/on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/rss 九一星空无限 Fri, 31 Jan 2025 07:56:57 Z en /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/the-beatles-in-new-zealand-its-been-60-years/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/the-beatles-in-new-zealand-its-been-60-years/ On this day 60 years ago, 4 young lads from Liverpool arrived in Wellington on a plane to commence a week long tour of New Zealand. And they changed everything. It was the Beatles. It wasn't like we weren't warned. The week before was chaos as they toured Australia. 250,000 youngsters welcomed the band in sleepy old Adelaide. But the older generation were not prepared for the excitement, the hysteria and disorder that followed the band wherever they went. They were agog. It was the beginning of the generation gap. It was the beginning of the rise of youth culture. The Beatles opened New Zealand's eyes. The advent of international travel and of television meant they were the world's first international superstars and they were here. Andrew Dickens chats with listeners who remember the day and the week. The adventures are legendary. Most were extraordinarily young and yet the time is burnt into their memory. Take a trip. LISTEN ABOVE When We Was Fab: Inside the Beatles Australasian Tour 1964 (Woodland Press). Andy Neill has ticketed book launch events at Unity Books, Wellington, June 21; Hedley’s Books, Masterton, June 22; Big Fan, Auckland. June 25. Fri, 21 Jun 2024 03:45:05 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/andrew-dickens-two-callers-discuss-the-boarding-house-situation-in-new-zealand/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/andrew-dickens-two-callers-discuss-the-boarding-house-situation-in-new-zealand/ A report from Auckland Council's boarding house inspectors shows out of 44 properties suspected to be breaking the law, 40 were “operating unauthorised transient accommodation or boarding houses.”  Many had issues with fire safety breaches, growing numbers of gang-affiliated guests, and owners questioning council authority.  Andrew Dickens had two callers today who discussed their situations.  The first, Jamie, lives in a boarding house with his son.   Jamie told Andrew Dickens “There’s one room here that’s $500 – the guy’s killing it,”  Jamie said “You’re living with alcoholics and drug users. I’ve had to send my kid to his mum’s because it’s no place for a kid.”  The second, John, owns two boarding houses and lives there himself.  John told Andrew Dickens “When they come here, they are lost. When I give them a room, they sleep for a week - they are that exhausted.”  John said “It’s an ideal situation to get these people off the street and give them independence.”  LISTEN ABOVE.  Mon, 10 Jun 2024 02:23:11 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/philip-duncan-weatherwatch/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/philip-duncan-weatherwatch/ Philip Duncan from WeatherWatch joined Andrew Dickens to give an update on Cyclone Gabrielle and the current weather around the country. LISTEN ABOVE Mon, 13 Feb 2023 01:22:45 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/jason-walls-newstalk-zb-chief-political-reporter-on-emissions-reduction-plan/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/jason-walls-newstalk-zb-chief-political-reporter-on-emissions-reduction-plan/ The Government has today unveiled its Emissions Reduction Plan this morning to reduce emissions to hit New Zealand's emissions budgets. Here are eight talking points: Targets The Government wants at least 30 per cent of the light vehicle fleet (ordinary passenger cars) to be zero emissions by 2035, and it wants people to drive 20 per cent less by that year too. This means people in cities living closer together and using public transport more. Both targets were consulted on last year but have now been affirmed. The Government has raised its ambitions for cutting emissions from freight transport. This target will be to reduce emissions by 35 per cent by 2035. The Government has slightly lowered its sights when it comes to reducing the emissions intensity of transport fuel. This target has been lowered slightly, to reduce emissions by 10 per cent by 2035. One of the biggest targets - one that was missing from the draft emissions plan the Government put out for consultation last year - is to set a target of 50 per cent of final energy consumption coming from renewable sources by 2035. So far, the Government has set targets for renewable electricity generation (100 per cent by 2030), expanding that target to include all energy is a big step. Bans The plan reaffirms Labour's policy of banning new fossil fuel electricity generation. It also includes a proposal to ban or effectively ban the importing of polluting cars. By next year, the Government plans to set a maximum CO2 emissions level for new cars. The limit would either ban the import of those cars, or force people importing the vehicles to pay a heavy penalty for the privilege. The Government wants it in place by next year. Softly softly - and potential u-turns The Government had heavily signalled it would be looking to extend its half-price public transport fares in the plan. Half-price public transport fares are slated to run out in weeks, unless given a further top-up in Thursday's Budget. There was no indication this would be extended in the emissions reduction plan, beyond a commitment to work with local government to "make public transport more affordable, with a particular focus on low-income users". (On that note, the Government did commit to having fully zero emissions public transport by 2035). That's not a definite u-turn, but it's hardly a ringing endorsement of the plan either. One proposal that has emphatically disappeared from the plan was a proposal from the Government's consultation document to ban new gas connections from homes. The Government has scrapped this, but is working on an overall emissions standard for buildings. Funds At last year's Budget, the Government announced it would funnel the revenue generated from the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) into climate change projects. Last December, it dubbed the scheme by which it would do this the "Climate Emergency Response Fund" or CERF. The funding for the Emissions Reduction Plan projects announced on Monday came from this fund. On Monday, the Government announced it was open to topping up the fund with money from general taxation, given the scale of the climate transition. Subsidies The plan is full of hefty subsidies. The Government will allocate $568 million from the CERF to help low-income New Zealanders buy EVs or hybrids. People on low incomes will be able to trade-in their polluting vehicle and receive money to upgrade to an EV or hybrid. The funding pays for an initial trial of 2500 vehicles, tagged at $15.9m a year for the next two years, before increasing to $242m in 2024/25. The Government is also offering subsidies to help industry switch to zero emissions. The Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry Fund, or GIDI, had an initial investment of $69m, and was used to switch some industries from emissions-intensive energy generation to green electricity. Investments include paying for transmission infrastructure to hook industrial producers up to the electricity grid, enabling them to switch off their own coal-fired power. The fund has been given a further $650m from the Budget (not from the CERF). The plan even included a policy to subsidise freight companies to purchase low- and zero-emissions trucks from 2022. That could be big … could also be nothing Announcements like this often include commitments to investigate projects the Government would like to do at some point - just not yet. These policies could be big - they could also turn out to be nothing. In this vein, the Government proposes to investigate inter-regional public transport services, meaning better intercity bus (and maybe train) services could become viable. The Government said it wanted to deliver "major" public transport service and infrastructure improvements in Christchurch, something it has been working on with the Canterbury councils. Taxes The Government has strongly foreshadowed it would introduce congestion pricing in Auckland and possibly Wellington in the plan. The plan did not include a final recommendation on this. Instead, it said ministers would make a final decision on congestion pricing in Auckland by the end of this year and talk with Wellington councils by the end of the year. Congestion price isn't yet a sure thing - but it appears highly likely. Agriculture Agriculture is New Zealand's largest emitter by far, accounting for roughly half of New Zealand's total greenhouse gas emissions. Agriculture was not entirely missing from the Emissions Reduction Plan, but meaty policies appear to be waiting on emissions pricing to be rolled-out in the sector. The Government says this will happen in some way by 2025. Despite not directly paying anything into the Emissions Trading Scheme fund, Agriculture has done quite well from the fund, securing a quarter of all funding divided up on Monday - $710m. Finance Minister Grant Robertson said the Government could have stood on principle and blocked agriculture from taking money from the fund, instead it prioritised reducing emissions and incentivising behavioural change. That's a huge win for the likes of Groundswell. - by Thomas Coughlan, NZ Herald Mon, 16 May 2022 01:32:31 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/brickmaster-robin-sather-talks-lego-masters-with-andrew-dickens/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/brickmaster-robin-sather-talks-lego-masters-with-andrew-dickens/ After taking over the world tiny brick by tiny brick, the global phenomenon LEGO® Masters NZ is coming to TVNZ 2. Hosted by Dai Henwood, LEGO Masters will test the imaginations and the building skills of six teams in our first national brick-off. Dai’s sidekick, Brickmaster Robin Sather will set a colourful mix of new and classic LEGO building challenges, which will be judged on aesthetics, technical and storytelling ability. All in the hopes to find the first team in Aotearoa judged worthy to hold aloft the coveted LEGO Masters trophy. Brickmaster Robin Sather joined Andrew Dickens to chat about the show. LISTEN ABOVE Mon, 09 May 2022 03:54:21 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/darcy-waldegrave-zoi-sadowski-synnott-takes-silver/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/darcy-waldegrave-zoi-sadowski-synnott-takes-silver/ In just her second Olympics Zoi Sadowski-Synnott has completed her collection of medals, but a historic second gold will have to wait.  