Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

What is acne? Very common. Affects hair follicles. Follicles have glands which secrete oily fluid, they can become blocked and cause inflammation and pimples. Typically whiteheads, blackheads or pustules, face, neck, back and chest. Can cause scarring if not treated, pigmented skin, and can sometimes have severe psychological affects. Who gets it? 85% of 16 to 18 year olds are affected. However the reality is any age can in fact get acne. Younger children and adults of any age. I often see older patients with persistent acne. And what causes it? Combination of factors not fully understood can cause acne. Family, hormones around puberty, bacteria on the skin. Flares can be provoked: drugs such as steroids, occlusive cosmetics, high humidity, some foods; for instance diary. What’s the treatment? Depends on the severity Mild: Topical anti-acne agents from chemist, combined oral contraceptive, antiseptic washes Moderate: We look at antibiotics often up to 6 months. Something called Doxycycline or erythromycin. Relatively new – low dose isotretinoin vitamin A derivative. Effective but careful side-effects – can’t use in pregnancy, watch mood. Severe: extensive skin lesions, fever skin infection, may need specialist dermatologist LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ChatGPT can't figure out if something has been created by ChatGPT OpenAI had a tool which people could paste in text and it would tell you if it was AI generated or not... except that it often said things that were written by AI when they weren't. So OpenAI has decided to shut that shown. As the technology gets better, that task is only going to get more difficult, especially if there isn't a way to watermark the text. I'm sure teachers will be thrilled! The new agreement between the US Government and the leading AI companies we talked about last week which would make identifying AI content more obvious clearly has some work to go. Microsoft Teams is under the microscope in the EU It's all about how Teams is made available to folks - which is through an Office 365 subscription, and even force installing it for folks using Office. Windows 11 was deeply integrated with Teams chat, which Microsoft has now disabled. Slack first raised this to the European Commission when the pandemic saw a massive rise in usage. Slack is a standalone paid product and Slack doesn't feel it's fair to for Microsoft to give it away for free as part of the Office bundle. The European Commission is going to launch a review, to see if Microsoft has breached competition rules. Microsoft has had troubles in the EU in the past with their bundling of the Windows Media Player with Windows XP and Internet Explorer on Windows 7. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lincoln Lawyer: A new season of the American drama about an idealistic lawyer who runs his practice out of the back of his Lincoln Town car (Netflix). Angel City: An HBO docuseries that goes behind the scenes of the groundbreaking Los Angeles-based professional women’s soccer team, Angel City Football Club (Neon). Five Star Chefs: A reality series that sees seven professional chefs compete to bring their fine-dining concept to London’s luxurious Langham Hotel (Netflix). LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australian filmmakers Spencer Frost and Guy Williment spent years planning the trip of the lifetime to Kamchatka, in Far East Russia. The pair wanted to search for a wave no one else in the world had surfed and roped in a couple of Aussie surfing pros to make a documentary. They stepped off their first flight in Dubai in February of 2022, to find that Russia had invaded Ukraine, and were faced with the choice of whether to go on or head home. They chose to continue on. What followed was an incredible story of humanity, unimaginable scenery and of course, some of the best waves in the world. Their documentary Corners of the Earth is touring New Zealand from today in cinemas all over the country. Spencer Frost joined Jack Tame to chat about the documentary, and what it was like to film it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Kevin Milne joined Jack Tame to chat about U.S. football star, Trinity Rodman and how at 21 she’s made it to the top without her outrageous father, Dennis. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You can count on Jack – After 36 years of being blissfully unaware of the art of gardening, the questions suddenly start… Buying a house with wilderness helps. But the coolest thing is that those questions are inspiring enough to make me look up all sorts of things, related to those topics. In MediaLand it’s called “research”. Privacy, Height-restrictions of trellises and fences, useful hedge species and easy maintenance are important facets of the design – I just added “Natives” and researched the Genus Pittosporum. Pittosporum means “sticky seeds” Wow! 200 species – many in New Zealand; lots of different varieties within the best garden species. And often the flowers of this genus produce nice scents during the hours of darkness – obviously pollinated by nocturnal insects. Everybody grows P. tenuifolium (kohuhu) – it could well be the most popular plant for hedges; small-ish leaves in various colours and hardy from coast to Highlands. Pittosporum eugenioides (tawapou) or Lemonwood is another frequent planter: can grow pretty tall (10 meters or so) with dense foliage of large leaves – see if that Council of yours can stop that growth! But then there are some really spectacular species that are quite stunning, native and elegant. P. obcordatum is a rather rare tree in the wilds of New Zealand, with reddish-bronze twigs and a rather “woolly” look. It is now cultivated (seeds and cuttings) for the NZ garden market. Honestly it is a great wild hedge and grows in just-about any condition. I’ve seen it near Kaitaia, on Banks Peninsula and near Invercargil; This hedge rocks and the less you clip it, the wilder it looks! Pittosporum turneri looks a bit like obcordatum, but seems to be a bit “leaner” and “thinner” and it has a distinct grey or silver colour; can stand growing in shady areas, which can be useful. Pittosporum umbellatum is another native from our country. Mostly in the North Island. It has dense foliage with outstanding pinky-white, sometimes cream-coloured inflorescences. (that is a fancy botanical word for “flowers”). The flowers hang in so-called “umbels” – hence the species name umbellatum. Easy to grow from seed. The trees are pretty hardy in windy conditions. Finally I can recommend a species called Pittosporum crassicaule; a small and tight species of just half a meter or so that grows very slowly; It has that alpine-plant look with firm twiglets and a feeling of densely interlacing branches, known from divaricating plants. P. crassicaule has very interesting black flowers that smell beautifully at night. I reckon it’s not a plant for “privacy” as Jack requested, but it would make a brilliant low hedge around an alpine garden Have a look at specialist growers of our pretty Pittosporum species – you’ll be surprised.