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The Sunday Magazine for March 19, 2023
John Rapley talks about the fallout from Silicon Valley Bank's collapse, Adam Gopnik reflects on the meaning of mastery, Payam Akhavan unpacks the ICC's arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin, Gulchehra Hoja shares her story of preserving Uyghur culture in exile, and Hana Videen reveals the magic and mystery of Old English.
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Gulchehra Hoja was a Uyghur TV star in China. Now she's a journalist in exile
Gulchehra Hoja hopes that her memoir will help highlight the plight of the Uyghur people, but also showcase the beauty of her culture and homeland — and serve as a warning for what is being lost.
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Political economist John Rapley on plummeting public faith in financial institutions
Fallout from the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank plunged the world’s financial sector into a tumultuous week of ups and downs. Despite all the uncertainty, John Rapley believes the global economy is not on the verge of chaos. He joins David Common to explain what Canada needs to consider in the current climate.
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The New Yorker's Adam Gopnik on the art and meaning of mastery
If you could master a new skill, what would you try? Author Adam Gopnik put himself to the test by apprenticing with several masters. The result is his new book, The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery. He joins David Common to talk about why the journey of learning can be more rewarding than perfecting the craft.
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A former UN prosecutor's take on the ICC's indictment of Vladimir Putin
The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on allegations of war crimes, citing unlawful deportation of children and unlawful transfer of people from Ukraine to the Russian Federation. Payam Akhavan joins David Common to talk about this historic decision, and what may happen next.
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Word Processing
Word Processing: The magic, mystery and legacy of Old English
When writer and medievalist Hana Videen started tweeting one word of Old English per day, she found a surprisingly big audience for often mysterious ancient terms. She describes how these words help explain some of the weirder bits of the English language today.
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The Sunday Magazine for March 12, 2023
Susan Delacourt and Matt Gurney discuss Justin Trudeau’s decision to appoint a special rapporteur to probe allegations of election interference, we unpack the evolution of the Oscars ahead of the 95th academy awards, Helen Branswell reflects on the third anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic, and Raymond Biesinger, and Alex Bozikovic unearth the history of memorable buildings across Canada that no longer stand.
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Notes on a scandal: How Oscar controversy is part of its culture
This year, social media has been accused of unduly influencing the nominations.
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Sunday Politics Panel: Trudeau responds to election interfrence
The allegations around election interference are dominating the conversation in Ottawa, but how is the story playing out across the country? Susan Delacourt, national columnist for the Toronto Star, and Matt Gurney, co-founder of The Line on Substack join Helen Mann to parse that question, and more.
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How pomp, politics and power brokers rewrote the Oscar playbook
Audiences will be watching for much more than who wins what award at Sunday’s 95th Academy Awards. The Oscars have a long history of drama outside of what’s scripted in the movies up for awards. Michael Schulman captures the big fueds and power moves in his new book, Oscars Wars.
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A leading reporter on infectious disease reflects on three years of covering the pandemic
Veteran science journalist Helen Branswell joins Helen Mann to reflect on the third anniversary of the pandemic and the 20th anniversary of the SARS outbreak. She shares thoughts on the increasingly political nature of medical reporting and what top medical expers and the general public have learned.
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Preserving the stories of Canada's 'lost buildings'
In their book 305 Lost Buildings of Canada, Raymond Biesinger and Alex Bozikovic unearth the history and meaning of memorable buildings across the country that no longer stand. Biesinger and Bozikovic tell Helen Mann why these buildings matter beyond just bricks and mortar.
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The Sunday Magazine for March 5, 2023
Journalist Robert Fife and Democracy Watch's Duff Conacher unpack the latest allegations of election interference from China, Jihyun Park and Seh-Lyn Chai advocate for Korean reunification through their new memoir, Robert Waldinger shares the key to happiness, and our monthly brain game That's Puzzling! returns.
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The latest on election interference and the risk it may pose to our democracy
Allegations of election meddling are rocking Ottawa, as MPs grill top national security and election officials on their knowledge about China's alleged attempts to interfere in our federal elections. Robert Fife and Duff Conacher join Piya Chattopadhyay to break down the latest allegations and how damaging this episode could be for Canadian democracy.
