The Washington Post has published three excellent photo essays about the war in Ukraine. The series of essays is entitled “Agony, Endurance and
Escape: Ukraine in Pictures.”
The three photographers are Guillaume Herbaut, Salwan Georges and Peter Turnley.
Georges was interviewed on the December 3, 2020 episode of the excellent B&H Photography Podcast. Among other things, Georges discusses why he uses Sony equipment.
Joseph Weisberg, a former CIA officer and the creator of the terrific TV series The Americans has written a new book entitled Russia Upside Down An Exit Strategy for the Second Cold War. Weisberg challenges commonly held American assumptions about Russia. Weisberg was interviewed about his book on an episode of SpyCast, which is produced by the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC.
In October of 2021, Weisberg was interviewed on the excellent SRB Podcast, produced by my alma matter, the University of Pittsburgh.
Dani Dayan, the newly appointed chairman of Yad Vashem explains during his interview on the People of the Pod podcast that historical accuracy about the Holocaust is vital for the cause of Holocaust education and remembrance. He adds that comparing public health measures to combat the global Covid pandemic is “completely out of touch with reality.”
Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, is Israel’s center for Holocaust education, documentation and research. It was established in 1953.
It’s a great interview.
This chilling documentary offers an inside look at white nationalism in the United States (the alt-right), including Richard Spencer, Lauren Southern, and Mike Cernovich:
The documentary was directed by Daniel Lombroso. Lombroso was interviewed on this episode of People of the Pod podcast, which is produced by AJC.
Facts matter.
The B&H Photography Podcast has an interesting interview with Washington Post photographer Salwan Georges. Georges explains what it’s like to photograph a presidential campaign during a pandemic. He was tested often, wore a lot of masks and had to clean a lot of hotel rooms as he traveled the country on assignment.
Georges also had to deal with fogged viewfinders as a result of his masks. He ended up using the rear screen of the camera more than the viewfinder. The pandemic had a real impact on his work.
A great podcast about traveling in France
If you want to travel in France and learn about French history, the Join Us in France podcast is a superb resource.
The podcast, which launched in 2014, was originally co-hosted by Elyse and Annie. They live in France and know it well. Annie was born in France but has lived in the United States. Although Elyse grew up in New York, she knows the language, the culture and the country’s history inside and out. Elyse, the native American, often seems more French than Annie who was born in France. Go figure. Due to time constraints, Elyse is no longer a co-host but still comes on the show as her time permits.
The podcast does a great job of explaining France and its culture to Americans. I especially enjoyed the episodes about driving in France, cheese and Le Marais. I also learned a great deal by listening to recent episode in which Elyse and Annie discuss the best places to see modern and contemporary art in France.
Each episode has show notes that are very helpful in planning a trip. For example, the modern art episode lists 18 museums around France to explore, including many new to me.
There are plenty of other resources to help travelers to France select hotels and restaurants. But this podcast will help you to understand France. Annie also offers self-guided audio walking tours. She’s not offering personal tours during the pandemic but I hope they will return.
Annie and Elyse were interviewed for Amateur Traveler episode 428 about Paris. The Amateur Traveler is a great podcast but if your destination is France, Join Us in France is the podcast for you.
David Enzel 