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is my ‘cheat’s chowder’ in the sense it’s super cheap to make but full of yumminess all the same. I’m a true seafood lover so I couldn’t be more delighted that in September I’ll be heading off to cook at not one but TWO seafood festivals! Ahead of these festivals I’ve been working on some seafood recipes that use sustainable seafood and I’ve been testing different chowder recipes - it’s such a great filling lunch or dinner and not too expensive to make if you know how. Makes 2 servings Ingredients: 8-10 mussels 1/3 cup white wine 2 tbsps olive oil 1 tbsps butter 1 medium onion, finely diced 1 stalk celery, diced 1 carrot, peeled and diced 1 large potato, peeled and 2-cm diced 3 cups fish or vegetable stock 100mls cream Zest from a half a lemon 140g salmon, skin removed, cut into chunks Small handful parsley to garnish Crusty bread to serve Method: Give mussels a quick scrub then pile them into a large pot with wine. Bring to a simmer, cover and steam for 2-3 minutes or until mussel shells spring open. Remove from heat and tip mussels and liquor into large bowl to cool. When cool enough to handle, remove the beards and discard. Remove mussel meat and chop roughly or blend in a food processor for a smoother chowder. Leave one or two in the shell if you want to be fancy and use it to garnish. Heat oil and butter in saucepan and sauté onion until beginning to soften. Add celery and carrot and cook, covered, until softened – about 10 minutes. Pour in reserved mussel/wine liquor and stock and add the cubed potatoes. Simmer until potatoes are soft, another 10 minutes I’d say. Just before serving pour in the cream and add lemon zest, salmon and put the mussels back in. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1-2 minutes only or until fish is just cooked. Taste and add salt if required and a decent grind of black pepper. Serve garnished with parsley and with buttered bread. Nici’s note: Any fish or shellfish can be used - try cockles and/or pipis and add calamari instead of salmon if you prefer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Barbie Barbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans. Oppenheimer During World War II, Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves Jr. appoints physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer to work on the top-secret Manhattan Project. Oppenheimer and a team of scientists spend years developing and designing the atomic bomb. Their work comes to fruition on July 16, 1945, as they witness the world's first nuclear explosion, forever changing the course of history. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever been to the Hanmer hotpools? They were my first hotpool experience. North Canterbury. And they hold a bit of a special place in my heart. What about Polynesian Spa in Rotorua? Think about how it feels to walk into the hot pools. You dip a toe or a foot, you kind of brace yourself as you wait to adjust to the heat. And then, how you ease yourself in. How you move slowly, you find a spot to sit down and slip beneath the warm water. They gently do their thing, easing and relaxing your muscles. For some people the warm water gets a bit much. Maybe it’s my ice-cold heart, but I can only last so long in those hot pools before I start sweating, and I need to jump out and refresh. The hot pools at Polynesian Spa range from 36C to 42C. Hanmer is similar. And so is the ocean, off Miami. Yeah... the ocean. Preliminary data this week recorded the ocean temperature off Florida as a little over 38C. That’s a full 10C warming than the ocean temperature in Fiji in the heart of summer. No wonder the U.N. Secretary General says we’ve reached a Global Boiling Point. That does sound bad. I’m sure there will still be many people who dismiss the words as alarmist or hyperbole, but those affected by the extreme weather in the northern summer this month might beg to differ. July was certainly the hottest month globally since records began. Climate scientists reckon it was probably also the hottest month in the history of human civilisation. 100-to-120 thousand years. Wildfires in North America, heatwaves across Europe. How crazy were the pictures from Rhodes in Greece? This week saw the largest evacuation in the country’s modern history. I think my favourite – if that’s the right word – extreme weather event of the Northern Hemisphere’s summer, was the insane hailstorm which struck Northern Itay, just outside of Milan. The region had been sweltering in an oppressive heatwave, when black skies brought with them hailstones as large as tennis balls. As they started to melt in the warm air, the little cobbled Italian village streets were turned into rivers of melting ice. It was crazy. Anyway. I don’t know about you, but much of the time I find I subconsciously put the climate issue to the back of my mind. Or if not the back, at least the side. I make a few measly sacrifices. I ride my bike. I try to limit how much meat I consume. But honestly, a lot of the time life just gets in the way and a lot of my thoughts are consumed by other things. But then a week like this will snap me back at attention. The hottest month in human civilisation. I don’t mean to dismiss inflation or crime, the state of our education system, or the Football Ferns’ chances of making the playoffs. But you’ve gotta say, it really puts our other problems in perspective.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

'You & I' is Rita Ora's third album, coming after the release of Phoenix in 2018. She says the album is inspired by her connections with her friends and family, and is a 'personal letter to fans.' LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bad Summer People – Emma Rosenblum None of them would claim to be a good person, but who among them is capable of murder? The families on the island have been vacationing here for years; the Weinsteins, the Metzners, the Grobels - and unlucky in love Rachel Woolf. Outsiders aren't welcome. That is except for Robert, the handsome new tennis coach, who some people are going out of their way to make very welcome... But the problem when everyone knows everyone is that secrets can't stay secret forever. And when a body is found face-down beneath the boardwalk, they realise that maybe one of them is worse than they thought... Wavewalker – Suzanne Heywood Aged just seven, Suzanne Heywood set sail with her family on a three-year voyage around the world. What followed turned instead into a decade-long way of life, through storms, shipwrecks, reefs and isolation, with little formal schooling. Suzanne fought her parents, longing to return to England and to education and stability. This memoir covers her astonishing upbringing, a survival story of a child in dire circumstances deprived of safety, friendships, schooling, occasionally drinking water… At eighteen, through resolve and resilience, Suzanne earned a place at Oxford university and returned to the UK. From the bestselling author of What Does Jeremy Think?, Wavewalker is the incredible true story of how the adventure of a lifetime became one child’s worst nightmare – and how determination helped her escape. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Mike Yardley joined Jack Tame to chat about his recent visit to Belgrade in Serbia. Read Mike's article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

