Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

Our Iconic birds, Kiwi, have been in trouble for quite a while now.
These guys and gals have been roaming around Aotearoa for millions and millions of years, until our planet got the disease known as Homo sapiens
We changed the landscape, brought in weeds and “the birds from home” (Blackbirds, finches, mynahs you name it). But most importantly: predators.
The usual stuff: rodents, mustelids and possums.
Add to that the incredibly dangerous human companions (dogs!!!) and you have a serious suite of effective killers of our flightless birds.
By the way: DOGS are great at sniffing out the smelly kiwi birds, where-ever they are hiding and even small pooches can “mouthe” a kiwi to death, simply because the bird hasn’t got a sternum (breast-bone) like all flighted birds have. That lack of sternum allows even the softest bite to cause a collapse of the ribcage – internal bleeding – good night nurse!

Can't decide what TV shows you should be watching? TV critic Tara Ward joins Jack Tame to gives us her top picks for your viewing pleasure!
Rolling Thunder: A Bob Dylan Story: In an alchemic mix of fact and fantasy, this Martin Scorsese documentary looks back at Bob Dylan's 1975 Rolling Thunder Revue tour and a country ripe for reinvention (Netflix)
The Spanish Princess: based on the novel by Phillippa Gregory, this historical period drama follows the Spanish princess, Catherine of Aragon, as she navigates the royal lineage of England with an eye on the throne (Prime, Tuesday 25 June, 8:35pm)
Portrait Artist of the Year 2019: a reality show that aims to uncover the UK's next great portrait artist by tasking professional and amateur artists with painting the portrait of identities like Jodie Comer, Laura Linney and Anna Chancellor (Sky Arts, from 25 June)

White supremacists, Scientologists, Porn actors, Filmmaker Louis Theroux is famous for his documentaries on the fringes of society.
Now, he is coming to New Zealand to talk about his work in a new stage show.
Louis Theroux joins Saturday Morning with Jack Tame to reveal what we can expect from his show.
Theroux plays at the Auckland Civic on Friday, 10 January next year. 
Click here for ticket information
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Every Saturday morning, movie critic Francesca Rudkin joins Jack Tame to take a look at what is playing at the movies this weekend
Little Woods
Little Woods, North Dakota, a fracking boomtown well beyond its prime. Ollie is trying to survive the last few days of her probation after getting caught illegally running prescription pills over the Canadian border. But when her mother dies, she is thrust back into the life of her estranged sister Deb (James), who is facing her own crisis with an unplanned pregnancy and a deadbeat ex. The two find they have one week to settle the mortgage on their mother's house or face foreclosure. As bills and pressure mount, Ollie faces a choice: whether to return to a way of life she thought she'd left behind for just one more score or to leave it all behind. A taught and affecting thriller about sisters pushed to extremes from award-winning director Nia DaCosta.
Sometimes Always Never
Alan is a stylish tailor with moves as sharp as his suits. He has spent years searching tirelessly for his missing son Michael who stormed out over a game of Scrabble. With a body to identify and his family torn apart, Alan must repair the relationship with his youngest son Peter and solve the mystery of an online player who he thinks could be Michael, so he can finally move on and reunite his family.

I haven’t owned a couch for a year. 
I just haven’t. I have all the other stuff that makes my lounge my lounge. A TV. A bookshelf. A couple of guitars. A rug and an orchid which is somehow still perky a good 18 months since I bought it.
But no couch. 
Why? Well, I suppose on one level I pride myself on living a minimalist life. A life of sparse possessions. I don’t spend much on clothes. I don’t spend much on cars or electronics or anything really outside of food and travel. And when I had to get rid of my old couch I just decided not to replace it. 
It’s not like I don’t have anything to sit on. I’m not running a Japanese tea ceremony situation where all visitors are expected to quietly cross their legs and sit on a mat for hours on end. I have two arm chairs which spin and recline, and a little extended ottoman thing that’s hollow inside and opens up if I need to store some linen. I even have a $20 side table I bought at Target for storing the TV remote. Just no couch.
It’s not THAT weird, is it? It’s not that weird. A grown man without a couch? Not a big deal. I dunno anymore. To be honest, I feel as though my judgement’s been shaken. I mentioned to my producer Emily a few months back that I didn’t have a couch and she freaked out, and immediately started sending me links to websites for modern Scandinavian furniture.
Stop it! I said. It’s not that strange! I’m going for a minimalist aesthetic, I barely ever have more than two or three people visiting at once, and if I really need another seating option, I can always bring across a chair from my dining table.
Jack, she said. Trust me. You need a couch.
I had friends over a couple of times. We hung out, had some beers, played guitar. I brought a dining chair over and plonked it next to my side table. 
“Why don’t you have a couch?’ said my friend Katherine. She sat on the floor and crossed her legs like at a Japanese tea ceremony.
I must admit, it has crossed my mind that if I ever get a girlfriend it could be a bit dispiriting trying to shout across the lounge room from a revolving arm chairs. Lean back! I’ll say. Spin!
Jack! She’ll shout across the abyss. 
WHY DON’T YOU HAVE A COUCH?
I think I’ve found a discovered a parameter of maturity. You can vote at 18, gamble at 20 but after that it’s an inexact science as to when you give up your years of partying and raging for the stability of middle aged.
Maybe middle age begins when you first get excited perusing the sale items in a home ware store.
Jack! I told myself. Kia Kaha! Don’t give in to the ridiculous shelves of scented candles and linen throws. Stick with your minimalist aesthetic. You have eight dinner plates already! You don’t need four more.
It was blue. It was sufficiently comfortable. They only had the three seater on display and a couple of colour options but I sat and bounced on the cushions. Would this go with my arm chairs?
Would this suit my side tables?
Bugger it.  
I bought a couch.

