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The AIH Transcript for December 17, 2020

Hosts: Carol Off and Chris Howden

Prologue

CH: News you can't use, but you don't care. A PEI writer releases his annual “newsmakers of the year list” — which includes such stop-the-presses headlines as “Man Grows Humongous Beat”, and Dog on Roof”.

CO: Off to the laces. Our annual airing of W.O. Mitchell's classic tale about a young boy in Saskatchewan who dreams of getting skates for Christmas — only to find his parents have gotten off on the wrong foot.

CH: And... good to the last droppings. New research reveals that pandas enjoy nothing more than meticulously covering themselves in fresh horse manure. And then it's smooth sailing from there on out.

CH: “As It Happens”, the Thursday edition. Radio that accuses them of mounting a smear campaign.

Part one: New Lockerbie charges, Trump Tower implosion, PEI newsmakers

New Lockerbie charges

Guest: Victoria Cummock

CO: Five years ago, Ken Dornstein , you mentioned his documentary is called “My Brother's Bomber”, because his brother, David, died on that flight. And he has pursued the story. Five years ago, as you say, he revealed that. Why do you think it's only now that the U.S. authorities are bringing charges against Mr. Mas'ud?

VC: You know, I don't know. I just remember my conversation with the group at the Department of Justice, including Loretta Lynch. And basically, I remember one of the FBI agents there had said, well, you know, right now Libya is a really very dangerous place for investigators to go. And I laughed because I said, here's this Jewish-American boy who has travelled in and out of Libya numerous times in 2011 and 2012 to conduct interviews. And the Libyans are not friendly at all to anyone that's Jewish. And I said, and if he didn't find it too dangerous, FBI agents, you know, the best investigative group supposedly on the planet would find Libya too difficult to go. I said, no, we know that the CIA is in Libya anyway. So I'm sure that, you know, if there was a will, they could have gone in there. And, you know, for me, and for the families, it's been very distressing to see, you know, after 9/11, the pursuit of bin Laden and al-Qaida and our government's search that would really leave no stone unturned. And, you know, sadly, that has not been the case for this terrorist attack against America in 1988. You know, I'm thinking that maybe Attorney General Barr, who wanted to bookend his career at the Department of Justice, you know, since he was a part of the original indictments in 1991 of Fhimah and al-Megrahi, and he is just days away from leaving office, thought that he would bring forth some indictment so he could say he was a part of progress of the case, although indictments and convictions, we know, are not one in the same.

CO: But does it matter what the motivation of Mr. Barr is or the circumstances if it finally means that somebody might be brought to book for making that bomb?

VC: Oh, absolutely not. I think to finally have the will of this country and the Department of Justice to pursue someone after all these years, this is the first step to justice.

CO: You have been doing this for 32 years, pursuing justice. And I know you've been on dozens of congressional committees. You've advised presidents about aviation safety. You have met Mr. Gadhafi. You've done everything anyone could do. What keeps you pushing for these answers about what happened that day?

VC: I think we owe it to my husband, we owe it to everyone that died. Because we really need to find out the truth about what happened in order to hold those accountable. And without accountability, there is no justice. And ultimately, the worst thing is, is that without justice, there is no deterrence.

CO: Victoria, I know that you're looking toward that anniversary on Monday, and so I appreciate that you'd speak with us today. Thank you.

VC: I appreciate your interest. Thank you so much.

CO: Bye.

CH: Victoria Cummock's husband John died in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. She was in Miami.

[Music: Horns!!!]

Trump Tower implosion

Guest: Marty Small Sr

CH: President Trump's hopes of a second term in the White House have gone kaboom. And so will one of his former casinos in Atlantic City next year — for a good cause. The city is auctioning off the opportunity to press the button to implode the building. Marty Small Sr. is the mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey. That's where reached him.

CO: Mayor Small, what sort of interest is there in being the one to blow up Donald Trump's former casino?

MARTY SMALL SR: First of all, thank you for having me. And it's a great day here in the city of Atlantic City. At my State of the City address last year, I said one of my goals for 2020 was to demolish Trump Plaza. It became severely disrepair, it became an eyesore, and it became a safety hazard. And we're happy to announce that not only are we imploding Trump Plaza, but at the same time, we are auctioning off the proceeds to do the countdown and press the button, and it’s going to youth in Atlantic City through the Boys and Girls Club of Atlantic City.