The snowboarding sensation has been forced to settle for silver in today's big air final in Beijing, upstaged by defending champion Anna Gasser.  The Austrian seized gold in a breathtaking climax, becoming the first woman to land a 1260 in Olympic competition with the penultimate jump in the final.  That left top qualifier Sadowski-Synnott with one last shot to retake the lead but, unlike in her slopestyle victory nine days ago, she was unable to respond and couldn't quite land a 1260 of her own.  The silver medal will still sit triumphantly alongside her slopestyle gold and the bronze she claimed in big air four years ago, when Gasser first took top spot on the podium.  Sadowski-Synnott has now claimed the majority share of all the medals New Zealand have won at the Winter Olympics, and nothing about her performance in Beijing suggested she would be stopping at three.  The 20-year-old said yesterday that the nature of the competition meant the top riders all knew what one another's best tricks were and felt genuine joy when their rivals landed a jump that had taken countless hours of hard work.  Zoi Sadowski-Synnott performs a trick during the women's snowboard big air final. Photo / Getty  Standing at the top of the ramp after Gasser had stormed into the gold-medal position, any joy for Sadowski-Synnott was put on hold as she took a few deep breaths and prepared for her final action of these Games.  But after she barely failed to land her attempt at a 1260, a jump she completed while winning double gold at the X Games last month, it was clear the Kiwi was as excited as anyone with Gasser's performance.  The pair exchanged a couple of big hugs while the scores were confirmed, Gasser taking gold with a combined 185.50 from her two best jumps as Sadowski-Synnott consigned to silver with 177.00.  It looked like that order would be reversed after the first two runs, with Sadowski-Synnott quickly carrying over the form that saw her take top spot in yesterday's qualifying.  The Wānaka local watched her 11 rivals jump first and then immediately flew above them all on the leaderboard, her frontside double cork 1080 coming with huge air, a long grab and silky-smooth landing, riding away with a wave to the small Kiwi contingent in the crowd.  Zoi Sadowski Synnott waves to the crowd. Photo / Getty  It was the same trick that set alight qualifying, only the judges were even more impressed, the 93.25 score topping her competition-best of 91.00 yesterday.  Only Gasser (90.00) was near Sadowski-Synnott after the first round and kept up the pressure with a backside 1080 to earn a second-round score of 86.75.  Sadowski-Synnott soon replied to retake the lead by the finest of margins, putting down a backside 1080 that was perhaps safer but no less sleek, sneaking ahead of Gasser by a quarter of a point.  The Austrian then showed just why she was the defending champion, as her unprecedented jump received a score of 95.50 to leave Sadowski-Synnott in need of perfection.  That was a level the Kiwi, for once, wasn't quite able to achieve, but it will surely be a matter of when and not if Sadowski-Synnott stands atop an Olympic podium once more.  Tue, 15 Feb 2022 03:27:49 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/barry-soper-newstalk-zb-political-editor-on-new-national-shadow-cabinet/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/barry-soper-newstalk-zb-political-editor-on-new-national-shadow-cabinet/ National has unveiled its new-look line up with big promotions for Chris Bishop and Erica Stanford, now ranked fourth and seventh. Bishop has been reunited with the shadow leader of the house portfolio, which Collins stripped him of. Stanford has taken education from Paul Goldsmith, and retained the immigration portfolio. She has rocketed up the rankings, having been ranked 25th previously. One of the biggest losers is former leader Judith Collins, demoted to 19th. But she still stays in the shadow cabinet, and has the research, science and innovation portfolio. New National Party leader Chris Luxon has decided to part with the tradition of giving the entire caucus - except new and departing MPs - a numbered ranking. Instead, he's given rankings to the first 20 MPs, and left the rest unranked. 'Ultimate team sport' Speaking at a press conference after revealing the reshuffle this afternoon, Luxon described politics as the "ultimate team sport". He said his line-up was based on performance, as well as matching people to their experience and skills. Luxon said every MP had a significant role to play, and he hadn't ranked those below the shadow Cabinet because it was irrelevant, and performance mattered more than ranking. The new party leader said he'd spoken to every MP himself, but had not talked to previous leaders Sir John Key or Bill English or Steven Joyce to get their opinions on MPs' strengths and weaknesses. He said another former party leader, Todd Muller, had re-entered caucus. Luxon said it was a decision for Muller to make whether to stand again in the next election. "I know he wants to come back and be part of our team." Luxon this afternoon said he watched the MPs closely for the past year and seen where their strengths and weaknesses lay. He said he had watched low-ranked MPs perform very well against their counterparts in that area. On Judith Collins, he said the ousted National leader had a "real passion" for the portfolio she was given. Asked how he could be convinced the reshuffle would unite the party, Luxon said MPs were feeling energised because of public feedback that change was needed. Luxon said he was still working on getting his own office set up in terms of staff, but was loving the pace of his job. "I'm absolutely loving it. I'm somebody who needs to be wired and ready to go 24-Seven." Luxon asked deputy Nicola Willis to start working on redeveloping Bill English's social investment work from the last term. That included a programme to identify and target social assistance to at-risk people early on. Match-ups promised "My shadow Cabinet leverages the wealth of talent and depth of real-world experience across the National caucus team," Luxon said earlier today. "I have deliberately selected a shadow Cabinet of 20 members to match the Government's Cabinet. "I'm confident that when you put any of National's shadow ministers against their Labour counterparts, you'll see that National's MPs have the deep experience, the political skills, the work ethic and the intellectual grunt to come out on top every time," Luxon said. Former deputy leader Dr Shane Reti has suffered the least of Collins' former team. He has fallen from second place to fifth. And Reti has kept health and been given the Maori-Crown and Pacific Peoples portfolios. Whip Matt Doocey has kept mental health and youth and been given a ranking of 8. He was previously ranked 20. He has been given the associate transport portfolio. The caucus will elect the party's whips tomorrow. One MP to suffer a severe drop is Todd McClay, falling from number six to the unranked bottom of the list. He's got the trade portfolio and tourism. Simeon Brown continues his dramatic rise, climbing up the ranks from 19 to ninth. He's dropped his police portfolio (given to Mark Mitchell - number 14, down one) and been given transport and public service. Collins ally David Bennett has been stripped of transport, and dumped to 20th. Veteran MP Gerry Brownlee is ranked 14, and has retained the foreign affairs and spy agency GCSB and SIS portfolios. Goldsmith will be spokesman for justice, workplace relations and safety. Barbara Kuriger, ranked 10th, has the agriculture, biosecurity and food safety portfolio. Two take a tumble Former finance team Andrew Bayly and Michael Woodhouse have tumbled off the front bench. Bayly now has small business, commerce, manufacturing, building and construction, and revenue, and is ranked 15. Woodhouse has state-owned enterprises, ACC, statistics, sport and recreation and is ranked 18. Luxon's deputy, Nicola Willis, has the number two spot, and last week leadership rival Simon Bridges was given the finance and infrastructure portfolios and a ranking of number three. All other portfolios are up for grabs. You can watch the press conference live here. Earlier today, it became clear the reshuffle would be the first test of what will be a big week for Luxon, who assumed the leadership last Thursday. On Tuesday he will face Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in question time. It will be Luxon's first time squaring off against the Prime Minister as leader of the Opposition, and a huge test for his leadership. Luxon has said he will find a job for all of the party's former leaders: that means roles not just for Bridges, but for Judith Collins and Todd Muller too. Muller could also use the reshuffle as an opportunity to announce he'll no longer be retiring at the next election. Muller has not ruled out staying on, after being asked whether he'd consider it following the change of leadership. All eyes were going to be on the front bench, and prime portfolios: health, education, foreign affairs, justice, transport and social development. Previous National leaders have struggled to diversify their top line up. Luxon admitted the caucus as a whole struggled with diversity thanks to its dismal showing at the last election. The reshuffle was to be a test of how Luxon balanced the need to promote talent within his caucus, while also playing to the various factions that have developed. Luxon assumed the leadership last week, having spent a little over a year in Parliament. Collins was deposed from the leadership in a no-confidence vote that followed her decision to strip Bridges of his portfolios and demote him as punishment for a lewd joke. The episode was widely seen as an attempt by Collins to save her own fragile leadership from Bridges, who was known to be mounting a coup against her. - by Thomas Coughlan, NZ Herald Mon, 06 Dec 2021 00:57:18 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/jane-phare-nz-herald-business-reporter-on-how-covid-19-is-increasing-the-risk-of-leader-burnout/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/jane-phare-nz-herald-business-reporter-on-how-covid-19-is-increasing-the-risk-of-leader-burnout/ Is Covid-19 increasing the risk of leader burnout? NZ Herald Business reporter Jane Phare researched into the issue, and found that leaders are feeling even more overworked as a result of Covid, compared to 2019, and that leaders are caught in between their staff and their businesses. 