Travel superstitions can help calm anxious flyers -- are you one of them? Also, since they just announced the host of the Kennedy Center Honors -- my thoughts on the craft of hosting and relating to live audiences.

Trump to host Kennedy Center Honors ceremony (Andrea Shalal and Lisa Richwine, Reuters, Aug 13, 2025)

Pilot says, “I’m not really feeling it,” tells passengers to deplane (Tamara Gane, Yahoo News, Aug 5, 2025)

The Surprising Origins of Americans’ Most Common Travel Superstitions (Ophelia Garcia Lawler, Thrillist, Oct 8, 2024)

Where Our Fear of Friday the 13th Came From (Brian Handwerk and John Roach, Nov 13, 2015)

Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast

condensedsoup@proton.me

Mendenhall Glacier, a big Alaskan tourism draw, is releasing water -- causing calls to evacuate the Juneau area. 2025 has been designated the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation by Unesco and the World Meteorological Organization. (Just in time.)

Alaska’s Mendenhall Glacier begins releasing floodwater, some residents urged to evacuate (CBS / AP, Aug 12, 2025)

10 Brrr-illiant Glacier Facts! (National Geographic Kids, accessed Aug 12, 2025)

Glaciers (National Snow and Ice Data Center, accessed Aug 12, 2025)

2025 International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation (Unesco, World Meteorological Organization, accessed Aug 12, 2025)

Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast

condensedsoup@proton.me

There's drama on the slopes! Earlier this year, a ski suit scandal shook up the ski jumping world. Now, leading up to the Olympics, they're dealing with the repercussions.

Flooding cancels last day of Wisconsin State Fair as severe storms knock out power and close roads (AP, Aug 11, 2025)

Countries across Europe hit by wildfires as new heat wave arrives (AP, Aug 11, 2025)

Heatwave worsens living conditions of thousands of displaced people in Gaza (AP, Aug 9, 2025)

Ski jumping’s suit trouble is back ahead of Olympics as numerous athletes disqualified (James Ellingworth, AP, Aug 11, 2025)

Norwegian ski jumpers suspended during suit tampering inquiry (ESPN / AP, Mar 12, 2025)

Norway suspend [sic] staff in ski jump cheat scandal at world championships (The Guardian / AP, Mar 10, 2025)

What are the rules for ski jumping suits? (Chiaki Nishimura, Olympics(dot)com, accessed Aug 12, 2025)

Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast

condensedsoup@proton.me

Ever wanted to grab a bunch of your buddies and make a commune? Sometimes it's all about keeping the ones you love in, but sometimes it's about keeping the ones you don't love... out.

This 38-Year Old Woman Moved Into a Retirement Home—and Loves It (Ashley Fike, Vice, Jul 22, 2025)

The Bird’s Nest (official, accessed Aug 10, 2025)

‘Whites-only’ group draws bipartisan rebuke over potential move to Missouri (Jason Hancock, Missouri Independent, Jul 31, 2025)

Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast

condensedsoup@proton.me

Labubus are the current collecting craze. People are lining up outside stores, reselling online, and coveting rare specimens. It's moving a lot of money around the world.

$7K worth of Labubu dolls stolen from Los Angeles store, authorities say (AP, Aug 9, 2025)

‘Labubu’ is a plush toy that is causing a frenzy. Here’s its origin story (Juliana Kim, All Things Considered / NPR, Jun 18, 2025)

Adorable or just weird? How Labubu dolls conquered the world (Fan Wang and Adam Hancock, BBC News, Jun 19, 2025)

Trading Standards issue a warning to parents that potentially dangerous counterfeit Labubu dolls are being sold in the area (Trading Standards, Aug 8, 2025)

The Confused Aunt’s Guide to Labubu (Liza Corsillo, The Strategist, Jun 12, 2025)

Labubu craze could spell doom for the economy, expert warns (Gabrielle Fahmy, New York Post, Aug 9, 2025)

Sacramento State economics professor makes sense of Labubu doll trend (Lisa Gonzales, KCRA / MSN, Aug 6, 2025)

The End of the Lipstick Index (Daniela Morosini, BoF, May 19, 2025)

Collecting: An Urge That’s Hard to Resist (Shirley M. Mueller, Psychology Today, Oct 29, 2020)

Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast

condensedsoup@proton.me

A new version of Romeo & Juliet debuted in Estonia, starring a Ford ford pickup as Juliet and a rally truck as Romeo. The play didn't have any dialogue, but it did have a car crash...

Love-struck trucks and diggers: Estonia’s take on ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (Janis Laizans, Reuters, Aug 1, 2025)

The underage stars of a hit 1968 version of ‘Romeo & Juliet’ sue over their nude scene (AP, Jan 4, 2023)

Romeo and Juliet Was a Tragedy (Lila Shapiro, Vulture, Dec 30, 2024)

I Panned Romeo + Juliet in 1996. Now I Think It’s One of the the Best Shakespeare Adaptations (Stephanie Zacharek, Time, Oct 28, 2021)

A bilingual version of West Side Story gives the Sharks their due (Ed Pilkington, The Guardian, Dec 16, 2008)

Steven Spielberg talks new ‘West Side Story’ film, calling the story ‘generational’ (Adia Robinson, ABC News, Dec 3, 2021)

Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast

condensedsoup@proton.me

Jacory Patterson has inspired me with his story of dedication and hustle. But not enough to attempt the world's deepest marathon.

Jacory Patterson worked the overnight shift loading trucks at UPS. Now, he’s one of top 400 runners [sic]. (Pat Graham, AP, Aug 1, 2025)

World’s Deepest Marathon (official, accessed Aug 7, 2025)

Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast

condensedsoup@proton.me

It's a grab bag episode -- stories that couldn't make up a whole episode. It's a whole week of water cooler talk in ten minutes.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner obituary (Anthony Hayward, The Guardian, Jul 28, 2025)

The Cosby Show: The Lost Weekend (IMDB, accessed Aug 6, 2025)

Received a text for a refund at Amazon? Don’t click it. It’s a scam. (Saman Shafiq, USA Today, Aug 6, 2025)

More than 100 missing after flash floods in India (Nitin Ramola, Nikita Yadav, BBC, Aug 6, 2025)

JD Vance’s team had water level of Ohio river raised for family’s boating trip (Stephanie Kirchgaessner and David Smith, The Guardian, Aug 6, 2025)

Duluth scientists discover novel ‘Ship Goo’ aboard Great Lakes research vessel (Dan Kraker, MPR News, Jul 6, 2025)

Instagram: @condensedsouppodcast

condensedsoup@proton.me