Saturday Morning With Jack Tame

The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins   An isolated Scottish island, accessible to the mainland only twelve hours a day. A famous (some might say infamous) artist whose notoriously unfaithful husband disappeared after visiting her twenty years ago. A present-day discovery that intimately connects three people and unveils a web of secrets and lies.  Welcome to Eris: an island with only one house, one inhabitant, one way out. Unreachable from the Scottish mainland for twelve hours each day.  Once home to Vanessa: A famous artist whose notoriously unfaithful husband disappeared twenty years ago.  Now home to Grace: A solitary creature of the tides, content in her own isolation.  But when a shocking discovery is made in an art gallery far away in London, a visitor comes calling.  And the secrets of Eris threaten to emerge....     Unfiltered: My Incredible Decade in Formula 1 by Guenther Steiner   Formula 1 sensation Guenther Steiner, author of th

"After savouring Sri Lanka’s western coast, the nation’s famed cultural triangle serves up a bevy of World Heritage ancient treasures in the heart of the island. Travelling with On the Go Tours, we farewelled the city buzz of Colombo and drove east for several hours to Dambulla, home to the spectacular Dambulla Rock Temple. Sri Lanka has a long history of the presence and practice of Buddhism and this sprawling cave complex is quite the treasure-chest. The Dambulla temple is not only one of the oldest sites for Buddhist monasticism, but it has served as a pilgrimage site for twenty-two centuries. The massive cave temple complex is unique in Southeast Asia because monks carved the caves out from rock, towering 160 metres above the surrounding plains. There’s more than 80 caves across the site, but the major attractions are spread over five caves which contain statues and paintings of Buddha and his life." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our oceans are filled with a variety of things: sea creatures, plants, algae, coral, rubbish. Some things belong there, and some don’t.  Since ‘Litter Intelligence’ began back in 2018, citizen scientists have picked up, counted, and weighed over 621,000 individual pieces of litter from coastal survey areas across Aotearoa, more than 75% of which is plastic.   Sustainable Coastlines has launched their ‘Trash Species of Aotearoa New Zealand’ campaign, and Kate ‘Ethically Kate’ Hall joined Jack Tame to discuss the most common species, and chat about the ways we can keep them from filling our oceans.  Key Litter Species facts:  Scollipop (lollipop sticks): 8,301 sticks recorded in Litter Intelligence coastal litter surveys. Lots near kids' playgrounds!   Gutterfish is part of the construction waste family, which makes up more than 20% of the litter removed from Litter Intelligence coastal survey sites, by weight.   Blue snackeral is from the food wrappers family, which Litter Intel

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for 12 October 2024, culinary legend Donna Hay joins Jack to discuss what inspires her these days compared to ten years ago, and shares tips on cooking for a house full of hungry teenage boys.  Jack examines the difficulty of learning a new language at middle age.  Film reviewer Francesca Rudkin considers how small-budget kiwi film ‘A Mistake’ somehow landed A-List Hollywood star Elizabeth Banks.  Elon Musk hosted his robo-event, complete with new products and designs. Tech expert Paul Stenhouse dishes on the new taxis, vans and... humanoids.  And Kevin Milne and Jack celebrate how kiwi music legends Crowded House can sell out London's O2 arena, but still return to our smaller home-grown venues for their kiwi audiences.  Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are three reactions to the concept of “feeding your plants”:   1) Plants feed themselves through Photosynthesis (you don’t need to feed your plants!)  2) They’ll pick up elements in the soil that they need for growth and development, nobody feeds the plants in a native forest.  3) What’s scientifically needed for our gardens is a soil test that indicates which chemical elements are lacking in soil.  This is about the Science of Fertilisers.  This is the time of the year when soil temperatures are great for plant growth. Roots work over-time to extract minerals, dissolve them in water and transport them through the phloem bundles to the leaves of plants, where photosynthesis puts it all together and creates carbohydrates and chemicals that allow cell-elongation (growth).   Plants use three main elements for bulk growth “food”: Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and potassium (K), which are generally known as NPK (their chemical symbols).   N is used to make the green stuff: leaves

