In this podcast we discuss the movie “Apocalypse Now” (1979). We deal with the problematic shooting of the film, the choices of actors, and aspects of the script. We then explore the movie’s major themes.
Podcast
Plato’s Five Components Of Happiness (Podcast)
In this podcast I answer an email from a reader. He enjoyed a great job as a bartender before the Covid crisis hit, and now has to go back to work with greatly reduced hours and uncertain prospects. He isn’t sure whether to go back, or to try something new. We discuss. We also talk about Plato’s five components of happiness, and how they relate to his situation.
The World Provides Our Necessities (Podcast)
The world is a provider of necessities. Just when you think you’ve hit rock bottom, things have a way of turning around if you keep fighting and stay in the game. The only way to lose is to be a quitter. Have faith in the world’s fructifying ability to provide for our needs.
The Ring Of Thoth: A Tale Of The Supernatural By Arthur Conan Doyle (Podcast)
This podcast is a reading of A. Conan Doyle’s tale of the supernatural, “The Ring Of Thoth.” First published in 1890, it recounts the horrific consequences of an ancient Egyptian priest’s discovery of the secret to eternal life.
You Have To Make The Call (Podcast)
When you are leading, you have to make the big decisions. You have to make the call, not sit back, judge the prevailing winds, and cover your ass. If you are unwilling to put yourself on the line, you are a worthless leader and have no business being there. In this podcast, we discuss:
The Door In The Wall (Podcast Reading Of A Story By H.G. Wells)
This podcast is a reading of H.G. Wells’s short story “The Door In The Wall.” Published in 1911, it is considered one of his finest short pieces. It describes a young boy’s discovery of a secret door that led to an enchanted land, and the effect that this secret revelation had on the rest of his life.
Two Poems: “Sailing To Byzantium” And “The Lake Isle At Innisfree”
In this podcast, I read two short poems by William Butler Yeats: “Sailing to Byzantium” and “The Lake Isle at Innisfree.” Listen, relax, and let your mind roam to some other place.
The Brazilian Cat. A Tale Of Terror By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Podcast)
This podcast is a reading of A. Conan Doyle’s terrifying tale “The Brazilian Cat.” First published in 1898, the story describes the ordeal of a young heir to a fortune who is deliberately locked in a cage with a ferocious jungle cat by a sinister relative determined to murder him.
The Flowering Of The Strange Orchid (Podcast)
In this podcast, I read H.G. Wells’s short story The Flowering of the Strange Orchid. It relates the weird tale of a mild-mannered orchid enthusiast who buys an unknown species of jungle orchid. As he cultivates it, he finds out that he got more than he bargained for. This story was first published in Pearson’s Magazine in 1905 and remains a potent tale of unease.
A Sudden Punch To Shatter Glacial Rigmarole (Podcast)
When things have reached a state of paralysis or gridlock, it is often necessary to shatter the paralysis by taking decisive, muscular action. Real leaders do not sit on their hands and wait to test the prevailing winds of opinion. Have the moral courage to act. Many today who call themselves “leaders” ignore or have forgotten this principle. This podcast discusses three historical examples taken from Winston Churchill’s The World Crisis. They show how he harnessed this concept in 1919 to break through the paralysis that had come to surround several difficult issues.
