February 2010

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CD indicates the program is available on CD from IDEAS Transcripts or from the CBC Shop.

Monday, February 1
THE ENRIGHT FILES - God, Coincidence, Media and Morality CD
Michael Enright host of The Sunday Edition, in conversation with Joel Des Rosiers, a Haitian Quebec psychiatrist and poet, and Suketu Metha, an Indo-American novelist and journalist about finding meaning in natural disasters.

Tuesday, February 2 - Wednesday, February 3
PLEASURES OF THE FLESH, Part 1 CD
The French have an old and rich tradition of eroticism, celebrating the dark as well as the luminous side of sexuality. Gilbert Reid explores French eroticism from the Marquis de Sade to Madame Bovary and The Story of O to learn what it has to tell us about romance and desire, sexuality and human nature.

Thursday, February 4
THE HOLDEN CAULFIELD FAN CLUB
Readers from around the world celebrate Holden Caulfield, the irresistible hero of J. D. Salinger's most famous book, The Catcher in the Rye in this documentary by IDEAS host Paul Kennedy. Holden hates phonies, and teenagers of all ages have loved him for more than half a century.

Friday, February 5
SANCTUARY CD
What are the elements of a haven? Can it be safe in these times of insecurity? Cindy Bisaillon ruminates on the idea of sanctuary in her off-the-grid cabin in the woods, interweaving her thoughts with tales from a naturalist, a refugee and a monk. She discovers clues to our future survival. To support the actions of Colorado-based monk Tessa Bielecki and Sudanese refugee Jacob Deng, both interviewed in the program visit The Desert Foundation and Wadeng Wings of Hope websites.

Monday, February 8
THE ART INSTINCT CD
Human tastes in the arts are evolutionary traits shaped by natural selection. So says Denis Dutton who argues that our love of beauty is inborn and shaped by evolution. Beauty, pleasure and skills are essential human values.

Tuesday, February 9
WACHTEL ON THE ARTS - Atom Egoyan CD
Eleanor Wachtel, host of Writers & Company, talks to Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan about his newest film Adoration and about growing up in the only Armenian family in Victoria and how his Armenian heritage has influenced his filmmaking.

Wednesday, Februray 10
THE TALE OF GENJI CD
It is considered the world’s first novel, written in the 11th century by a 30 year-old Japanese woman. The Tale of Genji has been interpreted in hand scrolls, woodcuts, operas, manga and anime. There’s even a PlayStation 2 videogame. Broadcaster Teresa Goff considers why the novel continues to fascinate.

Thursday, February 11
A NOVEL APPROACH CD
Neuroscience and psychology explore why we think what we do. But how does what we read affect our minds? Hassan Santur delves into the works of Jane Austen and James Joyce to understand how novels work on our consciousness.

Friday, February 12
HOLD ME TIGHT CD
The independent, autonomous self is lionized in our culture. But recognizing the hold that attachment has on us, is the secret of lasting relationships. So says Sue Johnson, a leading couples’ therapist and a Canadian with an international following.

Monday, February 15 - Tuesday, February 16
KING SOLOMON’S RING CD
Why do these geese think that you’re their mother? How do stickleback fish find a mate? Why does that crow seem smarter than you are? Konrad Lorenz spent a lifetime watching animals, figuring out how they live together, how they communicate, and - most important - how their worlds touch ours. Philip Coulter traveled to Austria to follow the trail of Konrad Lorenz today.

Wednesday, February 17
AND THE MORAL OF THE STORY IS… CD
The late British philosopher Bertrand Russell observed, “Most of the greatest evil that man has inflicted upon man comes through people feeling quite certain about something which, in fact, was false.” Producer Frank Faulk explores the dangers of moral certainty.

Thursday, February 18
THE CHARMING MR. LUTTWAK CD
Edward Luttwak is a strategist at a Washington think tank. He’s known for his provocative views on war and international affairs. And he also likes to get out of his armchair and take to the field.

Friday, February 19
MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE
Megan Williams tells us about composers Victor Ullmann and Gideon Klein who died in the Holocaust; of their struggle to create under the most horrific conditions; and of a group of modern-day scholars and musicians dedicated to reviving their long-silenced music.

Monday, February 22 - Tuesday, February 23
WHITE PAPER / RED PAPER CD
In 1969, the government of Canada introduced a White Paper that proposed to eliminate native status. It argued that “the separate legal status of Indians… have kept the Indian people apart from and behind other Canadians.” In a dramatic move on Parliament Hill on June 4, 1970, two chiefs rejected it. Meeting with the entire federal cabinet, they presented counter proposals in a document called Citizens Plus, more commonly known as The Red Paper. IDEAS producer Kathleen Flaherty tracks the events leading up to each document and how they have affected the relationship between the federal government and aboriginal people.

Wednesday, February 24
STORIES FROM THE ANCESTORS: THE LEGENDS OF THE GWICH'IN CD
The foundational stories of the Gwich'in are a window into the lives of a people who tamed the harsh Arctic climate and landscape from Alaska to the Mackenzie delta. They are tales of medicine power and heroic characters. A new episode from CBC Radio’s ongoing Legends Project, compilations of traditional oral stories, legends and histories of Canada’s Inuit and First Nations, gathered in communities across the country. To find out more, visit the CBC Aboriginal: Legends Project website.

Thursday, February 25 - Friday, February 26
THE TRAIL OF TEARS CD
In 1838, the Cherokee of the American southeast, one of the Five Civilized Tribes, were forced out of their farms and towns and relocated eight hundred miles to the west, in Indian Territory. A caravan of about 16,000 people set off across the rough roads and forests of the Midwest. In the snows of winter, many died. The journey became known as The Trail of Tears. Broadcaster Philip Coulter retraces the trail, asking questions about how the past shapes our present, and what it means to be a nation.