Villa Maria Cellar Selection Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon   Why I chose it:   This wine was selected by Gimblett Gravels’ winemakers as one of the top reds from 2022.  A hearty red at a mouth-watering price.  2022 was an average vintage, but this is a well below average price   Can be enjoyed now or stored in a cool place and enjoyed in 5 or 6 years time   A versatile wine that appeals to a wide range of tastes   What does it taste like?    A fresh and fruity red with dark berry and plum flavours and a seasoning of spicy oak. Moderately intense. A delicious wine that makes me reach for a second glass.   Why it’s a bargain:            Punches well above its weight   Where can you buy it?          Whiskeyonline, Auckland $16.99  Vitis Cellars, Auckland $113.64 (12 bottles)  Blackmarket.co.nz $113.94  Check your supermarket shelves  What’s a good food match?   Barbecued steak.&n

Elon Musk's “We, Robot” event saw taxis, vans, and humanoids  Elon says it will be "the biggest product ever" calling them an “autonomous assistant, humanoid friend".    He gave us a glimpse into a future. At the party robots danced, served cocktails, and chatted with guests with a voice that sounded like a human. It's cadence and tone were offputtingly normal. When an event attendee told Optimus he was doing a good job, the robot looked up in acknowledgement, then said “You wanna get a photo?” and made a peace sign with its hand.  In a video they were watering plants, collecting packages, cleaning the kitchen after dinner, unloading groceries and unwinding with a board game with the family’s kids.  The marketing materials said they're designed to take on the dangerous and boring tasks in your life. The lofty goal is to have them ready to sell by the end of 2025, with a price-tag of somewhere around USD$30,000.    They unveiled a robocab with two seats, no steering whee

Disclaimer  When an intriguing novel appears at the bedside of a journalist whose career has been built on revealing transgressions, she is horrified to realise she's a key character in a long-buried story, one that exposes her darkest secret (Apple TV+). Sweetpea   Rhiannon Lewis doesn't make much of an impression - people walk past her in the street without a second glance. That is until she is pushed over the edge and loses control, and Rhiannon's life transforms (Neon). The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes  A second season of the local series about a group of volunteers with young onset dementia as they navigate the highs and lows of running a fine-dining restaurant under the guidance of renowned chef Ben Bayly (TVNZ+ from Monday 14 October).   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Mistake   A talented surgeon's life unravels when a new public reporting system for surgeons' performance is introduced. Her colleagues distance themselves, and even her partner, a hospital nurse, abandons her.     The Outrun   After living life on the edge in London, Rona attempts to come to terms with her troubled past. She returns to the wild beauty of Scotland's Orkney Islands where she grew up, hoping to heal.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bored of making the same old recipes? Is cooking becoming more of a chore? You might be stuck in a rut. Fortunately, Nici Wickes has some advice on how to pull yourself out and get back into the swing of things.  She recommends checking out cookbooks or magazines for some new recipes, eating out or trying new restaurants for some inspiration, and of course, taking a look to see what interesting things may be tucked away in your cupboards.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Supermarket collectable schemes are a dime a dozen these days, with most franchises running a collectable promotion every year. Most buy into the scheme, collecting the stickers or cards and trading them in for a free product, but there are some out there who pass on them.  To Kevin Milne it feels like these people are just throwing away money, and wonders why people would pass on a free container or two.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As someone who considers themself at least semi-literate, with the benefit of a reasonable education and at least a passing interest in the world, I can confirm there is nothing quite so humbling in middle-age as learning a new language.    At short notice, I’m hoping to briefly visit a Latin American country for my work in a few weeks’ time, and in preparation this week I downloaded a few apps and subscribed to podcasts to try and re-up my Spanish.   My history with Spanish is one of big surges and even bigger retreats.    I studied it until seventh form at high school. I wasn’t very good but at least I learnt a few nouns and could ask some basic questions.    But when I moved to New York as a 24-year-old I decided to learn Spanish in a way I never had when I was a teenager. I moved to a Latin neighbourhood. I did thrice-weekly lessons on Skype, just speaking with a tutor friend in Mexico’s south.    After a few months of studying, I decided to visit her.   &

