Two and a Mic - The Social Podcast: Recent Episodes
Zak
Relationships, experiences, places and thoughts. I speak with individuals I have met along the way, talking about personal stories, impressions, life and dreams. Society is the sum of ups and downs, some we share, most we never hear of. Here some voices rise above the rest to tell their unique tales and I thank you all for allowing me to listen and record your stories. Find me on Twitter @TwoandaMic1
Cover Art photo by Nassos.
Jingle (from episode 157) by Omish Njash.
Exam papers leaked, 12 students took their lives as a result, a corrupt government official resigned, millions came out in protest, the cockroaches united. This episode talks about the movement forced into existence by the arrogance and entitlement of privilege, enduring injustice and corruption and the feeling among Gen Z that enough is simple enough.
Saroj joins me to talk about the Cockroach Janta Party and offers her insights on the youthful movement that shook the establishment.
On another note, this is the first episode in a few weeks. It was important to take a break and to gather my strength. Producing a podcast every week for over 5 years is not easy. More importantly however, in that time this show lost a very dear person. Karin Clarke with whom I had the privilege of doing a number of episodes about her remarkable life passed away. Karin was a fighter and an inspiration. She worked for many years for PEN to ensure the safety of writers and journalists to be able to express the truth without fear of reprisal or state censure. The world needs more people like Karin. May she rest in peace.
This podcast is maintained with the efforts of my guests' participation and as much free time as I can dedicate to it. I would appreciate it greatly if you could help spread the word and bring a few more people to the channel. Thanks in advance.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
TikTok: Twoandamic2
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The only AI content in this episode is in the transcript. Every word, audio editing mistake and miscellaneous error is mine. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious #StaySafe
Cover Art link: Sonam Wangchuk To Join June 6 CJP Protest Demanding Dharmendra Pradhan's Resignation - The Logical Indian
This episode has been a long time in the waiting. Time is ever a complication when people are driven to using time as effectively and completely as possible.
Iyad is a walking real-life story book. He has any number of tales to tell and he has a passion for living new stories within each of the projects he undertakes.
In this episode we talk about how under the umbrella of UNICEF he sought to help displaced children learn, a passion for teaching that he brought with him to Germany and then how he helped to create a Techno Music Festival called Blade that provided a safe space for women and LGBTQIA+ to enjoy music and to express themselves.
Thank you Iyad for finding the time to speak with me.
This podcast is maintained with the efforts of my guests' participation and as much free time as I can dedicate to it. I would appreciate it greatly if you could help spread the word and bring a few more people to the channel. Thanks in advance.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
TikTok: Twoandamic2
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious #StaySafe
The only AI content in this episode is in the transcript. Every word, audio editing mistake and miscellaneous error is mine.
What is Afrophobia and why has it arisen on the continent of Africa? And in South Africa to be precise. In this podcast Ademola and Adeleke join me to talk about the phenomenon of Afrophobia and how it needs to be overcome for the dream of Pan-Africanism to bear fruit and unite the continent in the face of foreign onslaught.
Thank you both for joining me.
This podcast is maintained with the efforts of my guests' participation and as much free time as I can dedicate to it. I would appreciate it greatly if you could help spread the word and bring a few more people to the channel. Thanks in advance.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
TikTok: Twoandamic2
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious #StaySafe
The only AI content in this episode is in the transcript. Every word, audio editing mistake and miscellaneous error is mine.
Wordsworth, with all the meaning and depth that is so common in all of his poems, lays out for us a blueprint for the kind of character we should look for in the provision of political leadership. He may have written this poem as an ode to Lord Nelson, but we can take from it much more. Wordsworth’s happy warrior need not only be happy as a warrior, but also as a politician, a leader, a MP or a PM.
When considering the challenges that lie ahead and how grossly recent leaders have failed us in the challenges their ineptitude has created, we would do well to start employing happy politicians with the character Wordsworth outlines here.
This is TwoandaMic. Rise Up and be curious
Episode art is taken from: Henry_William_Pickersgill_-_Portrait_of_William_Wordsworth_(1770-1850)_British_Poet_Painting_by_Henry_Willia_-_(MeisterDrucke-1011374).jpg (896×1260)
This podcast is maintained with the efforts of my guests' participation and as much free time as I can dedicate to it. I would appreciate it greatly if you could help spread the word and bring a few more people to the channel. Thanks in advance.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
TikTok: Twoandamic2
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious #StaySafe
The only AI content in this episode is in the transcript. Every word, audio editing mistake and miscellaneous error is mine.
Anna is a power to behold on a basketball court. When she first joined the team a few weeks ago, she had never really played much basketball, just a bit of streetball here and there, she had had no structured basketball training and was essentially, as she called herself, a newbie. The huge steps she took in the first few weeks were amazing. Good footwork, a presence in the zone and aware of other people on the court.
So when I found out that Anna had recently recovered from cancer I was amazed. Anna is in her mid-20s. She is strong, energetic, positive and determined. She always carries a smile and generously shares it with everyone.
Anna joins me to talk about this episode in her life, and I thank her kindly for taking the time to do so. Stay well Anna and play ball of course.
This is TwoandaMic! Rise up and be curious…
There are on occasion software phantoms at play that try to throw us off track but we persevered. I hope you will do so too.
Here is a link to Anna's Instagram account which charts her journey through fighting cancer: Instagram
This podcast is maintained with the efforts of my guests' participation and as much free time as I can dedicate to it. I would appreciate it greatly if you could help spread the word and bring a few more people to the channel. Thanks in advance.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
TikTok: Twoandamic2
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious #StaySafe
The only AI content in this episode is in the transcript. Every word, audio editing mistake and miscellaneous error is mine.
This is a book that at its heart focuses on the relationship between political systems, gender equality and female liberty in a number of different ways and situations. The book is written by Professor Kristen R. Ghodsee who specialises in Russian and East European Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.
It is in many ways eye-opening and in others it simply lays out the truth for all to see, injustice is rife and gender inequality is one of the main reasons for the continuation of that injustice.
Let us recognise these truths and push for a direction change. Gender equality is the key to solving many of humanity’s problems. The question remains, do we really want to solve them or is politics simply a show that pretends it wants to get things done?
Thank you Greg for your time and analysis.
This is TwoandaMic.
Rise up and be curious!
PS. I deliberately left in the chaos at the beginning just so you know we are not always as organised as we may seem.
Episode Art of the original book cover was taken from: https://www.safespacebookstore.com/why-women-have-better-sex-under-socialism-ghodsee/
This podcast is maintained with the efforts of my guests' participation and as much free time as I can dedicate to it. I would appreciate it greatly if you could help spread the word and bring a few more people to the channel. Thanks in advance.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
TikTok: Twoandamic2
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious #StaySafe
The only AI content in this episode is in the transcript. Every word, audio editing mistake and miscellaneous error is mine.
Political persuasion is sometimes the result of chance. A single event, an opinion of someone we care for and think we respect, a man wearing a suit on TV looking all successful and powerful, can change a pathway of thought at a stroke.
And with a system geared towards monopolising those strokes, can we be truly surprised at how democracy withdrew in the corner likened a frightened child hoping its evil parents would ignore her?
In this poem, I write ‘peacekeepers’ for two reasons. Firstly, because I don’t want people to see police and consider them enemies of the people. Society needs a police force that protects the peace, that defends the innocent and which fights CRIME. What we do NOT need is a politicised force of thugs who feel they can beat innocent citizens and protestors because power is being challenged. Secondly because a functioning democracy should require peacekeepers rather than armed police running around behaving like cowboys. Police should not be involved in peaceful protests. Peaceful protests are a part of a functioning democracy and performing our democratic rights doesn’t need to be policed. We don’t need police at polling stations either.
We need to remember where power lies. It isn’t in a baton, and it isn’t in an officer’s pistol. It is in our determination to protect our universal human rights and to see them protected for others too. As Michael Connolly wrote, “we all count or nobody counts.”
This podcast is maintained with the efforts of my guests' participation and as much free time as I can dedicate to it. I would appreciate it greatly if you could help spread the word and bring a few more people to the channel. Thanks in advance.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
TikTok: Twoandamic2
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious #StaySafe
Episode art is taken from Microsoft Stock Images.
The only AI content in this episode is in the transcript. Every word, audio editing mistake and miscellaneous error is mine.
On the sad day of remembrance of the Greek Genocide, I read an excerpt from a radio address made by Dr Lovejoy in 1923. Dr Lovejoy was an American physician and witnessed the events at Smyrna in September 1922 at first hand.
Over a hundred years have passed since these horrific days, a number of genocides have taken place since then as well. Some continue to occur today. The term “neutrality” to which Dr Lovejoy refers here has different terms today. Those who were neutral then are complicit today.
My condolences to the Greek people on this day of remembrance.
NOTE: I have omitted some sentences from the final paragraph in which Dr Lovejoy profusely complimented Mustafa Kemal as a great general. I could not in all conscience repeat those lines. Nobody can be called great who brought so much pain and misery to so many people. Without knowing the background to those words I can only imagine they were spoken for very good reasons and none of those reasons were born of any admiration Dr Lovejoy had for the killer Mustafa Kemal.
This podcast is maintained with the efforts of my guests' participation and as much free time as I can dedicate to it. I would appreciate it greatly if you could help spread the word and bring a few more people to the channel. Thanks in advance.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
TikTok: Twoandamic2
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious #StaySafe
Dr Boshart is a doctor educated in what she describes as modern western medicine and in the traditional ways of the First Nations. Her dedication to her patients in unique. She takes her duty of care very seriously and the Hippocratic Oath is not simply a formality but a code by which she lives and breathes.
In this episode Dr Boshart talks about some of the challenges she has faced, the structural efforts in place that make her more than suspicious as to the reasons behind them and she is very clear, the system is killing indigenous people to this very day.
Thank you Dr Boshart for you time and your dedication.
This is TwoandaMic
Rise up and be curious
This podcast is maintained with the efforts of my guests' participation and as much free time as I can dedicate to it. I would appreciate it greatly if you could help spread the word and bring a few more people to the channel. Thanks in advance.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
TikTok: Twoandamic2
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious #StaySafe
PS. I have only used AI to create the transcript. Everything else is done by humans. I proudly claim all technical errors for my self.
Helga joins me from Milan to talk about her extensive experiences as a Talent Acquisitions Head in creating culture and structures where none exists, or merging them where they collide in a business context. So much easier to say than to do.
Yet when adding gender equality into the mix and the age-old misogyny and patriarchal pushbacks often let slide as micro-aggressions, how women navigate these slippery landscapes is no easy feat. Does the EU’s new approach to pay transparency and fairness signify a major shift to come?
This episode is so packed full of content I can feel the weight of the laptop digging into my muscle.
Thank you Helga for your time and insight, it is always a pleasure.
This is TwoandaMic!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
TikTok: Twoandamic2
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious #StaySafe
Only the transcript has been produced by AI. All other screw-ups I have proudly achieved myself.
The world around us is being changed by human enterprise and direct human influence, yet our activities often ignore significant collateral damage. Much of that damage is unacceptable yet only NGOs line up every day to address the rights of those communities to try to bring comfort and assistance where they can. Not all of the work being done is as effective as the NGOs would like it to be nor does it address the needs the recipients of the projects highlight themselves.
In an attempt to better understand the gap between need and delivery, recipient and NGO, Saroj, Yiuriu and Silke created a questionnaire for both groups to try to understand how to bridge the divide. This episode brings together a panel of NGO employees to talk about their experiences and to discuss the responses of phase 1 of the questionnaire.
We very much hope that more and more people will respond to the questionnaire so that we can have a phase 2 analysis which is even more complete and with which we can directly approach relevant NGOs and related actors with a realistic hope of filling the gap.
My thanks to Jessica, Maikel and Manuela and of course Saroj for taking the time to speak with me.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
TikTok: Twoandamic2
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious #StaySafe
NB: Only the transcript was created by AI. All other efforts in creating this podcast were done the traditional way.
Sherlock Holmes is a character we all know, much like James Bond, or Miss Marple. We all know how the detective behaves; how observant and intelligent he is and how quirkily he goes about his task. Yet Young Sherlock puts a lot of emphasis on the ‘Young’ bit as this is a character we are not so familiar with after all.
Thank you to Uncle Hair for joining me and for suggesting Young Sherlock in the first place.
This is TwoandaMic – rise up and be curious!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
TikTok: Twoandamic2
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
Note: Only the transcript has been created by AI. Everything else is boringly human, especially the mistakes.
Series Art: IImage taken from Wikipedia's page about the show Young Sherlock (Young Sherlock (British TV series) - Wikipedia).
Talking with specialists in their fields of expertise about topics which touch on everyday life is one of the fundamental priorities for the channel. Alongside the need for entertainment, knowledge, open-mindedness and creating a safe space for diverse voices, being aware of why our realities are shaped in the ways they are, allows us to exert greater control on our decision-making. Knowledge and understanding allows us to make better choices.
The issue of urban mobility is one I have wanted to address for some time. This is the first discussion on the topic with Valeria and I hope there will be many more.
My thanks to Valeria for her time and insight.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
TikTok: Twoandamic2
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
NB: Only the transcript has been created by AI. All topics, conversation and editing have been done by human functions and all errors are my own. The episode art is taken from Microsoft stock images and it unfortunately didn't provide me with an artist's name.
Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Ann Johnson on this day April 4th in 1928. Her life was trying from the very start. She had to fight for everything, and she lost a number of those fights along the way, and still she rose.
She was an inspiration for so many people, for the beauty of who she was and how she envisioned life. She was an activist and an artist, a talented poet and essayist, actor and singer. Her talents were rare and many.
She lives on as a beacon of wisdom, understanding and courage and her determination to make the world as better place should encourage us all to take up her call and raise our voices in support of hers.
You live on Maya Angelou and you will always rise…
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
TikTok: Twoandamic2
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
Episode art is taken from this link from The Poetry Foundation: Maya Angelou | The Poetry Foundation
Why do we continue to allow watered down versions of political leadership to rule over us, even when we can see their faults?
We have allowed certain ideas to hold sway in our minds when in truth they should always be questioned. We regard ourselves as not being so important to society, that we are simple folk and that we should not be entitled brats. That’s good. However when we see ourselves as a collective, we stretch that same value across us all. We see not a single brat, but a sea of brats, and a sea that must be somehow tamed. Yet when considered as a collective, we are not brats, we are the people. That isn’t a socialist concept, it is the truth. The idea in democracy that the people vote, that the people have power, and that the people decide, is not a socialist concept, it is a decent and sensible concept. Yet we fail to understand the full extent of the power such an idea holds, not just during election times, but always, at all times, without end. We don’t need elections to voice our distrust of corrupt governments and ministers. We can voice that disgust always.
Corruption is not a devil we know. Corruption is the devil we have tolerated for too long. Patriotism is not a vehicle that corruption can ride with impunity either. A patriot would never enrich himself through corrupt means because to do so is a blatant act of treachery. And we need to wake up to that reality.
We are better educated than a sea of brats have ever been in the past and it is about time we applied that education to improving society as a whole.
This is TwoandaMic.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
TikTok: Twoandamic2
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
This story about war by Mark Twain says as much between the lines as it does on them. There are messages upon messages and there are questions, probing questions, that are asked of the reader or listener.
This is a story about war. It is a story about youth and how the young one day come across that horrible event and try to make something of it that only the young could. It tells us of how youth can be taken away so harshly and unkindly. It is a story about youth, written for adults, as a warning to us all about leaders who would force our kids to die for their greed.
This is TwoandaMic, rise up and stay safe.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
TikTok: Twoandamic2
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
Cover art is from the following link: A Private History of a Campaign that Failed by Mark Twain | Goodreads
March 8th is International Women’s Day. March is Women’s History Month.
In a patriarchal world, where rules are established by men, where institutions and practices are dictated by men, where morality and behaviour are judged by men, it is notable just how poor a state the world finds itself it.
Injustice, murder, inequality, poverty, abuse, rape and criminality of every kind is seemingly endless. It is time for a shift.
In this episode I read out a letter written by Suffragette Constance Lytton to the Rt Honourable Reginald McKenna at the Home Office about the injustice on the basis of class and privilege a co-Suffragette has had to endure. The letter was written while Constance Lytton was in Holloway Prison.
The courage of the Suffragettes is sadly lacking in political circles today. If only people such as Lady Constance were around to defend her principles as well as the rights of others in such a forthright and courageous fashion.
My respect to the Suffragettes and what they achieved.
This is TwoandaMic.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
TikTok: Twoandamic2
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
Episode Art is taken from the following link: Lady Constance Lytton: Her final years
A social democrat will never defend a brutal regime that kills its own people and threatens innocents. So for those who do not hear enough criticism here of the Iranian regime, please listen to other episodes that focus purely on Iran.
This episode is about the hypocrisy of politicians, from countries claiming to be democratic, waging war against a brutal regime in an attempt to make the world forget about their own crimes. In the USA the Trump regime has to answer questions about the Epstein horrors and the members of Israel’s government that have been called before the international court for the crime of genocide have to answer for that. They are in no place to lead a charge in the defence of democracy when they stand accused of such horrific crimes themselves.
There are international institutions which the USA and Israel have deliberately discredited and weakened that are responsible for dealing with regimes like Iran, but that’s not enough for some. As to how the democracy-loving European leaders can stand so unequivocally with this farce is an embarrassment these politicians will never be able to live down. Every day they defend these criminals they tarnish themselves more.
Democracy is a precious child and it needs to be taught well at home before it is allowed to go out and play with the other children.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
TikTok: Twoandamic2
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
Information comes at us from every angle and we are bombarded by it. Just this morning the bombs were flying again and war has come to Iran. In recent weeks we have seen and heard the fake pleas to the people of Iran from you know who and they care so much about the people of Iran that they have decided to bomb them. There will be information coming out of Iran from the regime there talking about the true enemy of the people. This from a regime that started the year shooting innocent protestors and civilians. Information comes at us from every angle. Information that is often manipulated, false, politicised and meant to trick us.
So when we see people voting for far right parties like Reform, like the AfD, like Marine le Pen’s party, then we think immediately that the far right has grown. That suddenly the fascists are back. That only be voting for the traditional parties will we keep the fascists at bay. But that is a falsehood. The only way to keep the fascist parties at bay is to give the electorate political parties that represent the needs of the people and not the policies of foreign interests, billionaires, multinational corporations and warmongers.
The electorate is responsible for more than just voting. We have to be vocal, and we have to demand better. We cannot be told what is what by deceitful politicians and simply take them at their word. We know better. We are better educated. We have access to more information. We can see what is happening. We have witnessed the collapse of an international order that was already unfair only to be replaced by nations trying to create even more inequality. We cannot allow this shitshow to continue in the way the politicians of this terrible generation of politicians would have us accept.
Democracy gives us peaceful means to bring about change. We must use them and do so with intelligence and compassion.
This is TwoandaMic!
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PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious #Enjoy
We are now watching as governments around the world, especially in democratic countries, attempt to rewrite history at a greater rate of change than at any known point in history.
We are watching evidence redacted to save the elites and governing classes. We are watching them invade nations just to get the news to put something else on the front pages. We are seeing blatant lies told in the futile hope of convincing people who have seen video footage that another plausible narrative may exist.
None of it does. In the future the world may read those narratives and consider them to be true, but if these falsehoods are to become official record, then the better part of humanity will have lost, and I don’t want to experience a second of the corrupted world child sexual abusers and their protectors will have created.
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PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
Episode artwork taken from: Whoever Controls The Past Controls The Future - Captions Tempo
Since the times of the Shah, the religious revolution in Iran has been talking about oppression, the corruption of the west, and the hope for the Iranian people in following the leadership of the revolutionaries.
Since 1979 the current government has been everything but revolutionary. The government in Iran has been regression in action. It finds excuses for its own ineffectiveness, and it kills people who try to exercise their human rights to expression and thought.
Parastu joins me to talk about Iran and to give her thoughts on why Iran is experiencing this latest wave of oppression and to share her hopes for the future.
Thank you Parastu as always.
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PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
Episode art taken from the following link: Tehran (Teheran), Iran - Travel Guide - Exotic Travel Destination
The Epstein case is all of the worst characteristics of humanity rolled into a single horrific and long-running episode. We are nowhere near understanding the full depth of it. There is no guarantee we ever will. Already nations gearing up for investigations into the fall-out of the Epstein Files are talking about “national security” and the consequences with “international relations”. Forgive me for saying it but screw that. If your national security comes at the cost of open defilement of every claim, however false, you may have had to a moral code, then you pull those walls down. If another nation is upset because this investigation further muddies their reputation, then good, that’s what they deserve.
THERE IS NO JUSTIFICATION FOR ANY KIND OF COVER UP!
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PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
Cover art taken from: Cat Chit Chat: Well over 2 million Epstein files remain hidden (Jan 2026)
We have by now seen the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. We have seen the way communities have been torn apart. We have seen how 'law enforcement' in the USA has so often been a blanket term to explain away systemic racism and prejudice. The ICE has now brought all of those facts out into the open and people are waking up to what African-American communities have known for centuries – a badge does not mean justice and if definitely doesn’t award fair treatment under the law.
People watching from around the world need to ensure that nothing like ICE ever comes to our communities. Not the mask wearing thugs, the badges with impunity nor the politicians who lie to defend these atrocities.
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PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
Covert Art taken from the following URL: NYC Anti-ICE Protest Leads to 15+ Arrests as Thousands Take to Streets
Talking of assassinations is the necessity of sustainable politics. It is a form of politics that democratic election cycles thought they had dealt with by the emergence of the party system. Unfortunately, the party system has become a colosseum of dirty tricks and blood sport.
Leaders around the world do not get assassinated on a whim. These are not coincidences. Groups of mercenaries do not suddenly converge upon a target. Targets are not picked at random. We talk of conspiracies as though presidents, academics or weapons inspectors only ever get assassinated in the movies.
This short monologue gives a very brief outline to some of the links on a chain that I suspect goes much deeper than I will ever manage to understand. Yet the chain is there. The evidence is in the deceased column. It is also in the cover-ups. It is in the direction the consequences have taken. It is in the world we see ablaze today.
We no longer have sustainable politics. In fact we have a very active form of destructive politics, and we need to find a peaceful pathway back towards sustainability.
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PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
Cover Art taken from zartonkmedia.com
The title 7 Days of Mayhem clearly refers to the first 7 days of 2026 but it also is a tribute to a movie entitled '7 Days in May' and one I would recommend people watch, even though it is in black and white and was made so long ago.
The problems we are facing today we have faced many times over and the result is always the same: Millions dead, cities burned to the ground, centres of culture and learning lost, history rewritten or deleted, civilisations destroyed, the planet harmed, a future our children could have had to grow and thrive in replaced by the need rebuild and start again.
It shouldn’t be that way. We cannot let our societies fall apart because we let a few people convince us that hate, discrimination, prejudice and superiority are values by which we measure importance and relevance. They are not and never have been. They only ever lead to death and destruction. There is no such thing as racial superiority. There is only superiority in ideals and even then, the superior ideals are those that embrace humanity in its entirety.
Let us not knock down walls but stop building them altogether. Let’s stop separating communities but have them unite. Let’s stop judging others and instead make sure that we ourselves are the best we can be. Let’s stop hating and instead embrace love and understanding.
I will never accept a world divided by human ignorance when the voices of the intelligent and wise are constantly silenced by the shouts of angry people holding guns.
We are better when we allow ourselves to be and when we don’t follow the guidance of greed.
This is TwoandaMic
Rise up and be curious
https://open.substack.com/pub/twoandamic/p/fk-happy-new-year?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=4zmbt8
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PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
Vahe is a young man with a passion for people, history and stories. His work with Sudanahye (Sudanese Armenian) pursues real stories, true stories, untold, quaint family stories that brought together tell a tale of a country, a region, tragically torn apart today by the corrupt influences of both internal and external forces. The war and genocide in Sudan are not directly topics we discuss today as Vahe admits, his historical account to date has reached the 1950s.
However, when we met in Berlin, the genocide and political situation in Sudan was not ignored, it was a theme that was revisited and considered and referenced and which we should never forget. The people of Sudan deserve so much more than the world currently cares to give.
How the Armenian community came to exist in Sudan, how it grew, why and in what ways, are all topics we cover and I thank Vahe for his efforts, his time and his openness.
This is TwoandaMic, Rise Up and Be Curious!
You can follow Vahe on Instagram at:Instagram
Or you can visit the site: sudanahye
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PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
Aldous Huxley was a philosopher, a visionary and a writer of such immensity that his reputation remains powerful and influential. A pacifist, a thoughtful and thought-provoking writer, he urged his readers to step back from the world and see it for what it was becoming. In Brave New World the lines “The more stitches, the more riches” and “Ending is better than mending” suggested an understanding of capitalism that the neo-liberals themselves didn’t truly grasp until the 1980s.
In this poem, The Defeat of Youth, Huxley speaks of the transitional power of love and how it affects us, how it fills us, and steals away innocence. It is a poem of great depth and intensity and I am sorry that I cannot do its beauty justice.
The photo for the episode art is taken from the link below.
This is TwoandaMic, enjoy!
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PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
Episode art source: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw07514/Aldous-Huxley
TV Shows have become a medium for enjoying storytelling that combines the thrill of the audiovisual experience with the longevity of a book. Is it for this reason that we have become so enamoured with them?
Is this why moviemakers and cinema chains are afraid for their industry?
Yet TV shows, to be enjoyed at home, on the sofa and with friends or family, present us with a completely different experience. In this episode I have the immense pleasure of talking with Amber from Atlas Elsewhere and The Road to Tar Valon, an expert of TV shows and storytelling and whose unique analysis can be enjoyed on YouTube and other platforms (links are in the podcast notes) about our favourite shows of the last 12 months. Have a listen and let us know what you think.
Thank you Amber for taking the time to talk with me and for your insightful perspectives.
This is TwoandaMic, enjoy!
You can enjoy Amber’s expert content on all topics relating to books, TV shows and of course The Wheel of Time by clicking on the links below:
(8) Atlas Elsewhere - YouTube
(8) Road to Tar Valon - YouTube
Road to Tar Valon | Instagram, TikTok | Linktree
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PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
Episode cover art was plucked from the following site: Veja como escolher a melhor plataforma de streaming para assinar
This is a review of Ken Follett’s The Armour of Light. It is the latest in his Kingsbridge series and is set in the times of the Napoleonic Wars, the industrial revolution, mass poverty and times of significant social and religious change. I cannot overstate the relevance of the many topics introduced in this one tale.
As such Greg’s choice to review this story was an inspired one and I am grateful to Greg for his humour and insight. His knowledge of Kingsbridge supersedes mine by far and it is important to be aware of the history, even of a fictitious town like Kingsbridge.
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PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
While this spat between Lago and Washington appears to be about Boko Haram and their religious conflict, to only see this viewpoint is to accept the word of a liar, even a presidential one, at his word.
In this episode Ademola talks about many of the issues that plague Nigerian politics and he is very clear on why he thinks the problems in Nigeria go much deeper than Boko Haram and are more problematic for Nigerians than for Trump.
Thank you Ademola for you time and your insight.
Peace
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#RiseUp #BeCurious
Cover art is a screenshot taken from the project entitled: The Emerging Alkebulan.
In a just world gender equality would no longer be a demand but a reality. People will point towards progress being made yet misogyny and violent abuse against women continues. How can we in good conscience claim to live in a democracy when half of the population has a genuine reason to be fearful of so many potential male abusers, aggressors, rapists or murderers?
If our politicians wanted to change things they would have done. If our politicians had wanted to wipe out violence against women, it would no longer exist. If our politicians wanted to create an equal world, we would be living in one. If our politicians believed that women had equal rights, they would not be trying to remove legal protections for women’s rights to choose what happens with their bodies.
Women are not fighting for women’s rights and equalities alone. Society has that responsibility collectively. It is time we stepped up the pressure.
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PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
Cover art taken from the following website: International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women 2025
Ademola contacted me some months ago to say that he might be visiting Berlin for a conference as a guest of the German foreign ministry. A few weeks ago Ademola and a group of African activists from different African nations came to Berlin and then Hamburg to meet with politicians, civil servants, lecturers and journalists. Their purpose was to discuss the legacy of German colonialism and in particular the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885.
