Day 6with Brent Bambury
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Episode 518
Voter suppression, Halloween heroes, Rubik's Cube's creator, Watchdogs Legion, Dolly Parton's songs and more
What a 1981 campaign of voter suppression could portend for the upcoming U.S. election, Canadians get creative to celebrate a COVID-19 Halloween, the Rubik's Cube's inventor Erno Rubik, Should I Play It? columnist Jonathan Ore tackles Watch Dogs: Legion, a new book about Dolly Parton and the women she sang about, and more.
With a landmark court order expired, a 1981 campaign of voter suppression might point to trouble in 2020
The expiration of a landmark 1982 federal court order, known as a consent decree, which barred political parties from engaging in tactics that could suppress votes or intimidate voters, has some political experts worried those tactics might be on their way back.
How Canadians are stepping up to save Halloween in their hometowns
COVID-19 restrictions have forced many families to look for new ways to mark the spooky celebration this year. We spoke with Canadians who are taking a unique approach to the haunting holiday.
Even in a digital world, the Rubik's Cube endures, says creator
Canadian toy giant Spin Master announced Tuesday it had successfully acquired the Rubik's brand for $50 million, and while that number might sound surprising to some, it shouldn't. The Rubik's brand, and the company's eponymous toy, remain incredibly popular.
Review
Watch Dogs: Legion keeps its 'play as anyone' promise, but struggles to develop meaningful characters
Game developer Ubisoft's latest sandbox action-adventure title Watch Dogs: Legion dropped this week. The game promises espionage, action, and tonnes of hacking as players progress through a futuristic, dystopian London, England, where private military contractors have supplanted the police and hacktivist groups try to take down a corrupt government. CBC Radio Digital Senior Writer (and resident gaming expert) Jonathan Ore walks us through the world of Watch Dogs: Legion and offers his opinion on the question, 'Should I Play It?'
Q&A
New book, She Come By It Natural, celebrates Dolly Parton as an 'examplar' of working-class feminism
In her new book, She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs, author Sarah Smarsh writes about the women who have inspired Dolly Parton's career — and the look is key to staying connected with her rural, American upbringing.
Riffed from the Headlines: 10/31/2020
Riffed from the Headlines is our weekly quiz where we choose three riffs linked by one story in the news. Guess the story that links the riffs and you could win a Day 6 tote bag.
Episode 517
Florida election supervisor, Google lawsuit, Leer Estates, Alanis Obomsawin, movie prop collectors and more
An election supervisor in Florida prepares for voting day, what quirky election merchandise reveals about campaigns, Google faces a historic antitrust lawsuit, Canadian actor Dan Chameroy's campy one-man soap opera Leer Estates, filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin looks back on four decades of documenting Mi'kmaq fishing rights, digging into the world of Hollywood collectibles in the podcast The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of and more.
Meet the Florida elections supervisor facing down foreign interference, conspiracies and a pandemic
Running an election in the midst of a global pandemic has been anything but business as usual, says Seminole County elections supervisor Chris Anderson. In addition to new COVID-19-related rules, he's up against disinformation and rumors — but he says he's prepared for election day.
Hand sanitizer, colouring books and fly swatters: Inside the wacky world of election merchandise
Merchandise has been a part of the U.S. electoral system since the country first began holding elections, but Ad Age reporter Ilyse Liffreing says the pace at which campaigns have released products in 2020 is unique.
Q&A
U.S. justice department's antitrust lawsuit against Google signals a positive shift, says expert
Sally Hubbard, director of enforcement strategy with the Open Markets Institute, says that a recently filed antitrust lawsuit against Google could help to rein in monolpolies "that are ruling our economy."
Dan Chameroy brings campy soap opera flair to the Stratford Festival's Leer Estates
For soap opera fans, actor Dan Chameroy's Leer Estates has it all: a devil-possessed patriarch, duelling identical twins, salacious romances and mysterious illnesses. The web series is part of the Stratford Festival's new service, Stratfest@Home.
