here to send Maria a voice message Get your free goop story kit here Follow us on Social Media: https://www.tiktok.com/@gooptales https://www.instagram.com/gooptales

There are many films and documentaries about World War II and the grim reality of the Holocaust of the six million Jewish lives taken at the hands of Nazi's, and the subsequent allied victory that brought it all to an end. Or did it?  The documentary "Among Neighbors," shows the lingering effects of the cruelty of the Third Reich, when even six months after the end of the war, as Jewish survivors of the death camps returned to their homes  and villages, they found that life could never be the same with the neighbors with whom they once enjoyed a blissful co-existence. For seventy years one woman, who witnessed the brutal killing of five Jewish neighbors, kept her silence.... until now. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast , filmmaker, writer and director Yoav Potash, talks about the making of the film, and why so little is known of these precarious days of supposed peace, which brought so little of it to so many. And how the malignancy of Hitler's hate continued to spread for years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While investigating a murder, a Polish detective discovered an unusual clue – a novel that contained an odd number of similarities to the real-life crime. David Grann is the author of The Wager and Killers of the Flower Moon, and his article about Krystian Bala is contained in his collection The Devil and Sherlock Holmes. Say hello on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Sign up for our occasional newsletter. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts. Sign up for Criminal Plus to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of Criminal, ad-free listening of all of our shows, invitations to virtual events, special merch deals, and more. We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Check out our online shop. Episode transcripts are posted on our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A spokesman for Britain's prime minister, Keir Starmer, has said President Trump was wrong to diminish the role of NATO troops during the war in Afghanistan. There's been an angry backlash to the US president's claims that NATO allies avoided the frontline during the conflict. The Polish defence minister said the sacrifice of their troops should not be forgotten. The Dutch foreign minister described Mr Trump's comments as false. Roughly a third of coalition soldiers killed in Afghanistan were non- American. Also: the BBC is granted rare access to one of Ukraine's few operating nuclear power plants; South Africa says Nelson Mandela memorabilia can be auctioned; women's health is on the agenda at the World Economic Forum; limit on liquids is scrapped at London's Heathrow airport; and can ageing novelists retire?The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

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As a part of our continuing effort to commemorate the incredible global story of WW2, we present our ongoing ‘Family Stories' series. This series tells YOUR relatives' stories of derring do - both on the front line and home front. In this episode we hear your tales of Austrian POWs, Norwegian pranksters, and Italian partisans. With thanks to Alina Cleaver, Dag-Rune Gundersen, Dave King, Craig Green, Nick Clark, Lorenzo Grecomoro, and Karol Tereszczuk. Start your free trial at ⁠patreon.com/wehaveways⁠ and unlock exclusive content and more. Enjoy livestreams, early access, ad-free listening, bonus episodes, and a weekly newsletter packed with book deals and behind-the-scenes insights. Members also get priority access and discounts to live events. A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Assistant Producer: Alfie Norris Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehaveways@goalhanger.com Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn how to use the English expression, "get rid of". What things do you need to get rid of?Explore the full lesson & practice using today's expression: https://plainenglish.com/expressions/get-rid-of--Plain English helps you improve your English:Learn about the world and improve your EnglishClear, natural English at a speed you can understandNew stories every weekLearn even more at PlainEnglish.comMentioned in this episode:Hard words? No problemNever be confused by difficult words in Plain English again! See translations of the hardest words and phrases from English to your language. Each episode transcript includes built-in translations into Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, and Turkish. Sign up for a free 14-day trial at PlainEnglish.com

It's January. Social media's either screaming “new year, new you” or quietly rotting under beige motivation quotes. So this week's Dare is simple, powerful, and wildly underused:Tell your story. And actually share it.In this short Dare Day episode, Michelle challenges you to stop assuming you're “boring” and start recognising that your life has a plot — twists, turns, chaos, survival, growth. All of it counts.Because here's the thing:Every woman who says “I don't really have a story”… absolutely does.What This Episode CoversWhy so many capable, interesting women think they don't have a story (spoiler: confidence lies to us)How to map your life like a film plot — setup, conflict, resolution (and the messy bits in between)A simple storytelling exercise using a blank sheet of paper and a rollercoaster lineWhy sharing your story creates real connection, not surface-level engagementHow journaling and reflection help your brain recognise progress (yes, science backs this up)Why vulnerability online isn't about oversharing — it's about being humanThis Week's Dare

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In the first installment of what will be a two-part interview, Bobby Hutchens goes from Bowman Gray Stadium to North Carolina State University and then to Richard Childress Racing, where he helps change the culture on one of the sport's most successful teams as a mechanical engineer. Along with guest co-host Tony Liberati, we then dig into the April 22, 1993 issue of Winston Cup Scene. Rusty Wallace wins at North Wilkesboro after which he does the Polish victory lap for the second race in a row, in memory of Alan Kulwicki. Sterling Marlin dominates the first half of the event, while Jim Roper pays a visit to the track that weekend. There's fallout about the announcement that Hooters would be ending its sponsorship of Alan Kulwicki Racing … and hope for the future after it's announced that NASCAR would be racing at Indy for the first time the following year. Finally … Ricky Rudd wants a word … or a pound of flesh … from Brett Bodine in the North Wilkesboro garage. NOTE: This show is not associated in any way with American City Business Journals, owner of the Scene brand. Be sure to check out the latest and greatest stories from the world of NASCAR at dailydownforce.com! Interested in The Scene Vault Podcast T-shirts? Check out thescenevault.com and click on SHOP to see what we have available! Please consider supporting this show via: patreon.com/thescenevaultpodcast paypal.me/thescenevaultpodcast venmo.com/thescenevaultpodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amy starts us off with one of the trippiest alien stories to date, the experience of Matt Baldwin. Then Monique covers Tillie Klimek: the Polish psychic with the uncanny ability to accurately predict people's deaths. Spoiler: she wasn't a psychic, just an a**hole. If you liked this episode, please take a moment to rate, review, or subscribe.Join Our ⁠⁠Patreon!⁠⁠Check Out Our ⁠⁠Website!⁠⁠Follow Us On ⁠⁠Instagram!

Guest host Jim Wilton sits down with former U.S. military intelligence professional and author Karl Wegener to discuss his Cold War–era historical spy thriller Operation Nightfall: Web of Spies. Wegener shares his personal background in U.S. Army intelligence and the CIA, how he transitioned into writing, and why he chose lesser‑known Cold War stories—especially those involving Polish resistance movements—for his novel. The conversation highlights the book's unique setting in post‑World War II Poland, the inclusion of strong female lead characters inspired by real women in intelligence history, and Wegener's ongoing research and future novels exploring other overlooked Cold War events. Throughout the episode, listeners gain insights into both the historical foundations of his fiction and the personal experiences that shaped his interests. Packed with historical details, spy tradecraft, and brimming with intrigue, Wegener's story will leave you gutted, affected, heartbroken, and, most of all, wanting more I.S. Berry - Author, The Peacock and the Sparrow, A New Yorker & NPR Best Book of the Year, Winner - Edgar Award for Best First Novel  

W tym odcinku nauczę Cię słów, które pochodzą od słowa "ręka".Jeśli podobają Ci się takie lekcje, zostaw mi recenzję i/albo komentarz i wyśli ten odcinek do znajomego, który też uczy się polskiego! Dzięki!Transkrypcję tego podkastu i listę Quizlet znajdziesz tutaj: https://polskidaily.eu/podcasts/rodzina-wyrazow-6-reka-recznik-poreczyciel-i-robotki-reczne/Have you discovered the Polski Daily Club yet? If not go to https://www.polskidaily.eu/signup and join the club!

“Organizacja siebie” (“organising yourself”) is the tiny Polish phrase you'll repeat until your calendar thanks you. First you hear it at full speed, then slowed down so you can nail the sneaky “cj” and the soft “siebie.” We drop it into three productivity-ready sentences: – “Potrzebuję lepszej organizacji siebie.” (I need better self-organisation.) – “Planuję dzień z rana.” (I plan my day first thing in the morning.) – “Mój kalendarz jest moim najlepszym przyjacielem.” (My calendar is my best friend.) Repeat-along track included—perfect while you colour-code your to-do list or batch-cook for the week. Challenge: post a screenshot of your newly-labelled Polish planner with hashtag #organizacjasiebie and we'll repost the tidiest one.  

Join us LIVE on Mondays, 4:30pm EST.A weekly Podcast with BHIS and Friends. We discuss notable Infosec, and infosec-adjacent news stories gathered by our community news team.https://www.youtube.com/@BlackHillsInformationSecurityChat with us on Discord! - https://discord.gg/bhis

The prime minister of Norway released a private text sent from President Trump, and it has sparked deep concern. Trump explained that he blamed Norway for stopping him from receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, and as a result, he was no longer committed expressly to peace. He said he will pursue Greenland however necessary. Meanwhile, NATO allies are sending troops to Greenland, hoping to deter an American invasion. We discuss what this means for American alliances; the view from Russia of these events; and options that lawmakers have to stop further escalation. Our guest:Randy Stone, Ph.D., director of the Skalny Center for Polish and Central European Studies at the University of Rochester---Connections is supported by listeners like you. Head to our donation page to become a WXXI member today, support the show, and help us close the gap created by the rescission of federal funding.---Connections airs every weekday from noon-2 p.m. Join the conversation with questions or comments by phone at 1-844-295-TALK (8255) or 585-263-9994, email, Facebook or Twitter. Connections is also livestreamed on the WXXI News YouTube channel each day. You can watch live or access previous episodes here.---Do you have a story that needs to be shared? Pitch your story to Connections.

What does it take to kill a dictator? In this episode, we explore the most dramatic assassination attempts on Adolf Hitler. From Georg Elser, the lone-wolf carpenter who built a bomb by hand, to the Polish underground's relentless plots under occupation, and finally Claus von Stauffenberg, the one-eyed officer whose briefcase bomb nearly took out the Führer.Joining us for this is Roger Moorhouse, author of 'Killing Hitler'.Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.Dan Snow's History Hit is now available on YouTube! Check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/@DSHHPodcastSign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

MATTMAN WENT TO CHICAGO FOR CHRISTMAS THE RIC FLAIR DRUNK CAMEO THE CELEBS WE LOST IN 2025 OPEN PHONES: OUR DRY JANUARY IS A DISASTER

Today's story: LEDs have replaced older light sources in homes, offices, cars, and city streets. They are more efficient, longer-lasting, and more flexible. But unlike older lights, LEDs often give off cooler, bluer light. This shift in color temperature affects how our surroundings feel—and may even affect our sleep. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/831 Get the full story and learning resources: https://plainenglish.com/831--Plain English helps you improve your English:Learn about the world and improve your EnglishClear, natural English at a speed you can understandNew stories every weekLearn even more at PlainEnglish.comMentioned in this episode:Hard words? No problemNever be confused by difficult words in Plain English again! See translations of the hardest words and phrases from English to your language. Each episode transcript includes built-in translations into Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, and Turkish. Sign up for a free 14-day trial at PlainEnglish.com

We have a look at Amadeus, on Sky, there's a fire at the Winston's factory, our quiz is the dog's b####cks, and Rob and I thoroughly enjoy Weetwood Ales. Plus the 2026 calendar for the Zinedine Zidane Community Centre.Additional music by SergeQuadrado, AlexiAction, Muzaproduction, Ashot-Danielyan, Julius H, RomanSenykMusic, AudioCoffee, SoundGalleryBy, Grand_Project, geoffharvey, Guitar_Obsession, Lexin_Music, AhmadMousavipour, melodyayresgriffiths, DayNigthMorning, litesaturation, 1978DARK, lemonmusicstudio, Onoychenkomusic, soundly, Darockart, Nesrality, ShidenBeatsMusic, PaoloArgento, Music_For_Videos, Boadrius, ScottishPerson, Good_B_Music, Music_Unlimited, lorenzobuczek, The_Mountain, SoundMakeIT, Onetent, Stavgag, leberchmus, Alban_Gogh, geoffharvey, nakaradaalexander - All can be found on Pixabay.Main Reclining Pair theme by Robert John Music. Contact me for details.

