Finneran's Wake

Welcome to Finneran’s Wake – where the ART OF CONVERSATION lives.  Here, no topic is untouchable, no idea inadmissible, and no one too heretical to be heard.  As the great French essayist Montaigne once said, “To my taste, the most fruitful and natural exercise of our minds is CONVERSATION. I find the practice of it the most delightful activity in our lives”.  It certainly is the most delightful a...

I realized, while reflecting on the last few conversations of which I partook, that I twice made reference to one special book:  “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” by Milan Kundera.  Kundera, a Czech-French author who is (at the time of this posting) an incredible 94 years of age, is an extraordinary man. Twice expelled from the Czech Communist Party, he’s a reform-minded liberal bohemian (in the...

Svetlana Slapšak is an author, editor, anthropologist, philologist, expert in gender studies and the history of the Balkans.  Born in Belgrade, Serbia in 1948, she now resides and works in Ljubljana, Slovenia.  Svetlana is the type of person to whom I could talk for hours: the breadth of her experiences is exceeded only by the depth of her reading (which, I assure you, is unfathomably DEEP, indeed...

Glenn Ellmers is an author, journalist, political scientist, and fellow at the Claremont Institute.  The late Harry Jaffa–of whom Glenn was a student–is the subject of his excellent 2021 book, The Soul of Politics (of which I strongly urge you to buy a copy!)  His forthcoming work, The Narrow Passage, will be released in the Summer of 2023.  Glenn is a true renaissance man; he can write and speak...

Dan Willingham is a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia and the author of many celebrated articles and books. His latest work, Outsmart Your Brain , offers invaluable advice for the student whose goal is to maximize his or her fullest learning potential. But you don’t have to be a student–enrolled at a prestigious university or an expensive high school–in order to benefit from hi...

Neema Naz is a comedian, an actor, and the creator of The Estupid Club and NeemaNazTV.  This conversation–my first with a REAL, card-carrying comedian–was an absolute delight!  Of course, if you’re among his quarter-million followers on Instagram, this will come as no surprise; Neema is not only an immensely talented actor, but a refreshingly candid person.  In this episode, Neema and I discuss: ...

Edward Larson is a lawyer, historian, professor, and Pulitzer-Prize winning author.  A distinguished professor at Pepperdine University, his most recent work, American Inheritance explores the tension between liberty and slavery in America’s founding era.  In this episode, Professor Larson and I discuss:  The importance of April 19th, the day on which the American Revolution formally began with th...

In this inaugural episode of “Finn and Flood” (a segment focused on vitality, fitness, and wellbeing!), I sit down with my good pal, James Flood!  Aside from being an all-around swell (*swole*) guy and a dear friend, James is one of the most knowledgeable trainers I know, with many years of experience in the gym upon which he never hesitates to draw. In this episode, James pulls back the curtain t...

Marty Gallagher is an author, powerlifter, trainer, and coach.  Bearing nicknames such as the “Iron Monk”, the “Carefree Psychotic”, and the “Hibernian Hulk” (okay…I just made that last one up!) Marty is one of those rare specimens around whom legends are formed.  A champion powerlifter before the age of twenty, Marty has spent the entirety of his career (spanning over five decades) improving his...

Noah Charney is an art historian, lecturer, author, and expert on art thievery.  His latest book, The 12-Hour Art Expert, is the perfect entree for the layperson (like me!) who’s interested in learning more about art, but doesn’t quite know where to begin. It’s scholarly, but not abstruse; simple, but not condescending; thorough, but not tedious.  Oh–and its pictures are absolutely stunning!  Read...

Evan Mandery is a professor, lawyer, (former standup comedian!) and the author of eight books.  His latest work, Poison Ivy: How Elite Colleges Divide Us is available for purchase at all reputable (and even some disreputable) booksellers. I highly recommend you go out and pick up a copy of this important book.   Evan is one of those rare polymathic types from whom you can learn just about anything...

Eric Lager is an academic and entrepreneur who lives and teaches in South Carolina.  A native of Illinois, Professor Lager obtained his Ph. D in antebellum American History from the University of Tennessee. He currently lectures at The Citadel–that famous Charleston military academy from which so many valiant rebels took their degrees!  When outside the classroom, Professor Lager spends his time,...

