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Queens University gave former Prime Minister Paul Martin an honorary doctorate of laws on Friday, and Monday he joined the program Alternative Frequency at Kingston's community radio station CFRC to talk about all about it. But host Elamin Abdel Mahmoud couldn't let the opportunity to ask the former Prime Minister about the Gaza Flotilla. Here's part of their conversation. Even before the attack on the Free Gaza Flotilla, demonstrations against Israel's policies in the middle east had been scheduled. They were to coincide with Israeli prime Minister Benjamin Nentanyahu's visit to Canada. Monday, demonstrators added their condemnation of the nighttime attack on the flotilla to those protests. Tariq Jeeroburkan attended a Montreal demonstration. Here he is, speaking with Yves Engler, the author of Canada and Israel: Building Apartheid. Aaron Lakoff is with the group Tadamon. Here he is, speaking to Jeeroburkan at the demonstration. Rabble radio spoke to Canadian Peace activist Kevin Neish as he was boarding his boat in the Free Gaza Flotilla. We haven't been able to reach him since then. He's been detained, but survived the attack and should be released some time in the next three days. That said, his interview still stands.

As you've probably heard the Israeli Navy has intercepted an multinational flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. At least ten activists were killed in the conflict, and many more wounded. All the other activists have been taken into custody by the Israeli Government. There are no Canadian ships in the flotilla, but that doesn't mean there weren't any Canadians aboard. Kevin Neish is a peace activist who was on the ship to act as a human shield. We haven't been able to reach Kevin since the ships were attacked, but we spoke to him on Friday as he was walking to the harbor to board his ship. Kevin Neish is a Canadian peace activist. We reached him on Friday as he was walking to the port to board his ship, part of the Free Gaza Flotilla carrying aid and humanitarian supplies to Gaza in an attempt to break the Israeli siege there. Rabble radio will continue to try to get in touch with Neish, and update the program when we do.

Interview with Bob Wiseman, who has generously provided a theme song for rabble radio. Thanks Bob! This week, Toronto is the host of the Marxism 2010 conference. Activists and thinkers from around the world will gather on the 28th of May to address some of the same issues that the G8/G20 is considering, but from a different angle. One of the speakers at the conference will be Kostas Katarahias, a member of the General Council of the Federation of Hospital Doctors Unions of Greece. I reached him by phone to talk about what he thinks should be done about his country's current financial struggle. Check it out if you're in Toronto on the weekend of the 28th. For more information about the Marxism 2010 conference, you can go to www.marxismconference.ca. Well, I bet you are all wondering what the lyrics to the new rabble radio theme song are? You're about to find out. And if I were you, I'd get a pen. It always pays to be prepared. You never know when we'll have a contest about this… maybe in episode 140, or then again, it could be in our next show. If you want to throw your comment into the ring, or share your thoughts about the new sound, you can always always call our skype number to comment. Here it is: (360) 566-2214. We also accept email Meagan@rabble.ca. When children are taken into the care of the state, they are often moved from home to home. The process is difficult for children, and for their parents, who may be petitioning to have their child returned to them. A recent complaint to the ombudsperson in B.C. addresses a complaint about a policy that makes it difficult for foster children to return to their parents. The rabble podcast network's pivot legal podcast talked about the issue in their latest episode. Here is Lawyer Lobat Sandrashemi, discussing the complaint.

