Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

I have a tunnel house (for edibles) and Julie has a glasshouse (for her ornamentals) – she’s a fancy one! Despite these forms of “protection from frost” they can get to low temperatures on cold winters morning. We’ve seen 1.5 degrees a few times. Is there a way to add some extra insulation to these buildings that would keep the temps a bit higher? As per usual: my local Botanic Garden has delivered some answers (see pictures); the “Curators Garden”, an edible garden next to the Curators House restaurant, here in Christchurch, always investigates new ideas and technologies. (No doubt your local Botanic Garden will have some great ideas as well!) Wouldn’t it be great to have a temporary layer of insulation for just the winter months – stuff you can remove when spring starts? I love the idea of having old, recycled plastic drink bottles assembled vertically on a long bamboo pole. Each pole can be removed in its entirety and stored for re-use next winter. Honey-comb plastic screwed between two pieces of wood to tighten them up. It’s almost a double-glazing system made from plastic. It lets sun through and blocks the cold. It, too, can be removed in its entirety for storage during spring and summer Bottles stacked horizontally and filled with water are probably more efficient at insulating the air inside the glasshouse. These is old Bubble-wrap that can be used on vertical walls and Perspex sheets that can be fixed to the ceiling on the inside of the glasshouse too. By “retro-fitting” double glazing you don’t lose any space inside, really, but keep the cold from coming in to slow all growth See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wait a minute... Facebook is good for wellbeing? A new study by the Oxford Institute of Technology suggests the opposite of what we typically hear – researchers say that after analyzing data from nearly a million people across 72 countries over 12 years that the claims are more speculative than conclusive. This isn't saying that harm doesn't exist... but on balance, the use of Facebook is "possibly related to positive wellbeing." The results showed the association between using Facebook and wellbeing was slightly more positive for males as well as for younger people. The study looked at high-quality country-wide well-being data, and compared that with Facebook data with the uptake of their platform. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Far North This New Zealand drama stars Temuera Morrison and Robyn Malcolm and tells the bizarre true story of an international drugs smuggling ring foiled by two unlikely Northland locals (Mondays on Three, and ThreeNow). Painkiller Matthew Broderick stars in this drama about America’s opioid epidemic that follows both the perpetrators and victims, and an investigator seeking the truth (Netflix). Winning Time A second season of the sports drama about the rise of the LA Lakers in the 1970s and 1980s (Neon). LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland brothers Henry and Pierre Beasley started out as young musicians, trying to pass as 18-year-olds so they could perform in bars. Now they make up the duo Balu Brigada, and after scoring themselves a record deal with Alantic record they spread their wings to New York City. Since then they’ve earned themselves the #1 fastest breaking New Zealand/Australian artist spot on Spotify and have been applauded by outlets such as Rolling Stone, i-D, and People Magazine. The pair are returning to New Zealand to give kiwi audiences a taste of their genre-bending music with their August tour. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Casseroles, stews, braises – they’re all so absolutely hearty and can be really affordable if you know how to shop for different cuts of meat. Serves 4 Ingredients: 350g beef steak, either chuck, cross-cut blade or rump 100g (about one) sheep kidney, halved, membranes and fatty nodules (white bits) removed 2 tbsps plain flour 2 tbsps cooking oil 1 large onion, diced ½ tsp salt Decent grind of black pepper 2 large carrots, diced Dash of Worcestershire or soy sauce 1 bay leaf 200-250mls stock or water Method: Cut beef into large bite size pieces and kidneys a little smaller. Dust meat in flour. Heat oil in a medium-size, heavy based saucepan and brown the onions. Add the floured meat and don’t disturb until some pieces (the ones on the bottom) are well browned. Season with salt and pepper, add carrots, a dash of either Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce, bay leaf and pour in enough stock or water to almost cover the meat. Put the lid on and bring to a simmer and cook gently over a low-medium heat until the meat is tender - approx 1.5 hours – or transfer to a casserole dish, cover tightly with foil and pop it in an oven at 170 C to cook for 1.5 hours. Cool overnight. DUMPLINGS Ingredients: 1 cup plain flour 50g butter 1 tsp baking powder ¼ tsp salt 3 tb finely chopped parsley ½ cup milk (approx.) Method: Rub butter into dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, salt - until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add chopped parsley and then mix in the milk bit by bit until you have a soft dough. Flour your hands and gently pinch tablespoonful sized balls of the dough, rolling each gently into a ball and dropping onto the simmering stew. Work quickly until all have been added. Replace the lid and cook for 10 minutes until the dumplings are light and fluffy and cooked through (check one by breaking it open). LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gran Turismo A player wins a series of Nissan-sponsored video game competitions through his gaming skills and becomes a real-life professional race car driver. Asteroid City World-changing events spectacularly disrupt the itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention in an American desert town circa 1955. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne joined Jack Tame to chat about the old mates he met up with this week. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There was an air of inevitability around the polls this week. It pays to be restrained in putting too much weight into any one poll, but the trends are what matter and the trends are suggesting Winston Peters and New Zealand First might break 5% and make it back to parliament. All manner of pundits have come out and suggested that Christopher Luxon should make a call and do what he’s refused to do in the race so far, follow in John Key’s footsteps and rule out working with New Zealand First after the election. I think Luxon’s best opportunity has passed. Back in May, I wrote that the National leader was strategically well-positioned to rule out Peters, so long as he managed the process as delicately as might be possible. He’d need to be respectful and deferential to New Zealand First’s supporters, explaining that it was less about the party’s leader and more about forming a simple, clean, two-party coalition to counteract what he continues to describe as a potential ‘coalition of chaos’ on the other side. Given Winston Peters’ and David Seymour’s open distain for each other, the ‘coalition of chaos’ barb is now much better suited to the centre-right block. Think about the reaction if Christopher Luxon ruled out working with New Zealand First, today. It’s not impossible it would have the desired effect from National’s perspective, but it comes with much greater risk than when New Zealand First was polling at 3%. “Why have you ruled them out now, when you’ve been asked so many times over the last few months?” “... Ahhh... because for the first time it actually looks like he’s gonna’ get in?” It would martyr Winston Peters. It would play into the narrative that the major parties were colluding to exclude him and New Zealand First from parliament. It would breathe oxygen into his campaign and potentially galvanise his support base. If Luxon had ruled out New Zealand First while they were polling at 3%, it wouldn’t have mattered if none of those 3% changed their minds and the vote was essentially wasted. But it potentially would have stopped new supporters from coming across in the subsequent months and deciding to back Winston Peters. Now the party’s hitting 5%, and it’s a totally different equation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Farnham: Finding the Voice The story of an Australian musical icon, following John Farnham from his humble beginnings in the Melbourne suburbs to record-breaking pop success. The Beanie Bubble (Apple +) The unbelievable tale of one of America's most fascinating phenomena -- Beanie Babies. Flashing back to the '90s and early 2000s, an in-depth look at how the era-defining zeitgeist came to be. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For all the angst heading into the tournament, Kiwis have absolutely stepped up for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. I’ll admit I was a bit nervous for the tournament’s local organisers as kick-off neared. There wasn’t really much buzz. No real sense of occasion. And I worried that for what is a massive tournament in the context of global sport – arguably the biggest tournament ever hosted on New Zealand soil – we might show ourselves to be a bit miserable. Don’t forget, just days before it officially began, FIFA’s boss Gianni Infantino paused a press conference, picked out the New Zealand media in attendance, and made a direct plea down the camera barrels for their audiences to get out and actually buy tickets. To the best of my knowledge, he didn’t feel that was necessary with the Australians. The nature of the tournament meant that some of the pool games were the likeliest to have small audiences. It’s an exciting time because there are games almost every day, but if we’re honest, Zambia vs Costa Rica is unlikely in this part of the World to drum up the same kind of enthusiasm as it might elsewhere. Once you get to the knockout stages, the drama is greater, the games are closer, and it’s reasonable to expect the crowds are consistently big. But get this. Of the twenty-four pool games played in New Zealand, the average crowd was more than 21,000 fans. More than half a million total fans. That’s fantastic. For the big games we’ve had record numbers in attendance. But even Zambia vs Costa Rica drew more than 8000 people to Waikato Stadium. And anyone who has attended a game will attest to how much fun it’s been. I live within walking distance of Eden Park. Fans are constantly making their way to the stadium with flags and face paint and jerseys for their respective countries. It feels properly global in a way that few events here ever do. We should thank the Football Ferns for their part in this. That opening night was thrilling. Although they didn’t progress to the knock-out stages, they played a major role in igniting our collective excitement. But it’s funny, I went back and looked at that Gianni Infantino press conference, where he effectively begged Kiwis to go out and buy football tickets. He said one extra thing I hadn’t noticed at the time. “Do the right thing.” He needn’t have. My experience at the FIFA World Cup is that fans haven’t attended out of charity. They haven’t attended out of a sense of duty to try and promote the women’s game. They’ve attended because it’s been really exciting, skillful, high-drama football. We might have left the ticket-buying to the last minute, but there’s no doubt New Zealanders have wanted to be there. Now, we’re at the knockout stages. Some of the biggest names in World football are struggling or have already been knocked out. The tournament feels like it’s anyone’s. And I for one, don’t want it to end.