Intellectual Stimulation

You could start one Azie but how you would stop the arguments I couldn’t possibly guess.
Now there’s something to think about?

Podcasts can be good. The Guardian carries a weekly guide to the newest or go to the BBC website where you can find a complete blizzard of programmes which align with your interests. I like Laurie Taylor, Thinking Allowed, Crossing Continents, File on 4 and there's an excellent environmental one the name of which escapes me but they are organised by category. The Irish Times has an excellent current affairs podcast and also a Women's podcast with a wide remit.

I'm sure there will be lots of recommendations of the U3A. I do courses with Future Learn online, these are free short courses provided by various universities. If you Google MOOC courses, you'll find that there are a lot of providers. You can study at your own pace (most require 2-5 hours a week) and there are usually lively forums if you want to join.

As to publications, I don't really have time to sit down and read lots of words but I buy New Statesman or Private Eye occasionally and like their reporting of things not automatically'front page'. My husband likes Twitter which I struggle with but I can see that if you can find a few politicians or public figures who are of interest, it is quite interesting to see what's key at the moment.

Good luck though. I'm not interested in clothes or shopping or make up or tales of other people's grandchildren told ad nauseam and I often feel like an alien in British society!!! Maybe we need a serious thread that bans the argumentative who so quickly descend into opinionated slagging off!

I regularly do courses though various online learning sites and U3A online courses . I'm currently doing one on Jane Austen's life and times, really interesting. That one was through Future Learn, which has a lot of really interesting courses which are all free and last anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks. The previous one I did through them was about the finding of Richard 3rd's remains and how the archaeologists managed to find them. Here is their website www.futurelearn.com/courses

You do it in your own time, and communicate with others through the forum.

U3A has local branches where you can do courses and meet other people as well - or they also have online courses, hundreds of them. www.u3a.org.uk/

Have fun !

The ‘i’ is not expensive and doesn’t have supplements. Many U3A groups have sessions on environmental issues. Good luck, whatever you choose.