As It Happens: The Thursday Edition
Part One
Thalidomide Compensation
Ottawa says it's set to roll out a new test that will compensate more victims of thalidomide — and Terry Bolton just hopes the money will come soon enough for him to die with a little dignity.
Gold Coin Trial
She made heads, not tails, of it. And now, the woman who drew the image of the Queen on a giant gold coin wants the people who stole it from a German museum to pay for their crime.
George the Snail
The final survivor of a certain Hawiian snail species has died — and our guest says it's just more bad news for native species on the islands.
Part Two
Shutdown Farmer
President Trump insists the government shutdown won't end until he gets his wall — which worries a soybean farmer who's not getting his government subsidy cheques.
The Sopranos: Alan Sepinwall and Silvio Dante
Every good television show since The Sopranos has drawn on it for inspiration. Twenty years after its premiere, we'll speak with TV critic Alan Sepinwall about its ongoing influence. And we'll also get hold of a man who was Bruce Springsteen's second-in-command before he was Tony Soprano's — Steve Van Zandt, who played Silvio Dante.
Part Three
Medieval Painter
The centuries-old skeleton of a woman yields a remarkable find: blue flecks in her teeth. That suggests that she worked on fancy illustrated manuscripts — which changes historians' understanding of the role of women artists in Medieval Europe.
Robot Vibrator
It's innovative, and remarkably high-tech, but an award-winning sex toy wasn't allowed at the world's best electronics trade show — because it was deemed "obscene."