Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

Movie reviewer Francesca Rudkin has been watching French film The Godmother, and female-led action movie Gunpowder Milkshake.LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two weeks ago, a heatwave in Canada and the U.S caused one thousand deaths. Yesterday, floods in Germany killed at least 125 people. As we go to air, hundreds of people in Buller are being evacuated because of massive rainfall. And New Zealand’s farmers are back home.You’d have to agree, for the most part the protest was a good bit of theatre. There were a few loopy extremists with whack-job signs, but the majority of tractor drivers are normal and presumably decent people who turned out because they feel unfairly picked on. Freshwater regulations, a ute tax, emissions reductions; they feel they’re being subjected to special treatment of the worst kind.Speaking of special treatment, did those protesting farmers feel the same way when their industry received the best part of a billion dollars in support for Mycoplasma Bovis? Did they take to the streets to protest hundreds of millions of dollars they received in irrigation subsidies? Did protestors turn out in anger at drought relief packages, or flood relief, or the Covid-19 wage support? If the agriculture sector is concerned about special treatment, just wait until it hears about the Emissions Trading Scheme.I’ll stop there though because honestly, ALL of us are hypocrites. As the farmers were protesting, I was on a plane. I landed and enjoyed a flat white. I eat meat a few times a week. I’m not so naive as to think dinner just falls out of the sky. All of us, regardless of where we live and regardless of what we do, are hypocrites of varying degrees. And all of us have to make sacrifices if we are to stop plundering the World for the sake of a quick hit and at the expense of the generations who follow us.For people in urban centres, it’s obvious. We have got to get used to living in neighbourhoods with high-density housing. We have got to stop moaning about bike lanes and start using the bus a whole lot more. For people in rural areas, the changes and sacrifices are just of a different nature.I understand that for many farmers it’s all just a question of proportionality. Farmers accept they have to make sacrifices but feel the things they are being asked to do are disproportionate to the sacrifices of people in towns and cities. It’s never going to be absolutely perfectly equitable but – take my examples above - if we’re honest, the sector has been well-supported for a very long time.I don’t think a few thousand extra dollars for a ute and some environmental compliance expenses are going to be so devastating that they fundamentally threaten farming communities’ way of life. So many farmers are already being proactive about adapting for the future, and it’s on government and the rest of us to make sure they are supported as they continue to do so.One last point: on Thursday, my sister had a baby daughter. I became an uncle for a second time and as my sister sent through photographs, I felt the wonderful, glorious rush of pure love run through my chest.Sometimes we get way so caught up focusing on what climate change adaptation and environmental protections will cost us as individuals, we don’t pause and consider who we’re making the changes for.All of us are hypocrites. All of us have sacrifices to make. And all of us have good reasons to make those sacrifices. Mine is called Elsie. She’s two days old.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nature Connections With school Holidays coming up and winter days often variable, here are some of my observations on how to connect kids with nature. I’ve noticed that bombarding kids with science and scientific principles is usually not a great intro into working in and with nature. Each person has different interests and those are the ones that allow a connection to be made. Image from Ruud KleinpasteIf you have kids there’s no doubt that each one is different – one may enjoy running around outside. While the other is content playing with lego; or building roads with trucks, setting possum traps; technology. Another loves to draw or paint pictures, read a book or engage in role-play…. When I work with students or teachers, I often tell stories, use language, or play piano. And all these activities have a really nice connection to our natural world. Image from Kate Parker - Kowhai and the Giants For example, last week I got a book by Kate Parker “Kowhai and the Giants” and basically it’s about Predator-Free NZ via a historical journey in story format. Well – that’s what I see in this book...but you can also interpret it as an indigenous history of discovery of Aotearoa. It’s about a magical creature “Kowhai” who gathers light for the giant trees, in a land in complete, ecological harmony. “Kowhai” is climbing trees and living in that ecosystem with all the – now - rare birds of our country. These scenes were originally designed as three-dimensional dioramas, lit from behind. Carefully cut-out trees and vegetation in which you can get totally “lost”, and inspirational images that take you back in time. And then the ships arrive… with people… and rodents; lots of ships, lots of people and lots of pests…scary stuff. As far as I can see, we are the only species (on the planet) that can tell stories and that – in my opinion – is one of the most powerful ways to get us out of the trouble we are in. Painting – for the curriculum: A few years ago I saw some real early drawings by a very famous New Zealand painter; he made these drawings when he was 7, 8, or 9 years old Here are a weka, a kiwi and a tui and note how he wrote a “W”, a “K” and “T” on these pictures – just as if he discovered the alphabet though his art! By the way – if you look at these drawings you may recognize the very beginnings of Don Binney’s art career! Music Listen to the sounds of Nature – what do you recognize? Who’s singing? Can you transcribe the notes of the bellbird, the blackbird, or the yellow hammer? Theatre Some teachers are capable of creating school productions from the stories you find in nature. Connections between caterpillars and their host trees, predators that chase their prey and weta utilising second-hand dwellings made by a borer, deep inside a tree … much more exciting than Shortland Street! LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Yardley has been doing some real-life international travel, and he has some tips for trips to Cairns & the Reef.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Estelle Clifford has some special music for the school holidays, Ziggy Marley’s new children’s album “More Family Time”.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

