Weird Florida

Tom and Jackie Hawks were living the dream in retirement, sailing their yacht Well Deserved along the California coast. But when the birth of a new grandson called them back to Arizona, they put the boat up for sale. Enter Skylar Deleon and his wife Jennifer, who showed up as prospective buyers—with their baby in tow. What seemed like an innocent deal soon turned into a nightmare.After a “sea trial,” the Hawks vanished. Police uncovered a sinister plot: the Deleons, drowning in debt, had conspired with accomplices to murder the couple, seize their assets, and fund Skylar’s long-desired gender reassignment surgery. Investigators also linked Skylar to a third homicide, exposing an escalating trail of violence and greed.In this newly updated edition of her book, Caitlin Rother dives deep into the case’s shocking twists: Skylar’s conviction and death row sentence, her subsequent transition while incarcerated, and the legal battles over taxpayer-funded gender confirmation surgery and a possible prison transfer. With California’s death penalty currently under moratorium, the case continues to stir outrage among the Hawks’ family and community.

My special guest is award winning journalist Eliot Kleinburg who's here to discuss the weird history of Florida. Get his book now on Amazon.Florida isn’t just about beaches, theme parks, and sunshine—it’s a state with a long history of bizarre events, eccentric characters, and strange legends. In his book, acclaimed journalist Eliot Kleinburg dives into the weird history of Florida, unearthing forgotten stories that range from the odd and amusing to the eerie and unsettling.From quirky crimes, ghost stories, hurricanes, and strange creatures to some of the most unusual events ever recorded in American history, Kleinburg reveals why Florida has earned its reputation as the nation’s most unpredictable state. With a mix of journalism, storytelling, and humor, he paints a picture of a place where the truth is often stranger than fiction.

High-altitude mountaineering on peaks like Everest, K2, Annapurna, and Nanga Parbat has always been dangerous, but some disappearances defy ordinary explanation. While avalanches, falls, exposure, and exhaustion account for many tragedies, climbers and researchers have noted cases where seasoned mountaineers vanish without a trace—sometimes within sight of base camps or fixed ropes.

Have you ever fantasized about living by your own rules, free from authority, and feared by everyone around you? In Underworld: How to Survive & Thrive in The American Mafia, true crime author Roman Martín presents the first-ever “self-help guide” to La Cosa Nostra—based on real interviews with high-ranking mobsters and insiders.From loansharking, leg-breaking, and corpse disposal to secret Mafia initiation rituals and codes of honor, Martín takes readers deep inside the Italian-American Mafia. Drawing on decades of research and interviews with former mafiosi, wiseguys, and goodfellas, he exposes both the brutal realities and the cultural myths of organized crime in America.But this book is more than dark comedy—it’s also a revealing exposé of how the Mafia operates, complete with FBI secrets, witness intimidation tactics, and the code of omertà. Martín explores the origins of the Sicilian Mafia in post-feudal Italy, its evolution into powerful Mafia clans in America, and the violent struggles that defined its legacy.

In Healing with a Loving Heart: Discover the Power of Energy Healing, Dr. Susana Stoica shares extraordinary true stories of recovery and transformation through energy healing. Her work spans a wide range of conditions—from ALS, autism spectrum disorders, and delayed brain trauma to helping patients accept organ transplants and supporting those with illnesses unresponsive to conventional medicine.With warmth, compassion, and insight, Dr. Stoica explores the process of healing, the critical interactions between healers and doctors, and practical ways to support your own health after a difficult diagnosis. Her stories show how energy medicine can complement conventional treatments, offering hope when all else seems lost.Endorsed by respected holistic physicians like Dr. David Brownstein, who praises her unique gift and integration of alternative and conventional perspectives, this book is both inspirational and practical—a must-read for anyone interested in alternative healing, holistic medicine, and the power of energy to restore health.

