Saturday Morning With Jack Tame

Movie reviewer Francesca Rudkin has been watching PIG, a drama about a truffle hunter's missing pig, and Netflix's SAS: Rise of the Black Swan.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne's getting sick of the relentless negativity about the way we've handled the COVID response.He's been speaking to Jack Tame.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the first show I’ve broadcast in more than a month in which Auckland has been out of the dreaded Alert Level 4.And honestly, I thought this time, things *might* be different. I thought after more a month of sitting at home, more of us in the big city might have taken stock, kicked the habit, and set our aspirations a little higher for the move to Level 3. Aucklanders might have learnt from every one else around the country. A new start. A new dawn. A new opportunity to refresh our routines.But no. We all went to McDonalds and Burger King and Wendy’s and Carl’s Junior, and KFC, instead.Well, not all of us. I’m not trying to be all high and mighty but I haven’t had any of that Worldwide-franchisey-plastic-additivesy-supersize-me shit in almost fifteen years and I’ll be damned if a move to Level 3 was going to convince me to spend half an hour with an idling engine waiting for some chicken nuggets in a drive-through queue.What’s wrong with people? On Wednesday I could see queues down the street for my cl

Las Vegas rock band Imagine Dragons have released their fifth album: Act 1.  One review has said “There are a few songs you might like here, but a few you’ll violently hate”.  Estelle Clifford's been giving her thoughts to Jack Tame. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Book reviewer Catherine Raynes has been reading The long run and beautiful game of Rodger Federer by Christopher Clarey, and The Turnout by Megan Abbott.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mike Yardley's got some tips for a spring swing through the Wairarapa.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week is organics week, which is a chance to look at what organic actually means.   What is it good for us? It’s about what’s NOT in a product, rather than what is. Organic farmers don’t use synthetic chemicals including fertilizers, pesticides, weed sprays and antibiotics. The products are also free of GMOs and artificial ingredients. Eating organic drastically reduces your exposure to pesticides. Many studies have now shown the health risk from pesticides and especially important for pregnant women and children.  Why is it good for the environment? Organics creates less pollution, especially protecting the health of our waterways. Good organic soils store significant amounts of carbon which is so important in our fight against climate change.  But it’s too expensive! Latest research shows it’s only 7.5% more expensive than conventional food. And there’s ways to make it cheaper. Firstly, eat quality but less of it. For example the cheap chicken or bacon has a much higher water content. Being tricked into

This is a good weekend to get into the garden and plan ahead for crops and fruit...and gratis pest control. Fruit Trees and crops need pollinators. It pays to always have a mixture of useful pollen and nectar sources flowering when you want to attract pollinators to your garden. The idea is simple: have a little “meadow” of flowering plants that will anchor the native bees, flies, beetles, butterflies and moths to your patch. Insects do have a “memory” for where the best meals are to be found: pollen (protein) and nectar (sweet boost of energy).  But wait, there’s more! Quite a few of these insects are also good pest controllers of small sap-sucking and chewing critters on your crops, shrubs and trees. What they do is passive biological control. It’s a good strategy: instead of having to spray against the various pests on your plants, why not let the natural predators and parasites do it?  The animals you’d want to attract to your place are insectivorous birds, of course, like silvereyes. But they can only do

Kevin Milne's been letting things slide - he's embracing his lazy side in lockdown.Kev's been speaking to Jack Tame.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

