Explore every episode of the podcast MARS MESSINA PRESENTS

Episode 153 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS finds us frolicking with Dorothy Gale & her friends towards the Land of Oz. We will explore this most popular and influential of stories, originally published as a book by L. Frank Baum in 1900 and ultimately made into a movie in 1939. We will take a look at all the characters, places and things that make Oz...Oz, or an Illusion. We will also notice striking similarities, through the symbolism, that the political tenor of turn of the (20th) century is like our sociopolitical weather of 2024. Let's just say, it ain't good, this cyclone in our back yard. What can we learn from this wonderful allegory? If we can learn anything, will we ever learn?

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For Episode 151 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS, BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF haunts the airwaves with three, very short eerie stories. Mars apologizes for being away for so long, but homework & studies hold her captive like the blood of a vampire.

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, either Venmo @mdm773 or Zelle mitchellmary773@gmail.com. Thank you.

Episode 150 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS talks about how humans and animal species cohabitate and mate throughout time, and we will touch of four different types of couplings: Monogamy, Polygyny, Polyandry, and Polyamory. We will talk about how humans were once naturally polygynous and how they became monogamous. We will touch on why polyandry and polyamory are relatively rare as compared to polygyny and monogamy. We will also talk about how lust may give way to true love.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF seals this episode with a kiss by my relating of a true love story of which I am aware.

To correspond, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Zelle mitchellmary773@gmail.com or Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

When one listens to or reads the news, one really gets overwhelmed. There's so much going on - bloodshed, rumors of ramping up wars, genocides, kidnappings, etc. Sometimes, something of significance might fall through the cracks. Episode 149 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS addresses the topic of Project 2025, a 922 page document created by conservative think tank, The Heritage Foundation. The authors of this proposed plan that they suggest should be implemented by a potential second Trump administration beginning on January 20, 2025 call this document - one that they, themselves, created and probably over years - a "red herring" and a "Democrat fever dream". Liberals, on the other hand, have raised alarm bells over the plan. To discover what the plan was all about for myself, I managed to read 300+ pages of it and parsed through research conducted by conservative, liberal, and independent groups concerning Project 2025. I quote the language straight out of the plan, to boot. I have concluded that we should NOT let this fall through the cracks, for reasons that are laid bare in this episode.

For BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF, I give you a short synopsis of the novel, MESSIAH, by Gore Vidal.

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773 or Zelle mitchellmary773@gmail.com. Thank you.

For Episode 148 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS, we will talk about last week's historic tornadic outbreak that affected the City of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs. Not only will we talk about the events that spanned 2 days, this episode serves as a warning to those who think that the Chicago area is unaffected by the possibility of tornadoes. The fact is that Chicagoland is actually sitting in the crosshairs of violent weather, and predictions point to the situation getting worse. Chicagoans don't have to be afraid, but they must be prepared.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF closes this episode out with an excerpt from THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ, by L. Frank Baum.

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To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

For Episode 147 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS, we are going to talk about reported Marian Apparitions. This post is happening on a Sunday - what better day than to hang with our home girl, Mother Mary? We will talk about her more famous apparitions for the uninitiated (ie those who were not brought up Catholic, not married into a Catholic family, not well versed on the Divine Feminine, etc). If this episode gets a lot of plays, I may do a future show on more obscure visitations by Mary to humble earthlings.

Barb, I really miss you today. You would have loved this subject matter.

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 146 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS holds 3 goals: a) to bid a gentle and peaceful farewell to recently deceased loved ones, b) for us survivors to learn to accept their new journeys in comparison with our own, ongoing mortal journeys, and c) to accept that death is not the opposite of life, but a natural and needful companion. We die little deaths every single day. We feel pain, but we can assuage ongoing suffering through acceptance and loving detachment.

We bid a fond farewell, especially, to Judy and Barb, who we lost this week. We also bid farewell to Johnny and to other wonderful men and women who've recently been born into eternity.

