A Point Of View podcast

#Documentaries #Society #BBC #BBC Radio 4 #News #Zoe Strimpel

38:05

In late 1972, U.S. Marine Captain Ron Forrester disappeared on a bombing run into North Vietnam. Back home in Texas, his family could only wait and hope. Audio subscribers to Texas Monthly can get early access to episodes of the series, plus exclusive interviews and audio. Visit texasmonthly.com/audio to join. Go to HelloFresh.com/FLIGHT10FM to get 10 Free Meals with a Free Item For Life.…

A Point of View

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A weekly reflection on a topical issue.

785 episodes

A Point of View

1,340 subscribers

updated about a year ago

Series home•Feed

A weekly reflection on a topical issue.

785 episodes

#Documentaries #Society #BBC #BBC Radio 4 #News #Zoe Strimpel

All episodes

A Point of View

1
Our Revels Now Are Ended 10:26

5 weeks ago10:26

10:26

Howard Jacobson reflects on the radio essay, after almost two decades of A Point of View. With nods to Clive James, body-pierced baritones and with a plentiful supply of svelte notebooks, Howard explains why he believes the radio essay is 'more than words on paper'...why it captures the 'frolicsome spirit of truth'. And, Howard writes, 'at a time when we no longer have the concentration to read entire books, and what we do read leads us into the arms of madmen, we should love the shards of scepticism with which the best essays dazzle us.' Producer: Adele Armstrong Sound: Peter Bosher Production coordinator: Liam Morrey Editor: Penny Murphy…

A Point of View

1
How History Begins Again 10:18

6 weeks ago10:18

10:18

The celebrated American theorist, Francis Fukuyama, in his book 'The End of History and the Last Man' argued that US-style liberalism was the ultimate destination for all mankind, 'the final form of human government'. John Gray explains why he believes his prophecy has been turned on its head. 'As in the past, many human beings will live under tyrannies, theocracies, and empires of various kinds,' John writes. 'Failed states and zones of anarchy will be common. Democratic nations are likely to be rare, and often short-lived.' Producer: Adele Armstrong Sound: Peter Bosher Production coordinator: Liam Morrey Editor: Penny Murphy…

A Point of View

1
Elbows Up: Canada v Trump 10:36

7 weeks ago10:36

10:36

After Donald Trump proposed that Canada could be consumed as America's 51st State, Adam Gopnik reflects on his homeland's history with the United States and Canada's new-found patriotic toughness - and how it differs from nationalism. 'It’s is only a little startling, though very Canadian, to find the new motto 'elbows up' radiating everywhere in Canada,' Adam writes, referring to a defensive position found in the country's premier passion, ice hockey. 'It is a classic patriotic stance - not throwing a punch, but letting the other side know that there are angles in your physique and resistance,' he writes. 'The picture now is one of an entire country, elbows proudly up'. Producer: Sheila Cook Sound: Peter Bosher Production Co-ordinator: Liam Morrey Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith…

A Point of View

1
Leaning In to Social Media 10:40

8 weeks ago10:40

10:40

Zoe Strimpel explains why she's decided to lean in to social media, and not worry about how much time she spends scrolling. Despite ongoing concerns about its impact on our brains, Zoe says she's personally found the algorithm benign, offering her endless information about food and cooking. "I have come to the conclusion that for a grown woman with many cares, it's mostly beneficial, interesting, soothing and yes, also sometimes even useful" Producer: Sheila Cook Sound: Peter Bosher Production Co-ordinator: Liam Morrey Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith…

A Point of View

1
Tractors in Whitehall 10:18

9 weeks ago10:18

10:18

As farmers prepare for another march at Whitehall in protest at the government's inheritance tax plans, Michael Morpurgo discusses the growing divide between city and countryside. 'The family farm, still at the heart of rural England,' writes Michael, 'is under threat, more than ever'. Michael reflects on how, during World War Two, we needed to produce all the food we could in order to survive. He argues that, as an island nation, taking food security for granted, even today, is risky. And he says there is a real sense these days that our pastoral roots are being 'reshaped irrevocably...by those who don't know or love the countryside.' Producer: Adele Armstrong Sound: Peter Bosher Production coordinator: Liam Morrey Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith…

A Point of View

1
Print the Legend 10:27

10 weeks ago10:27

10:27

Tom Shakespeare explores the pitfalls of dramatised history and its influence on real life - but confesses to his own minor role in rewriting the past. "We turn to stories when the reality we desire fails us," he writes, "but if the legend is not based in fact, then history is in deep trouble, and so are we all." Producer: Sheila Cook Sound: Peter Bosher Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith…

