Afternoons for Tuesday 27 November 2018

Short Story Club

This week we discuss the poem Mere Mare by Emma Neale. It was first published in the Spinoff as one of its Friday poems and is in hte collection The Friday Poem edited by Steve Braunias - and we will give away a copy of that book to the person who writes us the most interesting email about Emma Neale's poem

1:10 First song: Fruit Juice Parade

Fruit Juice Parade are a two piece band from Palmerston North - Shannen Petersen and Tharushi Bowatte are not long out of high school but have already made an impression with their punky emo sound.

They perform live in our Wellington studio

1:15 Too many wind farms

Wind farms are a sustainable source of electricity, but could too many turbines be a bad thing? 

A new study published in Nature Energy has found wind farms can slow down the winds around them for tens of kilometres, which could reduce the electricity production of farms nearby.

The authors warn there may not be adequate laws to stop this. Energy Law Professor KK DuVivier worked on the paper and explains the research further. 

1:25 Trampolines causing injuries 

Trampolines have been a staple of kiwi backyards for years, but experts reckon more regulation is needed.

Those double bounces can be dangerous, especially for kids - new ACC data shows there are more than 1000 tramp accidents every month in New Zealand, and head injuries have shot up. 

So what are the safety checks on them? Consumer NZ's Dr Paul Smith is here to explain. 

1:35 What's #GivingTuesday all about?

Today is #Giving Tuesday. 

If you don't know what that means, don't stress, it's only been around a few years. It's the day following both Black Friday and Cyber Monday where people celebrate giving instead of shopping.

It's about charity in all forms: philanthropy, volunteering, donating, or raising awareness of a good cause. 

Christine Langdon is co-founder and Chief of Good at The Good Registry, she's here to tell us what this global movement is all about. 

1:40 Great album

2:10 The music of George Harrison

George Harrison wasn't the main Beatles songwriter, but has written what are considered to be some of the great songs of the 20th century.

Music writer Simon Sweetman takes us through the music of the Beatles lead guitarist - from his hits with the band to his solo works and collaborations with other musicians.

3:10 AJ Jacobs: thanks for the coffee

Every morning, author AJ Jacobs starts his day with a cup of coffee. That warm elixir gives him a kick of caffeine  for which he is truly grateful. And he's not just saying that. On the suggestion of his son, he decided to personally thank each and every person who makes his morning coffee possible. 

He discovered it doesn't take a village to make a cup of coffee, it takes the world. He also found that gratitude,  and the small act of saying thank you can be a powerful way to increase happiness.

He shares his epic adventure to thank everyone from the barista who pours his coffee to the cleaner in the Colombian warehouse who keeps the bugs out of the coffee beans in his book, Thanks A Thousand: A Gratitude Journey

3:30 Spoken Feature

3:45 The Pre-Panel Story of the Day and One Quick Question

4:05 The Panel with Kevin Milne and Jennie Moreton