Funboat Diplomacy

Seung Hyun Kim is from South Korea. We discuss the history of the two Koreas, the complexity of contemporary South Korea, and the unique institutionalized corporatism in the country.

Stavros Anagnou returns to the podcast. He is from Greece. We discuss the peculiarities of insect behavior, doing research on ants in Zimbabwe and South Africa, and Greek Rebetiko music.

This solo episode goes into my recent trip to the Rome, Italy including Vatican City

Fabio Haenel is from Germany. We discuss artificial intelligence, the security considerations regarding the technology, and its implications on mankind.

Dhairya Joshi is from India. We discuss the variety of Indian cuisine, aspects of the pharmaceutical business, and going to a Ferrari amusement park in Abu Dhabi.

This episode covers the topic of free trade as opposed to protectionism as well as the recent American tariffs on steel and aluminum and some thoughts about the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Luka Šterić is from Serbia. We discuss the topic Croatia-Serbia relations from the historical context to contemporary issues of the treatment of minorities, economic ties, political disputes, and the role of the European Union and NATO

Salma Kadry is from Egypt. We discuss her experience starting university during the Egyptian Revolution, studying abroad in Sweden, and the impact of travel.

Private Military Firms (PMFs) are a relatively new phenomenon in the contemporary application of armed force around the world in the evolving environment of hybrid warfare. Boris Vylov and I discuss this topic, how they are being used in recent times, and what it could mean for war in the future.

This solo episode goes into my recent trip to the Campania region of Italy including Naples, the ruins of Pompeii, and the Amalfi Coast.

Tawanda Munyuki is from Zimbabwe. We discuss the history of the country since independence, growing up in the time of economic crisis, and the recent overthrow of Robert Mugabe.

Hemn Hussein is from Iraqi Kurdistan we discuss the history of the region, life and the experience of growing up there, and prospects for the future of his country.

This solo episode goes into my transition from 2017 to 2018 in Berlin, Germany.

Francis Russell is from Australia. We discuss his experiences working in many countries, traveling in Southeast Asia, and various topics spanning the whole world.

Pete P\366lzleithner is from Austria. We discuss health as it relates to Austrian education, podcasts, coffee, mushrooms, the left, Alex Jones, and Milo Yiannolpolous.

This solo episode goes into my recent trip to Austria for my university program including Vienna and the small Alpine town of Payerbach

Readings from Charles Bukowski's "More Notes of a Dirty Old Man"

Ninnu Erkil\344 is from Finland. We discuss the Finnish education system, Universal Basic Income (UBI), and the role of individual and collective identity.

Vincent Desbouit is from France. He has been traveling around Europe by bike. We discuss his mode of travel, the thoughts and feelings that arise from it, and appreciating the comforts of a home.

This solo episode goes into my recent trip to Israel including Jerusalem, Masada, the Dead Sea, Tel Aviv and my harrowing rush to get to the airport on time for my flight home

Gvantsa is from Georgia (the country). We discuss her time abroad at an American high school, Georgian history, and experiencing the 2008 invasion of her country by Russia.

The Funboat Diplomacy Podcast is back! This episode covers the past year on hiatus, my time in Tahoe, travels through Asia, and my return to academics in the Erasmus Mundus Global Studies Programme.

Andrew Diao is from China. He works in electronic hardware in Silicon Valley. We sip Campari and discuss his passion for electronics, his service in the armed forces of Singapore, and his experience of getting struck by lightning and the lingering effects of that incident.

Lars Braekken is from Norway. He is a teacher of history and economics in his home country. We discuss the origins of Norway, the development and nature of the Norwegian welfare state, and Norwegian conservatism.

Maxime Jonckiere and Marie Flederick are from France. They have been traveling the United States in a camper ever since quitting their jobs. We discuss the car culture in America, Walmart, food production, and the Big Lebowski.

Tommy Fleming is from the United Kingdom. He is a barber in North Yorkshire. We discuss the pro-Brexit position, how we see the direction of the UK going forward, and the perception of peers of our age group toward those who favor the UK’s separation from the European Union.

Jeremy Brake is from Canada. He is a photographer exploring the unique aesthetic of San Francisco and attending exhibitions in the city. We discuss Canadian history, basics and methodology of photography, and the latest season of South Park.

Daniel Lyra is from Brazil. He is currently studying at the Hult International Business School in San Francisco. We discuss the impeachment of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, rapid technological development and problem solving in the free market, entrepreneurship, and mental and emotional grounding techniques in everyday life.

Yasin Abdel Hamid is from Germany and grew up in Egypt. He is a filmmaker and actor in Berlin. We discuss culture in Berlin, the selective bias of global media, being targeted and arrested during the Egyptian Revolution, and the state of the Middle East today.

