Nine To Noon for Friday 16 August 2019

 

 

09:05 Prescribing under pressure: doctors & medicinal cannabis

Are doctors being set up to fail ahead of proposed changes to medicinal cannabis regulations? Submissions closed last week on the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme, which would set new regulations for the cultivation, sale and prescription of medicinal cannabis products. But in a piece out today in the New Zealand Medical Journal a group of researchers argue the current legal and professional obligations of doctors may limit prescribing practices, despite the law change. Dr Irene Braithwaite, deputy director of the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand is co-author of the paper and joins Kathryn to talk about their concerns.

09:20 Hong Kong protest organiser Bonnie Leung

More mass pro-democracy demonstrations are expected in Hong Kong this weekend. The ten week long crisis has escalated in the past few days with protests forcing the cancellation of nearly 1,000 flights at Hong Kong Airport this week and world leaders urging calm. Meanwhile there are reports that Chinese police forces are gathering near the border with Hong Kong. Kathryn talks with Bonnie Leung - a pro-democracy activist and a key protest organizer from the Civil Human Rights Front in Hong Kong.

09:30 Ultra marathon running - lasting the distance

Are women better suited physiologically to endurance events than men? Ultra marathoner Katie Wright beat off all participants in the backyard ultra through Auckland's Riverhead Forest a couple of months ago. She's now eyeing up the world champs of last person standing ultra marathons and is off to Tennessee in October. The Nelson based doctor talks to Kathryn about the stamina and mindset that helps her to run for hours.

09:45 Pacific Islands Forum leaders climate change disagreement

A day-long meeting of leaders of 18 member countries and territories has ended with disagreement over action against climate change. RNZ Pacific's Moera Tuilaepa-Taylor has the details. Also the President of the UN's global climate change conference, COP 24, has highlighted the issue of shipwrecks that lie in the waters of some Pacific nations. And Tonga is mulling a Facebook ban, as the Kingdom struggles to contain a torrent of online abuse and threats on the platform directed at the monarchy by pro-government forces.

10:05 Concern over Amazon's evolution to everything store

The work practices and ethos of online selling giant - Amazon has been attracting criticism from many quarters for years now. Author and Bloomberg News technology editor, Brad Stone's previous book The Everything Store chronicled the rise of Jeff Bezos's company from a fledging startup to stratospheric retail success. He's now working on a sequel, Amazon Unbound. It will be an examination of how the Everything Store became the Everything Company, with Amazon morphing from online book seller to e-commerce domination. At the heart of his inquiry, Brad Stone asks - Is Amazon good for us?

10:35 Book review - The Boyfriend by Laura Southgate

Anne Else reviews The Boyfriend by Laura Southgate, which is published by Victoria University Press.

10:45 The Reading

Last Day, Last Chance, Forever And Ever by Noel Harrison. Final episode.

11:05 New music with Grant Smithies - Blam Blam Blam & more..

A full 38 years after their debut EP was released in 1981, Blam Blam Blam are about to hit the road for a national tour this month. Grant Smithies plays two Blams' classics, alongside melancholy synth-pop from Sydney's SPOD and a feminist hip hop classic from Queen Latifah and Monie Love.

11:30 Sports commentator Brendan Telfer - All Blacks test looms

After last week's huge loss to the Wallabies, the All Blacks face them again tomorrow, which Brendan says is in some ways is an even bigger test for the legacy of Steve Hansen's coaching record.

11:45 The week that was with

Comedians James Elliot and Irene Pink discuss whether plastic shorts could be the next menswear trend.