Funboat Diplomacy

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Funboat Diplomacy is a show hosted by Weimin Chen. Guests come from a variety of backgrounds and discuss their lives back home, experiences in other countries, and share their perspectives. www.funboatdiplomacy.com

Weimin Chen

  • Jun 3, 2018 LATEST EPISODE
  • infrequent NEW EPISODES
  • 58m AVG DURATION
  • 70 EPISODES


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Latest episodes from Funboat Diplomacy

FBD #71: Seung Hyun Kim - South Korea

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2018 70:01


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.

FBD #70: Stavros Anagnou Bonus Episode!

Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2018 23:42


Stavros stuck around for another short bonus episode where he discusses his tour of the American South including tailgating at an LSU football game and going to a race at the Talladega Speedway. Check out our friend Dylan's company Orange Sky Adventures for the tour described in this episode. https://orangeskyco.com/

FBD #69: Stavros Anagnou - The United Kingdom/Greece

Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2018 61:31


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.

FBD#68: Trip to Italy (Rome)

Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2018 36:02


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

FBD #67: Fabio Haenel - Germany

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2018 61:56


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

FBD #66: Dhairya Joshi - India

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2018 65:46


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.

FBD #65: Free Trade vs Protectionism

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2018 34:55


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).

FBD #64: Luka Šterić - Serbia

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2018 73:55


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

FBD #63: Salma Kadry - Egypt

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2018 64:54


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

FBD #62: Private Military Firms (PMFs) with Boris Vylov

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2018 69:54


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.

FBD #61: Trip to Italy (Campania Region)

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2018 44:35


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

FBD #60: Tawanda Munyuki - Zimbabwe

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 29, 2018 89:26


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.

FBD #59: Hemn Hussein - Iraqi Kurdistan

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2018 69:52


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.

FBD# 58: New Years in Berlin

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 14, 2018 28:02


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

FBD #57: Francis Russell - Australia

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 25, 2017 73:17


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

FBD #56: Pete Pölzleithner - Austria

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 18, 2017 61:34


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

FBD #55: Trip to Austria

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2017 23:21


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

FBD #54: Readings from Charles Bukowski - "More Notes of a Dirty Old Man"

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2017 50:00


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

FBD #53: Ninnu Erkkilä - Finland

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2017 72:54


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

FBD #52: Vincent Desbouit - France

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 11, 2017 69:12


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.

FBD #51: Trip to Israel

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2017 35:03


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

FBD #50: Gvantsa Gverdtsiteli - Georgia

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2017 63:35


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.

FBD # 49: Boris Vylov - Bulgaria

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 19, 2017 64:24


Boris Vylov is from Bulgaria. We discuss his experience in Work & Travel Programs in the US and the history of Bulgaria.

FBD #48: The Return of the Funboat Diplomacy Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2017 52:16


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.

FBD #47: Andrew Diao - China

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2016 66:29


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.

FBD #46: Lars Braekken - Norway

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2016 68:56


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.

FBD #45: Maxime Jonckiere And Marie Flederick - France

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2016 61:08


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.

FBD #44: Tommy Fleming - United Kingdom

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2016 63:44


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.

FBD #43: Jeremy Brake - Canada

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2016 65:56


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.

FBD #42: Daniel Lyra - Brazil

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 18, 2016 62:10


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.

FBD #41: Yasin Abdel Hamid - Egypt/Germany

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2016 62:37


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.

FBD #40: Jorge Alcantara - Spain

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2016 64:37


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.

FBD #39: Jhoon Saravia - Peru

Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2016 64:16


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.

FBD #38: Thomas Rouaud - Switzerland

Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2016 65:29


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.

FBD #37: Jamie Mandella - The United States of America

Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2016 70:28


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.

FBD #36: Naima Zakaria - Bangladesh/Norway

Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2016 71:11


Naima Zakaria is from Bangladesh and lives in Norway. She is visiting eco-villages on her trip around the world. We begin the podcast with a calming and grounding guided meditation led by Naima and then discuss the mind's projection of time and reality, the cultural and technological bubble of China, and environmental sustainability. Follow her projects at http://naima.strikingly.com Periscope and Twitter: @naimanow

FBD #35: Lynn Kiatsamuttara - Thailand

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2016 60:45


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.

FBD #34: Niko Delater And Joke Durnez - Belgium

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 20, 2016 65:24


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.

FBD #33: Motoko Kuromasa and Yuya Ume - Japan

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2016 63:57


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.

FBD#32: Jamie Mandella - The United States of America

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2016 77:34


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.

FBD #31: Rudy Haryono - Indonesia

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2016 62:53


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.

FBD #30: Nekia Wright - United States of America

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2016 67:00


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.

FBD #29: Charles Korir - Kenya

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2016 58:12


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.

FBD #28: Hezekiah Crocker - The United States of America

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2016 64:01


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.

FBD# 27: Orlando Werffeli - New Zealand

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2016 65:19


Orlando Werffeli is from New Zealand. He has been living in San Francisco for a year and will soon be studying International Development in Switzerland. We discuss the remnants of the Beat Movement in San Francisco, all kinds of political theories, the 2016 US Presidential Election, and the contemporary global condition.

FBD #26: Stavros Anagnou - The United Kingdom/Greece

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2016 67:01


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.

FBD #25: Nuno Neves - Portugal

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2016 62:30


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.

FBD #23: Bente Schreurs - The Netherlands

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2016 61:45


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.

FBD #22: David Ayala - Colombia

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 14, 2016 68:21


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.

FBD #21: Cherith Reddy - India

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 7, 2016 64:37


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.

FBD #20: Gard Ulven Bahlk - Norway

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 31, 2015 64:07


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.

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