86 per cent of business leaders are feeling stressed, but Phare says they carry the burden of the entire company. Jane Phare joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVE Mon, 27 Sep 2021 01:34:16 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/is-it-ok-to-charge-your-kids-rent/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/is-it-ok-to-charge-your-kids-rent/ A mother in the US has felt the wrath of parents worldwide after revealing on TikTok that she charges her 7 year old daughter rent to teach her the value of money. Felicia Farley told TikTokkers, "every week my daughter has a list of chores. If those chores are completed daily, she will get $7 at the end of the week." She then went on to say "In total she pays $5 for bills, leaving $2 left over which she can then keep and save or spend." Andrew Dickens asked callers what they thought was appropriate for kids to do to learn the value of money. LISTEN ABOVE Mon, 16 Aug 2021 04:24:47 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/andrew-dickens-outdated-cultural-values-are-killing-m%C4%81ori-women/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/andrew-dickens-outdated-cultural-values-are-killing-m%C4%81ori-women/ The news of a boost to cervical cancer testing budget and a move to less invasive techniques is a brilliant piece of news.  The disease as we know is a killer but also very preventable using techniques such as immunisation against the HPV virus and regular monitoring and testing.  The testing has always been invasive and that has been a barrier to greater numbers of women being safe, so the news of a less invasive swab is fantastic.  The only downside is that the introduction of the new testing regime is still years away.  I know there are a lot of t’s to be crossed and I’s to be dotted but these things in the Ministry of Health seem to take an inordinate amount of time.  Just like the Covid vaccination campaign.  By the way, my company’s flu vaccination campaign is underway.  I got an email, booked a time and filled out a form all in five minutes. I’m being jabbed at 8.39am on May 26th.  Simple really when you put your mind to it.  Now the cervical cancer testing regime will definitely help Māori.  At the moment 61 per cent of Māori wahine get their smear versus 75 per cent of non-Māori.  Why is that number so low?  After all Māori and non-Māori all have the same systems.  Peeni Henare explained this a few weeks ago when Kiri Allen announced her cervical cancer.  For Māori women, much of the mana is tied up with the sanctity of the reproductive system so any fooling with it is a direct attack on their mana. They won’t get the test because it hurts their pride.  This is the sort of apologetic poppy cock that drives me crazy.  Because the mana on non-Māori women is also tied up heavily in their bibs and bobs.  The cervical cancer testing regime is deeply invasive, and demeaning, and uncomfortable and degrading.  It affects your pride, or your mana.  It is not nice.  But the difference is that more non-Māori suck it up and take the test because to die before your time and unnecessarily is also deeply hurtful to your mana.  To your ability to pass on your knowledge and guidance to your  tamariki and mokopuna.  Māori leaders would do better by their people to guide them towards the future rather than validating some outdated cultural values that, at the end of the day, kill them.  Mon, 10 May 2021 04:42:49 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/brazil-is-building-a-new-statue-of-jesus-bigger-than-rios/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/brazil-is-building-a-new-statue-of-jesus-bigger-than-rios/ A huge statue of Jesus Christ is under construction in southern Brazil, and it will be even taller than its famous counterpart in Rio de Janeiro. The "Christ the Protector" statue is being built in Encantado, a small town in Brazil's southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul, by a local organization named Friends of Christ Association (AACristo). Made of steel and concrete, it will stand 43 metres tall -- 16 feet taller than Rio's Christ the Redeemer, according to AACristo. The organisation said the statue will be the third-tallest statue of Jesus in the world, after a 249-foot statue currently under construction in Mexico and a 172-foot monument in Poland. The statue is the work of sculptor Genésio Gomes Moura and his son, Markus Moura. Its head and arms were installed on April 6 and the construction, which began in July 2019, should be finished by the end of this year, according to AACristo. It will cost around $353,000 in total, and AACristo is asking for donations to finish the project. An elevator installed inside the statue will take tourists to a lookout at the height of Christ's heart. "It will be a glass opening from where people will be able to film and photograph the valley," head project supervisor Artur Lopes de Souza said on the AACristo website. The aim is to boost tourism in the area, which is close to Brazil's borders with Uruguay and Argentina. The Christ the Redeemer statue has looked down upon the city of Rio de Janeiro for almost 90 years and is one of Brazil's most famous tourist attractions. text by Jack Guy, Vasco Cotovio and Rodrigo Pedroso, CNN Mon, 12 Apr 2021 02:29:07 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/websites-memes-pop-up-mocking-the-ever-given-blocking-the-suez-canal/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/websites-memes-pop-up-mocking-the-ever-given-blocking-the-suez-canal/ The plight of the unfortunate container ship that has blocked the Suez Canal has provided amusement for millions online, as the global chaos sparked by the incident continues to have massive financial impact around the globe. While progress has been made on moving the ship, with the Ever Given being shifted 30m overnight, it remains fixed in place. The bizarre blockage has been celebrated across the internet. Several websites have popped up offering their own stance on the issue - with one giving users the chance to try and move the ship with Suez Canal Bulldozer (spoiler alert - you won't have much luck).  You can also find out if the ship is still stuck at the helpful website istheshipstillstuck.com And if you want to see how the massive ship would look if it was stuck at other places around the world.   Helen's not going to be very happy about this... pic.twitter.com/0q75DIVQ78— Josh Couch (@JoshCouchNZ) March 28, 2021 Hard to know how the ship even got into Lake Taupo in the first place... pic.twitter.com/W8Quc1bkUY— Dylan Reeve (@DylanReeve) March 28, 2021 The incident is also being celebrated in meme-form, with many seeing themselves in a photo of the plucky digger working away at the base of the massive vessel. me just trying my best pic.twitter.com/s1ESpPs0KY— Kim Bhasin (@KimBhasin) March 25, 2021 Today’s Comic: We are all, in our own little way, that ship. pic.twitter.com/GVDjLxzErX— Chaz Hutton (@chazhutton) March 24, 2021 This is my favourite meme format in a long time pic.twitter.com/p7XOuC43PU— Ben Harris-Roxas (@ben_hr) March 24, 2021 My ambitious plan to free the boat is to push a huge cotton swab up the canal pic.twitter.com/ZnY4ehu8fx— Karl Sharro (@KarlreMarks) March 25, 2021 Mon, 29 Mar 2021 00:52:50 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/scientists-want-to-build-a-doomsday-vault-on-the-moon/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/scientists-want-to-build-a-doomsday-vault-on-the-moon/ Engineers want to build an underground lunar ark, filled with millions of seed, spore, sperm and egg samples from Earth's species, hidden in a network of tubes on the moon to provide a genetic backup for the planet in the event of a doomsday scenario. Scientists from the University of Arizona have proposed an ark, dubbed a "modern global insurance policy" for 6.7 million species from Earth, cryogenically preserved and hidden inside a series of caves and tunnels under the moon's surface. They said the vault could protect the genetic materials in the event of "total annihilation of Earth" which would be triggered by a major drop in biodiversity -- but any move to build such a bunker is a long way off. "Earth is naturally a volatile environment," researcher Jekan Thanga, a professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering in the University of Arizona College of Engineering, said in a statement. "As humans, we had a close call about 75,000 years ago with the Toba supervolcanic eruption, which caused a 1,000-year cooling period and, according to some, aligns with an estimated drop in human diversity. Because human civilization has such a large footprint, if it were to collapse, that could have a negative cascading effect on the rest of the planet." Similar "doomsday vaults" exist on Earth: The Global Seed Vault, home to just under 1 million seed samples, is located on a remote island in Svalbard, an archipelago located between Norway and the North Pole. In a paper presented earlier this month, the team from the University of