The Compost Bin of History

The compost boys are back and have a fresh bucket of scraps from their pet columnist, Alan Guebert!   James and Jared stick their pitchforks back into the pile of current events by looking at the furor surrounding TikTok. An inexplicable social media app like most others, TikTok has recently riled the bastions of American power by happening to be from China. We examine this and other protectionist...

Welcome to the Garden of the Glorious Future Podcast! The only podcast which seeks divine glory from Jupiter through staunch adherence to classical Roman virtues! Co-consuls James and Jared continue their exploration of the histories of Emperor Claudius, after checking in on the status of our glorious military campaigns in the east and discussing the many trials of Tribune of the Plebs, Donald Max...

Continuing the story of Rome, Claudius, and his wonderful family, hosts James and Jared examine the roots of American Exceptionalism via the ancient world. Also, sorry, we got jobs :_( but you can still find our patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=10729973   Sources: Graves, Robert. 1934. "I, Claudius". The Modern Library. Book. Jones, Kristin. 25 March 2023. "Colorado emerges as a refuge...

Hosts Jared and James mine the public archive for compostable books of literary merit. Join us as we shred this dry-brown material for our hungry compost piles.   Source: Graves, Robert. 1934. "I, Claudius". The Modern Library. Book.    

James and Jared poke their pitchforks into the very firmament of reality on this episode of Compost Bin of History. Seeking to uncover the "why" of physical existence, James delves into quantum mechanics and tries to get his explanation past the least credulous person east of the Missouri, Jared. We explore the philosophical implications of the universe's ontology, the "big bang" itself, and some...

Hosts Jared and James check in with their chief source of compostables, Alan Guebert, of the Farm and Food File. You’ll remember Guebert from our first episode, “Big Meat Made It’s Pitch”, and his takes continue to be that of the safest of centrist liberals. This time, we read Guebert’s meta-analysis of the phenomenon of neoliberalism and it’s profound impact on agriculture. Unfortunately, his con...

Argh, ye feline free-booters, ye viking rat-slayers, ye most god forsaken of grumpycats, this be the podcast for you! Hosts James and Jared examine the history of the ship's cat, dovetailing between divine grace and evolutionary biology. They track the spread of the domestic cat (Felis catus L.) as it evolved from the African wild cat (Felis lybica Forster) and was quickly adopted as an important...

Notorious Cactus Pirates, Jared and James, go periodical on the fanciest element, Gold!   In the first episode of this new series we review atomic theory, the immortal science of alchemy, and the properties of the most coveted element on the crust of this-here earth. Also: star farts, the deposition and distribution of gold, how it’s gathered and extracted, and why having lots of it basically make...

Picking up where we left off - we follow a broke, bored, and ambitious young man as he explores the enticing world of speculative assets. Spanish land claims become the NFTs of 1821 Louisiana, and Jim Bowie coordinates one of the most spectacular rug pulls in history.  A man who loves to start fights comes up against the bureaucratic might of the young nation's registrars and repeatedly steps in i...

New Episodes Coming Soon!   Find us on Patreon: patreon.com/user?u=10729973

Compost Bin of History is roaring back with a historical reading series! Workin’ guys James and Jared prod the underbelly of the ruling class by reading about the shenanigans of Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg and his zany former employer, McKinsey & Company, in “An Army of Pete Buttigiegs”, by Nicole Aschoff.   Mayor Pete is the current Secretary of Transportation and noteworthy loser/winner of t...

In this much anticipated episode we begin our examination of Jim Bowie – son of three countries and leading figure in the conflict at the Alamo.   From their roots in the Royal Court of Scotland to the revolutionary United States, the Bowies stood out from their contemporaries as iconoclasts and opportunists. We dig deeper into the time-honored American tradition of squatting, and its evolution in...

Wherein we continue our Alamo series, first by introducing a new resource, and then by examining one Davey Crockett, a celebrity and otherwise totally normal person. We then synthesize a broader view on the violent pathologies of America by holding the events of the past up to those of the present in a very compost-y way. This is a good episode, but you probably shouldn’t tell the people back home...