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How the 'hard road' out of North Korea led to a personal reunification
There are reports the Korean peninsula could be facing a famine. But beyond those kinds of headlines, we rarely hear what life is like for North Koreans — until they make the decision to flee, like Jihyun Park did. She now lives in the UK where she met Seh-Lynn Chai a South-Korean born writer. The two women spoke with Piya Chattopadhyay about how their remarkable friendship came to be.
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That's Puzzling! for March 2023
In the latest edition of our monthly challenge That's Puzzling!, host Piya chattopadhyay competes against one familiar voice and one clever listener in a battle of brain games devised by puzzle master Peter Brown. Playing along this week are Ottawa listener Liz Inrig, and Loren McGinnis, host of The Calgary Eyeopener.
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What 80-plus years of research on happiness reveals about how to live a 'good life'
This coming week marks three years since the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic. After the lifting of restrictions many people are still working to rebuild relationships. A decades-long scientific study on human happiness found relationships are the key to a happy life. Dr. Robert Waldinger joins Piya Chattopadhyay to talk about the findings of the study.
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Remembering Gordon Pinsent
Legendary Canadian actor Gordon Pinsent died Saturday, February 25 at the age of 92. Fellow Newfoundlanders Mark Critch and Mary Walsh who both acted with Pinsent and called him a friend, join host Piya Chattopadhyay to share personal and professional memories of him and to talk about his legacy on and off the screen and stage.
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Global affairs rundown: alliances, interference and a year of war in Ukraine
One year since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the conflict is drawing more of the world in, including China. Global affairs analyst and Atlantic Council senior fellow Michael Bociurkiw joins host Piya Chattopadhyay from Kyiv to discuss what the global landscape looks like one year into the war, and what we should make of China's actions.
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The Sunday Magazine for February 26, 2023
Global affairs rundown: alliances, interference and a year of war in Ukraine, how the 'hard road' out of North Korea led to a personal reunification, a Sunday documentary telling the story behind Newfoundland's Sunflower Duo, Bilag Baig on Sort Of's massive success and the lasting cultural impact of Soul magazine.
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A Soul revival: the story and legacy of Soul magazine
Launched back in 1966, Soul Magazine wasn’t just the first national outlet to publish articles about Black funk, soul and disco musicians in the United States. It helped move that music from the fringes and into the mainstream. Matt Jones tells the story of Soul and its lasting cultural impact.
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Bilag Baig is Sort Of a big deal
On the heels of the 2023 Canadian Screen Awards nominations on Wednesday, we revisit our conversation with Sort Of star and co-creator Bilal Baig. The CBC show received 15 nominations on Wednesday, including best series, best directing, best writing and a best lead performer nod for Baig in the television comedy category for their portrayal of Sabi, a queer, non-binary millennial navigating life, love and their Pakistani family dynamics. Baig reflects on the accolades the show has received, why it resonates with all kinds of people, and how they are managing life in the spotlight.
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Sunday Documentary: The Sunflower Duo
Alla Melnychuk, a Ukrainian refugee, settled in St.John's, Newfoundland about seven months ago after fleeing the violence of the war. She was expecting a difficult transition, but resettling was made easier when she found an artistic community that welcomed her. Alla is a classically trained pianist, and when she met Newfoundlander Maria Cherwick — a classically trained violinist — they hit it off. The Sunflower Duo was born. We hear how their shared love of music helped Alla put down roots in her new hometown.
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1 year into war, Ukrainians turn to music for strength to keep fighting
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine reaches the one-year mark, music has been a source of strength for Ukrainians both at home and around the world. Bands like Gogol Bordello and Love’n’Joy are among many musicians using their talents to boost morale in the war effort.
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The Sunday Magazine for February 19, 2023
Our Sunday Politics Panel unpacks the Emergencies Act inquiry's final report, Milena Chorna shares her battle to protect Ukrainian culture, Viktoriia Zabiian and Anna Dobrovolskaya reflect on one year of the war in Ukraine, and former Costa Rican president Carlos Alvarado Quesada talks about what the world can learn from his country's record on climate change.
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