Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

Travel writer Mike Yardley has been dreaming of getting out and about. Recently he was free-roaming in Central Hawke's Bay.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seven piece Kiwi band Fat Freddy’s drop has released a new album – and it’s the chill vibe we probably all need in lockdown. It’s called Wairunga, and music reviewer Estelle Clifford has been taking a listen.LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine Raynes has been reading The Rising Tide by Sam Lloyd, and One Ordinary Day at a Time by Sarah J Harris.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Relationship expert Steven Dromgool has been giving Jack Tame some tips on how to read your partner's mind. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are heaps of particles that fly in the air (apart from molecules of Oxygen, Nitrogen and Carbon Dioxide, of course). For instance, sea-salt is a biggie near the coast. Others are smoke from bush fires, soot, pollutants, dust. You name it and it flies. We all know about birds, insects, flying fish and sugar gliders, flying squirrels and such critters, plant seeds and helicopter seeds from maple trees. Then there are bio-aerosols (micro-organisms). I’ve read some amazing statistics about fungal spores in the air. Take a puffball. Drop some water on the outer skin and see it release its spores. It looks like smoke. Millions of spores float in the air – amazing dispersal! Fungal spores are very common in the air – you might not see them as easily as the “smoke” from puffballs, but there are estimates of concentrations as high as 10,000,000 spores per cubic meter! Fungi in the groups Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes can cause allergies in humans with over 13,000 spores per cubic meter considered a high concentration. Allergies for some humans! There are many different allergic troubles, such as rhinitis (nasal membranes inflammation), asthma and the famous hay fever. The density of spores in the air is also a pain in the neck for gardeners. Some plant pest fungi distribute themselves through airborne spores. These spores usually appreciate landing on wet leaves – the moisture allows them to “germinate” nicely on the leaves and will then penetrate those leaves. Rust species are probably the best adapted to aerial bombardment. Look around for those orange rust pustules on you garlic/onions/spring onions at this time of the year. Prevention is to try and keep leaves dry, or regular treatment with organic fungicides such as Copper/Sulphur mixtures. These do not allow fungal spores to develop on the leaf surface. A recent walk in the nearby forest during lockdown showed me the famous late-winter pollen dump. Pine flowers are out right now and the pollen which are shed are bright yellow and everywhere. This pollen is very noticeable on the ground, especially where there was the remnant evidence of rain flooding. The pollen literally stick to the “side” of the old “stream bed”. Pollen salso visible as a fine, yellow-ish film on your cars. Mind you – it’s not just pollen from pine trees – other trees are full of it too. Have a look around for flowering trees and shrubs. People can be allergic to all sorts of plant species, including grasses; especially when they are flowering. Christmas plums in flower… a wonderful surprise awaits around the festive season! LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Bryan Betty has been speaking to Jack Tame about COPD – Chronic Obstructive Airways disease or Emphysema.He's s GP, Medical Director for the College of GPs, and member of the Covid-19 advisory committee. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The world of podcasting has given a voice to some pretty niche communities. When Aussies Mandy Hose and Kate Jones started their show Too Peas in a Podcast, they had an extremely specific community in mind: parents of multiples, and kids with additional needs. They’d met, and bonded, a decade before over their crazy lives as mums to twins with disabilities. But what they found was a community far, far larger than that. They now have a hugely successful podcast with more than 10-thousand listeners a week, which has also seen them produce live tours, work as public speakers, create a merchandise line and now a book "The Invisible Life of Us".Mandy and Kate have been speaking to Jack Tame. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's never been a better time for a weekend of screentime, and Tara Ward has some tips:The Defeated: Historical drama set in post war Germany. Max McLaughlin is an American cop who arrives in Berlin in the summer of 1946 to help create a police force in the chaotic aftermath of the war (Netflix) Clickbait: a tense thriller about when family man Nick Brewer is abducted in a crime with a sinister online twist, those closest to him race to uncover who is behind it and why (Netflix) Celebrity Bake Off: some comfort food for the lockdown soul. Celebrity contestants take part in a special version of the popular British baking competition (Neon). LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apple's internet tax may be in jeopardy One of the conditions for having an app on Apple's App Store was that you must use their payments service where they take up to 30% of your income. You can't even email users with data you've collected from users using your app promoting a different payment method.. that's about to change. A