In this episode that we recorded on November 15th, the anniversary of the start of the Berlin Conference some 141 years ago, we talk about this recent trip, the discussions and experiences and about the importance of addressing the continued false narratives. Many people in Europe and elsewhere remain ignorant to this day of the immense lasting administrative and political consequences of colonialism. Many African nations are still not free of the grip of imperialism. Where the American States were United and the countries of mainland Europe formed a Union, no such arrangement has been permitted for the continent of Africa. The idea of Pan-Africanism is over a hundred years old and it is about time it became a reality.
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PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
Making ______ Better Again, wherever that may be, has always been an extremely discomforting concept. Whether it is spoken in English, German, Italian or any other language, the idea that some unknown point in history is for some reason the enviable destination of modern society is worrisome. Never are these points in history defined. There is only ever a general reference to some point before today. The crazy thing about that uncertain point in the past is that we all experience the nostalgia of the past. The days when life was easier. The days when we were younger and cared less. The days from when even if we’d had difficult lives, time has managed to get our minds to block out the bad stuff anyway. So we mew for days that probably weren’t great anyway because however bad they were, they must have been better than the bad of today.
Yet when those days were bad, politicians were making these same promises and look where we are.
Look where we are.
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PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
What drives us to celebrate insignificances when pain is banging on the windows crying out for a helping hand? Why do we believe that some have the right to the glitz and at the same time care not that so many will never know any of the freedoms we take for granted?
This reflective, critical, and frustrated monologue expresses what has taken me some time to put together. It places at the centre the Nobel Peace Prize but it is not that institution that really matters at all. It is the society which we have allowed to grow so dispassionate, so cruel and uncaring that thinks only for its own comforts that causes me to question who we really are.
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PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
Oscar Wilde remains one of the greatest writers in the modern era. A genius with the pen he was born in Dublin, Ireland on October 16 1854 an died on November 30th 1900 in Paris, France. He took his artistic talents from his mother Jane Francesca Elgee, a poet and a journalist.
He published his fairy tales for his two sons in 1888. His only novel, the Picture of Dorian Grey was published in 1891 to a very negative response owing mostly to the depiction of homoeroticism. The dialogue in this book is some of the best dialogue I have ever had the pleasure of reading. His truest talent lay in the writing of his plays, Lady Windermere’s Fan in 1892, A Woman of No Importance in 1893, An Ideal Husband in 1895 and the Importance of Being Earnest, also in 1895.
Losing a case he had brought for libel against the Marquis of Queensbury for having accused him of homosexuality, he was arrested and tried for gross indecency and was sentenced to 2 years of hard labour. He wrote De Profundis while in prison.
When released in 1897 he wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol for his concerns about prison conditions. He spent the rest of his life wandering around Europe, penniless, staying with friends. He died in a cheap hotel in Paris of cerebral meningitis.
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PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
This is a treasure of a story because it speaks to the hearts of many who would today happily be forgotten about by the authorities. Not through criminality or to avoid financial duties, but just because people are so fed up of all the oversight, control and continuous badgering. If only a few more streets could get mislaid like this, how might their value increase as a result? Not that they could ever be officially sold, but still, romantic ideals don’t always need to be grounded in reality.
Patrick William Simpson Waddington was an English actor. He was born in York in 1901 and died in York in 1987. Born into the arts as the grandson of a piano manufacturer who also managed the theatre Royal York, Patrick began his career singing before moving on to the stage, often in upper class roles and then film and TV.
In 1951 he became the General Secretary of the Actors Charitable Trust.
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PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
I had my eye on Dept Q for quite some time before taking that plunge into the delights of Edinburgh’s latest crime series (that I am aware of at least). The opening scene sets a tone which continues throughout, not in the violence necessarily but in the mood and characterisation. Aggressive humour meant to overpower and influence, awkward laughter, disconcerted expressions, and a traumatic event that underpins much of what is to come.
Based on a book series by Danish writer Jussi Adler-Olsen, the show is created by Scott Frank and Chandni Lakhani and it came out on May 29th this year on Netflix.
In this review with the TV show and acting expert ‘Unc’ we discuss our thoughts and impressions. There may be one or two controversial points raised, but they are batted away with aplomb, at least I hope they were. Feel free to get in touch with points of disagreement, especially in the case where something completely ridiculous has been stated and requires correction.
Thanks Unc for being yourself so majestically...
This is TwoandaMic. Enjoy!
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PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
Rarely does a book make such a splash 90 years after it was first published. Yet this is the case of Sally Carson’s masterpiece Crooked Cross. Reissued after it was rediscovered by Persephone Books this is a story of love, hate, tragedy and politics. It is told as subtly as such destruction can be recounted. It is a shame the world grew so ignorant of the book but I am hopeful schools will pick it up and students around the world will learn of the folly of such hateful politics. As we can see from Gaza, our leaders haven’t learned a thing.
My thanks again to Greg.
This is TwoandaMic!
The Nineteen-Thirties Novel That’s Become a Surprise Hit in the U.K. | The New Yorker
Forgotten literary masterpiece about rise of fascism, Crooked Cross, published by Persephone Books - Midas (The source for the photograph used as the cover for this episode).
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Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
Lynchings are a thing of the past – how I wish that statement were fact-based. Considering the nature of politics and the degradation of social justice in the USA I cannot say with any confidence that it is. Terms such as “No foul play” suddenly take on a different meaning. When a loved one is dead and the family cannot understand how such a tragedy unfolded without the participation of ‘unexplained third parties’ then “foul play” can never be truly ruled out. How does a happy and ambitious young man suddenly decide to end his life at the end of a rope, hanging from a tree. A young black man. In Mississippi. A cry for…what? We grieve with the Reed family and hope the true events that took place will come to light and Trey’s soul can find peace.
We also touch on how Trump has decided to make ‘AntiFa’ a terrorist group. There is no such organisation. Being Anti-Fascist is actually a tag every single Democracy and freedom loving party or organisation must have. There is no concept of Democracy that can remain effective in a fascist state. The two are as mutually exclusive as you can get in politics. Unless of course the democracy that is on offer is not real. Whether the USA is a Democracy or a Republic doesn’t matter in this case because a Republic is still a “land of the free”. Not if it’s a fascist state it’s not though. Keep singing that anthem with pride Maga!
Thanks, Esheru, as always for your time.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
What does it mean to have a school in your locality? Why do people move to areas in cities that provide basic services like healthcare, education, employment, transportation, alimentation and entertainment?
When these services are taken away, society dies, communities die.
When Ravenswood High School was closed down in the 1970s, so many dreams went with it. Though it is hard to tell why decisions are taken or whether anything sinister even occurred at all, questions must be asked to avoid similar failures in the future. In the name of doing something good, why take such risks as may threaten the existence of a school?
That is the story of Ravenswood High School. That is its tragedy.
Thank you, Walter, for taking the time to talk with me. A shout out to everyone who attended Ravenswood High School in East Palo Alto.
This is TwoandaMic.
Ravenswood High School, East Palo Alto
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
This entire hearing was performative politics with a heavy dose on the “performance”. There was no substance to it. Nobody truly gave a damn. They were playing to the cameras and pretending the entire time. People appeared, said what they said, made out they were angry, crossed a faded line or two, and moved on to their next appointment. Even the head of the committee left early as he had another appointment. Farage trundled off to lunch.
Hypocrisy doesn’t carry enough of a punch for it to cover everything that went on here. That is the state of politics almost everywhere. The saddest thing is that it is performed mostly by people who need votes to be elected. Democracy has made great actors of our representatives but has entirely failed in achieving representation of what matters to us.
What follows is a monologue of my thoughts on that committee meeting and some of the people there.
One final note: NIGEL FARAGE IS NOT PRIME MINISTER MATERIAL AND NEVER WILL BE!
This is TwoandaMic!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
The only guarantees in life are death and taxes so the saying goes. We should add to that injustice as well for it has accompanied human civilisation since the dawn of our time.
We see it today, in our technological, advanced and moral societies, where our supposed level of understanding has risen above that of the barbaric. When we see what is happening in the world I am convinced that all we have done is to find ways of being more technologically barbaric than ethically advanced.
This poem is dedicated to the fallen soldiers of the British Expeditionary Force in August 1914 and I dedicate my recitation to the fallen of Palestine whose own search for freedom and justice goes on while the world sells weapons to the aggressor.
This is TwoandaMic
The photo has been taken from the National Portrait Gallery (NPG x2966; Laurence Binyon - Portrait - National Portrait Gallery)
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
Severance as a TV show on Apple TV+ probably introduces itself. There is a link below to the original season’s trailer and I’d highly recommend you take that in as well if you are yet to watch the show. If you have already seen Severance, I’d love to hear from you about what you liked most or what you found troublesome in one way or another.
This is my first episode with my uncle on this simple and straightforward approach to TV shows where we argue back and forth, sometimes at the same time rather chaotically, a bit like Porta Porta if you’re Italian, and we give our opinions on some of the shows of the day. We may flip backwards in time and we may jump into an as yet incomplete show, however our aim is to inform as much as it is to entertain and we will always give our sincere thoughts on the show.
So thanks unc for picking up the challenge of TV shows with me.
This is TwoandaMic, rise up and be curious.
https://youtu.be/Aa5pS6xFi44
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
A year on from the Farage Riots and what have we learned? The basic truth is that rioting does nothing. It doesn’t exhibit patriotism. It doesn’t convince people that a movement based on hate will do anything other than eventually dissipate. It has shown that a vast number of the people on the streets talking about safety to women and children had themselves been either accused of or in many cases even found guilty of violent conduct and/or sexual assault.
So the people who Farage and fellows have been appealing to contain thugs, criminals and in the very least hypocrites. Reform is the very epitome of hypocrisy so that stands to reason.
In this episode with Esheru we talk about some of the reasons behind the continued support for hate-fuelled policies in Britain and why it is that despite being caught out slacking away from doing work, voting contrary to how they present themselves publicly, and not really giving much of a toss about their constituents, people still feel Reform have anything other than chaos to contribute.
Thank you Esheru for your insights as usual.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
There has been a lot already written and said about Palantir but I wanted to get a few of my own thoughts in order on the subject. Below I have links to mainstream and independent reports on Palantir and its dangers as a company and its software Gotham in particular.
We cannot allow our passive acceptance of governance to continue in the way that it has done. Humanity has almost completely run out of compassion. That genocides can now occur live on television and people still feel they need to defend it in some way is so horrific I cannot understand. Our species needs to step up because as it stands, we are fighting a losing game on multiple fronts.
This is TwoandaMic, rise up and be curious…
Here are some interesting links:
I Worked At Palantir: The Tech Company Reshaping Reality
Alex Karp - The Techno-Nationalist Behind Palantir
Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale on DOGE findings: It's really important to see some arrests here
🔥 The Man Behind the Antichrist? How Peter Thiel Quietly Became the Most Dangerous Man in America
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
On July 25th Jubilee released a show called Surrounded with Mehdi Hasan confronting 20 far right voices in the USA.
You can see that episode on YouTube here: 1 Progressive vs 20 Far-Right Conservatives (ft. Mehdi Hasan)
In this podcast Esheru joins me to give his thoughts on the Surrounded show and also to talk about some of the wider themes that underly the reasons behind the spread of right wing extremism, anger and hate in the USA and in Europe.
Thank you Esheru for your time.
This is Twoandamic, rise up and be curious.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
Roald Dahl wrote some of the most amazing children’s stories I’ve even read. My personal favourite of his is The Fantastic Mr Fox, but other classics such as James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG and The Twits, not forgetting George’s Marvellous Medicine were all must-reads when I was growing up.
If I had a hundred wishes I wouldn’t know where to start, but somewhere near the top would be that every child had a headteacher like mine, who took time to read to them once a week, no matter how long it took to finish the story. Every child on this planet should have someone who read to them, a funny story, with a funny voice, so that they could remember those moments as warmly as I do…
Here is a link to the series Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected. It’s well worth a watch.
Tales of the Unexpected (1979 - 88) Complete Series : Anglia Television : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
Here is my narration of Checkov's short story called A Slander. How does the story’s protagonist interpret a joke, how much importance does he give it and how does he perceive the character that tells it? What webs the human mind spins when all is needed is calm, a sense of humour and little less pride.
For any feedback, please come and find me on most socials with the hashtag TwoandaMic.
Link to the photo: 'We must go on living': Anton Chekhov for the 21st century | CBC Radio
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
How did the world get into the state that it is in today? Why do we hate one another so much when we are all so much alike?
Every choice has a consequence, yet we are collectively too shortsighted to realise how our own small voices can lead to such significant changes in the DNA of our societies. Since November 1963 when certain questionable actions occurred and a state cover-up was initiated, the entire world has in one way or another fallen in line with official narratives. However the last 20 years have shown us precisely the dangers of believing that the state operates in our favour.
The state, whichever one you choose, has brought the people to poverty, has given our taxes to the rich - their friends, has bombed free nations, initiated coups, supported genocides and is constantly ignoring climate change with where it puts our money - into the hands of oil producers. Even the most die hard of nationalists cannot deny these facts, they would simply agree with the policies. By staying silent and not demanding change, we have quietly allowed ourselves to be placed beside them.
This path that our ‘democratic world’ has taken, will lead to greater authoritarianism and less freedoms. It has happened before. The state will continue to justify the need to control us. We are our own enemies. Only the state can think for us. Only the state can be right. Only the state can make big guns. Only the state has the right to train people in the use of them. This is the world we live in and one of the reasons for that is the election in 1980 that was perhaps stolen by Reagan for doing a deal to keep 52 American hostages in prolonged captivity.
Here is an article that speaks of the details to Reagan’s deal. Make up your own minds: It’s All but Settled: The Reagan Campaign Delayed the Release of the Iranian Hostages | The New Republic
Walter was on the ground in Nicaragua and though his role did not involve him in what happened, by doing his very normal job he realised he too played a role. Thank you Walter for your time.
This is TwoandaMic
Riseup and #BeCurious.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp #BeCurious
Talking about freedom when we believe we have it makes for a deeply reflective experience. There are definitely occasions where we feel free. There will be times when we even act freely. In many places we speak freely and congregate freely. Yet those freedoms are being tightened, and our free speech is being choked.
I will address those sentiments in a future episode, so for now I thank Amin for talking about his personal experiences in Jordan and travelling to different countries as well as his openness in reflecting on integration in coming to Germany.
This is TwoandaMic, #riseup and be curious.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
#RiseUp
The world is melting. Climate crises and tipping points, wars, bombs, propaganda and social strife. We are experiencing everything, everywhere, all at once (isn’t that a movie title too?). Yet rather than taking a step back to calm the situation down, our apparent ‘leaders’ are making things worse. The criminals are running the show and the other leaders have simply fallen into line behind them. That’s not any form of representation I am satisfied with.
In this podcast we address these issues as well as how our education and our media have covered over the sentiment of resistance. Inspired by the post below we include these thoughts in our chat.
https://x.com/trhxianl/status/1935463041484898422
My thanks to Esheru for his insights and his time.
My best wishes to you all in the hope that we can achieve mutual respect amid our dissention.
This is TwoandaMic. Rise up and be curious!
Title inspired by د (@trhxianl) / X
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
Rose, a specialist in Geopolitics, has worked tirelessly to create this fantastic project whereby students from Marseilles and Yerevan have the opportunity to experience life in each other’s cities, learn about the more than century-old history that unites the two towns, and the cultures that have grown through centuries of strife and fluctuation.
Below are a few links to the project.
Thank you Rose for your time. It is truly appreciated.
This is TwoandaMic!
NB: Owing to a poor sound connection, I have tried to enhance the audio to make Rose’s speech clearer. At some points this process makes her voice sound mechanical. I apologise for the lack of quality in some parts.
Links to the project:
Echange Arménie, un premier aperçu dans la presse et en vidéo - Lycée Nelson Mandela
https://www.lamarseillaise.fr/societe/les-lyceens-de-marseille-et-erevan-main-dans-la-main-ON18269043?sfnsn=scwspwa
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
Amber from the Road to Tar Valon joins me in this episode on the cancellation of an epic TV Show the Wheel of Time. Amber has her fingers on the pulse of that big spinning wheel and world of WoT themes and theories and shares a few morsels for us to chew on.
Plus a very quick chat about Murderbot (more to come when the TV Series season 1 concludes).
As always, thank you so much Amber for your time and your insights. You can find Amber’s YouTube channel here: (117) Road to Tar Valon - YouTube
This is TwoandaMic!
#RiseUp and #BeCurious
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
When Alex sent me the article about a Cybersex club as background to this episode’s discussion, I was sold on the idea immediately. The sex industry has always been a part of society. For as long as communities have existed, sex has been traded in one form or another. Sex is the vehicle through which society grows, quite literally.
Sex motivates and inspires and innovates. Sex pushes boundaries in ways most sectors cannot fathom.
However sex and the sex industry must adhere to very specific rules if they are to operate in a law-abiding society and the first rule is legal consent.
Here are some links Alex wanted to share:
The New Age of Sexism: How the AI Revolution is Reinventing Misogyny, by Laura Bates (reading her books in general is a good idea, as she has evolved into an excellent resource for fighting misogyny).
https://www.awesomebooks.com/book/9781471190483/the-new-age-of-sexism
Your Brain on Porn: Internet Pornography and The Emerging Science of Addiction, by Gary Wilson (this book is ten years old but is a good fence-post of significant research, even if I do not agree with all of it).
https://www.awesomebooks.com/book/9780993161605/your-brain-on-porn
Takedown: Inside The Fight To Shut Down Pornhub for Child Abuse, Rape, and Sex Trafficking, by Laila Mickelwait.
(This is only available in Kindle or Audio format)
https://amzn.eu/d/e0cqrdM
I can be found here, if anyone is nuts enough to want to talk to me.
https://bsky.app/profile/underdark.media
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
A Haunted House by Virginia Woolf was inspired by the home into which she moved in 1911 called Asham House. It was a retreat and intended to alleviate her stresses and mental health issues. She was plagued with mental health issues in her older years. Some speculate that they may stem from having been sexually abused when younger by her half-brother Gerald Duckworth, an event she revealed in an essay in 1939.
These are the pains of Virginia Woolf, yet there was also a lot of love. She loved her husband even though their marriage was unconventional. She loved many friends and a few of them intimately. She was an artist, a trend-setter and a creator of movement and style. She was an activist and an inspiration.
She could have lived longer but she chose not to. She will forever be remembered.
This very short story reveals a little of how she saw the world around her and is a gentle way to slip into that world of Virginia Woolf.
TwoandaMic
BeCurious #RiseUp
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
There are so many hidden gems in the short story format. The ability to convey a complete sense of the characters and present a conclusion to a challenge that doesn’t creep aimlessly from one page to the next, is an art form.
Hector Hugh Munro or Saki was a master and that he himself inspired Noel Coward and P. G. Wodehouse is no wonder.
Here I narrate his short story The Mouse, typically witty and delicately mischievous.
This is TwoandaMic.
Rise Up and Be Curious
NB. The picture is taken from Barnes & Noble's publication of H. H. Munro's complete works. The narration of short stories on my channel are by me and all errors are therefore my own as well.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
The situation the LGBTQ+ community finds itself in today, especially in the case of Trans women, did not happen over a single April 16th night in 2025. The descent into hate has been long-winded, public and blown so far off course from the realities on the ground, it might almost read like a dystopian thriller. Which would have been preferable than it being reality by quite a distance.
Where does the hate come from? Why is this hate being supported by so many different political groups that themselves would normally be opposed to one another like feminists and establishment people and in some cases neo-nazis?
In this podcast with Alex, we talk about some of these issues and try to pull apart the reasons behind the underlying hate.
Thank you Alex for your courage in speaking out and your straightforward honesty.
This is TwoandaMic.
Rise Up and Be Curious
Here are some important links we talked about during the show:
https://basilisk.gallery/@Grey
https://www.wearequeeraf.com/uk-supreme-court-rules-that-trans-women-arent-women-under-the-equality-act-2010/
This above is excellent all round
https://goodlawproject.org/the-devastating-impact-of-the-supreme-court-judgment
Further reading
https://whatthetrans.com/category/exp/
News media for trans people
https://transsafety.network/
Trans safety network
https://transactual.org.uk/who-are-transactual-uk/
Trans Actual
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
Greg and I look at the 1968 novel and 1980s movie entitled Bladerunner and apply the ludicrously intellectual debating skills of two seasoned seals sunning themselves after a good swim. This metaphor is not diminished in the slightest by the fact that I cannot swim.
We do not agree though this time and it is wonderful to be able to disagree with my brother and not end up getting ridiculed for my lack of vision.
Greg, your insight and analysis is greatly valued as always and I look forward to the next one.
This is TwoandaMic!
Rise Up and Be Curious
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
No country should have to protect itself as much as so many African nations have since the end of the second world war. Burkina Faso is experiencing the kind of aggression a nation at war would expect to face. Captain Ibrahim Traore has been the target of more than 21 assassination attempts. Where is all this aggression coming from? Many fingers are pointing towards the ‘democracy-loving’ west, as if hypocrisy needed a new name.
The endless promotion of war, hate, fear and aggression in order to create money to facilitate wealth for elites is a failed project. In the desperation of trying to push it through, the extreme right has decided to set fire to the world. Their efforts have been met with resistance. People no longer blindly believe their lies. We know the truth because we can see the truth.
Let us follow the torch of freedom carried by the people of Burkina Faso, and the youth from Kenya who rose up last year against their own government and set our own minds free.
As always, my special thanks to Esheru, your insight and perspective is always energising.
This is TwoandaMic!
RiseUp and #BeCurious
Episode art from: Ibrahim Traoré – The Young Leader Fighting for Africa’s Liberation
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
Esheru is an activist who embraces many different forms of activism. He is present at demonstrations, he meets people, he attends AGMs, he does podcasts, he is on social media endlessly and energetically holding back the tides of hate. Esheru is also active with the pen and talented at the same time. His recent series on SubStack is an example of his ability to convey complex and at the same time highly emotional sentiments, with details and nuances, and most importantly from perspectives most people don’t even consider.
These articles and these stories of truth deserve to be known. Below is a link to Esheru’s SubStack account as well as names of books he recommends we read.
Thank you brother for your time and my deepest respect for your activism.
TwoandaMic no longer clocking out.
RiseUp
https://open.substack.com/pub/esheru/p/the-womb-of-exploitation?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=4zmbt8
Recommended reading:
Sven Lindqvist - Exterminate All The Brutes
Michelle Alexander - New Jim Crow
Tao Leigh Goffe - Dark Laboratory
Peter Fryer - Staying Power
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
The Aghmoog Collective is a group of artists in Montreal who have come together to raise money for the vulnerable Armenians living near the border with Azerbaijan. These people have to contend with sporadic weapon fire from Azeri soldiers, without reason, without warning. They have little to no defences, no shelter and no support.
All the funds raised will go to building shelters to buy these people time, to protect themselves until Armenian forces arrive to defend them.
Your contribution will save lives and offer a sense of hope to those above whom the clouds are gathering.
Twoandamic no longer clocking out!
RiseUp
Here is a link to the fundraiser: https://ap.am/en/fundraisers/a2848efe-dbef-4084-82ba-9556a7ff247b?tab=story
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
Holistic and structural sustainability in small communities around the world. That is what Nutrition Smart Communities could lead to one day.
Power shifting from knowledge superiority to respect for local knowledge, awareness and cooperation. Supporting one another over being dominant and subservient. Partnerships rather than lead-and-follow one-way streets.
In this episode we hear what the teams have learned working on this fantastic project in India. My thanks as always to Philippe for his invaluable insights, and to Saroj for putting this altogether.
TwoandaMic no longer checking out!
RiseUp
Some important links:
Home - Welthungerhilfe
NutritionSmartCommUNITY (@nutriSmartcomm) / X
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
If Dr Boshart does not act in a way Canadian doctors feel comfortable with, that will earn her a label. The fine line of acceptable professional and “angry Indian woman” is placed in front of people by the limited worldviews of systemic societal racism.
What is the solution? Dr Boshart suggests we have to get together more as humans. We shouldn’t keep people so separate. We need to get to know each other, understand one another, and break down the walls of ignorance.
Here Dr Boshart speaks about her experiences and thoughts on racism in Canada and what she sees glancing across the border into Trump’s USA.
Thank you Dr Boshart for your time.
TwoandaMic no longer clocking out!
RiseUp
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
After the ethnic cleansing of Armenians in Karabakh, Azerbaijan has not had enough and through lies and false flag events, is setting the stage for its invasion of Armenia. This is how the EU’s trade partner behaves, and the EU has done little to discourage genocidal dictator Aliyev from this course.
Harut talks with me about the situation in Armenia as well as in Syria with regards to the Alawites. We know so much less than we think we know and if we only consume western news outlets, we will come to learn less and less and less.
Thank you Harut for your time.
TwoandaMic no longer clocking out!
RiseUp
Note from Harut: All of the opinions I expressed are solely my own, and are not the opinion of any organization I associate with.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
The calm breeze caresses the pond. Slow ripples, like silent waves skate along the surface. Then a kid chucks a stone ‘plonk’ right into the middle and the pond sends angry flows to every side. The child stands over the pond in awe at the chaos. The flows gently becalm and the pond returns to its peaceful serenity.
We are that pond. We are resilient to a fault. We have this confidence that everything will go back to what it was regardless of what happens. Yet we are not talking about these superficial occurrences anymore. Political movements like ripples come and go. A childish president dropping a stone or two here and there. Yet we return to normal thereafter. So it’s all ok, right? We can ride it out can’t we?
I don’t think we can anymore. I think the problem is more significant. I think we have realised that the pond is not a natural body of water, but a skilfully designed bath that masks the falsity of its creation. It is the manipulation we have all lived under, grown with and tried to escape occasionally succeeding only in sliding back down the sheer wet sides. Yet that’s not the worst of it. The sinister creators of this fake pool have a plug at the bottom and a filter over that. When they pull the plug, most of this pond is going to disappear and only the ones with the right connections will be saved by the filter. Do not be fooled any longer. This pool will either be drained, or it will dry out, and we’re going to be screwed either way…
TwoandaMic clocking out.
RiseUp
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
This is a podcast about a gang of inadequate men with power who have managed to concoct a story of pure fabrication, just to make themselves and their friends richer. President Troll, Secretary Ruin and Mr Husk. Take a bow…while people they have worked with are arrested for child abuse, they’re going after organisations who’ve made it their 60 year mission to look after people from around the world. I can call them Inadequate Bastards…
TwoandaMic clocking out!
RiseUp
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
On International Women’s Day I have the honour of releasing an episode with an amazing person whose dedication to her work, community, and roots is inspiring beyond imagination.
Dr Boshart is unique and when you hear the work she does, why she does that work, and the way in which she does it, I have no doubt that she will amaze you too.
I am eternally grateful Dr Boshart for your time and look forward to our next chat.
TwoandaMic clocking out.
RiseUp
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
This must read, actually the only thing that needs to be read if you want to learn about ancient Rome, is as fascinating as the title is long. It is a masterpiece in historical analysis because it entertains as much as it informs and it entertains A LOT!
Shout out to the narrator Sophie Ward as well who has done an amazing job.
Thank you Greg for your time. It’s always a giggle.
TwoandaMic clocking out.
RiseUp
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
This is the last in the miniseries concerning the #AfD and their policies in advance of the #elections in #Germany in #2025. This episode focuses on the AfD’s tax policies and identifies just how the AfD intends to further punish the poor by giving #tax breaks to the rich. By reducing tax burdens on those who can afford it, the AfD would be forced to greatly reduce social security spending. The rich would get to keep the money they have exploited the poor to get, and the poor would be further impoverished and desperate.
The tax policies of the AfD stand for inequality, impoverishment and exploitation.
Vote with an open mind and a generous heart.
TwoandaMic clocking out.
RiseUp
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
Sovereignty – the right and ability for a collective to choose for themselves how they govern the territory they claim for their own. There are inherently certain concepts included within this idea that present themselves as defensive. The separation of human cultural identity into tribes has often led to conflict, even when the capacity and desire for trade has existed.
