Foreign Influence

The Physical and Mental Strain of Recovering from Covid-19

A special episode of the Foreign Influence Podcast - following up on one our previous episodes, we talk again with Adam Hodgkins, who had been in isolation with covid-19 here in Singapore but has now been released! Bill caught up with him by phone to discuss his 25-day-long experience recovering from the disease and the physical and mental strains that came with it.

Thanks for listening!

Reach out to us at hello@foreigninfluencepodcast.com or through social media. You'll find us individually on Twitter, but also check out our FI Facebook page, where we can continue to the conversation.

Also, please sign up for our newsletter - the Foreign Influence Dispatch. We'll have links, more info, and commentary from us.

Please remember that, if you like what you hear or read, sharing is caring. 🙏

Be safe, don't panic, flatten that curve, and be nice to one another.

Bill & Nikolaj

Singapore Circuit Breaker • On the Ground in Detroit with Covid-19 • Good News

It's the Foreign Influence Podcast, in which American Bill Poorman and Dutchman Nikolaj Groeneweg - in defiance of all things corona - take you on a humorously serious and seriously humorous romp through the week's international events! This week:

• Singapore has at last joined much of the rest of the world in lockdown, or as they're calling it here, "circuit breaker".

• A conversation with Keith Mernovage from Detroit, Michigan, USA. We got to know Keith here in Sunny Singapore, but he moved back to Detroit, which is rapidly become the next covid-19 outbreak hotspot in the US. 

• And as we always do, some good news. This time, a website recommendation - Artis Ventures is trying to keep track of all of the medical innovations underway to stop the coronavirus. 

Thanks for listening!

Reach out to us at hello@foreigninfluencepodcast.com or through social media. You'll find us individually on Twitter, but also check out our FI Facebook page, where we can continue to the conversation.

Also, please sign up for our newsletter - the Foreign Influence Dispatch. We'll have links, more info, and commentary from us.

Please remember that, if you like what you hear or read, sharing is caring. 🙏

Be safe, don't panic, flatten that curve, and be nice to one another. 

Bill & Nikolaj

Singapore Circuit Breaker • On the Ground in Detroit with Covid-19 • Good News

It's the Foreign Influence Podcast, in which American Bill Poorman and Dutchman Nikolaj Groeneweg - in defiance of all things corona - take you on a humorously serious and seriously humorous romp through the week's international events! This week:

• Singapore has at last joined much of the rest of the world in lockdown, or as they're calling it here, "circuit breaker".

• A conversation with Keith Mernovage from Detroit, Michigan, USA. We got to know Keith here in Sunny Singapore, but he moved back to Detroit, which is rapidly become the next covid-19 outbreak hotspot in the US. 

• And as we always do, some good news. This time, a website recommendation. 

Thanks for listening!

Reach out to us at hello@foreigninfluencepodcast.com or through social media. You'll find us individually on Twitter, but also check out our FI Facebook page, where we can continue to the conversation.

Also, please sign up for our newsletter - the Foreign Influence Dispatch. We'll have links, more info, and commentary from us.

Please remember that, if you like what you hear or read, sharing is caring. 🙏

Be safe, don't panic, and flatten that curve with social distancing. Modern medicine is working hard to catch up!

Bill & Nikolaj

A First-Person Account of Being Infected with Covid-19 • In Times of Crisis, Be Nice

It's the Foreign Influence Podcast, in which American Bill Poorman and Dutchman Nikolaj Groeneweg - in defiance of all things corona - take you on a humorously serious and seriously humorous romp through the week's international events! A special episode this week:

• Our friend, Adam Hodgkins, talks to us about his being infected with SARS-Cov-2 and coming down with covid-19. Adam became sick not long after returning to Singapore from the UK and has been in hospital and isolation now for a couple weeks. His wife, who is asymptomatic, has been serving a stay-at-home order, as well. We discuss what happens while being treated and the emotional toll it can take.

• And in this week's good news, Nikolaj and Bill reflect on how, in times like these, fear = bad and nice = good.

Thanks for listening!

Reach out to us at hello@foreigninfluencepodcast.com or through social media. You'll find us individually on Twitter, but also check out our FI Facebook page, where we can continue to the conversation.

Also, please sign up for our newsletter - the Foreign Influence Dispatch. We'll have links, more info, and commentary from us.

