History. Rated R.

I'll be posting one more episode here in the MREP feed for you listeners who haven't yet subscribed. But head over to our show page on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your pods and subscribe to History. Rated R. to keep hearing Craig and I's dulcet tones!
President James K. Polk wanted more shit (read: more land). So he sacrifices some soldiers in Texas to motivate going to war with Mexico to take more of their land. Only they got it from Indigenous Peoples before them. This begins the Mexican-American war and a long history of coming around to saying, "no one is illegal on stolen land." Plus, the Atta Boy cocktail and the history of its bartender inventor Harry Craddock. (Shout out to Carrie Frazier!) Stir one up and drink along with us!
The Atta Boy
2 parts dry gin
1 part dry vermouth
1/4 tsp grenadine
Garnish with an aspired orange rind
Stir with ice and strain into a chilled glass.

Andrew Jackson was a big ol' piece a sh*t! And his bid for the President lasted six years. Outside of being responsible for the massacre and mistreatment of indigenous people amongst other awful things, he also...invented the bandwagon? Let's take this guy off the $20 for God's sake.
Also, the history of lasagna! Cook, listen, and eat with us using Craig's recipe below!
CRAIG'S LASAGNA (for four)
Before you start cooking you should read through the recipe to make sure you have all the ingredients prepared and ready to use:
Step 1: Cover the bottom of a sauce pan with olive oil, place over a burner, and raise burner to medium heat.  Add half a cup of chopped red onion and half a cup of Anaheim chillies (or green pepper).  Stir and cook until onions are translucent.
Step 2: Add three chopped garlic cloves and a pound of Italian sausage to the onion mixture.  Mix thoroughly until meat is cooked.
Step 3: Add one can of diced tomatoes and one small can of tomato paste to the meat and onion mix.  Sprinkle with a tablespoon of dried oregano and a tablespoon of  dried basil.  Add salt to taste. Stir in half a cup of water.
Step 4: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and place 6 strips of lasagna noodles in the pot.  Cook for eight minutes and then remove the strips from the water with tongues and place the strips on a non-stick surface.
Step 5: Lightly coat a loaf pan with oil and then place a thin layer of the meat sauce on the bottom.
Step 6: Place two strips of lasagna noodles over the meat sauce, then spoon a layer of meat sauce over the noodles.  Cover the meat sauce with a checkerboard of diced mozzarella and half teaspoons of ricotta cheese.
Step 7: Place two strips of lasagna noodles of the cheese, then spoon a layer of meat sauce over the noodles.Cover the meat sauce with a checkerboard of diced mozzarella and half teaspoons of ricotta cheese.
Step 8: Cover the cheese with two strips of lasagna noodles, then cover the noodles with the remaining meat sauce.  Sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese.
Step 9: Heat your oven to 375 degrees, place the loaf pan in the oven for 45 minutes.
Step 10: Remove the lasagna from the oven, slice and serve.
WILL'S APPLEBEES-KNEES QUESADILLA APPETIZER
Saute jalapenos, garlic, and red onion in 1 tbsp of butter and a dash of salt, pepper, and cumin. Add to a tortilla lined with Kraft American cheese. Top with another tortilla. Fry in 1 tbsp of high smoke point oil until crispy on one side, then flip and fry the other side until crispy and cheese is melted.

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Motivation Report fans, have you listened to History. Rated R. yet?? Head on over to the showpage on apple, spotify, and wherever you get yuor podcasts to rate, review, and subscribe so you don't miss an episode of my new podcast!
Andrew Jackson was a big ol' piece a sh*t! And his bid for the President lasted six years. Outside of being responsible for the massacre and mistreatment of indigenous people amongst other awful things, he also...invented the bandwagon? Let's take this guy off the $20 for God's sake.
Also, the history of lasagna! Cook, listen, and eat with us using Craig's recipe below!
CRAIG'S LASAGNA (for four)
Before you start cooking you should read through the recipe to make sure you have all the ingredients prepared and ready to use:
Step 1: Cover the bottom of a sauce pan with olive oil, place over a burner, and raise burner to medium heat.  Add half a cup of chopped red onion and half a cup of Anaheim chillies (or green pepper).  Stir and cook until onions are translucent.
Step 2: Add three chopped garlic cloves and a pound of Italian sausage to the onion mixture.  Mix thoroughly until meat is cooked.
Step 3: Add one can of diced tomatoes and one small can of tomato paste to the meat and onion mix.  Sprinkle with a tablespoon of dried oregano and a tablespoon of  dried basil.  Add salt to taste. Stir in half a cup of water.
Step 4: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and place 6 strips of lasagna noodles in the pot.  Cook for eight minutes and then remove the strips from the water with tongues and place the strips on a non-stick surface.
Step 5: Lightly coat a loaf pan with oil and then place a thin layer of the meat sauce on the bottom.
Step 6: Place two strips of lasagna noodles over the meat sauce, then spoon a layer of meat sauce over the noodles.  Cover the meat sauce with a checkerboard of diced mozzarella and half teaspoons of ricotta cheese.
Step 7: Place two strips of lasagna noodles of the cheese, then spoon a layer of meat sauce over the noodles.Cover the meat sauce with a checkerboard of diced mozzarella and half teaspoons of ricotta cheese.
Step 8: Cover the cheese with two strips of lasagna noodles, then cover the noodles with the remaining meat sauce.  Sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese.
Step 9: Heat your oven to 375 degrees, place the loaf pan in the oven for 45 minutes.
Step 10: Remove the lasagna from the oven, slice and serve.
WILL'S APPLEBEES-KNEES QUESADILLA APPETIZER
Saute jalapenos, garlic, and shallots in 1 tbsp of butter and a dash of salt, pepper, and cumin. Add to a tortilla lined with Kraft American cheese. Top with another tortilla. Fry in 1 tbsp of high smoke point oil until crispy on one side, then flip and fry the other side until crispy and cheese is melted.

