I was going to make this episode 666, because we are talking "The Prince of Darkness," after all...but I couldn't keep this episode on the backburner any longer!

In this episode, I look back at how Ozzy Osbourne made his mortality into a commercial punchline, and why I don't cringe too hard about it.

Who actually controls our elections? And just as important, who doesn’t?

Who Was Ali Khamenei?

Also, I look at why Khomeini's 1988 mass execution of political prisoners in Iran validates anarchic critiques of state power and theocratic/authoritarian ideologies.

A widening war in the Middle East is sending economic and military shockwaves well beyond the region. Here's a little background.

Then, when I record part 2, I will go more into Iran's history. That'll be fun!

Who or what are C.A.T.S. Eyes?

Today I'm talking about Elysium, the 2013 sci-fi action film directed by Neill Blomkamp, the same filmmaker who gave us District 9.

When the movie came out, Blomkamp said something that stuck with a lot of people. He pushed back on the idea that it was speculative science fiction. His point was simple: this isn’t about the future. It’s about right now.

Today, I'm talking about something a lot of people quietly worry about. Could a sitting U.S. president override an election? Could one person nullify the vote and stay in power? Could you have goofy hair and orange skin, like some abysmal, apocalyptic hell clown who seems like everything wrong with this country personified?

What separates us from machines?

What separates us from other animals?

And maybe the harder question: what separates us from each other?

I look at a literally tortured man who still loved the war machine, as well as Dubya and his war based on lies.

The Beatles, particularly in their early years, played their guitars relatively high on their bodies, often described as "chin-high."