Podcasts about Oman

The Iraqi national team snatched the Arabian Gulf cup as it defeated Oman 3-2 in the final game of the tournament

Bloomberg BusinessWeek reporter and author Matt Campbell joins Tim to talk about the story behind his new book, “Dead in the Water,” and what that story tells us about some of the darker sides of the international shipping industry. Matt Campbell co-authored the book with Kit Chellel. It's a true story of hijacking, murder and a global maritime conspiracy. https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/shapingopinion/Matt_Campbell_-_Dead_in_the_Water_auphonic.mp3 Over a three-year period, from 2008 to 2011, roughly 200 vessels were raided and taken by Somali Pirates. Most of this activity happened around the Gulf of Aden on the east coast of Africa, between Somalia, Yemen and Oman. So, in July of 2011, when news reports came out that another vessel was attacked by pirates in those waters, it wasn't a surprise. But as events would unfold, this case was different. On the evening of July 5th, the Brillante Virtuoso drifted about 10 mils off of Aden. It carried a cargo of fuel oil. Earlier that day, the ship was to call into part to embark a team of three unarmed security guards to join the vessel through the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Just before midnight, a small boat approached the Brillante Virtuoso. It contained seven armed and masked men…not three unarmed men. They did not have a ladder. They did not have a grappling hook or any other way of getting on board the ship. When they approached, they told the crew of the ship they were “security.” The master mariner of the ship was not expecting security until the next morning. Still, he gave the order to let them onboard. No one checked their identification, and the master did not. Once the group boarded the ship, they took the crew captive, most with the exception of the master or the chief engineer. They told the crew to take the ship to Somalia. The master took the ship for an hour and a half in the wrong direction, and then the main engine stopped.  Reports are that it broke down and would not restart. That's when an improvised explosive incendiary device – or IEID – was detonated. The IEID exploded in the ship's purifier room, and this created an oil fire. The crew, all except for the chief engineer, abandoned ship. They were picked up by a U.S. warship that was nearby.  The seven armed men left in their small boat, but no one saw them go. On the morning of July 6th the oil fire had gone out in the purifier room, but later in the day, there was a major engine room oil fire. It subsided. So, that by the afternoon of July 7th, two days after the ordeal started, much of the ship's key facilities had been destroyed by fire. At that point, the vessel was towed and its cargo was offloaded. The ship was totaled. But this was just the beginning. Matt Campbell is a reporter with Bloomberg Businessweek magazine. He's covered major political and business stories across the Asia-Pacific region. He's reported from more than 20 countries on subjects that have ranged from crime and terrorism, to public health. Given that, I had to ask Matt, what made this story different? Links Dead in the Water, by Matthew Campbell and Kit Chellel (Amazon) Matthew Campbell (website) The Hijacking of the Brillante Virtuoso, Bloomberg (2017) Inside The Hijacking of the Brillante Virtuoso, Bloomberg (2022) About this Episode's Guest Matt Campbell Matthew Campbell is a reporter and editor for Bloomberg Businessweek and the co-author of Dead in the Water: A True Story of Hijacking, Murder, and a Global Maritime Conspiracy. He has reported from more than 20 countries, covering crime, corruption, terrorism, climate change, and technology, among other topics. Matthew's work has been recognized with some of the highest honors in journalism, including Gerald Loeb, Overseas Press Club, and Society of Publishers in Asia awards for feature reporting. A graduate of Yale and Oxford, he lives in Singapore with his wife and two children.