The topic of Episode 145 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS is the human attribute, faith. James W. Fowler, a Pulitzer Prize winner, an American theologian and professor, described a set of seven sequential stages in the development of faith. We will take you through each of these stages. Note that these stages of faith encompass religious, alt-spiritual, and secular growth. 

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF closes this episode with the poem, "Faith", by Arthur Caswell Parker.

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Episode 1 44 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS carries over from last week's broadcast about the murders of 3 women at Illinois' Starved Rock State Park in 1960. A suspect confessed to the crime...but the story did not end there. We will fill out the story and bring us up to today, even as doubts abound and mysteries remain.

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To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 143 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS takes a close look at the grisly 1960 murders of three women at Starved Rock State Park in northern Illinois, a nature lover's haven. We will follow attorneys and detectives through the investigation, and will meet the man who authorities say savagely attacked the three friends and left their dead bodies in a canyon. The case, as it turns out, does not end there. Part 2 will be broadcast next week.

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

For Episode 142 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS, we explore true leadership and self reliance. We talk about the habits we need to develop to live a self directed life. At the same time, this directive carries with it a caveat. We, as human beings, have a knack for destroying peace and cultivating jealousy, offense, and often violence against others. The Self Directed Life is so much more fulfilling, everlasting, and meaningful when it's lived in a selfless manner. When you achieve your life's goals and are an inspiration and a help to others, you are truly free.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF concludes with the poem, "Holy Thursday", from SONGS OF INNOCENCE, by William Blake.

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 141 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS shares a quick 15 minute-or-less exercise plan that can be done at home, with or without weights and other equipment, AND a very quick high protein, nutrient dense recipe for a breakfast break to be consumed right after said workout. This episode is for anyone who has a hard time getting themselves to make healthy/healthier choices, as well as for those who are already health-and-fitness minded, but who often lack the time to get in a full workout or make their chosen meals, as they take time to prepare.

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

For Episode 140 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS, we will discuss the cognitive distortion known as Catastrophizing. Do you more often than not worry about the worst case scenario or worst possible outcome to a problem, ignoring all the other ways the issue ca resolve? Do you try to control the "what-ifs" in life? Has anyone ever told you that you make mountains out of mole hills? Catastrophizing is a common form of Anxiety, and there are multiple ways of coping with it. One of those ways is EFT Tapping. We will talk about what it is, how it is accomplished and how it helps. We will also guide you through a tapping session.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF concludes this episode with a quote from “A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers”, by Henry David Thoreau.

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 139 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS talks about the once meandering mud stream that became a crucial travel hub between Lake Michigan, the Mississippi River, and the Gulf of Mexico...as well as home to native plant life, businesses, sports and leisure, tourists, and a bustling, thriving global metropolis. We will talk about its growth from its ancient days serving indigenous peoples to its current state of the art reversed flow, its network of canals, and its enviable water treatment plants.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF ends this episode with a reading of Carl Sandburg's poem, "Chicago".

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 138 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS talks about Growth Mindset, Fixed Mindset and False Growth Mindset, as outlined by psychologist Carol Dweck of Stanford University. We will identify each of the three categories and give examples of each, as well as strategies to move ourselves to a Growth Mindset point of view and lifestyle. Growth Mindset is crucial to improved neuroplasticity in the brain, as is lifelong learning.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF wraps it up with the poem, "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night", by Dylan Thomas.

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 137 launches MARS MESSINA PRESENTS into the New Year with our predictions for 2024 - a year that will surely be encumbered by problems and will challenge us in myriad ways. Who will win the presidential election? Will we have all-out war in the middle east? What surprises will AI unleash on us? What movie will win Best Picture? Is there any really good news on the horizon? We make those predictions in this show, and time will tell if we have been accurate in our assessments.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF concludes this episode with the poem, "Fallen Leaves", by Mary Cornelia Hartshorne.

