The Side Comment is a spin-off of The Oxford Comment podcast where the authors of Oxford University Press share quick insights from their area of expertise.

The Side Comment

On this episode of The Side Comment, David Acheson talks about capturing the essence of mathematics at its best, in a lighthearted and playful manner. Its spirit, he details, is comprised of three elements: the element of surprise, the beauty and elegance of the deductive arguments involved, and the amazing application of mathematics to the world around us.

David Acheson is Emeritus Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford, and was the University's first winner of a National Teaching Fellowship in 2004. He was President of the Mathematical Association from 2010 to 2011, and now lectures widely on mathematics to young people and the general public. In 2013, Acheson was awarded an Honorary D.Sc. by the University of East Anglia for his outstanding work in the popularisation of mathematics. His books include "1089 and All That" (OUP, 2002), "The Calculus Story", (OUP, 2017), and "The Wonder Book of Geometry", (OUP, 2020).

Learn more about "The Spirit of Mathematics: Algebra and all that" here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-spirit-of-mathematics-9780192845085

Listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knKVTf7bkes

The Side Comment Crew:
Executive Producer: Steven Filippi
Host: Sarah Butcher

Music: Filaments by Podington Bear is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Podington_Bear/Inspiring/Filaments

© Oxford University Press

David Acheson on the Spirit of Mathematics - Episode 35 - The Side Comment

On this episode of The Side Comment, T.V. Paul discusses five essential questions about India's economic, military, and soft power rise in the past 30 years, and how it will shape the outcome of this spring's election.

T.V. Paul is James McGill Professor of International Relations in the Department of Political Science at McGill University, Montreal and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He served as the President of the International Studies Association (ISA) for 2016-17. He is also the Founding Director of the Global Research Network on Peaceful Change (GRENPEC). His books include "The Warrior State: Pakistan in the Contemporary World" (2013) and "Globalization and the National Security State" (with Norrin M. Ripsman, 2010), and he is the lead editor of "The Oxford Handbook of Peaceful Change in International Relations" (2021).

Learn more about "The Unfinished Quest: India's Search for Major Power Status from Nehru to Modi" here: https://oxford.ly/3IS2AEf

Listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkVMgwJ4oe4

The Side Comment Crew:
Executive Producer: Steven Filippi
Host: Sarah Butcher

Music: Filaments by Podington Bear is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Podington_Bear/Inspiring/Filaments

© Oxford University Press

T.V. Paul on India's 2024 General Election - Episode 42 - The Side Comment

On this episode of The Side Comment, Richard English discusses the effectiveness of counter-terrorism efforts, as a less extensively examined phenomenon. Through a series of questions, he explores why it is an important topic for us to look at in a new way that considers successes and failures. Highlighting the case studies contained within his book, 'Does Counter-Terrorism Work?,' he illustrates how we can identify broader intuitions about what works well, and what doesn’t.

Richard English is Director of the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security, and Justice at Queen's University Belfast. His books include 'Does Terrorism Work? A History' (2016), and 'The Oxford Handbook of Terrorism' (co-edited, 2019). He is a Fellow of the British Academy, a Member of the Royal Irish Academy, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, an Honorary Fellow of Keble College Oxford, a Faculty Affiliate at the University of Chicago, and an Honorary Professor at the University of St Andrews. In 2018 he was awarded a CBE for services to the understanding of modern-day terrorism and political history. 

Learn more about 'Does Counter-Terrorism Work?' here: https://oxford.ly/3XN6LJX

Listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3bw0D6HSgk

The Side Comment Crew:
Executive Producer: Steven Filippi
Host: Sarah Butcher

Music: Filaments by Podington Bear is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License: https://oxford.ly/3VGGhZw

© Oxford University Press

Richard English on the Effectiveness of Counter-Terrorism - Episode 43 - The Side Comment

On this episode, Matthew L. Harris discusses the history of the Church of  Latter-Day Saints complicated—and often controversial racial heritage—from Joseph Smith and Brigham Young through the civil rights movement to the moment in 1978 when church President Spencer W. Kimball finally opened the priesthood to include Black members of the church.  

Matthew Harris is Professor of History at Colorado State University Pueblo; he specializes in race and religion, civil rights, Mormon history, African American History, and American Religious history. His latest book 'Second-Class Saints: Black Mormons and the Struggle for Racial Equality' published by Oxford University Press takes a deep look at the history of Black Mormons and the struggle for racial equality within the church. 

