Afternoons for Thursday 13 December 2018

Short Story Club

After 3 we discuss a story by Shonagh Koea  called A Novel in a Room.

The writer of the best email wins a copy of her novel, Landscape with Solitary Figure - Jesse@rnz.co.nz

1:10 First song: Sophie Mashlan

Singer songwriter, Sophie Mashlan is only 19 but already making waves on the New Zealand folk scene - her debut album is out next year, and she's just released a new single - which she performs for us live.

1:15 Synthetic drug reform

The Government has announced those who supply and make synthetic drugs face life in prison, with the most common compounds found in synthetics being reclassified as Class A. 

The changes announced today focus on a health approach for the users of the drugs though, instructing police to consider treatment instead of prosecution. We discuss the changes with Ross Bell from the Drug Foundation.

1:20 Learning to cope through resilience 

Students at New Zealand Broadcasting School have produced a documentary on resilient grieving through the eyes of two mothers who lost family members. 

Dr Lucy Hone is one of those mothers, she used resilience to help cope after her daughter Abi died in a crash in 2014. 

The New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing and Resilience director is now bringing those skills into kiwi schools. Dr Hone's here to tell us about the initiative.

1:30 Dr Anthony Leeds: Diet and diabetes

Diet can be a crucial component in the remission and prevention of diabetes.

British professor Dr Anthony Leeds is a researcher and practicing medical doctor who is focusing on low energy diets to help with diabetes and weight loss. 

He's in the country to give lectures at the Liggins Institute and Middlemore Hospital, and joins us to discuss his latest work in the area. You can check if you are at risk here. 

1:35 A kitchen celebrating former refugees

More than 65 million people are displaced globally.

Hamiltonian Tania Jones met some of these refugees when she was volunteering Greece. When she came home she decided more needed to be done to support those refugees living in her community.

So the idea of Home Kitchen was born, a social enterprise dedicated to showcasing the culinary culture of former refugees in the Waikato. Tania is on the line to tell us about the PledgeMe campaign for the eatery.

1:40 Great album

2:10 Katy Atkin - best podcasts of 2018

Best return - Serial - Season 3

The season surpassed 50 million downloads after just two months to become the show's biggest to date - and all three seasons have brought in 420 million downloads collectively. Series 3 looks at the criminal justice system in Cleveland Ohio as an example of the justice system in the US overall. Podcast perfection.

Most impact - Teacher's Pet - The Australian Newspaper

Been downloaded 28 million times now and resulted in the arrest and charge of Chris Dawson for his wife Lyn Dawson's murder 36 years ago.  He was a high school sports teacher - says his wife Lyn went missing and he moved his teenage (year 11) student Joanne Curtis into the family home almost immediately. Series started in May 2018 - now 8 months and 16 episodes later, the podcast and this reporting has been presented by  reporter Hedley Thomas.

Best Episode - Articles of Interest by 99% Invisible

Women love pockets on clothes - particularly dresses. This is an entire podcast episode about the history behind why women have been forced to suffer through fake, inadequate or no pockets on their clothing? Part of 99% Invisible series (normally presented by Roman Mars) - this one presented by Avery Trufelman  and she explores the history and significance of various items of clothing.

Best newcomer - Slow Burn

Season 1 from Slate - looked at Watergate  - which revealed to many of us just how little we understood about it-"Slow Burn" turned its focus on the Clinton impeachment.  The Clinton series reveals how its scandal connects to the partisan wrangling and bad faith of today, and makes for enjoyable, illuminating listening. But by the end it's devastating. The Clintons' enemies, many still relevant, come off terribly, but time and perspective make Clinton look reprehensible, too.

Best kids podcast  - Brains On!

Science podcast for kids - hosted by kid scientists and grown up radio reporter Molly Bloom. Looks at everything from robots, to dinosaurs,  the science of Frankenstein,  how paint sticks to walls and  how animals breathe underwater.  Between 30 - 45 mins long so perfect for a short out of town road trip and each episode has lots of variety - including awesome questions from kids. My kids love the mystery sound each week. Good mix of education and fun for kids and grown ups. And don't pretend you don't want to know the science around farts.

2:20 Your Money with Mary Holm

In Mary's last segment with Jesse, she asked listeners to send in questions. The best five questions are answered in this segment, and the questioners each win a copy of Mary's new book, Rich Enough? A Laid-back Guide for Every Kiwi.

The questions cover: whether buying a house is out of reach for a couple in their 30s; ways to get value from your house in retirement; which debt you should pay off first; whether a couple should worry about their investment in an Auckland apartment; and how a beneficiary should handle an inheritance.

3:10 Link 3

3:15 Short Story Club

We discuss a story by Shonagh Koea  called A Novel in a Room.  The writer of the best email wins a copy of her novel, Landscape with Solitary Figure Jesse@rnz.co.nz

3:25 Tell me about your thesis

Kathryn Rivai's doctoral thesis came out of her work setting up educaiton centres for disadvantaged children in Malaysia.

She moved to Malaysia 4 decades ago, and is back in her home town of Auckland to visit family, so pops into our Auckland studio to tell us about the schools she set up and her thesis

3:30 RNZ Eyewitness

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

4:05 The Panel with Steve McCabe and Dellwyn Stuart