+ Travel slowly - and as locally as possible (if you're not going on a Europe trip like your friends, don't be sad! Celebrate your reduced carbon footprint and enjoy yourself just as much in NZ) + Water bottle filter (Water-to-go bottle you can get in NZ to purify & reduce plastic water bottles) + Taking reusables & storing/keeping food waste + Choosing locally owned hospitality to support + Considering what activities you're doing (no photos with sedated tigers!) LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This weekend I am in Taupo – basically to celebrate a Company that has been trapping vermin and exotic pests to create predator-free forests and landscapes. EPRO is their name and they have been doing it for 25 Years – worthy of serious congratulations! They literally provide long-term strategies for ecological restoration. Many of our Native taonga (but especially birds) are in trouble; Often stories in the news – such as the famous Miami Kiwi: Paora was the kiwi that became famous for all the wrong reasons; but not because it was predated by exotic mammals. For some reason we got upset because humans were touching the bird and stressing it far too much. The irony is that around the same time, a kiwi was found, Mauled to death by a dog in Ohope (Whakatane). Yes, a Dog! And the dead kiwi was found behind Ohope Beach school, not just a forest in the middle of nowhere. That bird was also one of the important ancestors for the next generation of kiwi in that area! A set-back for the Whakatane Kiwi Trust. Not many people realise that dogs are the biggest threat to kiwi in habitat around human settlements. Kiwi smell is very attractive to dogs… and dogs will have a go (yes, Ma’am: even your tiny lap dog will chase that bird!) They may not necessarily want to eat or bite the bird, but just a paw on the back of the kiwi can cause serious crushing troubles; Kiwi have no sternum (breastbone) for the simple reason they don’t have wings and don’t need a sternum to attach flight muscles to. That makes them very vulnerable to crushing from dog bites and pressure from above. They literally bleed to death internally. So EPRO can control stoats and ferrets and rats and feral cats, but when Homo sapiens goes for a walk in the forest with an UN-leashed dog, kiwi are often the victims. And please don’t tell me your little cute Roly will not harm anything …. A totally different way to look after our native birds, is by supporting the science that’s going on throughout the Motu: We are currently banding Harriers (Harrier-Hawks)… or “Large Piwakawaka” as I call them… These birds are banded in Canterbury and Marlborough: a small metal band on one leg, (the usual DOC band with small numbers on them), and a larger brightly coloured band with large, three digit numbers on them, that can be read through binoculars from quite far away, when the bird is sitting on a fence post or feasting on road kill. We are hoping to confirm that these harriers are doing some migrating in autumn and spring (towards the North and South, respectively). If you find a banded bird, record the date and location and report to DOC: www.doc.govt.nz/non-gamebird-band-report-form If the bird is injured, please take it to the nearest Wildlife hospital LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BOB’S BEST BUYS Wine: Jules Taylor 2023 Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough $26.99 Why I chose it: - From the very good 2023 vintage - Jules Taylor is a consistently good SB producer - Stock up for summer - I’m a big fan of Marlborough SB What does it taste like? - Ripe yet tangy sauvignon with passion fruit, guava, lime zest, gooseberry and red capsicum flavours. Reasonably concentrated, vibrant wine with punchy varietal characters. Impressive wine with purity and power. Why it’s a bargain: - It’s a very good wine at a fair price. - Recently released – price may drop in another month or two when it gets wider distribution. Where can you buy it? - Glengarry in Auckland $26.99. Keep an eye out at your local supermarket but make sure you get the 2023 vintage. Food match? - I like it with smoked salmon. Good match with Feta cheese. Will it keep? - Good for 3-4 years but probably not a lot to gain from keeping it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The leading AI companies have agreed to a series of safeguards as the technology increases in sophistication Meta, OpenAI, Google, Amazon, Microsoft and others have pledged to work within a framework designed in collaboration with the US government. This is a voluntary effort, there aren't any penalties if they break the pact. Broadly, the rules are designed to make it easier for folks to spot AI content - which is certainly important as the US heads into the Presidential election season nearly next year. The companies agreed to: Security testing of their AI systems by internal and external experts before their release. Ensuring people are able to identify AI generated content through watermarks. Publicly reporting AI capabilities and limitations on a regular basis. Researching the risks such as bias, discrimination and the invasion of privacy. In the UK, the future of encryption is being tested The new Online Safety bill would allow Ofcom - the UK's communications regulator - to be able to request tech companies to scan encrypted use data for child exploitation and counter-terrorism threats. It's interesting that they're seeking to give this power to a regulator, and not the courts as is common for things like search warrants and detailed data collection about someone. Those supporting the bill say it's needed to tackle "record levels" of child abuse hidden away from view. But privacy advocates say it's a step too far. The tech companies agree - with Meta saying they'd pull WhatsApp from the UK. Apple says they'd pull FaceTime and iMessage. They don't want to create a backdoor to their global platform for a specific country, and broadly don't believe in breaking encryption. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Bear: Season two of the show about a young chef trained in the fine dining world who comes home to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop after a heartbreaking death in his family (Disney+) Totally Completely Fine: Thomasin McKenzie stars in this Australian comedy-drama about a troubled young woman named Vivian, who inherits a cliffside property in Sydney only to discover her new backyard is a popular suicide spot (TVNZ+) The Deepest Breath: Netflix doco about a free diver who trains to break a world record with the help of an expert safety diver. This film follows the paths they took to meet at the pinnacle of the free diving world, documenting the rewards and risks of chasing a dream through ocean depths. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tracy Edwards was the first woman to skipper an all-female crew in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race in 1989. The Brit was up against none-other than one of our very own in that race – Sir Peter Blake and the New Zealand crew. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Tracy to get there, she was expelled from school and found herself in the sailing world by sheer luck and determination. Tracy happens to be coming to Auckland later this year as part of The Ocean Race – to mark the 50th anniversary of the original Whitbread event. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steamed puddings are traditionally an inexpensive and if I’m honest, slightly stodgy, pudding option. Not this one. It’s light, buttery and even marmalade-haters will love this! Ingredients: ½ cup orange marmalade - can use any really ½ cup brown sugar ½ cup orange juice 125g butter 3 eggs, separated 1 cup plain flour 2 tsps baking powder Zest of 1 orange ¼ cup sultanas Custard and cream to serve Method Butter a 3-cup heat proof pudding bowl well. Spoon the marmalade into the base. Dissolve brown sugar in the orange juice. Cream the butter and egg yolks then add the juice/sugar mix and continue beating. Mix in flour, baking powder, zest and sultanas. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks and gently fold into pudding mixture. Scrape into pudding basin, over marmalade. Cover tightly with 2 layers of foil and tie so that it is well sealed. Place in a large saucepan and pour in boiling water to come about half way up the bowl. Cover, bring to a simmer and steam for 1 hour. Remove pudding, cool for 5 minutes and un-mold onto a plate. Serve warm with custard and whipped cream. Tips For an even more gourmet version, heat up another quarter cup of marmalade with a little orange juice and Grand Marnier and pour over pudding when serving. A piece of old stocking is perfect for securing the foil as it stretches so you can get it nicely tight. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reality A former American intelligence specialist is given the longest sentence for the unauthorized release of government information to the media about Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections via an email operation. Features one of the actors of the moment, Sydney Sweeney. Talk to Me When a group of friends discovers how to conjure spirits by using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill -- until one of them unleashes terrifying supernatural forces. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Kevin Milne joined Jack Tame to chat about cold, hard cash and how close we are to a cashless society. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amidst all of the amazing sporting action we’re being treated to at the moment, I’ve been mad for the Tour de France. I was sucked in by the Netflix series following last year’s competition, and I’ve keenly prioritised watching the highlights over the last few weeks of racing. The Tour is almost over and the final result is essentially a foregone conclusion. Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard is about to back up his win last year and ride to glory along the Parisian streets. For most of the tour, the racing has been incredibly close. Vingegaard and his arch rival, former Tour champion Tadej Pogacar have been duking it out, blow for blow. Their teams have been heroically positioning them for the gnarliest climbs, and towards the end of these gut-busting stages, they’ve been taking turns attacking and trying to out-sprint each other, high on alpine passes. But the Tour took a turn in the individual time trial, a really short race – just 22kms - in which riders race solo. After two weeks of utterly brutal racing, in which you’d expect all of the riders to be wrecked, Vingegaard blasted away his competition so comprehensively, that he admitted even he was surprised by the stats on his power-meter. Against the best riders in the World, in a race lasting only a fraction of the time of previous stages, he beat Pogacar, his next closest competitor, by more than a 1’30”. ‘How did he do that?’ I found myself wondering in awe as I watched the race. Seriously. How... did he do that? It is a decade now since Lance Armstrong finally came clean. A decade since he sat on the couch with Oprah and admitted he was a cheat. In the time since, riders in the Tour de France have performed differently. For starters, most of them have bad days, which didn’t used to happen. But the subject of doping hangs about the Tour de France like a mist in the Pyrenees. To most of us mere mortals, they all seem extraordinary. How anyone can put their body through so much pain, day after day, is superhuman. And as much as I love the competition, I can’t help but find myself pausing and reflecting a little more on the word. The impact of doping is multi-faceted. The riders who are clean, who were literally in primary school when Lance Armstrong competed in his last Tour de France, are constantly forced to justify themselves and their performances. They know there’s little they can do to convince the sceptics. Jonas Vingegaard says he’s been tested four times in the last two days. He’s being filmed the whole time he’s off the bike for two different documentary series. He’s not failed a test, and the mere logistics of doping would make it impossible for him and his team. He’s asked repeatedly about doping, and he’s emphatic. “I wouldn’t take anything I wouldn’t give to my daughter.” I hope he’s right. His team has pointed out that unlike his main rival, he hasn’t competed in other gruelling competitions so far this season. His preparation was solely focused on the big kahuna. It’s entirely predictable that as the Tour continued, he’d slowly grind down the more exhausted riders. But a real tragedy of doping is that as fans, we never know. Given the history, we can never be 100% certain of anyone in the Tour de France. And as much as you can suspend reality a bit and soak up the day-to-day racing, any especially notable performance and those invasive thoughts come crashing back. Superhuman? Or superhuman?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwi musician Alayna has released her debut album titled ‘Self Portrait of Woman Unravelling.’ The album features elements of pop, R&B, soul, and folk, and encapsulates her journey and efforts in understanding herself as a person and an artist. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Guest, Emma Cline Summer is coming to a close on the East End of Long Island, and Alex is no longer welcome. A misstep at a dinner party, and the older man she’s been staying with dismisses her with a ride to the train station and a ticket back to the city. With few resources and a waterlogged phone, but gifted with an ability to navigate the desires of others, Alex stays on Long Island and drifts like a ghost through the hedged lanes, gated driveways, and sun-blasted dunes of a rarefied world that is, at first, closed to her. Propelled by desperation and a mutable sense of morality, she spends the week leading up to Labor Day moving from one place to the next, a cipher leaving destruction in her wake. Taut, propulsive, and impossible to look away from, Emma Cline’s The Guest is a spellbinding literary achievement. Night Will Find You, Julia Heaberlin Vivvy Bouchet, daughter of a known psychic, was ten when she saved a boy’s life by making an impossible prediction. Now she’s an astrophysicist in Texas, devoted to science, but the boy she saved has become a cop who continues to believe she can see things no one else can. When he begs for help on the high-profile cold case of a kidnapped girl, Vivvy steps back into the ocean of voices that once nearly drowned her. She is forced to team up with detective Jesse Sharp, a skeptic of anything but fact. When Vivvy becomes the target of a conspiracy theorist podcaster, she fights back with both her scientific mind and her inexplicable gifts, hoping to lure a kidnapper, find a child who haunts her, and lay some of her own ghosts to rest. Sharply relevant, Julia Heaberlin's Night Will Find You explores the mysterious nature of belief—in psychic power, in science, in conspiracies, in a higher power—and the delicate dance between scientific truth and the things we can’t explain. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Mike Yardley joined Jack Tame to chat about his recent trip to Hong Kong. Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Being unable to mentally disconnect from your work once your day is over can be a major problem, resulting in higher levels of stress, poor sleep, and even relationship issues. Dr Dougal Sutherland joined Jack Tame to talk about the importance of disconnecting and reconnecting each day, and how to achieve it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Insect life cycles vary from species to species. It all depends on where they live and what the temperatures are in summer, and in winter Many “overwinter” as eggs – which is easy: no eating needed, no movement needed… which is handy as temperatures are low in winter and insect movement can only happen when temps are comfortable. Remember: they are cold-blooded, so rely on external temperatures to get energy for movement. So, cold conditions means not much movement. Examples: aphids (on host plants); Cicadas inside the twigs (where Mum laid her eggs); Black Field Crickets (underground); Praying mantis (in cool egg cases stuck to our house). Other species decided a long time ago, that overwintering as pupae or chrysalis is the way to go Similar advantages: no movement no eating and slow development into adult life-stage. Examples: some moths (Gum emperor moths and silk moths) Some moth species literally slow down during the winter as “stunned” adult moths and hibernate – not moving at all. Moth Chrysalis. Social species, such as Vespid wasps (German wasp/common wasp) and Paper wasps (Polistes species) play a totally different game: they hibernate as adult females, fertilised and all. We call them Queens. Queen wasp Hibernating in wood. Just before autumn turns into winter, the surviving fertile females from a colony mate with the males (drones) and, after a feed (often of carbo-hydrates … sugars!) they will look for a suitable place to hibernate. Anything will do, really, as long as it’s out of the severe frost and preferably dark and safe Of course, in spring when temperatures become a little more agreeable, the queens will leave the hibernation spot and try locate some sustenance in the form of early-flowering plants with nectar. This will start the early-season cycle off. Finding a nest site and starting a brand-new nest is the very first priority. But before it gets that far, we’re stuck with them in winter and often on or near the house. Look for hibernating queens in window cavities, in the grouting of bricks, indeed: any nook or cranny will do. But as I found out a week or so ago: stored and stacked firewood is one of the best places for the queen wasps. As soon as you fill the basket near the Ultra-Low Emissions Burner, the blighters believe that spring has sprung and it’s time to move on to the next phase of the wasp life-cycle. Yep they fly around inside the lounge, trying to get out through the window… if they haven’t stung you already when you lifted up the firewood to transport it inside, that is!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The NY Times has declared The Great Resignation over... but people quitting their jobs without another one to go to is still a very common occurrence (often *cough* at a particular time of their lives). Not only do we see it often – but we see how it can often go wrong, and there are definitely things you can do to stop it being a source of relationship friction, financial stress and a recipe for a crisis of confidence. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Actors have joined the Writers in striking - and again AI is a key issue 160,000 performers stopped work at midnight - no more publicity tours, events, filming and more for the biggest names in Hollywood. People have been asking why Barbie has been going so big on their marketing so early, might just be because that will now grind to a halt. At the center of the strike - Actors want more profit sharing in the global success of their shows and want to protect their craft from AI. The Union's negotiator said studios had asked for the ability to scan the faces of background artists, pay them for a day's work, then be able to own and use their likeness "for the rest of eternity, in any project they want, with no consent and no compensation". The Studios negotiator disagrees with the characterization and says the proposal only permits a company to use the digital replica of a background actor in the motion picture for which the background actor is employed. Any other use requires the background actor’s consent and bargaining for the use, subject to a minimum payment. Either way - there is concern from the actors about how their work is valued, and how to protect their most important IP: their body! LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Full Circle: Steven Soderbergh directs and Claire Dane stars in this thriller that follows a fallout from a botched kidnapping, and the secrets that are exposed that connect multiple characters across New York City (Neon). Creamerie: A second season of the dark New Zealand comedy about three dairy farmers living in a dystopian world where a deadly virus has wiped out 99% of all men (TVNZ+). Quarterback: In the tradition of Drive to Survive and Point Break, this sports docu-series follows three quarterbacks in the American NFL as they experience highs and lows on their way to the Super Bowl (Netflix). LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Fletcher is one of only a handful of people to hold the title of Master Distiller at Jack Daniels in his 155-year history. He carried on the family tradition, following in the footsteps of his grandfather who also held the role, and is responsible for the whiskey’s overall quality from “grain to glass”. Jack Tame managed to catch up with Chris Fletcher this morning, to have a chat about what it’s like to have the job. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Should we really tell the truth when the doctor asks, “What’s your alcohol intake?” After all, don’t they double it anyway because it’s assumed we all lie? Kevin Milne joined Jack Tame this week to tell a story about what he discovered in a specialist report. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matariki is a time to celebrate all things Aotearoa; relax, think, and kōrero about what the coming year can bring. It’s best to do this around a tableful of food I find : ) It’s a great opportunity to focus on ingredients that are locally grown and I just love this peppery pesto made with watercress and NZ-grown pine nuts. Ingredients A few big handfuls fresh watercress, washed ¼ cup pine nuts – use Pinoli which are grown in NZ! 30-50g grated parmesan Juice from one lemon ¼ teaspoon sea salt ¼- ½ cup olive oil Method Use a food processor to blend together watercress, pine nuts, parmesan, lemon juice and salt. Drizzle in the olive oil until you have a chunky sauce consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning. Use this on grilled mussels, lamb chops, stirred through pasta or on a beautiful baked kūmara! Notes: Can sub pine nuts for almonds or walnuts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One Ethan Hunt and the IMF team must track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity if it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than the mission -- not even the lives of those he cares about most. Robots on Apple TV + Charles is a womanizer while Elaine is a gold digger. The duo learn humanity when forced to team up and pursue robot doubles of themselves. Starring Jack Whitehall and Shailene Woodley. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I was driving about some of the outskirts of Nelson this week and it took me a bit of time to notice it. Since my last visit to the region earlier this year, several of the large billboards that had been hammered up on the sides of the road to protest the Three Waters reforms have been removed and not obviously replaced. I don’t know if it’s a Nelson thing or if the billboards have just been moved to another location, or if their removal is symptomatic of something greater nationwide. But at the very least, it’s been my observation that much of the anger around Three Waters has dissipated since Kieran McAnulty took over the portfolio and the government reset the plan. I’m not saying Three Waters isn’t still contentious. There are still public meetings and roadshows and Facebook groups spilling with fury. I’m just saying it’s not nearly as contentious as it was 12 months ago. And even though the new ten-entity plan doesn’t make anything like the financial savings that were initially promised, the government has correctly bet that it can push ahead with a version of Three Waters without it being the single issue that costs it the election. In six years, I can think of few other significant reforms in which Labour has pursued a vision over short-term political popularity. Auckland’s Light Rail project might make the cut, except –like Three Waters– I suspect the project is probably more popular and less contentious than some of the pushback would have us believe. The nature of political leadership is that sometimes you have to make unpopular calls for the greater good. As much as voters have a collective wisdom, they’re also human. They’re motivated by short term incentives. Everyone wants more for less. I suspect that many of those who vehemently oppose Three Waters, for example, have also railed for decades against the rates increases that might have gone some way to developing water infrastructure and removing the need for the reforms in the first place. If you’re only prepared to make popular decisions, then what is the point in leadership? It’s not really leadership, is it? It’s just focus-grouping. Polling. Instead of laying out a platform, debating its merits, and pursuing a distinct vision, you might as well just have a smartphone app or a website on which everyone votes on every little policy so that you can be sure you never fall afoul of the masses. I’m not remotely surprised by Chris Hipkins’ captain’s call on tax, this week. The Prime Minister has made it clear from day one that his absolute priority is winning the election. But I do wonder if somewhere on the ninth floor, at some point, Labour’s strategists find themselves in an existential bind. If the cost of winning an election means sacrificing your political vision, then what’s the point in winning?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Olivia Dean began her career working with dance act Rudimental. With burgeoning solo success following a series of solo EPs, she now releases her debut album, Messy. It’s a mainstream pop record, but with a loose Londony informality amid the polish. You can hear the distant echo of rare groove and acid jazz. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My Friend Anne Frank - Hannah Pick-Goslar Hannah Pick-Goslar died in October just before her 94th birthday (I accidentally put in an interview request for her and that was the book publisher’s response lol) In this long‑awaited memoir, Hannah shares the story of her childhood during the Holocaust, from the introduction of anti-Jewish laws in Amsterdam to the gradual disappearance of classmates and, eventually, the Frank family, to Hannah and her family's imprisonment in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. As Hannah chronicles the experiences of her own life during and after the war, she provides a searing look at what countless children endured at the hands of the Nazi regime, as well as an intimate, never‑before‑seen portrait of the most recognizable victim of the Holocaust. Culminating in an astonishing fateful reunion, My Friend Anne Frank is the profoundly moving story of childhood and friendship during one of the darkest periods in the world's history. The Book of Form and Emptiness - Ruth Ozeki With its blend of sympathetic characters, riveting plot, and vibrant engagement with everything from jazz, to climate change, to our attachment to material possessions, The Book of Form and Emptiness is classic Ruth Ozeki—bold, wise, poignant, playful, humane and heartbreaking. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Mike Yardley joined Jack Tame to chat about his recent visit to the city of Bergamo in Italy. Find his full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

+ Take a bus card, jump on random buses and see where the bus schedules take you! Adventure, explore, and use it as a way to teach kids how to take the bus while making busing feel cool & fun (I am doing this with my 6 & 8 year old nieces today so will have a good story/insight). + Declutter: turn your house clearout/clean up into a game. + Treasure hunt: even if it's raining, finding a free list online or making your own treasure hunt up can be a great source of entertainment for hours. + Bake - but head to a package free store to source all the ingredients with the kids (let them make decisions and learn how to use the bulk bin stores). + Upcycling: choose broken things from your house or take items from the recycling bin to carry out your own upcycling challenge. Most of these are sustainable financially too as they are free or cost very little! LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spent some time looking at Julie’s wonderful display of bright pink Cyclamen – they are flowering beautifully – such an old-fashioned plant… (my mother had them in pots outside, all those years ago) But those Cyclamen Coum have not always been in the large pot in which the Cumquat grows its small bright-yellow/orange citrus fruits; It was one of those experimental accidents that seems to be the result of Julie’s arty Green thumbs. A few years ago, she put a small pot with Cyclamen under that cumquat; it started flowering pretty pink and produced seeds – lots of seeds. The idea is to let the seeds develop and fall onto the soil in winter – in the following autumn they’ll produce heaps of small Cyclamen and the soil is covered in a matter of a few years. Partial shade is the preferred spot – that means you can grow these plants under trees in the garden (not necessarily in pots). They will go dormant in spring – leaves drop off and the plants stay dormant all summer. The cycle starts again in Autumn. Light (liquid) fertiliser - every now and then – will be great. Another way to get Cyclamen to reproduce is by lifting the tubers in late summer/Autumn and dividing them before replanting those underground tubers. Division of the tubers results in all offspring being very much the same (colour, size, etc) But – of course – it’s very satisfying to find the right spot and conditions that allow these plants to go nuts – and more nuts they go, the better it looks. Another way to look at seeds and their variability in development is when you start playing with a plant species through cross-pollination. Dahlias are a perfect example of a plant you can muck around with; all you need is a brush! (or a very well-trained pollinator, such as an obedient honey bee) Imagine taking pollen from a red-coloured Dahlia flower and transporting that (with your brush) to a yellow flower of the same cultivar… (or even a different cultivar – what the heck!). A cross pollination like that can sometimes yield a completely new colour morph or a new variety! This is the kind of gig that professional plant-breeders are into. In New Zealand our Famous Dahlia breeder is Keith Hammett. He created soooo many new varieties! … and every year he has sooo many seeds left to propagate – he simply runs out of time and space. This year he –once again– teamed up with the New Zealand Gardener: You can get some of Keith’s seeds and propagate those yourself; (get in touch with NZ Gardener) Imagine growing a variety that has never been seen before – Just name it yourself and propagate it by growing the tuber every year. You know how to do it!