Eric 

Puppeteer Vincent clings to his missing son's drawings of a blue monster puppet named Eric, convinced that if he can get Eric on TV then his son will come home (Netflix).



The Responder 

Martin Freeman is back for a second season as the crisis-stricken first responder who works night shifts on the beat in Liverpool, trying to keep his head above water (TVNZ+). 



Jim Henson Idea Man 

A look at interviews of fans of Jim Henson, interspersed with footage from his works, including Wilkins and Wontkins Commercials that were previously lost (Disney+).



LISTEN ABOVE

Eric  
Puppeteer Vincent clings to his missing son's drawings of a blue monster puppet named Eric, convinced that if he can get Eric on TV then his son will come home (Netflix). 
 
The Responder  
Martin Freeman is back for a second season as the crisis-stricken first responder who works night shifts on the beat in Liverpool, trying to keep his head above water (TVNZ+).  
 
Jim Henson Idea Man  
A look at interviews of fans of Jim Henson, interspersed with footage from his works, including Wilkins and Wontkins Commercials that were previously lost (Disney+). 
 
LISTEN ABOVE

Jack Tame’s crisp perspective, style and enthusiasm makes for refreshing and entertaining Saturday morning radio on Newstalk ZB.

News, sport, books, music, gardens and celebrities – what better way to spend your Saturdays?

Jack Tame’s crisp perspective, style and enthusiasm makes for refreshing and entertaining Saturday morning radio on Newstalk ZB. News, sport, books, music, gardens and celebrities – what better way to spend your Saturdays?

Saturday Morning with Jack Tame

Tara Ward: Eric, The Responder, and Jim Henson Idea Man

Try this cake for the school lunch boxes this week – it’s quick to make and bake, soft and moist, incredibly delicious and square pieces are much more ergonomic in the lunch box.

Makes 20x25 rectangle cake

INGREDIENTS

150g butter

2/3 cup water

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 ½ cups plain flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch salt

1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

1/3 cup yoghurt, sour cream or creme fraiche

2 medium eggs, lightly whisked

200g (about 2 medium) chopped apples, I used unpeeled granny smiths

½ cup frozen blackberries, thawed



ICING

1 ½ cups icing sugar

1 tbsp melted butter

2 tsp vanilla extract



METHOD

Preheat oven to 200 C. Grease and line a shallow swiss roll tin or other rectangle tin measuring about 20cmx30cm. Twist the corners of the baking paper to get the sides to stand up a bit higher than the tin.

In a medium pot bring the butter and water to a boil.

Stir in the sugars followed by the dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and mix until combined. Add in yoghurt and eggs and stir to combine then fold in the chopped apples and berries.

Pour batter into the prepared tin spreading it into the corners. Bake for 17-20 minutes, or until it springs back to the touch. Cool for 10 minutes then ice while warm.

For the icing: Heap icing sugar into a large bowl and add melted butter and vanilla. Whisk, beat or stir until you have a smooth, pourable icing – loosen with boiling water as needed.

Spread icing over just warm cake and leave to set.

Slice and eat!

Make it your way:

You could grate the apple but I like the chunks.

Leave out the cinnamon and replace with vanilla or ginger if you fancy it.

Leave off the icing and eat warm as a pudding with custard and cream.



LISTEN ABOVE

Try this cake for the school lunch boxes this week – it’s quick to make and bake, soft and moist, incredibly delicious and square pieces are much more ergonomic in the lunch box.
Makes 20x25 rectangle cake
INGREDIENTS
150g butter
2/3 cup water
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 ½ cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch salt
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1/3 cup yoghurt, sour cream or creme fraiche
2 medium eggs, lightly whisked
200g (about 2 medium) chopped apples, I used unpeeled granny smiths
½ cup frozen blackberries, thawed
 
ICING
1 ½ cups icing sugar
1 tbsp melted butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
 
METHOD
Preheat oven to 200 C. Grease and line a shallow swiss roll tin or other rectangle tin measuring about 20cmx30cm. Twist the corners of the baking paper to get the sides to stand up a bit higher than the tin.
In a medium pot bring the butter and water to a boil.
Stir in the sugars followed by the dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and mix until combined. Add in yoghurt and eggs and stir to combine then fold in the chopped apples and berries.
Pour batter into the prepared tin spreading it into the corners. Bake for 17-20 minutes, or until it springs back to the touch. Cool for 10 minutes then ice while warm.
For the icing: Heap icing sugar into a large bowl and add melted butter and vanilla. Whisk, beat or stir until you have a smooth, pourable icing – loosen with boiling water as needed.
Spread icing over just warm cake and leave to set.
Slice and eat!
Make it your way:
You could grate the apple but I like the chunks.
Leave out the cinnamon and replace with vanilla or ginger if you fancy it.
Leave off the icing and eat warm as a pudding with custard and cream.
 