“Wypalenie zawodowe” is how Poles say “job burnout,” and in this micro-lesson you'll pronounce it without sounding burned-out yourself. We play the phrase at native speed, slow it down, then slip it into three office-ready sentences: – “Czuję wypalenie zawodowe.” (I feel job burnout.) – “Potrzebuję przerwy.” (I need a break.) – “Równowaga jest ważna.” (Balance is important.) Repeat-along track included—perfect on the commute home or during a five-minute screen-free breather. Challenge: DM us one Polish word that calms you down and we'll send back a 10-second voice chill-pill.  

Episode 159 of the Truth About Vintage Amps: Beans, two-prong ASMR, peeling diodes (and faceplates) and more!  Thank our sponsors: Grez Guitars; Emerald City Guitars and Amplified Parts. And honarary mention to Rancho Gordo beans. Some of the topics discussed this week: 1:32 Rancho Gordo beans in the WSJ, corn sticks 8:13 What's on Skip's bench: All the early Fender Princetons; a baffler! 11:20 Our sponsors: and (unofficially) Rancho Gordo beans 15:15: What should I do with this extra Bell Sound 2122-C hi-fi amp?; hear the TAVA All-Stars: Bob Armstong, Keith Cary, Charles Batey, Leff Jeffries (YouTube link, audio only) 25:20 How can I remove and save my tube chart when I replace the baffle? 30:09 Comparing a 5F2A kit schematic to the original; cargamanto beans (see below) 40:34 What does Skip always replace? Sello Rojo coffee; Lustre Craft pots 47:48 A Tweed Vibrolux with rusty faceplate; WEST amps transformers? 55:48 A broken, yet soothing two-prong plug question; Stephen King's 'It' 1:01:57 Are the diodes in my Premier B-220 Custom Bass amp okay? Can Switchcraft jacks go bad? 1:10:50 Real death caps; Fantastic Fungi 1:13:05 Kraft dinner; replacement transformers for 50-watt Rickenbackers; WD-40 for joint pain 1:19:28 Homemade (mostly) pizza hacks   Danny G's carmanto bean recipe INGREDIENTS: 1 can cargamanto beans rinsed and drained avocado oil in the pan 1⁄4 green pepper chopped 1⁄2 yellow onion diced 2 garlic cloves minced 1 can El Pato hot tomato sauce 1⁄2 tsp. cumin 1⁄2 tsp. paprika salt & pepper to taste Heat oil in the pan Add pepper, onion, garlic Saute for about 5 minutes until softened Stir in the beans, El Pato, cumin, paprika Season with salt and pepper Add 1 cup water or broth Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer Reduce for about 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally to preferred consistency Serve over rice with some avocado or sour cream This is great as is, but carnivores may want to add some meat. Living in the Polish neighborhood that I do, I first sliced up and browned some fresh made Kielbasa from the local smokery and put it aside before softening the veggies in the fond, then adding it back again during the simmering process. Multicultural chef's kiss. - Danny Want amp tech Skip Simmons' advice on your DIY guitar amp projects? Want to share your top secret family recipe? Need relationship advice? Join us by sending your voice memo or written questions to podcast@fretboardjournal.com! Include a photo, too. Hosted by amp tech Skip Simmons and co-hosted/produced by Jason Verlinde of the Fretboard Journal. 

Your boys are back with a lead-in to Happy Nude Year, talking about a grimy ol' erotic thriller this week. But first, the guys disuss what's coming to theaters this February. Spoiler alert: Almost nothing! Then they discuss "Call Me" from 1988, an erotic thriller about a woman who witnesses a murder in the bathroom stall of a Polish bar in New York. She also gets horny when a sleazy anonymous pervert calls her on the phone. It stars Stephen McHattie and Steve Buscemi! All this plus the horrors of the world, voice mails, Kyle from Kentucky, Travis, Kevin Chat, new details on the Sarah Squirm vs. Parker feud and so much more! Direct Donloyd Here!! After the episode, send us a voice mail or join the Patreon perhaps?

Welcome to the first episode of Lear Polish Podcast of the new year! In this episode, Piotr discusses the “End of History Illusion”—the psychological idea that we think we will not change in the future, even though we have changed so much in the past. He also explores how the world is changing through three technological revolutions: artificial intelligence, clean energy, and bioengineering.You will hear inspiring stories from two listeners: Meltem from Turkey, who works as a tour guide, and Paweł from Kraków, who passed his Polish language exam with a 90% score in grammar just by listening to stories. Piotr also shares his new plans to help you move from listening to speaking Polish more fluently.As always, everything is explained in a simple way to help you learn effectively. Premium members can read the full Polish transcript at realpolish.pl.The post ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RP511: Iluzja końca historii⁠⁠⁠⁠ appeared first on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠realpolish.pl

Today's episode reveals and celebrates the opera queen in me: it's a program entitled “A Smattering of Sopranos” that features twenty-five different singers who “happen to be” sopranos and whom have not yet been featured in full episodes of the podcast. I love producing these “potpourri” episodes, which allow me to offer a marvelous sampling of singers in a wide-ranging repertoire from French, German, Italian, (and Polish!) opera to religious music to orchestral song to Deutsche Schlager to Lieder and melodies to Russian romances to the Great American Songbook. Singers heard include Suzanne Danco, Rita Shane, Raina Kabaivanska, Françoise Pollet, Maggie Teyte, Phyllis Curtin, Jarmila Novotná, Florence Quartararo, Janine Micheau, Stefania Woytowicz, Olive Moorefield, Elisabeth Rethberg, and the late Stefka Evstatieva, among many others and each one puts her distinctive stamp on the material. Countermelody is the podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel's lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and author yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody's core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody's Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly or yearly support at whatever level you can afford.

Krakow .  Welcome back to the  Dr. Mary Travelbest Guide podcast. A few weeks ago, I returned from a 90-day journey around the world, and I'm excited to connect with fellow travelers and share experiences.   Today, we will discuss Krakow, Poland, and when to admit you are not ready for a trip. We will discuss passports and then my travel mistakes. Get ready now, as we are starting.   The FAQ is:  Marcia, who recently returned from a solo trip to Antarctica, asked: "At what point does a destination become a bad match for my solo senior travel — and how do I admit that early?"    Answer: I emphasize empowerment. I permit you to change course, leave early, or say "this isn't for me" without framing it as failure. A destination isn't "wrong" because it challenges you — but it is wrong if it consistently drains your energy, confidence, or sense of safety. If you find yourself constantly anxious, overly fatigued, or forcing yourself to "push through," just listen to your mind or body. Changing plans, leaving early, or choosing a different destination next time is not failure — it's wisdom. The goal of solo travel isn't endurance; it's fulfillment. And knowing when to pivot is one of the strongest travel skills you can develop. In Amsterdam, I had to change my destination frequently, which was challenging, but I managed to do so. One day, when I had some flexibility in my schedule, I scheduled a massage. I searched for "massage near me" and was delighted with the results. Sometimes that's all it takes for a new perspective.   60-second confidence challenge Your challenge today is to check your passport. That's right, take it out and open it up.   Do you have at least six months left on your passport? If not, you need to renew it.   If you like today's Confidence Challenge, my book series delves deeper into passport documents and solo travel for women. You can find the series at the link in the description.    See Book A for addressing this concern..  Find it on the website​​ at https://www.5stepstosolotravel.com/ or on Amazon. It's a multiple-part series. Today's special destination is Krakow, Poland   First, I'll talk about the things to see as a tourist, and then I'll share some 'off the regular' tourist ideas for you. It's interesting to learn that Poland is roughly the size of Texas. Historical tensions persist among Polish communities in neighboring Kazakhstan, Russia, and Germany. I've also heard about soldiers being sent from Siberia to Ukraine. The country underwent a significant change in 1989 when the Solidarity movement overthrew the socialist government. I reflected on the historical gravity of Auschwitz, where many lives were lost. Kraków, Poland, is one of Europe's most enchanting cities, renowned for its history, charm, and culture. Kraków offers a welcoming mix of walkable streets, accessible attractions, and heartfelt hospitality. Let's Explore the Old Town and Wawel Hill https://krakow.travel/en/55-krakow-main-market-square Start your morning in Rynek Główny, the Main Market Square — one of the largest medieval squares in Europe. It's mostly flat with smooth pathways, though some cobblestones can be tricky; use a slower pace or roll along the outer edges, which are more level, for those with mobility issues. In the center stands the Cloth Hall, filled with stalls selling amber jewelry, handmade crafts, and souvenirs. Elevators are available to reach the upper gallery, which houses the 19th-century Polish Art Museum. Nearby, the St. Mary's Basilica is famous for its hourly trumpet call from the tower. Inside, ramps and wide aisles make it accessible for most visitors. https://mariacki.com/en/   https://visitkrakow.com/kazimierz/   https://visitkrakow.com/guide-to-oskar-schindlers-enamel-factory-museum/     https://www.catholicapostolatecenter.org/blog/st-faustina-and-the-catholic-heritage-of-poland?   Travel Mistake to Avoid in Kraków included Eurail reservations.     Connect with Dr. Travelbest 5 Steps to Solo Travel website Dr. Mary Travelbest X Dr. Mary Travelbest Facebook Page Dr. Mary Travelbest Facebook Group Dr. Mary Travelbest Instagram Dr. Mary Travelbest Podcast Dr. Travelbest on TikTok Dr.Travelbest on YouTube In the news  

As Ukraine slips from the international headlines in favour of turmoil in Venezuela and Iran, Roger Moorhouse and Saul David examine a week of "curious" developments and renewed escalation. With temperatures plunging to -14°C, Russia has intensified its campaign against Ukraine's energy infrastructure, launching a rare Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile at Lviv—a strike less than 50 miles from the Polish border that the Kremlin frames as a "false flag" retaliation. The hosts also dive into the escalating maritime war, discussing the capture of the Russian shadow fleet tanker Bella-1 and recent Ukrainian drone strikes on four tankers off Novorossiysk. They explore the shifting policies in the UK regarding special forces interdictions in the Atlantic and the significant €90bn support package announced by the EU, which survived a tense "EU-first" debate between Paris and Berlin. Finally, they look at Estonia's bold move to ban hundreds of former Russian soldiers, citing the "non-theoretical" threat of combat-hardened veterans with criminal backgrounds. If you have any thoughts or questions, you can send them to - podbattleground@gmail.com Producer: James Hodgson X (Twitter): @PodBattleground Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Learn what it means to have your work cut out for you (hint: it's not about cutting).Explore the full lesson & practice using today's expression: https://plainenglish.com/expressions/have-your-work-cut-out-for-you--Plain English helps you improve your English:Learn about the world and improve your EnglishClear, natural English at a speed you can understandNew stories every weekLearn even more at PlainEnglish.comMentioned in this episode:Hard words? No problemNever be confused by difficult words in Plain English again! See translations of the hardest words and phrases from English to your language. Each episode transcript includes built-in translations into Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, and Turkish. Sign up for a free 14-day trial at PlainEnglish.com

Fortify the walls, ready your defenses and for heaven's sake, be careful where you swing that hammer—this week we're talking about Season 4's action-packed sixth episode! With Yennefer leading the charge at Montecalvo, we're paying tribute to Anya Chalotra with a bottle of Nirvana Indian Single Malt Whisky and a discussion that asks all the hard questions: Why doesn't Philippa just use magic? How did we wind up with druids? Was Vilgefortz's magical facelift worth it? (We may think so, but we doubt the mages who sacrificed themselves for it agree.) And what the heck is that gunk that's in everyone's hair anyhow? We also discuss the episode's many deaths, question what some sorceresses wear into battle and explain why a little child neglect goes a long way when it comes to Leo Bonhart.