CO: And has bidding started to be the person who does push the button?

MSS: Yes, it is live. It is up now on liveauctioneers.com. And also on January 19th at 1:00 p.m., there will be a live auction online. My goal is to raise a million dollars for the Boys and Girls Club of Atlantic City. There's been a lot of calls, a lot of interest, and people who want to donate directly to the Boys and Girls Club, as well as participate in this auction.

CO: Can you just tell us, you mentioned that it's become, the building’s, actually become dangerous. Just describe the status of the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino at this point?

MSS: Demolition began in like May, late May, and they're preparing the building for implosion. But prior to that, any time that we got a northwest wind, it was a danger, you know, to the surrounding area, you had chunks of concrete falling off the top of the building. You had metal flying everywhere. And it was a dangerous situation.

CO: Now, it closed completely in 2014, but this was one of four Atlantic City casinos that was in the Trump portfolio. What happened to the others?

MSS: Well, they've been repurposed. Trump Taj Mahal, which was the main casino for Donald Trump, is now Hard Rock. The former Trump Marina is now transformed into Golden Nugget. He also at one time owned Trump's World Fair, which has been torn down prior to that. But the irony is Trump Plaza was the spot where all the major events in Atlantic City took place. They were the sponsors right next door historic Boardwalk Hall. That's where all the Mike Tyson fights were back in Tyson's heyday when he fought in the great city of Atlantic City. It was the home of Wrestle Mania Four and Five. So to see that place deteriorate, you know, it's sad. But ultimately, it's ironic because Donald Trump on the national scene has said that he took advantage of the bankruptcy laws. He hurt a lot of mom-and-pop businesses. He hurt a lot of minority businesses. And he said it. He said, look, I made all the money I could make out of Atlantic City and then I left. So, it's a great thing that now we are going to demolish that building, and we want to raise money for children in Atlantic City to prosper.

CO: OK, so you're going to get rid of a building that has to come down. You're going to raise money. But clearly, there's some symbolism in this as well. What is the message that you think people are sending with this?

MSS: Well, like I said, as mayor, I'm responsible for the health, welfare and safety. But at the same time, this will definitely put an exclamation point not only on Donald Trump here in the United States but on Donald Trump in Atlantic City.

CO: How would you describe his relationship with Atlantic City at this point?

HSS: There's none. He used people. He abused people. Like he said, he made all the money that he could make. Didn't matter, you know, who he stiffed on his way out the door. And time for good riddance.

CO: You're a Democrat. Do you think that your view of Donald Trump is shared by people in Atlantic City?

MSS: This isn't about Democrat, this isn't about Republican, this is about the right thing to do to protect the health and safety of Atlantic City residents. And at the same time, says Donald Trump has taken so much from so many in Atlantic City. It's time to use this to give back to the youth in Atlantic City. So this isn't a political thing. He's not a politician anymore. He's on his way out of office, which ironically, he's going out like a sore loser. And that's not the message that, you know, you want to send to people. But at the end of the day, like I said, we're doing the right thing for Atlantic City.

CO: Do you think the person, though, who would pay the money, enough money to be the person to push the button, do you think it would be a kind of cathartic moment for them?

MSS: Yes, I mean, I'm pretty sure. I mean, we're going to engage a lot of people, celebrities, high-level politicians and, you know, people that are interested in helping out the Boys and Girls Club of Atlantic City, and being the one to press the button.

CO: That's a prime piece of real estate as well. What do you think will go there in its place?

MSS: Yes, it's a tremendous real estate piece. It’s exactly in the middle of Atlantic City. You never… we got one opportunity to get this right. You never hardly have inner-city oceanfront property become available. And that's a prime piece. And we look forward to working with Carl Icahn and his crew to assist them in any way that we can to put in an exciting new development there.

CO: And when do you think that we might be able to see this implosion happen?

MSS: Well, it was originally scheduled for January 29th. Moments before my press conference today, the demolition company called us and said for safety reasons, it has to be pushed back a little bit. I guess there's a delay in construction. Any construction, you could be building a house, putting up a fence, there's always some sort of delay. So we know it's happening. We know it's real. And we can't wait.

CO: All right. We'll be watching. Mayor Small, thank you.

MSS: Thank you.

