Sunday Morning for Sunday 22 September 2013

8:12 Insight Organ Donation

Organ donation in New Zealand may have reached a crossroads. There are 700 people on a waiting list for a kidney transplant – patients whose lives will be substantially improved or even saved if they get one. Organs come from both deceased and living donors.  But deceased donor numbers are very low compared with other similar countries and some say changes may be needed to increase it. As Radio New Zealand’s health correspondent, Karen Brown, has been finding out, attention is focussed increasingly on live donation, with suggestions that better support is needed for those who volunteer to provide an organ.
Produced by Philippa Tolley.

8:40 Kathy Reichs – Beyond Bones

All of novelist Kathy Reichs’ Temperance Brennan forensic thrillers have been best-sellers, and Kathy is also a producer of the hit TV series, Bones, which is based on the Temperance Brennan character. Kathy talks to Chris about how her work as a forensic anthropologist has shaped her writing.
The latest book in the Temperance Brennan thriller series is Bones of the Lost, published this month. Details of Kathy’s New Zealand tour are on the Random House website.

9:06 Mediawatch

Mediawatch looks at the often-overheated coverage of the America’s Cup; and why big publishers in Australia say newspapers are alive and well, in spite of all the pundits who say the writing’s on the wall. Mediawatch also looks at advertising that’s wormed its way into the news recently; and how a reportedly rude remark by a candidate in the Capital didn’t make the cut.
Produced and presented by Colin Peacock and Jeremy Rose.

9:40 Norman Ledgerwood – Dunedin’s Victorian Architect

Norman Ledgerwood has just published a book about RA Lawson, the architect behind some of the country’s most important historical buildings. Scottish-born Lawson designed the First Presbyterian Church of Otago, Knox Presbyterian Church, Larnach Castle and the Dunedin Municipal Building. In his 28 years working in Dunedin from 1862 onwards, Lawson designed over 250 buildings, and his work also survives in many towns in Otago and Southland.
R.A. Lawson: Victorian Architect of Dunedin, by Norman Ledgerwood, with photography by Graham Warman, is published by the Historic Cemeteries Conservation Trust of New Zealand.

10:06 Ideas Syria in Focus

In the latest in our occasional series of countries in focus, we take a look at Syria. Professor William Harris – the author of four books on the Middle East – will tell us about the history and politics of the country; freelance journalist Glen Johnson reflects on his recent visits into the rebel-controlled north; and musician Michel Alkhouri tells us about life in pre-civil war Syria.
Produced by Jeremy Rose.

10:55 Today’s Track

Caro Emerald is the stage name of Dutch jazz singer Caroline van der Leeuw. Her 2010 debut album Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor set a Dutch chart record – spending 30 weeks at number one. That year, Emerald won the Dutch music prize for Best Female Artist. Her second album The Shocking Miss Emerald, released this year, went to No. 1 in the UK album charts. Today we play a track from that album – it’s called ‘Coming Back as a Man’.

11:05 Down the List

Down the List takes a ride on the gravy train of government subsidies.
Down the List is written by Dave Armstrong and produced by Adam Macaulay and Duncan Smith from the RNZ Drama Department.

11:12 Richard King – Politics of Offence

Australian journalist Richard King says politicians and religious leaders have mastered the art of indignation to deflect criticism and get people on their side. In his new book, On Offence, Richard explores how the politics of offence is poisoning public debate, and says that freedom of speech is meaningless without the freedom to offend.
On Offence: The Politics of Indignation, by Richard King, is published by Scribe.

11:40 Wayne Brittenden’s Counterpoint

A recent World Health Organisation report on the alleged effects of uranium-laced weapons dating back to the Gulf War found no cause for alarm, conflicting with the findings of scientists whose reports have never been released. Wayne looks at the controversy and Chris follows up with a former UN assistant Secretary-General, Hans von Sponeck.