Tactical Frivolity: The Art of The Purposefully Absurd

Who is Gerry and What is He Mandering?

Ever heard the word gerrymandering and wondered who Gerry was—and why he's apparently out there mandering things? In this episode, we untangle one of the strangest political terms in American history. Elbridge Gerry, a Founding Father who signed the Declaration of Independence, helped shape the early United States, and somehow ended up having his name attached to one of the most controversial practices in American politics. From the American Revolution to his time as governor of Massachusetts and eventually vice president under James Madison, Gerry's career was anything but boring. All sources available at TeaAcrossEras.com

The Impact of an Artist

Some artists impact the world with the force of a hurricane, others with the whap of a wet noodle. This episode discusses a retracted recommendation, a really excellent raffle and a work of art that helped change the way we look at conflict. Join us as we discuss Picasso, Stuart Semple and twists and turns that make the art world unique!

Historical Pop Quiz: Did you learn it in high school?

Sure, this episode is a little salty, but the world seems like it needs some salt right now! Y'all heard about all those disappearances of people who seem to have some sort of connection to government labs and angencies and contractors? It's in our backyard here in New Mexico, so we've gotta talk about it. Today's pop quiz is inspired by... flails around at the world... and the book History Lessons: How Textbooks from Around the World Portray American History (see our bookshelf), Nell gives Rose a pop quiz on what is historical and what is current and how it all comes together. Sources: https://teaacrosseras.com/episode-sources [https://teaacrosseras.com/episode-sources]

Who Killed Kathy? Kathy Joan Lawson Arredondo

On February 11, 2012, Kathy vanished in Houston, Texas. At first, her friends and family clung to hope, certain she would walk back through the door with an explanation for the silence. But as strange social media comments surfaced then disappeared, and whispers of vehicle tampering spread, hope tangled with fear. Days stretched into months. Months into years. More than a decade later, the call finally came: Kathy had been found. It was not the closure anyone had prayed for, but it also wasn't the end. We still want to know - who killed Kathy? NOTE: This episode has been edited to preserve the integrity of the open case. All opinions and speculations are Nell's and Nell's alone. There are no named, public suspects in this case. All names that have been used are public information.

The Great Do-Si-Do: Parallel Points of History

History is not a geographic Island. However wild a world event is, there's sure to be something even wilder going on next door! Join us as we talk about just a few of the amazing events that happened at the same time and why it is always important to expand your view.