Podcasts by Just the Best Literature
Just the Best Literature inspires you to not only read printed books, but to read only the best books. Besides books, host Dennis Leap will lead discussions on other current literature such as essays and important articles.
Further podcasts by Philadelphia Church of God
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#322: There Is Always Time For Polo from 2023-12-04T08:00
Host Dennis Leap finishes his discussion of Chapter 9 “Education at Bangalore” with Winston’s treatise on polo’s popularity with the British troops and the Indian populace. Polo games in India w...
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#321: Winston Gets Educated at Bangalore, Part 2 from 2023-11-20T08:00
Host Dennis Leap continues discussing My Early Life Chapter 9, “Education at Bangalore.” Winston comes to the conclusion that he doesn’t have a grasp on religion. He recognized that the...
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#320: Winston Gets Educated at Bangalore, Part 1 from 2023-11-13T08:00
Host Dennis Leap continues discussing My Early Life Chapter 9: “Education at Bangalore.” During the winter months of 1896, Winston came to the realization that he needed more education....
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#319: Young Winston Goes to India, Part 2 from 2023-10-09T08:00
Host Dennis Leap moves into Chapter 9 “Education at Bangalore.” While being trained to utilize British fighting maneuvers to protect the Empire in India, Winston realized he was not truly educat...
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#318: Young Winston Goes to India, Part 1 from 2023-09-25T08:00
Host Dennis Leap wraps up his discussion of Chapter 8. Winston gives young readers advice on how to take care of their health, specifically warning them not to dislocate their shoulders. He also...
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#317: Young Winston Visits the Vanished World, Part 2 from 2023-09-18T08:00
Host Dennis Leap finishes discussing key highlights from Chapter 7, “Hounslow.” Winston discusses the beauty of the Deepdene House and Gardens, where he mingled with the wealthy and elite member...
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#316: Young Winston Visits the Vanished World, Part 1 from 2023-09-11T08:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses key highlights from Chapter 7, “Hounslow,” from Winston Churchill’s memoir My Early Years 1874–1904. As this chapter opens, 21-year-old Winston has completed ...
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#315: Young Winston Comes Under Gunfire from 2023-08-28T08:00
On Nov. 30, 1895, after joining the Spanish Army’s fight against the Cuban rebels, 21-year-old Winston Churchill finally got his wish. He was in the jungle gnawing on a skinny chicken leg for br...
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#314: Young Winston Wants to Go to War, Part 2 from 2023-08-07T08:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses key highlights from Chapter 6 “Cuba” in Winston Churchill’s memoir My Early Years 1874–1904. Winston is 21 years old: Having now been trained as a soldier, he...
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#313: Young Winston Wants to Go to War, Part 1 from 2023-07-31T08:30
Host Dennis Leap discusses key highlights from Chapter 5, “The Fourth Hussars,” in Winston Churchill’s memoir My Early Years 1874–1904. As this chapter opens, Winston is 21 years old. H...
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#312: Winston’s Early Soldier Days from 2023-07-10T08:00
Host Dennis Leap with special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Chapters 4, 5 and 6 of My Early Life. Entering the Sandhurst military school gave Winston a new start in his young life. He wro...
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#311: The Deep Thoughts of Young Winston from 2023-07-03T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon continue discussing Winston S. Churchill’s most charming memoir My Early Life 1874–1904. They focus on the first three chapters, which s...
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#310: Child of the Victorian Age from 2023-06-26T08:00
Host Dennis Leap, with special guest Grant Turgeon, begin discussing Winston S. Churchill’s most charming memoir: My Early Life 1874–1904. They focus on William Manchester’s 1996 introd...
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#309: Winston Churchill: Soldier, Statesman, Writer, Reader from 2023-06-19T08:00
Host Dennis Leap introduces the new JBL series dedicated to the life and accomplishments of Sir Winston S. Churchill. During the British Black Lives Matter riots over the death of George Floyd, ...
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#308: Understanding Melville's Use of the Bible from 2023-06-12T08:00
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#307: Why Read Moby Dick? from 2023-06-05T08:00
Host Dennis Leap introduces the JBL short series on Herman Melville’s classic American novel, Moby Dick or the Whale, using quotes from Nathaniel Philbrick’s small book, Why Read Mo...
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#306: Ishmael’s Epilogue and Highlights From Moby Dick from 2023-05-29T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon finish this series with a discussion of Ishmael’s Epilogue of his survival from Moby Dick’s destruction of the Pequod Ahab and his crew. They als...
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#305: The Three-Day Chase to Kill Moby Dick from 2023-05-22T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Chapters 133 through 135 titled “Chase Day 1,” “Chase Day 2” and “Chase Day 3.” Ahab awakes early one night and smells Moby Dick in the a...
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#304: The Rachel, the Cabin, and the Hat from 2023-05-15T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Chapters 128, 129 and 130. Chapter 128 deals with the Pequod’s encounter with the Nantucket whaler named The Rachel. Manxman, and old sai...
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#303: Ahab Hates Queequeg’s Coffin (Chapters 110 and 127) from 2023-05-01T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss the two chapters foreshadowing the destruction of the Pequod as Ahab continues his insane search to destroy Moby Dick. In Chapter 110, Qu...
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#302: Chapter 99: The Doubloon—a Mirror Into the Soul from 2023-04-17T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss one of the most unique chapters in Moby Dick. Melville uses the gold doubloon as a mirror into Ahab’s soul and the souls of some of the c...
