Long Distance Call

How will the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg influence the upcoming US election? Geraldine admired "RBG" - the incredibly intelligent jurist who went on to become a cult figure of the Left. Geraldine notes that Bader Ginsburg w... How will the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg influence the upcoming US election? Geraldine admired "RBG" - the incredibly intelligent jurist who went on to become a cult figure of the Left. Geraldine notes that Bader Ginsburg was lobbied to resign when Barak Obama was in power to make way for another progressive colleague. But RBG declined and the rest is history. Also this week, Eliza is captivated by Elizabeth Strout's novel "Olive, Again". And finding the appropriate footwear for summer. Thanks for listening! Join the conversation at the Facebook page "Long Distance Callers" or email ldcpodcast1@gmail.com Tightrope Nicholas Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/588999/tightrope-by-nicholas-d

Eliza is setting up her new house in Sydney. She was in a hurry to get it done as quickly as possible, until a friend of hers introduced her to the phrase “buy once, buy well.” Eliza’s been trying to follow that mantra and take a bit more time to con... Eliza is setting up her new house in Sydney. She was in a hurry to get it done as quickly as possible, until a friend of hers introduced her to the phrase “buy once, buy well.” Eliza’s been trying to follow that mantra and take a bit more time to consider the various items she really needs in her home. Geraldine's been thinking about trading in her car for a new-ish second hand model. That was until she went to the car yards to find that there’s very little stock available. Eliza thinks her mum deserves to buy a new car! Also this week, the politics of Covid-19. And the various podcasts and articles Eliza's been reading about the US election. Thanks for listening! Join the conversation at the Facebook page "Long Distance Callers" or email ld

Eliza lived a relatively nomadic lifestyle in Australia before moving overseas. She moved from Sydney to Hobart as a cadet journalist and then onto Karratha – Perth – and then back to Sydney again. She travelled with the basics and never invested in much furniture because it was expensive to move. This week, she decided it was time to grow up and buy new couches, on top of whitegoods and other items that make up a family home. It prompted a case of the repatriation blues. Geraldine has gone back to the movies this week seeing the new Australian film ‘Babyteeth’. Also on the podcast: the Salisbury Poisoning and Alexei Navalny. And Geraldine vents about her grammar frustration. Thanks very much for listening to the podcast! Join the conversation at the Facebook page “Long Distance Callers” or email ldcpodcast1@gmail.com *Salisbury Poisonings https://www.sbs.com.au/guide/article/2020/08/06/salisbury-poisonings-timeline-real-events *Babyteeth - movie https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8399664/ *Golden Age cinema Sydn

Tune in for part two of the LDC special from Victoria. Join the conversation at the Facebook page "Long Distance Callers" or email ldcpodcast1@gmail.com

Tune in for the first of two special episodes featuring LDC listeners in Victoria. In this podcast I speak to Franca Mosca and Carm Gleeson. Join the conversation at the Facebook page "Long Distance Callers" or email ldcpodcast1@gmail.com

This week, Obama as we've never seen him before at the Democratic National Convention. Geraldine and Eliza discuss new ways to communicate after COVID-19. Books, podcasts and War of the Worlds - a bleak TV show that Eliza is about to give up on. Thanks for listening! Join the conversation at the Facebook page "Long Distance Callers" or email ldcpodcast1@gmail.com The Noise of Time - Julian Barnes https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/534484/the-noise-of-time-by-julian-barnes/9781101971185/readers-guide/ The Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion https://www.amazon.com.au/Year-Magical-Thinking-Joan-Didion/dp/1400078431 When America Stopped Being Great - Nick Bryant https://www.penguin.com.au/books/when-america-stopped-being-great-9781760896232 I Catch Killers - Gary Jubelin https://www.harpercollins.com/products/i-catch-killers-gary-jubelin?variant=32114102108194

The Lebanese Government has resigned in the wake of last week's deadly port explosion. Ministers will limp on in caretaker mode but it will likely take months to form a new Government. Geraldine and Eliza discuss what comes next for Lebanon? Geraldine wonders if the French can install an administrator to funnel aid money to rebuild Beirut. Eliza thinks that's unlikely. She says any political change must come from the ground up. Also this week, Geraldine discusses the latest essay on the decline of America. Eliza finishes "Rodham". Geraldine is almost there with "Middlemarch". Finally, why has World War 1 captured our imagination more than World War 2? Thanks for listening! Join the conversation at the Facebook page "Long Distance Callers" or email us at ldcpodcast1@gmail.com The Unravelling of America https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/covid-19-end-of-american-era-wade-davis-1038206/ War of the Worlds – SBS on Demand https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9686194/ Middlemarch – audiobook https:/

Eliza records a special podcast in the wake of the massive explosion that's ripped through Beirut. She speaks to her friends Farah Kanj and Rima Husseini for the latest on the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe. If you want to help, the best starting point is the Lebanese Red Cross.

