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Urbanisation and COVID-19, an unplanned wandering, Persian new year, budget food and Montreal




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Alison Roman, urban politics of COVID-19, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Berlin




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Stephanie Alexander, Ben Shewry, Hetty McKinnon and more on their lockdown kitchens and a journey to Mount Everest




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Cities in the time of Covid-19, a mind-jaunt around the Botanic Gardens, tomato rudimentals and Samoa via Braybrook




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Architecture after COVID-19, First Dog on the Moon, a sourdough library and the empty city




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Russian food in the Arctic circle, privacy in a pandemic, Japanese curry, Viennese social housing and the Great Barrier Reef




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Lockdown garden and a mind journey to Tokyo




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Talkback: Parents, children and remote learning during coronavirus

While some parents are sharing picture-perfect posts about their home-schooling skills, others are pulling their hair out as they try to work and get their kids through this sudden introduction to remote learning. What lessons can we take from this crazy situation?




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Is being overweight a bigger risk factor than smoking?

On today's show: * What's the NSW schools report all about? * Queensland is reducing some restrictions. Why now? * People are volunteering to be exposed to coronavirus to help test the vaccine. Is that a good idea? * What is the role of obesity in serious outcomes from COVID-19? * Why do I need a flu shot to visit my father in an aged care home? * Are vegans and vegetarians the least affected by COVID-19?



  • Epidemics and Pandemics
  • Health

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Protecting privacy in an age of surveillance

Is true privacy even possible in the internet age, and what is at stake if we don't protect what we have left?




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"How can I be 60, when I still feel 28?" : Ageing as a state of mind

When writer Ailsa Piper was planning for her 60th birthday, she decided that instead of receiving presents from friends, she wanted 60 minutes of their time. What were their tips were for ageing wisely and making the best of every day?




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Jane Austen-esq dating or more of the same? Online dating, pandemic-style

Claims abound about how COVID-19 is affecting online dating. Some say that because the prospect of physical sex is off the table, people are spending more time getting to know each other. Think less ghosting, more talking. But researchers warn it’s too soon to make any major declarations about the changing nature of online trysts.




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Corona Tales — Fig, Actually: a romance for the COVID age

When we're hidden away from each other, with only the faint whiff of a figgy cologne to fuel our romantic fantasies, what hope is there for new love to bloom? In the search for romance, Melanie Tait follows her nose.




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Were Australian lockdowns worth it?

On today's show: * Were the lockdowns worth it? * Why is the tracing app critical time set to 15 minutes? * When is it likely that we will be able to travel interstate again?




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Giving it all away: how one man chose a simpler life

Once a wealthy business owner, Brent Flower, or "Hammer" as he prefers, says that when he gave away everything he owned, he felt like he could fly.




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Alone, Together: Mongolian metal

In today's Alone Together series, Pam has suggested a track that is totally out there, so you have been warned! We'll be playing one of those songs each day on Life Matters as a way of lifting all our spirits. This one lifts the roof.




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Are kids and young people affected more badly than we thought?

On today's show: * What is happening with children in the UK? * What about younger adults suffering from stroke in America? * Is loss of sense of taste and smell a good enough symptom to get tested? * How does COVID-19 possibly change the way we think?




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Walking Together: David Wardong Collard and John Holley

David Wardong Collard and John Holley share the story of their working relationship and friendship.




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Life in 500 Words: Julianne creates ripples of change

Julianne McLeod was a language teacher to older migrants in Newcastle when she had a light globe moment. The result created waves of confidence in her students that extended beyond the classroom. To the beach.




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Alone, Together: Neil Diamond and a yabby

It's Mary's song today for our Alone Together series. She writes: "My son was helping me in the garden and announced 'There's a lobster in the grate!' A yabby had been washed out of one Adelaide's many creeks and had managed to climb up our drain and through narrow bars where it cowered under a leaf..."




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Is the way you eat being transformed by coronavirus?

While you're spending so much time at home you may be doing a lot more cooking and even picking up skills and trying things you had never dreamt of attempting before. But as your shopping bills rise and your skill set expands, what are the consequences for your local restaurant or takeaway?



  • Food and Beverage
  • Food and Cooking
  • Epidemics and Pandemics

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What is remdesivir and what's all the fuss about?

