Saturday Morning With Jack Tame

Resident traveller Mike Yardley has been reflecting on a year of travels in Covid times.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wrap it up Doesn’t it bug you to see the mounds of plastic ribbons going into the rubbish on Christmas morning? Or make you uncomfortable to wonder just how they make wrapping paper so shiny and colourful, who made it, and where? In fact, much of that glossy stuff isn’t recyclable. The glittery and metallic papers contain plastics, so they need to go into the rubbish. But gift wrapping gives us the same challenge as dressing fashionably. You want it to look sophisticated, neat, and stylish, just without all the waste, exploitation, and environmental impact. That is not always the easiest thing to pull off. * I love the Japanese tradition of furoshiki fabric wraps. and you are now seeing some progressive stores doing this for you. And much of the material may be found already at your home * Kids art work or get the kids to paint some the material that comes into your house , like online deliveries, paper grocery bags etc. Then decorate it with string and shells, greenery from the garden, or re-purposed pacific

Air traffic Control  Heading towards summer there are soooo many shrubs, climbers and trees in flower, luring in pollinators and other organisms, interested in the protein of pollen and the carbohydrates of nectar. On some plants it simply is great entertainment to just sit or stand still and watch what flies there. And it all flies there without air traffic control!  Pohutukawa and some of the rata species flower around Christmas and they’re usually very busy indeed.  The usual suspects: honey bees (Apis mellifera) and at least two species of bumble bees: the common, large earth bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) and the large Garden bumble bee (Bombus ruderatus). Their ideas are to gather nectar (it is merely sugar water, a quick energy fix with a kick) for energy and to store it as honey in the nest. They also collect pollen which is fed to the larvae (for growth)  The often unseen bees: Our native bee species (27 different species in all)! They tend to be small. Most species are so-called “solitary” bees; a pa

It may be time for all the Christmas treats, but Dr Bryan Betty wants us to keep our sugar intake in check.He's a GP, medical director for the College of GPs and has been talking to Jack Tame. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re going to be hearing a lot more about the hack of the US government  The more details that come out, the worse this is getting. US intelligence says Russian hackers are behind this highly sophisticated attack.  How’d they do it? Simply, they managed to first hack and embed malicious code in a trusted piece of software used to manage their IT networks. It was undetected, then activated and started sending data. US government agencies and branches of the military have all been infiltrated. Major Fortune 100 companies are also on the list. President Donald Trump hasn’t addressed this at all. Incoming President Joe Biden is going to need to deal with it. Speaking of hacks.. you have some items we should be adding to our holiday to-do lists + Change your passwords or even better use a password manager - 1Password, LastPass, Dashlane. At bare minimum have three passwords - your email password, a different password for important services, then a password for less important services.  + Turn on 2 Factor Authenti

Bridgerton: Shonda Rhimes’ first Netflix production is a sumptuous period drama set during the Regency era in England, as eight close-knit siblings of the powerful Bridgerton family attempt to find love (Netlfix, Christmas Day). Yellowstone: A modern-day Western about the Dutton family, who control the largest contiguous ranch in the United States. Led by patriarch John Dutton (Kevin Costner), the family must defend their Montana property against land developers, an Indian reservation, and America’s first National Park (Neon, New Years Day).  Vicar of Dibley in Lockdown: a special VoD episode where Dawn French reprises her role as Britain's favourite vicar, delivering lockdown sermons to her parishioners via Zoom (New Years Eve, 7pm, TVNZ1). LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’re after some new Christmas music, Delta Goodrem is here to deliver. She spent lockdown looking forward to the festive season with her family, and produced a surprise album of Christmas tunes including original song "Only Santa Knows".She's been speaking to Jack Tame.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nici Wickes has got a list of things you should have on hand this summer:Dairy  Parmesan cheese Greek yoghurt Sour cream / cream cheese / creme fraiche    Pantry  Olive oil + sesame oil  Red wine vinegar Tins of guava, salmon, tomatoes, creamed corn  Sushi rice  - great for sushi & for rice pudding & risotto  Protein  Quality sausages Frozen prawns Eggs  Veges/Herbs/Fruit   Bunches of parsley & coriander - I'll let you know how to store these so they last all summer long  Garlic & onions or spring onions  Lemons lemons lemons Tomatoes Frozen berries  Fresh berries, stonefruit, watermelon   Other Flat breads: wraps/tortilla/lebanese bread LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Movie reviewer Francesca Rudkin has been watching Wonder Woman 84, A Call to Spy, Blithe Spirit, and The Thief and the Painter.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kevin Milne's not so sure 2020 was as bad as we're making out. He's been talking to Jack Tame about some of the good things that came out of this year.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the end of the nationwide pandemic lockdown, I sat down in my spare bedroom and recorded myself speaking for an hour. Maybe it sounds a bit silly, but I just figured we were living through a fascinating historical moment. I wanted to record my memories and experiences while they were fresh. I dunno; I thought it might help someone’s Year 11 History project in a few decades’ time.  2020. Yep. I was there for that.  I think I’ll do the same over my summer break. Record another little spiel with my memories of 2020. Because I feel that stuff  I had a great moment yesterday afternoon, luxuriating in the heat of Auckland’s summer sun in the centre of the Viaduct, with hundreds of people who’d come down to enjoy the America’s Cup. I sent a photo to friends overseas of Kiwi crowds, unmasked, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder eating ice cream and enjoying spectacular racing. ‘Summer in New Zealand!’ I said.  ‘I’m so jealous.’ Said my friend in New York. ‘That looks amazing.’  Most Americans can only dream of safely mov

