Finneran's Wake

Long withheld from public view, the video of Paul Pelosi's cudgeling by David DePape was finally released by authorities in San Francisco. The harrowing clip, widely accessible on YouTube, shows a flat-footed officer intervening to separate the two men. 

Pelosi, an elderly man in his 8th decade of life, suffered a fractured skull and was knocked unconscious for about 3 minutes. By all accounts, he has not yet, and perhaps never fully will recuperate from the injuries he sustained that night. DePape, a peculiar character of Canadian extraction, was apprehended and is facing many years in prison. 

The second and more disquieting video shows the altercation between Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old father and FedEx employee, and the Memphis police. For having allegedly violated a routine traffic law, the officers stopped and detained Nichols. After he apparently evaded arrest, the officers descended upon and mercilessly beat him. 

Nichols, a black man, died of his injuries at the hospital a few days later. The five police officers, also black, have since been relieved of their posts and charged with second degree murder.

What were your first impressions upon watching these videos? 

What do they say about police in America? 

What about the narrative of race? 

The fourth realm of the the ninth circle of Dante's Inferno is reserved for those who betray their benefactors and are unfaithful to their friends. In the fallout of the Steven Crowder/Daily Wire controversy, some people are prepared to open up the gates of hell and toss Mr. Crowder into its fiery depths. 

In this video, I give my opinions and a little bit of commentary on the situation, as I understand it. 

Embarrassingly, the microphone failed to capture the music for the intro! Aside from that, comment below with your thoughts. With whom do you line up: Crowder? or the Daily Wire?

Visit my website at finneranswake.com and send me your thoughts at [email protected]

Visit my meditation and wellness podcast at "Pneuma by Daniel Finneran"

In this episode of "Our Thought Bubble", my father and I discuss the shocking revelation that President Biden was in unlawful possession of classified documents dating back to his tenure as VP six years ago. 

This is the same infraction, a "strict liability" crime, over which the FBI raided former President Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. More importantly, it appeared to be one of a few crimes on which House Democrats and Biden's DOJ were hoping to indict him. 

That seems less likely to happen now. 

Some points on which we expand in this video: our system has an issue with over-classifying documents; as VP, Biden lacked the power to declassify documents; Trump, as president, enjoyed that power, although it's unclear if it occurred to him to exercise it in a punctual manner; the press immediately granted Biden the "benefit of the doubt", assuming nothing nefarious in his retention of documents; the same press immediately accused Trump of purloining  and trading the codes to our nuclear arsenal; Trump's recalcitrance v. Biden's compliance; Hunter Biden's involvement; etc. 

Toward the end, we discuss Tesla's announcement that it would be reducing the prices of its two cars: the Models 3 and Y. My Dad, a close follower of automobile trends, provides some clarity on the situation. 

Visit our sites, finneranswake.com and ourtoughtbubble.com. Check out my instagram page (Daniel Finneran) for some shorts from this episode. 

Comment Below!

Stoicism–named for the stoa (or covered walkway) under whose cooling shade Athenian citizens gathered and philosophers lectured–is a philosophy whose influence has stretched across the ages. It was, so many centuries ago, a philosophy to which much of the classical world subscribed. Today, despite our distaste for all things “old” (how boring!), it remains a school of thought from which we can derive many benefits. 

Brittany Polat, who’s devoted much of her life to studying and popularizing these benefits, is an author, mother, board member of multiple Stoic organizations, and creator of Stoicare, a 501c3 whose noble aim is to “share Stoicism as a holistic system of wisdom”. She was gracious enough to join me for a few hours to discuss this school of thought of which she’s such an enthusiastic and well-versed champion. 

I can’t wait to share her wisdom with you!

This episode will teach you…

The history of Stoicism; the most important Stoic thinkers with whom you should be familiar; the life of Marcus Aurelius; the Eastern influences on Stoicism; the connection between Buddhism and Stoicism; the compatibility between our Judeo-Christian tradition and Stoicism; how to employ Stoicism as a PARENT raising young children; the difference between mere mindfulness, and stoic meditation; Stoic figures throughout history; whether or not George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were stoics; how to implement a daily journaling practice; the importance of Viktor Frankl; The search for meaning in life; Rationality and Society–the two fundamental features of our species;

And much more! 

Timestamp: 

0:00 Introduction

2:00 A Journey back to ancient Greece

4:54 Happiness as the “Ultimate Good”

6:05 Epicureanism v. Stoicism

12:05 The role of Socrates

15:10 Meet the Stoics! The Cast of Characters

22:20 Similarities Between Marcus Aurelius and George Washington

29:30 Eastern influences on Stoicism

34:00 Heraclitus 

41:29 Do Stoics believe in God? 

46:23 What does Stoicism provide that Christianity lacks? 

