Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

Kevin Milne's been looking at a new quiz that suggests career changes to those who've lost their job thanks to COVID.Keen to hear what the suggestions were? Listen to the audio above See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This morning we’re making history together. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time a nationwide show has been broadcast in New Zealand, from within managed isolation. Hopefully the technology holds. Hopefully my tests come back negative. But if you hear a bang on the door in the background...it might be my breakfast.   You don’t find out where you’ll be quarantining until the plane hi...

Donald Trump may have lost the US presidency, but Jack Tame watched on in Washington, as 70 million people still voted for another four years of Trump presidency. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If I could charge a dollar for every question I answer on talkback radio concerning spittlebugs and passionvine hoppers, I’d be retired and lying on a beach in the Bahamas – or perhaps more likely in Namibia or Amazonia, the high desert of Arizona. Characteristic patches of bubbles up (spittle) and down the stems of lavender, Coprosma and a heap of other host plants. Many of these are caused by th...

Back in 3500 BCE, the Ancient Egyptians used baking soda as a cleaning agent and to dry out bodies for the process of mummification. Also known as sodium bicarbonate, it's actually a salt. Go ahead and try it; you’ll find that it tastes like a milder version of the salt in your shaker. It is slightly alkaline (the opposite of acidic), which is key to understanding why it’s such a good cleaner.  Ke...

Pink Icing Buns After the week we’ve had (all that US politics!!) I feel like we need something absolutely frivolous and fun and these cream and jam-filled finger buns do the trick! Makes 14-16 Buns 100mls milk 50g butter 1 heaped tablespoon caster sugar 1 medium egg, lightly beaten 2 tsps instant yeast 250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting 250g high grade flour 175mls tepid water ½ tbsp sunflo...

Most of us know plenty about Annabel Langbein’s professional life. More than 30 cookbooks down, including the wildly successful Annabel Langbein: The Free Range Cook, her recipes are staples in Kiwi kitchens. But there’s a huge amount more to her story than that - from living as a Maoist hippie to possum trapping for a living. She’s written about her adventures - with some recipes thrown in for go...

With the borders closed, Mike Yardley has been getting out and about and travelling a little closer to home, seeing what New Zealand has to offer. He joined Jack Tame to talk about his latest trip to Great Lake Taupō, exploring the mountain biking tracks, trails around Huka Falls, the Wairakei Thermal Terraces  and discovering the best eats around.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

Roadkill: a British four-part television political thriller starring Hugh Laurie as a self-made, forceful and charismatic politician positioned in the cabinet as Minister for Transport whose public and private life seems to be falling apart – or rather is being picked apart by his enemies (TVNZ OnDemand, from 9 November).A Suitable Boy: based on the novel by Vikram Seth, A Suitable Boy is a vast,...

Medsafe's medicines classification committee last month considered coronial recommendations about the sale of paracetamol made after the inquest into the death of a Dunedin student. Alannah Lee Spankie, 20, died from acute liver failure in June 2017, after the University of Otago science student took a large amount of paracetamol. Coroner David Robinson in September found that Spankie had not inte...

Looking for a trip around the country while the borders are closed?  Kevin Milne has a recommendation for you - the Northern Explorer. After he and his wife went from Auckland to Wellington, Milne told Jack Tame that it is "first class service" and there is plenty to enjoy - from the wonderful scenery through to the commentary and the food on board. However, there is one thing he noted that could...

The Sentinel by Lee Child Jack Reacher gets off a bus in Nashville, Tennessee, in a quest for food, lodging and some good country music. But when he encounters a band of musicians who have been cheated by an unscrupulous bar owner, he steps in to help…A Time for Mercy by John GrishamClanton, Mississippi. 1990. Jake Brigance finds himself embroiled in a deeply divisive trial when the court appoints...

Bruce Springsteen’s new album Letter to You released at the end of last month, he’s made history as the first artist to have a top 5 album on the Billboard 200 in six consecutive decades. Estelle Clifford’s been taking a listen, and joined Jack Tame to discuss.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I Am Woman Tilda Cobham-Hervey plays Australian musician and activist icon Helen Reddy. In 1966 Reddy landed in New York with her three-year-old daughter, a suitcase and $230. Within weeks she was broke. Within five years she was a superstar, the first ever Australian Grammy Award winner, and an icon of the 1970s feminist movement. ReunionIvy is packing up an expansive old Victorian home after the...

One of the world’s largest batteries to store renewable energy is set to be built in Victoria to help drive down power costs for Victorians. The Victorian government on Thursday announced the 300 megawatt Tesla lithium-ion battery would be installed near the Moorabool Terminal Station, just outside Geelong, and would be ready by the 2021-22 summer. Energy, Environment and Climate Change Minister L...

A posthumous album has been released by Kiwi legend Ian Morris from Th’ Dudes. Estelle Clifford has been taking a listen. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Book reviewer Catherine Raynes has been reading Impossible: My Story by Stan Walker, and Breathless by Jennifer Niven. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Resident traveller Mike Yardley has been touring Whataroa and Okarito in South Westland. FOR SOME TIPS, LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christmas isn't always a time of joy, especially when you can't be with your loved ones. Relationships expert Steven Dromgool has some tips on managing the festive season while coping with loss. LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Birds in your garden. It’s breeding time! And although you may not realise it, there are likely some species making nests and breeding in dense bushes in your garden.  First the story of James Russell: he’s the scientists that works of predator control and subsequent translocations of birds to pest-free islands and restored native bush. During lockdown he decided to do some bird banding in his gar...

There's talk the Reserve Bank will bring back strict LVRs because the property market is so hot. If you're wanting to get in first, what do you need to consider first? Enable Me's Hannah McQueen has been giving Jack Tame some tips - and if you want to get in touch with her in person, her website is  www.enable .me   LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE      See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's talk the Reserve Bank will bring back strict LVRs because the property market is so hot. If you're wanting to get in first, what do you need to consider first? Enable Me's Hannah McQueen has been giving Jack Tame some tips - and if you want to get in touch with her in person, her website is  www.enable .me   LISTEN TO AUDIO ABOVE      See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Where does your Uber driver go to the bathroom There almost isn't a type of service that isn't available on-demand in the US.. getting a meal delivered, hanging a picture frame, restocking the booze cabinet, getting a lift somewhere.. but what do the estimated 55 million gig workers do if they're out and about and need to go to the bathroom? Especially in a pandemic when lots of public restrooms a...