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  • The Cult in Your Pocket

    The Cult in Your Pocket
    2026/08/23
    The internet was supposed to give us access to the accumulated knowledge of humanity. Instead, it may be making it harder to agree on what is true. This week on What The Frock?, Rabbi Dave and Friar Rod wrestle with a question that has become increasingly difficult to ignore: What happens when the device in your pocket doesn't merely provide information, but begins shaping the way you understand the world? It starts with something personal. Dave discovers just how much time his sixteen-year-old son is spending online and begins thinking about the phenomenon of internet radicalization. Years ago, Americans wondered how ISIS recruiters could reach ordinary young people through a computer screen and gradually pull them into an entirely different understanding of reality. Today, the machinery is everywhere. Social media feeds reinforce what people already believe. Algorithms learn what keeps them watching. Repetition begins to feel like confirmation. Emotion can overwhelm evidence. Eventually, contrary information may no longer challenge a belief at all. It can simply become further proof that the other side cannot be trusted. Dave and Rod explore the uncomfortable similarities between that process and the psychology of cults, along with the problem faced by anyone trying to remain skeptical in an environment where every side claims to possess the facts. But underneath the politics, misinformation, echo chambers and algorithms is a much more personal question. What happens when someone you love begins seeing the world through that screen? And what can a parent, friend, teacher, podcaster, or ordinary citizen possibly do about it? This week, Rabbi Dave and Friar Rod go looking for answers, or at least for the right questions. This is What The Frock?
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    29 分
  • Fall Back! | DDH

    Fall Back! | DDH
    2026/08/18
    American independence was declared in the summer of 1776. Whether the new nation could survive long enough to make that declaration mean anything was another matter entirely. By the autumn of that year, George Washington's Continental Army had suffered a succession of defeats around New York. The British had the larger army, the Royal Navy controlled the surrounding waters, and General William Howe repeatedly maneuvered to trap Washington and destroy his army. At several critical moments, one largely forgotten Massachusetts officer helped make sure that didn't happen. His name was John Glover. Glover commanded the famous Marblehead Regiment, a remarkable collection of sailors, fishermen, ship captains, Black soldiers, Native Americans, and other Massachusetts men whose experience on the water made them unlike almost any other regiment in Washington's army. When Washington found himself trapped after the disastrous Battle of Long Island, Glover's men helped ferry thousands of Continental soldiers across the East River under cover of darkness and fog. Washington's army escaped. Seven weeks later, Glover was called upon again. At Pell's Point, roughly 750 Americans found themselves facing thousands of advancing British and Hessian troops. Glover couldn't defeat them. Instead, he used the stone walls of the Westchester countryside to create a defense in depth, forcing the British to deploy, attack, reorganize, and advance repeatedly. He was buying Washington something more valuable than territory. He was buying time. In this episode of Dave Does History on Bill Mick Live, we follow John Glover from the evacuation of Brooklyn to the fighting at Pell's Point and the road toward White Plains. We also connect his story with Benedict Arnold's stand at Valcour Island and examine one of the great strategic lessons of 1776. Washington didn't have to defeat the British Army. First, he had to make sure it didn't destroy his.
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    32 分
  • Bean Soup | WTF

    Bean Soup | WTF
    2026/08/16
    Why does everything on the internet eventually become about us? This week on What The Frock?, Rabbi Dave and Friar Rod dive into Bean Soup Theory, the wonderfully simple idea that explains an astonishing amount of what happens on social media. Someone posts a recipe for bean soup, and instead of deciding whether they want bean soup, people start demanding substitutions, alterations, and entirely new recipes designed around their own tastes. Before long, somebody else's soup has become all about them. Sound familiar? The theory becomes the thread connecting three very different stories. First, Dave and Rod return to the troubling story of Cambridge professor Jason Arday. Following his resignation and sudden death, arguments over his academic record quickly became arguments over racism, DEI, institutional responsibility, politics, and who should be blamed. Everybody seems determined to stir something of their own into the pot. Then it's off to sea aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, where reports about an extraordinarily long deployment, shipboard conditions, food, and unhappy sailors have generated plenty of outrage ashore. Dave brings his own experience as a Navy submariner to the discussion, including powdered eggs, questionable meals, relentless cleaning, inspections, Navy chiefs, and the ancient sailor's tradition of complaining about absolutely everything. Finally, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese walks straight into the soup pot when a podcaster asks him to play "Shag, Marry, Date." He initially refuses, she keeps pushing, Kylie Minogue enters the conversation, and Australia gets another reason to argue on the internet. Three stories. One increasingly familiar human impulse: How can I make this about me? Grab a spoon. The bean soup is ready.
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    52 分
  • The Polling Game

    The Polling Game
    2026/08/13
    Polls tell us who's ahead. Until they don't. Pollsters sample voters, weight responses, model turnout, account for undecideds, and then confidently tell us what Election Day is going to look like. There's just one problem: Election Day hasn't happened yet. There is only one poll that actually matters. It's the one where people show up, cast their ballots, and we count the votes. Everything before that is a prediction. Here’s the Thing… #HeresTheThing #Polling #Elections #Politics #PoliticalPolling
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    3 分
  • Benedict Arnold Saves The american Revolution

