Afternoons

Today we're starting off with the story that's captured international atttention .. the United States says it's keeping a close eye on the death of an employee at a Russian laboratory. According to some media reports, the researcher died from pneumonia of an unknown origin .. others have alleged that a test tube containing a pneumonic-plague-causing-patheogen was broken .. and was the cause. We wanted to get some straight answers .. so who better to ask than Epidemiologist and University of Otago professor Michael Baker.

Wallace Chapman and Jesse Mulligan star in the shortest show on radio, where they show they really can make something out of nothing, join them to be part of their delight, or to simply despair. Wallace will also preview what's on The Panel tonight.

How often have you said to yourself "I know I should do it, but I keep putting it off." And as much as we'd like to blame distraction sending it off course, generally it's more likely procrastination. Dr Itamar Shatz is a procrastination researcher and lecturer at Cambridge University and a procrastinator himself. He says we put things off because that's just the way our brains are wired. We were built to choose what feels good right now over long-term goals. He argues that sometimes the strategies we use to get ourselves moving can actually make things worse. His book is Solving Procrastination: The Science of Why We Put Things Off and How to (Finally!) Stop.

We've got a segment on Afternoons we like to call Roadie Songs ..we want to know the songs you love to turn up loud when you're on a road trip. If you have a song and a story you'd like to share, send your suggestion to 2101 along with your phone number. We love hearing your picks and why.

Afternoons TV critic Caitlin Cherry joins Jesse to share her thoughts on A Remarkable Place to Die (Season 2) TVNZ and The Chase TVNZ.

It's time for our expert feature... where we invite an expert on the show to answer all your questions and today we're looking at soil. Soil is one of the most biodiverse habitats on earth, home to an incredible and often unseen ecosystem Dr Frank Ashwood is a soil biologist at University of Canterbury and the author of 'The World Beneath Our Feet' If you have a question for Frank please text us on 2101 or email me at [email protected]

Is there anything better than being surrounded by like minded people doing something you love? Well, that's what clubbing is all about here on Afternoons. If you have a club or society you'd like Jesse to visit you can get in touch on 2101 or email him at [email protected]. This week we're chatting to Suzie Pentelow - Ulysses Club President.

News' Jacob Johnson joins Jesse to discuss what's making the headlines in Australia. This week Jacob discusses the rugby league grand final, an update on the crash that saw ten Newcastle Knights fans injured and some wild weather in New South Wales.

A few weeks ago we got an email from a listener asking why vinyl records cost so much. We decided to find out, and who better to chat to then Ben Wallace from Holiday Records - co-founder of New Zealand's only vinyl pressing plant Holiday Records.

Along with taxes, education and health, energy is proving to be a big talking point in the run up to the election .. which is now 33 days away. All the political parties have released some energy policies .. and while they're quite varied in their approaches .. the main focus seems to be bringing down the cost of electricity for us consumers. Our first guest would like electric transport to also be part of the conversation .. he's calling for a 'great EV comeback' and has some ideas about how to make it happen. Mike Casey, Rewiring Aotearoa Chief Executive joins Jesse.