Satire

It's Thursday May 19th.

Poor Peter, poor poor Peter, standing there in his potato patch. A pitchfork in hand...the guy looked like he just pulled it out of his back. Ouch. That's gotta hurt.

Currently, you know Peter, if you're feeling blue, feeling betrayed, maybe like you don't know who to trust anymore there is someone you can talk to, someone with a shoulder you can cry on, a guy who knows exactly how you must feel. Give David Orchard a call. You've got his number.

This is the Current.

Scott Brison

Belinda Stronach's controversial decision to switch parties has generated a critical firestorm, with barbs veering from plain old negative to downright nasty. Provincial tories have called her a dipstick and suggested she "whored" or "prostituted" her way into her new job as Liberal Minister for Human Resources.

And more than one pundit honed in on her treatment of former boyfriend and political partner, Peter Mckay, as utterly heartless. In response, some members of her new party played the gender card, claiming that the critiques have been nothing short of sexist.

In 2003, Scott Brison was the first to leave the Conservatives for the Liberals under Paul Martin's brand new government. And for that, he was handed a cabinet post. He's the MP for Kings Hants in Nova Scotia and the Minister of Public Works. He was in Ottawa this morning.

Sexist Debate

Well Belinda Stronach remains the talk of the land, with angry insults and insinuations from betrayed Conservatives being rivalled by passionate rebuttals from her defenders.

Many women in the Liberal party immediately jumped on some of the more inflammatory language around political "whoring", saying the coverage of Ms. Stronach's defection has been sexist, and that a man would not have been subjected to similar name-calling.

This morning we were joined by two former politicians, women who've known the furious glare of media scrutiny. Judi Tyabji was a married MLA in British Columbia in 1991 when she fell in love with the also- married leader of the Liberal party, Gordon Wilson. The romance caused a huge sensation when both left their spouses to be together. In the election that followed, Mr. Wilson managed to hang on to his seat but Judy Tyabji lost hers. Ms. Tyabji was in Powell River, British Columbia. And from Ottawa we were joined by Deborah Grey, a former Conservative MP with a reputation for being blunt. She was in Ottawa this morning.

Listen to The Current: Part 1

(Due to various rights issues some segments may be edited for internet use)

The Current: Part 2

Letters

Well, Jan Wong is no stranger to critical feedback as an author and columnist for the Globe and Mail, where she once turned "lunch" into a four-letter word. And this Friday she's hosting The Current. Jan Wong joined Anna Maria Tremonti from Toronto for a look at the mail.

Manchester United – The Fans

Now we turn our ears to a very different kind of betrayal. And it's a story that's set to turn the soccer world on its ear. The world's richest and perhaps best known British football club, Manchester United, could soon be entirely owned by an American company.

For fans, this is like a kick in the shins--minus the shin guards. The Club is in their blood, it's their heritage, many have built their lives around it. In fact, there are fans who don't take any holidays during the football season so they can faithfully follow the team to games around the world.

For them the club's stadium, Old Trafford, is their "Mecca", and they say the American tycoon's plans for the club will be solely profit-oriented -- they plan to protest at this weekend's FA Cup Final.

Martin Lucas is a die-hard Manchester United fan and a spokesman for Shareholders' United. It's a fan-based organization whose members own a fifteen percent share in the Club. We reached him this morning where he works in Liverpool.

Manchester United – Analyst

From this side of the pond, the fanatical devotion soccer fans show their clubs can seem a little ... well let's just say their dedication is impressive. Obviously there are sports fans in North America whose thoughts are never far away from their local team.

And there are clubs that demand storied and even operatic feats of submission from their fans. How else to explain the ongoing existence of the Toronto Maple Leafs or Chicago Cubs? But there really does seem to be something unique about people who devote their lives to soccer.

To help us sort out what that is -- and what's happening to the sport they love—we were joined by Simon Kuper. He's the author of Football Against The Enemy and he was on the phone from his home in Paris.

Listen to The Current: Part 2

(Due to various rights issues some segments may be edited for internet use)

The Current: Part 3

Live-Shot.com - Owner

In Texas a mere mouse can take down a wild hog. At least it will be able to if the creators of Live-Shot.com have their way. It's called Internet hunting and two Texas entrepreneurs have designed the world's first website that allows hunters to virtually stalk and shoot live prey. For a fee, you can take a rifle to paper targets or balloons----and eventually real live animals---with just a click of the mouse.

But the site has united some natural enemies. The National Rifle Association agrees with animal rights activists in calling Live Shot.com an appalling use of technology. And lawmakers across the United States are passing legislation that would make it illegal for anyone to hunt over the Internet.

To talk about the new service we were joined by Greg Stevens, a partner in Live-Shot.com. And he was on the phone from San Antonio, Texas.

Live-Shot.com – User

Dale Hagberg is a 38-year-old avid hunter from Indiana. That is, he was an avid hunter, before a diving accident left him severely disabled. Now he is hooked up to a respirator and can only move the muscles in his face.

But as Live-Shot's first customer, he says he can finally participate in an activity he enjoyed before his accident. We spoke to Dale Hagberg at home in Ligonier, Indiana. Because of his disability, he spoke though his nurse.

Live-Shot.com - US Rep

While Live-Shot.com has brought joy to Dale Hagberg, it has come under heavy fire from almost every other direction. Animal rights activists along with pro-hunting and pro-gun groups-including the NRA--want to shut down the technology.

And politicians in at least 14 states are rushing to write legislation aimed at banning internet hunting. Scott Gunderson is one of those lawmakers. He's a Republican state representative in Wisconsin.

Live-Shot.com – MIT

Where ever you stand on this issue, the line between real and virtual keeps shifting--- and so do the ethical and moral arguments around the role technology plays in our lives.

To help us navigate this tricky terrain, we were joined by Judith Donath. She is the Director of the Sociable Media Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and she was on the phone from her home in Sommerville, Massachusetts.

Last Word – Star Wars

In case you've been out of the country or actually living in a galaxy far, far away, you should know that today the third episode of the Star Wars saga rolls out in theatres. This one's called the Revenge of the Sith and it's supposed to answer a lot of questions many diehard fans have, such as: why did Anakin Skywalker become a political turncoat? At what point did he realize he was going to betray the Jedis? And what price did he pay when he crossed over ---and joined the dark side.

Well, if you want to find out---get in line. Meanwhile, if you're new to the series we're going to leave you with a brief summary. And pay attention---because this goes by at light speed. Canadian actor, Charlie Ross, performs a solo show called "One Man Star Wars." In less than one hour, he condenses all three original movies into one rapid-fire act. To close The Current, we asked Charlie Ross to re-create the infamous deadly trash compactor scene. That's the one where Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo and Chewbacca the Wookie escape down a garbage chute. Because----as we learned this week, getting out of tight spots is rarely elegant business.

Listen to The Current: Part 3

(Due to various rights issues some segments may be edited for internet use)

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