51:31 Why Materialism has prevailed

58:10 Viktor Frankl

1:04:48 How to Parent like a Stoic

1:08:00 Are some people born Stoics? 

1:09:46 Developing a (daily) Journaling practice

1:13:40 The Difference between Mindfulness and Stoic Meditation

1:16:11 What inspired you to write this book? 

1:20:45 How do you find peace with those around you? 

1:24:24 The Serenity Prayer

1:29:48 Is Stoicism ANTI-Social? 

1:36:29 From Linguistics to Stoicism

1:40:28 Modern Stoics

1:47:00 Closing Thoughts

Brittany’s stuff: 

Books she referenced: 

“The Handbook of the Stoic Tradition” https://www.amazon.com/Routledge-Handbook-Tradition-Handbooks-Philosophy/dp/1138574104/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2REEZVE6DM02&keywords=the+handbook+of+the+stoic+tradition&qid=1670525292&sprefix=the+handbook+of+the+stoic+tradition%2Caps%2C88&sr=8-1. 

“A Case For God” 

https://www.amazon.com/Case-God-Karen-Armstrong/dp/0307389804/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1048DEJJZJMYI&keywords=karen+armstrong+a+case+for+god&qid=1670525327&sprefix=karen+armstrong+a+cas%2Caps%2C86&sr=8-1

“Some Do Care”

https://www.amazon.com/Some-Do-Care-Anne-Colby/dp/0029063566/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2E0FATB5YF5AT&keywords=some+do+care&qid=1670525379&sprefix=some+do+care%2Caps%2C86&sr=8-2

Links to her books: 

“Journal like a Stoic” 

https://www.amazon.com/Journal-Like-Stoic-Acceptance-Intentionality/dp/0593435893/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3YIUV8V38CEM&keywords=brittany+polat&qid=1670525424&sprefix=brittany+polat%2Caps%2C94&sr=8-1

“Tranquility Parenting”

https://www.amazon.com/Tranquility-Parenting-Staying-Mindful-Engaged/dp/1538112426/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3YIUV8V38CEM&keywords=brittany+polat&qid=1670525453&sprefix=brittany+polat%2Caps%2C94&sr=8-2

Brittany’s website: 

https://www.livinginagreement.com/about

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/brittanypolat

My Stuff: 

Finneran’s Wake

Listen to this and all episodes on your favorite podcast streaming service: 

Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/74eUg83Q8zOgaRA5EBuzyl?si=871b6aa8082146af. 

Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finnerans-wake/id1560923796. 

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Please, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or send me a message (to which, I assure you, I’ll promptly respond!) 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100080972774597

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielethanfinneran/

Twitter: @DanielEFinneran

Email me at [email protected] 

Whether you’re a Stoic or an Epicurean; an Aristotelian or a Platonist, leave a comment below! Let’s make the comments section a veritable school of Athens. 

Hello there, friends! 

On this episode of “Our Thought Bubble”, my father and I discuss… 

The results of the Georgia Senate run-off election, of which the Democrat incumbent, Raphael Warnock, was declared the victor; the fulfillment of our prediction that this would, in fact, be the result; our opinions on the man whom everyone loves to hate, Elon Musk; Musk’s recruitment of Matt Taibbi to divulge the much-anticipated “Twitter Files”; Donald Trump’s response to their release; our opinion on Trump’s fitness for high office. 

Don’t forget!--

If you’re feeling charitable this time of the year, and are looking for a good, unusual cause to which to donate a few bucks, please, visit my Go Fund Me page. I’m raising money for victims affected by Hurricane Ian. I’ll be running across the state of Florida (100 miles) on 13 December 2022. 

100-mile run for Hurricane Ian Relief

Go Fund me: https://www.gofundme.com/f/100mile-run-for-hurricane-ian-relief?qid=17288d1e68b326d8bce68ce64dfdccbc 

One final thing...

What should my Dad’s Twitter handle be??? (top candidate thus far is @GardenStateGeezer)

Comment below with your suggestions!

Charles Love is the Executive Director of Seeking Educational Excellence, the host of The Charles Love Show, the co-host of the podcast, Cut the Bull, and the author of two books. 

Race, much more than class, persists in being the chief issue with which American society grapples–the timeless, contentious issue over which so many of our fights are still waged, and to which there appears to be no imminent resolution. In recent years, this struggle seems to have worsened, and one might be forgiven for thinking that racial harmony is a kind of impossible dream of which he ought to be disabused.This, at least, is the message promulgated by the likes of BLM, the 1619 Project, and the mysterious Movement for Black Lives–groups into which, with a rare combination of fearlessness and impartiality, my esteemed guest, Charles Love, probes.   

