Andrew Dickens Afternoons

So I woke up this morning and turned on my computer to check the news and my news agglomerator had this headline: Is Britain about to get a new PM?My instant response was who cares who the Prime Minister of Britain is. Because whoever it is is a lame duck.It’s something that’s been bugging me for months as I hear correspondent after correspondent opining whether Theresa May will keep her job ignoring the underlying issue which is what will happen to Britain come March.The two and a half year Brexit schemozzle and it’s coverage by the media has shown just how dumbed down the world is when it comes to debating complex issues. It all started right from the initial referendum which boiled it all down to two words. Remain or Leave. Even these two words had opponents. One school of thought was that the words should have been Leave or Stay. After all how many people tell their dog to remain. Some argue that the wimpyness of the word Remain was just one of many factors that nobbled the pro-Europeans.What followed was

This is real life, it's not just fantasy.Queen's iconic rock ballad Bohemian Rhapsody has become the most streamed song written in the 20th century.Buoyed by the success of the recent Freddie Mercury biopic, the song has been streamed 1.6 billion times across YouTube and Spotify.It beats the previous record holder, Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit.Reacting to the news, guitarist Brian May said in a statement: “So the river of rock music has metamorphosed into streams! Very happy that our music is still flowing to the max!” The song has seen a resurgence since the biopic of the same name was released earlier this year, with the song becoming the 11th most streamed in the world at the end of November. The song is currently 20th on the New Zealand singles charts.  Meanwhile, it has been announced that Ed Sheeran's Shape of You has become the first song to be streamed two billion times on Spotify.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris called the Andrew Dickens Show today with an extremely powerful and emotional message in the wake of the Maori Santa Claus in Nelson a few weeks ago."The joy and emotion which is attached to Santa Claus is magical. Kids are growing up too fast, and there is too much happening to them. Kids just bright up when they see Santa dressed up, you can see it in their eyes."LISTEN ABOVE AS CHRIS SPEAKS TO ANDREW DICKENSSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you've listened to Newstalk ZB for the past 25 years you'll be very well aware of the Auckland problem.The growing pains of our largest city have been endlessly discussed and debated, opposed and supported. Throughout the rest of the country people rolled their eyes and snickered at the JAFAs and the bed of thorns they had constructed for themselves.But all along people with an eye to the future were warning that the Auckland problem would spread soon enough and we hope you're watching and learning.So payback time. Let's talk about Hamilton.The city is growing fast. Of course it is. Smack bang in the middle of the North Island. Smack bang in the middle of an immensely beautiful and fertile countryside brimming with jobs. Easy access to ports in Tauranga and Auckland. A couple of hours from splashing around in Lake Taupo. I've always wondered why it hasn't got bigger sooner.The Mayor is worried about where to stick all the people wanting to live there. So Andrew King wants the city to sprawl and he says it

A plea from nearly 18,000 Kiwis to ban the retail fireworks sales.A petition's been handed to Government calling for legislation that bans the sale of fireworks and instead institute licensing for individuals and organisations to have public displays.Green Party MP Gareth Hughes received the petition on the steps of Parliament.He says in just the past month they've seen idiots shooting fireworks out of cars and a house nearly burn down."This is the same story that happens every year. We see hundreds of fire call outs, hundreds of accidents, hundreds of ACC claims costing hundreds of thousands of dollars."The petition has been rubbished by talkback callers and texters, saying that it is just a few nanny-state complainers. Though one caller, Sarah, says that one of the problems is that fireworks are not restricted to that one night. LISTEN TO THE TALKBACK FEEDBACK ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You don’t often hear Meghan Markle, Vladimir Putin and Jamal Khashoggi mentioned in the same sentence. However, the three are on the shortlist to become Time’s Person of the Year.Other contenders for the prestigious include Donald Trump and the man investigating him for collusion, Robert Mueller.Families separated at the US border and the teenagers behind the March For Our Lives gun protests have also made the cut.The American magazine will unveil the winner overnight our time.  Previous years have seen the prize go to Adolf Hitler, Barack Obama and Mahatma Ghandi.The other full list for TIME’s 2018 Person of the Year is:Meghan Markle, Duchess of SussexUS President Donald Trump (who was previously chosen as Person of the Year in 2016)Separated Families at the US borderRussian President Vladimir Putin (who was previously chosen as Person of the Year in 2007)Special Counsel Robert MuellerBlack Panther director Ryan CooglerBrett Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey FordSlain Saudi journalist Jamal KhashoggiMarch F