“Uzależnienie od alkoholu” is Polish for “alcohol addiction,” and in this micro-lesson you'll say it clearly, without stigma or stumble. First you hear the full phrase at native speed, then slowed down so you can master the tricky “ź” and the nasal “ę.” We slip it into three supportive, real-life sentences: – “Szukam pomocy.” (I'm looking for help.) – “To nie Twoja wina.” (It's not your fault.) – “Każdy dzień bez alkoholu to sukces.” (Every day without alcohol is a success.) Repeat-along track included—listen privately or share with someone who needs it. Challenge: if today is your day one, DM us “dzień pierwszy” in Polish and we'll send back a personalized “jestem z Tobą” voice note.  

Today's story: Wine has been part of daily human life for centuries, and today it's produced in 70 countries. But winemakers and vineyards are facing their biggest challenges in a generation. Droughts, fires, and rising temperatures threaten crops. And younger consumers drink less alcohol (and less wine specifically). Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/829Get the full story and learning resources: https://plainenglish.com/829--Plain English helps you improve your English:Learn about the world and improve your EnglishClear, natural English at a speed you can understandNew stories every weekLearn even more at PlainEnglish.comMentioned in this episode:Hard words? No problemNever be confused by difficult words in Plain English again! See translations of the hardest words and phrases from English to your language. Each episode transcript includes built-in translations into Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, and Turkish. Sign up for a free 14-day trial at PlainEnglish.com

Join us for a captivating conversation with Aleksander Czeszkiewicz, the remarkable Polish researcher and author who penned his groundbreaking first book at the astonishing age of just 17.In Déjà Vu: Has Everything Already Been?, Aleksander masterfully weaves together ancient myths — from the legendary Atlantis to parallel global flood stories — with enigmatic archaeological wonders like the pyramids and other megalithic structures that continue to baffle modern science.He boldly challenges the mainstream narrative of linear human progress, presenting compelling evidence for a cyclical view of history: advanced golden ages that rose and fell, wiped out by cataclysmic events at the end of the last Ice Age around 9,600 BCE.Drawing on interdisciplinary insights from mythology, folklore, archaeology, geology, and ancient texts, Aleksander explores provocative questions:- Were these monumental structures built using lost technologies or for purposes far beyond what conventional history admits?- Do global legends preserve real memories of a forgotten prehistoric civilization — one more sophisticated than we've been led to believe?- Is humanity caught in a profound pattern of rise, collapse, and rebirth?Prepare for a mind-expanding journey that uncovers hidden connections across continents, reinterprets the distant past, and invites you to question everything you thought you knew about human origins.Whether you're a longtime explorer of forbidden history or new to these mysteries, this episode delivers fresh perspectives, rigorous research, and that thrilling sense of déjà vu — as if we've been here before.Tune in now and discover why Aleksander's work is generating worldwide attention — and why the past may be more alive than we ever imagined!Book (US):https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BGN8VZ3DBook (UK):https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BGN8VZ3Dhttps://www.czeszkiewiczglobal.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@czeszkiewiczglobalhttps://www.facebook.com/czeszkiewiczglobalWe are thrilled to announce the official launch of Let's Get Freaky merchandise! Our collection includes hoodies, t-shirts, mugs, stickers, and more. Explore the full range at http://tee.pub/lic/aQprv54kktw.Do you have a paranormal or extraordinary experience to share? We'd love to hear from you! Contact us to be a guest on the Let's Get Freaky podcast. Email us at letsgetfreakypodcast@mail.com or reach out via social media on Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, or YouTube at @tcletsgetfreakypodcast. Connect with us at https://linktr.ee/letsgetfreaky.

Joining me on the Born To Talk Radio Show podcast is Dr. Wojciech Kocyan. He is Pianist, Clinical Professor in the Music Department at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, President of the Paderewski Music Society in Los Angeles and Artistic Director of the American International Paderewski Piano Competition in Los Angeles. Meet Dr. Wojciech Kocyan. Dr. Wojeich Kocyan was born in Poland.  He studied with two of the world's most esteemed piano pedagogues:  Andrzej Jasinski in Poland, where he received his Masters Degree.  And also with John Perry at the University of Southern California, where he received a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree. He is a laureate of several international piano competitions, including F.Busoni and Viotti, as well as a special prizes winner of the XI International Chopin Competition and the First Prize winner of the Paderewski Piano Competition. The Paderewski Music Society. The Paderewski Music Society in Los Angeles, is a Section 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization. It was established in 2008 by a group of prominent musicians and music lovers alike to uphold the legacy of the great Polish pianist, statesman and philanthropist, Ignacy Jan Paderewski.  Throughout his life he was deeply engaged in the promotion of music and culture and its all-important place in society.  Most recently, the Society established a scholarship fund to aid in the education of most deserving young pianists. Wojciech’s Takeaways. “We want to make the audience aware that there is an international piano competition of the highest order happening right here in Los Angeles. This is an opportunity to hear a lot of wonderful live performances, in a great intimate concert hall. It is an opportunity to meet the best young pianists from around the world, on the cusp of their professional careers. And at the same time to meet other piano afficionados. They discuss the performances in real time with real people, to passionately argue about them, to have your favorites and generally to have a lot of fun – all while supporting high culture and art in our city.” In Closing. There will be a competition at LMU for those of you that can attend from February 8-14th. You will hear 25 of the best young pianists in the world, ages 16-31. Thank you Wojciech for sharing your story with us.  Conversations + Connections = Community Making the world a better place.  One Story at a time.  What's Your Story? I want to share it!     Marsha@borntotalkradioshow.com Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Twitter

“Prace” means both “jobs” and “work,” and in this micro-lesson you'll say it like you're scanning the Polish classifieds. We play the word at real speed, slow it down, then slot it into three CV-ready sentences: – “Szukam nowych prac.” (I'm looking for new jobs.) – “Ta praca jest zdalna.” (This job is remote.) – “Roboty zabierają niektóre prace.” (Robots are taking some jobs.) Repeat-along track included—perfect while you update LinkedIn or queue for the unemployment office. Challenge: tweet your dream Polish job title with hashtag #mojaprace and tag us @learnpolishpodcast—we'll reply with the correct genitive form.  

This episode is part of Season 36: Serial Killers in History—a single-episode deep dive into one of the most disturbing and least-known serial killers of the Weimar era.December 1924. A homeless stonemason narrowly escapes death in a small Silesian town. What police discover in the aftermath reveals twenty-one years of murder hidden behind the most respectable facade imaginable—a church organ blower who sold his victims as pork at public markets. The story of Karl Denke forces us to confront how society's indifference to its most vulnerable creates perfect hunting grounds for predators.The VictimVincenz Olivier was a homeless stonemason wandering the streets of Münsterberg in search of work, food, or somewhere warm to sleep. Like dozens before him, Olivier was invisible to society—the kind of man whose disappearance would never make headlines, whose death would never prompt an investigation. He accepted an offer of twenty pfennigs to write a letter for a respected local citizen. That simple act of desperation brought him face-to-face with a killer who had evaded detection for over two decades. When Denke dictated a bizarre opening line and Olivier turned his head in confusion, that moment of hesitation saved his life—and exposed one of history's most methodical murderers.The CrimeKarl Denke operated his killing enterprise from 1903 to 1924, targeting society's invisible people: homeless vagrants, unemployed journeymen, recently released prisoners, and travelers seeking work during Germany's economic collapse. His reputation as "Papa Denke"—the charitable organ blower who helped travelers—was his hunting tool. He would offer small payments for simple tasks, then strike from behind with a pickaxe as victims sat distracted at his desk. After death came systematic processing that would have impressed a professional butcher. Denke dismembered bodies, pickled flesh in brine, rendered human fat for soap, and tanned human skin to manufacture leather goods. He held an official vendor's license and sold his "boneless pickled pork" at public markets in Breslau.The InvestigationWhen police searched Denke's apartment on Christmas Eve 1924, they discovered a museum of murder. Two wooden tubs filled with pickled human flesh. According to Friedrich Pietrusky's 1926 forensic report, 351 human teeth were recovered and sorted in containers. Belts, suspenders, and shoelaces crafted from tanned human skin. A ledger documenting thirty-one victims by name—and their slaughter weight. The evidence documented at least thirty victims, with estimates suggesting forty or more. Denke's suicide by hanging with a handkerchief in his holding cell before interrogation meant the full scope of his crimes would never be known. Among verified victims: confectioner Adolf Salisch and fur dealer Rochus Pawlick (Denke's last known victim before Olivier's escape). Victims ranged from sixteen to seventy-six years old. The case revealed significant weaknesses in law enforcement practices, as his victims' marginal status meant their disappearances were never investigated.Historical ContextKarl Denke operated during one of Germany's most turbulent periods—the Weimar Republic era marked by hyperinflation, widespread poverty, and social displacement following World War I. Meat shortages made cheap protein precious as gold, and no one questioned why a gentle church organ blower had steady supplies of quality meat. His crimes coincided with those of other notorious German killers Fritz Haarmann and Peter Kürten, yet while those names echo through criminal history, Denke became a footnote. His immediate suicide prevented any sensational trial. After World War II, Münsterberg became Polish Ziębice, German residents were expelled, records scattered, and the case fell between German and Polish historiography—nearly lost entirely.Sources: Friedrich Pietrusky forensic report (1926), Lucyna Biały research (1999), Casefile Podcast Episode 212, German criminal archivesResourcesThe location of Denke's crimes was Teichstraße 10 (now Stawowa Street 13) in Ziębice, Poland. Note: Sources conflict on whether the original structure still stands—a 1999 report indicated the building had been replaced by newer construction. For those interested in Weimar-era crime, Fritz Lang cited Denke as one of several inspirations for his 1931 film "M," alongside Fritz Haarmann, Carl Großmann, and Peter Kürten (the primary model). Casefile Podcast covered this case in Episode 212, titled "The Forgotten Cannibal" (May 21, 2022).Our Sponsors:* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/foul-play-crime-series/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

W tym odcinku opowiadam, o czym jest najważniejsza książka dla Polaków. Jeśli chcesz, żebym streściła Ci klasyki polskiej literatury, daj znać!Jeśli podobają Ci się moje podkasty, zostaw mi recenzję i ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐! Dzięki!Have you discovered the Polski Daily Club yet? If not go to https://www.polskidaily.eu/signup and join the club!

