Alan Johnston; out of Gaza

For four months BBC journalist Alan Johnston was held hostage in Gaza (we call it 'Aza). I was rather put off by the carnival around his release and felt it was a Hamas publicity stunt. (see blog) Nevertheless, the persona and the plight of Alan Johnston was and is very fascinating. It was very fortunate therefore, he has written a book about his experiences and was invited to talk with Jon Snow (Channel 4) and the public at the RSA. More so, that this conversation was recorded and published as a podcast episode by UChannel.

The talk turns very personal. Johnston relates how he managed to psychologically survive. How he worried about his parents. How he managed (or not) to maintain some kind of relationship with his main jailer. And about the feelings when released and about coming home. Allow me to paraphrase: I entered the kitchen. You probably enter the kitchen a million times in your life and it is the most ordinary experience, but this time I was so aware of it and so happy about it.

His words are not just about his own plight, they are also about Gaza. He claims to be one of the very very few outsiders who have actually lived in Gaza and who understand how life is over there. His sketch is grim, his outlook is pessimistic. He doesn't take sides with Fatah or Hamas or anybody else. It is a tough story and if not for Gaza, for Johnston it has a happy ending. If not complete, in any case the podcast is a delight to listen to.

More UChannel (aka University Channel podcast):
Nuclear Terrorism,
Attack Iran (or not),
Israel, Iran, terrorism,
Less Safe, Less Free (Losing the War on Terror),
The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy.

Upcoming podcast reviews on "Anne is a man!"

Within 24 hours:
- A conversation with Alan Johnston
- NRC FM (The New Russia)

Within 48 hours:
- Distillations
- The Biography Show (Alexander the Great)

In the coming days
- Open Source (After the Empire: Must Reading from Parag Khanna)
- UChannel Podcast
- Environmental History (Urban Air Pollution)
- Shrink Rap Radio (Mindmentor and others)
- More Simek
- Speaking of Faith: No more taking sides

This month: A new podcast directory to be added, Geography Podcasts.

New podcasts on trial:
Historypod
Chronicles Radio Dispatches
Africa Past and Present

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Democracy in America

What I need, as an outsider of American politics, is an explanation of what is going on right now - such as the pre-elections for the candidates to the presidency. In addition to that I need background exposes in order to get the general picture right. The blog Democracy in America on The Economist does exactly that. It also provides audio which is integrated in the general Economist Podcast. Alternately there is a review of the latest caucuses and their results and an interview with a specialist on a certain general topic in the US.

The latest to issues I listened to with great interest carried these two marks. One analyzing the latest results and evaluating the three most likely candidates as things stand right now: McCain, Obama and Clinton. McCain earned from the success of the surge in Iraq and seems to manage to overcome the hesitations Republicans have with him (as not being enough of a conservative). Obama is characterized as the one who may mobilize 60% of the electorate, yet can also drop to 40%. Clinton on the other hand is named a controversial figure who may hold 49% and has no chance on the opposing 49% and whose presidential campaign should mean to to win over the remaining 2%.

The other episode features an interview with Bradley Smith about the way campaign financing is regulated in the US. Should this be reformed? What ideas are about that. (Among others from McCain) Generally, financing is not coming from the government but from private organizations and individuals. To what extent does that lead to more corruption or less?

More from the Economist:
Issues of Race,
The primary system,
The Economist in New Hampshire,
A biography for Barack Obama and one for Hillary Clinton,
The Economist podcast.

Heesters, Petain, Leopold achteraf - OVT

Achteraf is het makkelijk praten, merkt de Belgische historicus Bruno de Wever op. OVT sprak afgelopen zondag niet alleen in het kader van In Europa over collaborateurs. Eerst ging het nog over Johan Heesters, waarna er naadloos aangesloten kon worden bij thema rondom het jaar 1940.

Wilhelmina vluchtte naar London en liet Nederland aan de bezetters. Leopold bleef in Belgie achter en werd een krijgsgevangene in zijn paleis in Brussel. Charles de Gaulle week ook uit naar London, maar er bleef een Frans gezag, in handen van de blijvende Petain. Petain sprak een doodvonnis over De Gaulle uit en stichtte de nieuwe Franse staat.