Rena Owen has cemented herself in New Zealand’s pantheon of film and television greats.  The award-winning actress has a packed acting career, with roles in everything from Once Were Warriors, to Star Wars, to Whina, to Shortland Street.   She stars in productions that create lasting legacies, conveying stories from the culture and history of New Zealand, and her latest work follows suit.  Taki Rua Theatre – Breaking Barriers tells the story of what became the unofficial Māori theatre company, an ensemble of artists breaking barriers, shattering cultural norms, and pioneering a bicultural partnership.  Owen joined Jack Tame to discuss the significance of the theatre, her acting career, and her upcoming film roles.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwi soul musician Louis Baker has released his third EP, Medicine his first work as sole producer.   The EP reflects the bond Baker has with his craft, allowing him to connect with himself and communicate with the world.   Estelle Clifford joined Jack Tame to give her thoughts on this new release.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Sri Lanka has loomed large on my bucket-list for quite some time. Nicknamed the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, I’ve just ventured to the teardrop-shaped island nation for the first time and it smashed my expectations. Over the course of a week, I savoured Sri Lanka’s colourful cities, vibrant cuisine, ravishing landscapes, astonishing World Heritage treasures and glorious wildlife, which were all seamlessly stitched together by On the Go Tours and their Colombo, Caves and Kandy group tour." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney   Aside from the fact that they are brothers, Peter and Ivan Koubek seem to have little in common.  Peter is a Dublin lawyer in his thirties—successful, competent, and apparently unassailable. But in the wake of their father’s death, he’s medicating himself to sleep and struggling to manage his relationships with two very different women—his enduring first love, Sylvia, and Naomi, a college student for whom life is one long joke.  Ivan is a twenty-two-year-old competitive chess player. He has always seen himself as socially awkward, a loner, the antithesis of his glib elder brother. Now, in the early weeks of his bereavement, Ivan meets Margaret, an older woman emerging from her own turbulent past, and their lives become rapidly and intensely intertwined.  For two grieving brothers and the people they love, this is a new interlude—a period of desire, despair, and possibility; a chance to find out how much one life might hold inside itself without b

Stats NZ has released the latest data from the Census, giving fresh insights into the lives of people across the country.  Kevin Milne has been taking a look at the latest numbers and there’s a couple things he found interesting, and some he wasn’t surprised by at all.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 Although Working from Home might have been new for many of us under Covid, research in the area has been going on for decades. This international research, combined with studies carried out in New Zealand over the past 4 years, notably by Prof Jarrod Harr at Massey Uni, is pretty clear that from a wellbeing and productivity perspective the hybrid model of working is better than working in the office 100% or working from home 100%. Hybrid working gives the best of both worlds – 2 or 3 days in the office and 2 or 3 days at home.  Advantages of hybrid working include:   An increased sense of autonomy for workers – you have some choice over when/where/how you work. Higher levels of autonomy are associated with higher levels of wellbeing.  Less stress and better work-life balance.  You still get the advantage of social interactions when in the office.  Working from Home 100% of the time isn’t ideal – people report higher rates of low mood and loneliness. Also, higher rates of burno

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 5 October 2024, award-winning actress Rena Owen joins Jack to discuss the 30-year anniversary of Once Were Warriors, gearing up for the live action Moana, and the role of Māori theatre throughout her career.  Jack shares his love for maps and the remote, extreme, curious places he's drawn to when studying them. He considers the chances of a visit to Diego Garcia following the news that sovereignty of the island will be passed to Mauritius.  Sally Rooney's highly anticipated fourth novel is Booktok’s latest obsession – with influencers vying for advance copies and the book becoming something of a commodity. Book reviewer Catherine Raynes shares her thoughts on Intermezzo's literary merit.  How does Joker: Folie à Deux match up to the critical and commercial juggernaut of the first Joker film? Film reviewer Francesca Rudkin delivers her verdict.  And man-in-the-garden Ruud Kleinpaste joins Jack in studio to chat planting b

It’s already getting dry in Canterbury, and I still need to do a lot of planting in order to save us from starvation. Juuls has planted Christmas spuds. Seed potatoes: “chitted” (meaning the “eyes” have started to run out) and the plants are doing well – shooting up in their large tubs on the deck. Every week or so we carefully add some soil on top of the stuff that’s already there, so that the main stem will produce more and more potatoes.   This is Julie’s “spud race” for the spring challenge at her work.   Potato fertiliser always has a bit more “P” (Phosphate) in it to encourage root growth and tuber growth. Jersey Bennes and such early varieties are probably the best to use before Christmas.   Potato-Tomato Psyllid   I don’t want to play Russian Roulette with this pest: it damages potatoes and tomatoes, so I prefer to keep potatoes well away from my tomato tunnelhouse.  It’s called Biosecurity!  Tomatoes   Should have been sown now in seed-raising mix and transplanted