On of the United States' largest concerns in the Middle East has long been the relative security of Pakistan, and more specifically, the security of that country's nuclear weapons. America provides millions of dollars in aid there, and the Pakistani government is considered an ally in an unstable area of the world. But in a country where the Taliban and other organizations have infiltrated the state military, it's a constant balancing act. 

On the very day that Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy, September 15th 2008, the art market was at the height of its own boom, celebrating Damian Hirst's sale of $200 million worth of art in one day, including "For the Love of God," a diamond-covered platinum skull. In a twist of timing, the art that hung on the walls of Lehman Brothers corporate offices will be going to the auction block in a few weeks. We talk to Lawrence Pollard, the BBC art correspondent who has been investigating what's happened to the Lehman Brothers art collection.

The English language is a rich and wondrous thing and just got its millionth word: Web-2.0. Global Language Monitor, which searches the internet for new words, claims that that is a word: it's been used 25,000 times, the GLM's standard for recognition. The firm says a new word is born on average every 98 minutes. Joining us from London is Lawrence Pollard, BBC Arts Correspondent.

Sixty years ago, George Orwell's dystopian masterpiece 1984 was published and imagery like Big Brother, Room 101, and the "thought police" entered the vernacular. It's a book that has resonated with the public, playing off the fear of government surveillance and encroachment on individual rights. Orwell's pessimistic vision didn't come to pass by 1984, but we turn to BBC arts correspondent Lawrence Pollard to discuss how the book is relevant today.

From the cinematic version of the book, here's an explanation of war:

During the Vietnam War, the directors of the museum in Hanoi decided to hide their nation's valuable art work to keep it safe from the war. But they wanted to maintain their cultural pride. So they came up with an ingenious plan: hide the originals and fill the museum with well-crafted copies or forgeries. Now, curators at the Museum of Fine Arts in Hanoi have found that their walls are still covered with fakes. Where are the originals? We turn to Lawrence Pollard, BBC arts correspondent.