20/11/09: Pt 1 - Jim Prentice

A conversation with Federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice about where the government stands on controlling greenhouse gas emissions going into the United Nations Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen.

Right click to Download 20/11/09: Pt 1 - Jim Prentice
[mp3 file: runs 20:25]

20/11/09: Pt 2 - Afghan Detainees

A Canadian diplomat has testified that all of the Afghan detainees that Canadian forces handed over to Afghan authorities were likely tortured and that officials with the Canadian Forces, Foreign Affairs as well as an official in the Prime Minister's Office were warned about the situation.

Right click to Download 20/11/09: Pt 2 - Afghan Detainees
[mp3 file: runs 23:22]

20/11/09: Pt 3 - 2012

In his new movie, 2012, Director Roland Emmerich chose to depict the destruction of Vatican City ... not Mecca. And yes, that's raised a few questions.

Right click to Download 20/11/09: Pt 3 - 2012
[mp3 file: runs 25:17]

19/11/09: Pt 1 - Malalai Joya

In 2005, she was the youngest person elected to the new Afghan parliament. But she was suspended from that parliament in 2007 for criticizing Afghanistan's warlords. Despite several assassination attempts, she continues to speak her mind.

Right click to Download 19/11/09: Pt 1 - Malalai Joya
[mp3 file: runs 20:29]

19/11/09: Pt 2 - Letters

It's mail day. We hear your thoughts on politics, hunger, science, the Catholic Church and comparing Sudbury, Ontario to the moon.

Right click to Download 19/11/09: Pt 2 - Letters
[mp3 file: runs 23:48]

19/11/09: Pt 3 - Climate Change Cover-Up

In his new book, James Hogan argues that climate change skeptics are using the same tactics that the tobacco industry used to in order to create confusion about the science around climate change. We talk to him and to one of Canada's leading climate change skeptics.

Right click to Download 19/11/09: Pt 3 - Climate Change Cover-Up
[mp3 file: runs 28:11]

18/11/09: Pt 1 - Golden Rice

The United Nations' World Summit on Food Security wraps up today. And we're asking whatever happened to Golden Rice ... a genetically engineered rice with high levels of Vitamin A that was supposed to save millions of children in the developing world.

Right click to Download 18/11/09: Pt 1 - Golden Rice
[mp3 file: runs 19:08]

18/11/09: Pt 2 - Vitamin Eh Documentary

Due to copyrights held against music, this documentary can not be made available as a podcast. You can listen off our website at: www.cbc.ca/thecurrent. Click on Past Shows to your left. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Right click to Download 18/11/09: Pt 2 - Vitamin Eh Documentary
[mp3 file: runs 0:43]

18/11/09: Pt 2 - Malcolm Gladwell

Writer Malcolm Gladwell on ketchup, hair dye, hedge funds, the pill and why we should all be more curious. His latest book is called: "What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures". *** Due to music rights this segment has been edited to make it available as a podast. ***

Right click to Download 18/11/09: Pt 2 - Malcolm Gladwell
[mp3 file: runs 25:30]

17/11/09: Pt 1 - 9/11 Zeitgeist

The decision to hold the trial of the alleged September 11th conspirators in New York City has alarmed many New Yorkers and re-enforced still raw emotions about the attacks. We debate whether holding the trials in New York City is the right decision.

Right click to Download 17/11/09: Pt 1 - 9/11 Zeitgeist
[mp3 file: runs 20:33]

17/11/09: Pt 2 - Women of Zimbabwe

We talk to Jenni Williams and Magodonga Mahlangu, two Zimbabwean women who have been jailed because of their political activity as the co-founders of Women of Zimbabwe Arise, a grassroots movement dedicated to the empowerment of Zimbabwean women.

Right click to Download 17/11/09: Pt 2 - Women of Zimbabwe
[mp3 file: runs 23:57]

17/11/09: Pt 3 - Vatican & Alien Life

Close Encounters of a very different kind. The Catholic Church is sponsoring conferences on alien life and evolution. And an astronomer who works for the Vatican says Galileo was the exception, not the rule.

Right click to Download 17/11/09: Pt 3 - Vatican & Alien Life
[mp3 file: runs 23:20]

16/11/09: Pt 1 & 2 - World Hunger

Diplomats, bureaucrats and activists are gathering in Rome for the World Food Summit. And the number of hungry people in the world has topped one billion for the first time. We hear individual stories of people's experiences going hungry and look at the wide variety of causes, effects and potential solutions. We also speak with the UN Special Rapporteur on The Right To Food.

Right click to Download 16/11/09: Pt 1 & 2 - World Hunger
[mp3 file: runs 43:10]

16/11/09: Pt 3 - Sudbury Mining Town

Steelworkers at the Inco mine in Sudbury have been on strike since July. The city has seen strikes before but this time the community support for the workers is showing how divided the community is about the role its past will play in its future.

Right click to Download 16/11/09: Pt 3 - Sudbury Mining Town
[mp3 file: runs 24:04]

13/11/09: Pt 1 - Copenhagen Conference

We talk to Andrew Weaver, a prominent member of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change about what's at stake at the upcoming climate negotiations in Copenhagen, talks meant to develop a successor to the Kyoto Protocol.

Right click to Download 13/11/09: Pt 1 - Copenhagen Conference
[mp3 file: runs 20:19]

13/11/09: Pt 2 - The Maldives

A conversation with the Vice President of The Maldives, a country that is a collection of 26 coral Islands in the Indian Ocean with an average elevation of two metres above sea level and the first country to commit to a zero carbon footprint.

Right click to Download 13/11/09: Pt 2 - The Maldives
[mp3 file: runs 23:37]

13/11/09: Pt 3 - Geo-Engineering

What to do about the damage that's already been done. Even if Copenhagen is a stunning success, it won't undo what we've done to the planet over the last couple of centuries. But the Royal Society of Science has some controversial ideas about what might help.

Right click to Download 13/11/09: Pt 3 - Geo-Engineering
[mp3 file: runs 25:33]

12/11/09: Pt 1 - H1N1 & Work Relations

Weighing the ethics, economics and etiquette of staying home sick during the H1N1 flu pandemic. Employees are caught between staying home and leaving their colleagues to pick up the slack or going to work and infecting them.

Right click to Download 12/11/09: Pt 1 - H1N1 & Work Relations
[mp3 file: runs 21:02]

12/11/09: Pt 2 - Linden MacIntyre

The CBC's Linden MacIntyre on the value of trust and why it's such a recurring theme in his journalistic work and his latest novel, The Bishop's Man, which won the Scotiabank Giller Prize this week.

Right click to Download 12/11/09: Pt 2 - Linden MacIntyre
[mp3 file: runs 24:18]

12/11/09: Pt 3 - Letters

Listener thoughts on the fall of the Berlin Wall, the future of farming in Canada and a lesson from Yertle the Turtle. Plus, a conversation with German actor Walfriede Schmidtt about East German anxieties 20 years later.

Right click to Download 12/11/09: Pt 3 - Letters
[mp3 file: runs 26:09]

11/11/09: Pt 1 - Northern Rescues

After three days stranded on an ice flow about 50 metres square, a 17-year-old boy from Coral Harbour, Nunavut has been rescued. But even though it was successful, the rescue has drawn attention to the lack of formal search and rescue operations throughout Canada's north.

Right click to Download 11/11/09: Pt 1 - Northern Rescues
[mp3 file: runs 19:34]

11/11/09: Pt 2 - The Currie Libel Trial

We talk to Justice Robert Sharpe about his new book, The Last Day, The Last Hour. In it, he revisits the 1928 Currie Libel Trial, a sensational courtroom drama that focussed on the actions of a Canadian commander who continued to send his troops into battle even through the final hours before the armistice that ended WWI.

Right click to Download 11/11/09: Pt 2 - The Currie Libel Trial
[mp3 file: runs 21:24]

11/11/09: Pt 3 - Legalizing Marijuana

For more than 75 years, war has been the dominant metaphor for American drug policy. But tough economic times have left some wondering if outlawing marijuana is really worth the trouble and whether there might be a nice cash grab in being able to tax it.

Right click to Download 11/11/09: Pt 3 - Legalizing Marijuana
[mp3 file: runs 22:28]

10/11/09: Pt 1 - Judging Juries

We go to court today where accusations are flying over who might be guilty of judging the juries. New laws and practices are changing the way jurors are chosen in some provinces and that's raised concerns about the Crown's potential to tilt juries.

Right click to Download 10/11/09: Pt 1 - Judging Juries
[mp3 file: runs 20:44]

10/11/09: Pt 2 - Antony Beevor on D-Day

Celebrated historian Antony Beevor re-visits the beaches of Normandy and the story of D-Day, one of the most pivotal moments in modern history.

Right click to Download 10/11/09: Pt 2 - Antony Beevor on D-Day
[mp3 file: runs 23:02]

10/11/09: Pt 3 - Outsourcing Journalists

The Toronto Star has contracted out some of its editorial positions in a bid to cut costs. Several American newspapers have outsourced editorial positions as well. The newspapers say it's necessary in order to cut costs. But many people think the practice is hurting journalism.

Right click to Download 10/11/09: Pt 3 - Outsourcing Journalists
[mp3 file: runs 25:42]

09/11/09: Pt 1 - H1N1 & Trust

Problems with the delivery of the H1N1 flu vaccine - from long lineups to allegations of professional athletes jumping the queue - have tested people's patience and their faith in government and public institutions. We ask about the long-term effects on Canadians' trust.

Right click to Download 09/11/09: Pt 1 - H1N1 & Trust
[mp3 file: runs 21:08]

09/11/09: Pt 2 - Kevin Page

Kevin Page has picked fights with the federal government over the cost of Canada's mission in Afghanistan and the likelihood that Ottawa will stay in the black. Now, Canada's Parliamentary Budget Officer has seen his own budget cut by a third.

Right click to Download 09/11/09: Pt 2 - Kevin Page
[mp3 file: runs 23:50]

09/11/09: Pt 3 - Berlin Wall

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. We talk to Sylke Schumann, a journalist and translator who grew up in East Germany. When the wall fell, her whole way of life collapsed with it and lifted the veil over some difficult family secrets.

