Saturday Morning for Saturday 3 August 2019

 

 

 

08:10  David Downs and Dr Rob Weinkove - breakthrough cancer treatment coming to New Zealand

Comedian, actor, and author David Downs honestly and humourously shared his battle with lymphoma in his popular column ‘A Mild Touch of the Cancer’.

Unfortunately his treatment failed and after 12 rounds of chemotherapy he was told that his cancer was terminal and he would most likely be dead within a year.

On the same day he was given an opportunity to get on to a clinical trial of CAR-T cell treatment in Boston, USA.  

The therapy works by taking the immune cells - known as the T cells - out and genetically engineering them into "killer cells" before inserting them back into the blood.

The gruelling and very expensive treatment saved his life.

David is now instrumental in assisting Wellington's Malaghan Institute to begin trials of CAR-T cell therapy in New Zealand.

David will talk to Kim about his story, and he'll be joined by the Malaghan Institute's clinical director, Dr. Rob Weinkove, to talk about diagnosis, treatment and funding of treatments for cancer in New Zealand.

David has also written a book about his experiences called A Mild Touch of the Cancer.

09:05  Richard Whitman  - Scotland sizes up UK PM Boris Johnson

New UK prime minister Boris Johnson was booed by an angry crowd as he met Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon early this week.

Following their meeting she declared his plans to pursue a no-deal Brexit as "extremely dangerous for Scotland, indeed the whole of the U.K."

Kim will talk to Richard Whitman, Professor of Politics and International Relations at the University of Kent.

He is an expert on Brexit and UK foreign policy. He is a visiting fellow at Chatham House (formerly known as the Royal Institute of International Affairs) and an academic fellow at the European Policy Centre.

09:25  Felicity Gerry - Fearless QC creates legal history 

Felicity Gerry is an international QC and Professor of Legal Practice at Deakin University, who works towards reforming justice systems to protect the rights of vulnerable groups.

She has led legal reform around modern slavery and trafficking, female genital mutilation, reproductive rights and how the legal system can avoid causing further trauma.

She is in New Zealand to speak at the Criminal Bar Association conference this weekend about her appeal in the 2016 UK Supreme Court case of R v Jogee, which resulted in what the BBC described as a 'moment of genuine legal history'.

She successfully challenged the controversial criminal law principle of joint enterprise - which permits two or more defendants to be convicted of the same offence, even where they had different levels of involvement.

 

 

10:04    Midge Ure - Riding high on new wave music for almost 40 years 

Scottish musician Midge Ure continues to tour the world decades after hitting the charts with songs from stints with Ultravox, Visage, and his solo years.

With Ultravox,  Ure headlined Sweetwaters in the '80s, and the band's album 'Vienna' was in the NZ Top 40 for over 47 weeks.  

He co-wrote the Band Aid hit, "Do They Know It's Christmas?" with Bob Geldof in 1984, and remains an ambassador for Save The Children.

Ure was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Bath in December 2010.  

Midge Ure will be playing gigs around New Zealand in early March 2020 along with The Mockers. details here. 

11:04   DeRay Mckesson - Race and justice in a divided America

Civil rights activist DeRay Mckesson is a leading voice in the Black Lives Matter Movement and a co-founder of Campaign Zero.

He  has been praised by Barack Obama for his work as a community organizer, and has advised officials at all levels of US government and internationally.

His book is On The Other Side of Freedom: Race and Justice in a Divided America, and he'll be in New Zealand shortly for TEDx Christchurch and WORD Christchurch as well as Verb Wellington.

 

 

11:45  Doug Wilson - Walking your way to better aging

Dr Doug Wilson has a medical degree from New Zealand, a PhD from the University of London and has pursued postgraduate work and medical research globally.

He currently consults and acts as the chief medical officer for Ferghana Partners Group, whose business is focused on new technologies in biotechnical companies and healthcare.

Wilson is dyslexic and after the age of 70 began a new career as a children's author, publishing 10 books to date.

His latest book is one for adults, called Aging for Beginners. He'll talk to Kim about how something as simple as a walking plan for seniors could save the country millions in health-related costs each year.

 

 

 

Books mentioned in this episode:

 

A Mild Touch of the Cancer

By David Downs

ISBN: 9780473481766

Bakita Books 

 

On The Other Side of Freedom: Race and Justice in a Divided America

By DeRay Mckesson

ISBN: 989178

Bloomsbury Publishing 

 

In Praise of Walking

By Shane Mara

ISBN: 9781847925909

Penguin

 

Music played in this show

Artist: Ultravox
Song: Vienna
Played at: 10:05

Artist: Slik 
Song: Forever and Ever
Played at: 10:10

Artist: Visage
Song: Fade to Grey
Played at: 10:12

Artist: Thin Lizzy
Song: The Boys Are Back in Town
Played at: 10:15

Artist: Midge Ure
Song: Nevermore
Played at: 10:50

Artist: Angie McMahon
Song: Pasta
Played at: 10:56

Artist: The Mountain Goats
Song: This Year
Played at: 11:39