Cameron Reilly & Ray Harris Podcasts

During 1947-48, England and France had been working on their own treaty as well as one involving the so-called Benelux countries (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg). That became the basis of discussions about a broader treaty creating a United States of Europe, something many US and European leaders wanted, especially in light of the Marshall Plan. …

While he was in Milan in 1507, Leonardo met a 14 year old boy. Leo became his guardian, teacher, adoptive father, and employer. And it’s because of that boy, Francesco Melzi, that we have Leonardo’s notebooks. Oh dear! This page contains Member's Only content... and you aren't logged in! Sucks to be you, seriously, because the content you are missi…

When his father died, he left nothing to Leonardo, his bastard son. This, among other things, drove Leonardo to leave Florence for the second and final time. Oh dear! This page contains Member's Only content... and you aren't logged in! Sucks to be you, seriously, because the content you are missing is really funny. And clever. And probably very, v…

By Cameron Reilly & Ray Harris

Hey there, fellow Bullshit Fighter! This page contains some member-only content. If you're already a registered member, LOGIN HERE. If you aren't registered, well you can fix that right now! Find out about our registration options here. This month we are looking into the following stories: – How America Took Out The Nord Stream Pipeline– Chinese Sp…

By Cameron Reilly & Ray Harris

In 1503, Leonardo da Vinci received a commission to paint what should have been his greatest masterpiece – the Battle of Anghiari. Of course, he never finished it. One reason might be that this young punk, Michelangelo Buonarotti, was looking over his shoulder while he worked. Oh dear! This page contains Member's Only content... and you aren't logg…

Leonardo had always dreamed of putting his hydraulic engineering ideas into practice. In 1503, he finally got his chance. In the process, he invented something that is still used to this very day around the world. Oh dear! This page contains Member's Only content... and you aren't logged in! Sucks to be you, seriously, because the content you are m…

By Cameron Reilly & Ray Harris

After Benes took control of Czechoslovakia again after WWII, with the support of the Allies, he ran a program of ethnic cleansing, mostly targeting people of German ancestry. And the Czech Communist party became the most popular political party of any country in history in proportion to the total national population.…

Leonardo gets sent to Borgia as a peace offering. He’s 50 and famous and finally going to get the business card he always wanted – MILITARY ENGINEER. But for a genius, he apparently hadn’t figured out that war is hell. Oh dear! This page contains Member's Only content... and you aren't logged in! Sucks to be you, seriously, because the content you …

Leonardo’s patron in Milan, Ludovico Sforza, was brutal. But he was a pussy cat compared to his next patron – the infamous tyrant, Cesare Borgia. Oh dear! This page contains Member's Only content... and you aren't logged in! Sucks to be you, seriously, because the content you are missing is really funny. And clever. And probably very, very sexy. So…

Let’s talk about the history of Czechoslovakia. The anti-semitic founder of the modern state was well connected in the USA, all the way up to POTUS. His list of important American friends included a Nazi-lovin’ industrialist. But the state he founded was friendly to Jews and pushed through some socialist progressive reforms…. Until it was abandoned…

Hey there, fellow Bullshit Fighter! This page contains some member-only content. If you're already a registered member, LOGIN HERE. If you aren't registered, well you can fix that right now! Find out about our registration options here. Today we talk about the US midterms, the Twitter Files, ChatGPT and the attempted Reichsbürger coup in Germany. T…

Significant electoral victories and strikes by domestic socialist parties in France and Italy pushed the UK to insist on American military support for the Marshall Plan’s rollout. In the United States, there were divergent views on whether or not that was a good idea - until something happened in 1948 which sealed the deal.…

In 2011, the art world was shocked by the rediscovery of a new Leonardo. A painting known as Salvator Mundi (Savior of the World) was accepted by most scholars as being an authentic Leonardo. It had been damaged, overpainted and heavily varnished. Personally I think it’s pretty weird. Oh dear! This page contains Member's Only content... and you are…

Leda and the Swan is a story and subject in art from Greek mythology in which the god Zeus, in the form of a swan, rapes Leda. Leonardo’s painting of it no longer exists, but we have copies and drawings. Apparently he had no idea what a woman’s breasts looked like. Oh dear! This page contains Member's Only content... and you aren't logged in! Sucks…

European recipients of the Marshall Plan funds were quite clear to the USA that they needed help keeping the socialists down and out of their countries. And the USA recognized that its own economic welfare rested on the revival of Europe. Funding a pro-capitalist European recovery was a matter of national self-interest. There something secret here …

European recipients of the Marshall Plan funds were quite clear to the USA that they needed help keeping the socialists down and out of their countries. And the USA recognized that its own economic welfare rested on the revival of Europe. Funding a pro-capitalist European recovery was a matter of national self-interest.…

Who is responsible for the terrorist attack on the Russian Nord pipelines? Why did Boris Johnson stop Ukraine from peace talks with Russia in April 2022? Does it have anything to do with the fact the two largest US oil companies have earned more than $30bn in three months? Why did “Progressive Democrats” withdraw their letter calling for more diplo…

We want to take a break from Korea to talk about the creation of NATO. Obviously relevant with the whole Ukraine situation. And it took on a new kind of mission during the Korean War. But let’s go back and look at where it came from. There something secret here that only members can see. Probably an audio player or something. HOW TO LISTEN If you a…