American Rust: Jeff Daniels stars in this compelling drama as complicated and compromised chief of police Del Harris (Daniels) in a Rust Belt town in southwest Pennsylvania (Neon).  Scenes from a Marriage: Adapted from Ingmar Bergman’s 1973 Swedish classic, and starring Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain, Scenes from a Marriage re-examines the show’s iconic depiction of love, hatred, desire, monogamy, marriage, and divorce through the lens of a contemporary American couple (Neon).  Back to the Rafters: The popular Australian family drama returns, picking up six years since we last saw the Rafter family. Dave and Julie have created a new life in the country with youngest daughter Ruby, while the older Rafter children face new challenges and Grandad Ted struggles to find his place (Amazon Prime Video). LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Iconic TV series Packed to the Rafters is back, and what else could it be called than BACK to the Rafters.  Most of the cast is back, including legendary Aussie actor Michael Caton who's back in his role as Grandad Ted.   If you don’t know the name Michael Caton, you’ll almost certainly recognise some of his most famous lines from the ‘97 film The Castle. He's been speaking with Jack Tame.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Movie reviewer Francesca Rudkin has some flicks for those in lockdown, and those in level 2.Aucklanders can watch action flick Kate, and documentary Shcumacher on Netflix. If you're out of Auckland, she's been watching documentary The Lost Leonardo which is in cinema.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I got up early, drove out to the airport, and joined the lines of cars slowly crawling between the big marquees.  It was simple. It was fast. The staff were friendly and efficient. It felt oddly momentous.  Significant. A bit like I feel when I cast a ballot on election day. One day I’ll tell my kids about the time I first got vaccinated for Covid-19. That’s the thing. We don’t just get vaccinated to protect ourselves. My jab wasn’t just for me. It was for older people who might be more susceptible to the virus. It was for the kids who aren’t yet eligible for the jab. It was for my nephew, Ren, and my niece, Elsie. It was for my colleagues. My friends. Anyone and everyone with a compromised immune system. My jab was for all of us.This is going to be one of the most important weeks in the history of our Covid-19 response. And not just because of Cabinet’s lockdown decision. This is one of the most important weeks because we’re at the point in the pandemic response where we’ve reached our absolute lowest barrie

Singer Halsey has a new album called “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power’ and it traverses a topic that’s not so common in pop music: Pregnancy and Childbirth.  Estelle Clifford’s been giving Jack Tame her thoughts.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Book reviewer Catherine Raynes has been reading Count the Ways by Joyce Maynard and When Things areAlive They Hum by Hannah Bent.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Relationship expert Steven Dromgool has some tips on how to get the most out of hugging your partner. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For those needing to stay a bit closer to home, Mike Yardley has some tips for spring festivities in Christchurch.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tomatoes on track  Now’s a good time to start sowing your tomatoes in little pots, inside, so you can release them into the garden when it gets a bit warmer and when frost dangers have disappeared. You can also grow some suitable varieties in large pots or sizeable containers on the north-facing balcony.  Tomatoes come in many varieties and in two distinct growth strategies:  The Indeterminate varieties keep on growing to become long, long climbers… meters long, sometimes! In commercial glass houses, these vines are carefully “trained” to keep on growing on extensive support structures. Indeterminate tomatoes are usually grown in good garden soil and tied to climbing frames  The Determinate varieties do not become long vines, but are more like a bush that grows no higher than 50 centimeters and flops all over the place; they do not tend to need staking at all and are good for growing in large containers or patio pots  Some are adaptable to growing in hanging baskets, as their short-ish vines can simply hang d

Lockdown can be very financially damaging, especially for business owners. But for some people, it's a change to actually improve your finances. Enable Me's Hannah McQueen has been been talking to Jack Tame, and explaining how you can make this happen. If you want more help, visit www.enable.meLISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror - It's the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and there are plenty of 9/11 documentaries about the attacks on television this week, but his documentary series on Netflix goes deep into the history behind the attacks, documenting Al Qaeda’s roots in the 1980s to America’s response, both home and abroad (Netflix)  Halifax: Retribution:Rebecca Gibney returns as forensic psychiatrist Jane Halifax as she faces the most thrilling and dangerous case of her career, hunting down a killer terrorising an entire city (TVNZ OnDemand)  Sparking Joy with Marie Kondo:  In this Netflix reality series, Marie Kondo brings her joyful tidying tactics to people struggling to balance work and home life — and shares her own world. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.