By Malcom RandsYes we do live in disposable times. I heard managers at big box stores saying they wanted the public to be able to buy anything they wanted out of one pay packet. So that meant a radical decrease in quality to make this possible. So things don’t last long, and hey, for the retailers and manufacturers it means you will be buying from them again, real soon. And the eco impact of manufacturing and transportation all these products that soon become waste is enormous. Back in the day we bought from a local store, often only one of each item, and the retailer wanted it to be the best, so they were looking after you, their valued and regular customer. When I was young I thought these cheap prices were amazing, bought some garden tools, some only lasted a few days before they bent. As an alternative, I still have some tools from my great grandfather, manufactured over 125 years ago, and still in great condition. And we call this progress. So what do we look out for in buying something that will last. And to be fair, you may have to save up for a few week to afford it, but in the long run it is much much less expensive. 1. What are the materials and workmanship that make this more durable than its competitors 2. Look into reviews from customers and independent commenters 3. Is it manufactured ethically and has sustainable materials 4. Is there an aftercare program, including spare parts 5. Is the design timeless, especially around items that are fashionable like clothing or interior design 6. Can you buy it second hand, maybe left over from somebodies else’s great grandparents 7. How long is the guarantee, some are lifetime.Some examples Kitchen: Cast iron cookware: I first went flatting with this awful aluminium cooking set. And I wondered why cooking was hard work and I keep burning things and hated the dishes. I love cooking on quality cast iron fry pans and casserole dishes. The heavy bottoms smooth out and retain the heat . As they hardly every burn I will just rinse them out in hot water then hang them in the kitchen for next time. And yes, definitely able to be passed on one day. We even have a new business, the Ironclad Pan Company, making the highest quality cast iron ware here in NZ. Knives: We recently bought top range Japanese cooking knives. It’s like a revolution, the blade just slipping through those tomatoes. Toasters, electric jugs, mixers: There are now brands that will replace parts and repair. Often stainless steel will be the go-to for many kitchen tools. Home: Quality pens Linen Covers Leatherman or Swiss army multi tool Garden: Strong and guaranteed Mens: I don’t shave much now, just cheeks and lower neck, but when I’m finally finished with the refill pack I’m into an old fashioned razor and razor blade set. A good friend swears by it and he has a very thick beard when it grows.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, our book reviewer Catherine Raynes has been reading Mrs England by Stacey Halls and Yours Cheerfully by AJ Pearce.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, treasury warned us the government’s on an unsustainable debt track, partially due to the aging population and the cost of superannuation. Enable Me's Hannah McQueen's been talking to Jack Tame about whether we need to raise the age of eligibility. If you to get in touch with Hannah, head here.LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you own a PC, you need to install a security update now The exploit is codenamed PrintNightmare because of a flaw in a pre-installed system application that manages the printer functions. It’s in every version of Windows. The bug allows someone to remotely take over your PC. Microsoft has issued patches for all the latest operating systems as well as some of their older unsupported operating systems. Look out for the update and make sure you install it. Google Calendar is designing for a hybrid workforce Google is now allowing folks to rsvp to invitations with more details about how they plan to attend. The new dropdown allows attendees to indicate if they’ll be in person, or virtually. That’s going to be important as US offices begin to open back up in major cities in the next couple of months. The Billionaire space race blasts off this weekend Branson is off to space this weekend. It’ll happen Sunday here, Monday NZ time but the exact timing hasn’t been announced. We just know that the live stream will start at 9am (1am NZT). Apparently we’ll be able to watch the whole thing from the comfort of our couch. Where does space begin though? NASA says it starts 50 miles up which is where Branson is headed. However, the international standard is 62 miles up which is where Bezos is headed. 62 miles is the international standard. So if Bezos is going to get up higher than Branson.. does that make him the winner? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We Are Lady Parts: A British comedy that follows the highs and lows of Muslim female punk band Lady Parts, as seen through the eyes of Amina Hussein, a geeky PhD student who is recruited to be their unlikely lead guitarist (Neon). White Lotus: HBO’s new drama is a social satire set at an exclusive Hawaiian resort, and follows the vacations of various hotel guests over the span of a week as they relax and rejuvenate in paradise (Soho from 12 July, Neon from 19 July). Big Timber: An oddly compelling reality series that follows the dangerous work of Canadian logger and sawmill owner Kevin Wenstob, as he and his crew go to extremes to keep the family sawmill and their way of life alive (Netflix). LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My kitchen rules for reluctant adults letting non-adults into the kitchen: * Understand that there will be mess! Give kids a lesson in how to wash up + BE prepared to act as kitchen lacky and tidy up after them (controversial I know but it does save you getting bad-tempered). * Don't let them cook whatever they want, guide them into cooking what you want. Kids will always want to make fancy cakes (because making and eating icing is the attraction) and elaborate desserts which are often not practical. Give them some recipe choices to choose from. *Get them to read out the ingredients as you get it out of the cupboards to ensure success and minimise food waste (from missing out ingredients) and it saves on the constant "where's the XXX" *Tackle some savoury recipes too even though kids will nearly always prefer baking sweet items. *Always let them lick the beaters! Baking biscuits or cookies is a school holiday right of passage if you ask me! These cookies/biscuits are so fabulous – chock full of oats, raisins and chocolate chunks! Makes 20-24 85g butter, melted ½ cup white sugar ½ cup brown sugar 1 large egg 1 cup + 1 tbsp flour 1/3 cup rolled oats ½ cup raisins 1/3 cup chopped dark or milk chocolate Preheat oven to 180 C. Line 2 trays with baking paper. Pour melted butter into a mixing bowl. Use a fork to whisk in sugars then add the egg and whisk until incorporated then stir in remaining ingredients and mix until combined. Make sure the flour is well mixed in. Roll large tablespoonfuls of dough into a ball and place on tray, leaving plenty of space between each to allow for spreading. I usually get about 9-10 on each tray. Flatten with your palm and bake for 6 minutes. Remove tray from oven and tap firmly on a bench top to take the air out of the cookies, then return to oven for a further 6-8 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and cool for a few minutes before transferring biscuit to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy these crispy edged-chewy-in-the-middle cookies! LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwi artist Troy Kingi has just released his fifth album in the 10-10-10 series, where he’s producing 10 albums in 10 years in 10 different genres. Called “Black Sea Golden Ladder”, this is his ‘folk’ installment. He's been in the studio talking to Jack Tame about the album, and his upcoming tour.Sat 7 August @ Turner Centre, KerikeriSun 8 August @ Leigh Sawmill, LeighTue 10 August @ Forum North, WhangareiThu 12 August @ Clarence St Theatre, HamiltonFri 13 August @ Theatre Royal, New PlymouthSun 15 August @ Opera House, WhanganuiTue 17 August @ Theatre Royal, NelsonSat 21 August @ James Hay Theatre, ChristchurchSun 22 August @ Regent Theatre, DunedinSat 28 August @ Opera House, WellingtonSat 4 September @ Town Hall, AucklandLISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Movie reviewer Francesca Rudkin has one for the kids and one for the adults.For the school holidays, she's been watching animated movie Moon Bound. And for the adults, and maybe some of the older kids, the new Marvel movie Black Widow. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne has had his Covid vaccination this week, and he's got a tip for anyone wanting to get there's a little earlier than planned. He's been explaining to Jack Tame.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The pollsters say it’s unprecedented.Act leader David Seymour is doing better in the latest Preferred Prime Minister rankings than the leader of our second biggest party. But I’m not surprised at all, because I think David Seymour is one of the best politicians in Parliament.Let me qualify that. I’m not saying necessarily I agree with him on stuff. It has nothing to do with ideology or policy positions or anything like that. I just think in terms of actual politicking... he’s a canny and cunning operator who is milking every inch of advantage out of a unique political moment. For starters, Seymour knows how to pick his fights. Gun restrictions? Bam. He was on it in a moment. Hate speech laws? Same thing. Regardless of your personal position, the End of Life Choice referendum will be chalked up as a significant political victory for many years to come. David Seymour attracted people from right across the political spectrum to the cause. In this term, it was his probing in the house that opened up the He Puapua Pandora’s box. Again, I’m not saying I agree or don’t agree with Seymour’s positions. By he plays a strong political game. He knows how to get in the news. He’s not afraid to make a dick of himself in order to get a bit of publicity, and he’s able to laugh off a bungled cha-cha in one breath, and earnestly argue about a terminally ill person’s right to choose their own death, in the next.From a media perspective, ACT is incredibly proactive. In May, they published an alternative budget when National didn’t. We’re about to go into the parliamentary recess... ACT will have policy announcements every week that the house doesn’t sit, knowing there might be a little bit more space in the political news columns than there would be when the house is sitting. Will Labour, National, and the Greens do the same? I dunno. Again this is nothing to do with policy, but ACT’s press releases are often really funny. They’re objectively much more entertaining than anyone else's. They send them out really quickly, and it’s clear the releases haven’t been watered down through a committee of media advisors. Seymour is good at speaking in soundbites, or what we in broadcast media call ‘grabs’. Does that mean the party gets more publicity than it might otherwise? I can’t speak for all media, but maybe.I also think it’s interesting how closely David Seymour has managed his new MPs. Apart from him, Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden and maybe Nicole McKee... can you name any of ACT’s ten MPs?Exactly. There are plenty of pundits who would have thought a couple of those new MPs would have put their foot in it and messed up somehow, by now. But National’s the party of scandal, right now. For the time being, ACT’s MPs have their heads down and their leader does pretty much everything outward facing. That’s smart.Will it last? Nothing does forever. At some point National will get itself together, and we shouldn’t get too excited about a preferred Prime Minister poll more than two years from an election. But for now, David Seymour and his colleagues are doing everything an effective opposition should. Outwardly at least, they’re a cohesive unit. Their criticisms of the government are many and varied. Their policy positions are relatively coherent.I think it’s extremely unlikely David Seymour will ever be Prime Minister.. but right now, his party is the strongest it’s ever been.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, book reviewer Catherine Raynes hass been reading a sequal to RWR McDonald's hilarious The Nancys; Nancy Business. She's also giving her thoughts on When You Are Mine, Michael Robotham.LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our travel editor has finally left the country! Mike Yardley has been in Queensland, and has some ideas for Tasty Bites in Port Douglas.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After 34 years of talkback radio, the biggest fear of householders is finding heaps of moths. Any moths! And everyone believes that moths are bad, simply because they have to be clothes moths! Okay. If you find a beautiful, very small moth which has golden wings (held like a roof structure over the body) and with a bright orange hair-do, you might be looking at the webbing clothes moth, Tineola bisselliella. It is no longer than 7 mm. This “webbing” cloths moth is really a recycler of woollen materials: yes, clothes, but especially carpets! It seems to like open spaces with keratin – lots of keratin. Our house is the archetypal “mechanics car”. In my case that means it’s usually full of pests and insects that gnaw away at soft furnishing, clothing garments, carpets and timber. Carpet is removed right to the backing and the woollen yarn ends up in bits and pieces, often sticking up from the remainder of the carpet. They usually end up in the my vacuum cleaner. There is a second species of clothes moth: the Case-making Clothes moth, Tinea pellionella. The caterpillars make tiny cases from silk and their own excrement: a cosy house to live in! I reared some on some old carpet, after I found an infestation in some of my woollen socks. The case-making clothes moths are not as glittery-gold as their relatives, but basically brown with golden scales and some dark spots on the wings. Same size, though! Life-cycle of these moths is similar in length and variable. In warm conditions they go through a life cycle (egg-larva-pupa-moth-egg) in 6 weeks or so. When it’s cold in winter this may take 4 to 7 months. They belong to the Family of Tineidae. Their ecosystem service is to recycle keratin: hair, fur, wool, nails and skin. This is part of the decomposition job that many invertebrates do when an animal dies. Keratin is really hard to digest. Mammals and Birds can’t do that (cat’s fur-balls; owls ejected pellets, etc). These moths are therefore valued members of the RECYCLING SQUAD.I usually leave them to carry out their job (we’re going to change the carpet anyway….). But control can be achieved with some residual insecticides – active ingredients such as permethrin and other synthetic pyrethroids will do the job well (Safeworx aerosol cans). It works well and is residual for 6 to 8 weeks, as long as the substrate treated is not exposed to direct sunlight.