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#301: Chapter 93: The Castaway—Pip from 2023-04-03T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss the the sad mishap of Pip, Ahab’s cabin boy. Stubb recruits Pip to be an oarsman on his whaling canoe. At his first lowering, Pip is frig...
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#300: The Pequod Meets the Virgin from 2023-03-20T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Mr. Grant Turgeon discuss Chapter 81 of Herman Melville’s American classic Moby Dick. The whale ship called the Virgin is actually a German whaler kno...
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#299: The Jeroboam’s Story from 2023-03-06T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Mr. Grant Turgeon discuss Chapter 71 of Herman Melville’s American classic Moby Dick. Captain Ahab signals another Nantucket whale ship named the Jero...
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#298: Just the Best Literature Revived from 2023-02-20T08:00
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#297: Lessons From George Washington’s Life from 2023-02-13T08:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses several key leadership lessons from the life of George Washington.
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#296: The Final Days of George and Martha Washington from 2023-02-06T08:00
Host Dennis Leap with Deborah Leap discuss the final years of the Washingtons’ productive lives.
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#295: George Washington Faces Conflict Within His Cabinet from 2023-01-30T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and 60-plus panel member Deborah Leap discuss the problems George Washington faced with cabinet members’ desiring to establish a two-party system for America.
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#294: George and Martha Washington as First President and First Lady from 2023-01-09T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and 60-plus panel member Deborah Leap discuss Mrs. Barbara Bush, as well as George and Martha Washington’s lives as first president and first lady.
NOTE: This episode is ...
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#293: George and Martha Washington at Valley Forge from 2023-01-02T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and 60-plus panel member Deborah Leap discuss the funeral of George Herbert Walker Bush, followed by a discussion of George and Martha Washington’s support of the troops during ...
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#292: George Washington: Architect and Builder from 2022-12-26T08:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses George Washington as a skilled architect and builder.
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#291: George Washington: Agricultural Pioneer from 2022-12-19T08:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses George Washington as one of America’s first agricultural pioneers.
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#290: George Washington: Man of Noble Principles, Part 2 from 2022-12-12T08:00
Host Dennis Leap continues discussing George Washington’s treatment of slaves and disgust for slavery.
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#289: George Washington: Man of Noble Principles from 2022-12-05T08:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses George Washington’s noble qualities of character in his physical appearance, manners and dress, and begins a discussion on Washington’s hatred of chattel slavery.
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#288: Introducing Martha Washington, Part 2 from 2022-11-28T08:00
Host Dennis Leap, with 60-plus panel member Deborah Leap, discusses fascinating historical facts concerning Martha Washington’s family and her first husband, Daniel Custis.
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#287: Introducing Martha Washington from 2022-11-21T08:00
Host Dennis Leap, with 60 plus panel member Deborah Leap, discuss fascinating historical facts concerning George Washington’s wife Martha.
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#286: Introduction to Paul Johnson’s Biography George Washington: Founding Father, Part 3 from 2022-11-14T08:00
Host Dennis Leap continues to discuss the pertinent facts of George Washington's life, including his marriage, family life and health.
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#285: Introduction to Paul Johnson’s Biography George Washington: Founding Father, Part 2 from 2022-11-07T08:00
Host Dennis Leap continues to discuss the pertinent facts of George Washington’s life in the context of liberal leftists’ rage against “dead privileged white men.”
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#284: Introduction to Paul Johnson’s Biography George Washington: Founding Father from 2022-10-31T08:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses the pertinent facts and towering moral character of George Washington in the context of liberal lefts' handling Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings.
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#283: Final Thoughts on George Orwell’s 1984 from 2022-10-24T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Deborah Leap conclude the discussion of George Orwell’s classic 1984 by focusing on the emotional destruction of Winston Smith.
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#282: Winston Smith Reads Emanuel Goldstein’s Book, Part 2 from 2022-09-26T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon continue their discussion of the book within the book 1984, by George Orwell. Goldstein’s book is Orwell’s prescient way to exp...
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#281: Winston Smith Reads Emanuel Goldstein’s Book, Part 1 from 2022-09-19T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss the book within the book 1984, by George Orwell. Goldstein’s book is Orwell’s prescient way to explain the flaws of socialism that are qu...
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#280: Final Thoughts on Orwell’s Animal Farm from 2022-09-12T08:00
Host Dennis Leap shows why George Orwell’s classic tale Animal Farm is not a children’s story. He encourages every adult to read it. Why? This short fable clearly explains how the radical left i...
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#279: A Quick Trip to Orwell’s Animal Farm, Part 3 from 2022-09-06T08:00
Host Dennis Leap, along with special S.E.P. camper guests Aiden, Issac, Heidi, Nicole and Michal, discuss the final five chapters of George Orwell’s creative and humorous classic fable, Animal F...
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#278: A Quick Trip to Orwell’s Animal Farm, Part 2 from 2022-08-29T08:00
Host Dennis Leap, along with special S.E.P. camper guests Aiden, Issac, Heidi and Nicole, discuss the first five chapters of George Orwell’s creative and humorous classic fable, Animal Farm....
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#277: A Quick Trip to Orwell’s Animal Farm, Part 1 from 2022-08-22T08:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses why he’s interrupting discussion of Orwell’s classic 1984 to discuss his creative and humorous classic fable Animal Farm.
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#276: 1984 'Book 2': Winston, Julia and O’Brien, Part 2 from 2022-08-15T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guests Deborah Leap and Emma Moore discuss the characters Winston, Julia and O’Brien and their prescient symbolic relevance to today’s current events.