Right click to Download 09/11/09: Pt 3 - Berlin Wall
[mp3 file: runs 28:02]

06/11/09: Pt 1 - Fort Hood Shooting

It was the deadliest act of violence committed on a US military base in American history. We get an update on the tragic shooting in Fort Hood, Texas.

Right click to Download 06/11/09: Pt 1 - Fort Hood Shooting
[mp3 file: runs 20:26]

06/11/09: Pt 2 - Brighton Bombing & Forgiveness

Twenty-five years ago, IRA operative Patrick Magee planted a bomb at the Grand Hotel in Brighton, England. We bring together the man who planted the bomb and the daughter of one of the people it killed, to talk about memory, forgiveness and peace.

Right click to Download 06/11/09: Pt 2 - Brighton Bombing & Forgiveness
[mp3 file: runs 23:56]

06/11/09: Pt 3 - Nuture Shock

Po Bronson, the co-author of a new book offers some new thinking about raising children and why so many parental instincts may be wrong.

Right click to Download 06/11/09: Pt 3 - Nuture Shock
[mp3 file: runs 27:34]

05/11/09: Pt 1 - Job Quality Erosion

Canada's job numbers are rebounding. But according to Benjamin Tal, a Senior Economist with CIBC, the quality of those jobs is still lagging and more Canadians are having to settle for part-time work, self-employment or jobs that don't pay as much.

Right click to Download 05/11/09: Pt 1 - Job Quality Erosion
[mp3 file: runs 19:59]

05/11/09: Pt 2 - Afghan Star

We talk to the host of Afghan Star, a controversial reality television program in Afghanistan. The show united much of the country across political, ethnic and gender lines. But it was also attacked for being immoral and un-Islamic.

Right click to Download 05/11/09: Pt 2 - Afghan Star
[mp3 file: runs 22:32]

05/11/09: Pt 3 - Letters

It's mail day. We hear your thoughts on citizen justice, long-term disability insurance and the future of the family farm ... just to name a few topics in our mailbag today.

Right click to Download 05/11/09: Pt 3 - Letters
[mp3 file: runs 27:32]

11/04/09: Pt 1 - Gun Registry

We've spent two-billion-dollars on a gun registry. The very same registry the Tories will try to kill in a private members bill today. If we had another two-billion-dollars to spend to fight violent crime where would we put that money?

Right click to Download 11/04/09: Pt 1 - Gun Registry
[mp3 file: runs 21:09]

11/04/09: Pt 2 - War in the Country (Part One)

The war in the country is a polemic on the destruction of the traditional family farm in rural Canada. The few remaining family farms now struggle to survive in the face of corporate backed factory farms, mining interests and tourist developments. At stake is the quality and sustainability of our food.

Right click to Download 11/04/09: Pt 2 - War in the Country (Part One)
[mp3 file: runs 23:29]

11/04/09: Pt 3 - War in the Country (Part Two)

We continue our conversation with Thomas Pawlick, we visit with a new breed of family farmer and get a response from the organization that represents all Canadian farmers.

Right click to Download 11/04/09: Pt 3 - War in the Country (Part Two)
[mp3 file: runs 28:09]

11/03/09: Pt 1: Troops in Afghanistan

The Afghanistan election commission has cancelled this Saturday's vote and has now proclaimed President Hamid Karzai the winner, now the attention will shift to whether the Obama administration plans to increase it's troop presence in that country.

Right click to Download 11/03/09: Pt 1: Troops in Afghanistan
[mp3 file: runs 20:40]

11/03/09: Pt 2: Military Recruitment

Even as the US considers troop increases in Afghanistan, our own military has acknowledged it needs more recruits. But a coalition of teachers and students in Quebec is up in arms over Canadian Forces booths at education fairs in their schools. It wants them banned. The military says it is offering a legitimate and noble career choice.

Right click to Download 11/03/09: Pt 2: Military Recruitment
[mp3 file: runs 23:54]

11/03/09: Pt 3: Bill Clinton

His was a presidency marked by triumph and brought low by scandal. Bill Clinton continues to demand our attention. Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Taylor Branch takes us behind White House walls in his new book about the Clinton presidency.

Right click to Download 11/03/09: Pt 3: Bill Clinton
[mp3 file: runs 27:16]

11/02/09: Pt 1: H1N1 - Stress

The lineups for the H1N1 flu vaccine, along with the concern, confusion and continuing misinformation about the virus, have created another health problem - huge levels of stress, especially among health care workers.

Right click to Download 11/02/09: Pt 1: H1N1 - Stress
[mp3 file: runs 20:39]

11/02/09: Pt 2: The Salish Sea

There could be a new name on the map for the body of water that runs between the mainland coast and Vancouver island. What is now Georgia Straight, The straight of Juan de Fuca and Puget sound could become The Salish sea. Some say the new name acknowledges the waters are one ecosystem and pays homage to the First nations who have lived in the area for thousands of years. Others say it ignores the history of settlement that brought western civilization to the region.

Right click to Download 11/02/09: Pt 2: The Salish Sea
[mp3 file: runs 22:44]

11/02/09: Pt 3: Nortel LTD Benefits

Nortel employees on long-term disability may lose their benefits because the plan was "self-insured" by the company ... a company that is now going through bankruptcy proceedings.

Right click to Download 11/02/09: Pt 3: Nortel LTD Benefits
[mp3 file: runs 24:46]

29/10/09: Pt 1 - H1N1 & Bacteria

Governments around the world are stocking up on vaccines to fight the H1N1 flu virus. But according to a study in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, we should also be stockpiling antibiotics and working on a plan to fight bacteria. The study says that the real killer during the 1918 flu pandemic was the bacteria, not the virus and that the combination of the two is connected to several of the most severe cases in the current outbreak.

Right click to Download 29/10/09: Pt 1 - H1N1 & Bacteria
[mp3 file: runs 20:38]

29/10/09: Pt 2 - Letters

It's mail day. We get your thoughts on what you've been hearing on the program. And, we hear from the Ugandan MP behind the country's anti-homosexuality bill.

Right click to Download 29/10/09: Pt 2 - Letters
[mp3 file: runs 23:33]

29/10/09: Pt 3 - The Crash of 1929

Eighty years ago the American stock market collapsed, marking the start of The Great Depression. Now, as the world emerges from an economic downturn brought on by another market meltdown, we talk to one of the world's leading economists about what lessons we have - and should have - learned from both events.

Right click to Download 29/10/09: Pt 3 - The Crash of 1929
[mp3 file: runs 24:41]

28/10/09: Pt 1 - Paul Pritchard

Paul Pritchard is the man who shot the video that eventually led to the Braidwood inquiry into the death of Robert Dziekanski. He has kept out of the public eye but now he has been given a citizen's journalism award by the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression. CBC's Curt Petrovitch talks about what shooting that video has done to him.

Right click to Download 28/10/09: Pt 1 - Paul Pritchard
[mp3 file: runs 18:58]

28/10/09: Pt 2 - Citizen Arrest - Shopkeeper

We delve into the case of David Chen. He's a store-owner in Toronto. In May, he chased down a shoplifter, tied him up and called the police. The police charged the shoplifter. But they also charged David Chen with assault, kidnapping, forced confinement and carrying a concealed weapon-- a box-cutter. Some say the charges are inappropriate and unjust. But others say that allowing this kind of behaviour would open the door to uncontrollable vigilantism.

Right click to Download 28/10/09: Pt 2 - Citizen Arrest - Shopkeeper
[mp3 file: runs 23:48]

28/10/09: Pt 3 - Hacking Work

Today in our ongoing series, Work in Progress, we infiltrate the cubicle farms and investigate the clandestine world of hacking.

Right click to Download 28/10/09: Pt 3 - Hacking Work
[mp3 file: runs 26:13]

27/10/09 Pt 1 - Jagdish Grewal

The attack last Friday night on Jagdish Grewal was not the first time that a Canadian journalist, covering the Sikh comunity has been a target of violence. We speak with Mr Grewal and Rupinder Hayer Bains, the daughter of Tara Singh Hayer, who was shot dead in November 1998.

Right click to Download 27/10/09 Pt 1 - Jagdish Grewal
[mp3 file: runs 20:36]

27/10/09 Pt 2 - Andrew Sorkin

Reporter Andrew Ross Sorkin has written a behind-the-scenes account of the worst financial crisis in half-a-century. In his new book, "Too Big to Fail", he describes how decisions made more than ten years ago, sowed the seeds of the current debacle.

Right click to Download 27/10/09 Pt 2 - Andrew Sorkin
[mp3 file: runs 22:56]

27/10/09 Pt 3 - Gays in Uganda

A proposed new law would require Ugandans to report gays and lesbians to police. The proposed law has left the LGBT community outraged but also afraid.

Right click to Download 27/10/09 Pt 3 - Gays in Uganda
[mp3 file: runs 24:18]

26/10/09: Pt 1 - General Hillier

A conversation with Retired General Rick Hillier, Canada's former Chief of Defence Staff, about his new memoir, the obstacles he faced trying to overcome years of funding cutbacks and bureaucratic infighting and Canada's on-going role in Afghanistan.

Right click to Download 26/10/09: Pt 1 - General Hillier
[mp3 file: runs 20:26]

26/10/09: Pt 2 - H1N1 Vaccine Fears

Despite a sweeping public health campaign, there's still a lot of confusion and even fear about the safety of the H1N1 flu vaccine. We talk to an infectious disease specialist and a psychologist who are trying to set the record straight.

Right click to Download 26/10/09: Pt 2 - H1N1 Vaccine Fears
[mp3 file: runs 24:14]

26/10/09: Pt 2 - Lasers & Planes

Pilots around the world say they're running into more and more cases in which people on the ground are shining powerful laser pointers right into their cockpits. We hear from pilots and a company that makes the lasers.

Right click to Download 26/10/09: Pt 2 - Lasers & Planes
[mp3 file: runs 25:34]

23/10/09: Pt 1 - WCB Frustration

Amidst the dramatic hostage taking at the WCB in Edmonton, people watching the events unfold expressed shock and horror. But since then, some have also expressed their own frustrations with the WCB. We delve into that reaction and assess the alleged problems with how Worker Compensation Boards operate across Canada.

Right click to Download 23/10/09: Pt 1 - WCB Frustration
[mp3 file: runs 20:12]

23/10/09: Pt 2 - Montreal Mayoral Race

Montreal's municipal elections are just nine days away. And the most pressing question seems to be, who's running the city ... the Mayor, the Mafia or the construction companies.