From this episode, you’ll learn…

The origins of BLM; the shadow organization by which it’s funded–the “Movement For Black Lives”; how to appreciate the New York Times’ 1619 Project; the merits and demerits of this historico-journalistic endeavor; the sincerity of those who advocate“Anti-Racism” (Nikole Hannah-Jones, Ibram X. Kendi); why black Republicans are the Democrats’ betes noire; why black Americans disproportionately support Democrats; the meaning of “Progressive Racism”; what we can do to become a color-blind society; and much more! 

Timestamps

0:00 Introduction

2:15 What is the definition of “Progressive Racism”? 

7:08 What’s been the effect of Progressive Racism? 

11:50 What are the TRUE motivations of Progressivism? 

14:16 Is it all a Grift? 

17:00 Comments on Ibram X. Kendi and Nikole Hannah-Jones

24:55 LGBTQIA and BLM: Strange bedfellows

33:00 Marxism and BLM

40:10 The Movement for Black Lives: the puppet master 

47:12 Why does the Left dislike Black Conservatives? 

55:00 Origins of the Republican Party

1:06:00 Conclusion

Links

Race Crazy: BLM, 1619, and the Progressive Racism Movement: https://www.amazon.com/Race-Crazy-Progressive-Racism-Movement/dp/1642938416/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1W1774DKEY1G0&keywords=charles+love&qid=1669859753&sprefix=charles+love%2Caps%2C111&sr=8-1

The Charles Love Show (main website) 

https://thecharleslove.com/

Cut the Bull podcast

https://www.cutthebullpodcast.com/

The Movement For Black Lives

https://m4bl.org/

Twitter

@CDouglasLove3

The web’s most dynamic (and handsome) father and son duo are at it again! In this episode, we reflect on the huge, earthshaking, history-making announcement for which we’ve all been waiting: Donald Trump will seek the presidency in 2024. 

Should he succeed in escaping the Republican Primary with the Party’s nomination, he’ll likely face down the dotard of Delaware, Scranton’s senescent son, Joseph R. Biden–the unintelligible incumbent against whom Trump battled, and to whom he lost, in 2020. 

We ask, is Trump’s nomination preordained? Is there no one (Ron DeSantis) by whom he might be challenged and, God willing, replaced? 

Join us as we talk about these and many other issues. 

Timeline

0:00 Introduction and Banter

6:12 Why did Trump announce so soon? 

10:27 How will history judge Donald Trump? 

14:53 Dad’s predictions for 2024 contest

20:10 Reproductive Rights and the “Threat” to democracy

22:17 Some playful hypotheticals: Is DeSantis the new Reagan? Will Gavin Newsom be the president for 11 years? 

28:00 The gerontocracy 

31:00 A message to younger leaders: where are you? 

35:34 What should House Republicans do? 

51:50 Will Republicans tire of Trump? 

55:30 George Washington 

Please leave a comment and subscribe! 

Mark Schrad is a professor in the department of political science at Villanova University, over whose “Russian Area Studies” he presides as director. 

Professor Schrad is the author of three books: The Political Power of Bad Ideas; Vodka Politics; and, his latest work, Smashing the Liquor Machine (to which, if interested in their purchase, I’ll include links below). 

We sip our spirits, imbibe our beers, and become giddy over the prospect of tasting an evening’s dram of liquor, without ever really thinking about the history hidden behind these potent drinks. We look forward, with unsuppressable glee, to the decanting, the toasting, the clinking, and, more than anything else, the delicious imbibing to which these merry libations call us. 

And yet, at the bottom of your shot of vodka, your glass of gin, your cup of rum, your drop of whiskey, there mingles among the dregs a sordid tale. It’s a tale of state control; extortionate taxes; the intoxication of the citizenry; the raising of revenue by immoral means; the introduction of addictive beverages to colonized peoples abroad; the response of humane “progressives”; the push toward Prohibition; and the many setbacks encountered along the way. 

From this episode, you’ll learn…

A bit about modern, domestic politics from a university professor in the Keystone state; the results of the 2022 midterm elections; the ongoing War between Russia and Ukraine; the role that alcohol played throughout history in raising revenue for the state; the meaning of “alco-imperialism”; the difference between fermented and distilled beverages; how alcohol affected indigenous peoples; why we should re-acquaint ourselves with typewriters; and much more! 

Time Stamps

0:00 Introduction 

1:21 Analysis of midterm election results in Pennsylvania 

9:32 Fetterman’s Unusual Campaign and Triumph

11:40 Will Pennsylvania fix its electoral process? 

14:56 General reflections on the (national) election results 

18:14 Update on the Ukraine-Russia War

23:49 Was Ukraine wise to continue the fight? 

26:38 Why Alcohol? 

36:27 Alcohol as a Revenue-Raiser

49:09 What is “Alco-Imperialism”? 

54:41 Fermentation v. Distillation

1:00:45 Who was the WORST offender in the West? 