Jason Stephenson is the founder and host of the wildly popular YouTube channel, “Jason Stephenson: Sleep Meditation Music” to which some 3 million people (and counting!) are subscribed.  Since joining the platform in 2011, Jason’s videos on sleep, mindfulness, meditation, music, nature, life, and breathing have amassed over 700 million views–a number to which I’m honored to say I’ve contributed! I...

My dad joins me to discuss Nikki Haley's announcement to run for President, John Fetterman's second admission to the hospital, and the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. 

On a bright, sunny February day, a couple of curious Montanans happened to look up and notice a peculiar flying object.  At a slow, leisurely pace, what appeared to be a massive balloon was traversing their picturesque and boundless sky.  Word started to get around that it might belong to a hostile actor.  Only then did the Biden administration announce that, with a high level of confidence, this...

Long withheld from public view, the video of Paul Pelosi's cudgeling by David DePape was finally released by authorities in San Francisco. The harrowing clip, widely accessible on YouTube, shows a flat-footed officer intervening to separate the two men.  Pelosi, an elderly man in his 8th decade of life, suffered a fractured skull and was knocked unconscious for about 3 minutes. By all accounts, he...

The fourth realm of the the ninth circle of Dante's Inferno is reserved for those who betray their benefactors and are unfaithful to their friends. In the fallout of the Steven Crowder/Daily Wire controversy, some people are prepared to open up the gates of hell and toss Mr. Crowder into its fiery depths.  In this video, I give my opinions and a little bit of commentary on the situation, as I unde...

In this episode of "Our Thought Bubble", my father and I discuss the shocking revelation that President Biden was in unlawful possession of classified documents dating back to his tenure as VP six years ago.  This is the same infraction, a "strict liability" crime, over which the FBI raided former President Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. More importantly, it appeared to be one of a few crimes on which...

Stoicism–named for the stoa (or covered walkway) under whose cooling shade Athenian citizens gathered and philosophers lectured–is a philosophy whose influence has stretched across the ages. It was, so many centuries ago, a philosophy to which much of the classical world subscribed. Today, despite our distaste for all things “old” (how boring!), it remains a school of thought from which we can der...

Hello there, friends!  On this episode of “Our Thought Bubble”, my father and I discuss…  The results of the Georgia Senate run-off election, of which the Democrat incumbent, Raphael Warnock, was declared the victor; the fulfillment of our prediction that this would, in fact, be the result; our opinions on the man whom everyone loves to hate, Elon Musk; Musk’s recruitment of Matt Taibbi to divulge...

Charles Love is the Executive Director of Seeking Educational Excellence , the host of The Charles Love Show, the co-host of the podcast, Cut the Bull , and the author of two books.  Race, much more than class, persists in being the chief issue with which American society grapples–the timeless, contentious issue over which so many of our fights are still waged, and to which there appears to be no...

The web’s most dynamic (and handsome) father and son duo are at it again! In this episode, we reflect on the huge, earthshaking, history-making announcement for which we’ve all been waiting: Donald Trump will seek the presidency in 2024.  Should he succeed in escaping the Republican Primary with the Party’s nomination, he’ll likely face down the dotard of Delaware, Scranton’s senescent son, Joseph...

Mark Schrad is a professor in the department of political science at Villanova University, over whose “Russian Area Studies” he presides as director.  Professor Schrad is the author of three books: The Political Power of Bad Ideas; Vodka Politics; and, his latest work, Smashing the Liquor Machine (to which, if interested in their purchase, I’ll include links below).  We sip our spirits, imbibe our...

In this (experimental) episode, my father and I sit down in the shady comfort of our back patio to discuss the shocking results of the 2022 midterm elections, in which the Republicans vastly underperformed even the most modest of expectations.  At the time of this episode’s posting, it appears that the Democrats will have gained at least one seat in the Senate, secured a few contentious governor r...

Ignacio Zuleta is a Colombian lawyer, writer, and yogi.  Born into politics, raised in the capital, trained as a lawyer…Ignacio’s career path appeared, until the transformative age of thirty (that strange moment in the life of a man at which epiphanies most often occur–just ask the Buddha, Joseph Smith, and Jesus) somewhat predictable: he’d ascend the ladder of his profession and society, accumula...