Right click to Download 23/10/09: Pt 2 - Montreal Mayoral Race
[mp3 file: runs 23:25]

23/10/09: Pt 3 - All Boy's School

A Toronto school board official, is calling for an all-boys school and more "boy-friendly" classrooms. Last year, boys in Toronto public schools were three-and-a-half times more likely to be suspended.But others say segregating students by sex would reinforce gender stereotypes and hurt both boys and girls in the long-run.

Right click to Download 23/10/09: Pt 3 - All Boy's School
[mp3 file: runs 27:06]

07/10/09: Pt 1 - Stimulus Spending

The opposition Liberals have accused the government of bogging down the economic stimulus spending by trying to direct the money to places where it can get the most political benefit. The Government denies the allegation. Today, a brief history on pork-barrel politics. *** Due to music rights issues, some content has been altered ***

Right click to Download 07/10/09: Pt 1 - Stimulus Spending
[mp3 file: runs 20:06]

07/10/09: Pt 2 - Iran Nuclear Program

Iranian officials have agreed to keep talking about their country's growing nuclear program. Some say that's progress. Others say it's a dangerous distraction.

Right click to Download 07/10/09: Pt 2 - Iran Nuclear Program
[mp3 file: runs 22:44]

07/10/09: Pt 3 - Hugging

Everything you ever wanted to know about hugging. Why it feels good. Why it bugs some people and why it's so hard to agree on when and where it's appropriate. *** Due to music rights issues, some content has been altered ***

Right click to Download 07/10/09: Pt 3 - Hugging
[mp3 file: runs 26:30]

02/10/09: Cultural Competence

Suaad Hagi Mohamud was stranded in Kenya largely because she couldn't answer a handful of basic questions. The officials at Canada's High Commission in Nairobi concluded she was not who she said she was. Three months later, a DNA test confirmed Ms. Mohamud's identity. And now the questions she couldn't answer have raised another, more fundamental one. What exactly are you supposed to know if you are Canadian?

Right click to Download 02/10/09: Cultural Competence
[mp3 file: runs 18:32]

02/10/09: Egg on Mao

In the wake of the celebrations of the 60th Anniversary of communist rule in China, we talk to Lu Decheng. Twenty years ago, he and two friends threw paint-filled eggs at a portrait of Mao Zedong during the student protests in Tiananmen Square. He spent ten years in a Chinese jail, losing all contact with his first wife and daughter, before coming to Canada as a refugee.

Right click to Download 02/10/09: Egg on Mao
[mp3 file: runs 23:12]

02/10/09: Frans de Waal

A conversation with renowned primatologist Frans de Waal about his new book, The Age of Empathy: Nature's Lessons for a Kinder Society. In it, he argues that despite the ruthlessness we are capable of, humans are more predisposed to empathy than greed because empathy ensures the survival of our species.

Right click to Download 02/10/09: Frans de Waal
[mp3 file: runs 25:19]

04/09/2009: Obama's Crashing Popularity

Phew, it is Friday, closing in on the last long weekend of summer 2009. In the U.S., President Barack Obama is no doubt happy to see the tail end of this summer. It's been brutal. His popularity is diving - critics are hammering him on healthcare; and America's war in Afghanistan; and the race card has reared its ugly head.

Right click to Download 04/09/2009: Obama's Crashing Popularity
[mp3 file: runs 21:05]

28/08/09: West Coast Salmon

Stocks of Pacific Salmon have been dwindling for some time. This year is shaping up to be a disaster. Tension between native fishermen and commercial and sport fishermen was amped up over some recent violence and some people are advocating some pretty drastic measures to try to save what's left of it.

Right click to Download 28/08/09: West Coast Salmon
[mp3 file: runs 19:54]

27/08/09: Afghanistan Election

Today on the podcast, we talk to a group of Afghan journalists who are investigating and compiling complaints of fraud in the country's Presidential election.

Right click to Download 27/08/09: Afghanistan Election
[mp3 file: runs 20:25]

26/08/09: Language & Canada's Foreign Service

The Federal Government has removed phrases including "child soldier" and "humanitarian law" from Canada's Foreign Service vocabulary. Today on the podcast, we ask why and what it means in the context of Ottawa's decision to appeal a court ruling ordering the government to press for Omar Khadr's release from Guantanamo Bay.

Right click to Download 26/08/09: Language & Canada's Foreign Service
[mp3 file: runs 19:25]

25/08/09: The Spiders of Allah

James Hider has spent years reporting from the Middle East. And for him, that's meant reconciling his atheist beliefs with a region where God and politics are often inseparable.

Right click to Download 25/08/09: The Spiders of Allah
[mp3 file: runs 22:12]

24/08/09: Harper & Foreign Policy

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has had a busy summer on the world stage. Today on the podcast, we convene a panel of political watchers for their thoughts on his performances at home and abroad as well as what it means for Canada's place in the world.

Right click to Download 24/08/09: Harper & Foreign Policy
[mp3 file: runs 25:00]

20/08/09: Afghanistan Elections & Satire

It's voting day in Afghanistan. A time for Afghans to exercise their still novel democratic rights. It's also a time for political satire. An update on the elections and a converstion with the the man responsible for Afghanistan's answer to the Daily Show.

Right click to Download 20/08/09: Afghanistan Elections & Satire
[mp3 file: runs 20:41]

19/08/09: The Merchant of Death

Viktor Bout was known as the go-to man for rogue regimes and violent paramilitary groups in need of the tools of war. He's spent more than year in a Bangkok jail fighting extradition to the U.S. Now a Thai court says it will NOT extradite the former Soviet officer to the States to face trial. Does this mean the man dubbed the Merchant of Death will soon be back in business?

Right click to Download 19/08/09: The Merchant of Death
[mp3 file: runs 24:19]

18/08/09: False Confessions

Today on the Current podcast, force, farce and false confessions in Tehran. A hundred prisoners have gone on trial in Iran, accused of trying to topple the hardline Islamic regime. And, as in other instances of mass show trials, so-called 'voluntary' confessions are forming the case for the prosecution.

Right click to Download 18/08/09: False Confessions
[mp3 file: runs 21:42]

17/08/09: The Rise and Fall of Bernie Madoff

Eight years ago, Erin Arvedlund was among the first reporters to ask questions about how Bernie Madoff was making his money. In the end, those questions helped uncover the biggest Ponzi scheme in American history.

Right click to Download 17/08/09: The Rise and Fall of Bernie Madoff
[mp3 file: runs 22:41]

13/08/09: Out of Frame Documentary

Today on the podcast, the story of an iconic war photograph and what happened to the person who took it, and the soldier in it, after they left the battlefield.

Right click to Download 13/08/09: Out of Frame Documentary
[mp3 file: runs 20:57]

12/08/09: In Fed We Trust - David Wessel

Today on the podcast, author David Wessel takes us inside the U.S. Federal Reserve and explains just how close the world really came to a total economic meltdown.

Right click to Download 12/08/09: In Fed We Trust - David Wessel
[mp3 file: runs 24:05]

11/08/09: Alliston Aquifer & Site 41

Simcoe County in southwestern Ontario is planning to build a landfill over the Alliston Aquifer, which holds the purest water ever tested. But environmentalists, farmers, Native Canadians, cottagers and church groups have other ideas.

Right click to Download 11/08/09: Alliston Aquifer & Site 41
[mp3 file: runs 20:23]

10/08/09: "Empire of Illusion" - Chris Hedges

On today's podcast, author Chris Hedges explains why he thinks our celebrity obsessed culture is crumbling around us and threatening to take us all down with it.

Right click to Download 10/08/09: "Empire of Illusion" - Chris Hedges
[mp3 file: runs 22:42]

07/08/09: The Plains of Abraham

It has been two-hundred-and-fifty years since the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. And in some ways, it's still going on. We explore the recent controversy over this historic battle in today's podcast.

Right click to Download 07/08/09: The Plains of Abraham
[mp3 file: runs 20:05]

06/08/09: Sex & Seniors Documentary

Today in the podcast, we follow a newly single septuagenarian as she re-enters the dating world and tries to catch up on a half-century of safe-sex practices.

Right click to Download 06/08/09: Sex & Seniors Documentary
[mp3 file: runs 21:03]

05/08/09: The Collapse of Lehman Brothers

It's been nearly a year since the collapse of investment giant Lehman Brothers. It was the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history. Today on the podcast, we speak with the former Vice President of the company who watched it all unfold from the inside.

Right click to Download 05/08/09: The Collapse of Lehman Brothers
[mp3 file: runs 22:45]

04/08/09: HIV Treatment as Prevention

Antiretroviral drugs have changed the lives of millions of people living with HIV and AIDS. But according to Dr. Julio Montaner, they also help prevent new cases by reducing the spread of the disease.

Right click to Download 04/08/09: HIV Treatment as Prevention
[mp3 file: runs 24:37]

29/07/09: Canada's Role in Honduras

Canada has condemned the coup in Honduras but, for some critics, neither Ottawa's words nor its actions have been strong enough.

Right click to Download 29/07/09: Canada's Role in Honduras
[mp3 file: runs 19:40]

28/07/09: Bashir Makhtal - Convicted

Bashir Makhtal is a Canadian citizen who has spent the last two and a half years in an Ethiopian prison. Yesterday, he was convicted of working with an armed separatist group. The verdict means he could face the death penalty after his sentencing next week. We take a closer look at the case in today's podcast.

Right click to Download 28/07/09: Bashir Makhtal - Convicted
[mp3 file: runs 20:05]

27/07/09: Our Modern Relationship with Garbage

About 24,000 civic workers walked off the job on June 22, including garbage collectors, water and sewer workers, and city-run daycare providers. But it's the issue of garbage -- how much of it we make and where we put it -- that has received the most attention.

Right click to Download 27/07/09: Our Modern Relationship with Garbage
[mp3 file: runs 19:43]

24/07/09: Lost Art of Lost

For more and more of us, the idea of hitting the road without packing a Global Positioning System - a GPS device - strikes fear in our hearts.That the spirit of adventure and discovery erodes when the GPS is there to tell you where to go. In today's podcast we explore whether getting lost is a lost art.

