ABC Radio National

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  Dickens Down Under

  Charles Dickens might have been the quintessential London novelist, but in the 19th century his books had a tremendous impact in the Australian colonies: changing the way Australians saw themselves and their cities, and providing people with a link to England. Ros Bluett reports.

  Earshot

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  Ethical questions raised by 'Nazi nurses' still relevant

  We assume that doctors and nurses adhere to the Hippocratic Oath, an ethical code requiring them to reduce suffering and preserve life wherever possible. In Nazi Germany however, medical professionals were involved in some of the worst crimes in history. Barbara Heggen reports.

  The Drawing Room

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  How corruption invades and destroys communities

  If corruption does not exist in Australia's federal sector, it would make Canberra the only corruption-free place in the world, Geoffrey Watson argues. In this lecture, the former ICAC counsel calls for the creation of a strong and independent federal anti-corruption commission.

  Big Ideas

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  From axes to iPads: new logging methods replace traditional ways

  The mechanisation and industrialisation of modern logging has many environmentalists questioning the future of Australia's native forests. Background Briefing heads to the mid north and north coasts of NSW to meet the foresters and some former forest workers.

  Background Briefing

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  How cities around the world are learning to live without cars

  Our love affair with the car has turned into a relationship of dependence, shaping our lives and our cities. But would our lives be better without automobiles? Anik See explores what life without cars is like on three continents.

  Earshot

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  Yuwa football program for girls kicks goals in India

  In Jharkhand, a desperately poor part of eastern India where girls are often married off at 15, the Yuwa football program is empowering young women and improving their school attendance rates. RN Afternoons learns how the world game is helping to change lives.

  RN Afternoons

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  Cow politics: the rich and fulfilling social life of cattle

  While to human eyes they look placid and perhaps even dull, cattle have a complex social hierarchy and are excellent spatial learners. Ann Jones takes a look at some of the most recent research on cow cognition, and discovers that not only are bovines control freaks, they’re discerning music lovers as well.

  Off Track

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