Don't Look Now Jeni McDonald and Will Hageman

Today's topic is the Roman Emperor Nero, or Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus to be more exact. Most famous today for possibly enjoying the great fire of Rome a bit too much and for persecuting Christians afterwards, we take a look at the actual history. What all did Nero get up to that has made him a villain to this day? How much is true and how much is made up by political enemies? Take as listen and see what we could find.

This week out subject is out of body experiences. There are estimates that up to 1 in 10 people have an out of body experience at some point, seeing yourself disconnect from an outside viewpoint, or feeling like you are not co-located with your body. They are most closely associated with lucid dreaming and near death experiences, but can occur in may difference situations. Most people agree that it is indeed an experience that many people share, but there is wide disagreemen...

In the midst of WWII, conflict broke out in Los Angeles between members of the navy and Mexican American youth stemming from tensions from a naval base being built over a primarily Mexican community and the young people in the community flaunting zoot suits that defied rationing laws. In 1943 these tensions spilled over into violence as thousands of navy sailors began to attack anyone the could find wearing a zoot suit or other clothing that made them appear related to the pachuco youth...

The 369th Infantry Regiment, now known as the Harlem Hellfighers, or the Black Rattlers, was formed in the lead up to the US's entry into WWI as a regiment of black men predominantly from New York City and surrounding areas. It ended up being the US unit that spent more time on the front lines of WWI then any other unit, being detached and assigned to French command, fighting with distinction in multiple battles. We discuss how the regiment was founded, some famous members, and th...

This week we have a couple of early tall tales or urban legends from the 18th and 19th century. First up is Tarrare, a French street performer and sometime soldier that was constantly hungry, eating literally anything organic he could get his hands on. The second being Edward Mordrake, a supposed heir to a wealthy family that had a second face on the back of his head that whispered bad things to him at night. Both fascinating, and both most likely tall tales, but certainly w...

This week we discuss Native American origin stories. Just about every culture has a story for how the world was created that tells you something about it's core values and beliefs. Many Native cultures in the Americas share a creation story involving the creation of the land on the back of a turtle. For this reason, North America is sometimes referred to as Turtle Island. Take a listen and learn a bit about the creation of the world.