On today's show: * What's remdesivir? * Where does it come from? * What do we know about side effects? * What about that study from China that found it provided no benefit? * Is lifting restrictions now too risky? * What does all the research into SARS-CoV-2 mean for the common cold?




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Why the next fortnight is so important in the coronavirus battle

On today's show: * What's going on with school openings? * How important is Vitamin D and what role could it play in COVID-19 infections? * Could low blood oxygen be used as a way to see if someone has COVID-19? And Norman has some information from a yet-to-be-published paper about why some South Korean recovered patients seem to be testing positive again for COVID-19.




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What will our cities and urban spaces look like after COVID-19?

What can we learn from living through lockdown to make our cities and urban areas better places to live into the future?




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Is there any possibility coronavirus escaped a Chinese lab?

* What are some possible origins of coronavirus? * Are you more likely to get coronavirus if you work in an abattoir? * Can I get sick from meat processed in an abattoir if the worker had coronavirus? * Could herbal medicine play a role in helping stop or treat coronavirus? And Norman and Tegan discuss research regarding skin rashes that are being reported by some COVID-19 patients.




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Passing on the family legacies of medicine, public health work and reggae music

Do you have a vocation that's been passed through your family for generations? For Dr Mark Wenitong — the legacy of health work has been passed from his mother, through him and onto his son. And that's not the only family tradition being continued... Reggae music has also been a big part of his family's livelihood.





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Coronavirus closed down gyms and group exercise classes — so how will they restart?

Gymnasiums, swimming pools, pilates, yoga and dance studios were forced to close during the COVID-19 outbreak. We all had to adapt, with many people choosing other forms of exercise and a huge surge in the number of us doing classes online.



  • Health
  • Exercise and Fitness
  • Epidemics and Pandemics

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Has coronavirus really split into two strains – and does it matter?

On today's show: * I heard there are two strains. What’s that about? * Is there an accurate antibody test yet? * Would testing for antibodies at the airport mean I could avoid 14-day quarantine if I'd already had COVID-19? * I live in Australia and got sick before Christmas with coronavirus symptoms. Could I have had it? * Can Norman be President of the USA? And Norman's found a study that looked at anti-vaccination views and what that might mean if there's ever a SARS-COV-2 vaccine.




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Too Hard Basket: excluded from a family inheritance

You are chatting with your cousin and she casually mentions an inheritance. You know that on her mother's side there was nothing to inherit. Your paternal grandmother though, died five years ago and you received nothing. Do you dig for answers knowing there's no chance of money, but really just to understand why? Or do you just let sleeping dogs lie?




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Weekend Life Matters: urban change post-Covid, sea and sand restored, Cape York beats the odds, and his Bobness sings for us all

Can these lockdown patterns of urban behaviour change how we shape our cities, one man's mission to de-plastic our sea and sand, how Cape York communities have had zero infection on a shoestring budget, and a landmark Dylan song falls back into relevance.




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Arnaldo Antunes - A Curva da Cintura

Unusual supergroup delivers a set that’s more sketches than songs proper.




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Antibalas - Antibalas

Musical democracy in action, an inspiring example of a band practicing what they preach.




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Various Artists - Diablos Del Ritmo – The Colombian Melting Pot 1960-1985

Every track is destined to fill a dancefloor with abandoned gyrations.




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Youssou N’Dour - From Senegal to the World: 80s Classics and Rarities

Unlikely to stand out beside more complete N’Dour compilation sets.




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Mory Kanté - La Guinéenne

Kanté remains one of Africa’s finest and most inventive singers and musicians.




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The Creole Choir of Cuba - Santiman

Sophisticated singing that could make this choir one of the best known in the world.




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Bomba Estéreo - Elegancia Tropical

Bogotá quintet delivers fiery electro-Cumbia contortions with hidden depths.




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When It Drops: Why Alex Dyson wanted to write a novel




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Adam Brand from success to love and pain




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Vika and Linda Bull and their love of family and music




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'Ruin Porn' and our obsession with empty spaces




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Vomit phobia and volcano love




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Getting 'hygge' with it and creating cosy homes




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The threat to the West from dragons and snakes




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Indigenous practises and decoding fire




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Digital art and glorious art house movies




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Passion, Patience and Patronage: 30 years of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra




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Ghost lights, Macbeth and other theatre superstitions




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An enduring music partnership