Explore every episode of Tiny Vampires
Pub. Date | Title | Duration | |
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27 Mar 2018 | Bonus Episode: Wittenberg to Vampires | 00:53:06 | |
This is part 1 of a very special crossover with Benjamin Jacobs from Wittenberg to Westphalia Podcast. In this first part we discuss how the horrible diet of medieval soldiers resulted in serious health concerns. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
31 Jan 2020 | Episode 36: How could one tiny tick paralyze a person? | 00:24:01 | |
Bloodsuckers can be hijacked by viruses and parasites, but some ticks are lethal all on their own. The Australian Paralysis tick paralyzes 10 thousand dogs and cats a year. We didn’t know how their venom worked until some researchers squirted some mouthwash on some ticks and made a discovery. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
26 Sep 2018 | Episode 23: What is this new mosquito control technique called Wolbachia? | 00:23:03 | |
A bacteria that infects insects held some secrets until a team of researchers started looking closer at its amazing powers. Wolbachia might just be capable of saving thousands of human lives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
10 Mar 2021 | Invitation: Intelligent Speech Conference -online- | 00:01:07 | |
Join me and more than 40 of your other favorite independent podcasters at the Intelligent Speech Conference. Get 10% off your ticket price when you use the offer code Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
30 Oct 2019 | Episode 33: Blood-Sucking Insects You Have Never Heard of | 00:23:17 | |
You may have heard of mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, and lice but there are other blood suckers out there, like tsetse flies, floor maggots, toe fleas, and kissing bugs. The race of the victims may have everything to do with the reason you have never heard of them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
29 Aug 2018 | Episode 22: How can stomach bot flies live in such an inhospitable place? How do they breathe? | 00:23:03 | |
Stomach bot flies live most of their lives inside the stomachs of horses. They have adapted to this harsh environment by breathing is a very strange way. Guest co-host Erin Updyke from "This Podcast Will Kill You" comes on to talk fly infestations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
30 Apr 2020 | Episode 38: Guinea Worms and Human Nature | 00:17:34 | |
The symbol for medicine, a serpent wrapped around a staff, is displayed on everything from the World Health Organization logo to your doctor’s name tag, depicts the treatment of a single disease, the removal of a Guinea Worm from the patient by slowly wrapping it around a stick over the course of days. This disease is famous for another reason, it is about to be the second disease eradicated from the face of the earth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
30 May 2019 | Episode 31: Connecting Deforestation and Disease | 00:17:40 | |
The lives of organisms in an ecosystem are intimately intertwined. When an entire tropical forest is chopped down the ripple from that destruction can end with new diseases being introduced into humanity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
14 Dec 2017 | Episode 14: The Repellent DEET and Ticks | 00:20:06 | |
Insects have studied for many years, but it wasn’t until this year that we began to understand why DEET repels ticks. In the process we find that ticks have a different system of smelling than both humans and insects. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
25 Dec 2018 | Episode 26: How do tick bites cause red meat allergies? | 00:19:59 | |
For an unlucky few in the American South, Northern Europe, and Australia one bite from a tick can change everything from the food they eat to the types of cancer medications they can be prescribed. These areas, known for their love of all things meat, are also the home of ticks that can cause a meat allergy so bad it can kill. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
18 Oct 2016 | Episode 0: An Introduction to Tiny Vampires | 00:16:03 | |
An introduction to your host, some podcast philosophy, and some key phrases you’ll need to know for future episodes. Music by http://www.bensound.com/badass Photo by Raven Forrest Fruscalzo: Larval kissing bugs during a behavior experiment Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
23 Nov 2016 | Episode 1: Are mosquitos that carry Zika already in the U.S? | 00:15:00 | |
An introduction to vector competence and medical geography. How researcher discovered the vector of the Zika virus and how those mosquitoes arrived in the US. Articles used for the podcast are: ZIKA VIRUS I). ISOLATIONS AND SEROLOGICAL SPECIFICITY by G. W. A. DICK HISTORY OF DOMESTICATION AND SPREAD OF AEDES AEGYPTI- A REVIEW by Jeffrey R Powell and Walter J Tabachnick FIRST DETECTION OF NATURAL INFECTION OF AEDES AEGYPTI WITH ZIKA VIRUS IN BRAZIL AND THROUGHOUT SOUTH AMERICA by Anielly Ferreira-de-Brito et al Medical geography has a very interesting history and close links with epidemiology. Much of the Zika virus work CDC medical geographers have done has been focused on its potential spread. As you can see from the maps they include both Aedes species to be as cautious as possible with the potential range. Music for this podcast is by http://www.bensound.com/badass Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