CH: That was Mayor Marty Small Sr. of Atlantic City, New Jersey. That's where we reached him.

PEI newsmakers

Guest: Dave Atkinson

CH: Every year around this time, the anticipation builds. People from Elmira to Tignish start anxiously refreshing PEI writer Dave Atkinson's Twitter feed. And at 8:29 this morning, he finally posted it: the 2020 PEI newsmakers of the year. It's Dave's tongue-in-cheek round-up of the lighter items that made headlines in Canada's smallest province. So, as usual, it was time for us to give him a call, for a rundown of the winners. We reached Dave Atkinson in Charlottetown.

CO: Dave, I understand you almost gave up on making PEI “newsmakers of the year list” this year. What happened?

DAVE ATKINSON: So, I don't know about you, Carol, but I kind of found this year a bit of a bummer.

CO: Huh!

DA: [chuckling] In the middle of summer, I just kind of I wasn't feeling it. Like, the news stories were coming across. And there were actually a couple that I thought, you know, I'd nominate that for a newsmaker in a normal year. But it just felt I don't know. It felt silly. And I just my energy wasn't into it. And then come September, I had more than one person say, boy, I can't wait for the newsmaker this year!

CO: [laughing] So the people demanded it. You had no choice in this. You had to come up with the “PEI newsmakers list”.

DA: And who are we to deny that?

CO: [laughing] But I think it's a bumper crop. I mean, I think it’s probably your best list. And so we should go through some of these. Of course, the one that comes to mind right away is “Dog on Roof”. That's a headline. What's the story there?

DA: Well, I love story where you can get the entire thing in three words. And the entire story is about a dog who was on the roof. [CO chuckles] There was a couple, there is a couple, who lives over in Summerside, and they got a call from the police, and they said, do you own a Huskey? And they said, why, yes! We do own a Huskey. And the police said, well, your dog is on the roof. And the entire story is about how the dog managed to squeeze his way through an upper window and sat on the roof, and had a great time. There's wonderful photos. I suggest you look it up. Yeah, dog on the roof.

CO: I've seen the photos. They're great. But basically, the dog went on the roof and through the window, and then the dog went back through the window into the house?

DA: Yeah. So [laughing] the dog was never in any problem. And the dog knew it. But anyway, it's in the news.

CO: [chuckling] OK, another one, and we're going to air this is a clip we actually, a story we aired here on “As It Happens. So we'll play this and then you can tell us what's going on here. Here's the clip.

SUMNER MATHESON: I harvested some of my gardening yesterday, and the beets are usually last, then the carrots. Anyway, I run into something pretty interesting, just the last few beets I was picking. Noticed one pretty large.

REPORTER: How long have you been gardening?

SM: Well, 30 years.

REPORTER: Have you ever had a beet this big?

SM: No.

REPORTER: Do you grow them every year?

SM: Yep.

REPORTER: Have you ever experienced this before with any other vegetables?

SM: Carrots. Some pretty big carrots. I had one this year with five... looks like your hand.

REPORTER: I guess, what's the plan for the beet?

SM: I don't know. I'm going to keep it around for a while, see what happens, see if anybody comes up with another big one.

REPORTER: Do you think it'd be good to eat or what?

SM: Eh.

CO: [laughing] Oh, OK. [both laughing] So, great big reveal there. What could that be about? That's Beet farmer Sumner Matheson, and he's talking about, you guessed it, the headline “Man Grows Huge Beet”.

DA: And you know what? It's a huge beet! [CO chuckles] And there's no scientific measurement on it. He figures it's probably about four pounds and estimates it could probably feed ten people. So that is a large beet, and it is in the news.

CO: And it was on “As It Happens” because how could we not do a huge beet story?

DA: [chuckling] Well, I love a beet, so I don't know why you would overlook it.

CO: Now, of course, there was a very big political scandal in Prince Edward Island. Here's the headline, “Matthew McKay Dyes His Hair”. [DA chuckles softly] So what was the story there?

DA: OK, so Matthew McKay, he's our minister of economic development and tourism. And early in the, like, back in March, right after things have been locked down, he was doing what a lot of ministers are doing and giving daily updates on Facebook to let people know what's going on. And one day, he had to confess that pretty soon you're going to notice something. So I'm just going to put my cards on the table now. I dye my hair and haven't been able to get to the salon. So soon, my secret will be out. So he put that on Facebook. And that one made national headlines.