Hi #smartcommunity friends! Welcome back to the Summer Series here on the Smart Community Podcast. As you know, we're taking a little break from new content over the Australian summer holidays, and instead we are sharing the replays of a few of our all time favourite episodes. This week we're sharing my interview with Laila Al Hadhrami from Episode 263, which was released in November 2021. At the time of recording, Laila was the Smart Cities Development Manager at the National Energy Centre in Oman and ready to talk about her favourite topic, Smart Cities. Laila begins by telling us about her background and her passion for the digital world and Smart Cities, how sustainability drew her into the Smart Communities space and we discuss the importance of knowledge sharing in Smart Communities. Laila then shares with us how she is working to build Smart Communities in Oman, what a Smart Community is to her and we discuss the importance of investing in people's skills and empowering people. Laila then tells us about her work leading Smart City projects at the National Energy Centre, before she discusses how Oman has embraced the Smart Community concept and its evolution over the last 5 years. We finish our chat discussing the emerging trends of serving the basic needs first in communities before looking to the future, and the changes the Covid-19 pandemic has brought to our working and online learning lives. We will be sure to get Laila back on the show in future for a full update about what she has been up to since we recorded this episode and how our thinking has progressed since our conversation. But in the meantime, as always we hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it! Find the full show notes at: www.mysmart.community Connect with Laila via LinkedIn Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community Connect with My Smart Community via LinkedIn or Twitter and watch on YouTube The Smart Community Podcast is produced by Perk Digital

In this session, you'll learn the most important questions to ask when considering a potential mission sending organization. Find your best fit by attending this seminar!

Paul Rissman of Rights CoLab joins Kieran Poole to discuss if the anti-ESG movement could significantly hinder investors in going green or whether it is simply a temporary bump in the road. He also tells us all about his previous life as an archaeologist digging up 4,000-year-old towns in Oman.  Remember to follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. 

Darrell Castle talks about the end of 2022 as the United States Congress came together in an act of bipartisanship to prevent a government shutdown and pass the $1.7 trillion, 4,155 page omnibus spending bill. Transcription / Notes: CONGRESSIONAL BIPARTISANSHIP Hello, this is Darrell Castle with today's Castle Report. This is Friday the 6th day of January in the year of our Lord 2023. I will be talking about the end of 2022 as the United States Congress came together in an act of bipartisanship to prevent a government shutdown. Congress was able to attend to its priorities quite well during December 2022 and I will be looking at the priorities of Congress as manifested by the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill passed at the last minute as the last act of 2022 or the first of 2023 depending how you want to view it. I've heard the Democrat Party referred to as the evil Party and the Republican Party referred to as the stupid Party. Occasionally they get together and do something both evil and stupid which is known as bipartisanship. Yes, everyone knows that the U.S. is more than 31 trillion in debt it cannot repay. More than 3 trillion would have to be shaved from the budget this year to reduce the debt by 1 trillion and then do that for 31 years so unpayable is a reasonable word. Instead, the plan is to destroy what's left of the American economy by spending wantonly, irresponsibly, and foolishly on waste and war. The passage of the bill funnels more than $47 billion additional dollars to aid the Ukrainian efforts to fight Russia. That will bring the total aid package to roughly $111 billion. U.S. defense contractors such as Raytheon and General Dynamics will be happy since they will build the weapons paid for by U.S. taxpayers. Some of the missiles being ordered will reportedly not be ready for shipment until 2025. What will be the results of all this spending? More of the nations' resources will be shifted to unproductive uses such as buying weapons and buying foreign politicians. Real American wealth is reduced while unproductive dollars flood through the system. Dollars are given birth without any subsequent increase in production. Congress is just doing what it does best, destroying the economy with fake money and stupid spending. Let's look at just a few of the things your labor will be paying for in this bill of 4,155 pages which congress was given 3 days to read and digest. $410 million to protect the borders of Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan, Oman, and Lebanon. $65 million to restore Pacific salmon populations. $3.6 million to make a hiking trail named for Michelle Obama. $200 million to promote gender equity and equality some of which is for Pakistan. $3 Million for an LGBTQ museum in New York. $477,000 for the Equity Institute of Rhode for antiracism virtual labs. $1million for Zora's House in Ohio, a co-working and community space for women and gender expansive people of color. $750,000 for LGBT and gender non-conforming housing in Albany, NY. $2million for the Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore. $750,000 for the Trans Latin Coalition to provide workforce development for transgender and gender non-conforming and Intersex immigrant women in Los Angeles. $1.2 million for LGBTQIA+ Pride Centers. $1.2 million for DACA recipients at San Diego Community College. $5.4 billion in earmarks for the Democrats. $858 billion in defense for the Republicans. We were told before passage of this bill that aid to Ukraine was the number one issue for Republicans. That is what Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said anyway, but it seems that not many Republicans will admit to that. “Providing assistance for the Ukrainians to defeat the Russians, that's the No. 1 priority for the United States right now, according to most republicans.” To that statement by senator McConnell, I say nonsense, but if it is somehow true, then that is a fine example of why America is in the deep trouble that it is in.