04 Jan 2017 | Episode 2: Mosquito Eradication & Their Role in the Environment | 00:16:28 | |
An overview of the ecological importance of mosquitoes, the pros and cons of their eradication along with an example of how they change the number of birds in France. Articles used for the podcast are: Red flag for green spray: adverse trophic effects of Bti on breeding birds by Brigitte Poulin, Gaetan Lefebvre and Leire Paz Mosquitoes: schemes to render them extinct are impracticable by Stephen M. Smith Mosquitoes: first evaluate impacts of eradicating them by Jon D. Hoekstra Mosquitoes: retain an ex situ population for ecological insurance by Ben Phalan Mosquitoes: just how much biodiversity does humanity need? by Fern Wickson Here's Why It's a Very Bad Idea to Wipe Mosquitoes Off the Face of the Earth by Michael Casey Note: the mosquito pictured in the Vice article is a male elephant mosquito, which is of both the species and the sex which do not take blood.The idea of eradicating mosquitoes is a very old one, but even if we could do it, should we? Vector biologists and ecologists struggle with the data that we have and look for more but the decision is ultimately in the hands of our political leaders who decide whether or not to give the go ahead to eradication campaigns like the one in Florida. The music for this podcast is by http://www.bensound.com/badass
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
31 Jan 2017 | Episode 3: What are the Genetic Modifications in the Florida Mosquitos? | 00:13:43 | |
Information on the genetically modified mosquitoes the residence of the Florida Keys voted to release. Including what modifications were done, how the modifications will control the mosquito population, and some of the scientific investigation on the effectiveness of the lethal gene. Howard Hues Medical Institute video summary on how OX513A works. Learn the process by which a line of genetically modified mosquitoes was engineered to reduce populations of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the wild. Viruses like Dengue, chickungunya, yellow fever, and Zika virus are spread by a species of mosquitoes called Aedes aegypti. To reduce the number of infections, health officials use various methods aimed at reducing mosquito populations. All about the fluorescent proteins that were used in the GM mosquitoes. Another video, this one was produced by Oxitec to demonstrate how they rear millions of mosquitoes and separate the males from the females. The background on the vote in the Florida Keys. The Third World Network wrote a piece on GM mosquitoes "Genetically Modified Mosquitoes: ongoing Concerns” The US Food and Drug Administration's environmental assessment can be read here. More information about the Screw Worm eradication in North Africa. The music for this podcast is by http://www.bensound.com/badass Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
01 Mar 2017 | Episode 4: How mosquitoes choose their mates | 00:16:33 | |
Mosquitoes and Sound: Love is in the air and there is more to that buzz than you might expect, but can you really use your phone as a mosquito repellent? This male mosquito is glued to a pin in the same manor as in the cantor study. This video is part of the art installation "Truce: Strategies for Post-Apocalyptic Comptation" by Robin Meier and Ali Momeni - http://robin.meier.free.fr/site/?page_id=38
One of the really great things about the studies that I present in this episode are that the researchers created these fantastic videos with interviews and demonstrations of how they actually conducted the experiments. They also published media that went along with their study. Check out the tone generator I used to demonstrate the mosquito sounds. If you are interested in the use of ultrasound as a mosquito repellent, the BBC did a story on it. The music for this podcast is by http://www.bensound.com/badass
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
29 Mar 2017 | Episode 5: What are Gene Drives and How Do They Work? | 00:18:55 | |
Gene drives and Mosquitoes: A new technology could save us from the deadliest parasite in the world today, but we aren't using it. Here's why. The episode thumbnail image this month is a microscope image of human blood cells infected by Plasmodium falciparum the parasite that kills millions. Its transmission could possibly be stopped by a gene drive system but their release is halted to ensure that the technology is safe and desired by the public. This weeks scientific paper describing the creation of these gene drive mosquitoes was headed by Dr. Anthony James. He did an interview on the National Academy of Sciences Podcast talking about his work and the challenges of being a mixed race scientist. He also was a guest on the NPR radio show All Things Considered. The Technology Review wrote a news article on genetic modification and its use in forced extinctions.