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#275: 1984“Book 2”: Winston, Julia and O’Brien, Part 1 from 2022-08-08T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guests Deborah Leap and Emma Moore discuss the unique aspects of the characters Winston, Julia and O’Brien.
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#274: 1984: The World of Winston Smith, Part 2 from 2022-08-01T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guests Grant Turgeon and James Brandon discuss highlights from Book 1 of George Orwell’s classic novel 1984. They discuss Winston Smith’s job in the Ministry of Tru...
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#273: 1984: The World of Winston Smith, Part 1 from 2022-07-25T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guests Grant Turgeon and James Brandon discuss highlights from Book 1 of George Orwell’s classic novel 1984. Topics discussed include telescreens, Winston’s diary, ...
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#272: The Goney and the Gam from 2022-02-14T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon finish discussing Chapter 48: “The First Lowering.” They then go on to discuss chapters 52 and 53, which focus on the social meeting (or Gam) of ...
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#271: Whaling With the Phantoms from 2022-02-07T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon continue discussing Chapter 48: “The First Lowering.” This explosive chapter gives insight into the uniting of Ahab’s stowaway crew—believed at o...
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#270: Ahab’s Crack Whale-Killing Crew Revealed from 2022-01-31T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Chapters 46 through 48. For Chapter 46, Dennis and Grant discuss Melville’s additional revelation of Ahab’s megalomania. In Chapters 47 a...
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#269: Ahab’s Intelligent but Mad Mind from 2022-01-24T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Chapters 43 and 44. In Chapter 43, Melville begins to reveal that there is an unknown mysterious crew on board. For Chapter 44, Leap and ...
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#268: Ishmael Reveals His Nameless Horror of Moby Dick from 2022-01-17T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Chapter 42: “The Whiteness of the Whale.” This fascinating chapter discusses the elusive qualities of the color white. This color happens...
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#267: Introducing Moby Dick from 2022-01-03T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Chapter 41, “Moby Dick,” which gives the history of Moby Dick and Ahab and shows that Ishmael recognizes he is totally under Ahab’s influ...
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#266: Kill-the-Whale Festivities from 2021-12-27T08:00
Host Dennis Leap with special guest Grant Turgeon complete their discussion of Chapter 37, titled “Sunset,” showing how Ahab describes himself as “demonic" and “madness maddened.” They then disc...
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#265: Ahab Hijacks the Pequod, Part 2 from 2021-12-20T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon complete their discussion of Chapter 36, “The Quarterdeck,” showing how Ahab successfully completed his plan to hijack the Pequod to satisfy his ...
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#264: Ahab Hijacks the Pequod, Part 1 from 2021-12-13T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Chapters 30 and 31 of Moby Dick: Melville compares Ahab to a Norse king and crafts a humorous tale of Stubb telling Flask about ...
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#263: Ahab—Supreme Lord and Dictator from 2021-12-06T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Herman Melville’s well-known and yet most mysterious character, Captain Ahab, from his American classic Moby Dick.
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#262: Starbuck, Stubb, Flask and Harpooners from 2021-11-29T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Chapters 26 and 27 of Herman Melville’s American classic Moby Dick. Leap and Turgeon focus on the personalities of the Pequod’s three mat...
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#261: Ishmael and Queequeg Aboard the Pequod from 2021-11-22T08:00
Host Dennis Leap with special guest Grant Turgeon discuss chapters 19 through 21 of Melville’s timeless classic Moby Dick. The two shipmates meet again with the prophet Elijah who warns them abo...
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#260: Ishmael and Queegueg Sign On With the Pequod from 2021-11-15T08:00
Host Dennis Leap with special guest Grant Turgeon begin discussion of chapters 14 and 16 of Melville’s American classic Moby Dick. Dennis and Grant focus on the history of old Nantucket and Ishm...
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#259: Ishmael and Queequeg Tour New Bedford from 2021-11-08T08:00
Host Dennis Leap with special guest Grant Turgeon discuss chapters 5 through 9 of Melville’s timeless classic Moby Dick, which give the history of America’s once great whaling capitals,...
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#258: Introducing Ishmael and Queequeg from 2021-11-01T08:00
Host Dennis Leap with special guest Grant Turgeon begin discussing the first nine chapters of Melville’s American classic Moby Dick. Dennis and Grant focus on the first first four chapt...
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#257: Why Read Moby Dick? from 2021-10-25T08:00
Host Dennis Leap introduces the JBL short series on Herman Melville’s classic American novel, Moby Dick or the Whale, using quotes from Nathaniel Philbrick’s small book, Why Read Mo...
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#256: Jim Does Not Run from 2021-10-18T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Deborah Leap discuss the final two chapters of Lord Jim. Jim naively believes that scoundrel Brown will leave Patusan peacefully. Yet Brown, with the help of C...
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#255: The Scoundrel Brown Invades Patusan, Part 2 from 2021-10-11T08:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses the fateful conversation between Jim and the scoundrel Brown, which took place at the muddy creek Jim jumped over to escape imprisonment by the Rajah.
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#254: The Scoundrel Brown Invades Patusan, Part 1 from 2021-10-04T08:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses the sadistic nature of evil pirate Brown, who plans to tear the people of Patusan to pieces.
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#253: Marlow Leaves Jim at Patusan from 2021-09-27T08:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses Jim and Marlow’s parting as Marlow returns to the outside world.
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#252: Remember: This Is a Love Story from 2021-09-20T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guests Deborah Leap and Gabe Greaser discuss Jim’s profession of his love for Jewel and Marlow’s analysis of Jewel.
