Afternoons for Friday 29 June 2018

1:10 First song

1:15 Is weighing ourselves worth it? 

Some people weigh themselves everyday, others swear they never look at the numbers, many only get an update at the doctor. 

So is weighing yourself bad or not? Some experts say it can foster an unhealthy obsession with the scales. 

A new study though has found that yes, weighing yourself is a good idea if you're trying to lose weight - but there are some caveats. 

To tell us what they are we're joined by Clare Collins, co-author of the paper and Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Newcastle. 

1:25 Laughing through MS and other chronic illnesses

Five years ago Wellington nurse Shona Daube was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.

She made a decision early on to laugh her way through all the challenges

Initially she wrote funny emails to her friends, then realised there was a book in it

She has just written a second book on dealing with chronic illness called, Does my Bum Look Big with this Stick.

Shona joins us in the Wellington studio to tell us about her journey. 

1:35 Gisborne teacher's "Freedom Writers" class

If you've seen the Hollywood movie Freedom Writers you'll know it's all about students using journals to write down their troubles. It's based on a book written by a group of American students and their teacher. 

The concept inspired Gisborne teacher Michelle Lawrence, who decided to style her English class at Lytton High School in the same way. 

Next week some of the students will be heading over to the USA to meet the real life people that created the Freedom Writers movement. 

Michelle tells us what makes her class different. If you want to help Michelle and her students you can email her at lw@lyttonhigh.net 

1:40 Great album

2:10 Film Review with Richard Swainson

Richard Swainson reviews the Incredibles 2 and Kodachrome

2:20 NZ Live Mali Mali

Auckland singer-songwriter-and-multi-instrumentalist Ben Tolich, performs under the moniker Mali Mali.

He's just released his 3rd full album, Azimuth, and performs four songs live in the Auckland studio.

3:10 Perfect Mashed Potato

Niki Bezzant admits there are lots of opinions on perfect mash, even among experts, but she has some tips on how to make them taste pretty darned good.

Her tips are: always use floury potatoes, use more butter than seems feasible, use hot milk and make sure you season well.

3:20 Talk the Walk: the Rees Dart

We continue our series looking at multi day walks in New Zealand, and Lindsay Benbrook tells us about the Rees Dart track which is between the Routeburn and Caples tracks near Queenstown. 

3:25 Critter of the Week Eyelash seaweed     

DoC's theatrened species ambassador, Nicola Toki tells us about this filamentous red algae known as the eyelash seaweed, dione arcuata.     

This seaweed had only been known from two sites on the Kaikoura coastline, meaning it was badly impacted by the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake.

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

4:05 The Panel with Mike Rehu and Dellwyn Stewart