In the last few centuries the concept of national identity has become much stronger and in the last 20 years, aggressive and xenophobic. As realities come under perceived threat, the desperate lash out. It is in the throes of desperation, that depravity rules. Those desperate rules are being forced on the electoral systems of western plutocracies to gradually upgrade through the tiers of fascism.
That is why this election is so important. We must not let another domino fall.
TwoandaMic clocking out.
RiseUp
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
In this episode Anne talks to me about her group Mindful Motherhood, which is a 6 week online course in English that focuses on encouraging growth mindsets and building up self-leadership skills in young mothers.
There is more information at this link where you can also sign up to join the waiting list: english group lp — golden.leadership
The first such course is due to start in March 2025. So, if you are a young mother or are considering having a child, this course might well be perfect for you.
Thank you, Anne, for your time.
TwoandaMic clocking out.
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
As I continue to analyse the policies of the AfD in particular in Germany, I am struck by the discomforting similarities that exist across all of the radical fledgling groups around the world. It is of course by no coincidence that these similarities in policies exist. It is clear that these cult communities and movements are in contact, are funded by the same interests and mirror the policies that have resonated the most with poverty-stricken, underrepresented and disaffected voters.
Yet what do these groups really want? In this episode I look more closely at what the AfD offers families, women and of course the non-binary communities. It worries me greatly how clearly the AfD's prejudices are communicated and yet how completely overlooked they are by mainstream parties.
It is clear the level of Islamophobia they exhibit and yet they are not picked apart for their racism. On the contrary, these radical opinions are being openly discussed in mainstream politics and the pushback is muted at best and that is shocking!
Society is walking towards political chaos not blindfolded, but covering its eyes with its own hands. This has gone on for dangerously too long and people need to wake up to the very real threats such extremism embodies, and is welcoming into our local communicaties and families.
It is unacceptable and we need to #WakeUp.
TwoandaMic clocking out.
RiseUp
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
In this episode I analse the policies the AfD has proposed with regards to energy including their thoughts on climate, fuel use and what they see as being the main issues regarding energy provision in Germany.
The AfD much like in their other policy areas are not so much alternative, but antiquated.
TwoandaMic clocking out.
RiseUp
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
This podcast looks at the AfD’s main policies concerning Migration and Border Control. It is perhaps the party’s most controversial area, especially as it has garnered so much debate in the last few years.
The fact that most of the other parties have never really got to grips with this issue, nor have they ever presented a policy that counters the arguments of the AfD effectively enough, is why people continue to talk about the issue.
Here I analyse the main points and offer my opinions in response.
TwoandaMic clocking out…#RiseUp!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
Educating our kids has a profound and long-lasting impact on the future of their generation and the nation. There is no way to underplay the importance. In the same way that we have carried forth the emotional and psychological distresses of our youth to varying degrees, so too shall our children.
As we struggle to come to terms with the world as we find it, they will further struggle with a world confused and confounded with a total lack of reliable news sources, the guilt of their elders for having so acutely failed in our responsibility to pass on a better world than the one we found and on top of all of that attempting to wade through the chaos of division, climate change and growing uncertainty.
Alternatively, we could try to find a way of reversing this polarising track and finding ways to bring our fractious communities together for the sake of our children.
TwoandaMic clocking out.
RiseUp!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
The German government isn’t doing enough to support different towns and cities around Germany, mainly in the former East Germany. This is a conversation that needs to be had. It’s not enough that every now and then a politician makes some half-hearted reference to urban development funding or inward investment and so on. There needs to be a participatory programme that allows residents in various areas to voice concerns, and those concerns need to be taken seriously.
When they are not taken seriously, the void gets filled. The result may not be to everyone's liking, not even to those who vote for them.
TwoandaMic clocking out!
RiseUp
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
When news stories broke, investigative news stories, controversial news stories, they broke for good reason. They were backed up by evidence and by courageous editors. They were stories which rocked the establishment, not because they were designed to rock the establishment, but because the stories needed to be told, regardless of who was affected by them.
Here are some reasons I have come up with why stories should not be covered up:
National interest – wrong
National security – wrong
To protect the integrity of office – wrong
Because the object of the investigation has a lot of money and power – wrong
Because the object of the investigation is influential – wrong
Because the object of the investigation knows the owner of the paper – wrong
Because the object of the investigation is a sponsor of the paper – wrong
Because the object of the investigation contributes to the governing party – wrong
Because the object of the investigation is a good person, usually – wrong
Because the object of the investigation is a ranking official of an ally – wrong
Because the object of the investigation has diplomatic immunity – wrong
None of these reasons is an excuse to either cover up a story or avoid taking someone to court. If any of these excuses are used to cover up a story or to not drag someone before the courts, then we do not live in a democracy. This is for two reasons:
1) In every acceptable definition of democracy, there is a rule of law.
2) In every acceptable definition of democracy, the law is applied equally and fairly to everyone.
Any divergence from this path, for any reason, is a sign of a failed democracy.
If our main national news providers are involved in a programme of deliberately hiding the truth, the objective reporting of their journalists from the public, then we truly live in a failed state. Then the public is simply not considered mature enough or capable enough of understanding what is happening in the world. That is plainly wrong.
If we want to have a media that represents the quality of reporting we deserve as intelligent and analytical beings then we need to demand that. Alternatively, we walk away from it, and stop paying the license fee.
Thank you as always Esheru for your knowledge, analysis and your time.
TwoandaMic clocking out.
Enjoy!
Here is the link to the article referred to in the podcast: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/bbc-civil-war-gaza-israel-biased-coverage
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
Lilek is a good friend of mine and of the show and she is always generous with her time when it comes to talking with me and educating me on spirituality, Zen and reconnecting with nature.
In this episode we talk about Lilek’s recent visit to Plum Village and what she experienced while there and the additional workload she took on too, completely by surprise. Lilek also talks about how to deal with pain, political suffering, crisis and awareness overload, through meditation, through counselling and through resilient communities.
Thank you Lilek for your time and wisdom.
TwoandaMic clocking out.
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
Here is a place that has a lot for everyone. Creative people, sellers, builders, storytellers, consumers and fans. The UNCRN name is a promise of quality, creative thought and safe expression in a respectful space.
It is where media brings to life stories that are bursting to be told. Here is the link tree to all your platforms of choice and all the information you need. Sign up today for a newsletter and do not miss out:
uncrn.io | Instagram, TikTok | Linktree
Thank you Julia Books for your time and thank you Jasmin for everything.
TwoandaMic clocking out,
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
This is a short account of Libya, mainly after the arrival of Colonel Gaddafi in 1969, its history post Ottoman Empire, post-Italian rule and post-war. In 1945 when the world was finally putting away its weapons and picking up instead debris to clean away the ruins of communities the pride of ignorant men had brought about, other movements were beginning to take shape. There was an opportunity to build freedom and independence from colonial rule. Some of these were attained through aggression or in the case of Libya, for the first time ever, through the new United Nations organisation.
It must be noted first of all however that after this destructive war in which Italy had played an aggressive role under Mussolini, and France had been occupied by nazi Germany, these two nations, despite having had time to consider their own misfortunes, immediately sought to seize or continue to control other countries. I cannot imagine what kind of people would think like that. Imagine a man, stumbling home from the pub where he has just been beaten up, walks into another person’s home and tries to kick them out. That was France and Italy.
It didn’t work out for them on this occasion and Libya achieved its independence with the return of Emir Idris from exile.
Gaddafi is a complicated and controversial figure. In the end he was disliked by many of his countryfolk, much like Bashar Assad in Syria at the moment. Gaddafi was occasionally embraced by western leaders, in the end he was killed by them. His country has since fallen into endless domestic conflict, the people live in uncertainty and poverty, they have no access to water, and warlords rule over natural resources. Would Libya have been better off under Gaddafi? Nobody can answer that question. Do the nations that instigate regime change have a direct responsibility to the people of that nation? Absolutely. Do the people of those nations have an irrefutable right to the profits of the resources taken from their lands by foreign powers? Even more so.
Our world is not a just one. International politics may have laws, but they lack dignity and respect because those laws are not enforced.
We argue for better. Thank you Esheru for your time and insight.
TwoandaMic clocking out…
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
This is an episode borne of a social media thread which Esheru led and I supported. This chat developed in an impromptu fashion where we were actually going to talk about something completely different. Funnily enough though this was exactly how we met. Esheru leading the fight against racism. That fight is a fight of all conscientious, understanding and awake people. Racism is a path to self-destruction. If your hate consumes you so much that you would eradicate communities to satiate your bloodthirst, where will you direct it when you are done?
History has answered that question several times over. You will turn on yourselves. You will destroy your own families and communities and when you are finished, when you are weak, so weak that you can hold your home no longer, the hordes will cross the channel, and raise a different flag above the parapet and you will know again as you have in the past, your petty squabbles, your false alliances and your revised histories are worth no more than a pile of ash.
Thank you Esheru for your time.
TwoandaMic clocking out!
Enjoy.
The books we referred to in this episode are:
Empire Land by Sathnam Sanghera
Blask AF History by Michael Harriot
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
This poem by Shoshee Chunder Dutt is a wonderful collection of thoughts from the Bengali essayist, writer and poet. It is hard to find information on Shoshee, but a search for him produces a number of educational materials and documents. It is perhaps a compliment that he should be so fixedly remembered in this way, as a teacher and a guide.
I would love for people to write to me of Shoshee Chunder Dutt. Tell me your thoughts and opinions of his work.
Peace and freedom and understand…
Enjoy
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
In this concluding part of our discussion on Burkina Faso, Esheru and I delve into the horrific loss and significance of the murder of Thomas Sankara by his best friend Blaise Compaore. As if by means of deciding to exemplify exactly what Burkina Faso lost, Ibrahim Traore is blazing a trail of leadership that every people of every nation would wish to find in their government.
When left alone to rule without foreign influence, African nations are more than capable of showing the rest of the world what real leadership means.
Thank you Esheru for your time, as always.
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
There is so much to write about to introduce this episode. Instead I will leave the bare facts for people to encourage them to locate and follow the 3 fantastic guests I had here. I have also included below their suggestions for further reading and if other people have suggestions of their own to make, then please feel free to send them in.
Ademola Topic: The continuing humanitarian crisis in Congo. This crisis remains completely underreported by the media. It is a glaring example of how colonialism continues to affect African nations today. The uninspiring leadership that we see in Africa is structured by some men in Washington, London and Berlin. Multinational business interest struggling for dominance in Congo is at the heart of the crisis and thereby interfering in the internal governance of the country.
@OgbeniDemola
Book recommendations:
Women’s liberation and the African Women’s Struggle by Thomas Sankara
The End of Oil by Paul Middleton
Podcast: Ubuntu: The African Perspective with Ademola and Dele Ogun
Esheru: Extraction and exportation. These are the primary goals of all the international interests present on the continent of Africa today and that work to the absolute detriment of the local peoples. The world needs Africa, Africa doesn’t need the world.
@esherukwaku
Book recommendations:
How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney
African Women: A Historical Panorama by Patricia W. Romero
Florah: Speaks about September 5th when the Ugandan athlete Rebecca Cheptegai was horribly killed by her ex-partner. Florah also refers to feminist philosopher Maria Lugones explaining how post-colonialism African countries were 50 times more likely to have domestic violence cases than those countries that had not been under colonial rule. We also need to look at the connection between social and environmental phenomena and crises and gender-based violence.
Book recommendations:
The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls. By Mona Eltahawy.
Invention of women: Making an African Sense of Western Gender Discourses by Oyeronke Oyewumi
Many thanks to Esheru, Ademola and Florah for your wisdom, time and insight.
TwoandaMic clocking out.
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
In this the most spontaneous of my recent episodes, Esheru, the gallant, the informed and the flexible, joins me, from a cafe in Sweden no less, to analyse as quickly as his cappuccino would allow, the result of the US Election 2024.
We talk about some of the race dynamics, gender breakdown and why things turned out the way they did.
Is there any solace to be found from our discussion? We have opinions and no more. We hope to have given you food for thought and I welcome your thoughts by way of response. How do you see President no. 47 doing? What changes will his election have on the world? And where next for the Democratic Party? Answers in a tweet please...
As always, thank you Esheru for your time and knowledge.
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
This episode delves deeper into the human wonder that was Thomas Sankara in part two of our podcast on Burkina Faso. Sankara was a visionary, a dedicated Burkinabe and someone who genuinely wanted to make the world a better place. Even when in following the letter of the law, some people who failed in a coup against him were executed, he was dismayed. He did not want them to be executed. Yet he accepted the rule of law.
In the next episode of our trip through the history of Burkina Faso, we will venture into a story that looks at the demise of Thomas Sankara and the dictatorial rule of a friend and ally who turned his back.
It is interesting to note as an aside that none of the information referred to in our podcast is secret, designated confidential or indeed hard to find, yet the horrific violation of sovereignty by western nations is remarkably underplayed by mainstream media. There is a dissociative characteristic that does not allow us truly to fathom the actions conducted by western authorities on other nations. We ignore the severity and illegality of them because they were done by our ‘side.’ Yet when any similar activity occurs from another state there is absolute outrage
Let us look at two examples. France, a former colonial power and current neo-colonial power, creates a backstory of corruption and treachery against a leader in an African country and with the help of allies like the UK seeks to introduce a regime change to bring about a more amicable trading partner. The media is relatively silent on the whole thing. Russia sends two spies to the UK to murder a person they have labelled a national security risk, and the UK media goes crazy, and it is thereafter always referred back to.
In my opinion both of these actions are wrong. The difference I refer to is the prejudicial role the media plays in its reporting. I would invite people to reconsider many of the truths they believe they know, especially if they were taught such things at school. If we are to allow our opinions to dictate our actions, then we are responsible for making sure our opinions are based on facts. That also means do not automatically accept whatever you hear on a podcast. What we talk about, if they are topics that interest you, should inspire you to do a bit of fact checking yourselves. The world today is highly volatile, and understanding why this is the case, and how to diffuse the situation is fundamental if we wish to try to pass on a habitable world to the next generation.
I am as usual joined by Esheru, who I shall dub “Esheru the informed” because of his amazing depth of knowledge in all topics concerning colonialism and global injustice. Esheru is an activist and a friend, and I thank him dearly for his time.
TwoandaMic clocking out!
Enjoy
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
This episode begins the multi-part journey that is the story of post-war Burkina Faso. It is so full of characters, twisting plots, love and deceit, violence and intrigue, it would have been a bestseller, had it ever been reported properly. Always remember the name Thomas Sankara!
That is the way unfortunately. Once-colonial powers will cling on any way they can and on this occasion, the clinging-on is achieved through disinformation tactics.
Burkina Faso is a remarkable country, like so many other African nations, which if left to themselves can prosper in ways nobody thought possible. The world is at a crossroads and we need to make the right choices. We need to become active to guarantee that the indigenous rights of nations are upheld. We need to start today for we should have started years ago.
Thank you Esheru once again for your time.
Enjoy!
The book we refer to in the beginning is called The New Jim Crow and it’s by Michelle Alexander.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
We don’t always seek alternative perspectives to our own when we are engaged in heated debate. We don’t reflect how our words may strike others. We don’t always focus on what is happening around us when we have something to say ourselves.
With Lulu we discuss on the topic of feminism and how through incorporating feminist ideals into how we live, we can achieve elevated levels of understanding and cooperation for everyone, regardless of gender.
Communication remains a significant stumbling block in many situations, at home, at work, in international politics. We are constantly told to accept what we are told and not to question the efficacy of that limitation, let alone the veracity of the information we have been given.
As an exercise, let us try occasionally to listen more than we speak, question what we do not feel to be true, and express what we know in our hearts needs to be said. Today is not a day to remain silent. If we are to achieve gender equality, and if we are to extend that sense of justice to encompass other areas of life, we need to make a concerted effort to introduce these principles every day, everywhere.
You can follow Lulu on IG: Suinarts
Here website can be found here: readymag.website/u966652154/lulusuin
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
In this episode I am joined once again by Esheru to continue our journey through the continent of Africa and to combine our thoughts on the political, social and economic factors that plague and influence the fortunes of the nation.
In this episode we look at the Democratic Republic of Congo and glance occasionally across its borders and sometimes further afield when attempting to gage how far the grating winds of enforced change have travelled and why.
Thank you very much Esheru for your time and thoughts.
This is TwoandaMic
Enjoy!
The Map for the Cover Art is taken from TomTom 2024 via online search for the DRC.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
Activism knows many faces. As does racism, prejudice and discrimination. We live in societies where colour is political, social and economic. It is family and it is enmity. It is a call to arms. It is a fight for justice. It is a struggle against oppression. It has long since been the latter.
In this new series, I am joined by the activist who inspired it. Esheru is an activist who is indefatigable in his determination to represent the cultures of African origin. This series will try to introduce people not only to the struggle that African nations and peoples have faced for centuries, but also to what could have been and what could be, if pro-African policies are truly applied.
Thank you Esheru for your time, wisdom and patience.
Enjoy!
Some of the books we mentioned in the podcast include:
The Psychosis of Whiteness (penguin.co.uk)
A Fatherless People – Rovingheights Books (rhbooks.com.ng)
A Line in the Sand by James Barr | Waterstones
Randall Jarrell was a poet who died far too young at the age of 51. There are far too many who have died at the tender age of far-too-young. Today that list grows and grows anew.
This poem, entitled The Refugees and published in 1942 resonates loudly in the world that we have created or that we have allowed to be created in our name. We have not become a society overtaken by spreading apathy, we have allowed it to become the norm because to do otherwise was inconvenient. Yet I minded of the threats we have welcomed into our societies and communities. The hatred that engulfs our social dialogue is creating immeasurable inconveniences which will soon come knocking. By then our democratic laxness will receive the judgement it deserves.
Randall Jarrell wrote often of war, of society and of that most intense quality, the human condition in relation to others. Over the next few weeks, I will narrate more of his work so that people can once again become familiar with him. Jarrell is one of those poets who should never be overlooked, lest he one day be forgotten. Such art should never be allowed to fall upon the ignominy of the dusty shelf.
TwoandaMic clocking out!
Enjoy!
In continuing the “Why the Right dislikes…” series, I take a look at a few topics in one go. The main emphasis is on the xenophobic slant of most right-wing rhetoric these days, but there is also a fair chuck of attention paid to where that xenophobia comes from, why, and what the purpose is. I don’t believe my thoughts here can be applied to every right-wing extremist; I doubt that such a generally applied rule exists. However, I do believe that a good portion of dissatisfied, underrepresented and mistreated white British people have been made to turn down this path as their only means of getting attention.
The reality is that a small minority of racists exist in the UK and other countries too, that are loud, hate-filled and are working on an agenda set by powerful establishment figures to their own detriment. Yet their satisfaction is found in the feeling of power that their hatred gives them. These cowards, the ones that attack peaceful, law-abiding citizens in mobs and armed gangs are the real threats to society, the real criminals, and should be treated as such.
Hate-policies have no place in decent society.
A message of peace and a call for unity from TwoandaMic.
I will look at some of the statements making the rounds in the mainstream from right wing commentators and attempt to give what I feel is a more accurate perspective.
TwoandaMic clocking out!
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
The genocide that Azerbaijan committed against the Armenians of Artsakh is not a question of debate. Armenians lived in their ancestral homes of thousands of years until one day they did not. They were not politely asked to leave, they did not sell their homes, they did not leave because they wanted a change. They were attacked by an aggressive dictatorship and forced to leave or die after a 9-month blockade. They received no help from the UN and no support from the EU. Why would they when the EU and many powerful UN nations line up with palms facing the sun for Azerbaijan’s black gold to pour between their greedy fingers. Human dignity has little value. Oil is everything. That is the price of democracy.
In this very brief initial conversation with Vartoui from Marseilles, we talk about the UN and COP29 and Vartoui speaks a little about Marseilles and the Armenian community there.
Thank you Vartoui for your time.
Enjoy!
I love reading some of these classic short stories. They serve as a record of human lives through the ages and from different perspectives. In the 1830s the sale of opium was rising rapidly under the Qing dynasty, Australia’s creation is decided and Melbourne is founded, Charles Masson conducts his excavation work around Kabul Jalalabad where he notes that Kabul in 1833 is a model of tolerance. In New England Hawthorne penned The Ambitious Guest.
In this short story Nathaniel Hawthorne tells a well-known story of those parts in the Willey tragedy in New Hampshire. On August 28, 1826 an entire family was killed while fleeing to safety. The home from which the fled remained undamaged.
Commentary on the story has suggested that the real protagonist is nature itself (Christopher Johnson) and “The Ambitious Guest” is really Hawthorn expressing his own desire to become someone famous, at the beginning of his career (Brenda Wineapple, Hawthorne’s biographer).
It is a wonderful tale despite the tragedy that follows. There is so much hope and happiness in the home, and then…
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
In this 200th episode I am joined by my kids to talk about their lives and interests, where they are, and what they think about topics such as education, football (Mo Salah), games consoles (Xbox and Playstation) and the planet.
More importantly, I am just happy to record a snippet of our interactions so that I can revisit these days in the long distant future.
Thank you boys. I love you!
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
This is an introduction into a long running story that some people in the west may have heard of in the periphery of their political consumption. Armenia and Azerbaijan have since the fall of the USSR been at loggerheads over Artsakh or Nagorno-Kharapagh. In the aftermath of the fall of the USSR, the populus of Artsakh implemented their right to self-determination, voted of their own accord to become a free and sovereign state and became a Republic with their own elections and rule of law. It was a poor nation but a nation created by a democratic instrument and maintained by similar principles.
In recent times Azerbaijan, with its superior wealth and support from a glut of foreign powers salivating over Azeri oil, undertook a brutal advance to wipe out the Armenian population of Artsakh. With drones and advanced weaponry, brutality and no mercy they wiped out entire villages and forced those that survived to leave their ancestral homes. This sounds unfortunately quite familiar in this day and age because it is happening elsewhere in the world too.
Hostages have also been taken. In response to this barbaric act of genocide Azerbaijan has been rewarded by hosting COP29. Not only is Azerbaijan one of the world’s worst human rights violators, it has committed genocide against a sovereign state which it has since wiped off the face of the earth, it has zero respect for climate crisis plans and it is the host of COP29.
This is how the modern world behaves.
Please also check out truthandaccountabilityleague.org who designed the artwork used for this episode.
Thank you Harout for your time.
Peace!
Ever since the first cavewoman kicked the first caveman’s ass at monopoly, there has been discrimination, and the patriarchy was established.
The series is entitled Why the Right Dislikes…In future episodes I will look more specifically into various related topics and voice a few thoughts with diferent perspectives.
This first episode is about why the Right dislikes...Diversity. These are but a few thoughts put together with the sole intention of proposing a different perspective. We don’t always share the same views because we always look at the developing threat from a different position.
The intention of this episode is to show that diversity is not the threat some people think it is.
Enjoy!
In this next episode of the Book Club with Greg, we take a lingering glance at Dissolution, the first Shardlake novel from author C J Sansom. This is Greg’s recommendation and in true delight we attack it with gusto.
To set the scene, it is England in the reign of Henry VIII. Anne Boleyn has just been beheaded and Henry has taken the bold step of separating England from Rome. He also needs case and the Catholic monasteries are rolling in gold. Dissolution deals with how Thomas Cromwell takes down the first of the monasteries in his great purge.
Thank you, Greg, for your time.
Enjoy!
Ever wonder why scientists don’t always know how best to communicate with the general public? Among the many interesting topics we discuss in this episode, is an enthralling insight into the mental process of presenting an idea, from the scientific community’s perspective, and it makes a lot of sense…naturally.
One of the many benefits for me in doing these podcasts is to temporarily transport into the minds of my guests, to see through their eyes, listening to their words and giving them the freedom to elaborate on their thoughts however they feel best. In this podcast, I am able to share that fascinating journey because of the complete openness with which Hannah speaks. Her answers are analytical and deep. She does not run away from the challenge of presenting complexity to a lay person and the message is all the better as a result.
We use Cixin Liu’s 3 Body Problem as a backdrop to discussing one of Hannah’s essays about the Fermi Paradox, game theory, and some chap’s theory of evolution.
Hannah is a biologist and neurotech venture capitalist, and an artist too.
Thank you, Hannah, for your time.
Enjoy.
Some important links to check out:
A link to Hannah's essay: https://medium.com/@la.payette/evolution-game-theory-and-possibly-why-we-havent-met-any-aliens-yet-the-three-body-problem-d7bf503def6d
Website: Hannah Payette Peterson (hpp.xyz)
In this third and final part of this mini-series with Kenyan artist Omish Njash we begin with me putting to Omish the welcome activism GenZ have picked up and carried forward and how the government has tried to disrupt them. I mention unity as a key principle behind this movement, and here Omish begins the landslide of his thoughts. I could have added all of his text here as quotations but instead I will leave simply a few notable ones for you:
“The greatest gift the younger generation has given this country is they have shaken us out of an apathy.”
“It was a revolution, but it wasn’t a evolution that liberates all the people who deserve liberating.”
“There were aspects of our togetherness that were not there. “
Thank you so much Omish Njash for your time and wisdom. I ask all of those who can, to buy this Kenyan artist a coffee or two. He and his friends, and the millions like him around the world, need our support.
Thank you Omish for your time.
Enjoy!
Please support Omish Njash if you can at this link:
APONDI SATUNYA! - Ko-fi ❤️ Where creators get support from fans through donations, memberships, shop sales and more! The original 'Buy Me a Coffee' Page.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Oh, and if there is a possibility to do some rating, that would be nice as well. Thank you.
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...!
Omish Njash explains this sentiment during the podcast: there is difference between art and content. There is a realisation that there is a need for the creation of a new currency that is neither art, nor wisdom, or even sensible, to even be content. They jump on the moment to create content, which has a shorter life span and less meaningful value.
“An artist is faced with their own honesty or dishonesty, at a moment that has become political.”
“We take democracy seriously.” I am not sure many politicians want to hear this, even some of those who welcome criticism. Democrats (I am referring to any democracy advocating politicians, anywhere) want to believe in democracy if it brings them to power. They will believe in it again when the election cycle comes around again. What they do in between is anyone’s guess.
Tell us it isn’t true, tell us we still have a country…powerfully meaningful words. These are the sentiments that describe how I feel often when thinking about politics in the UK and EU. Tell us we still have a country. Tell us the country we live in which claims to uphold democratic values, really means it. That this is not just a slogan for domestic use. That these are views that travel with meaning…
There are so many powerful sentiments in this short episode I could include the entire transcript. Instead, I urge you to listen.
During this episode I play a short excerpt from a demo version of the song Ochongorio by Omish Njash and produced by Lescoin.
Thank you, Omish, for your time.
TwoandaMic!
Please support Omish Njash if you can at this link:
APONDI SATUNYA! - Ko-fi ❤️ Where creators get support from fans through donations, memberships, shop sales and more! The original 'Buy Me a Coffee' Page.
It is not often that I can speak with someone in the middle of a historical event. For a start they are usually far more concerned with the maelstrom going on around them to take time out to talk about things. Yet Omish is reflective, perhaps because he is an artist, maybe because he is a philosopher, and in part because as an activist, he is aware of the need to spread the word, lest someone else spread lies instead.
Omish has also shared with us some of his art and I am extremely grateful to him for doing so.
Thank you, Omish, for your time, and good luck in your activism.
Enjoy!
A link to the BBC article I refer to.
William Ruto's humbling over Kenya Finance Bill shows power of Gen Z (bbc.com)
And here a great report from Adeola Fayehun about the events we discuss here in our episode:
How Kenyans Fought The Govt. & Won! Lessons For Other Africans (youtube.com)
To offer support to artist Omish Njash, please follow this link:
APONDI SATUNYA! - Ko-fi ❤️ Where creators get support from fans through donations, memberships, shop sales and more! The original 'Buy Me a Coffee' Page.
Artistic recognition:
Omish performed the song in this first episode in collaboration with Wuod Baba and 1njau, produced by Addi.
The episode graphic art was created by Omish Njash.
This is an episode about a Russian student, interested in art, rebellious in nature, who moves to Berlin and realises she has room to extend her arms and take in a deep breath, and continues her passion as she knows best.
It could easily have been a podcast about a librarian creating a podcast about librarians (there is also famously another librarian making positive waves in the US).
