A Swig of Intellect- your conversation companion.

A Swig Of Intellect - Episode 40 - 2nd Of December, 2020

https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/A-Promised-Land-Audiobook/0241991420?source_code=M2M14DFT1BkSH082015011R&&ipRedirectOverride=true&gclid=Cj0KCQiAk53-BRD0ARIsAJuNhpu6NrwUgADTUw1RUr2tN45FVPAA4jHQcvCqMkpdR9XjLZYpDefvKd0aAvOIEALw_wcB

A Swig Of Intellect - Episode 39 - Wednesday 25th Of November, 2020

News review: The BBC World Service is legendary in the broadcast world. It is the world’s largest service of its kind. Conclusion: One of my favourite radio stations, and one of the great legacies of the British Empire, it is still arguably the most famous and widely listened to source of international news, and certainly covers more countries than anyone else. It is almost always a pleasure to tune in the morning and to discover news stories from around the world. Swig of the news: Trump lets the proceedings for the transition commence.Trump still refused to concede and vowed to continue to fight in court after General Services Administrator Emily Murphy gave the green light Monday for Biden to coordinate with federal agencies ahead of his Jan. 20 inauguration. https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-transition-approved-04f44843e63aad2820bc72640cca2e83 https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/us-election-watergate-journalist-exposes-21-republicans-who-shared-disdain-of-donald-trump/JSNR7KX3AZ3HQIQPKZCL2GXYCY/ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/25/trump-plans-to-pardon-former-aide-michael-flynn-reports Biden says no hard border between Ireland and the UK https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/nov/25/brexit-talks-joe-biden-says-uk-ireland-border-must-remain-open https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/nov/24/uk-facing-risk-of-systemic-economic-crisis-official-paper-says Families across the UK will be able to gather in three-household groups of any size over Christmas, the government has announced, bringing warnings from scientists that the plan will almost inevitably see a rise in the number of coronavirus cases. m/world/2020/nov/24/christmas-covid-uk-plan-lets-three-households-mix-for-five-days Russian comedians Vovan and Lexus have struck again, this time pranking Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau in a phone call during which he believed he was talking to climate change activist Greta Thunberg. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/25/leave-nato-justin-trudeau-pranked-by-russian-duo-posing-as-greta-thunberg £715 million drug haul in Thailand was in fact lavatory cleaner https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/world/700m-drug-haul-in-thailand-was-lavatory-cleaner-qm92k7jc9 The Thai government has admitted that 11.5 tonnes of chemicals seized by anti-narcotics police are not drugs worth more than £700 million but a harmless stain remover. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/20/it-gave-me-hope-in-democracy-how-french-citizens-are-embracing-people-power?fbclid=IwAR0ASj2M4cFyzjQ2dTMeGBto596mXnJPUhQw49-gcPJhP-gyxsXw-k1ByPs Netflix to double its UK budget this year to 1 billion USD in 2020 https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/nov/25/netflix-to-spend-1bn-in-uk-in-2020-on-tv-shows-and-films From the Future: https://www.fastcompany.com/90579163/a-brilliant-plan-to-turn-parking-garages-into-rooftop-gardens Bates Smart’s proposal would create a transfer scheme, allowing developers to buy up parking garages for conversion. From the past: The butter crisis of 2011 in Norway. Heavy rains in Norway in 2011 affected the grazing of cows, leading to a loss of almost 20 million litres of milk. Patrick shot of culture: Daunt bookshop Marylebone. While lockdown continues in London, for all of the lovers of books you can still go to Daunt bookshop and buy books through the special counter set up at the entrance to the store.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-54703164 Lisa shot of Culture: US Now- the virtual exhibition: https://www.halcyonexhibitions.com/world-of-halcyon The question of identity, on both an individual and community level, feels more pertinent in the current global climate than ever before. 'Us Now’ looks at how artists appropriate national and political figures, imagery, and iconography in order to address this subject in their work.

