Satire

It's Thursday, June 1st.

Stephen Harper's standoff with the national media continues. Last week, two dozen reporters walked out on a press conference by the Prime Minister over concerns he was picking and choosing which members of the media could ask questions.

Currently, I firmly believe ignorance is bliss.

Details at eleven.

This is The Current.

Helen Thomas

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the national press gallery are continuing to give each other the silent treatment. Last week, Canada's Parliamentary press core walked out on the Prime Minister after he refused to take their questions.

The Prime Minister's Office have asked national reporters to sign a list if they want to ask questions at press conferences. The reporters want the order of questions to remain on a first come, first served basis. The tactic is eerily similar to how U.S. President George Bush's deals with the White House press corp.

One of the more famous casualties of that system was Helen Thomas. At 85 years of age, the veteran reporter has peppered Presidents with questions on a daily basis since the Kennedy administration. But under President Bush, she experienced a bit of a dry spell... in fact, it was three years between questions.

When Helen Thomas was finally allowed to ask President Bush a question again ... it was obvious that none of her tenacity had faded. For decades, Helen Thomas has taken her place at US Presidential press briefings. This morning, Helen Thomas joined us in our Washington, D.C. studio.

Helen Thomas is a columnist with the Hearst News Service in Washington DC. Her latest book is called Watchdogs of Democracy? The Waning Washington Press Corps and How it Has Failed the Public.

Music Bridge

Artist: Les Paul
Cut: CD11 “Caravan”
CD: “American Made World Played”
Label: EMI
Spine #: 09463 34065 2 0

Listen to The Current: Part 1

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

The Current: Part 2

Letters

It’s mail day today and this morning our guest host, Susan Ormiston was joined by Simon Li in the studio to help read the mail. Simon will be hosting the Current tomorrow and while he's new to the CBC, he's not new to the radio-waves. Simon Li is the long-time host of "Power Politics" on Toronto First Radio, a Chinese-language current affairs program.

Electronic Tags – Privacy Commission

They're so small and unobtrusive that most of us wouldn't even notice them. They're RFIDs, or Radio Frequency Identification Devices. And it's technology that's becoming increasingly popular with companies who want to track their merchandise from the manufacturing plant floor to the cash register.

But the technology's popularity is starting to raise alarm bells with people concerned about consumer privacy.

One of those people includes Canada's Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart. She released her annual report to Parliament this week and warned of the threats RFIDs pose. We reached Jennifer Stoddart at her home in Ottawa.

Electronic Tags – Defender

Well, not everyone agrees with the concerns raised by Canada's privacy commissioner. David Aiello runs a company that helps manufacturers and retailers cut costs using RFID tags. He is the President of Synergex Corporation and he joined us in our Toronto studio.

Tags – Implanter

Amal Graafstra is one person who doesn't need convincing that RFIDs are a good thing. The 29-year-old Washington man didn't like carrying around all the keys and passwords he needed to get into his apartment, start his car or log onto his computer.

So, after some research into his options, he implanted RFID chips into his hands last year. He was in Vancouver yesterday afternoon, where The Current caught up with him.

Amal Graafstra, who has an RFID chip implanted in his hands has written about it in a book called RFID Toys and runs a web forum of the same name.

Listen to The Current: Part 2

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

The Current: Part 3

Jordan Documentary

Jordan has long been seen as the quiet house on the block in a very troubled neighbourhood ... a country that's managed to avoid getting drawn into the bloody conflict being played out on its Eastern borders. All the while managing - for the most part - to maintain good relations with the Arab world and the United States.

But the country's pro-Western policies -- and its peace treaty with Israel -- don't please all Jordanians. The country has also spawned its fair share of militants ... the most notorious being Abu Musab al-Zarqawi ... the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq.

This morning, CBC's Middle East Correspondent Margaret Evans joined us in studio with her documentary exploring the contradictions in Jordanian society.

Music Bridge

Artist: The Sadies
Cut: CD9 “Clam Chowder”
CD: “Precious Moments”
Label: Bloodshot Records
Spine #: BS 034

Last Word

Earlier in the program, we heard from legendary White House reporter Helen Thomas and her battles with U.S. Presidents from Kennedy to Bush to Clinton and back to Bush. She also gave us her thoughts about the on-going spat between the Ottawa press corps and Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

So we thought we’d end the show today and check The Current's special live feed from the media gallery on Parliament Hill ... just to see if that little tiff has been resolved.

Listen to The Current: Part 3

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

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