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#251: Jewel Saves Jim From Assassination from 2021-09-13T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guests Deborah Leap and Gabe Greaser discuss Jewel’s intervention in a plot to assassinate Jim.
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#250: Jim—The Romantic Hero, Part 2 from 2021-09-06T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guest Gabe Greaser continue to discuss Jim’s love affair with Jewel, and the dark side to Cornelius’s character.
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#249: Jim—The Romantic Hero, Part 1 from 2021-08-30T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guest Gabe Greaser discuss Jim’s love affair with Cornelius’s stepdaughter, whom he names Jewel, and the mounting number of enemies planning his assassination.
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#248: Taking Down Sherif Ali’s Camp from 2021-08-23T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guest Gabe Greaser discuss Jim’s first adventure as the peacemaker of Patusan.
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#247: Jim Creates Anxiety on His First Day at Patusan from 2021-08-16T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guest Deborah Leap begin discussing Marlow’s visit to Jim at Patusan, two years after Jim lands on the island (Chapter 24). Jim tells Marlow about his dramatic first days.
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#246: Introduction to Jim’s Life on Patusan, Part 2 from 2021-08-09T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guest Deborah Leap continue discussing the background chapters (23 and 24) that lay the groundwork to better understand Jim and his life on Patusan.
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#245: Introduction to Jim’s Life on Patusan, Part 1 from 2021-08-02T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guest Deborah Leap discuss the background chapters that lay the groundwork to better understand Jim and his life on Patusan.
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#244: The Darkness of Gossip from 2021-07-26T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Deborah Leap discuss Jim’s bad habit of quitting jobs when he hears gossip about the Patna incident. Marlow seeks out Jim to help him stop running from a past ...
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#243: Jim: Not Thrown to the Dogs from 2021-07-19T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Deborah Leap discuss Marlow’s work to help Jim put the Patna incident behind him and overcome his gloom. Marlow writes Jim a letter of reference for a great jo...
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#242: It’s All Over from 2021-07-12T08:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses Marlow’s experience with Jim and his gloom caused by the magistrate’s devastating judgment at the conclusion of the Patna inquiry. With his certificate canceled, Jim’s...
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#241: I Don’t Run Away from 2021-07-05T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Deborah Leap discuss Marlow’s attempt to get Jim to take the “rupees and run.” Jim remained and faced the consequences of his unintended jump.
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#240: French Sailors Rescue the Patna from 2021-06-28T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Deborah Leap discuss Marlow’s discussion with a French sailor about how the French rescued the Patna and towed it to shore.
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#239: The Depths of a Greater Darkness from 2021-06-21T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Deborah Leap discuss Jim's mental state as he recounts learning that the Patna was towed safely to shore. Even though none of the 800 passengers died by drowni...
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#238: Jim Becomes One of Them, Part 2 from 2021-06-14T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Deborah Leap discuss Jim's time with the "three dirty owls" on the lifeboat removed from the Patna.
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#237: Jim Becomes One of Them, Part 1 from 2021-06-07T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Deborah Leap discuss Jim’s mental state and the events that led him to jump ship.
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#236:‘Enough to Make Angels’Weep’ from 2021-05-31T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Deborah Leap discuss Jim’s recollection of his fight with the skipper and three engineers as they prepared to abandon the Patna and 800 pilgrims.
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#235: Marlow Invites Jim to Dinner, Part 3 from 2021-05-24T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Deborah Leap continue to discuss Marlow’s dinner conversation with Jim. Outside of the restaurant dining area, Jim fully opens up to Marlow about the unfairnes...
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#234: Marlow Invites Jim to Dinner, Part 2 from 2021-05-17T08:00
Host Dennis Leap continues to discuss Marlow’s dinner conversation with Jim. As the two seamen move from the restaurant to an outside veranda, Jim opens up and reveals his actions and inaction d...
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#233: Marlow Invites Jim to Dinner from 2021-05-10T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guest Deborah Leap finish Chapter 6 and begin Chapter 7 of Joseph Conrad’s complex novel Lord Jim. After a near street brawl, Marlow convinces Jim to meet him for d...
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#232: Marlow Takes Charge of Jim’s Story, Part 2 from 2021-05-03T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guest Deborah Leap delve into chapter 6 of Joseph Conrad’s complex novel Lord Jim. The two discuss Marlow’s stories of Captain Brierly and his chief mate, Jones. Br...
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#231: Marlow Takes Charge of Jim’s Story, Part 1 from 2021-04-26T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guest Deborah Leap continue discussing Chapter 4 of Joseph Conrad’s complex novel Lord Jim. The two discuss Jim’s awareness of Marlow’s attendance at his inquiry and reveal ...
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#230: Jim’s First Encounter With Marlow, Part 2 from 2021-04-19T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guest Deborah Leap continue discussing the first four chapters of Joseph Conrad’s complex novel Lord Jim. In Chapter 3, Conrad gives us deeper insights into Jim’s romantic a...
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#229: Jim’s First Encounter With Marlow, Part 1 from 2021-04-12T08:30
Host Dennis Leap begins discussing the first four chapters of Joseph Conrad’s complex novel Lord Jim. The key to understanding these chapters is that they cover three different points in time le...
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#228: Introduction to Joseph Conrad’s Lord Jim from 2021-04-05T08:00
Host Dennis Leap provides an overview look at Joseph Conrad’s uniquely structured novel Lord Jim, including historical background, themes and cast of characters.
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#227: Final Thoughts on Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Part 2 from 2021-03-29T08:00
Host Dennis Leap uses Marlow’s discussion with Kurtz’s intended to conclude his summary comments on how to understand this classic novella.
