Jeb and Blake go in search of John the Baptist's resting place. Content Warning: Human remains on screen. Discussion of murder.  Beheading John the Baptist (wiki) Salome (play) In 2018 the murder of Bishop Epiphanius took place and rocked the religious community -- not important for this episode but it popped up a lot in my searching. San Silvestro "head" shown in intro Same - but wiki article Nimoy Fashion Alert (NFA Wardrobe consulting by The Hogtown Rake, Pedro Mendes) The "head" of John the Baptist at San Silvestro: Art historian Michael Patroconni (Petroccione?) I think Jeb and I found this to be the most fun part of the episode: Gerald Larue obituary Herod Antipas (the Herod that executed JTB) Wadi El Natrun The Cave of John the Baptist
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1:47:08
S04E19 - Earth Visitors (Explicit)
Blake tries to talk Jeb off the ledge as we return to the classic theme of "ancient astronauts" in this throwback episode titled: Earth Visitors. Some links relevant to our discussion: Dejah Thoris (character) MUFON/Harzan scandal Roman Dodecahedrons (archaeology) Frank Frazetta Boris Vallejo We mention Zecharia Sitchin. Research suggests humans grow more neurons than did Neanderthals. A bunch of this episode comes from the work of Maurice Chatelain, who we shall refer to as "Shadowlane." His book Our Cosmic Ancestors sports one of the more interesting book covers we've seen while researching this show. He also wrote Our Ancestors Came from Outer Space. Maurice Chatelain's credentials appear to have been somewhat overstated in the episode. We'll be talking about several "Out of Place Artifacts" or OOPAs in this episode. Let's start with the "Boot Print" aka The Meister Print. (pictured below) See also this article by Glenn Kuban. Very compelling stuff. I guess. I mean it sort of looks like show print. This interesting looking skull also sent us down some research holes. The text of the episode seems to be talking about the Del Mar Skull but the image doesn't look like a close match. A lot of "shapes on the earth" are discussed. The shapes require you to do a lot of work. We'll get into that in the episode. But one is the Maltese Cross that is absolutely stunning, so long as you ignore that some of the points are hundreds of miles from the alleged anchor points and that the temples allegedly at each point were centuries apart. Skeptical response via CSICOP. Also - this is supposed to be a "pyramid" but seems to be more of what geometry wonks call a "triangle." I'm trying to find the type of terminal behind our statistician. And - behind the scenes I've managed to contact him and he assures me that the episode required many takes and that his students reported they made him sound like he believes in the whole ancient astronauts thing... More on this if I hear back from a rather lengthy email I sent him today (12/13/24). Read even more about the Monte Carlo Method! Vintage ad for the The Outer Space Connection. According to Scientific American, the idea that indigenous Americans were here for a very long time (from across the Bering sea) really kicked off in the 1930s. Read more about The Elephant Slab hoax. This montage of Kachina dolls really impressed Blake: Nimoy Fashion Alert! Native Jewelry Artist Preston Monongye Engineer Charles Ruggles Could he be LARPing J. Allen Hynek? Finally we get to the Cosa Artifact. And - of course, The Jupiter Menace (1982)
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2:41:12
S04E18 In Search Of... The Ghost Ship
Jeb and Blake head out to sea in research of the mystery of what happened to the crew of The Mary Celeste. Links: The Dei Gratia Nimoy Fashion Alert (NFA Wardrobe consulting by The Hogtown Rake, Pedro Mendes)  Attorney Fred Flood In 1913, The Strand Magazine provided an alleged survivor's account from one Abel Fosdyk, supposedly Mary Celeste's steward. The Mary Celeste (1913 article) Per "WhatTheFont" website identifier, that font is (appropriately): JOLLY ROGER! Meanwhile on Skull Hut Island...  Pop Culture: Dead Calm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mystery_of_the_Mary_Celeste Read it, it’s a time. Hammer film -Jeb https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chase_(Doctor_Who)
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1:50:20
S04E17 - Wild Children (Explicit)
Jeb and Blake go into the jungles of California and France in search of WILD CHILDREN! This episode of ISO contains a lot of disturbing content and our commentary is laced with expletives, hence the Explicit tag.  Tarzan is raised by a fictional ape species known as The Mangani The story of Mowgli is LOOOOSELY based on the real-life person Dina Sanichar. Frequently referenced ERB Zine article Ian Jackson obituary News coverage of David as adult (BBC) 2021 update on David 1985 story about search for "wild children" (and Sham Dev/Shamdeo) Christopher Hitchens on Mother Theresa Japanese quadrupedal runner The Green Children of Woolpit Victor of Aveyron Disturbing story of Genie - more neglected than feral NFA - Wild Children:  It's supposed to be a Bear but it has some other possumbilities.
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2:05:49
S04E16 - Vincent van Gogh
How could Vincent have been a creative genius - yet also "insane?" Jeb and Blake take a look at Nimoy's very personal thoughts about this question. This episode deals with the topic of self-harm and suicide. If you're struggling with thoughts of self harm, please get help immediately. You can reach trained and empathetic counselors (in the USA) by dialing 988 or 1-800-273-TALK. We care about our listeners and want you to be around for many years to enjoy life - and our work.  Links for Show Notes: Nimoy's play VINCENT via Archive 81 Words - This American Life on the DSM The Book of Kells Bullshit or Not? Was JTR really Nessie? Article on Jo Bonger The Golden Gate Quartet Weird Al's Skipper Dan (YouTube) Doctor Who clip of Vincent at the art gallery Early montage sequence shows: Self Portrait (1888) Starry Night (1889) Vase with 15 Sunflowers (1888) Bedroom at Arles (1888) Night Cafe in the Place Lamartine in Arles (1888) Encampment of gypsies with caravans (1888) Langlois Bridge at Arles (1888) Fishing boats on the beach at Saintes Maries Wheat FIeld with Cypresses (1880) You can find all these and more at the online Van Gogh museum.       Meanwhile... Could Manos be loosely based on Paul and Vincent?
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