Music reviewer Estelle Clifford has been listening to the Smashing Pumpkins’ eleventh studio album "Cyr".LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Relationships expert Steven Dromgool has some tips on cultivating gratitude in the festive season. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Book reviewer Catherine Raynes has been reading The dressmaker of Paris by Georgia Kaufman and Hidden in Plain Sight by Jeffrey Archer.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Travel writer Mike Yardley has some tips for summer in Cromwell.LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bag moths  Ever wondered what it's like, living in a bag? There are many different species that live in bags or cases for prolonged periods of time and the cool thing is, they make those bags themselves. Silk appears to be the material of choice in the majority of bag-builders. That silk can be really strong too. One of the most obvious (up to 80 mm long) insects that shows off its bag in our garden is the native bag moth (Liothula omnivora). They are often found hanging from conifers and hebes, flaxes, tea-tree, willow, cherry, you name it. Their grey cases don’t really move much during the day, but at night the inhabitants cruise the foliage and nibble; creating holes.  The bags are constructed “as they go and grow”. Crossed layers of sturdy silk: impenetrable! They also add “camouflage” to the bags: pieces of dead foliage, twigs and other locally-found materials. That can include bits of plastic bags or psychedelic coloured post-it notes (young scientists experimenting with drugs!).  The cases protect the

Apple's expensive holiday surprise It was a genuine apple surprise - the AirPod Max headphones were announced on Monday.. just in time for Christmas shopping! But the price tag is wild. Even tech's biggest geeks were shocked at needing to spend $550 on the latest gadget. That's almost the price of the iPhone 11! Don't forget the $35 cable to allow you to plug them into a 3.5mm audio jack. In true Apple style, they don't have a power button. Instead they turn off when they're not on your head and go into an ultra low power mode when in their case.  The early reviews so far say they sound as good as other premium headphones.. just that they're more expensive. One reviewer said the aluminium shell looked like plastic - ouch. Cars are driving themselves in San Francisco Cruise, one of the self-driving car ventures, is now testing fully driverless cars in a dense urban environment. There's no one behind the steering wheel, but there is a safety operator in the vehicle who can press an emergency button to stop the

enable.me's Hannah McQueen has some tips for you, if you're going to put ‘finances’ on your New Year resolution list. If you want more personalised advice, you can get in touch with enable.me at www.enable.me  LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Screen Queen Tara Ward has some picks for your weekend watching:Your Honour: Bryan Cranston stars in this drama about a respected judge, who's son is involved in a hit-and-run that leads to a high-stakes game of lies, deceit and impossible choices (Soho/Neon, 15/12).  ESPN Films: TVNZ OnDemand welcome a new collection of intriguing sports documentaries, produced by ESPN and following the lives of a variety of renowned athletes (TVNZ OnDemand, from 12/12)  Tiny Pretty Things: Netflix’s new drama follows the world of an elite ballet academy, and charts the rise and fall of young adults who live far from their homes, each standing on the verge of greatness or ruin (Netflix 14/12). LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're looking for something to relax with on Boxing Day, look no further than the new Pixar film Soul. Featuring Kiwi actress Rachel House, it's about a middle-school band teacher whose life hasn't quite gone the way he expected .. until he travels to another realm and discovers "what it means to have soul".The film is released in New Zealand on Disney+.Jack's been talking to Rachel House about being a Disney darling.WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.