The music for this podcast is by http://www.bensound.com/badass Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
25 Apr 2017 | Episode 6: The Risks in Traveling to the Amazon Rainforest | 00:13:58 | |
The risks in traveling to the Amazon rainforest: How travelers can find out if the trip is worth risk, including resources for anyone thinking about traveling anywhere in the world and an introduction to the connection between leishmaniasis and tourism. CDC's quick visual guide to help travelers pack Zika-smart for a trip to South America. This Episodes scientific paper was by Fernandes Brilhante et al "Epidemiological aspects of American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) in an endemic area of forest extractivist culture in western Brazilian Amazonia" The World Health Organization travel warning for Brazil. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention travel information on Brazil, Yellow Fever, and Zika. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention Yellow Book. The State Departments information about what to do if you get sick while abroad. The music for this podcast is by http://www.bensound.com/badass Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
30 May 2017 | Episode 7: Is the movie ‘Outbreak’ an accurate portrayal of vaccine development? | 00:17:01 | |
A special companion episode to the “Outbreak” episode of the Beyond the Big Screen Podcast. The story of the development of the Ebola vaccine and the trails to determine if it really works. Details on different types of vaccines, the many ways they are tested, and ethical issues during an outbreak.
The paper we discussed in this episode was Efficacy and effectiveness of an rVSV-vectored vaccine in preventing Ebola virus disease: final results from the Guinea ring vaccination, open-label, cluster-randomised trial The press release from the World Health Organization about this research. An audio press briefing with one of the primary investigators (PIs), Dr Marie -Paule Kieny, WHO Assistant Director-General gives lots of background information about why they chose to do this study and how it was unusual. More information about Ebola. General information about vaccines, how they work, and their development. More detailed information about different types of vaccines. The music for this podcast is by http://www.bensound.com/badass
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
01 Jul 2017 | Episode 8: How Kite mosquito patches work | 00:11:00 | |
Videos about the Kite mosquito repellent stickers have been making their way around social media and news outlets. In this episode the host explains how the chemicals in these patches physically interact with the mosquito to change their behavior. The advertisement that the listener posted with questions about if these patches work and how. More detailed information about how neurons work. The paper discussed in this episode is "Ultra-prolonged activation of CO2-sensing neurons disorients mosquitoes" News articles about the research and the company from Huffington Post, University of California Riverside Today, The Press Enterprise, University of California Riverside Newsroom, and Bloomberg If you are interested in more about how insects of many types (bees, ants, mosquitoes, ect) use CO2, read The role of carbon dioxide in host-finding by mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae): a review . Which was used for a source for this episode.
The music for this podcast is by http://www.bensound.com/badass Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
25 Jul 2017 | Episode 9: Are there parasites in my Sushi? | 00:12:03 | |
Does the news about parasites in sushi have you avoiding your favorite restaurants? Learn all about the worms and how to avoid them. Announcements: Tiny Vampires has joined the Agora Podcast Network! I am very excited to have joined such a supportive team and really look forward to learning from them. My goal is always to bring more of the science you want to you and I really feel Agora will help me towards that goal. Please take the Agora Podcast Network Survey. It will help my new network to get to know my listeners and will also make sure that we are creating the types of podcasts you enjoy. The paper discussed in this episode was "Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense Tapeworm Larvae in Salmon from North America" Just a few of the news outlets that reported on the problem of parasites in sushi discussed in this episode: CNN, BBC, WebMD, New York Daily News, Business Insider, and Bug Bitten. The Life cycle of tapeworms How medical doctors treat Japanese broad tape worm infections. - Other sushi borne diseases: Anisakiasis, Salmonella, and MMWR The music for this podcast is by http://www.bensound.com/badass
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
30 Aug 2020 | Episode 40: The emergence of a new kind of childhood paralysis | 00:19:53 | |
The African continent was declared polio-free just a couple of days ago, which means that we are, once again, coming close to eradicating it from the globe. Yet, in 2014 children started to go limp, losing control over their arms and legs over the course of weeks, this polio-like condition is called Acute Flaccid Myelitis. Since then, there has been a larger and larger outbreak of the condition every other year, and that’s not the only strange thing about it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
03 Apr 2019 | Episode 29: Could eating parasitic worms ever be a good idea? | 00:17:00 | |
You may have joked with your friends about using a tapeworm to lose weight thinking it was a diet of the past but today people are purposely infecting themselves with worms for reasons ranging from weight loss to asthma. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
