Media :
Availability:
Available to listen.
Last broadcast on Mon, 1 Feb 2010, 01:05 on BBC World Service (see all broadcasts).
Synopsis
THE FORUM - A World Of Ideas - presented by Bridget Kendall
The power of earthquakes from African cities to the arctic.
SUSAN HOUGH
After the devastation of the earthquake in Haiti, which city or country might be next? The bad news: predicting catastrophes like this is still beyond the means of modern science according to American earthquake authority Susan Hough. She tells The Forum about what triggers earthquakes and the latest research into warning signs.
DAVID ADJAYE
British Ghanaian architect David Adjaye describes the unique quality of many African cities, founded at the heart of African empires rather than on trade and industry. He looks at ways of challenging the boundaries between inside and outside, bringing nature closer to our homes.
SARA WHEELER
Polar explorer Sara Wheeler was the first female writer in residence in the Antarctic. She contrasts this polar extreme with her journeys around the northern wastes of the Arctic Circle which she sees as the perfect metaphor for middle age.
60 SECOND IDEA TO CHANGE THE WORLD
In our 60 Second Idea to Change the World, Sara Wheeler urges us to look more closely at the part we play in what happens to us, instead of blaming others for our problems. She tried for a day not to snap at her husband, honk her horn at drivers and more and, by the evening, found that not only did she feel more saintly but that the day had gone much better than usual. She reckons she’s hit on the blueprint for a happier life and world peace – why don’t we all give it a go?
IN NEXT WEEK'S PROGRAMME
Nobel prize-winning Indian biologist Venki Ramakrishnan on the magical world of ribosomes – one of the cell’s most complicated pieces of machinery.
American political scientist Bruce Bueno de Mesquita uses numbers to explain why selfish leaders last longer.
And from South Africa, Human Rights Commissioner Pregs Govender believes that lasting power rests on love and courage, not wealth and influence.
Chapters
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Chapter 1
After the devastation of the earthquake in Haiti, which city or country might be next?
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Chapter 2
After the devastation of the earthquake in Haiti, which city or country might be next?
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Chapter 3
Susan tells us what triggers earthquakes and why predicting them is so difficult.
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Chapter 4
After the devastation of the earthquake in Haiti, which city or country might be next?
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Chapter 5
After the devastation of the earthquake in Haiti, which city or country might be next?
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Chapter 6
Sara urges us to take responsibility for our own lives and problems.
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Chapter 7
David on the uniqueness of African cities and the boundaries between inside and outside.
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Chapter 8
The Polar explorer sees the Arctic as the perfect metaphor for middle age.
Broadcasts
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Sun 31 Jan 201009:05
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Sun 31 Jan 201020:05
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Mon 1 Feb 201001:05
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