Please remember that, if you like what you hear or read, sharing is caring. 🙏

Be safe, don't panic, and flatten that curve with social distancing. Modern medicine is working hard to catch up!

Bill & Nikolaj

On the Ground In Europe with Covid-19 • China Makes Its Move • Good Coronavirus News (Yes, We Mean It!)

It's the latest episode of Foreign Influence, in which American Bill Poorman and Dutchman Nikolaj Groeneweg - despite the unrelenting coronavirus news - take you on a humorously serious and seriously humorous romp through the week's international events! This week:

• The WHO now says Europe is the global epicenter of the covid-19 outbreak. We talk to German technology journalist Christina zur Nedden, who is on lockdown in Austria, about conditions there - and about what this might mean for our freedoms going forward. 
• China is offering aid to Europe in dealing with the outbreak, while the US seems determined to destroy its relevance on the world stage - and to abandon long-term friendships.
• And as we always do, we bring on the good news - this time focusing on developments surrounding the covid-19 outbreak that give us hope - neatly summarized in a newsletter Nikolaj has begun!

Thanks for listening!

Reach out to us at hello@foreigninfluencepodcast.com or through social media. You'll find us individually on Twitter, but also check out our FI Facebook page, where we can continue to the conversation.

Also, there's more than we can possibly cram into any given episode. So sign up for our newsletter - the Foreign Influence Dispatch! We'll have links, more info, and commentary from us.

Please remember that, if you like what you hear or read, sharing is caring. 🙏

Be safe, don't panic, and flatten the curve by practicing social distancing in order to give our modern medical systems time to beat the virus!

Bill & Nikolaj

Europe and the Coronavirus Covid-19 • Viral math challenges • It's Not Looking Good for Sanders

It's the latest episode of Foreign Influence, in which American Bill Poorman and Dutchman Nikolaj Groeneweg take you on a humorously serious and seriously humorous romp through the week's international news! This week:

• In the midst of the Europe's growing struggles with the coronavirus covid-19, the Trump administration takes time to throw them under the bus.
• An update on life in the second worst hit country in the world, Italy, with friend of the show Omar Osman.
• A perhaps premature, but likely not, eulogy for the 2020 Bernie Sanders campaign in the US.
• And of course, our usual dose of happy news. The modern track record with defeating disease is holding up.

Thanks for listening!

Reach out to us at hello@foreigninfluencepodcast.com or through social media. You'll find us individually on Twitter, but also check out our FI Facebook page, where you can continue to the conversation with us: https://www.facebook.com/foreigninfluencepodcast/

Also, there's more than we can possibly cram into any given episode. So sign up for our newsletter - the Foreign Influence Dispatch! We'll have links, more info, and commentary from us. Find it at: https://foreigninfluence.substack.com/.

Please remember that, if you like what you hear or read, sharing is caring. 🙏

And if you want to go one step further, we now have a Patreon page. We would appreciate any support you can afford. https://www.patreon.com/foreigninfluence

Be safe, don't panic, keep washing those hands, and for crying out loud, don't shake them! 🤛🙏👋 or even 🖖, but certainly not 🤝.

Bill & Nikolaj

Covid-19 Resignation • AgTech Startups & Sustainable Food • The West Is Winning

After a few unfortunate delays (some virus related, some technical), American Bill Poorman and Dutchman Nikolaj Groeneweg are back, taking you on a humorously serious and seriously humorous romp through the week's international news! This week:

• Covid-19 continues quickly, and we're becoming resigned to that. (Some of the data we mention are already out of date.) It just feeds the ennui... 
• Recently, the western nations got together at the Munich Security Conference. The US says the west is winning. We're not sure what that means.
• Amidst the gloom, a positive story! Bill interviews Naveen Sikka of TerViva, an AgTech startup working to develop an ancient tree species into a new, non-GMO food crop. Yeah, we said "AgTech startup". Not everything is IT. https://www.terviva.com/ Many thanks to The Yield Lab, www.theyieldlab.com, an AgTech accelerator, for the tip.
• And of course, our usual dose of happy news. AI might have begun to crack antibacterial resistance. 

Thanks for listening!

Reach out to us at hello@foreigninfluencepodcast.com or through social media. You'll find us individually on Twitter, but also check out our FI Facebook page, where you can continue to the conversation with us: https://www.facebook.com/foreigninfluencepodcast/

Also, there's more than we can possibly cram into any given episode. So sign up for our newsletter - the Foreign Influence Dispatch! We'll have links, more info, and commentary from us. Find it at: https://foreigninfluence.substack.com/.