CO: [laughing] And another story we didn't do, which really surprises me because there is an adolescent default at the heart of “As It Happens”. And so any chance to talk about a penis story is something we [DA laughs] just wouldn’t miss. And so here, “Stratford PEI Man Mows Penis in Feild.

DA: He sure did. Stratford man has become a bit of a he's sort of the Florida man of Prince Edward Island. I think if you look back at every list we've ever done, there's always been a Stratford man. Anyway, this is a fellow who owns a piece of property over in Stratford, just across the bridge from Charlottetown. And, oh, he was for a few years maintaining just a couple of crop circles just for fun as he mowed it. But then one day, he thought, wouldn't it be funny if I added to that and drew something a little bit more phallic? And so it's one of those things where you can't really see it from the road because, I mean, it's just mowed in the grass. But wouldn't you know that [chuckling] Google Earth can see it pretty well? And it ended up on the news.

CO: I love the quote in the CBC story that he gives. He says that you start off the crop circles. Then I made a longer cut so I could drive down toward the end of the thing. And then it started to take shape [DA laughing] and someone said, why don't you make it into a giant Johnson? And I said, why not challenge accepted! And away I went!

DA: There was also wonderful... I don't have the story in front of me, but there's also a wonderful part of the end where he confesses that his wife isn't a big fan about it. And probably doesn't know that it's going to become national news.

CO: That's possibly why he didn't make it [chuckling] onto “As It Happens”. He maybe didn't want to. [both chuckling] Anyway, so but it really is it's just a great list. I mean, maybe some of them, “Grass Trimmings on Sidewalk”, that may have been not an “As It Happens” story. But “Pesky Beaver no Longer a Problem”. This is, you know, so do you think that you're going to have as good a crop for 2021?

DA: I mean, you can only hope. I mean, every year is different. And I think I've even said this to you before, Carol, that there comes a time in most years where, like, you're halfway through the year and you're like, gosh, I'm just not seeing any good ones, but the back half of the year, I don't know what it is. It just seems to serve up story after story after story. Like even yesterday, there was a cat that lost a fair amount of weight that a lot of people really thought should have made the list. So a hat-tip to Gretta for that. But we stand by the list.

CO: Well, Dave, I'm glad that you did it again this year, and it's great to talk to you again.

DA: Thanks so much, Carol.

CH: Dave Atkinson is the author of the annual PEI Newsmakers of the Year list. We reached him in Charlottetown. To read more about “Dog on Roof” or the unusually large beet, go to our website: www.cbc.ca/aih.

Panda horse poop

CO: Ashley, it's good to talk to you. Thank you.

AC: Great talking to you, too.

CO: Bye.

CH: Ashley Chapman is the vice president of Chapman's Ice Cream. He was in Markdale, Ontario. And we have more on this story on our website: www.cbc.ca/aih.

Reading: Who Has Seen The Wind

"Oh why can't I have them Dad?"

"Well your mother says you're too young for them."

"No but I'm not."

"Seven is pretty young for skates."

"I was seven a long time ago in the fall. I'm past seven."

"Well you're still too young. When you're older -- next year perhaps."

"Yeah but I'll be older at Christmas. That's a long ways away. May I have them for Christmas?"

"No I don't think so son."

