No Agenda Episode 1653 - "Twigs"

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AJ Jacobs makes The Puzzler podcast, wrote The Puzzler book, and sometimes turns his whole life into a puzzle. He comes bearing word games, explanations of anagrams being used to precipitate wars and were key evidence in trials, tips for writing with a quill, below-the-knee insults, and tales of living constitutionally.

This is the latest in the Word Play miniseries about word games; here are the other episodes.

Content note: there are mentions of guns, historical punishments and violence, vomiting, and drunkenness. There are also a couple of category A swears, and some category C swears.

EXTRA MATERIALS:

• There’s a vintage This American Life about Galileo Galilei’s anagrams.

• About Johannes Kepler’s wrong-but-right solutions.

• And Jonathan Swift even got involved!

• Eleanor Davies, prophet.

• “Declaring herself ‘Primate and Metropolitan’ (i.e. archbishop), Lady Eleanor sat on the bishop’s throne and also attacked the new altar hangings with a mixture of tar, hot wheat and starch.”

• “Lady Eleanor's trials and tribulations provide substantial evidence in support of an argument that she was a victim of her experiences, though there is also much evidence to show that she was a difficult personality.”

• Lewis Carroll’s Doublets puzzles.

• The longest word ladder.

• Otherlusionists: aside from the other Word Play episodes, there’s The Bee’s Knees that AJ mentions; Take a Swear Pill explains the positive effects of swearing; and The Ballad of Bic and Biro is about a very non-quill-like pen.

Support the show at theallusionist.org/donate and as well as keeping this independent podcast going, you also get behind-the-scenes glimpses about every episode, fortnightly livestreams with me and my dictionaries, and the Allusioverse Discord community.

YOUR RANDOMLY SELECTED WORD FROM THE DICTIONARY:
timocracy, noun, chiefly philosophy:
1. a form of government in which possession of property is required in order to hold office.
2. a form of government in which rulers are motivated by ambition or love of honour.

CREDITS:

• AJ Jacobs is a writer and the host of The Puzzler daily podcast. His books include The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible, and The Puzzler: One Man’s Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, From Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life. AJ’s new book is The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution's Original Meaning. Find all his work at AJJacobs.com.

• This episode was produced by me, Helen Zaltzman, on the unceded ancestral and traditional territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

• The original Allusionist music is by Martin Austwick. Download his songs at palebirdmusic.com and listen to his podcasts Song By Song and Neutrino Watch.

• Find the Allusionist at youtube.com/allusionistshow, twitter.com/allusionistshow, facebook.com/allusionistshow, @allusionistshow.bsky.social and instagram.com/allusionistshow

Back in early May with a new episode about exciting work happening in crosswords - HZ.

Our ad partner is Multitude. If you want me to talk compellingly about your product, sponsor an episode: contact Multitude at multitude.productions/ads. This episode is sponsored by:

• Bombas, whose mission is to make the comfiest clothes - and, newly, slides! - ever, and match every item sold with an equal item donated. Go to bombas.com/allusionist to get 20% off your first purchase.  
• The Art of Crime history podcast, investigating the unlikely collisions between true crime and the arts. Listen to the latest season, about Madame Tussaud, at ArtOfCrimepodcast.com and in the podplaces.
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• HomeChef, meal kits that fit your needs. For a limited time, HomeChef is offering Allusionist listeners 18 free meals, plus free shipping on your first box, and free dessert for life, at HomeChef.com/allusionist.

Lindsay Peoples is the editor-in-chief of The Cut.

“You see so many incredible people make one mistake and lose their job or they speak out about something and then the next day something blows up. And so I do think that I often feel like I have to be so careful. And that's hard to do because I'm just naturally curious and I want to know and I want to find and explore and do the things. But I'm aware that … people think I'm too young. I'm too Black. I'm aware of all those things and I'm still going to try.”

Show notes:

• 01:00 "Everywhere and Nowhere: What It’s Really Like to Be Black and Work in Fashion" (The Cut • Aug 2018)
• 09:00 The Devil Wears Prada (Fox 2000 Pictures • 2006)
• 29:00 David Haskell on Longform Podcast
• 31:00 "Should I Leave My Husband? The Lure of Divorce" (Emily Gould • The Cut • Feb 2024)
• 31:00 "The Day I Put $50,000 in a Shoe Box and Handed It to a Stranger" (Charlotte Cowles • The Cut • Feb 2024)
• 31:00 "Age Gap Relationships: The Case for Marrying an Older Man" (Grazie Sophia Christie • The Cut • Mar 2024)
• 50:00 "Is There Room for Fashion Criticism in a Racist Industry?" (The Cut • Aug 2021)

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Home is where Celtic music is with the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast #659 . Subscribe now!