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 136 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS says goodbye to 2023 and rings in 2024 with a meditation that sets an intention for peace - a deep inner peace for the individual and a revival of a collective global peace. Put on some comfortable clothing, dim the lights and settle in for a moment to reclaim health and sanity for yourself and for your world - an everlasting moment that you can carry with you to heal yourself, your loved ones, and the world around you.

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM MARS MESSINA PRESENTS!

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

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Episode 135 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS posits that we can control maladaptive thinking with alternative thoughts that challenge our anxieties/limiting beliefs with critical thinking, which then engenders a more realistic, alternative way to think. In fact, this is the basis of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Socratic Questioning. We will do a short, but effective, exercise toward the end of this presentation.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF closes with a reading of the poem, "Hope Is The Thing With Feathers", by Emily Dickinson.

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.Episode 135 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS posits that we can control maladaptive thinking with alternative thoughts that challenge our anxieties with critical thinking, which then engenders a more realistic, alternative way to think. In fact, this is the basis of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Socratic Questioning. We will do a short, but effective, exercise toward the end of this presentation.



BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF closes with a reading of the poem, "Hope Is The Thing With Feathers", by Emily Dickinson.



To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 134 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS went spelunking for some good news in the midst of the morass of bad news in which we are sinking....eureka, we found some good news! Mars plays your Good News news anchor and reports some....good news.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF concludes with the poem, "Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening", by Robert Frost.

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 133 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS discusses an unsolved murder in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago. We will learn of the gruesome slaying of a well liked and respected church choir director/city colleges professor, and its link to an alleged ring of clerical sex abusers known as The Boys Club.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF concludes with the poem, “The Priest’s Brother”, by Dora Sigerson Shorter.

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 132 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS gathered intel from the Thanksgiving Feast field, and presents it to you as yummy Thanksgiving recipes, brought to us by individuals who swear by said recipes. We'll go over food safety, thawing and brining, various ways to cook turkey, something for the vegetarians and vegans, and some sides. We will also give you recipes to Guhlwein, both alcoholic and virgin.

We gathered so many recipes, we couldn't share them all in the amount of time we had. If you are looking for good turkey, stuffing, veggie, sides, dessert, beverage, AND LEFTOVERS!!!!! recipes, email us at thisismarsmessina@gmail.com, and we will send you what you want, if we have it.

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you, and Happy Thanksgiving!

In Episode 131 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS, we will recognize that there is no need for Americans to do away with their Thanksgiving celebrations in order to recognize the plight of the Native Americans. In fact, the concepts of gathering to harvest and to give thanks are inherently Native American. We are undertaking a mindful approach to the holiday season by recognizing the native tribal regions of our lands, as well as each region's sacred cuisine. By doing so, we will create a more meaningful and compassionate Thanksgiving holiday...and add some great recipes to our repertoire.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF concludes our show with lyrics to an Osage Initiation song for women called, "Planting Initiation Song".

To correspond with Mars, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 130 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS addresses the doldrums that often accompany The Fall Season. We will become one with natural and accept these natural seasonal rhythms. To prepare, get yourself a little water and a little tea, have your journal at the ready, wear some loose, comfortable clothing and find a cozy spot. We will drift off into the autumn forest of your soul and shed that which hurts you and no longer serves you well.

I am tagging on gorgeous, relaxing music at the end of the meditation, just in case you want a few more minutes of your dreamscape or even to help you drift off.

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 129 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS takes you on a breathless tour via broomstick to one of the most haunted areas in the US, the so-called Archer Avenue Triangle, a hallowed parcel of land to the southwest of Chicago. Appearing as something of a left scalene triangle on a map, southwest-northeast running Archer Avenue serves as its main road and a nexus of a variety of hauntings. We will weave through forests, visiting cemeteries, churches, lakes, and buildings and meet the ghosts that reside in these sacred grounds.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF serves up more tricks than treats with the poem, "A Child's Nightmare", by Robert Graves.