For the last five years, No One Is Illegal has held a demonstration for immigration reform on May Day. This year, one item up for discussion was on the difference between what immigrants are told to expect in Canada and the reality faced by the people who migrate to this country. The rabble podcast network's John Bonnar joined in on the march and recorded an interview while he was there. Here is part of his conversation with Nanky Rai. The chants of workers reverberated across the world this weekend, so what better time to check in with the Reverb Syndicate? The band guest-hosted the rabble podcast network's music program The Ruckus this month bringing us their top picks. Here is one of those songs. This is The Havocs with It's Gotta Have Soul. Coming together to fight for rights. Shared concerns about multinational corporations have led workers, democratic unions and NGO campaigners across the Asia Pacific Region to publicly shame corporations like NIKE over their labour practices. Now a new project called the Asian Transnational Company Monitoring Network is moving beyond media campaigning. They're mobilizing workers across borders to fight company exploitation. Doris Lea is a coordinator with the organization, and she spoke to the rabble podcast network's Asia Pacific Currents podcast about the challenges of trying to work across borders. The International Workers of the World formed in 1904 with the goal of creating one big union across borders and boundaries. The rabble podcast network's Red Eye podcast checked in for some history of the IWW, otherwise known as the wobblies with Michel S. Beaulieu, who is an assistant professor at Lakehead University and the author of Socialism and the Politics of Labour at the Canadian Lakehead. Here's part of that conversation. South Korean labour activists face strong opposition from corporate and government interests in that country. Nonetheless, their battle continues. Pier Moro has been checking in with labor activists in South Korea. Here's his report to the rabble podcast network's Asia Pacific Currents.

In this podcast: an ethics expert on the importance of hate speech, eco-defenders stand up to corporate greenwashing, talking access to content with Canada's Pirate Party, and truckers with something to say. Not to mention some hard rock from the '80s, and a delicious taste of Montreal hip-hop! It's been a little while since Ann Coulter's speech at the University of Ottawa was cancelled because of concerns for her safety due to angry crowds. Coulter herself was the one who pulled the plug on her appearance, but she's filing a human rights complaint because of the experience which, she says, violated her freedom of speech. The ordeal has gotten people talking about what types of speech should and shouldn't be allowed a soapbox in public discourse. And beyond that – whether the banning of any kind of speech is something we should condone. Professor Arthur Schafer is Director of the Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics at the University of Manitoba. In his opinion, even hate speech plays an important role in public dialogue. Here's what he had to say about the topic, in an interview with Canadian Dimension's Jeff Hughes. Recently, Greenpeace hired Tzeporah Berman as its new Climate Energy director. The move has caused outrage among activists – especially ones in British Columbia, who are familiar with Berman's history of corporate collaboration. Dru Oja Jay is a member of The Dominion editorial collective in Montreal, and co-founded SaveGreenpeace.Org in light of the organization's growing flirtation with big business. Here's part of what he had to say in an interview with Redeye… Even if she isn't here to play co-host this week, Meagan Perry's still making an appearance. For the latest episode of The Ruckus, Meagan had a chat with Brian Vollmer of Helix – one of Canada's most well-known hard rock bands. They talked about everything from Helix's three-decade history to women in music videos, with a few of the band's tracks thrown in for good measure – including this one. From 1983, here's Helix with "Heavy Metal Love." If listening to music is something you're passionate about, you probably get it any way you can. Maybe you head to the nearest record store and pay for it at the counter, the good old fashioned way. Or perhaps you opt for buying individual songs on iTunes. Or maybe – just maybe – you don't pay at all. With advances in technology, pirated material is becoming more common all the time, and so are the measures being taken to prevent copyright infringements. That's where the Pirate Party comes into play. Following its success in Sweden, the Pirate Party of Canada was formed in late 2009. Its goal is to reform the copyright and patent system to reflect changes in how the public consumes content, and to protect both our privacy and access to culture. Street Cred's Adam Bemma met for an interview with Daniel LaSalle, the Pirate Party's spokesman. Here's some of that conversation… "Getting a message out" is the theme behind the latest episode of Decoder – a new podcast put together by journalism students at the University of Western Ontario. For most people, conveying a message isn't something hard to do – we've got telephones, email, and even the classic face-to-face method, when you're feeling bold. But what about if you're behind the wheel of a big rig for hours at a time, alone on the road, with nothing to keep you company but ever-changing radio signals and your own thoughts? Well, it becomes more of a challenge. That's why there's a new community of truckers embracing the form of media you're using this very moment. Here's Curtis File's "big rig report" on how truckers are hitting the road – and the ears – through podcasting. We leave you with a song by Dramatik, a Montreal hip-hop artist who recently performed at the Artists for Haiti II concert there. The song, "40 Barz", is the opening track off his album – "La Boite Noire."