Right click to Download 24/07/09: Lost Art of Lost
[mp3 file: runs 22:40]

23/07/09: AFN Elections

This morning Shawn Atleo became the new National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, but only after Perry Bellegarde conceded. Now, Shawn Atleo has a daunting to-do list. In today's podcast we explored these challenges ahead.

Right click to Download 23/07/09: AFN Elections
[mp3 file: runs 20:20]

22/07/09: The Kimberley Process

Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia and Sierra Leone: each of these countries produced what became known as blood diamonds, or conflict diamonds. Colourless, priceless gemstones stained by violence, they found their way into jewelry store cases all over the world. Last month, one of the founders of the Kimberley Process resigned, because he believes the process is failing.

Right click to Download 22/07/09: The Kimberley Process
[mp3 file: runs 20:31]

21/07/09: Mad Pride

July is officially Mad Pride month-- a series of events taking place all over the world to help people with mental health issues celebrate - and take pride - in who they are... "madness" and all. But while the movement has gained a lot of ground over the years, it still faces some resistance.

Right click to Download 21/07/09: Mad Pride
[mp3 file: runs 23:21]

20/07/09: Tanya's Trial

Documentary producer Sandy Bourque chronicled the days leading up to the court date of one Toronto sex worker. Her documentary is called, Tanya's Trial. It first aired on The Current in May. Warning: This Documentary deals with adult subject matter and contains very strong language.

Right click to Download 20/07/09: Tanya's Trial
[mp3 file: runs 24:30]

17/07/09: Facebook Privacy

Jennifer Stoddart outlined a number of ways that she says the ubiquitous social networking website breaches the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. Jennifer Stoddart has been investigating Facebook for more than a year and so we explored the development of this issue in today's podcast.

Right click to Download 17/07/09: Facebook Privacy
[mp3 file: runs 19:40]

16/07/09: Anti-Gang Legislation

Canada's anti-gang legislation has had quite a workout this week. a jury in British Columbia acquitted four members of the Hells Angels, while there was a very different outcome in a courtroom in Toronto just days later.

Right click to Download 16/07/09: Anti-Gang Legislation
[mp3 file: runs 21:17]

15/07/09: The Hurt Locker

Today on the podcast, a conversation with journalist, Mark Boal who wrote the screenplay for the new movie, "The Hurt Locker" about the soldiers in a U.S. Army Explosive Ordinance Disposal Squad, whose job it is to disable roadside bombs and other improvised explosive devices in Iraq.

Right click to Download 15/07/09: The Hurt Locker
[mp3 file: runs 23:04]

14/07/09: Moon Landing 40th Anniversary

It was 40 years ago that the crew of Apollo 11 landed on the moon and changed the course of history. Today on the podcast, we hear from the author of a new book about the mission's remarkable legacy.

Right click to Download 14/07/09: Moon Landing 40th Anniversary
[mp3 file: runs 24:30]

13/07/09: Six O'Clock in Alabama - Documentary

The UN says Alabama may be executing the innocent. While a convicted killer, Thomas Arthur faces execution in Atmore, Alabama, justice is at stake.

Right click to Download 13/07/09: Six O'Clock in Alabama - Documentary
[mp3 file: runs 23:49]

10/07/09: Vancouver's Japantown

Vancouver's troubled downtown eastside used to be known as Japantown. That changed forever with the war-time internment of Japanese-Canadians. This weekend, the Emperor of Japan will visit the neighbourhood to pay tribute to its history. We examine that history and look at the impact the internment program had on the community.

Right click to Download 10/07/09: Vancouver's Japantown
[mp3 file: runs 21:44]

09/07/09: High on the Job

Vancouver is experiencing a construction boom in the lead-up to next year's Winter Olympics. And there are growing concerns about the number of construction workers getting high on the job.

Right click to Download 09/07/09: High on the Job
[mp3 file: runs 14:26]

08/07/09: Cooking with Fire

Cooking with fire is what makes us human. Today on the Current podcast, a conversation with an anthropologist who says that what really separates us from the apes is that fact that we learned how to cook.

Right click to Download 08/07/09: Cooking with Fire
[mp3 file: runs 23:35]

07/07/09: Lung Cancer Screening

Lung cancer is the second-most common cancer in the world and the deadliest. It's also one of the only cancers without an effective screening test. Today on the Current podast, CBC Health Reporter brings us the story about a group of Canadian researchers who are trying to change that.

Right click to Download 07/07/09: Lung Cancer Screening
[mp3 file: runs 24:32]

06/07/09: Prairie Drought

Parts of the prairies have been hit hard by a severe drought. Today on the podcast, a conversation with the President of the National Farmers Union to find out what kind of government assistance he's looking for. And we also talk to a geographer who says the situation is likely to get even worse.

Right click to Download 06/07/09: Prairie Drought
[mp3 file: runs 21:04]

03/07/09: Vampires & Pop Culture

From the best-seller lists to the big screen, vampires are back with a vengeance. But now they're younger, prettier and in some cases even downright nice. Today on the podcast, what the state of the undead says about the land of the living.

Right click to Download 03/07/09: Vampires & Pop Culture
[mp3 file: runs 22:07]

02/07/09: CIA in Iran

The situation in Iran presents an enormous temptation for the CIA to intervene in the name of supporting a democratic uprising and unseating a regime hostile to the West. Today on the podcast, we look at the CIA's checkered past in Iran and assess the wisdom of calls for the CIA to get involved there again.

Right click to Download 02/07/09: CIA in Iran
[mp3 file: runs 19:17]

01/07/09: The Average Canadian & Hockey

Why is Joe Canadian Joe Average? On the day we celebrate Canada, The Current ponders why the Tim Horton's Nation exalts the ordinary and throws cold water on big dreams, high ambitions and refined tastes.

Right click to Download 01/07/09: The Average Canadian & Hockey
[mp3 file: runs 21:25]

30/06/09: Dam Beavers & Infrastructure

Beavers are increasingly coming into conflict as beaver populations increase & human development sprawls into habitat. Today on the podcast, we look at the sometimes uneasy coexistence between Canadians and beavers - two kinds of control freaks bent on reshaping the landscape.

Right click to Download 30/06/09: Dam Beavers & Infrastructure
[mp3 file: runs 22:42]

29/06/09: Abdelrazik Returns to Canada

Abousfian Abdelrazik, a Canadian who was stranded in Sudan for six years after being labelled an al-Qaeda suspect, returned home this weekend. But he's still on a United Nations no-fly list and the U.S. Government still says he's linked to terrorist activities. Today on the podcast, some insight into the allegations against him and why the U.S. Government is standing by them.

Right click to Download 29/06/09: Abdelrazik Returns to Canada
[mp3 file: runs 21:07]

26/06/09: Forced Blood Transfusion Court Ruling

Three years ago, a 14-year-old Jehovah's Witness was forced to have a blood transfusion she didn't want. Now the Supreme Court of Canada is weighing in with consequences for everyone.

Right click to Download 26/06/09: Forced Blood Transfusion Court Ruling
[mp3 file: runs 24:26]

25/06/09: Honour Killings

A 23-year-old man from Ottawa has been convicted on two counts of first-degree-murder for killing his sister and her fiancé. He is the first person convicted of first degree murder for an honour killing in Canada. Some hope it will send a message that honour killings won't be treated lightly. But not everyone thinks it's helpful to label them that way.

Right click to Download 25/06/09: Honour Killings
[mp3 file: runs 20:31]

24/06/09: North Korean Defector - Sun Mu

Sun Mu spent years as a propaganda artist for the North Korean government. Then he defected and now he makes a living critiquing the regime he once served.

Right click to Download 24/06/09: North Korean Defector - Sun Mu
[mp3 file: runs 26:55]

23/06/09: Love + Prison Breaks

A Canadian psychologist is accused of helping a prison inmate escape. Police believe they became romantically involved. We share the latest on that story and find out why educated, professional women fall in love with convicts more often than many might think.

Right click to Download 23/06/09: Love + Prison Breaks
[mp3 file: runs 20:03]

22/06/09: Pride & Politics

Pride and politics. What began as an united response to a police crackdown has become a multi-million-dollar celebration that reflects the diverse - and sometimes discordant - politics of Canada's LGBT community.

Right click to Download 22/06/09: Pride & Politics
[mp3 file: runs 26:42]

19/06/09: The Daddy Shift

When it comes to staying home to take care of the kids, women still outnumber men by a wide margin. Today on the podcast we meet a man who swears that's changing and that it will redefine families.

Right click to Download 19/06/09: The Daddy Shift
[mp3 file: runs 23:56]

18/06/09: Text Messaging Charges

At a U.S. Senate hearing this week, a Cdn computer scientist testified that an individual text message costs the wireless telecommunications industry no more than a third of a cent. That makes the average consumer mark-up nearly 5,000 per cent. We ask if that's just the free market at work, or a sign that better industry regulation is needed.

Right click to Download 18/06/09: Text Messaging Charges
[mp3 file: runs 24:28]

17/06/09: Cruelty

After years of study, neuroscientist Kathleen Taylor has concluded that cruelty is a lot harder to define and a lot easier to engage in than most of us would like to think.

Right click to Download 17/06/09: Cruelty
[mp3 file: runs 23:53]

16/06/09: Iran Election Protests

Today on the podcast, we talk to a wide range of Iranians and Iranian expatriates to get their thoughts on what happened with the elections over the weekend and what President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election means for the future of the country and the region.

Right click to Download 16/06/09: Iran Election Protests
[mp3 file: runs 24:53]

15/09/09: Story of a Kenyan Whistleblower

When anti-corruption crusader John Githongo had to get out of Kenya in a hurry, he landed at Michela Wrong's flat in London, England. Now his story is part of her book. And her book is part of his fight.

Right click to Download 15/09/09: Story of a Kenyan Whistleblower
[mp3 file: runs 25:06]

12/06/09: Slow Death by Rubber Duck

Put down the rubber ducky and step away from the shower curtain. The authors of "Slow Death by Rubber Duck" explain how the toxic pollutants in everyday household products may be hurting you.

Right click to Download 12/06/09: Slow Death by Rubber Duck
[mp3 file: runs 26:37]

11/06/09: Youth & Politics

The fallout continues from the documents and recordings misplaced by Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt's former communications director. Most people agree its essential to get young people involved in the political process. But what are the perils of relying on people without much experience? And how do you balance those two things?