This podcast could also easily have been about learning to embrace your own culture even when the political tides push you away from the shores of home.
We touch on all of these in parts, and stay focused on the source of all, Lulu, a humble, creative and open woman looking to share the fantastic impressions of art as she sees it, with the world.
Enjoy.
Here are some important links to topics raised during the podcast. Please check out Lulu's blog page.
https://telegra.ph/the-world-of-Plesen-06-05
https://telegra.ph/mir-Pleseni-06-05
https://readymag.website/u966652154/lulusuin/
And here's a link to the organisation that brought us together: wir.de
During the talk Tania mentioned a number of different links and activities and websites and she has very kindly supplied with the following starting points for the curious listener:
A list of all the nationally recognized Scout Associations can be found on the WOSM site here: WS Members Portal (scout.org)
Kandersteg International Scout Centre: Kandersteg International Scout Centre (kisc.ch)
UK Scout Association: Scouts
In Germany there are 4 Associations, which work together via the Ring deutscher Pfadfinder*innen-Verbände Pfadfinden in Deutschland! - Pfadfinden in Deutschland (pfadfinden-in-deutschland.de)
-
Bund der Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder (BdP) : Bund der Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder e.V. | Bund der Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder e.V. (pfadfinden.de)
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Deutsche Pfadfinderschaft Sankt Georg (DPSG): dpsg | Pfadfinden ist mehr als ein Abenteuer!
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Verband Christlicher Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder (VCP): VCP - Verband Christlicher Pfadfinder*innen
- Bund muslimischer Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder Deutschlands (BMPPD): Bund Muslimischer Pfadfinderinnen und Pfadfinder Deutschlands – BMPPD (muslimische-pfadfinder.de)
Here is the link with more Information to the Impact of Scouting Seminar that I referred to: Media | World Scout Foundation
The Youtube video of Gidds from Uganda and his amazing story can be found here: KISCImpact - Gidds Bambaga (youtube.com)
Thank you very much Tania for your time.
Enjoy!
We have all used the adjective “inspiration” to refer to someone or something at some point in our lives. It is then followed by a brief period of gaiety, energy and positivity. How long that lasts probably depends on too many factors to name, it could even be completely random.
Yet would that same gaiety, energy and positivity have occurred without the sense of ‘inspiration’ from whatever had apparently ‘inspired’ us?
I draw a practical conclusion from “inspiration” and wonder whether it actually originates from somewhere far closer to us all…?
I would love to hear your thoughts on it so please, do not be shy.
TwoandaMic clocking out!
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content...
We live in a society where bad people do horrendous things and are rewarded for doing them. We see it in every society played out on varying levels of insanity, like a video game going from Big Boss to Big Boss, without end.
The topic for this episode refers to Azerbaijan and Aliyev’s bloodthirsty policy towards the Armenians native to Kharapagh. He had their towns and villages bombed, the soldiers’ dead bodies humiliated, and their leaders imprisoned. They remain in prison to this day. And Azerbaijan is rewarded by hosting an event the government cares not a whit for.
On July 7 2024 at 14:00 at the World Conference Center, Platz der Vereinten Nationen 2, there is a demonstration in Bonn to address this grave injustice where people and countries are being called NOT to boycott COP29, because the event itself is fundamentally important, but the delegates are being asked to raise their voices and demand explanations of their hosts.
The hashtags are: #COP29 #greenwashgenocide #freearmenianprisoners
Thank you, Jonathan, for your time and your passionate words.
TwoandaMic
It is with pleasure I return to Melville’s short form. Are salespeople ever welcomed more heartily than this one here? I would think not and yet, having been so welcomed, he sets about displaying the exact characteristics that have always turned me away from a career in sales (not forgetting that I am a terrible salesperson anyway). In addition, the salesman is only too happy to speak of his own superior knowledge in a way that Rebecca Solnit would quite happily have coined him “mansplainer” I doubt not.
Melville’s clever turn-of-phrase in dialogue is sweetly in evidence once more.
Enjoy!
How did people of African countries see themselves in the past? How do they see themselves today? It’s an interesting perspective to consider especially as so much of the history about people from Africa has been written by non-natives. Yet those false narratives continue to shape perceptions of Africans.
When we consider the slave trade, historical references list slaves as objects of trade and they remain represented as such. They are objects, assets, numbers, profits or whatever else the slave trading Europeans considered them to be. The histories account for this as well and in learning this we fail to recognise that there were considerable rebellions, uprisings, resistance to the slave trade. Slavery ended because of such resistance. It stopped because the fightback organised and executed by people who had slavery forced upon them, overcame the odds. They fought back and they won their freedom. History records it as though their freedom, having been taken by the European, was graciously and generously returned to them. As Adémola puts it in talking with me, “As long as there was slavery, there was slave resistance!”
Thank you Adémola for the inspiration you are and I hope we will have a chance to speak again soon.
Enjoy!
What follows is an introductory analysis into a term I first picked up in Germany, which in being in German makes complete sense of course – Fehler Kultur. Despite my falling into the trap of assuming the English false friend of ‘failure’ of course I had in mind, ‘mistake,’ which is naturally what the word ‘Fehler’ would signify, given a choice between the two…but on the meaningful side of the issue, Lilek and I jump into a brazen discussion on what having a ‘culture that accepts mistakes’ and that is set up to “embrace” the errors of team members in the pursuit of a “growth mentality” within the organisation signifies.
We look at politics and point to examples of bad practice in businesses too and emerge at the end with suggestions on how people might individually pave the way for boldness, fortifying their growth mindset and being the change they so desire.
Thank you, Lilek, for your time and thoughts as always.
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
The sci-fi juggernaut that is 3 Body Problem has left a multidimensional impact on the landscape of storytelling. It throws the reader into the past and picks them up again feeling relatively queasy at some point in the present, with a few notes of futurism thrown in for good measure.
It’s a sci-fi story with a lot of science and a lot of story, and a thick pinch of fiction. It is not for the faint hearted, but having said that, it has a depth not commonly found in modern stories. The TV show is easier on the mind intellectually speaking, but as Greg says here, “stands alone”.
Thank you, Greg, for your time. It’s always a pleasure to catch up.
Enjoy!
Continuing with the corruption theme I began some weeks ago, here is a short analysis on democracy. Yes I know, for everyone democracy is the holy grail of political ideologies. I understand that we cannot mess with your prized baby when it comes to the champion of liberty. Yet when was the last time you stopped to question exactly whether what we have is a democracy at all?
From a certain point of view, the question must be asked, is it really a democracy if it has to be exported at the point of a bayonet? What is on the menu nowadays? Coup for starters, bombs for the mains, and democracy for dessert, as long as people choose someone we like to lead the liberation movement, and then award us all the juicy contracts.
Democracy in its current guise is corruption made real on a global scale. Not because the idea of democracy is bad, but because the leaders of democracies aren’t interested in the democratic values of the system, just the profit margins. Voting every few years is an exercise in voicing your thoughts, but what if the whole thing is fixed? What if whoever you vote for delivers the same long-term results? What if the business interests in the background, own both stables in a two-horse race? And just to keep those two horses in the lead, a third more gruesome creature lurches on the sidelines as a marker…
It sounds all conspiratorial but it’s just a description of what we can see happening. In some countries one of the two main parties have absorbed the creature, in others they remain temporarily isolated yet heavily influential.
If people really care about their democracy and they really want to protect it, then they need to do more than vote every few years. If people want to value the freedoms that the declaration on Human Rights guarantees, we need to make sure that we are willing to become active, loud, and inconvenient in the face of oppression, no matter how familiar or friendly that face may appear…
Universal Declaration of Human Rights - Amnesty International
Enjoy!
Amber has fast become the go to person for all things new and fantastical on TV. She has successfully negotiated 3 Body Problem, Fallout, WoT of course, and also Shogun. She has also spoken a lot about The Expanse, and I am sure there are some others I can’t think of off the top of my head.
What is extremely impressive remains the dedication, professionalism and ever-increasing regularity with which Amber produces top quality, critical content. In addition to this, she has made the jump to regularly recording video content with her guests which is an undertaking I am still not technically willing to consider. What I mean with all this, is that Amber is a lot braver than I am.
Here we discuss some of the shows mentioned above, the art of escapism, and how online trolling really doesn’t make any sense.
Thank you Amber for your time as always!
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
How do we achieve peace from chaos? How do we find a path to respect and understanding when society is pushing us towards anger, frustration and playing the blame game on unsuspecting people. How do we speak with our native wisdom and receive answers?
If I could answer those questions I’d be a much wiser person than I really am. We don’t all possess the same set of keys, we don’t find ourselves on the same paths. We need to use different skills in different ways to achieve our unique results.
In this podcast Tanja talks about her experiences in Thailand where she went to meditate in a monastery, to help find her way back to her inner peace. I myself can’t make such a trip and I suspect that many people can’t. Yet we need not all do so to find our own path towards calmness and understanding. Tanja talks about some of the experiences she has had and the thoughts that occurred to her, and perhaps within the sharing of these experiences, others can find some answers to the questions posed above.
Thank you again Tanja for your time.
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
When we use words we learned as children, we feel safe in their usage, because they were taught by trusted teachers in a trusted institution. We don’t always reflect on where they come from, what they signify, or how they may be interpreted by others. For some it doesn’t even matter. For many it matters more than they know.
Breaking down biases that have built up walls in our minds can be an arduous and painstaking task. Yet in a society becoming constantly more diverse, do we not see the need to reanalyse how we communicate and the words we use to communicate with? Or do we try to deny diversification, even when it is there, staring at us, waiting to be understood?
In this episode I refer to the boxes we start to build from our childhood and just a single phrase. How many more simple phrases have etched unconscious biases into the fabric of our thoughts? At what stage do we go back and try to identify what effect those biases have?
It’s likely time already.
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
This is a podcast about basketball. It is about sporting greatness and about NBA history. It is about what sport means to a young person growing up and being surrounded by people who love sport and want to share in that with you.
It’s about what that sport represents to a person. It’s about disappointment when someone big does something you can never reconcile yourself with.
This podcast looks to answer a simple question. Did LeBron ruin the NBA?
Let me know what you think.
Thanks for your time, Chris.
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
This is one of my favourite poems because it speaks to me of a parent’s love for their child and of a person wishing to impart wisdom in an affectionate manner.
It is a little dated, yet the words remain delicately selected and impressive. It was written in the 19th century as a tribute to Leander Starr Jameson, from whom Kipling hoped his son would draw inspiration. It is perhaps here that my discomfort stirs. The odour of colonialism and elitism is somewhat pungent.
In my spoken introduction I refer to ‘chivalry’ as a value I appreciate. I cannot separate the knightly virtue from my thought as being a value for good. I know that most knights who claimed to follow that path were only chivalrous to people of a ‘higher station,’ however, and that is where the dream fades. Chivalry for me, is a non-sexist, non-political, tolerant, respectful, and temperate code. Chivalry should ALWAYS protect the dignity of ALL others, without selective consideration for personal reward thereafter.
We face a world today where chivalry is only a faint ideal conjured up by old movies that tell of glorious pasts, and that which fail to present the complete picture of those times. It is not the job of a movie-producer to record history as a historian would. Though perhaps we should use movies we like as inspirational material to learn what really happened, and to whom, and why.
TwoandaMic clocking out!
Enjoy.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
Writers so often take the most mundane and show us the potential depths to their apparent shallowness. So it is with Marquez here. Not only does he dramatize the mundane, he does so in under a thousand words.
The themes he calls upon us to consider are corruption, power, vengeance. They sway, they comingle, they wrestle and then they simply drift apart.
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
This podcast asks why it is we can today accept such poor leadership. It’s about how we have allowed ourselves to be so poorly managed. It’s about we don’t demand more.
This is the first part of a few podcast monologues I will be throwing out there to add my voice to the clamour of voices demanding more, better, and damn quickly too.
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
Mischka and I cover a variety of topics under the very general title of feminism and patriarchy. As this episode is released on the eve of International Women’s Day, activists are still fighting for women’s equality and it is important to remind everyone of some of the original characters in the suffragette movement and the various waves of feminism over the last 100 years.
Injustice is the relentless shadow of humanity that we may never truly unburden ourselves of, yet if we can one day attain true equality for women, maybe that shadow will also be thrown off.
Here below is a list of some of the books and movies that Mischka recommends on the subject of feminism.
Thank you for time Mischka.
Enjoy!
BOOKS:
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Bittersweet by Susan Coin: Longing for something, even for equality can be a great way of how to use an artistic expression
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Burnout by Emily & Amelia Nagoski (2019)
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Use of the Erotic by Audre Lorde (1978)
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Wages for Housework by Louise Toupin (2018) draws on history of feminist movement between 1972 – 77
Movies
British Women Rights Activists: Film called Suffragette
American Women Rights Activists: Film Iron Jawed Angels shows that U.S suffragette were inspired by British suffragette.
Episode Art Photo by Paul von Brunn.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
I often went to bed thinking “I don’t know if they’re going to make it.” In June last year a chance meeting allowed Dr Boshart to solidify plans for a dream that she has had as a medical doctor in providing her community, the Anishinaabe people, the kind of healthcare that addresses their needs. As Dr Boshart explains, that goes beyond the purely medical and physical needs. It addresses social, spiritual and mental issues, developing relationships, building on the blocks of understanding to deliver what the community wants, not what the healthcare system feels they should be provided.
The day after our podcast, Dr Boshart and her team had to go in and pack everything away. The people they had temporarily given hope and dignity back to from a medical standpoint, would no longer have access to her caring, empathetic, authentic care.
Thank you Dr Boshart for taking the time to talk about this extremely emotional story.
Enjoy!
Here is a link to the first podcast we did: https://rss.com/podcasts/twoandamic/1012570/
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
In this glorious poem, T S Eliot shows not only his depth of thought, but also the breadth of his reading and the respect he had for those who came before and who stepped alongside. It was first published in 1915 in the magazine Poetry: A Magazine of Verse.
The poem did not receive the plaudits it deserved at the time, but in retrospect it is given great respect.
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
How do we envision our futures? Politicians are really lacking in this area. There is no vision for the future. Communities need to decide what they need, and we need decentralised systems to provide us what we need.
The SDGs are a wonderful set of ideas and principles, but they are not a rule book and they do not provide nations, regions or governments of any size a playbook by which to mitigate the effects of climate change or to specifically protect the environment, endangered species and delicate ecosystems.
There are scientists fighting a battle of information uphill and with one hand tied behind their backs against the lobby machines of powerful corporates whose annual dividend increases are the only changes they are interested in. These corporate machines hold the golden-black strings of political influence and media control. When people talk of a systemwide change that needs to come in, these are the kinds of factors that need to be addressed.
We can make changes at local and regional levels that will send out ripples across the vastness of our lands. Through these ripples we can adjust what needs to be adjusted, help communities become self-sufficient and inspire hopes of fairness, equality and sustainability through practical measures.
Thank you Saroj and Philippe for your time and for sharing your thoughts and experiences.
Enjoy!
Welt Hunger Hilfe: Für eine Welt ohne Hunger und Armut - Welthungerhilfe
Nutrition Smart Community: NutritionSmartCommUNITY (@nutritionsmartcommunity) • Instagram photos and videos
A video to the project: https://youtu.be/4x7sxPRcxfc?feature=shared
Why India's Gen Z and millennials feel more stressed – DW – 01/29/2024
https://saroj-pinger.medium.com/from-hunger-to-prosperity-b34167944b21
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
A special Valentine’s Day episode offering. Kenyan artist Omish Njash presents his adaptation of the great romantic classic. For the uninitiated this episode is a journey through love, despair, corruption, hate, and more love, and more pain.
Omish presents Romeo and Juliet with a uniquely Nairobian tale, substituting Verona with Kenya’s bustling capital, thrilling us with the undertones of Nairobi’s class system, political machinations, modern generation’s affairs of the heart, and the communication style unique to the Luo and Kikuyu.
As always thank you Omish and break a leg!
Enjoy!
Some contacts to follow and support:
The producer: https://www.boomplay.com/artists/61692621?srModel=COPYLINK&srList=WEB
https://youtube.com/@iammassoudmusic7699?si=7Ah57O_i9160UTjJ
Massoud Abdul (@_massoudmusic) • Instagram photos and videos
The amazing cover art by: Cynthia Rutto (@indigo_the_mystic) • Instagram photos and videos
And finally Alexander Ikawah AKA Omish Njash himself:
Alexander Ikawah (@alexanderikawah) • Instagram photos and videos
https://m.facebook.com/ArtByAlexanderIkawah/photos/a.1656965751202093/3250573785174607/?type=3
Twitter: @Filmkenya
https://www.linkedin.com/m/profile/in/alexander-ikawah-567a633a?originalSubdomain=ke
Please support Omish here:
https://ko-fi.com/post/INTRODUCING-THE-LUOPIANO-N4N2U8F33
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
It is not often I get to talk with people actually making a difference somewhere in the world. I have spoken with some, of course, and that is one of the main reasons I do these podcasts. Today is extra special because I am joined by two people who both bridge worlds, business to charity, urban and rural, city and village, west and east, capital and agricultural and more besides.
Saroj, with the generosity of her in-laws was able to realise her visions of a holistic approach to helping a village stand up and support itself. She spoke with the NGO Welt Hunger Hilfe, through whom Phillippe joined the story and immediately became a supportive voice in the project. Today two villages are living the adventure of this holistic approach coupled with the experience of the NGOs and the people on the ground dedicated to helping the villagers develop and grow their dreams. Below are some links connected to the project. Check them out and where possible, if you can support them, they would be extremely grateful.
Thank you Saroj and Phillippe for your time.
Enjoy!
Welt Hunger Hilfe: Für eine Welt ohne Hunger und Armut - Welthungerhilfe
Nutrition Smart Community: NutritionSmartCommUNITY (@nutritionsmartcommunity) • Instagram photos and videos
A video to the project: https://youtu.be/4x7sxPRcxfc?feature=shared
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
Under the spotlight in this edition of our book review series is Demon Copperhead written by Barbara Kingsolver. Based loosely on Charles Dickens’ classic David Copperfield, Demon Copperhead is an updated, f-bombing, beer-guzzling, drug-taking, abusive, bruising, cruising, heart-in-your-mouth dramatic mega-ride. It is not a retelling of the 19th century masterpiece, but a literary masterclass in its own right.
In this podcast, Greg and I delve into some of the reasons why we enjoyed it so much, plus we offer a few additional gratuitous general opinionizing bits.
A link to the book itself: Demon Copperhead – HarperCollins
A link to the narrator Charlie Thurston’s website here: Home (charliethurston.net)
It was a pleasure to listen to the audiobook, it was fun recording the podcast, and I am thankful to Greg for his time.
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
In this episode Tatiana talks about her work with the Harvard Kennedy School Women’s Network, an alumni shared interest group, who were invited by the G20's Women20 (W20), led by India in 2023, to participate in the drawing up of policy recommendations.
We talk about her work at the Economist Group, in particular, the World Ocean Initiative, and finally, her observations as an attendee of COP28.
Thank you, Tatiana, for your time.
Enjoy!
Please find below some important links.
Mentioned also in the podcast is another podcast entitled Boss Class from the economist. Here is a link to their page: Boss Class (economist.com)
Harvard Kennedy School Women’s Network: HKS Women's Network (hkswomensnetwork.com)
World Ocean Summit 2024: World Ocean Summit & Expo (economist.com)
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
When I asked Karin why, when a woman breast feeds in a public place, do some people find it discomforting? Her immediate response was that “breasts are sexualised”!
The misrepresentation of numerous natural events, important natural events, in mainstream media, movies and so on, like childbirth, like bodily fluids, like menstruation, makes it more challenging than needs be, to talk about them. As much as things have improved in many ways, the path backward is not impossible, unless guarded against by everyone. Fascist ideologies penetrating less extreme right-wing groups is an example of the potential dangers that lie ahead as these ideologies contain principles of inequality for women, ethnic minorities and diverse sexualities.
Making these topics taboo, takes away the normalisation of them from the social mind. They become things to distance society from. They become seen as dirty and unworthy. Doing so very ridiculously makes the people who do them dirty and unworthy. I have recently listened to a great book called “The Curious History of Sex” by Kate Lister, which deals amazingly with this topic and I strongly recommend it. If we are to protect the path towards equality, then we have to openly talk about topics that affect other sexes. Periods are not taboo. Childbirth is not taboo. Body fluids are not taboo. Being able to have mature and respectful conversations about these topics is the minimum requirement.
Enjoy!
Link to Karin’s book: »Bei meinem Kind mache ich das anders« - Mit den (Schwieger-)Eltern über Erziehung sprechen und den eigenen Weg gehen - Karin Bergstermann, Anna Hofer | BELTZ
Accounts to follow on IG:
rosahellblaufalle
goodenoughparents_derfilm
goldener_zaunpfahl
frausiehl
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
Mischka is standing at an important juncture in her life. Having studied history and sociology it is her career in music that is opening doors. She is an amazingly talented pianist and composer, and these talents are being recognised by an ever-growing community of people. Her music has taken her to New York, she will be a regular performer in circles of Slovakian culture, and she is co-producing an album with Billy Mello. 2024 is going to be extremely exciting.
Culture and social interest retain their importance and inspiration for Mischka. As she herself points out in this episode, she is very much influenced by events that have transpired and that continue to develop and her work reflects these thoughts.
Incidentally, the podcast has been updated to also include a beautiful piece produced and performed by Mischka herself and I am very grateful to her for sharing this with us.
Here are some links to Mischka’s work and social media:
https://mischka.bandcamp.com/
Insta: mischkatomani
Facebook: piano music of Michaela Tomaníková
Linked In: Mischka Tomaníková
Website: www.pianistmichaelatomanikova.com
Thank you, Mischka, for your time and I look forward to the next one.
Enjoy!
Photograph for episode art by Paul von Brunn
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
In this episode, Tanja is back and we get stuck into the topics of change, continuity, love and desire. How does one go about creating a life more in keeping with who we are? How do we recognise it and how do we make it happen?
These are very personalised steps, unique to each life and subjective to each person’s path. Step 1 is usually recognising a need. Step 2 would include analysing either what to change from or to. Thereafter the path becomes clearer.
We talk about where Tanja has been and where she is going. It’s a thoroughly entertaining chat. Thank you Tanja as always, good luck on your journey, and see you soon.
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
In recent times I have had a few debutants to present, and they have stemmed from different backgrounds. The trend continues today with the introduction of Anne. Working on her own projects regarding empowerment and equality is a passion as much as it is work for Anne. She wants to help mould the world around her in a way that encourages others and provides them with what they need to develop, express their true selves and move forward.
She is currently winding up a round of group sessions with women connecting inner spirit within a safe circle in a creative and expansive approach to shared experiences. A new group will come together in March and Anne is keen to hear new voices add to the existing group.
You can reach Anne on IG at: https://instagram.com/die_macherin
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
In this episode I am joined by another Karin, whose special subject areas are IT and the study of parenting over the last 2 centuries. Yes, you read that correctly. Karin has co-authored a book in German entitled “Bei meinem Kind mache ich das anders” which more or less translates to “I do things differently with my child.”
In addition to some fascinating tales of the development of parenting, this talk, spread over 2 episodes also includes some very up-to-date political analysis that covers some of the dangers of right-wing politics to parenting itself and beyond.
Karin’s incise commentary is a painful reminder of the need for vigilance in trying to ensure the ideological depravities of the past do not come back to haunt our children…
Thank you, Karin, for your time.
Enjoy!
Link to Karin’s book: »Bei meinem Kind mache ich das anders« - Mit den (Schwieger-)Eltern über Erziehung sprechen und den eigenen Weg gehen - Karin Bergstermann, Anna Hofer | BELTZ
Accounts to follow on IG:
rosahellblaufalle
goodenoughparents_derfilm
goldener_zaunpfahl
frausiehl
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
Here is the second part of the second podcast with Omish. We continue by jumping into a discussion about cinema in Africa and the continent’s state of storytelling and growth. We refer to an article in the Guardian by Julia Asante and Omish introduces me to the father of African cinema Ousmane Sambene.
We also talk about international cinema and the different stories that emerge from different parts of the world. Omish has a clearly defined view of the storytelling qualities from Japan and in some parts of Europe. He has some very interesting suggestions for a new way to consume world cinema…
Thank you Omish for your time.
Enjoy!
Some links from our chat:
PanAfriArt documentary link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDFmzKuc-4M
Ousmane Sembène - Ousmane Sembène - Wikipedia
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/commentisfree/2023/nov/13/african-cinema-has-come-a-long-way-now-we-need-funds-and-faith-to-unleash-creativity?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
This is an intense episode, split into two parts. We just simply talked beyond our allotted time, but such was the importance of our topics that breaking off halfway through just didn’t make sense.
In this episode we cover art, the movement, a lack of government support for artists, the current conflict in Gaza, political actions and activism, and the true power of words.
Omish has a powerful voice and I wish I could amplify his message wider and farther than I have to date.
Thank you, Omish.
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
Lilek is a therapist by profession and only fights for peace and our planet in her spare time.
In this episode she brings her profession in tow, reverses the roles and sets about the task of finding out what lies behind Twoandamic. We talk about community, identity, trauma and peace across the chasm of hatred.
Thank you...
Enjoy!
Here is the link Lilek refers to in the podcast: https://www.parallax.org/resources-for-peace/
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
Having people come back for a chat is a distinct pleasure, especially in the hectic ensemble of activities that modern life obliges so many of us to gather, enact but rarely unpack. Interspersed with light humour (well how else do we handle some of these things?) we navigate the realities of trying to get something done, of penetrating the must dos, in the hope of reaching the should dos, and still constantly dreaming about the would love to dos.
On top of that we sprinkle a little politics into the topics list and look at some of the recommendations Caragh and Mikey have made through their organisation Neurodiverse Sport in response to the British government’s Disability Action Plan 2023-2024.
And did I mention we also talk gravel biking? Respect to Mikey for his continued achievements in the sport.
Thank you both so much for taking the time to speak with me.
Enjoy!
PS. Shout out to Nassos for the branding. Thanks bud…
Link to blog and website: Home | Neurodiverse Sport
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
In this talk with Pablo, we look at the development of the right in Spain in particular, but also in some instances we consider the characteristics of right wing political organisations everywhere.
The right only wants to have a convenient-left. They don’t want a real left, a socialist left, because they fear the power that will shift towards it and inextricably away from them. When you see independent organisations present views that go against the current, pay attention to what is being said, and pay equal attention to how those views are countered by mainstream, right-wing parties and their supporters.
In the political landscape of right-wing extremists it is not enough to identify enemies from abroad, to justify military and economic policies that influence developments around the world, the flow of information at source, online, at home, everywhere must be controlled and filtered. This is why people fight for democracy. We don’t actually live in democracies, but we live in countries that choose to maintain some democratic principles, if we demand them to, if we want them to. The right to unfiltered and unfalsified information is one of the rights we should demand within a democracy. If you see or hear every power structure pulling in a single, uniform direction, it’s time to raise the anchor and push that boat against the current as hard as you can!
Thank you Pablo for your time.
Enjoy!
Trade agreements, economic structures and political manoeuvrings have dictated the flow of resources from certain areas without the fair renumeration of funds in return. The systems that were established to exploit resources, to encourage corruption where possible, but to violently put down non-corruptible government are simply examples of the west’s handbook. We are familiar with concepts of capitalism, and this is OK because capitalism isn’t always exploitative. We are familiar with corporatism and that also doesn’t appear to be too bad as we benefit from the work of corporates. Yet what underpins these ideas of normalcy is the exploitation of someone, something or somewhere always a little further from sight of the consumer.
The next time you walk into a shop and buy something, ask yourself where it came from, who made it and are you paying a fair price? I know that there is mass poverty in developed countries too and you are not the target of these questions. Poor people have always supported other poor people. That is because we have been convinced to do so by elites who know they can make money from that sense of empathy.
A flawed system needs to be called out for what it is. A flawed government needs to be made to answer for its negligence. Flawed politicians need to be kicked out at the ballot box. Voters need to be more demanding of their elected leaders. Democracy, if you really value that ideal, only works if the people demand it. It’s that simple.
If you want change, you have to demand it.
Let’s start with getting rid of discrimination!
