It's the Foreign Influence Podcast, with American Bill Poorman and Dutchman Nikolaj Groeneweg, taking you on a humorously serious and seriously humorous romp through the week's international events! This week we discuss some of the events we feel haven't gotten enough attention, as the US election and covid-19 dominate everyone's attention:

• Early on in FI we discussed the protests in Hong Kong and how we felt they were a front line in the defense of civil liberties in the 21st century. Unfortunately, things have not ended well. And it's precipitating a broader realignment in Asia.

• China and the US could be headed toward a confrontation over Taiwan and in the South China Sea unless cooler heads prevail.

• Neural pigs! On treadmills! That is to say, Elon Musk held a live demonstration of a new technology his company is developing called Neuralink, that directly connects a brain - in this case, a pig's - with a computer. Cyborgs aren't far away.

Thanks for listening!

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Stay safe, and be nice to one another!

Bill & Nikolaj