Sunday Morning for Sunday 7 July 2019

 

7.11 Dr. Jim Salinger: Billion Trees Programme ultimately flawed  

Planting billions of trees to mop up Co2 is ultimately a sensible idea, says Dr. Jim Salinger, but it has to be done in the right way, with recent research showing you have to regenerate natural forests to store carbon -- as opposed to plantation forests of trees like pine trees. He joins Jim to explain. 

7.18 Dr Mengqiu Wang: Discovering the biggest seaweed bloom in the world 

A floating mass of seaweed stretching from West Africa to the Gulf of Mexico is now the biggest seaweed bloom in the world, according to satellite observations. Dr Mengqiu Wang is from the University of Southern Florida and was part of the team that discovered the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt (GASB)

7.25 Emanuel Kalafatelis: Survey shows support for assisted dying for terminally ill

Research New Zealand has just completed a survey looking at attitudes toward euthanasia in New Zealand,  specifically relating to doctors assisting death for terminally ill patients. Research NZ Partner Emanuel Kalafatelis discusses the survey results.

7.32 The House

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

7.45 Calling Home: Anna Fifield in Beijing

Today Calling Home is from China where expat Anna Fifield is based as the Washington Post Beijing Bureau Chief. She talks about her life in the Chinese capital as well as her recent book released, The Great Successor: The Divinely Perfect Destiny of Brilliant Comrade Kim Jong Un.

8:10 Insight Time's up for volunteering?

The crisis facing volunteering. Insight's senior specialist reporter Teresa Cowie investigates how essential services can survive as more and more people decide they can't make on-going commitments to help out.

8:38 Emanuel Kalafatelis: Only one in two Kiwis support fizzy drink tax 

A recent survey by Research New Zealand shows that only 47% of people support the idea of the Government adopting a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages such as fizzy drinks, with 27% disagreeing and 20% of people sitting on the fence. Research NZ Partner Emanuel Kalafatelis is back to look at the results. 

8:41 Claire Turnbull: Comparing apple with orange juice

Environmentalists say apple juice production is better for the planet than the processes involved in making orange juice and we should switch to apple juice. Nutritionist Claire Turnbull doesn't think we should be drinking much of either, and instead going for fresh whole fruits that aren't processed and have added sugar.  

8:45 Dr Sandi Mann: The upside of downtime

Psychologist Dr Sandi Mann says boredom is not a thing and can lead to more creativity in both children and adults. She researched the effects doing nothing have on people and says it's not a bad thing to do nothing and let your mind wander.

9:06 Mediawatch

This week Mediawatch looks at how a far-right foreigner hit the headlines here - and the PR blitz for the All Blacks new jersey. Produced and presented by Colin Peacock and Jeremy Rose.

9.40 Simon Cambers: Aussie tennis brats stay true to form at Wimbledon 

Australian men's tennis players Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios have been in the headlines for the wrong reasons again this week, while American 15-year-old sensation Coco Grauff has set the tennis world alight with her exploits. Simon Cambers joins us from Wimbledon to discuss. 

9:50 Francis Vergunst: Kindy kids who aren't attentive earn less as adults

Canadian research has found that kindergarten kids who struggle to concentrate and are easily distracted are more likely to end up on a lower income as adults. Study co-author Francis Vergunst, a postdoctoral research fellow in developmental public health at University of Montreal, explains what their research uncovered.

10.08 Professor Adam Grant: People don't  know themselves

Recently published analysis shows your co-workers are likely to be nearly twice as accurate at rating your personality traits than you are. Professor Adam Grant  explains why this is the case, and what stops people from honest self-assessment.

10.36 Musical Chair: Paul Ego

Seven Days star Paul Ego has long been recognised as one of the finest comedians in New Zealand, both for his work on the hit show and his iconic voicing of the Pak n Save stickman commercials. He joins Jim to discuss his comedy career and share a couple of musical tracks that are special to him.

11.04 Gary Lightbody: Sobriety and Snow Patrol's return to New Zealand

It's been 10 years since Snow Patrol last visited New Zealand. Singer-songwriter and founding member Gary Lightbody looks back on what led him to embark on a life of sobriety and why fans here have such a strong affinity with the Northern Ireland rock band.

11:35 Jeff Hughes: YouTube camps in demand

Jeff Hughes was in need of a job when came up with the idea to train up the next generation of YouTubers by running camps. He founded Level Up and it's been so successful the franchise is going global. He explains that the young teenagers and pre-teens as well as their parents are desperate to learn how to be successful online.

11.45 Dr Paulina Sliwa: What makes a good excuse?

Dr Paulina Sliwa is a Philosopher at the University of Cambridge and has figured out the formula for coming up with a great excuse. She discusses her study, The Power of Excuses, and what separates the good excuses from the bad ones.