Two and a Mic - The Social Podcast

Anna is a power to behold on a basketball court. When she first joined the team a few weeks ago, she had never really played much basketball, just a bit of streetball here and there, she had had no structured basketball training and was essentially, as she called herself, a newbie. The huge steps she took in the first few weeks were amazing. Good footwork, a presence in the zone and aware of other people on the court. So when I found out that Anna had recently recovered from cancer I was amazed. Anna is in her mid-20s. She is strong, energetic, positive and determined. She always carries a smile and generously shares it with everyone.Anna joins me to talk about this episode in her life, and I thank her kindly for taking the time to do so. Stay well Anna and play ball of course.This is TwoandaMic! Rise up and be curious…There are on occasion software phantoms at play that try to throw us off track but we persevered. I hope you will do so too.Here is a link to Anna's Instagram account which charts her journey through fighting cancer: InstagramThis podcast is maintained with the efforts of my guests' participation and as much free time as I can dedicate to it. I would appreciate it greatly if you could help spread the word and bring a few more people to the channel. Thanks in advance.I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:Instagram: TwoandaMicTwitter: TwoandaMic1TikTok: Twoandamic2Should 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...!#RiseUp #BeCurious #StaySafeThe only AI content in this episode is in the transcript. Every word, audio editing mistake and miscellaneous error is mine.

Since the times of the Shah, the religious revolution in Iran has been talking about oppression, the corruption of the west, and the hope for the Iranian people in following the leadership of the revolutionaries. Since 1979 the current government has been everything but revolutionary. The government in Iran has been regression in action. It finds excuses for its own ineffectiveness, and it kills people who try to exercise their human rights to expression and thought.Parastu joins me to talk about Iran and to give her thoughts on why Iran is experiencing this latest wave of oppression and to share her hopes for the future.Thank you Parastu as always.I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:Instagram: TwoandaMicTwitter: TwoandaMic1TikTok: Twoandamic2Should 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...!#RiseUp #BeCuriousEpisode art taken from the following link: Tehran (Teheran), Iran - Travel Guide - Exotic Travel Destination

We have by now seen the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. We have seen the way communities have been torn apart. We have seen how 'law enforcement' in the USA has so often been a blanket term to explain away systemic racism and prejudice. The ICE has now brought all of those facts out into the open and people are waking up to what African-American communities have known for centuries – a badge does not mean justice and if definitely doesn’t award fair treatment under the law. People watching from around the world need to ensure that nothing like ICE ever comes to our communities. Not the mask wearing thugs, the badges with impunity nor the politicians who lie to defend these atrocities.I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:Instagram: TwoandaMicTwitter: TwoandaMic1TikTok: Twoandamic2Should 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...!#RiseUp #BeCuriousCovert Art taken from the following URL: NYC Anti-ICE Protest Leads to 15+ Arrests as Thousands Take to Streets

The title 7 Days of Mayhem clearly refers to the first 7 days of 2026 but it also is a tribute to a movie entitled '7 Days in May' and one I would recommend people watch, even though it is in black and white and was made so long ago. The problems we are facing today we have faced many times over and the result is always the same: Millions dead, cities burned to the ground, centres of culture and learning lost, history rewritten or deleted, civilisations destroyed, the planet harmed, a future our children could have had to grow and thrive in replaced by the need rebuild and start again.It shouldn’t be that way. We cannot let our societies fall apart because we let a few people convince us that hate, discrimination, prejudice and superiority are values by which we measure importance and relevance. They are not and never have been. They only ever lead to death and destruction. There is no such thing as racial superiority. There is only superiority in ideals and even then, the superior ideals are those that embrace humanity in its entirety.Let us not knock down walls but stop building them altogether. Let’s stop separating communities but have them unite. Let’s stop judging others and instead make sure that we ourselves are the best we can be. Let’s stop hating and instead embrace love and understanding.I will never accept a world divided by human ignorance when the voices of the intelligent and wise are constantly silenced by the shouts of angry people holding guns.We are better when we allow ourselves to be and when we don’t follow the guidance of greed.This is TwoandaMicRise up and be curious https://open.substack.com/pub/twoandamic/p/fk-happy-new-year?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=4zmbt8I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:Instagram: TwoandaMicTwitter: TwoandaMic1TikTok: Twoandamic2Should 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...!#RiseUp #BeCurious

Aldous Huxley was a philosopher, a visionary and a writer of such immensity that his reputation remains powerful and influential. A pacifist, a thoughtful and thought-provoking writer, he urged his readers to step back from the world and see it for what it was becoming. In Brave New World the lines “The more stitches, the more riches” and “Ending is better than mending” suggested an understanding of capitalism that the neo-liberals themselves didn’t truly grasp until the 1980s.In this poem, The Defeat of Youth, Huxley speaks of the transitional power of love and how it affects us, how it fills us, and steals away innocence. It is a poem of great depth and intensity and I am sorry that I cannot do its beauty justice.The photo for the episode art is taken from the link below.This is TwoandaMic, enjoy!I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at: Instagram: TwoandaMicTwitter: TwoandaMic1TikTok: Twoandamic2Should 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...!#RiseUp #BeCuriousEpisode art source: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw07514/Aldous-Huxley

This is a review of Ken Follett’s The Armour of Light. It is the latest in his Kingsbridge series and is set in the times of the Napoleonic Wars, the industrial revolution, mass poverty and times of significant social and religious change. I cannot overstate the relevance of the many topics introduced in this one tale.As such Greg’s choice to review this story was an inspired one and I am grateful to Greg for his humour and insight. His knowledge of Kingsbridge supersedes mine by far and it is important to be aware of the history, even of a fictitious town like Kingsbridge.I welcome opinions of every kind so please come and find me on social media at:Instagram: TwoandaMicTwitter: TwoandaMic1TikTok: Twoandamic2Should 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...!#RiseUp #BeCurious