A Swig Of Intellect - Episode 38 - 18th Of November, 2020

Source review: The Sun https://www.thesun.co.uk/ Conclusion: It’s a cost-effective cheap newspaper- and when you don’t invest in quality you can get very thin Journalism- but very powerful journalism too. It seems to be one of the most blatant examples of how media can really influence popular opinion. It’s not my cup of tea, but its influence is not to be sneezed at. Swig of the news: UK headlines. Corbyn suspension lifted after 19 days. Jewish rights groups are furious.https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/corbyn-s-labour-party-suspension-lifted-after-just19-days. Suzanne Moore, the winner of the Orwell prize in 2019, forced out of the Guardian for calling women a “biological classification, not a feeling”.https://www.spectator.co.UK/article/Suzanne-Moore-s-departure-is-a-sad-day-for-the-guardian https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/suzanne-moore-leaves-guardian-months-after-staff-send-letter-of-revolt-over-transphobic-content/ COVID19: Denmark begins work on a roadmap for mandatory vaccination.https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/denmarks-flirtation-with-mandatory-vaccination NHS staff flock to anti vax group:https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/coronavirus-nhs-staff-flock-to-anti-vax-group-k8sq7q63w US Election: Trump fires head of US cybersecurity for saying that the election was fair. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/17/chris-krebs-trump-fired-cybersecurity-voter-fraud-claims Republicans worried at Trump’s bucket list after Iran threats and potential to send Yemen into famine. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/world/allies-tense-after-trump-sought-iran-attack-plan-bd32cbv6q Agencies re-branding Americahttps://www.fastcompany.com/90569630/the-great-american-rebrand Environment: Ban on fossil fuel vehicles- will it work? : https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/18/uk-ban-on-new-fossil-fuel-vehicles-by-2030-not-enough-to-hit-climate-targets Boris Johnson announced a self-styled green industrial revolution.https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/17/boris-johnson-announces-10-point-green-plan-with-250000-jobs. World News: Australia and Japan are warned by China to “be careful” over their new defence pact.https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/nov/18/china-warns-australia-and-japan-over-confrontational-new-defence-pact Time Capsule: From the Future: Homecoming launches. The organization, founded to find better solutions to criminal justice reform, would act as a matchmaker between Oakland residents with an extra bedroom to rent and people leaving prison who needed a place to stay. https://reasonstobecheerful.world/strangers-are-welcoming-people-released-from-prison-into-their-homes/ From the past: The Story of Mathias Rust- In 1987, a young German pilot named Mathias Rust decided to fly a small aeroplane from Helsinki to Moscow. Even though he was tracked by Soviet air defence, they believed him to be a friendly aircraft and did not shoot him down. He managed to land on the Bolshoy bridge near Red Square in Moscow. He later said that he had wanted to create an imaginary bridge between the West and the East, to reduce tensions between the opposing sides. His flight was significant, as it showed that Russia’s airspace was far from impenetrable, and led to the dismissal of many of the most important members of the Soviet military. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathias_Rust Shot of Culture: Dracula by Francis Ford Coppola. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bram_Stoker%27s_Dracula_(1992_film) Small Axe by Steve McQueen: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/nov/15/small-axe-review-steve-mcqueen-triumphs-with-tales-of-britains-caribbean-history