Business Coaching of mid to upper-level management, high-potential leaders, and struggling leaders is Holly Golebiowski's focus in her coaching practice.Summary of PodcastIntroductions and small talkThe participants - Kevin, Graham, and Holly - greet each other and engage in some casual conversation, including discussing Holly's Polish last name and Graham's past colleague Veronica.Shifting to business coaching and leader skillsThe group transitions the discussion to focus on business coaching and leader skills, with Kevin and Graham clarifying that the main topic is about helping leaders develop their skills.Holly's background and experience as a business coachHolly shares how she became a business coach, including her own experience working with a coach named Nan who helped her improve as a leader when she was at risk of being fired from her previous COO role. She explains the value of self-awareness and empathy as key leadership skills.Leader Skills program overviewHolly provides an overview of the Leader Skills program she co-runs with Nan, including the specific skills they focus on (e.g. conflict management, time management), the format of the program (online modules plus group discussions), and the types of companies they work with (ranging from startups to large enterprises).Feedback and impact of the Leader Skills programHolly shares positive feedback and impact of the Leader Skills program, including a 99% satisfaction rate and a money-back guarantee that no one has ever used, indicating the program's value. She also discusses how the program helps companies, especially growing startups, develop the leadership skills needed as they scale.The Next 100 Days Podcast Co-HostsGraham ArrowsmithGraham founded Finely Fettled ten years ago to help business owners and marketers market to affluent and high-net-worth customers. He's the founder of MicroYES, a Partner for MeclabsAI, where he introduces AI Agents that you can talk to, that increase engagement, dwell time, leads and conversions. Now, Graham is offering Answer Engine Optimisation that gets you ready to be found by LLM search.Kevin ApplebyKevin specialises in finance transformation and implementing business change. He's the COO of GrowCFO, which provides both community and CPD-accredited training designed to grow the next generation of finance leaders. You can find Kevin on LinkedIn and at kevinappleby.com

Today's Episode is about Gdansk, Poland The FAQ is: Why visit Poland? Answer: Poland is one of the places that Chicagoans love to talk about. It's home to many people of Polish descent.   If you enjoyed today's Confidence Challenge on your essential documents, my book series  Find it on the website​​ at https://www.5stepstosolotravel.com/ or on Amazon. It's a several-part series. Today's special destination is Gdansk, Poland   https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/poland/gdansk   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMkHw3WDNiY     Connect with Dr. Travelbest 5 Steps to Solo Travel website Dr. Mary Travelbest X Dr. Mary Travelbest Facebook Page Dr. Mary Travelbest Facebook Group Dr. Mary Travelbest Instagram Dr. Mary Travelbest Podcast Dr. Travelbest on TikTok Dr.Travelbest on YouTube In the news  

learn 10 high-frequency expressions, including medical-related words

Learn how to use the expression “keep your options open,” a phrase people use when they haven't yet made a decision.Explore the full lesson & practice using today's expression: https://plainenglish.com/expressions/keep-your-options-open--Plain English helps you improve your English:Learn about the world and improve your EnglishClear, natural English at a speed you can understandNew stories every weekLearn even more at PlainEnglish.comMentioned in this episode:Hard words? No problemNever be confused by difficult words in Plain English again! See translations of the hardest words and phrases from English to your language. Each episode transcript includes built-in translations into Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, and Turkish. Sign up for a free 14-day trial at PlainEnglish.com

We hope you brought your appetite…for drunken discussion! We're back with our first episode of 2026, where we're diving into Season 4's celebration of camping out (both literally and figuratively) and baring your soul over a bowl of fish soup. Accompanied by a bottle of True Story Finished Bourbon, we share some surprisingly strong opinions about the episode's infamous musical interlude, declare our undying love for random nonsense, and explain how while he may no longer drink blood, Regis clearly has no problem drinking Marvel's milkshake. We also debate whether sick = sexy when it comes to Jaskier, formally declare that Milva's the smartest person in the room and actually agree on a Kaer Moron for once. It's a tasty, tantalizing talk about the most mouthwatering episode of the season that's guaranteed to leave you hungry for everything to come. (Note to self: In the future, don't write these episode descriptions before you've had dinner.)

Nadjeschda (Nadja) Taranczewski is a master of psychology, master certified coach, and founder of Conscious U who specializes in helping CEOs and founders uncover unconscious patterns shaping their relationship with wealth, leadership, and intergenerational trauma through her pioneering Money Work Program.3:00 - Nadja shares her powerful family history: her German grandmother's side benefited from the Nazi regime while remaining silent about their role, while her Polish grandmother was abducted and forced into prostitution, and her Russian grandfather was tortured in a concentration camp until he became an informant.8:00 - The profound impact of intergenerational trauma: Nadja's father grew up in extreme poverty with five people in a one-bedroom apartment, translating his grandfather's concentration camp stories at age 13, learning "the only person you can rely on is yourself."15:00 - Discovery process: Nadja pieced together her family story over decades through therapy and conversations, realizing that understanding these patterns was essential to breaking free from inherited trauma and beliefs about money and safety.25:00 - The concept of "source energy" - Nadja explains how we're born with original essence that gets overlaid with family patterns, cultural conditioning, and protective mechanisms, leading most people to live from a false self rather than their authentic core.35:00 - Money as safety vs. money as energy: Nadja contrasts her father's scarcity mindset ("money is safety") with her mother's guilt-driven giving, showing how both extremes kept her stuck until she learned to see money as flowing energy.45:00 - The three-step framework for transformation: noticing patterns, understanding their origins in your family story, and consciously choosing new responses that align with your true self rather than inherited programming.55:00 - Language shapes identity: Speaking multiple languages reveals how cultural context influences personality - English allows more optimistic expression while German and Polish carry historical weight and pessimism from generations of trauma.1:03:00 - Definition of success: "To have the luxury to realize my potential and to be more of myself in an environment where I get seen for that, celebrated for that, and loved for that."Podcast Program – Disclosure StatementBlue Infinitas Capital, LLC is a registered investment adviser and the opinions expressed by the Firm's employees and podcast guests on this show are their own and do not reflect the opinions of Blue Infinitas Capital, LLC. All statements and opinions expressed are based upon information considered reliable although it should not be relied upon as such. Any statements or opinions are subject to change without notice.Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed.

“Zwierzęta domowe” means “house animals,” and in this bite-sized episode you'll pronounce it like a vet from Warsaw. First you hear the phrase at full speed, then slowed down so you can master the sneaky “ę” and the soft “ź.” We drop it into three pet-proof sentences: – “Mam dwa zwierzęta domowe.” (I have two house pets.) – “Kocham mojego kota.” (I love my cat.) – “Proszę, nie wchodź na kanapę!” (Please, don't get on the couch) Repeat-along track included—perfect while you refill the water bowl or hunt for the laser pointer. Challenge: post a 5-second video of your pet with the Polish caption “To moje zwierzę domowe” and tag us @learnpolishpodcast—we'll share our favorites.  