Jorge Alcantara is from Spain. He is a solutions engineer for a startup based in Barcelona. We talk about being a magician in a bar in Madrid, space exploration, and Spanish politics.

Jhoon Saravia is from Peru. He is a software engineer and is in San Francisco to attend the Google I/O conference. We discuss the cutting-edge technologies emerging from Silicon Valley, workflow and work habits, and the and the history of computers.

Thomas Rouaud is from Switzerland. He visited the Bay Area to attend the Clinton Global Initiative University meeting in Oakland with his idea for a sustainable school in Kenya after his experience volunteering there. We discuss his own project as well as the kinds of projects other attendants were proposing to change the world, the virtues of altruism and cooperation in a globalized world, and Switzerland’s position in the European economic condition.

Jamie Mandella is from Boston, Massachusetts. He currently works in the restaurant industry in the Bay Area. We discuss Vipassna meditation, ayhuasca, and our curiosity regarding the nature of the Landmark Forum and its relationship to Panda Express.

Patarida (Lynn) Kiatsamuttara is from Thailand. She began traveling after taking a hiatus from working in the oil and gas industry. We discuss the history and politics of Thailand, living in Xinjiang Province in western China, and traveling in mainland China.

Niko Delaeter and Joke Durnez are from Belgium and currently live in San Francisco. We discuss the big companies in Silicon Valley, the 2016 Presidential Election, the Belgian mentality, the terrorist attacks in Brussels, and the refugee crisis in Europe.

Motoko Kuromasa and Yuya Ume are from Japan. Both are university students in Tokyo who recently completed their internship program at the Nomad-A-What Co-Working Space in San Francisco. We discuss historical memory in Japan, impressions of America, Asian identity in American, learning English from Spongebob Squarepants, and marijuana.

Jamie Mandella is from Boston, Massachusetts. He currently works in the restaurant industry in the Bay Area and served in the United States Marine Corps in the mid-90s. We discuss his career in the service, his mission in Somalia following the events depicted in Black Hawk Down, and his first-hand observations regarding geo-political leveraging of American foreign policy.

Rudy Haryono is from Indonesia. He currently lives in Washington DC and works at the historic Mayflower Hotel just a couple of blocks from the White House. We discuss the high-profile guests he has welcomed to the hotel, memory building techniques, and the tumultuous history of Indonesia, as well as the current state of country.

Nekia Wright is from the United States. She is a sound healer uses Tibetan singing bowls to provide sound therapy. We discuss her experience losing a teaching position in Guatemala and hitchhiking her way 3,000 miles overland back to the United States, attending a conference held by the separatist revolutionary Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) in Mexico, and the ins and outs of Tibetan singing bowls.

Charles Korir is from Kenya. He is a student of Computer Science at James Madison University. We discuss the day-to-day of growing up in Kenya, attending boarding school in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and the people he has caddied for on golf courses in the US.

Hezekiah Crocker is from the United States. He currently works in Silicon Valley at the online education platform Udacity as a video editor. We discuss the recent developments in virtual reality technology, the possibilities for cinematic VR experiences, and its implications in defining human consciousness.

Stavros Anagnou is from Greece and the studies Biology in the United Kingdom. He currently completing a year abroad Purdue University in Indiana. We discuss theories in neuroscience, the condition of contemporary Greek society, and the concept of Polymaths.

Nuno Neves is from Portugal. He is a graphic novelist and storyboard artist. We discuss his project The Story By Everyone, his hometown in Setubal, his involvement with Locking, and traveling in California.

Bente Schreurs is from the Netherlands. She recently completed a trip to San Diego, Phoenix, San Antonio, Austin, and New Orleans before returning home to Amsterdam. We discuss celebrating New Years at a rowdy hostel in San Diego (where I used to work), her short detour into Tijuana, and the danger of bears.

David Ayala is from Colombia. He has returned to Bogotá after a year and a half of traveling. We discuss his travels by cycling, by sailing, and by hitchhiking from Colombia to Panama and Mexico, the people he has met along the way, the affects of travel on his life, lessons learned, and the ‘vamos’ philosophy.

Cherith Reddy is from India. He is a medical student in Chennai focusing on orthopedics. We discuss growing up in the UK and moving to southeast India, musculoskeletal health, his travels in Spain, and the evolving tradition of arranged marriages among other societal norms.

Gard Ulven Bahlk is from Norway. He has completed a month in his year long travel toward his goal of homesteading in the woods of North America. We discuss the delicate balance of wildlife and the ecosystem, Scandinavia and the Vikings, trolls, and finding your way in life.