Apr 19, 2018
Embassies are fascinating entities having existed for longer than the concept of the modern nation-state.
They are often misunderstood and can offer a unique insight into the diplomatic issues that countries face.
In this episode I cover:
What embassies and consulates are,
Their unofficial varieties like from Taiwan,
Apr 2, 2018
Thomas Midgley Jr. was undoubtedly a great inventor, yet he was far from a great man.
Midgley was recognised by J. R. McNeill, a pioneer of the study of environmental history, as having “had more impact on the atmosphere than any other single organism in Earth's history“.
Midgley's inventions have...
Mar 22, 2018
A lot of wonderful things can be said about Truman, particularly his attitude to the office of the President.
We can not say wonderful things about Truman's idea to internationalise the waterways of Europe.
It was a silly idea and one given far too much attention by Truman.
In this episode I give what detail is...
Nov 26, 2017
Many nations sit on some form of natural resource wealth and, as is their right, they will exploit that wealth. The windfall is often spent nearly as quickly as it is earned with few able to exercise sufficient restraint to save some for a rainy day.
This short-termism is most prevalent in democracies where a dollar...
Nov 19, 2017
The olympics as we know them today are a rather modern phenomenon, peculiarly mixing 'amateur' athletics with a very professionally run programme of events.
The 1904 St. Louis olympics were in every sense amateur. With very few participants generally, and barely any foreign competitors specifically.
Yet one event, the...