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#226: Final Thoughts on Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Part 1 from 2021-03-22T08:00
Host Dennis Leap uses Marlow’s thoughts on Kurtz after his burial to begin summary comments on how to understand this classic novella.
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#225: Marlow’s Full Testimony to the Life and Death of Kurtz, Part 2 from 2021-03-15T08:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses Marlow’s fascination with Kurtz’s desire to reenter the darkness of his own human nature as he crawls back to the native Africans who desire to worship him. Marlow als...
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#224: Marlow’s Testimony on the Life and Death of Kurtz, Part 1 from 2021-03-08T08:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses the overlooked conflict Marlow holds for his hero Kurtz. Marlow insists that Kurtz is not his idol, but he also states that Kurtz is a remarkable man. In this matter, ...
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#223: Marlow Meets His Hero Kurtz, Part 2 from 2021-03-01T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guests Deborah Leap and Gabe Greaser discuss Marlow’s first meeting with Kurtz.
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#222: Marlow Meets His Hero Kurtz, Part 1 from 2021-02-22T10:16
Host Dennis Leap and guests Deborah Leap and Gabe Greaser discuss Marlow’s surprising defense of Kurtz to his companions on the Nellie and Marlow’s story about meeting Kurtz.
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#242: The Women in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Part 2 from 2021-02-15T09:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guests Deborah Leap and Hannah Worrell continue their discussion of Joseph Conrad’s use of women in his classic novella Heart of Darkness. In this episode, ...
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#241: The Women in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Part 1 from 2021-02-08T10:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guests Deborah Leap and Hannah Worrell discuss Joseph Conrad's use of women in his classic novella Heart of Darkness.
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#240: Marlow Learns About His Hero Kurtz, Part 2 from 2021-02-01T09:00
Host Dennis Leap, along with special guests Parker Campbell and Gabe Greaser, discusses Marlow’s education about Kurtz as he travels from station to station, entering the heart of darkness.
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#239: Marlow Learns About His Hero Kurtz from 2021-01-25T09:00
Host Dennis Leap, along with special guests Parker Campbell and Gabe Greaser, discusses Marlow’s education about Kurtz as he travels from station to station as he enters the heart of darkness.
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#238: Marlow’s First Contact With the Dark Continent and the Company’s Decayed Outpost from 2021-01-18T09:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses Marlow’s colorful descriptions of his first contact with Africa and the company’s outpost, supposedly established to bring civilization to the uncivilized natives.
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#237: Marlow Ignores the Warning signs of Entering the Heart of Darkness, Part 2 from 2021-01-11T08:00
Host Dennis Leap finishes his discussion of the warning signs Marlow ignored prior to going to work for Belgian Congo Company. Dennis brings to light Conrad’s use of Psalm 74:20 which states “Fo...
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#236: Marlow Ignores the Warning Signs of Entering the Heart of Darkness, Part 1 from 2021-01-04T09:00
Host Dennis Leap begins discussing the evidence of the main flaw in Marlow’s character as revealed in Book 1 of Jospeh Conrad’s novella The Heart of Darkness.
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#235: Hidden Keys to Understanding Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Part 2 from 2020-12-28T17:39
Host Dennis Leap and guest Deborah Leap continue discussing Heart of Darkness, Book 1. They discuss whether colonialism is violent conquest or the spread of civilization.
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#234: Hidden Keys to Understanding Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Part 1 from 2020-12-21T08:00
Host Dennis Leap, with special guest Deborah Leap, begins discussing Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness, Book 1. They reveal the hidden keys to understanding the complex...
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#233: Background to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Part 2 from 2020-12-14T08:00
Host Dennis Leap continues his background discussion of Heart of Darkness, showing how Conrad’s life experiences provided the structure for his tale of fiction.
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#232: Background to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Part 1 from 2020-12-07T08:00
Host Dennis Leap provides critical background facts to facilitate readers’ understanding of Conrad’s gripping novella Heart of Darkness. Dennis explains Marlow’s change in temperament f...
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#231: Final Thoughts on Joseph Conrad’s Short Story Youth from 2020-11-30T08:00
Host Dennis Leap, with special guests Deborah Leap and Gabe Greaser, discusses key points expressed in Conrad’s short story Youth.
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#230: Marlow Laments an Absurd Delusion From His Youth from 2020-11-23T08:00
Host Dennis Leap, with special guests Deborah Leap and Gabe Greaser, discusses Marlow’s revelation of an absurd delusion in his youth as second mate on the Judea.
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#229: The Overlooked Character in Conrad’s Youth, Part 2 from 2020-11-16T08:00
Host Dennis Leap continues discussing the overlooked character in Joseph Conrad’s short story Youth—the Judea. Dennis mentions the rat prophecy and shows how Marlow praises the Judea fo...
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#228: The Overlooked Character in Conrad’s Youth, Part 1 from 2020-11-09T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Gabe Greaser discuss the overlooked character in Joseph Conrad’s short story Youth—the Judea. Marlow provides loving descriptions of her sterling char...
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#227: Marlow—The Storyteller, Part 2 from 2020-11-02T08:00
Host Dennis Leap continues discussing the narrator and main character, Marlow, in Joseph Conrad’s short story Youth. Dennis puts an emphasis on Marlow’s ability to observe and make crit...
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#226: Marlow—The Storyteller from 2020-10-26T08:00
Host Dennis Leap begins discussing the narrator and main character, Marlow, in Joseph Conrad’s short story Youth. Dennis puts an emphasis on Conrad’s written statements about M...