class action lawsuit from US app developers has won a $100 million payout from Apple and a changing of the rules. So now you can email or text users with information collected from the app. Critics say it's just the first step and Apple should re-think the forced in-app payment method because it an anti-trust violation. OnlyFans has reversed its adult content ban In what was likened to Twitter removing the ability for people to Tweet, OnlyFans told its community that adult content would be banned. Apparently there are also musicians, fitness trainers and beauty influencers on the platform doing classes and providing a way for fans to connect. OnlyFans said its banks wouldn't support their business, but news reports suggested they were also struggling to find investors despite being projected to double their revenue to $2.5 billion next year. There is concern about the legal liability for illegal content on the platform. Well, the money must be speaking now because they've reversed the decision and OnlyFans is continuing as is. Afghanistan refugees are being gifted Airbnbs Airbnb is pledging to house 20,000 refugees for free, "as long as is needed". Airbnb's CEO Brian Chesky tweeted that hosts who are open to making their homes available to get in touch. Airbnb launched a non-profit a few years ago to help people displaced by natural disasters and providing essential workers a place to stay away from their families during the height of the COVID pandemic. If you want to help house refugees, you can visit airbnb.org.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

LOCKDOWN ONE BOWL CHEESY HAM & EGG BAKE This is a one bowl winner of a lunch! It’s a crustless pie that the whole family will love. Serves 4 1 ½ cups milk 3 large eggs 200g shaved ham, diced 1 medium onion, diced fine or grated 1 cup grated cheese ½ cup plain flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 teaspoons powdered vegetable or chicken stock ¼ teaspoon black pepper ¼ cup chopped parsley (optional) Heat oven to 170 C. Generously butter a medium-sized oven proof dish. In a big bowl, lightly whisk together milk and eggs. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Scrape into prepared dish and bake for about 45-55 mins or until golden and cooked through. It will puff up and deflate once removed from the oven. Serve hot or cold with chutney and some salad greens TIP: Bacon or salmon could be used in place of ham. Other lockdown lunch ideas: Tacos Quesadillas Toasted sandwiches Fried rice Buttery noodles / spaghetti Fritters Roasted chicken wings The good old sandwich! LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Francesca Rudkin has some movies to watch at your house this weekend: Vacation Friends on Disney+, Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal and Greed on Netflix. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yesterday we learned Chris Cairns suffered a stroke during life-saving surgery, and now has paralysis in his legs.Kevin Milne has been talking to Jack Tame about the news. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s the right decision to extend the lockdown for the whole country. It sucks. But we simply don’t have enough people vaccinated to expose our health system any more cases than we already are.To me, what’s interesting about the daily stats is the Covid-19 case numbers versus hospitalisations. This Delta outbreak totals 347 people according to the latest figures. 19 of those people are in hospital. About 5.5%. Admittedly it’s not a great sample size, but you can see how quickly our health system might be overwhelmed with a few thousand cases, especially if they were centred in one region. Delta would get away on us *incredibly* quickly. For areas outside of Auckland and Northland, I think sacrificing the weekend and a few extra days at Level Four is worth it for the security of knowing there is no Delta in the community. Again, it sucks. But it’s like turning around to double-check you locked the front door when you’re leaving town on holiday. You’re pretty sure you remembered. You’re 98% sure the door is locked and everything is safe. But sometimes the inconvenience that comes with being certain is worth it for the peace of mind.I say that as someone who looks enviously upon a move to Level 3. It’s obviously not happening anytime soon, in Auckland. Again though, I think this is pretty much the government’s only option. And as much as I didn’t want to hear it I’m glad they’re being straight up about the likelihood we’ll be at Level 4 for another few weeks.So, then, reasonable decisions about the lockdowns with the information they have available at this moment. But it would be remiss not to point out that we find ourselves in this moment because of decisions made by the same people and their officials earlier in the pandemic.For whatever reasons – and I think there are like many, some of which were out of officials’ control and some of which weren’t – we have found ourselves woefully behind in the vaccination programme. Ministers are incredibly defensive whenever they are challenged on this. But you can’t take credit for one part of the response and shirk all responsibility for another. The vaccination rates speak for themselves. All I can think, anytime someone stands up at the start of a press conference and says ‘First, some good news...’ is actually now isn’t the time to be setting vaccination records. That time was months ago.Delta is insidious. I’m not