Woman's Hour - 02/07/2010

Presented by Jenni Murray. Sarah Palin has spoken about an "emerging, conservative feminist identity" but what exactly is this and how does it square with the traditional image of feminists? Jenni Murray is joined by Dr Michael Bibler of Manchester University and Sarah Walker who was a student activist for the Republican Party in the 2008 US Presidential Elections. Neuroscientist Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, talks about her career, her research on reversing the damage stroke inflicts on the brain, and her recent appointment as President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Manchester. When married couples reach breaking point they commonly consider counselling, separation or divorce. But as an alternative , is part-time marriage worth trying? It worked for writer Flic Everett and her husband who, after a decade together agreed they still loved each other too much to split up but equally felt they might not survive unless something changed significantly in their relationship. Their solution ? He went to live somewhere else three days a week. Two years later they're now back living under the same roof. Can a part-time marriage sometimes save it ? Flic Everett and Harry Benson, author of 'Let's Stick Together' join Jenni to discuss. Risotto should be the perfect delicate cuisine for long summer evenings but is yours sometimes more like stodgy semolina ? Italian chef, Giorgio Alessio today runs an award winning restaurant in Scarborough but he grew up in northern Italy near the town of Arborio, from which the rice most commonly used for risotto, derives it name. To explain the secrets to producing the ultimate risotto Giorgio cooks live in the Manchester studio .