Phoenix Foundation - A Macgyver Podcast

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: February 12th, 1990 --- A friend enlists MacGyver's help in continuing her father's quest for an ancient artifact. MISSION: MacGyver reconnects with an old friend shortly after her father's passing. She believes her father was killed just as he was closing in on an ancient treasure and she'll need MacGyver's help to prove it. This week's highlights include: Svalbard Global Seed Vault (Facility) The Svalbard Global Seed Vault (Norwegian: Svalbard globale frøhvelv) is a secure seed bank on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen near Longyearbyen in the remote Arctic Svalbard archipelago, about 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) from the North Pole. Check out the article on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svalbard_Global_Seed_Vault. Watch S5E15: "The Treasure of Manco" on CBS's website or check the alternative streamability of this episode here.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: February 5th, 1990 --- Loggers clash with environmentalists in a town slowly being taken over by the Yakuza. MISSION: MacGyver visits an old friend only to find her quarreling with local loggers, one of which is her ex-husband. A trail of clues indicates some wrong-doing on the part of the loggers and MacGyver is running out of time to solve the case. This week's highlights include: Planck length (Physics) In physics, the Planck length, denoted ℓP, is a unit of length, equal to 1.616199(97)×10−35 metres. It is a base unit in the system of Planck units, developed by physicist Max Planck. The Planck length can be defined from three fundamental physical constants: the speed of light in a vacuum, the Planck constant, and the gravitational constant. Check out the article on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planck_length. Watch S5E14: "Log Jam" on CBS's website or check the alternative streamability of this episode here.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: January 15th, 1990 --- MacGyver butts heads with a difficult but promising student while heading a Phoenix-sponsored educational experiment MISSION: Phoenix Foundation sends MacGyver to a local school to work with faculty and students alike to reform a dysfunctional education program. MacGyver focuses his efforts on a notoriously difficult student until the student's father causes new problems. This week's highlights include: Here's a link to my buddy John Kafka's movie Dino Mom, which was later retitled Dino Time. And here's a link to the MacGyver Project's interview with Jerry Wasserman. Victor Frankenstein (Fictional character) Victor Frankenstein is the title character of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. He is a scientist who, after studying chemical processes and the decay of living beings, gains an insight into the creation of life and gives life to his own creature (often referred to as Frankenstein's monster, or often colloquially referred to as