HAPPY SAMHAIN! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 128 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS armchair-quarterbacks as a psychologist diagnosing the one and only, Count Dracula. Before the vampire mesmerizes us to do its own bidding, we will attempt to analyze the mind of The Undead through the methods of Freud, Jung, and other modern psychotherapists.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF closes the coffin on this episode with an excerpt from the novel, DRACULA, by Bram Stoker.

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 127 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS compels you to learn about the ancient rites of exorcism that have survived millennia and have been updated for more modern possessed folk and for those who wish to exorcise them. We will be swept away to ancient eastern cultures and learn of their shamans' various demon slaying ways, we will - of course - meet Jesus of Nazareth, and we will genuflect before the altars of the Roman Catholic Church and learn of their exorcistic rites.

No trip down memory lane for the modern exorcist would be complete without discussing the eponymous and infamous movie, so we will talk about the movie, THE EXORCIST, and about the fateful time I saw it for the first time.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF banishes any leftover evil spirits with the poem, "The Angel", by William Blake.

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To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 126 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS takes a cruise through The Sands and The Levee, the red light districts of Chicago during the turn of the 20th Century. Red Light Districts were neighborhoods that were dotted with houses of ill repute, dance halls, bars, and other seamier establishments. Those who lived in these neighborhoods, at the time, were often drunk, gambling, and selling their bodies. We will visit a few of the establishments, and meet a few folk who lived and worked in these areas.

We will quickly jump to modern times and see that Chicago's Red Light Districts are much more widespread and a little more reclusive, and given to violent pimps and human trafficking.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF closes this episode with the poem, "The Harlot", by Oscar Wilde.

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

For Episode 125 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS, we will be talking about recent goings-on in humanity's relationship with all things outer space. First, we will address Mexico's congressional hearing concerning 2 corpses found that were alleged to be that of ancient alien ancestors. Then, we will discuss two of NASA's latest endeavors - their hologram project, which can send a "human entity" into space from earth, or from earth to space...and we will also talk about how and why NASA threw an asteroid from outer space into the Utah desert.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF lands us back on terra firma with an excerpt from the poem, "The Dream", by Lord Byron.

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 124 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS ushers in the Spooky Season with a real life horror tale. We bring you back to late summer 2016, when people all around the nation and the world began seeing random killer clown appearances in incongruous settings. These sightings set off mass fear, vigilance, and even violence. We will talk about the psychological reasons why human beings are afraid of clowns, and will comment on society's reactionary ways.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF concludes with a very short creepy clown story that is perfect for around-the-bonfire storytelling.

We also welcome a new man into the Greater Messina Famiglia...Welcome, Baby Squish!

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 123 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS shares a timeline of events that begins with the reported genesis of the inferno that devastated Lahaina, on the island of Maui in the state of Hawaii. We will mention, of course, the high winds and downed power lines that reportedly ignited the fire. We will also talk about factors that the neo-colonizers on the Hawaiian islands would rather us ignore - at least two centuries of power grabs, land grabs and water grabs that rob Native Hawaiians of Place - that which they've inherited from their ancestors and plan to pass on to their posterity - and of Life - the resources Mother Nature abundantly provides, when not promiscuously besmirched. This latest disaster shows how monied interests are killing off a land, a people and a culture.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF ends with the Hawaiian prayer, "Ho’oponopono (Prayer for Forgiveness, Healing and Making Things Right)".

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To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

For Episode 122, MARS MESSINA PRESENTS shares a recent study out of USC's School of Gerontology that asserts that deep, controlled breathing reduces the proteins - Amyloid Beta 40 and 42 peptides - that are the "bad guys" and the catalysts that set off the progression of Alzheimer's Disease. The study states that deep, controlled breathing, done twice daily at 20 minutes each session, reduces these peptides in both young and old brains/bloodstreams. I will go into the nuances of this study, and I will also lead a 20 minute breathing exercise in lieu of BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF.