We want to take a break from Korea to talk about the creation of NATO. Obviously relevant with the whole Ukraine situation. And it took on a new kind of mission during the Korean War. But let’s go back and look at where it came from.By Cameron Reilly & Ray Harris

MacArthur is gone but he isn’t going quietly. He thinks he can rally his support into a run for the POTUS job. He is gravely mistaken.By Cameron Reilly & Ray Harris

Around 1501, Leonardo started work on one of his great masterpieces: The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne. It’s the most famous painting of an incest lap dance in history. It involves a gay vulture, corn porn and an Egyptian goddess with an erect penis. Oh dear! This page contains Member's Only content... and you aren't logged in! Sucks to be you, …

By April 1951, MacArthur wanted to nuke China. But Truman had had enough of his giant ego. It was time for him to go.By Cameron Reilly & Ray Harris

If you’re gonna steal, steal big, that’s what we say. There are dozens of surviving copies of Leonardo’s MADONNA OF THE YARNWINDER. Some done by LDV, others done by his assistants and followers. And there’s been a lot of debate over which one, or which ones, were done by Leonardo. And one of them was even stolen in a brazen daylight heist from a Sc…

Ridgway thought there was no reason for the US army to abandon the Korean peninsula. They just needed to do a better job of digging themselves in. The transformation of Eighth Army after the coming of its new commander astonished and profoundly impressed all those who witnessed it. Meanwhile, MacArthur’s relationship with the Joint Chiefs, and Trum…

Today we talk about the Western media’s coverage of Gorbachev – his successes and failures – and which aspects the media deliberately ignores, such as his views on NATO expansion, Crimea, Ukraine and the role of the US in Putin’s rise to power. The post BFTN #110 – Gorbachev appeared first on The BS Filter.…

Leonardo’s lack of interest in finishing Isabella D’este’s portrait tells us a lot about who he was, and what he cared about, on his return to Florence in 1500. Like all good podcasters, he didn’t care about money or fame. He just wanted to work on projects that interested him. And her portrait was not one of those things, despite her fame, power, …

General Matthew Bunker Ridgway, “The Soldier’s General”, takes over command of the 8th Army and his “back to basics” approach was exactly what was needed.By Cameron Reilly & Ray Harris

By the time Leonardo finally returned to Florence, in late March 1500, not long after the execution of Savonarola, the city was once again a Republic that celebrated the classics and the arts, but its confidence had been shaken. He was the right man to lead the way. Oh dear! This page contains Member's Only content... and you aren't logged in! Suck…

By early Feb 1951, it became evident that a military disaster for the UN in Korea wasn’t likely. Under the new command of Ridgway, after Walker had died in a jeep accident, the 8th army were holding on. Meanwhile in China… They also thought they could win the entire Korean Peninsula. So weren’t really trying hard to negotiate a peaceful settlement …

Today we discuss the Trump “Raid” and his 5th amendment deposition, the legality of the Al-Zawahiri assassination, and the deliberate provocation of China by Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. The post BFTN #109 – Provocation appeared first on The BS Filter.By Cameron Reilly & Ray Harris

In the late 1490s, Leo’s life started to unravel. Sforza’s life hits the rocks and Leo’s fortunes are attached to his. So he finds another sugar daddy. Oh dear! This page contains Member's Only content... and you aren't logged in! Sucks to be you, seriously, because the content you are missing is really funny. And clever. And probably very, very se…

In December 1950, MacArthur and Truman are both threatening the use of atomic weapons against China and North Korea. Meanwhile, the British are trying to talk them into making peace with China, while Truman struggles with massive unpopularity back home.By Cameron Reilly & Ray Harris

While Cam is in the USA, the lads sit down to have a lazy chat about the highlights of the last six years of talking about the Cold War.By Cameron Reilly & Ray Harris

Bolton says it out loud; Ukraine’s pro-fascist Ambassador; banning abortion to produce more white babies; Colombia’s new President; Christmas comes early for the military industrial complex. The post BFTN 108 – We Survived COVID appeared first on The BS Filter.By Cameron Reilly & Ray Harris

To mark our 150th episode, we sat outside the North Rim Lodge at the Grand Canyon and talked about what we’ve learned from the series thus far. We were a little bit tired, a little bit high, and the wind was strong. We also gave each other COVID. And I was recording it on my iPad and absent-mindedly tapping it for emphasis at certain points. So apo…

Let’s be honest – The Last Supper, Leonardo’s second most famous painting, looks like shit. And it’s all his fault. He experimented with a new painting technique and it was a disaster – as were the many attempts at restoring it over the centuries. But despite that, nobody in the last 500 years has managed to paint a more iconic version of one of th…

The big question for the Pentagon was why the US collapsed so quickly. They could blame the winter and the mountains - but the Chinese had to contend with those as well. And the US wasn’t sure what their next move was. Truman wanted a quick settlement, but MacArthur wanted escalation.By Cameron Reilly & Ray Harris

As they are swiftly kicked out of Korea by Mao’s forces in December 1950, everyone seems to be angry at America. The Chinese, the North Koreans, the South Koreans, the British… even the Americans are angry at themselves. Because, like Mexico, they didn’t send their best people.By Cameron Reilly & Ray Harris

On this episode: A Borgia gets the Pope’s chestnuts fondled in the Vatican, why the the Last Supper is not a Seder, and a hole in Jesus’ temple. Oh dear! This page contains Member's Only content... and you aren't logged in! Sucks to be you, seriously, because the content you are missing is really funny. And clever. And probably very, very sexy. So …