In October 1987, the quiet Blue Ridge Mountain town of Wytheville, Virginia erupted into chaos when an alleged UFO flap swept through the area. Local radio reporter Danny Gordon’s on-air mention of strange lights triggered a wave of over 1,500 UFO sightings, reported by both residents and law enforcement. Eyewitnesses described dome-shaped craft, glowing spheres, and egg-shaped UFOs adorned with multicolored lights—all tracked on weather radar despite military denials. The incident ignited rumors of government cover-ups, disappearing evidence, and a mystery that endures as one of America’s most compelling unexplained aerial phenomena.

Less than 200 years ago, the Great Plains of North America rivaled the Serengeti of Africa in terms of wildlife abundance and diversity. Herds of bison, swift pronghorn antelope, roaming wild horses, and predators like gray wolves, coyotes, and grizzly bears once filled the landscape in such unimaginable numbers that John James Audubon himself wrote that “it is impossible to describe or even conceive the vast multitudes of these animals.”In American Serengeti, historian and naturalist Dan Flores brings this lost world back to life, blending lyrical narrative with natural history to reveal what happened to these creatures during the 19th and 20th centuries. Through market hunting, ranching interests, and ultimately a federal extermination program, millions of animals were slaughtered, driving entire species to the brink of extinction and forever altering the Great Plains ecosystem.Flores explores not just the history of this ecological tragedy but also what it means for us today, as we consider the future of wildlife conservation, biodiversity, and America’s natural heritage.

In October 1987, the quiet town of Wytheville, Virginia, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, became the unlikely epicenter of one of the East Coast’s most dramatic UFO flaps. Local radio reporter Danny Gordon accidentally triggered a wave of over 1,500 UFO sightings—reports flooding in from both Wythe County deputies and anxious residents describing dome-shaped crafts, glowing spheres, and egg‑shaped UFOs with multicolored lights. Despite military denials, animating paranormal legends and conspiracy whispers, including strange break-ins, missing photo negatives, and anonymous threats, Wytheville's UFO mystery remains one of America's most enduring unexplained phenomena.

In November 2018, the world was stunned when Dr. Jiankui He announced the birth of Lulu and Nana, the first genetically modified babies. A year later, he was sentenced to prison—but his experiment had already ignited a worldwide race in gene editing.In The Mutant Project: Inside the Global Race to Genetically Modify Humans, anthropologist Eben Kirksey takes us to the frontlines of CRISPR technology, human DNA manipulation, and genetic engineering, exploring the ethical dilemmas, social consequences, and human stories behind this groundbreaking science. Who gets access to these technologies? What happens when powerful tools like CRISPR gene-editing move from elite labs into local clinics? And how might they widen global inequalities in health, race, and economics?Through interviews with scientists, entrepreneurs, doctors, patients, biohackers, and activists, Kirksey reveals competing visions of our genetic future—from Silicon Valley’s biotech optimism to grassroots demands for fairness, bioethics, and justice. His research highlights how genetic modification, biotechnology, and the innovation economyare reshaping the future of medicine, social policy, and even human identity.

For thousands of years, mystics, philosophers, and alchemists have tried to unlock the secrets of the Emerald Tablet, a mysterious Hermetic text attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. Traditionally seen as a manual for alchemy—the transmutation of base metals into gold—its cryptic fourteen statements have inspired countless interpretations.In his book, The Emerald Tablet 101, Mathew Barnes reveals that the true purpose of the Tablet is not physical alchemy but spiritual awakening. He argues that the text serves as a guide to transforming the human soul, offering practical wisdom for achieving enlightenment and inner alchemy, much like the teachings of Jesus, Buddha, and other awakened masters.Barnes connects the Hermetic wisdom of the Emerald Tablet to ancient Egyptian mysticism, early Christian thought, and the universal truths hidden within ancient texts. His work demonstrates how the Tablet provides a step-by-step roadmap for self-realization, spiritual transformation, and soul awakening in the modern world.