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The AIH Transcript for July 27, 2020

Hosts: Susan Bonner and Chris Howden

Prologue

SUSAN BONNER: Hello, I'm Susan Bonner, sitting in for Carol Off.

CHRIS HOWDEN: Good evening. I'm Chris Howden. This is As It Happens.

[Music: Theme]

CH: Tonight:

SB: Giving it a shot. The first phase-three trial for a COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. has begun. We reached one of the principal investigators who tells us what she's looking to see.

CH: Lacrosse-ing a line. They are one of the top teams in the world, but the Iroquois Nationals have not been invited to play in the 2022 International World Games. The executive director of the team tells us what he thinks is behind that decision and what's at stake for the team.

SB: Octogenarian. Bugs Bunny turns the big 80 today. And we're celebrating by burrowing into our archives for the voice that brought him to life.

CH: Pulling rank. The Royal Canadian Navy is getting some unseaman-like pushback to its decision to drop that rank and replace it with something gender neutral. We've reached the Navy's Rear-Admiral to see how he's navigating all of it.

SB: Not your average bear. A Vancouver woman is mounting a search for a lost teddy bear and its voice recording of her mother who died last year.

CH: And it's lonely at the big top. After allegations of verbal abuse and tantrums by the governor general, Rideau Hall hires a new chief of staff who's used to dealing with clowns -- a former executive with Cirque di Soleil. As It Happens. The Monday Edition. Radio that works without a net.

[Music: Theme]

Part 1: Moderna vaccine trial

Moderna vaccine trial

Guest: Hana El Sahly

CH: This morning a volunteer in Savannah, Georgia, was given a shot. It marked the beginning of the first phase-three clinical trial for a COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S.. CNN reporter Elizabeth Cohen caught up with that volunteer, Dawn Baker.

ELIZABETH COHEN: Now, you don't know if you got the vaccine or the placebo, but either way, you're hoping to find a cure.

DAWN BAKER: Either way, it's it's a really important role to have -- to be a part of that research. I never thought that I'd do something like this.

ELIZABETH COHEN: You are the first person in the United States to get a shot in a phase-three COVID trial. What does that feel like?

DAWN BAKER: It is very exciting. I'm very anxious about it. I just hope that there are really really good results.

CH: The investigational vaccine that Ms. Baker was possibly given today was developed by the biotechnology company Moderna and the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The plan is to enroll 30000 adult volunteers in the trial who will be tested at approximately 89 research sites around the U.S.. Dr. Hana El Sahly is with Houston's Baylor College of Medicine. She's a co-principal investigator for the phase-three trial of this possible vaccine. We reached her in Houston, Texas.

SB: Doctor, we can hear so much in that volunteers voice her excitement, anticipation, a little bit of nervousness. How much is riding on this phase-three trial that began today in your country?

HANA EL SAHLY: You probably can hear the same excitement and anxiety in all of us. As you know, getting the herd immunity with a natural infection with COVID is just associated with such a high price on the morbidity and mortality of everyone pretty much on this globe. That is why if we can find a safe and efficacious vaccine to get to this level of immunity, it would be probably the biggest impact on public health we can achieve in the near future of any disease really.

SB: What is your involvement in this trial personally and specifically, and what will you have to see to deem it a success?

HANA EL SAHLY: My involvement is with one of the phase-three clinical trials under Operation Warp Speed, namely the Moderna concept. I am one of three co-pi's on the clinical trials and we have been engaged in the protocol development in the last two to three months -- more like three to four months by now. And my vaccine research centre here at Baylor College of Medicine, where I am an investigator, will be one of the sites involved in the clinical trials by recruiting and following patients. In terms of what we are looking to determine efficacy, what we are doing is giving half in a random fashion -- half of our volunteers -- two doses of the vaccine and half of our volunteers, two doses of salt water and following them for up to two years every week with questions regarding symptoms. And if they have any symptoms suggestive of COVID we will take a swab and determine whether they got COVID or not. If we demonstrate that the vaccine lowers the incidence of COVID in a significant fashion compared to the placebo and in a safe way, that will determine the success of the trial.

SB: You say you're following people for two years. Does that mean you won't be analyzing results for two years?

HANA EL SAHLY: No, actually the results will be analyzed at multiple time points in what we call interim analysis, meaning an analysis at pre-specified time points determined by statistical plan. We will not wait for the full two years to determine an answer to many of these questions.

SB: How fast is this work proceeding?