25 Aug 2021 | Episode 44: Poison of the Past | 00:25:24 | |
Anyone growing up in the United States during the 1950s or 60s has memories of chasing trucks down the road as they doused the neighborhood in a mosquito-killing fog. The story of that fog is part of the broader epic of the insecticide DDT. With a cast ranging from Dr. Suess, the entire population of Naples, peregrine falcons, to a trendy shade of green. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
01 Oct 2021 | Episode 45: Our shared history with leeches | 00:18:57 | |
For thousands of years Egypt, India, China, the Middle East, Europe, and the US, one after another all saw leeches as the answer to their problems. They were exercisers of demons, relievers of pain, bringers of balance, and a source of income. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
31 Oct 2021 | Agoraphobia 5 | 00:19:55 | |
Happy Halloween everyone!! And welcome to the Tiny Vampires Agoraphobia special. Every year I put together a story written from an insect’s perspective. This year is a horror story from the deadliest war in history and even though it is obviously a work of fiction, the facts are true. So even though we’re just having a little festive fun, you’ll still get your dose of insect science you come to count on from Tiny Vampires. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
09 Oct 2020 | Halloween Special: The Passenger | 00:16:56 | |
We’ll kick-off this Halloween special with “The Passenger” a tale of control, desire, and the monster within. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
31 Jul 2020 | Episode 39: The world of obscure mosquito-borne viruses | 00:14:30 | |
The CDC has a catalog of 537 viruses that are transmitted by insects or their relatives around the world. This number can be overwhelming and scary but the more we learn about the world of obscure viruses the better we’re equipped to fight them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
31 Oct 2020 | Halloween Special: Gutted | 00:21:53 | |
We all believe that we have the capacity to completely change ourselves, but at what cost? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
02 Oct 2019 | Episode 32: Chagas disease in the United States | 00:16:12 | |
After a little girl was bit by a new, exotic, and dangerous insect in Delaware the media began to speculate, but after a closer look we find there is a much mundane story, that has a lot to do with insect feces. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
25 Sep 2020 | Episode 41: So Much Worse The Second Time Around | 00:21:13 | |
Most of the time when we get sick we expect to suffer through it and end up rewarded with immunity to disease, or at least the knowledge that it won’t hit so hard if you get it a second time. A bout with the Dengue virus, also known as break-bone fever, is very different. It can actually increase the chance that a second encounter with the virus will end in hemorrhagic fever. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
30 Oct 2017 | Episode 12: Kids show - Why do mosquitoes need blood for their babies? | 00:11:10 | |
Why mosquitoes require blood is a fundamental question, but the answer may surprise you. Meet your new favorite mosquito and find out what makes your blood so great. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
27 Nov 2018 | Episode 25: Why are some people eaten alive by mosquitoes, while others come away bite-free? | 00:15:34 | |
We all know that person who never gets a single mosquito bite, while the rest of us get eaten alive. What is there secret? Or secrets? You’ll find it has a lot to do with their particular brand of body odor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
02 Jan 2021 | Episode 42: Malaria Islands | 00:35:01 | |
When we call mosquitoes “the deadliest animals on earth” we aren’t just talking about human deaths. Mosquitoes have played a major role in Hawaii’s infamous designation as the endangered species capital of the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
31 Jan 2019 | Episode 27: Does removing fallen wood from a forest impact Lyme disease risk? | 00:15:49 | |
Salvage logging is a way to get a silver lining out of a natural disaster like a wildfire or a hurricane, but how does it change our chances of getting Lyme disease. Learn about the connection between ticks, mice, and fallen logs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
30 May 2018 | Episode 19: Risks and benefits of oral and spot-on flea and tick treatments for cats | 00:19:19 | |
We hate fleas and love our cats but are flea and tick medications safe? Learn about the history of permethrin based medications, how they work on a cellular level, and how to keep your kitty from a potentially fatal overdose. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
28 Mar 2018 | Episode 17: What can be done by urban planners to disrupt infection of people with Lyme disease? | 00:18:28 | |
Urban planners use the history of Lyme disease and the ecology of the ticks that carry it to impact the infection rates. What they learned might change how you look at your own backyard. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
31 Oct 2018 | Episode 24: Do mosquitoes bite each other? | 00:17:09 | |
There are giant mosquitoes that wantonly kill their prey even if they aren’t hungry, and they are going to be your new favorite insects. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
15 Oct 2020 | Halloween Special: Yersinia pestis | 00:23:36 | |
An entirely new perspective on the infamous black death. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
