Afternoons for Tuesday 17 August 2010

1:10 Best Song Ever Written

Davey Spilane playing Midnight Walker as chosen by Timothy Wiggins of Hawkes Bay.

1:15 Critical Mass

Former editor, bookstore owner and now avid reviewer Graham Beattie.
Angelina: An Unauthorized Biography by Andrew Morton
Sex and Stravinsky by Barbara Trapido

Social networking with Dr Jules Older

Musician, Supergroove member Nick Atkinson
Love Will Always Win by Opshop
Spottie Ottie Dopaliscious by Hypnotic Brass Ensemble

What's on TV with Sarah McMullen

2:10 Feature stories

The Russians are coming to Blenheim for the Rugby World Cup and the locals couldn't be more pleased. In March, the Russian team secured it's first ever place in a rugby world cup tournament. And while the team's games will be played elsewhere, Blenheim has been selected to host the team for much of it's stay in New Zealand. National discussion about the Rugby World Cup have often centered on big bucks for offering accomodation and procuring tickets for the games. The people of Blenheim are quietly preparing to be the best possible hosts.

When the Dow goes down, the height of women's heels goes up. This according to fashion historians and commentators making note of what women in the US are wearing right now. The Dow Jones industrial average has fallen nearly 400 points over the past four trading days. The Federal Reserve is taking a more cautious tone about the pace of the US recovery. But if you really want a barometer about how the economy is going just look down at what women have on their feet. It's not just Lady Gaga wearing a pair of staggering 12-inch heels in her music videos.

2:30 Reading:Hartley Manners stories by Matthew O'Sullivan.

Grant Tilly reading Kingdom Of The Sky.

2:45 He Rourou

Her last year at school and Julia Silberry has just performed for the first time at the national secondary school kapa haka competition. Ana Tapiata caught up with Julia, the female leader of the total immersion Maori language high school in Mangere, Auckland

2:50 Feature Album

The debut release of American musician Janelle Monáe, The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III).

3:12 Tune your Engine

For the first time ever, research shows that American creativity is declining. Americans are getting smarter, but less creative. IQ scores are going up, but creativity scores, especially the scores of younger children in Primary school, are declining significantly. This at a time in history when creative solutions for huge problems are paramount. This story is on the cover of Newsweek magazine. It's relevant here in New Zealand as we grapple with the issue of national standards in our schools. No one knows exactly why creativity is declining, but there are some who suggest the focus on standardised curriculum in schools and nationalised testing may play a part

3:33 Asian Report

What does it take to be nominated as Woman of the Year in one of New Zealand' s leading women's lifestyle magazines? Sonia Yee finds out when she meets Wellington-based Vanisa Dhiru

3:47 Pre-Panel

4:06 The Panel

Stephen Franks and Liz Bowen-Clewley.