HANA EL SAHLY: This work so far, if we put in perspective that the genome of this virus was determined sometime in January and here we are giving the first dose in a phase of a vaccine, in a phase-three clinical trial in late July, that means we did in six months what usually happens in five years. So the steps were sped up and occurred to a degree in parallel. But the steps were not bypassed, meaning we have animal data in at least two relevant animal models. We have human data from a phase-one. And we have human data now from a phase-two clinical trial. Although the final data is not available on, for example, the phase-two. But the FDA and the Safety Board, for example, could see those data before allowing us to go to phase-three. In a sense, everything was sped up, but not overlooked or bypassed.

SB: So you're the first, but there are several more phase-three trials that will begin soon in the U.S.. Realistically, when do you think the general public can expect a vaccine?

HANA EL SAHLY: Well, all these trials are going to -- I mean, the first one began today and internationally -- not just in the U.S., I think some of them will have international and U.S.. And some others are beginning this week. It all depends on what the data shows. So, as I mentioned, there will be multiple interim analysis, meaning analysis of the data at early time points. It's hard to say, but maybe early 2021, I think, would be safe to say is the earliest we can have a read. I hope I'm wrong and we can get data earlier than that. But this is how it's looking like for now.

SB: You say we're moving at warp speed as we chase a vaccine. What are the risks of working in this way at this speed?

HANA EL SAHLY: I mean, it's always risky in the world of clinical trials. We venture into the unknown and we try to create safety valve by having independent safety monitoring, by having regulatory aid -- following regulatory agency guidelines. There are inherent risks, and I cannot quantify for you that or what the speed sort of brings into this equation. It's inevitable that it will bring maybe something. But we are trying to follow all the safety valves and guidance we have in order to minimize these occurrences.

SB: Well, I'm sure you know that so many people around the world are rooting for this science. So we wish you all the best.

HANA EL SAHLY: Well, thank you. I'm rooting myself too.

SB: [Chuckles] Goodbye.

HANA EL SAHLY: Bye.

CH: That was infectious disease physician Hana El Sahly talking about a phase-three COVID-19 vaccine trial that began today in the U.S. We reached her in Houston, Texas.

[Music]

Navy Rear Admiral

Guest: Chris Sutherland

CH: A plan to change the name of a Canadian Navy rank smells ranked to some people. After decades of use, the Royal Canadian Navy is dropping the term "seaman" and has asked the public to weigh in on the name change. But some people are so upset by the very notion that they've reacted angrily online. The Navy says some of those online comments have crossed the line. So this weekend, its deputy commander spoke out about it. We reached Rear Admiral Chris Sutherland in Ottawa.

SB: Rear Admiral Sutherland, why is the Navy dropping the rank of seaman?

CHRIS SUTHERLAND: The reason why is that our Navy, our Canadian Armed Forces, our Department of National Defence are working to be more inclusive, more diverse. And Admiral Art McDonald, the commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, upon assuming command directed us to move forward on initiatives that assist or work towards making us a more diverse and inclusive Navy. And one of the areas that we identified to change was the junior ranks in English. The French ranks are Matelot, Premier, Deuxieme and Troisieme Class. But the junior ranks are ordinary seaman, able seaman, master seaman. And so we wanted to find a replacement for "seaman" and thus we decided to consult with our sailors and beyond with Canadians and former serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces. And we initiated this online poll to do so.

SB: And one of your colleagues who spoke to the Canadian Press suggested the Navy also wanted to avoid any double entendre associated with the term. Has that been an issue for some of your staff who hold this rank?

CS: I must confess, not in my experience. It has been used for centuries associated with the Navy. And I imagine there has been double entendres, I guess, leverage for that effect. But I personally have not experienced it. But I've never been junior ranks and I would have to talk to them and see what their experience has been -- with the junior ranks.

SB: But the idea can't be that surprising to you?

CS: No, no, not at all.

SB: So you're making this change while trying to recruit more people to the force. How short-staffed are you?

CS: How short-staffed are we? Approximately 800 sailors we're trying to recruit and train and bring into our ranks. However, a lot of great work has been done within naval staff and our two formations on the coast to develop systems and programs whereby we are able to mitigate against the shortages, we're still able to deliver ready deployable naval forces globally and domestically when and if requested by the government of Canada and as directed by our chief of defence staff.

SB: What kind of reaction have you seen to this proposed change?

CS: It's been across the spectrum. Generally speaking, on the public side, the response has been, I think, fairly positive. There have been some, I guess, silly inputs, but there have been some very positive, constructive inputs which is what we are really hoping to get. And then, of course, there are those who have decided to engage in what I consider hateful, misogynistic conduct and language in the poll. But we've had significant feedback, and I'm not sure if you're familiar with the poll, but there were two options in the write in option, and it's evenly split in thirds over sailor, sailor class, and then write in options. And we've had approximately 12,000 people have input.