saying more vaccinations would have meant we didn’t need some lockdown restrictions. But a much higher vaccination rate would have reduced the likelihood of people getting hospitalised or dying of Covid-19. And isn’t that the government’s long-stated goal?One last thought. By my count, before this outbreak, areas outside of Auckland had spent a total of 51 days locked down in either Level 3 or Level 4. Auckland had spent 79 days at Level 3 or Level 4. That’s right, before this outbreak, Aucklanders had spent four weeks in lockdown more than the rest of the country. If we do manage to eliminate Delta this time, that margin is going to extend a whole lot further. Aucklanders will take the biggest hit.So, with that in mind, a suggestion: Let’s all send our latte-sipping, Lululemon slinking, urban-tractor driving, Waiheke weekending, Ponsnobby-bungalow-flipping mates some good will for a change. Yes, they’re fun to tease! But if we do beat Delta this time, the ‘09’ will have made the biggest sacrifice, once again. I never thought I would say this. I never thought I would utter these words.Let’s all spare a thought...for Auckland.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Remember when we could move around the country to our heart's desire? Well when that was a thing, our resident traveller Mike Yardley had some fun in Napier. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lorde’s third album Solar Power is out today, and our music reviewer Estelle Clifford has been in possession of something that all music fans want: a special early copy of the album. She's been telling Jack Tame what she thinks. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Escapees from the Garden There are quite a number of plants that have become “pests” due to garden escapes. You’ve probably heard of them: Mexican Daisy, Bear’s breeches, Agapanthus, Clematis species, esp. vitalba (Old man’s Beard!). www.weedbusters.org.nz has a heap of them on their website PLUS: alternatives you can plant (“plant me instead”). I am aware that not all “weeds” behave like “weeds” in all places in NZ. For example, agapanthus in Christchurch seem to be reasonably well behaved. Many gardeners dispute biosecurity thinking around invasive weeds: “My plants are not that bad! (a bit like “my cat only brings in dead birds”). In our bathroom we grow “Spanish Moss” (Tillandsia possibly usneoides). it’s a weird plant that hangs from branches in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the Americas. Think Florida, Mexico and the Jungles of Equador and Panama. We grow it as a “curtain” in front of the south-facing window. It doesn’t need a lot of care: once a week we dump it in a batch of cold water and hang it back up. Once a month a sit gets a sight spry/misting with some seafood soup and it just keeps on growing. Tillandsia belongs to the Bromeliad plant Family Bromeliaceae (Close relative of the Pineapple!) and it is an epiphyte: imply hanging from tree branches and not harming the trees at all. Recently I was made aware that it is moving into the New Zealand landscape. These pictures (courtesy of Dave Holland – iNaturalist) are from Whangarei where Tillandsia seems to be doing well in established trees. The debate is now whether or not Spanish moss is having an impact on our Native ecosystems. Time will tell, but I have the feeling that it may not be a great idea to let it just roam the New Zealand landscape. We simply haven’t got enough scientific data on this. Birds use it as nesting material and that may spread it around. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Book reviewer Catherine Raynes has been reading The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz and All Her Fault by Andrea Mara.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Green kids in lockdown Lockdown is a special time - It can be an opportunity to reevaluate what’s important. There are plenty of eco habits we could start, and it’s a special time to spend with the kids. We are going to look at some fun and educational games, projects to do with the kids. Kumara in a jar You can grow beautiful green vines anywhere you want them, and any time of year. You need: kumara, toothpicks, a jar or glass, non-chlorinated water. 1. Wash the kumara thoroughly but gently 2. Make sure the kumara can fit at least a third of its length into the jar 3. Insert the toothpicks a third the way down it 4. Place in jar and fill with water 5. In-between 10-14 days the kumara will start to bud. Make sure the kids are aware of this process. Now for three to six months vines will grow from these bud. You can let them dangle or train them to go where ever you choose. Egg shell people There is a long tradition of starting your seedling in empty egg shells. The egg shells are a fertiliser and will add calcium to the garden - plus you are recycling! Our idea is more for decoration. 1. For a week or so be careful how you crack eggs, leaving half to two thirds and put back in the carton. 2. Wash the eggshell seed pots with warm soapy water and punch a hole in the bottom with a heavy needle or similar, for drainage. 3. Use non-toxic makers and get the kids to draw faces on them. Maybe of people you know like granddad or grandma. 4. Put them in egg cups or the old egg cartoon and explain that the strength they have is because of the shape of the egg even though the egg shell is very delicate. 