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Relationship expert Steven Dromgool has been looking at whether Happily Ever After is possible, or just a fairy tale. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Parents with Lego.. here's an app you need! Stuck for ideas on what to create with your kids? Download the coolest app I've seen in a very long time. You tip your Lego onto the floor, the camera scans the pile, recognizes the pieces adn then suggests things for you to build - step by step! It's called Brickit. It's not made by Lego, but by fans! Lego needs to make it official! It's only for iOS right now, but will be coming to Android soon. Battle of the billionaires Richard Branson is going to beat Jeff Bezos to space! Virgin's rocket-powered plane will now take Branson to space on July 11 — nine days before Bezos's planned July 20th launch. It's a change of plan that I'm sure will annoy Bezos. Bezos will blast off from earth's surface though, where Branson's rocket will be deployed from a plane in the air. Branson says when he gets back he'll announce a plan to open "space for all" so more people can become astronauts. Trump's former aid has launched a social media platform It's called "Gettr" and is basically a Twitter ripoff. It says it exists to fight cancel culture, promote common sense, defend free speech, challenge social media monopolies, and create a true marketplace of ideas. It sounds awful and at the moment just looks to be people doing lots of hashtags trying to get discovered and followed. Apparently this isn't the social media service Trump is still planning to 'solve' some of these same problems. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eden: In the idyllic coastal town of Eden, Australia, the disappearance of a young woman triggers a devastating chain of events which lays bare the dark, hidden heart of the community. Beneath its beautiful veneer, this faltering Eden can never be the same again. One missing girl. Eight stories. Who do you believe? (Neon) Sweet Tooth: Filmed in New Zealand and based on a comic book, this unique Netflix drama follows a young boy who is half-human and half deer as he survives in a post-apocolyptic world, searching for a new beginning with a gruff protector. Happy Birthday Mr Bean: TVNZ 1 screens this celebratory documentary which looks back at the 30 years since comedy legend Mr. Bean landed on our screens. With classic clips and interviews from key creators, including star of the show Rowan Atkinson, hear how Mr. Bean has gone on to become a global superstar with an animated series, two top grossing feature films and an online phenomenon, with more than 110 million online fans and growing. (Tuesday, 6 July). LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Volanthen was at the absolute epicentre of one of the biggest global stories in 2018. Before COVID took over the international news cycle, 12 boys and their soccer coach became stuck in a flooded Thai cave, and the world watched the increasingly desperate rescue effort. The first person to reach the boys was John, a cave diver, who then helped to get them to safety. He’s an IT consultant by day, but also a world record-holding British caver and diver.Jack Tame has been speaking to him, and started with claustrophobia was ever an issue when he was first learning to cave dive. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Perfect Toastie Some of the best combinations:Cheese & onion & kasundi (Indian tomato chutney) Sausage, mustard & edam Tomato, basil & parmesan (my childhood fave was always creamed corn, cheese & onion) Tips for the perfect toastie: The bread; for once I'm not going to advocate for using a quality ingredient because frankly, thick white toast bread will still produce a great toastie! But a sourdough will add a tang and good texture and a rye could offer up a great flavour. Avoid bread that has big holes in it, like ciabatta. Butter or mayo; Mayonnaise is full of oil so will give you a golden crust and it's less likely to burn than if you butter the bread. However butter does have the edge when it comes to flavour in my view. So, both are good. Fillings: anything goes but consider the soggy factor and more is not necessarily better. Try to have a balance of dry (meats, beans, onions) vs wet (chutneys, tomato, cheese, pickles) ingredients The cut; the cooked toastie should always cut on the diagonal in my opinion a. to reveal the filling and b. there's something about tucking the sharp corner into your mouth for that first bite.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne's been looking at a case where he thinks an insurance company has been very generous with a home owner. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What comes next? Isn’t that the gazillion-dollar question for Covid-19?! But now that we’re officially in the second half of 2021, the year in which all adult New Zealanders should be vaccinated for the virus, it is an increasingly appropriate and pressing question.What happens in a few short months when we’re vaccinated? What do we do at the borders? What do we do for vaccinated people arriving in the country? What do we do when there’s an outbreak in the community?Scott Morrison caught a few people by surprise yesterday in announcing the roadmap for Australia’s Covid-19 future. It’s not a plan that has heaps of detail in terms of timings. It’s more of a framework, really. But at the centre of it is one giant shift.Australia will move from a suppression strategy – the Australian version of elimination - to a management strategy. Scott Morrison has basically told Australians that in the years ahead, living in a country with no Covid-19 is not feasible. Even once the population is vaccinated, there is going to be risk. The virus will exist in the community. And unless things get really, really bad... Australia’s state premiers have agreed they will not lock down.The timing of ScoMo’s announcement is pretty interesting given the outbreak in Sydney at the moment, but Singapore came out with a similar plan last week. The U.S and Europe have never even really considered a scenario where they would have zero cases of Covid-19 in the community.From what we know about the virus, I think a change in strategy is inevitable for New Zealand at some stage, and in all likelihood it will probably come pretty soon.At the moment, we’re not shifting. Our government has a specialist group headed up by Dr David Skegg, which is advising it on border and public health settings. Jacinda Ardern has talked a little about establishing other bubbles. But a bigger shift in the coming months will depend on whatever the international data tells us about the various Covid-19 variants and how they are affected by different vaccines. It’s fair that we have as much information as possible