05 Dec 2019 | Episode 34: How do mosquito control devices work? Wait, do they work?! | 00:16:14 | |
Who needs bug spray when you have phone apps, bug zappers, barbecue grill sized rigs to keep the mosquitoes away? Mosquito control devices might hurt your bank account but their worth it...right? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
28 Nov 2017 | Episode 13: How does the repellent DEET work? | 00:16:34 | |
DEET has been the gold standard of insect repellents for more than 50 years. Her is what we know about its history, how it works, and why we need something to replace it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
09 Aug 2018 | Episode 21: Why is there a Lyme disease vaccine for dogs but not for humans? | 00:20:36 | |
There is a vaccine for the number one vector-borne disease in the US and Europe, but only for dogs. We explore why there is no Lyme disease vaccine available for humans and how the vaccine certification process is different when you are a dog. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
27 Mar 2018 | Bonus Episode Tiny Westphalias | 00:43:12 | |
This is part 2 of a very special crossover with Benjamin Jacobs from Wittenberg to Westphalia Podcast. In this final part we discuss how tiny insects and bad water killed more medieval soldiers than fighting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
27 Jun 2018 | Episode 20: Why is it taking so long to make a malaria vaccine and what is happening with the vaccine ‘RTS,S’? | 00:23:21 | |
We have been hearing about the development of the malaria vaccine for years but there still isn’t one publicly available. Discover the history of, and current plans for, the RTS,S vaccine, currently our best hope for saving children and babies all over the African continent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
01 May 2018 | Episode 18: The use of viruses to control pest insects like carpenter ants | 00:23:58 | |
Carpenter ants are highly destructive costing millions of dollars in damage every year. Learn how we figured out how to control viruses to stop their destruction. Biological control to the rescue! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
22 Apr 2018 | Bonus: March for Science South Bend, IN | 00:14:24 | |
On the spot interviews with the marchers at the South Bend Indiana March for Science Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
27 Mar 2021 | Episode 43: Unexpected Vampires | 00:23:01 | |
Blood is vital, transporting hormones, nutrients, and oxygen, and removing waste products but for all its complexity some animals see it simply as food. While we grow up learning to protect our precious fluid from blood-suckers like vampire bats, leeches, and bed bugs they don’t have a monopoly on their gory craving. Unexpected animals from snails to birds to moths have come to join the feast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
30 Jan 2018 | Episode 15: How did we figure out that Zika can be sexually transmitted? | 00:16:52 | |
Unlike most diseases transmitted by blood feeders, the Zika virus can also be transmitted sexually. Find out how this surprising fact was discovered, what it has to do with the 1975 Nobel prize, and how it shapes public health recommendations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
10 Jan 2020 | Episode 35: Busting Myths about Flies | 00:45:31 | |
Author and fly researcher Dr. Erica McAlister helps bust myths about mosquitoes and other flies Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
29 Aug 2017 | Episode 10: Do mosquitoes transmit plant diseases? | 00:17:34 | |
Interactions between mosquitoes and plants lead to interesting questions about what mosquitoes are doing when they aren’t biting people. Could it be that animals aren’t the only victims of these vectors of disease? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
28 Feb 2018 | Episode 16: How do public health authorities use urban planning to control populations of biting insects? | 00:15:33 | |
Urban planning is more than just deciding where to put new roads. This is the first in a two part series on how urban planners work with public health workers to reduce or even prevent disease outbreaks. In this episode we investigate the surprising connection between snails and dams, eye worms and irrigation, and malaria and canals. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
27 Feb 2019 | Episode 28: Are pregnant people more attractive? | 00:15:20 | |
The rumors are true, certain types of mosquitoes are more enticed to bite pregnant people than people who aren’t. It's not just a weird fact, it has dire consequences. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
01 May 2019 | Episode 30: How are bacteria that live inside of mosquito’s cells, killing viruses?” | 00:13:22 | |
Deep inside the cells of an Australian mosquito are bacteria that kill deadly viruses by starving them to death. The death of these viruses could mean life for anyone bitten by them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
29 Sep 2017 | Episode 11: Can West Nile be transmitted from human to mosquito? | 00:15:40 | |
With West Nile infections popping up from Michigan to Mumbai how many people are interested in how West Nile is transmitted. It goes from mosquito to human, but can it go back again? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. | |||
16 Mar 2020 | Episode 37: What are those fog trucks spraying? | 00:21:45 | |
A truck slowly drives by your house at night with a cloud of fog coming out from behind it. It might seem creepy but that fog is effectively synthetic chrysanthemums water that is engineered to target mosquitoes based on their flight patterns. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. |