Saturday Morning With Jack Tame

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 lu

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 t

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 b

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 N

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 be

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

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.