Over Here, Over There

In her recent point of view episode about the recent German elections, Claudia Koestler, Senior Editor at the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Germany's leading national daily, comments on the significant rise of right-wing parties. Is there any hope of stemming this rising tide? Claudia does her best not to despair when politicians and voters go wrong.

Over Here, Over There podcast host Dan Harris discusses with BBC Radio Kent's Steve Ladner the election of a new Speaker of the House, (R-LA) Michael Johnson. 'Finally, the nightmare in the US House of Representatives is finally different' (as opposed to over), so says late-night host Stephen Colbert. After three weeks of paralysis, the new House Speaker, second in line to the Presidency, is Representative Michael Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana. Not well known even by colleagues in Congress, many of whom had to Google him to learn more, Mr. Johnson talked cordially in the spirit of bipartisanship towards the Democrats in his acceptance speech. His quiet history tells otherwise, however. As a MAGA loyalist, he was one of the chief architects of the GOP's campaign to decertify the 2020 U.S. presidential election in the House of Representatives. With severe challenges both at home and abroad, how he will use the powerful Speaker's gavel, only time will tell. Have a listen.

Amidst the turmoil following Hamas's brutal attack on Israel, President Joe Biden traveled to Israel to show US support for its close ally and try to reduce tensions amongst the warring factions. BBC Radio Kent host Steve Ladner speaks with Dan Harris, international political commentator and co-host of the 'Over Here, Over There' podcast to determine whether Biden's peace-making efforts achieved their goals.

The value of international education is increasingly being realised, particularly in countries in which tuition fees have increased significantly over the years. As Anthony Nemecek, one of our expert panelists explains, more and more students are recognising the advantages of looking beyond their borders for higher education opportunities. While the financial incentives are becoming more apparent, international education can enhance life skills, help develop greater cultural awareness, provide a wider choice of educational opportunities, and can be a key differentiator on the CV or resume. Tune in to understand how international education could be the best investment one ever makes. Host Dan Harris is joined by fellow podcaster partner Claudia Koestler, Senior Editor of the Süddeutsche Zeitung in Munich, along with our guests who are specialists in international education at university and secondary school levels: Anthony Nemecek, Chief Educational Consultant at Banyan Education Consultancy; and Dale Scarboro, History teacher, author and career advisor at St. Edwards Senior School, Cheltenham, UK. In the podcast, we discuss: It’s an informative and insightful episode that will be of interest to educators, students, parents and anyone seeking to study abroad and possibly develop an international career. Don’t forget to subscribe and share the podcast with others, who are particularly interested in the benefits, challenges and adventures of studying abroad.

According to a recent New York Times article, dual nationality is the new ‘gotta have’, and many people across the world are seeking a second or even a third nationality to improve their life chances. In this very dynamic, globalised world, gaining another citizenship is promoted or restricted depending on the political, economic and social trends within each country and across the world. Whether it’s the pandemic, Brexit or people becoming aware of greater advantages dual citizenship would provide elsewhere, there’s been a massive increase, in some cases ten-fold, since 2015. It’s a hot topic that needs discussing Host and multi-passport holder Dan Harris is joined by fellow podcaster partner Claudia Koestler, Senior Editor of the Süddeutsche Zeitung in Munich, along with a panel of dual-citizenship holders Lee Egan, Barrister at Citadel Chambers, Eva Tunez Salvador, Director of Genuine Translations and co-founder of Local to Global, and Dr. Tom Lorman, Lecturer at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London. It's an entertaining and informative listen to five personal journeys in the realms of citizenship that you don't want to miss. If you ever thought of adding another citizenship for whatever reason, you'll gain insight and knowledge that our panelists have to offer which will help you decide.

If you were the culinary ambassador of your country and had to offer one dish to attract as many visitors as possible, what would that be? A soul-searching question for our panel of international culinary professionals and foodies from France, Taiwan, Germany, UK and the USA. Their delicious, inventive and practical suggestions are entertaining and intriguing. No doubt our listeners will have their own favourite dish from their travels (remember when we could actually do that?). In our OHOT discussion, host Dan Harris will be joined by fellow podcaster Claudia Koestler, Senior Editor at The Süddeutsche Zeitung, Asian Cookery Presenter Pamela Chen, award-winning French restauranteurs Yves and Elisabeth Ogrodzki, and US food writer, musician and entrepreneur Adam Wilcox. Let's forget about pandemics and lockdowns for a little while and let our culinary wings take us to lands where once we traveled or yearn to go. Don't forget also to subscribe to the podcast and share it with others who have similar good listening tastes! Visit us at overhereoverthere.org.

Small talk is hard for some people. But what happens when a country's citizens find it difficult or don't engage in small talk culturally with their fellow citizens or foreigners? Is small talk an essential key factor for a functioning society or is it just superficial blah? And why are some countries better at it than others? Does it give them an advantage in international relations? Is it a key success factor in gaining friends or winning in business? So many questions. Let's find out. We engage in this upcoming episode with some of the best small talkers in the business. Ready to shoot the breeze with host Dan Harris are fellow podcaster partner and Senior Editor of the Süddeutsche Zeitung Claudia Koestler, BBC Radio and commercial radio host Warren Moore, British/American Psychotherapist Margaret Cavanagh and Japanese cultural ambassador Yuka Ogura.