After Brian had left, Gerald felt a pang of remorse. It was difficult to see why the boy could not have skates so that night he had a talk with Maggie. "Perhaps by Christmas time." He asked her. "He'll be almost seven and a half then." His wife looked at him a long time before answering. "You know I love him too Gerald. I hate to deny them anything as much as you. It's just that he seems so... do you think he's old enough? Do you honestly?" "Yeah I think so Maggie. It isn't because he just wants them so badly well he's old enough. Let them skate.” So after a decent interval Brian was told that he might possibly get skates for Christmas. Bobby then insisted that he should get skates too but he finally settled for a hockey stick and a puck. Brian looked forward with eagerness to the promise skates. He thought of them often. Whenever the boys gathered after school with worn slivered thin sticks to play a sort of hockey between tin can goalposts and with a blob of frozen horse manure for a puck and the more he thought of them -- the less envious he was of Art with his women's skates. There would be nothing feminine about his. They would be sturdy tubes with thick felt tongues. The night before Christmas he was almost sick with excitement and anticipation as he lay in his bed with Bobby beside him. He could see the skates clearly with their frosted tubing and the clear runners that would cling to his thumb when he ran it along them to test their sharpness. He could see himself gliding over the river, alone on shining ice -- with a twist and the lean a shower of ice snow and it came to a breathtaking stop. Bobby stirred in his sleep. "Are you awake Bobby?" But Bobby didn't answer him. Perhaps there would be strap us over the ankles, not that he would need them for his ankles were strong. His feet wouldn't slop. He flexed them beneath the covers. Yeah stronger than anything. Maybe they were too strong. And when he pushed he would push the ice clean full of cracks. He closed his eyes tightly -- if only he could get to sleep the time would pass more quickly. When one slept it was nothing. Swift as a person on skate. Swift as the wind. "He came Brian! He came." Bobby was jumping on the bed, his hair bright in the winter sunshine that filled the room. Brian jumped from bed. "Come on." There stockings lumpy with oranges each with a coloured cardboard clown protruding from its top hung from the mantle of the fireplace. Bobby's sleigh that could be steered was before the tree. Bobby threw himself upon the parcels. "Hey wait a minute," cried Brian. "They're not all yours -- just with your name." He began to sort out the presence upon which Maggie the night before had printed in the large block letters that Brian could easily read. Anxiously Brian watched the growing pile of parcels beside him. He opened a deep box to find it full of coloured cars and an engine in little compartments. He opened another, a mechanical affair which when wound caused two long men to dance all the while turning round. Slippers were in one promising looking parcel. And as he opened the last of his parcels he was filled with the horrible conviction that something was wrong. And then he saw a parcel behind the Christmas tree. His name was on it. He opened it. They were not tube skates. They were not single runners skates. They were bob-skates. Double runner affairs with curving toe cleats and a half bucket arrangement to catch the heel of the shoe. For a swift moment Brian's heart was filled with mixed feeling: a disappointment bitter and blinding was there. But with it a half dazed feeling of inner release and relief that he had got skates -- they were skates, he told himself as he turned them over in his hands. "What's the matter Brian?" Bobby had looked up from his fire engine. Brian got up and went into the living room. He sat on the window seat next to the Shamrock plant, the bob skates upon his knees. When Bobby came through a while later clutching a hockey stick a foot longer than himself, Brian paid no attention to him. Throughout dinner he spoke only when spoken to. When his father and uncle were seated in the living room with lighted cigars and his mother and grandmother were in the kitchen washing the dinner dishes, he went unnoticed to the hallway, put on his coat and tuck, and with the bob skates went out. He passed other children as he walked pulling Christmas sleighs and Christmas toboggans -- some with gleaming Christmas skates slung over their shoulders. Through the fiercely tinsel snow sparkling unbearably in the sunlight he walked -- not toward the downtown bridge where children and adults swoop over cleared ice but toward the powerhouse and the small footbridge. There he sat near a clump of willow, fitted the skates to his feet, buckled the straps over his insteps, and went knee deep through the snow on the river bank to the ice. Once on the ice, he stood for a moment on trembling legs. He pushed with one foot. It skidded sideways. The other went suddenly from under him and he came down with a bump that snatched his breath. He got carefully up and stood uncertainly. He pushed a tentative skate ahead and then another. He stood still with knees half bent. He gave a push with one skate preparatory to swooping over the ice and fell flat on his face. He got up he began a slow forward sliding across the ice. Painfully. Noncommittal steps of a stroke victim just risen from bed -- he was not skating. He was walking with an overwhelming feeling of frustration that reminded him of dreams in which he ran with all his might but stayed only in one spot. He fell again and felt his elbow go numb. He sat on the ice looking at his own feet ahead of him and he began to cry. Brian's parents, his grandmother, and his uncle, were seated in the living room when he got back to the house. He was carrying the bob skates as he came out of the hallway. "Oh you've been skating?" said Sean. Brian didn't answer him. "Uncle Sean asked you a question son," said Maggie. Sean's big freckled hand reached out to take one of the bob skates. "Now that's a damn fool question," said Sean. "Fellow doesn't skate with bob skates. Had somebody pulling ya, did ya?" Brian shook his head. "What's wrong?" Brian's father was looking at his tear stained face. Brian rush from the room. "What do you mean?" Maggie turned to Sean. "What do you mean? What's wrong with his skates? What did you mean by..." "Oh yeah they call them skates," said Sean. "But you can't skate with them -- just teaches kids a healthy respect for ice that's all. It got no grip at all. They skid like hell. Never forget the first time I took Gerald on ice with a pair -- about the same age as Brian. He had a hell of a time -- ended up hanging on to me coat tails whilst I pulled him around." "But that means that Brian... That means that..." Maggie got up and went swiftly from the room. She found Brian at the kitchen window. "Oh don't they work son?" Still looking out the window, Brian shook his head. "Oh aren't they what you wanted?" "Tubes," he got out with difficulty. "Tubes like in Harris’s." "I'm sorry Brian." Maggie watched his shoulders moving. She turned his face around to her. "Oh don't please. Don't sweetie. I'll fix it." And she went to the phone."Mr. Harris, have you got a pair of tube skates left? Is it small size? I wonder... I wonder if you could come down to the store with me and my son -- will you? You will." That night Maggie O'Connal stood at her children's bedside. With her white nightgown almost to her heels, her hair in two black braids, she looked like a little girl in the dimness of the room. A glinting caught her eye and she saw a length of leather lace hanging down the side of the bed. Brian slapped with his hand clenched around the runner of one tube skate. His nose almost inside the boot. Maggie reached out one hand and laid it lightly upon Brian's cheek. She kept it there for a long time. Then she gently took the skate from his hand. She turned and with the flat soft step of the barefooted she went from the room.