In this episode, we delve into the intricate world of the Chicago Outfit’s informants, featuring insights from my late friend, Cam Robinson, and Paul Whitcomb, a well-respected expert on the mob. This special compilation draws from past interviews and shorts that once highlighted various informants who operated during the notorious 1980s era of organized crime in Chicago. Through a series of concise segments, we explore the lives of key players who chose to turn against the Outfit, revealing the complex motivations and consequences of their decisions. We kick things off by revisiting the tale of Paul “Peanuts” Pansko, an influential figure leading the Polish faction of the Outfit. Pansko's criminal activities, including a racetrack heist, not only placed him in dangerous territory but also set into motion a chain of events that would later link to the infamous Family Secrets trial. It's during this journey that we outline how interconnected the informants’ narratives are, showcasing how Pansko’s actions inadvertently unraveled parts of the organization.   The discussion shifts to more dramatic stories, including Mario Rainone. Rainone's infamous decision to cooperate with the authorities opened the door to significant revelations about Lenny Patrick, one of the highest-ranking Outfit members to switch sides. Rainone's tapes ultimately led to the dismantling of major sections of the Outfit’s operations, including political connections that had long shielded them from legal repercussions.   We also explore the tale of Ken “Tokyo Joe” Eto, a Japanese mobster who thrived within the Outfit’s ranks. His attempts at self-preservation after surviving an assassination effort highlighted the stark realities faced by those who navigated the perilous landscape of organized crime. As he eventually became a witness for the prosecution, Eto’s insights illuminated the internal workings of one of Chicago’s most feared organizations. The episode further examines dramatic betrayals and deadly encounters that shaped the Outfit’s legacy. From the chilling events surrounding the murders of the Spilotro brothers, orchestrated by their own associates for reasons steeped in loyalty and betrayal, to the grim fate that met informants like Al Toco and the impact of domestic discord on organized crime, each tale is a window into the bleak realities faced by both mobsters and informants alike. As we round out the episode, we reflect on the cultural dynamics surrounding informants, particularly how personal relationships and family ties heavily influenced their decisions to cooperate. It becomes clear through the interviews that while fear of retribution often compels loyalty, the specter of betrayal looms large within the mob. This multifaceted examination blends personal stories with historical context, providing a deeper understanding of the Chicago Outfit’s complexity and its operatives. Join us in this retrospective journey through the shadows of organized crime as we pay homage to those who bravely shared their stories, revealing the inner workings of a criminal empire that continues to fascinate and terrify in equal measure. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” Subscribe to the website for weekly notifications about updates and other Mob information. To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent ‘Brothers against Brothers’ or ‘Gangland Wire,’ the documentaries click here.  To purchase one of my books, click here. Transcript [0:00] Well, hey, guys, after listening to Bob Cooley, one of the more damaging sources and witness and informant to the Chicago Outfit outside of the Calabrese family, [0:13] Nick and his nephew, Frank Jr., I got the rest of the Chicago Outfit informants on tap here. No, not really. They’re not coming in. But I did do a story. I did a series of shorts a few years, or I don’t know, two or three years ago, maybe. [0:32] I interviewed my late friend, Cam Robinson, rest in peace, Cam. So you get to hear from him again. And Paul Whitcomb, who is a Chicago outfit expert, he’s been on this. They used to have some kind of a round table show up there. I don’t know if they still have it or not with the Seiferts. But anyhow, I got these guys to sit down with me and talk about all the different informants in Chicago during the, it was during the 80s. So this is just kind of a series of shorts that I put up before. They’re six or eight minutes long, I think, each one of them, that they talk about different informants. This kind of threw it together as another little bonus episode we’ve done. And I went to Chicago, if you notice, after Johnny Russo, which I apologize for in a way, I don’t know. I mean, the guy’s got some crazy-ass stories, doesn’t he? Who am I to say that he didn’t do it? But most people know that he didn’t do most of that stuff. Anyhow, so I threw up another Chicago right away about the guy that had the race wire that they killed, James Reagan. [1:38] Then i had this interview that i’d been doing during those last couple weeks with bob cooley who’s appeared uh out of nowhere and he’ll maybe see him on some other shows now he’s he’s wanting to do shows he tells me so after hearing bob cooley talk i thought well i’m doing do one more i want to just throw it up as an extra uh from some of my old chicago outfit stuff and that’ll finish me off on the Chicago outfit for a while. I hadn’t, I hadn’t been in Chicago, uh, doing shows about Chicago for quite a while. And, and I didn’t want to, uh, neglect you guys. You know, I get a lot of books written about New York and I’ve got all these authors that are wanting to do these books about New York. Uh, not so much about Chicago. So if you got anybody that, you know, wants to, got a book and wants to come on the show, uh, talking about the outfit, why steer them to me. So anyhow, just sit back and relax and enjoy. [2:37] My late, great friend, Cam Robinson. One more look at Cam, for those of you who remember him, and Paul Whitcomb. And we’re going to talk about famous snitches from Chicago. Thanks, guys. Well, let’s move along now to, this is kind of interesting, Paul Peanuts Panczko, who was the leader of the Polish branch of the outfield. Is that what you would call Peanuts Panczko, the leader of the Polish branch? If the Polish branch is the Panczko family, which you could easily say there were three brothers, then yeah, that wouldn’t be right. We haven’t really done a show on them. I don’t know a whole lot about them other than they were released at all. So we said non-Italian, Peckerwood, as we call them at Kansas City, professional criminals who did a lot of business with different outfit people. And he did a robbery of a racetrack. I think it’s the Balmoral Racetrack. It’s the name of it. James Duke Basile and then Panczko was in trouble for that and he convinced Basile to come in and they did some talking remember anything about that situation, you know in a lot of ways you. [3:50] Panczko could be considered one of the first dominoes that eventually led to the Family Secrets trial. Panczko, as you said, led to Dookie Bazile, who they had done robberies together. Bazile led them to Scarpelli, who was a much higher guy. I mean, there’s debate, but he was, because there was a making ceremony at this time, but Scarpelli was pretty highly ranked. I mean, he was a known killer, and he was up there. He was in the wild bunch. But Scarpelli then did tell them about a lot of the things that Frank Calabrese had done. [4:28] He wasn’t known as well as Scarpelli had brought him up to be. And a lot of those things dominoed into what would eventually lead to family secrets years later. [4:42] Scarpelli, I think, did not know so much about Nick, but he did know about Frank. And so a lot of that information sort of filled in the gaps. And even though Frank Calabrese Jr. Led them led them to Nick They A lot of seeds were planted And can be traced back to Pianus Pansico Um. [5:01] So it is kind of an interesting line. Basile, he wore a wire on Scarpelli and not even talking about a lot of these things. It’s not the FBI knew about that. They were in a car together. Right. If I remember right, he even talked about a mob graveyard. They went up there and they found two or three bodies. One of them was connected. It wasn’t anybody really important, but one of them was connected to Harry Aleman. So it was a pretty important wearing of a wire on Scarpelli, who then came at himself for a while. And that’s what led to the family secrets. He talked about Frank Calabrese. Is that what you’re saying? Yeah, that’s right. And some of those bodies in that graveyard were 10 years apart, which was interesting. I’ve got, it’s on the map that I created, but some of those bodies, there was years in between them. So it was something they were going back to and they believed that there were a lot of things there they did not find. Yeah, because they built a health care facility or something. They built some big building over where there would have been bodies. Right. Right. And the fascinating thing about this is Scarpelli, like, just like Cam said, this guy was a serious killer. He was a muscle builder. He was a terrifying guy. I mean, he had almost inhuman physical strength. Yeah. And when he flipped, he was completely debriefed by the FBI and the DOJ and then decided to try and change his mind. [6:27] But before he could do that He hung himself in the bathroom Of the Metropolitan Correctional Center With his hands behind his back And a bag over his head, Who was he in prison with? Who was he in MCC with, Paul? Was it anybody? He did happen to be in the MCC with the German at the time. He bound his hands behind his back and put a bag over his own head. He did. He did. And so the outfit continues to somehow persuade people to take their own lives rather than testify against them. [7:07] It’s a hell of a way to die by suicide it is by suicide at least they didn’t have arrows in his back, not as far as we know yeah it was terrible he cut his own head off I saw a cartoon once that the homicide guy liked to go ahead and maybe real suckle of suicide because then you could just walk away from it so there’s a dead body laying there with a bunch of arrows at his back and a homicide detective standing over him with a hand and pencil and says, hmm, suicide, huh? [7:44] Got the inside joke. It worked homicide. You see how those guys sometimes will try to make something into a suicide that probably is a homicide. On the other hand, we had one, we had a mob guy, he wasn’t really a mob associate, who had gone to Vegas. He lost a lot of money and they found his body in his car at the airport parking lot after coming back from Vegas and they found out later lost a lot of money and the car was parked up against the fence and he was shot in the head and there was no gun in the car you know found so just assume that somebody shot him in his head the car kept going and rolling up against the fence. [8:25] But this one detective, I remember Bob Pence is his name. He was dumb. And he started, he went back over and he dusted that car for prints again. And he got some more evidence out of it. And then he went back to the airport and he looked and started asking questions. And he found out later that somebody who had a pickup truck parked there had a week later, three or four days later, come back and got his truck. When he got home he found a pistol inside the bed of his truck and he called the airport or he called somebody turned it in Pinson found that pistol that was a pistol that that shot the guy so Pinson's theory was he was rolling along in his car he shot himself in the head and then he flipped that pistol out is with a reaction he flipped it out and went in the bed in that pickup and then it rolled on up against the fence and they ruled it a suicide wow damn that’s not that different than Scarpelli I mean the fbi to this day insists it was suicide yeah well, Oh, well, right. All right. Let’s move along to Mario. John, the arm. Rainone. [9:41] Is that correct, Cam? That yeah, that’s Rainone. Yeah. So tell us about that. I know we talked about this, you know, a little bit about this one. [9:50] This is kind of a funny one. He was he was sent to kill a building inspector. Raynaud was with the Grand Avenue crew and so he’s en route to kill this guy and this is one of those mob blunders and he sees a couple guys following him and it’s Rudy Fredo and Willie Messino and he recognizes him when he’s driving over there and it’s important to point out who these guys are, Cam, not to interrupt you Willie Messino, was the right hand man and bodyguard for Tony Accardo for 30 years I mean, he was serious, serious business. Rudy Frayto, you know, the chin, but Massino was serious news. If you saw Willie Massino, you knew he were in for trouble. Yeah, he wasn’t there as backup to do anything except clean up after Rainone, including Rainone. So Rainone saw the writing on the wall. He pulls up and he goes straight to the FBI. [10:54] And he informs, he talks to them and gives them his information. And later on, he sort of regrets doing so, denies that he ever did. Uh, there were, there were, uh, articles written about him. There’s a, there’s a Chicago Tribune writer, John Cass, and Ray Nolan had a back and forth with him writing letters. This is how these mob guys in Chicago operate, talking about, I’m, I ain’t no beefer. And, uh. Once he was out of prison in 2009, he was busted several more times. If you can believe it, he stayed in the criminal life. He was robbing a liquor store with another guy. And the guy he was robbing with, this is why I jump ahead a little bit, was a guy named Vincent Forliano. He claimed that he didn’t even know Fratto or Messino. These were guys he didn’t know, so he never would have informed against them. The guy he was robbing the liquor store with and he was committing other robberies with, Vincent Forliano, was Fredo’s son-in-law. [11:56] So he was committing robberies with a guy related to the guy, but he didn’t know who they were. And to say that somebody didn’t know, as Paul said, Willie Messino, is just ludicrous. Anybody in the criminal atmosphere, period, knew who Willie Messino was because you were probably paying money to it. to exist. And this is extremely important because Rainone, at the time this happened, Rainone cooperated long enough to record conversations with Lenny Patrick. That’s right. That’s right. And that set dominoes in place that would lead to the fall of the outfit. Even though he tried to take back his cooperation, to say he never cooperated, I’ve heard those tapes that were played in trials that I participated in, so I I know better. Uh, and that’s why they call him Mario flip flop Rainone because he, uh, would cooperate and uncooperate and then cooperate. But he is the one who got Lenny Patrick on the hook. Yeah. [13:00] Interesting, interesting. Let’s just continue on with this Lenny Patrick because we weren’t going to talk about him. That’s a good lead hand to talk about another, really one of the most important informants that year who testified. [13:13] Can you talk about the domino that led to the end? Rainone really, really flipped the domino that kicked over. Go ahead, Paul. Well, Lenny Patrick was the highest, and even to this day, remains the highest ranking member of the outfit to ever turn state’s evidence. The guy was a capo in all but name. He had been in charge of Rogers Park, the gambling. He was essentially the head of the Jewish arm of the mafia, kind of the Meyer Lansky figure of Chicago. And when the Lawndale neighborhood moved north to Rogers Park, he moved with them, and he had his own crew. He reported directly to Gus Alex, who was, of course, at the very top, and Sam Carlisi. And he was dealing with Marcello and Carlesi in a number of different outfit ventures, loan sharking. He personally had been staked by Carlesi with a quarter million in cash to put out on the street. And he was involved in extortions Bombings of theaters All these things directly at the command of Sam Carlisi Who was then the boss of bosses of the Chicago outfit So when Rainone got him on tape They set up what was the beginning of the end for the outfit And I think people need to understand who Gus Alex is also For people outside of Chicago Gus Alex was. [14:40] Basically, I guess you could call him the equivalent of maybe the consigliere in Chicago. When you look at Chicago, the triumvirate in the 70s, once a guy like Paul Ricca died and several major outfit leaders died in the early 70s. [14:58] Tony Accardo decided that the outfit would be led by himself, by Joy Iupa, and the political wing and all of the non-Italians and all of the grift and a lot of aspects would be led by Gus Alex. So he was essentially on the same level as Joey Iupa, and he was responsible for much more for things of greater import than Joey Iupa. I mean, controlling the political arm and all the payoffs and all of that is much, much more than the streets and the murders. So all the politics and all the anything that had to do was definitely fell under gus alex and he was part of a ruling triumvirate he was a non-italian part of a ruling triumvirate with iupa and uh acardo so he was the the leader top of the outfit and he had been for years going back to going back to the 30s and the 40s 40 he had come up under, the Murray the Camel Humphreys and had made those connections he was the most connected guy in the Chicago outfit, so for a guy like Lenny Patrick to be. [16:15] Rollover against is essentially the political leader, national political leader and political leader of Chicago. This was absolutely crippling to the outfit. That was he wiped out the entire political arm of the Chicago outfit. After Lenny Patrick brought down Gus Alex, this became a basically a street crime organization. It was that those political contacts. I mean, I think that’s a fair statement, right, Paul? Those political contacts and judges, I mean, that was all but eliminated with Gus Alex going away. You’re absolutely right, Cam. And he not only took out Gus Alex, but he took out the boss of the Italians, too. That’s right, yeah. Both of them at the same time. He wiped out the outfit, and you put it beautifully by saying it became a street crime organization. You think about the division of labor and it started with IUP and IUP and. [17:19] La Pietra, Jackie Cerone, they had all the gambling, a lot of the sports gambling, but they also had the skim from Las Vegas, and