Midweek Musings

It's Time to Talk About Time: Revisited In the final episode of Midweek Musings, Evie revisits the very first episode "It's Time To Talk About Time." 

The Effects of a Musical Childhood Much research has been done to prove that growing up playing an instrument or singing can lead to benefits throughout your entire life.  As someone who can attest to this fact first hand, Evie outlines the many ways in which a musical childhood still impacts her life. 

Cause of Death: Diet Coke? Tonight on Midweek Musings, find out once and for all what's truly worse for you: Diet Coke, with its sugar alternatives, or regular Coke, packed with grams and grams of sugar. 

The Mandela Effect Have you ever been sure you were remembering something correctly, only to find out you were wrong all along?  What about when a whole group of people collectively remembers the same thing wrong?  This week's episode of Midweek Musings is all about The Mandela Effect. 

Microplastics: Should We Be Worried? Since the 1960s, plastic has become ubiquitous in our everyday lives.  Because of that, countless microscopic pieces of plastic have infiltrated every ecosystem on our planet.  We've likely all heard of microplastics and how they can poorly impact our health, but is any of that true? Should we be so worried about microplastics if they're unavoidable?

Art, Literature, and Mental Illness There is an undeniable connection between artists, writers, and mental illness.  From Vincent Van Gogh to Michelangelo to Sylvia Plath, many famous, successful people in creative professions have struggled with mental illnesses.  The question that remains is whether or not these people are creative because of their mental illness, or spite of it. 

Black Holes Have you ever wondered what goes on inside a black hole?  What happens in a place that literally absorbs light and makes it impossible to see inside?  On this episode of "Midweek Musings," learn about the parts of a black hole and what might happen to you if you fell inside one. 

Lifespan Relativity Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to be a fly and only live for 24 hours?  This week on "Midweek Musings," learn about whether time feels the same to different species, a topic we're calling "Lifespan Relativity."

What I Wish I Knew Before Starting College In the spirit of Evie's last semester of college, listen this week as she shares what she wishes someone would have told her about college before starting several years ago. 

Tipping Culture In the past few years, the rise of "tip screens" asking the customer to tip as much as 30% in some cases has given way to frustration about the state of tipping culture in America.  How did we get here?  Listen to find out!

The Dark History Of The British Museum It's one of the most visited museums in the world and displays over 2 million years of human history.  Here's the catch: many of the nearly 8 million artifacts in the museum's collection were taken from other cultures against their will.  In this week's episode, learn about how the British Museum has been stealing from oppressed groups of people for centuries...

Are Soulmates A Real Thing? Whether you like it or not, it's nearly Valentine's Day, which means Midweek Musings is questioning a lovey-dovey topic: are soulmates real? Listen in to find out if there's any proof that "the one" is out waiting for you.

The Genius of C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia (With Chloe Breitbach) Avid readers and movie buffs would agree that the Chronicles of Narnia, written by C.S. Lewis and adapted into a movie trilogy, are some of the greatest stories of all time.  What makes them so great and insightful?  This week, Evie is joined once again by special guest, Chloe Breitbach, to break down some of the finer points of...

How Do I Know I Exist? We've discussed what it means to be real, but how do we know we exist?  Is there any way to prove that? What if YOU are the only conscious, thinking human being- is there a way to prove that your friends are real too?  Let's talk about a quintessential "Midweek Musings" topic.

Why "The Wizard of Oz" Was Actually A Horror Movie for The Actors "The Wizard of Oz." It's been named the most influential movie of all time, the most viewed movie of all time, and at the time of its production, was the most expensive movie ever created. In the first week of "Midweek Musings" Season 5, we peel back the technicolor mask to uncover the hidden side of the biggest movie of all time.

Conspiracy Theory Speed-Run It's the 50th episode and final episode of Season 4! Buckle up as Evie debunks several of the world's most infamous conspiracy theories.  Links mentioned in the episode:  Click here to see the many Denver International Airport conspiracy theories: https://www.denver.org/blog/post/myths-denver-airport/ Click here to see images from the moon landing: https://www.rmg.co.uk...

The Death Penalty Capital punishment dates back to early human history, but only in the past one hundred years has it become controversial.  This week, Evie discusses the history of the death penalty, and some of the modern takes we have on it today.  To learn more about the death penalty in America, click here: https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/curriculum/high-school/about-the-death-penalty/history-of...

The Commercialism of the Holidays Have you ever noticed how early the Christmas season starts? How about how much you have to buy to have a "good Halloween?"  What about the amount of food wasted on Thanksgiving?  As we enter the holiday season, let's reflect on the commercialism and consumerism that tends to drive annual traditions.

Why I Hate Sigmund Freud When Sigmund Freud said that every little boy is in love with his mother, did he know how prolific that idea would become Sigmund Freud's creepy psychological ideas have been taught for years on end, but why?  Join Evie in the first week back from "Midweek Mysteries" as she discusses why she hates Sigmund Freud.

Will Spirits Push My Car Across A Bridge? (Midweek Mysteries With Trina Schmadeke) The legend of Matsell Bridge, in Linn County, Iowa, says that if you drive your car out to the middle of the bridge in the dead of night and put your car in neutral, unseen spirits will push you to the other side. Join host Evie, and her friend, Trina, as they take you directly to the scene to see if their car will...

Schoolhouse Horror Stories (Midweek Mysteries) It's almost inevitable that a closed-down, run-down old school will be home to a few haunts, but did you know of two haunted schools right here in Iowa (one of them is right next to Evie's hometown)?  Join us this week for another week of chills as we explore school house hauntings.  Check out last year's episodes of Midweek Mysteries:  https://sauthe...

The Tales of Two Cemeteries (Midweek Mysteries) IT'S THE RETURN OF MIDWEEK MYSTERIES!  Every Wednesday in October, join Evie as she strays from her usual philosophical discussions and instead delves into some spooky, perhaps sinister stories, originating from around the state of Iowa.  This week, hear about two legendary cemeteries in Iowa City and Davenport that will be sure to give you a chill a...

How Long Do Humans Have Left? It's no secret that humans have already made a huge impact on our planet in the short time we've been around.  This begs the question, how long do humans have left?  Is our population growing too fast for the planet to sustain? Read for more info on a brief history of Earth: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Earth Click here for Earth's all-time population grap...

Why Is American Politics So Polarized? Blurb: With 2024 being an election year, we are constantly reminded of the political divide that is currently plaguing our country. How did we get here, and is there any benefit of having political parties despite all the problems that arise because of them?  To read more about polarization of politics in America, check out these links: https://carnegieendowm...

The Space-Time Continuum "There's a rip in the space-time continuum," a commonly heard phrase in science-fiction, but does it have any merit in the real world?  This week, Evie breaks down what exactly people mean when they talk about the space-time continuum, and how it eventually will be torn apart at the seams. To read more about The Big Rip, check out this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B...