SB: You wrote on Facebook about some of the reaction that you've seen that you found unacceptable. Why did you feel the need to speak out about that?

CS: It was brought to my attention by actually a number of great groups that we work with in the Canadian Air Force and Department of National Defence -- the Defence Team, Pride Network, Defence Women's Advisory Organization and our own departmental organization, we've been meeting with them to discuss how we should pursue the poll itself, how to frame that. And we received feedback midweek from initially the Defence Women's Advisory Organization that they were seeing issues in the forums where the discussion was becoming not constructive, it was very disrespectful and it was turning to, you know, hateful, misogynistic language being directed at people. And when, you know, the brave persons who tried to counter and engage in respectful discussion were attacked, and I learned about that we got together and discussed how to best, I guess, deal with this development. And one of the things that was recommended was that, hey, we have to address this and leadership needs to address this. And that's why I wrote the statement.

SB: Now, some people have objected to getting rid of the "seaman" rank because they feel the loss of tradition. They don't want to lose the attachment to the past. What do you say to them?

CS: Absolutely can respect their link to the past. And indeed, the Navy around the world are [inaudible] in tradition. But we're also a force for progressive change, for social justice. And to those who have raised that as an issue, we respect that, we acknowledge it. The fact that they served under those ranks, that can never be taken away from them. But we have decided as we move forward that we are going to update the ranks to better reflect Canadian society as it stands today and as we move into the future.

SB: So you've explained about the poll and some of the options that are out there. How is it looking? What is it looking like the replacement terminology will be?

CS: As it stands, which really is kind of split in thirds, about 4000 for sailor, about 4000 for sailor for second and third class, and then the right ends. And our admiral, Art McDonald, from the outset said, you know, maybe there is something we haven't thought of and if someone writes in an option, knocks it out of the park, that will be considered. But the goal of the poll throughout has been to consult, but to inform the decision. Ultimately, this decision will be made by the Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy.

SB: Well, thank you very much for telling us about it today.

CS: Thank you. Really appreciate the opportunity to speak to you and your listeners.

CH: Rear Admiral Chris Sutherland is the Deputy Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy. He was in Ottawa.

[Music]

Missing teddy bear

Guest: Mara Soriano

CH: When Mara Soriano's bag went missing, she lost some important things: her citizenship card, an iPad, a Nintendo Switch, and her fiancé’s passport and social insurance card. Ultimately, those items are all replaceable. What upsets her is the one item in the bag that can't be replaced: a small brown teddy bear with glasses, a custom-made Build-A-Bear that plays an audio recording.

MARILYN: [SOUNDCLIP: Hi Mara. Mahal na mahal kita. Always remember that you make mommy so proud. No matter where you are, a part of me will always be with you forever. I love you to infinity and beyond.]

CH: That's the voice of Mara's mother, Marilyn, who died of cancer just over a year ago at the age of 53. We reached Mara Soriano in Vancouver.

SB: Mara, when you hear that, the sound from the bear and the message from your mom, what goes through your mind?

MARA SORIANO: I just immediately start welling up. Like I've heard that message a million times, and I still want to cry every time I hear it. It just has been such a long time since I've heard my mom really speak to me like that. And so hearing that recording means everything to me.

SB: What exactly is she saying in that recording?

MS: So in Tagalog, which is the Filipino language, she says "Mahal na mahal kita" which means I love you so so much. She basically is just saying that she's so proud of me and that wherever I am, she's with me because I'm the only member of my family who's in Vancouver. The rest of them are in the GTA. So she gave me that bear basically, just as a reminder that I'll always have her with me.

SB: When did she give you the bear?

MS: She gave me the bear at Christmas time 2017. And it was kind of crazy because that was the last testament of how she was as the mother I grew up with, because the month after that, her body just started deteriorating. And she just became less like my mom and more like a cancer patient.

SB: And this very special bear went missing on Friday while you were moving. Can you outline what happened?

MS: So on Friday morning, we had hired a U-Haul truck and had a couple of friends with us who had volunteered to help us move. One of them agreed to bike over to the new apartment. Pretty much as soon as we had pulled in with the U-Haul, I got a phone call saying that he had been hit by a van. And I felt a little bit responsible, so immediately I hopped out of the U-Haul, I dropped everything I had and I went to get him. And in my haste, I didn't tell my fiancée to make sure to keep the bag in his eyesight. And so it took all of 10 minutes for that thief to find it. And he immediately just picked it up and ran off.

