For Episode 62 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS we will explore perception, and how it pertains to a sense of failure and a sense of success. Some of us find ourselves repeating continuous loops of failure in our relationships, at work, or in other personal pursuits. We will learn more about the brain's dorsilateral prefrontal cortex and how it develops patterns that are based on past experiences and memory and how it is hardwired to expect certain outcomes. If we learn how to write a different script f...
Jun 18, 2022•47 min•Season 2Ep. 62
For Episode 61 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS, we discover the origins of Rock & Roll music. They are not to be found in the 1950's rollicking, fun songs of Elvis, Pat Boone, Jerry Lee Lewis. The roots of the genre go deeper...further...darker...and were obscured by racism and marketing. You'll find rock's influences in the slippery notes of Jazz, the humidity of the backwoods, and the seeds of it all on the Southern Plantations, sung by enslaved Africans. BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHE...
Jun 11, 2022•27 min•Season 2Ep. 61
Episode 60 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS asks the question: how and why do the Japanese maintain their youthful appearance, trim figures, and healthy longevity? We did a bit of research at the Mars Messina Laboratories and came up with 20 pointers to help you, too, keep fit -n- fine now and into your old age. In lieu of BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF, we will close today's episode with a few quick and easy, healthy and tasty recipes. To send questions, comments, or requests for recipes, ...
Jun 04, 2022•57 min•Season 2Ep. 60
Episode 59 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS talks about a curious murder case. Ari Squire set out to commit the "perfect crime" - a murder to cover up insurance fraud. The plan: find a look-alike, kill the man, and make the crime scene look like Ari, himself, died in an accident...then, run away and assume his victim's identity. BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF concludes today's episode with a reading from IN COLD BLOOD, by Truman Capote. To send questions or comments, email thisismarsmessina...
May 28, 2022•38 min•Season 2Ep. 59
Episode 58 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS revisits the subject of Episode 4: Unidentified Flying Objects, aka UFOs or Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, aka UAP. The first congressional hearing into UFO sightings in the US in over 50 years was held on Tuesday, May 17, 2022. The reason for this publicized meeting was for the military to inform the nation and the world that 400 UAP sightings were reported in this last year, alone. The sightings include 11 near misses with US aircraft, and UAP maneuverabilit...
May 21, 2022•35 min•Season 2Ep. 58
The narrative poem, THE DIVINE COMEDY, consists of three parts - Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio, and Paradiso. Dante Alighieri took 12 years, while under duress, to write this - one of the world's greatest masterpieces and arguably the greatest writ in Italian literature. Episode 57 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS features a reading from Inferno, where Dante and Virgil visit the 2nd Circle of Hell (of which there are nine, total). Here is where they encounter the spirits of those who succumbed to the sin o...
May 14, 2022•23 min•Season 2Ep. 57
Episode 56 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS speaks to the curious architectural stylings, the fascinating history, and the darkly mysterious aura of the Chicago skyscraper known as The John Hancock Center. Not only will we talk about its unique-but- sensible structure and use, we will also explore its haunted status and why residents, workers, and investigators of the supernatural believe that the building holds powerful energy within its columns, tubes, and beams made of steel...and spirit. BEDTIME STO...
May 07, 2022•40 min•Season 2Ep. 56
Episode 55 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS takes up where Episode 49 left off. In that previous episode, we talked about the dreams people had in the months, weeks and days preceding their deaths. In today's episode, we discuss the lucid and vivid experiences many people have had in the minutes AFTER being declared dead, which they were able to share, because they came back into their bodies, having regained full consciousness. While their many stories can be labelled anecdotal, there is peer review re...
Apr 30, 2022•52 min•Season 2Ep. 55
Episode 54 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS attempts to translate some slang terms and words used by Generation Z and Generation Alpha for the older ear. We provide our listeners with a glossary of various phraseology within certain contexts so that you, too, will be able to say less, before you go off and yeet...without looking sus. BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF closes this episode with the poem, YOUTH, by Henry John Newbolt. To submit questions/comments, email thisismarsmessina@gmail.com...
Apr 23, 2022•39 min•Season 2Ep. 54
Episode 53 is a holiday special for MARS MESSINA PRESENTS listeners. Wishing everyone a happy Ramadan, a happy Passover, and a happy Easter...and happy spring! We will first talk about the history of Passover and describe the Passover seder. Upon examining Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday, we discover its similarities to Passover and, for the believer in Jesus Christ, how the Passover becomes flesh. Finally, we will see how each of these holidays foreshadow a greater event - the Comi...
