Paul English Live 032626,,-Repair, Replant, Reconnect: From Fixing Toasters to Fixing Food Systems

In this wide‑ranging live show, I open with time changes, tech hiccups, and some cheeky banter before settling into bigger themes: surveillance‑creep in everyday apps, why old tech (and old cars) are often more repairable, and the merits of hard money versus digital dependency. Thomas Anderson joins from Germany to share a grassroots “repair café” model—neighbors fixing household kit for free—and we dig into how practical skills rebuild community.We then pivot to food: farmer incentives not to plant, how to reconnect customers and local growers, allotments, and resilient crops like chufa and sunchokes. Paul adds indoor‑growing tips; we talk aquaponics, soil health, and organizing locally across borders. In the final hour, Monica Schafer explores message‑craft, self‑censorship, elders versus “generation gap” framing, and how to balance online truth‑seeking with real‑world service. The through‑line: repair what’s broken—gadgets, food systems, communities, and our courage to speak plainly.'Repair Café International': https://www.repaircafe.org'Girlguiding (UK)': https://www.girlguiding.org.uk'National Allotment Society (UK)': https://www.nsalg.org.uk'Leo Kottke (official site)': https://www.leokottke.com'Cooper Alan (official site)': https://www.cooperalanmusic.com'Cyperus esculentus (Chufa/Tigernut)': https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperus_esculentus'Jerusalem artichoke (Sunchoke)': https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helianthus_tuberosus'Aquaponics': https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaponics'Mercedes‑Benz W123': https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_W123'Mercedes‑Benz W124': https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_W124'Smart Fortwo (model overview)': https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_Fortwo'Monty Python – Bicycle Repairman (sketch background)': https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_Repairman'Cockney rhyming slang (overview)': https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhyming_slang