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow #Iran: #Oman: Provocations in the Strait of Hormuz. Malcolm Hoenlein @Conf_of_pres @mhoenlein1 https://www.timesofisrael.com/irans-military-begins-drill-near-strait-of-hormuz-amid-mounting-tensions-with-west/

Episode 70! Dr. Aziz Alghashain joins The 966 to talk about Saudi-Israel relations in 2023, the status of the Abraham Accords, and his view on Saudi foreign policy going forward. Before the conversation with Dr. Aziz, the hosts discuss the upcoming Future Minerals Forum 2023 in Riyadh, major developments in Saudi Arabia's water sector and how the Kingdom is getting more mature about water management, and much more in the program's Yallah! segment. 3:06 - Richard's one big thing is the upcoming Future Minerals Forum 202314:54 - Lucien's one big thing is water! Rain has fallen across Saudi Arabia in recent weeks. That lead Lucien to thinking about the recent maturity of Saudi Arabia's water sector, including innovative techniques in desalination and opportunities for the private sector in the coming years. The subject also ties in with Saudi Arabia's national farming policies, including a recent story from Arizona about a Saudi-owned company, Almarai, and its local subsidiary using groundwater for alfalfa production. 30:45 - The 966 welcomes Dr. Aziz Alghashian, a Saudi researcher and writer focused on Saudi-Israel relations. Dr. Aziz is often quoted in media outlets like the NYT, France24, Sky, BBC about the developments in this interesting area of Saudi foreign policy. The hosts also talk with Dr. Aziz about his story growing up just out of Washington, D.C. and his studies and work in the UK. 1:41:00 - Yallah! 6 top storylines to get you up to speed headed into the weekend...Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo joins Saudi Arabia club Al NassrPortugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has joined Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr on a 2-1/2 year deal, a month after the 37-year-old forward became a free agent when his contract with Premier League club Manchester United was terminated. Al Nassr said the five-time Ballon d'Or winner will join on a deal until 2025 but did not disclose any financial details. Ronaldo's contract with the team has been estimated by media to be worth more than 200 million euros ($214.5m).Hyundai Motor to be first Korean carmaker with factory in Middle EastSaudi Arabia's Ministry of Industry has signed a memorandum of understanding with the South Korean company “Hyundai Motors” to build a factory for the complete assembly of electric cars in the Kingdom. The memorandum of understanding stipulates planning to build a complete assembly plant with the “CKD” system for electric cars and internal combustion engine cars, to be located in Saudi Arabia.Employment in Saudi Arabia's non-oil sector rises at strongest pace since 2018Hiring at companies in Saudi Arabia's non-oil sector increased at its strongest pace in about five years in December, driven by "robust” business activity. The acceleration in sales growth drove businesses in the kingdom to increase hiring in December to boost operating efficiency. The rate of job creation was the fastest recorded since January 2018, while the increase in staffing capacity helped companies to reduce outstanding work for the seventh month running.Saudi Arabia Gains Majority Stake in Magic Leap in $450M DealSaudi Arabia has taken majority share of the US-based augmented reality company Magic Leap, The Telegraph reports, widening the stake via its state-owned sovereign wealth fund with a deal amounting to $450 million. The investment puts the country's ownership of Magic Leap over 50 percent, giving it overall majority control. To date, Magic Leap has raised $4 billion, with minority investors including Google, Alibaba, Qualcomm, AT&T, and Axel Springer.Gulf Cup gives Iraq chance to draw closer to Arab neighborsFrom Jan. 6-19, the southern city of Basra will host the 25th edition of the Arabian Gulf Cup (AGC), a biennial football tournament amongst Gulf Arab states first held in 1970 in Bahrain. Iraq will be the venue of a major international football competition for the first time since it both hosted and won the AGC in 1979. Eight regional teams—Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen—will participate in the tournament. Matches will take place at the Basra International Stadium and the Al-Minaa Olympic Stadium, venues with capacities of 65,000 and 30,000 spectators respectively.Saudi Arabia to launch kingdom's version of AirbnbSaudi Arabia is to allow its citizens to operate Airbnb-style property rentals after the kingdom announced a new portal similar to the global lettings marketplace. Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al Khateeb approved the tourism law this week. Properties will be advertised through an official tourism service provider in line with the regulations set by the ministry, which will publish prices inclusive of taxes. Strict guidelines have been issued on maintaining tourists' privacy, with constant surveillance of authorities on security, health and safety measures, including ambulance and evacuation procedures.

