The Left Mic - The Social Podcast

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