Dream Chasers and Eccentrics

Melvin Edwards is an author, journalist, and podcaster. His latest book is "Nuremberg Mississippi." We talk about how laws affected blacks differently from whites and were used as tools of opression, such as not being able to use the front door of stores or to eat inside restaurants or for a black man to be driving with a white woman or to be black and in town after sunset in "sundown towns," segregation, the "Negro Motorist's Green Book," where racism comes from and how slavery started it and perpetuated it, why it's nearly impossible for Blacks to trace their ancenstors in the USA prior to emancipation, his book "Nuremberg Mississippi," how the current administration emboldened racism in America, racist organizations in America, why people join racist organizations, PTSD, what we can do to promote friendliness between races, Jim Crow - where the name came from and what it means, his podcast "Stories from Real Life," and more. Links are on the podcast shownotes page Support the show through Patreon

Space Man is a short story by Paul Trammell, pubblished April 1 on paultrammell.substack.com The story is narrated by the author. Links are on the podcast shownotes page support the show through either substack, if you want more short stories, or Patreon

Amjad Tadros was CBS News' Middle East producer from 1990 to 2023, during which he managed regional coverage of transformative events, including Iraq's wars, the September 11 hijackers' backstories, the Arab Spring, and Syria's chemical attacks on civilians. His commitment to truth earned him four Emmy Awards, including for stories about Syria's chemical gas attacks (2016) and White Helmets (2017), a 2008 Peabody Award, and two Alfred I duPont Awards from Columbia Journalism School. He is also the author of the recently published book The Fixer: A Journalist's Accidental Journey Through the Middle East. We talk about current events in the Middle East - including the war in Iran, the people and various cultures of the Middles East, how war can be prevented, Yemen, how the lies a spy told helped instigate the Iraq War, Islam, the actual meaning of "Jihad," why wars start, nuclear weapons, Qatar, the possibility of the war in Iran spreading, why war does not solve anything, the Epstein files, war journalism and what goes on behind the scenes, fake-news accusations and why they break his heart, meeting Osama Bin Laden's bodyguard, Bin Laden's objective, 9-11, what a "fixer" is in journalism, trustworthy news outlets, and more.

Eric Robinson was a Baptist pastor before becoming an FBI agent. He was a SWAT operator for 15 years, a tactical and firearms instructor, and worked in Human Intelligence, National Security, and most of the criminal offenses covered by the FBI. He recruited informants, dealt with teen prostitutes, interrogated terrorists, arrested drug dealers and peadophiles, and much more. Two of his cases won the Attorney General's Award. He is writing a book, not released yet, titled "Irreverend." We talk about becoming an FBI agent, morals and ethics in work, why he left his ministry to join the FBI, similarities between the ministry and the FBI, interrogation, why torture happens (and shouldn't happen) in interrogations, the benefits of professional conduct, foiling mass shooters, why school shootings have become more common, lessons learned in the ministry that were useful in his FBI work, prostitution and how girls (and boys) fall into it, practical jokes, drug cartels, ripping off drug dealers, wiretaps and listening to suspects, crack dealers' phones, the Epstien files, how redactions should be done, peadophiles, ICE and how they have been conducting business under the current administration, the current FBI leadership, Antifa, Christian nationalism and white supremacy, and more. links are on the podcast shownotes page support the show through Patreon

J. R. Thornton was born in London and graduated from Harvard College in 2014, where he studied history, English, and Chinese. He later competed for Harvard as an internationally ranked junior tennis player on the men's professional circuit. Shortly after graduating from Harvard, J. R. published his first novel, Beautiful Country, loosely inspired by experiences he had living in Beijing as a teenager. The novel became a best-seller in China, and the film rights were subsequently purchased by WME/IMG. J. R. returned to China in 2016 as a member of the inaugural class of Schwarzman Scholars, earning an M.A. from Tsinghua University. He lives in Milan, where he works for AC Milan. Lucien is his second novel. Lucien is described as an incendiary literary work about a gifted artist on financial aid at Harvard who falls victim to the manipulative control of his wealthy, enigmatic roommate. Drawing inspiration from the true crime stories of Christian Gerhartsreiter (a.k.a. "Clark Rockefeller") and Adam Wheeler, Lucien is an immensely entertaining novel that will appeal to fans of The Secret History, The Incendiaries, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Saltburn. This is complicated, toxic friendship and dark academia at its best. We talk about how he got started writing, lessons learned playing professional tennis, how he got his first agent, his writing routine, becoming immersed in his novel while writing it, maintaining discipline, writing in alternate places, where the idea for Lucien came from, developing the main character, publuishing, books and authors we love, cultivating creativity and curiosity, writing a screenplay, advice for writers, time travel, and we discuss I highlights I took from the book. links are on the podcast shownotes page support the show through Patreon