Arizona think their concept could preserve life from Earth in the event of destruction of the planet we call home. The researchers said the project is dependent on advancements in cryo-robotics technology -- to be cryopreserved, the seeds must be cooled to minus 292 Fahrenheit, while stem cells must be stored at minus 320 Fahrenheit. But the team says that at such temperatures, metal parts of the base could freeze, jam or cold-weld together. Scientists also still don't understand how a lack of gravity could affect preserved seeds, or how to communicate with an Earth base. Experts uncovered a network of some 200 lava tubes beneath the surface of the moon in 2013, which had formed when streams of lava melted through soft rock to form underground tunnels billions of years ago. Scientists think the tubes -- 100 meters (328 feet) in diameter -- could provide the perfect shelter for the precious cargo, protecting it from solar radiation, surface temperature changes and micrometeorites. Powered by solar panels, the underground ark would be accessed by elevator shafts, which would lead to a facility storing cryogenic preservation modules. Scientists say that 250 rocket launches would be required to transport about 50 samples from each of 6.7 million species to the moon. Some construction is already scheduled to take place on the moon for another project. Last week, China and Russia agreed to jointly construct a lunar space station, which will be "open to all countries." text by Amy Woodyatt, CNN Mon, 22 Mar 2021 01:17:25 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/alaska-woman-using-outhouse-attacked-by-bear-from-below/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/alaska-woman-using-outhouse-attacked-by-bear-from-below/ An Alaska woman had the scare of a lifetime when using an outhouse in the backcountry and she was attacked by a bear, from below. "I got out there and sat down on the toilet and immediately something bit my butt right as I sat down," Shannon Stevens told The Associated Press on Thursday. "I jumped up and I screamed when it happened." Stevens, her brother Erik and his girlfriend had taken snowmobiles into the wilderness Feb. 13 to stay at his yurt, located about 20 miles northwest of Haines, in southeast Alaska. Her brother heard the screaming and went out to the outhouse, about 150 feet (45.72 meters) away from the yurt. There, he found Shannon tending to her wound. They at first thought she had been bitten by a squirrel or a mink, or something small. Erik had brought his headlamp with him to see what it was. "I opened the toilet seat and there's just a bear face just right there at the level of the toilet seat, just looking right back up through the hole, right at me," he said. "I just shut the lid as fast as I could. I said, 'There's a bear down there, we got to get out of here now,'" he said. "And we ran back to the yurt as fast as we could." Once safely inside, they treated Shannon with a first aid kit. They determined it wasn't that serious, but they would head to Haines if it worsened. "It was bleeding, but it wasn't super bad," Shannon said. The next morning, they found bear tracks all over the property, but the bear had left the area. "You could see them across the snow, coming up to the side of the outhouse," she said. They figure the bear got inside the outhouse through an opening at the bottom of the back door. "I expect it's probably not that bad of a little den in the winter," Shannon said. Alaska Department of Fish and Game Wildlife Management Biologist Carl Koch suspects it was a black bear based upon photos of the tracks he saw and the fact that a neighbor living about a half-mile away sent him a photo of a black bear on her property two days later. That homeowner yelled at the bear but it didn't react. It also didn't approach her but lumbered about its business, like it was in a walking hibernation mode. Even though it's winter, Koch said they get calls all year round about bears being out. And 2020 was a record year for general bear problems in the Haines area. Reasons for that, he said, could include the fact it was a poor salmon run year combined with a mediocre berry crop. "It is also possible a bear couldn't put on enough fat when they go in the den, that they might be out and about more often or earlier," he said. Koch suspects Shannon's wound was caused by the bear swatting at her with a paw rather than being bitten. Either way, the location might be a first. "As far as getting swatted on the butt when you're sitting down in winter, she could be the only person on Earth that this has ever happened to, for all I know," Koch said. No matter the season, Erik says he'll carry bear spray with him all the time when going into the backcountry, and Shannon plans to change one behavior as well. "I'm just going to be better about looking inside the toilet before sitting down, for sure," she said. Mon, 22 Feb 2021 03:17:52 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/patrick-leahy-third-in-the-line-of-presidential-succession-has-been-in-five-batman-movies/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/patrick-leahy-third-in-the-line-of-presidential-succession-has-been-in-five-batman-movies/ For as many foes as the superhero fends off, Batman has a formidable team of supporters starting with his sidekick Robin, Gotham City Commissioner James Gordon and his ever-loyal butler, Alfred Pennyworth. But one of the Caped Crusader's most fervent supporters lies not in a comic book, but in the US Senate, and he's known the Bat for more than 80 years. Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont and the longest-serving member of the current Senate, is a Batman aficionado who's turned his fandom into philanthropy. He's even used the comics to forward his legislative agenda. Now President pro tempore of the Senate, Leahy is third in the presidential line of succession. Though it's unlikely he'll ever have to serve as President, his high-profile position shines a brighter light on his colorful resume -- which includes multiple appearances in the "Batman" films. When he's not working in the Senate chambers in Washington, Leahy retreats to Gotham, where Batman fights cartoonish villains and mans the Batmobile. It's a comfort he took up when he was 4 years old. "If you live in the real world all the time, it can be kind of boring," the senator told Vermont alt-weekly newspaper Seven Days in 2008. When Leahy met Batman Leahy declined an interview for this story through his spokesman, but his affinity for all things Batman is well-documented. As he wrote in the foreword of "Detective Comics: 80 Years of Batman," he was born just one year after Batman's first comic published in 1939. He first discovered Batman at age 4, when he received his first library card. He frequented the Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier, where he spent many an afternoon poring over comics. While his school friends raved over Superman, Leahy found a "kindred bond" with the Bat. "Entering Batman's world through my imagination opened an early door into a lifelong love of reading," he wrote in his foreword. He'd continue spending hours at the library each day until adulthood, and even after he moved to Washington, he'd make time to pop in. He's a vocal advocate for literacy and the preservation of libraries so children can have similarly formative experiences with books. "Some of my fondest memories as a child were at the library, where everyone fit in and possibilities were limitless," he writes on his Senate website. Leahy's appearances from page to screen Leahy was elected to the Senate in 1974 and until the mid-1990s, his affinity for Batman didn't have much to do with his duties on Capitol Hill. That changed in 1996, when Leahy collaborated with DC Comics to create "Batman: Death of Innocents: The Horror of Landmines," a graphic novel warning of the dangers of landmines. Leahy has long advocated to end the use of landmines, and he told the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call that he placed copies of the comic on every senator's desk that year. Leahy's first foray into screen acting -- something he does strictly when Batman is involved -- came in 1995, when he appeared in the critically reviled "Batman Forever." The same year, he voiced a character billed as "Territorial Governor" in "Batman: The Animated Series." Since then, Leahy has appeared in nearly as many "Batman" films as the Caped Crusader himself. He usually appears as a scowling politician (though in "Batman & Robin," which his son Mark also had a cameo in, he was allowed to enjoy a raucous party). He even met an explosive end as the curiously named Senator Purrington in "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice." "I explain to everybody that getting blown up was OK 'cause my wife's a registered nurse," he joked to Roll Call in 2016. "She put me back together and I never missed a vote." His most notable cameo, though, came in 2008's "The Dark Knight," when he confronts Heath Ledger's Joker and famously tells the villain that he's "not intimidated by thugs." The Joker, true to form, responds by grabbing Leahy's character and menacing him with a knife. Ledger, who died before the film's release, is Leahy's favorite Joker. "He scared the heck out of me, when he came at me with the knife," he told Roll Call. "I didn't have to act." He'll be absent from the upcoming reboot "The Batman," starring Robert Pattinson in the titular role. Citing a busy schedule, he told the Burlington Free Press he "didn't even seek to be in it." "I have too many other things going on with Covid, with appropriation bills," he told the paper in August. While his film roles have certainly satisfied his inner fanboy, Leahy does it for the library where his love for reading bloomed. He donates every fee from his appearances and royalty checks from residual showings to his beloved Kellogg-Hubbard Library, where he helped finance a children's wing named for him. From his roles in "The Dark Knight" trilogy alone, Leahy has donated more than $150,000 back to his hometown