Join Garden Variety Perverts as we tour the anarchist’s garden and learn about common plants with defensive and deadly properties!   Notoriously pious hosts James and Jared introduce you to the natural history and chemical properties of: stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.), morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea [L.] Roth), foxglove (Digitalis purpurea L.), death camas (Toxicoscordion venenosum [S.Watson]...

We begin our examination of the Bloody Battles that led up to the eponymous conflict, starting with the Battle of Medina (1813). This clash between the Gutierrez-Magee filibustering expedition and the Spanish loyalist army would prove to be the bloodiest battle fought on Texas soil (so far) with over 1300 dead. Also in this episode, both the American "War of 1812" and the Mexican War of Independen...

Special guest TickMan joins the composters as they sink their mouth-parts into the global phenomenon that is Lime Disease. Also known as "The Great Imitator", Lime Disease comprises a host of different symptoms which affect millions of people and lead to billions of dollars in lost economic productivity. Join us as we uncover the murky origins of this disease with a real professional expert. You'l...

In the second part of our series on the Battle of the Alamo, we look at some of the plants and peoples of New Spain. Colonization brought both the cultures and species of the Old World crashing into the New, with many surprising consequences. In this episode we examine the role of African slavery in the development New Spain, and how it differed from their neighbors in the Thirteen Colonies. Also;...

In our first ever Historical Reading Series, hosts James and Jared perform séance to summon the spirit of communist leader Leon Trotsky, and offer him their precious virginal souls in exchange for his takes on the phenomenon of National Socialism. Trotsky artfully breaks down the dynamics of racism, capitalism, and demagoguery that combined behind Hitler's movement, and offers some cutting insight...

They didn't name it after Carl.  

Compost Special Report! Jared and James pick-up the Iron Pitchfork of Class Analysis and turn-over the recent events in Washington D. C., comparing them to those of the Beer Hall Putsch in Weimar Germany (1923). Enjoy some Carlin-esque immersive history as we take you to Munich's Burgerbraukeller that eventful night. What lessons do these events hold for those who would hope to build a brighter fu...

To begin our series on the Battle of the Alamo, Jared and James uncover the rotten economics of colonialism in New Spain, exploring its incestuous roots in European aristocracy, racial hierarchies, and systems of trade and exploitation. We are also introduced to our first major player in the Alamo conflict itself, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. The son of a merchant and an ever-rising political star...

It's field trip day at Compost Bin of History University! Grab your signed parental permission slip and throw your meth pipe in the lunchbox, because we're heading to the Scrap Yard of Economics!  How about that current financial situation!? You know, that one that is alternately wonderful/terrible, depending which side of the gilded fence you are standing on? Sure is funny how it has to be exactl...

The prologue to our next series - by special request - on the Battle of the Alamo. We cover the rising star of Ozzy Osbourne, Prince of Darkness, from his troubled youth, time with Black Sabbath, and zenith in "Blizzard of Ozz"; building to the conflagration of a liquid byproduct of metabolism with a certain monument in San Antonio, Texas, which led to his arrest and being banned from the city. Ye...

Welcome to our new meta-pod, Garden Variety Perverts - an attempt to sublimate our perverse love of plants into an otherwise normal podcast! Have you heard? That Winter Is Coming? Is your garden barren and wanting of erosion and foul mis'ry!? Learn the tips to guard your fertile bed, and avoid the worst effects of climate change and ol' man winter double-teaming your veggie patch. In this episode:...

After flaking and hesitating Jared and James decide it's time to poke ol' reality with a pitchfork and express themselves - pouring over the fresh trauma of northern Colorado's 2020 fire season. These recent disasters provide a case study for what has happened over much of the western U.S. this year, and serve as an omen of future fire in the region. All the Big Ones are here in this scorcher of a...