PJ Glassey started personal training in 1987 and successfully grew his business over the following 11 years, training clients in their homes and at local area gyms. With the help of these clients as test subjects, and armed with his degree in Exercise Science, PJ invented his "multi-protocol" concept and refined it through 1998, when he founded the X Gym. He is also the author of the book "Cracking Your Calorie Code" and the inventor of his Brain Type Test, which helps people achieve health and fitness results much faster through specific brain wiring techniques tailored to their unique brain type. We talk about his unconventional training method, which focuses on toning and defining instead of bulking muscles and taking less time and being less dangerous, muscle size vs strength, muscle density instead of girth, endurance and strength training, sets to complete muscle failure, intensity, the equipment in his gym, comfort and the downward spiral of staying in your comfort zone, exercise goals, TRX, diet, alcohol and aging, breakfast, intermittent fasting, why aging comes from the relentless pursuit of comfort, avoiding dementia, brain training and body training, the value of discipline, the biggest mistake of New Year's resolutions, doing business based on Jesus Christ (and morals and ethics), sharing happiness, asking God for inspiration, beating writer's block, and more. Links are on the podcast shownotes page Support the show through Patreon

Douglas Ell grew up in Connecticut, and graduated early from MIT, where he double majored in math and physics. He then obtained a masters in theoretical mathematics from the University of Maryland. After graduating from law school, magna cum laude, he became a prominent attorney. His legal training and work, combined with his academic science background and a lifetime of independent study, has given him a uniquely grounded approach to science, religion, and philosophy. He is a proponent of Intelligent Design and takes the Bible literally. We talk about math and art, physics and how it led him to God, the three laws of thermodynamics, the universe and time, the fine tuning of the universe, why anything exists at all, atheism, Christianity, how all life runs on code (DNA), SETI, evolution and natural selection, entropy, deep time, Carbon-14 dating and rediometric dating, quantum entanglement, intelligent design, suboptimal design, his book Counting to God, the James Webb Telescope, cosmology, and more. links are on the podcast shownotes page support the show through Patreon

Lorie Kleiner Eckert is a slice-of-life blogger, motivational speaker, and author of five books. Her latest is Chai on Life (pronounced "High on Life") and is a collection of 36 short stories or memoirs with themes of gratitude, happiness, family, and self-help. It's a delightful book, and Lorie is a wise and delightful person with lots of insights on life to share. We talk about her book, finding gratitude even in difficult situations, avoiding the intrusiveness of modern technology, writing, happiness and how to find it, sobriety, meditation, chasing numbers, solitude, avoiding the covid lockdown in The Bahamas, family, reinventing ourselves, rewarding yourself, journaling and blogging, finding friends, art, books, and more. Links are on the podcast shownotes page Support the show through Patreon

This February marks ten years without smoking marijuana and eleven years without drinking alcohol for me. In this episode, I talk about how I quit, and why I quit, both of these addictive drugs. Links and photos are on the podcast shownotes page Support the show through Patreon

Poetry by Paul Trammell, read by the author. click on this substack link to get a short story every month, as well as poetry and book reviews Support the show through Patreon Links are on the podcast shownotes page