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: January 8th, 1990 --- Wild West MacGyver has a territory dispute with Pete Thornton and gunslinger Murdoc is summoned MISSION: A wild west daydream lands MacGyver in trouble with local rancher by the name of Pete Thornton. A nefarious gunman is hired to scare MacGyver off what Mr. Thornton considers his land. This week's highlights include: The Reivers (Film) The Reivers (also known as The Yellow Winton Flyer in the UK) is a 1969 Technicolor film in Panavision starring Steve McQueen and directed by Mark Rydell based on the William Faulkner novel of the same name. The supporting cast includes Sharon Farrell, Rupert Crosse, Mitch Vogel, and Burgess Meredith as the narrator. Check out the article on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Reivers_(film). Watch S5E12: "Serenity" on CBS's website or check the alternative streamability of this episode here.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE:December 18th, 1989 --- A magical homeless woman teaches MacGyver and friends the true meaning of Christmas... sort of... MISSION: MacGyver interrupts the harassing of an older homeless woman by a pair of hoodlums and transports her to the Challenger club. At the same time, a statue of the Madonna has gone missing from a local church. This week's highlights include: Cloak & Dagger (Film) Cloak & Dagger is a 1984 spy adventure film directed by Richard Franklin starring Henry Thomas, Dabney Coleman, and Michael Murphy. It was originally released in a double feature with The Last Starfighter on July 13, 1984 and then released separately on August 10, 1984. Check out the article on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloak_%26_Dagger_(1984_film). Watch S5E11: "The Madonna" on CBS's website or check the alternative streamability of this episode here.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: December 11th, 1989 --- A friend of MacGyver's has been the target of a series of death traps MISSION: MacGyver touches base with an old friend who fears for her life. Worse yet, she suspects the mastermind behind several murder attempts is her identical twin sister. This week's highlights include: B-25 Empire State Building crash (History) The B-25 Empire State Building crash was a 1945 aircraft accident in which a B-25 Mitchell bomber, piloted in thick fog over New York City, crashed into the Empire State Building. The accident did not compromise the building's structural integrity, but it did cause fourteen deaths (three crewmen and eleven people in the building) and damage estimated at $1,000,000 ($13,000,000 in 2015 dollars). Check out the article on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-25_Empire_State_Building_crash. Watch S5E10: "Two Times Trouble" on CBS's website or check the alternative streamability of this episode here.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: November 20th, 1989 --- Stolen art dating back to World War 2 puts MacGyver hot on a politician's trail MISSION: When the rightful owner of a painting stolen by nazi's during World War 2 interrupts a live auction, MacGyver makes it his business to track down the painting's nefarious journey. This week's highlights include: Check out the MacGyver Project's quick conversation with Mr. Persoff here. The Ghost Club (Paranormal) The Ghost Club is a paranormal investigation and research organization that was founded in London in 1862. It is widely believed to be the oldest such organization in the world. Since 1862 it has primarily investigated ghosts and hauntings. Check out the article on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ghost_Club. Watch S5E9: "The Ten Percent Solution" on CBS's website or check the alternative streamability of this episode here.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: November 13th, 1989 --- MacGyver follows Billy Colton to a rhino reserve where a poacher is becoming the poach-ed? MISSION: Pete informs MacGyver that the youngest of the Colton boys has stolen a file on an infamous African poacher and booked a flight to track him down. In tracking Billy down, MacGyver entangles himself in the investigation and looks to end the poaching of Black Rhinos to extinction. This week's highlights include: Here is some info on an awesome plan to curb poaching. Jack Valenti explains the ratings system on Freakazoid. Pembient (Biotech) Pembient is a biotech company in Seattle, Washington, United States that was founded with the goal of creating bioengineered wildlife products to fight poaching around the world. Check out the article on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pembient. Watch S5E8: "Black Rhino" on CBS's website or check the alternative streamability of this episode here.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: November 6th, 1989 --- A Chinese student smuggles secret evidence of the Tiananmen Square massacre into MacGyver's house boat MISSION: A girl claiming to be a friend of MacGyver's shows up at his door and stashes evidence of a foreign atrocity in his home. When she disappears into the Chinese embassy, it's up to MacGyver to reveal the hidden information and rescue the girl. This week's highlights include: Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 (History) The Tiananmen Square protests, commonly known in Chinese as the June Fourth Incident (六四事件)[a] were student-led demonstrations in Beijing in 1989. More broadly, it refers to the popular national movement inspired by the Beijing protests during that period, sometimes referred to as the '89 Democracy Movement (八九民运). The protests were forcibly suppressed after the government declared martial law. In what became widely known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, troops with assault rifles and tanks killed at least several hundreds of student demons

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: October 30th, 1989 --- When Murdoc's sister is kidnapped, he turns to his only friend for help... MacGyver MISSION: Murdoc's ex-employers HIT have taken his sister hostage. He tricks MacGyver into rescuing her from the depths of HIT headquarters in exchange for bringing the organization down. This week's highlights include: That Lovecraft story we spoiled was actually The Outsider not The Visitor. See more info below. Here's a link to the MacGyver Project interview with Murdoc's sister. The Outsider (Literature) "The Outsider" is a short story by American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written between March and August 1921, it was first published in Weird Tales, April 1926. In this work, a mysterious man who has been living alone in a castle for as long as he can remember decides to break free in search of human contact and light. "The Outsider" is one of Lovecraft's most commonly reprinted works and is also one of the most popular stories ever to be published in Weird Tales. Check