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 121 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS timelines the indictments made against the 45th President of The United States, Donald Trump. Four cases have been brought against him, with over 70 charges. We will timeline what happened when, and why. I am also predicting the outcome, whether he will be found guilty or not guilty. I am also predicting the winner of the 2024 presidential election.

This episode runs long, so there is no BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF this week.

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

For Episode 120 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS, we will talk about Leslie Van Houten, the now elderly ex-con, formerly the acid drenched, brainwashed, violent killer of the infamous Manson Family cult. We will talk about her surprisingly and comparatively normal, loving background and why she chose to turn her back on it. We will discuss the draw to Charles Manson and his commune and what propelled them from being free-loving hippies to ghoulish killers.

We will address the processes of penitentiaries and parole, and Van Houten's journey through each.

Finally, we will talk about why the Manson Family murders, in particular, ripped such a big gash in the tenuous fabric of America's collective psyche.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF ends this episode with the lyrics from, "Jailhouse Blues", by Lightnin' Hopkins.

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

The topic of Episode 119 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS is the conflagration that - per the laws of physics and chemistry - was a FIRE-NADO, known as The Great Chicago Fire. The fire began on the evening of October 8 and ended around midnight, October 10, of 1871. We will address all of the contributing factors that resulted in the firestorm that devastated Chicago, and we will unveil the mystery behind Mrs. O'Leary and her cow (no, they didn't start the fire). It's important to know how and why that rumor began.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF will end the show with two readings - the first is the lyrics to the Chicago folk song, "Hot Time In the Old Town Tonight", and the second is a statement made to the press by Mrs. O'Leary's physician.

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Episode 118 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS takes us to a relaxing mindscape, where we walk along the beach. Letting our physical and psychic tension melt away, we breathe in the air and the mists of tranquility and relaxation. We learn how to incorporate this creation of stillness into our daily lives.

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 117 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS asks the question: is it Consecrated Cash or Latter Day Lucre? In recent news, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (known colloquially as The Mormon Church or The LDS Church) has been accused of amassing more than $100 Billion in wealth and not using it for charity...or for anything, for that matter. Further, the Church was accused of evading taxes. We will talk about the investigation into this case and the investigation's results. We will also ask the question if churches should continue to receive tax exempt status, and why they presently do. We will also share what The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints does with its money and how it acquires it, and why there is a large reserve.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF concludes today's broadcast with the poem, "Your Portrait", by Eliza R. Snow.

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To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

In Episode 116 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS, we will discuss how not only are the skills of critical thinking and faith complimentary rather than conflicting, we will talk about each vis-a-vis creationism and evolution. We posit that both of these skills can and ought to be present in the contemplation of each of these theories, and that these theories are NOT mutually exclusive. We will outline how clarity of mind, and not a spirit of contention, can help us accept both theories - through both critical thinking and faith.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF concludes with a reading of the hymn, "In Praise of Dancing", by critical thinker and theologian, St. Augustine of Hippo.

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To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 115 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS celebrates summertime by examining the history of amusement parks, from the very earliest pleasure gardens and right up to the virtual reality rides that thrill us today. We will talk about the different categories of rides and the various themes one finds in an amusement park.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF concludes this episode with a reading of the short poem, "Poems Written in the Pleasure Garden", by Thomas Hewitt.

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

The idea for the topic of Episode 114 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS was a rather synchronous event; Mars chose this as a topic just before hearing the news of the missing submergible vehicle that reportedly imploded on its way down to the Titanic wreckage. Both are stories of how authorities cut corners on safety measures to save time and money...but ended up costing lives.

