Animal Magic

Adopting a new dog (a dingo-corgi) raises fascinating questions about the long history of human-canine cooperation.  And there's this Gospel story where Jesus calls someone's daughter a dog - what's up with that?

Abraham is remembered as a "good shepherd" - but did his sheep feel this way?  In this episode, we'll explore how livestock herding has helped to shape human history.  Alert: this episode does contain references to Biblical animal cruelty.

Piling chili and coleslaw onto a hotdog sure is food for thought, inspiring questions like "what is 'food'?"  And "if you are what you eat - what am I?"  This is a sample chapter of the book "Chaos Chaos," a collection of comical personal recollections, silly bits of history, and some idiotic ponderings about what it means to be human.

How did a donkey become the only animal prophet in the Bible?  And how did horses change the lives of Indigenous Americans of the Great Plains?

A bear visits our campsite at Allegany State Park.  Michael nearly learns a valuable lesson.  A Biblical prophet's baldness summons the ursine species into existence.  And we learn what happens when a bear refuses to dance like a chicken.

What's the Lifespan of your Average Magical Groundhog?  Why is his February message so important?  And how does Groundhog Day relate to Ancient Systems of Spring Predictions?

A Comical Glance at the Talking Serpent of Eden, Snake-Handling Churches, and some of the Silliest Snake-stories of the Bible.  Plus: Before the Garden of Eden story got so famous (and poisonous) - what did the locals of Israel actually like about Women, Snakes and Trees?

Watching the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings with my Kids I wonder - What's Humanity's great Fascination with Dragons?  Where does the word come from, and what kind of Dragon-lore (good, bad, and ugly) might we find in Greek, Mayan and Chinese Mythology?  And what might our long Multicultural Love-Hate Relationship with Scary Reptiles have to tell us about what it means to be Human?