Counterpoint

What if we're wrong about many things such as some aspects of COVID-19? What if what we have all accepted to be true isn't? How would we know unless someone spoke up? Are our lives ruled by the clock and if so why does it seem that sometimes time stands still? The complicated fascinating history of John James Audubon and his birds and why does the Japanese Navy have a Curry Friday?

Lone actor or self-activating terrorism has become a major security threat in Europe and around the world. How are they financed? Why has the argument for free speech shifted from one political view to the other? What happened when the first women in America to become dean of a medical school took her students to a clinical medical lecture and how important was Iceland in the second World War?

Is there a new kind of war, one that doesn't rely on brute force and aggression? Yes it's called land grabs. How did Ancient Rome treat outsiders and the various ethnic tribes surrounding it? Might the need for clothing, and not food, brought about the beginnings of agriculture and what has new research into the trade of whale bon weapons shown us?

Are humans responsible for the extinction of animals on islands? No we are not! What happened at the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal? Is there a clear line between being alive and being declared brain dead or is it all just a bit fuzzy? Did you know that each year around 4.5 million people are bitten by venomous snakes resulting in 138,000 deaths? How can we stop that?

What effect will the dispute in Ladakh have on India's long -term strategic competition with China? Is the tragedy of the commons a myth and can we compare previous pandemics with COVID 19? 100 years after its inception is it more than a dream to suggest that Northern is moving ever closer to unification with Ireland?