Sunday Morning for Sunday 1 May 2022

8:11 Professor Gary McLean on Omicron and its variants 

Israel's Jerusalem Post has reported that the new BA.4 variant out of South Africa has reached its shores, and that it causes higher mortality. U.S. experts, meanwhile, are concerned that the lack of immunity in the Chinese population because of its lockdowns are the ideal breeding ground for a dangerous new variant. 
Whatever way you look at it, we're not out of the woods when it comes to Covid-19. Not by a long way. 
New Zealander Dr Gary McLean is a professor in molecular immunology at London Metropolitan University and a researcher with Imperial College. He's an international authority on coronaviruses 
Professor McLean is back with us for an update on all the latest Covid-19 news and developments. 

8:26 New Zealand "lagging behind" in pay gap transparency measures

Today is International Workers' Day, also known as May Day. On this day, people in many countries around the world take to the streets to commemorate the working class and demand fair pay and better working conditions.
In New Zealand, recent research into the migrant pay gap revealed disturbing inequities between different migrant groups. A variety of factors contribute to these inequities, including things like cultural and language differences, structural bias and discrimination.
Auckland student Nina Santos is the Delivery Manager for MindTheGap, which hosts New Zealand's first Pay Registry. She says there's been a lot of discourse about the subject of pay gap transparency in recent times but not enough action. 
MindTheGap is seeking legislation change to make it mandatory for all businesses in New Zealand with 50 or more employees to report their gender and ethnic pay gaps.  
Santos, who came to New Zealand from the Philippines when she was 14, joins the show to discuss pay gap transparency in this country and what needs to be done to level the playing field.   

8:41 Professor Al Gillespie on the threat of nuclear war in Ukraine     

The ante has been upped in Ukraine in recent days as Russia attacked Kyiv with two cruise missiles while UN secretary general António Guterres was visiting the city. 
Waikato University's Professor of International Law Dr Al Gillespie recently wrote a piece in The Conversation about the hands of the Doomsday Clock - which depicts how close humanity is to Armageddon - being pushed closer to midnight. The clock has been set at 100 seconds to midnight - the latest it has ever been - for the past two years, but Professor Gillespie says it's now looking increasingly out of time with current events. 
Professor Gillespie is with us to discuss the situation in Ukraine and the likelihood of Russian president Vladimir Putin choosing to use nuclear weapons in the conflict.

9:06 Mediawatch

Mediawatch looks at coverage of the war in Ukraine with two experts in international journalism and conflict - and at how our media have responded to our country's contribution to the war so far. 

9:37 Calling Home: Sophie Woods in Parts Unknown

Cantabrian Sophie and her husband George Woods were (and still kind of are) London-based, but these days they park up wherever the wind takes them. Or wherever the wind is not. 
The couple have been roaming around Europe in a converted campervan for almost five years now.
After more than a decade in London, Sophie and George planned to rent somewhere in the mountains, but they couldn't decide on the right location, so the van plan was hatched. 
The London connection remained intact because up until this week, Sophie, whose regular work sees her operating as an online running coach, returned to the English capital every five or six weeks to service her customers at an exclusive hair salon in Chelsea. 
She's Calling Home today. 

10:04 How your mindset can change your world 

Science journalist David Robson's new book, The Expectation Effect, sets out to help people harness the mind-body connection that can improve their lives. 
Combining cutting-edge neuroscience with narrative, Robson explores the incredible ways our mindset shapes every single facet of our lives, revealing how your brain holds the keys to unlock a better you. 
For example, did you know that people who believe ageing brings wisdom live longer than those who don't? Or that cultivating an indulgent attitude to food can help you lose weight? 
On the flipside, the mere thought of having a symptom or disease can actually make us ill. (Thanks in part to the media's habit of spreading negative expectation.) 
Robson is with us to discuss his new book and the role the brain plays in both expectations and the way life works out. 

10:42 Can switching the channel make you see differently? 

Professor Marc Wilson from Victoria University's School of Psychology is joining us again on Sunday morning to discuss a number of topics that have been in the news recently, including the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard defamation trial, the effectiveness of anti-depressants, cannabis use, ageing attitudes and how changing the TV channel can make you see the world a different way. 

11:05 Canterbury musos uniting for Ukraine 

Canterbury music fans are in for a treat today, with Like A Rolling Stone hosting a 12 hour music extravaganza - United for Ukraine - to support the people of Ukraine. 
The first act will take the stage at 11:30am and the event is due to finish around midnight, after headliners The Eastern finish their set. All of the funds raised will go to the people of Ukraine through the New Zealand Red Cross.
The gig came about after A Rolling Stone venue owners Mike and Gretchen Kane starting thinking about what they could do to assist the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. They talked to musician friends and sent out a few messages and were met with such a flurry of positive responses that the prospect of making it an all-day, all-night event soon became a no-brainer. 
Gretchen joins the show from Christchurch to look ahead to what's in store at A Rolling Stone over the next 12 or so hours. 
Donate to the Red Cross via its Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal here: https://www.redcross.org.nz/donate/ukraine-humanitarian-crisis-appeal/

11:17 Poignant legacy illustrated in new cookbook 

Auckland woman Sophia Cameron's late mother, Robyn, travelled all over the world throughout her 20s, studying different international cuisines and gaining a passion for food - especially Mediterranean food - along the way. 
Sadly, after first being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002, when Sophia was only six-years-old,  Robyn passed away in 2019. 
The idea behind Sophia's new book, Rob's Kitchen, was to create a special legacy project that would honour her mother, who loved cooking with fresh, organic ingredients and sharing her creations with friends and family. 
In the book, Sophia recalls Robyn's signature dishes and lovingly recreates them from her handwritten recipes, notes and journals. 
Sophia, who is about to set off on her Covid-delayed OE, joins the show to discuss Rob's Kitchen (proceeds are going to breast cancer charity Sweet Louise) and what it means to create a cookbook that honours her mother's legacy. 

11:34 Why time has always been against us 

From the sundials of ancient Rome to the modern era of the smartwatch, clocks have been used throughout history to control people and influence many facets of our lives - often in negative ways.  
And timekeeping continues to shape our modern world. 
Time expert and historian David Rooney is a former curator of timekeeping at the Royal Observatory Greenwich. He helps run three horological institutions, including the world's oldest clock and watch museum, and lives in London, close to the Greenwich meridian. 
What he doesn't know about timekeeping isn't worth knowing. 
In his new book, About Time: A History of Civilization in Twelve Clocks, Rooney paints a horological history of human civilisation, told through twelve world-changing clocks.  
He joins the show to discuss the new book and the role timekeeping has played in history.