Satire

It's Tuesday, May 29th.

New data suggest Canada's greenhouse gas emissions actually declined slightly between 2004 and 2005. The opposition Liberals were quick to take credit, but the Governing Conservatives say Liberal policies had nothing to do with it.

Currently, more recent data suggest the brief drop in emissions had been neutralized by 8:45 Sunday morning when some guy in Brandon started his brand new lawn tractor.

This is The Current.

Creationism

The political tornado over creationism has touched-down once again in Canada.

The latest dust-up is in a picturesque place called Big Valley Alberta.It’s about 200 kilometres northeast of Calgary.

Next week, The Big Valley Creation Science Museum will officially open.It is billed as Canada's first, permanent, creation museum. It's also controversial, having evolved out of a trend in the US, with several such galleries opening over the past month.

Michael Caldwell is a paleontologist at the University of Alberta and he joined us from Edmonton this morning.

The Role of Museums

The opening of the Big Valley Creation Science Museum is contending with another, slightly larger, opening this week. On June 2nd, the Royal Ontario Museum opens its new wing: The Michael Lee-Chin Crystal.

And, earlier this month, in an address to the Empire Club, William Thorsell, the CEO and Director of the ROM, declared that the museums of today should play a new role, functioning as a modern day "agora," a city square, of sorts, serving as a common space for the public.

Which brings us back to the question of what role museums play, or should play, in society. To discuss this, The Current was joined by Wendy Duff. She is the director of the Museum Studies program at the University of Toronto.

Listen to The Current: Part 1

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

The Current: Part 2

Hymenoplasty

It's a surgery most women couldn't fathom. It's called hymenoplasty, a procedure a woman undergoes to give the illusion she's a virgin. It's done by reattaching the hymen by sewing the two sides back together. And while it is relatively uncommon in North America it has been done for decades in certain middle eastern countries, and is, increasingly, being performed in such countries as Germany, Sweden, and France. Most women seeking the surgery are of Arab descent. Muslim women who have had premarital sex, but fearing reprisals from families that demand virginity until marriage, undergo surgery to "re-virginize."

But now the chair of the French College of Gynecologists and Obstetricians is calling for an end to this practice in France. Dr. Jacques Lansac believes there is no place for this kind of surgery in secular French society - a procedure that he believes denigrates women and gives in to Muslim fundamentalism.

Dr. Jacques Lansac joined us from Tours, France.

Hymenoplasty Proponent

So while Dr. Lansac believes this procedure gives in to attitudes of Muslim fundamentalism, there are many doctors in France who have a different philosophy on the matter of hymenoplasty.

Dr. Jacques Milliez is the head of the department of gynecology and obstetrics at the St. Antoine hospital in Paris. He has spent time as a doctor-in-residence in Algeria. This is what he had to say when we contacted him about the practice.

Hymenoplasty Analyst

France's decision to open the debate on hymenoplasty has resonated throughout Europe. Muslim women in countries such as Italy, Sweden and Germany are paying close attention to the controversy. Canadian author Irshad Manji was in Germany earlier this month, where she was discussing this issue of hymenoplasty with young muslim women. Irshad Manji is the author of The Trouble with Islam Today, she joined us in our Toronto studio.

Listen to The Current: Part 2

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

Gro Harlem Brundtland

The G8 Countries are the most powerful industrialized nations with huge economic clout. Together, they seek cooperation on issues such as terrorism and trade. But these days bring up climate change among that crowd, and you're spoiling for a fight.

And if you can't get the members of this exclusive club to agree on climate change, imagine how anyone will get 192 members of the United Nations on the same page. Countries such as the coal-fired economic juggernaut of China, or the tiny south Pacific island nation of Tuvalu, which is being threatened with submersion.

This is the sort of task laid out before Gro Harlem Brundtland. Earlier this year, Dr. Brundtland was named one of three United Nations special envoys on climate change. It's the latest high-profile UN posting for the former prime minister of Norway. From 1998 to 2003, she was the Director-General of the World Health Organization, and 20 years ago, Dr. Brundtland published the UN report called, Our Common Future, the report that put the principle of "sustainable development" in the global consciousness. Gro Harlem Brundtland joined us from Montreal.

Last Word

Now, today marks the anniversary of another journey - that is Sir Edmund Hillary's historic ascent of Mount Everest. Back in 2003, he reflected on the highs that come from reaching the tallest peak on the planet.

Since Sir Edmund Hillary, more than two thousand climbers have followed in his footsteps. Just last week, Canadian Meagan McGrath was climbing down from her own Mount Everest adventure when she noticed another climber having serious problems.

Nepalese climber Usha Bista was suffering from a cerebral edema, which causes the brain to swell. With help from other climbers, Meagan McGrath bundled her into a sleeping bag, strapped her to a sled, and pulled her some eight thousand metres to help. In doing so, she saved the climber's life.Yesterday, the Nepal Mountaineering Association held a ceremony to hail Meagan McGrath as a hero.

Turns out it was another great feat for someone who is already a mountain of marvels. She’s a 29-year-old aerospace engineer and member of the Canadian Armed Forces. Meagan's successful ascent of Everest makes her not only the youngest female Canadian to do so, but also the youngest Canadian to have summated the highest peak on every continent.

Listen to The Current: Part 3

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

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