library, said Carolyn Brennan, co-director of the library. In 2012, the library hung a plaque honoring Leahy, who staff called their "super hero." Why Leahy loves Batman so Leahy found Batman when he was a boy, but his love for the fictional hero is foundational to who he is and the lawmaker he became. Batman instilled in Leahy a love of reading and promoting literacy and of delivering justice (though as a government servant, not a caped vigilante). Leahy preferred Batman to other characters because, unlike the god-like Superman or the super-powered Spider-Man, Batman was just a man, albeit an extremely rich one, with "human strengths and human frailties." The danger Batman faced was different than that of other heroes -- his felt real, Leahy wrote in the DC collection foreword. "The Batman prevailed through superior intellect and detective skills, through the freedoms afforded by great wealth and through sheer will," Leahy wrote in his foreword. "Not superpowers, but skill, science and rationality." Much like Bruce Wayne, Leahy is just a man, albeit one with more power than most and the chance to make real, tangible changes in his own Gotham. Following Batman's example, he's vowed to use that power wisely. text by Scottie Andrew, CNN Mon, 25 Jan 2021 03:23:47 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/barry-soper-trevor-mallard-s-false-rape-accusation-has-destroyed-an-innocent-mans-life/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/barry-soper-trevor-mallard-s-false-rape-accusation-has-destroyed-an-innocent-mans-life/ Speaker Trevor Mallard has been accused of destroying an innocent man’s life, after falsely accusing a parliamentary member of being a rapist. Mallard's in the firing line amid revelations taxpayers footed a $330,000 bill for his settlement and legal costs of a defamation action - after he wrongly called a staff member a rapist. 九一星空无限talk ZB Political editor Barry Soper told Andrew Dickens the Prime Minister and Labour Party are not living up to their own words and values. “If Jacinda Ardern pleads well-being and kindness as she does, there has been none of that applied to the man at the centre of this. “He’s now very ill as a result of the accusation made against him, his life has been destroyed. That is not well-being or kindness.” LISTEN ABOVE Mon, 14 Dec 2020 00:55:07 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/andrew-dickens-worksafe-chose-the-wrong-time-to-announce-charges/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/andrew-dickens-worksafe-chose-the-wrong-time-to-announce-charges/ So we’re talking Whakaari White Island again.  That’s not surprising as the one year anniversary arrives on December 9.  But it is surprising we’re also talking about Worksafe prosecutions   Last week, Worksafe announced that it would be taking 13 parties to court, including 10 organisations and three individuals. Those charges and what they were charged with remains confidential allowing the parties to apply for suppression when  the charges are presented to the Court.  However a number of organisations including GNS have been prepared to admit they’ve been charged.  The release of the intention to prosecute so close to the anniversary I thought was not very worksafe by Worksafe.  Employees already wearing the emotional baggage of shock and guilt were suddenly named and by inference shamed.  I know I was already reflecting on the day.  I was on air at the time and I clearly remember discovering a timelapse CCTV shot of the crater featuring a party walking towards the crater.  A moment later the time lapse showed a smoking hell. That affected me profoundly.  A little bit of sensitivity might have been in order with the prosecutions announced at a more sympathetic time.  After all, those charged already know what they did or didn’t do and what they could or should do better.  These prosecutions are to find a criminal negligence as opposed to an accidental negligence. We need to know all that went wrong.  Including Worksafe's involvement in the island's management. We would be better served by a proper commission of inquiry that would provide a more objective basis for learnings.  I was thinking of those learnings today reading about a couple who survived.  The husband wearing shorts and T shirt burnt on 50% of his body.  His wife with long sleeves and leggings burnt on 25% of her body.  A simple warning to wear long coverings may have saved lives.  Issuing flameproof overalls would have increased the survival rate dramatically.  The anniversary has also seen stories of extraordinary bravery in our media but also graphic accounts of the viciousness of the volcano.  This weekend’s article on the doctors at the Burns Unit in Middlemore and what they dealt with and how, was particularly gruesome. The unit was already suffering with overwork and when over 20 victims with horrific injuries both from steam and hydrochloric acid arrive the workload became immense.  It reminds us how reliant we are on specialised medical professionals. A recent conference of the salaried medical professionsals pointed out that we are heading towards a crisis in slow motion.  Specialists are special people.  Their training takes dozens of years.  Surgeons need an extraordinary physiology.  A recent report found that the average age of specialists in this country is 57 and rising. We need a new wave of these amazing individuals and we can’t leave it to luck that they’ll suddenly appear.     Mon, 07 Dec 2020 00:10:53 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/nicole-grey-on-being-turned-away-from-police-training-because-of-her-adhd-medication/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/nicole-grey-on-being-turned-away-from-police-training-because-of-her-adhd-medication/ Nicole Grey first dreamed of becoming a cop as a teenager, and, at age 24, she thought it would finally become a reality. However, after waiting for about two years to get a place, she says she was told just days before she was due to start training in Wellington that she couldn't attend. She'd had a busy couple of years - in the space between applying and getting accepted she went through a marriage breakdown, did a tester course on what police life would be like and worked part-time to support her two young children. "The same 24 hours that I signed my contact into police college, which in itself is an achievement, I stumbled across an article on the internet which mentioned adult ADHD." Listen above as Grey shares her story with Andrew Dickens Mon, 23 Nov 2020 03:10:55 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/topp-twins-to-play-summer-variety-concert-kiwi-concert-party/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/topp-twins-to-play-summer-variety-concert-kiwi-concert-party/ Some of New Zealand's most legendary musicians are headlining a variety concert this summer. The Kiwi Concert Party will take place at Auckland's Villa Maria Winery on January 23, 2021, and promises to be a two-hour entertainment with something for everyone. Tim Finn, Bic Runga, the Topp Twins and the Hātea Kapa Haka group are headlining. Runga, Finn, and the Topps will perform live on stage together and will also perform each other's songs. Finn says in a statement the concert will be a great way to "shift the mood" of the past year. "I thought after everything we'd been through together in 2020, a mix of music and comedy would be a great tonic," Finn said. The variety show will also feature singer-songwriter Reb Fountain, who will open the show, plus DJ Manuel Bundy. "The idea for a Kiwi Concert Party starring Bic Runga, the Topp Twins and myself felt both classic and timely. Add into that mixture the Hātea Kapa Haka group with their amazing vocal harmonies, a musical director of the calibre of Karl Stevens, acclaimed songwriter Reb Fountain and iconic DJ Manuel Bundy and you have a unique and celebratory event. We will share the stage and shift the mood, reminding everybody what a special place NZ is. Have a sing, have a laugh, have a dance and a drop of the doings. See you there!" Families can bring one child under 12 for free for a picnic style evening in the GA fields. Reserved seating is also available, and each patron will need to hold a full-priced ticket for this area. Tickets go on sale next Tuesday. LISTEN TO LYNDA AND JOOLS TOPP TALK WITH ANDREW DICKENS ABOVE Mon, 09 Nov 2020 03:51:41 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/a-small-irish-town-claims-victory-after-biden-wins/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/a-small-irish-town-claims-victory-after-biden-wins/ The stars and stripes have been fluttering all week on the streets of Ballina -- the town of just 10,000 in the west of Ireland where US president-elect Joe Biden's Irish ancestors hail from. Ten of the former vice president's 16 great-great-grandparents were born in Ireland, according to the Irish for Biden campaign, with Edward Blewitt, Biden's great-great-great-grandfather, providing the Ballina connection. On Saturday, as CNN projected Biden's White House win, Ballina residents came out to celebrate their distant kin's success. "I think Ballina has saved the world tonight, because without Ballina, there would be no Joe Biden," Smiler Mitchell, a local publican, told CNN. Balloons were tied to cars and the crowd sang "The Green and Red of Mayo," a famous ballad about the county where Ballina is situated. One car with a cardboard cut out of Biden in the front seat had a license plate which read, "PENNSYLVANIA BIDEN #1." In the lead-up to the election, the community held a "Ridin' for Biden" event around the bridges crossing the River Moy with a carousel of cars passing the town's iconic cathedral and finishing in front of a mural of the man himself, erected in the town's main square. "Ballina has always been an underdog town in the west of Ireland, which has had its own challenges in the past," said local politician Mark Duffy. "Now we think it's our time to shine and put our best foot forward. We look forward to welcoming as many visitors from across the US and across the political divide." He