

rabble radio
rabble.ca
Hosted by Breanne Doyle, rabble radio is the flagship podcast of rabble.ca. rabble breaks down the news of the day from a progressive lens. It's a good place to catch up and catch on to what's happening in Canadian politics, activism, environmentalism, and so much more. We catch you up on the news of the week and take you further into the stories that matter to you.
Episodes
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Apr 13, 2010 • 29min
Puttin' it out there
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."

Mar 17, 2010 • 28min
Olympics and epic struggles
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.

Feb 23, 2010 • 27min
2010 Olympics: gold medal for activism
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.

Feb 10, 2010 • 28min
Celebration with a centenarian
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

Jan 27, 2010 • 24min
Courage and Cooperation in Haiti
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.

Jan 13, 2010 • 26min
Canadian demonstration against prorogation
TBD

Dec 17, 2009 • 32min
Indigenous rights and climate justice in Copenhagen
Canadian Youth Delegation asks is Canada lying? Hiphop artist Eekwol talks Indigenous rights and Olympics. John Bonnar on protests for climate justice in Canada. Also, we have music. Canadian Youth Delegation to Copenhagen asks whether Canada is lying and what that will mean for Canada. Hiphop artist Eekwol talks youth and indigenous rights. Eekwol with "Reluctant Warrior" John Bonnar at the Climate Justice rally in Toronto Eekwol with "The Future Wonders"

Nov 30, 2009 • 45min
Amy Goodman on Breaking The Sound Barrier
Amy Goodman launched her new book Breaking The Sound Barrier at an event co-hosted by community radio stations CJSF, Co-op Radio and CiTR in Vancouver, B.C. last night. Despite being detained by Canadian border services delaying her book launch by over an hour Amy Goodman delivered an impassioned lecture to a standing room only audience.

Nov 16, 2009 • 33min
Who are the people in your neighborhood? Food bank volunteers, tibetan buddhist nuns, and Baka Beyond
Food bank recipients volunteer, Tibetan Buddhism in B.C. Prisons, and Baka Beyond on a train platform in Nanaimo, B.C. Sachin Seth went to the Fort York Food Bank to talk about how the recession was affecting the facility, but found food bank recipients volunteering their time to keep the place running. Here are three of their stories. Anne McNeil is a Tibetan Buddhist nun who leads meditations in B.C. prisons. In this interview with Stark Raven: Prison Justice, she talks about what teaching meditation in prisons is like, and what the prisons get out of having meditation available for prisoners. Baka Beyond have worked with and learned music from the Baka people of Cameroon. The band's singer Su Hart was riding a train that stopped for 7 minutes in Nanaimo, where Living on Purpose's Lynn Thompson caught up with her for a quick interview.

Nov 2, 2009 • 28min
Choose Activism
In this podcast: protecting the rights of Vancouverites, advocating for Uganda's gays and lesbians, learning through art, and music from Ottawa. Leaked documents show that the Province of B.C. is considering legislation that would allow the police to detain the homeless. David Eby, executive director of the BC Civil Liberties Association speaks about what that will mean for the homeless during the Vancouver 2010 games. A multi-media piece about child soldiers called Strange News made it's Canadian Debut last week, and featured actor Arthur Kisenyi, who travelled from Uganda to perform. Ugandan GLBT activists are asking for help from the international community. They want you to deliver letters against the implementation of a strict anti-homosexuality bill that is now on its way to becoming law. The Ruckus has been featuring Ottawa artists in its last few podcasts. In the latest Ottawa edition, the Mighty Popo. Here he is, with Ma Africa.


