Randall Jarrell was a poet who died far too young at the age of 51. There are far too many who have died at the tender age of far-too-young. Today that list grows and grows anew.

This poem, entitled The Refugees and published in 1942 resonates loudly in the world that we have created or that we have allowed to be created in our name. We have not become a society overtaken by spreading apathy, we have allowed it to become the norm because to do otherwise was inconvenient. Yet I minded of the threats we have welcomed into our societies and communities. The hatred that engulfs our social dialogue is creating immeasurable inconveniences which will soon come knocking. By then our democratic laxness will receive the judgement it deserves.

Randall Jarrell wrote often of war, of society and of that most intense quality, the human condition in relation to others. Over the next few weeks, I will narrate more of his work so that people can once again become familiar with him. Jarrell is one of those poets who should never be overlooked, lest he one day be forgotten. Such art should never be allowed to fall upon the ignominy of the dusty shelf.

TwoandaMic clocking out!

Enjoy!

In continuing the “Why the Right dislikes…” series, I take a look at a few topics in one go. The main emphasis is on the xenophobic slant of most right-wing rhetoric these days, but there is also a fair chuck of attention paid to where that xenophobia comes from, why, and what the purpose is. I don’t believe my thoughts here can be applied to every right-wing extremist; I doubt that such a generally applied rule exists. However, I do believe that a good portion of dissatisfied, underrepresented and mistreated white British people have been made to turn down this path as their only means of getting attention.

The reality is that a small minority of racists exist in the UK and other countries too, that are loud, hate-filled and are working on an agenda set by powerful establishment figures to their own detriment. Yet their satisfaction is found in the feeling of power that their hatred gives them. These cowards, the ones that attack peaceful, law-abiding citizens in mobs and armed gangs are the real threats to society, the real criminals, and should be treated as such.

Hate-policies have no place in decent society.

A message of peace and a call for unity from TwoandaMic.

I will look at some of the statements making the rounds in the mainstream from right wing commentators and attempt to give what I feel is a more accurate perspective.

TwoandaMic clocking out!

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!

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...!

The genocide that Azerbaijan committed against the Armenians of Artsakh is not a question of debate. Armenians lived in their ancestral homes of thousands of years until one day they did not. They were not politely asked to leave, they did not sell their homes, they did not leave because they wanted a change. They were attacked by an aggressive dictatorship and forced to leave or die after a 9-month blockade. They received no help from the UN and no support from the EU. Why would they when the EU and many powerful UN nations line up with palms facing the sun for Azerbaijan’s black gold to pour between their greedy fingers. Human dignity has little value. Oil is everything. That is the price of democracy.

In this very brief initial conversation with Vartoui from Marseilles, we talk about the UN and COP29 and Vartoui speaks a little about Marseilles and the Armenian community there.

Thank you Vartoui 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!

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...!

I love reading some of these classic short stories. They serve as a record of human lives through the ages and from different perspectives. In the 1830s the sale of opium was rising rapidly under the Qing dynasty, Australia’s creation is decided and Melbourne is founded, Charles Masson conducts his excavation work around Kabul Jalalabad where he notes that Kabul in 1833 is a model of tolerance. In New England Hawthorne penned The Ambitious Guest.

In this short story Nathaniel Hawthorne tells a well-known story of those parts in the Willey tragedy in New Hampshire. On August 28, 1826 an entire family was killed while fleeing to safety. The home from which the fled remained undamaged.

Commentary on the story has suggested that the real protagonist is nature itself (Christopher Johnson) and “The Ambitious Guest” is really Hawthorn expressing his own desire to become someone famous, at the beginning of his career (Brenda Wineapple, Hawthorne’s biographer).

It is a wonderful tale despite the tragedy that follows. There is so much hope and happiness in the home, and then…

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!

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...!

In this 200th episode I am joined by my kids to talk about their lives and interests, where they are, and what they think about topics such as education, football (Mo Salah), games consoles (Xbox and Playstation) and the planet.

More importantly, I am just happy to record a snippet of our interactions so that I can revisit these days in the long distant future.

Thank you boys. I love you!

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!

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...!

This is an introduction into a long running story that some people in the west may have heard of in the periphery of their political consumption. Armenia and Azerbaijan have since the fall of the USSR been at loggerheads over Artsakh or Nagorno-Kharapagh. In the aftermath of the fall of the USSR, the populus of Artsakh implemented their right to self-determination, voted of their own accord to become a free and sovereign state and became a Republic with their own elections and rule of law. It was a poor nation but a nation created by a democratic instrument and maintained by similar principles.

In recent times Azerbaijan, with its superior wealth and support from a glut of foreign powers salivating over Azeri oil, undertook a brutal advance to wipe out the Armenian population of Artsakh. With drones and advanced weaponry, brutality and no mercy they wiped out entire villages and forced those that survived to leave their ancestral homes. This sounds unfortunately quite familiar in this day and age because it is happening elsewhere in the world too.

Hostages have also been taken. In response to this barbaric act of genocide Azerbaijan has been rewarded by hosting COP29. Not only is Azerbaijan one of the world’s worst human rights violators, it has committed genocide against a sovereign state which it has since wiped off the face of the earth, it has zero respect for climate crisis plans and it is the host of COP29.

This is how the modern world behaves.

Please also check out truthandaccountabilityleague.org who designed the artwork used for this episode.

Thank you Harout for your time.

Peace!

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!

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...!

Ever since the first cavewoman kicked the first caveman’s ass at monopoly, there has been discrimination, and the patriarchy was established.

The series is entitled Why the Right Dislikes…In future episodes I will look more specifically into various related topics and voice a few thoughts with diferent perspectives.

This first episode is about why the Right dislikes...Diversity. These are but a few thoughts put together with the sole intention of proposing a different perspective. We don’t always share the same views because we always look at the developing threat from a different position.

The intention of this episode is to show that diversity is not the threat some people think it is.

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!

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...!

In this next episode of the Book Club with Greg, we take a lingering glance at Dissolution, the first Shardlake novel from author C J Sansom. This is Greg’s recommendation and in true delight we attack it with gusto.

To set the scene, it is England in the reign of Henry VIII. Anne Boleyn has just been beheaded and Henry has taken the bold step of separating England from Rome. He also needs case and the Catholic monasteries are rolling in gold. Dissolution deals with how Thomas Cromwell takes down the first of the monasteries in his great purge.

Thank you, Greg, 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!

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...!