Sunday January 22, 2012
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Scottish Nationalists - Canadian Poet Laureate
Hour One
Scottish Nationalists
British Prime Minister David Cameron is not King Edward the First, and Scottish Nationalist Party leader Alex Salmond is definitely not William Wallace, but they have been trading some nasty barbs this week.
Luke Skipper is from the town of Kincardine, Ontario. He moved to Scotland as a young man, and is now the Chief of Staff for the Scottish National Party at Westminster and a passionate proponent of Scottish sovereignty.
And in honour of Robbie Burns Day this week, we had an encore reading of one of the Scottish poet's lesser known works, Och Yer a Wee Pookie.
Related links:
Audience Mail: We also read some of your mail about Kyla Hanington's searing essay last week that dealt with her daughter's autism diagnosis.
Music in this Hour:
- When You're Smiling, by Sam Pilafian from the album Travelin' Light
- Stompin' at the Savoy, by Great Uncles of the Revolution, from Stand Up!
- Red Winged Blackbird, by David Francey, from Torn Screen Door
- Sister, by Jayme Stone, from Utmost
- A Sunday Kind of Love by Etta James from Etta James: Her Best
- Clan Coco, by Battlefield Band, from Rough Guide to Scottish Folk
Hour Two
Documentary: A Groom with a View
The world has changed for groomsmen. Gone are the days when brides did all the wedding planning. Call it New Age, call it Enlightenment, but these days grooms like to get their hands dirty, picking everything from the colour palette of the floral arrangments to the borders of the invitations. Or do they? Documentary Producer Frank Faulk dropped in on one of Canada's largest wedding shows to find out.
Who's Rating the Raters?
Late last week, the credit rating agency Standard and Poor's downgraded nine countries in the European Union.
Being downgraded is akin to being judged and found wanting ... and the countries in question were none too happy about it.
But who are these credit rating agencies, and who's rating their work?
After all, aren't they the same bunch that missed the warning signs for the near economic apocalypse of late 2008?
Doug Henwood has some thoughts. He has been the editor and publisher of the Left Business Observer for more than 25 years, and the author most recently of After the New Economy.
Related Link; Doug Henwood - Left Business Observer
Audience Mail: Our documentary last week, Notes on a Recovery, explored the pain and stigma of a musical injury. It prompted some stirring stories from listeners.
Poet Laureate
Canada's new Parliamentary Poet Laureate has been "doing" poetry for more than 50 years ... but it was never an obvious career choice.
Fred Wah studied music and played jazz, and became involved in the avant garde scene in Vancouver in the '60s. Somewhere along the way, he was bitten by the poetry bug, and never looked back.
Related links: Fred Wah - Parliamentary Poet Laureate
Music in this Hour:
- Someday My Prince Will Come, by Joey DeFrancesco, from the album One Take
- Get Me to the Church on Time, by Oscar Peterson, from My Fair Lady
- Humming and Hawing, by Jamye Stone, from Utmost
- Temperance, by Mark Eisenman, from Sweet and Lovely
Categories: Shows