This tart is an absolutely divine dessert that just happens to be gluten free and dairyfree and vegan-friendly! This recipe is an adaptation of one by papayagirlbali (insta)aka Tanja Cordes, a fabulous vegan chef working in Bali.
Base:1 cup almonds, ground to a fine meal¼ cup coconut sugar (can use brown sugar)¼ cup cocoa powder2 tbsps coconut thread2 tbsps coconut oil, melted1 tbsp flaxseed meal mixed with 2 tbsps water1 tsp vanilla extract1 tsp orange zest½ tsp baking powder½ tsp baking soda¼ cup plant milk (almond, soy, rice, coconut)Mix it all together and press into a base of a 23 cm baking paper lined tart tin. Bakeat 180 C for 15-20 minutes or until firmed up. Cool.
Filling:400mls + 2tbsps coconut milk (or other plant-based milk)100g maple syrup40g cocoa1 tbsp corn flour100g dark chocolate, chopped roughly2 tbsps coconut oil1/3 tsp sea salt1/3 roasted peanuts, chopped roughly
1. Heat milk and maple syrup in saucepan. While it heats mix together cocoa,cornflour and extra milk until lump-three. Pour this into the saucepan and stiruntil it thickens – about 5 minutes. It will not be super thick, more like a lightcustard.2. Add in chocolate and coconut oil to custard and whisk until smooth and shiny.3. Pour into cooled, cooked base (fill right to the top) and chill until set – about 2-3hours, or overnight.4. Before serving, sprinkle with sea salt and peanuts.

This week, Catherine Raynes reviews two new exciting books for you to read. 
The Tattooist of Auschwitz - Heather Morris
In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer (the German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners.
Her Husbands Mistake - Shelia O Flanagan
Should a woman be ready to forgive and forget to save her marriage? Roxy's not so sure... The riveting new novel from No. 1 bestselling author Sheila O'Flanagan. Perfect for readers of Marian Keyes and Kerry Fisher.

Musician Moana Maniapoto will be well-known to nearly all of our listeners.
She was a trailblazer with her music when she first burst onto the music scene in the late 80s, which was recognised when she won this year’s Classic Record prize by Independent Music New Zealand.
Moana has been busy in other areas too, as a writer and documentary maker and now making a new Maori current affairs programme for Maori TV: Te Ao with Moana.
Moana Maniapoto joins Saturday Morning with Jack Tame to discuss her career and what we can expect from her new programme.
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Can't decide what TV shows you should be watching? TV critic Tara Ward joins Jack Tame to gives us her top picks for your viewing pleasure!




Summer of Rockets: a drama set in 1950s Cold War Britain about a Russian-born Jewish inventor who is tasked with a secret mission by MI5 (Soho, Sundays, 7:30pm)  
City on a Hill: Kevin Bacon stars in this crime drama produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, about two Boston detectives during the 90s (SoHo, Sundays 8:30pm) 
Pecking Order: a clucking good documentary following members of the Christchurch Poultry, Bantam and Pigeon Club in the lead up to the NZ National Show, as they battle history (and each other) in their quest for glory (TVNZ OnDemand)

Every Saturday morning, movie critic Francesca Rudkin joins Jack Tame to take a look at what is playing at the movies this weekend.
Men in Black: International
The Men in Black have always protected the Earth from the scum of the universe. In this new adventure, they tackle their biggest, most global threat to date: a mole in the Men in Black organization.
Pavarotti
From the filmmaking team behind the highly-acclaimed documentary The Beatles: Eight Days A Week - The Touring Years, PAVAROTTI is a riveting film that lifts the curtain on the icon who brought opera to the people. Academy Award (R) winner Ron Howard puts audiences front row center for an exploration of The Voice...The Man...The Legend. Luciano Pavarotti gave his life to the music and a voice to the world. This cinematic event features history-making performances and intimate interviews, including never-before-seen footage and cutting-edge Dolby Atmos technology.