5. Fill with sterile seed raising mix, and seeds that will come up with lots of small stems, like mustard, cress, or alfalfa. This will look just like hair! 6. Place them in filtered light and keep the water up, and wait for the results. You can do exactly the same thing to start your spring vegetables, herbs and flowers. With these, once they have more than 2 true leaves, they could be transplanted into your garden. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all know interest rates were about to skyrocket, but lockdown could change that. Enable Me's Hannah McQueen has been talking to Jack Tame about what to do if you were abotu to re-fix your mortgage. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Little breakfast sesame bread rolls To get us through lockdown, here’s a recipe for baking soft, fluffy, yeasty deliciousness every time! Makes 12 small rolls 1 cup warm water 1 teaspoon active dried yeast granules 1 teaspoon honey or sugar 4–5 tablespoons olive oil 2½–3 cups plain or high-grade flour 1 egg, lightly beaten for egg wash sesame or poppy seeds Heat oven to very low, just warm — say 50°C. Step 1: In a large glass or ceramic bowl, mix water, yeast and honey or sugar. Cover with a damp cloth and leave for 10 minutes until frothy. Step 2: Add olive oil and 2 cups of flour to the yeast mixture and mix with a knife until it starts to come together. Knead it in the bowl using a strong spoon or knife, only adding more flour if it is really too wet. This will take about 5 minutes or until the dough comes together in a ball. Tip out onto a well-floured bench. Step 3: Oil the bowl then pop the dough back into the bowl and flip it so it’s coated in oil. Place bowl on a folded tea towel in the warm oven. Turn oven off. Leave dough to double in size, about 30–45 minutes. Step 4: Carefully plop dough out on bench and shape into 12 rolls. Tuck them into a lined roasting dish so they’re just touching. Cover with a plastic bag and leave to rise until doubled in size, about 30–45 minutes. Egg wash surface then sprinkle over seeds. Preheat the oven to 220°C and bake for 15–17 minutes until golden brown. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Let's face it, there's not much else to do during lockdown, so it's time to embrace some screentime. Here are Tara Ward's picks for this week:Nine Perfect Strangers: Starring Nicole Kidman and Melissa McCarthy and based on Liane Moriarty’s best selling novel, "Nine Perfect Strangers" takes place at a boutique health-and-wellness resort that promises healing and transformation as nine stressed city dwellers try to get on a path to a better way of living (Amazon Prime Video). The Chair: Sandra Oh stars in this new Netflix academic drama as the first female English department chair at a major university (Netflix). Superstore: five seasons of the excellent American sitcom about a group of people who work in a mid-Western chain store is on Netflix - and it will take you a full two days to binge watch every episode this lockdown (Netflix). LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Work from the virtual office If we can't all physically be in the office together, could we all be together in a virtual meeting room instead? That's what Facebook is pitching with its new "Horizons Workplace" app which allows participants to put on their Facebook Oculus headsets and be transported to virtual reality. In the meeting you can see the 3D avatars of colleagues (who are also joining by wearing their headsets). Those who join by webcam or phone are displayed on a virtual version of a tv screen. When you're in the meeting, you can look down to your virtual laptop which is where you can make notes, or draw something to share with your colleagues. The whole experience looks very cartoon-ish at the moment. Facebook wants to be the home of the immersive digital experience - they're dubbing the "metaverse". Microsoft to raise its prices for Office365 That will bring it inline with Google's recent price hike too, with basic email and collaboration services going from $5 to $6 USD per person. The prices will come into effect next year, so adjust those IT budgets now. It's the first substantial price increase since Microsoft launched Office365 in 2011. Since then they've added a bunch of additional apps and features like Teams, OneDrive and more.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bexy Cameron grew up in one of the most infamous cults ever The Children of God. It was started in the 60s by a charismatic evangelical preacher who merged religious beliefs with increasingly depraved sexual and physical abuse, sometimes involving tiny children. High-profile members included Rose McGowan and her family, River and Joaquin Phoenix and Fleetwood Mac guitarist Jeremy Spencer. Bexy Cameron is now a film-maker, and has written a book about her experience, called "Cult Following". She's been talking to Jack Tame.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Movie reviewer Francesca Rudkin has some movies you can watch in lockdown: An American Pickle which is on Neon, documentary The Last Cruise on Neon, Luca on Disney+, The Kissing Booth 3 on Netflix.LISTEN NOWSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, there's been a bit of criticism of the journalists at the daily COVID briefing. But Kevin Milne has some praise for the journos of NZ.