Embassies are fascinating entities having existed for longer than the concept of the modern nation-state.

They are often misunderstood and can offer a unique insight into the diplomatic issues that countries face.

In this episode I cover:

What embassies and consulates are,

Their unofficial varieties like from Taiwan,

Their titles e.g. the People's Bureua,

The difficulties in deciding where and how to build them,

And the laws that govern them.

Thomas Midgley Jr. was undoubtedly a great inventor, yet he was far from a great man.

Midgley was recognised by J. R. McNeill, a pioneer of the study of environmental history, as having “had more impact on the atmosphere than any other single organism in Earth's history“.

Midgley's inventions have contributed significantly to the 400,000 deaths from lead in the USA each year - with more around the world. On top of this his invention of Chlorofluorocarbons have wrecked our atmosphere

In this I examine: Midgley's background, how he came to invent leaded gasoline, how the scientific and regulatory community reacted, and what Midgley did next.

A lot of wonderful things can be said about Truman, particularly his attitude to the office of the President.

We can not say wonderful things about Truman's idea to internationalise the waterways of Europe. 

It was a silly idea and one given far too much attention by Truman. 

In this episode I give what detail is available on the idea, discuss how and why Truman pushed the policy, and showcase it's obvious flaws.

The Academy Awards/Oscars are the culmination of the Hollywood award season and celebrates the prior years greatest cinematic accomplishments.

In this episode I look at what the Academy Awards are, their history, what they recognise, what films are eligible, and how they are nominated.

Sample Official Screen Credits form: https://submissions.oscars.org/Content/Documents/Sample%20OSC.pdf 

The 2018 REMINDER LIST OF PRODUCTIONS ELIGIBLE FOR THE 90TH ACADEMY AWARDS: https://www.oscars.org/sites/oscars/files/90th_reminder_list.pdf 

Countries do not change their name often, and far less often their alphabet. 

Kazakhstan will soon be doing both to become Qazaqstan.

In this episode I cover the why, what, when, who, and how of this change.

REGULATION (EU) No 1151/2012 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 21 November 2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs - is an incredibly curious piece of legislation.

The Dave Law, as I call it, looks to protect producers of quality food stuffs and consumers of them - making sure when you buy Champagne or Stilton that it is what you expect.

In this episode I discuss how the Dave law works, its impact across the world, and evaluate the criticisms of it.

Merry christmas everyone!

A fiendishly difficult christmas quiz for you all based on my past episodes - anything better than 50% and you deserve to be on Santa's good list.

Let us know how you got on, and of course have a wonderful Christmas!

Please don't think I have an obsession with sewers.

In this episode I look at work of Bazalgette, the former Chief Engineer of the London Metropolitan Board of Works, a man who “probably did more good, and saved more lives, than any single Victorian public official”.

Bazalgette probably may claim more credit for London's infrastructure than any other individual. He is responsible for bridges, major thoroughfares, and the London sewer system. 

Now Chicago's sewer system is incredibly impressive, however Bazalgette's designs in London are lauded in a similar vein to the Panama Canal as one of the seven industrial wonders of the world.

I'll look at how the sewer system was desperately needed, why it was so special, and how the system has coped in an age of population density unforeseeable in Bazalgette's time.

Thanks to Richard Zak (@rjzak) for the episode suggestion!

Many nations sit on some form of natural resource wealth and, as is their right, they will exploit that wealth. The windfall is often spent nearly as quickly as it is earned with few able to exercise sufficient restraint to save some for a rainy day.

This short-termism is most prevalent in democracies where a dollar saved for another day is often a dollar that can be used to entice someone to vote for you.

Norway is a shining example of why a more long-term is so beneficial. The Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund recently surpassed a total value of $1 trillion despite only being a few decades old.

In this episode I'll explore more of why it is so special, with only a slight hint of envy.

***

The evil villain demanding 100 billion dollars is Dr. Evil played Mike Myers in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997).

The olympics as we know them today are a rather modern phenomenon, peculiarly mixing 'amateur' athletics with a very professionally run programme of events.

The 1904 St. Louis olympics were in every sense amateur. With very few participants generally, and barely any foreign competitors specifically. 

Yet one event, the Marathon, was spectacularly crap and can reasonably claim the title of the worst olympic event ever. However it is also featured a number of firsts, including the first black participants.

This episode looks at the St. Louis events generally and then narrows down on to what made the Marathon such a terrible event. Looking at the stories of some of the more characterful participants.

I hope very much that you enjoy.