- Dubai's Artificial Islands
Over twenty years ago, Dubai began constructing the world's largest artificial archipelago of islands, designed to be a lavish oasis for the super-rich. Today, the islands stand mostly empty and some are sinking back into the sea, but the developers and government of Dubai refuse to give up on the mind boggling mega-project. Let me tell you about this astonishing feat of engineering, how it did work--kind of, but also hasn’t panned out the way they hoped, and why they’ll probably never let this one go no matter how bad an idea it was.
Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website.
- Nakheel Properties
- Dubai Set To Open Heart Of Europe With 6 Outrageous Themed Islands
- The World is sinking: Dubai islands 'falling into the sea'
- Owner of Dubai's 'little Britain' jailed for non-payment of cheques
- Second Irish property investor kills himself over financial problems
Written and produced by Anna Roberts
Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez
Intro music by Elliot Middleton
Merchandise: www.failedutopia.com/shop
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/failedutopia/donations15m | Feb 28, 2023 - New Year's Resolutions
Why most New Year’s resolutions fail, the Babylonians and Romans, putting our hands on a peacock, setting and getting goals, habit formation, motivation vs. discipline, believing you deserve to have what you want, and what procrastination really is (you’re not lazy).
Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website.
Links & Resources
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988
Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741 741
Domestic Violence Helpline: 1-800-799-7233
VictimConnect, a referral helpline for victims of crime: 1-855-484-2846
For veterans, Make The Connection
- America's Top New Year's Resolutions for 2023 Statista
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- How Long Does it Actually Take to Form a New Habit? (Backed by Science) James Clear
Written and produced by Anna Roberts
Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez
Intro music by Elliot Middleton
Merchandise: www.failedutopia.com/shop
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/failedutopia/donations29m | Jan 31, 2023 - Bonus Episode: More Theranos Updates (Elizabeth Holmes Sentencing & Sunny Balwani Trial)
The Theranos saga continues. Updates on Elizabeth Holmes' sentencing and Sunny Balwani's trial and verdict.
Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website.
Links & Resources
Theranos Full Explainer: https://failedutopia.com/theranos/
Holmes Trial & Verdict Updates:
YouTube https://youtu.be/P9xR6jn84kU
Audio only https://failedutopia.com/theranos-update/
Written and produced by Anna Roberts
Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez
Intro music by Elliot Middleton
Merchandise: www.failedutopia.com/shop
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/failedutopia/donations6m | Nov 23, 2022 - Roanoke: The Lost Colony
Colonialism and utopianism, as Thomas More coined the term, have been linked since the early sixteenth century when European explorers began taking stock of newly accessible lands that would later become colonies. Colonists had the expectation of achieving a much better life by settling in "new" lands, while producing a dystopia for the original inhabitants. Optimistic colonists didn’t always find what they expected, but for centuries they continued to emigrate and settle, driven by utopian projections of what their new lives would be like. Today we talk about one of the first colonies in the New World and how it all went wrong.
Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website.
Links & Resources
- Roanoke Colony World History Encyclopedia
- The Roanoke Colonies Encyclopedia Virginia
- The Roanoke Colonies James Horn, The First Colony Foundation
- Have We Found the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island?
- Archaeologists May Have Finally Solved the Mystery of the Disappearance of Roanoke’s Lost Colony
- Roanoke’s ‘Lost Colony’ Was Never Lost, New Book Says
Written and produced by Anna Roberts
Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez
Intro music by Elliot Middleton
Merchandise: www.failedutopia.com/shop
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/failedutopia/donations28m | Nov 22, 2022 - Paradise to Hellscape: Salton Sea and Other Terrible Places
Let’s talk about an environmental catastrophe that turned a tourism and wildlife paradise into a toxic wasteland. This is something that we’re starting to see happening all over the world and that’s only going to become more of a problem in the future thanks to climate change.
Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website.
- Ghost towns and toxic fumes: How an idyllic California lake became a disaster
- How California’s Salton Sea went from vacation destination to toxic nightmare
- As the Great Salt Lake Dries Up, Utah Faces an ‘Environmental Nuclear Bomb’
- Lake Urmia, Iran’s Tarnished Gem
Written and produced by Anna Roberts
Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez
Intro music by Elliot Middleton
Merchandise: www.failedutopia.com/shop
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/failedutopia/donations13m | Nov 8, 2022 - The Church of Love (Chonda-Za)
The Church of Love: Chonda-Za, Love Angels, lonely hearts, and a whole lot of questionable love letters. Plus, self-delusion and seeing things for what they are.
Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website.
Links & Resources
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988
Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741 741
Domestic Violence Helpline: 1-800-799-7233
VictimConnect, a referral helpline for victims of crime: 1-855-484-2846
For veterans, Make The Connection
- Useful Delusions: The Power and Paradox of the Self-Deceiving Brain by Shankar Vedantam & Bill Mesler
- Hidden Brain: Lonely Hearts
- Church Of Love Drama: Sex, Money, Angels And Broken Dreams AP News 1988
- Knights of Chonda-Za Chicago Tribune 1988
- Church of Love operators plead innocent to fraud The Daily Dispatch 1987
- ‘Church of Love’ wasn’t quite angelic Quad-City Times 1989
- Successful love angel: ‘Pure and wholesome’ The Des Moines Register 1988
Written and produced by Anna Roberts
Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez
Intro music by Elliot Middleton
Merchandise: www.failedutopia.com/shop
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/failedutopia/donations38m | Oct 25, 2022 - Cryptocurrency Part 2
In Part 2, hopefully we’re gonna have a little more fun talking not about techno-utopia, but actual physical utopian communes based around the love of crypto. Cryptoland, Cryptopia, Satoshi Island, Bitcoin Beach, Bitcoin City, and actually, the entire country of El Salvador.
Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website.
Links & Resources
- Tragic Cryptoland trailer
- Cryptoland website
- When Your Island Paradise Goes Bankrupt...
- Thailand’s Crypto Utopia — ‘90% of a cult, without all the weird stuff’
- Satoshi Island website
- Bitcoin paradise? Briton creates ‘crypto utopia’ in South Pacific
- Six months in, El Salvador’s bitcoin gamble is crumbling
Written and produced by Anna Roberts
Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez
Intro music by Elliot Middleton
Merchandise: www.failedutopia.com/shop
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/failedutopia/donations30m | Oct 11, 2022 - Cryptocurrency Part 1
Cryptocurrency is one of the most buzzy techno-utopian ideas out there. Is it really a disruptive technology of the future? Or a bunch of esoteric, elitist, crypto-bro BS? Even a scam? Let's talk about what crypto is and what it's good for... or not.
Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website.
Links & Resources
- Computer Scientists Say Crypto Industry Is Misleading the Public About Blockchain Technology
- Why This Computer Scientist Says All Cryptocurrency Should “Die in a Fire”
- The Ramps Killing Bitcoin's Dissident Thesis
- Luxury cars seized from 23-year-old 'Crypto King' as investors try to recoup millions
- Terra Co-Founder Do Kwon Faces Arrest Warrant in South Korea
- Nearly All NFTs Created With OpenSea’s Free Minting Tool Are Fake, Plagiarized, or Spam
- Man who threw away £150m in bitcoin hopes AI and robot dogs will get it back
- Lost Passwords Lock Millionaires Out of Their Bitcoin Fortunes
Written and produced by Anna Roberts
Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez
Intro music by Elliot Middleton
Merchandise: www.failedutopia.com/shop
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/failedutopia/donations30m | Sep 27, 2022 - The Farm
The Farm was once the largest hippie commune in U.S. history, and it still exists today albeit in a somewhat different form.
Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website.
Links & Resources
- https://thefarmcommunity.com
- https://www.thefarm.org
- What life is like when you’re born on a commune Erika Anderson
- Stephen Gaskin obituary
- “40 Years on the Farm” documentary
Written and produced by Anna Roberts
Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez
Intro music by Elliot Middleton
Merchandise: www.failedutopia.com/shop
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/failedutopia/donations20m | Sep 13, 2022 - Auroville
A spiritual Indian utopia that’s over 50 years old, but still very much a work in progress.
Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website.
- Better to Have Gone: Love, Death, and the Quest for Utopia in Auroville by Akash Kapur
- Bulldozing a dream? Auroville’s importance as an experiment in alternative living
- Bulldozers, violence and politics crack an Indian dream of utopia
Written and produced by Anna Roberts
Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez
Intro music by Elliot Middleton
Merchandise: www.failedutopia.com/shop
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/failedutopia/donations31m | Aug 30, 2022 - Biosphere 2
On this episode, the fascinating story of Biosphere 2, the largest closed ecological system ever created… or, how eight people went nuts and almost starved in a vivarium for humans.
Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website.
Links & Resources
- https://biosphere2.org
- Mark Nelson’s 2018 article Biosphere 2: What Really Happened?
- Spaceship Earth
Written and produced by Anna Roberts
Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez
Intro music by Elliot Middleton
Merchandise: www.failedutopia.com/shop
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/failedutopia/donations31m | Aug 16, 2022 - Helicon Home Colony
The Helicon Home Colony was the brainchild of the renowned author and muckraking journalist Upton Sinclair. It lasted less than 6 months and went down in a literal blaze. "We stood in the snow and watched our beautiful utopia flame and roar, until it crashed in and died away to a dull glow."
Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website.
Links & Resources
- The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Autobiography of Upton Sinclair
- Utopia, New Jersey: Travels in the Nearest Eden by Perdita Buchan
- Radical Innocent: Upton Sinclair by Anthony Arthur
Written and produced by Anna Roberts
Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez
Intro music by Elliot Middleton
Merchandise: www.failedutopia.com/shop
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/failedutopia/donations28m | Mar 15, 2022 - Theranos Update (Fraud Trial & Verdict for Elizabeth Holmes)
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/P9xR6jn84kU
Updates on the verdict in the trial of former Theranos founder and CEO, Elizabeth Holmes, including charges, sentencing, appeal, Ramesh Sunny Balwani's upcoming trial on the same charges, and more.
Full Theranos explainer episode: https://failedutopia.com/theranos/
Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website.
Links & Resources
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741 741
Domestic Violence Helpline: 1-800-799-7233
VictimConnect, a referral helpline for victims of crime: 1-855-484-2846
For veterans, Make The Connection
Written and produced by Anna Roberts
Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez
Intro music by Elliot Middleton
Merchandise: www.failedutopia.com/shop
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/failedutopia/donations11m | Jan 20, 2022 - Replay: Holiday Special!
In this replay from 2020, find out about the secretive alternative community that only gets talked about once a year.
Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website.
Links & Resources
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741 741
Domestic Violence Helpline: 1-800-799-7233
VictimConnect, a referral helpline for victims of crime: 1-855-484-2846
For veterans, Make The Connection
Written and produced by Anna Roberts
Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez
Merchandise: www.failedutopia.com/shop
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/failedutopia/donations11m | Dec 21, 2021 - Marshall Islands
Picture a chain of tropical islands with white sand beaches, turquoise blue waters, breathtaking sunsets, palm trees swaying in a tropical breeze, and a culturally rich population of native people fishing the bountiful waters of their homeland as they have for generations. Sounds pretty ideal, right? Maybe even the closest we’ve ever gotten to an actual utopia. But there are a couple of problems.
Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website.
Links & Resources
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741 741
Domestic Violence Helpline: 1-800-799-7233
VictimConnect, a referral helpline for victims of crime: 1-855-484-2846
For veterans, Make The Connection
- Bikini atoll “evacuation” propaganda film
- Castle Bravo detonation footage
- CTBTO’s Castle Bravo writeup
- A piece from ABC News Australia with footage of The Dome, the islands, and interviews with native Marshallese people and Enewetok veterans.
Written and produced by Anna Roberts
Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez
Intro music by Elliot Middleton
Merchandise: www.failedutopia.com/shop
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/failedutopia/donations21m | Dec 15, 2021 - Theranos
Today, Elizabeth Holmes testifies in her own defense in a trial for criminal charges stemming from the collapse of the company she infamously founded, Theranos. The startup claiming to revolutionize the medical industry, and at one point valued at $9 billion, went down in a blaze of allegations of fraud as one of the worst disasters in Silicon Valley history. What went wrong?
Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website.
Links & Resources
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741 741
Domestic Violence Helpline: 1-800-799-7233
VictimConnect, a referral helpline for victims of crime: 1-855-484-2846
For veterans, Make The Connection
- U.S. v. Elizabeth Holmes, et al.
- SEC Press Release: Theranos, CEO Holmes, and Former President Balwani Charged With Massive Fraud
Written and produced by Anna Roberts
Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez
Intro music by Elliot Middleton
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/failedutopia/donations29m | Nov 24, 2021 - Bonus Episode: Etheric Surgery Update
VIDEO VERSION on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZYtpBV2EfUU
This is my results update on my etheric surgery with Mother God in the 5th dimension and the 5D full disclosure team, also known as psychic surgery from a cult leader who’s been deceased for several months.