Learn more about 'Second-Class Saints' here: https://oxford.ly/3YQtbdO

Listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI-bVbG8Qqw

The Side Comment Crew:
Executive Producer: Steven Filippi
Host: Sarah Butcher

Music: Filaments by Podington Bear is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License: https://oxford.ly/3VGGhZw

© Oxford University Press

Matthew L. Harris on the LDS Church and Race in America - Episode 44 - The Side Comment

On this episode, Natalie Kerr and Jaime Kurtz explore five facts about loneliness, from its evolutionary origins to exercises we can all do to alleviate it, even when we're alone.

Natalie Kerr is a Professor of Psychology at James Madison University, where she studies social connection and loneliness. 

Jaime Kurtz is a Professor of Psychology at James Madison University, where she studies happiness and savoring. 

Learn more about 'Our New Social Life' here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/our-new-social-life-9780197749951

Listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxQNezdTlTE

The Side Comment Crew:
Executive Producer: Steven Filippi
Host: Sarah Butcher

Music: Filaments by Podington Bear is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License: oxford.ly/3VGGhZw

© Oxford University Press

Natalie Kerr & Jaime Kurtz on Loneliness - Episode 45 - The Side Comment

On this episode, Andrea Temkin-Yu, author of the new guidebook 'Supporting Your Teens Mental Health,' talks about the small, intentional activities that all parents of teens can adopt in order to focus on building connections and combating the rise of mental health symptoms in adolescents.

Andrea Temkin-Yu is Assistant Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine, having earned her PsyD from The Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University. She completed her clinical internship at Bellevue Hospital Center/New York University Child Study Center and was a post-doctoral fellow at the Center for Youth Mental Health at Weill Cornell Medicine. Temkin-Yu specializes in parent-focused interventions and has expertise in cognitive behavioral therapy for the treatment of anxiety, depression, ADHD, and disruptive behaviors. Her research focuses on transdiagnostic interventions and improving treatments for youth and parents through technology.

Learn more about 'Supporting Your Teen's Mental Health' here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/supporting-your-teens-mental-health-9780197768617

Listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi6b8qx6RbY

The Side Comment Crew:
Executive Producer: Steven Filippi
Host: Sarah Butcher

Music: Filaments by Podington Bear is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License: oxford.ly/3VGGhZw

© Oxford University Press

Andrea Temkin-Yu on Supporting Your Teen's Mental Health - Episode 46 - The Side Comment

Dr Mehiyar Kathem speaks with Dr Mohammed Jassim on rebuilding Mosul University’s Central Library after ISIS.

Date of episode recording: 2025-08-01
Duration: 24:08
Language of episode: English

Presenter:Mehiyar Kathem
Guests: Dr Mohammed Jassim
Producer: Mehiyar Kathem

Transcript link:  
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/nahrein/media/podcasts/transcript-conversation-dr-mohammed-jassim



MOSUL LIBRARY; REBUILDING KNOWLEDGE - A conversation with Dr Mohammad Jassim

Across the world, far right ideas, once confined to the political fringe, have entered the mainstream. They spread through social media feeds and dominate tabloid headlines. Many fear they’re transforming politics, threatening democracy and tearing at the fabric of society. 
Joanna Bale meets Imam Adam Kelwick, whose Liverpool mosque was surrounded by an angry mob after the murders of three young girls in nearby Southport. He tells an extraordinary story of bravery and reconciliation. She also talks to Tim Bale, Professor of Politics at Queen Mary University of London, about the booming popularity of Nigel Farage. Marta Lorimer, Visiting Fellow at LSE’s European Institute and Lecturer in Politics at Cardiff University, discusses how millions are voting for far right parties across Europe. And Michael Vaughan, Research Fellow at LSE’s International Inequalities Institute, dissects Elon Musk’s far right political agenda. 
Contributors: Professor Tim Bale, Imam Adam Kelwick, Dr Marta Lorimer, Dr Michael Vaughan.
Research links: 
Tim Bale: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0263395718754718
https://theloop.ecpr.eu/why-we-need-to-halt-hard-right-in-its-tracks/
https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/reform-members
Marta Lorimer: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/europe-as-ideological-resource-9780198892366?cc=gb&lang=en&
 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00323217251346639
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nana.13001
Michael Vaughan: https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/22639
LSE iQ is a university podcast by the London School of Economics and Political Science.