noted that the town is in a beautiful part of the world, with lakes, mountains and urban forest in the surrounding area. Biden still has distant relatives in the town. Joe Blewitt, a third cousin, who has met the president-elect several times, said his namesake "is totally down to earth." "He's a family man," Blewitt told CNN by phone. But Ballina isn't the only Irish town with a Biden connection. On the opposite side of the country -- in Carlingford, County Louth -- a community pipe band was set to premiere an anthem for Biden at noon on Sunday. Biden's great-grandfather James Finnegan arrived in New York on the Marchioness of Bute ship in 1850 from Carlingford, a coastal town located about 70 miles north of Dublin. In honor of their most famous son's election win, Carlingford's local parish priest planned to ring the bells of the church with school children and members of the community in attendance. Paul Allen, the lead organizer of the Irish for Biden campaign, told CNN the town was overjoyed with the result. "Joe Biden is a quintessential Irish American and it shows what a combination of hard work and determination can do," he said. The campaign had encouraged Irish people all over the world to phone a relative in America and ask them to vote for Biden. "The nurse working in Chicago, the firefighter in Boston or the policeman in New York, the construction worker building America; that's the Irish American connection," Allen added. The Carlingford community hosted Biden in 2016 and in advance of his visit, he wrote a letter which said: "Northeast Pennsylvania will be written on my heart. But Ireland will be written on my soul." Ireland's Taoiseach, or prime minister, Micheál Martin was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Biden on his victory Saturday. Back over in Ballina, more celebrations were expected on Sunday. The town, twinned with Scranton, Pennsylvania, is also home to Ireland's first woman president, Mary Robinson, who was elected 30 years ago to the day on Saturday. "Her message was one of hope and a light in the window for the diaspora," said politician Mark Duffy. "...30 years later to the day, one of the descendants of our diaspora, who would have left Ballina in such a dark and bleak time for Irish history, has gone on to hold the highest office in the land." text by Eoin McSweeney, CNN   Mon, 09 Nov 2020 00:49:59 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/woman-goes-into-labour-gives-birth-in-the-middle-of-exam/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/woman-goes-into-labour-gives-birth-in-the-middle-of-exam/ Taking the bar exam is hard enough, but one Illinois woman took it to the next level by having a baby in the middle of the test. Brianna Hill, a recent graduate of the Loyola University School of Law in Chicago, knew she would be pregnant during her bar exam, but she wasn't expecting a huge curveball in timing due to the Covid-19 pandemic. "I thought I would only be 28 weeks pregnant when I took the bar," Hill told CNN. "However, due to the pandemic, the test was pushed to October and I was going to be 38 weeks. I joked about taking the test from my hospital bed. Lesson learned!" The remote version of the test is four 90-minute sections spread out over two days. Hill said the exam is proctored so you have to sit in front of the computer the entire time to make sure you aren't cheating. "I thought I felt something about 30 minutes into the test and actually thought, 'I really hope my water didn't just break,'" Hill said. "But I couldn't go check and so I finished the first section. As soon as I stood up when I finished, I knew my water had broken." But even the realization of going into labour didn't stop Hill from accomplishing her goal. "I took my break, got myself cleaned up, called my husband, midwife, and mom, cried because I was a little panicked, then sat down to take the second part because my midwife told me I had time before I needed to go to the hospital." Hill said she got to the hospital around 5:30 p.m. and her new baby boy arrived just after 10 p.m. "The whole time my husband and I were talking about how we wanted me to finish the test and my midwife and nurses were so on board. There just wasn't another option in my mind," Hill said. So, the next day, hospital staff provided Hill with an empty room to finish the test and put a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door. Hill took the rest of the exam in that room and even nursed her baby during breaks. "I'm so thankful for the support system I had around me. The midwives and nurses were so invested in helping me not only become a mom but also a lawyer," Hill said. "My husband and law school friends provided me with so much encouragement so I could push through the finish line even under less than ideal circumstances. And my family, especially my sister, just kept reminding me how I could do it even when I wasn't so sure myself." Hill hasn't received her bar exam results, but she already has a job lined up. Mon, 12 Oct 2020 00:06:57 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/a-lonely-otter-at-a-sanctuary-finds-love-online-through-a-dating-site-built-just-for-him/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/a-lonely-otter-at-a-sanctuary-finds-love-online-through-a-dating-site-built-just-for-him/ A seal sanctuary in England made a dating profile for a lonely otter who lost his mate -- and now he's found love again. Harris, a 10-year-old Asian short-clawed otter at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary in Cornwall, England, lost his partner Apricot after she died at age 16, according to a press release from the sanctuary. He was alone for the first time in four years and had appeared to go back to his bachelor ways. The team created Harris an online dating profile for a fake dating site they dubbed "Fishing for Love," in hopes of finding another otter in need of love and affection. "I am very attentive, I love a cuddle, and I am a very good listener," the profile said. "I will love you like no otter." Harris came to the sanctuary in 2016 after being rejected from his family at the Welsh Mountain Zoo. Tamara Cooper, curator at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary, said there was something about Harris that checked all the boxes for Apricot. "He was a doting partner to Apricot, so when she passed away a few weeks back he was absolutely lost," Cooper said. Because otters naturally live in pairs and Harris was such a good partner, the team thought he deserved a second chance at love. Luckily, there was an otter named Pumpkin at Sea Life Scarborough sanctuary, who had recently lost her own elderly partner named Eric. "Pumpkin has been extremely lonely so we are delighted that Harris will be coming to join her," said Todd German, the Sea Life Scarborough display curator. "[We] hope his arrival will provide Pumpkin with comfort and companionship." While the introduction of otters can be a bit nerve-wracking and difficult, the two teams decided to introduce Harris into Pumpkin's habitat so that the male more easily submits to the female. "We will be very sad to see Harris go as he is such a character," Cooper said. "But we will be keeping in touch regularly to see how him and Pumpkin get on." Mon, 05 Oct 2020 01:48:34 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/the-shocking-moment-a-passenger-took-a-walk-on-aeroplane-wing/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/the-shocking-moment-a-passenger-took-a-walk-on-aeroplane-wing/ We've all experienced the frustration of being stuck on a plane, so close to the end of the journey, yet forced to wait while some technical problem is sorted out. But while common sense stops most people from opening the doors ourselves, one passenger in Ukraine apparently decided the best course of action was to pop open the emergency exit and take a stroll on the aircraft's wing. A minute-long video has emerged of the woman, dressed in a white top and light pink trousers, hanging out on the wing in front of stunned onlookers at Boryspil International Airport in Kiev, before being summoned back on board by the plane's crew. View this post on Instagram ✈️А що, так можна було?😄 ✧ Відмічайте нас на фото та в сторіс, а також використовуйте наш хештег ☛ #boryspilchany 🙌🏼 ⠀ Найкращі фото міста Бориспіль ми опублікуємо ✧ A post shared by ПРО БОРИСПІЛЬ • НОВИНИ • ПОДІЇ (@boryspilchany) on Aug 31, 2020 at 11:23am PDT The unidentified passenger, who was travelling on a Ukraine International Airlines flight from Antalya, Turkey to the Ukranian capital with her husband and children, was reportedly overheard saying she was "too hot" and needed to cool down. Her unauthorised walk on the wing of the Boeing 737 has seen her banned from all future UIA flights. According to a statement from the airline, airport security and police attended the scene, along with doctors, who determined the woman "was not under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs." The Ukraine airline went on to criticise the passenger for setting an inadequate "parental example," stressing that she may be subject to "an exceptionally high financial penalty in the form of a fine." A spokesperson for Boryspil International Airport declined to comment on the incident, which took place on August 31. Mon, 07 Sep 2020 04:58:50 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/chelsea-daniels-victim-impact-statements-being-read-in-mosque-attack-sentencing/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/chelsea-daniels-victim-impact-statements-being-read-in-mosque-attack-sentencing/ GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING: THIS STORY CONTAINS DETAILS WHICH READERS MIGHT FIND UPSETTING A victim of the Christchurch terror attacks saved lives by tackling the rampaging gunman before he was shot dead. Naeem Rashid, 50, ran at Brenton Harrison Tarrant as he methodically murdered people inside Masjid Al Noor mosque on March 15 last year. Rashid's bravery was revealed in the Crown summary of facts – the official narrative of events – on the first day of Tarrant's sentencing