Apr 16, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 53
Today is MARS MESSINA PRESENTS One Year Anniversary! We focus on a special topic for Episode 52 - Holocaust Survivors turned Activists. We begin with the proposed 1977 Nazi march through the streets of Skokie, Illinois - a bastion for Jews and, more specifically, Holocaust survivors. While the Nazis demanded first amendments rights, the residents of Skokie proclaimed these demonstrations and symbols, hate speech. This conflict resulted in the establishment of the world's third largest Holocaust ...
Apr 09, 2022•45 min•Season 2Ep. 52
Episode 51 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS spotlights a few exercise gurus, as well as regular folk from more typical walks of life, on their journeys from dis-ease to optimal health and fitness. We will discover that optimal wellness is not an overnight miracle, but rather a lifestyle, a long process, replete with ebbs and flows. We will also discuss how even those with a sedentary lifestyle can achieve good health - the disabled, those who work desk jobs for hours on end, gamers who live in mom's bas...
Apr 02, 2022•37 min•Season 1Ep. 51
Episode 50 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS revisits the topic of Episode 10 - The Delphi Murders. There seems to be a break in the case, and we will talk about it, in this episode. After 5 years of mystery, Indiana State Police seem to be on the brink of making an arrest in the case of two teenage girls who went missing while hiking on trails near their homes. BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF wraps up this show with the poem, "Tyger, Tyger" from SONGS OF EXPERIENCE, by William Blake. To dona...
Mar 26, 2022•58 min•Season 1Ep. 50
Episode 49 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS takes a look at the vision-like, realistic dreams that most people have in the months, weeks and days leading up to their deaths. Quantitative, scientific research studied many different patients over time - all who were lucid and not encumbered by delirium or under the influence of medication - and found that most of them experienced dreams while both asleep and awake. Most of these dreams featured loved ones already passed on, providing comfort and reassuran...
Mar 19, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 49
The topic of Episode 48 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS is on the emotion/vice of ENVY, and how envy spurs the behavior of bullying - either as playing the bully role, egging the bully on, or playing an apathetic, silent bystander. We focus on the root cause of feeling envy and what we can do to diffuse it, so that we don't fall into the bully role...but, also, that we are less likely to fall into the victim mode, as well. BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF concludes this episode with the poem...
Mar 12, 2022•36 min•Season 2Ep. 48
Episode 47 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS seeks to give you a break from the realities of grim news in the world and offers a bit of comic relief. For today's episode, we will talk about factoids connected with the enduring phenomena known as The Brady Bunch, a TV sitcom that ran in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and is seen in reruns, today. Specifically, we will be referencing the hilarious book, "Growing Up Brady: I Was A Teenage Greg", written by actor Barry Williams. Williams expertly takes us t...
Mar 05, 2022•32 min•Season 2Ep. 47
For Episode 46 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS, we will explore the timeless and timely Ancient Roman Empire and examine the similarities, differences, and parallels between this empire and present day United States of America. It's imperative that we learn lessons from the past, in order to secure a bright future. BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF closes today's program with a few dire warnings from various writers. To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. 10% of proceeds with go to the Ban...
Feb 26, 2022•48 min•Season 2Ep. 46
Episode 45 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS focuses on the biblical character, Salome, the young princess who danced before King Herod Antipas in exchange for the head of John The Baptist. Salome and her story have become a popular subject for the arts, ranging from paintings to plays to operas. Salome is portrayed as young, provocative, lusting for blood and sex and power. She drives men wild and, therefore, must be punished and shunned. However, a more careful reading of original scripture and other a...
Feb 19, 2022•33 min•Season 2Ep. 45
Episode 44 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS speaks to the vibrations that enter into our ears and create an electrochemical phenomena that we perceive as music. I will talk about the various biochemical and neuronal mechanisms that are affected and activated when we immerse ourselves in music, and how music is more than entertainment - but an efficacious means of mood enhancement and healing. BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF concludes today's program with the poem, MY MOTHER'S MUSIC, by Emili...
Feb 12, 2022•21 min•Season 2Ep. 44
Episode 43 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS is sure to strike terror in your hearts. We are talking about math, specifically Common Core Math. Common Core Math is something of a godsend to today's student, while it looks crazy and pointless to adults. Basically, this new way of doing math breaks the problem down to simple components that make problem solving easier for children. It was developed in answer to the problem that the United States faces: that the US is lower in mathematic comprehension than ...