How is the far right shaping our future?

Recorded live at Latitude Festival, Irvine Welsh sits down with host Rhianna Dhillon to delve into his new novel Men in Love, the eagerly awaited sequel to Trainspotting, which explores the vibrant landscape of youth culture through the decades and the nuances of defining a generation through the arts. Plus, award-winning author and Penguin colleague Derek Owusu joins the panel, providing personalised book recommendations to audience members. We also speak to readers at the festival and ask them: what is the book that defined your youth? 

The Penguin Podcast Live at Latitude: Irvine Welsh and Derek Owusu

Outrageous, iconic and unforgettable - these are some of the books Penguin have been publishing over its 90-year history. As part of a special content series called 'The books that shaped us' on Penguin.co.uk, we invited readers from the world of publishing, comedy, and music to explore must-read titles across the decades. The Internet's resident librarian Jack Edwards and Penguin editor Simon Prosser discuss their curated reading lists, and explore the impact of the books that shocked society and became pop culture phenomena in this special episode, recorded live at Waterstones Picadilly



Find all the books mentioned in this episode and more by clicking this link: The Penguin Podcast Waterstones Special

Follow our dedicated Broadcast channel on Instagram for exclusive content and giveaways: @PenguinUKBooks 



Send us a question: penguinpodcast@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk

Website: www.penguin.co.uk/podcast

Which Penguin books shocked society and became cultural icons? With Jack Edwards and Penguin Editor, Simon Prosser

This special episode of the Heartwood Podcast explores the brotherhood created among members of The Easley Branch record label and their artistic expression. RaShad Eas, B God Body, and JS2000 discuss their use of music to overcome challenges and enhance their experience in university and professional settings. The members also speak to the equanimity they exude and the importance of their desire for more knowledge. Tune in and don’t miss out on this wisdom. 

They are joined by DJ Green as he films. 


The Branch Interview

With the growth of the capability of artificial intelligence (AI), there is growing concern that this technology could make millions of jobs – and their workers – obsolete. 

In the third episode of The Ballpark’s miniseries on AI and the US, the Phelan US Centre explored the impacts AI is already having on the workforce with Baobao Zhang, Maxwell Dean Associate Professor of the Politics of AI in the Political Science Department at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. Professor Zhang’s research and work focuses on trust in digital technology and the governance of artificial intelligence  

The discussion covers how recent advances in AI have shifted the landscape when it comes to labor automation, the anxiety that many people are feeling about the potential for AI to affect jobs and industries through automation, and what students should be doing to best prepare for a career in workplaces that will be affected by AI in the coming decades. 

This episode was produced by Chris Gilson and Luke Digweed.   

Further reading and resources 

Lee, Y.S, Soroushian, J., Bullock, J., Carroll, M., Dokko, J., Dominski, J., Hinds, R., Holzer, H., Horrigan, M., Munyikwa, Z., Oschinski, M., Radsch, C., Rock, D., Rossi, M., Seamans, R., Zhang, B. (2025). “Proactively Developing and Assisting the Workforce in the Age of AI.” Americans for Responsible Innovation and the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. 

Zhang, Baobao and Dafoe, Allan, Artificial Intelligence: American Attitudes and Trends (January 9, 2019).  

Zhang, B., Anderljung, M., Kahn, L., Dreksler, N., Horowitz, M.C. and Dafoe, A. (2021). Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence: Evidence from a Survey of Machine Learning Researchers. Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research,  

Baobao Zhang. 2022. No Rage Against the Machines: Threat of Automation Does Not Change Policy Preferences. In Proceedings of the 2022 AAAI/ACM Conference on AI, Ethics, and Society (AIES '22). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 856–866. https://doi.org/10.1145/3514094.3534179 

LSE: The Ballpark | AI automation and the workforce with Dr Baobao Zhang

Welcome to WITHIN, a contemplative segment of The Leader's Way Podcast that explores the
convergence of mental health, art, and spirituality through authentic conversations across
traditions about personal and collective transformation. In this inaugural episode, Brandon talks
with Joanna Penn, an award-winning New York Times and USA Today bestselling author,
whose latest book, “Pilgrimage: Lessons Learned from Solo Walking Three Ancient Ways,”
explores the rich themes of spirituality, mental health, and personal transformation. Tune in for
a conversation about the power of walking, writing, and leaning into the call on our hearts.