LISTEN ABOVE

Nici Wickes: Apple & Blackberry Sheet Pan Cake

"As you wander around the Peloponnese Peninsula, it's like myth and history just constantly overlap. For history buffs, there's just so much to blow the mind in Southern Greece. Western Peloponnese is home to the Valley of the Gods. I went to Epidaurus in the Peloponnese, and you get a real flavour ancient sporting conquests. The place is home to Asclepius, the God of medicine, and is where they staged many sporting contests. You can still see the ancient stadium and theatre, which seats about 14000 people, and a coin drop there could be crisply heard from the highest seats - you cannot beat old school acoustics!

Read the full article here

LISTEN ABOVE

"As you wander around the Peloponnese Peninsula, it's like myth and history just constantly overlap. For history buffs, there's just so much to blow the mind in Southern Greece. Western Peloponnese is home to the Valley of the Gods. I went to Epidaurus in the Peloponnese, and you get a real flavour ancient sporting conquests. The place is home to Asclepius, the God of medicine, and is where they staged many sporting contests. You can still see the ancient stadium and theatre, which seats about 14000 people, and a coin drop there could be crisply heard from the highest seats - you cannot beat old school acoustics!
Read the full article <a href="https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/lifestyle/travel/mike-yardley-myth-and-history-in-the-peloponnese/">here</a>
LISTEN ABOVE

Mike Yardley: The thrills of the Peloponnese Peninsula

Apart from my beautiful wife, of course, the last person I thought of before I dozed off last night, was Dave.

Dave had texted me a few hours earlier when I was filling in for Heather on Newstalk ZB Drive, to say he was driving home from Levin to Palmerston North when he’d stopped to fill up the car and had encountered a bit of a problem.

He’d filled up the tank, but as he walked over to the foyer and tried to transfer money between his banks accounts in order to pay for his petrol, his internet banking wouldn’t work.

There he was, stranded, waiting for an enormous global technology outage to be sorted so that he could transfer the cash, pay for his gas, and finally get back home.

Although some of the tech outages had been fixed, they’re still affecting thousands upon thousands of significant operations around the World: Airports, airlines, hospitals, emergency call centres, TV and radio stations, and banks. Who’s to say Dave isn’t still out there, madly swiping at his phone and refreshing a blank page on his internet banking?

The outage was caused by Crowdstrike, a cyber security company which is ironically charged with protecting its clients. And there’s no reporting at this stage to suggest it was caused by a malicious act or a cyber attack. It’s just a plain old error. Already some experts are describing it as the largest IT outage in history.

“This is what Y2K wishes it was,” someone said on Reddit.

It’s a salient reminder just how fragile and interconnected many of our modern digital systems really are.

I’d describe myself as being mid-tier when it comes to the uptake of technology. I have a Chat GPT account. I back up my data on the cloud. I use Apple Pay on my phone. And I absoluetely abhor cash. I hate it. Notes? Coins? Seriously?! All that clutter?! I want to go about my business with the fewest things possible. I don’t think I’ve had a wallet that was capable of carrying hard currency in at least fifteen years.

But if the last thing I thought of before I hit the hay last night was poor old Dave, miserable in the dim light of a Levin petrol station forecourt, the first thing I thought of this morning was how to avoid his predicament.

On the way to the studio I stopped by an ATM and withdrew a bit of cash. Not a crazy amount, mind. Just enough for a tank of gas.

Apart from my beautiful wife, of course, the last person I thought of before I dozed off last night, was Dave.
Dave had texted me a few hours earlier when I was filling in for Heather on Newstalk ZB Drive, to say he was driving home from Levin to Palmerston North when he’d stopped to fill up the car and had encountered a bit of a problem.
He’d filled up the tank, but as he walked over to the foyer and tried to transfer money between his banks accounts in order to pay for his petrol, his internet banking wouldn’t work.
There he was, stranded, waiting for an enormous global technology outage to be sorted so that he could transfer the cash, pay for his gas, and finally get back home.
Although some of the tech outages had been fixed, they’re still affecting thousands upon thousands of significant operations around the World: Airports, airlines, hospitals, emergency call centres, TV and radio stations, and banks. Who’s to say Dave isn’t still out there, madly swiping at his phone and refreshing a blank page on his internet banking?
The outage was caused by Crowdstrike, a cyber security company which is ironically charged with protecting its clients. And there’s no reporting at this stage to suggest it was caused by a malicious act or a cyber attack. It’s just a plain old error. Already some experts are describing it as the largest IT outage in history.
“This is what Y2K wishes it was,” someone said on Reddit.
It’s a salient reminder just how fragile and interconnected many of our modern digital systems really are.
I’d describe myself as being mid-tier when it comes to the uptake of technology. I have a Chat GPT account. I back up my data on the cloud. I use Apple Pay on my phone. And I absoluetely abhor cash. I hate it. Notes? Coins? Seriously?! All that clutter?! I want to go about my business with the fewest things possible. I don’t think I’ve had a wallet that was capable of carrying hard currency in at least fifteen years.
But if the last thing I thought of before I hit the hay last night was poor old Dave, miserable in the dim light of a Levin petrol station forecourt, the first thing I thought of this morning was how to avoid his predicament.
On the way to the studio I stopped by an ATM and withdrew a bit of cash. Not a crazy amount, mind. Just enough for a tank of gas.

Tara Ward: Eric, The Responder, and Jim Henson Idea Man

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