Feb 05, 2022•26 min•Season 2Ep. 43
For Episode 42 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS, we examine the life of Albino Luciani, aka Pope John Paul I (not to be confused with the more famous John Paul II). This man was considered by some to be quiet, meek, and baffled by the enormity of his calling, while others said that he was just as shrewd and decisive, as he was gentle and congenial. He was the pope for only 33 days when, at the age of 65 and in seemingly good health, he suddenly died. The pope was found sitting up in his bed, clutching p...
Jan 29, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 42
Episode 41 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS compares and contrasts two theories that define disease and its causes. The first is the Germ Theory, as authored by Louis Pasteur and the second is the Terrain Theory, as outlined by Antoine Bechamp. The former points to external microorganisms that invade the body as the genesis of disease, while the latter states that it is strictly one's internal health state (terrain) that creates disease. We will also discuss the controversy created as these theories cla...
Jan 22, 2022•37 min•Season 2Ep. 41
To celebrate Episode 40 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS, we fly to the moon and back with the Apollo 11 Moon Mission. We will explore - in as much detail as we possibly can within the confines of a podcast hosted by someone who is not an aerospace engineer - the myriad steps and nuances and attention to detail it took to send a crewed spacecraft to the moon and return it safely back to earth. We will address the laws of physics that allowed for this mission, and others like it, to happen. BEDTIME STORI...
Jan 15, 2022•57 min•Season 2Ep. 40
Episode 39 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS spotlights the elusive serial killer, The Axeman of New Orleans. His reign of terror lasted a year - from 1918 to 1919 - in a New Orleans that was going through a transformation from violent/decadent/sleazy to genteel/proper/strict. Then, when all seemed under control, a shadow emerged with ax in hand and slashed a deep gash into that thin facade and exposed the primal fear of its citizens. Who was The Axeman? A member of The Black Hand? A Dr. Jekyll & Mr....
Jan 08, 2022•44 min•Season 2Ep. 39
Episode 38 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS kicks off a new year and a new season by addressing health and wellness. Health is the form and Wellness is the function of a fulfilling lifestyle. We will set realistic goals by addressing the 6 Dimensions of Wellness: emotional, occupational, physical, social, intellectual, and spiritual. We will end with BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF, with a reading of the poem, "A Morning Wish", by W.R. Hunt. To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank yo...
Jan 01, 2022•27 min•Season 2Ep. 38
Episode 37 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS delivers Christmas cheer in the form of the reading of a short story! A CHILD'S STORY, by Charles Dickens, is not particularly a Christmas story. Rather, it captures the spirit of Christmas, serving as a parable for The Journey of Life - an adventure wrought with bittersweet experiences and relationships all the way through. As you capture a moment of reflection and contemplation in the midst of hubbub, laughter and tears, you may recognize yourself in this st...
Dec 25, 2021•19 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Episode 36 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS, as a lead-in to Christmas, takes a critical look at the identity and mission of Jesus of Nazareth. During his lifetime, some saw Jesus as a pious Jew and a respected rabbi. Others saw him as a dangerous, seditious, and blasphemous radical. He saw himself as The Son of Man. We will explore all three labels to come up with a composite of this enigmatic, glorious, and meek individual. BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF concludes today's episode with a r...
Dec 18, 2021•54 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Episode 35 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS contemplates the unique struggles and opportunities facing the rising generations. It was once the American Dream to grow up, buy one's own house, get married and raise a family in that house. Then, when the children turn 18, they strike out on their own and repeat the chase. Today's youth are finding the American Dream increasingly unattainable. What can we do, as a society, to build a better future? With the formidable problems facing us, individuals probabl...
Dec 11, 2021•47 min
Episode 34 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS poses the question, "How did dogs become man's best friend?" and tries to answer this question. How did the dog evolve from the wild wolf, one of Homo Sapiens' most dreaded competitors in nature, into our lovable and loyal mate? Some theories are discussed here, as well as how some specific breeds evolved. BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF wraps things up with a poem by Rudyard Kipling, called, THE POWER OF THE DOG. To donate to this podcast: Venmo @...
Dec 04, 2021•39 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Episode 33 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS examines the 35th President of The United States' complicated relationship with the ever-increasing-in-power-and-secrecy intelligence service, The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). We posit that it is plausible that the CIA may have ordered - or allowed, at least - the assassination of John F. Kennedy. We also explore the possible reason why Lee Harvey Oswald, the president's alleged assassin, went to Mexico City and spoke with a known KGB assassin. The CIA k...
Nov 27, 2021•58 min•Season 1Ep. 33