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meta says 70 million people have now signed up for Threads and there have been over 90 million posts. It took Twitter four years to build that audience. Elon is now threatening to sue Meta, alleging Meta has copied Twitter, saying "competition is fine, cheating is not". But he's in for a hard time because copyright law doesn't protect ideas, and Meta has a patent for its newsfeed. If anything, it means Meta could counter sue Twitter - which is exactly why these companies patent things like this even if they never really expect to enforce them. Jane Manchun Wong - who is famous in tech circles for uncovering unreleased features in Twitter (and other apps) as they're being developed - is now working for Meta on Threads. Meta is really pushing the safety and community aspect of this app Meta says they want it to be a "friendly" place for conversation but I still don't see how they plan to make that happen. Instagram's boss says they're not going to do anything to encourage politics and “hard news" - but that won't stop people publishing their thoughts about it? Yes, Meta has more moderation policies, more tech to enforce them, more people to manually review content - but that doesn't inherently make it a safer place. Is Twitter a less safe place than Facebook today? What's next? Instagram is working on a feed just for people you follow and a chronological feed - which is going to make it a LOT more usable. Right now the feed seems to display random content without rhyme or reason - I certainly can't pickup a theme to what I'm getting. Hashtags, trending topics and more are also in the works. They'll also add proper fediverse / activity pub support - which will could open the door to account portability, and even interoperability with other Twitter-like services. Hopefully a proper web version is coming soon too. At the moment you can only find someone's profile if you know their username - eg. https://www.threads.net/@paulstenhouse See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Bryan Betty joined Jack Tame to talk about appendicitis: what it is, the signs, and what to do about it. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Unforgotten: A new season of this brilliant British crime drama starring Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaskar recently arrived on TVNZ+. Everybody Else Burns: A sharp British comedy about the Lewises, an everyday family from Manchester who happen to belong to an ultra-religious cult (Neon). The Horror of Dolores Roach: A comedy horror about a woman who is released from prison after 18 years, and after reuniting with an old friend, is driven to shocking extremes to survive (Prime Video). LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marianne van Velzen is a Dutch journalist who has long held a fascination with Australia, having been born in the Netherlands but growing up down under. The country’s long informed her work – and she’s researched and written about some the most adventurous and pioneering people in Australia. Her latest book is centered on Minnie Berrington, the first female opal miner in South Australia’s outback. Marianne joined Jack Tame to chat about her latest work. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

These are ridiculously easy to make, yummy as, and they just happen to be gluten free! Chewy, densely rich and very moreish. Makes 12–15 cookies Ingredients: 1 cup sugar 1 cup peanut butter 1 large egg 50g dark chocolate, roughly chopped 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional) Method: Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking paper. With an electric beater or a food processor, mix sugar, peanut butter and egg until combined. Add the chopped chocolate and vanilla and mix briefly. Roll dough into balls about the size of a walnut or golf ball, depending on how big you like your cookie. Flatten with your palm. Bake for 14–16 minutes, flattening again at the 8-minute mark. Cool on a rack. Store in an airtight container. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WHAM! Through archival interviews and footage, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley relive the arc of their Wham! career, from 70s best buds to 80s pop icons. Sugar and Stars Ever since he was a little boy, Yazid has dreamed of becoming a pastry chef. Moved from one foster home to another, nothing predestined him for such a career. Yazid’s indomitable determination and resourcefulness have proven priceless in helping him succeed in the elitist arena of patisserie. Working for the world’s top chefs from Paris to Monaco, he strives to become the best and to fulfill his dream of winning the international pastry championship. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin's wife Linda is away for a couple weeks, leaving him with pages of instructions on what to feed the dog. Plus, he's finally figured out where all their money has been going. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The drive was only three hours but we knew we’d have to distract him. It’s not his fault! 6-year-olds simply do not have the biologicial composition for sitting still in place for more than about 14 seconds. And even a relatively simple drive, Auckland to Rotorua, is an almighty test for the first weekend of the school holidays. When I was a kid, my parents used to try and placate us with food. Ahead of a long drive, my three siblings and I would climb into the back of the family van, each of us with an ice-cream container full of Uncle Toby’s finest highly-processed treats. It was like a Tame family version of the marshmellow test. My sister and I would try and drag our respective treat boxes out until we’d made it most of the way to our destination. Delayed gratification. My little brother would be finished his by the time our van reached the end of the street. The first ‘are we there yet?’ came before we’d even cleared the Bombay Hills. Although I’d encouraged Mr Six-year old to plot our remaining journey time on the car’s Google Maps, it became clear he didn’t understand how to read the column with the hours remaining, and to everyone’s grave disappointment - “It says only nine more minutes!” - had been solely focusing on the minutes column for our procession down the Southern Motorway. My wife introduced a game of Hoiho. If you see a horse, you yell ‘Hoiho!’ If you see a paddock of horses, you say ‘Pataka.’ Everyone keeps tally of their total horses, until a player sees a cemetery, ‘Urupā,’ and gets to choose what other player’s horses get scratched. Mr Six-year-old was an enthusiastic participant. A little too enthusiastic, if anything. Cows? “Hoiho!” Deer? “Hoiho!” Vegetation on distant hillsides? “Hoiho! Hoiho!” And it quickly became clear that what maybe he lacked in horse-spotting skills, he made up for in cunning. “Hoiho!” “Where?” “Oh back there around the corner. You missed it.” Finally, somewhere just south of Huntly, we resorted to technology. Not a screen, but my noise-cancelling headphones and a series of children’s podcasts, about things like why cheese is smelly and why fish can open their eyes underwater. It was a good call. Mr Six-year-old was chuffed. He asked to pause Hoiho and seemed to relax back into his seat and watch the Waikato countryside drift past. The only problem with the noise-cancelling headphones setup is that even for the quietest among us, it can be very difficult to regulate the volume of your voice. My wife would just be dozing off when she’d be wrenched from her slumber by someone screaming in the back seat. “Unpause. Hoiho! Ok, pause again.” The rate at which time passes depends on your frame of reference. I dunno if Albert Einstein had a brainwave moment in describing the theory of relativity. But part of me wonders if he took a family trip to Rotorua with a six-year-old in the back. I figured three hours was gonna’ be a long time for him. But the person most relieved when we reach our destination wasn’t Mr Six-year-old. It was me.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With her tenth studio album, “chemistry,” the singer turned talk-show host drills into the specific heartbreak of a marriage’s end. In 2020, after filing for divorce from her husband of nearly seven years, Brandon Blackstock, Clarkson hinted at new music, claiming that she was writing the “most personal” album she’s ever made. Last year, she said that she’d been working on the record for two years, and that she’d done the Christmas songs because it had provided a joyful break from the difficult realities of her life. That project-in-the-making, “chemistry,” is finally out, and it is a worthy entry in the annals of breakup albums, a musical gesture that teases, entices, and—for better or worse—provides the public a window into a relationship gone bad. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lusciously located at the confluence of the mighty Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers, the very name Phnom Penh conjures up an image of the exotic. I recently visited Cambodia’s capital with Emerald Cruises on their magnificent week-long float from Ho Chi Minh City. From the fluttering saffron robes of passing monks to the glimmering spires of the Royal Palace, Phnom Penh struts its Buddhist stripes at every turn. But the Cambodian capital’s shine was egregiously tarnished by the ravages of the Khmer Rouge regime. Forty years on, Phnom Penh aspires to be as electric as Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh City, with swanky new developments and the hip, edgy design boom revving up the city centre’s allure, and eye-catching skyscrapers extravagantly reframing the skyline. Come nightfall, there is no question that Phnom Penh is one of the most illuminated cities in Asia, radiantly aglow in the city’s insatiable obsession with playful, escapist light shows. The city is lit! But the shameful shadow of Pol Pot and his abominable regime is a stain that cannot be airbrushed away – or joyfully dressed up in fairy lights. The past bastardry is still central to the city narrative. Remarkably, when the Khmer Rouge grabbed power, it forced most of its three million residents into the countryside, apart of its grand vision for a classless agrarian society. Today, Phnom Penh resembles a city of startling contrasts, from extreme poverty to ostentatious wealth. It’s a city gripped by entrenched state corruption and the reaffirming kindness of locals you meet. Virtually everyone I chatted to was scathing of Cambodia’s slavish dependence on China. Nearly 50% of their public debt is owed to China, with more “debt trap” loans in the works. Phnom Penh is a city where the streets have no name – merely numbers. The legacy of the Khmer Rouge looms large as one of the central reasons to visit the city and to reflect on history’s epic horrors, dipping into the darkest corners of the country's traumatised past. It’s an unvarnished, gut-wrenching experience. My first shore excursion with Emerald Cruises was to one of Cambodia’s biggest Killing Fields. Under Pol Pot's maniacal rule from 1975 to 1979, roughly a quarter of Cambodia’s population was murdered, the genocide of roughly 2 million people. Tens of thousands of Khmer Rouge prisoners who had been tortured at the infamous S-21 prison were then taken just out of town to the Choeung Ek extermination camp, which was previously a Chinese cemetery and longan orchard. Prisoners would arrive blind-folded unaware of the brutality that was about to unfold. Our guide pointed out the tree named the Killing Tree, which is where children would be beaten to death. Another tree has been named the Music Tree. The Khmer Rouge executioners would hang speakers from the tree and blast out loud music to drown out the screams of people being bludgeoned to death, so that those awaiting their fate remained oblivious to the evil about to be unleashed. The Killing Tree. Photo / Mike Yardley My guide soberly remarked that most people were viciously bludgeoned to death by farm implements, because the Khmer Rouge didn’t want to waste precious money on bullets. The most sickening spectacle at this site are the shards of bones and clothing sticking up from the vast mounds of dirt that mark the mass graves. Every time it rains, the earth reveals more and more of its sinister secrets, lurking beneath the surface. Most mass graves have been left untouched. Today the camp is a memorial site. A monumental 17-storey glass stupa, built 25 years ago, rises up from the centre, filled with 8,000 skulls, exhumed from the mass graves nearby. It's a harrowing spectacle – steel yourself. Many of the skulls, which are grouped according to age and sex, bear the holes and slices from the blows that killed them. Photo / Mike Yardley Back in town, we visited the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, another horrific reminder of the cruelty humans are capable of inflicting. Once a neighbourhood high school, the building was seized by Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge and turned into a prison and interrogation centre, the dreaded S-21. During the prison's four years of operation, an estimated 20,000 Cambodians were tortured here before being transferred to the Killing Fields for execution. Initially it was the previous governments officials, academics, doctors, teachers, students, factory workers, monks and engineers that were imprisoned. The regime was paranoid about educated Cambodians becoming CIA spies and went to outrageous lengths to interrogate inmates and force out confessions – many of which were false confessions. Prisoners were routinely beaten and tortured with electric shocks, searing hot metal instruments and hanging. Some were cut with knives or suffocated with plastic bags. Other methods for generating confessions included pulling out fingernails while pouring alcohol on the wounds and waterboarding prisoners. Even a Kiwi, Kerry Hamill, was tortured in the pr