He’s gone but certainly not forgotten. You know who I’m talking about. Long, dark coat, long red tie, orange hair. The man who dominated the airwaves for four chaotic years of his presidency, culminating in a riotous mob attacking the heart of US democracy at the Capitol, the impact from which will be felt for who knows how long. But the podcast is not all about him. We’ve divided into two parts: the first half assessing the Trump Administration in true ‘Over Here, Over There’ fashion; and then we turn our attention to the new Biden-Harris administration and what it means for the rest of the world. Host Dan Harris is joined by co-host and fellow podcaster Claudia Koestler, Senior Editor of the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Germany’s largest quality newspaper; Bill Barnard, former Chair of Democrats Abroad UK and the History Department at the University of Alabama; Warren Moore, BBC and commercial radio presenter, and Dr Tom Lorman, Lecturer at University College London’s School of Slavonic and East European Studies. But first, I’ll let you in on a secret. We had originally recorded this podcast on 5th January, a day before the riot. Technically, we were not in a post-Trump era then. If there was going to be controversy, one would have guessed it was going to happen when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris assumed the reigns of executive power at their inauguration on 20 January. The next day, the 6th January, proved that thinking wrong as the world looked on in shock and amazement at the rioting at the Capitol and the attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 Presidential election. Trump’s second impeachment proceeded rapidly thereafter and was passed in the House of Representatives, followed by a momentous vote in the Senate acquitting Donald J Trump of inciting a riot, the vote being 57-43, the largest bipartisan majority of any impeachment trial but falling short of 67 votes needed in a super majority to convict. The crater that was left in America’s democracy and the impact of these events couldn’t be ignored. So, after recording the podcast on the 5th January, we decided to re-record the episode and check our thinking again. We hope you enjoy the insightful discussion by our panel who share their candid views from various locations and assess what it means for America’s position in the world and their own country’s relationship going forward with the US under the Biden Administration. So, please listen, subscribe and share! And don’t forget to check out our nifty membership benefits at overhereoverthere.org.

In this podcast, we have a great mixture of professionals with first-hand experience of health systems in different countries, including Claudia Koestler, Senior Editor of the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Mike Bellissimo, a former senior executive at Humana and the Cleveland Clinic and Dr. Charlie Vivian, Director of Icarus Health Solutions in the UK and a former director in the NHS. If you've ever lived or visited the USA, you probably were made aware that healthcare can be a wee bit expensive. If you had to visit a hospital or doctor, you were probably made doubly aware of the cost of that visit, even if it was covered by your travel insurance. We explore healthcare systems in the US, UK and Germany in this podcast and ask fundamental questions about why things are so different between countries and what we can learn from each other. The US has one of the most technically advanced healthcare sectors in the world. However, given the disparate nature of healthcare across fifty states and the lack of political agreement of its structure, management and administration over decades, it's easy to exploit the cost of healthcare in the US as an issue of concern and amazement. Perception isn't everything, but it does require an explanation in context to understand what needs to be done to make it more accessible and equitable. We hope you enjoy the podcast and welcome your comments either here or on our social media channels.

Social responsibility has been a critical imperative before the vaccines for the COVID-19 virus were developed and it remains vital for the safety and well-being as the vaccines are rolled out across the world. But some countries have fared better since the beginning of the outbreak, and we’d like to discuss the reasons for this and what we can learn from each other across the world, in true ‘Over Here, Over There’ fashion. Dan Harris hosts along with his fellow podcaster Claudia Koestler, Senior Editor at the Suddeutsche Zeitung in Munich. Our guests: Mike Bellissimo, senior healthcare and high technology executive, joining from outside Bostin, Massachusetts; Margaret Cavanagh, a British Psychotherapist, and Kaki Okumura, a top Japanese writer on food, cooking, health, travel, and culture, who joins the discussion from Tokyo. The COVID pandemic has been devasting in so many ways. Each country has its own unique story in the management of the pandemic, all with different strengths and weaknesses. There are some that seem to have managed it in their stride, keeping it relatively under control, although furiously vigilant to each potential outbreak. Japan, with the third largest economy, is one of these countries. The data behind transmitted cases show Japan with approximately 1% of cases and deaths relative to the USA. How has Japan maintained control and achieved relative success? We’ll ask Kaki Okumura what we can learn and possibly use in some way in other countries. Kaki wrote the opinion piece in Yes! Magazine entitled ‘Pandemic Lessons from Japan: A Tradition of Considering Others’ that sparked this discussion. The U.S., with highly-trained healthcare professionals and world-leading medical facilities, has had challenges encouraging more socially responsible behaviours. We’ll look at others to see how countries approach different problems and what can be learned and adapted from them.