We are joined by special guest Matt Weiler to discuss the complicated mental malady that afflicts some of the millions who each year travel to Jerusalem, one of the oldest and most significant cities in human history.

We talk about a man who is consistently ranked as one of the worst American presidents in history, and the unfortunate scandal that gave him this reputation.

We discuss the career, music and tragic life of Townes Van Zandt, the songwriter’s songwriter. He was revered by some of the world’s best lyricists, but sidestepped mainstream fame and died in relative obscurity.

Songs discussed in this episode: 

I’ll Be Here in the Morning

Pancho and Lefty

Our Mother the Mountain

If I Needed You

For the Sake of the Song

To Live is to Fly

We discuss the only legitimately elected president of Equatorial Guinea and how his reign over the former Spanish colony was so destructive that, within a decade, the nation was in abject chaos.

Omnium-gatherum the fifth! This macédoine of an episode features eight unrelated but fascinating discussions. None of these brief topics could be an episode on their own, but they deserved to be heard so we created this salmagundi for your enjoyment.

We discuss with special guest Jeremy Moore the ill-fated Everest expedition of Mallory and Irvine, and the shocking clues they left behind about their mysterious ascent.

We discuss the pandemic that not only killed a shocking percentage of Europe during just a few years in the 1300s, but also shook the human species to its core, changing the course of history. We also discuss The Seventh Seal, the 1957 classic film depicting the angst and suffering of 14th century Swedes tormented by Death.