David F Porteous emerges from the void that is modern life. (Photo: Supplied )

As the spring series continues we’re joined by Scottish author and social researcher David F Porteous to talk about the thing that happened in The America this week — but also much more.

In this episode we talk about Australia’s plans to ban under-16s from social media, a selection of animals to turn into jerky, Macaulay Culkin, British religious history, and why violence sometimes isn’t wrong.

This podcast is available on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Deezer, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, JioSaavn, Pocket Casts, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, SoundCloud, Spotify, and Speaker.

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Episode Links

01. dfpiii - Blog

The official website of Scottish Author David F Porteous
02. David F Porteous (@dfpiii) / Twitter

Author. Podcaster. Social researcher. Karaoke superstar. New novel ‘The Wicker Man Preservation Society’ is out 21 June 21.
03. Welshman aims to draw a massive GPS penis to raise awareness for men’s health ITV News - YouTube
04. Welshman has completed the largest GPS drawing of a penis

[3 November 2024] Terry Rosoman, 38, from South Wales, trekked through the mist and pitch-black conditions across the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park in a 75-mile phallus-shaped route, to raise money and awareness about men’s mental health issues for Movember.
05. Moo Deng the baby hippo predicts Donald Trump will win US election - YouTube

[5 November 2024] Celebrity baby hippo Moo Deng has predicted the 2024 US presidential election winner.
06. Paul the Octopus - Wikipedia

Paul the Octopus (26 January 2008 – 26 October 2010) was a common octopus who predicted the results of international association football matches. Accurate predictions in the 2010 World Cup brought him worldwide attention as an animal oracle.
07. 05 November 2024 - essentialreport.com.au

When asked who they would vote for in the US election, 41% said they would vote for Harris and 33% said they would vote for Trump
08. Trump’s victory adds record $64bn to wealth of richest top 10 | Rich lists | The Guardian

[7 November 2024] Share surge increases Elon Musk’s fortune by $26bn in a day as Jeff Bezos, Sergey Brin and Bill Gates also benefit.
09. Hare–Clark electoral system - Wikipedia

Hare–Clark is a type of single transferable vote electoral system of proportional representation used for elections in Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory. It was one of the first uses of the Gregory method for transfers of winner's surplus votes.
10. Jill Stein Wins 22% of Vote in Dearborn as Gaza Stings Harris: Network

[6 November 2024] Jill Stein won 22% of the vote in the fiercely contested city of Dearborn, Michigan, according to a projection from NBC. Kamala Harris won 28%, while Donald Trump won 47%, according to unofficial results from the city clerk, reported by the network. Metro Detroit is home to the nation's largest concentration of Arab Americans, with a large proportion of them living in Dearborn. The city — which Democrat Joe Biden won by a 3-to-1 margin in 2020 — has been roiled by political turmoil, with many upset with the Biden-Harris administration's handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
11. America, Are You Ok? - YouTube

Australians watch how the US do democracy with a mixture of confusion and surprise. Why does no one seem satisfied with how government works? Casey Briggs examines a democracy that many people have deep reservations about.
12. Endangered pygmy hippo calf Haggis born at Edinburgh zoo

[6 November 2024] An "incredibly rare" female baby hippopotamus has been born at Edinburgh Zoo. The tiny endangered pygmy hippo calf, named Haggis, arrived on 30 October and zookeepers said her personality was "beginning to shine" already.
13. Fatso the Fat-Arsed Wombat - Wikipedia

Fatso the Fat-Arsed Wombat was an unofficial mascot of the 2000 Summer Olympics created by Sydney cartoonist Paul Newell with Roy and HG from the Australian Channel Seven sports/comedy television program "The Dream with Roy and HG". Fatso is a wombat with a lazy, cheerful expression and comically pronounced rump. It usually appeared on The Dream broadcasts, sometimes as a life-size stuffed toy on Roy and HG's desk
14. Koala sounds - YouTube
15. Drop Bear

The Drop Bear legend tells of a larg...

The 9pm Hippopotamus of Doom with David F Porteous