SB: What was that moment like for you when you realized the bag was gone?

MS: It honestly felt like my heart just dropped. At first I was so hoping I had left it in the U-Haul. So we called U-Haul, and when they said that it wasn't in the cabin, I was really at a loss. So when we got back to the apartment, I asked the security guard at the time to please check the footage of the cameras in the back alley. And plain as day, you can see the thief taking the bag. And I was just immediately devastated. I ran out of the apartment. I started looking up and down the alleys, hoping that maybe he threw the things that were invaluable to him around. And eventually I gave up. I went back home and I just cried and I couldn't sleep that night. And I know it's really silly to feel this way about a teddy bear, but it felt like losing my mom all over again. I couldn't help but think about how sad she would be to know that I lost something so special to the both of us because she loved giving it to me. She gave it to me at Christmas. And I started crying then. And she was so happy to give it to me. And I lost it.

SB: Do you have any idea who this person was who took the bag?

MS: We have no idea. We have camera footage of this person from several buildings, but they're all not super great. Thankfully, everybody has been amazingly cooperative and they've been working with the Vancouver Police Department. And I am so so grateful. But unfortunately, I don't know who this person is or where they could possibly be at this point.

SB: I understand you've also had some help from the actor Ryan Reynolds.

MS: Oh my goodness. So someone has suggested to reach out to CBC, and I spoke with one of your colleagues, Deb. She tweeted about it after. And Ryan Reynolds must still be following local news because he retweeted it. And after that, it was just not a snowball, but an avalanche of responses and kind and heartwarming messages of people who just want to see the bear home. And I've just been so sad and kicking myself over how irresponsible I've been. And all of the kind words and actions that everybody's given me has been so helpful.

SB: What would it mean to you to get this bear back?

MS: Oh, my goodness it would mean everything to me. Everything else in the bag was replaceable. Like the only thing I want is that bear. It is a reminder of home. It's a reminder of my mother. I hug it every time I miss her. And now I feel like as soon as I get that bear, not only will it be a reminder that I'm home, it'll be a reminder of that brief moment in time when the whole world came together to help us out. And that is just something incredible, I think.

SB: What do you think your mom would say right now if she could talk to you?

MS: I honestly don't think she could even say anything. She's a lot like me, and we're both easy criers. I think she would just cry and hug me and be so thankful for everybody's involvement in this.

SB: Moms always have some advice. What would hers be?

MS: I honestly think she would tell me not to worry about it. She will probably say exactly what my father has been saying, and she'd be 100 percent sure we're going to be reunited with the bear. And even if we're not, it doesn't ever diminish the love that she had for me losing this bear. Just because I don't have it anymore doesn't mean I don't have her with me at all times.

SB: That sounds like good advice Mara. We hope you get the bear back.

MS: Thank you so so much. I so so appreciate everything that everyone's done. I'm just hoping that someone so happens to see it and they drop it off at the Vancouver Police Station. That would be so incredible. We just want to see Mama Bear home.

SB: Keep us posted.

MS: Definitely will. Thank you.

CH: Mara Soriano is searching for a missing teddy bear that contains a recording of her late mother's voice. We reached her in Vancouver.

[Music]

Mel Blanc

CH: He's one of the biggest stars there is. He's had TV shows, dozens of movie roles, more than 150 productions all told. He's really burrowed his way into the public consciousness, even if he does usually take a wrong turn at Albuquerque. And at 80, he's still got a spring in his step. Bugs Bunny made his silver screen debut in the short film "A Wild Hair" 80 years ago today. For nearly a full five of those eight decades, he was brought to life by the late Mel Blanc, the man of a thousand voices so named because he not only gave Bugs his Brooklyn meets Bronx bravado, he also voiced countless other Looney Tunes characters. In March 1975, Mel Blanc was Barbara Frum and Al Maitland's guest here on As It Happens, and he brought some friends along.

BARBARA FRUM: Mr. Blanc.

MEL BLANC: [Imitating Bugs Bunny] Hi Barbara. [Laughter] How are you doing, doc? And where's Al?

ALAN MAITLAND: Hi Mr. Blanc.

MEL BLANC: Hi Al. What's cooking with you? This is Bugs Bunny doc.

ALAN MAITLAND: I thought it was Porky Pig.

MARA SORIANO: Oh, Porky? Just a minute, I'll call him. Hey Porky come on over here. [Imitating Porky Pig] Hi Barbara and Al.

