Thomas Friedman – Facebook Under Fire

Thomas Friedman is a internationally renowned Author, Reporter and New York Times columnist.

His journalistic career has spanned four decades with extensive writings on foreign affairs, global trade, the Middle East, globalization, and environmental issues.

He is the recipient of three Pulitzer Prizes and the author of seven bestselling books, including; From Beirut to Jerusalem,

The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century and the recently released Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations.

He also interviewed, and some say advised President Barack Obama.

Chapters:
00:00 Trailer.
02:26 Brian’s thoughts on the episode.
06:24 Brian’s introduction.
07:02 Thomas’ memories of living in London.
08:35 Start of journalistic career in Fleet Street, London, leads to war in Beirut.
14:22 The 1983 United States embassy bombing.
18:28 Difference in journalism of today compared with when he started.
20:01 Why Facebook is not for Thomas.
24:06 Facebook needs to get its act together.
30:46 Putin always seems always to be looking for dignity in all the wrong places.
33:49 President Trump is a disturbed man and a disgusting human being.
35:56 The only way for Trump not to be re-elected.
42:53 Climate change is real, but Trump has no science advisor.
45:08 Thomas compares Barack Obama’s presidency with Donald Trump’s.
46:58 North Korea is a dynasty and what that tells you.
48:40 What influences Thomas’ journalistic style and phraseology
50:15 Israel and Iran could be a devastating conflict we are not expecting.
52:08 Why we should care what is happening now in Saudi Arabia.
55:47 How Thomas’ relationship began with Saudi Arabia and led to the Arab Peace Initiative.
59:24 Why Thomas was for the invasion of Iraq and the lessons he learnt from it.
1:05:06 The process of writing a newspaper column.
1:12:15 What scares him.
1:12:32 The most influential person in his life.
1:14:22 Phone call to the 20-year old Thomas Friedman.
1:17:22 Advice to the young people watching to prepare them for the future.
1:18:50 Brian’s summing up.

Notes:
Thomas Friedman website
http://www.thomaslfriedman.com/
Thomas Friedman on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/thomaslfriedman/
Thomas Friedman on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTMHFjkk674
Thomas Friedman on Twitter
https://twitter.com/tomfriedman?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
https://twitter.com/nytfriedman?lang=en
Thomas Friedman on Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Friedman
Planet Word Museum, Washington, DC
https://www.planetwordmuseum.org/

Books:
Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thank-You-Being-Late-Accelerations/dp/0374273537
The World is Flat: The Globalized World in the Twenty First Century
https://www.amazon.co.uk/World-Flat-Globalized-Twenty-first-Century/dp/0141034890
The Lexus and the Olive Tree
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lexus-Olive-Tree-Understanding-Globalization/dp/1250013747
From Beirut to Jerusalem
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beirut-Jerusalem-Thomas-L-Friedman/dp/1250034418
Other books by Thomas Friedman
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thomas-L.-Friedman/e/B001H6KORK

Topics discussed:
Pulitzer Prize
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulitzer_Prize
Marshall Scholarship
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Scholarship
SOAS (School of Oriental & African Studies)
https://www.soas.ac.uk/
St Anthony’s College, Oxford
https://www.sant.ox.ac.uk/
A Little Night Music
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Little_Night_Music
Fleet Street
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleet_Street
United Press International (UPI)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Press_International
Lebanese Civil War
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanese_Civil_War
London Evening Standard
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Evening_Standard
Associated Press (AP)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associated_Press
Israeli – Lebanese Conflict
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli%E2%80%93Lebanese_conflict
1983 United State Embassy Bombing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_United_States_embassy_bombing
1983 Beirut Barracks Bombing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Beirut_barracks_bombings
Facebook
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook
New York Times
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times
Republican Party (United States)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_(United_States)
National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Commission_on_Fiscal_Responsibility_and_Reform
Iran-Israel relations
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93Israel_relations
Iranian Revolution
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_Revolution
Grand Mosque Seizure in Mecca
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Mosque_seizure
September 11 attacks
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks
Arab Peace Initiative
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Peace_Initiative
Invasion of Iraq
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_invasion_of_Iraq

People mentioned in this episode:
Barack Obama
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama
Jimmy Carter
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Carter
Henry Kissinger
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Kissinger
Gilbert Cranberg
http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/scua/msc/tomsc950/msc912/gilbertcranberg.html
Leon Daniel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Daniel
Terry A Anderson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_A._Anderson
Rex Tillerson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rex_Tillerson
James Baker
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Baker
Vladimir Putin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Putin
Donald Trump
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump
Lindsey Graham
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindsey_Graham
Rob Portman
https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/
Susan Collins
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Collins
Marie Curie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Curie
Mohammad bin Salman
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_bin_Salman
Abdullah of Saudi Arabia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_of_Saudi_Arabia
Saddam Hussein
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddam_Hussein