Cheryl Drury, a lifelong reader, is on a misssion to read a long list of classic books which she found on Ted Gioia's Substack page. She now has her own Substack page that features her podcast "Crack the Book" about classic books. We talk about The Great Gatsby, The Red Badge of Courage, Romeo and Juliet and other works of Shakespeare, The Odyssey, David Foster Wallace, James Joyce's Ulysses, Swann's Way, Les Miserables, Louise May Alcott's Little Women, Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice, reading on a Kindle vs hardcopies, things we learn about life and human nature from reading classic books, Great Expectations and Charles Dickens, Gentleman in Moscow, Dead Souls, Fathers and Sons, The Brothers Karamazov, The Death of Ivan Ilyitch, characters, taking notes while reading, Dante, what makes a book a classic, Bleak House, Blood Meridian, The Road and Cormac McCarthy, Canticles for Liebowitz, Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad, reading aloud, poetry, Pablo Neruda, writing every day, why we love to read, Breakfast at Tiffany's, In Cold Blood, Brave New World, Blood Child, This is How you Lose the Time War, Isaac Asimov, classic science fiction, Don Quixote, The Golden Ass, and more. Links are on the podcast shownotes page Support the show through Patreon

Just Like Meat, or Prosthetics, is a sci-fi short story by Paul Trammell (the host). If you like short stories and want to receive one of mine on the first of every month, for free, sign up for my Substack "newsletter" You can support the podcast through Patreon More info can be found on the podcast shownotes page Kepp an eye out for my latest novel Identity Crisis releasing March first, available for preorder now. Remember to alway stand on the side of love, and that relentless peaceful protest is what won the Civil Rights Movement.

Colin Corby is a Leadership, Wellbeing, Digital Detox, and Mindset Coach. He is also a TEDx Speaker, a technologist, and an endurance athlete. He created 'The Digital Detox Coach' in 2018 as he was fascinated by the collision between technology and psychology and how this relationship was changing the world, our health, and even the way we think. He is passionate about helping people and organisations achieve a healthier, more productive, and ethically sustainable relationship with technology. He has over 30 years' experience in leading technology companies. He brings this and the mindset of an athlete to his technology wellbeing practice. We talk about digital detox and what it is, things we might forget to do when spending too much time online, sleep, exercise, the importance of physical social connection, Artificial Intelligence, education and how AI is affecting it, ousourcing knowledge, using AI to transfer knowledge to us, developing the mindset of a business athlete, getting better sleep, why multitasking is inefficient, AI's use of energy and water and how our online activities affect the environment, AI companions, morning routines, the "just one thing" challenge to reduce misusing our phones, improving our lives through self-experimentation, preventing our phones from distracting us from work, exercising control, minimizing electronics for children, being more present, and more. Links are on the podcast shownotes page Support the show through Patreon

A life long search for freedom took Eli Jaxon-Bear around the world and into many spiritual traditions from a Zen monastery in Japan to a Sufi circle in Marrakesh, among others. His search ended when he was drawn to India (1990) where he met his final teacher, Sri H.W.L Poonja, lovingly known as Papaji; a direct disciple of the renowned Indian Sage Ramana Maharshi. Confirming Eli's realization, his teacher sent him back into the world to share his unique psychological insights into the nature of egoic suffering in support of self-realization. Eli infuses his teaching with his teacher's living transmission of silence and peace. He presents a unique map of egoic identification as a vehicle for ruthless self-inquiry and final realization of true freedom. His life is dedicated to passing on the transmission of his teacher. We talk about resisting the Vietnam war, going underground, living in a commune, growing marijuana, living in a shadow play, LSD, waking up and seeing the truth, psilocybin, facing his own death in an LSD trip, surrendering the ego, searching in India and finding a teacher, realization vs learning, theraputical use of psychadelics, meditation, hypnosis, seeking fulfillment, meeting an enlightened sufi, finding everything you really need, his books, and a lot more. links are on the podcast shownotes page support the show through Patreon

This week's episode is a short story by Paul Trammell, narrated by the author. A Ship Without Time is a short work of science fiction. If you like short stories, and would like to get a free one in your mailbox on the first of each month, sign up for Paul Trammell's Substack newsletter, for free (or donation) at paultrammell.substack.com.

