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No Schadenfreude on Nato's Birthday

Alistair Cooke recalls his memories of 1949 when NATO was first created.

• 15 mins

Columbine High School shootings, 1999

The shootings by schoolboys in Columbine High School, Colorado and the gun control debate.

• 15 mins

Two Attitudes about China

Alistair Cooke reflects on the Chinese reaction to an accidental bombing of their embassy.

• 15 mins

A Course in Manners

Alistair Cooke reflects on male chivalry, the feminist movement and good manners.

• 15 mins

Witticisms and Crazy One-Liners

With the Balkan wars still ongoing, Alistair Cooke relies on humour for some light relief.

• 15 mins

Laws Doomed from the Start

Alistair Cooke explores how an electric golf buggy altered the US disability law.

• 15 mins

Testing Times in the Advancement of Science

GM crops remind Alistair Cooke of other scientific developments that caused controversy.

• 15 mins

Freedom in America

Do spontaneous protests occur? Alistair Cooke explores Rosa Parks’ infamous bus ride.

• 15 mins

Playing for Time

Alistair Cooke reflects on why it takes so long for the Supreme Court to reach a verdict.

• 15 mins

The First Golden Paratrooper

Alistair Cooke reflects on a golden parachute handed out upon retirement.

• 15 mins

Air Conditioning and Changes in Society

Whilst under a heat induced house arrest, Alistair Cooke marvels at air conditioning.

• 15 mins

The Brewing of Racial Storms

Do sports contests ease international relations? Alistair Cooke is sceptical.

• 15 mins

Tyrants and Curses Live On

Alistair Cooke considers the hysterical press coverage of John Kennedy Jr's plane crash.

• 15 mins

Loneliness, Male Companionship and the Hunt

Alistair Cooke pays tribute to Ernest Hemingway with a parody of his writing style.

• 15 mins

Going to Pot or to Pluto

Youth might be wasted on the young, but Alistair Cooke believes they have a bright future.

• 15 mins

No Word from Mount Olympus

Alistair Cooke wonders how Congress can predict a $3 trillion Treasury surplus in 2010.

• 15 mins

Close, but No Cigar

Alistair Cooke discusses the medical and social aspects of smoking cigars.

• 15 mins

Grave Concerns

Alistair Cooke reflects on Governor Bush's non-confession of cocaine use.

• 15 mins

Re-Writing History

Alistair Cooke explains how re-writing history to obtain ominous parallels is dangerous.

• 15 mins

No Exempt Categories

Alistair Cooke discusses jury services and whether Mr Giuliani will run again for Mayor.

• 15 mins

Barkers at Pleasure Beach Side Shows

The hysterical news reporting in Britain of a US parasitic virus astounds Alistair Cooke.

• 15 mins

The Ordeal of Hurricane Floyd

Alistair Cooke reflects on the affects of Hurricane Floyd.

• 15 mins

The Arrival of the Golf Hooligan

Alistair Cooke is saddened by audience hooliganism during a golf match.

• 15 mins

Greed, Liquor, Jingoism and Bad Taste

From greed in golf to jingoism at judo, Alistair Cooke dislikes bad spectator behaviour.

• 15 mins

A Plea to the Senate

A European plea to the US Senate reminds Alistair Cooke of the 1919 Treaty of Versailles.

• 15 mins

Wishful Thinking Overload

After the US rejects a nuclear treaty, Alistair Cooke explains how easily pacts can fail.

• 15 mins

That Fateful Night in Macbeth

Amid the festivities of All Hallows’ Eve, Alistair Cooke ponders the origins of Halloween.

• 15 mins

At the Centre of Things

Whilst visiting San Francisco, Alistair Cooke muses on the ego-centric lives of city folk.

• 15 mins

Democracy in Action

Alistair Cooke commemorates the 10th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall.

• 15 mins

Fortress America and Beloved Symbols of Britain

Alistair Cooke criticises Bill Clinton’s appearance at Yitzhak Rabin’s memorial service.

• 15 mins