Anja Shortland is a professor of political economy at King’s College, London who specializes in the economics of crime. She is the author of Kidnap: Inside the Ransom Business and Lost Art: The Art Loss Register Casebook Volume One. What We Discuss with Anja Shortland: How many people are kidnapped every year for ransom, and how many actually return from the ordeal alive? What incentives do kidnappers have to treat hostages nonviolently and bargain for their release in good faith? How do insurers keep vulnerable clients from letting down their guard once a policy has been obtained? The protection theory that explains how crime organizations (e.g., the mafia) effectively stabilize the kidnap-for-ransom industry. Why offering a higher ransom than demanded is the worst strategy for ensuring a hostage's safe release. And much more... Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/651 Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course! Miss our conversation with Somali pirate hostage Michael Scott Moore? Catch up with episode 115: Michael Scott Moore | What It’s Really like to Be a Pirate Hostage here! Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) is an associate professor in global politics at University College London, host of the Power Corrupts podcast, and author of Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us. What We Discuss with Brian Klaas: How accurate was historian Lord Acton's assessment that "power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely"? Why do people become corrupt? Is it the system working on them from the outside or something in human nature working on them from within? What kind of people become corrupt? Is everyone susceptible to corruption's temptations? When it comes to corruption, should our leaders be held to higher standards than the rest of us? How can we create fair systems to incentivize people to resist corruption in favor of the straight and narrow? And much more... Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/650 Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course! Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Parental plans for an arranged marriage threaten a lesbian couple's future. Welcome to Feedback Friday! Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/649

Susan Cain (@susancain) is, in her own words, an "unlikely" award-winning speaker, and bestselling author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. Her latest book is Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole. [Note: This is a previously broadcast episode from the vault that we felt deserved a fresh pass through your earholes!]  What We Discuss with Susan Cain: How “quiet” came to be a pejorative term as the West urbanized and placed more value on personality (extroversion) over character (introversion). Better ways to understand our introverted friends (or selves). Action steps for introverts to become more social. Why being an introvert might actually be an advantage — in social situations, negotiation, and creative pursuits. Why brainstorming doesn’t work and is mostly a social exercise vs. a creative one. And much more... Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/648 Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course! Miss our conversation with producer, author, and Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey? Catch up with episode 455: Matthew McConaughey | Following Life’s Greenlights to Success here! Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Karim Hijazi (@karimhijazi) is the founder, chairman, and CEO of cyber intelligence company Prevailion, and creator and host of The Introverted Iconoclast podcast. What We Discuss with Karim Hijazi: How vulnerable is the Internet and how much of our current infrastructure would suffer if it were to go down tomorrow? What are the biggest threats to the security of your privacy, your bank account, your company, and your country? How cyber warfare can lead to kinetic (i.e., real) warfare with physical consequences. Why the current efforts of companies and governments to mitigate digital security risks are woefully insufficient. What are our best practices for staying as safe from cyber attacks as possible? And much more... Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/647 Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course! Miss the show we did with award-winning cybersecurity journalist Nicole Perlroth? Catch up with episode 542: Nicole Perlroth | Who’s Winning the Cyberweapons Arms Race? here! Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

How concerned should you be about expiration dates stamped on items you buy from the grocery store? Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian, and podcast host David C. Smalley break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions. Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/646 On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss: What really determines the expiration date that gets stamped on an item from the grocery store? Is there a difference between "sell by," "buy by," and "use before" expiration warnings? What federal regulations dictate expiration dates for the protection of the consumer? How dangerous is it to ignore an expiration date on something like a gallon of milk, and what variables might change this? Why most cases of food poisoning have very little to do with the lackadaisical observance of expiration dates, and how you should really be gauging if something is still fit for consumption. And much more! Connect with Jordan on Twitter, on Instagram, and on YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know! Connect with David at his website, on Twitter, on Instagram, on TikTok, and on YouTube, and make sure to check out The David C. Smalley Podcast here or wherever you enjoy listening to fine podcasts! If you like to get out of your house and catch live comedy, keep an eye on David's tour dates here and text David directly at (424) 306-0798 for tickets when he comes to your town! Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course! Miss the show we did with Molly Bloom — the woman behind the most exclusive, high-stakes underground poker game in the world? Catch up here with episode 120: Molly Bloom | The One Who Makes the Rules Wins the Game!

