Afternoons for Tuesday 21 December 2010
1:10 Best Song Ever Written
Scenes From an Italian Restaurant by Billy Joel as chosen by Donovan Bixley of Taupo.
1:15 Critical Mass
Ele Ludemann has the Christmas Story for the digital age - the old story told through new media - facebook, twitter, Amazon. And then there's Mary & Joseph on Facebook.
On a humorous note Imperator Fish has court news of a North Pole resident who's been charged with evading gift duty.
Crime writer Vanda Symon is officially on holiday, but not too busy to tell us what she's been reading lately. Music reviewer Nick Atkinson is still applauding the Sharon Jones concert, and Sarah McMullen is here to wrap up the TV week.
2:10 Feature Stories
Recently in a ceremony at the Polish Embassy in Wellington, a survivor of World War II's forced labour camps in Siberia was awarded the Siberian Deportees Cross. The award acknowledges the suffering brave Poles endured during the War. Anna Butler was just 16 years old when her family was rounded up by Russian soldiers in Eastern Poland and sent to Siberia in cattle cars.
If the clouds cooperate and get out of the way tonight, skywatchers will witness a lunar eclipse. The the Earth's shadow will slide across the full moon. The moon will turn red or amber in the night sky. The last total lunar eclipse visible from New Zealand was in 2008. The forecast isn't great for this celestial viewing tonight. Gisborne is likely to get the best view.
2:30 Reading
Smiles and Transactions, a short story from Huia Publishers collection of Contemporary Pacific Fiction entitled, Niu Voices, written by Angela Gribben and read by Stephani Erick-Peleti.
2:45 He Rourou
In Lower Hutt Bruce Arahanga has played a major mentoring role for people who wanted to enter into the Anglican ministry. Ana Tapiata talks with the Tuhoe elder, who's main piece of advice is to Be Yourself.
2:50 Feature Album
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Before Today.
3:12 Tune Your Engine
It is said the average person spends between one and four years of their life sitting on the toilet. That's a lot of loo roll.
For many the smallest room in the house is a private and quiet place - a place to read.
Back in 1987, while staring at the bathroom door, "Uncle John" spotted a niche in the market and created a series of trivia books specifically designed for fellow toilet-readers with topics ranging from science to history, sport & politics to pop culture & art.
The only rule the Bathroom Readers' Institute had was that every page must either have an amazing fact or a good laugh, or both. And the latest offering - the Uncle John's Heavy Duty Bathroom Reader - comes in at 538 pages,
3:33 Asian Report
What do a butterfly, lunge and grapevine have in common? They're all steps in Line Dancing, a dance that's keeping the older members of the Wellington Chinese Sports and Cultural Centre in shape. Jason Moon went to find out why.
4:06 The Panel
Linda Clark and Kevin Milne.