ALAN MAITLAND: That's fantastic. Listen, you could win an audition down here. Would you like to be a CBC announcer?

MEL BLANC: Oh, yeah, I would love to. You know, I tried to be an announcer but you know, my trouble...I'm too short.

ALAN MAITLAND: Too short. [Laughter] They have a lot of trouble with too short announcers.

MEL BLANC: It's trouble. [Laughs]

ALAN MAITLAND: Yes. I'll tell you.

BARBARA FRUM: Tweety Bird could fly right over their heads.

MEL BLANC: You want to talk to Tweety?

BARBARA FRUM: Yeah.

MEL BLANC: Just a moment. I'll call them over. Hey Tweety, come on over here. Yeah, bring Sylvester with you. [Imitating Tweety Bird] Oh I thought I saw a pussycat, I did see a pussycat. [Imitating Sylvester the Cat] You better a saw pussycat -- that pussycat is me! Sufferin' succotash. [Laughter] What's cooking with you guys?

BARBARA FRUM: How do you develop a voice like that?

MEL BLANC: Well, I see the picture first. They show me a cartoon of the character that's going to be in the picture. They tell me what the story is going to be and I have to create a voice for it. Like the first voice they showed me was Porky Pig. So I wanted to be authentic about it. I went to a pig farm and I wallowed around with pigs for a couple weeks and I went back to the studio. They threw me out to go home and take a bath. [Chuckles] So I did. When I came back, I told them if a pig could talk, he talked with a grunt. You know, [making oink sound] -- that's where Porky got his voice with a grunt. [Chuckles like Porky Pig]

CH: From 1975, that was Mel Blanc speaking with Barbara Frum an Alan Maitland on As It Happens. His most beloved character, Bugs Bunny, celebrates his 80th birthday today.

[Music]

Part 2: Iroquois Nationals, barred from World Games, say their people gave 'gift' of lacrosse to the world

Iroquois Nationals

Guest: Leo Nolan

CH: The Iroquois Nation, also known as the Haudenosaunee, has long been recognized as a sovereign state. But now that sovereignty is being questioned by the International World Games Association, where the nation's lacrosse team, the Iroquois Nationals, were hoping to compete in 2022. The association invited the top eight lacrosse teams from around the world to play in Birmingham, Alabama. The World Games is where they'd have the chance to compete for a spot in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles when lacrosse will finally join the games. But the Iroquois Nationals, who rank third in the world, apparently did not meet the criteria and were not invited, which is even stranger because the game of lacrosse was invented by their ancestors. Leo Nolan is the executive director of the Iroquois Nationals. We reached Mr. Nolan in Fort Lauderdale.

SB: Mr. Nolan, take us through the moment you found out the Nationals were not invited to the World Games. What was your reaction?

LEO NOLAN: There had been a world game tournament in Peterborough, Ontario, in August of 2019. We were there, of course, because we're full members of the World Lacrosse Organization. It was not on the agenda. We didn't hear anything about it. But a little bit later, we heard from the third party that that was going to happen. We immediately sent a letter to World Lacrosse asking about our lack of inclusion. And the response back was that we didn't meet what they believed were, and this is their belief, their criteria as a nation state to be included in the Olympics.

SB: How does the team rank worldwide?

LN: In the men and u-19 boys, we are third in the world. And we won the bronze medal in the last two competitions -- in 2014 in Denver and then in 2018 in Israel. In the indoor game, we've won a silver every year it's been competed since 2003.

SB: What do you think this is about then Mr. Nolan?

LN: I'm not one to point fingers or to speak ill of anyone. I mean, I don't think that's the way we should operate in this time of day. I think part of it could be a lack of appreciation, understanding and just basic knowledge about who we are as a nation state, so to speak. There's always speculation about racism. And I think that's wrong for us to even push that kind of thing. And O don't have strong evidence that aspect of it. I don't think that that's the way we want to go forward with this. So I think it's more of not understanding our status. And we're all about trying to make sure that folks like you can help us get other folks to understand how we are situated in the world now, I think that really is helpful. The Haudenosaunee, the six nations you know, we have a treaty with the Dutch, the French, the English, and with the United States. Besides the treaties, you know, we have our passports that we've utilized for international travel. Clearly, our international efforts have been long said, not just with lacrosse, but just in our relationship with the governments.

SB: Can you tell me what it means to you personally and to the players to compete on the world stage in lacrosse as a Haudenosaunee team?