Die Franse staat bestond binnen de kaders die de Duitsers stelden. Vichy Frankrijk heerste over een fractie van het Franse grondgebied. Een deel werd bezet, door Duitsers en Italianen en delen werden aan Belgie of Duitsland toegevoegd. Leopold had ook graag zo'n stukje soeverein gebeid gehad, maar kreeg dat van de Fuhrer niet gedaan. Iedereen dacht dat de Duitsers nog lang zouden heersen. Wilhelmina, De Gaulle en Churchill leken de gekken die de feiten niet onder ogen zagen. Maar achteraf is het makkelijk praten.

En Heesters? Ingo Schiweck, auteur van een artikel ‘Johannes Heesters –Ich bin Hollaender’ in het boek ‘Niederlaendische Unterhaltungskuenstler in Deutschland’, noemt hem vooral een profiteur. Er kan niet bewezen worden dat hij in Dachau gezongen heeft, of bij de SS kazerne ernaast. Hij heeft de Nazi-leiders nooit opgezocht, maar deze hielden van hem en gebruikten hem in de propaganda machine. Heesters kon als artiest blijven werken en een succesvolle carriere bouwen met de wind in de rug. En met de rug naar de actualiteit. Het doet me een beetje aan Herge denken. Er zijn er zoveel die zolang als het maar kon doorleefden tussen de brokken door. Wie kan er goed kiezen wanneer de toekomst onduidelijk is? Achteraf is het makkelijk praten.

Eerdere besprekingen van OVT in dit blog:
1929 - Goldene Zwanziger,
1933 - Fellow Travelers.
1936 - Spanje,
1938 - Hitler en Holocaust,
1939 - Patriotten tot landverraders.

New Podcast Reviews by Anne the Man

Within 24 hours:
- OVT (Vichy)
- The Economist: Democracy in America

Within 48 hours:
- Distillations
- The Biography Show (Alexander the Great)
- A conversation with Alan Johnston

In the coming days
- Open Source (After the Empire: Must Reading from Parag Khanna)
- UChannel Podcast
- Environmental History (Urban Air Pollution)
- Shrink Rap Radio (Mindmentor and others)
- More Simek

This month: A new podcast directory to be added, Geography Podcasts.

New podcasts on trial:
Historypod
Chronicles Radio Dispatches
Africa Past and Present

Subscribe in a reader

Paste the link
http://feeds.feedburner.com/Anne_Is_A_Man
into the RSS reader of your preference.

You can let your preferences know by commenting on the blog or sending mail to The Man Called Anne at: Anne Frid de Vries (in one word) AT yahoo DOT co DOT uk

Witches, plague, war and Hobbes

In a way the fall of Constantinople was not so much of a low note in the making of Europe. It basically emancipated this backwater from the east even if it suddenly had to stand up on its own facing the Islamic invaders and also lost touch with the trade routes into India and China. That is 1453, where History 5 started. The next issues were the opening up of the New World and the Reformation which, even though enough ugly stories go along with it, first and foremost exemplify the vigor of emerging Europe. In the fourth week however, History 5 plunges us without any restraint in to the depth of ugliness and the many faces it wore during the 16th and 17th century.

Part of this is the immediate result of the Reformation and the political and military consequences it took. War tore the emerging area apart. Most notably the Thirty Year's war, which killed off, up to 50% of the population in certain parts of the German lands, but not just there. Also in France, England the Netherlands and the rest of Europe war raged.

In addition to all this upheaval we have the prosecution of witches which rises to enormous heights in this era and fortunately also subsides by the end. Also there is plague, ever since the end of the Middle Ages, the black death continues to break out. Lectures 7 (Things Fall Apart: Persecution, Plague, and War) and 8 (Hobbes's World and the Emergence of Constitutional Government) of History 5 take us through these upheavals and make the connection to Hobbes's reaction in the form of a political theory asking for absolute power to the state. What is especially challenging is Professor Anderson's effort to explain the witch hunt; evaluate the various popular and scientific explanations and outline the beginning of an explanation of her own.

More History 5:
Reformation,
Europe and 1492,
The making of Europe in 1453,
From the Renaissance Until Today,
The genitals of Christ: Anne asks and then Anderson replies.