We have DNA evidence that Thomas Jefferson slept with Sally Hemings, a biracial enslaved woman that he owned (and fathered the children of). So, John Adams tells his son to spread word of this to the papers to try to do Jefferson dirty. In retaliation, Thomas Jefferson accuses John Adams of procuring prostitues for the Czar of Russia (fake news). How did these former friends and founding fathers become bitter rivals in their race for the Presidency?
Plus, the history of the martini! Want to sip along while you listen? Here's Craig's recipe for our shared cocktail of choice.
Dr. Craig R. Smith's INFAMOUS Gin Martini
In a shaker with ice...a splash of vodka (calm down!), half a cap of dry vermouth, two ounces London dry gin. Shake twenty times. Pour into chilled martini glasses. Garnish with a stuffed olive, lemon twist, or slice of cucumber.

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Motivation Report fans!! I'm debuting my new podcasting here to help move any of you who still have love in your hearts for ol' Will Sterling. Head on over to the History. Rated R. showpage on Apple, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts, subscribe, rate, review, you know the drill. Don't miss out!
We have DNA evidence that Thomas Jefferson slept with Sally Hemings, a biracial enslaved woman that he owned (and fathered the children of). So, John Adams tells his son to spread word of this to the papers to try to do Jefferson dirty. In retaliation, Thomas Jefferson accuses John Adams of procuring prostitues for the Czar of Russia (fake news). How did these former friends and founding fathers become bitter rivals in their race for the Presidency?
Plus, the history of the martini! Want to sip along while you listen? Here's Craig's recipe for our shared cocktail of choice.
Dr. Craig R. Smith's INFAOUS Gin Martini
In a shaker with ice...a splash of vodka (calm down!), half a cap of dry vermouth, two ounces London dry gin. Shake twenty times. Pour into chilled martini glasses. Garnish with a stuffed olive, lemon twist, or slice of cucumber.

Premiering Friday Januray 21st...History. Rated R.
Let's be honest. History is full of f*cked up sh*t. But what are we gonna do, pretend like it never happened? Have a drink with your host, actor and writer Will Sterling, and his more qualified former Presidential Speechwriting co-host, Dr. Craig Smith. They unpack the silly, salacious, scandalous, and serious stuff in history. If we don't learn from the past, we're doomed to repeat it. So let's at least try to do it with honesty and, wherever possible, a laugh.

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After almost 4 years and 69 episodes, The Motivation Report has reached its final chapter. It has been an undeniably incredible adventure in producing this show. And before I moved on to something new, it was important to me to give the show the ending it deserves. I am a sucker for a good ending, after all.
I am so filled with gratitude for your listenership, for sharing these life lessons I've learned along the way. Because, as it turns out, in the end the lessons were not just mine to impart to you. They were also mine to learn. I have become a better man because of this show. Because of you. Thank you for listening. Thank you for supporting. Thank you for writing in. It will always be one of the most important creative projects of my life. Where I am going I could not have gone, without The Motivation Report. And without you. So, wherever that may be, I hope you'll join me on that next adventure.
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Is it possible to entirely eliminate suffering from your life? And even if you could, what would your life ACTUALLY look like? We tend to think that finding happiness or peace within our lives requires the elimination suffering. But if there were no bad day, how could we know and appreciate the good days? Suffering isn't simply a byproduct of bad decisions, it is a necessity in life. Unfortunately, you will suffer. But if you can find the tools to help you properly deal with that pain, only then you will come into a place of knowing how to be truly happy. If you can't hide from pain, why not learn to fight it?
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"Cancel culture" has come to represent a lot of things. For some, it's a necessity in order to remove from positions of influence and power, people who are toxic. But for others, it almost feels like no one is safe. Everyone's past has transgressions, and should we be held to the fire for who we used to be or is it more important to focus on the growth and change of who we are becoming? If we hold one another to the standard of perfection, we have no other option but to fail. So let's cancel perfection. Let's become better. Let's be who we are meant to be.
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Sonder is the new series I've co-created with my writing partner and guest this episode, Alex Wall. Sonder is defined as, "The profound feeling of realizing that everyone, including strangers passed in the street, has a life as complex as one's own, which they are constantly living despite one's personal lack of awareness of it." We've created a show to explore that, and help discuss how important compassion and patience are for everyone you interact with in your day to day. Give it a follow on Instagram now to stay up to date and catch episodes when it premieres October 16th. @sonder.la.
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