at the High Court in Christchurch. As fellow worshippers fell dead and wounded around him, Rashid ran at Tarrant from the southeastern corner of Al Noor's main prayer room where at least 120 people were gathered. Rashid was about 1m from Tarrant when he swung the AR-15 gun around and fired four shots at point blank range with one shot hitting Rashid's left shoulder. Rashid crashed into the gunman, sending him down to one knee. The impact dislodged one of the ammunition magazines from his tactical vest. Rashid lay on his back and in an attempt to shield his body pulled his arms and knees up to his chest. Tarrant fired at him, the summary says. The shooter got up, withdrew a few steps and fired a further three aimed shots at Rashid, hitting him in the chest, hand and arm. Rashid remained in that position and was later pronounced dead at the scene. "Mr Rashid's actions allowed a number of other worshippers to escape," the summary says. The killer reloaded and stepped over Rashid's body, walking back into the main prayer room. He stood in the middle of the room and fired 32 rapid-aimed shots into the southeastern corner and then seven rapid-aimed shots into the northeastern corner. "Both of these areas had many victims lying on the floor trying to hide or trying to escape through the single doorways," the summary says. The sentencing hearing is ongoing and scheduled to last four days. Tarrant initially pleaded not guilty to his offending but later changed his tune and admitted 51 charges of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one of engaging in a terrorist act laid under the Terrorism Suppression Act 2002. He will be sentenced to life in prison. - text by Anna Leask and Kurt Bayer, NZ Herald Mon, 24 Aug 2020 02:11:30 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/gandhis-glasses-worth-over-28-000-set-to-be-auctioned/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/gandhis-glasses-worth-over-28-000-set-to-be-auctioned/ A pair of spectacles thought to belong to Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi are set to be auctioned for more than $19,000 -- after being left "hanging out" of a letterbox on a busy industrial estate. Around four weeks ago on a Monday morning, auctioneer Andy Stowe headed into work and was checking the letterboxes at his office on an industrial estate in Bristol, southwest England. "I saw an envelope hanging out of our letterbox -- really, literally, just hanging out," he told CNN. When a colleague opened the envelope, they discovered the unusual contents -- a pair of gold-rimmed, circular spectacles. "They had a little note in there saying 'These belonged to Gandhi, and my uncle was given them,'" he said. Stowe told CNN he called the phone number on the note, and traced the item's seller, who was an elderly man who lived locally. The man told Stowe that the glasses had been passed to him from his uncle, who told him they were given to him by Gandhi while he was employed in South Africa. "The uncle [was] working for British Petroleum at the time and was stationed in South Africa, and it can be presumed that these were gifted by way of thanks from Gandhi for some good deed," auctioneers East Bristol Auctions said in an item guide. "We started doing some research and realized they were worth quite a considerable amount of money," Stowe told CNN, adding that the glasses have been valued at between £10,000 and £15,000 (from $13,000 to $19,500). They are expected to sell for "a considerable amount" more, he added. "I gave him a call back later that day, and I think he nearly fell off of his chair when he learned how much we were going to value them at," he said. Stowe told CNN that auctioneers researched the item's timeline, and are confident that the story -- and the glasses' provenance -- checked out. "The dates and the facts match up fine. The guy is an 80-year-old man -- I don't think he concocted it up in his head," he said. "From our point of view, the history and the story matches up completely fine," he added. "The fact that the gentleman told me that if they weren't worth anything, I could throw them in the bin -- I'm quite sure he had no idea how much they were worth." The glasses will be auctioned on August 21. text by Amy Woodyatt, CNN Mon, 10 Aug 2020 04:17:58 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/greg-murphy-nine-people-dead-after-multiple-crashes-over-weekend/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/greg-murphy-nine-people-dead-after-multiple-crashes-over-weekend/ Nine Kiwi families are in mourning after a horror weekend on the roads. Hawke's Bay Police have confirmed one person has died, after crashing their vehicle on Springfield Road in Taradale just before midnight. It follows seven other fatal accidents across the country over the weekend, which killed another eight people. A pedestrian was struck while walking on High St, in Masterton, just after 7pm yesterday. Emergency crews were called to the scene at 7.13pm and the victim was taken to Wellington Hospital in a critical condition. Police confirmed that the person had since died. Two of the crashes happened in the Canterbury region within about 10 minutes of each other. About 9.20pm, crews were called to North Parade in Richmond, Christchurch, after a report that a motorcyclist had crashed into a fence. The victim was said to have suffered serious injuries, initially. The road was closed for some time as authorities worked at the scene. A police investigation is said to be ongoing. Another person who died was also initially seriously injured in a single-vehicle crash at the intersection of State Highway 75 (Christchurch-Akaroa Rd) and McQueens Spur Rd last night. Emergency staff were sent to the scene about 9.30pm after reports that a car had rolled there. Two people were killed in Dunedon after a 3:30am crash involving a car and a truck. After colliding with the truck, the car caught fire. Police confirmed later that the driver and a passenger inside the car both died at the scene. Another passenger in the car suffered serious injuries and was taken to Dunedin Hospital for treatment. Mon, 06 Jul 2020 05:12:42 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/netflix-sued-for-making-sherlock-holmes-too-nice-in-upcoming-film/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/netflix-sued-for-making-sherlock-holmes-too-nice-in-upcoming-film/ Arthur Conan Doyle's estate is suing Netflix, among others, over its upcoming film "Enola Holmes" -- arguing that the show's depiction of Sherlock Holmes as kind, caring and respectful of women is a violation of the author's copyright. The film, based on a series of novels by Nancy Springer and set for release on Netflix in September, follows the legendary detective's younger sister, a character created by Springer. But the late author's estate has objected to the way Holmes is portrayed in the series, arguing that the sleuth was only ever kind and emotional in books that are still under the author's copyright. In earlier works, now in the public domain, his aloofness and lack of empathy are crucial aspects of his character and must be respected in any adaptation, the estate claims. Many later Sherlock Holmes titles are still protected under US copyright protection law. The estate has filed a case against Netflix, the US-based producers, Springer, her publisher Penguin Random House, and others in the US District Court for the District of New Mexico, just three months before the movie -- starring Henry Cavill as Sherlock and Millie Bobby Brown as the title character, Enola -- is set to premiere on the video platform. "While Sherlock Holmes is famous for his great powers of observation and logic, he is almost as famous for being aloof and unemotional," the filing argues, citing an extract from a Conan Doyle story in which his long-time friend and assistant Dr. John Watson describes Holmes as being "as deficient in human sympathy as he was pre-eminent in intelligence." "(T)o Holmes, Watson was utilitarian -- to be employed when useful, then set aside," the filing goes on. "Holmes did not treat Watson with warmth." While most of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories are available in the public domain and can therefore be adapted by anyone, a series of later stories -- written after World War I, which had a profound impact on the author -- are still under copyright. The estate, which has gone after other alleged infringements over the years, argues that it was only in those later, copyrighted stories that the detective softened up -- and that by using those gentler character traits, the "Enola Holmes" books and film are therefore infringing copyright. CNN has contacted Netflix, Springer and Penguin Random House, the books' publisher, for comment. "Holmes needed to be human," the filing says, after describing the impact of the war on Conan Doyle. "He became capable of friendship. He could express emotion. He began to respect women." "[T]he Springer novels make extensive infringing use of Conan Doyle's transformation of Holmes from cold and critical to warm, respectful, and kind in his relationships," the estate claims. "Springer places Enola Holmes at the center of the novels and has (Sherlock) Holmes initially treat her coolly, then change to respond to her with warmth and kindness," it adds. It cites a passage from Springer's 2008 book "The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets," in which Holmes worries about Watson after he goes missing. "Nowhere in the public domain stories does Holmes express such emotion," the filing argues. The filing claims neither Springer nor her publisher nor the producers of the Netflix adaptation requested permission to use Conan Doyle's copyrighted stories. Conan Doyle died in 1930 after publishing dozens of stories about his legendary detective. Since his death, "Sherlock Holmes" has formed the basis of numerous films and TV series, including the popular BBC version, "Sherlock," which starred Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role. In its promotional material in April, Netflix said the new film "tells