A Swig Of Intellect - Episode 37 - 11th Of November, 2020

The Source Review: The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/world/ Conclusions: A very well written and highly regarded magazine, one of the oldest in America, it tends to lean more to the left, with a high literary quality to its long form articles. A very good source on American politics and scientific news. Swig of the News: COVID19: More detail about this vaccine that looks to be available end of the year.https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/10/6-key-questions-about-the-pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine The complicated nature of the Vaccine rollout https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/nov/10/pfizer-and-biontechs-vaccine-poses-global-logistics-challenge Vanuatu has officially recorded its first case of COVID-19, health officials announced on Wednesday, ending the Pacific nation’s status as one of the few countries in the world to remain virus-free.The remote island nations and territories of Kiribati, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu are all believed still to be free of the virus. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/11/vanuatu-records-first-covid-19-case-in-man-who-returned-from-us The US Presidential Election- the results: Downing Street’s congratulatory message to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on winning the US presidential election contains a hidden message congratulating Donald Trump for winning a second term in office.https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/nov/10/johnsons-biden-win-tweet-contains-hidden-trump-congratulations?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other USPS whistleblower admits to lying about voter fraud.https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/10/us-postal-worker-recants-voter-fraud-claims-after-republicans-call-for-inquiry Saudi Arabia very disappointed that Trump lost. He is trying to pay them in massive weapons deals and huge sanctions on Iran. https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/09/world/saudi-arabia-trump-biden-presidency-analysis-intl/index.html Donald Trump refusing to concede the election: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/10/joe-biden-trump-embarrassment-refusal-to-concede-election We have a new species of primate on earth! https://www.theguardiaujn.com/world/2020/nov/11/popa-scoop-100-year-old-monkey-faeces-reveals-new-species-in-myanmar Time Machine: From the future: Slovakian aviation company Klein Vision’s AirCar V5 gracefully transforms from a car into an aircraft that actually flies. https://www.designboom.com/technology/klein-vision-aircar-flying-car-test-11-05-2020/ From the past: Pantone 448 C. Dubbed the ugliest colour in the world, it is described as a drab dark brown. It was deemed so unattractive that it was selected by the Australian government as the colour of its cigarette packaging. https://magazine.promomarketing.com/article/the-story-behind-pantone-448c-the-worlds-ugliest-color/ Shot of Culture: The Crown series 4 begins on the weekend: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-54799488 The Histories by Herodotus, translated by Tom Holland: The finest translation of the first book on History by Herodotus. ref=sr_1_1

A Swig Of Intellect - Episode 36 - 5th Of November, 2020

Swig of The News: US Presidential Election: We deliberately delayed our recording because we had no idea on how to read the election results this time yesterday morning- we still kinda don't? On the morning of day 3, no presidential winner has been declared- but it looks like Biden will definitely win and trump will definitely sue: https://www.theguardian.com/uk Investors think that the Democrats could be hamstrung by the Senate and unable to pass stimulus, meaning a better outlook for tech and health stock.https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/nov/05/global-stock-markets-climb-on-prospect-of-biden-presidency Now, if Trump wins the election, Trumpism wins. But if Trump loses the election, Trumpism wins too https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/04/trumpism-us-presidential-election Biden breaks records receiving the most votes for president than anyone has- Trump the second biggest turnout: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election-2020/biden-us-election-votes-record-trump-b1595565.html COVID19: The United States set a one-day record for new coronavirus cases on Wednesday with at least 102,591 new cases and as hospitals in several states reported an increasing number of patients.https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/5/united-states-breaks-record-for-daily-covid-19-cases UK Nationwide London lockdown begins today for a month: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/05/police-warn-public-to-expect-tougher-crackdown-on-covid-lockdown-breaches NHS England’s national incident coordination centre – comprising the organisation’s senior team – has become operational again, having been stood down in July.https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/04/nhs-leaders-warn-of-surge-in-serious-covid-19-cases-in-england Sweden and COVID19: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/sweden-coronavirus-response-experiment- The impact has been most severe in the elderly. Statistics show that 89 per cent of Sweden’s 5,929 Covid-19 deaths so far have been over 69. US and Paris Climate Change agreement: US and Paris Climate Change agreement: The United States on Wednesday officially became the only country in the world refusing to participate in global climate efforts, with the fate of the crisis hanging on the still uncalled presidential election.https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/04/us-paris-climate-agreement-exit-election French furious about coverage of President Macron in the US: https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/thank-god-for-france-and-president-macron Time Capsule: From the future: Richard Browning's Jetpack:likhttps://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/nov/05/were-going-to-the-skies-and-stars-the-man-building-our-jetpack-future-in-tribute-to-his-dad From the past: The Liberian election of 1927. Said to be the “most rigged election ever”, despite their only being 15,000 registered voters, Charles B King won over 243,000 votes or 96% https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1927_Liberian_general_election Shots of Culture: Support your local bookshop during Lockdown 2.0: https://uk.bookshop.org/ Turner’s Modern World at the Tate Britain: https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/turners-modern-world