LN: We are the originators of the game. It came to us, it was given to us by the creator as a medicine game to help heal us. And that it transcended into what we see today as a lacrosse game. So we're basically the inventors, the originators of the game. And part of that responsibility as creators of the game which is to share this game with others, which, as you know, now 66 countries play lacrosse. It was a gift that we gave to the rest of the world. It really enhances our standing internationally. And I think domestically, our sovereignty. It really shows who we are. We have our own territories. It means a lot for us to represent the six nation confederacy -- for our players. I've talked to many of our players. And one of the great things about our community and our young folks is they all want to aspire to be a Iroquois Nationals lacrosse player, both men and women, boys and girls. So I think it means a lot. And we have probably the world's best player in lacrosse right now, Lyle Thompson from the Onondaga Nation, where I'm from. And we look to people like Randy Staats and Austin Staats and other Thompson, Myles Thompson and others who will always be premier lacrosse players in these tournaments.

SB: You have written a letter of protest. Has the World Games responded or reached out to you about this decision in any way?

LN: Well, we have not written a letter of protest. We have put out on social media our concern. We're trying to do this in a very diplomatic, respectful, almost like in a nation way. We are very conscious of how we want to approach this. So it's a win-win-win for everyone. You know, everyone who I've talked to over the last few days is all about us competing as a nation in the World Games, in the Olympics. We put out a statement that, you know, basically said we believe we should be in it. But this other stuff that's going on with social media, like this petition that this young First Nations person put out, the lacrosse player, put out there, we were surprised by it also. It's got at least -- it'll be close to 30,000 signatures on it boycotting the games if the Nationals aren't in. So we're trying to work through this.

SB: The World Games are in 2022. That gives you some time. What do you do now? What's next?

LN: We are working very closely with the World Games Organizing Committee in Birmingham, Alabama. They obviously have a lot of concern about whether we're in or not. I think just based on a few conversations, I think they see the value of us being there. You know, why would you exclude some of the best players in the world not being at a world competition? And, you know, to be quite frank with you, I mean, our following is huge fan base wise. Our merchandise really sold off. Economically, it's a win for Birmingham, Alabama, to have us there you know. And so I think they're willing to work with us to try to do what we can to ensure that we are there.

SB: But they have to convince the IOC.

LN: Well, it's not really IOC. World Games and the IOC are two separate entities. What the World Games does is that it can be a precursor to like the world federation for each sport. You know, who's going to compete in the world lacrosse, which is really the ones who will help make that decision will say, based upon the World Games and based on our own international tournaments here are the teams that we believe should be in the Olympics.

SB: So you're hopeful?

LN: Always optimistic, you know. [Chuckles] You've got to take that kind of optimistic turning and help people understand better what this is about and how it's going to benefit all of us, world lacrosse in general. I think it will benefit. And the more and more we can get more countries to come in and play this wonderful game I think the better off we're all going to be. So, yes, we are very optimistic.

SB: Well, Mr. Nolan, we wish you good luck. Thanks for telling us about it. Goodbye.

LN: Thank you Susan. Bye bye.

CH: Leo Nolan is the executive director of the Iroquois Nationals lacrosse team. We reached him in Fort Lauderdale. This afternoon, the Canadian Lacrosse Association issued a statement in support of the Iroquois Nationals and their inclusion in the World Games. U.S. Lacrosse announced its support on Friday.

[Music]

Brampton Party

CH: It was one giant party, but no one is celebrating now. On Saturday night, police and bylaw officers in Brampton, Ontario, broke up a house party. And it was not a small gathering either. There were tents, blaring music, valet parking and up to 200 guests who were clearly floating pandemic rules that limit gatherings in the city to 10. Some are shocked the party took place at all. Others are upset that only the homeowner was fined. Patrick Brown is the mayor of Brampton. He spoke with Rita Celli, host of Ontario Today, about the fines and lack thereof.

PATRICK BROWN: So we have an emergency bylaw in place for those that don't follow the advice of public health. And in this case, it was so egregious that it's been sent directly to the courts. Those homeowners could face a fine of 100,000 dollars. They'll have to show in court that they didn't have 200 people. But I don't know how they could. The proof is irrefutable. It is reckless. It is selfish. 99 percent of the city is doing the right thing, their sacrificing and their being careful. And you have an idiot like that, that thinks this is time to have a party is irresponsible. And I'm glad they are going to end up with a big fine.

RITA CELLI: Well, what about all the perhaps eye-word people who showed up? Do they get fined for showing up to something like that?