Thanks Esheru for your time and your inspiration.
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
There are two elements to today’s podcast. First is the new jingle and second is the latest talk with Lilek, who today is representing Lilek.The new jingle has been produced for me by the artist Omish Njash from Kenya. For more wonderful sounds from Omish, follow this link:
Stream Alexander Ikawah music | Listen to songs, albums, playlists for free on SoundCloud
The point at which the debate really begins in this episode is here:
Me: Can I make that connection?
Lilek: No of course you can’t.
Lilek then goes on to explain why.
Yet she also goes on to tell me about what her great teacher Thich Nhat Hanh taught her and that is that it is enough to be a “part-time Buddha.” Meditation helps you to deal with what is there, even though it might be very uncomfortable. The path is your anchor.
These may seem very theoretical concepts but in fact, they are all completely attainable in any moment, in every moment, practically and literally.
We even do a quick Mindfulness/in the moment exercise which is something I am now becoming used to through my Yoga.
Thank you again Lilek for your time and I look forward to our next talk.
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and has no punctuation. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
Julia Books talks me through some of the amazing strides Tapster Media has taken since we last spoke. The team has grown, is growing and the projects are becoming more and more exciting too…
Thanks for taking the time to speak with me.
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and has no punctuation. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
Yes, you read that correctly, the KfW Stiftung is a non-profit foundation that every other year awards the Bernhard Grzimek Award to a person or people whose work has exemplified the search criteria for that particular period.
The 2024 award is going to be presented to the hidden hero or heroine of nature conservation in the global south. If you know of someone who might qualify, or know someone who knows someone else who might qualify, help get the ball rolling, spread the news, give out the link included below and also this podcast of course, and create the opportunity for a hidden, deserving someone, to be awarded €50,000.00.
https://kfw-stiftung.de/en/projekte/kfw-bernhard-grzimek-award
Thank you, Pia, for coming onto the show. Thank you for your tireless work in aid of nature, biodiversity and our future. Thank you to the KfW Stiftung for its generosity.
Oh and a little PS. We unfortunately had some technical issues with our connection and despite my limited editing skills being pumped up to the max, I was not able to eradicate all the little blips and dips.
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
In some of my podcasts I have been able to introduce other elements hitherto unused or beyond my abilities to present. One such element is music.
Music is an art I have always appreciated from a distance, well, more or less. The production of music has never been me, so when I am introduced to people who can do things I cannot, I am immediately impressed. When I received these music files from Alexander, I wish amazed. I knew I was going to be speaking with a talented artist because I had read some of his short stories and articles and blogs. I had no idea his talents extended to singing and songwriting.
I will leave my own introductions here short so as to allow you to click on the links that will take you directly to Alexander’s work. All I will say is this, prepare to be inspired.
Alexander, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me.
Enjoy!
Links to work by Omish Njash:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=http://strangehorizons.com/non-fiction/100african/alexander-ikawah/&ved=2ahUKEwiT5L-FraqBAxUS1gIHHQNABHsQFnoECCMQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1ftT92wGY8BUX7PHp0Qgsh
https://www.theelephant.info/author/aikawah/
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://soundcloud.com/alexander-ikawah&ved=2ahUKEwiT5L-FraqBAxUS1gIHHQNABHsQjjh6BAgkEAE&usg=AOvVaw36R6-moX3_pnDgEQEzwW0_
https://jaladaafrica.org/2020/10/07/spotlight-alexander-ikawah/ https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DEwLJE0EHkmE&ved=2ahUKEwiV_oP8raqBAxUi2QIHHQ5sCeI4FBC3AnoECAYQAg&usg=AOvVaw1zrtFydv2o-fCVYY5Gv-VE
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8732347/
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and has no punctuation. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
Having recently seen Hamlet at the Schaubuehne in Berlin I am minded of the great work by Shakespeare. It is a world away perhaps for some, as it was for me, but to know too that Shakespeare’s work holds within it such deep spiritual teachings that it can be appropriately used to explain Yogic principles as well is astounding.
One such principle is reflected in this sonnet, that of the true inner self, the unalterable self, that we may hide away, bury, cover or ignore, but remains all the same, waiting to be identified, valued, embraced and loved.
I have been away too long from uploading a podcast…
Be well and enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Should I really have to ask? 😉 If you like the developing story of this social journey unfurling in my series of podcasts, feel more than free, feel partially responsible for spreading the word by subscribing and sharing and where possible, liking. It is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and has no punctuation. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content. :)
Tai is a poet and a basketball player. It is as a basketball player that I came to know him, but as a poet that I regard him.
In this first opportunity to speak with him we talk more specifically about poetry and his work and of course the background to who Tai is and some familiarising with his Japanese cultural roots,
Tai reads for us some of his work and there is great depth to be found in the arrangement of his words. Speed and rhythm can further accentuate the process of emotional empathising and I find that greatly exhibited here.
Thank you Tai for coming to speak with me and also for permitting me to exhibit some of your work in the podcast notes.
Here is an excerpt from june 16th, friday
the poem never ends because
the darkness comes slow
comes slow comes slow comes slow
i find inflections and downfalls to be aesthetically
pleasing i think
my parents would find it
disturbing
they find me
confusing
and when they find me disturbing
is when they shut me
down
i have felt
the wall within the house
and the rapture
nowhere
or where i had left
them, it
falling down the stanzas
since sentences feel too finite and decisive
in art the gray
in real world the black
the black outside is rough
i find
darkness reveals
the width
of a person
Here are ways in which you can find Tai on Instagram.
https://instagram.com/taithewriter?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
https://instagram.com/osmosis.berlin?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
Enjoy!
In part 4 of the continuing talks with Lilek from Extinction Rebellion, we look at some of the specific practices that the Earth Holders Berlin engage in.
In the days between podcasts 3 and 4, the Deep Time Walk took place and I was able to join the walk and found it peacefully inspiring. I won’t give away spoilers as I think it should be experienced, but it is also a great method for communicating any concepts of time, space and transition while being outside in public, and in nature.
Thank you, Lilek, who led the walk, and the Earth Holder Community for the event.
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
Who are the Earth Holder community and what are some of the activities they lead? How do they combine spiritual and practical approaches?
In this episode Lilek and I talk about some psychological states which affect how people come together or decide not to. We talk about the motivations behind deciding to bring about change and also the lack of it. How as Lilek points out, it is difficult for some people to do that.
We look at group dynamics and the space an individual may take up within that space. How do we open up to the room and to others within that room.
In short, we pack a lot in but we do so in a fun fashion. Doom and gloom have to have a light side after all, otherwise we won’t be able to see them.
Thank you again Lilek for your time.
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
Edgar Allan Poe is well known to many and I have introduced him before on this channel in reading some of his work.
Instead, I will simply say by way of introduction, this short story from the author puts a fascinating little twist to the 1001 Arabian Nights by adding a 1002nd. There has been lengthy study and research as to the origins of the 1001 nights and most scholars are fairly certain that the tales originated in India and Persia in the early 8th century before spreading through the Middle East and having numerous stories adding to the original amount.
The mystery, history and journey of these tales remain fascinating whichever way you view them and Poe’s addition is wonderful in its own way.
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
In this episode Lilek talks in greater depth about the Earth Holder community and provides insight on what the community gives us. My interpretation among others includes a fascinating pathway or approach to reconnect, re-establish links with what we are, as opposed to what we have been taught to think we should believe ourselves to be.
Breathing – simplistic practices. Reconnecting with our bodies.
Yogic practices have developed along the lines of specific experiences, natural studies and meditation and clearly when these practices are adapted by those not of the Yogic tradition, it’s not always possible to consider what emerges as an upgrade.
Here is a link to the website of Joanna Macy: WELCOME — Joanna Macy & Her Work
The Earth Holder Community: A Mindful Earth Justice Initiative in the Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism (earthholder.training)
Plum Village: The Plum Village Tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh
Thank you Lilek, for your time.
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and does not always reflect what has been said with 100% accuracy. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
People on many sides have long since decided where they stand on the debate of climate change, regardless of the science it seems…Almost equally absolutely, people have also decided what they think of environmental activists, whether they remember the activism of the 1970s and 1980s or the more modern forms of climate awareness.
There is a lot to unravel and deconstruct as Lilek puts it and she’s right, climate denial is not a simple mechanism to be dismissed or randomly insulted, it needs to be understood and debated intelligently and with understanding. In this first episode, we look into some of the background problems that climate justice faces.During the podcast,
Lilek refers to the following book: Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman. Here is a link to the Wikipedia page. Humankind: A Hopeful History - Wikipedia
As Lilek quotes “Be the Change” is the message. No other statement from me is required.
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Listening to BBC History Extra it’s possible to learn a great many things. On top of that they often invite some wonderful specialists, researchers and authors to talk about their work and every time I have listened in, I have been surprised and enlightened. On one such occasion they had invited Dr Edmund Richardson to talk about his book Alexandria: The Lost City. Straight after that I got the audiobook and gave it a listen. I strongly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about the real history of the East India Company, the horrors of colonialism and some of the reasons of why today’s world is the way it is.Enjoy!
What do I look for in poetry? What does anyone look for in poetry?My simplest formula is to sense emotion, a passion unearthed or inspired, an excitement enriched or created. I tend to look for these things in longer poems because through the development of a poem, and as I am slow burner, I come into these sensations over time (or word). In recent times I have also been inspired by the shorter forms, but my default setting remains more easily moved by a longer representation.When Billy Bob Thornton in his gig in Berlin’s iconic SO36 mentioned The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe, I immediately looked it up, there and then, to see what he was talking about. His description was spot on and I was transfixed.Inspired by Bob…thank you.Enjoy!
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet. Perhaps best known for his novel Ulysses, his other works remain must-reads, in particular the short-story collection Dubliners and Finnegans Wake.At the age of 9 Joyce wrote the poet “Et tu, Healy.” The poem related to the death of Charles Stewart Parnell and expressed a sense of betrayal by the Irish Catholic Church, the Irish Parliamentary Party and the British Liberal Party for the result of the failure of establishing Irish Home Rule. 9 years old…At university he discovered the scholasticism of Thomas Aquinas and was thereafter influenced by his thoughts. After university he went to live in Paris. In April 1903 he returned to Dublin to tend to his dying mother reading to her drafts of his work.In 1904 he met Nora Barnacle and they remained together until the day he died. Joyce had considered becoming a doctor, and in 1904 explored becoming a musical performer.Joyce travelled to find work where he could, it was trying, often being told vacancies existed where they did not. Via Zürich, then Pola the Joyce family moved to Trieste, where he started teaching English. A noble undertaking. As much as Joyce travelled and wrote however, Dublin was forever in his heart and soul…and pen.There is so much to cover that I do not have the space to do so here. In 2019, when the proposal arose of repatriating Joyce’s remains, the Irish Times wrote this: " ... it is hard not to suspect that there is a calculating, even mercantile, aspect to contemporary Ireland's relationship to its great writers, whom we are often more keen to 'celebrate', and if possible monetise, than read."
“Holy crap, there is someone out from the States who is better than the guys back in Washington.” That’s Burger Boy’s first experience of Chris’ cooking.Burger Boy himself is a serious food connoisseur and his Burger reviews are unique experiences every food lover has to enjoy. So we have Burger Boy and the man behind Humble Pie, Chris, in Berlin talking about American food to a Brit…what could possibly go wrong?Damn straight it’s a fun ride the whole way through.Enjoy!!! Below are some social media links, check them out when you can.Burger Boy (@the_burgerboy_) | Instagram@chask42 | InstagramHumble PieLiquid | Integrated PR, Digital, Communications & Social Media Agency (weareliquid.com)Home - North Carolina SweetPotatoes (ncsweetpotatoes.com)
Doctor Samantha Boshart is medical practitioner, M.D., she is a healer, a fighter, a spiritualist, environmentalist, naturist, mother, Indigenous person and activist. I am sure she is many more besides, but the point has been sufficiently communicated; Dr Boshart is a clear and powerful voice in the fight for equality, human rights, recognition, education, awareness, and societal justice.
It is her firm intention to run for public office in her region to be able to represent the Indigenous population there and make the necessary changes for the betterment of their lives. In all of her interviews, social media accounts and articles, Dr Boshart has remained steadfast in the simple message of what she wants to achieve: “…I want to see Indigenous people given back the power to take care of each other.”
Here is the article I refer to in the podcast: This Magazine → This Hamilton, Ont. doctor is spearheading a unique blend of Western medicine and traditional Indigenous healing
Thank you Dr Boshart for your time.
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This lovely poem, penned by one my favourite poems speaks of nature, of transition and transformation, of positive projection, hopes and dreams, painful memories mixed in with some sweet recollections.Coleridge’s poems are always alive for me.I am including here a link to a far more professional and complete essay on the poem if you would like to consider the meanings more deeply.Samuel Taylor Coleridge: “Frost at Midnight” by… | Poetry FoundationEnjoy!
When we talk about something Orwellian, the term conjures up a certain distasteful image of power cycles corrupting society, misshaping communities, poisoning human interactions, and infecting any and every sense of love with suspicion and anger.That is the curse of 1984.In Animal Farm we are confronted by the manipulation of revolutionary leaders, the dangers of not being educated enough to understand what is happening around us, the folly of unchallenged belief that the powerful will take care of the powerless.This episode is not a story but an essay written by George Orwell about the relationship of language and politics, and more specifically, poor language forms and decaying political parties.As usual with George Orwell, whose death in 1950 stole away a great mind from social discourse, his essay could just as well have been written last week, so accurate are his sentiments. Even though I may disagree on some points, for example I have no issue with non-English words entering the English vernacular, the main thrust of his argument here about language clarity, obfuscation and attempting to defend unjustifiable actions tolls significantly loudly.
In this episode I am joined by Florah who raises funds for African Parks in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. I met Florah not in a professional capacity but as participants in a Friends of Nature hiking troupe 2 years ago. We had some great talks then and more recently when we met again and it was abundantly clear that I needed to record our conversations.Florah has experienced on her own skin many of the social injustices that I advocate for on this podcast and elsewhere. She embodies in so many ways the courage that I strive to attain and the determination to make changes that I aspire to.I am sure you will find her words inspirational and informative.Thank you Florah for your time.Enjoy! Below is the link we refer to in the podcast and which gives some great background to what Florah does for African Parks.https://www.tu.berlin/themen/alumni-podcastAfrican Parks website:African Parks: Protected Areas Management
Book Review – The Black Echo by Michael ConnollyRIP Lance Reddick – You will be forever remembered.Talking about books is a pleasure because it inherently requires one to read or listen to a book. For me the chance to talk about a mutual passion with my brother at the same time makes this little amateur book review opportunity too good to miss out on.In this episode we review specifically the first novel by Michael Connolly entitled The Black Echo. It is the first Bosch novel. In general, however we review Bosch the detective, the book and the TV series and also compare him with another favourite of ours, Inspector Morse.If you are a fan of the crime/detective genre, I hope some of what we discuss will appeal to you. If you are not a fan of the genre, then the rest should appeal to you. 😉Enjoy!(2) Paul Newman Charlie Rose Interview (Actors Studio Cast 1994) - YouTube
Talking about the presidents, learning about the development of US political structures, institutes and principles, gives an obvious and equally oft forgotten insight into where US politics is today. We have gone way back, right to the beginning, and are working our way through the list of US leaders.
We have inadvertently decided not to follow the usual deference and romanticism that figures so prominently in discussions on the founding fathers, the big hitters of US political history. We cannot separate their influence on US politics from their lack of intervention in the slave trade, from their barbaric approach to the First Nations, and the way they considered the white man to be above all.
We pay them the compliments they are due on the basis of attributes not related to the horrors of their domestic, superior policies.Madison was supremely intelligent, he was extremely hardworking and he was dedicated to the ideals of a republic.
What follows, is our assessment of James Madison, the man, the president, and the budding of what would become a global superpower within 200 years.
Thanks, Aydan, for your comeback, you have been missed.
Enjoy!
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PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and has limited punctuation. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
In this episode, Caragh and Mikey recount some of the activities they have been up to since we last spoke. In addition to the amazing work of further establishing neurodiversity in the minds of the mainstream and solidifying the platform from which to generate debate, innovation and change, the Neurodiversity in Sport blog has revealed some amazing stories.
For those who have not previously had the chance, please check out the page and follow Caragh wherever they prefer to engage in social media. Home | Neurodiverse Sport
Mikey talks a bit more himself and Gravel Racing, which has really exploded in the last couple of years. I actually found this article written about Mikey too which is well worth a read. Mikey Mottram - Looking Back at the Gravel Worlds • VeloVeritas
Thank you both for your time.
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and has no punctuation. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.
I have always found people whose primary work-ethic has revolved around people to be most interesting. I love hearing that people form the core and biggest asset of an organisation. However, assets are normally owned, people are employed. I am sure there are distinctions in these words.I am joined by Helga, a HR manager of many years experience, to talk about some of the main issues that currently entertain HR specialists. We talk about topics such as empathy, AI, machines, anticipating trends and as Helga puts it how to “read your reality”.It’s always a pleasure for me to speak with Helga and to listen to her thoughts on a number of people-related subject areas. I am thankful to her for taking time out on her weekend to speak with me and I look forward to our next session too.Thanks Helga!Enjoy
Jack London (1876-1916) was born John Griffith Chaney. Famous for a number of classics today he is by some considered best represented by his many short stories, the historian Dale L. Walker wrote of him: “London's true métier was the short story ... London's true genius lay in the short form…”Having read some of his shorter works I agree that they are extremely good, however I cannot discount his longer works, White Fang and Martin Eden are two full length novels and both are fantastically well written.London had a style that reflected a number of his non-conformist views. He wrote on behalf of those whose voices were seldom heard, or understood. His early years, indeed his birth were difficult affairs. His parents were perhaps unmarried, his father, who disclaimed any responsibility for him, wanted him to have been aborted. His mother then shot herself and though she did not die, was unable to raise a baby, and so little London was sent off to stay with an African American wet-nurse, Jennie Prentiss. He later referred to Prentiss as his primary source of love and affection.His mother was a spiritualist and claimed to be able to channel the spirit of a Sauk chief called Black Hawk (Wikipedia). It is with these elements in his armoury perhaps that Jack London was so drawn to the stories and lifestyles and beliefs that he either wrote about or enjoyed.He and his first wife Bessie Maddern were perhaps not so well suited. He criticised her for her purity. No doubt she had a number of reasons to criticise him too. His second marriage was to a woman who was more in tune with his passions. It is said that Charmian Kittredge was very different to Bessie, and her aunt, a disciple of Victoria Woodhull, had “raised her without prudishness.” (Wikipedia).London was a war journalist and a socialist and had strange thoughts on eugenics I could never ascribe to, and yet he wrote with such grace of the plight of those who suffered greatly in his times.I hope you enjoy the story…
Today I talk with Benni from the Spirit of Football. Benni introduces the organisation I had the immense pleasure of meeting recently for an eye-opening and fun workshop about how the world of football can take a sporting lead into sustainability.Benni talks about the history and the present and in part the future of Spirit of Football, Future Ball, the new project and some of the principles behind what they do, their workshop methods and the people they work with.You can follow them using the following links:Spirit of Football | Twitter, Instagram, Facebook | LinktreeThank you, Benni, for your time.Enjoy!
This is my second reading of a Maya Angelou poem. It will not be the last. I commented last time as to the depth and mystery of her poetry, and I won’t repeat commonly held sentiments. She was a unique poet, philosopher, civil rights activist, and an example for many others.The release date of this episode coincides with Maya’s birthday. She was born on April 4th, 1928. She would have been 95 today.Though she has passed, her spirit lives on in her works, the ferocity of her message thrives in her words.I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:Instagram: TwoandaMicTwitter: TwoandaMic1
The Sniper is a short story set during the Irish Civil War and based on the on the Battle of Dublin. It was published while the war was still ongoing, in January 1923.It is a tale simply told. It remains a popular tale even a hundred years after its initial publication. Unfortunately as war continues to be ever-present in human reality, the relevance and tragedy of The Sniper will go unnoticed by those who can influence events, but it will be suffered by those most affected.There is an interesting summary and analysis here of the story: The Sniper Summary & Analysis | LitCharts
An American writer and poet and considered as one of America’s greatest authors from the American Renaissance period. Though his great fame came much after his death he remains an ever present on the list of classic authors among such greats as Jack London, Emily Dickinson, Tennessee Williams, and Nathaniel Hawthorne to name just a few.He was born to staunchly Christian parents and both his grandfathers were heroes of the American Revolutionary War, a point of pride in the family.They were not affluent, and his father was unsuccessful in making the money of his own family and that of his wife’s family go far in his business undertakings. For this reason the family moved to smaller lodgings and when even “the tiny tuition fee seemed too much to pay” Melville stopped attending the Albany Academy. He worked as a clerk, a schoolteacher and then at sea from where he picked up adventure upon adventure. He dove into storytelling and between 1845-1850 he proved successful as a writer. The years after were not so.He died on September 28th, 1891.
What a difference a day makes. Well imagine what kind of difference a year or two can make. In periods of quick change such as ours, every decision can have significant impact on our lives for many years to come. We are all experiencing this in a variety of ways today.
It is for this reason that people should be given choice. To make better choices they should be informed. To be well-informed, we should have easy access to reliable and accurate information. So many of these things are lacking in society, on social media, on TV, in politics. We need to have, simply put, better politicians. We need to see people who we can actually look at and say “even if I don’t agree with her, I am sure she genuinely cares about the country and state of its inhabitants.” But we are not there, nowhere near in fact.
We exist at a time when populist, divisive and aggressive politics rule supreme in Westminster and elsewhere. We have hate rolling off the lips of our leaders, not wisdom, restraint and respect. If we look out across a river of hate, what kind of ferryman should we expect to find?
Yet if we open our eyes and take a positive view of things, see the world in a warmer light and consider the possibility that difference is not an angry foe, then that river of hate will be washed away by a joyful torrent of possibility.
That is why the Breakthrough Party, with all their amazing policies of positivity and possibility, are a political charm to the hateful landscape. There is a real sense of energy and enthusiasm to do well for others, to help and enhance communities and lift the UK out of its temporal nightmare. I invite you all to listen to Alex as he presents the Breakthrough Party and I invite you to look at their website, read their manifesto and make your own decisions.
Thank you Alex for your time.
Enjoy!
Breakthrough Party #HopeHasANewHome
Parastu recently wrote an article about her interview with Shole Pakravan, whose daughter Reyhaneh Jabbari was executed in 2014. In this episode Parastu talks about Shole, her daughter’s innocence and fight for justice, and her own experience of meeting this wonderful, dedicated and loving woman whose life mission is to ensure her daughter’s tale is never forgotten.
It is a very emotional episode which Parastu thankfully illuminates with occasional laughter.
The links below relate to the story, Shole’s book, Reyhaneh’s sacrifice and the docufilm.
Thank you very much Parastu for your time.
Reyhaneh's case/Amnesty urgent action: https://www.amnesty.de/urgent-action/ua-085-2014-2/reyhaneh-jabbari-hingerichtet
The movie about Reyhaneh that was premiered at the Berlinale last week: https://www.berlinale.de/de/2023/programm/202302785.html
Shole's book: "Wie man zum Schmetterling wird" (the book seems to only be available in German so far and was originally publisher by Berlin Verlag) Wie man ein Schmetterling wird von Steffi Niederzoll und Shole Pakravan | PIPER
Amnesty Journal: https://www.amnesty.de/amnesty-journal-das-magazin-fuer-die-menschenrechte
On the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, 20 Iranian trade unions and organisations released a joint charter with demands. I forgot to mention that but I find it very important especially as most news outlets are covering the so-called diapsora "opposition" led by Reza Pahlavi, Masih Alinejad, Golshifteh Farahani, Nazanin Boniadi and Shirin Ebadi: https://iranwire.com/en/politics/113866-iranian-trade-unions-civic-groups-issue-charter-of-minimum-demands/
2022 was a big year for Lively Story and the big story is…Lively Story is now in the entertainment business. This brings a lot of change to the direction of the company and the way in which the platform is presented to the market. It is exciting because it broadens the scope of storytelling, and it allows the story to jump out through modern tech and popular mediums.
This is also why CEO and founder Jasmin welcomed Co-CEO Stefan to the team whose background in managing a national theatre group really comes into its own.
This in turn also brings new people to the world of storytelling. Kids don’t necessarily want to limit their consumption of stories to books and e-readers. They perhaps also want to experience these adventures in a way their senses are piqued, and they can share the experience even with friends.
Let us not forget also the vast effort to creating Edutainment which allows young adults to enjoy and enjoy learning.
Oh and Julia has also started to learn Korean, so she really does love a challenge.
In addition Lively Story is also looking for anyone who wants to create a story in a new medium. All original material will be considered so get in touch.
This is where Lively Story comes into its own because it is really breaking new ground on how to deliver emotion, sensation, and thrill to the reader / viewer / participant.
Lively Story is also going to the Start-Up Grind in San Francisco and here is a link to that event.
https://startupgrind.tech/conference/startup-exhibition/
It’s always fun talking with Julia Books and I look forward to the much-discussed Podcast 4 later this year so look out for that in June 2023!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Franklin Adams was an American columnist. He was a poet. He was a veteran of the first world war. He was the son of Jewish-German immigrants. He was witty. He was a radio panelist. He was, suffice to say, many things.
His most important work was his column “The Conning Tower”. The Conning Tower it is said, “…was enough to launch a career.” As turned out to be the case for a number of writer’s whose work was published therein. Dorothy Parker was one such poet and she dedicated her 1936 collection Not So Deep as a Well, to F.P.A. the acronym by which Franklin was also known.
Enjoy!
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In this latest chat with Chris, we have undertaken to do an irregular series that focuses on stories of interest from across the Atlantic. We have taken the liberty of discussing anything even remotely connected to the USA which basically means we can loosely talk about anything on the planet because, well, the US right?
Anyway, no need for a long intro. In this session we cover the following topics:
Xmas in consumer land Pele Damar Hamlin The US prison system Speaker? What speaker?
As always, thanks Chris!
Enjoy
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Katherine Mansfield was a New Zealand writer who died far too young at the age of 34, 100 years ago. She is considered, despite having her life so prematurely curtailed, as being one of the most important voices in the modernist movement.
It was the intention of modernism to break away from traditional forms of writing in poetry and prose fiction, but also in the content such writing represented.
Unfortunately, political and economic interests in the 1920s and 1930s came along at a time when cultural and social creativity seemed about to explode. What would have become of modernism had other events not turned people’s attentions elsewhere?
The Garden Party, which I won’t ruin for you by giving too much of the plot away, but upon reading, it made me consider the role of classism in historical discourse. Has classism been addressed fully enough in our analyses of societal development? And just as importantly, why don’t we consider classism as much as we should do, today?
There is an absolute, delightful innocence to the storytelling, sharp angles and turns, and some very colourful imagery that help our minds go to places the story wants but doesn’t expressly dictate. If only Katherine had had time to write more.
She moved to England at 19 and became friends with D. H. Lawrence and Virginia Woolf among others.
She was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis in 1917 and passed away in France on January 9th, 1923.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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This episode is my narration of the Rudyard Kipling classic we are all familiar with. Kipling is known the world over for his famous story of Mowgli, the boy raised by a bear and a panther in The Jungle Book. Immortalised by the Disney animation and the wonderful song writing skills of Terry Gilkyson and the Sherman Brothers and the musical composition of George Bruns.
Kipling wrote so much more, travelled far and wide and had political opinions of which the modern world knows very little. His life is a study of colonialism and thought, strife and opportunity, literature and prejudice.
Rudyard Kipling passed away on January 18th 1936. I release this episode to coincide with that sad occasion.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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When we talk about giving a voice to diverse people, it should be more than a slogan. When we invite different voices to express themselves, we are confronted by beautiful thoughts, determination and culture.
Parastu talks about what is happening in Iran, how the people in Iran feel and how much they appreciate the support they are getting from the Iranian diaspora, from other peoples and cultures and also from politicians engaging with Iranian politicians. By ensuring this engagement continues, the possibility of holding off horrific executions grows. Parastu’s message is clear, please continue to write letters and emails to politicians, be loud on social media, don’t let the lives of Iranian people be categorised as a declining news story.