Right click to Download 11/06/09: Youth & Politics
[mp3 file: runs 20:01]

10/06/09: Stranded in Sudan - Abdelrazik

Wafa Sahnine has spent six years waiting for her step-father to come home. But despite security investigations and a federal court ruling, Abousfian Abdelrazik is still stranded in Sudan. We hear from her and an update from Abousfian Abdelrazik's lawyer.

Right click to Download 10/06/09: Stranded in Sudan - Abdelrazik
[mp3 file: runs 23:43]

09/06/09: Joe Schlesinger

Today on the Current podcast, a conversation with the CBC's Joe Schlesinger about a remarkable career and an extraordinary life.

Right click to Download 09/06/09: Joe Schlesinger
[mp3 file: runs 25:34]

08/06/09: Polar Prom Documentary

Igloolik, Nunavut is one of the most isolated towns in Canada. The high school there held its first formal prom this year, thanks to some local ingenuity and the kindness of strangers hundreds of kilometres away.

Right click to Download 08/06/09: Polar Prom Documentary
[mp3 file: runs 24:12]

05/06/09: Lebanon Elections

Lebanon's national elections are on Sunday and it appears that an odd coalition between a one-time Christian militia and the militant Islamic group Hezbollah could push the son of a murdered Prime Minister out of power. And that's just the beginning of the intrigue.

Right click to Download 05/06/09: Lebanon Elections
[mp3 file: runs 24:02]

04/06/09: Hala Jaber Feature

Hala Jaber went to Iraq to cover the war as a journalist and then she found a story that made her put down her notepad and started re-writing her life.

Right click to Download 04/06/09: Hala Jaber Feature
[mp3 file: runs 28:00]

03/06/09: Documentary - The Laws Between Worlds

Today on the podcast, a documentary with the extraordinary story of Afghan women using the law to fight for their rights and of the female lawyers so determined to help them.

Right click to Download 03/06/09: Documentary - The Laws Between Worlds
[mp3 file: runs 20:22]

02/06/09: Weaning Cities Off Cars

Author Jeb Brugmann says we can, should, and will probably have to start weaning ourselves off cars in the coming years. But how?

Right click to Download 02/06/09: Weaning Cities Off Cars
[mp3 file: runs 32:37]

01/06/09: Tiananmen Anniversary

It's been 20 years since the Tiananmen Square massacre and the Chinese Government still won't acknowledge how many people were killed that day. But it has introduced the first human rights action plan in the country's history. Today on the Current podcast, we explore the disconnect.

Right click to Download 01/06/09: Tiananmen Anniversary
[mp3 file: runs 24:16]

29/05/09: Che Guevara - Legacy of an Image

Che Gueverra's iconic image can be seen on t-shirts, banners and posters pretty much all over the world. But what exactly does that image convey, more than forty years after the death of the man himself.

Right click to Download 29/05/09: Che Guevara - Legacy of an Image
[mp3 file: runs 25:48]

28/05/09: Armenian Golgotha - Balakian

Nearly a hundred years ago, Grigoris Balakian wrote a defining account of the Armenian Genocide. Now his great-great-nephew has translated it into English for the first time and it still makes for harrowing reading.

Right click to Download 28/05/09: Armenian Golgotha - Balakian
[mp3 file: runs 27:25]

27/05/09: Tanya's Trial - Documentary

Tanya is a drug-addicted prostitute who was forcibly confined and brutally assaulted. Wendy Leaver is the police detective who wants to bring Tanya's alleged attacker to justice. But that's not going to be easy for either of them. *** Warning *** This podcast contains adult subject matter and contains strong language.

Right click to Download 27/05/09: Tanya's Trial - Documentary
[mp3 file: runs 25:07]

26/05/09: The End of Overeating - David Kessler

The former head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has spent the last seven years trying to figure out why food that is so bad for us can make us feel so good.

Right click to Download 26/05/09: The End of Overeating - David Kessler
[mp3 file: runs 23:42]

25/05/09: Oil - Jeff Rubin

Jeff Rubin, the Chief Economist of CIBC World Markets tells us why he thinks the world is doomed to a series of recessions and recoveries unless we cut back on the amount of oil we use.

Right click to Download 25/05/09: Oil - Jeff Rubin
[mp3 file: runs 23:40]

22/05/09: Racism, Children & State

Today on the podcast, we talk to a mother in Winnipeg who is fighting to regain custody of her children. Child and Family Services took custody of the children just over a year ago and says it is trying to protect them from their parents allegedly racist beliefs and teachings. But some say the decision to take custody of the children goes too far.

Right click to Download 22/05/09: Racism, Children & State
[mp3 file: runs 20:04]

21/05/09: Death of a GM Salesman

Today on the Current podcast, with hundreds of General Motors dealerships getting letters instructing them to close, we look look at the economic impact as well as the lost art of selling cars.

Right click to Download 21/05/09: Death of a GM Salesman
[mp3 file: runs 19:46]

20/05/09: Mexico Water Shortage

It is one of the most populated cities in the world, and if things don't improve fast, Mexico City will become one of thirstiest. Throw in Swine Flu and you have city drowning in a sea of trouble.

Right click to Download 20/05/09: Mexico Water Shortage
[mp3 file: runs 24:31]

19/05/09: Does Power Corrupt?

Today on the Current podcast, we're asking about the innate character of those who choose the political life in this modern world. Does Elected mean Entitled?

Right click to Download 19/05/09: Does Power Corrupt?
[mp3 file: runs 24:07]

18/05/09: Goldman Sachs

Pulitzer-Prize winning reporter David Cay Johnston has the story of Wall-Street banking giant Goldman Sachs ... its remarkable ability to survive in tough economic times and its curiously consistent ability to shape a nation's economic policy.

Right click to Download 18/05/09: Goldman Sachs
[mp3 file: runs 26:49]

15/05/09: Tamil-Canadian Protests

On-going protests by Tamil-Canadians have clogged the streets of Toronto and provoked angry reactions from people inconvenienced by them. We ask about the limits to our tolerance for political protests that get in the way of our daily lives and what that says about our values as a society.

Right click to Download 15/05/09: Tamil-Canadian Protests
[mp3 file: runs 19:13]

14/05/09: The Hubble and Science

For 19 years, The Hubble Space Telescope has expanded our understanding of the universe. Now it needs a Billion-dollar repair job. So we're asking, how do you put a value on research for research's sake?

Right click to Download 14/05/09: The Hubble and Science
[mp3 file: runs 24:51]

13/05/09: Drunkyard's Walk

Today on the Current podcast, meet a theoretical physicist who says the forces that govern our lives are about as predictable as the stumbling, haphazard path of a drunkard's walk.

Right click to Download 13/05/09: Drunkyard's Walk
[mp3 file: runs 25:53]

12/05/09: Obama & Gay Rights

Barack Obama says he supports gay rights. But saying isn't doing. And some rights groups are getting tired of waiting for the U.S. President to commit.

Right click to Download 12/05/09: Obama & Gay Rights
[mp3 file: runs 25:16]

11/05/09: Barefoot Running

Some ultra-runners advocate going barefoot or next to it. Which raises the question - Do we really need those fancy running shoes? Or has the marketing run away with the reality? Today's podcast debates the merits of running shoes.

Right click to Download 11/05/09: Barefoot Running
[mp3 file: runs 27:28]

08/05/09: Naming Nurses with Addictions

On occasion, Manitoba's College of Registered Nurses will publish the names of nurses who have addictions. The College says it's in the interest of transparency and public safety. The nurses' union says it's unfair and counterproductive.

Right click to Download 08/05/09: Naming Nurses with Addictions
[mp3 file: runs 22:19]

07/05/09: Genetic Sexual Attraction

In June, Ontario's public adoption records will be unsealed, making it the fifth province to ease the way for reunions between birth families and adoptees. But there is a disconcerting consequence of such reunions. It's called Genetic Sexual Attraction - an instance in which a sexual relationship develops between biological relatives. The CBC's Aziza Sindhu shares the story of two families who have experienced GSA first-hand.

Right click to Download 07/05/09: Genetic Sexual Attraction
[mp3 file: runs 38:47]

06/05/09: Peacekeeping in the DRC

Over the years, the United Nations' Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been accused of being many things - too weak, too small, too ineffective. Now it stands accused of taking sides with a man the International Criminal Court says is a war criminal.

Right click to Download 06/05/09: Peacekeeping in the DRC
[mp3 file: runs 26:05]

04/05/09: "Swine" Flu and Health Workers

When we mere mortals come down with an infection that is not only new but contagious, someone has to look out for us and look after us. You know who they are: the doctors, nurses, frontline health professionals who, at a time of outbreak, put their own lives on hold for ours. They're at it again as we grapple with the flu formerly known as Swine.

Right click to Download 04/05/09: "Swine" Flu and Health Workers
[mp3 file: runs 19:27]

01/05/09: Sharing the Shelf Documentary

St. Pierre and Miquelon are two tiny islands off the south coast of Newfoundland. They're also French territories. And France is looking at leveraging that claim into a bigger stake in the continental shelf and whatever oil and gas resources might be buried there.

Right click to Download 01/05/09: Sharing the Shelf Documentary
[mp3 file: runs 23:40]

30/04/09: Decriminalizing Drugs in Portugal

Eight years ago, Portugal had a devastating drug problem. But instead of declaring a war on drugs, the government decriminalized everything from marijuana to heroin and cocaine. Many call it a success and some say countries such as Canada should follow Portugal's example.

Right click to Download 30/04/09: Decriminalizing Drugs in Portugal
[mp3 file: runs 27:04]

29/04/09: 100 Days as President Obama

It's been 100 days since U.S. President Barack Obama was sworn into office. Today on the Current podcast, we take stock of what he's accomplished and what that suggests for the rest of his term.

Right click to Download 29/04/09: 100 Days as President Obama
[mp3 file: runs 24:29]

28/04/09: Ezra Levant on Human Rights

Three years ago, Ezra Levant had a run-in with the Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission. It led him to a provocative conclusion that Canada's human rights commissions are undermining our democractic freedoms.