Aaron Ahuvia, PhD, is a Professor of Marketing and research psychologist who has been ranked 22 in the world for research impact in consumer behaviour and ranked in the top 2% of all scientists in the world across all disciplines by an independent study from Stanford University. Dr Ahuvia is the world's leading expert on brand love, i.e. how love works when we love the brand, product, or anything else that isn't a person; and has won numerous awards for this work. He has presented research or consulted for Google, L'Oréal S.A., Samsung, Maybelline New York, Procter & Gamble, Audi, General Motors, Microsoft, Ford, Team Detroit (ad agency for Ford and others), Chrysler, GfK Market Research, Herman Miller; and via the Altagamma consortium, Gucci, Versace, La Perla, Zegna, Valentino, Salvatore Ferragamo, and Beretta firearms, among others.Professor Ahuvia is one of the most highly-rated teachers at the University of Michigan due to his ability to make complex concepts clear and interesting to non-experts. This ability also makes him a popular source for journalists and he has been quoted in dozens of news stories published in a wide range of outlets including Time, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and major publications in Europe and Japan. Dr Ahuvia has also appeared on public radio talk shows as well as popular Television shows such as the Oprah Winfrey Show.Professor Ahuvia does research, teaches and consults for governments, nonprofits and corporations in China, Denmark, Oman, Finland, Poland, Morocco, France, Pakistan, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Rwanda, Singapore, Slovakia, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Yemen.Professor Ahuvia studied philosophy at the University of Michigan before getting a PhD in marketing from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management where he worked with the renowned Professor Philip Kotler. From there he became a professor at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business before becoming a Full Professor at the College of Business on UM's Dearborn Campus. He also holds an appointment as a Professor at the University of Michigan Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This session will be a quick review of common treatments for worms, Chagas disease, Human African Trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis which are all parasites more common outside of the United States. However with a recent increase in immigrants they are becoming more common in some parts of the United States. The brief discussion of the treatment of each of these infections will include medications, dosing, side effects and monitoring.

The second episode of 2023, and the second episode of the AUDIT FAIL series. Auditors are taught not to trust. Trust but verify, right? But how about your co-worker? Should you fully trust that person? In this episode, Abbas Al Lawait, Head of Audit at OQ8 in Oman, discusses the risks of 'blind trust'. Don't trust me? Listen in to find out.