Catia Batalha is a psychotherapist, spiritual teacher, author, and mystic, devoted to guiding souls on their journey of awakening, healing, and self-discovery. Moved by a deep reverence for the hidden wisdom that flows through all traditions, she has spent much of her life immersed in the holistic philosophies of the East and the psychological sciences of the West. We talk about growing up in Portugal, discovering yoga, how our external realities reflect our internal realities, moving to New Zealand, traveling during Covid, elevating our frequencies, the importance of avoiding fear, yoga, tantra, changing our states of conscience, the deeper treasure of yoga, chakras, meditation, different meditation techniques, frequency, alcohol and how it lowers frequency, Vipasana, solitude, karma, and more. At the end, she performs a medicine song. Links are on the podcast shownotes page Support the podcast through Patreon

Libbie Grant, who writes as Olivia Hawker, is a Washington-Post Best-selling author and a UFO enthusiast. She and I have both seen UFO's, and she wrote a historical fiction novel, "The Stars and their Light," about the Roswell incident in 1947. We talk about UFO's, her book "The Stars and their Light," religion and how UFO sightings can affect our beliefs, biblical references to possible UFO's, the possibility of UFO's hiding in bodies of water, the Baltic Sea structure, my UFO sightings, other UFO sightings, Terrance McKenna, where here ideas come from, smoking weed, 3I/Atlas, and more. Links are on the podcast shownotes page Support the show through Patreon

Danny Johnson's hilarious, clean stand-up has entertained audiences in comedy clubs, corporate events, and churches nationwide for over 15 years. Danny's work as a stand-up comedian has been humbly compared to Jerry Seinfeld, Kevin James, and Jackie Gleason, blending his original material with his renowned facial expressions. Danny's show is relatable, entertaining, and always evolving. Danny has starred in numerous TV commercials, Comedy Central's Laugh Riots, Florida's Funniest Comedian Top 10 Finalist, Winner-Carnival Cruise line Comedy Challenge, Finalist in Search for the One Christian Comedy contest, recently filmed his wildly popular Dry Bar Comedy Special (now available on Apple TV, Amazon, & Peacock), and has had the pleasure of sharing the stage with Chris Rock, Damon Wayans, Bob Saget, Billy Gardell, Richard Lewis, Rickey Smiley, Norm McDonald and a variety of others. We talk about becoming a professional comedian, what he enjoys about it, where jokes and routines come from, improvisation, hecklers, what makes a show go well, humor and what it all has in common, going on stage for the first time, what goes on backstage, drugs, drinking, sobriety, shows that don't work, mental health issues, social anxiety, auditioning, when things go wrong, and more. Links are on the podcast shownotes page Support the show through Patreon

John David is the author of the novel "The Bystander," which I read and loved. It's a thriller about a journalist who films an active-shooter incident and a "good samaritan" with a concealed weapon taking out the shooter. However, things are not what they seem. We talk about writing fiction and nonfiction, writing about a real location, setting, the second amendment and concealed weapons, heros, his work in crisis management, school shootings, writing technique and routine, publishing, querying agents, plotting vs pantsing, art, books he reads, other authors, his other book, "How to Protect Your Reputation Online," his next book "The Pawn," and more. Links are on the podcast shownotes page Support the show through Patreon

Libbie Grant, who also write under the pan name Olivia Hawker, is a Washington Post best-selling author of historical fiction and literary fiction. I recently read her novel "The Ragged Edge of Night," which tells the story of a Franciscan Friar in Nazi Germany struggling to maintain his sense of morals and doing what he can to thwart the efforts of the Nazis. Libbie has written and published 46 books under various pen name and is one of my favorite modern authors. We talk about the real-life story that inspired "The Ragged Edge of Night," the research that went into the book, how it relates to modern politics and the current rise of fascism in the USA, entering the dark side and how it leads to fascism, the value of being unpredictable, blind faith, religion, her book "The Prophet's Wife," Mormons, Joseph Smith, publishing, writing historical fiction, self-publishing vs traditional publishing, editing and marketing, her book about marketing writing "Gotta Read It," marketing tips for writers, Amazon and Facebook ads, how to generate word-of-mouth, how many days a week and hours a day she writes, short stories, artificial intelligence and how not to get replaced by it, and more. Links to her books are on the podcast shownotes page Support the show through Patreon