Animal culture can be as rich and varied as human culture. In this episode of "Animalism" by The Atlantic, we investigate the most fascinating examples of culture in the animal kingdom, including the bizarre traditions of Capuchin monkeys in Costa Rica and the incredible "Top 20" music charts of humpback whales.
13 January 2018
BBC4 Profile: President Hassan Rouhani
It's been a tumultuous week in Iran.
Thousands of protestors in more than twenty towns and cities taking to the streets to demand economic and political change.
On the programme this week, we update a profile we did of Hassan Rouhani when he first became President of Iran back in 2013.
Regarded as more liberal than some of his predecessors - and now in his second term as President - he faces the unenviable task of trying to balance the demands of the Iranian people who want better living conditions with the religious establishment which still wields ultimate power.
Meanwhile, lurking in the wings, is US President Donald Trump - threatening to tear up a 2015 deal that waived sanctions in return for Iran reigning in its nuclear programme.
Mark Coles hears from Iranian journalists, political analysts and some of the President's former colleagues as we get to grips with where he's come from and what his future may be.
Vox: How the US failed to rebuild Afghanistan
The US war in Afghanistan has raged for 16 years, since the US invaded after 9/11, in 2001. At the onset, a centerpiece of US strategy was to rebuild Afghanistan's crumbling infrastructure. This move expedited military logistics and maneuvers, while simultaneously reigniting travel between Afghanistan's major cities. But when the US started its war in Iraq, that diverted resources and manpower from the battlefield of Afghanistan. And the Taliban didn't miss the chance. To date, the most ambitious roadbuilding project, known as the Ring Road, has seen over $3 billion spent on its renewal. And it was never completed.
The School of Life: NIETZSCHE ON: Amor Fati
“One of the strangest yet most intriguing aspects of Friedrich Nietzsche’s ideas is his repeated enthusiasm for a concept that he called amor fati (translated from Latin as ‘a love of one’s fate’, or as we might put it, a resolute, enthusiastic acceptance of everything that has happened in one’s life). The person of amor fati doesn’t seek to erase anything of their past, but rather accepts what has occurred, the good and the bad, the mistaken and the wise, with strength and an all-embracing gratitude that borders on a kind of enthusiastic affection…”
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