The Currentwith Laura Lynch
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'There's never been a better time' to be a woman, says activist Sally Armstrong
Sally Armstrong's 2019 CBC Massey Lectures, about the long push for gender equality, are airing this week on Radio One's Ideas. The Current spoke to her about why, despite many injustices, she's optimistic about where the women's movement is headed.
The forgotten Canadian history of the Chinese Labour Corps
More than 81,000 Chinese labourers travelled across Canada on their way to support the war effort in Europe. Some of them died and were buried in Canada. But few Canadians know their story.
The Current for Nov. 11, 2019
Today on The Current: Author David O'Keefe on what Canadian soldiers saw as they battled their way through Normandy; the forgotten First World War story of more than 80,000 Chinese labourers who were smuggled across Canada and then sent to Europe to support the Allied war effort; Canadian military historian Ted Barris explores his own father's story as a medic in the Second World War; on the 50th anniversary of Sesame Street, a look at how the show has reflected Canada to itself; and 2019 CBC Massey Lecturer Sally Armstrong on the roots of women's inequality and why "there's never been a better time" to be a woman.
Forget Paris: Go to Winnipeg, says author who has visited more than 110 countries
After a recent New York Times article called for the Mona Lisa to come down, travel writer Robin Esrock argues tourists need to stop focusing on hot-ticket bucket list attractions like the famed painting and try some humbler travel destinations.
When companies analyze your data, your 'consumer score' can mean you end up on hold for longer: tech reporter
A New York Times reporter requested all the data that a third-party analyst was holding on her. The company sent back a 400-page report dating back years.
The Current for Nov. 8, 2019
Today on The Current: We discuss new data that shows a rise in surgical objects mistakenly left inside patients in Canada — one woman tells us about how her hospital left her just such a “present.” Plus, our global affairs panel looks at Russia’s clout on the world stage; a tech reporter tells us how your “consumer score” can affect the customer service you get; and we discuss whether some of the world’s big attractions are just too popular.
30 years after fall of Berlin Wall, 2 women born in its shadow wrestle with its legacy
Vera Lengsfeld and Susanne Schädlich both grew up in East Berlin. And while many are celebrating 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, they believe invisible barriers still exist there today.
No 'quick fix' for what's driving spate of Winnipeg liquor store thefts, expert says
Videos of brazen liquor store thefts in Winnipeg have been circulating online. We speak to staff in the line of fire — who say they’ve seen thieves with guns, knives, pipes and machetes — and ask what can be done about it.
The Current for Nov. 7, 2019
Today on The Current: We look at the spate of brazen liquor store thefts in Winnipeg; longtime correspondent Robert Fisk says President Trump is leaving a vacuum in the Middle East; why the internet is rife with retorts of “OK boomer”; and the lasting divides of the Berlin Wall, 30 years after it fell.
From support lines to 'bespoke' fan films: How the porn industry is opening up about mental health
Journalist Jon Ronson spoke to us about what he learned by making two podcasts about the people in the adult entertainment industry.
The Current for Nov. 6, 2019
Today on The Current: We speak to a scientist who was one of 11,000 signatories to a declaration of a climate emergency; plus, what former Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall (and our national affairs panel) thinks about western alienation; and author Jon Ronson discusses his investigation into the internet’s disruptive effect on the porn industry.
U.S. too focused on 'freezing out asylum seekers' to fix refugee deal with Canada: researcher
Is Canada's Safe Third Country Agreement with the U.S. putting refugees at risk? We look at how similar deals work elsewhere.
Here's how much it would cost to build your very own Benedict Cumberbatch
The cost of the British actor, broken down into his basic chemical elements, is just one of the surprising facts about our physical selves bestselling author Bill Bryson has gathered for his latest book The Body: A Guide for Occupants.
Former CIA agent talks smuggling video out of Myanmar and working undercover in new memoir
Amaryllis Fox was just 21 when she was recruited into the CIA. She told us about her new memoir on her 10 years as an undercover counterterrorism operative.
Online child abuse 'goes undetected because no one wants to talk about it': Daemon Fairless
Hunting Warhead is a new investigative podcast from CBC Podcasts and Norway's VG. Follow investigators as they take down one of the biggest child abuse sites on the dark web.
The Current for Nov. 5, 2019
Today on The Current: Is Canada’s Safe Third Country Agreement with the U.S. putting refugees at risk? We look at how similar deals work elsewhere. Plus, author Bill Bryson takes us on a journey inside our own bodies, with some surprising results. We also speak to Daemon Fairless about his new CBC podcast Hunting Warhead, which tracks a global hunt to stop child abuse online. And writer and activist Amaryllis Fox tells us what it was like to be one of the youngest-ever female officers at the CIA, assigned to work in the world's most dangerous places.
With U.S. election 1 year away, Republicans and Democrats weigh up Trump's chances of 4 more years
Pollster Celinda Lake says U.S. Democrats would unite behind Dennis the Menace "if he could beat Donald Trump" when Americans go to the polls in 2020. But former Republican strategist Rick Wilson says they still have a hard campaign ahead of them to win back the White House.
The Current for Nov. 4, 2019
Today on The Current: It’s one year to the 2020 U.S. Presidential election — can Donald Trump win four more years? Plus, we talk to two people touched by Auschwitz: Allison Nazarian, whose family lived with the aftermath of her grandparents’ time at the death camp, and Rainer Höss, who is fighting the legacy of his grandfather, camp commander Rudolf Höss.
Driver safety 'arms race' fuelling boom in gas-guzzling SUVs, says journalist
The number of SUVs on the road continues to climb, despite their large contribution to carbon emissions, because they keep drivers in a safety "arms race," says a transportation and environment journalist.
Trump's withdrawal from Syria will mean 'long-term threats' to U.S. security: Obama's ambassador to UN
Samantha Power was a war correspondent in Bosnia in her 20s, and served as a key adviser to former president Barack Obama, becoming the U.S. Ambassador to the UN. She tells us about her memoirs, The Education of an Idealist.
The Current for Nov. 1, 2019
Today on The Current: We’re looking at the proliferation of SUVs and the impact on safety and the environment; plus, we discuss whether Twitter's decision to ban political ads could have unintended consequences for activist movements; and former U.S. ambassador to the UN Samantha Power discusses her new book and Washington’s role in today’s world.
Try this memory exercise — and find out what it reveals about creativity and the brain
Neuroscientist Henning Beck, author of Scatterbrain: How the Mind's Mistakes Make Humans Creative, Innovative and Successful, explains why the shortcomings in our brains are actually what makes us creative.
The Current for Oct. 31, 2019
Today on The Current we look at the twists and turns that have brought us to the impeachment inquiry of U.S. President Donald Trump. Plus, are the flaws in our brains are a vital part of our creativity?; the latest push for peace in Syria; and Justice Richard Schneider's years spearheading the mental health court in Toronto's Old City Hall.
Ever tried a Pink Pearl? It's just one variety in this orchard growing apples of the future
We visit one of the world's most diverse apple orchards in Nova Scotia, to learn about the apples that might line the supermarket shelves of the future.
Gender reveal parties trend is full of confetti cannons, cake and controversy
Gender reveal parties have picked up steam in recent years as a creative way to use colour to share with friends and family what you're expecting. But critics say they reinforce gender stereotypes and a binary gender identity.