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A couple weeks ago Kevin Milne’s wife saw Welsh music legend Tom Jones in concert in London, and he told Jack Tame that she thought that for an 83-year-old, he was amazing. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Loveliest Time is Carly Rae Jepsen’s seventh studio album, and a companion piece to her fifth studio album, The Loneliest Time. The artist refers to the album as a “B-side in every sense of the word,” featuring songs created during the same time period and era of The Loneliest Time, that she had “always intended to put out.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The New Wife by JP Delaney My darling son, Sam, is marrying his childhood sweetheart and I couldn't be prouder of the man he's grown into. Walking out on his abusive father all those years ago was the best thing I ever did. And today he stands, tall and handsome, saying 'I do' to my dream daughter-in-law. If I hadn't pushed them together all those years ago, he might never have found a girl as perfect as Lauren. It's true what they say, mother always knows best. None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summers crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins. A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life. Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life—and into her home. But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family’s lives under mortal threat. Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Mike Yardley joined Jack Tame to chat about his recent visit to Tirana, Albania. Read more about Mike's trip here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NZ is renowned for its amazing landscape, unique wildlife & diverse ecosystems, but we have a huge issue with invasive species & habitat loss. I enjoy our native birdlife in my area, so I signed up to be a volunteer with Forest & Bird to help reduce invasive species (hedgehogs, rats, possums) by baiting & trapping - fun anecdote to talk about my experience in handing over custody of a 'baiting line' from a man who has done it for over a decade! What everyone can do to help: give wildlife space, clean your shoes, check your gear when entering/leaving sanctuaries, plant natives in your garden, volunteer or donate. It’s conservation week 14th - 20th August so this is a great time for people to know these tips and get sorted/plan for action during that week. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Green Manure? Don’t take that too literally – New Zealanders call fertiliser “manure.” Nature doesn’t like “bare soil”, so even in winter it will sprout seeds into plants, so why not make those plants desirable ones! We usually harvest our food crops in autumn, leaving behind a heck of a lot of soil, ready to be colonised by weeds. I realise we’re in mid-winter right now, but even at this time we can sow some plants that are experts at helping your garden become a lot more fertile in spring. The technique is quite simple: Green Manure crops literally extract some of the nutrients from the winter soil and store that in the stems (cells) and in the roots of the plant; Some green manure crops (the Legumes) have colonies of collaborative bacteria on board (in the roots) that can harvest Nitrogen from the air and store that in the root nodules too. Seeing the amount of Nitrogen in the air is 78%, we might as well use that stuff: Nitrogen (N) is essential for Leaf-growth – it literally creates the green matter that carries out Photosynthesis. Just a quick Science reminder: Photosynthesis is essential to keep us humans alive: the leaves of plants change Carbon-dioxide into Oxygen with the help of energy from the sun. We inhale that Oxygen and the exhale Carbon Dioxide The green plants basically do the opposite of how we breathe and keep everything in balance… Legumes that we can use (even right now) are clovers, lupins, beans, peas and fenugreek. Sow them in the fallow, and weed-free soil. The good thing is that they have a habit of quickly germinating and covering the soil before weed seeds come along These leguminose Nitrogen fixers are pretty efficient in grabbing the goodies from the air. Don’t let them go to seed as that will reduce the amount of N you can dig into your garden bed. Besides, seeds would create a weedy spring and summer, so avoid that. A good bed of Blue Lupins really covers the soil and prevents weeds germinating. Crimson Clover is one of those magnificently beautiful Legumes that also attracts pollinators. Generally speaking, the best time to dig your green manure into the soil is when it is flowering. In Sandy soils the Green manure works extra hard against loosing organic materials; Sand is notorious for loosing compostables quickly! In “Hard soils” the Green manure softens the soils by providing better soil structure. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is a myriad of troubling economic factors prevalent at the moment —inflation, high interest rates, unemployment— that could knock your financial progress off course. But sometimes it’s an inside hit-job – i.e., what’s sabotaging your financial progress more than anything is you. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Those in the EU will be able to turn off TikTok's famous algorithm This is in response to the EU's Digital Services Act which forces 19 companies to strict regulations regarding algorithms and AI, allows users to opt out of targeting of content or ads, and gives ways to for users to flag illegal content and for platforms to take actions. Basically, they need to be more proactive and transparent than other companies because of their influence as a leader in their space as a "very large online platform" VLOP or a "very large online search engine" VLOSE. Users between 13 and 17 will not be able to be served personalize ads. If you switch off the algorithm, what will TikTok in the EU look like? It'll have popular videos in the area you live, and around the world. Expect announcements and changes from the other 18 companies before the august 28 deadline. Google is tempting staff back to the office with $99 hotel rooms. So you can avoid the commute! There's a hotel on their Bay View campus, and for a limited time Google will let employees you stay there for $99 a night. The marketing materials say it'll "help users transition to the hybrid workplace". "Just imagine no commute to the office in the morning and instead, you could have an extra hour of sleep and less friction". Yeah... imagine! Google says they regularly offer deals so folks can enjoy the campus amenities. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart: Sigourney Weaver and New Zealand’s own Frankie Adams star in this Australian drama about a young girl who goes to live with her grandmother after her parent’s death in a mysterious fire (Prime Video). Fisk: An Australian comedy about high-end lawyer Helen Tudor-Fisk, who is forced to take a job at a shambolic suburban law firm after a humiliating marriage breakdown and a career implosion (Netflix). The Traitors: The murder-mystery reality format that’s taken the world by storm finally reaches New Zealand, hosted by Paul Henry and featuring a cast of celebrities and “everyday” New Zealanders (Three, from Monday). LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tiki Taane is a man of many talents; a music experimentalist, musical activist, producer, and live engineer. Tiki’s now putting on his director’s hat for a documentary, giving a behind the scenes perk at his sold out concert with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. The documentary's already won film festival awards across the world and will be released in New Zealand next Friday. Tiki Taane joined Jack Tame to chat about it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chocolate, coffee, cheesecake. Say no more. Makes one 22cm cheesecake. Ingredients: Mocha sauce 100mls cream 150g dark chocolate, chopped 3 tsps ground espresso or instant coffee Cheesecake 500g full fat cream cheese ¾ cup caster sugar 3 large eggs 1 tablespoons vanilla extract 1 heaped tablespoon plain flour A decent pinch of sea salt 250mls cream Method: Preheat oven 220 C. Line a 22cm cake tin with baking paper, making sure it comes up the sides. Make the espresso/chocolate sauce (to swirl) by heating cream in a small saucepan until it nearly comes to a boil. Remove from heat, add chopped chocolate, cover with a tea towel and leave for 10 minutes. Whisk in espresso powder and continue whisking until you have a smooth sauce. Keep warm and set aside. Beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and the sugar is dissolved. Add in vanilla and eggs one at a time and beat for 20 seconds between each. Add flour and salt and beat until combined then pour in the cream and mix until combined. Scrape into prepared tin. Swirl in espresso/chocolate sauce; using a teaspoon take spoonfuls of the sauce and dig it/drop it deep into the cheesecake mix. Then with the handle end of the spoon, drag it through the sauce to form a swirl, repeat in whatever patterns take your fancy - you may not use all of the sauce. Bake on the middle rack for 30 minutes until the top is very dark brown and the middle 5cm is still wobbly. It will fall and firm up as it cools. Chill completely (at least 3 hours or overnight) before removing from tin. Serve with softly whipped cream and any extra mocha sauce you have. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After much anticipation, the Barbie soundtrack has finally been released. The album, which was announced several months ago, features a star-studded lineup of artists, including Billie Eilish, Sam Smith, Lizzo, and Dua Lipa. However, the one powerhouse that the team behind the compilation wanted more than any other was Nicki Minaj. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Scarlet Papers – Matthew Richardson VIENNA, 1946: A brilliant German scientist snatched from the ruins of Nazi Europe. MOSCOW, 1964: A US diplomat caught in a clandestine love affair as the Cold War rages. RIGA, 1992: A Russian archivist selling secrets that will change the twentieth century forever. LONDON, THE PRESENT DAY: A British academic on the run with the chance to solve one of history's greatest mysteries. Their stories, their lives, and the fate of the world are bound by a single manuscript. A document feared and whispered about in capitals across the globe. In its pages, history will be rewritten. It is only ever known as . . . THE SCARLET PAPERS The devastating secrets contained within teased by a brief invitation: Tomorrow 11AM. Take a cab and pay in cash. Tell no one. The Ambassador – Joseph P Kennedy Through meticulous research and many newly available sources, Ronald confirms in impressive detail what has long been believed by many: that Kennedy was a Fascist sympathizer and an anti-Semite whose only loyalty was to his family's advancement. She also reveals the ambitions of the Kennedy dynasty during this period abroad, as they sought to enter the world of high society London and establish themselves as America’s first family. Thorough and utterly readable, The Ambassador explores a darker side of the Kennedy patriarch in an account sure to generate attention and controversy. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Mike Yardley joined Jack Tame to chat about his visit to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dougal Sutherland, Clinical Psychologist from Umbrella Wellbeing, joined Jack Tame to talk about whether the way we work is mentally harming us. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.