The producers behind Veep and Colony celebrate Hollywood collectibles in a new podcast
David Mandel and Ryan Condal are known for their work on shows like Veep, Seinfeld and Colony. Now, they have a new podcast about film and TV memorabilia. They tell Day 6 about their most prized props in their collections.
Filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin reflects on documenting Mi'kmaq fishing rights over 4 decades
Abenaki filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin has covered the rights of Indigenous fishers in two films. Today, she says many of the same issues remain frustratingly misunderstood and unresolved in Nova Scotia — but that there is reason to hope for progress.
Riffed from the Headlines: 10/24/2020
Riffed from the Headlines is our weekly quiz where we choose three riffs linked by one story in the news. Guess the story that links the riffs and you could win a Day 6 tote bag.
Episode 516
No-knock warrants, monitoring the U.S. election, AI pollsters, West Wing reunites, BTS stock and more
The death of an Ottawa man prompts criticism of no-knock police raids, why the Carter Center is watching the upcoming U.S. election, how AI pollsters could improve political predictions, what a West Wing reunion means for voters, buying stock in the company behind K-pop band BTS, an impassioned defence of iceberg lettuce and more
Listen
Anthony Aust's death leaves unanswered questions about the use of no-knock warrants in Canada
When Ottawa police abruptly raided his family's apartment, Anthony Aust jumped to his death from a 12th floor window. The CBC's Judy Trinh has been investigating Aust's death and joins us to discuss concerns about the use of no-knock raids in Canada.
After 30 years observing elections abroad, the Carter Center is getting involved in its first U.S. vote
For the first time in more than three decades of monitoring elections abroad, the Atlanta-based Carter Center will turn its attention to November's U.S. federal election.
Meet Polly, the AI pollster that wants to predict elections using social media
Polly is no traditional pollster. Polly is an artificial intelligence system built by Ottawa-based startup Advanced Symbolics Inc. (ASI) that scrapes public data from social media networks to predict election outcomes. It accurately predicted the outcomes of both the 2019 Canadian federal election and the 2016 Brexit vote.
The new West Wing reunion special is a reminder of the show's highs — and its lows
Fans of acclaimed political drama The West Wing have cause to celebrate: There's a new one-time special available on HBO Max. For Vanity Fair television critic Sonia Saraiya, the special highlights the reasons why fans continue to love the show, and the reasons why The West Wing has its fair share of detractors.
Q&A
A dynamite stock offering? Investors & fans can now buy shares in the K-pop powerhouse behind BTS
Bankers aren't just relying on Big Hit Entertainment's main asset — mega-popular boy band BTS — with the company's initial public offering. They're buying into the group's massive fan following, better known as the BTS Army.
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In defence of iceberg lettuce: Why the less trendy green is still worthy
Bloomberg published a story this week about iceberg lettuce falling out of favour with American shoppers. Trendier greens like kale, arugula and romaine are now more popular. Chris Kendall is a nutritionist and defender of the maligned lettuce variety.
Riffed from the Headlines: 10/17/2020
Riffed from the Headlines is our weekly quiz where we choose three riffs linked by one story in the news. Guess the story that links the riffs and you could win a Day 6 tote bag.
Episode 515
Lincoln Project, community cookbooks, Hollywood delays, Edmonton symphony, Missing from the Village and more
Behind the scenes of the Republican-led anti-Trump PAC The Lincoln Project, how COVID-19 is reviving community cookbooks for Thanksgiving, what Hollywood blockbuster delays mean for movie theatres, the return of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, how Canadian hip hop complements the Black Lives Matter movement, Justin Ling on his new book Missing from the Village and more.
Q&A
The Lincoln Project's slick ad campaign is trolling Trump in hopes of a Biden win
In the lead up to the election, the Lincoln Project has targeted the president and those closest to him with caustic messages in an effort to ensure his ouster. Politico's Tina Nguyen explains how.