We also talk about life in the diaspora, we get a window into the inside of ethnic communities and start to understand how complex relations within communities are. No group of individuals is 100% politically aligned and to think so is to simplify human relations to unrealistic levels.
Thank you Parastu for being so open, sincere and insightful.
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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When we consider the reality in which we exist today, reading Red Rising doesn’t come across as too far-fetched at all. In fact, we could quite easily superimpose some countries, regions, economies and sectors over the colours and societies created by Pierce Brown and people would immediately understand what was happening.
This podcast with Greg is an introduction to the Red Rising trilogy and it should come as no surprise that the first book, eponymously titled, is an intriguing and courageous adventure through humanity’s dystopian future. It paints a brilliant picture of a fictitious future which calls into question the lives we lead today. So many times, I found myself asking, which colour would I be? Which colour would I want to be? Which colour would I end up being? For me, that is one of the great elements of this series, because it forces you to continue reading and then, once you are done with it, it makes you reflect upon what you have read.
It is also wonderfully complex, though you only realise the complexity, when you try to explain it to others, as Greg and I attempt to do here. We don’t always do the best job of doing so, but we gave it an honest pop.
We compliment Pierce Brown for his tremendous work and look forward to continuing the story.
There are a few spoilers in the podcast, but nothing that should in anyway ruin your enjoyment of the books.
Thanks, Greg, for your time.
Happy new year everyone. And enjoy!
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Margaret Fuller is not as well known as perhaps she should be, as she most definitely would have been, had tragedy not curtailed her life to a mere 40 years of age.
Brilliant, witty, brave and a considered and accomplished debater, she should have become known the world over as a woman and a feminist of great influence.
Though her work as a journalist and poet, essayist and serialised columnist has left some of her abilities and talents recorded, and of course her magnum opus Woman in the Nineteenth Century (1845) is a feminist classic, one can only wonder at what she could have achieved personally and for womankind, had she only lived longer.
On this my last podcast of 2022, I recite her fantastic poem Meditations, to which a link is included below to the great website the Poetry Foundation.
I hope you enjoy the powerful messaging and wonderous themes and movements of her words as much as I have.
Meditations by Margaret Fuller | Poetry Foundation
Happy New Year and a healthy start to 2023.
Thank you for listening!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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The Sacagawea and York (Lewis and Clark) Expedition: How it should be known!
Ayda talks about how the native Americans were hunted down, slaughtered and had their children taken from them until, as he says, “there are no more stories to tell…” This is a part of the legacy upon which the United States is today built. The other parts include slavery, mass exploitation of surrounding countries and international coups. Some of these latter tales will come to light in future episodes. Early US governments took away a people’s ability to fully recount their ancient tales and keep the many cultures of their tribes.
Can you imagine a world devoid of storytelling? How much would we lose as cultures, as people, as intelligent beings? There would be no art, no ambition, no development as a community and only a future of dispersal, division and destruction.
In talking today of Sacagawea, an extremely small portion of that story is recorded. We will endeavour to try to bring many more forward in the coming months.
It is said Sacagawea and York “helped” the Lewis and Clark Expedition. I think we should use the verbs “saved” and “facilitated” more than helped. Clearly they were not the instigators of the expedition but it only succeeded because of them and for many different reasons.
As always, thank you Aydan for your research and your colourful input.
PS. The episode photo is the nutcracker Aydan was referring to at the beginning of the podcast. Plus a picture of his grandmother has been included too.
Enjoy
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Caragh is joined by Mike, her husband, to talk about how they deal with, and have always dealt with the challenges of sport, the adversity of misdiagnosis, the fight for improvement or to stay in the team and in general all the obstacles of life.
They are a great duo and so open it is a real pleasure to listen to them go. They inspire and complete one another and they have a great way of laughing at one another which can only occur when people are very comfortable and feel completely liberated in their knowledge of how the other will react. It is refreshing and entertaining in equal measure.
Oh, and Caragh retires…Something I hadn’t expected her to say, though in truth, there is no way to predict what Caragh will say and that is a big part of the journey.
Here is the website that Caragh refers to and it’s a great follow. It’s full of information and as the content comes in, the stories are fascinating and really inspirational:
www.neurodiversesport.com
Well done Caragh and well done Mike.
And thank you both for your time.
Enjoy
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Listening to Shirley talk, explain and simply recount a story, a decision or a fact is a powerful insight into years, decades of experience, thought and practical wisdom. I was immediately struck not only by Shirley’s wealth of knowledge, but by the intensity of her thought and the depth of her assessment.
She didn’t have a topic map for the podcast because she didn’t want one. She didn’t need one. So skilled a speaker and thinker is she, that she knew she would be able to satisfy every question I would ask.
We went from topics that entailed mobility, communication, community, environmental politics, city planning, sustainability, equality, social issues, history, race relations and party politics and I think, wow, listening back, what an amazing person.
Shirley Franklin is the first former Mayor I have ever had the chance to speak with, and I can say with absolute certainty, that if she were running for public office in my town, she’d get my vote every day of the week.
Thank you, Shirley, for your time and sharing some of your thoughts with me. Thanks, Chris, for setting it up too.
Enjoy!
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
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Time is measured as a linear human construct, but events take place concurrently and reactions are often uncontrollable and immeasurable. Reliability of info gives power when you monopolise the flow of information and the very information that is communicated. We need to highlight the power of information in the 18th century was absolute. Word got out only when the powers that be wanted it to get out and no more. Managing that vacuum of information was extremely beneficial both financially and in terms of power. Maybe even more so than today. In this talk about Spencer Compton and Henry Pelham, we remain very much within the shadow of Robert Walpole, so great was his influence on the time. There is a lot of jumping to and fro, but we get there in the end.
It’s taken such a long time to get this podcast out. We talk about some of the votes cast in the US mid-terms concerning slavery and how terrifying it is to realise that until 2022, slavery is NOT OVER!
Indeed, talking about Racism, Aydan raises a good point: how can you feel comfortable saying the things that you say? The bridge between the past and the present is a dynamic one and never fully broken as a result. The dark tentacles of prejudice always find a way of crossing over it.
It is a real challenge putting together some of these story lines but Aydan is extremely effective and entertaining. Thank you brother!
Enjoy
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No Red Wave – which is the main thing. But what state is America in? I’m embarrassed by the childishness of British politics, but wow, the American two-party system is trying really hard to compete in general crappiness.
Campaigning costs in the US are ridiculous, what a waste of money. But on the other side, it’s a significant hindrance to any popular poor candidates rising up locally. If you don’t have access to businesses, forget it, and that is how the US keeps business interests at the top of the pile.
The importance of education in a system like the USA is impossible to understate. When society is so polarised, formative opinions can ensure people choose a side very early on and the level of toxicity that exists will keep those people on their selected sides. An open-minded society would probably, though not definitely, encourage people to reflect and think about how different communities live and think and to take that into consideration. Maybe this is why the ‘right’ in the USA labels ‘progressives’ as a ‘dangerous’.
The right-wing is trying everything it can to downplay the real and actual threat to black communities in the USA. It is important to maintain the conviction that black lives absolutely matter and in protecting black lives, people inherently protect all lives.
I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Jefferson, the man the legend, the founding father, president number 3, immortalised by the Jeffersonian, schools and streets and who knows what all over the USA and of course, who could forget, slave owner!
He even leased his slaves out to others so that he could profit from them while he was in France. Jefferson is tainted and we have to look at him through those eyes.
He was well educated, he had access to elite education, access to the writings of all the great political thinkers of the time and was inspired by George Wythe
His presidency is shaped by three fundamental events: The first Barbary War, The Louisiana Purchase and the Embargo Act of 1807.
In addition his intimate relationship with Sally Hemmings and his close friendship with Jupiter Evans give us pause for thought. What was truly important for Jefferson? Why did he not free so many of the people who he was personally entangled with?
Neurodiversity and dealing with it while trying to achieve potential in an extremely challenging environment, is a tough ask. Add to that mix a time period when people didn’t even believe that women could be neurodiverse unless it was specifically bipolar, and we have a very high wall to surpass.
To do so takes courage. We all have a thought to what courage means and no doubt in each and every rendering of that concept lies a mass of truth reflected by our own realities. Visualise if you will, having to repeat that courage on a daily basis. Consider the thoughts that pass through the mind; they don’t understand me, the medication is pulling me back, I am alone…
Caragh has given a lot to her sport and yet such is her character that she is determined to do more. She wants to make sure that athletes of today and tomorrow who are neurodiverse, are no longer held back by ignorance, misdiagnoses or loneliness. She has already blazed a trail through that dark forest, and the path that lies ahead will brighten further with her charitable and consultation programmes.
Thank you very much Caragh for sharing your story with me. I remain in awe and look forward to our next conversation.
Contact details:
LinkedIn: caragh_mcmurtry_oly
Instagram is caraghmcmurtry
Email is cmcmurtry@neurodiversesport.com
Instagram: TwoandaMic
Twitter: TwoandaMic1
Guy de Maupassant, a French 19th century author, is considered one of the masters of the short story form. A protégé of Gustave Flaubert, a leading figure in literary realism, Guy’s work personifies the efficiency of language, the depth and intensity of his compositions and the naturalism of his storytelling.
His writing is comforting, easy and flowing. His material is almost of the mundane, the lives of innocents effected by the tumultuous times of the Franco-Prussian War of the 1870s. His work often exemplified the futility and madness of war, how people were powerless against it, and how war and the associated hardships would forever change them.
Bellflower, though set after the war, talks of an altogether different form of suffering and tragedy. After my narration of this tale, I will speak of my thoughts on the themes raised within it.
Enjoy!
The South Sea Company was a state funded slave trading company into which the main politicians of the day invested including the first Prime Minister of the UK. Robert Walpole was a slaver. He negotiated a means to continue his power within parliament and the government to make sure he could keep his lifestyle going. He needed politics to stay financially viable. Robert Walpole was a slaver!
The South Sea Company financial bubble eventually burst and when it did a lot of the country’s elite, not to mention a number of European investors too, all suffered huge financial losses. Upon its dissolution, its assets were divided between two entities: The Bank of England and the East India Company.
These are but some of the legacies of the period that remain under-represented in modern political debate. We talk about the greats of the past, especially considering the absolute dearth of good politicians today. Yet do we really know what these supposed past greats got up to? Here we take a typical Aydan inspired look at the life of one of the most important politicians in British history.
As always, thank you Aydan for your time and the raw entertainment of your analytical style.
Enjoy!
The Sunflower by Dora Greenwell, is a delightful little poem that thrills and satisfies the senses by merging us at once, in ambient tranquillity in a meadow somewhere, with the sun a golden orb shining down at us. Dora Greenwell’s fantastic imagery by far transcend my own thoughts on her delightful work. I read out those words knowing full well that I can only do them a disservice.
Dora Greenwell was a woman of remarkable strength of mind and intelligence. She wrote extensively as a poet as well as an essayist. She did not shy away from the topic of the day for she addressed them directly in her support of the education of women, their suffrage as well as being against the slave trade.
I have chosen this work of hers, The Sunflower, for obvious reasons. At the end of the poem I have added some closing thoughts. I did not wish to politicise the beginning for fear of detracting from the poem.
As always, I would love to hear your thoughts. You can find me on Twitter @TwoandaMic1 or Instagram @Twoandamic.
John Adams is a relative unknown considering he’s one of the Founding Fathers. He was extremely intelligent, a vastly accomplished lawyer, idealist and ideologist and was fundamentally convincing as advocate for liberty and independence.
Was being VP and President a step too far in the career of John Adams? Is his legacy forever tarnished as a result of the failures he presided over in the White House?
Is this a question people in politics ask themselves these days? Have I reached a level where I should consider myself at the peak of my powers? Would another step forward be a step too far?
In this podcast we talk about the Stamp Act, the Alien and Sedition Acts, The Quasi War and the XYZ Affair. It is fair to say that Adams does not emerge from his time in office, the first single-term president, with his reputation enhanced.
Authors, poets, actors, artists, ok people, tend to live troubled lives. I am not yet aware of anyone who has not had a troubled existence of one sort or another. Celebrity does not guarantee riches, but it does mean their lives are played out in view of public scrutiny.
T S Eliot was no different. His work touched many and he remains respected as a poet, essayist and critic almost 60 years after his death.
His work brought him the Nobel Prize in 1948. It also brought him criticism for some of his anti-Jewish characterisations.
He had difficulties in his personal life and struggled at times with poor health. His pain is reflected in his art, though not always as perceived. It was said at the time that this poem, The Waste Land, embodied the despair of the post war years. In 1931 he reflected: "When I wrote a poem called The Waste Land, some of the more approving critics said that I had expressed ‘the disillusion of a generation’, which is nonsense. I may have expressed for them their own illusion of being disillusioned, but that did not form part of my intention.”
This poem is known for its obscurity. There is an opaque tinge to its many meanings and shifts of voice. It is not easy to follow when simply listening. There are language changes, times and places move. It flows from form to form. I find it deeply challenging and thoroughly enjoyable. I hope you do too!
Please come and find me on Twitter @TwoandaMic1
And Instagram @twoandamic
George Washington, one of the founding fathers, he gave the US capital its name, was the first president of the USA and has so much written about him and said about him…but is it actually true?
When you look online for information about GW, or you watch documentaries of read biographies about him, there appears to be a distinct lack of objectivity. So, Aydan and I have decided to put the objectivity at the forefront of our discussion and read between the lines and present what we feel is a more up-to-date and relevant perspective on some of these larger-than-life historical figures.
Thanks again Aydan for your unique insight.
I hope you all enjoy our chat as much as I did.
In experimenting with time and space and movement in a literary format and with my podcast, I have decided to put together a number of short poems.
I have no idea how they will be received, but I hope somewhere out there someone will be reminded of one of these dirges, and will think back to when they first encountered it, I hope with fondness and warmth, and…
Hut Among the Bamboos
BY WANG WEI
Anthem for Doomed Youth
BY WILFRED OWEN
"I shall go back again to the bleak shore"
BY EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY
More than most faire, full of the living fire
BY EDMUND SPENSER
Peace
BY RUPERT BROOKE
When I consider how my light is spent
BY JOHN MILTON
The writings of George Orwell though penned many years ago have perhaps never been so relevant as they are today. I am certain that there have been many occasions in the past when that was also true, and I fear that there will be other occasions in the future when that will also be the case. We have much to learn from people such as George Orwell, whether we do so or not however depends very much upon education, the willingness of society to collectively improve itself and whether or not with good intentions we learn to reflect, to empathise, to respect and to take the steps necessary to better ourselves.
Here is a link to a biography of the great philosopher and writer and much more:
George Orwell - 1984, Books & Quotes - Biography
Vladi and I embarked upon series with regards to the governance of our islands unfortunately the demands on our time has been such that we have taken an involuntary break from this discussion however today we return to continue and we do so by jumping into Vladi's next point.
Today's discussion borders on the controversial however I would hope that people listen Vladi's complete thought before jumping to a conclusion. this series with Vlad aims at providing analysis on individual perspectives of a completely hypothetical nature and it is with a view to encouraging further reflection that we are engaging in these debates.
As always if you have any thoughts that you would like to contribute please come and find me on Twitter at my handle @TwoandaMic1
Thanks again Vlad for your time, it’s is always a pleasure to talk with you.Vladi and I embarked upon series with regards to the governance of our islands unfortunately the demands on our time has been such that we have taken an involuntary break from this discussion however today we return to continue and we do so by jumping into Vladi's next point.
Today's discussion borders on the controversial however I would hope that people listen Vladi's complete thought before jumping to a conclusion. this series with Vlad aims at providing analysis on individual perspectives of a completely hypothetical nature and it is with a view to encouraging further reflection that we are engaging in these debates.
As always if you have any thoughts that you would like to contribute please come and find me on Twitter at my handle @TwoandaMic1
Thanks again Vlad for your time, it’s is always a pleasure to talk with you.
Today’s topic is video gaming and what this ultra-modern, 50 year old ecosystem brings (if not even older). We talk PlayStation and Xbox, we talk passion, being involved in the characters, growing with the stories and being lost in amazing worlds.
There are so many good games coming out soon too that the world of gaming is in a very good place.
If you have any comments for Aydan or I, please come and find me on Twitter @TwoandaMic1
Traci, from the Road to Tar Valon and Paperback Cabaret, and I jump into the mammoth topic that is: Women of the French Revolution. It represents an ocean of societal change, extreme positions, rebellion, rights, equality, inequality, genders, thoughts, principles, treason, promise and deceit and hundreds of ideas that crash together to bring down a monarch, kill thousands, reign terror and then raise an emperor. Within this chasm of rebirth are the women who inspired, guided and maintained it. A very small number of those women are introduced today. They are all so fascinating in their own rights.
Traci is great in how she not only sums up the fine intricacies of 18th century French politics and society, but also how she adds her own thoughts and concerns into the mix. “The stresser is on being compassionate. If you don’t have that, you’re not going to be able to access that part of people’s brains that makes decisions.”
At the end Traci also makes some great suggestion for books to read so if you are into books too, then you simply cannot do without giving these a try. They are on my list too.
Thank you so much Traci for your time and knowledge and I look forward to the next time.
Enjoy
We start by talking about inequality, civil and human rights and gender rights. We’ve discussed this before, but we will discuss these issues again and again until the problems are resolved.
The main topic of Iran-Contra, however, is a huge, powerhouse historical event of corruption, mismanagement on an astronomical level, breaking government rules, circumventing the constitution and doing everything possible to push through the personal political agendas of a very small group of powerful people.
Reagan came to power after Carter declaring how he would deal with terrorism. He was hard line, there would be no quarter given, no negotiation, no compromise. After lies and obfuscation, Reagan had to finally admit that his government had in fact sold arms to Iran and funded an illegal war in Nicaragua. He admitted it, but stressed he hadn’t lied, despite having expressed the opposite to the truth.
Here we talk about some of the events and important consequences of the Iran-Contra affair and we also touch on how there are similarities to be found with today’s hearings on the January 6th attack on the Capitol.
Thank you so very much Aydan for your open and compelling input.
If you have any questions or thoughts, please find me on Twitter @TwoandaMic1
Podcast number 100 is a special one for me, not because of the number, but because of my guests. My boys join me for a short family chat on a number of crazy topics that include holidays, stress, patch-work families, the premier league, climate change, discrimination, aging, the meaning of Xmas and so much more.
Thank you boys for giving me a slice of our lives that I will always be able to refer back to.
I love you!
Anton Chekhov was a pioneering Russian playwright and short-story writer. He came from adversity and worked his way through his difficulties. His life at home growing up was uncomfortable and he referred to his father, when writing to complain about his brother, “Let me ask you to recall that it was despotism and lying that ruined your mother’s youth.”
Through talent and application he managed to make his work shine. Though a qualified physician, he wrote “medicine is my lawful wife, and literature is my mistress.” He is best know for his writing today…
Here is my narration of his short story called The Lottery Ticket. It speaks of a couple, somewhat accustomed to married life and not noticeably enamoured with one another. The perspective is told from the husband's side, however by inference it becomes abundantly clear that the husband is not necessarily the innocent victim in the piece.
For any feedback, please come and find me on Twitter @TwoandaMic1
We meander and warm into our topic and it’s fun to listen again to how Aydan and I, after only 2 rounds, have already begun to spar so naturally. The talk begins with Covid and ends with Aydan’s predictions for the mid-terms, and it has to be said, he’s not too positive about the Democratic Party’s chances. They haven’t done enough to convince Aydan, and more importantly floating voters, to come out and support them over the GOP and Aydan is convinced the Republican base will come out in its droves… We really do address so many topics in this but there is a single theme in the background that links them all, the way society is organised. The ethical structure that lies beneath the beast and this is one of the problems. Thanks Aydan for your time and see you again soon.
Mark Twain (Samuel Longhorne Clemens) is known as one of the US’s greatest authors and humourists. He is accredited with writing the first great American novel with the tales of Huckleberry Finn and both in during his lifetime and after he was and has been given countless plaudits for his wit, storytelling, and skill in charm. There is a sense of adventure and daring in his words, not mention a challenge to every reader saying, ‘I did this, what of you?’
There are so many amazing authors throughout history and from every country and I know not 1% of them, and that is my personal tragedy, but I am familiar, at least a little, with Mark Twain, and that is an endless source of pleasure…
I speak with Aydan for the first time, a name frequently referred to in one of my favourite podcasts @TheRoadtoTarValon, and he truly is passionate about a lot of the injustices his countryfolk are experiencing at the moment. Aydan is 21 and like so many young people in the US, he is very disappointed with the political structures in his country.
Our main topic is gun violence in the USA however we also touch on Roe vs Wade, racial inequality, political polarisation and a host of issues which definitely deserve to be mentioned frequently and loudly.
It was a real pleasure to hear your thoughts Aydan and I look forward to the next one.
In a work context Tanja takes time to formulate an action plan or response and wants to approach her responses and reactions from a position of calm and awareness. Reflexive responses, too quickly produced are not the best way of responding to things. Take your time and give yourself a chance to calm down. This is one of the many things we talk about today, Conflict Coaching, Corona, Time, Voices, Personal Space and The Power of Love?
Thank you Tanja for your time.
Hinrich works, on a mostly voluntary basis, for organisations that defend human rights. He is Green Party politician in his local district of Reinickendorf where he and has party have championed the support of refugees through direct engagement with the community. He will represent Amnesty International Deutschland at the Global Assembly of Amnesty International where current and future paths will be decided upon and undertaken. Hinrich also works for the Human Rights Foundation, which provides funding and support to human rights defenders.
In this podcast, Hinrich talks to me about his personal motivation, why he started out on the path of human rights and how he has always been involved one way or another. And now in retirement, he is back on that same path with youthful vigour, working as an enabler, so that those who defend human rights on the front lines, know they have support coming.
Producing content is not always as easy as it seems. There are some great content creators out there and they make it look easy, that’s what makes them so good. Julia and her colleagues are more than content creators. They are also platform creators and networking specialists. Below I have listed some of the platforms on which they create content and also the Lively Story APP that brings so much to the experience of storytelling. If you love stories and you want to experience storytelling in a new and exciting way, then Lively Story may be the APP for you.
index_en - lively story
(80) lively story - YouTube
Lively Story - Home | Facebook
lively story (@livelystory_format) • Instagram-Fotos und -Videos
lively story im App Store (apple.com)
lively story – Apps bei Google Play
And then there is the augmented reality service too:
start eng - augmelity
And the Live shopping experience too:
Das Programmportal für alle Shopping Events - liveshopping - liveshopping
solisho | social live shopping | LIVE-SHOPPEN LEICHT GEMACHT
And in case you didn’t know, here’s one written by yours truly 😉
The Tracker - lively story
Roald Dahl wrote some of the most amazing children’s stories I’ve even read. My personal favourite of his is The Fantastic Mr Fox, but other classics such as James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG and The Twits, not forgetting George’s Marvellous Medicine were all must-reads when I was growing up.
If I had a hundred wishes I wouldn’t know where to start, but somewhere near the top would be that every child had a headteacher who took time to read to them once a week, no matter how long it took to finish the story. Every child on this planet should have someone who read to them, a funny story, with a funny voice, so that they could remember those moments as warmly as I do…
Edgar Allan Poe, a great of his age, brought so much to literature, inspiring new forms and styles and genres. Of course I have questions about the character, and I do not know enough about him to lay down definitive thoughts on the subject. I have read that at the age of 26 he married his 13-year-old cousin. What can I think of this? I cannot judge the past by the morals of today, true, but I cannot ignore the past nor its crimes and nor its distastefulness. Too many people will forgive crimes of the past citing how different things were back then. I cannot join their number. When we refer to figures of the past we should call out their deficiencies, their errors and their crimes. Talent should not hide inadequacies, no matter who the person or people may be. The same standards should be applied today.
There is trouble in his works and I feel it here too. He always felt himself to be different, since his childhood. One wonders what he is referring to. What passions of his were uncommon? He clearly danced to a different tune, yet we know not what tune it is. Was he being autobiographical? Was this an assessment of himself or a fictional character? Why would he lay down such depth where anyone might view it? Or was he writing this as observations of others or AN other? What mystery, binding or torrent? We know his life was challenging and unsettled, so how much of himself was he pouring into these words?
I wonder of the “demon” in his view, was it he himself or was the demon perched on his shoulder? Or was the demon someone else he had to contend with? Or was the demon alcohol, an addiction that caused him to miss out on opportunities.
Poe was a complicated character and a much deeper analysis of him and his work is needed to understand the depths of what drove him…
I met Lanna Idriss when she was the head of Amnesty International in Germany. Amnesty International is an exceptional organisation to work with for so many reasons. The work they do is immeasurably important and the people who do that work are dedicated and resilient. Every single one I have had the pleasure to meet has left an impression upon me and I am forever grateful for the opportunity of working with such an organisation.
Currently Lanna is the head of SOS Kinderdoerfer which as a NGO manages the support internationally of children’s villages which currently takes care of 77,000 children. That is a staggering number and Lanna is determined to increase that figure as much as possible. Imagine the kind of fortitude, self-control and humility that is needed in operating in these fields of endeavour.
Thank you Lanna for your time, I know how precious it is.
Here is a link to SOS Kinderdoerfer. Find out for yourself…
No child should grow up alone - SOS Children's Villages International (sos-childrensvillages.org)
In this second episode of reliving the joys of what entertained us, Greg, a rubber duck and I express our worldly views on the importance of comedy and how the timeless classic that is Blackadder, starring so many wonderful actors, in many ways shaped our humour. Ben Elton, Tony Robinson, Hugh Laurie, Steven Fry, Rowan Atkinson, Miranda Richardson, and Patsy Byrne were all brilliant. That must surely have been one of the main reasons why it was so successful. They just worked so well together.
The story lines were super and the historical characters they parodied, such as Sir Walter Raleigh, George IV, Samuel Johnson, and the fictitious Baby eating bishop of Bath and Wells played by the late Ronald Lacey.
There is so much we could write about Blackadder, but I would recommend if you haven’t seen it already, to do so. It was a special show that began in the 1980s and exhibited how truly great British comedy did such a good job of laughing at itself.
Thanks, Greg, for your time.
A link to the book by Edmund Richardson on Alexandria and the British East India Company: Alexandria by Edmund Richardson review – the quest for the lost city | History books | The Guardian
Tatiana is actively involved in the world of sustainability, working towards climate neutrality and trying to introduce ways in which society can pen many future chapters, even though I must confess to my negativity in the matter. I am lucky to know many people involved in NGOs, working on city/local level projects and trying to network to bring together innovations that improve not only the climate but also quality of life. It is fair to say that much remains to be done.
In this podcast we focus on sustainability, but we also march ingloriously onto topics such as Pritti Patel’s ill-conceived plan to send migrants to Rwanda and through this topic we walk, tamely, into a polite disagreement between liberalism and socialism. No punches were thrown in the making of this podcast.
We conclude our discussion talking about Armenian movies. I assure you, it is a thing, and the immediate target audience is not necessarily limited to those who speak the language.
Tatiana is great at throwing off my disagreements with panache. I enjoy the exchanges and I hope you do too. Thanks, Tatiana, for your thoughts and your work.
Here are links to the topics we discuss in the podcast and well worth you paying them a visit.
Home - World Ocean initiative (economist.com)
Spaces and Places - Film Festival — Armenian Institute
https://the-free-ranger.captivate.fm/episode/water-ft-tatiana-der-avedissian
We fly through some topics today as this podcast, recorded a couple of weeks ago, takes us through work-life balance, democracy and back to the island saga.
Vladi is an expert in political science and an experienced Human Resources manager and company culture organiser. His instinct for understanding and analysing human natural responses in real-life situations is beyond sensitive. He just gets people.
I hope you enjoy the chat as much as I did.
I had to edit out a chunk as I felt we recovered some lines that were too similar to a previous podcast, so that will explain the jump from one topic to another. Forgive my editing skills for that please.
Ale’s start-up Briskby is sleek and dynamic and moving in all sorts of directions. Here we talk about the sharing economy in more depth, the effects of the pandemic in different ways and how, by opening our minds to new possibilities, we see that this is a natural continuation of social movements that began decades ago.