they ran all that stuff, while Gus Alex, along with Lenny Patrick, ran all that politics, and you can’t have a mob organization if you don’t have cover politically. That’s why even in Kansas City, we’re pretty clean here, but we still never had any real mob prosecutions. [17:47] And it certainly had very few, if any, little, if any mob prosecutions at Cook County. And you couldn’t even get convicted of a real crime, murder, assault, or something. It’s just a straight-out crime. You weren’t even trying to do a RICO, I think, on anybody. So it was, you know, they just operated with impunity. Well, you took out that whole gambling side. That was all the money coming in. And then shortly thereafter, you take out the political side, who then turns back and gets the new boss on the gambling side and loan sharking and all that. [18:23] I’ll tell you, by 1990, the outfit’s gone. It really is. It still exists to a degree, but Sam Carlisi was the last traditional old line boss of the outfit. you, that, in my opinion, that ever ruled. After that, it was never the same. Yeah, I think a guy like Gus Alex, you know, like you said, Gary, you had Aiuppa who was dealing with gambling, but I think that’s a lot of, there’s a lot of optics to that, you know, and you’ve got all these cities who have got characters who are not Italian, Gus Alex in Chicago, and, you know, as Paul said, Meyer Lansky, who was New York, and you had Mashie Rockman in Cleveland, and these characters not italians so they know when to step back and let and let the italians talk but that doesn’t mean that they’re not running things it’s just for the optics of city to city where the italians have to see that they’re dealing with italians they don’t walk in the room it doesn’t mean that behind the scenes they’re not pulling the levers they just because of of the uh uh criminal um. [19:34] The the criminal view of of non-italians in that world sort of sort of their own prejudices these guys don’t always walk in the room when they’re dealing with other cities gus alex is is sitting down with anybody in chicago but you go to kansas city you go to new york, you know meyer lansky would leave the room when they were when they were talking you know italian to Italian. And the same thing with Gus Alex or Mace Rockman or any of those other guys who are not Italian. It was just an optics city to city. It doesn’t mean that they weren’t pulling the levers. Is it Yehuda or Jehuda, Cam? Jehuda. I’ve always heard of Jehuda. Yeah, Jehuda. So he kind of dealed with the IRS that year. [20:23] He must have had some. The IRS was really strong working the mob in Chicago. I’ve noticed several references to IRS investigations. We did not have that in Kansas City, and the IRS did a little bit, but they were not as strong as they were up in Chicago. [20:38] Yeah, he met with an agent, Tom Moriarty, who’s been around and worked Chicago for a long time. He was a pretty well-known guy up here. But Bill Jehota worked under Ernest Rocco Infelice, who was a real powerhouse going back a long time. And out in Cicero, and his crew, a lot of these crews had their own little names, and they called the good shit Lollipop. He was a huge gambling enterprise, you know. And they bought a house up in Lake County, which is north of the city. It’s funny, this house they bought was actually the family that had lived in it. The son had murdered the family. It was a murder house before the outfit bought it. and uh they bought it used it as a as a gambling den and and after that moved out they used it for prostitution and they would park cars at a nearby motel that they ran and then then have a uh a, valet service that drove him to this this gambling house and there was also quite a few uh murders that uhJahoda witnessed i’m sure he took no part in it he just happened to be standing outside of the house when they when they these murders were committed there was a uh was it hal smith and um. [21:57] Oh i can’t remember the they killed somebody else in this home and they burnt these were guys who didn’t want to pay his tree tags, and they were gamblers who refused to give in. And he brought down this entire crew. I mean, Rocco and Felice was… There’s a famous picture of the day after the Spolatros were killed. And it was really the upper echelon of the up that you’ve got. You’ve got little Jimmy Marcello. You’ve got the boss, Sam Wings-Carlesi. You’ve got the street boss, Joe Ferriola. And you’ve got Rocco and Felice, who’s right there. These are the four top guys, basically, in the outfit as far as at this time, the Cicero crew had risen to the top. That was the powerhouse crew. And so he was involved in those discussions because he was such a powerhouse out there with Ferriola being the street boss. So he was, it really can’t be thatJahodatestimony that eventually brought down this crew was really, it really crippled that crew for a long time. Well, those people that went down in that trial have only in the last five years come out of prison. Yeah, we’ve actually had been talking to somebody. We’ve had the… [23:13] Opportunity to meet he brought down uh uh robert um to go beat um bellavia and another guy who doesn’t like to be mentioned who runs a pretty successful pizza pizza chain up in lake county and uh these guys went down for a long time the beat was down for 25 years and he just came out. [23:39] So and billJahoda have if you read his testimony it is kind of kind of odd that he was standing outside of the building and just looked in the window and they were committing a murder and he just he he places himself outside of the house witnessing a murder through the window which is convenient when you’re the one testifying against murderers it certainly is yeah. [24:03] So so that was he was involved in the gambling so that makes sense then the irs got him and millions of dollars millions of dollars a month they were bringing and he met uh, i don’t remember paul and you did he he contacted moriarty right or did moriarty reach out to him because he was under investigation i i thought Jahoda was was worried about himself so he reached out to them i can’t remember the details i think you’re right yeah i i think he was worried about his own his own safety gary and he reached out to moriarty and they met up at a hotel just outside the city on the uh up in the northwest and uh they talked about things i actually found the location and on the little map you can find where where they met each other but he they met each other in disgust and they would meet different locations and and jahuda wore a wire and some of those some of those wiretaps are they really make for that. [25:05] That those conversations come right out of the movie just i love what we’re doing out here and i love my job and and you actually where i’m going to make you trunk music i mean you really hear these things that that you see it right in the movies i mean you you can’t write the dialogue that these guys are actually using it’s it’s it’s you know it it comes straight out of a book i mean You’ve got, you’ve got, uh, this is the toughest dialogue you’ll ever hear. Interesting. How’d you buy it? Where’d you find that at? Is that, uh, it’s probably not the audio in probably anywhere. No book or something. Yeah. You can, if you look up, if you look up different, different, you know, you go on newspapers.com or you go in different, uh, I believe, uh, I’ve got, um, uh, mob textbook by, um, Howard Abedinsky. I’ve got a couple of copies of his, of his textbook, organized crime. And he’s got some clips of it. This guy who owns a pizza shop up north is talking about how he loves his job. He loves what he does. And it’s funny to hear he talk about smashing somebody and loving what you do. Really? I’ve heard a few conversations like that back at the station house. [26:25] I don’t care. It’s on both sides. Is that what you’re saying? When you live in that world. Those guys can go either direction. [26:37] Well, let’s talk about ex-Chicago cops. Speaking of cops, let’s talk about, Vince Rizza, his daughter actually appeared on that Chicago Mob Housewives, or they tried to do a show. And Frank Schweiss’ daughter was on it. And Pia Rizza, who has gotten some notoriety as a model or something, I can’t remember. And she really, she was tight. She would not talk about her dad at all. I read an interview of her. She would just talk about her dad at all. But he came in and he testified against Harry Aleman, of all people, and linked him to the murder of this bookie, Anthony Ritlinger. Remember that one? [27:22] Go ahead, Paul. No, that one I’m not very up on, Cam. I’m sorry. So, Ritlinger, I believe he didn’t want to pay his street tax, if I’m right, Gary. Yeah, you’re right. He had been warned. Rattlinger had been warned that he needs to pay, he needs to pay, and he was making a good deal of money. And Ratlinger was he was brought in just the normal course of action with the wild bunch because he was a wild bunch murder I’m a little rusty but here it comes so he was a wild bunch killing, he was brought in he was warned it was the typical Harry Ailerman and if I’m remembering correctly and people correct me if I’m not it was Butch Petruccelli they sat him down. [28:11] Usually it would be Butch and, um, uh, Borsellino who would do the talking, uh, Tony Borsellino, and they would do the talking. And then afterwards, Butch Petruccelli would just sit down and glare. So he was a pretty scary guy. And he had that, uh, uh, Malocchio, the, the evil eye, and he would just glare at people. And that would send the message and Rattlinger didn’t, didn’t listen. He was making too much money, he’s not going to pay any damn Degos, that kind of line. And so he, of course, fell victim to these guys. And I believe he may have been trunk music. I think I remember this one, Matt, but I can’t remember. Yeah, I got this one. He went to a restaurant. That’s right. That’s right. And he had already, his daughter lived with him. I’m not sure about the wife, but he had warned his family to take all kinds of extra cautious. He knew something was coming. And it was, you know, after reading that thing, it’s, It’s kind of like, well, we talked about Spilotro taking off their jewelry. Ken Eto did this similar kind of a thing and told his wife he may not be coming back. [29:22] I tell you, another guy that did the same thing was Sonny Black. That’s right. It came out about Joe Pistone, the Donnie Brasco story. He did the same thing. He went to a sit-down or a meeting, and he took off his jewelry, I believe left his billfold, when he went to the meeting. this. Ken Eto was the same way. Ken Eto, I think, thought he could talk his way out. I think all of them thought they could talk their way out of it. So Rettlinger went out by himself and sat in a prominent place in this local restaurant that was really well known up there in the north side. It’s north of downtown Chicago, and I can’t remember the name of it. [30:02] And he just sat there and pretty soon a car pulls up and two guys run in kind of like a Richard Cain kind of a deal and just start popping. And that was a Harry Aleman deal. That’s right. He did, I believe. There’s an old guy who married the girlfriend of Felix Adlericio, I believe. He and this woman are sitting out in front of their brownstone, and Aleman and some other dude pull out and get out when guys walk up to him and shoot him and kill him. [30:31] And so that was – Yeah, that was Petrocelli and Aleman walked up, And he had been, he had been dating, uh, uh, Aldericio’s, Alderico’s girlfriend. Now that’s the famous hit from beyond the grave. Because we’re going to go on the old Samuel’s just sitting in the lawn chair thinking he’d got it made. That’s right. You know, Gary, you and I did the show on the outfit, uh, a long time ago. No, I’m sorry. On the wild bunch, a long time ago. So a lot of those, and they did so much work back in the day. A lot of those run together, but yeah, you’re now, uh, now that you’re right, writing her was he was eating in a restaurant. I’m, Uh, I can’t remember the name. It may have been, been Luna’s, but he was, went out in public. He thought he’d be safe. And like you said, a lot of these guys have a six cents because they come up on the street and they know these things. And, uh, like a guy like Sammy and Reno knew it was coming. He was dodging them for a long time, but they, they know that their time is coming. Eventually they just, they stay ahead of it for a while and figure they can fight their way out or talk their way out. And yeah, they, he was blown away right in public. Like it was similar to the, I remember it being similar to the, to the Richard Cain murder. And this was in, it was right around the same time. It was, it was in the mid seventies, 75, 74, 75, 76. It might’ve been 75 that writing or happened right, right in the middle of the restaurant. [31:58] I’ve been a lot cheaper to pay the street tax, I reckon. You know, and it wasn’t, I don’t recall that they’re asking for so much, but once these murder started happening yeah i think it was it wasn’t like it was half or 75 i think they just wanted it was you know it might have been a quarter it might have just been a flat fee across the board but once that street tax was was instituted i mean we’ve talked about this before gary that was when the wild bunch was out there that was that was they really didn’t play around When Ferriola told these guys, get everybody in line, [32:31] they really cracked down and they weren’t playing at all. You pay or you die. And guys like Alem and Patrick Shelley, whether it was right in public or whatever, in the outfit in the 70s, Paul, you know this from Richard Cain and several others. They just write in public would just blow you away. and writing her was just was almost textbook just like the Richard Cain it was it was right in the right in the restaurant yeah I’ll tell you I’ll tell. [33:05] I was conflating him with Hal Smith. Okay. I’ll tell you something about those mob hits. When they kill somebody in public like that in a public way, more than likely it’s because whoever the victim is has been alerted, and they can’t get anybody to get close to them. They will already try to send somebody around to get them isolated, and when they can’t get them isolated, then they want them bad enough. They’ll just lay, as Frank Calabrese, I heard him say once, well, lay on them. And I thought, oh, that’s interesting. Well, lay on them. I read that somewhere else. They use that term when you’re following somebody and you’re trying to set them up, or yet they lay on them. Calabrese even said, you know, you’re like, get an empty refrigerator box and hide inside of it. I mean, it’s just like the kind of stuff we used to do at the intelligence unit to run surveillances on people. And so they’ll lay on them for a while until they can get you somewhat isolated. And if they can’t, then they’ll just take you out in public. It might be to send a message, but I don’t think so because it’s so risky to get somebody in public. You can have a young, all-fitty cop in there that you didn’t even notice, and he comes out blazing. And, you know, it’s just not worth it. Even if you take him out, he’s probably got to get you. [34:21] So it’s kind of a last resort. A desperation. Yeah, it’s desperation because they can’t get you isolated. [34:28] You look at some of these public murderers, guys like Richard Cain or Ridinger, like you said, who was on the watch. Sam Annarino, who was right on Cicero. [34:39] A guy like Chris Carty, who was years later. I mean, these are guys who would have been smart enough and street smart enough to be on the watch, to watch their step, to know what was going on. With the exception of a guy like Michael Cagnoni, who just happened to be difficult to get, and he probably might have had an idea that something was happening, but I think just he was a family guy, and so it was hard to isolate. They blew him up on the interstate, but I think that in general, that’s a good point, Gary. These guys, if they just run up and blow away, it’s just a last resort. That’s an excellent point. I have always been in that camp of, oh, that must be sending a message. But you, with your experience, I think you’re exactly right. One thing, guys, I think we’re mixing up Sambo Cesario with Sam Annarino. I was thinking when they – yeah, you’re right, Paul. I was thinking, though, when they blew away Sam Annarino in the parking lot with his family, though, they had been trying to get him for several months. And they finally just went after him in the parking lot, called in a robbery, and blew him away in the furniture store parking lot. That was what I meant. Yeah, Gary was referring to Sambo earlier. I just meant they had been trying to get Sam Annarino for a long time, and when they couldn’t, they just got him in the parking lot. [36:08] Well, interesting. You know, no matter how much terror these guys strike in the heart of their underlings, in the end, they still will turn once in a while. And I think people don’t really not turn because they’re afraid of getting killed so much if they don’t turn because they don’t want to have their family suffering the disgrace of them being a rat or a snitch. I think that’s more important to be a man and go out like a man in this subculture and believe me I’ve lived in a subculture where being a man and being a tough guy is more important than anything else, I think that’s the most important thing that keeps people from coming in you’re like a wimp you’re a puss, you can’t take it, can’t handle it you know what I mean you can’t handle five years I could do five years standing on my head or a tray like the dude told me so uh you know but even even with all that and still there’s a certain percentage that will end up coming in sure and usually there are people that either don’t care about their family like lenny patrick yeah or that don’t have close family so that they don’t have it so much of that pressure that you’re talking about gary because you make a really valid point that that that cultural value is so strong yeah yeah it’s it’s. [37:36] In a lot of these small towns, you see in Detroit where they’re all family tied in and everything, you don’t see informants. I think they’ve had one. Kansas City, as you said, Gary, you don’t see. But then you look at a place like Rochester where they’re all just lower tier mob guys. Everybody was informing on everybody because they really weren’t