Tag Archives: Corruption

Episode 97 How many threads take us beyond the headlines on this? Authors John Lechner and TJ English with Commentary by I.S. Berry



How many threads can bring us beyond the headlines? In this episode of The Artful Periscope, Larry Davidson welcome journalist John Lechner to discuss Death is Our Business, an exposé on Russian mercenaries and the increasing privatization of warfare. Lechner recounts his experiences in war zones and illuminates the geopolitical forces shaping modern conflicts.

John Lechner (@JohnLechner1) / X

After the break, Larry sits down with bestselling true crime author T.J. English to explore The Last Kilo, a gripping look at the cocaine empire that reshaped America and it’s ongoing, though
sometimes misguided, war on drugs. English reveals the untold stories behind Miami’s biggest drug traffickers and the systemic corruption that enabled their rise and how two ordinary people can get caught up in running a drug empire.

T.J. English | Author | Journalist | Mob Stories | New York ...

The episode closes with a moving reflection from I. S. Berry on war, trauma, statistics and survival, marking the final recording from this studio.

Out of the darkness and into the light, The Artful Periscope signs off with gratitude for the threads it has woven.


Episode 48 – How Many Threads Take Us to Places That Are Foreign? – Authors Nicholas Dawidoff and Mark Ebner



How many threads take us to places that are foreign? Larry has a chat with author Nicholas Dawidoff regarding his most recent book The Other Side of Prospect: A Story of Violence. After eight years of research, over five hundred interviews and many trips to Nicholas’s hometown of New Haven in Connecticut, The Other Side of Prospect recounts the wrongful arrest of Bobby Johnson and illuminates the complicated history of race and financial inequality in the community.

After the break, Larry interviews Mark Ebner, co-author of the book Off the Deep End which recounts the complicated relationship between luxury hotel pool boy Giancarlo Granda and Becki Falwell, wife of evangelical preacher Jerry Falwell Jr. Larry and Ebner discuss the ethics of personal responsibility, the corruption of Liberty University and the interview between The Falwells and Vanity Fair.  The episode wraps up with a new installment of Rory’s Island, in which Rory Vecsey discusses her own experiences with the legal system and the potential barriers that disenfranchised groups face.