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I visited Sir Michael Cullen at his home a couple of months ago and had the great privilege of a few hours of his time, at a moment when it was clear his time was very limited. We spoke about all sorts of different things: Rogernomics, the monarchy, the foreshore and seabed. He talked about God (or, in his opinion, the lack thereof). He spoke frankly about his illness and death. For an egalitarian, Sir Michael Cullen lived a very rich life. And upon news of his death yesterday I found myself thinking of one specific policy, one piece of his work that we discussed, that really stands out to me. Kiwisaver is amazing. It’s such a good idea. Simple. Boring. But incredibly effective. More than the Super Fund and more than interest free student loans, I think Kiwisaver will define Sir Michael Cullen’s legacy for generations to come. There is currently about $60 Billion under management in New Zealanders’ Kiwisaver accounts. Just think about that. $60 Billion. For a nation of notoriously bad savers, a nation with ludicrously high house prices and massive personal debt, Kiwisaver could be the difference between dignity in older age and a pretty miserly existence. In a way, the beauty of it is that half of us don’t even know we’re saving. We don’t think about funds or providers. We never consider the power of compact interest over time. If we’re automatically enrolled, it’s much more hassle to organise a Kiwisaver holiday than it is to just keep on contributing. I’ll be honest, as a younger person, I sometimes feel resentful about the future my generation faces. Many people my age will be locked out of home ownership. The sustainability of superannuation is seriously under threat. Climate change is baked in, and we’re the ones who’ll have to live with the effects. And truthfully, we won’t really see the true scale of Kiwisaver benefits for a few more decades, when people who’ve been enrolled in Kiwisaver for the whole of their working lives can access the money they’ve tucked away, when they finally turn 65. There it's my generation, for all the things we feel short-changed by, who will most benefit from Kiwisaver. All of us who are lucky enough to make it that far and who have been in Kiwisaver since the beginning of our working lives will have Sir Michael Cullen to thank for giving us a materially better retirement. A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in. I hope we remember him then as we do today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Billie Eilish has released her second album, "Happier than Ever". Music reviewer Estelle Clifford has been taking a listen.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Book reviewer Catherine Raynes has been reading Red Traitor by Owen Matthews and John Boyne's The Echo Chamber. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Travel writer Mike Yardley has been keeping things domestic, and this week he's got some tips for roaming Palliser Bay. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chaenomeles japonica Gardeners often have a love-hate relationship with plants, shrubs and trees - there's nothing wrong with that. For me it‘s bulbs. I love them when they flower in early spring, but hate them when I forget where they are and inadvertently dig them up. Then there are roses. Some are brilliant flower-producing specimens, but generally they’re a real bugger to prune, especially climbers, when you haven’t got a great deal of hair left on your head! This all brings me to Japanese Quince, Chaenomeles japonica, a deciduous shrub native to Japan, related to both true quinces and Chinese quinces. In the middle of winter, mid-July onwards, this shrub flowers a brilliant orange/red/coral. It’s a beacon that says: “Pollen right here! Nectar available” for those bugs and birds that dare to come and get it. It’s the promise that there will be a spring… at some stage. For six weeks or so it has gorgeous flowers with yellow stamen – the look of fecundity. No leaves yet, just flowers on branches older than a year. It’s hardy (in freezing conditions it’ll thrive) and can be grown in large pots/containers. Chaenomeles also sets fruit, usually smallish and yellow – very hard and bad eating before the frost! After frost it is softer, but still not too great, really. It’s best to use for making marmalade and jellies, and some folks create liqueurs! The fruit is seriously high in pectin and are therefore useful for preserves and jam with other fruit sources. Chinese medicine mentions arthritis and muscle cramps. Japanese Quince likes full sun but will also grow in part shade. Well-drained soils and preferably nutritiously fertile growing conditions. I think a hand-full of sulphate of potash in spring might be useful for flower set next winter. The traditional red flowering variety is my favourite – it can be espaliered against a wall/fence. But that’s where my problem starts: This thing is murderously prickly. Pruning is diabolical, you need welder’s gloves! Using hedge clippers is not recommended either (the plant doesn’t like that at all – it’ll stop flowering because you cut off all the potential flowering wood for next season!). The shrub doesn’t grow that high, but it can become quite dense with branches inside the shrub. Down the road from me, near the entrance of the Halswell Quarry is a nice specimen from which I cut flowering branches in winter. I reckon they are wonderful on someone else’s property. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Bob's Best Buy is Guigal 2017 Cotes du Rhone, $22 LISTEN TO BOB'S REVIEW ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apple shuts down surveys on pay Apple's employees aren't usually in the press - they're good at holding company secrets and keeping internal matters internal but lately we've seen a couple of things spill over. First it was around work-from-home and return-to-office policies and now around pay. Employees say they've been shutdown with efforts to gather data on employee salaries, working locations and diversity information. They say they're trying to ensure minorities aren't being discriminate against. Apple says the surveys are prohibited because they collect personally identifiable information. Samsung's unveils the Galaxy Watch 4 There have been watches to track steps, to measure your heartrate, blood oxygen levels and now.. your body fat percentage. They call it 'body composition'. The tech is a shrunken version of the same sensors used already in smart scales or palm devices, and Samsung says its trials show it's more accurate too. It works by sending a weak electric current into your body - known as bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) - which measures the amount of water you're holding. Fat holds more water than muscle. It's not a perfect measure, but beats out things like BMI. Back to the office delayed.. again. It was after July 4th, then September, some are now hoping for October. Facebook and Amazon are now pushing the return date back to January 2022. That'll be 22 months working at home. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Author Michael Pollan has long been a hugely respected name for his ideas about eating. You’ve almost certainly heard the advice ‘Eat food, not too much, mostly plants’. That’s Pollan, who has written a series of fascinating books about what we’re eating, and where that food comes from. But now he’s turned his mind to psychedelic substances, starting with 2018’s “How to change your mind” where he looked into the scientific revolution around psychedelic drugs. His latest book “This is Your Mind on Plants” looks into the effects of opium, caffeine and mescaline. He's been speaking with Jack Tame. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our movie reviewer Francesca Rudkin has been watching "science-fiction action comedy film" Free Guy, and Kiwi thriller Coing Home in the Dark. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Controversial opinion: I don’t like Lord of the Rings. Gulp. I know! Sorry. I understand that’s a potentially treasonous admission. I don’t have a problem with anyone else frothing over Tolkien’s Worlds and I can appreciate the talent that goes into bringing the stories alive on screen. But I don’t know if it’s the Elves or the Hobbits or the mystical flying beasts but in the sage words of Billy Connolly, I personally prefer stories with human-beings in them. In some ways there are similarities between Amazon’s production of Lord of the Rings and the America’s Cup. Both received a lot of public money, whether in cold, hard cash or in extremely generous tax subsidies. And the benefits of both can be a little messy to calculate. A programme like Lord of the Rings does more than just employ a lot of New Zealanders in the film and production industry. It also (presumably) shows off the country and promotes our landscape on a scale that’s hard to calculate. Again, like the America’s Cup, the indirect benefits of New Zealand looking sexy on a few million TV screens overseas may be nixed for the time-being by the pandemic. Amazon’s Lord of the Rings will premier in September next year. Who knows what – if any - tourists we’ll be letting in by then? Will those tourists and the production jobs supported be worth the roughly $130m we’ve given out in subsidies? We’ll have to wait to find out. Certainly it wouldn’t stick so much in the taxpayer’s throat if the company we’ve subsidised wasn’t founded by a guy who just funded his own trip to space.I think there is one really important point to remember: From most of the reporting so far, it seems Amazon didn’t leave New Zealand because of money. They didn’t leave because the subsidy wasn’t big enough. They left because our ongoing border restrictions are likely to make it difficult for them to operate in the future. This time last year our closed borders were an incentive for big international productions. I interviewed the producer of Avatar as he stepped out of isolation, positively delighted in the middle of a global pandemic to be in a country where he could continue shooting when everywhere else was locked down. That situation has flipped. The full 180. In this case, our hardline Covid-19 approach isn’t so attractive.It might not be safer to make Lord of the Rings in the U.K, but Amazon’s betting it’ll be easier.We should be clear-eyed about this. A cautious re-opening makes a lot of sense, but our strategy won’t be without its own costs. Amazon probably won’t be the last company to decide it’s easier to spend money and do business elsewhere.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Music reviewer Estelle Clifford's been listening to Prince's posthumous album "Welcome to America". LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Book reviewer Catherine Raynes has been reading The Cellist by Daniel Silva and Thursdays at Orange Blossom House by Sophie Green.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're dreaming of a winter holiday, Mike Yardley has some tips on what's waiting for you in Surfers Paradise. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

