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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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 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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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.

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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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 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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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.

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:

Instagram: TwoandaMic

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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!

PS. The transcript has been generated automatically and has no punctuation. I hope however that it will still provide some clarity on the content.

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!

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.

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:

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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:

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.