In this podcast: talking election violence in Manila, a little more Olympic activism, fish farming on vacant city land in Toronto. We also bring you the music of Caracol and Alejandra Ribera, and you could find out who has called 360-566-2214 to tell rabble radio just what they think of us! The Winter Olympics have ridden out of Vancouver, headed for Sochi but the party has not shut down on Canada's West Coast. The paralympians are just starting on their quest for gold. And for some activists in Vancouver that means that the Olympic effort continues. Kevin Hollet is the writer and editor of Megaphone magazine, a newspaper sold by homeless people in downtown Vancouver. The Pivot Legal Society Podcast caught up with him to talk about Megaphone, and its Olympics Issue. As you might have heard, rabble radio set up a phone line for comments a few episodes ago, and you are obliging us by calling it. We read a letter from an Aid Worker in Haiti way back in episode 99, when post-earthquake looting and chaos were making headlines, but the letter we received and read out in this podcast painted a picture of cooperation and caring among the people of Haiti. And that got one rabble radio listener talking. If you have thoughts about anything you hear on rabble radio, share them with us. You can email me at Meagan@rabble.ca, or skype or phone. The number is 1-360-566-2214. Alejandra Ribera is a singer songwriter from Toronto. She's got an elastic vocal style that gets her compared to Tom Waits. Maybe you can hear it in this song. This is Viente Agoz. The Phillipines is one of the most dangerous places in the world to work as a journalist, especially at election time. During the last Phillipine election Canadian election observers, photographers, and photojournalists set out to document urban life in Manila. Those photographs were part of an exhibition called Movements in Manila at Kaza Maza in Montreal. Laura Kleesh visited the Phillipines with the International Federation of Journalists after a large number of journalists and social activists were found murdered. Here is some of what she had to say at the opening of Movements in Manila. For the last few months, the rabble podcast network and rabble.ca have been featuring podcasts, writing, and video from journalism students who are exploring Maker Culture. In episode 9, one of the students headed for vacant land owned by the city of Toronto only to find that it was not vacant at all. In fact, Food Cycles was there growing food. Here is a conversation with Food Cycles co-founder Sonny Lam. We'll leave you with one more song. This comes from Quebec, and the group Caracol. This is La Route.