Briskby is the platform that provides the opportunities people need to take up new sports without a vast initial outlay. It allows people to also do the things they love spontaneously and in any place they find themselves. Briskby is a doorway into the world of physical activity and sport that so many people will likely make use of.
Have a look at Briskby yourself and even register on the platform. Your next activity is only a few steps away or as Briskby say themselves, “what makes you feel active!”
Home - Briskby what makes you feel active
Super Vlad, cape-clad and opinionated as ever, wonderfully colourful, practical, analytical, and objective.
We cover topics from the fall-out of French politics (this podcast was recorded before the election round 2 head-to-head) to dealing with tax-avoidance and poverty.
We are of course continuing the island-state political system debate and one of my points is under the microscope today:
Individual enterprise must provide a fair share to society and respect the dignity of employees and those directly affected by the processes and results of business operations, whether they are able to communicate or not.
Vlad takes a chunk out of some of my thoughts, despite not really disagreeing!
Thanks Vlad, you are a great sport as always.
The discussion with Vlad continues, the political analysis is on point and our plan to create, eventually the perfect system, is well under way…or is it?
Vladi clearly has a different approach to me and though we agree on principles, the methods can greatly alter the results. In this session we discuss legacy, culture, foreign policy through the eyes of domestic interests and the need for mutual assistance or at least a common plan. How likely are we to get such undertakings in real life?
Vladi’s hypotheticals are at times extremely amusing though I don’t they are as random as he makes out…
Doing podcasts for me has always been about giving other people an opportunity to tell their stories, communicate their messages and pass on their wisdom, advice or to just talk about their experiences. On this occasion I also have the pleasure of learning about a social movement aiming to protect and unite. It is a new start-up movement with an important fusion of services that seeks to aid and benefit society’s vulnerable members. Below I have included some important links to the organisation and so if you can find the time, please pay them a visit.
I thank Svenja and Aylin for joining me and the wonderfully eloquent way in which they introduce their programme.
www.flockoff.app
Instagram: Theflockapp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jointheflock/about/?viewAsMember=true
Traci and Amber are two finely balanced magnets that spin in perpetuity, exchanging observations, analysis, comedy and drama in their chosen topic of preference. They have a podcast channel that looks at the amazing world of the Wheel of Time created by Robert Jordan, which has also expanded into a YouTube channel with the various alternative considerations that such a platform requires.
Amber and Traci talk about the lack of gender representation in podcasts and on YouTube and how important it is to rectify the imbalance, through accessing content by alternative contributors and not only sticking with the top 10 in any particular list. They also cover how their work on the channel fits into life in general and the natural way they slip into various roles.
It’s fascinating to hear and also typically colourful and entertaining. Thank you Traci and Amber for your time and as always, I look forward to the next opportunity.
Some links to the Road to Tar Valon Podcast and more
Road to Tar Valon - YouTube
Road to Tar Valon: A Wheel of Time Podcast • A podcast on Anchor
Home (weebly.com)
“That was the sort of fight that I could get to enjoy,” Vespasian replied. His round face was flushed with excitement and blood. “If that is how a newly trained cohort fights then we may well have the gods on our side.”
Vespasian by Robert Fabbri
Where else could we start than with one of the world’s greatest ever empires? Roman history was such a part of our childhood, either for the epics that were Ben Hur, Dimitrius and the Gladiator, The Robe, Cleopatra and Mark Anthony or The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, or simply the historical interest that we developed through books and myths. These old stories, the Greek myths, Babylon, Persia, the Egyptians, what fascinating roots the human race has, and yet despite these amazing stories, we live in a world that has learned little, ignores almost everything, and trudges forward without a care for tomorrow.
We will no doubt pick apart a lot of these human frailties obiter dictum, but we will do so in our typically entertaining way and by focusing our attentions elsewhere primarily.
I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did. Thanks Greg!
Vladi: What should I do with my vote if I have nothing to eat?
I love this statement from Vladi. I am not sure if I have heard a more powerful question recently. There are just so many different dynamics that this question brings to mind. What would you do to feed your family? Why would society decide that feeding me or my family was not a state responsibility? Should I as a poor and hungry person feel myself completely responsible for my predicament?
The answers to these questions would depend very much on your political orientation. Here with Vladi, we talk about introducing a system of governance to our separate island states that would reflect our approaches to society and the priorities we would pursue, to achieve the fairest and strongest society known to humanity.
As always, thank you Vladi for your time…
Today starts with a typically robust attack from Vlad on my primarily impregnable concept of Star Trekkie proportions. In a conflict of society versus the individual, surely society must win out, right? That’s not always the right approach says Vlad. There are some middle roads where, left to itself, society allows for individuals to develop and create, which also allows society to develop and benefit at the same time. That’s not to allow individual entrepreneurship to be completely at liberty to exercise its right to exploit and profit, however not every principle or idea should become a law or maxim.
Who owns time? Who owns my time? Why doesn’t technology help us in the way it was promised to? Multinationals versus small, local companies, and what kind of societal structure will best manage the impact of these different kinds of structures?
Politics, policy and polity screams Vlad from the rafters, we need to consider these differences.
There are clear areas of disagreement in how to manage our islands and where we want to take our systems. In this debate, as in those coming up, we use some controversial examples to make political points, but these are political discussions aimed at finding a right balance between communities and business, individual rights and collective responsibilities and not every concept is as easy to arrange as the intention believes.
As always, I am grateful to my guest. Thanks, Vlad, for your time and insight.
What is democracy? Why is it important to you? Why do you defend it? Is it necessary to live in a democracy?
On top of these imperative questions, Vladi puts forward an additional consideration: Is not the concept of human dignity more important than democracy?
In this primary episode where Vlad presents his first building blocks and I counter with my own, we talk about what would be necessary for us in establishing our own political systems, on our own islands. At the end, whether we will have settled on a convincing start that would satisfy us both remains to be seen. Yet the question then begs itself, is that even important in a democracy? Surely, we don’t have to agree about democracy, we just need to enjoy it, and defend it to the end…right?
Thanks Vladi for your intriguing perspectives...
Vlad has studied politics and through his studies has focused on the concept of democracy. When someone studies a topic they have a deep passion for, regardless of how long they study, that passion and interest remains with them. So it is for Vladi and I. Politics, democracy, social organisation, equality and social equilibrium are issues that have required constant focus, reassessment in light of the realities we believe we see before us and how so much flatters to deceive. So much can be done with human potential, if only that potential was truly allowed to flourish. So why isn’t it?
Democracy, a system of political organisation that promotes the participation of the vast majority in selecting a representative few to operate the levers of social governance on their behalf. By the people and for the people. Somewhere in the process of governing however, the prepositions have been misused or changed. Above the people and against the people are perhaps more applicable in many ways. Politicians have a divine right after all to award themselves a pay rise when the people are struggling with rising energy costs. Poor people have to continue paying high levels of taxes because system changes in their interest leave them with less money than before, not to mention being confused as to what the hell the new system is. Taxation is so confusing nobody has a clue what it’s fit for. Where does the money go anyway? If governments work for us, why do we not get complete financial oversight? Why can we not choose which parts of the budget to reduce or increase? Why do we have no say on which organisations receive government contracts?
With Vlad, we are venturing along a journey that starts here. We have begun our introductory talk on democracy. In our next session, we will argue our cases for democracy, built afresh from the ground up.
We would love to hear your critiques. Why are we wrong? Why are we right?
Vlad references Giovanni Sartori, a Florentine 20th century political scientist. It is interesting to recall that Sartori considered that political science lacked coordination in terminology. Perhaps this lack of coordination is by design.
Thank you Vlad for your time and outspoken views that always make me pause and think.
Kristine takes us on a little journey into her business life. The effort it takes to prepare a website, the various roles required for the preparation and the characters that can be involved are not to be underestimated. We talk about mentoring and how invigorating it is for Kristine to be in a position to support someone so directly in this way. You can hear Kristine jump with pleasure at the thought of how fulfilling it is.
Then a turn to the left as we discuss putting people at the centre of leadership and how important it is to an organisation’s identity and development to refocus programmes on the employees and not always be so numbers driven.
Then finally, back home at the end of a long day’s work, unwinding, struggling with allowing yourself to chill, how do we do it? We don’t answer every question, that’s not always possible, but there is a start here that we can all follow and no doubt it can be made to work.
Thank you very much Kristine, it’s always a pleasure listening to your thoughts and experiences.
I have to thank Healthcare-frauen.de for their kind support of the previous podcast.
And a reminder that the Albright Foundation has a workshop for men (in German): AllBright Academy: Führungskräfte-Training für Männer am 22. März — AllBright Stiftung (allbright-stiftung.de)
The Wheel of Time TV Show season 1 was a huge success. As this is the first podcast with Drab since the conclusion, we talk about some of the best bits, what we really enjoyed the most individually and then also one or two bits that perhaps caused pause for thought.
I am a very social, social media user. I don’t have tactics, I don’t chase followers and I don’t know why some tweets of mine are liked above so many others. Drab however has insight into these algorithmic mysteries and also how smaller groups of lesser following can outperform significantly more popular profiles.
We have more topics than time alas, for this particular podcast, but Drab assures me he will come back for another show and I am looking forward to it.
Thank you Drab for your time!
With Tanja we have to start with SensualTalk and so we do. There’s something deep and meaningful in every SensualTalk and hearing a little more is uplifting and energising.
Yet we have so many great topics today and there is simply nothing for me to do but sit back and listen and learn. Tanja has such wonderful insight and a real feeling for humanity. She has some simple practices that benefit her way of life, and no doubt that would benefit me and many others too.
We talk about the need to just ‘be’, we look at how to encourage ourselves rather than justify inaction and we consider how to motivate ourselves way above constantly knocking ourselves down!
Thank you again Tanja and see you soon I hope.
I also have to mention here a wonderful series of books written by Santa Montefiore. The series that follows the Deverills of Ireland and the amazing relationships they create or destroy and all with the backdrop of so many emotional and intriguing historical events. The journey starts with 'Songs of Love and War' and it is a wonderful read.
Claudia is a highly educated professional, a parent and a partner. She has found a way to navigate the problems of the pandemic and she has done so admirably. Speaking in her third language, Claudia exhibits her courage and willingness to share her thoughts with the hope they may be of benefit to others. Her observations have definitely given me food for thought.
We talk about simplicity, children, working from home, diet and exercise and even have time to fit in the topic of Veganuary. I do so dearly enjoy being brought out of my comfort zone to listen to people who have such genuine contributions to make.
Thank you very much for your time, Claudia. I look forward to the next chat.
Listening to Alberto is fun, educational and very much a sporting experience. Alberto is a football commentator with an eye for the game, a passion for its intensity, a feel for the tactics playing out on the pitch and a true sense of the impact of history on the game. Alberto lives football and he manages to channel that passion into a thrilling retelling of the magic, live and exclusive…
From fan to football storytelling with a unique voice, Alberto creates a feeling of watching the game with a friend when listening to his commentary. It’s like he was sitting on the sofa next to you as the drama unfolds.
And with that same level of focus and familiarity, Alberto also set up his fantastic podcast “I Titolari” (In Italian) with friends and every episode is stunningly entertaining. Alberto is brave because he pulls no punches and at the same time, he is responsible because he does not make up sensation to popularise his opinions. It is for this reason he is both commentator and sports journalist in the truest sense.
We cover topics that range from women commentators, to refereeing to whether the games should be held in Qatar and Alberto gives clear thoughts on every topic. English is his second language but passion rushes through his veins and he speaks about truly difficult topics with his inimitable style and directness.
Thank you, Alberto, for your time!
Maya Angelou remains ever present. She represents beauty and pain, pleasure and fight, freedom and suffering. No heart that beats could fail to beat along to the rhythms set by her artistry. For a lover of longer poetry it is not often easy for me to attain fulfilment from shorter poetry forms, yet Maya Angelou’s words had so much depth that I found my thoughts drifting for long periods, demasking her raw imagery.
This episode is in recognition of her work in general, but also to highlight how she has been honoured in the US by having her image placed on the new quarter coin.
Maya Angelou was a giant in a world that required people like her to be larger than life. She reached levels of great fame and was loved the world over, and it’s refreshing to know she was so greatly appreciated while still alive. Her work, her Art, is a compilation of challenging intensity and wisdom and coming to terms with who we are within the identities that rage throughout her pieces, would exhibit an awareness of humanity and many strides upon the path of justice and understanding.
I hope to add many more poems and short stories from such greats as Maya Angelou, for through her words we don’t simply become more aware of diversity, we experience it and are embraced by it.
Tanja’s energy remains undiminished, and her radiant ideas shine through every passionate word she expresses. The very depths of her thoughts resonate with each sound uttered.
Reflecting on 2021 and making tentative hopes known for 2022, Tanja discusses SensualTalk, some notable recent experiences and where she is still holding on to dreams from previous years to be realised in the future.
We talk about topics as wide apart as superstition and ice cream and yet easily connected through a word or two of common thread.
This is a thoroughly entertaining kick-off to the arc of podcasts Tanja and I hope to share throughout the year and Corona permitting, we’ll hopefully be able to do most of them in person.
Thanks again Tanja for your time and thanks to all of you who listen and a happy 2022!
Tanja also refers to this movie as she strongly recommends it to everyone:
Woman
Woman (2019) - IMDb
Raphael is an educator with a mission. It is his primary goal to provide the best socialised and supportive form of education to as many kids as he can. He is vocal, active and reflective. Working at a school in Berlin which follows the methods of Maria Montessori, Raphael has found a place where he can work among diverse children and bring to their lives the kind of experimental openness that allows them to create friendships with one another as well as giving them the freedom to express their individuality.
He is also passionate about sports and the importance of physical education for a healthy body and a keen mind. Being able to deal with the rigors of life demands more from our children than is currently provided for in many curricula around the world. We need to encourage our children to seek active lifestyles so as to prevent them from encountering poor health too early in their adult lives.
Raphael is also concerned about some of the people kids pick as role-models. As parents, we need to be more involved in the lives of our children, more understanding, more tolerant and more supportive but also steadfast in communicating acceptable behaviour.
There remains so much to talk about with Raphael, but this is a great start and I am thankful for this first opportunity.
And listen out for a great introduction from my wonderful 9-year-old!
Mitja is a historian by education, passionate about technology in various forms and has been a student of change, culture and society throughout his life. It is possible when studying specific disciplines to lose oneself within the material of that subject and often rewardingly so. In Mitja’s case he combined hard work with raising his head above the parapet, observing and reflecting on changing moods, asking why and seeking answers and also delving into the fine arts of cooking and food.
Mitja has many interests that coincide with my own, especially as many of his subjects are humanitarian in nature. However Mitja is also a man of science and the combination he represents makes for a wonderful conversation partner.
Thank you Mitja for your time and I look forward to our next chat.
From Berlin to Bavaria to South Africa, Benny pursued his passion, his creativity and his needs. In this, our first podcast together, Benny talks about his motivations and inspirations and how he sought independence in a kitchen in Rosenheim before finding a more artistic edge behind the camera.
Taught his early steps with a camera by his mum, he delayed his photography education by spending a year at art school. It wasn’t just about taking pictures, it was about the angle, the perspective, the story. Benny talks about his views on photography and how experience has pushed him in so many directions that the time has come to set a sail of a different sort: Sustainable photography!
Thank you Benny for your time!
HEINRICH BENJAMIN — work
This is podcast number 7 with Tanja, and her input continues to surprise and inspire in equal measure. She is striking in her strength of thought, her clarity of vision and her thoughtfulness. She weighs every word and gives it value and in that truth lies the depth to her sentiments.
Today we start with a simple quotation from TED: A person who feels appreciated will always do more than what is expected. From here sprout our thoughts, in agreement, disagreement and everywhere in between.
Tanja takes us through the work/life balance conundrum, we focus on needs and passions, we consider how hard it can be to express our true selves and to allow our wishes and dreams to even touch the real world, let alone make them come true.
Tanja weaves her magic through each topic like a ballerina caressing the floor with gentle but solid steps, from one side of the stage to the other. It has been a pleasure to do these podcasts with her and I look forward to many more in 2022!
Once again, thank you very much Tanja…
You can find me on Twitter @TwoandaMic1
Kristine is the consummate professional. She works exactly as any boss would love for her to work; dedicated, focused and always willing to learn. Luckily enough for Kristine she is also the kind of boss people would love to work for. She is patient, instructive, approachable and consistent. As it happens, Kristine runs her own company Andris Capek Consulting, she is both employee and boss. She has worked successfully with her business partner in life sciences recruiting for 3 years.
Recruiting is a tough industry and it is not for everyone. It is the sharp end of sales and the product is people. Kristine gives us a bit of background into how she does what she does on the professional side of things, and she is a truly impressive person. You can hear the smile on her face when she speaks and that immediately is a very positive sign.
On top of her demanding job, Kristine also has time to partake in other passions and one of these is mentoring, specifically mentoring women who want to move on and up the career ladder, how to take the next step and how to motivate oneself and how to know they deserve it. Working with an organisation of volunteers, Kristine adds her experience, her commitment and her leadership to a fantastic project.
Thank you Kristine for your time!
A link to Kristine's mentoring organisation Healthcare Frauen e.V.:
https://www.healthcare-frauen.de/
Hannah More was a religious British playwright, abolitionist and philanthropist born in 1745. In reading her poem entitled Slavery, it is clear how strong her thoughts were on the disgusting trade of humans from Africa. She was a voice for the abolition of slavery which eventually came in 1807.
It is very modern to view people who are conscious of the suffering of one group of people to express a similar approach to other groups, for example the poor or women. Indeed when Simone de Beauvoir wrote of the state of women in The Second Sex, she frequently compared women’s rights to those of black people and the poor. In the case of Hannah More however that is not right.
Hannah More did not believe that the poor should be taught to read, for they should not rise up above their station. In a letter to the Bishop of Bath and Wells she wrote that her schools only taught, ”such coarse works as may fit them for servants.”
In the case of emancipation of women she argued that women were not fit for politics because she believed women, “to be unstable and capricious!” Saying these traits were “too characteristic of our sex!” She also turned down honorary membership of the Royal Society of Literature on account of being a woman.
Now whether Hannah More used this as a façade to allow her to provide at least some meagre education to those unfancied by society, may be an argument better left to those who know of her life more than I. She did have to deal with a lot of opposition from the community and the church and perhaps by becoming known as a conservative feminist, she was able to continue her work as she saw best.
What follows is a deeply emotional poem worthy of praise. I have in one place chosen not to recite a word used to name people of African origin because I cannot in good conscience utter that word out loud.
I found the poem here: Slavery by Hannah More | Poetry Foundation
The Road to Tar Valon is a podcast based upon the bestselling Sci-Fi fantasy series of books known as the Wheel of Time, written by Robert Jordan.
The story is epic! The length of the series is mammoth. The undertaking of doing a podcast which involves both a complete read-through plus keeping up with all the news, the TV show, managing a community and doing the necessary background work that makes a podcast work is nothing short of legendary. That is the Road to Tar Valon.
In this episode I am joined by Amber and Traci, the women behind the Road to Tar Valon. They plan, manage, create, edit and produce the podcast themselves and the sheer quality of their production is amazing. We talk about the books that have served as their inspiration, both for the podcast and outside of it. We learn how Traci and Amber met, what drives them and to a certain degree how they work.
We talk about some of the main themes in the story, and how we believe some of the themes will be approached in the TV show. We talk about online communities, the unity, the acceptance and openness as well as on occasion the difficulties that can be encountered.
What stands out for me, is how much fun and energy Amber and Traci bring to their work. I have now had the pleasure of doing two podcasts with them and I have to compliment them on how they can approach so much by way of information, with such depth and appreciation and at the same time without losing themselves in the wealth of material there is.
I look forward to every opportunity of talking with Traci and Amber and once again joining them on the Road to Tar Valon.
Here is a link to their fantastic channel and website:
Road to Tar Valon – A Wheel of Time Podcast (wordpress.com)
Meeting new and mysterious people online has often been the content for murder mysteries and savage dramas, not to mention some very sad and very real life tales. On this occasion, separated by thousands of miles, the threat ratio was within acceptable limits. Drab is in California, I am in Berlin. Drab ( in case you hadn’t guessed it this is not his real name) is a member of Twitter of Time, a fan community on Twitter for the Wheel of Time series created by Robert Jordan and as a story brought to a conclusion by Brandon Sanderson.
Drab has some very different approaches to the Wheel of Time to my own and he has set himself a role to play online in supporting the story he loves. As he puts it “my role is to engage fans and play the role of media consumer and media provider.”
Hidden away beneath all of that, Drab also has a number of thoughts on politics and society that are not too dissimilar to my own and these became apparent in our chat. There are naturally differing perspectives and ideas on some things, but who wouldn’t expect that?
I am thankful to Drab for accepting the invitation of a complete stranger, for staying awake until 2:00am in California to speak with me and I look forward to our next talk.
Tatiana is a human rights activist and fundraiser for charities and organisations and an organiser of events with clear policy goals aimed at creating a sustainable future for people on our planet. It’s worth emphasising these points because Tatiana has been doing this for some time now and to maintain the energy and dedication that she has for so long is more than admirable.
Running uphill against the wind is a challenge, doing it while carrying half a village and some farm animals is nothing short of amazing. This is the kind of mentality that is needed to combat human apathy. Leaving issues such as climate change to others has never really worked, there’s no way it is going to do so now. We need to make some hard decisions.
However Tatiana is also a realist and we don’t always completely agree on method, which is a good thing. A certain degree of flight is necessary for Tatiana and in some ways I have to concede the point. On most other areas we appear to find common ground easily.
Tatiana talks about Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian. I must say it covers all the major topics that I’d like to read of too, so I am off to order my copy from the local bookstore!
Thank you Tatiana and see you again soon.
When Tanja expressed the wish to speak of the passing of her father, there was no need to think long about it. The idea of this podcast is to give voice to people whose experiences are meaningful and whose sentiments and awareness may prove insightful and comforting to others.
Tanja has often talked very openly about other deeply sensitive topics and so this ability she has to address such points is noteworthy in the least. There are issues that many people find difficult to speak of, and strangely, life dictates that these are the very issues we must speak of to solve so many of the social difficulties we face.
Thank you Tanja for your grace and strength of heart in sharing how challenging the last three weeks have been for you and your family. My condolences for your loss.
Link to The Paradox of Order and Chaos:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0pc8B9XGXRRywO8L2dgEq0?dlbranch=1&si=WuNvgQeJRzefTJpJw0Row
The investigation into events surrounding the January 6th attack of the Capitol continue to move forward. Subpoenas, contempt, denial and accusation! Somewhere inside this story is a bastion of democracy, smothered by rage, hearsay and corruption. Certain people, whose job it was to protect the constitution lost their way and instead sought to undermine it from within.
Since when has the use of words that carry the death penalty flown so easily off the tongue? Traitors! Treachery! Betrayal!
Around the world crimes are being perpetrated and I haven’t covered them. I apologise for my ignorance in these matters. Ethnic groups are fighting for their survival and I wish I could shine a beacon upon their suffering. It is perhaps defeatist of me to focus on western democracies again, yet it is what I am most aware of. In addition, it would show immense insensitivity if I were to overlook the vast contradictions of democracy. It is being sold abroad as a system of choice for good living and respect, whereas at home it is being used as a tool to undermine human rights.
Karin is a fantastic guide into the background of these events and provides her characteristic insight into what they might mean.
Claudia is a former student of mine from Parma. In this podcast we catch up for the first time after almost 10 years. Claudia has experienced different realities in her life, having moved cities a number of times and even gone to live in another country. It is not an easy undertaking.
She has studied in the field of science and works professionally in a challenging area. She is a mother and like millions of parents around the world, she is coming to terms with how life has changed so quickly and so much and what effect it will have on children.
Claudia is a courageous person, because here she takes part in her first ever podcast and she does so in her third language (Italian and French come first and second). She is a PhD, and she is impressively determined and independently minded. Her siblings live in different countries, and she does not live in the city of her birth. I mention this because I understand something of how that feels and it’s not always easy.
Claudia is also clear on a number of important humanitarian questions we face and though she is worried for the future, there is a certain strength to her words. She has not abandoned hope for she sees much promise in the generations that follow…
Thank you very much Claudia for your time and I look forward to speaking with you again.
Florian at Schønlein Media is a podcaster with a vision and the determination to bring those visions to fruition. He works with similarly minded and creative people and the method behind their wonderful rise to success shows exactly why their material is fresh, new and demanding.
Florian came to talk about his work and his projects and in this podcast he shows exactly how open he is to voicing his opinions on topics outside of his sphere of expertise and that serves to exemplify just how well-grounded he is.
Schønlein Media is set to continue their growth with exciting projects and I am certain of this because as Florian says, they are always open to new ideas and new voices. They are courageous in their pursuit of the untested and untried and that is a great way to set new standards.
Thanks Florian for joining me!
Here is a link to their website: Schønlein Media (schonlein.media)
This is me checking in and out. It has been some time since I produced a podcast simply with some thoughts and I wanted to do a podcast specifically to say thank you to Amber and Traci from the Road to Tar Valon podcast for allowing me to take part in one of their brilliant episodes on the Wheel of Time.
I am off on holiday now with my family so I have to keep this short, otherwise I am going to miss the train!
Enjoy and please follow the link below, it was great fun:
E58 Gender, misogyny, and divide in the Wheel of Time Full Spoilers - Road to Tar Valon: A Wheel of Time Podcast | Podcast on Spotify
Also, please go to the beginning of their wonderful podcast, as it is a perfect introduction into the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson.
Today’s talk with Tanja covers some familiar ground. We talk about SensualTalk, but this time we focus on atmosphere, participation, approach and welcome.
We also speak of magic, a sensual form of magic, the type that every mortal can experience if we only allow ourselves the opportunity of doing so. So much of what we experience, or do not experience in our lives, is a matter of choice. It sounds like a sales pitch for a self-help book, but the truth is we need only find the moment, acknowledge its presence and feel our growing awareness of it.
It is a way, among others, that can lead us to discovery, passion and love...
Tanja also recites one of her poems and she has given me permission to reproduce that poem here:
Simply Love
I love to watch you.
I love to listen to you.
I love to smell you.
I love to taste you.
I love to feel you.
With my heart.
With my soul.
With my senses.
I love to simply sit beside you and be.
Just be.
To me you seem endless -
When you merge with the horizon.
When you merge with the setting sun.
When you merge with the shore.
I am aware of your strength.
I am aware of what you are capable of.
And I am aware of your
calmness,
magic,
kindness.
You are one of the deepest loves of my life.
And you will always be.
By Tanja
Once again, thank you Tanja for giving me some of your time.
How do we treat people who are dissimilar to ourselves? Why?
How do we decide what is the correct way of interacting with others?
We are all the result of millions of years of evolution and yet so often we act as though the evolutionary process simply passed us by. We are almost like the discarded refuse of evolution, the crap that some intelligent body simply released for the purpose of carrying out some unremarkable physical function.
The truth however is that we are the complex material of experience, growth, culture and understanding. Around and within our communities we have the wealth and beauty of diversity and on so many occasions we allow it to simply drift away without paying it the attention and compliment it deserves. We don't make these other diverse people and cultures feel welcome, we don't embrace them, we don't look after them, we don't allow ourselves to understand them.
Time for change has been waiting patiently at the station for a very long time. It is time to go and greet it with open minds and arms.
These are merely a few thoughts based on my own experience.
Alexander and I are son and father and yet we sit here and talk as equals. We talk from different perspectives. Age is a telling factor in a person's view of the world. We see things with a different level of cynicism, awareness or experience. Yet it's also more than just that. Values differ. Neither one nor the other is inherently correct. Views simply differ.
Commonality can unite even the most disparate voices but Alexander and I find it very easy to communicate on most topics. So picking subjects we both love makes things even easier. We are both movie and TV series lovers, we like video games, we love football and we just like to get into the guts of a story. It just so happens that we both have completely different opinions on these things and that makes it entertaining.
Thanks Alexander for taking the time!
What is the role of the government in protecting the public interest?
"Protecting the life and livelihood of the people and to manage the interaction of good government."
Our vote gives people power to control our lives to a certain degree. We need to reassert the connection between our allowance of a government to come into being and the manner in which they conduct themselves on our behalf.