Please remember that, if you like what you hear or read, sharing is caring. 🙏

And if you want to go one step further, we now have a Patreon page. We would appreciate any support you can afford. https://www.patreon.com/foreigninfluence

Take care, DON'T PANIC, and keep washing your hands!

Bill & Nikolaj

More Coronavirus Capers • US Elections • Journalism, Disruption, & Start-Ups

Join American Bill Poorman and Dutchman Nikolaj Groeneweg, living in Asia, as they take you on a humorously serious and seriously humorous romp through the week's international news! This week:

• Coronavirus ain't going away, so all we've got is gallows humor
• US politics is feeling the Bern, even though Europeans might call it a mild warming
• A fantastic conversation with Alan Soon of Splice Media, a company dedicated to empowering journalism start-ups and entrepreneurship in Asia, with global lessons to teach. According to Alan, we're in a new golden age of journalism, even though some traditional outlets are struggling. https://www.splicemedia.com/
• And the usual dose of happy news! This time the fires in Australia are finally going out. But those koalas...

Thanks for listening!

Reach out to us at hello@foreigninfluencepodcast.com or through social media. You'll find us individually on Twitter, but also check out our FI Facebook page, where you can continue to the conversation with us: https://www.facebook.com/foreigninfluencepodcast/

Also, there's more than we can possibly cram into any given episode. So sign up for our newsletter - the Foreign Influence Dispatch! We'll have links, more info, and commentary from us. Find it at: https://foreigninfluence.substack.com/.

Please remember that, if you like what you hear or read, sharing is caring. 🙏

And if you want to go one step further, we now have a Patreon page. We would appreciate any support you can afford. https://www.patreon.com/foreigninfluence

Take care, and still wash your hands!

Bill & Nikolaj

Coronavirus Capers in Singapore • China's Legitimacy at Stake • US Politics Any Better?

Join American Bill Poorman and Dutchman Nikolaj Groeneweg, living in Asia, as they take you on a humorously serious and seriously humorous romp through the week's international news! This week:

• Coronavirus in Singapore
• The legitimacy of the Communist Party in China is challenged by the virus
• US politics is its own special form of shitshow
• And some happy news, including altruistic cats (didn't see that coming)

Thanks for listening! Reach out to us at hello@foreigninfluencepodcast.com or through social media. You'll find us on Twitter, but also check out our Facebook page, where you can continue to the conversation with us: https://www.facebook.com/foreigninfluencepodcast/

Also, there's more than we can possibly cram into any given episode. So we're launching a newsletter - the Foreign Influence Dispatch! Sign up to get links from the show, more info, and commentary from us. Head over to https://foreigninfluence.substack.com/ to sign up.

Please remember that, if you like what you hear or read, sharing is caring. 🙏

And if you want to go one step further, we now have a Patreon page. We would appreciate any support you can afford. https://www.patreon.com/foreigninfluence

Take care, and wash your hands!

Bill & Nikolaj

Living with the Wuhan Corona Virus • Plagues of Today & the Past • Brexit Ho!

Join American Bill Poorman and Dutchman Nikolaj Groeneweg, living in Asia, as they take you on a humorously serious and seriously humorous romp through the week's international news! This week we have a special focus on the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak:

• The novel coronavirus out of Wuhan, China continues to spread, and all Bill wants is an antibacterial wipe for his phone
• Keeping a proper assessment of risk in your head is really hard
• The animals don't ask to be eaten
• Diseases have shaped human history
• China has imposed quarantines of cities equalling entire countries
• And our twisted take on happy news - Brexit is finally here!

Thanks for listening! Reach out to us at hello@foreigninfluencepodcast.com or through social media. You'll find us on Twitter, but also check out our Facebook page, where you can continue to the conversation with us: https://www.facebook.com/foreigninfluencepodcast/

Also, there's more than we can possibly cram into any given episode. So we're launching a newsletter - the Foreign Influence Dispatch! Sign up to get links from the show, more info, and commentary from us. Head over to https://foreigninfluence.substack.com/ to sign up.

Please remember that, if you like what you hear or read, sharing is caring. 🙏 

Bill & Nikolaj