Sunday Morning for Sunday 12 May 2019

7.11 Emmanuel Kalafatelis: Poll shows lack of support for personal use cannabis legalisation

The Government's non-binding referendum on the legalisation of cannabis has divided the public. Details of the referendum were released this week on a proposed law change to allow the purchase and personal use of the drug by people over the age of 20. A poll  from Research New Zealand shows there is not enough support for the change for personal use to go ahead with just 29% of those surveyed wanting legalisation. That's in stark contrast to the 84% who support medicinal cannabis being available here for the terminally ill. Research New Zealand Partner Emmanuel Kalafatelis speaks to Jim about the poll results. 

7.18 Solomon Israel: The Canadian cannabis model and life on the daily marijuana beat

In a first for Canada, Jewish journalist Solomon Israel's become a  full-time cannabis reporter. He was hired by the Winnipeg Free Press in 2017 to cover all aspects of the burgeoning cannabis industry. He now writes for the organisation's dedicated cannabis news website, The Leaf, which documents anything and everything about the shift in Canada from Reefer Madness to a legal lifestyle option. Solomon speaks to Jim about how the legalisation of non-medical cannabis in Canada in October 2018 is working out, and what life covering the cannabis beat entails.  

7.32 The House

A weekly digest of the events in Parliament with Daniela Maoate-Cox and Phil Smith.

7.45 Calling Home: Hugh McCutcheon, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Hugh McCutcheon is arguably New Zealand's most successful overseas-based elite level sports coach. The  Christchurch native might not be household name in this country but he's big in the U.S. He's currently the University of Minnesota women's volleyball coach and has won Olympic gold and silver with the USA men's and women's volleyball teams respectively. He's also married to a former US volleyball rep. In 2016 he was given a New Zealand Order of Merit. Last year he was inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame. In spite of spending the last 30 years in the U.S he's still very much a New Zealander at heart. He joins Jim to discuss his life in Minneapolis, on and off the volleyball court.

8:10 Insight Forget me not: The tangle of starting a new romance when your partner has dementia

Marriage is supposed to be 'Til death do us part; but what if your beloved has dementia and doesn't know who you are anymore? Is it all right to start a new relationship with someone else? How would friends and family react and does the possibility of new love while still married open up a minefield of legal issues? Insight's Teresa Cowie has been talking to some of those whose relationships are navigating this taboo territory.

8.38 Sue Chetwin: Consumer report shows 70% of counterfeit goods sold online

A  study out of the US dropped this week, shows 70% of counterfeit products are sold on online marketplaces worth around half a trillion dollars annually. The report points to the hugely popular AliExpress by AliBaba being the worst culprit when it comes to selling counterfeit goods. Two years ago AliBaba was slammed with a lawsuit by Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent claiming  the company wasn't doing enough to counter the display of counterfeit products on its website. Consumer New Zealand chief executive Sue Chetwin speaks to Jim about the study and what it means locally.

8.45 Dr Kathryn Bradbury: Research links coffee and tea consumption to lung cancer

There is no shortage of research into the health benefits of coffee. Last year there were findings suggesting coffee is linked with longevity. In contrast a study by Vanderbilt University said drinking two or more cups a day, of coffee or tea, might increase the risk of lung cancer. The research was presented to the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. Dr Kathryn Bradbury is a senior research fellow at the University of Auckland who is an expert in food and nutrition intake in relation to cancer incidence. She joins the show to go through the findings of the research relating coffee and tea consumption to cancer.

9:06 Mediawatch

Produced and presented by Colin Peacock and Jeremy Rose.

9:37 Michael Worboys: Modern day dogs are a product of the industrial revolution

Professor Michael Worboys, through science, has debunked the myth that our canine fur babies are the result of centuries of bonding and taming. Instead he's discovered that our modern day pooches are the result of the Victorian industrial revolution. He's written a book on his work, called The Invention of the Modern Dog: Breed and Blood in Victorian Britain which goes back 150 years to pin point the time when dogs were being specifically bred and new breeds were created. He speaks to Jim about days when dogs were part of social status and why he's always found that dogs don't particularly like him.

10.04  Bret Easton-Ellis: Calling out the crybaby generation

Bret Easton Ellis has spent most of his career causing controversy. His best selling books include Less Than Zero and American Psycho. His latest book, White, is also provoking reaction around the globe. It's non-fiction and described as a "wide ranging exploration of what the hell is going on right now." He says White is about an homage to his favouirte non fiction writer and is taking aim at the millennials whom he says are crybabies and professional victims. He speaks to Jim about the book, being a white privileged male and why he's amused by the way press deals with U.S President Donald Trump.

10.45 Wylie Gustafson: The yodeler who sued Yahoo and won

Singer and songwriter Wylie Gustafson is a modern country music icon with 20 albums and four decades of performing, writing and recording under his belt. He is also ultimately something of a one-hit wonder with a 'hit'  that was only three seconds long. In 1996, Gustafson was approached by a, then, unknown start-up company, called Yahoo to record a yodel that they would use once in a regional commercial campaign. Two years later, Gustafson was watching the Superbowl on TV when he and heard his distinct  'Yahoo yodel' , which he'd only been paid just over $500 for. Gustafson then lawyer-ed up. He explains the rest to Jim.

11.04 Dr Eugenia Cheng: Curing maths phobia with food and music  

Dr Eugenia Cheng has managed to blend her passion for maths, music and food to carve out her career. She's currently Scientist In Residence at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Alongside her research in Category Theory and undergraduate teaching her aim is to rid the world of "math phobia".  Her first popular math book, How to Bake Pi, was published in 2015 to widespread acclaim acclaim. Her next book, Beyond Infinity, was published in 2017. Eugenia is also math columnist for the Wall Street Journal, a concert pianist and founder of the Liederstube. She's in Auckland for the Writers Festival to talk about her latest book, The Art of Logic: How to Make Sense in a World that Doesn't. She speaks to Jim ahead of her appearance at the festival including her husband, Peter Wesoloski, singing alongside her piano performance.

 

11.45 Musical Chair: Judy Norton

It's been nearly 40 years since the last episode of the iconic TV series The Waltons was put to air, but barely a day goes by when multi-talented American actress, singer, director and producer Judy Norton isn't reminded about her breakthrough role as Mary Ellen in the show about the tight-knit family Baptist living on a Virginia mountain during the Depression and the Second World War. She has continued her acting career, retained her strong ties to theatre, and music also remains close to her heart, releasing her debut album, Reflections, in 2016. She joins the show to discuss her enduring career and highlight a couple of tracks that have resonated strongly throughout her lifetime.