Geraldine and Eliza are feeling Victoria's distress keenly this week. The situation is so serious that it's become hard to concentrate on anything else. Geraldine has been reflecting on the manic pace of life before Covid-19. She wonders if people will revert back to old habits once a vaccine is (hopefully) found. Eliza has been thinking about technology and how to live a sane online life. Thanks for listening! Join the conversation at the Facebook page "Long Distance Callers" or email ldcpodcast1@gmail.com Princess Anne on a life in the limelight https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2020/07/29/princess-anne-speaks-life-campaigning-royal-dangerous-informed/ Madeleine Albright’s memoir https://www.harpercollins.com/products/hell-and-other-destinations-madeleine-albright Pale Rider – Laura Spinney https://www.amazon.com.au/Pale-Rider-Spanish-Changed-World/dp/1610397673 The Big Tech Hearing - The Daily NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/30/podcasts/the-daily/congress-facebook-amazon-google-apple.html On F

Eliza is ripping through "Rodham" which is the fictionalised version of Hillary Clinton's life if she didn't marry Bill. Eliza was initially put off my the premise of the book. Why dwell on alternative histories? It seemed like a waste of time. But she pushed on regardless and is now totally captivated. Meanwhile Geraldine is planning to watch the musical "Hamilton" on Disney, much to Eliza's bemusement. She doesn't do musicals, leaving her mother almost speechless. Eliza finally downloads a Taylor Swift album. How often should you replace your (expensive) devices? And coronavirus along the Amazon River. Thanks for listening! Join the conversation at the Facebook page "Long Distance Callers" or email us at ldcpodcast1@gmail.com Rodham - Curtis Sittenfeld https://www.penguin.com.au/books/rodham-9780857526137 Geraldine interviews Hannah Blair about the Clinton Affair https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/saturdayextra/the-clinton-affair---20-years-on/12464290 Hamilton musical on Disney https://www.disne

Geraldine's taking a well-deserved break. She's loaded the audio book "Middlemarch" on her smart phone and packed her suitcase with winter woolies. Eliza has just finished "Olive Kitteridge" and is watching "Normal People" on Stan. Thanks for listening! Join the conversation at the Facebook page "Long Distance Callers" or email ldcpodcast1@gmail.com Middlemarch – George Eliot https://www.penguin.com.au/books/middlemarch-9780141199795 Middlemarch & Me – The New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/02/14/middlemarch-and-me Olive Kitteridge - https://www.elizabethstrout.com/books/olive-kitteridge Dying for a drink: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/weekend-australian-magazine/dying-for-a-drink-native-fauna-desperately-seeking-human-help/news-story/7203f2526b87dfc388a478c637dc9b99

Geraldine's learning to live with ambiguity. As the COVID-19 situation in Australia worsens, the next six to twelve months remain unclear. We're all being asked to delay our plans and live in limbo. That's taking some getting used to. It's making Geraldine realise that our lives aren't quite as settled as they may seem. Meanwhile, Eliza's re-training her brain to read long essays in one sitting. And she's struggling to find time for yoga. Thanks for listening! Join the conversation at the Facebook page "Long Distance Callers" or email us at ldcpodcast1@gmail.com American Carnage – The Monthly – Don Watson https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2020/july/1593525600/don-watson/american-carnage The Man Inside and the Inside Man – The Monthly – Mahmood Fazal https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2020/july/1593525600/mahmood-fazal/man-inside-and-inside-man Ali and Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes HBO https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/ali-and-cavett-the-tale-of-the-tapes Harvey Milk https://www.uis.edu/gendersexualitystu

Victoria has gone back into lockdown. The rest of Australia worries about following suit. Geraldine and Eliza anxiously look forward to the next six months. Also this week: Fintan O'Toole on the fatal delusions of Boris Johnson. Eliza reminisces about Indonesia. And flopping about on holiday. Thanks for listening! Let us know your thoughts via email ldcpodcast1@gmail.com or join the conversation at the Facebook page "Long Distance Callers" Fintan O'Toole - The Fatal Delusions of Boris Johnson https://www.newstatesman.com/2020/07/fatal-delusions-boris-johnson John Curtin's War - John Edwards https://www.amazon.com.au/John-Curtins-War-reinventing-Australia-ebook/dp/B074PHRJ9X

Geraldine's working too hard and she's trying to understand why. Partly it's because there's just so much to read at the moment. She's running to keep up. Eliza wonders if her Mum's work patterns are linked to Australia's emergence from the COVID-19 lockdown? But Geraldine thinks it's a result of "normal life" returning to the northern hemisphere. Also this week, Eliza worries about Lebanon and its future. And reading Olive Kitteridge. Thanks for listening! Let us know your thoughts via email ldcpodcast1@gmail.com or join the Facebook page at "Long Distane Callers" The Coal Curse - Judith Brett - Quarterly Essay https://www.quarterlyessay.com.au/essay/2020/06/the-coal-curse Australia In The World - DFAT Secretary Frances Adamson https://australiaintheworld.podbean.com Olive Kitteridge - Elizabeth Strout https://www.elizabethstrout.com/books/olive-kitteridge Belgravia - TV series https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9642982/ Fauda - season 3 https://www.netflix.com/au/title/80113612