The BorderCollies, Boxing Robin, Maggie’s Wake, Moher, Melanie Gruben, The Irish Rovers, Louise Bichan, Mic Clark, Jocelyn Pettit & Ellen Gira, The Fenian Sons, SeeD, Fiddle Folk Family, Paddyman, Clare Cunningham

The Celtic Music Magazine is a quick and easy way to plug yourself into more great Celtic culture. Enjoy seven weekly news items for Celtic music and culture online. Subscribe now and get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free.

This is our way of finding the best songs and artists each year. You can vote for as many songs and tunes that inspire you in each episode. Your vote helps me create next year's Best Celtic music of 2024 episode. You have just three weeks to vote this year. Vote Now!

You can follow our playlist on Spotify to listen to those top voted tracks as they are added every 2 - 3 weeks. It also makes it easier for you to add these artists to your own playlists. You can also check out our Irish & Celtic Music Videos.

0:02 - Intro: Something Blue

0:10 - The BorderCollies "Bella the Cat" from To the Hills and Back

3:15 - WELCOME

4:56 - Boxing Robin "Aires de Pontevedra, Dans Loudieg" from The View From Here

8:52 - Maggie’s Wake "Bridget O’Brien” from Maggie’s Wake

12:47 - Moher "The Park Station (jigs, reel)  The Ballygar Hermitage  -  Cleveland Park  -  The Old Station House" from Phoenix

16:03 - Melanie Gruben "Water Charges Song" from Like a Tide Upon the Land

21:01 - FEEDBACK

23:28 - The Irish Rovers "Rambling Paddy" from No End in Sight

26:20 - Louise Bichan "Tune for Claire" from The Lost Summer

29:50 - Mic Clark "DRAGONFLY" from THE RIVER EP

33:57 - Jocelyn Pettit & Ellen Gira "Through the Ether" from All It Brings

38:11 - THANKS

40:11 - The Fenian Sons "Enniskillen Dragoons" from 617

44:28 - SeeD "The Hall of the Goblin Queen" from FAE

48:41 - Fiddle Folk Family "Eppie Morrie" from Ungeschieden, ungekämmt, ungehört

52:30 - Paddyman "The Irish Rover" from One for the Road

56:04 - CLOSING

57:23 - Clare Cunningham "No place like home” from ON MY WAY (AR MO BHEALACH)

1:00:21 - CREDITS

The Irish & Celtic Music Podcast was produced by Marc Gunn, The Celtfather and our Patrons on Patreon. The show was edited by Mitchell Petersen with Graphics by Miranda Nelson Designs. Visit our website to follow the show. You’ll find links to all of the artists played in this episode.

Todd Wiley is the editor of the Celtic Music Magazine. Subscribe to get 34 Celtic MP3s for Free. Plus, you’ll get 7 weekly news items about what’s happening with Celtic music and culture online. Best of all, you will connect with your Celtic heritage.

Please tell one friend about this podcast. Word of mouth is the absolute best way to support any creative endeavor.

Finally, remember. Reduce, reuse, recycle, and think about how you can make a positive impact on your environment.

Promote Celtic culture through music at http://celticmusicpodcast.com/.

* Helping you celebrate Celtic culture through music. I am Marc Gunn.

This podcast is for fans of Celtic music. Not just the big names you’ve probably heard of. But also the Celtic bands in your neck of the woods, at your festivals.

It is here to build a diverse Celtic community and help the incredible artists who so generously share their music with you. If you hear music you love, please email artists to let them know you heard them on the Irish and Celtic Music Podcast. Musicians depend on your generosity to keep making music. So please find a way to support them. Buy a CD, Album Pin, Shirt, Digital Download, or join their communities on Patreon.

You can find a link to all of the artists in the shownotes, along with show times, when you visit our website at celticmusicpodcast.com.

Join our Discord. Contact me.

If you are a Celtic musician or in a Celtic band, then please submit your band to be played on the podcast. You don’t have to send in music or an EPK. You will get a free eBook called Celtic Musicians Guide to Digital Music and learn how to follow the podcast. It’s 100% free. Just email Email follow@bestcelticmusic and of course, listeners can learn how to subscribe to the podcast and get a free music - only episode.

There is no episode next week. It’s part of our quarterly break to catch up and in this case prepare episodes for the summer when I usually have trouble keeping up with shows. However, if you are a Patron of the Podcast, then you will get access to episode 2 of the Highlight Reels. These are music - only episodes featuring the best songs and tunes from episodes #648 - 655 of the show. These songs are part of the next round of voting that might ultimately end up being a part of the Celtic Top 20 at the end of the year. So go listen and vote for your favorites.

You are amazing. It is because of your generosity that you get to hear so much great Celtic music each and every week.

Your kindness pays for our engineer, graphic designer, Celtic Music Magazine editor, promotion of the podcast, and allows me to buy the music I play here. It also pays for my time creating the show each and every week.