Yesterday, my talkback session was dominated by the nation’s reaction to the death of Grace Millane. The 22-year-old student from Essex in New Zealand on a backpackers trip fresh from graduating from university.The grief and anger has been striking.  Perhaps driven on not just by the horror of the crime, but also the feeling she was a good person, from a good family and this trip which should have been the stuff of dreams became that of nightmares and to cap it off it came so close to Christmas.  A time of peace and family.So for 3 hours we talked about our reaction as individuals, as men, as women and as a nation.There was an interesting debate about responsibility.  Of course ,the sole responsibility was that of the perpetrator.A friend of mine posted this on social media:"THIS IS SO SO SO SO SAD BUT LET'S RE WORD THIS GUYS AND GIRLS .. IT WAS NOT HER FAULT, IT WAS NOT TINDERS FAULT, IT WAS NOT BECAUSE OF ANYTHING SHE DID. NOT HER FAULT. A MAN KILLED HER. VIOLENCE TOWARDS WOMEN MUST BE SPOKEN ABOUT DIFFEREN

A taskforce is proposing the biggest shake-up in the education system for 30 years, removing most of the powers currently held by school boards of trustees.The taskforce led by former principal Bali Haque proposes about 20 new regional education boards, or "hubs", to "assume all the legal responsibilities and liabilities currently held by school boards of trustees".Newstalk ZB political reporter Yvette McCullough told Andrew Dickens the proposal will hopefully address the inequalities in our schools which need to be addressed."Right now there is a huge disparity between kids from advantaged areas compared to kids from disadvantage areas.If we don't work out those social issues, we will never fix the problem. There needs to be a change because the current system isn't working"LISTEN ABOVE AS YVETTE MCCULLOUGH SPEAKS WITH ANDREW DICKENSSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

LISTEN TO RAYLENE TALK WITH ANDREW DICKENS ABOVEHave you ever tried to feed a fed horse?Come home with a big pay cheque and thought, "Man, I really brought home the bagels today!"?Or just . . . taken the flower by the thorns?Those, according to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, are the types of idioms humans should be using instead of "anti-animal language" - phrases like "beat a dead horse" or "take the bull by the horns".The high-profile animal rights nonprofit tweeted a simple chart in an effort to help people "remove speciesism from your daily conversations".Don't say "kill two birds with one stone," the group advised. Instead, try "feed two birds with one scone".Don't "be the guinea pig." Be . . . the test tube."Words matter, and as our understanding of social justice evolves, our language evolves along with it," tweeted PETA, which has a history of provocative campaigns,The chart of alternative idioms was accepted by humans online about as well as you might imagine.Which is to say, not at all

Two International issues today.This is going to sound a bit hypocritical considering I’m a talkback host, but I’m always intrigued at the number of people who know what’s wrong with the world but they have no idea how to fix it.We’ve been seeing that play out with Britain, who seem to know what they don’t want but have no idea what they do want.The country is in the middle of the most remarkable five-day debate on the Brexit deal, negotiated by Theresa May and her team. The Withdrawal Agreement is a 585-page document that outlines how the U.K. will leave the EU in March.Obviously, within those 585-pages there is something that will not go down well with everyone. Whether it’s the state of the customs union and the ability to pose tariffs or the form of the Northern Ireland border or the amount of compensation paid to the EU.Today, Britain is torn between the hardline Brexiteers, who just want to run away, and the remainers who still hope that the last two-years will disappear and it all turns into a bad dream

It’s back. The issue from the deep. The issue that has been round and round in circles so much that it’s dizzy. And it’s back with a one-two punch.First the Inquiry into mental health suggested it, and then a Coroner came out swinging after a teen death through drink driving.And now people are asking, "is it time to raise the alcohol purchasing age to 20-years-old?"The argument for the raise is pretty solid. The Law Commission has repeatedly suggested it. Medical evidence on accident probability and the effect on the brain and body of tends to supports it. There’s evidence that after the drinking age was lowered to 18-years-old in 1999, the number of alcohol related driving accidents amongst the 15-19-year-old age group had a corresponding rise.Allegedly, most of us support it. A nationwide poll by Curia Market Research, commissioned by Family First NZ in 2013, asked respondents, “do you think Parliament should have raised the drinking age to 20-years-old or kept it at 18-years-old?”The majority of people agr