We will discuss, in detail, what contributed to the crash of this DC-10 jet at O'Hare International Airport in May of 1979. We will also spotlight the lives of a few of the 271 human beings who died when the jet they were in flipped on take off, plunged to the ground and exploded. Flight 191 is considered to be the worst airliner accident on U.S. soil, and a major reason why the DC-10 model has been mainly discontinued.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF concludes with a poem written by the daughter of two of the victims, in honor of her parents.

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To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 113 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS reports the news that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is presently scoring higher in the polls than status quo candidates, President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump, who are pretty much in a dead heat for second place. While the election is about 17 months away, as of this writing, the poll shows a willingness of the average voter to consider a third option. Kennedy carries with him a powerful name and a staunch anti vax stance. Will one or the other place him in the Oval Office, or will one or the other lead to a character assassination and a moribund campaign? Even if he breaks through the rigors of the DNC and into the presidency, will he be another lame duck or a proletarian who will banish the authoritarian bent our government has adopted? We will talk about all of that on this show.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF ends with a reading of, "The New Colossus", by Emma Lazarus.

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Who can be an expert at fianchetto, but has more stalemates than checkmates? Why, the chess player, of course. For Episode 112 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS, we will talk about the origins of the board game, Chess, and how this activity is an art, a science, AND a sport. As is wont on MARS MESSINA PRESENTS, we will also discuss how playing chess is good for one's mental and emotional wellbeing, as well as possibly one's physical health.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF ends with an excerpt from (you guessed it) ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND/THROUGH THE LOOKINGGLASS, by Lewis Carroll.

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Episode 111 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS is a True Crime episode devoted to the Leopold & Loeb homicide case. In an attempt to commit "the perfect crime", 19-year-olds Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb murdered Loeb's 14 year old cousin, Bobby Franks, in May of 1924. The case engendered worldwide fascination because of the viciousness of the crime, that the murderers were believed to be homosexual, and that the murderers and the victim were all Jewish.

The case was mainly fascinating in that defense attorney, Clarence Darrow, constructed a psychiatric case for his two clients, which was the first time in American history that a defense attorney used mental illness in an attempt to talk a court down from a death penalty sentence to life in prison. Darrow was successful in doing that. We will read an excerpt from his closing argument.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF closes this episode with a reading of the poem, "The Ideal", by Charles Baudelaire.

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For Episode 110 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS, we will explore the history of the ancient Aztec god, Quetzalcoatl. He is described both as a winged, plumed serpent and as a tall man with a white beard. Believed to be the Creator of the Universe, humankind, and the earth by the ancient Aztecs, they believed he would return to them. Tragically, as the Spanish conquistadors landed on their shores, the Aztecs thought that these bearded white sailors were gods rising from the waters. Instead, they discovered that these men were marauders and murderers. However, the Spaniards also carried with them crucifixes affixed with the image of a sacrificed Jesus Christ, and the Aztecs recognized this sacrificed god as their own Quetzalcoatl.

We will also talk about a more contemporary belief that Quetzalcoatl and Jesus Christ are the same god. While this cannot be proved or disproved, the comparison goes beyond modern appropriation; the Aztecs kept looking for god to return and recognized him on the Christian icon of the cross.

Before we even get to this topic, however, I will read a tweet from Justine Bateman, actress/director, on the current state and near future of Artificial Intelligence and the filmmaking process. She has startling news, news of which we should all be concerned.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF closes this episode with a reading of an ancient Aztec poem.

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

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Episode 109 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS focuses on the similarities between the Man Made Of Clay in the Jewish mystical tale of The Golem, The Creature from Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's novel, FRANKENSTEIN, OR THE MODERN PROMETHEUS, and current AI technology. We will speak to the benefits, but mostly of the dangers, of humans playing God and giving life to that which is dead.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF ends this episode with an excerpt from, FRANKENSTEIN OR THE MODERN PROMETHEUS, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Evil Gargoyles...Subterranean Lizard People....Prophecies of The Apocalypse...Headquarters of The Illuminati...these are only a few of the conspiracy theories that surround the Denver International Airport (DIA), and we will be talking about them and a few others for Episode 108 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS.