In this podcast: Why protest the Olympics, Aboriginal activists speak out, talking diversity of tactics, and all about Vancouver's Red Tent campaign for housing. The Olympic torch was intended to sail through the city on a sea of goodwill. But the celebrations hit rough water in a rising tide of protest. Protestors and celebrants alike lined the route, but in the end, Olympic organizers changed the torch relay's intended course up Vancouver's Commercial Drive. Here are some of the voices from the protest as the torch approached the Drive. Thousands of protesters also convened at the Vancouver Art Gallery just before the start of the Olympic Opening Ceremonies, to kick off a march through Vancouver's downtown. One group with a significant presence there was No Olympics on Stolen Native Land. Meagan talked with a spokesperson from the group. Here's what she had to say about why it has been necessary to protest the Olympics. Not everyone was in favor of protesting the Olympics. As the square at the Vancouver Art Gallery filled up with banners and the speeches began, spectators gathered as well. Here is what one of them had to say: If you remember, last episode we told you that the first caller would win an ipod nano. Well, the calls streamed in from as far away as Tokyo, but the person who was quickest on the draw was someone a little closer to home… well, my home anyway. Here's what our nano winner had to say. We'd love to hear your comments too. The number is 360-566-2214. On February 13th, a planned demonstration protesting the corporate interests of the Olympics led to a broken window at the Hudson's Bay Company which many activist link with Canada's historical corporate oppression of First Nations people and other Canadians. The event got a great deal of publicity from mainstream media outlets. It also sparked a debate about the effectiveness of using a Diversity of Tactics, including direct action, within the broad spectrum of activists protesting the Olympics in Vancouver. To create a space where Diversity of Tactics could be discussed in greater detail, rabble.ca along with Working TV broadcast a discussion between Harsha Walia of No One Is Illegal, and Derrick O'Keefe, former rabble editor and member of stopwar.ca. For just over an hour and a half, panelists Walia and O'Keefe responded to questions from the live audience and online participants. The full discussion is available at rabble.ca/rabbletv. Walia spoke to the question of whether direct action is an effective method of protest, and how other types of protest do not engender the same kinds of questioning. That discussion on Diversity of Tactics was held at the W2, which is an exciting new development in Vancouver. It's a media arts centre that brings together independent media outlets like ours, media artists, and social innovators into a space where ideas can be exchanged and new plans can be hatched. The centre opened just days before the Olympics, and has become a media hub for the activism and independent reporting during the games. From the launch event for the W2, this is Irwin Oostindie speaking about his vision for the centre. Following on similar actions in Europe the Pivot Society has created a space for homeless people to sleep during the Olympics by providing them with red tents, each one housing one or two people. Am Johal is Chair of the Impact of the Olympics on Communities Committee. Here he is, speaking to the rabble podcast network's Pivot podcast. If you have comments about the show, an idea for us, or a documentary that you whipped up at home, tell us about it. You can email me at Meagan@rabble.ca, or you can call us too at 360-566-2214.

In our 100th podcast, we're talking a hundred! A centenarian shares advice, cancelling highway plans, and remembering the birth of the aged rabble radio. You could also win an ipod nano! Highlights from the first 100 episodes. Wayne remembers the first meeting of what has become the rabble podcast network. Introducing our new comment line. First caller wins an ipod nano. 1-360-566-2214 Stephen Rees on why a new highway plan should be scrapped to make way for farmland. It's all thanks to the global recession. Wait For It by Annabelle Chvostek Interview with Centenarian Anne McPhee Andy Stochansky and House of Gold

The world has been watching Haiti ever since a 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated the country on January 12. If you are wanting to donate money to the relief effort the Canada Haiti Action Network has listed NGOs they think are best able to deliver aid. You can find that link at rabble.ca Sarah Kramer is a volunteer with Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods, an organization dedicated to grassroots change in HAITI through ecological sanitation projects, technology, and garbage transformation. Like many volunteers in the country, Kramer was thrown into a different kind of action when the earthquake hit and has been helping the relief effort since then. Kramer is trying to dispel the myth that Haitians have become desperate and violent in this time of crisis by sharing stories of hope. One of her letters came to the rabble podcast network, and we thought we would share it with you. Emeline Michel – Many Rivers to Cross from the Hope for Haiti benefit concert. You can purchase the song and disk at itunes. It seems like just last year that Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that he was shutting down parliament until after the Olympics. Comedians have had a field day with his decision, and so, it turns out, have activists. The activist's field day happened this weekend when scheduled actions across Canada brought out over 25 000 people who wanted to tell Stephen Harper that they are not happy with his decision to shut down parliament, and stall democratic debate in Canada. In over 30 cities citizens gathered with their placards and chants. The rabble podcast network collected audio from four cities in Canada. Here are the voices of Canada's people, telling the Prime Minister just what they think of his prorogation. It has been over a month since the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Although many were disappointed by the results that came out of COP 15, activists from around the world who were not allowed into the forums' larger meetings gathered at Klimaforum where they discussed the changes that needed to happen with an eye to bringing new ideas home. Zahra Moloo is an independent journalist from Kenya. She was at Klimaforum gathering the voices of African delegates. Over the next few episodes, Rabble radio will be featuring those interviews. Today, we're going to hear from the University of Nigeria's Dr. Julia Agwu Music: Emeline Michel Mon Reve. You can purchase this song at itunes.

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