Satire

It's Monday, May 15th.

The federal government says it is willing to keep Canada in the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012. But the Conservatives ask that Canada be cut a break. They want Kyoto to offer longer deadlines, be more lenient, and allow for voluntary targets.

Currently, it reminds me of my LSAT for law school. Before I started the test, I asked the moderator if I could have three weeks to do it, if I could use my favorite crayon and if we could agree that circling "all of the above?" was an acceptable answer to each question.

(Annnnd I think we all know how that turned out.)

This is The Current.

Haiti – Puddicombe

Last night, Haitians began another new chapter in their country's long and turbulent history, as newly elected President Rene Preval took power. Thousands of Haitians crowded into the national palace, cheering as the soft-spoken 63 year old was sworn into office.

But in a sign of the challenges still facing the country, inmates at the nearby national penitentiary rioted hours before the ceremony, demanding freedom. Gunshots could be heard inside the prison, and inmates massed on the roof, holding bodies aloft, apparently prisoners. Police and U.N troops fired tear gas on the rioters, quickly quelling the uprising.

Since the dramatic departure of Jean-Bertrand Aristide more than two years ago, Haiti has essentially fallen under the tutelage of the international community. And that has been the source of much debate and even more turmoil.

CBC Reporter Stephen Puddicombe brought us an update on the prison riot and inauguration last night. He was on the phone from the capital, Port-au-Prince.

Haiti – Critic

One of the first things Rene Preval is going to have to figure out is how he intends to deal with the international community. And that's not likely to be easy given that many Haitians see outside forces as both the reason for their current chaotic state and their best hope for getting out of it.

Patrick Elie knows that dilemma all too well. He was Minister of Defense in Jean-Bertrand Aristide's first government. He's also a long-time friend of President Preval and he was on the phone from his home in Port-au-Prince.

Haiti - Dennis Coderre

Canada has long had a deep connection to Haiti. And there aren't many Canadian politicians with a stronger personal stake in the country than Liberal MP, Denis Coderre. He was Paul Martin's special advisor on Haiti and he was in our Montreal studio.

Listen to The Current: Part 1

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

The Current: Part 2

Da Vinci Code – Evangelicals

The relationship between Hollywood and Christianity has never been exactly affectionate. In fact, if you think back to their most high-profile intersections -- like Mel Gibson's "The Passion of The Christ" or Martin Scorcese's "The Last Temptation of Christ" -- what most people remember years later is the controversy.

When "The Last Temptation of Christ" was released in 1988, picketers lined up outside movie theatres, chanting slogans and burning posters and Christian congregations across North America called on their followers to boycott the film. We aired a little reminder of what it all sounded like.

This week, Catholic Churches are bracing for the impact of another movie with religious overtones when "The Da Vinci Code" hits theatres this Friday. Ever since the book that the movie is based on came out three years ago, church leaders around the world have lamented the way it blurred fact with fiction.

Some parts of the Catholic Church are still driven by those concerns calling the forthcoming movie "blasphemous." A handful are even urging boycotts. But many churches -- evangelical ones in particular -- are embracing the movie ... planning informal chats in theatres where the film is being screened, giving away iPods with religious lectures already on them. And they're also using traditional methods with print ads, television spots and radio. We aired an ad produced by Canada's Campus Crusade for Christ.

Mike Licona is the Director of Apologetics at Southern Baptist Convention, an evangelical church based in Atlanta, Georgia. But this morning, he was in Memphis, Tennessee.

Da Vinci Code – Traditional

While evangelical Christians are capitalizing on The Da Vinci Code's publicity, others, particularly some in the Catholic Church, say followers should stay away.

Matthew Pinto is the president of Ascension Press, a Catholic publisher, and the coordinator for davincioutreach.com, a grass roots movement responding to The Da Vinci Code. He was in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Traditional vs. Evangelical

According to the latest census from 2001, the number of Roman Catholics in Canada has remained almost unchanged. On the other hand, the number of those describing themselves as "Christians" but who didn't check off either Catholic or Protestant has more than doubled. Some say this increase is due to the rapid growth of evangelical churches in Canada.

And, as we heard, evangelical and Catholic groups are responding quite differently to the film. To give us some insight into why that is, we were joined by David Marshall. He's a professor of religious history at the University of Calgary, and he lectures on the intersection of religion and popular culture. David Marshall joined us from Calgary.

Listen to The Current: Part 2

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

The Current: Part 3

Sperm Donations – Overview

Not too many banks in Canada are suffering from a lack of deposits. But for Canada's sperm banks, it's a different story. Fertility clinics across the country are running out of new donors.

And the situation is getting so desperate, some companies that offer reproductive treatments are shutting down. Doctor Alfonso Del Valle is the Medical Director of Repromed Limited, a fertility centre and the largest sperm bank in Canada. We reached him at his home in Etobicoke.

Sperm Donation Panel

Health Canada is looking at ways to get men to give it up altruistically in other words, without the cash payment. So, we decided to hit the streets of Montreal to find out what it would take to get men to donate their ... ahem ... time.

But, the country isn't only suffering from a lack of sperm. There is also an under-supply of eggs, blood and even organs. And as with sperm, it is illegal to offer money to potential donors in exchange for their time, or their parts. But some are starting to question whether the ban on payments is worth the high cost to people in need of donations.

Bartha Knoppers is a professor in the faculty of law at l'Universite de Montreal, and she holds the Canada Research Chair in Law and Medicine. She was in our Montreal studio. And, Roxanne Mykitiuk is a Professor of Law at York University's Osgoode Hall Law School. She was in Toronto. And, Ken Daniels is a professor at the School of Social Work and Human Services at the University of Canterbury. He has studied the sperm donation issue in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, The United Kingdom and Sweden. He joined us from Christchurch, New Zealand.

Last Word: Sperm

There are those that say sperm is sacrosanct and should never be bought or sold, no matter what the demand. And there are others -- like the members of Monty Python -- who have been known to take the sacredness of sperm a little more lightly. So, today we ended the showwith a classic song from Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life" called "Every Sperm is Sacred".

Listen to The Current: Part 3

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

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