A Point of View

1
The Joy of Archives 10:03

11 weeks ago10:03

10:03

From sacks of correspondence belonging to a well known author to archives from the Battle of Waterloo (and the odd wooden leg), Sara Wheeler reflects on the joys of Britain's personal archives. 'I have loved almost every day I have ever spent in an archive,' Sara writes, 'and not just because dead people are so easy to get along with.' But she fears that idiosyncratic borough and country archives will suffer because of budget cuts. Producer: Adele Armstrong Sound: Peter Bosher Production coordinator: Liam Morrey Editor: Bridget Harney…

A Point of View

1
Geese, Aristotle and Migration 10:50

12 weeks ago10:50

10:50

Walking along the muddy tracks of the River Ouse near her home a few days ago, Rebecca Stott reflects on migration. She contemplates the lives of the Canada geese that frequently fly over her home, as well as Aristotle's own studies of bird migration - and his extraordinary life as a migrant - while considering the historic links between the migration of people and human progress. Producer: Adele Armstrong Sound: Peter Bosher Production coordinator: Liam Morrey Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith…

A Point of View

1
The Overwhelm 10:29

13 weeks ago10:29

10:29

The 'overwhelm' - noun, not verb - has been around 'since at least 1596', AL Kennedy discovers. She looks at the reasons why the word is making a comeback - and she has some advice for those who also feel lost in 'the overwhelm.' Producer: Adele Armstrong Sound: Peter Bosher Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith…

A Point of View

1
On Hyperbole 10:23

14 weeks ago10:23

10:23

Remember the days, Howard Jacobson implores us, when we got on fine with 'very'? Today, Howard argues, 'very’ is not ‘very’ enough for the times we live in.' In its place, 'incredible' and other supersized words, spreading 'verbal chaos.' Howard reflects on the dangers of over-inflated language, 'where words prance about without their clothes, shouting obscenities.' Producer: Adele Armstrong Sound: Peter Bosher Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith…

A Point of View

1
Trump, Washington and America First 10:53

15 weeks ago10:53

10:53

As Donald Trump prepares to re-enter the White House, Mark Damazer reflects on America's leadership in the world. Eavesdropping on a focus group recently, Mark tells us that the country's leadership was seen as 'a burden and a luxury - and a luxury they wanted to do without.' 'There was a time when large chunks of the world were grateful for American involvement...but gratitude is now more thinly expressed', he says. 'And Donald Trump well understands that.' In this new world order, Mark argues, 'we have our work cut out to find a response.' Producer: Adele Armstrong Sound: Peter Bosher Production coordinator: Liam Morrey Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith…

A Point of View

1
On a Gloomy Moment 10:35

16 weeks ago10:35

10:35

In deepest, darkest January, Adam Gopnik muses on light and dark. Adam reminds us that - from the natural world of the ghost moth to the politics of today's America - although we live in a 'gloomy moment' we can 'adjust our eyes to the gloom.' 'Every little bit of light we make,' writes Adam, 'in every decent thing we do and every indecency we refuse to accept, illuminates some small corner of our universe. Even at night, after all, we still see light. The stars shine, too.' Producer: Adele Armstrong Sound: Peter Bosher Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith…

A Point of View

1
The Best I Can Do 10:02

17 weeks ago10:02

10:02

Sara Wheeler explains why every week for several decades - despite knowing nothing about art - she has called in to London’s National Gallery to look at the same two paintings. 'This habit of mine,' writes Sara, 'started by accident when I moved to London forty years ago' when she first set eyes on Botticelli's 'Portrait of a Young Man' and van Eyck's 'Portrait of a Man.' 'I have come to realise,' says Sara, the extraordinary power of 'familiarity, close contact and regular attention'. Producer: Adele Armstrong Sound: Peter Bosher Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith…

A Point of View

1
On Resolutions 10:46

18 weeks ago10:46

10:46

Megan Nolan rediscovers a childhood diary with her first New Year's Resolutions. She was fascinated and appalled, she says, by what she read:. The final resolution, underlined, read simply 'be a better person!' These days, Megan looks on self-improvement in a rather different way - less an attempt at perfection and more 'an attempt to courageously embrace living in all its chaos.' Producer: Adele Armstrong Sound: Peter Bosher Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith…

A Point of View

1
A Jolly Good Pud 10:32

19 weeks ago10:32