Everyone knows that when tweetle beetles fight, it's called a tweetle beetle battle. But bridesmaids brawling at a bachelorette bash just make wedding plans more of a pain in the ass. Now, to fend off further fighting, the bride must decide who she's disinviting. Boo, hoo! But who? Which one gets the axe; which one gets to stay? We hope to find out this Feedback Friday! And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in! Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/645 On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss: After a brawl between two bridesmaids at the bachelorette bash, the bride now has to disinvite one to the wedding. But who should she choose? Does Jordan Harbinger ever get tired of saying "Jordan Harbinger?" Aside from this one, have Gabe or Jordan ever done any weird jobs? Just because an oil is classified as "essential" doesn't mean it's necessary to put it on your family's food, right? Right? Do we ever get generous offers from shady sponsors? What’s the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to Jordan and Gabe (that they're willing to fess up to)? Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com! Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger. Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi. Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course! Miss our interview with Bar Rescue‘s Jon Taffer? Catch up with episode 142: Jon Taffer | Raising Your Bar and Crushing All Excuses here! Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider leaving your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Laowhy86 (@laowhy86) -- aka Matthew Tye, aka C-Milk -- shared the good, the bad, and the ugly aspects of life as an American in China on his YouTube channel for 10 years until he caught the attention of the CCP and barely escaped. This is his story. [This is part two of a two-part episode. Make sure to listen to part one here first!] What We Discuss with Laowhy86: What the Chinese social credit system is, the factors that increase or diminish someone's score, and the consequences someone with a low score faces. How the Kremlin is cribbing the Chinese Communist Party's propaganda playbook for its own nefarious purposes. Why, after 10 years of having mostly positive things to say about life in China, Laowhy86 suddenly found himself on the run from the authorities and barely escaping the country. How Laowhy86 went from lifestyle vlogging to covering things mainstream journalists couldn't (or wouldn't) touch. Myths perpetrated by the CCP that need to be dispelled. And much more... Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/644 Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course! Miss our two-parter with wrongfully imprisoned Erik Aude? Catch up by starting with episode 147: Erik Aude | Imprisoned in Pakistan for a Crime He Didn’t Commit Part One here! Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Laowhy86 (@laowhy86) -- aka Matthew Tye, aka C-Milk -- shared the good, the bad, and the ugly aspects of life as an American in China on his YouTube channel for 10 years until he caught the attention of the CCP and barely escaped. This is his story.  [This is part one of a two-part episode. Stay tuned for the second part later this week!] What We Discuss with Laowhy86: What the Chinese social credit system is, the factors that increase or diminish someone's score, and the consequences someone with a low score faces. How the Kremlin is cribbing the Chinese Communist Party's propaganda playbook for its own nefarious purposes. Why, after 10 years of having mostly positive things to say about life in China, Laowhy86 suddenly found himself on the run from the authorities and barely escaping the country. How Laowhy86 went from lifestyle vlogging to covering things mainstream journalists couldn't (or wouldn't) touch. Myths perpetrated by the CCP that need to be dispelled. And much more... Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/643 Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course! Miss the conversation we had with scambuster Coffeezilla? Catch up with episode 368: Coffeezilla | How to Expose Fake Guru Scams here! Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Several violent encounters with your erratic, mentally ill neighbor over the years leave you constantly in fear of his return. In spite of being a repeat felon, the law doesn't seem to be doing much to keep him in check -- leaving him to run loose as a danger to himself and others. What can you do to keep your family safe from this menace to your community? We'll try to find an answer to this and more here on Feedback Friday! And in case you didn't already know it, Jordan Harbinger (@JordanHarbinger) and Gabriel Mizrahi (@GabeMizrahi) banter and take your comments and questions for Feedback Friday right here every week! If you want us to answer your question, register your feedback, or tell your story on one of our upcoming weekly Feedback Friday episodes, drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com. Now let's dive in! Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/642 On This Week's Feedback Friday, We Discuss: How can you keep your family safe from the violent maniac who lives in your neighborhood when the long arm of the law seems short-handed? [Thanks to attorney Corbin Payne for helping us field this one!] How can you enjoy your passion for travel while maintaining strong relationships and creating new ones? While you fear being alone, is it worth staying in a relationship that's guaranteed to lead to marriage when your partner's many flaws -- including that time they cheated on you -- give you cause for concern? When faith forbids your attraction to people of the same sex, is it possible to "pray the gay away?" You've been following along with the lessons from Six-Minute Networking, but you're only 16. Do the same strategies for networking as an adult apply to teenagers? Have any questions, comments, or stories you'd like to share with us? Drop us a line at friday@jordanharbinger.com! Connect with Jordan on Twitter at @JordanHarbinger and Instagram at @jordanharbinger. Connect with Gabriel on Twitter at @GabeMizrahi. Sign up for Six-Minute Networking -- our free networking and relationship development mini course -- at jordanharbinger.com/course! Miss our two-part conversation with North Korean defector and activist Yeonmi Park? Start catching up with episode 578: Yeonmi Park | A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom Part One here! Like this show? Please...