The conflict in Ukraine has had a profound impact on geopolitical balances across the globe. The effects are certainly being felt in Syria, where Russia has been propping up the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Russia has been pressuring Assad to respond to Turkish overtures, which are primarily underpinned by Ankara"s determination to crush the US-backed Syrian Kurdish statelet in northeast Syria.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, Tatiana Rahal dives deep into her career trajectories and shares how she climbed the success ladder to become Talabat UAE's first female managing director. She talks about being driven to be a good team leader while providing more value to partners and clients. She also stresses on the importance of having a strong internal and external support which is vital in helping you achieve your goals and make the impossible possible.Tatiana Rahal is the first female Managing Director of talabat UAE, the region's leading online food delivery and q-commerce platform. She started her career in New York City working on data analytics for global brands as Mazda, Visa, and Bristol Myers Squibb.After four years, Tatiana joined a top tier management consulting firm in the MENA region where she got the opportunity to work on a diverse set of projects in Berlin, Dubai and Qatar. However, wanting to follow her passion for food and technology, Tatiana decided to join talabat UAE in 2017 as Corporate Performance Manager before moving to Oman as Managing Director in 2019. Listen to her episode, out now!

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SafetyWing Ildikó Szabó has traveled to every country in the world.  Ildiko Szabo Counting Countries I knew of Ildy for several years and had noted her social media presence, but it wasn't until October of this year when I met her in person at the Extraordinary Travel Festival in Yerevan.  I shared several conversations with her and recognized she would be a great guest for the podcast.  And, voila, a month after the festival we were recording this podcast. I would like to thank Ildy, since this podcast was a challenging endeavor.  To create 2 hours of recordings took us nearly 6 hours.  And then in post-production another 6 hours.  To say we had some technical difficulties would be an understatement.  Ildy was very, very gracious with her time.  And that is how the cookie crumbles, some episodes are straight forward and easy to publish, and well others suck up a ton of time.  And just a warning, at times it might seem like the podcast is missing audio from our conversation since at times it appears we are skipping around.  And it is true, we lost a fair amount of audio recordings, besides re-recording and my best attempts of editing, the podcast might be wanting for a better flow.  Nonetheless, Ildy provides a ton of great stories from her travels.       I found Ildy to be an accomplished traveler as well as very adventurous.  One thing I personally enjoy about interviewing all of these great travelers is how so many of them are interconnected.  I learned of a connection between Ildy and Johnny Ward.  I was impressed years ago to hear of Johnny's adventure on a cement ship from Oman to Socotra.  Well, in this conversation I was to learn Ildy took the same trip on her own to Socotra.  Really impressive.   I have a new partnership to announce.  I am promoting SafetyWing, a travel insurance company, and yes, I am an affiliate.  I have been using them personally for over 2 years.  And yes, there are a couple of reasons why … let me highlight a couple of the features.  First, you can purchase insurance while you are already on the go.  Some insurance products force you to sign up only when you are in your home country.  Second, you only have to share your initial country on your trip.  Many times, on my open-ended trips, I end up adding in additional countries.  I don't have to worry about forgetting to update SafetyWing.  They have me covered.  Third, most countries are covered.  Exceptions are Cuba, Iran, DPRK, Syria, Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.  Everywhere else is covered from Mogadishu to Tripoli.  To me, this insurance is fire and forgot.  It will renew every month, or you can set an end date.  But compared to many of the other products out there, this one to me is the most flexible.  So, take a moment, check out SafetyWing, and click on the link to sign up for your next trip.   CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SafetyWing I would like to thank everyone for their support of Counting Countries, especially my Patrons:  Lucy Shoe, Phillip Jones, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Ted Nims, Bisa Myles, Thor Pedersen, and Adam Hickman for supporting this podcast. They help pay for the production of this podcast.  You can support this podcast by going to Patreon.com/CountingCountries.  I would also like to thank and highlight two new patrons of the podcast, Ed Hotchkiss and Barry Hoffner.  I also met Ed in Yerevan for the festival as well.  Ed is Chasing 193 and is also an accomplished photographer.  I just purchased his book, Station To Station, a labor of love with black and white photos highlighting the people of the NYC subway.  Please take a moment to check out his book.  Barry is also Chasing 193 and has been to over 150 countries.  Say hi to him on his IG account, barryh99.  You can also support Counting Countries be writing a review or sharing this podcast with a travel lover.  My patrons hear extra content, like an additional hour of my conversation with Ildy.     And at the end of Ildy's conversation, you will hear a ten-minute conversation with Thor Pedersen of Once Upon A Saga.  As you might know, I have been documenting his journey every 6 months for the last 3 years.  My patrons will hear nearly 90 minutes of Thor recounting his last 6 months and his predictions for the end of the saga.     I was in Bangkok for this recording while Ildy was in Budapest.  Please listen in and enjoy.    Thank you to my Patrons …. Barry Hoffner, Edward Hotchkiss, Lucy Shoe, Phillip Jones, Thor Pedersen, Simen Flotvik Mathisen, Adam Hickman, Bisa Myles & Ted Nims.   Be the first on your block to sport official Counting Countries apparel!  

