Afternoons for Monday 13 December 2010
1:10 Best Song Ever Written: Life on Mars by David Bowie
Chosen by Karen Howieson of Nelson.
1:15 8 Months To Mars - Steve Thomas
Stepping up to the launch pad today is the "Bard of Christchurch", a poet and writer and story teller who will be familiar to many who have listened to Radio New Zealand National through the years. In recent times the books and poetry have taken a back seat as The Bard has taken on the role of concert promoter, and he's here to tell us about that today.
2:10 Kylie Phaup-Stephens
Kylie Phaup-Stephens is finally back in New Zealand after the ultimate OE. She clocked up 50-thousand kilometers in 22 countries in 20 months on a cheap mountain bike. On a budget of just under 8 dollars a day, Kylie started in London and cycled alone through Europe. But then she went off the beat track. Way off it , through Iran, Kosovo and even Afghanistan. She fought off men in Iran, trying to get into her tent in Iran, horrific cycling conditions in China, and incredible kindness by the New Zealand Army in Afghanistan who gave her milo and a hot shower.
2:20 Alex McCaw
Another member of the McCaw family has just earned some major bragging rights. Alex McCaw, All Black Captain Richie McCaw's cousin, has just traveled 1-thousand kilometers in a glider plane. It took 11 hours, but now McCaw can say he's one of only 560 fliers around the world to have reached this lofty goal. With nothing but the wind to carry him. McCaw took off from Omarama and flew a circuit between Lumsden and the top of the Rangitata River twice before landing at Pukaki Airfield, near Twizel.
2:30 Reading
International attention is beginning to swing back to Antarctica as preparations accelerate to mark next year's 100th anniversary of the great race to reach the South Pole.
So to get you in the mood, we thought it might be appropriate to have a little creative focus on the continent . And today we're beginning a run of 5 short stories by J Edward Brown
Here's Bruce Phillips to read the first one. . . 'Halloween on Ice'
2:45 He Rourou
There are several different versions of the creation story of the Tarawera Falls, nestled in Kawerau Forest. In He Rourou, local elder Kahu Te Rire tells stories about ancient ancestors, ghostly fights, and betrayal and treachery in connection with the spectacular water feature.
2:50 Feature Album
Our Feature Album today is the big charity album for Christmas this year, So This Is Christmas, with the money going to SHINE, Safer Homes In NZ Everyday.
3:12 Author Slot
John Bluck has seen many sights in many countries. He has lived a lucky life, seemingly, his talents always in demand, respect for his personal qualities always great in the communities he's been in. And we may look back on his age, on the age just past, and think it was the apogee of the good life in NZ. But it's also been an era of great change and tumult, and an time of emerging doubt, as the certainties we knew have been under assault in a post-modern vortex.
The Reverend John Bluck's new book is Hidden Country - Having Faith In Aotearoa New Zealand.
3:33 Our Changing World feature
Lasers are all around us - in supermarkets to scan barcodes, to read DVDs and CDs, in laser printers, and in optic fibres…the list goes on.
To celebrate the laser's "golden anniversary", Ruth Beran meets Cather Simpson, Kylie Price and Justin Hodgkiss to get a potted history of the laser's controversial development, and to discover some of the light-emitting device's more unusual applications.
3:47 Pre-Panel
What people are saying on Twitter and Facebook.
And the Kiwi who watched Oprah mania at Bondi Beach from outside her window.
4:06 The Panel with Tino Pereira and Graham Bell
Race Relations Conciliator criticial about Cook Strait ferry handling of Jewish passengers strapping boxes to themselves for prayer ritual. Who was at Len Brown's famous $810 dinner? Some are getting jobs on the Supercity. Air NZ inflight video gay kiss. The mysterious discovery in Mona Lisa. People flogging stuff from hospitals, and the flower Miley Cyrus was smoking.