PATRICK BROWN: Well, in some cases, we've had parties that have been in recent weeks where everyone that attended got fined as well. In the case of this party, we had bylaw officers that were on shift in the evening and when PRP and the bylaw officers got there, party-goers fled and dispersed. And so they were not able to get significant numbers of individuals that left the party. When you have 8 bylaw officers working for the entire city, it wasn't enough. And it's why we're going to beef up the amount of people working next weekend. We've already hired 12 additional bylaw officers during the pandemic to help deal with this. We didn't think we'd have to deal with 200 people being idiots during a pandemic. But, you know, we have to prepare for everything. And the next time this happens, we're going to give examples not just to the property owners, but people that attend the party.

CH: That was Brampton, Ontario, Mayor Patrick Brown speaking to the CBC's Ontario Today.

[Music]

George Boyd

CH: George Boyd knew what it felt like to break barriers. And he celebrated those who set the stage for him. Mr. Boyd, Canada's first Black national news anchor, died this month. He was 68. He anchored CBC Newsworld when the 24 hour news channel launched in 1989. He also went on to write plays. His first stage play in 1988 was called Shine Boy. It told the story of George Dixon from Halifax, a legendary athlete who broke new ground for black boxers. As It Happens host Mary Lou Finlay spoke with George Boyd about the legendary boxer in February 1988.

GEORGE BOYD: He is no secret to most Black Nova Scotians. In fact, he's more or less a folk hero because he is, after all, a pioneer. He, you know, invented things like shadow boxing, all the training regiment. And he won three consecutive world championships before he was 21 years of age.

MARY LOU FINLAY: He was in the first official Black White bout in the southern U.S..

GEORGE BOYD: Yes, that was in the latter part of his career when he fought a person by the name if Jack Skelly. What happened was, is that the southern rednecks, I guess you could call them, they got alongside the ring. And as George ventured near the ropes, they burned him with their cigars. They stabbed him with the cigars. They took out billy clubs and they practically clubbed him to death. So George Dixon had to take Jack Skelly in the middle of the ring and defeat them there. After he won the fight, the Ku Klux Klan took over the boxing ring and wanted to lynch him. And the only reason why he survived that fight is that John L. Sullivan jumped in the ring with his shotgun. And George Dixon was able to make his escape.

MARY LOU FINLAY: How does he deal with all that?

GEORGE BOYD: He fought. This is one of the reasons why I had a hard time getting a bead on his character. He didn't preach. His voice was in his gloves. He was determined to beat Jack Skelly below the Dixie line. So he made his points through his action.

CH: That was George Boyd speaking with As It Happens in 1988 about fellow Haligonian, George Dixon, the first Black man to ever win a world boxing title. George Boyd, who himself became the first black national news anchor in Canada in 1989, died earlier this month. He was 68.

[Music]

Science museum mysteries

Guest: Jessica Bradford

CH: In the middle of any move, you come across belongings that make you wonder, what is this? Why is it here? Why is it so heavy? And what the heck will I ever use it for? Well, right now, England's Science Museum Group has an unimaginable number of objects like that on its hands. The museum is currently migrating a collection of some 300,000 objects from the Blythe House in London to a new facility in Wiltshire. And in many cases, its curators aren't altogether sure where those objects came from and who used them, when or how. In fact, in a few cases, they have precisely no idea what the objects even are. So they've turned to the public for help. Jessica Bradford is the keeper of collections engagement at the Science Museum. We reached her in London.

SB: Jessica, what's a typical day like in this process as you try to move this huge collection?

JESSICA BRADFORD: Well, that's a great question, because I suppose there isn't really a typical day. We really don't know what we're going to come across on any given day. So we are working through the collection room by room, shelf by shelf, and most of the time the objects we find are as expected. But every so often, we come across a really tricky problem, whether that's a complex hazard that we need to manage for the safety of the collection and for the team, or it's an object that we really just don't know what it is or where it's come from or what the story behind it might be. And I think it's particularly exciting because we decided that rather than just moving the objects, that we would invest the time now in learning a bit more about the objects and also, crucially, taking photographs of them because it is those photographs that allow us to share the objects online and help more people see and be inspired by the collection.

SB: Where did most of these objects come from?

JB: So the origins of the collection was with the great exhibition in 1851 and also the founding of the South Kensington museums at that time. A big portion of that includes objects that were originally part of Henry Wellcome's museums. So Wellcome was a polymath and a pharmaceutical entrepreneur. And he also became absolutely obsessed with collecting objects which told the story in the broadest sense of human health and disease and the way that we've cared for our bodies, you know cutting edge medical technologies in surgery right through to sort of spiritualism and faith healing.

SB: As you go through this collection and all of these objects, you've discovered a number that you've got questions about. What kind of mysteries have you found?

