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Schedule
December 2009
For past program information please click on Past Shows.
 Click here for printer-friendly version of schedule
CD indicates the program is available on CD from IDEAS Transcripts or from the CBC Shop.
Tuesday, December 1
ABRAHAM’S DIARY, Part 2
In 2007 Canadian Inuit representatives travelled to Europe to explain the seal hunt. They were not well understood. Another group of Labrador Inuit had gone to Europe more than a century earlier, in 1880. They were not well understood either. Displayed in the Berlin zoo, these eight “little eskimos” attracted viewers by the thousands. Chris Brookes tells the story of one of them - Abraham Ulrikab - who watched the watchers and kept a diary.
Wednesday, December 2
THE EVOLUTION OF CHARLES DARWIN, Part 4 CD
 IDEAS celebrates the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin’s transformational and contentious book, On the Origin of Species. Darwin’s theory of evolution through Natural Selection forever changed how we think about the living world. In this 4-part series, Seth Feldman guides us through the life and ideas of Charles Darwin, a creative genius. Part 3, Primates v Primates: What On the Origin of Species said, and what was said about it.
Thursday, December 3
FLESH AND STONE: THE SOCIOLOGY OF RICHARD SENNETT, Part 1 CD
The American sociologist Richard Sennett has had two great themes: the history and design of cities, and the organization of work. As a lover of cities, he has celebrated the expanded sympathy that urban life makes possible; as a student of work, he has criticized the fragmentation of time in the new capitalism; and as a writer, he has elevated sociology to a literary art. He talks with IDEAS producer, David Cayley. Part 2 airs Thursday, December 10.
Friday, December 4
THE HURRIED INFANT, Part 1 CD
In 1981 a new book called The Hurried Child warned us that children were being pushed too far, too fast. Dr. David Elkind’s book became an instant classic. Today it seems the process has only intensified. There are pre-natal stimulation kits to induce fetal learning. Baby Einstein toys. There is also much discussion of how to smart-wire baby’s brain to expand cognitive powers, foster language abilities and improve sleep patterns. IDEAS producer Mary O’Connell explores this new terrain of Super Babies. Part 2 airs on Friday, December 11.
Monday, December 7
THE ENRIGHT FILES
Our monthly Monday night feature with Michael Enright, host of The Sunday Edition, in conversation with some of the most original and influential thinkers of our time.
Tuesday, December 8
STORIES OF THE SOUTHESK COLLECTION CD
 In 1859 an eccentric Scottish nobleman toured Rupert's Land. Edmonton writer Paula Simons explores how the souvenirs he collected provide fresh understanding of the complex and vibrant culture of what later became Western Canada.
Wednesday, December 9
THE MUNK DEBATES
IDEAS semi-annual broadcast of the Munk Debates, an initiative of the Aurea Foundation, a charitable organization founded in 2006 by Peter and Melanie Munk to “improve the quality and vitality of public debate in Canada.
Thursday, December 10
FLESH AND STONE: THE SOCIOLOGY OF RICHARD SENNETT, Part 2 CD
The American sociologist Richard Sennett has had two great themes: the history and design of cities, and the organization of work. As a lover of cities, he has celebrated the expanded sympathy that urban life makes possible; as a student of work, he has criticized the fragmentation of time in the new capitalism; and as a writer, he has elevated sociology to a literary art. He talks with IDEAS producer, David Cayley
Friday, December 11
THE HURRIED INFANT, Part 2 CD
In 1981 a new book called The Hurried Child warned us that children were being pushed too far, too fast. Dr. David Elkind’s book became an instant classic. Today it seems the process has only intensified. There are pre-natal stimulation kits to induce fetal learning. Baby Einstein toys. There is also much discussion of how to smart-wire baby’s brain to expand cognitive powers, foster language abilities and improve sleep patterns. IDEAS producer Mary O’Connell explores this new terrain of Super Babies.
Monday, December 14
HARK!
Close your eyes. Listen. What do you hear? Did people listen the same way four centuries ago? And what did they hear? Radio producer Chris Brookes takes our modern ears on a sound-rich journey through the acoustic world of Elizabethan England. For more details visit Chris Brookes website.
Tuesday, December 15
WACHTEL ON THE ARTS CD
Eleanor Wachtel, arts journalist and host of Writers & Company, talks to filmmaker Amos Gitai at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival about his youth in Haifa, his transformation from architect to filmmaker, and his impressive career as a highly original, committed and impassioned filmmaker.
Wednesday, December 16 - Thursday, December 17
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.
Friday, December 18
SHADOWS ON SPARKS STREET CD
On April 7, 1868, one of the Fathers of Confederation was gunned down just steps away from Parliament Hill. The murder of Thomas D'Arcy McGee made news around the world and culminated in the last public execution in Canadian history. In February 1869, Patrick James Whelan was hanged for the crime. But was he the real assassin? Freelance journalist Sarah Boothroyd explores the mystery.
Monday, December 21 - Tuesday, December 22
VISIONS OF FIRE CD
Ideas about fire, domesticated and wild, past and present, bringer of life and death and life again. Exceedingly rare in some places and times, fire appears in the mind as a deity: the blazing Shiva, the glowing Vesta, the burning bush. Every living creature depends on fire. And though fire spread civilization through the world, combustion now seems to signal... ruin. This “fire opera” by Max Allen features fire historian Stephen Pyne with a chorus of fire enthusiasts and fire fighters.
Wednesday, December 23
THE DOG ATE MY HOMEWORK, Part 1 CD
We all use excuses – reasonable or not – to get us off the hook. But what do they really tell us about ourselves?
Part 1: Some of the best excuses you’ll ever hear for those times when you really need them! Opinions, stories and ideas about excuses from excuse-makers extraordinaire.
Wednesday, December 24
A CHRISTMAS CAROL IN LABRADOR
To prepare for a special CBC Radio presentation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol in Nain, Labrador, IDEAS host Paul Kennedy rehearses with the local cast and everyone rediscovers the enduring power of this seasonal classic.
Thursday, December 25
IDEAS PRE-EMPTED
Monday, December 28 - Tuesday, December 29
IN PRAISE OF ICE
 For more than four billion years, ever since comets first crashed into the Earth, ice has been inextricably linked to life on this planet. From cold-hardy microbes to freeze-resistant frogs, nature has evolved many tricks for survival. Even human beings have learned to adapt to the challenges – and opportunities – of life with ice. Now, as glaciers shrink, and ice vanishes from the polar seas, Richard Longley takes us back to our icy roots, rekindling wonder for this alluring frozen water.
Wednesday, December 30
THE DOG ATE MY HOMEWORK, Part 2 CD
We all use excuses – reasonable or not – to get us off the hook. But what do they really tell us about ourselves?
Michael Blake, Simone Chambers and Arthur Ripstein join IDEAS host Paul Kennedy to see how and why excuses work. Listen. No excuses allowed!
Thursday, December 31
ENDINGS
In the closing hours of another calendar year, IDEAS host Paul Kennedy considers the concept of 'endings' from a variety of perspectives. What do people mean when they say that every end is really a beginning?
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