Right click to Download 28/04/09: Ezra Levant on Human Rights
[mp3 file: runs 23:14]

27/04/09: Janis Karpinski & Abu Ghraib

Janis Karpinski paid a heavy price for Abu Ghraib. But now as more information comes out about the Bush administraion's policies on torture, Janis Karpinski says the wrong people were paying the price.

Right click to Download 27/04/09: Janis Karpinski & Abu Ghraib
[mp3 file: runs 24:11]

24/04/09: Colin Thatcher Book

Colin Thatcher - a former member of the Saskatchewan legislature who was convicted of murdering his ex-wife - is set to publish a book about his trial. Victims' rights groups say he shouldn't be allowed to profit from his crime. But the publisher says even convicted murderers deserve the right to free speech.

Right click to Download 24/04/09: Colin Thatcher Book
[mp3 file: runs 20:37]

23/04/09: Tax Mistake - Irvin Leroux's Story

Irvin Leroux has spent more than ten years fighting the Canada Revenue Agency over its claim that he owed hundreds of thousands of dollars in back-taxes and penalties. The agency now admits it was wrong. But Mr. Leroux's fight is far from over. Today on the Current podacst, we hear his story.

Right click to Download 23/04/09: Tax Mistake - Irvin Leroux's Story
[mp3 file: runs 24:10]

22/04/09: Prescription Painkillers

In some parts of Canada, the abuse of prescription pain killers is topping heroin and cocaine addiction. Today on the Current podcast, we look at the rising numbers related to prescription opiates surpassing those illicit drugs.

Right click to Download 22/04/09: Prescription Painkillers
[mp3 file: runs 23:49]

21/04/09: Durban 2

Canada and a number of other countries are boycotting a UN conference on racism. They say it's a pulpit for anti-semitism. But those attending argue there's much more at stake.

Right click to Download 21/04/09: Durban 2
[mp3 file: runs 23:51]

20/04/09: Pirates in Troubled Waters

With pirates off the Somali coast continuing to capture ships and hostages, countries around the world debate not only how they'll tackle the problem, but how you prosecute a pirate at sea?

Right click to Download 20/04/09: Pirates in Troubled Waters
[mp3 file: runs 25:06]

17/04/09: Tamil Tigers

Sri Lanka's government forces have rebel Tamil Tigers backed into a corner. And Tamils around the world are speaking out.

Right click to Download 17/04/09: Tamil Tigers
[mp3 file: runs 24:12]

16/04/09: Afghan War: Morals and Military Fronts

Afghanistan: Cause for hope or a hopeless cause. From women’s rights, to culture, to security, we hear from two prominent women with their thoughts on this war. And two security experts on the counterintuitiveness of counterinsurgency.

Right click to Download 16/04/09: Afghan War: Morals and Military Fronts
[mp3 file: runs 43:41]

15/04/09: White Liberation of Paris

It was the day that saw the end of Nazi tyranny in Paris. But even as France celebrated, Black soldiers who fought their way through German lines, were prohibited by Allied command from freeing the City Of Lights.

Right click to Download 15/04/09: White Liberation of Paris
[mp3 file: runs 23:51]

14/04/09: Wind Turbines

Wind power is touted as a clean, quiet, efficient source of renewable power. But some who live near wind farms allege the noise is actually making them sick.

Right click to Download 14/04/09: Wind Turbines
[mp3 file: runs 24:05]

13/04/09: Rwanda - Allan Thompson

Today on the podcast, we mark the 15th anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide with a conversation with Allan Thompson, a former Toronto Star reporter who's now the Director of the Rwanda Initiative, a project that is trying to help rebuild the media sector in Rwanda.

Right click to Download 13/04/09: Rwanda - Allan Thompson
[mp3 file: runs 19:39]

10/04/09: Vandana Shiva

Even in the midst of a global recession, India's economy is often described as a miracle. But not for the country's impoverished farmers. Vandana Shiva is a physicist who's trying to change that.

Right click to Download 10/04/09: Vandana Shiva
[mp3 file: runs 27:25]

09/04/09: Belfast Mayor - Tom Hartley

Today on the Current podcast, Anna Maria speaks with Tom Hartley, about his journey from outlawed Sinn Fein activist to the Mayor of Belfast.

Right click to Download 09/04/09: Belfast Mayor - Tom Hartley
[mp3 file: runs 23:53]

08/04/09: Counting the Homeless

Vancouver is re-defining the homeless. Toronto is getting ready to count them. And both cities are facing a fierce political debate over the consequences.

Right click to Download 08/04/09: Counting the Homeless
[mp3 file: runs 26:21]

07/04/09: Decriminalizing Incest

Across Europe, several countries have decriminalized incest. People who support the move say the state has no business legislating social mores. But others say that's exactly what our laws are for.

Right click to Download 07/04/09: Decriminalizing Incest
[mp3 file: runs 28:06]

06/04/09: Doctor Abu al-Aish

Today on the podcast, we talk to Doctor Ezzeldeen Abu al-Aish, a Palestinian doctor and peace activist. His daughters and a niece were killed in the Israeli military offensive in Gaza and he gave a grief-stricken interview on Israeli television. But despite all he has lost, his commitment to peace is unshaken.

Right click to Download 06/04/09: Doctor Abu al-Aish
[mp3 file: runs 20:32]

03/04/09: Afghan Women Law

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is facing a growing fury over his support for a law that many people say is turning back the clock on women's rights.

Right click to Download 03/04/09: Afghan Women Law
[mp3 file: runs 24:51]

02/04/09: Abousfian Abdelrazik

A Canadian man returns to his country of birth for a visit only to be arrested, interrogated, tortured even. Canadian security authorities later clear him of any suspicion and yet after six years he still can't come home.

Right click to Download 02/04/09: Abousfian Abdelrazik
[mp3 file: runs 20:33]

01/04/09: Radical Thrift - Judith Levine

The global economic crisis has a lot of people pinching pennies and looking for ways to cut corners. And it's spawned a movement that some people are calling "Radical Thrift."

Right click to Download 01/04/09: Radical Thrift - Judith Levine
[mp3 file: runs 26:04]

31/03/09: What Remains Doc

Today on the Current podcast, the man who used to be the only funeral director in the town of Mattawa, Ontario is facing 73 charges relating to improper burials. And now some families are wondering if the body they buried is really that of their loved one.

Right click to Download 31/03/09: What Remains Doc
[mp3 file: runs 23:46]

30/03/09: British MP Galloway banned from Canada

The federal government has barred controversial British MP George Galloway from entering Canada. But that's not going to stop him from trying. He's filed a lawsuit challenging the ban. And today he plans to try to cross the Quebec-Vermont border.

Right click to Download 30/03/09: British MP Galloway banned from Canada
[mp3 file: runs 20:43]

26/03/09: CEO Kidnappings

Luc Rousselet -- the director of 3M's operations in France -- walked into the company's factory in Pithiviers, about 100 kilometres south of Paris. He was there to negotiate severance payments for 110 employees. But the employees didn't like the terms he was offering. So they locked him in his office for two days. you'll hear more of this story in today's podcast.

Right click to Download 26/03/09: CEO Kidnappings
[mp3 file: runs 20:09]

25/03/09: Twice Lost Documentary

Today on the Current podcast, a documentary about a brother and sister driven apart by forces neither of them fully understood until much later, when the brother was diagnosed with a fatal disease.

Right click to Download 25/03/09: Twice Lost Documentary
[mp3 file: runs 23:17]

24/03/09: Behavioural Economics - Dan Ariely

The author of "Predictably Irrational" explains how bonuses don't make us better workers and crooks like Bernie Madoff distract us from the small-time cheats that actually cost us more.

Right click to Download 24/03/09: Behavioural Economics - Dan Ariely
[mp3 file: runs 24:30]

23/03/2009: Rising HIV Rate in Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan had one of the lowest rates of HIV infections in Canada. But now new numbers reveal it's double the national, per capita average. Today on the Current podcast, we look into why HIV is spreading with alarming frequency in Saskatchewan's cities.

Right click to Download 23/03/2009: Rising HIV Rate in Saskatchewan
[mp3 file: runs 20:13]

20/03/09: Water in Reserves & a Tour of the Don River

This week is the fifth World Water Forum in Istanbul, Turkey and as part of our "Watershed" series we look at global water issues. Across Canada, there are about 100 First Nations under some kind of boil-water advisory. We'll take a tour of the water woes for Canada's First Nations and also look at the threat of urban sprawl on the Don River.

Right click to Download 20/03/09: Water in Reserves & a Tour of the Don River
[mp3 file: runs 40:08]

19/03/2009: Khmer Rouge Survivor - Chandra Eang

Today on the Current podcast, we meet Chandra Eang. He survived four years in the killing fields of Cambodia. And now he's getting ready to go back to help provide food, shelter and clean drinking water for a country that is still suffering.

Right click to Download 19/03/2009: Khmer Rouge Survivor - Chandra Eang
[mp3 file: runs 36:44]

18/03/2009: Straight A's at U of Ottawa

Today on the Current podcast, Denis Rancourt wanted to hand out straight A's to all his students at U of Ottawa. But the school wants to fire the physics professor, saying he's just not making the grade.

Right click to Download 18/03/2009: Straight A's at U of Ottawa
[mp3 file: runs 28:25]

17/03/2009: Death of the Record Biz

Today on the Current podast, we talk to Steve Knopper about his new book, "Appetite for Self-Destruction" and why he thinks the music industry as we know it is dying because of its failure to respond to new technologies.

Right click to Download 17/03/2009: Death of the Record Biz
[mp3 file: runs 26:48]

16/03/2009: Twittering Politics

Today on the Current podcast, a look at how the social networking website Twitter is affecting our politics. Will it change the way we engage with our elected officials? Or is it just hype?

Right click to Download 16/03/2009: Twittering Politics
[mp3 file: runs 24:32]

13/03/2009: The Lords of Finance

The Great Depression was one of the worst chapters in the history of the 20th Century. Ever wonder how we got out of it? Today on the Current podcast, we'll hear the story of four men who helped drag the world back to fiscal solvency.

Right click to Download 13/03/2009: The Lords of Finance
[mp3 file: runs 23:44]

12/03/09: Eurovision Politics

A simple pop song from Georgia with a campy disco beat and a cheesy sing-along chorus has sparked an international incident and according to Ivan Raykoff, it's not the first time. He's a professor of Music at The New School in New York City. He's also the co-editor of a collection of essays called "A Song for Europe: Popular Music and Politics in the Eurovision Song Contest." Ivan Raykoff is in New York City.