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#225: Introduction to Joseph Conrad’s Novella Youth from 2020-10-12T07:00
Host Dennis Leap begins the discussion of Joseph Conrad’s novella Youth by talking about the story’s structure and characters and a suggestion about why Conrad chose to write the story....
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#224: A Snapshot of Joseph Conrad’s Early Childhood from 2020-10-05T07:00
Host Dennis Leap begins the promised series on Joseph Conrad’s Youth, Heart of Darkness and Lord Jim with a short introduction to Conrad’s difficult childhood under Russia’s domination of the Po...
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#222: An Overview of 1984’s Appendix 1 from 2020-09-21T08:00
Host Dennis Leap, along with special guest Deborah Leap, discusses “The Principle of Newspeak” found in Orwell’s classic 1984. George Orwell believed that totalitarian governments striv...
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#221: Winston’s Days in the Ministry of Love, Part 2 from 2020-09-14T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guests Grant Turgeon, Emma Moore and Deborah Leap continue their discussion of Book 3 of George Orwell’s classic 1984. Under severe torture, Winston works t...
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#220: Winston’s Days in the Ministry of Love, Part 1 from 2020-09-07T08:00
Host Dennis Leap—along with special guests Grant Turgeon, Emma Moore and Deborah Leap—discusses Book 3 of George Orwell’s classic 1984. Winston discovers the dark truth about the goals ...
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#209: George Orwell: A Conversation With Michael Shelden from 2020-06-15T08:00
In this extended length program, host Dennis Leap and guest Deborah Leap hold a conversation with Michael Sheldon, author of Orwell: The Authorized Biography. Michael shares his insight...
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#208: Why Eric Arthur Blair Became George Orwell, Part 2 from 2020-06-08T08:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses Eric Blair's adolescent years, his dysfunctional family life, his idyllic boyhood home in the picturesque setting of Henley-on-Thames, his difficulty making friends, a...
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#207: Why Eric Arthur Blair Became George Orwell, Part 1 from 2020-06-01T08:00
Host Dennis Leap opens the JBL summer book discussion series, "Blast From the Past,” with a biographical sketch on the man who became George Orwell, author of the prescient novel 1984.
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#206: Charles Krauthammer—Essayist Extraordinaire from 2020-05-25T08:00
Host Dennis Leap gives his final thoughts on the life and writings of Charles Krauthammer.
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#205: Krauthammer Weighs In on 9/11, Part 2 from 2020-05-18T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guest Grant Turgeon continue their discussion of Charles Krauthammer’s bitter lament over the mishandling of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. In this podcast,...
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#204: Krauthammer Weighs In on 9/11, Part 1 from 2020-05-11T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Charles Krauthammer’s essay titled “September 11, 2001.” They discuss Krauthammer’s justified anger with the U.S.A.’s weak respo...
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#203: Charles Krauthammer Bemoans Cold War Nostalgia, Part 2 from 2020-05-04T08:00
Host Dennis Leap with special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Charles Krauthammer’s prescient essay "Cold War Nostalgia." The flaw Mr. Krauthammer saw with 1993 liberal politicians is still alive an...
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#202: Charles Krauthammer Bemoans Cold War Nostalgia, Part 1 from 2020-04-27T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Charles Krauthammer’s prescient essay “Cold War Nostalgia.” The flaw he saw with 1993 liberal politicians is still around and fu...
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#201: Just the Best Literature Celebrates 200 Programs from 2020-04-13T08:05
In this hourlong special, host Dennis Leap celebrates completing over 200 podcasts with his favorite picks from four years of broadcasting.
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#200: Charles Krauthammer Warns,‘In Plain English—Let’s Make It Official’ from 2020-04-06T08:00
In this straightforward essay, Mr. Krauthammer discusses the “perils of bilingualism.” Host Dennis Leap, with guest Deborah Leap, discuss America’s political struggle to declare English as the o...
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#199: Charles Krauthammer Chortles,‘The Appeal of Ordeal,’Part 3 from 2020-03-30T08:00
In his tongue-in-cheek essay “The Appeal of Ordeal," Charles Krauthammer takes us deep into his thinking about the “human propensity to test the worthiness of a thing by seeing how well it stand...
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#198: Charles Krauthammer Chortles,‘The Appeal of the Ordeal,’Part 2 from 2020-03-23T08:00
In his tongue-in-cheek essay “The Appeal of the Ordeal," Krauthammer takes us deep into his thinking about the “human propensity to test the worthiness of a thing by seeing how well it stands up...
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#197: Charles Krauthammer Chortles,‘The Appeal of the Ordeal,’Part 1 from 2020-03-16T08:00
In his tongue-in-cheek essay “The Appeal of Ordeal," Mr. Krauthammer takes us deep into his thinking about the “human propensity to test the worthiness of a thing by seeing how well it stands up...
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#196: Charles Krauthammer Wonders,‘“Women and Children,”Still?’ from 2020-03-09T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Deborah Leap discuss Charles Krauthammer’s attention-catching essay “‘Women and Children.’ Still?” In this essay, Krauthammer mused on why 1997 audiences watch...
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#195: Charles Krauthammer Asks,‘Are We Alone in the Universe?’(Part 2) from 2020-03-02T08:00
Host Dennis Leap continues his discussion of Charles Krauthammer’s intriguing essay “Are We Alone in the Universe?” He discusses the big news from the U.S. Department of the Navy’s admission tha...
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#194: Charles Krauthammer Asks,‘Are We Alone in the Universe?’(Part 1) from 2020-02-24T08:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses Charles Krauthammer’s superb essay “Are We Alone in the Universe?” Incredible technology has been developed to help man see into the vast universe. With the discovery ...
