The Comfortable Spot

Today, I’m joined by American radio personality, Mat Kaplan. Mat is the host of Planetary Radio, a radio talk show about space exploration produced by the Planetary Society. The role of the Planetary Society is to bridge the gap between the scientific community and the general public to inspire and educate people from all walks of life. I wanted to chat with Mat about his career in radio, his love of all things space, as well the work he does for the Planetary Society.

By accessing this podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this podcast are the property of Ken Sweeney, or used by Ken Sweeney with permission, and are protected under Irish and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this podcast may save and use information contained in the podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this podcast may be made without the prior written permission of Ken Sweeney.

Today I’m joined by author and political commentator, Yannis Karamitsios. Originally from Thessaloniki in Greece, since 2006 Yannis has been living in Brussels and is a legal officer at the European Commission. Yannis dedicates a considerable part of his public action to the promotion of European and international federalism and has recently written book on the subject. I thought it would be good to have him on our podcast today and talk about his new book and his views on the current issues in Europe.

By accessing this podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this podcast are the property of Ken Sweeney, or used by Ken Sweeney with permission, and are protected under Irish and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this podcast may save and use information contained in the podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this podcast may be made without the prior written permission of Ken Sweeney.

Today I’m joined to by author and academic Brian Milne. Brian is a social anthropologist who has extensive field experience in human and civil rights for all ages, environmental issues and has been politically active most of his life. I have known Brian for many years now and we have often worked together on media projects, so I thought it would be nice to meet up and chat about his career and his love for politics, social issues and, in particular, our mutual passion for European affairs, so I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay with us.

By accessing this podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this podcast are the property of Ken Sweeney, or used by Ken Sweeney with permission, and are protected under Irish and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this podcast may save and use information contained in the podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this podcast may be made without the prior written permission of Ken Sweeney.

Today, I’m joined by author and blogger, Insuk Kim. Insuk is a native of South Korea but is an extensive traveller who now resides in Greenland. Insuk’s love for Japanese and French culture initially took her to Japan before she embarked on a journey to Europe and in particular, France in order to follow her passion for all things French, including historic figures like Marie Antoinette. While studying there, she began her love affair with the island of Greenland and today, she is a permanent resident of the island. So I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay with us.

By accessing this podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this podcast are the property of Ken Sweeney, or used by Ken Sweeney with permission, and are protected under Irish and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this podcast may save and use information contained in the podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this podcast may be made without the prior written permission of Ken Sweeney.

Today I’m joined by journalist Tina Lee. Originally from the USA, Tina is based in Berlin and specialises in migration, human rights, politics and the far right. Tina has previously worked for Human Rights Watch and The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network. Nowadays Tina is editor-in-chief of Unbias The News which is a space for journalists who experience structural barriers in the field. Tina offers training in cross-border and collaborative journalism and was editor-in-chief of the 2019 Unbias The News book. I knew Tina would be a perfect guest for this podcast, so I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay with us.

By accessing this podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this podcast are the property of Ken Sweeney, or used by Ken Sweeney with permission, and are protected under Irish and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this podcast may save and use information contained in the podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this podcast may be made without the prior written permission of Ken Sweeney.

Today I’m joined by Dr. Fergal Lenehan. Fergal is based at the University of Jena, Germany, where he is a full-time researcher at the project called ReDICo: Researching Digital Intercultureality Co-operatively. A believer in Social Europeanism, he is an author and recently also a co-editor of Reclaiming the European Street by President Michael D. Higgins. I decided to sit down and talk to him about this recent book as well as out mutual appreciation of all things European. So I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay with us.

By accessing this podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this podcast are the property of Ken Sweeney, or used by Ken Sweeney with permission, and are protected under Irish and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this podcast may save and use information contained in the podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this podcast may be made without the prior written permission of Ken Sweeney.

Today, I’m joined by Irish author and academic, Dr. Jennifer Cassidy. Originally from Dublin, Ireland, Jennifer is based at the University of Oxford. Having received her doctorate in 2016, Jennifer specialises in researching international development and digital diplomacy. A proud advocate of gender and human rights, Jennifer has spoken at TEDxOxford and is a regular media contributor, and I was delighted to get the opportunity to have a chat with her, so I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay with us.

By accessing this podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this podcast are the property of Ken Sweeney, or used by Ken Sweeney with permission, and are protected under Irish and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this podcast may save and use information contained in the podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this podcast may be made without the prior written permission of Ken Sweeney.

Today, I’m joined by historian, writer and podcaster, Katja Hoyer. Katja’s podcast, Tommies and Jerries, has a unique style that not only manages to inform us about the similarities and differences between British and German, but also has a combination of fun and form. Katia has also recently written an amazing book, Blood and Iron: The Rise and Fall of the German Empire 1871-1918 which tells the story of a country that is just as influential now as it was when it was first created. Her style is to keep you reading, even if you know the end; as if it was some high stakes drama with the characters jostling for power and influence along the way. Now having read her book a few times, I felt it was time for us to have a chat, so I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay with us.

By accessing this podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this podcast are the property of Ken Sweeney, or used by Ken Sweeney with permission, and are protected under Irish and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this podcast may save and use information contained in the podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this podcast may be made without the prior written permission of Ken Sweeney.

The Comfortable Spot is a series of conversations with interesting people from different walks of life. You may not know all of them, but you might find them intriguing, so I hope you are sitting comfortably and happy to stay with us.

By accessing this podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents and design of this Podcast, are the property of Ken Sweeney, or used by Ken Sweeney with permission, and are protected under Irish and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this podcast may save and use information contained in the podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this podcast may be made without the prior written permission of Ken Sweeney.