Afternoons for Wednesday 26 July 2023

 

1:15 Bull**** has been a genuine topic of study at Canterbury University

Would you believe that the theory of bulls*** has become a genuine area of study?

It's called "bullsh**ology", and it all kicked off when American philosopher Professor Harry Frankfurt published his book 'On Bullshit'.

A bevvy of scholars followed suit, including our own Distinguished Professor Steven Ratuva, director of the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies at the University of Canterbury.

He'll be presenting a free public lecture on bullsh**ology at the university next Wednesday at 7pm, he talks to Jesse.

 

1:25 Safeguarding 20th century artwork in Aotearoa from disappearing

 

Hiding in plain sight is some of Aotearoa New Zealand's most culturally significant artwork.

However, these pieces intended to enrich public spaces have over the years fallen victim to the elements, privatisation, or have just simply been lost.

In a bid to safeguard the our 20th century public artwork in perpetuity is the country's first national register.

Sue Elliott, Co-Director of Public Art Heritage Aotearoa New Zealand, joins me now to talk about the initiative which launched this week.

1:35 Kāpiti pupil staring in Korean reality TV show

A group of New Zealand teenagers have been selected to take part in a South Korean reality TV show called 'After School: School Trip'.

The show is in its fifth season, and the concept is to take international students and film their authentic reactions to Korean culture and society.

Five students have been selected after a long audition process, one of which is Aroa Al Masri, a 15-year-old student from Kāpiti College.She speaks to Jesse.

1:45 Scratch artist reinstating pre-quake Christchurch buildings in miniature!

More than a decade after the devastating quakes, Christchurch's iconic buildings are coming back to life.

Scratch artist Mike Beer, aka 'Ghost Cat', has embarked on an ambitious collaboration to rebuild some of the city's favourite lost establishments in miniature.

The project, titled 'Ghost on Every Corner' is due to be completed at the end of next year but in the meantime he is on the hunt for stories connected to the past.

2.12 Podcast Critic: Jemima Huston

Today Jemima talks to Jesse about a couple of true crime podcasts, The Girlfriends by Novel and To Live and Die by Tenderfoot TV.

2:25 Bookmarks with Tīhema Baker

Our bookmarks guest today is Tīhema  Baker. He's just published his latest novel 'Turncoat' which draws inspiration from his time spent working as a Māori public servant - advising on Tiriti o Waitangi-based policy in 'Crown spaces'.

Tihema takes this premise into pretty 'out there' territory in Turncoat - turning his frustrations into satire- and creating an alien world in which to tell his story.

He shares with Jesse what he likes to read, watch and listen to in his down time.

3:10 The hidden forces behind healthcare outcomes

Our lives are ruled by chance. That can work in our favor when it comes to a chance meeting with a romantic partner, or a spontaneous decision to buy a lotto ticket that wins. But no one likes to leave our health to chance, but chance can affect medical care says Dr Bapu Jena, a Harvard professor, economist and host of the Freakonomics, MD podcast, with observational studies and data analysis, he and his co-author discover the hidden, but predictable ways in which chance affects our health answering questions like, is there ever a good time to have a heart attack?  Do you want an older doctor or younger one? Can marathons affect the health of people who don’t even run in the race?  His new book is called Random Acts of Medicine: The Hidden Forces That Sway Doctors, Impact Patients and Shape our Health.

3:35 Stories from Our Changing World

Coming up on Our Changing World - one from the archives. Leaning into winter, we celebrate the white stuff by exploring the Science of…Snow.  

3:45 The Panel with Nalini Baruch and Selwyn Manning