the story of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes' rebellious teen sister Enola, a gifted super-sleuth in her own right who often outsmarts her brilliant siblings." It added that the film "puts a dynamic new female twist on the world's greatest detective and his brilliant family." Mon, 29 Jun 2020 03:52:07 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/joanthan-milne-should-nz-open-a-travel-bubble-with-the-pacific/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/joanthan-milne-should-nz-open-a-travel-bubble-with-the-pacific/ Pacific nations have largely avoided the worst health effects of COVID-19, but its economic impact has been devastating. With the tourism tap turned off, unemployment has soared while GDP has plummeted. In recent weeks, Fiji Airways laid off 775 employees and souvenir business Jack’s of Fiji laid off 500. In Vanuatu 70% of tourism workers have lost their jobs. Cook Islands is estimated to have experienced a 60% drop in GDP in the past three months. In response, many are calling for the Pacific to be included in the proposed trans-Tasman travel corridor. Such calls have come from tourism operators, politicians and at least one health expert. Quarantine concerns aside, there is economic logic to this. Australians and New Zealanders make up more than 50% of travellers to the region. Some countries are massively dependent: two-thirds of visitors to Fiji and three-quarters of visitors to Cook Islands are Aussies and Kiwis. Cook Islands has budgeted NZ$140 million for economic recovery, but this will increase the tiny nation’s debt. Prime Minister Henry Puna has argued for a limited tourism bubble as soon as New Zealand relaxes its COVID-19 restrictions to alert level 1. Cook Islands 九一星空无限 editor Jonathan Milne estimates 75-80% of the population is “desperate to get the tourists back”. A Pacific bubble would undoubtedly help economic recovery. But this merely highlights how vulnerable these island economies have become. Tourism accounts for between 10% and 70% of GDP and up to one in four jobs across the South Pacific. The pressure to reopen borders is understandable. But we argue that a tourism bubble cannot be looked at in isolation. It should be part of a broader strategy to diversify economies and enhance linkages (e.g. between agriculture and tourism, to put more local food on restaurant menus), especially in those countries that are most perilously dependent on tourism. Over-dependence on tourism is a trap Pacific nations such as Vanuatu and Fiji have recovered quickly from past crises such as the GFC, cyclones and coups because of the continuity of tourism. COVID-19 has turned that upside down. People are coping in the short term by reviving subsistence farming, fishing and bartering for goods and services. Many are still suffering, however, due to limited state welfare systems. In Fiji’s case, the government has taken the drastic step of allowing laid-off or temporarily unemployed workers to withdraw from their superannuation savings in the National Provident Fund. Retirement funds have also been used to lend FJ$53.6 million to the struggling national carrier, Fiji Airways. Fiji has taken on more debt to cope. Its debt-to-GDP ratio, which ideally should sit below 40% for developing economies, has risen from 48.9% before the pandemic to 60.9%. It’s likely to increase further. High debt, lack of economic diversity and dependence on tourism put the Fijian economy in a very vulnerable position. Recovery will take a long time, probably requiring assistance from the country’s main trading partners. In the meantime, Fiji is pinning hopes on joining a New Zealand-Australia travel bubble. Out of crisis comes opportunity Supporting Pacific states to recover is an opportunity for New Zealand and Australia to put their respective Pacific Reset and Step-Up policies into practice. If building more reciprocal, equitable relationships with Pacific states is the goal, now is the time to ensure economic recovery also strengthens their socio-economic, environmental and political infrastructures. Economic well-being within the Pacific region is already closely linked to New Zealand and Australia through seasonal workers in horticulture and viticulture, remittance payments, trade and travel. But for many years there has been a major trade imbalance in favour of New Zealand and Australia. Shifting that balance beyond the recovery phase will involve facilitating long-term resilience and sustainable development in the region. A good place to start would be the recent United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific report on recovering from COVID-19. Its recommendations include such measures as implementing social protection programs, integrating climate action into plans to revive economies, and encouraging more socially and environmentally responsible businesses. This is about more than altruism – enlightened self-interest should also drive the New Zealand and Australian agenda. Any longer-term economic downturn in the South Pacific, due in part to over-reliance on tourism, could lead to instability in the region. There is a clear link between serious economic crises and social unrest. At a broader level, the pandemic is already entrenching Chinese regional influence: loans from China make up 62% of Tonga’s total foreign borrowing; for Vanuatu the figure is 43%; for Samoa 39%. China is taking the initiative through what some call “COVID-19 diplomacy”. This involves funding pandemic stimulus packages and offering aid and investment throughout the Pacific, including drafting a free trade agreement with Fiji. That is not to say Chinese investment in Pacific economies won’t do good. Rather, it is an argument for thinking beyond the immediate benefits of a travel bubble. By realigning their development priorities, Australia and New Zealand can help the Pacific build a better, more sustainable future. Regina Scheyvens, Professor of Development Studies, Massey University and Apisalome Movono, Senior Lecturer in Development Studies, Massey University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Mon, 08 Jun 2020 06:02:54 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/andrew-dickens-talks-attending-an-online-funeral/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/andrew-dickens-talks-attending-an-online-funeral/ Andrew Dickens has shared his experience of online funerals - after attending his third such funeral since the Covid-19 pandemic began.  After reading a text from a listener who's mother is working in England and signing death certificates, Dickens spoke of witnessing the funeral of his sister-in-law's mother from the other side of the world.  LISTEN ABOVE Thu, 30 Apr 2020 03:33:06 Z /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/greta-thunberg-and-german-railway-company-clash-over-viral-photo/ /on-air/andrew-dickens-monday-afternoons/audio/greta-thunberg-and-german-railway-company-clash-over-viral-photo/ Climate activist Greta Thunberg and Germany's national railway company created a tweetstorm Sunday after she posted a photo of herself sitting on the floor of a train surrounded by lots of bags. The image has drawn plenty of comment online about the performance of German railways. Thunberg posted the tweet late Saturday with the comment "travelling on overcrowded trains through Germany. And I'm finally on my way home!" But German railway company Deutsche Bahn suggested that Thunberg may not have spent the whole time sitting on the floor. And the 16-year-old Swedish activist later sought to draw a line under the matter by tweeting that she eventually got a seat and that overcrowded trains are a good thing. Some Twitter users expressed pity for Thunberg for not being able to get a proper seat on the train for the long ride home from Madrid, where she was attending the U.N. climate change conference. Others wished her a safe trip home after months of traveling by trains and boats to different climate events in Europe and the United States. Greta Thunberg listens to speeches before addressing the U.N. climate conference in Madrid. Photo / AP Thunberg doesn't fly on planes because it's considered harmful to the climate. Last week, she was named Time magazine's Person of the Year for her efforts to prod government and others to take faster actions in fighting climate change. Deutsche Bahn, which used to be famous for its punctuality, has come under fire in recent years for delays, last-minute train cancellations and expensive ticket fares. In Deutsche Bahn's first reply to the teenager's initial tweet, the company wished her a good trip back home and adding that "we continue working hard on getting more trains, connections and seats." Later, however, the railway company wrote in a statement to the media that Thunberg had a seat in first class between Kassel and Hamburg and that other members of her team were already sitting in first class from Frankfurt onwards. In the photo on Twitter, Thunberg is sitting on the floor at the end of a rail car with her back leaning against a suitcase, staring out of a window. There's an empty food box next to her and more suitcases and backpacks piled up by her side. Later on Sunday, Deutsche Bahn tweeted twice more in regard to Thunberg's train travels through Germany. In the first tweet, the company thanks the teenager for supporting Deutsche Bahn's battle against climate change and pointed out that the train she used had been running 100% on eco-friendly electricity. In the second tweet, however, Deutsche Bahn seemed to suggest that Thunberg hadn't spent the entire train ride sitting on the floor. The company pointed out to the teenager that "it would have been even nicer if you had also reported how friendly and competently our team served you at your seat in first class." Thunberg later tweeted that the fact she didn't first sit in a seat wasn't meant as a knock against Deutsche Bahn. She wrote that "this is no problem of course and I never said it was. Overcrowded trains is a great sign because it means the demand for train travel is high!"   Mon, 16 Dec 2019 01:57:06 Z