Right click to Download 12/03/09: Eurovision Politics
[mp3 file: runs 18:05]

11/03/2009: Osama bin Laden's Birthday

The most wanted man in the world turns fifty-two years old this week. Ever since the attacks of 9/11, Osama bin Laden's birthday has been greeted with a complicated mix of emotions. We speak to experts who have an interestig take on the issue.

Right click to Download 11/03/2009: Osama bin Laden's Birthday
[mp3 file: runs 24:12]

06/03/2009: Romeo Phillion

Today on the Current podcast, the Ontario Court of Appeal just granted Romeo Phillion a new trial in the 1967 murder of Ottawa firefighter Leopold Roy. We speak with Romeo Phillion, his sister Simonne and his lawyer James Lockyer about the years Romeo spent in custody and the verdict that overturned his murder conviction.

Right click to Download 06/03/2009: Romeo Phillion
[mp3 file: runs 20:23]

05/03/2009: The Death of Local News

Canada's private broadcasters are making or proposing sweeping cuts to local news broadcasts. Today on the Current podcast, we assess the impact on small communities across the country and ask what obligation broadcasters - private and public - have to support local news.

Right click to Download 05/03/2009: The Death of Local News
[mp3 file: runs 19:36]

04/03/2009: Sea Sick: The Global Ocean in Crisis

Our oceans are in trouble from rising temperatures, overfishing and pollution. And if you think that doesn't matter to us dry-land types ... think again. Today on the Current podcast, we talk to Alanna Mitchell about her new book, "Sea Sick: The Global Ocean in Crisis".

Right click to Download 04/03/2009: Sea Sick: The Global Ocean in Crisis
[mp3 file: runs 27:32]

03/03/2009: Palestinian Politics

Today on a special edition of the Current in Jerusalem, we head to the West Bank to talk to Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and former Deputy Prime Minister and local Hamas leader Nasser al-Shaer about re-building Gaza and how to bridge the divide between the Palestinian factions.

Right click to Download 03/03/2009: Palestinian Politics
[mp3 file: runs 22:13]

02/03/2009: The Water that Binds: The Fukin Valley

After four years of drought, water is scarce in Israel and the Palestinian territories. Today in a Special Edition of the Current from Jerusalem, we'll have the story of people in two communities — one in Israel, the other in the West Bank — who are trying to work together to protect their shared water source in spite of the politics.

Right click to Download 02/03/2009: The Water that Binds: The Fukin Valley
[mp3 file: runs 29:06]

27/02/2009: Art vs. Sensationalism

A controversial Austrian play about Josef Fritzl, the man alleged to have held his daughter captive for 24 years and fathered seven children with her, is being met with angry protests and accusations of sensationalism. But others defend the play as an important commentary on how society handles cases like these.

Right click to Download 27/02/2009: Art vs. Sensationalism
[mp3 file: runs 18:57]

26/02/2009: Unembedded - Scott Taylor

Today on the Current podcast, we talk to Scott Taylor about his new memoir, "Unembedded: Two Decades of Maverick War Reporting," as well as his experiences covering conflicts in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq and why he thinks that journalists sometimes have to distance themselves from the military in order to get a full picture of the conflict they are covering.

Right click to Download 26/02/2009: Unembedded - Scott Taylor
[mp3 file: runs 24:20]

25/02/2009: Insects as Warriors

For decades, countries including Canada have been working on ways to use insects as instruments of war ... most often as a way to spread disease. Jeffrey Lockwood has documented that disturbing history in his new book, "Six Legged Soldiers".

Right click to Download 25/02/2009: Insects as Warriors
[mp3 file: runs 24:57]

24/02/2009: Richard Florida - Recession Proof

Today on the Current Podcast, we talk to urban affairs thinker Richard Florida, about why he thinks a critical mass of talented people working in creative, knowledge-oriented fields is the best long-term defense against the recession.

Right click to Download 24/02/2009: Richard Florida - Recession Proof
[mp3 file: runs 24:47]

23/02/2009: Vancouver Gangs

Gang violence has been escalating in Vancouver. And the city's residents are fighting back. We'll talk to a businessman who has been targeted in the past and a woman whose son was killed in the crossfire.

Right click to Download 23/02/2009: Vancouver Gangs
[mp3 file: runs 19:52]

20/02/2009: Raw Milk Cheese Industry

Six months ago, raw milk cheese was a thriving business in Quebec. Then came a listeriosis outbreak and now the health of the industry is in question.

Right click to Download 20/02/2009: Raw Milk Cheese Industry
[mp3 file: runs 26:07]

19/02/2009: Terry Tamminen on Energy

U.S. President Barack Obama arrives in Ottawa today and speculation about what his New Energy for American plan might mean for the Alberta oil sands is running rampant. We'll talk to Terry Tamminen, an advisor to President Obama's transition team and a long time environmental advisor to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Right click to Download 19/02/2009: Terry Tamminen on Energy
[mp3 file: runs 20:32]

18/02/2009: Oil Sands at a Tipping Point?

Have the Alberta oil sands hit a tipping point? The industry is being hammered by the global recession and a precipitous drop in the price of oil. U.S. President Barack Obama's energy policy is less forgiving of "dirty oil" than his predecessor. And the Catholic Bishop for Fort McMurray says the current incarnation of the oil sands are morally unjustifiable.

Right click to Download 18/02/2009: Oil Sands at a Tipping Point?
[mp3 file: runs 50:58]

17/02/2009: Al-Jazeera in Canada

Today on the Current podcast, we talk to Tony Burman, the Managing Director of Al Jazeera's English-language television network about his efforts to make the controversial network available in Canada.

Right click to Download 17/02/2009: Al-Jazeera in Canada
[mp3 file: runs 24:27]

11/02/2009: Recession Good for your Health?

Can a recession improve your health? One expert says yes, since people are more likely to eat at home instead of downing fast food, walk more and spend less on booze. But not everyone is convinced.

Right click to Download 11/02/2009: Recession Good for your Health?
[mp3 file: runs 23:59]

10/02/2009: Hockey and Fighting

Today on the podcast, we'll delve into the debate over fighting in hockey by looking at its often troubled role as an arbiter of Canadian masculinity.

Right click to Download 10/02/2009: Hockey and Fighting
[mp3 file: runs 25:39]

09/02/2009: Medical Isotopes

The nuclear reactor in Chalk River, Ontario produces just under half the world's supply of radioactive isotopes for all sorts of medical imaging procedures around the world. But after a five-week shut-down, we're asking how secure that supply is.

Right click to Download 09/02/2009: Medical Isotopes
[mp3 file: runs 24:23]

06/02/2009: 60 Yr. Old Mom - Ethics Panel

Today on the Current podcast, we'll look at the ethical implications that have arisen from the story of a 60-year-old mother in Calgary who has given birth to twins after seeking in-vitro fertilization in India because she was turned down for IVF in Canada.

Right click to Download 06/02/2009: 60 Yr. Old Mom - Ethics Panel
[mp3 file: runs 20:57]

05/02/2009: Mom gives birth at 60 yrs old

Just a couple days ago in a Calgary hospital, a new mother gave birth to twins and in the process she has become part of medical history because this new mom is sixty years old. Today on the podcast, we have her story.

Right click to Download 05/02/2009: Mom gives birth at 60 yrs old
[mp3 file: runs 20:25]

04/02/2009: Pope Benedict and Vactican II

Just two weeks ago, an excommunicated Bishop publicly stated his view that the Holocaust had been greatly exaggerated. Within days, Richard Williamson was welcomed back into the Catholic Church and now the Vatican has some explaining to do.

Right click to Download 04/02/2009: Pope Benedict and Vactican II
[mp3 file: runs 26:52]

03/02/2009: Niqab in Court

A woman from Toronto is fighting a court ruling that says she does not have the right to wear a Niqab - a traditional Islamic veil that covers all but the eyes - while she is testifying against a man she accuses of sexually assaulting her. The case has pitted religious freedom against the right of an accused to face his or her accuser.

Right click to Download 03/02/2009: Niqab in Court
[mp3 file: runs 20:19]

02/02/2009: Hugo Chavez Retrospective

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez marks a decade in office today. And after all that time, the world is still divided over whether he's a populist saviour or a power-hungry despot.

Right click to Download 02/02/2009: Hugo Chavez Retrospective
[mp3 file: runs 24:28]

29/01/2009: Jimmy Carter on Peace in the Middle East

Today on the Current podcast, we'll talk to former U.S. President Jimmy Carter about his new book and why he thinks there is a unique opportunity now for a lasting peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians.

Right click to Download 29/01/2009: Jimmy Carter on Peace in the Middle East
[mp3 file: runs 19:13]

28/01/2009: The Colour Pink

The ever-shifting meaning of pink. How a simple hue speaks such volumes about gender identity, politics and culture.

Right click to Download 28/01/2009: The Colour Pink
[mp3 file: runs 23:37]

27/01/2009: The Third Man Factor

The Third Man Factor is a recurring historical phenomenon where people have had the shared experience of being visited by a presence during moments of extreme stress or crisis. But is it a coping mechanism that is neurologically based?

Right click to Download 27/01/2009: The Third Man Factor
[mp3 file: runs 27:29]

26/01/2009: The Literary Ignatieff

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff established a substantial body of written work, fiction and non-fiction, before he went into politics. Today on the podcast, we find out what his books tell us about his views on war, peace, torture, ethnic nationalism and human rights.

Right click to Download 26/01/2009: The Literary Ignatieff
[mp3 file: runs 20:31]

23/01/2009: Bill Chu & Canadians for Reconciliation

Today on the podcast, we'll meet Bill Chu. He came to Canada from China more than 30 years ago and forged a bond with Canada's First Nations - one based on two painful pasts and what he hopes will be a better, common future.

Right click to Download 23/01/2009: Bill Chu & Canadians for Reconciliation
[mp3 file: runs 26:38]

22/01/2009: Obama Marketing

President Barack Obama has been on the job for less than 48 hours. But companies such as Pepsi have already turned his message of hope and change into a generational lifestyle brand. Today on the podcast, we unpack some of the marketing campaigns.