De-clutter your life (and help the planet) There’s no denying that most of us are buying too much stuff. It’s fun to go shopping! But this mindless consumerism is bad for the planet, and it’s cluttering up our homes. This issue has spawned a whole new industry, storage facilities, where we can leave all this excess stuff that we’ve bought. Many a friend has retrieved the things they spent a fortune storing only to find they don’t really want this ‘treasure’. So let’s look at a few areas where we can reduce clutter, and help the planet at the same time. BOOKS This is going to earn me some criticism from my friends and family. I love books, they are a valuable resource, and we can only encourage kids to read more. But do we have to buy them all? How many books that you own have never been opened? I’m afraid that to actually achieve personal growth, you need to do more than just buy the latest book on how to change your life. If you LOVE a book, especially kids’ books that you will read often to them at bedtime, then definitely buy and treasure them. But you can use the library for books you’ll only read once or borrow them from friends. Clearing out books you don’t want * Sometimes your local op-shop will take them. * Drop them at one of the local small free libraries that are in parks and community centres for someone else to enjoy. Pick up something new to read while you’re there! KIDS CLOTHES AND TOYS This is another category that can quickly get out of hand, thanks to kids that just keep growing! If you’re wanting to clear things out, there are always the usual suspects: passing on to friends and families, op-shops, and Trade Me. Clearing out kids’ items you don’t want * There’s a great charity called Little More (www.littlemore.co.nz) that will take used items for kids 0-12 months for families that need them. * Sometimes your local maternity ward will take newborn clothes. * Your local toy library will often take any good quality toys. Extra points for this option because then you're cycling toys through many different families. FASHIONIn the thirties, women had an average of nine outfits, now it’s over thirty. In England there are an average of 22 unworn items in a woman’s closet. Here is a method to figure out what you aren’t wearing anymore. At the start of the year turn all your hangers the opposite way that you usually have them. Swap them over as you water that piece. At the end of year, you will see what you actually wear. Clearing out clothes you don’t want * Same thing as kids clothes – they can be sold or donated. * For work clothes, Dress for Success (dressforsuccess.org) will take new or near-new clothes that women can borrow to wear for job interviews, or to help them re-enter the workforce. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rhubarb This is a great crop if you’re into crumbles and fruity bits for breakfast with muesli and yoghurt and soaked sultanas, and dessert’s like Nici Wickes’ Rhubarb and Vanilla Bread and Butter Pudding. Rhubarb is pretty easy to grow. It can stand quite a bit of frost. I saw it growing in Mongolia’s permafrost, and in the deserts with big weta-like critters hiding underneath! In really cold areas it will go dormant in winter, and in hot summers it might take a break. In hotter areas it might pay to allocate a cooler spot and some shade for the warmest period of the day to stop it “bolting”. That leaves excellent growth in spring, early summer, late summer and autumn. It requires a sunny location and nice fertile free-draining soil. If you’ve got heavy clay soil, break it up and add heaps of compost to make it friable. Alternatively, plant it above the soil level in a raised bed. I reckon you can even grow it in a big container with good mix, but keep it well-watered. Rhubarb loves compost and manure (yes – some rotted cow poo/sheep/pig or horse – preferably gone through a composting cycle). Keep the plant base free of weeds. Pests and diseases are usually of no great concern, slugs and snails are your main problem and they will only go on the leaves. Copper sprays may prevent leaf-spots, but they’re not a big deal, usually. To Harvest: cut the stems for consumption and use leaves in compost bins. Alternatively, the large leaves are great on the ground as “weed mat”. Look around for various cultivars – if you are lucky you might find some of the old-fashioned bright red varieties that look fantastic: Moulin Rouge; Crimson Crumble; Cherry Red; Ruby Red; Glaskin’s Perpetual...but in terms of TASTE, they all taste the same. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our resident doctor Bryan Betty has been giving Jack Tame some tips on how to avoid, and treat, migraines. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lucy Lawless is back on our screens on Monday and this time, she’s bringing an Aussie series home to Auckland. She’s starring in the second series of My Life is Murder, where she plays a charismatic crime investigator. It was originally set in Melbourne, but it’s moved to Auckland, and it’s designed for a Kiwi audience as well as online audiences around the world. Lucy Lawless has been speaking to Jack Tame. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Screentime Queen Tara Ward has some TV picks for your weekend:Hit and Run: Made by the team behind Israeli drama Fauda, this thriller follows a man determined to find out the truth about his wife’s death in a mysterious hit-and-run accident in Tel Aviv (Netflix). Mr Corman: Joseph Gordon-Levitt wrote, starred and produced this drama about the days and nights of fifth-grade teacher Josh Corman as he struggles with anxiety, loneliness, forfeited dreams of a music career, and the sinking suspicion that he sucks as a person (Apple TV+) My Life is Murder: Lucy Lawless returns as fearless private investigator Alexa Crowe for a second season of this crime-solving drama, with this new season moving from Melbourne to Auckland (TVNZ 1, Mondays). LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bread 'n' butter pudding but not as you know it! Think croissants studded with sharp rhubarb and held together by a creamy baked custard. Serves 6-8 6 croissants 300mls milk 300mls cream 4 large eggs ½ cup sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla extract Soft butter to butter croissant 2 cups chopped rhubarb Icing sugar to dust Heat oven to 160 C fan-bake (180 regular) and butter an oven proof dish. Slice each croissant into 3-4 thick slices. Butter each slice on one side and pack them into the prepared dish, rounded side up. Scatter and tuck rhubarb in and around the croissant. In a large bowl whisk together the milk, cream, eggs, sugar and vanilla. Pour over croissant and leave to sit for 30 minutes to one hour to allow the croissant to soak up the custard. Help it out by pushing the croissant down into the mixture every now and then. Bake for one hour or until the middle is set. Dust with icing sugar to serve. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Movie reviewer Francesca Rudkin's been watching superhero film The Suicide Squad, and undercover thriller The Mole. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne's been loving the Olympics - but he's got one problem with the success we've been having.He's been talking to Jack Tame. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The housing crisis. The Covid-19 vaccination rollout. Asset inflation further widening the gap between rich and poor. Poverty. Coal imports. Fiji’s health crisis. What actually constitutes safer policing. The painfully slow rate of change in the mental health sector. Families separated by our closed borders. Three waters. China’s increasing influence in the Pacific. Climate change mitigation. Superannuation. The immigration backlog. Treaty settlements. Financial support for the survivors of March 15 attacks. Our slipping achievement in mathematics education. Local government reforms. The nurses’ strikes. Disabled people’s appalling ove-representation in poverty statistics. Crown-Māori relationships. The future of farming in New Zealand. Hate speech. Hate crimes. Significant Natural Areas. Public transport infrastructure.There you go. Bam! Just off the top of my head: 25 issues that should be far more important to our politicians than a debate over whether we should call New Zealand, ‘Aotearoa.’National MP Stuart Smith supports a referendum on the use of the word by people in the public sector. Judith Collins made no effort to quieten the debate. Talk radio has been wild with people who feel the name ‘Aotearoa’ is being shoved down their throats.Please, regardless of how you feel about Aotearoa, ask yourself this: in the age of a global pandemic, growing sovereign debt, climate change, and an historic housing crisis, is this *really* the issue you want our policymakers to prioritise?Because you’re being used. You’re being played. It’s cynical. They know this sort of issue stirs people up. They know that by throwing a few cans of gas on the fire, they can briefly be absolved of working on the issues that actually impact our lives and the future of our country.I must confess, I was in two minds about whether or not to raise the subject. I know that in a way I’m playing into the game. But this is not an effort to stir up the debate. This is an effort to cauterise it. Here goes.If you don’t like people on TV and radio using the word Aotearoa, you should familiarise yourself with an amazing power: agency. If you don’t like it, don’t listen to it. Grab your remote and turn it off. Watch or listen to something else. It’s really as simple as that. And if you truly feel threatened by a perceived growth in the use of the word Aotearoa, you feel it’s worthy of a national debate and even a national referendum, might I gently offer you a solution to get you through these dark times?If you don’t like the name Aotearoa, don’t use it. No one’s forcing you to. No one’s holding you at gunpoint or at the threat of legal action. You won’t be hauled off in cuffs or stripped of citizenship if you choose to say New Zealand. You won’t even be misunderstood.Don’t like it? Don’t say it! Ao-tea-no-a.But know that just ‘cos you don’t use it doesn’t mean you’re not being used.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our music reviewer Estelle Clifford has been listening to ‘Gold-diggers Sound’ from American Soul singer Leon Bridges. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine Raynes has been reading the latest novel from Devil Wears Prada author Lauren Weisberger; When the Grass is Greener. She's also been reading The Perfect Family by Robyn Harding.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Remember how, for a brief period, we could hop across the ditch? Travel reporter Mike Yardley took the oppourtunity while the bubble was open, and checked out O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat in the Gold Coast Hinterland.LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.