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: October 16th, 1989 --- MacGyver and Jessie Colton head to Thailand to help transport sick kids to America MISSION: While on a humanitarian mission in Thailand, Jessie Colton learns from MacGyver that Jessie has a son in the region. This week's highlights include: Here is a clip of Barry Bernal singing. Amerasian (Ethnicity) In its original meaning, an Amerasian is a person born in Asia, to a U.S. military father and an Asian mother. The term has sometimes been used to describe a person in the United States of mixed Asian and non-Asian ancestry, regardless of the circumstances. Check out the article on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amerasian. Watch S5E5: "Second Chance" on CBS's website or check the alternative streamability of this episode here.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: October 9th, 1989 --- MacGyver is framed for an assassination attempt and a teenager helps clear his name. MISSION: The Phoenix Foundation is hosting peace talks between warring nations when a failed assassination attempt points to MacGyver as a suspect. A teenage girl encounters MacGyver on the run helps him prevent further attempts on the President's life. This week's highlights include: Gondola lift (Transport) A gondola lift, as opposed to a cable car, is a means of cable transport and type of aerial lift which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal, which is typically connected to an engine or electric motor. Check out the article on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gondola_lift. Watch S5E4: "Cease Fire" on CBS's website or check the alternative streamability of this episode here.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: October 2nd, 1989 --- MacGyver and Frank Colton track down a missing Phoenix operative kidnapped by jewel thieves MISSION: When a Bulgarian defector goes missing, Pete, Mac and Frank Colton are hot on her trail. Turns out she's being chased around town by a ring of jewel thieves who think she's out to steal their prize. This week's highlights include: Here's an article about that girl who realized living on a train is cheaper than rent. Chevrolet AK Series (Automotive) The Chevrolet AK Series truck was a light duty ute sold under the Chevrolet brand, with production beginning in 1941 until 1947. It used the GM A platform, shared with the Chevrolet Deluxe. The AK series was also branded and sold at GMC locations, with the primary visual difference being the Chevrolet had vertical bars in the grille, while the GMC had horizontal bars. The 1941-45 GMC models were sold as C-Series and became the E-Series for the 1946 and 1947 model years (CC-Series / EC-Series for the conventional cab models

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: September 25th, 1989 --- MacGyver and Zoe continue their search for an ancient religious artifact alongside murderous competition MISSION: MacGyver escapes from evil's clutches and heads out to rescue Zoe and track down the Holy Rose before it's lost forever. This week's highlights include: SPECIAL GUEST: MICHAEL ENSIGN! Michael Ensign has played some of your favorite snooty film characters. Not the least of which was a popular turn as the hotel manager in Ghostbusters pictured above. He also played the self-sacrificing Guggenheim in James Cameron's Titanic. We'll chat about how he got started acting and the Ghostbusters role he initially auditioned for. BTW, that role Ensign couldn't discuss during the interview was his appearance on The Detour, specifically this episode. Ruby laser (Technology) A ruby laser is a solid-state laser that uses a synthetic ruby crystal as its gain medium. The first working laser was a ruby laser made by Theodore H. "Ted" Maiman at Hughes Research Laborato

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: September 18th, 1989 --- MacGyver's kidnapped by a friend and sent on a quest for the Holy Grail MISSION: After rescuing a senator's son from Columbian druglords, MacGyver is looking forward to some rest when a childhood friend drags him on a globetrotting quest for an ancient religious artifact. This week's highlights include: Keep your ears peeled for a cameo from my daughter toward the end of today's episode. Here is the Mythbusters test of MacGyver's cold open ultralight... Pendulum (Torture Device) The pendulum was an instrument of torture and execution claimed to have been used by the Spanish Inquisition as recently as the early 19th Century. The allegation is contained in the book The history of the Inquisition of Spain (1826) by the Spanish priest, historian and liberal activist Juan Antonio Llorente. A swinging pendulum whose edge is a knife blade slowly descends toward a bound prisoner until it cuts into his body. The method of torture came to popular consciousness through th