as upper echelon sort of mob guys. So I think that, like you said, once you get that culture seeped in, you’ve got those families and all, there’s a lot of factors. But if it’s a deep-rooted mob town, you really don’t see a lot of real informants. [38:11] So, guys, now we’ve got one that I did a show on. I did a couple of shows on him. I talked to the FBI agent who brought him in and dealt with him for quite a while. Ken Tokiojo Eto. He survived a murder attempt. When that didn’t happen for him with the outfit, what happened after that? [38:32] I believe his attempted assassins got killed themselves. So tell me a little bit about Tokyo Joe Eto. There’s a photograph I have from the late 50s, early 60s And it shows Joe Ferriola And a couple of other heavyweights Hanging around with a young Ken Eto, And a lot of people didn’t know who Ken Eto was But he ran the Japanese game, Gambling, Bolita And lots of money Poured into the outfit through Tokyo Joe As they called him And there was a rumor that perhaps Tokyo Joe was going to turn under a little bit of pressure. And so Jasper Campisi put three slugs in the back of his head. [39:22] Miraculously, he survived three slugs at point blank range. And if he wasn’t going to turn state’s evidence before, he certainly had a powerful incentive to do so now. He seems to insist As I’ve heard that he was not His intention was not It’s hard to say at this point But he says he had no intention Of flipping and that he’s not sure What the evidence was against him But he was not going to flip until, It was Yeah. [39:55] I’m drawing a blank, Paul. Who was it that sent? It wasn’t the saint. It was Vincent Solano. He was kind of Vincent Solano, who was a union guy and a made guy up there. He kind of had which one. [40:11] He was a capo. And which crew was it? Do you remember? He was on the north side. North side crew. North side crew. And actually, Ken went to Vince Solano and had a talk with him. Said you know what i can do this he was looking at a tray i had a dude tell me what’s that pressure and tried to get him to talk and he said uh he said what am i gonna get out of this a tray he said man i can do a tray standing on my head and i threw him right then that’s right gotta talk to me so uh and that’s all he had to do but solano for some reason uh who knows what was in his head because uh ken Eto had made him a lot of money a lot of money and he was a tough little dude he had he had survived he had been put in the uh concentration camps if you will during the internment camps yeah internment camps and then came as a young man up chicago and been around for a long time by the time this all came down he’d been with him for a long time and made him a lot of money and all kinds of different gambling operations but particularly the bolita. [41:13] So uh it just didn’t make sense i heard one thing that these guys in chicago got the idea Yeah, to keep the noise down, they were loading their own rounds with lighter loads of powder. I don’t know. They had like a hit car up there. The guys in Chicago were pretty sophisticated or tried to be. And so they used these lighter loads. And when it went into his head, it just didn’t penetrate his skull. I remember I was at the hospital once, and there was a young guy who had gotten shot in the head. And they said that the bullet was not a good bullet because it went in under his skin and then went under his scalp, along his skull, and then lodged up on his forehead. [41:56] Wow. And so Eto was kind of the same way. Those bullets were probably lodged up underneath his scalp. He pulled himself to a neighboring, I believe it was a pharmacy that was right there, a corner store. And then that guy went to help him. I think he had to dial a call of 911 or whatever. 911 was in place then. He had to call for help for himself from a phone booth. You know, he saved his own life by being smart and playing dead. Yeah, that’s right. And you look at Chicago, it’s a city of neighborhoods, and you’ve got the Mexican town, and you’ve got the different towns, and you’ve got Chinatown where there’s so much money and so much gambling. And while Haneda was Japanese and there’s obviously division between Japanese and Chinese, it would be much easier for him to go in and then some of these outfit guys and because of different things going on back in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. But he could go into neighborhoods and represent the outfit in ways in different communities that the outfit wouldn’t go into or a lot of these made guys. [43:12] And that gave him entry into a lot of communities. In the Asian community, there’s a lot of gambling that he was able to tap into. He was smart enough to see that as a route that maybe the Italian guys didn’t, just like Lenny Patrick, who we’ve talked about in other episodes, had that access into the Jewish communities and other Jewish gangsters. There’s a lot of gambling there. If you can get somebody who has an in to different communities, that’s really a way to go and that’s part of why he made so much money. A game like BolEto wouldn’t normally be and that’s huge in the Hispanic communities and huge with Asians also. You know in kansas city that’s interesting that you should point that out camp we had a um large vietnamese community moved in after the the boat peoples when it started and they moved in through the same church uh. [44:09] Sacred Heart Church and Don Bosco Center that the Italians moved in, the Sicilians moved into back in the turn of the century, the same neighborhoods. And Italians are getting successful and they’re moving out the suburbs and the Vietnamese are moving in and creating the Vietnamese restaurants and Vietnamese shops. And they brought, they have a love for gambling. Like you said, they have huge love for gambling. They don’t drink so much or do so many drugs, but they do love to gamble, it seemed to me like. [44:36] And so they had their own book. he was called the king a guy a friend of mine told me a story uh there’s a mob book he got on the periphery that neighborhood’s got a joint and he he was running a sports book and he had a lot of action going in and out of his joint so this one vietnamese guy had a big debt owed to the king so he goes down and talks to this guy’s name was Larry Strada, he ends up getting killed by some other uh mobsters in a deal they thought he was going to testify but i just needed to hear are there, this young, middle-aged Vietnamese guy goes down to the Caddyshack, Larry Strada’s bar. And he starts telling him about the king. He said, man, he said, the king, you take all your business. He said, he got all business down here. He take all your business. He said, you know, you need to do something about the king. He said, you know, we’re close to the river here. And then he made a motion across his throat like he was cutting his throat. So he was trying to get out of his gambling debt to convince this Italian, La Cosa Nostra bookie to go back and kill me yeah king piano. [45:42] You know i’ve heard a lot of stories and some of them are true some are not that one had to ring a truth to it it had a definite ring of truth that that got to do that playing them against each other yeah you bet and you know another thing about tokyo joe and you know he could testify But Ben Solano had Campizé and Gattuso killed right away. Found them in the trunk of their car, I think. Maybe at the airport, even. [46:09] Chicago trunk music, but they have some saying like that. And so Solano knew that they could testify against him, and they didn’t want to go down for attempted murder, more than likely, and he just didn’t take a chance. So he had them killed, and I can’t remember if he went down behind this or not. But another thing Tokyo Joe was able to do, I mean, he certainly could expose all the inner workings of what he knew about to the FBI, which gives you a lot of tips on where to go, who to work on, and maybe where to throw up microphones or some wiretaps. But he also traveled around he came to Kansas City during the skimming trial because they’re working on the Chicago hierarchy. So they just fly him into town. They show him that picture, the last separate picture where everybody’s in the picture. And they say, now, who’s that? Oh, that’s Aiuppa. Okay, then who’s that? Oh, that’s Vince Solano. Yeah, he reports to Aiuppa. You know, and who’s that guy? I can’t remember the other people at all. So the nation said that Joe is up hard. Oh, yeah, he reports to this guy. So to show the organization of the mob in Chicago and that it is an organization that gives orders to have other people carry it to make the RICO case, that he was a storyteller for that. And he didn’t know anything about the skim at all. But he was a storyteller on getting the mob name and the organization in front of a jury. That’s huge, as you know, Paul. [47:35] Absolutely. We had a similar arrangement during the Carlesi trial about how [47:40] the Carlesi crew operated and who was who, and to tell the story. Yeah. You have to make it a story. Let’s take a look at Betty Toco, which, uh, this is pretty interesting. There was a, um, I’m not sure. Albert Toco was your husband. Remind me what his position was at the outfit at that time. So Al Toco was, there’s sort of a division on who was the leadership of, who was the central leader of Chicago Heights. There’s Dominic Tuts Palermo and Al Toco, who was really a powerhouse in Chicago Heights. And Tuts Palermo was definitely highly connected and across the pond too, also in Italy. But uh Toco was involved in the in the chop shop wars really really heavily involved and he had a lot of connections in chicago too he was involved with lombardo and a lot of these chop shops throughout chicago he had a lot of partnerships and so this was a 30 million dollar a year racket stolen cars chop shops international car rings uh car rings throughout stolen car rings throughout the country. Toco was responsible for burying the Spolatro brothers. It was very sectioned off. Each crew had a part in their murder. And then Chicago Heights was responsible for the burial. [49:02] And they were down in Enos, Indiana. They got kind of turned around a little bit. They were down a farm road. They were burying them in a freshly tilled field. And the road where they’re on, there’s a little side road that you would drive down. There’s very little down there. I’ve, I’ve seen it, but a car happened to come down middle of night and they were in a, there’s a, there were a couple of feet off of a wooded area and they see this car coming down and they sort of all panicked and before they had a chance to cover the area or really do anything, it just looked like a freshly dug, it really just looked like freshly dug mound. And so they all fled and three of Toco’s guys went one way and he went the other. They had the car in both radios. [49:46] He’s wandering around barefoot, and he calls his wife finally. She shows up, and he’s screaming and yelling. And he runs to Florida, and he’s waiting for permission to come back from Joe Ferriola. He’s worried he’s going to get killed because they find the Spallachos immediately because the farmer sees his field all messed up, freshly tilled ground, and it looks really suspicious, like somebody had been poaching deer and burying the carcass. Uh but Toco was a tyrant to his wife he was he was horrible to her he was he was when you think of what a mob guy was that was Toco you know tipping the guy who mows his lawn the kid who mows his lawn hundred bucks and wandered around town everybody knows him but he’d come home and unlike a lot of these guys he was he was a real you know a real. [50:36] Real bastard to his wife you know and for years she put up with this sort of abuse and finally after this this happened and it was in the news and all he finally pushed her too far and she began informing on him and and he was arrested later on he was in his jail cell talking about all the murders he had committed and and this and that about his wife and uh his his uh uh A cellmate repeated everything that he said to try and lessen his sentence. So really, Toco got buried by his big mouth and his terrible behavior. He initially fled to Greece before he was arrested, and they extradited him back from Greece. So this is, I mean, Toco is like deep in mob behavior. [51:22] I mean, fleeing the country and all. I mean, it doesn’t get much more mafia than Al Toco. I hesitate to use that word with Chicago, but that was, Al Toco was running deep. and that Betty Tocco’s testimony eventually led to the trial of Al Tocco. And that was really a blow to the Chicago Heights crew that nowadays, I mean, they continued on and had a few rackets, but after the eventual trial that stemmed from that, it really wasn’t, there’s not much activity now. I’m in that area and there’s just, there’s really nothing here. [51:59] Interesting. Now, so Tony and Michael Spilotro had been lured to somebody’s house on the promise that Michael was going to be made. It’s my understanding. I believe that’s what Frank Collada had reported. And some other people, not part of the Chicago Heights crew, killed him. How did that go down? And how did they pass off the body? You guys, is there anything out there about that? Wasn’t that the family secrets trial, maybe? It was. And, of course, it’s been popularly portrayed in the movie Casino. And it’s surprisingly accurate Except for the fact That where they were beaten But what happened was Little Jimmy Marcello called them. [52:41] And said Sam, meaning Sam Carlisi, the boss, wanted to see them. And they knew that that was ominous because of what was going on beyond the scope of this show. But they took off the jewelry. They left. They told their wives, if we’re not back by 930, it’s not good. They really did not suspect that it was to make Michael. That’s what Collada said. You’re absolutely right about that, Gary. But I don’t think that’s correct at all. They knew that it was bad. And they went. He took a pistol, which was against the rules. They hit him a pistol. Tony hit a pistol on his brother, which you do not do when you go to see the boss. And they were picked up by, by Marcello and taken to a house. I, uh, was it Bensonville? Yeah. Up in Bensonville. Uh, in, in the basement, they walked down the stairs and all of a sudden they looked into the eyes of Carlici and, uh, DeFranzo and everybody, the whole, all the couples were there to spread the, the, uh, liability around and they were beaten to death with, with fists and feet, uh, in, in that basement and then transported to that burial ground, which coincidentally was just maybe a couple hundred yards away from Joey Aupa’s farm. [54:00] Right. So I guess that they must have had, uh, Toco standing by, because I don’t believe he was in that basement. I like that. He must have had him standing by to go grab the bodies and take them out. Really interesting. He should have had the old Doug before he got there. You know, that’s what they always say. First you dig the hole then you go do the murder right and i don’t think he had it done before he got there yeah i don’t i really that’s a good that’s a good point gary i really don’t know and nobody’s ever come forward to say what the status of the hole was beforehand uh you know it was a deep it was a deep it was it was a pretty deep hole uh but they may have had a dug ahead of Tom, but, but, uh, cause they knew the location and it’s pretty obscure location. So they had clearly been there before. And, and, you know, everybody knew that that was, I, I hope was, I got it right. Farm. And, uh, So they may have had it dug, and they just did a shoddy job covering it up. [55:05] But I also haven’t heard the specific details about how they handed it off to Toco. I don’t recall seeing that in Calabrese’s testimony. Yeah, it was Nick Calabrese that testified about that. It brought up the light. He named the killer. So he may not have gone that far, probably having Toco and having his wife testify that he did do this. that she picked him up out there. It was just a piece of the entire prosecution on the spot, which it really never was a trial or anything on that. I don’t believe. Another odd thing is he, I believe he ranted and raved the entire car ride back. And from where he was, you would run up with, It’s now turns into Indianapolis. So it’s a good car ride from where they were to Chicago Heights. I believe he ranted and raved about the guys and his crew and the burial and everything, the entire car ride, which was not something most guys would do in front of their wives. But I really, especially when he treated like that. Right. And complained about how long it took her to get there and everything. So she was able to verify a lot of what Calabrese was saying from the final end of it. Interesting. A friend of mine was in the penitentiary, and he said, there’s a guy in there who called himself a verifier. He said, what do you mean? He said, I’m a professional verifier. What he was, he was an informant. That’s what he was, but he called himself a verifier. [56:33] A girl would come to him and say, well, I heard this, this, and this. Is that true or not? He’d say, well, that’s true. That’s not true. [56:40] I guess that’s a more preferable term. Yeah, she was a verifier. Well, that was great. I really appreciate having that on there and Paul. And I really, I still miss Cam. Every time I get ready to do a Chicago show, I think, oh, I want to get Cam or Rochester. [56:58] We did one about Rochester. We did one about Utica. I did several other shows about other families. And he was a good guy and a real great researcher and a real expert on the outfit and other mafia families. So rest in peace, Cam and Paul. I hope to talk to you again one of these days. Guys, don’t forget, I got stuff to sell out there. Just go to my website or just search on my name for Amazon. I can rent my movies about the skim in Las Vegas, about the big mob war between the Savella brothers and the Spiro brothers in Kansas City. Then one about the great 1946 ballot theft in which the mob… Rigged election, helped Harry Truman rig an election. It’s a little harder to find than mine. You need to put ballot theft and Gary Jenkins. I think you’ll find it then. The other two, Gangland Wire and Brothers Against Brothers, Sabella Spiro, were a little bit easier to find. Had to put it up a different way because Amazon changed the rules, but I got them up there. So thanks a lot, guys.

