Whims of Resistance

Need a new alternative news & humor source to get you through these tough times?  Introducing Whims of Resistance, a seriously whimsical blend of parody, comic relief, and news from the growing #resistance movement.  You can find us here on Buzzsprout, as well as BlueSky, TikTok, Facebook, Substack, YouTube, and other social media platforms.  Keep fighting, gang, and make some good trouble!

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Season 2, Episode 54: Longtime fans of MAD Magazine may not have known it, but this humor publication's influence on a whole generation of young Americans is far-reaching, leading some to say it's seriously impacted our culture in a big way, more than anyone can ever imagine. This podcast episode takes us on a visit to a MAD exhibition at the Norman Rockwell Museum, where we learn that MAD has links to Norman Rockwell, Ch...

Season 2, Episode 53:  As the holiday of Halloween once again emerges from the crypt, we take a fond look back at some scary stories from years gone by, including a few old favorites from Edgar Allen Poe.  A perfect excuse for settling back in your easy chair, sipping a favorite bubbling beverage, and listening to horror classics from the golden age of Hollywood, when Vincent Price was the undisputed king of gore. In this podcast s...

Season 2, Episode 52:  Where do you go when you're stalled out on a tough project and need a break? Just go out to a local park and enjoy the scenery!  In this latest podcast episode, we recall some favorite parks around the Garden State of New Jersey, from childhood days to the present -- including places like Warinanco Park, Weequahic Park, Bayonne Park, South Mountain and Watchung Reservations, Rahway River, and more.  In t...

Season 2, Episode 51:  Did you know that New Jersey can rightfully claim to be the "submarine" state?  Sub sandwiches (or hoagies, Blimpies, etc.) were introduced to hungry NJ consumers around the turn of the century by Italian immigrants, based on a traditional Old World recipe.  Learn more in our latest podcast episode, in which we take a deep dive into the origins of this tasty treat.  In this podcast series, Tom Niels...

Season 2, Episode 50:  Almost everyone has experienced moving days at some point in their lives, either in-town or cross country.  We share a few of our moving adventures in this latest episode, including walking washing machines, sprinkled sofas, rent-it-yourself cargo vans, and more.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, light-hearted tales inspired by his own life experience...

Season 2, Episode 49: Learning to play guitar can be a daunting process -- especially after hearing an extremely talented musical prodigy who blows you away with a spontaneous performance, effectively dashing your hopes to someday become a famous guitarist in a rock 'n' roll band.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, light-hearted tales inspired by his own life exper...

Season 2, Episode 48:  Take a fun, light-hearted road trip through the weird, crazy state of New Jersey -- featuring stops for the world's largest Idaho potato, a telephone pole graveyard, a giant gorilla statue, and a life-sized, granite Mercedes Benz tombstone.  All amazing but true!  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical tales inspired by his own life experiences, channel...

Season 2, Episode 47: Chaos ensues when a bunch of high school buddies visit us in West Virginia, and unexpectedly run into a horde of frogs crossing the road on a rainy night in coal country.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, light-hearted tales inspired by his own life experiences, channeling the styles of Jean Shepherd, Garrison Keillor, Mark Twain, Jerry Seinfeld, and o...

Season 2, Episode 46:  A special summer vacation re-run of one of our first-ever podcast episodes, a tribute to the late great Jean Shepherd, who's been called "a modern day Mark Twain."  In this podcast, we share the story of how we first encountered the writings of Shepherd in our local hometown library.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, light-hearted tales...

Season 2, Episode 45:  A fond look back at one of the oldest soft drinks in the U.S. -- Root Beer!  We share a few early memories of that fabled beverage, including its reincarnation as root beer barrel candies, plus a childhood attempt to brew our own concoction in Mom's kitchen.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, light-hearted tales inspired by his own life experience...

Season 2, Episode 44:  Robots have long been part of our media culture, including movies and TV, science fiction novels, and even kids' toys.  And now that AI is taking the world by storm, what better way to recognize that phenomenon than with a few memories of favorite robotic characters from childhood and beyond?  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, light-hearted tales ...

Season 2, Episode 43:  The state of New Jersey is famous for many things and many people -- and foremost among them is Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb.  This episode shares both childhood and adult memories of visiting Edison's facilities in West Orange, NJ, as well as a reconstructed lab in Greenfield Village, Michigan.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, ...

Season 2, Episode 42:  Ever gone behind the scenes at the filming of a commercial?  This episode shares some of the crazy things that can happen in low-budget, on-location productions, especially when you travel to rural Kentucky for a TV station's new transmitter tower spot.  Names have been changed, of course, to protect the innocent.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical...

Season 2, Episode 41:  Been to your class reunion lately?  Whether it's a high school or college reunion, there are always some good stories to come out of these occasions.  Our latest podcast episode shares a few such tales, including memories from senior year, as well as the ultimate reunion to end all reunions.  As always, details have been altered, not only for artistic license, but also  to protect the innocent.  In this ...

Season 2, Episode 40:  Remember the first time your parents sent you out alone to the corner store to run an errand? This episode shares a few of those incidents from our early childhood and pre-teen days, when things were so much simpler (and cheaper!). In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, light-hearted tales inspired by his own life experiences, channeling the styles of Jean ...

Season 2, Episode 39: We all have favorite teachers from long ago.  This episode shares some stories about three  memorable history teachers, whose odd quirks, creative teaching styles, and in one case, a mysterious social life, forever impacted our own view of the teaching profession.  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, light-hearted tales inspired by his own life experience...

Season 2, Episode 38:  Ever been to the zoo?  Or read any of the Doctor Doolittle stories? This episode blazes a trail through some childhood memories of animals that spoke -- and those who didn't.  Cats and dogs, tigers and turtles, parrots and naked mole rats, oh my!  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and concocts whimsical, light-hearted tales inspired by his own life experiences, channelin...

Season 2, Episode 37:  When mischievous kids start experimenting, you never know what will happen.  In this episode, we investigate a few memorable childhood adventures in science, including static electricity, solar energy, crystal radios, chemistry sets, fireworks, science fair volcanoes, and fake UFOs.  And don't worry -- the Martians have NOT landed!  In this podcast series, Tom Nielson tells stories, shares memories, and ...