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.

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.

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)

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 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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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.