Life Matters - Separate stories podcast ABC Podcasts

At high school you formed a strong friendship with another girl, but by the time you finished fourth form you were going in opposite directions. Fast forward 50 years and your erstwhile friend has traced you via a remote connection. There didn't seem to be any common ground and you felt you were feigning interest in her life. However, she has now sent a couple of long messages and wants to meet up. Would it be churlish of you not to at least be polite and go through the motions? You really don't want to renew contact with this friend, so what do you do?

Candy wasn't always associated with a sugar hit. In medieval Europe, it was taken as a vitamin and thought to have medicinal properties. Food historian Sarah Lohman traces the origins of candy, from its inception in the Middle East to the tradition of handing it out on Halloween and the origins of trick-or-treating.

The wild weather experienced along the east coast this week, and the prospect of a La Nina summer ahead, has insurance experts concerned about the potential for disaster events. When the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements final report is made public it could include recommendations about how we plan for these events to prevent damage, rather than relying on a post-event mop up. So what might that look like, and will you end up paying for it in your insurance premiums?

You might think of a two-day weekend as the norm, but that wasn't always the case. In parts of the world, Mondays were the original (unofficial) day off. So, how was the weekend won?

Giving birth is a stressful endeavour, but for parents who are isolated, newly-arrived migrants, or those dealing with social disadvantages, that stress is compounded tenfold. A volunteer doula program is helping to turn things around in Melbourne.

The situation for thousands of Australian residents stranded overseas remains precarious. The Australian government has begun chartering repatriation flights, but the massive backlog, combined with caps on quarantine, means it's unlikely the majority will be back in the country by Christmas.