As a patron, you get ad - free and music - only episodes before regular listeners, vote in the Celtic Top 20, stand - alone stories, you get a private feed to listen to the show or you can listen through the Patreon app.  All that for as little as $1 per episode.

A special thanks to our new and continued Patrons of the Podcast: Karen Wathney, G. Sam, Julio Capa

HERE IS YOUR THREE STEP PLAN TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST

1. Go to our Patreon page.
2. Decide how much you want to pledge every week, $1, $5, $25. Make sure to cap how much you want to spend per month.
3. Keep listening to the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast to celebrate Celtic culture through music.

You can become a generous Patron of the Podcast on Patreon at SongHenge.com.

Every year, I take a small group of Celtic music fans on the relaxing adventure of a lifetime. We don't see everything. Instead, we stay in one area. We get to know the region through its culture, history, and legends. You can join us with an auditory and visual adventure through podcasts and videos. Learn more about the invasion at http://celticinvasion.com/ #celticmusic #irishmusic #celticmusicpodcast

What are you doing today while listening to the podcast? Please email me. I’d love to see a  picture of what you're doing while listening or of a band that you saw recently.

Email me at follow@bestcelticmusic.

John Sturgeon emailed: "Hi Marc: Had a wonderful holiday piping with the City of Mt. Dora Pipes and Drums band. (Facebook) We performed Saturday at two venues and on Sunday at three different pubs. Attached is a photo of myself and my wife from the weekend. Slàinte Mhath"

Anne Roos sent a photo for St Patrick's Day: "Here ya go: Cheers and Happy Birthday,"

Karl Horak replied to the question of how they are celebrating Celtic culture through music: "Corned beef, veggies, Irish cheese, homemade spotted dog, washed down with Guinness, of course."

Scot sent a photo: "Shades of Green on their 6th and final performance of the St. Patrick’s Day weekend. This was at Jerzee’s in Glenside to a packed house. Our absolute favorite time of year. My favorite moment was right after we finished….a gent from Ireland came up to me, thanked me/us for bringing such joy all around and working so hard….and he wanted to give a little back. He then took my hand and sang a Gaelic song to me. It was moving. Nothing like the Irish spirit to lift you up.  Thanks for keeping the spirit alive brother."

No Agenda Episode 1654 - "e-Safety"

In 1980, posters appeared in subway stations and on telephone poles in New York City with a phone number to call. When you called it, you would hear a message: “This is Apology. Apology is not associated with the police or any other organization but rather is a way for you to tell people what you have done wrong and how you feel about it.”

Episode transcript will be posted here as soon as it is available. 

No Agenda Episode 1655 - "Illegal Chants"

PJ Vogt is the host of Search Engine.

“One of our tests editorially is if we think we’ve got something good, but we haven’t started reporting or recording on it, I’ll just try asking the question at dinner and stuff. If it derails conversations, that’s a really good sign.”

Show notes:

• @PJVogt
• Vogt’s Substack
• Vogt on Longform Podcast
• 03:00 “Why Are There So Many Illegal Weed Stores in New York City? (Part 1)” (Search Engine • Mar 2024)
• 03:00 “Why Are There So Many Illegal Weed Stores in New York City? (Part 2)” (Search Engine • April 2024)
• 03:00 “When Do You Know It’s Time to Stop Drinking?” (Search Engine • Jan 2024)
• 08:00 “Why Are There So Many Chicken Bones on the Street? (Part 1)” (Search Engine • Jan 2024)
• 08:00 “Why Are There So Many Chicken Bones on the Street? (Part 2)” (Search Engine • Jan 2024)
• 13:00 “Is There a Sane Way to Use the Internet?” (Search Engine • Oct 2023)
• 15:00 “How Do You Survive Fame?” (Search Engine • Feb 2024)
• 15:00 “The Tao of Rick Rubin” (New York Times • The Ezra Klein Show • Feb 2023)
• 15:00 “Rick Rubin Says Trust Your Gut, Not Your Audience” (Bari Weiss • The Free Press • Mar 2023)
• 16:00 “Rick Rubin, The Seclusive Zen Master” (Tim Ferriss • Jan 2023)
• 16:00 “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold” (Gay Talese • Esquire • April 1966)
• 18:00 The Ezra Klein Show
• 18:00 Fresh Air
• 19:00 Crypto Island (Jigsaw Productions • 2022)
• 26:00 “Do Political Yard Signs Actually Do Anything?” (Search Engine • Apr 2024)
• 27:00 Reply All
• 35:00 “What’s Going on With Elon Musk?” (Search Engine • July 2023)
• 38:00 “What’s It Like to Go Blind? (Search Engine • July 2023)

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No Agenda Episode 1656 - "Johnson Pivot"