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#193: Charles Krauthammer’s Essay "Annals of ‘Art’” from 2020-02-17T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Jeremiah Jacques discuss Charles Krauthammer’s unique essay “Annals of ‘Art.’” In October 1999, a culture war over a shocking and banal art show s...
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#192: Charles Krauthammer on ‘Body Worship’ from 2020-02-10T08:00
Host Dennis Leap with special guest Deborah Leap discuss Charles Krauthammer’s humorous and absorbing essay “Body Worship.” Written in 1997, this essay discusses the new religion of...
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#191: Charles Krauthammer on ‘Motherhood Missed’ from 2020-02-03T08:00
Host Dennis Leap with special guest Deborah Leap discuss Charles Krauthammer’s thought-provoking essay ”Motherhood Missed.” Written in 2000, this essay exposes one painful tribute t...
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#190: Charles Krauthammer on ‘The Mirror-Image Fallacy,’ Part 2 from 2020-01-27T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest James Brandon discuss Charles Krauthammer’s humorous and thought-provoking essay: ”The Mirror-Image Fallacy.” Written in 1983, this essay exposes ...
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#189: Charles Krauthammer on ‘The Mirror-Image Fallacy’ from 2020-01-20T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest James Brandon discuss Charles Krauthammer’s tongue-in-cheek but thought-provoking essay: ”The Mirror-Image Fallacy.” Written in 1983, this essay exposes the fault...
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#188: Charles Krauthammer on ‘The Bush Derangement Syndrome,’ Part 2 from 2020-01-13T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest James Brandon finish their discussion of Charles Krauthammer’s superb political essay titled “The Bush Derangement Syndrome.” Written in 2003, thi...
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#187: Charles Krauthammer on ‘The Bush Derangement Syndrome’ from 2020-01-06T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and special guest James Brandon discuss Charles Krauthammer’s essay “The Bush Derangement Syndrome.” Written in 2003, this essay proves that history is repeating itself in the dera...
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#186: Charles Krauthammer on ‘The Church of Global Warming,’ Part 2 from 2019-12-30T08:00
Host Dennis Leap continues his discussion of Charles Krauthammer’s essay “The Church of Global Warming.” Written in 2008, this essay gives a common-sense appraisal of the religious-...
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#185: Charles Krauthammer on ‘The Church of Global Warming’ from 2019-12-23T08:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses Charles Krauthammer’s essay “The Church of Global Warming.” Written in 2008, this essay gives a common sense appraisal of the religious-like fervor of cli...
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#184: Charles Krauthammer on the Inner Man from 2019-12-16T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guest Deborah Leap discuss Charles Krauthammer’s essay “The Inner Man? Who Cares.” Written at the time of Richard Nixon’s impeachment, this essay discusses the ...
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#183: Charles Krauthammer On Dogs, Part 2 from 2019-12-09T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guest Deborah Leap discuss Charles Krauthammer’s essay “Save the Border Collie,” which deals with the genetic manipulation of the dog breed, changing the dog from “smart to pre...
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#182: Charles Krauthammer on Dogs, Part 1 from 2019-12-02T08:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses Charles Krauthammer’s humorous essay “Of Dogs and Men.”
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#181: Charles Krauthammer on Teaching Creationism from 2019-11-25T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guest Jude Flurry continue discussing Krauthammer’s essay structure using his essay “The Real Message of Creationism.”
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#180: Charles Krauthammer on Winston Churchill from 2019-11-18T08:00
Host Dennis Leap with guest Jude Flurry discuss the structure of Charles Krauthammer’s essays using his essay “Winston Churchill: The Indispensable Man.”
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#179: Charles Krauthammer on the Sovereignty of Politics from 2019-11-11T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guest Deborah Leap discuss Krauthammer’s life-changing accident and his essay “The Central Axiom of Partisan Politics.”
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#178: The Man Charles Krauthammer from 2019-11-04T08:00
Host Dennis Leap with guest Deborah Leap discuss Charles Krauthammer’s education and accomplishments.
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#177: The Lawrence Legend Lives On from 2019-10-28T08:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses Lawrence’s legend as a Middle East diplomat and his death.
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#176: The Lawrence Cult from 2019-10-21T08:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses how T. E. Lawrence became a cult sensation.
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#175: Lawrence’s Fight for Syria, Part 2 from 2019-10-14T08:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses Lawrence’s decision not to attack the Mudawara water station and his success against the Turkish locomotives.
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#174: Lawrence’s Fight for Syria, Part 1 from 2019-10-07T08:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses Lawrence’s move to attack the Mudawara water station as his first step to win Syria for the Arabs.
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#173: The Balfour Declaration, Part 2 from 2019-09-30T08:00
Host Dennis Leap along with special guest Brent Nagtegaal discuss the truth about the Balfour Declaration and its prophetic importance for the resolution of the problems of today’s Middle East.
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#172: The Balfour Declaration, Part 1 from 2019-09-23T08:00
Host Dennis Leap along with special guest Brent Nagtegaal discuss the truth about the Balfour Declaration and its historical importance for the establishment of today’s Middle East.
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#171: Facing the Challenges After Aqaba, Part 2 from 2019-09-16T08:00
Host Dennis Leap continues the discussion on the origin of the fomenting political unrest in the Middle East—the duplicity of human nature in everyone involved during World War I.
