Satire
It's Wednesday, October 10th.
Stephane Dion accuses the Prime Minister of using the upcoming throne speech to create an endless series of confidence votes.
The Liberal Leader says Stephen Harper is trying to take parliament ... 'hostage'.
Currently, expect the Liberal Party to come down with a bad case of Stockholm Syndrome.
This is The Current.
Afghanistan
Prime Minister Stephen Harper hasdeclared that Canada has a "moral responsibility" to continue its military deployment in Afghanistan until Afghans can account for their own stability.
Achieving that stability has - for the most part - been tied to winning the fight against the Taliban.
But the ongoing challenge of improving the lives of a people whose country has been mired in war for decades, is proving an equally tough battle to fight.
With the security situation shaky and with rates of malnutrition still high by any measure, many of those fighting the humanitarian battles in the field are bracing for the worst as the Afghan winter fast approaches.
To take a closer look at the challenges involved in feeding the needy in Afghanistan, we were joined by Rick Corsino, the UN World Food Programme's country director for Afghanistan. He was in our Toronto studio.
Listen to The Current: Part 1
(Due to various rights issues some segments may be edited for internet use)
The Current: Part 2
Spirit Boy
The poverty and desperation in parts of Western Africa is almost unimaginable.
Families struggle on small plots of land, growing what they can when the weather allows, but rarely do they grow enough to prosper.
They barely grow enough to survive, walking the razor's edge between survival and starvation.
Living in such an unforgiving world has led to practices intended to ward off that disaster.
In some instances, the life of a baby is seen to pose a threat to the survival of the family or community, a brutal scenario which can result in the practice of infanticide.
Mark Schneider is a Vancouver journalist who was recently in Ghana. He heard about the death of a young boy named Adongo and he went to investigate.
Listen to The Current:Part 2
(Due to various rights issues some segments may be edited for internet use)
The Current: Part 3
Alan Greenspan
On December 5th, 1996, Alan Greenspan was nearing the end of his speech at a black tie event in Washington when he asked a seemingly harmless question. The U.S. economy was booming, and the Chairman of the US Federal Reserve wondered: how do we know when irrational exuberance has unduly escalated asset values, which then become subject to unexpected and prolonged contractions?
The question was rhetorical - and a bit convoluted - but no matter. The world was listening. Stocks tumbled. Indices in Tokyo and Hong Kong dropped 3 per cent. Frankfurt and London fell 4. The Dow Jones took a 2 per cent hit.
"Irrational exuberance" became an instant catchphrase. If Alan Greenspan couldn't move mountains, he could sure move markets.
Mr. Greenspan retired from his post as head of the Federal Reserve in (January of) 2006, and he has written about his almost two-decade tenure as the world's most powerful economist in his new book, Alan Greenspan: The Age of Turbulence.
He joined us from his office in Washington.
Last Word – Marion Jones
American track star and Olympic medalist Marion Jones has had to return the five medals she won at the 2000 Sydney Olympics after admitting to having used a designer steroid known as "the clear." Jones had previously -- and often angrily -- denied using the performance enhancing drugs.
It therefore fell to Olympic officials to decide how the five medals -- 3 gold, 2 bronze -- should be re-awarded. No easy task in a sports world continually plagued with doping accusations.
Our colleagues in our comedy unit took a moment to imagine what that meeting of the International Olympic Committee might sound like.
Listen to The Current:Part 3
(Due to various rights issues some segments may be edited for internet use)
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