Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

Kate ‘Ethically Kate’ Hall is undertaking another challenge. July marks the halfway point of her local food challenge, where for the entirety of 2024 she’s only buying food that’s made in Aotearoa New Zealand. She joined Jack Tame to chat about the biggest surprises and challenges so far, and give an insight into why she decided on this undertaking. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Men’s Health Week took place in June. It's an important topic as men often consider themselves bullet proof, and think they don’t need to see the doctor. So why is men’s health important? There are some underlying statistics that are important to reflect on: - Overseas study: men are twice as likely never to have visited the doctor. Three times as likely not to have visited GP in 5 year period. - They die 3.5 years younger, on average, than women. - They develop heart disease 10 years younger than women. - They develop diabetes younger. It’s a concern! Why should they visit the GP? There are hidden risks that can affect health that you won’t know about until you have a regular ‘warrant of fitness’ check-up: Cholesterol: -Increases risk of heart disease. -Only detected through a blood test. Diabetes and blood sugar: -Need to be checked from age of 35. -Sugars can creep up men and damage the heart, kidneys, and nervous system. -Only detected through a blood test. Blood Pressure, the hidden killer: - Can feel perfectly OK with raised blood pressure. - Puts pressure on the heart leading to heart attacks and increases risk stroke. - Only detected through a blood pressure check. What other issues should men be concerned about? The prostate: - From the age of 50 should be seeing your doctor to discuss a prostate check. - Simple blood test and slightly uncomfortable rectal exam! - Early detection of prostate cancer leads to early cure! Bowel cancer: - From the age of 60 - Two yearly bowel cancer screening. - Early detection of bowel cancer leads to cure! In addition, if you have been about in the sun (especially farmers) a regular skin check for early signs of skin cancer is necessary. If you're feeling depressed, irritable, or stressed talking to your GP is a good first step to help. When should men we go for a check-up? - Definitely from the age of 50 yearly check-up is important. - Prior to that 2 to 5 years from the age of 30. With all these things early detection saves lives, and detecting problems early means major health issues can be reduced by early intervention with lifestyle, medication and occasionally specialist intervention. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Has a Greek Islands cruise been flirting with your imagination? Recently, I renewed my Greek Islands love affair, joining my sister on a week-long adventure cruising the Aegean Sea aboard Celestyal Journey. The flagship vessel for Celestyal Cruises is deployed on their most iconic cruise, Idyllic Aegean, which is a 7-day highlights reel of the region. It’s like the Aegean’s greatest hits, with port calls in Mykonos, Santorini, Crete, Kusadasi, Thessaloniki and Milos. From Ephesus —site of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World— to the cube houses and windmills of Mykonos and blue-domed churches of Santorini, the Aegean is as dreamy as reality gets." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 6 July 2024, Kiwi music legend Julia Deans joins Jack to chat noughties nostalgia as Fur Patrol reunite for a New Zealand tour. Inspired by man-in-the-garden Ruud Kleinpaste, Jack talks about the record number of tūī in his trees since hanging a bird feeder. And Ruud offers advice on how to avoid birds squabbling over the new treat. Andrew Saville is in Dunedin ahead of the first All Black's test of the season, against England who haven't played in New Zealand for a decade. Plus, Nici Wickes shares a Parisian pudding from her brand-new book ‘More From a Quiet Kitchen’ and chats with Jack about finding joy in meals for one. Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My dear darling sister (with the beautiful name of Roos) sent me a picture from the Netherlands; it was a pretty orange slug hiding inside her robotic lawn mower named Albertus. It came out of the mower to show itself in all its glory. Roos immediately linked this slug to a complete disaster when she came home from Holidays in France: Albertus had failed to keep up with his task as the grass was a couple of feet from touching the Matariki stars. Investigation of the inner workings of Albertus showed a heap of soft, sticky and shredded plant material, covered in sloppy slug slime. It’s a great habitat for the mollusc pests in the garden and at the same time a magnificent form of transport to your favourite plants. In such a wonderful, sheltered spot slugs and snails can have a great theatre for reproduction: eggs will be stuck to all surfaces, and they’ll hatch as soon as temperatures are becoming a bit milder… Photo / Supplied But that was not all that Roos found. How about a rather large and active ants-nest full of white “eggs” around the battery and other electric wiring! By the way, those white “eggs” are actually the larvae and pupae of the ants; when you disturb an ants-nest they’ll run around to save as many babies as they can. Photo / Supplied These ants may well be the electrical disruptors of your technology. I’ve seen them short-circuiting a switch in the wall of my old house in Auckland: an ant (accidentally?) touching both switch plates and getting fried in 240 volt, while releasing a “panic smell” of formic acid. This acid also works as a defence mechanism and deterrent against predators (not very effective when you are battling the 240 volts!). The nearby ants respond immediately to this SOS call for help and are also electrocuted. In the switch you can hear the massacre taking place with each ant increasing the formic acid cloud. In my wall we vacuumed up hundreds and hundreds of fried ants. The smell was amazing! You can also imagine that these kind of disruptors can cause the beginning of a fire. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Netflix, Paramount ask Canadian courts to ditch local news funding rule The new 5% tax —called the Online Streaming Act— which is to go into effect on September 1 is targeted at streaming services who pull in more than C$25m and aren't affiliated with domestic broadcasters. The expected $200m in funds will go towards creating local content, including supporting Black and Indigenous creators. The Motion Picture Association of Canada, who represent studios including Netflix, Paramount & Disney, say they support the law, but there's also a component to fund local news content which they have asked the courts to strike out. They say this news content mandate is "unreasonable" and "is neither appropriate in consideration of the nature of the services they provide, nor equitable.” Amazon has got into the luxury department store game The parent of Saks Fifth Avenue, in a partnership with Amazon, will buy its rival department store chain Neiman Marcus in a US$2.65 billion deal. Amazon will take a minority stake in the new company, called Saks Global, and will provide technology and logistical expertise, according to the Wall Street Journal said. Salesforce is also part of the deal - which is a departure from their usual investments in software startups. Commentators say the luxury market is an area Amazon has been struggling to break into. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne has an issue with his calendar. It’s not the type you’d expect; it’s not a manufacturing error or a technological glitch, but rather a clash he didn’t anticipate. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of New Zealand’s all-time favourite bands is back. Fur Patrol first appeared in 1998 with their EP ‘Starlifter’, three albums and songs topping the charts all through the 2000s. They’re returning to Kiwi audiences later this year on a New Zealand tour, visiting Christchurch, Auckland, and Nelson. Fur Patrol last performed together in 2022, and frontwoman Julia Deans told Jack Tame that getting together feels like being back in the family again, and everything just kind of locks into place. She said that when they did the shows for the Pet anniversary tour, everyone was so excited and happy, and they’re hoping to generate that kind of buzz again. Tour Details FUR PATROL WITH SUPPORT FROM TOM LARK FRIDAY 6 SEPTEMBER: THE LOONS, LYTTELTON SATURDAY 7 SEPTEMBER: DOUBLE WHAMMY, AUCKLAND + NEW SHOW ADDED THURSDAY 5 SEPTEMBER: THEATRE ROYAL, NELSON LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was Ruud Kleinpaste who inspired me. Even since my fiasco with the trees in my backyard, in which I inadvertently oversaw a much, much, much more aggressive winter prune than intended, (and which for the sake of marital harmony we need not re-litigate!), I’ve been looking for opportunities to make amends to Mother Nature. Along with my regularly Nutella’d rat trap, Ruud suggested that what the native birds had lost in terms of a leafy canopy, I might make up to them with a bit of sugar water. Native birds, it would seem, are like school children (or indeed, me). The quickest way to their hearts is through their stomachs and the more sugary the incentive, the better. I bought one from Predator Free NZ: a Pekapeka bird feeder with a dripper bottle up the top for the nectar feeders and a little attachment for hanging energy balls or fruit underneath it. Winter is the time when the native birds benefit most from a bit of supplementary feed. Putting a bit of food in the feeder was obvious. That would please the sparrows. But it wasn’t at all clear to me how the native nectar feeders might work out that the bottle was dripping out the avian version of Fanta. I spent a day or two Googling various theories and methods for attracting them before the bottle arrived, but as it turned out I needn’t have worried. The moment I strung it up and turned my back on the feeder, it was swarmed by an incredible flock of tauhou, silvereyes. The pudgy little cuties swarmed the feeder’s platform and pecked at the feeder nozzle. Six or eight at a time they squabble, with more queueing up in the nearby plum tree, waiting to gorge. In the few weeks I’ve had it up, I’ve become less concerned about attracting birds, and more worried that somehow I’ve created a dependency. As well as the silvereyes, every tūī in Auckland must have had the word. They swoop down, iridescent, gorgeous, greedy. The tauhou scramble. I’ve no idea what the record is —maybe you can outdo me— but at one point yesterday I counted no fewer than six tūī in my backyard, all of them lined up to guzzle down the sugar water. It’s a good thing they don’t have teeth to brush, but can tūī get diabetes? Maybe it’s middle age. I dunno. Maybe it’s a weird form of nesting. I just cannot believe what joy it’s giving me to sit down and watch the native birds squabbling over sugar water. The tauhou, like furry little ping pong balls. The tūī, bullies, but such beautiful bullies. My feeder is not bringing back a dense tree canopy to my backyard. But it’s certainly brought back a bit of life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

‘I’ve always gained a great deal of pleasure out of cooking — it’s one of the most exquisite ways to look after yourself, to stay grounded, to keep yourself company and be reminded that we are all far more capable than we know. And I’ve needed this more than ever of late.’ Nici Wickes has written a number of books, spending six years as a food editor for Viva and NZ Herald, and five creating and testing recipes for New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, and contributing her craft to various other media. Over the last few years, she’s been through a lot, the pandemic, floods, cyclones, and a bout of covid saw her losing her appetite not only for her beloved craft, but also the search for life’s joys. ‘More From a Quiet Kitchen’ is a celebration of her return to her joy, crammed with heart-warming dishes such as ‘chowder for comfort’, ‘corn and bacon risotto’, and delicious desserts such as ‘lemon cheesecakey cake’. To celebrate the book’s release, Nici’s recipe of the week is ‘Parisian rice pudding with salted caramel sauce’, a taste of what this new cookbook has to offer. Parisian rice pudding with salted caramel sauce Good old rice pudding – elevated to exceptional heights! Ingredients 1 ½ cups whole milk ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon risotto rice 2 tablespoons sugar 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract) ¼ cup cream, whipped Salted caramel sauce ½ cup caster sugar 2 tablespoons water 1 tablespoon butter 100ml cream ½ teaspoon sea salt or more to taste Method Bring milk, rice, sugar, vanilla bean and seeds to a slow simmer in a pot. Simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring every time you think of it, until it thickens and the rice is creamy and cooked. Set aside to cool. While the rice cooks make the caramel. In a small pot, heat the sugar and water over a medium heat, swirling the pot if needed but not stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Simmer for 5-7 minutes or until it has turned a lovely dark golden colour. Remove from the heat, whisk in the butter, cream and salt (it will spit and froth, but don’t worry). Whisk until you have a smooth sauce. To serve, fold whipped cream through the cooled rice pudding. Drizzle with sauce and sprinkle over hazelnuts. And dream of being in Paris! Note: The sauce stores well in the fridge, needing just a little heat to bring it back to drizzling consistency. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The release of Anna Coddington’s fourth studio album 'Te Whakamiha' coincided with Aotearoa’s Matariki celebrations. It sports eight uplifting waiata sung in both English and Te Reo, tunes that Coddington describes as her own take on Māori funk. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Storm Child by Michael Robotham The mystery of Evie Cormac’s background has followed her into adulthood. As a child, she was discovered hiding in a secret room where a man had been tortured to death. Many of her captors and abusers escaped justice, unseen but not forgotten. Now, on a hot summer’s day, the past drags Evie back as she watches the bodies of seventeen migrants wash up on a Lincolnshire beach. There is only one survivor, a teenage boy, who tells police their small boat was deliberately rammed and sunk. Psychologist Cyrus Haven is recruited by the police to investigate the murders—but recognizes immediately that Evie has some link to the tragedy. By solving this crime, he could finally unlock the secrets of her past. But what dark forces will he set loose? And who will pay the price? Agent Zo by Clare Mulley This is the incredible story of Elzbieta Zawacka, the WW2 female resistance fighter known as Agent Zo, told here for the very first time. Agent Zo was the only woman to reach London from Warsaw during the Second World War as an emissary of the Polish Home Army command, and then in Britain she became the only woman to join the Polish elite Special Forces, known as the 'Silent Unseen'. She was secretly trained in the British countryside, and then the only female member of these SOE affiliated forces to be parachuted back behind enemy lines to Nazi-occupied Poland. There, whilst being hunted by the Gestapo who arrested her entire family, she took a leading role in the Warsaw Uprising and the liberation of Poland. After the war she was demobbed as one of the most highly decorated women in Polish history. Yet the Soviet-backed post-war Communist regime not only imprisoned her, but also ensured that her remarkable story remained hidden for over forty years. Now, through new archival research and exclusive interviews with people who knew and fought alongside Zo, Clare Mulley brings this forgotten heroine back to life, and also transforms how we see the history of women's agency in the Second World War. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"The Sunshine Coast’s compact layout belies its bounty, richly necklaced with nature-based experiences in easy reach of each other. I hop-scotched about the place like a frisky roo, lapping up its elemental riches. The welcome mat is being thickly laid-out, with Air New Zealand direct services from Auckland to the Sunny Coast underway, and with Jetstar flying the route from later this year. "You’ve got 100 kilometres of glittering beaches at your disposal- no matter what shade of sand takes your fancy; world-class wildlife experiences; plus an enchanting hive of hinterland gems, from fabulous forest walks to characterful villages. But don’t just throw your togs in the suitcase when heading to the Sunny Coast because there’s some seriously scenic mountain trails worth packing your hiking boots for, too." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mary and George The story of the Countess of Buckingham, who moulded her son to seduce King James I and become his all-powerful lover through intrigue, making her family richer, more titled, and more influential than England had ever seen (TVNZ+). I Am: Celine Dion Serving as a love letter to her fans, Celine Dion highlights the music that has guided her life while also showcasing the resilience of the human spirit as she struggles with a life-altering illness (Prime Video). The Bear The third season of the brilliant but stressful award-winning series about chef Carmel (Jeremy Allen White) as he tries to turn his family-owned diner into a fine dining restaurant (Disney+). LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Dry July kicking off in a couple days, Dougal Sutherland believes it's a good time for people to think about their alcohol consumption. It’s a stressful time at the moment, with a cost of living crisis, workplace stresses, and drastic weather, and when times are stressful, people tend to turn to “unhealthy” coping mechanisms. Dougal Sutherland joined Jack Tame to chat about the telltale signs that someone’s alcohol consumption may be becoming problematic, and a few tips for those thinking of taking on Dry July. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wine: Allan Scott Cecilia Brut, Marlborough $24 Why I chose it: - I like it very much, especially the price. - It’s a perfect “stand-by” wine in case of unexpected visitors. - It is a real crowd-pleaser. - A wine for all seasons. - I haven’t chosen a sparkling wine for while. What does it taste like? - A blend of pinot noir and chardonnay with a creamy, yeast-infused palate that is both fresh and mellow with restrained complexity. A perfect balance of subtle sweetness and mouth-watering acidity. Why it’s a bargain: - Bottle-fermented sparkling wine is expensive to make, you won’t find too many good examples under $25. Where can you buy it? - Whisky and More, Waikato $20.99 -Big Barrel stores $less than $23 - Glengarry, Auckland $22.99 Food match? -Canapes, especially seafood, particularly oysters. It doesn’t need the complication of food. Will it keep? - Good for a few years although it isn’t vintage-dated. Drink it up. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’ve always thought about creating the Greatest Hits (or Greatest Myths) for gardeners. There are so many things you should and shouldn’t do when gardening and creating compost. Starting a compost system: Do we really need a “Compost Starter” to kick it off? The easiest way to make compost is by sticking (roughly) to a ratio of Carbon to Nitrogen of something like 30:1. If you chuck a big heap of chipped wood (C) in the bin, you will need some grass clippings (N) to fire it all off. Even a simple pee on the heap will do the trick, or some Urea fertiliser, or even some old soggy lettuce. Crushed egg shells around your vegetables are said to stop the slugs and snails as they won’t be able to cross the sharp egg-edges with their soft and tender “foot”. Molluscs do not actually come in contact with the sharp substrate as they glide over the slime they produce themselves! And if you put the crushed shells into the compost bin, the calcium will eventually turn into useful calcium – eventually means “a few years later at least”, so don’t bank on a quick-release fertiliser! Besides: they don’t really add a lot of value to your compost. Ah! To speed up composting waste material, do we need to turn the heap every now and then? Good question! Aeration will indeed help the process a bit… but so do mice and rats digging tunnels for their nests. Perhaps the question should be: how much time do you, personally, have to “turn” the compost? Every 3 or 4 weeks. Cooked food in the compost bin? Why not? It’s basically the same as un-cooked food, so why chuck it in the rubbish bin? Dead Animals or left-over meat in the compost bin? Everything that once lived is compostable – simple as that. Animals and old meat will take longer and it might start to smell somewhat, but it certainly will compost. Can weeds be composted? Of course! Weeds are simply plants too and when you pull them out, they will decay and form compost, just like any other organism, but should you? That depends on the kind of weed it is and if it has set seeds or survives on a vigorous root-system. How fast can you make compost? Depends on what you make it from; You’ll need C and N plus support from fungal organisms and microbial life-forms. In general, it’ll go quicker when you are in a warm part of the world and slower in a cool area. Here’s another bit of science: a compost tumbler is usually quite a bit smaller than a wooden compost bin, sitting on the soil. That means the tumbler won’t heat up as much (or at all!) as the larger bin and that may slow the process down – but it certainly will work albeit not so fast. What can we Learn FROM Nature making its own compost? Leaves fall down; twigs and sticks break off and join the leaves. Fruit and seeds join the party and every now and then a big branch with deliver a lot of Carbon. “Recycling insects” and Microbes help the compost process out; worms transport the end-product to deeper layers in the soil where it’s needed by the roots… and it just carries on in its own tempo… LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 29 June 2024, the ultimate master of illusion Cosentino joins Jack to talk escape artistry and what happens when things go wrong. Jack reflects on the moment Joe Biden's presidential fate became clear. The much-anticipated documentary about Celine Dion has landed and Tara Ward appreciates it for the rawness shown by the global superstar. And, with Dry July just around the corner Dougal Sutherland highlights the importance of checking in on our behaviours during times of stress. Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Microsoft faces a multi-billion dollar fine in the EU This is to do with the complaint Slack brought to the European Commission, arguing that Microsoft's bundling of Teams with Office was anti-competitive. Preliminary findings of the investigation side with Slack, so Microsoft could be fined up to $21 billion. The Commission says Microsoft has been "forcing" Office customers to acquire Teams. It says it also doesn't help that Teams isn't interoperable with competitors' offerings. Microsoft has already committed to stopping the bundling. Earlier this week, European Union regulators accused Apple of breaking tough new digital competition rules under the Digital Markets Act by preventing app developers from freely directing consumers to cheaper services away from Apple's payment ecosystem. AI is coming to the Olympics broadcast "Your Daily Olympic Recap" will be a personalized show of highlights found on Peacock (the streaming service with rights to the Olympics) of the big moments you might have missed, based on your sporting preferences. To take it to the next level, the show will be narrated by a now-retired former Olympic broadcaster, whose voice will be computer generated. NBC said the AI system was trained using prior NBC broadcast audio - nothing else was required to make it happen - which is rather incredible when you think of all the voices which might be able to be "brought back". LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An ultimate master of illusion, Cosentino exploded into the world of magic on Australia's Got Talent back in 2011 and has since wowed audiences across the world on-stage and on screen with his tricks and escape acts. Cosentino has earned titles like International Magician of the Year and is bringing his act to Kiwi audiences, joining Jack Tame to pull back the curtain on the magic scene. He dug into his introduction to magic, how his act came to be, and the crazy escapes he’s managed to pull off. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inside Out 2 Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust have been running a successful operation by all accounts. However, when Anxiety shows up, they aren't sure how to feel. A Family Affair A surprising romance kicks off comic consequences for a young woman, her mother and her movie star boss as they face the complications of love, sex and identity. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Among all of the immigration statistics, New Zealand is losing another being to Australia. Burma, the country’s last remaining elephant, is shifting across the ditch at the end of the year. Kevin Milne understands why, but feels for the children who will no longer have an elephant to wonder at. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this pudding gooey caramel sauce pools around light banana sponge which is studded with buttery pecans. With all the gooeyness of sticky date pudding but less rich and sickly. Divine! Serves 6-8 Ingredients: ½ cup dates, soaked in boiling water 2 ripe bananas 1 cup brown sugar, loosely packed 2 eggs 80g butter, melted 1 ½ cups plain flour 3 tsp baking powder ½ tsp cinnamon 70g pecans Sauce 2 cups boiling water 3/4 cup brown sugar 1 heaped tsp cornflour 70g butter, chopped Method: Preheat oven to 170 C fanbake. Butter a large ovenproof dish. Soak dates for 15 minutes, drain dates and blend in a food processor. Add bananas and blend until mixed. In a bowl whisk the eggs and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Add melted butter and date and banana puree and mix until combined. Fold in sifted flour, baking powder, cinnamon and pecans. Scrape batter into greased dish. Place boiling water, sugar, cornflour and butter in a jug. Stir until butter has melted. Pour over the back of a large metal spoon, over batter mixture. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until top has set and cake layer is cooked through. Dust with icing sugar and serve with cream, ice cream or custard (or all three!). Make it your own: Add ½ cup chopped pear to the batter. Use walnuts instead of pecans for a cheaper alternative. Add ½ cup of chopped dark chocolate to the batter. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either.” That was it. The moment. The line. The death knell. And the crazy thing about the words that best defined the 2024 Presidential Election debate is that Donald Trump wasn’t blustering or lying. I don’t think anyone who’d seen Joe Biden’s attempt at an answer honestly disagreed. Election debates are rarely significantly consequential. They might give a candidate or a party a little bump in the polls or some choice clips for social media or campaign advertisements. But as much as Democrats are in damage control today, playing down the significance of their candidate’s performance, this will go down in history as the moment that lost Biden the Presidency. The moment where it became absolutely crystal-clear for millions of people watching live and the billions of people viewing subsequent clips; either Joe Biden stands down or Joe Biden will be defeated. The crazy thing to remember is that everything about the debate was played on his terms. This was the Democrats’ big play to dispel the criticisms of his competence and energy. Joe Biden took a full week at Camp David to prepare. His team requested rules around the microphone being cut off to stop Trump from interrupting. And yet with all the prep, all the resource, he stood there with his mouth gaping, a dithering, pitiful, sometimes incoherent picture of a diminished, elderly man. If the goal was to prove the President had the energy and sharpness for four more years, it was a stunning own goal. Trump didn’t damage Biden. He didn’t need to. Biden damaged Biden. Take the politics out of it. At a human level, it was sad. I’ve covered the last three U.S elections, from Biden’s Vice-Presidential debates in 2012 through to his win in 2020. I was in a freezing Delaware car park on election night, four years ago. I’ve long felt that age alone is no reason for someone not to be President, but that a lack of vim and vigour most certainly is. I’ve taken time to get to this point –12 months ago I felt that Biden might be able to dispel the criticisms and the noise. Now, I cannot see a way in which he recovers his campaign. If the Democrats are to win the election, they need a new candidate. Someone young. Someone relatively centrist. Whatever it takes to pressure Biden to stand down, they must do it and do it now. If you step back, there are a couple of positives in this. Imagine for a moment if this wasn’t an abnormally early election debate. Imagine if yesterday couple of weeks before the election. Even though it’s an unprecedented situation, there is time for the Dems to scramble and to find a new candidate. It’s funny, in watching the fallout from the debate and imagining what will happen if Biden stands down, I was reminded of our own election in 2017 when Andrew Little stepped aside and Jacinda Ardern became leader. She enjoyed a huge surge in popularity. Jacindamania. It’s totally possible a new Democrat candidate would experience something similar. And even if they didn’t, even if a new candidate was defeated come November, would the result be any worse for the Democrats than that which they are heading towards right now? Either Biden stands aside or Biden will be defeated. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gracie Abrams second album, ‘The Secret of Us’ has a more intimate feeling. It’s shares a similar vibe to Taylor Swift’s folk sound, with one song being a collaboration with Swift herself. Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to review the album. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley It’s the opening night of The Manor, and no expense, small or large, has been spared. The infinity pool sparkles; crystal pouches for guests’ healing have been placed in the Seaside Cottages and Woodland Hutches; the “Manor Mule” cocktail (grapefruit, ginger, vodka, and a dash of CBD oil) is being poured with a heavy hand. Everyone is wearing linen. But under the burning midsummer sun, darkness stirs. Old friends and enemies circulate among the guests. Just outside the Manor’s immaculately kept grounds, an ancient forest bristles with secrets. And the Sunday morning of opening weekend, the local police are called. Something’s not right with the guests. There’s been a fire. A body’s been discovered. THE FOUNDER * THE HUSBAND * THE MYSTERY GUEST * THE KITCHEN HELP It all began with a secret, fifteen years ago. Now the past has crashed the party. And it’ll end in murder at… The Midnight Feast. Southern Man by Greg Iles Fifteen years after the events of the Natchez Burning trilogy, Penn Cage is alone. Nearly all his loved ones are dead, and his old allies gone. Pursued by enemies and demoralized by a divided community, he's found sanctuary on a former cotton plantation above the Mississippi River. But Penn's self-imposed exile comes to an abrupt end when a brawl at a Bienville rap concert triggers a shooting - one that nearly takes the life of his daughter Annie. Before the stunned city can process the tragedy, an arsonist starts torching antebellum plantation homes in Natchez and Bienville. When an unknown Black radical group claims the deadly fires as acts of historic justice, citywide panic ensues, driving a prosperous Southern town to the brink of race war. Drafted by Bienville's mayor to end the crisis and restore peace, Penn investigates the fires as casualties mount and armed marchers move toward a decisive clash. But Penn suspects that the arson attacks may not be what they seem - not retribution by radicals, but false-flag strikes designed to trigger the very chaos he sees roiling the streets. For that mayhem provides state and county leaders the excuse to dissolve the Black-run Bienville city government and seize control. It's up to Penn and a band of locals to uncover the truth and expose those trying to destabilize the city. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all make waste, some of us more than others. But how do we deal with it? It can be tough to keep everything organised and sorted. Kate "Ethically Kate” Hall joined Jack Tame to walk listeners through the best way to set up an efficient waste system in their homes. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Each year the Government contributes up to $521.43 to a person’s Kiwisaver account. The cut off for the contribution is coming up next week, and KiwiSaver members could be missing out on as much as $55,000 in their retirement savings by not collecting the full contribution. Personal Finance Expert Lisa Dudson joined Jack Tame to discuss the long term importance of ensuring you collect your full contribution. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elsbeth When the world's top tennis champion drops dead on the court, Elsbeth and Kaya home in on a rising tennis star and his competitive father and coach; Capt. Wagner begins to suspect Elsbeth's reason for being in New York goes beyond the consent decree (TVNZ+, from Tuesday 25 June). Presumed Innocent A horrific murder upends Chicago's prosecuting attorneys' office, as one of its own is suspected of the crime (Apple TV+). The Outlaws Stephen Marchant’s comedy about seven wayward strangers doing their community service returns for a third season, but can any of these ‘outlaws’ really reform? (Prime Video). LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despicable Me 4 Gru welcomes a new member to the family, Gru Jr., who's intent on tormenting his dad. However, their peaceful existence soon comes crashing down when criminal mastermind Maxime Le Mal escapes from prison and vows revenge against Gru. The Road to Patagonia Documentary film was shot over 16 years. ‘The Road To Patagonia’ gives us a first-hand experience of Matty Hannon’s epic surfing journey – starting at the northern edge of Alaska, down the west coast of the Americas, and finally ending at the southern tip of Patagonia. It’s an epic journey covering 50,000 kilometres, with many twists and turns – with an unexpected love story that becomes the heart of it all. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne was in a different neck of the woods this past week. He and his wife Linda were up in Auckland, catching up with some old friends and experiencing what the city has on offer at the moment. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"In the pantheon of Australia’s famous ‘big things’, the biggest thing of all is the Sunshine Coast’s Big Pineapple. This iconic king of Queensland kitsch has been resplendently restored and I happened to be in town for the reopening of this 16-metre-tall fibreglass landmark a few weeks ago. She’s as old as me, first thrust into the world in 1971, principally as an agritourism attraction, swathed in pineapple plantations. Even Charles and Diana paid the icon a visit in 1983. Over the decades, capturing some family snaps at the Big Pineapple has been a cherished, cheesy visitor pastime, in addition to riding the plantation train and indulging in a pineapple parfait. And all these nostalgic novelties are being freshly reinstated for a new generation of travellers. It’s all very grammable!" "But the gleaming rebirth of the Big Pineapple also underscores the Sunshine Coast’s striking stature as Queensland's Sunshine Pantry, brimming with over 900 food and drink producers. Heartily dabbling from this powerhouse of premium local produce, noshing and sipping your way across the Sunshine Coast, is a sure-fire recipe for blissed-out holiday indulgence." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few weeks ago, the New Zealand Arboriculture Association stunned New Zealanders with a remarkable Tree-of-the-Year competition won by the walking tree. The magnificent Northern Rata (Metrosideros robusta) looks like it is walking on high heels (see Gareth Andrew’s stunning photograph). As it happens, this rata species belongs to the myrtle group that includes pohutukawa and many different climbing rata, as well as Southern rata and the extremely rare Bartletts rata. I love these trees; they are endemic to New Zealand. Yes, only in New Zealand! This is where they evolved. Some Northern Rata germinate from the ground like any other boring tree, but the majority of Northern Rata is known as a Hemi-Epiphyte (not a true strangling epiphyte that uses another tree for support and “lifestyle”). It usually starts life from a seed that lands somewhere in the canopy of a host tree (many different tree species can be a host: from podocarps to tawa, mahoe, beech, kamahi and even tree ferns. The magic starts when the germinated plant becomes an epiphyte (perching plant) for the beginning of its life, sending roots downwards to the ground – Takes Ages!! Often many decades. The descending roots are usually “fused” together and become a tough root system. It also sends some shoots with leaves upward to the lighter parts of the host trees’ canopy. The rata has a rather constant root-to-shoot ratio as it is growing up. One of the roots will become dominant as it reaches the soil where the nutrients are; the shoots then have plenty of food to race up to the top of the host tree and create their own Photosynthetic factory. Rata can be hundreds of years old – perhaps beyond 1000 years! The original “host tree” usually dies well before the Rata is getting to its maximum size. As the host decays, the rata will “stand on its own feet” and is left with a hollow trunk – a great home for bats and native birds in the forest! Why does this tree look like a “walking” Tree? Look again at the picture: old, descending fused roots on the left and a rather smooth “trunk” on the right. Rata (and pohutkawa) are able to grow new roots when and where they are needed from anywhere on the tree – and they can do so relatively quickly. The hypothesis (proposed by my old mate Stephen King) is that the old Rata tree developed a “lean” when the old host tree perished. A new vertical root (the right one) became a smooth trunk to support the new vertical crown. And just to make things a bit more extraordinary in the story of this walking tree: Take a look at the old fused roots on the left: This is now the spot where a pohutukawa decided to start its own life on the ancient roots of that walking Northern Rata! If you are interested in trees and spectacular notable trees, visit the notable trees register. More info on Rata and other Metrosideros species, cruise to the Project Crimson Website. And grab a copy of Philip Simpson’s book Pohutukawa & Rata – New Zealand’s iron-hearted Trees. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 22 June 2024, rugby league legend Mark Graham and filmmaker son Luke joined Jack to talk about new documentary ‘SHARKO’ - the story of the man who changed rugby league. Jack stays up to date on the Interislander ferry Aratere running aground near Picton, and chats to his auntie Barb Tame live from the scene. Sporto Andrew Saville looks ahead to tonight's Super Rugby Pacific Final and the test match-like atmosphere sure to be set by the crowd of 45,000. The internet is going places it has never been before. Techxpert Paul Stenhouse gives the latest on updates from Starlink. Plus - while visiting Auckland this week, Kevin had a rather interesting dinner. Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Graham is a New Zealand rugby league legend. In his prime he was the best league player in the world, known for his size, speed, skill, and toughness, he was “a predator in a sea of sharks”. He’s been named New Zealand Rugby League Player of the Century, and is the only player to have made it into both the New Zealand and Australian League halls of fame. Luke Graham, his son, is a filmmaker, and his latest documentary is about his father. SHARKO tells the story of the man who changed rugby league, carrying his teams and country to the doorstep of greatness. Luke’s decision to tell his father’s story was motivated by several reasons, he revealed to Newstalk ZB’s Jack Tame. “He’s someone that, you know, I’ve always proudly looked up to and I’ve been so proud of his success, his career.” The creation of this documentary was a way to show that pride, as well as his love for that era of rugby league. “It was selfishly, selfish reason to get to know my family even more, and to show this family to the world,” he told Tame. The subject of the documentary himself, Mark, was not sure that anyone would want to watch the documentary when his son pitched it to him. “My football career is dead and buried, and while I used to love the game, I just didn’t know if anyone would be that interested, to tell you the truth.” Mark said that initially the story that was pitched was the ‘77 Auckland side where they showed up on a Wednesday night after working all day and played international sides for 33 weeks straight, beating all of them, before going back to work the next morning. “So I thought that was the story, but he thought it was, this one was better.” “It was lovely for people who perhaps don’t appreciate how much has changed.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Starlink goes mini - which I'm sure will delight the campervanners Elon Musk says this product will "change the world". He has a point, it certainly has the potential to take internet into hard-to-reach locations, including locations without power. The new Starlink Mini is an all-in-one device, which is a combo satellite dish and router, small enough to fit in a (large) backpack. It delivers 100mbps internet on DC power sources, needing just 20-40 Watts, which means a portable power pack is enough to use it. It's around 30cm long, 25cm wide and weighs just over 1kg -- not too much bigger than the biggest iPad. Available as a mobility add-on in the USA, and as a standalone product in parts of Central & South America and is expected to roll out to more countries soon. Netflix is going from your tv, to the mall You can soon live your favourite Netflix shows. Opening in 2025, Netflix House is headed to shopping malls in Dallas and near Philadelphia, using the tens of thousands of square feet of retail space abandoned by department stores. They say there will be "regularly updated immersive experiences" and "unique food and drink offerings". It's certainly not going to be a theme park, but seems to be more of a highly interactive museum / gallery? Can't get to those locations? Netflix has launched its own popcorn —"Netflix Now Popping"— which is for sale at Walmart. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hearty one-pot dinner is just the thing to warm you up and whilst it’s cooking you can dream of far-off lands as the aroma of Moroccan spices waft around your kitchen. Serves 2 Ingredients 2 tbsp. olive oil 1 large onion, peeled and sliced thinly 2 tsps. ground coriander 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground ginger 5 cm stick cinnamon or 1 tsp ground cinnamon 2 lamb shanks 1-2 carrots, roughly chopped 2 cm piece lemon peel Water 1 tsp sea salt + decent grind black pepper 1 large orange kūmara, peeled and chopped into large chunks ½ can lentils, drained and rinsed Method Heat oil in a large ovenproof deep pan or pot, like a le Creuset. Fry onions until softened then add in the spices and cook for 1 minute or so. Add in lamb shanks, carrots and lemon peel and give it all a stir. Add in enough water to just about cover the shanks and add in salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer on the stove top while you heat oven to 180 C. Cover tightly with a lid or foil and place in oven for 1 hour. After an hour, give it another stir, add in the kūmara and lentils, cover again and cook for a further 1.5-2 hours or until lamb is falling away from the bone. Serve up, scatter with some fresh coriander and serve with a salad and/or some crusty bread to soak up the juices. Enjoy! Make it your own Use lamb shoulder chops instead of shanks. Add some prunes if you like that sort of thing. Leave out the lentils and serve with couscous instead. Potato or pumpkin will work just as well as the kūmara. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How much worse could it have been? I don’t want to speak too soon. A refloating mission is underway. But from what we know at this stage, KiwiRail, the Interislander, and New Zealand might have just escaped a much, much more serious disaster. The Aratere ferry departed Picton last night and from what we understand about the timeline, almost immediately lost steering. Within fifteen minutes it had run aground. There are 47 people onboard. Most of them are crew. All of them are in lifejackets. Most importantly, all of them are safe. And for now, at least the ferry is watertight. We wait for high tide and the impending rescue operation. It’s bad. But again, my reaction is strangely one of tempered relief, in that we may have just dodged a far greater disaster. Imagine if the ferry had lost steering further out in the Sounds and run aground late at night. Imagine if it hadn’t been perfectly still and calm. Imagine if it was full of passengers —school holidays— kids. Imagine if it hadn’t stayed watertight. Imagine if it got into trouble at a vital point in Cook Straight entering Wellington Harbour. There are surely moments on the journey where even if alarm was raised, emergency vessels and tugboats might not have the time to scramble and save the stricken ship. We could be waking this morning to news of a maritime disaster in one of the most beautiful parts of New Zealand that made the Rena look like nothing. And most importantly, of course, people could’ve died. The state and the future of the ferries has been a political football. The previous government signed a fixed-price contract to build two new ferries. But after the Inter-island Resilience Project exploded in its projected costs, the new government declined KiwiRail’s request for extra funding. In parliament, as recently as a few days ago, Transport Minister Simeon Brown was highly critical of KiwiRail's maintenance of the current fleet. But last night’s event will obviously bring all of this into sharp focus. Is this an event that will justify new vessels and the new port infrastructure, after all? Let’s hope the ferry and her passengers can be safely refloated. But clearly the status quo is unsustainable. And just because we may have avoided the absolute worst this occasion, doesn’t mean the next time won’t be different. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