Jonny had a Talabat “Wrapped”... Robin loses a bet to Jonny... Jonny's work colleague forgot who he was... the real reason Robin and Jonny haven't had a pay rise... how many photos are online of you... Robin drops some important medical news... the New Year's resolutions we all break... financial advice from errrrr Jonny???... it's not teenagers you need to be worried about... the guys chat about “Veganuary”... Robin has 5 random facts... where does the fat go when you lose weight?... do you know someone who posts a lot of selfies on social media?... Jonny was a brave little soldier... it was Tolkien's birthday... the reason Jonny was particularly bad on the radio... a lady, who emailed the guys 2 years ago, comes into the studio... Robin's New Year's resolution... here's why you need to think about your ex... a new year true or false quiz... the very weird pizza topping Robin was told to try... how Jonny found himself rummaging through a bin AGAIN... the real reason Julia Andrews won't be in Princess Diaries 3... the guy who wore 60 items of clothing at once... things to look forward to in 2023...

Trending Middle East brings you the latest social media and search trends from the region and around the world.   On today's episode, Cristiano Ronaldo arrives in Saudi Arabia to finalise his deal with Al Nassr, after agreeing to the terms of a two-and-a-half year contract.   Iran activists issue a New Year's “victory” message as anti-government protests enter their third month.   Oman's social security recipients receive their biggest boost in six years in the sultanate's 2023 fiscal budget.   Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has set out the UAE's five key priorities for the new year during the first Cabinet meeting of 2023.

The $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill signed by President Biden prohibits using Border Patrol funding to improve border security, but gives $410 million to Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, and Oman—for border security. 5) Wall Street Journal calls omnibus spending bill “worst in history”; 4) Biden pushes Saudis into arms of China; 3) Hamas threatens Israel if far-right minister visits Temple Mount; 2) Startup in Mexico sprays sulfur particles in stratosphere to fight global warming; 1) Firefighters and Michigan State Police save young dog overcome by smoke in house fire.