Six hot chips in one sitting is barely a meal, but according to one researcher, it’s the healthiest result.Harvard University’s Professor Eric Rim has told people that a half dozen fries is the most you should eat in one sitting.He says that they are ‘starch bombs’ and are a key contributor to hearth disease.Part of the problem is that many chips get rid of the nutrient-rich skins.However, there is some good news: people who don’t indulge in hot chips will only live on average six months longer than those that do indulge.  LISTEN TO RAYLENE TALK WITH ANDREW DICKENS ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fortnite has been the biggest game of 2018, though not always for the right reasons. The RPG game has made headlines both for its immense success but also for being shockingly addictive.A new article from The Washington Post has highlighted how American teenagers are having to enter video game rehab to curb their addiction to the game, which has over 200 million people registered.The problem is not confined to America. Callers to Andrew Dickens Afternoons revealed their Fortnite experiences, both personally and with their children.One caller, Harley, says he used to be obsessed with the game before he realised how much time he was wasting playing it.Another, James, says he had to cut up his brother's X-Box cord in order to stop him playing, but that only lasted a few days before he simply purchased another one.LISTEN TO THE TALKBACK FEEDBACK ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After an epic and storied 45-year career that launched an era of rock n roll legends, KISS announced that they will launch their final tour ever in 2019, appropriately named END OF THE ROAD.KISS will play their only New Zealand show in Auckland at Spark Arena on 3 December 2019.Lead guitarist for the legendary rock band KISS, Tommy Thayer told Andrew Dickens he has been with the band since 2002."I get to live every kids dream, I would play the air guitar in my parents living room each day and dream about having a job like this. I get to tour the world while performing music, its honestly the best job in the world"LISTEN ABOVE AS TOMMY THAYE SPEAKS TO ANDREW DICKENSSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A recently released app lets you find out how much time you are spending (or wasting) on Facebook!To find out for yourself, go to "Settings" on either app. On the Facebook Android app, tap the three lines at the top of the page next to notifications and then scroll down to "Settings and Privacy." Could this be the warning sign you need to cut back on screen time and aimlessly scrolling through the addictive platform.Listen above as Newstalk ZB Producer Antz Milicich joins Bruce Russell to discuss the app.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christmas is just around the corner, we hear that phrase every year at this time, and it is.But is it Christmas or is it happy holidays? Does the word Christmas have to be denigrated, abolished, replaced by other words because Christmas contains the word, Christ? These days, in what governments have decreed is a secular society, it's no longer appropriate. Helen Clark spent most of her prime ministership drumming that message in.Religion has no place in the business of the state, except to most of us who grew up with Christmas as the most magical exciting time of the year and something to look forward to all year as we ploughed our way through the three terms of school.Many resent the interference of the state in our celebration of Christmas, and the interference of the social engineers who would have us celebrate happy holidays, send greetings cards, enjoy the festive season, have a piece of festive cake, and go to the local Santa parade, not Christmas parade.It's parade season, and in most towns now it's th

The National Road Carriers Association predicts the New Zealand trucking industry will need about 28,000 drivers over the next decade to meet growth in demand from the freight industry.Newstalk ZB has a large audience of truck drivers who listen on the roads, and many of them rang The Andrew Dickens Afternoon Show with their stories.From why they got into trucking, what the future holds, and what initiatives should be put in place, everything was discussed. And a caller named Kelly who is one of the few women drivers around explained what she loved so much about a male dominated industry.LISTEN TO THE CALLERS ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spark says it has been notified by the Director-General of the GCSB that it cannot use Huawei gear for its pending 5G mobile network upgrade.The GCSB's apparent move comes after reports earlier this week that the US was pressuring allies to drop Huawei.Newstalk ZB Politcal Editor Barry Soper told Andrew Dickens it cannot be underestimated how important the announcement was yesterday."The decision made by Hauwai regarding the 5G network is a massive one, it will impact the country's economy for sure. Our traditional allies Australia and United States will be very pleased we stayed close to them."LISTEN ABOVE AS BARRY SOPER SPEAKS TO ANDREW DICKENSSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former New Zealander of the year Dr Lance O'Sullivan has slammed the health system, saying he's enraged at seeing "another brown kid" die in New Zealand.In an expletive laden online post, he says the three recent meningitis deaths in Northland have set him off, but his frustration had been brewing for a long time.The Government is now considering calling in the army to help Northland District Health Board run dozens of meningococcal vaccine clinics.O'Sullivan says he's ashamed at being part of a broken health system and angry at some of the incompetent officials that worked in it.His comments have been backed up by talkback callers to Andrew Dickens Afternoons.Several callers have revealed their experiences with doctors not diagnosing patients properly or relying on Google to get their information.One caller revealed how her daughter has only been out of med school for one week but has already been put in charge of 40 patients on one ward. Another caller revealed that his 11-month old daughter died just ten w

It can never be said scientists are afraid to put their bodies on the line for science. Six reserchers from Australia and the UK have revealed that they all swallowed the head of a Lego figure to show that they can pass through the human body without ill effect.The 10mm by 10mm heads are one of the most common items swallowed by children. However, the researchers showed that the pieces pass through the bowels within 1.7 days. They even developed a new score to prove this - Found and Retrieved Time (FART).Another score, Stool Hardness and Transit - or SHAT - found that the consistency of their stools did not change with the plastic in their bodies. The research says that most smooth plastics pass easily, and parents should only worry if kids swallow things that are sharp, longer than 5cm, wider than 2.5cm, or are items such as magnets and small batteries.LISTEN TO RAYLENE TALK WITH ANDREW DICKENS ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.