De-icing the freezer. That's it, without doubt, the worst possible domestic chore. Because you know, the tricky thing - is once you've successfully taken the plug out of the wall, got rid of the electricity, melted the water. Where does it all go? Where does the water go? I remember my mum running a system with our big chest freezer when I was a kid. She needed buckets. She needed pots and pans, towels and mops, baby baths even and still it took her the whole weekend. But now you know what, I'm not totally sure that deicing the freezer is still Top of the Pops in miserable domestic jobs. And that is the kind of sentence only ever uttered by someone who has recently tried to fill a bean bag. Ugh. Are bean bags having a moment? I reckon they might be, and I just personally figured that having a versatile option for vegging out in front of the telly might be quite nice when I searched them online there were a couple of different options for beanbags. For most you had to buy the bag and then the beans. Separate. But if you really wanted, you could spend a little bit more money and order a bean bag that was already filled. I thought. What do they take me for? Some kind of sucker? Bean bags, it turns out, actually have two bags. So you fill the inner bag and then you put that inside the outer bag. It's easy in principle, not necessarily in practise. I figured that I would tackle the job alone as a nice surprise for when my wife got home. That was my first mistake. I began in the lounge. That was my second mistake. I laid out the bean bag in it and snipped the top corner off the huge bag of beans. 200 litres of them. As the scissor blades glided through the plastic, it was kind of like a can of fizzy drink that had been furiously shaken up. Beans exploded out all over me, all over the floor, all over the couch. Everywhere. And they seem to have some sort of static electricity attraction. So even as I picked them off my chest and tried to sweep them together with my fingers off the carpet, the beans kind of had a mind of their own. 20 minutes down. For my second attempt, I moved into the kitchen, pinched part of the inner bag in a kitchen drawer so that I could hold the bag open as soon as I started pouring the beans, I inadvertently relaxed the inner bag, closing the mouth of the opening. And pouring roughly 10,000 bean bag beans all over the kitchen floor. It turns out when you get on your hands and knees and start trying to pick up pathetically small bits of polystyrene, you get a new appreciation for just how greasy the kitchen floor actually is. It made them less staticky, but alas, it did not make them easier to collect. I cut a pitiful figure when my wife found me scratching around trying to pinch up the last of the beans from under the fridge. Another half an hour I'll never get back. If there's one thing my experience has taught me, filling a bean bag is a two-person job. It's also the kind of thing where you should really review the instructional video on YouTube before kicking off. If I'd done that, I would have known the best place to fill the bean bag isn't in the lounge, or in the kitchen. But in an empty bath. That way, if there is any spillage and trust me, there will be spillage at the very least it's contained. Third time was a relative charm. It wasn't seamless. We still managed to pour litres of beans onto the floor. I still spent ages on my hands and knees scrambling around in the muck. Every time I thought I'd got them all, I walked out of the room for a moment and then came back in, only to discover a couple of rogue beans hiding underneath some furniture. I feel like they're going to keep popping up for months. At least, though there is an upside: if I ever feel like a lazy slob for crashing into my bean bag. and vegging out in front of the television, I can remind myself, earnestly - nah, I had to work for this. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 15 June 2024, star of this year's Armageddon Expo John Barrowman joins Jack to discuss his sci-fi legacy and what it is about shows like Doctor Who that fans connect to so enduringly. Jack's DIY endeavours continued with this week's task: the beanbag. Kevin Milne was mightily impressed by podcasting this week, reaffirming that we are very much still in the days of quality long-form interviews. While, Dr Bryan Betty talks misconceptions of ADHD after it's recent media spotlight following the diagnosis of public figures. Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Estelle Clifford reviews Born in the Wild by Tems. Tems self-produced much of the LP alongside GuityBeatz, the Ghanaian Afropop DJ behind her 2021 EP If Orange Was a Place. It’s been praised by Pitchfork for its “Polyrhythmic soundscape, adorned with the earthy tones of conga drums, wind chimes, and shekere rattles, provides a counterweight to the homogenized sound of contemporary Afropop.” Music reviewer Estelle Clifford told Jack Tame “This is her growth on something that’s a universal attraction with afrobeats.” Clifford says “She’s worked behind the scenes, but now her wn stuff is taking the forefront.” LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine Raynes is here to review some books with Jack Tame. Smoke by Michael Brissenden Detective Alex Markov has recently returned to her small hometown of Jasper, California, after leaving the LAPD in disgrace, only to find her new colleagues don't want her either. When a deadly wildfire sweeps through Jasper her investigations find a deadly underbelly beneath the smoke - a town for sale to the highest bidder and authorities playing games within games, in which she's the prize pawn. The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson A young woman's life is forever changed in the summer after World War I when she befriends a group of independent, motorcycle-riding women in a seaside town on the English coast - a captivating novel from the bestselling author of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earlier this year, Princess Cruises launched their next-generation flagship, Sun Princess, the first of two planned Sphere-class vessels to enter the Princess fleet. (Star Princess is launched next year.) With a capacity for 4300 guests and 1600 crew, and weighing in at 177,000 tons, she’s a twinkling ocean beauty. Mike Yardley recently hopped on board – he joined Jack Tame on Newstalk ZB Saturday Morning to discuss. For more insights on sailing aboard Sun Princess, Mike's article is on the website. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over half of New Zealand workers are experiencing severe burnout – worse than Covid numbers. In April, Massey Business School Survey found that the highest levels of burnout are among clerical workers, education professionals, office managers and health professionals. Umbrella Wellbeing Clinical Psychologist Dougal Sutherland told Jack Tame “You can get into a situation where co-workers try out-do each other, which could affect employee relations.” Sutherland’s advice for employees is “Focus on the aspects of situation that you can control – like preparing your CV.” LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A week away from winter – Everybody feels that – especially the birds in your garden. Food is becoming scarce, unless you’ve planted a heap of trees and shrubs that provide nectar and honeydew to keep the nectivores happy. Some species of Eucalypts are flowering right now; so do Tagasaste, some puriri and Banksia. Mexican Orange blossom does its best too, judging from the silvereyes that descend on those flowers. Nectivores are often attracted by sugar water, delivered in all sorts of ways: bottle feeders are available in garden centres and can be filled with dilutions of that sugar water. Do NOT use honey water as that may spread bee diseases from hive to hive. Be aware that we have heaps of Native Nectivores in Aotearoa: tui, bellbird, silvereyes to name a few. A lot of people feed birds dodgy supplements such as stale bread and food scraps; yes – sparrows and starlings (as well as mynahs and the odd blackbird) might initially seem to appreciate your gestures, but so do rats and mice (who are also looking for fodder). A Bread meal is often quite detrimental to birds – if they drink water afterwards, the swelling of the bread can rupture their stomachs. A number of bird species enjoy some seeds: sparrows greenfinches, gold finches and such introduced creatures; blackbirds don’t mind some seeds covered in fruity stuff. Julie has a different view on the matter: “Blackbirds are there to rip the mulch off the garden”, whether or not they want to catch worms or any other invertebrates… Another point we need to consider about feeding birds in your garden is that you’ll need to keep going till spring; Your generosity is something the birds rely on and when you stop, there will be consequences for the artificially-high populations created by extra feeding! I tend to target nectar feeders in winter. The afore-mentioned Tui, bellbird and silver-eyes are beneficial species! Silver-eyes are particularly useful insect eaters, specialising in scale insects, mealybugs, aphids, psyllids, whitefly and a heap more of those quite damaging garden pests. I hate spraying systemic insecticides, so birds’ help is always welcome. And this is how I attract them to my garden from June onwards: Lard blocks made from dripping and contained in an old onion bag or in a small, metal “cage” where the birds can hang from. This last contraption feeds a wide range of birds that over-winter in my garden. Replenish frequently and remember to place the feeders in a spot out of reach from neighbourhood cats. A source of water might also be handy as – even in winter – birds need water My goal is to get the largest flocks of silver-eyes on the lard blocks and sugar-water stations throughout winter and right into spring, when the silver-eyes start to disperse to go breeding. You might think you will have “lost” them from the garden... they are getting very secretive around nesting time, but they will remember your place as a heaven full of food, so... In spring and summer they’ll come and do the pest control business for you by scouting the scale insects and aphids from your plants, to feed their kids. Tui and Bellbird will probably do a significant job of pollination in your garden. What’s not to like? LISTEN ABOVE. Silvereyes on MeatballSilvereyes on lard blockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ADHD has been getting a lot of attention lately - with Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau, and Chloe Swarbrick going public with their diagnosis, its difficulties and treatment - especially for adults. In NZ, 5-8% of children and adolescents being potentially affected, with 70% persisting into adulthood. Dr Bryan Betty told Jack Tame “It’s a very complex condition that affects people in different ways.” Betty said “It’s a neurodevelopment disorder – affecting people of any age, especially children.” LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paul Stenhouse, ZB’s ‘texpert’ joins Jack Tame to discuss some recent developments in A.I. Stenhouse said “Every company wants to be seen as a leader – largely to the eyes of Wal Street if I'm being honest.” There's a new word to know in the world of AI: "Slop" Found an AI generated article that seems like it's regurgitated garbage? Well, there's a word for that! "Slop" is the term that is gaining traction to describe low-quality or junk AI content, helped by an article in the New York Times. Think "spam", but for content. Microsoft is effectively putting the launch of one of its new AI features on hold because of security concerns The new Copilot Plus PCs come with a features called "Recall" which effectively takes screenshots of what you're doing and stores them so you can go back to check what that price was for that item, or recover a sentence from an email you decided you preferred. The feature was going to be turned on by default, which only last week Microsoft reversed, announcing it would be "opt-in" and include additional secure login requirements. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spinoff Staff Writer Tara Ward joins Jack Tame on Newstalk ZB Saturday Morning – to discuss what to watch this weekend. Red Eye - A British thriller that takes place on an all-night flight as a police officer transports an English doctor back to China to face trial for murder (ThreeNow) Under the Bridge - Riley Keogh and Lily Gladstone star in this true crime drama about the death of a fourteen-year old Canadian girl, and the teenagers who killed her (Disney+) Tour de France - Unchained: A second season of the thrilling behind the scenes documentary series about the Tour de France (Netflix) LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Barrowman became an instant hit with sci-fi fans around the world when he made his debut in Doctor Who back in 2005. His character - Captain Jack Harkness's popularity saw him become a recurring presence in the BBC series and he later took centre stage in the successful spin-off series Torchwood. He starred in superhero series Arrow - alongside finding huge success in theatre roles on Broadway and the West End. John is currently in New Zealand for this weekend's pop culture convention Armageddon and Jack Tame on Newstalk ZB Saturday Morning. LISTEN ABOVE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s Coeliac Awareness Week – from June 10-16. There’s a plethora of gluten-free products these days - if you're newly diagnosed with coeliac, there's no need to fear missing out. Nici Wickes spoke to Jack Tame about the practical, social and emotional effects of coeliac disease and what to do if a friend or family member is diagnosed. GF WRAPS I’m celebrating Coeliac Awareness Week with these homemade GF wraps, made using chickpea flour. They’re super simple to make and can be used to make tacos, wraps, stuffed savoury crepes and more. Makes 6 wraps 2 tsps cumin seeds 1 cup FreshLife chickpea flour 1 cup water 1 tablespoon oil ½ tsp sea salt Oil to grease pan Toast the cumin seeds in a pan, without oil, until they’re fragrant – about 1 minute on medium. In a bowl mix all the ingredients and whisk to a smooth batter. Leave to sit for 30 minutes or until thickened. Brush a pan lightly with oil and heat to medium. Pour enough batter (about ¼ cup) into the pan and swirl it to spread the batter out in a large thin circle. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the edges start to lift. Flip and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Repeat with remaining batter. Visit www.coeliac.org.nz for recipes, suppliers, latest medical data. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.