before committing to our next steps.That being said.. if the vaccine rollout ramps up in the way our government promises it will, we are going to be confronted with these issues very quickly indeed. If everyone’s had the opportunity to be vaccinated, do we let other vaccinated people into the country without two weeks of quarantine? Like Australia, could we trial at-home quarantine for vaccinated citizens? Can we extend the use of saliva testing? These are really important questions, and my impression is that few Kiwis are really considering what the answers will mean.In a way, we are victims of our own success. Elimination has been incredibly effective so far. We’ve had very few deaths compared to other countries. Our economy has performed extremely well, given the circumstances. Psychologically I think many Kiwis have come to expect that because of that success, zero tolerance for Covid-19 risk is sustainable in the future.Australia says it’s not. Even with vaccines, Covid-19 is here to stay. And as they take the first steps in changing their strategy, it’s only a matter of time before I think we do, too.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwi singer-songwriter Louis Baker has racked up 25 million streams for his brand of soul, and his second record “Love Levitates” was out this week. Our music reviewer Estelle Clifford’s been taking a listen.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine Raynes has been reading US politician Stacey Abrams' new politican thriller “While Justice Sleeps”, and thrilled When They Find Her by debut novelist Lia Middleton.LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Travel editor Mike Yardley has made it out of the country! He's been giving Francesca Rudkin some tips on what's happening in Brisbane.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Until around 1916, making soap at home was commonplace. Using wood or plant ashes and leftover animal fats, families produced their own soap for cleaning their clothes and themselves.During World War I, when animal fats were in limited supply, German scientists developed synthetic detergents — and commercial soap was born. Homemade soap became less of a necessity, and gradually the practice dwindled. In recent years, back-to-the-landers and simple-living adherents have revived the homemade soap-making process. It’s not only in favor with those who leave the big city for rural life or those with an anti-commercialist bent. For anyone interested in living as self-sufficiently as possible, it makes good sense to make your own soap. Homemade soap is good for your wallet: you can make big batches of soap from scratch for less than it costs to buy bar after bar at your local drugstore, and you can reuse leftover bits to make new soap. It's good for your body, without all the potentially harmful chemicals in commercial soap, homemade soap is of superior quality. People with sensitive skin often find relief when they stop using store-bought soap and start making their own. Homemade soap is good for the environment: it lacks the synthetic materials in conventional bar soaps that eventually accumulate in our waterways and put natural resources at risk. There are many recipes on the web and lots of different techniques. Here are some general tips: * Make sure you have all the ingredients and tools assembled before you start. It is quite an exacting process and you don’t want to be running around looking half way through.* Rubber gloves and protective eyewear, such as goggles or glasses.* Two large mixing bowls made of a material that will not react with lye: strong plastic, stainless steel, glass, enamel. Do not use flimsy plastic, aluminum, tin or wood. One bowl with a lip for pouring will be helpful. * Accurate measuring tools and good stirrers. * Sodium hydroxide, which is used to saponify the oils is very caustic. You’ll probably buy stuff normally used to clean toilets or drains. Always add the caustic to the water, not the other way around. This will then start warming up from the reaction with water. * Measure every ingredient accurately. Getting it wrong and you end up with foul smelling or sloppy soap. Once you have done this a few times then you can start experimenting with different techniques including hot mixes. And then you can also invent new shops using different added ingredients and essential oils.LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bird Feeding stations and Bird Counting We’ve often talked about the food of birds, especially in winter. Many folks have got bird feeders that will attract a range of native and introduced birds: Seeds (on seed dispensers or stuck to solid blocks of dripping) are preferred by sparrows and finches (chaffinch, green finch) Nectar feeders in the form of SUGAR Water attract tui, bellbird, silvereye (and kaka if you’re so lucky to have them around – Yes Wellingtonians, you’re lucky. Fruit feeders love those bits of apple, orange and banana; tui bellbird kaka and Kereru are some of your guests, but I have literally seen wars break out when silvereyes spot a peeled banana! Education and Observation In the school holidays these feeding stations could be great subjects for a little bit of Citizen Science and education. Let’s see who comes to which feeding station and observe their behaviour. Do they travel in flocks, like silvereyes tend to do? Is there any animosity? Can you identify the local “owner” of the territory that is trying to chase away the interlopers? Tui are good at that! See the different types of territorial behaviour, or even hear the different types of territorial behaviour. Primary feathers (flight feathers) of tui and bellbird have oddly-shaped notches that create that whirring sound in flight: “listen, mate! This is MY territory!” Calculate landing rates of certain species – guess how much they eat; How long does it take for a flock of silvereyes to demolish one of those lard balls you can get from your local butcher’s? How many birds of a certain species can you count at one time on your feeding station – it’s all maths and statistics, but it’s also art and joy and creative writing!! What to look out for Of course a lot of birds feed on insects and invertebrates, but at this time of the year they may be hard to find, also for the birds. Here are some ideas of what to look for! With the recent rain you’ll find lots of earthworm holes and casts on lawns and bare soil. This is food for blackbirds, thrushes, starlings, magpies and even owls and harriers. Note how these casts are often found in association with rabbit poo! Starlings have a habit of probing into the soil at this time of the year: they leave heaps of distinct holes, all over the place. I reckon they are looking for the larvae of grass grubs, who are settling just below the surface during raining periods, within easy reach. And then there are the various shrubs and trees that still bear fruits, berries and seeds. Always good for a nibble! While you are at it: count the number of birds you see within an hour and record those for the Annual Garden Bird Survey. Find it on the LandcareResearch website: https://gardenbirdsurvey.landcareresearch.co.nz/ LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Commons: A futuristic Australian drama starring Joanne Froggett (Downton Abbey). In a future beset by environmental crises and dwindling supplies, one woman grapples with the decision to begin a family (TVNZ OnDemand). This is Pop: A new documentary series that takes a deep dive into the nostalgic world of pop music, sharing the untold stories and big moments that shaped our pop culture (Netflix) Talkback: A brand-new local comedy-satire to TVNZ. Talkback is shot in a fly-on-the-wall mockumentary style and follows New Zealand’s leading right-wing radio host Malcolm White and his team as they fight to resurrect his flagship breakfast show, which has fallen to number two in the ratings for the first time in over a decade, and regain his title of King of the Airwaves (TVNZ OnDemand from 30 June). LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anyone with kids, of almost any age, is likely to be talking the thorny issue of how to teach consent. In fact in the age of #metoo, it's something we’re all talking about more. Enter Doctor Melissa Kang and broadcaster Yumi Stynes, who’ve just written a book called ‘About Consent’. Melissa and Yumi didn’t know when they started writing it 2 years ago that the topic would be so big by now. As one twitter user put it ‘It’s out! Get this book into the paws of kids, teens and federal parliamentarians you know" - of course referencing federal parliamentarians after the recent sexual abuse scandals in the Aussie parliament. Dr Melissa Kang will be known to women of a certain age as the real-life Dolly Doctor, to the rest of you, she’s a doctor and academic who specializes in sexuality and sexual health. She's been speaking to Francesca Rudkin alonside co-author and broadcaster Yumi Stynes. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Microsoft announces Windows 11 The biggest change - the start menu and task bar has been redesigned and centered making it look a lot more like macOS. Microsoft has really leaned into the one operating system for both laptops and tablets and the centered start menu makes it easier to adapt to various screen sizes. It also brings search front and center with results available from your device, your OneDrive and the web. Windows Widgets are just a swipe away with real time information and quick actions. There are changes for power users too: There is now support for multiple desktops - so you could have one for work vs home There are better transitions when you connect a monitor that's a different ratio, or using a second monitor. You can now snap windows to a layout to make it easier to bounce between apps. Microsoft Teams is directly integrated with the operating system replacing Skype for calling and connecting with your friends and family. Android apps can also load on Windows 11 through the Windows App store. That's huge for developers who suddenly got access to a massive market. It's expected current Windows 10 users will get a free upgrade to Windows 11 before the end of the year, and new devices installed with Windows 11 will be available from October. The Tamagotchi is making a return This time, your digital pet will live on your wrist as a smart watch! You'll never need to leave it behind! It's getting some other improvements since it was released 25 years ago - like a color screen, a touch screen so you can pet it, voice recognition so you can interact and wireless connectivity so it can communicate with nearby Tamogotchi! You'll be able to buy addons for it too which you load into your watch via mini keys. They're expecting it to be so popular it'll first go on sale via a lottery system before being opened up to regular sales. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fresh flounder with caper & horopito butter Horopito is a native shrub, which is also known as the pepper tree and it lends a lovely spicy flavour to flounder in this dish. Serves 6-8 3 fresh flounder 4 tablespoons butter, softened 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley 2 tablespoons, capers ½ teaspoon horopito 1 teaspoon sea salt 1-2 lemons, sliced thinly Heat the oven grill to high. Lay flounder onto a large shallow baking tray. Make a few cuts in the grey side of each of the flounder. Mix together butter, parsley, capers, horopito and salt and rub this into the cuts and skin. Scatter over lemon slices. Grill on high for 12-15 minutes or until butter is bubbling and fins crisp a bit. Change oven from grill to bake 180 C and cook for a further 7-10 minutes or until flesh is cooked through. Squeeze some of the cooked lemon over and serve at the table! Nici’s note: Horopito is great for relieving stomach aches and toothache and it is available from various specialty or online food stores. I get mine from www.rhayne.co.nz LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This weekend, TVNZ is running at story about former Christchurch mayor Sir Bob Parker and his recovery post-stroke. Kevin Milne wants to take the opportunity to share the love for his mate. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Francesca filling in for Jack this weekend, we've brought in Chris Schulz to do this week's movie reviews. He's been watching Lin-Mnuel Miranda's new movie, In the Heights, based on the stage musical of the same name - and Spanish true-crime doco Murder by the Coast. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Black Ferns Sevens Captain Sarah Hirini and two-time Olympic champion rower Hamish Bond were named New Zealand’s flag bearers for the Tokyo Olympics.Two thoughts spring to mind. Firstly, congratulations. How cool that a change in Games rules means that for the first time we’ll have a male and female athlete jointly carrying the New Zealand flag at an Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. It’s not the first time two athletes have shared flag carrying duties. In 2016, Peter Burling and Blair Tuke were both announced as flagbearers, but only Burling got carry the flag. I’m presuming this year Hirini and Bond will have a flag each?My second thought was, how is it possible these Olympics Games are happening at all? A world full of medical experts and epidemiologists, and the people of Japan, have been asking the same question for months. For good reason. It’s simply absolutely bonkers for thousands of athletes, officials and journalists to travel from all over the world to Japan at this time.The Japanese Prime Minister may have recently lifted the state of emergency in Tokyo, but health officials have seen an increase in COVID-19 cases since. On Friday, the Japanese Emperor announced he’s "extremely worried" about the Tokyo Olympics and the potential spread of COVID-19 it may cause.But in one of the most stoic examples of ‘keep calm and carry on’ the Toyko Olympics are set to open on July 23rd. If you’re wondering why it hasn’t been postponed or cancelled; it comes down to a mix of money, pride and pressure. The IOC can’t afford to lose revenue from broadcasting rights and advertisers.When it comes to pride, the Olympics is a branding exercise for the host country. It would also be hard to justify a controversial $15.4 billion investment in a new stadium which never got its day in the sun.And then there’s the