We will end today's broadcast with a quote from Philip K. Dick.

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 107 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS explores the Top 10 Most Depressing Jobs. We will talk about what makes them depressing...while realizing how much society needs these fields and these workers in order to function. Why is there even a such thing as the idea of a thankless job, with its comorbidity of feelings of worthlessness? We will also discuss different reasons why people might feel worthless, while realizing that we do not have to take things personally. In fact, this feeling state of being unworthy can propel us to grow.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF concludes today's episode with the poem, "Invictus", by William Ernest Henley.

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 106 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS devotes itself to the oft-sought-after but not-oft-voted-for "Outsider Candidate". We seem to thumb our noses at the independent candidate or a third party, yet we distrust the Two Party System in our representative democracy...or is that, our democratic republic...or....is it an oligarchy?

We will revisit how often this nation chose an outsider for President, even if that outsider was actually part of the establishment - but successfully portrayed himself as an outlier. We will discuss modern presidents like Carter and Trump who, while running on the established party tickets, were actually quite independent and weakened their party's power, for good or for bad. We will talk about present day outsider candidates, like RFK, Jr. and Marianne Williamson, as well as the proposed third party called, The Unity Party, which seeks a ticket of two independent patriots - one from the center right and one from the center left.

Finally, we will make an argument in favor of independent outsiders making a run for the top offices of our splintered nation.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF closes this episode with an excerpt from the poem, "Let America Be America Again", by Langston Hughes

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

For Episode 105 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS, we will discuss the emotion we call, Worry. We will draw attention to the distinction between healthy amounts of worry and incessant worry - or rumination - and an associated worry disorder known as Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Scientific research shows that most of the time, our worries never come to fruition and , when they do, we handle it much better than expected. We will learn how to cope with worry and turn it from the unhealthy type to the healthy type, which is vitally useful.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF features the short poem, "The Second Coming", by William Butler Yeats.

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To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 104 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS takes a close look at OpenAI's newest, and 4th, version of its chatbot called, ChatGPT. ChatGPT-4 is a large multimodal model (accepting image and text inputs, emitting text outputs) that, while (generally) less capable than humans in many real-world scenarios, exhibits human-level performance on various professional and academic benchmarks.

ChatGPT has only been available to the public since November 2022. In March 2023, Version 4 hit the scene by ACCURATELY DIAGNOSING a rare disease in an infant. Although still rife with errors and misinformation, ChatGPT 4 does things exceedingly well, when it does it right - even surpassing the skills of many doctors. In related news, a programmer developed an AI chatbot based off of GPT technology and named it ChaosGPT. ChaosGPT has been programmed to identify human beings as the planet's most destructive force, to decide that human beings must be eradicated from the earth, and to execute this directive.

These chatbots are neither good or bad. They don't have a conscious. They do follow commands really, really well, within the parameters of the skills with which they have been programmed. While this technology cannot presently destroy humanity or perform a successful open heart surgery, the writing is on the wall. It is imperative that we enhance our critical thinking skills, revisit ethics over and over, and teach children to do the same. We must remember our humanity. The tech is here to stay. We need to be proactive and stay ahead of it, or it will mow us down. Not intentionally, but because of human neglect or malice.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF concludes today's episode with an excerpt from the poem, "The Hollow Men", by T.S. Eliot.

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Episode 103 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS celebrates the convergence of the Islamic holiday of Ramadan, the Jewish Passover, and the Christian Lent/Holy Week/Easter. Every 33-ish years, these holidays all fall at the same time. We will discuss each holiday, individually, and regard them - collectively - as a powerful time for all people to come together and pray for peace. Together, we can bring peace into the world. The ancient texts erupt from the mouth of God, pleading and commanding that we do so.

BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF features the short poem, 'The Convert', by G.K. Chesterton

To send correspondence, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com

To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.