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: May 15th, 1989 --- A villain from MacGyver's past is back to finish the job, but which one? MISSION: MacGyver, Pete and Jack spend some time panning for gold in the wilderness when they are beset upon by a baddie from MacGyver's past. Can they identify the attacker before they are all taken prisoner? This week's highlights include: Keep your ears peeled toward the end for a cameo from my darling daughter. Speed of sound (Physics) The speed of sound is the distance traveled per unit time by a sound wave propagating through an elastic medium. In dry air at 20 °C (68 °F), the speed of sound is 343.2 metres per second (1,126 ft/s; 1,236 km/h; 768 mph; 667 kn), or a kilometre in 2.914 s or a mile in 4.689 s. Check out the article on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_sound. Watch S4E19: "Unfinished Business" on CBS's website or check the alternative streamability of this episode here.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: May 8th, 1989 --- PTSD drives an acquaintance of MacGyver's to steal anthrax from a Phoenix Foundation lab MISSION: MacGyver must track down an old friend with a dangerous strain of Anthrax before it ends up in the wrong hands. This week's highlights include: Anthrax (Bacteria) Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. It can occur in four forms: skin, inhalation, intestinal, and injection. Symptoms begin between one day and two months after contracting the infection. The skin form presents with a small blister with surrounding swelling that often turns into a painless ulcer with a black center. The inhalation form presents with fever, chest pain, and shortness of breath. The intestinal form presents with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal pain. The injection form presents with fever and an abscess at the site of drug injection. Check out the article on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthrax. Watch S4E18: "Renegade" on CBS's website or check

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: May 1st, 1989 --- Terrorists threaten to shut down an entire city if their demands are not met MISSION: MacGyver happens across a team of terrorists hijacking a piece of military hardware with which they plan to take an entire city hostage. MacGyver and Pete must go it alone to sabotage the threat. This week's highlights include: Electromagnetic pulse (Physics) An electromagnetic pulse (EMP), also sometimes called a transient electromagnetic disturbance, is a short burst of electromagnetic energy. Such a pulse's origination may be a natural occurrence or man-made and can occur as a radiated, electric or magnetic field or a conducted electric current, depending on the source. Check out the article on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_pulse. Watch S4E17: "Easy Target" on CBS's website or check the alternative streamability of this episode here.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: April 24th, 1989 --- An assassination has been planned and not even the shooter knows when it's coming MISSION: MacGyver and Jack Dalton are set to recieve high honors from a foreign government, but someone intends to stage an assassination at the ceremony using someone within the Phoenix Foundation. This week's highlights include: House of mirrors (Theme park attraction) A house of mirrors or hall of mirrors is a traditional attraction at funfairs (carnivals) and amusement parks. The basic concept behind a house of mirrors is to be a maze-like puzzle. In addition to the maze, participants are also given mirrors as obstacles, and glass panes to parts of the maze they cannot yet get to. Sometimes the mirrors may be distorted because of different curves, convex, or concave in the glass to give the participants unusual and confusing reflections of themselves, some humorous and others frightening. Check out the article on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_mirrors. Watch S

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: April 10th, 1989 --- A local prison break may have infiltrated MacGyver's new Phoenix-sponsored stress relief nature retreat. MISSION: MacGyver is alone in the woods with four strangers who all claim to work for Phoenix, but when details of a local prison break reach the group, everyone's identity is thrown into question. This week's highlights include: Here is the MacGyver Project conversation with Stephen Downing about his daughter Julie's work in this episode. Holly (Botany) Ilex /ˈaɪlɛks/, or holly, is a genus of 400 to 600 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. The species are evergreen or deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers from tropics to temperate zones worldwide. The fruits are generally slightly toxic to humans, and can cause vomiting and diarrhea when ingested. Check out the article on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holly. Watch S4E15: "The Invisible Killer" on CBS's website or check the alternative s