pressure and expectations from the athletes; about 11,100 for the Olympics and another 4,400 for the Paralympics who have already put their lives on hold for a year waiting for these Games. Taken together, it’s all led to common sense being abandoned. Ignored, thrown over the back fence – pick your description.But, given it is going to happen maybe it’s time for an attitude adjustment.Instead of anticipating the worst perhaps we should put our optimist pants on, cross our fingers, and consider this a global study into how the world re-integrates.The questions confronting countries who took an elimination approach are around how we live with a virus which isn’t going away? How do we open up to the rest of the world? When should we feel safe to get on with our lives – make plans, go visit family or friends around the world?The Olympics will be an incredible test for vaccine efficacy. A group of people are volunteering to travel from around the world to spend time together. So let’s watch and learn as they embrace social distancing, mask use, vaccination, and testing.Imagine if the Olympics became more than stories of glory and dreams come true. What if, and I know it’s a big what if, the Covid impact wasn’t what we fear.Could Tokyo 2021 be a much bigger story of hope and progress. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government's agreed to add debt-to-income lending restrictions to the Reserve Bank's bag of tricks. They haven't been introduced, but the prospect is making property investors AND first-home buyers nervous. Enable.Me's Hannah McQueen has been speaking to Jack Tame about the impact they may have. LISTEN ABOVE government have been discussing debt-to-income ratios. The RBNZ now has a mandate to impose limits on how much people can borrow as a multiple of their income –will they go ahead with it? It would have implications for first home buyers, depending on where they set it, as much as it will have an impact on investors who are leveraging based on the value of their properties. Enable Me now called ‘enable.me – financial strategy & coaching’ (rather than financial personal trainers) Website: www.enabletghg.me See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Maroon 5 has a new album, Jordi, and it’s brought out some brutal reviews.Pitchfork says “The most you can hope for from Maroon 5 is oblivion. The band hummed and strummed their way into perpetual background music, cooing sanded-down soft rock in every Starbucks. It was anaesthesia. Levine became a bland, steady presence in pop culture, preaching banalities and judging TV singing competitions.” Even worse from Paste Magazine “The new Maroon 5 album Jordi makes me fear for the future of civilization.” Estelle Clifford’s been giving her take to Jack Tame.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherine Field has been reading Three Weddings and a Proposal by Shelia O'Flanagan, and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Relationship expert Steven Dromgool's been giving Jack Tame some tips for helping a partner with anxiety. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fruit tree maintenance Here are a few quick-fire ideas to get the best out of your fruit trees in the future… and it all starts by planting (and some pruning) in the winter! 1) Do your home work – select tree varieties you actually like to eat! (or like the look of – blossom?) 2) Buy good stock from good nurseries and check if they need specific pollinators (ie Plums!!) 3) Dig your holes in the garden and prepare the soil with organic material (compost). If your soil is sometimes too wet, perhaps think about raising the planting area a bit. 4) No need to fertilise until spring truly starts (23 Sept) when the soils warm up and trees start to “function” again. 5) When you plant your trees, either from potted specimens or “bare-rooted” trees, a light prune will help the tree survive the planting shock. Think about the fact that the amount of root mass should be more-or-less the same as the branch mass above the ground. 6) If you plant a new tree, think about how you want that tree to grow in a three-dimensional way: create a branch structure that will be the tree’s future “look” – not too high (so you can harvest easily) and think about wind and sun-direction (maybe espalier the tree? If so, does it need support?) 7) Talking about support: any tree that’s planted on an exposed site will need a stake to stop it from wiggling-to-death. Tie it down to the support system. 8) Handy tip for gardens with limited space: either get a multi-grafted tree (with two or three different varieties grafted onto one root-stock) or plant a few varieties (of the same fruit: apple or pear or plum or peach) in the same hole and treat them as “one tree”. 9) if you have planted a tree already, you may need to prune the fruit machine. Pomefruit (apples & pears): Think about the ultimate shape of the tree: an open frame of branches growing outwards – this is going to be a multi-year goal Learn to tell the two types of “buds”. There is a flowering bud that becomes a fruiting spur; they are usually larger and fatter and often covered with a fine, hairy “down”; fruiting spurs provide you with the fruit. The wood buds tend to be smaller and end up much closer to the stem on which they sit; these buds will grow a new branch or twig (and are therefore determining the spatial form of the tree) Remember to cut to a wood bud that faces outward. When your tree is a few years old, remember to leave a few fruiting buds, so you get some fruit! LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lawmakers want to take away the surprises from subscriptions Everything is a subscription these days and companies have made it very easy (and appealing!) to sign up for a trial, only to then sign you up at full price without a reminder. A group of bi-oartisian US lawmakers want to change that. The Unsubscribe Act does it in a couple of ways: + it would require sellers to allow customers to cancel a subscription in the same way they signed up.. no more phoning a busy call center to cancel if you signed up online. + it would require the company to notify the user the trial or intro price is ending + it would ban automatically moving people from a trial to a contract with a term of more than a month. The Tamagotchi is making a return This time, your digital pet will live on your wrist as a smart watch! You'll never need to leave it behind! It's getting some other improvements since it was released 25 years ago - like a colour screen, a touch screen so you can pet it, voice recognition so you can interact and wireless connectivity so it can communicate with nearby Tamagotchi! You'll be able to buy add ons for it too which you load into your watch via mini keys. They're expecting it to be so popular it'll first go on sale via a lottery system before being opened up to regular sales. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A whole generation of parents have turned to Steve Biddulph for parenting advice. The author of classic books Raising Boys and Raising girls as well as around a dozen other parenting titles. He’s described as one of the world’s best-known parent educators. After a career of helping us raise kids, Steve’s turned his hand to helping the rest of us, with a new book “Fully Human”. It's billed as ‘a new way of using your mind’. Steve has been talking to Jack Tame.LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pear, blue cheese & walnut tart Pears pair with tangy blue cheese and honeyed walnuts in this gorgeous tart. Makes 26cm tart Pastry 200g wholemeal flour 100g chilled butter ½ teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons ice cold water 2-3 pears 2 tablespoons butter ½ cup brown sugar 3 heaped tablespoons cream cheese 75g crumbled blue cheese (I used Kapiti creamy blue) 3 tbsp walnuts, roughly chopped Make the pastry by combining flour, chilled butter and salt in a food processor until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Don’t over work it – lumps of butter are ok. Drizzle in the ice cold water and pulse a few times until it starts to come together in a ball. Turn out and with a light hand press it together into a flat disc, wrap and chill it for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 180 C and place a tray in to heat up. Line a 26cm tart tin with baking paper. Roll out pastry and line tin with it. Try to get a thin pastry shell and just patch any holes or tears, it’s very forgiving. Prick all over with a fork and return to the fridge. Make the filling by cutting each pear into quarters and each quarter into 3 or 4 slices. Place the pear, butter and half the brown sugar in a pan on medium and until the pear is softened and the pear juice has mixed in with the butter and sugar to form a syrup – about 5-7 minutes. Mix cream cheese and remaining brown sugar to a paste. Spread this over chilled pastry base. Using a slotted spoon pile the pear mixture into the pastry case, drizzling over some of the syrup and reserving some to serve. Bake for 25 minutes on the preheated tray, then toss on the walnuts and bake for another 10 minutes or until the edges are well cooked and the pears are golden. Crumble blue cheese over the tart while still warm and it will melt into the tart. Serve warm or cold with an extra drizzle of the syrup. Nici’s note: This tart keeps well and is still as fantastic on day 3 as it was fresh out of the oven, maybe even better. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New figures around rental costs released were released this week - and its bad news for renters. Kevin Milne's been talking to Jack Tame about where they leave those who can't afford a house.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Winston Peters has ended his long-running media hiatus by appearing on Australian morning TV and giving the vaccine rollout in New Zealand a bit of a kicking. It’s been too slow, he says.Easy to criticise when you’re out of government of course, but is that fair? I think it’s worth considering a really basic question: What was the primary aim for New Zealand’s vaccine rollout?Was the aim to safely vaccinate New Zealanders as quickly as possible? As a developed country heavily reliant on open borders, it was in the best interests of our collective health and economy to get us all vaccinated as soon as possible. The virus is mutating fast. It’s becoming more infectious. As lucky as we are to be living life free of community transmission, you need only look at Melbourne or Sydney or Taiwan, to know how quickly that can change. With those kinds of risks, there’s a good argument to be made that New Zealand should have done whatever it took to get as high up the vaccine list as possible, even without community transmission. If that meant paying more dosh or negotiating better deals with the big pharma companies, then so be it.But if the goal of the rollout was to safely vaccinate New Zealanders in the fastest possible time, the government and our health ministry have surely failed. We can’t look back at the initial response to Covid-19 and toot our horns, comparing ourselves favourably with almost every other country on Earth, whilst conveniently ignoring the fact that we are making the amongst the slowest progress with vaccinations in the developed World.Perhaps you’d argue that vaccinating Kiwis as quickly as possible wasn’t actually the goal. Call it the moral argument. Because New Zealand is free of community transmission, you might argue, we should ensure that poorer high-density countries vaccinate their populations first. If that was the goal, noble as it might be, no one in the general population would be getting vaccinated this year at all.It seems to me we’re in a funny middle ground. We haven’t done the noble thing. And for whatever reason, we haven’t done the fast thing, either.To be fair, I think we owe the government a few concessions. The decision to stick with one vaccine – Pfizer – is a good one, that has meant supply has been slower than if we’d chosen multiple vaccines. But from the start, the detail on the rollout has been wishy-washy at best. Despite promising a World-leading response, the government refused to publicly release any proper information around its targets and timelines. Confusion and speculation have filled the void. They published a graph showing the rollout plan that had used no real data points. Vast numbers of border workers didn’t get vaccinated when we were told they were. Then it turned out, large numbers of their family members might not have been vaccinated, except the Ministry of Health couldn’t really say, because of issues with data collection. Even though the Ministry of Health is ahead of its nationwide targets, our most vulnerable city, Auckland, and our most vulnerable DHB, Counties Manukau, have been behind their vaccination targets almost from the very start.What has interested me most is how different people’s anecdotal experiences have been. I know of some older people who’ve been proactively contacted and vaccinated and don’t have a complaint in the World. Smooth As! I know of other people who are more vulnerable and presumably higher up the vaccination list who’ve not heard a thing. Everyone’s got a mate who just went and asked for the vaccine, or phoned up the local DHB, and it worked. Others know people who’ve spent hours on the phone without luck.The whole thing has at times felt a bit ramshackle and inconsistent.I’ve heard politicians say it’s not where we start but where we finish. It’s true that we won’t be entirely safe until our full population is vaccinated. Even then, we face a risk. But the speed of the rollout does matter. Every day someone in our community...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Travel writer Mike Yardley has been checking out three great Wellington neighbourhoods; Thorndon, Newtown and Lyall Bay. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Music reviewer Estelle Clifford has been listen to new music from twin-sister pop group The Veronincas. Their new album is Godzilla, and it's their first since 2014 and follows a whole lot of personal drama.LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Catherie Raynes has been reading Australian thriller Still by Matt Nable; and a true-life account of the rise and fall of media mogul Robert Maxwell, Fall by John Preston. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.