Transparency is it a curse or a cure? Are governments ready for transparency? Are we?
These are but a few of the topics we consider in this podcast.
Once again my deepest gratitude to Karin!
Poetry is a deep lake with a strong current, or at least, it can be. Why one set of words can move us so much is a mystery, or it is an art. There are so many wonderful poets who have achieved this divine feat and I have only savoured but a few. I aim to slowly but surely address this oversight.
I have chosen this poem because the subject matter is clearly relevant to the hateful side of our contemporary world. Despite the troubles forced upon us by the pandemic, women in particular have been made to suffer through an increase in domestic abuse, abuse at work, at university, out and about, anywhere and everywhere.
This phenomenon has to stop! Sexual abuse has to stop! We need to come together and stop it!
On 16th October 2017 Daphne Caruana Galizia sat in her car going about her business. A bomb that had been placed beneath her seat was remotely detonated, ensuring she would never have the chance of doing so again. Her assassins were caught and arrested and tried. Those persons who ordered the killing however, remain unknown…
Karin worked for PEN for many years and experienced many difficult stories, some with tragic endings, many ending happily, all desperately important. In this my 50th podcast, Karin details the reasoning behind some of the actions taken by PEN, the need for protecting journalists and writers and the absolute necessity for society to protect these unsung heroes.
One such heroine is Rebecca Vincent, Director of International Campaigns and UK Bureau Director at Reporters Without Borders. Through Rebecca’s courageous and continued search for justice, I came to be reminded of the tragic tale of Daphne’s demise and it became abundantly clear that Daphne’s story should become the centrepiece of this podcast.
I wish to communicate my greatest respect to journalists such as Rebecca and all those on Malta still fighting for Daphne and I hope that their work will succeed without further pain (Truth and Justice — The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation).
My thanks as always to Karin, whose patience knows no bounds and whose temperament is much like a summer’s day.
Karin poses the questions and invites debate on topics of analytical import and introduces them to the question currently before us, Afghanistan. It is close to Karin’s heart for a number of reasons and she is following the story with great interest.
Karin also draws parallels with the Afghanistan of today and the former Yugoslavia of yesteryear, the chaos, the bloodshed, and the needlessness of the whole business. It is not a surprise for anyone to hear the words, it did not have to be this way.
We question further perspectives, realities and especially the COMMUNICATION of these pillars of storytelling. What are we told, how much of it is reliable and what are we not being told?
Karin also turns the tables on me as we venture into our perspectives and our own realities and find, fascinatingly, how similarities emerge despite our differences. We talk about our youth and some of our most meaningful experiences growing up.
Thank you, Karin wholeheartedly!
The BBC podcast to which I referred is linked here: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9yc3MuYWNhc3QuY29tL2hpc3RvcnlleHRyYQ/episode/ZjcxYzIzNTktYWVjNC00NzgzLWI4NzAtNTQ4OTkwYTY5ZTU4?ep=14
The Lady of Shalott is a magical and mystical piece from Tennyson. I will not dare to analyse the deeper meanings of the work, that is best left to others. I will only say that I appreciate the movement in the poem. There is often meaning, depth and morality in poetry, there is thought and change and hope, yet not always movement...
These poems are to be appreciated, constantly...relived, revived and remembered and so it is important that even those such as I throw a hand (or a voice) at them and reproduce them for general consumption.
Thanks Greg for the suggestion.
I hope you find the poem pleasing...
Tom Mackintosh is an elite rower for New Zealand, a dedicated athlete, a champion in his field and now, since his team’s unbelievable feat at the Tokyo Olympics, a gold medallist!
Tom is also generous with his time, a great person to talk with and is full of passion and dedication to himself, his team, and his sport. He is gracious and respectful of his fellow competitors, and grateful to his friends, family and teammates for their support.
Tom talks enthusiastically of his feelings in that stunning final victory, what it takes to win a race in the men’s 8 and the sheer single-mindedness one must have to emerge victorious at the elite level. We talk about his career, some defining moments for him, his personal plans and development as well as some great background stories.
It was a real pleasure to talk with Tom, and I thank Briskby for the opportunity of doing so and I wish both Tom and Briskby all the best in achieving their future goals!
No introduction is necessary into the work of this master poet. Analysis of his work is also best sought elsewhere onto the pages of those who are far more knowledgeable than I. As a suggestion this link is wonderfully informative and well worth a look:
The Eight Greatest Poems of William Wordsworth | Society of Classical Poets
My interpretation is that of an amateur, I make no claim of artistic merit. I simply enjoy reading and feeling those sentiments that such glorious wordsmiths have lain down before us. There will I hope be many more to come.
It is my hope that you enjoy my recitation...
It is a rare pleasure to be able to start a conversation with an epic topic and to drift through other topics without ever reducing the significance of the debate.
Karin talks about courage as an abstract concept but then in relation to her life and experiences. There is no rebuke in her words, only observation; clear and penetrating.
It is no surprise thereafter that our minds turn to Afghanistan and rather than taking the obvious critical approach, we try to find a balance between hope and pessimism. On the ground there is sure to be chaos, pain and suffering, a sense of loss and lost opportunity. Nothing is ever black and white however and though the Taliban would not be every westerner’s first choice of leadership, time will tell whether they have "matured" and learned in the 20 intervening years, as they say.
We then talk about democracy and try to maintain our objectivity. Democracy is NOT the systems we currently enjoy in the west. We live in various diluted forms of the original Greek recipe and we should remember that in so doing we do not enjoy the many benefits we claim, nor those that our systems advertise. There are however…freedoms…
Thank you Karin once again for taking the time and for your wonderful insight!
It’s always great to be able to speak with and listen to younger generations. This is especially the case when the younger person is your own child. Here I have the pleasure of Alexander’s company, a 15-year-old who lives in London.
I feel we always think we know how those younger than us feel or think or should think and yet we never really take the chance to listen and to understand. As adults and parents it is definitely our role to teach and help, however nobody said we could not do that and learn at the same time. Every time I encounter a different thought or idea, no matter where it originates from, nor whether I agree or disagree with it, it is something new to consider and reflect upon.
Alexander and I dance through a number of topics in this first of our ‘Generations’ podcasts. I hope that over time we will enjoy many, many more.
Thank you Alexander for joining me, and please don’t forget to do your homework! Hahaha…just kidding…
There is no other way to introduce the cultural artistry of writing to different cultures without translating them. That representation can take so many different forms and there is perhaps no absolutely correct method. However there is success and failure. A masterpiece of literature might rise high in one land but stumble miserably into the dust in another, without the original author having played a role in either possibility. That is the pressure beneath which translators often operate.
It naturally helps to have a firm understanding of both cultures, original and destination (translated into…), and to have a personal connection that binds the translator’s heart and soul can only assist in the role of promoting artistic sentiment. Yet outside of the business of literature not enough attention is paid to this valiant and often undervalued role.
Here Karin explores her own experiences, challenges and difficulties, especially in translating poetry and it is marvellous to hear her stories and the opportunity to engage her thoughts and hear her methods are nothing short of a treasure to my ears.
Thank you so very much Karin…
Having received her first-class degree with honours Anna has set her sights on the next challenge and one hopes that the diplomatic corps will see sense when she comes calling. Anna has an authentic voice that needs to be heard and a passion to bring people together that should always be valued highly.
It’s not always about what we want to see, it’s also about what we have to see, and face and then deal with. Anna continues from where she left off with her powerful thoughts regarding society, dealing with emotions, releasing suppressed feelings and opening up and if necessary letting loose that anger.
Sometimes the most basic societal decision-making is based on the policies of such organisations as the church, conservative think-tanks and parties and traditional organisations, even when these policies don’t necessarily go that far back in time.
Suggested viewing from Anna:
Elif Shafak Ted talks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCr8s57hdzY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq7QPnqLoUk
Anna also strongly recommends: Audrey Lorde "The Masters Tools Will Never Dismantle the Masters House!"
Tanja sets the scene with her trip around southern Europe that takes in 2500 kms of coastline and untold riches in cultural sensations. It’s a trip from within that had been long since aching to find expression. This summer the desire became a reality.
Let us not stop there however. At an event entitled Woman, Tanja is invited to present SensualTalk and in so doing she inspires her audience to welcome the truth of her passionate words, and many join her growing band of sensual followers. Such is the natural pull of Tanja’s energy, she even extracts some of my own long forgotten memories.
Tanja imbibes the challenge of expression and presents her thoughts with clarity on the one hand and delightful imagery on the other. She is a very natural orator and listening to her talk with pure abandon is an almost lyrical experience.
Thank you again Tanja for your time.
Karin is back and in great form as she talks about one of her absolute favourite books from 19th century England.
North and South, written by Elisabeth Gaskell, is a masterpiece of social, economic, political, religious and romantic storytelling. It charts the lives of mainly Margaret Hale, the Thorntons and the Higgins families through the turbulent times of the 1800s during the backlash against the Corn Laws, the formulation of the Anti-Corn League, religious division, social and economic hardship, mass poverty and the industrial revolution.
It is a magical blend of intrigue, international trade friction and love that has mesmerised Karin for years and it is why this is her first choice of book from the era to discuss. Gaskell was not only a fabulous novelist, she had real character. It must be remembered how difficult it was in the 19th century for women to be recognised as authors, for their opinions to be heard at all, for them to express thoughts on politics or society or indeed to rival men in any intellectual capacity. Yet through the art of her writing Elisabeth Gaskell was able to do just that. As Karin points out, this was a powerful theme among a number of English women of the period.
Just how much women such as Gaskell, Austin, the Bronte sisters and Mary Ann Evans (better known as George Eliot) influenced the Suffragettes at the start of the 20th century I cannot say, yet to believe that the intelligence, grit and deep humanitarian observation they wrote with most definitely influenced their own generation and many generations to follow is too much of a stretch.
Many thanks Karin and it is wonderful to have you back!
PS: During our conversation I also make reference to Zoe Scaman who has written this essay on some of the experiences women have faced in the advertising industry and it is important for people to realise that gender equality is a battle that still requires fighting. Mad Men. Furious Women. - by Zoe - Musings Of A Wandering Mind (substack.com)
There is also a podcast where Zoe Scaman relates her thoughts here: Episode 16 - Zoe Scaman, Founder of Bodacious, Co-Founder of MCX (buzzsprout.com)
Julia is part of a dynamic and innovative digital publishing team that works on a number of different digital and online channels that bring new ideas to people directly through their favourite device. This normally means the smartphone.
In this insightful first podcast with Julia we find out about her early experiences reading, how the power of Astrid Lindgren's characters have actually remained with her through to adulthood and how at Tapster Media she has really been free to channel her inner Pippi and Michael.
Julia also talks about her journey through male dominated sales and into female and diversely populated erotica and the liberation of creativity that she now feels at Tapster.
It is a fascinating journey and one theme that immediately jumps out is the warmth of humanity in Julia's expressions.
Thank you Julia for taking the time in your extremely busy timetable to speak with me and I wish you all the best with the Tap Story project!
PS: We apologise for using the word 'nipple'!
Here are some important links:
Our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHkakV6Ez8kaK9By8sgFzLg (You find us also with the search: lively story)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LivelyStoryFormat
Instagram: @livelystory_format
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.de/livelystory
My book: https://livelystory.com/produkt/the-tracker/?lang=en
Anna is a mystery to me…literally, because I don’t know her. By the same token I am a complete stranger to her, yet she was so positive in coming on to my channel to talk about who she is, that her courage and confidence must be complimented. Moreover Anna is an open person. She is raw and powerful and a real voice that fits the real person that she embodies and represents.
She is by origin Latvian, but also German and also British, with a slice of Russian thrown in. She has cultural traits from all and everywhere. She says “we” to each one. She is so many things and at the same time, she is not to be categorised as one thing or another, she is the seamless manifestation of all in one fell swoop.
We talk about her blog (a Life torn by Love, a collection (annagetyourlifetogether.blogspot.com)), depression, suicide, politics, history education, gender equality, discrimination and dance. So many diverse and deep topics and yet each one is visited with sensitivity, care and affection. Anna meanders through these intimacies like a skater and alights upon each topic with her insightful grace.
I am sure you will enjoy listening to her and I look forward to talking with her again.
Thank you, Anna!
In 2011 in Parma, Italy I met a Belgian-Italian who would become a friend and an inspiration. A man well-travelled, full of a sense of adventure and mystery. Ale is softly spoken, but one look into his eyes and you can see the passion than swirls around inside him. He is the tranquil volcano.
In this first episode with Ale he talks about his intimate and moving experiences in Africa and recounts a story that moves me every time I think of it.
He then talks about his move from Parma to Malta, his new start up and the exciting possibilities that lie before him.
Ale is a motivator and a person to have in your corner when what you need is a good chat and an arm around your shoulders.
Tanja is back and in top form, pushing thought and imagination to breaking points. What is Bachata Sensual? What does it mean? Where does it come from? Tanja shares her thoughts on the deeper meanings and senses fulfilled by the energy and combined flows of the dance and its practitioners.
Much like her beloved dancing style, Tanja flows from challenging topic to challenging topic. Her passion for people is once again in full view when she talks about the essence of mindfulness from her perspective, how it can assist in not only the daily rituals of work and responsibility, but also in the appreciation of our passions.
As always, I am so pleased to have Tanja join me in these discussions and I hope you are as invigorated by the experience as I always am.
In the podcast Tanja mentions one of her favourite podcast channels. If you are also interested in a podcast dedicated to Bachata please follow this link:
https://open.spotify.com/show/2Zl3KvZ7p2A1hBa6jQyVc4?si=Qqe3vxjeTE6Eb5k77QiD2A&dl_branch=1
Vlad and Fritz are back and this time, for real. I cannot express how much I have missed meeting these two pillars of purpose and personality. I learn something from every sitting and I am always challenged to look at things from a different perspective. It is important to listen out to some of the thoughts expressed so as not to misunderstand the specific point, and yet it is always in the listening of another person that we come to appreciate the variations that exist to established ideas.
Please forgive the noises, the chinking of glasses, the moving of plates and the slapping of the table and loud laughter. It was simply too great an opportunity to pass up to meet and talk, eat and drink.
I thank you both greatly for coming, speaking so openly and honestly.
Time Stamps:
26m: New Pay
31m: 4 day week
42m: Podcasts as a record of our loved ones
45m: "Startups fail, entrepreneurs never fail!" Really???
50m: Culture element...again
52.5m: Verbal slap
53m: Malta
62m: Voting age
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is a work of epic poetic storytelling art from Samuel Taylor Coleridge, first published in 1798.
I first came across this poem through Iron Maiden and the mysticism of the song inspired me to seek out Coleridge and read more of his work. As I grew up watching pirate and seafaring movies among other old classics, the story of the mariner and the albatross painted a fascinating picture in my mind.
I am no reciter of poetry, so forgive my poor rendition here. Despite that, I hope you enjoy the poem.
Vladi and Fritz, undeterred and brimming with expert knowledge, return for a second session to enlighten me on the pitfalls and perils of people and culture in business. From setting up, to establishing a culture, to managing resources, training and development, quotas and diversity, the gents pack the hour or so with lots of thought provoking detail and recruiting experience.
Where in part 1 they gave a few tips on recruiting, here they discuss the strategy from the business view...and it's enthralling to hear them talk about 'the other side'.
As always, thank you gentlemen for your time, you are great fun to talk with, as always.
"Everybody's talking at me, I don't hear a word they're saying, only the echoes of my mind..." The profound meaning of these words, the delightful melody and the penetrating voice always send me into deep thought.
"Skipping over the ocean like a stone..."
What do we skip over?
What do we seek to avoid?
What's the worse that can happen?
Some of my musings when all around us understanding and empathy crash against the rocks of an unforgiving land.
Karin begins by putting me straight regarding the work of PEN and where the difficult task of funding comes from.
We then jump into the world of literature from so many perspectives; translation, interpretation, primary and secondary sources, poetry, love, empathy and pure writing craft.
We look at the wealth of female authors that go back to the 19 century and how special the voice of diversity is in storytelling.
Karin reminds me constantly how unique a passion reading is and indeed how pleasurable it is to be able to feed one's passions with literature.
As always, thank you Karin...
"What does it mean to be feminine?" Tanja asks and the question is more complex than it might originally seem. There are so many personal and contextual influences that can swing thinking a number of different ways.
Why would sexual acts define womanhood? Why would they define manhood? Why would a lack of these acts be definitive in any way?
Is society best-placed to judge when so many of these topics remain taboo? If society does not address them, then who will? SensualTalk is a very good place to start.
Thank you Tanja for your sense of adventure and your refreshingly direct approach.
A few naïve thoughts from me and some clear analysis from Chris on where the political parties stand in the US. If the Dems are left wing for the Reps, it’s only because the Reps have moved so far to the right, they can no longer see the centre ground on the horizon.
Though I am an amateur when discussing healthier eating, Chris knows his stuff, and I comfortably run off the reservation when we start to talk about food, meat and cooking with rash abandon.
How hard is it to judge friends objectively? What kind of behaviour should cancel out a friendship? What limits can we set?
Is the line between recognising discrimination and being sensitive too vague?
PEN: Writers in Prison and Writers in Exile, the work that continues tirelessly in the background, as a mission to save writers from persecution, beatings and murder. There is such a financial cost to bear in providing scholarships and sponsoring those most in need. Yet these cases are brought around by humanitarian organisations working together and raising the profiles of writers who have chosen to exercise the right of expression above the fear of persecution.
Karin turns the tables on me too and gets me to open up a little more on the Armenian Genocide, which also leads to me being a bit more vocal than normal and also a bit too much of an idealist at times. Emotions, emotions...
As always, thank you Karin for fighting through the allergies to speak with me...
This poem, can never be told without a stream of tears. I fight them back as I type. The inhumanity captured by Siamanto in his poem would make even the stoniest of hearts crack.
Today is the day of commemoration to the dead. I think of you collectively, my ancestors all, whether through blood, language, culture or simply our membership of the one human race that inhabits this planet.
I grieve for you, I salute you and pray for your day of justice when the world as a whole, including Turkey, recognises the inhumanity of the crime of its forebears in inflicting genocide upon you.
Rest in peace!
I read the poem but it was translated from Armenian by Shant Norashkharian and can be found at this link (The Dance by Siamanto - Famous poems, famous poets. - All Poetry).
On April 24th, 1915, the Ottoman government hanged 300 writers, poets, intellectuals and cultural leaders because they thought by doing so they would kill any hope the Armenians had of mounting any resistance.
So when Karin talks about the power and the importance of writers, she not only does so from personal experience and personal passions, but because written history supports the very concept.
Here Karin talks about the mission of helping these brave creative souls, the pillars of free thought, the holders of their critical pens.
No truly necessary defence can be mounted without the efforts of untold and unheralded people toiling in the background. PEN, everywhere it exists, represents that very background...
Alex lays it on the line, the bottom line, the only line these guys understand: football clubs, owned by greed, managed by greed and distorted by their greed! Fans? Ants!
This was recorded before Chelsea FC announced their withdrawal, Alex and I are both hopeful that the other clubs will follow suit and issue a huge apology as a result.
00:05 Intro
1m 25 Profiles
7m 30 Devaluing the game
16m 20 Shelf life
28m 03 Goss
41m 30 Gods
44m 30 This year
As the whole conversation is about football, we use the same kind of industrial language you would expect. Sorry!
Sensual Talk is a process of self development inspired by real life experiences, feelings and thoughts developed throughout the unique life time of the creator, Tanja.
Tanja talks about her career, her dreams and her passions and how they all meshed into identifying needs. She has empowered herself to explore these thoughts and sensations and has, to date, inspired 80 other ladies to walk this path of discovery with her. In our fascinating talk, Tanja explains her inspirations and aspirations.
For the many of you interested in exploring your sensuality and sexuality and femininity, please contact Tanja directly: sensualtalk@gmx.de
Vladi and Fritz, the recruitment connoisseurs, the human resources reformers, the people and culture kings...join me for an honest, straight up and straight forward exchange about their experiences of staffing start ups and managing the processes of hiring to firing in Berlin.
We also move off script to talk about discrimination and cultural differences around the world.
The guys don't pull any punches and it's straight hitting, without going below the belt. All in all a refreshing chat and wonderful to get back into a conversation with these extremely cool and intelligent guys.
Thank you boys for joining me today!
Karin has gone around the world and finally returned home. She is in the country of her birth, it's the late 1990s, armed with the freedom to express herself, fearless of the threat of deportation and ready to champion writers in prison and the liberty of words.
Karin is powerful in her messaging, she is precise and measured. She has a feeling for both the subtleties of expression and the force of directness. Just listening to Karin is a lesson in communication. The knowledge she brings to every conversation is a blessing.
Thank you again, as always!
Energetic, spirited, to the point, charismatic and full of enlightened argument...par for the course one might expect.
Constructive criticism, dealing with people, managing and keeping our self-discipline are just some of the topics we talk about in the build up to discussing gender equality and how to go about addressing the imbalance.
I always learn so much from speaking with people I consider natural leaders of thought and action and Ani and Tatiana definitely represent two such people. I thank you both for taking the time to talk to me...again!
In this episode Karin delves into the strings that pull her forward and inexorably towards a life where the concerns and safety of others take centre stage. There are however, as always, actors upon the stage who are not quite agreed upon the direction of the play. Even in altruism we may find ambition and competition.
We learn of some of the tragedies of a re-unified Germany and how the harsh realities of a free market shocked and disheartened the newest entrants to it.
Karin also talks about the establishment of the committee of Writers for Women and how even from the beginning, such a noble idea faced serious challenges.
Rohwedder was killed by the Red Army Faction in Germany. A battle of east and west played out in the wake of a bullet.
The Stay Behind Network...a relic of the second world war? A real means to ending potential communist incursions into western Europe?
Some background to these completely unconnected events. Yet, there is always a connection between violent episodes, they are conjoined through the nature of their brutality and the finality of their terror.
Chris brings his lively focus to the Premier League and the lack of diversity in management positions. We also reflect on that similar lack in the NBA and the NHL and also consider some other topical issues around the world in a highly energetic debate that has us hopping backwards and forwards over the pond!
Karin continues to recount her tale and there are so many lines to read between it is like a dynamic 3D maze at times.
From Cincinnati she goes to London in 1977 and a world of literature, politics and exile open up before her. Yet there is more to the burden, which makes this episode even more fascinating. Here is a woman not only fighting injustices and political ideologies but also demons far closer and in the face of that dispiriting, sapping saga, she emerges victorious, undiminished and somehow better prepared to face the challenges that lie ahead.
Karin talks us through the final few years in Cincinnati, the work, the overtime, the dedication; pillars that exemplified her generation.
These years also serve to prepare Karin for the world she would one day be thrown into; working with people who could have become giants of social change had their lives not been so brutally curtailed - a theme we will return to in greater detail! However living in the USA in the 1960s prepared one for dealing with the emotion of loss to civil rights, human rights and the humanity of society in some ways.
The details are important, and Karin has always been particular with details.
Once again, thank you Karin for your time!
We don't often see the effect of circumstance on our life stories. Yet if we can find the waypoints of fate that guided us through troubled waters, we can trace the journey backwards and identify the why, how and who.
No true life story is ever linear however, no matter how time may record it. Memory doesn't work that way either and our own logic applies its own form of physics when deciphering the code of our existence.
Here Karin looks through the tragedy of loss, the background of political chaos and the enduring role of friendship that allowed her to push onward, no matter the challenge she faced.
This is the first episode of what I hope will be an endless series of sessions with Karin. She is a fascinating person whose experiences date back to the 2nd World War and who, in her many later chapters fought for people whose lives were alas not always possible to save.
This session takes us from Thuringia to Texas, from rebuilding to racism and it is a journey of discovery and of a time when a young girl faces so many challenges, and through sheer courage, confronts them all full on!
Thank you Karin for your time!
Tatiana's inimitable style is once again in evidence as she tears through Corona, swims around the oceans of the world and throws gender inequality a curve ball.
This shorter-than-normal talk is in some ways the anti-pasti of a longer and more in depth discussion on some of the main themes but Tatiana is robust, critical and direct in her views.
I am sure you will find it as entertaining and educational as I did.
Alvaro returns with more insightful chat on some topics of the week.
How can we as football/soccer (I had to write it) fans accept what is happening in Qatar? Migrant workers, living in conditions we can only describe as slave camps, dying in their thousands, is it time to boycott FIFA?
Is the Navalny case simply a question of freedom of speech? Should we exercise the right to NOT speak though, when some of us live in relative safety and peace and where democratic ideals are respected...?
The Digital Green Pass...is this perhaps a privilege? There is so much more that remains to be discussed on the topic of Coronavirus vaccinations and here is only a small start...
Talking with Maggie is as fulfilling an experience as it is varied, deep, emotional and lifting.
Our discussion takes us inwards, a look at ourselves, our strengths and hidden secrets, thoughts of who we are and how we saw one another as well as our roles within society. It's eye-opening for me and coming from someone I respect so much, to hear someone speak so objectively about herself is not only refreshing but it also tells me where I need to improve.
Thank you Maggie for your time here but also for always being available to everyone in our family.
Alex guides me through his arrival in China, the culture shock, Chinese identity, the immensity of the country and the early years through the eyes of an ex-pat.
Thereafter it's full speed ahead with work, the Syndicate, event planning and eventually stepping into the automative industry.
But along the way we discuss China's strength, its dynamism and ability to step up. We consider the US-China trade war, the pension time-bomb and even a quick look at the race for space.
Talking with Alex, as you will find out, is a real eye-opener. Thanks Alex.
Alvaro is back and we venture into a political debate considering the incontrovertible similarities of conditions and actions from those of 1789-1794 and the last few years in the USA and Europe.
And what of democracy? Surely giving the people the power over government agency is good for all! Right?
So many questions remain unanswered however these are our first tentative steps in the direction of what may yet become a complete train of thought on the question of 'DEMOCRACY'!
Alex B, a dear, deep and demonstrative friend from yesteryear with fascinating reflections and meaningful insight into the development of the mind and character.
Alex guides me through the topic of assisting younger people achieve their better selves through introspection and heightened self-recognition and with some key suggestions for identifying and managing emotion.
Thank you Alex for your time and I look forward to our next opportunity.
After a break of a week we are back to talk about sports betting in the US and why it has taken so long for sports betting to open up, the how of it as well as discussing the consequences. It's a well-trodden topic in regions where gambling has long since been allowed openly, but in the US, a phenomenon that has almost always remained underground, the bookies are popping up everywhere...slowly!
I wanted to give a more detailed explanation for the series of podcasts I have begun to produce with friends. I wanted to make sense of my choices and to re-affirm the reasoning at the base of it all.
Thereafter I allow my thoughts to wonder and I talk a little about what we experience everyday. However I wanted to take a moment to consider what comes next. How do we prepare for life post-Covid? What world do we want to see upon the day of re-emergence?
Alvaro is a German-Spanish Berliner who has studied law and is everything you would expect of a passionate and opinionated young idealist. He assumes the role of critic here, though his normal approach is one of measured determination.
He analyses whether the government should be limited in the measures it seeks to implement in fighting Covid-19 and suggests that a curfew is a step too far.
A debate with Alvaro is always a pleasantly challenging affair...
Ani is another friend I have met since leaving London, through my brother.
She has had a wonderfully rich past, traversing many cultures and lands and has some fascinating insights into culture, community and leadership.
She is bold and frequently challenges herself and a little of these characteristics is on show when joins me here for a chat, and I am eternally grateful for her time.
Here Chris talks about his upbringing on the east coast split between Washington DC and Annapolis, school and how he dealt with racism.
We also reflect on the events in DC from Jan 6th and talk about some of the dynamics involved.
Tatiana is an energetic and inspirational woman who works in a challenging sector and applies the kind of power and dedication, even through these difficult times, that one can only stand back and admire.
We cover topics including Tatiana's early years, the publishing and journalism sector, sustainability goals, the oil industry and renewables, gender inequality and mental health.
This is the first of what I hope will eventually be many talks with Tatiana.
This is where Chris and I just talk and generally plan a couple of things for future reference.
It's completely unscripted and who knows, it may even get better as we progress...
Chris will be my frequent visitor on the podcast quest...and yes, he's an extremely patient chap!