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Mark Hanna is a professor at UC San Diego and the author of “Pirate Nests and the Rise of the British Empire 1570-1740”.  Yep, we’re getting historical today.

We’ll talk about how pirates needed allies on land to allow them to plunder as they did and how the big commercial companies tried to keep it from happening. And how all that pirate booty actually helped the British Empire.  Plus Puritans illegally minting coins?  Militant Protestantism?

And of course, we address the most important question… the elephant in the room… I ask him how he manages to get anything productive done in a beautiful beach city like San Diego. 🙂

Fascinating stuff in this talk.  If you dig pirate history, (which, duh…) you’re going to love this talk.

Be sure to click below and get yourself a copy of Mark’s book “Pirate Nests and the Rise of the British Empire”.  And your purchase helps support the show.  So yay you!

Plus comedy from Shane Morrison and a song called “Just One More Time” from Flash Crash and Thunder.

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