Is it Alright - Balance of Power (Track 5 of 10)

Aaron:

CIA CASE STUDY

Name: Joe Murock
Age: 24
Height: 5' 11
Sex: Male

Joe seems to be suffering from a rare condition called "Gregor's Indecision Syndrome". People with this tend to exhibit a severe decrease in their reasoning and confidence abilities. In short, they are never certain whether anything they do is acceptable. We found Joe in the local supermarket. This is a recording of our first encounter.

CIA: Excuse me, I'm Agent Bronson from the CIA. We've received a call saying that you have been in this store for the past 12 hours muttering to yourself and causing a public nuisance.

Joe: Is it alright if I poke your nose?

CIA: Erm...no, I would appreciate if you didn't. Could you please explain to us what is going on here?

Joe: Is it alright if I buy this can of squashed peas?

CIA: You can buy the peas after you answer our questions.

Joe: Is it alright if I answer your questions?

CIA: It's more than alright, it's what we want. Please stop fooling around or we will have to escort you out of here.

*At this point Joe poked Agent Bronson's nose*

CIA: Goddamnit Joe! I said that wasn't alright!


This continued on for the next hour or so. Agent Bronson is highly trained, but even his patience began to wear out. Joe was taken in for questioning later that day. He is now being help in confinement in the Doctor's ward. As soon as we get the report back from his tests earlier today we will begin the rehabilitation. But I wonder, is it alright to be doing this to a normal citizen? Is it alright to take him away from his home and family without telling them? Is it alright if....

END CASE STUDY

Ethan:

Johnathan Holding's first entry into the public eye was on the game show "Quiz Whiz" which aired on November 12th, 1985. Holding's perfect score on the show along with his intimidating, shy stage presence, brought him to the attention of Ed Burbank, the producer of "Jeopardy". Jonathan appeared on "Jeopardy" on February 1st, 1986. He stayed on the show for a record 26 episodes, earning a total of $828,960. Throughout his run, Holding was known for his tendency to answer questions moving horizontally along the rows of the board, instead of vertically down the columns as is usual. On March 4th, 1986, Holding's wife, Trisha, was diagnosed with stomach cancer. On March 8th, Holding was defeated by Marcus Frier after incorrectly answering the "Final Jeopardy" question.

Johnathan became a quasi-celebrity during and after his Jeopardy run. He was featured on the cover of "TIME" magazine and appeared on various talk show programs. He enjoyed his popularity while it lasted, and eventually went back to work at his old job, as a train conductor.

Two years after Holding's streak on Jeopardy, Vanessa Osborne, a former makeup artist who worked for NBC, came out with the claim that she had been in an affair with Johnathan at the time of his appearances on the show. She claimed that she had been supplying the questions to Holding throughout the majority of the show's run. Despite questionable evidence and the fact that Osborne refused to explain how she received the questions, Holding's reputation was destroyed. NBC made him return his winnings, but due to recent medical treatment for his wife, Holding was unable to pay.

Public opinion of Holding was bitter. He was often spit upon while walking down the street, and his house was vandalized on numerous occasions. He was forced to step down from his job as a train conductor, as he would be recognized and abused by the passengers. Holding disappeared from the public eye.

On February 1st, 1970, four years after his loss on Jeopardy, Holding was discovered dead in his apartment by his landlord. His wife had died two days before.

Upon hearing of Holding's suicide, Vanessa Osborne confessed to making up the story about Holding. Some public pressure was put on NBC to donate Holding's winnings to a foundation for cancer research, but no donation was made.