    Benedict Arnold Saves The american Revolution
    2026/08/11
    Most Americans know Benedict Arnold for one thing: treason. But that's only the final chapter of his story. Long before he became the most infamous traitor in American history, Arnold was one of George Washington's most daring and effective battlefield commanders. In the desperate autumn of 1776, with the Continental Army driven from New York and the failed invasion of Canada leaving the northern frontier exposed, the British believed they were only one campaign away from crushing the Revolution for good. Their plan was simple: control Lake Champlain, capture Albany, and cut New England off from the rest of the colonies. If they succeeded, American independence might never happen. This week on Dave Does History, we revisit the remarkable Battle of Valcour Island, where Benedict Arnold was handed an impossible assignment: build a navy from scratch, crew it with farmers and militiamen, and face the greatest naval power on Earth. Outgunned, outbuilt, and outnumbered, Arnold couldn't hope to win a conventional battle. Instead, he relied on bold tactics, local geography, and sheer determination to buy something the Revolution desperately needed: time. We'll explore the ingenious ambush behind Valcour Island, Arnold's daring nighttime escape through the British fleet, the dramatic running fight that followed, and why the destruction of his tiny fleet may have become one of the most important strategic defeats in American history. We'll also examine how the loss of Arnold's personal financial records during the campaign helped sow the seeds of the resentment that would eventually lead to his betrayal. Sometimes the battles that matter most aren't victories. Sometimes they simply buy enough time for history to change. The story of Valcour Island is one of those moments.
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    33 分
  • When Belief Meets Reality...

    When Belief Meets Reality...
    2026/08/09
    Sometimes the biggest story isn't what happened. It's what people do when they're challenged to defend what they claim to believe. This week on What The Frock?, Rabbi Dave and Friar Rod dive into a series of stories that, at first glance, seem completely unrelated. A celebrated Cambridge professor resigns after questions emerge about his remarkable résumé. Candace Owens and the culture of perpetual "just asking questions" come under the microscope. The conversation turns back to the COVID years, Anthony Fauci's congressional testimony, and whether public officials truly stood behind the decisions they made when it mattered most. The discussion then shifts to Washington State, where climate policy collides with economic reality. If government leaders genuinely believe the principles they're promoting, why do their own decisions sometimes point in a very different direction? Dave argues that actions are often the clearest window into what people really believe, and that institutions, politicians, and public figures alike eventually reveal themselves through the choices they make. Along the way, the conversation lightens with stories from Dave and Cami's anniversary trip to Victoria, British Columbia. Afternoon tea, a marathon walk that wasn't supposed to be one, an enjoyable crossing aboard the MV Coho, and even an unexpected cricket conversation with a Canadian cab driver remind listeners that life's best moments often come between the headlines. The episode wraps up with a look at the future of radio, podcasting, and artificial intelligence, asking where authentic human conversation fits into a rapidly changing media landscape. Whether you're interested in politics, culture, current events, or simply enjoy thoughtful conversations mixed with humor and personal stories, this episode has something to make you think. Join Rabbi Dave and Friar Rod as they ask a question that echoes through every topic: when words and actions collide, which one tells the truth?
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    58 分
  • The Great New Fire of 1776 | DDH

    The Great New Fire of 1776 | DDH
    2026/08/04
    For most Americans, the story of September 1776 begins and ends with Nathan Hale. We remember the young schoolteacher turned patriot spy, the gallows, and the words that have echoed through American history: "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." But Hale's final days unfolded against the backdrop of an even larger drama. Just two months after the Declaration of Independence, George Washington's army stood on the brink of collapse. At Kip's Bay, frightened American soldiers broke and ran before the advancing British Army, leaving Washington in one of the darkest moments of his military career. New York City, the largest city in British North America, fell into British hands, while the Continental Army barely escaped destruction. Then, in the middle of the occupation, disaster struck. In the early hours of September 21, a massive fire erupted at the southern tip of Manhattan. Driven by fierce winds, the flames raced through the wooden city, destroying hundreds of buildings and transforming British victory into panic. Was it an accident? An act of sabotage? Or the opening move in a campaign of resistance? Nearly 250 years later, historians still cannot answer that question with certainty. As British soldiers searched desperately for the people they believed had set the city ablaze, Nathan Hale quietly entered New York on a dangerous intelligence mission for George Washington. Within days, he would be captured, condemned as a spy, and executed. At the same time, Washington faced a crisis within his own army, forcing him to decide whether discipline demanded another execution or whether mercy would better serve the cause of independence. This week on Dave Does History, we explore one of the most dramatic and overlooked weeks of the American Revolution, when fire, fear, espionage, and leadership reshaped the struggle for independence and revealed that the Revolution would not be won by words alone.
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    32 分
  • Baboons In the Road

    Baboons In the Road
    2026/08/02
    This week on What The Frock?, Rabbi Dave and Friar Rod discover that the best-laid plans never survive first contact with the morning news. What begins with tourists ignoring warnings and climbing an active volcano quickly spirals into one of the strangest conversations the show has ever produced. Before long, they're discussing baboons digging through garbage, social media's obsession with creating content at any cost, and why one bizarre interview became the perfect metaphor for modern culture. From there, the conversation turns to the latest controversy surrounding the WNBA, Sophie Cunningham, and the ongoing debate over biological males competing in women's sports. Along the way, Dave raises a question that few people seem willing to ask: if the movement's logic is consistent, why are there no openly transgender athletes playing in the WNBA? The second half of the episode shifts from sports to technology as the pair examine reports that artificial intelligence companies are purchasing printed books, cutting them apart, scanning every page, and destroying the originals to train AI models. For two lifelong lovers of books and history, the practice raises unsettling questions about the future of literature, publishing, and preserving the written word. Finally, they close with another reminder that reality is often stranger than satire, exploring how modern news organizations can still be fooled by internet memes in an era when virtually everything has become content. It's an episode filled with humor, sharp observations, unexpected detours, and more than a few moments that leave everyone asking the same question: how did we get here? Join Rabbi Dave and Friar Rod for another lively edition of What The Frock?, where the week's headlines become the starting point for conversations you won't hear anywhere else.
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    59 分