1:09:40 Temperance and Prohibition

1:13:29 What does “Manhattan” mean? 

1:15:20 Typewriters: An archaic avocation

1:26:59 Conclusion 

Links to Professor Schrad’s books: 

Smashing the Liquor Machine - https://www.amazon.com/Smashing-Liquor-Machine-History-Prohibition/dp/0190841575/ref=sr_1_1?crid=OZ6ZM0PDFODE&keywords=mark+lawrence+schrad&qid=1668739929&sprefix=mark+lawrence+schrad%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-1.

Vodka Politics - https://www.amazon.com/Vodka-Politics-audiobook/dp/B00JPLEPVU/ref=sr_1_2?crid=OZ6ZM0PDFODE&keywords=mark+lawrence+schrad&qid=1668739961&sprefix=mark+lawrence+schrad%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-2. 

Bad Ideas - https://www.amazon.com/Political-Power-Bad-Ideas-Institutions/dp/0195391233/ref=sr_1_3?crid=OZ6ZM0PDFODE&keywords=mark+lawrence+schrad&qid=1668739961&sprefix=mark+lawrence+schrad%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-3. 

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Finneran’s Wake

Listen to this and all episodes on your favorite podcast streaming service: 

Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/74eUg83Q8zOgaRA5EBuzyl?si=871b6aa8082146af. 

Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finnerans-wake/id1560923796. 

–

Please, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or send me a message (to which, I assure you, I’ll promptly respond!) 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100080972774597

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielethanfinneran/

Twitter: @DanielEFinneran

Email me at [email protected] 

In this (experimental) episode, my father and I sit down in the shady comfort of our back patio to discuss the shocking results of the 2022 midterm elections, in which the Republicans vastly underperformed even the most modest of expectations. 

At the time of this episode’s posting, it appears that the Democrats will have gained at least one seat in the Senate, secured a few contentious governor races (most notably in Arizona and Michigan), and totally avoided the “Red Wave” in the House by which their comfortable majority was predicted to be wiped away.  

Behind the scenes, we were playing with a new microphone arrangement, which might explain the discrepancy in volume.

Be sure to let me know what you think of this episode! I’m planning to do more “patio” sessions in the future.

Send emails to [email protected]
Visit my website at finneranswake.com

Ignacio Zuleta is a Colombian lawyer, writer, and yogi. 

Born into politics, raised in the capital, trained as a lawyer…Ignacio’s career path appeared, until the transformative age of thirty (that strange moment in the life of a man at which epiphanies most often occur–just ask the Buddha, Joseph Smith, and Jesus) somewhat predictable: he’d ascend the ladder of his profession and society, accumulate wealth, acquire status, maybe run for office, and luxuriate in the fruits of his labor. 

No sooner had he reached his third decade than a spiritual awakening visited him, roused him, and forced him to alter his life’s pre-charted course. In response to this visitation, he sold all his possessions and stopped practicing law. He bid adieu to his family and uprooted himself from the soil out of which he grew. He purchased a one-way ticket to India, where he studied under expert yogis, among whom he now numbers himself. 

From this episode, you’ll learn…

How to commit to radical change; where to go to discover your truest, inmost passion; what it’s like to sell all your possessions, quit your job, bid farewell to your family and friends, and travel to the other side of the globe in pursuit of a dream; the importance of nature, and how to reconnect with her; the benefits of “grounding”; the power of Ayahuasca; if religion can be a drug; how to reach a “spiritual” state in our material world; Colombian politics; Gabriel Garcia Marquez; advice for the next generation; and much more! 

TIMESTAMP

0:00 Introduction

1:21 Lawyer, writer, master yogi - Ignacio’s Background 

5:44 From the West to the East: A shift in civilizations 

8:39 Yoga, Ayahuasca, and Marijuana

11:45 Is religion a drug? 

17:40 Yoga in Colombia v. Yoga in India

25:00 Our pursuit of the “spiritual” in a material world

28:59 The Benefits of Grounding

30:23 Ignacio’s daily routine 

33:15 Are Colombians better acquainted with nature? 

35:39 Is Nature mounting her “comeback”? 

39:09 A brief explanation of (current) Colombian politics

48:21 Colombian Literature, Gabriel Garcia Marquez 

52:06 Advice to young people who want to Change their lives

54:00 Know Thyself

54:23 Conclusion

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Finneran’s Wake

Listen to this and all episodes on your favorite podcast streaming service: 

Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/74eUg83Q8zOgaRA5EBuzyl?si=871b6aa8082146af. 

Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finnerans-wake/id1560923796. 

–

Please, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or send me a message (to which, I assure you, I’ll promptly respond!) 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100080972774597

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielethanfinneran/

Twitter: @DanielEFinneran

Email me at [email protected]