Previous Love Has Won & 5D Full Disclosure episodes:
https://failedutopia.com/love-has-won/
https://failedutopia.com/love-has-won-updates-5d-full-disclosure/
Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website.
Links & Resources
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741 741
Domestic Violence Helpline: 1-800-799-7233
VictimConnect, a referral helpline for victims of crime: 1-855-484-2846
For veterans, Make The Connection
- Rising Above Love Has Won support website
Written and produced by Anna Roberts
Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez
Intro music by Elliot Middleton
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/failedutopia/donations14m | Nov 16, 2021 - Love Has Won UPDATES (5D Full Disclosure)
This is an update about Love Has Won, now known as 5D Full Disclosure. I have a bunch of new information for you guys, and there have been some developments in this case. Today I’ll be updating you on the criminal cases related to the discovery of Amy Carlson’s body, some things that aired recently in a special on Dateline NBC, what the group is up to now, and my personal experience getting etheric surgery by Mother God from the fifth dimension. Yes, I got psychic surgery from a deceased cult leader.
If you haven’t listened to my first episode about Love Has Won, you’re going to want to go and listen to that first because you need the background information. That was episode 18 of Failed Utopia, which aired on May 25th. Link: Failed Utopia Episode 18: Love Has Won.
Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website.
Links & Resources
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741 741
Domestic Violence Helpline: 1-800-799-7233
VictimConnect, a referral helpline for victims of crime: 1-855-484-2846
For veterans, Make The Connection
- Failed Utopia Episode 18: Love Has Won (Listen to this first if you haven’t already)
- Missing woman: Jenifer Driver
- Rising Above Love Has Won support website
Written and produced by Anna Roberts
Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez
Intro music by Elliot Middleton
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/failedutopia/donations50m | Nov 9, 2021 - Vampire Clan (Rod Ferrell)
Vampire lore has fascinated humans for centuries, starting as far back as the Greeks. From Nosferatu and Dracula to Interview with the Vampire and Twilight, everybody loves a good vampire story. But way before team Edward and team Jacob, a much less attractive teen was taking the vampire thing way too far.
Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website.
Links & Resources
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741 741
Domestic Violence Helpline: 1-800-799-7233
VictimConnect, a referral helpline for victims of crime: 1-855-484-2846
For veterans, Make The Connection
- Daily Commercial ‘Vampire Killer’ keeps his life sentence
- Orlando Sentinel Sondra Gibson Isn't Welcome
- Orlando Sentinel 2006 Interview With Heather Wendorf
Written and produced by Anna Roberts
Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez
Intro music by Elliot Middleton
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/failedutopia/donations30m | Oct 26, 2021 - Earth: Climate Crisis Part 2
This is the continuation of the previous Earth: Climate Crisis episode. Renewable energy, pros and cons of nuclear, geoengineering, why carbon emissions will rise for the foreseeable future, climate vs. economics, and more.
Connect on Facebook or at the Failed Utopia website.
Links & Resources
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741 741
Domestic Violence Helpline: 1-800-799-7233
VictimConnect, a referral helpline for victims of crime: 1-855-484-2846
For veterans, Make The Connection
- Fast Company These carbon-capturing robotic seaweed farms are like planting forests in the ocean
- USA Today Scientists created the world's whitest paint. It could eliminate the need for air conditioning.
- DW Germany opens world's first plant for clean jet fuel
- US Renew News Breaking Down the Climate Provisions in the “Hard” and “Soft” Infrastructure Bills (Keep in mind, we don’t know what will be in the final bills yet.)
- Eco Watch Fossil Fuels Kill Nearly 9 Million Annually, More Than Twice Previous Estimate, Study Finds
- The New York Times Indian Point Is Shutting Down. That Means More Fossil Fuel.
- FiveThirtyEight Why Carbon Capture Hasn’t Saved Us From Climate Change Yet
- Inside Climate News The Rate of Global Warming During Next 25 Years Could Be Double What it Was in the Previous 50
Written and produced by Anna Roberts
Burning palm tree artwork by Perry Vasquez
Intro music by Elliot Middleton
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/failedutopia/donations38m | Oct 13, 2021