Big news this week: Eliza and her family will stay in Australia permanently. They won't return to Lebanon. Eliza's thrilled to be home and looking forward to resuming her journalism work. Her husband Adam has been offered a new job at the ABC TV current affairs program "4 Corners". The decision to leave Lebanon was bittersweet. Eliza and her family loved Beirut and particularly miss their nanny, Sunny, who remains in the city. Also this week, Geraldine interviews Elizabeth Gilbert. Thanks for listening! Join the conversation at the Facebook page "Long Distance Callers" or email ldcpodcast1@gmail.com Martin Patience on the Ethiopian woman being dropped at the embassy https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-53031803/ethiopian-maids-dumped-outside-beirut-embassy Geraldine Doogue interviews Elizabeth Gilbert https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/specialbroadcasts/big-weekend-of-books-elizabeth-gilbert-geraldine-doogue/12308398 City of Girls – Elizabeth Gilbert https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51918871-city-

2020 is so challenging that Eliza is looking for advice from unconventional sources. This week, she rewatched the adventures of Olive & Mabel the labradors. In episode 3, the dogs emerge from a fetid pond and "let the unpleasantness sink in". It seems like a good mantra for life. Also this week, how should white people respond to the Black Lives Matter protests? Eliza prepares to give herself a history lesson before the November election in America. And Geraldine looks for plants which thrive in dappled light. Join the conversation at the Facebook page "Long Distance Callers" or email at ldcpodcast1@gmail.com Thanks for listening! Fordham’s Bryan Massingale: White Catholics need to sit with the discomfort of systemic racism https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2020/06/08/fordhams-bryan-massingale-white-catholics-need-sit-discomfort-systemic Paul Keating’s Redfern Speech https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6dnDkvdTXA Olive & Mabel - Letting the unpleasantness sink in https://www.youtube.com/wa

Retired General Jim Mattis has launched a scathing criticism of his old boss, labelling Donald Trump a divisive President and a threat to the Constitution. Geraldine and Eliza wonder if General Mattis' letter will act as a call to arms amongst Republicans who have been privately wary of the President's behaviour, but until now unwilling to criticise him publicly. Also this week, Eliza is enthralled in the German TV series "Das Boot". Geraldine wonders how long it takes for a war-torn country to properly confront its past. And the women talk shopping in the age of COVID-19. Thanks for listening! Get in touch via the Facebook page "Long Distance Callers" or email ldcpodcast1@gmail.com General Mattis condemns President Trump – The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/06/james-mattis-denounces-trump-protests-militarization/612640/?fbclid=IwAR1DZbUHY2bp_uhmDQyCnJuLD8eVnc4EuSHbHhMWbDimBrsyov2M4J13UEo Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton’s Doomed Campaign https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9882804/ D

Eliza is missing her home in Beirut while loving life in Australia. It's a strange case of geographical scizophrenia. Meanwhile, Geraldine wonders how much adventure and pressure we should inject back into life as we emerge from lockdown. Eliza's engrossed in the new 'Wind of Change' podcast and Geraldine has finished the 'Sergio' documentary on Netflix. Thanks for listening! Join the conversation at the facebook page "Long Distance Callers" or email at ldcpodcast1@gmail.com Rolling Stone on Wind of Change https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/scorpions-wind-of-change-the-oral-history-of-1990s-epic-power-ballad-63069/ It's Only Breathing: Fenella Souter in the Good Weekend https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellness/it-s-only-breathing-but-how-you-do-it-is-more-important-than-you-think-20200424-p54myb.html Amateur vision from 1990 from outside (and inside) Khiam prison https://youtu.be/9ukiKL9quGA Wind of Change podcast: Crooked Media https://crooked.com/podcast-series/wind-of-change/ Serg

As we emerge from lockdown, are we facing a pandemic of anxiety? The COVID-19 crisis has forced us into new patterns of social interaction. We've been told that the best way to protect ourselves from coronavirus is staying indoors and away from people. Journalist and author Judith Hoare argues that social distancing feeds off fear. She conducted extensive research about anxiety for her book called "The Woman Who Cracked the Anxiety Code: The Extraordinary Life of Claire Weekes." The Australian doctor's work on anxiety was released in the 1960s without fanfare but has come to be seen as cutting edge. Judith Hoare thinks society has learnt a habit of fear and we need to learn to manage anxiety as we resume our normal lives. On this special episode of the Lockdown Chronicles, Geraldine interviews Judith Hoare.

Geraldine and Eliza dive into the debate about Ronan Farrow's journalistic ethics this week. The New York Times has launched an attack on Farrow, arguing that he doesn't like to let inconvenient truths get in the way of a ripping yarn. The celebrity journalist won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on Harvey Weinstein along with New York Times journalist Jodi Kantor & Meghan Twohey. Eliza thinks Farrow could have done more to acknowledge his colleagues and the team of people involved in bringing down a predator like Weinstein. She acknowledges that Farrow's ego is a problem. But that doesn't discredit his work. Geraldine is inherently sceptical of journalists who fly too close to the sun. She thought the New York Times expose was a cautionary tale for less experienced journalists embarking on big investigations. Also this week, Geraldine finishes her first novel in a while. Ireland and the "terrible beauty" that was the Easter Rising. And the future of the office. Thanks for listening! Join the conversa