Host: Brandon Nappi

Guest: Joanna Penn

Production: Goodchild Media

Instagram: @theleadersway.podcast berkeleydivinity.yale.edu/podcast

You can support our work at https://tinyurl.com/support-transforming-leaders

Surprised by Pilgrimage with Joanna Penn

Episode title: Ageing Playfully: Transforming perspectives on growing older

In this episode of Public Health Disrupted, host Rochelle Burgess is flying solo, and dives into the transformative power of play in the context of ageing. 

Joined by Rachel Colles, a professional performer and ‘Elderflower’ with Hearts and Minds, and Dr Carrie Ryan, a lecturer in Creative Health at UCL, the discussion explores how playfulness can disrupt conventional narratives surrounding ageing. Rochelle, Rachel, and Carrie challenge the societal tendency to associate play solely with childhood, revealing how embracing play in later life can foster joy, creativity, and meaningful connections. They share insights from their experiences, including engaging with people living with dementia and the profound impact of playful interactions (and bingo!) in care settings. 

The conversation highlights the importance of validating emotions, and how play serves as a vital public health intervention, encouraging a shift in perspective on ageing. This episode also touches on the significance of fostering genuine connections, ultimately advocating for a more playful approach to public health. 

Featured in this episode: 

Host: Rochelle Burgess – Community Health Psychologist and Professor at the UCL Institute for Global Health 

Guests: Rachel Colles– Professional Performer and Elderflower, Hearts and Minds 
Dr Carrie Ryan – Lecturer in Creative Health, UCL Department of Arts and Sciences Resources and mentions: ‘Extravagant Acts for Mature People' by Phoebe Davies (as mentioned at the end of this episode by Dr Carrie Ryan!) 

Date of episode recording: 2025-07-23
Duration: 00:42:57
Language of episode: English
Producer: Produced by UCL Health of the Public and edited by Annabelle Buckland, Decibelle Creative

Link to transcript:  https://www.ucl.ac.uk/health-of-public/news-and-events/public-health-disrupted/season-5-ep-5-ageing-playfully-notes-and-transcript

Season 5 - Ageing Playfully: Transforming perspectives on growing older

In this episode of The Bartlett Review, Professor Dame Henrietta Moore, Founder and Director of the Institute for Global Prosperity, and Arthur Kay, Advisor to Innovo Group and founder of several technology and urban design companies, discuss their new book, Roadkill: Unveiling the True Cost of Our Toxic Relationship with Cars. They explore the social, financial, ethical, and environmental impacts of cars, challenge common myths, and share practical ideas for rethinking the way we use them to improve our cities and freedoms. While cars are often sold as symbols of freedom, Henrietta and Arthur show how they restrict choice, limit city life, and impose hidden costs on health, communities, and the planet. They share real-world examples, challenge myths about electric and autonomous vehicles, and offer practical ideas for rethinking how we use cars.
Order your copy: https://getroadkill.com/

The Bartlett Review. Roadkill, unveiling the true cost of our toxic relationship with cars

In the fourth episode of our Mental Health & Wellbeing mini-series, host Jade Hunter is joined by UCL's Pro-Vice Provosts for Mental Health & Wellbeing, Professors Essi Viding and Argyris Stringaris to discuss the findings of a significant new survey conducted in partnership with YouGov. This survey, which gathered responses from 1,545 young adults aged 16 to 25, sheds light on the pressing mental health challenges faced by young people across Britain. This episode delves into the survey's key insights, exploring the perceptions of mental health support and the urgent need for effective early intervention and prevention strategies. Essi and Argyris discuss the implications of the findings, including the high percentage of young individuals seeking help and the dissatisfaction with current support systems.

Date of episode recording: 2025-08-19
Duration: 00:14:00
Language of episode: English
Presenter:Jade Hunter
Guests: Essi Viding; Argyris Stringaris
Producer: Annabelle Buckland

Youth Voices on Mental Health: Insights from UCL's YouGov Survey

Oxford University Press’s academic insights for the thinking world combine authority, innovation, and excellence.  We share audio resources for students, scholars, and researchers.

David Acheson on the Spirit of Mathematics - Episode 35 - The Side Comment

Oxford Academic (OUP)

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