I have an idea for your podcast, but it is a little outside of your current requirements.

First off, I should just mention that my father was born in Slovakia. His father pulled the family out in 1936 and settled in Tilley, Alberta, taking on a homestead farm. There were about 30 Slovak families in this rural area, and created a vibrant Slovak community.

My grandfather thought he would just earn a bunch of money in Canada, then go back to his 120 hectares in western Slovakia. World War 2 kind of interrupted this plan. Plus the farm in Tilley was not very profitable. It took 29 years for my grandfather to buy a ticket back to the old country (for a visit). He was followed by communist agents. His land was collectivized in the 1960s.

My mother's parents came from Bukovina. My grandfather was fed up with politics and never wanted to return. But he was part of the Ukrainian community in Lethbridge.

I spent one year in Brno and one year in Trnava as an English teacher. I learned a broken Slovak, but I haven't had much practice since. I returned for a visit in 2003 for my cousin's wedding. I ate too much!

I visited my mother's family in Bukovina in 2006. My mother's cousin and I somehow managed to communicate more than a few things with my broken Slovak. One of his daughters had a pre-intermediate level of English, so she was able to translate when needed.

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Now for your podcast. I really have no expertise to discuss political affairs in Eastern Europe.

If you recall, I have an alternative democracy, which can be applied anywhere in the world. If this is something to get your podcast started, I would be available for an interview which you can record.

But to make sure you frame some good questions, you need to read my TDG book. This will take you about 3-4 hours. It is available for a free read from my website.

Let me know.