JB: Some objects we do have a huge amount of information about because they might have come with associate catalogues or correspondence or manuals that tell us exactly how that object worked and what it did. But in some instances, the object is something that we might recognize, but we don't know what it is or how it was used. In other cases, the real mysteries are objects that we really couldn't tell you whether they are a medical instrument or a domestic appliance or something altogether different.

SB: Yeah. Can you describe a couple of those for us. What are some of the objects that you haven't got a clue about?

JB: Absolutely. So I'll try and describe one. It's got a wooden handle and it's got a metal end, which is a sort of half semicircle. It looks a bit like an ice cream scoop, but it's very likely and more likely to have a medical use because it was part of Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection. We've had some great suggestions already from the public on that one. They're ranging from: is it something that you could use to scoop boiled eggs out of a pan? Or is it something on the slightly more grisly end of the scale that might have been used gouging out eyeballs, for example? Could be something that someone out there has seen in a textbook, or they just have a sort of spark of insight or a hunch as to what that thing might be. And the more people suggest things, the more our curators can sift through those ideas and sort of build a case for what that object might be so that we can better describe it in our catalogue.

SB: So you describe the public weighing in. What are some of the best things you've heard from the public?

JB: Yeah, so that's a really good question. We have some objects in our collection that we know what they are. So we have one that we shared an image of which is a type of saw. You use your feet and pedals to manipulate it. It's a very fine saw essentially for model making and carpentry. And what's been really fantastic is hearing more information from the public about people that they know who used that object and who've had one in their own homes. And in fact, a colleague of ours at the museum has come forward and told us before they joined the museum profession, they built model boats. We've had another member of the public come forward to tell us stories about a member of their own family who would use an object like this for building intricate doll houses and modern farms for children. So our call out to the public is partly for identification, but it's also for sharing stories and and helping us to bring the collection to life.

SB: Do you have a personal favourite from this mysterious collection?

JB: That's a good question. I am particularly drawn to, I suppose, one of the dullest objects that we've shared, which looks a bit like a hammer, I suppose. So it's a metal tool with a sort of wedge shape head, looks like it's created out of a single piece of metal. And it's a lovely example of the sort of utilitarian object in this art museum group collection, so it's certainly not something that's particularly beautiful or not the kind of thing you would necessarily put in a glass showcase in your own home. But nevertheless, it clearly has been part of an industry. It could have even been a tool that was used to make a really important invention or if not an important invention, then the sort of everyday objects that you or I or our ancestors may have taken for granted. And the kind of suggestions we've been getting have ranged from a tool that's involved in sail making to an object called ranning jolly for compressing sand into a mold. Some people have suggested it might be to do with shaping molten glass. And so it's brilliant to just see people thinking about their own industries that they might be involved in or their parents or grandparents might have been involved in, and how an object that is so relatively ordinary to look at can start to evoke really important industries and the sort of technological underpinning of our societies.

SB: Jessica Bradford, thanks so much for telling us about it.

JB: Thanks for having me.

CH: Jessica Bradford is the keeper of collections engagement at the Science Museum in the U.K.. We reached her in London. To see photos of some of the mystery objects she mentioned you can head to our website: cbc.ca/aih.

[Music]

Rideau Hall

CH: Help wanted at Rideau Hall. The successful applicant must have experience with spin, tightropes, public spectacles and people contorting themselves into impossible positions to please a grumpy audience. Rideau Hall, the home of the governor general, is ordinarily a pretty staid place. But according to recent reports, its current occupant has turned it into a kind of circus, a bad one. You could call it the greatinest show on Earth. Last week, the CBC reported that staffers had been leaving Governor General Julie Payette's team in droves. Sources told the CBC Ms. Payette is verbally abusive and prone to humiliating people publicly, that she hates travelling to meet with foreign dignitaries, which is a big chunk of her job. That on the flights home from these unwanted trips, she berates everyone on her team, sometimes for hours. And that the former astronaut began her term by repeatedly demanding staff members name all the planets. Well, for everyone who already considered Rideau Hall a circus, today's announcement is a little on the nose. An all-staff email revealed the governor general's new chief of staff is Brigitte Carbonneau, who has spent 25 years on the leadership team of Cirque du Soleil. I mean, it does seem like Ms. Payette wants people to jump through hoops for her and bend over backwards. Plus, allegedly, she routinely flips out. So maybe somebody with Ms. Carbonneau's background can help. She's certainly comfortable with leaps of faith.

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July 27, 2020 Episode Transcript

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