Sunday Morning for Sunday 8 September 2019

 

7:23 Support for Brazilian PM remains as Amazon fires continue to rage 

Brazilians still have hope for Jair Bolsonaro's government, despite continued international outrage at the devastating fires in the Amazon and what could turn out to be the Prime Minister's unconstitutional actions in response. Rio de Janeiro-based journalist Shannon Sims is with us to look at the latest in the ongoing drama around the fires and indigenous land grabs in the Amazon.

7.45 Calling Home: Dave Holmes in London 

Kiwi musician and studio co-owner Dave Holmes is Calling Home from East London this week. The Napier-born muso is a guitarist in the band Kerretta and works at Soup Studio, which is situated on board an 80-year-old former lightship on the banks of the River Thames. He's been living in London for eight years now and is firmly entrenched in the local way of life. 

8:41 Research shows men now avoid women in the workplace 

A study out of the University of Houston shows that the #MeToo backlash is very real, with more than one in every four men now avoiding one-on-one meetings with women in the workplace. Professor Leanne Atwater is a management professor at the University of Houston and one of the study's lead authors. She joins the show to discuss the findings. 

9:37 Sitting for nine and a half hours a day linked to early death

Professor Ulf Ekelund of the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences was part of a research team that looked at more than 36,000 individuals across eight studies and found that people spending nine and a half hours or more each day sedentary are associated with a statistically significant increased risk of death.

9:37 People who eat dark chocolate less likely to be depressed 

A new University College London-led study suggests eating dark chocolate may positively affect mood and relieve depressive symptoms. The study, published in Depression and Anxiety, is the first to examine the association with depression according to the type of chocolate consumed. Dr Joseph Firth is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Western Study and was involved in the research. 

10:04 Robert Harris: The Second Sleep

English novelist Robert Harris's new novel The Second Sleep has all the trappings of a historical novel, but actually it's set far in the future. The former journalist and BBC television reporter explains what drove him to take this approach to writing about the modern world, and why the book is something of a warning to people.    

10.30 Confronting the epidemic of stress and anxiety in girls 

Though anxiety has risen among teens and young adults overall, studies confirm that it has skyrocketed in girls. Psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour's new book Under Pressure looks at why we are seeing a rise in the levels of stress and anxiety in girls and why they are driven to keep their foot on the pedal in so many areas when compared to boys. 

11:07 Professor Cal Newport: Living better with less technology 

Cal Newport is a professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University. His latest book Digital Minimalism calls out our enslavement to digital devices. He explains why there is nothing natural about the engineered behaviour of checking your phone every five minutes, and why people should take the time to clean out their virtual closets.   

11:44 Rob Hamill: High times at sea with The Cruising Kiwis 

'The Cruising Kiwis' are former New Zealand Olympic rower Rob Hamill, wife Rachel and their three boys. They are currently travelling through the Fijian islands and will soon be heading toward South East Asia. Rob and Rachel join the show for an update on their adventure.