Fascinating People Fascinating Places

Decorated Tampa police officer Javier Guzman was once named Officer of the Year. But in the early 1990s, his most dangerous assignment drew him deep into the world of Colombian cartels, covert money laundering and constant deception. Recruited to work undercover in Operation PROMO, Guzman handled vast quantities of drug money while living with the ever-present possibility of exposure, torture and death.Over time, however, the boundary between the identity he had created and the man he really was began to disappear. His extraordinary journey—from respected police officer to undercover operative and ultimately convicted criminal—is a story of courage, temptation, compromised judgment and the devastating consequences of crossing the line one step at a time.In this episode of Fascinating People, Fascinating Places, Javier Guzman recounts the dangers of maintaining his cover, the psychological cost of living a double life and the decisions that transformed a remarkable professional triumph into a dramatic fall from grace.His memoir, Riptide: Cartels, Cocaine, and an Undercover Cop’s Fall from Grace, tells the complete story. Music and sound effects provided by Pixabay

Friday 13th ….A few years ago, the Barna Group – a market research firm specializing in religious beliefs conducted a survey in which it emerged that more Americans believe Satan is real than believe in God. On a superficial level, the results seem counterintuitive. In a nominally Christian society, God and Satan seem to go hand in hand. But it’s important to remember that the Satan figure of the Bible appears in Islam and Judaism, and that demons whether real or imagined pre-date the Abrahamic religions and can be found in ancient cultures around the world. But whatever his origins, Satan and his demons have inspired countless movies and TV shows and there are numerous instances of people arguing that these demons can and do possess people even today. In this episode, I speak with four people, an academic, a Vatican Exorcist, a fundamentalist Christian, and a man who believes demons can be tackled through science rather than religion.Music: PixabayImages: CanvaGuests: Father Vincent LampertShirley Phelps-Roper (Westboro Baptist Church)Kenneth DukofskyLjubo RubicFilm footage: Les Tresors De Satan (1902)Public domainThe Devil in a Covent (1899)Links: Links: Kennth Dukofsky Youtube ChannelDiscover More PodcastPresented by Fascinating People, Fascinating Places podcast is available wherever you get your podcast.

By the 14th century, God was everywhere. The children of Abraham had conquered the Middle East, North Africa and even portions of Southern Europe under Islam. Christians had churches everywhere from Ireland to Russia, Cyprus to Norway. And Jewish communities thrived across the known world. But there was one outpost where the old world gods of paganism remained strong: Lithuania.In this episode I explore the dramatic story of Europe's last pagan outpost. I travel thousands of miles to see for myself where Christian crusaders and pagan warriors fought their last battles. It is a complex tale of false promises, broken alliances, and resilient traditions.Music and Sound from PixabayIf you enjoyed this episode these are some other episodes that cover mentioned themes:LithuaniaThe Vow a Love Story & The HolocaustPagansThe Science of ScryingThe Witches of DenmarkThe DruidsWitchcraft and Violence in ParadiseChristianitySatan and The ExorcistsPolandSolidarnosc

Geopolitics have brought me to Europe for the beginning of this episode as a onetime ally eyes up Danish territory, and merchant ships are blocked from free access to key waterways unless they’re willing to pay onerous tolls. If it all sounds familiar, I am not here to discuss recent news events, in fact I am exploring similar but much more consequential events that happened 400 years ago right here in Copenhagen Denmark and the man at the center of it all King Christian IV. He may not be a household name outside Scandinavia, but he ruled over a territory equal in size to Napoleon's empire at its peak, he indirectly inspired Shakespeare's MacBeth, King James of the protestant bible was his brother-in-law. He was a key figure in post reformation Europe, an architect and ship builder, but a complex man, a devoutly religious witch hunter, yet a drunkard and womanizer. But above all, he was in the tradition of his Viking ancestors a warrior King.In this episode I explore the story of Christian IV of Denmark, I speak with a leading expert on the subject Prof. Paul Lockhart of Wright State University whose work includes "Denmark in the 30 years' war: 1618 to 1648." We examine the man and attempt to separate the myth from the facts.Guest:Prof. Paul LockhartDenmark in the 30 Years War: 1618 - 1648Music and Sound: PixabayIf you found this episode interesting you may enjoy the following:Witches of Denmark

In 1780, a successful businessman and local leader became the unlikely leader of a violent rebellion within the sprawling Spanish Empire. Tupac Amaru II -- as he became known -- had Incan roots, a Spanish education, and was a devout Roman Catholic. But, despite having the standing and connections to freely mingle within all levels of society, he was not blind to the injustices affecting so many native Peruvians.In this episode I speak with Professor Chuck Walker of the University of California Davis, a subject matter expert whose work includes the award winning "Witness the Age of Revolution: The Odyssey of Juan Bautista Tupac Amaru." We discuss, Tupac, the surprising role fierce woman warriors including his wife had in the conflict, the reasons behind the uprising, and its lasting legacy.Guest Bio: Prof. Charles WalkerProfessional Links: Prof. Charles WalkerSelected Works: Walker, C. Tu ausencia ha sido causa para todo esto: Cartas de amor y guerra. Túpac Amaru / Micaela Bastidas / Tomasa Tito Condemayta, Penguin PERU, 2024  Walker, C. Ensayos Cusqueños: Política, Sociedad y Disidencia desde Túpac Amaru. Cusco, Centro Bartolomé de Las Casas, 2024.Walker, C., & Liz Clarke, Witness to the Age of Revolution: The Odyssey of Juan Bautista Tupac Amaru. Oxford University Press, 2020. Translated into Spanish and English.Walker, C. & Carlos Aguirre, Alberto Flores Galindo: Utopía, historia y revolución. La Siniestra Ensayos, 2020. English edition: Brill, Dec. 2024.Walker, C., & Aguirre, C. (Eds.), The Lima Reader, Durham: Duke University Press, 2017.Walker, C. (2014) The Tupac Amaru Rebellion, Harvard University PressMusic & Sound from Pixabay