The State We’re In, 24 October 2009. We ask if there’s a right to a big corporate bonus. And is there a right to smile? We meet a woman who can’t. A Palestinian woman recounts the political consequences of smiling at an Israeli checkpoint. And we meet a French priest who is almost single-handedly uncovering the events of the Holocaust in Ukraine.
Listen to this week's show in full:
Tell us your story about the Berlin Wall
The anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall is coming up in early November.
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Photo: Berlin Wall, 1984 (Flickr, Spurlos)
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Just say no to bonuses
Geraint Anderson was a high-flying ‘city boy’ in London’s financial district. He received a few massive bonuses before his conscience led him out of the business.
The case for bonuses
Greg David is editorial director of the business magazine Crain’s in New York. He explains why bankers often have a right to their yearly bonus.
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This week's theme is the right to smile
Other ways to smile
Henrietta Spalding was born with a rare condition which leaves her unable to make any facial expressions. She talks about how she’s learned to interact with others without smiling.
A new smile
Hundreds of thousands of children around the world have cleft lips and palettes. Many are ostracised but a relatively short operation can transform their lives. We go to a hospital in Nairobi where baby Peter is just about to have the operation.
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No smiling at the terminal
Rana Qumsiyeh is a Palestinian woman who lines up at a Israeli/West Bank checkpoint every day to get to work. One disturbing experience prompted her to write about it. She reads this piece and talks to Jonathan Groubert about life queuing at the terminal.
The Holocaust and the priest
French priest Patrick Desbois tells host Jonathan Groubert how he came to document the nearly-forgotten "Holocaust by Bullets", the mass executions of Jews in Ukraine in World War II.
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