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#170: Facing the Challenges After Aqaba, Part 1 from 2019-09-09T08:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses the origin of the fomenting political unrest in today’s Middle East—the duplicity of human nature in everyone involved during World War I.
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#169: The Uncrowned King of Arabia from 2019-09-02T08:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses Lawrence’s move from intelligence officer to warrior.
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#168: The Disaster at Kut from 2019-08-26T08:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses how the disaster at Kut-al-Almara propelled Lawrence into combat
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#167: The Expansion of Lawrence’s Influence from 2019-08-19T08:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses Lawrence’s expanding influence with military policy through his intelligence gathering.
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#166: Lawrence’s Private Plans for the Arabs Future from 2019-08-12T08:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses Lawrence’s view of the Sykes-Picot agreement, his private plan for an Arab future.
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#165: The Greedy Sykes-Picot Agreement from 2019-07-01T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guest James Brandon discuss the disastrous Sykes-Picot Agreement concerning the establishment of an Arab nation.
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#164: Lawrence—Bottle-Washer, Office Boy Pencil-Sharpener and Pen-Wiper from 2019-06-24T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guest James Brandon discuss T. E. Lawrence’s expert skills working for the Cairo Intelligence office.
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#163: Lawrence on Assignment in Cairo, Part 2 from 2019-06-17T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guest James Brandon continue their discussion of T. E. Lawrence on assignment in Cairo, the brain trust, Lawrence’s dislike of Cairo, and his unique ability to assess military ...
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#162: Lawrence on Assignment in Cairo from 2019-06-10T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guest James Brandon discuss Lawrence’s unusual entrance into the military at the beginning of World War I, the Winston Churchill–Earl Kitchener tension over strategy, and Lawre...
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#161: Espionage at Carchemish from 2019-06-03T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guest Deborah Leap discuss T. E. Lawrence’s extra-archaeological activities—the construction of the exhibition house—and his gun-running and espionage adventures as preparation...
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#160: Dig Challenges at Carchemish from 2019-05-27T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guest Deborah Leap discuss the Carchemish dig challenges, how T. E. Lawrence won the hearts of the Arabs, and his experience with the raucous Kurds.
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#159: Young Lawrence and Carchemish, Part 2 from 2019-05-20T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guest Deborah Leap discuss T. E. Lawrence’s Arabic language education, Carchemish as his preparation for the Arab revolt against the Turks, and the young Lawrence in his element.
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#158: Young Lawrence and Carchemish from 2019-05-13T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guest Deborah Leap discuss T. E. Lawrence’s association with famed archaeologist David Hogarth, why the British were so interested in Carchemish, and Lawrence’s ability to get ...
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#157: Lawrence at Oxford from 2019-05-06T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guest Deborah Leap discuss T. E. Lawrence’s early years at Oxford.
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#156: Lawrence’s Late Teen Years from 2019-04-29T08:00
Host Dennis Leap and guest Deborah Leap discuss T. E. Lawrence’s troubled late teen years, his stint in the regular army, his desire to be free of the discipline of his mother, Sarah, and his cotta...
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#155: Lawrence’s Family Life, Part 2 from 2019-04-22T08:00
Host Dennis Leap, along with guest Deborah Leap, discuss T. E. Lawrence’s life as a child and teenager, taken from Chapter 3, “The Family Romance,” of Michael Korda’s Hero: The Life and Legend of L...
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#154: Lawrence’s Family Life, Part 1 from 2019-04-15T10:00
Host Dennis Leap, along with guest Deborah Leap, discuss the unconventional relationship between T. E. Lawrence’s parents, taken from Chapter 3 of Michael Korda’s The Family Romance.
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#153: The Lawrence Legend Begins, Part 2 from 2019-04-08T10:00
Host Dennis Leap and the 60 Plus One Panel, Deborah Leap and James Brandon, discuss the adverse geographic conditions for the invasion of Aqaba, the problems with the British Army working with Arab...
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#152: Aqaba: The Lawrence Legend Begins from 2019-04-01T10:00
Host Dennis Leap and the 60 Plus One Panel, Deborah Leap and James Brandon, discuss the Sykes-Pico Agreement and the strategic importance of taking the port city of Aqaba away from the Turks.
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#151: Hero’s Cast of Supporting Characters, Part 2 from 2019-03-25T09:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses the politicians and military personnel associated with T.E. Lawrence as he fought in the Arabic war against the Turks.
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#150: Hero’s Cast of Supporting Characters from 2019-03-18T09:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses the politicians and military personnel who associated with T. E. Lawrence when he fought in the Arabic war against the Turks.
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#149: Hero Finds His Arabic Hero, Part 2 from 2019-03-11T09:00
Host Dennis Leap describes the development of the strong bond between Lawrence and Feisal, as recounted in Michael Korda’s book Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia.
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#148: Hero Finds His Arabic Hero from 2019-03-04T09:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses the first meeting between T. E. Lawrence and Emir Feisal, as discussed in Michael Korda’s book Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia.
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#147: Who Is This Extraordinary Pip-squeak?, Part 2 from 2019-02-25T09:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses T. E. Lawrence’s leadership skills—his fearlessness, strong will, ability to think deeply, skill at sizing up the character of others, and more—from Chapter 1 of Hero: Th...
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#146: Who Is This Extraordinary Pip-squeak? from 2019-02-18T09:00
Host Dennis Leap discusses the historical background behind Chapter 1 of Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia, by Michael Korda.
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#145: Introduction to the Life of Lawrence of Arabia, Part 2 from 2019-02-04T09:00
Host Dennis Leap gives a broad overview of the life of Lawrence of Arabia.
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