Right click to Download 22/01/2009: Obama Marketing
[mp3 file: runs 17:49]

21/01/2009: Investment Scheme - Geneen Roth's Story

For years, Geneen Roth thought her retirement nest egg was safe and sound. Then her investment advisor, a man named Bernie Madoff was accused of directing a 50-Billion-dollar investment fraud.

Right click to Download 21/01/2009: Investment Scheme - Geneen Roth's Story
[mp3 file: runs 24:09]

19/01/2009: Curtis Roosevelt on Barack Obama

Growing up Roosevelt. Franklin Delano's grandson shares his thoughts about his family's legacy and Barack Obama's destiny.

Right click to Download 19/01/2009: Curtis Roosevelt on Barack Obama
[mp3 file: runs 24:30]

16/01/2009: Sri Lankan Journalist

Sri Lankan newspaper editor Lasantha Wickramatunga foretold his own death. He even named who he thought his killer would be. A politically explosive who-done-it.

Right click to Download 16/01/2009: Sri Lankan Journalist
[mp3 file: runs 23:36]

15/01/2009: The History of Hamas

For more than 20 years, everyone from Israel to Egypt to the United States has tried to harness Hamas to suit their interests. It hasn't really worked. But that doesn't mean they've stopped trying. Today on the podcast, we'll delve into the secret history of Hamas.

Right click to Download 15/01/2009: The History of Hamas
[mp3 file: runs 24:34]

14/01/2009: Federal Securities

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty wants to streamline Canada's financial regulatory system and create a nation-wide securities commission. But this is Canada and that may result in a constitutional challenge.

Right click to Download 14/01/2009: Federal Securities
[mp3 file: runs 28:18]

13/01/2009: Canada the Preseident-elects Policy

Across Canada, Barack Obama is posting approval ratings our own leaders can only dream of. In the run-up to the American Presidential Election, as many as 80 per cent of Canadians said they approved of Obama. But there are some Canadians who are withholding judgment until they see the fine print on the President-elect's policies ... especially on economic issues. We'll explore this issue further in this podcast.

Right click to Download 13/01/2009: Canada the Preseident-elects Policy
[mp3 file: runs 20:19]

12/01/2009: Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is reaching a breaking point. And the aid workers trying to address the situation are finding it nearly impossible to do their job. You'll hear from people who can speak to both sides of the issue in this podcast.

Right click to Download 12/01/2009: Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza
[mp3 file: runs 19:48]

09/01/2009: The Wasted Vigil by Nadeem Aslam

Today on the podcast, author Nadeem Aslam talks about his latest novel "The Wasted Vigil" ... a fictionalized account of contemporary life in Afghanistan and one many say reveals a remarkable amount of truth.

Right click to Download 09/01/2009: The Wasted Vigil by Nadeem Aslam
[mp3 file: runs 26:24]

08/01/2009: How to Divorce and Not Wreck the Kids

For years, divorce has pitted couples against each other, fueling conflict and concerns about the children caught in the middle of it. Now, unhappy couples with children are looking for ways to end their marriage, but not end the family. Today on the podast, we'll hear from a couple trying to do that and the director of a CBC TV documentary called "How To Divorce and Not Wreck The Kids".

Right click to Download 08/01/2009: How to Divorce and Not Wreck the Kids
[mp3 file: runs 27:40]

07/01/2009: A Death in the Family - Documentary

Today on the podcast, the story of Paul Johnson and Bill Mullins-Johnson, two brothers from Sault Saint Marie, Ontario whose lives were torn apart after the murder of Paul's four-year-old daughter ... a crime that turned the two men against each other even though neither of them had committed it.

Right click to Download 07/01/2009: A Death in the Family - Documentary
[mp3 file: runs 38:53]

06/01/2009: The Threatening Sea

Today on the podcast, we continue our Watershed series with a trip to Vanuatu, a nation of 83 islands in the South Pacific that is slowly but surely sinking into the sea.

Right click to Download 06/01/2009: The Threatening Sea
[mp3 file: runs 24:33]

05/01/2009: Australia Drought

Dispatches from The Big Dry. Current producer Kathleen Goldhar brings us a report from Australia's enduring drought and the economy it's spawned, where rainless communities unravel, only the adaptable prosper and water is the new gold standard.

Right click to Download 05/01/2009: Australia Drought
[mp3 file: runs 24:19]

19/12/2008: The Lost History of Christianity

Long before Christianity came to dominate Europe, it had deep roots in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Today on the Current podcast, we'll meet a historian who says those early Christian communities are still among the best examples of religious tolerance.

Right click to Download 19/12/2008: The Lost History of Christianity
[mp3 file: runs 24:43]

18/12/2008: Williams v. AbitibiBowater

Today on the Current podcast, the latest on Newfoundland Premier Danny William's fight with paper giant AbitibiBowater. The company has announced plans to close its paper mill in Grand Falls-Windsor in March. Danny Williams says that breaks a century-old agreement. And now his government has passed legislation to expropriate the company's hydroelectric, water and timber assets in the province.

Right click to Download 18/12/2008: Williams v. AbitibiBowater
[mp3 file: runs 21:00]

17/12/2008: Reinventing the Sacred - Stuart Kauffman

Today in our podcast, Biologist Stuart Kauffman tells us about his quest to re-imagine God and re-invent the sacred.

Right click to Download 17/12/2008: Reinventing the Sacred - Stuart Kauffman
[mp3 file: runs 25:41]

16/12/2008: Virtual Water Use

Let's see ... 100 litres per shower ... 20 litres per flush. It adds up to a lot of water. But it's the flow you don't see that makes your water footprint truly staggering.

Right click to Download 16/12/2008: Virtual Water Use
[mp3 file: runs 23:05]

15/12/2008: Guantanamo Bay

Today on the podcast, we'll hear from a former prosecutor at the U.S. Military Commissions in Guantanamo Bay on why he quit his post. And from the first person to see Canadian Omar Khadr after he was captured in Afghanistan and brought to the Bagram prison.

Right click to Download 15/12/2008: Guantanamo Bay
[mp3 file: runs 26:21]

12/12/2008: Harper's Head

Today on the Current podcast, we'll hear from an American researcher whose psychological profile of Stephen Harper has produced some interesting results ... Namely that he has a great deal of trust in others, delegates easily and appreciates consensus building.

Right click to Download 12/12/2008: Harper's Head
[mp3 file: runs 22:02]

11/12/2008: Tailings Ponds

The Alberta Oil Sands industry generates an extraordinary amount of wealth and a staggering amount of waste ... toxic waste that no one is quite sure what to do about. We'll consider the consequences and go looking for a solution in our next half-hour.

Right click to Download 11/12/2008: Tailings Ponds
[mp3 file: runs 24:09]

09/12/2008: Congo Doctor

*** We do want to warn you that some of what you are about to hear is disturbing and very graphic *** Today on the podcast, we'll hear from a doctor who says an already terrible conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo is being made worse by the use of rape as a weapon of war.

Right click to Download 09/12/2008: Congo Doctor
[mp3 file: runs 27:11]

08/12/2008: Stolen Art

Today on the Current podcast, a brief history of high-end art theft ... A trade that has implicated Nazis, Iraqi insurgents, Chinese antiquity experts, the Argentine military and private collectors all over the world.

Right click to Download 08/12/2008: Stolen Art
[mp3 file: runs 25:45]

05/12/2008: Quebec Election Shakedown

Today on the Current podcast, a look at how the drama on Parliament Hill - specifically Prime Minister Stephen Harper's constant criticism of what he called "the separatist coalition" —has changed the political dynamic in Quebec and how it might affect the outcome of the provincial election there.

Right click to Download 05/12/2008: Quebec Election Shakedown
[mp3 file: runs 19:49]

03/12/2008: Crime in Canada

The story of a long-standing family feud and what it says about the future of violent crime in Canada.

Right click to Download 03/12/2008: Crime in Canada
[mp3 file: runs 25:42]

02/12/2008: The Constitution and a Coalition Government

What does the Constitution say about coalitions? Today on the podcast, we'll conjure up the ghost of Mackenzie King to find the answers.

Right click to Download 02/12/2008: The Constitution and a Coalition Government
[mp3 file: runs 23:08]

01/12/2008: The Big Three & the Future of the Auto Industry

One way or another, the Big Three automakers will have a huge impact on Windsor's future. But the future of those companies is being decided by forces well beyond this city's borders.

Right click to Download 01/12/2008: The Big Three & the Future of the Auto Industry
[mp3 file: runs 26:33]

28/11/2008: Greenpeace and the DRC

For more than a decade, the Democratic Republic of Congo has seen one humanitarian disaster after another. But there's an environmental catastrophe as well. And Greenpeace thinks it deserves our attention too.

Right click to Download 28/11/2008: Greenpeace and the DRC
[mp3 file: runs 25:49]

27/11/2008: The Agony of Stephen Harper

Stephen Harper got into politics to make government smaller. Now he's facing an economic crisis that seems to cry out for big time public intervention.

Right click to Download 27/11/2008: The Agony of Stephen Harper
[mp3 file: runs 24:16]

26/11/2008: Albino Killings in Tanzania

A horrifying story of an underground trade in human body parts, one that allegedly targets albinos in Tanzania and is said to be fueled by witchdoctors.

Right click to Download 26/11/2008: Albino Killings in Tanzania
[mp3 file: runs 27:06]

25/11/2008: Cyber Crime and Bullying

Today on the podcast, the tragic story of a young life cut short that shows there's nothing virtual about on-line bullying. Find out how social networking web sites are being used to promote bullying and hate and why some people think our real world laws are failing to keep up with these kinds of cyber crimes.

Right click to Download 25/11/2008: Cyber Crime and Bullying
[mp3 file: runs 24:23]

24/11/2008: The Story of Private Joseph Dwyer

Today on the Current podcast, a documentary about an American photo-journalist named Warren Zinn. Back in March of 2003, he snapped a now iconic photo of a U.S. Army medic carrying an injured Iraqi boy in his arms. Earlier this year, the medic killed himself. And Zinn has been trying to piece together what — if any — role his photograph played in what happened.

Right click to Download 24/11/2008: The Story of Private Joseph Dwyer
[mp3 file: runs 20:17]

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