Today's story: Labubu is a mischievous, rabbit-eared character created by illustrator Kasing Lung. Chinese toymaker Pop Mart has turned Labubu into a global toy craze, using gamified sales tactics and regularly releasing new collectible sets. Fans can't get enough. They film themselves opening the famous “blind boxes,” take photos with their Labubus, and bid up the value of their favorites online. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/827Get the full story and learning resources: https://plainenglish.com/827--Plain English helps you improve your English:Learn about the world and improve your EnglishClear, natural English at a speed you can understandNew stories every weekLearn even more at PlainEnglish.comMentioned in this episode:Hard words? No problemNever be confused by difficult words in Plain English again! See translations of the hardest words and phrases from English to your language. Each episode transcript includes built-in translations into Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, and Turkish. Sign up for a free 14-day trial at PlainEnglish.com

“Gry w kałamarnicę” is how Poles refer to the global hit “Squid Games,” and in this micro-lesson you'll pronounce it like you just stepped off the set. First you hear the phrase at full speed, then slowed down so you can master the twisty “ł” and the soft “nicę.” We drop it into three binge-ready sentences: – “Oglądałeś Gry w kałamarnicę?” (Have you watched Squid Games?) – “To jest tylko gra.” (It's only a game.) – “Nie umiem rysować tamtego symbolu.” (I can't draw that symbol.) Repeat-along track included—perfect while you queue the next episode or sketch a honeycomb. Challenge: DM us the Polish name of the game you think you'd survive and we'll reply with your odds in Polish.  

“Zima” is Polish for “winter,” and in this micro-lesson you'll say it so well that even the snowflakes listen. First you hear the word at street speed, then slowed down so you can copy the short, punchy “i.” We drop it into three frosty, ready-to-use sentences: – “Lubię zimę.” (I like winter.) – “Pada śnieg!” (It's snowing!) – “Trzeba odgarnąć śnieg.” (You have to shovel the snow.) Repeat-along track included—perfect while you scrape ice off the windshield or sip hot tea. Challenge: record a 5-second clip of yourself saying “Zima nadchodzi!” (Winter is coming!) and tag us @learnpolishpodcast; we'll repost the coolest ones.