On this week's episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are sharing our top ten reads of 2022! Can you guess where we overlap? This is a GREAT stack of books and we are so thrilled to share it with you. As per usual, time-stamped show notes are below with references to every book and resource we mentioned in this episode. If you'd like to listen first and not spoil the surprise, don't scroll down!  We are now including transcripts of the episode (this link only works on the main site). The goal here is to increase accessibility for our fans! *Please note that all book titles linked below are Bookshop affiliate links. Your cost is the same, but a small portion of your purchase will come back to us to help offset the costs of the show. If you'd prefer to shop on Amazon, you can still do so here through our main storefront. Anything you buy there (even your laundry detergent, if you recently got obsessed with switching up your laundry game) kicks a small amount back to us. Thanks for your support!*   . . . . 2:31 - Currently Reading Patreon 6:41 - Send your questions for Meredith and Roxanna to currentlyreadingpodcast@gmail.com by JANUARY 4 7:09 - Our 2022 Reading Recap 13:00 - CR Season 5: Episode 20 18:11 - NetGalley 25:23 - Kindle Oasis 27:25 - Book Darts 29:02 - Murder at Black Oaks by Philip Margolin (Meredith's lowest rated read) 29:13 - The Harbor by Katrina Engberg (Meredith's 2nd lowest rated read) 29:58 - Children of the New World by Alexander Weinstein (Kaytee's lowest rated read) 30:05 - PangoBooks 30:36 - The Turtle of Oman by Naomi Shihab Nye (Kaytee's 2nd lowest rated read) 33:50 - Our Top Ten Ranked Reads of 2022 33:58 - Death in the Family by Tessa Wegert (Meredith) 35:04 - Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel (Kaytee) 35:21 - Circe by Madeline Miller 35:22 - Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell 35:23 - The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd 36:11 - The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen (Meredith) 37:21 - World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil (Kaytee) 38:37 - The Appeal by Janice Hallett (Meredith) 40:59 - Breathe and Count Back From Ten by Natalia Sylvester (Kaytee) 41:04 - CR Season 5: Episode 14 42:41 - The Shell Seekers by Rosamund Pilcher (Meredith) 46:14 - The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles (Kaytee) 48:09 - The Anomaly by Herve Le Tellier (Meredith) 48:17 - The Popcast 51:11 - Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots (Kaytee)  52:57 - In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden (Meredith) 55:58 - I Take My Coffee Black by Tyler Merritt (Kaytee) 57:32 - Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree (Meredith) 1:00:06 - Love and Saffron by Kim Fay  1:00:07 - A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers  1:00:08 - A Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna 1:00:13 - Downton Shabby by Hopwood DePree 1:01:15 - Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (Kaytee) 1:02:10 - An Unlikely Story 1:03:05 - A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny (Meredith) 1:04:53 - The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb (Kaytee) 1:07:20 - Babel by RF Kuang (Meredith #2, Kaytee #1) 1:14:32 - An Immense World by Ed Yong (Kaytee #2) 1:16:13 - The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow (Meredith #1) Connect With Us: Meredith is @meredith.reads on Instagram Kaytee is @notesonbookmarks on Instagram Mindy is @gratefulforgrace on Instagram Mary is @maryreadsandsips on Instagram Roxanna is @roxannatheplanner on Instagram currentlyreadingpodcast.com @currentlyreadingpodcast on Instagram currentlyreadingpodcast@gmail.com Support us at patreon.com/currentlyreadingpodcast and www.zazzle.com/store/currentlyreading

We chat to the brilliant clown and veteran comedian, Dave Thompson. He is probably best known for playing Tinky-Winky in the Teletubbies – especially after he was sacked in July 1997 because the BBC thought his interpretation of the role was ‘unacceptable'.As a live act, he has worked in the USA, Sweden, France, Ireland, Holland, The Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Croatia, Dubai, Oman, and The Falklands as well as on the British circuit. His absurdist physical humour led Ben Elton to write a role for him in his 2000 movie Maybe Babe, as Dave The Comedian, aka Mrs. Furblob. Here is an overview of what we discussed:[[30:13]] The various comedy and clown personas, what are the problems with comedy teachers[[37:57]] We are all idiots groping around in the dark [[56:08]] Who has remained grounded despite their huge success and how being a parent makes you more understanding[[58:40]] How people can live with failure but can't live with successIf you would like to know more about Dave Thompson, you can read his book, the sex life of a comedian here for the paperback version:https://amzn.to/3WFzIEj and here for the Kindle version:https://amzn.to/3CeZ8R7. You can also learn physical comedy from dave here:https://bit.ly/3i4tIWG and writing stand up workshop here:https://bit.ly/3IlPkc1. If you would like to know more on Marvin, you can follow him through his Linktree at https://linktr.ee/theflopmaster.