CH: That was the great Barbara Budd reading from the novel "Who Has Seen The Wind" by W. O. Mitchell. We'll have more holiday readings during the holidays — including "The Shepherd" on Thursday, December 24th.

Trudeau year-end interview

CH: That was Prime Minister Trudeau speaking with the CBC's Chief Political Correspondent, Rosemary Barton, in Ottawa today. You can watch the interview with the Prime Minister tonight on "The National" at 10:00 p.m. on CBC TV — 10:30 in Newfoundland. And tune in this Sunday to watch the full interview on "Rosemary Barton Live", starting at 10:00 a.m. Eastern on CBC News Network and CBC Gem. At 11:00 a.m. across the country, you can watch "Rosemary Barton Live" on CBC Television. 12:00 in Maritimes. 12:30 in Newfoundland.

[Music: Ambient]

Honduras hurricane update

Guest: Vlatko Uzevski

CH: Honduras is barely treading water. Last month, we told you about the country being struck with two hurricanes in just two weeks. Homes were destroyed, shelters were overwhelmed, and dozens of people were killed. Now, clean water is a pressing emergency. Vlatko Uzevski is a doctor leading an emergency response team with the international health care organization Project Hope. We reached him in Santa Barbara, Honduras.

CO: Vlatko, I know you have just come back from an area just outside of Santa Barbara in Honduras. What did you see there? What's it like for people there?

VLATKO UZEVSKI: What is obvious on the first sight is the damage from the hurricanes. And you can see water pipes all over destroyed. And also, going to through area, there is a huge river that needs to be passed. And the bridge, it's completely wiped out. So we had to go through roads that are completely, you know, part of it just made up now. And if you want to go with a car to that region. Otherwise, it's not possible. So people are using actually boats to cross the river and then walking further up actually. And so it was difficult to get in there.

CO: So obviously, not much is getting in if the infrastructure is that broken down. What do people have in the way of supplies of food, and what are they doing for water?

VU: So the problem is the supplies are a serious problem for people. And they are bringing their supplies by foot. So, they are crossing the river with that available boat, two small boats are available to help people cross the river. And then, you can see a lot of them just bringing their supplies by foot. The water system, as I said, it's completely damaged in the area. So there is no running water in the three villages that we've visited. But we've heard that it's the same all over. So for water, unfortunately, it's not easy to carry the water there, so they are using the small rivers or creeks that are around. And they're using this water for drinking and for, you know, cooking, for baths, and everything.

CO: Wow!

VU: So it is causing real problems, actually.

CO: So what are the secondary, I mean, first problem is just dealing with it being hit by two hurricanes in that area and everything being wiped out. But so you have secondary problems? People are using this bad water. What’s happening to their health because of that?

VU: Skin diseases are becoming a serious issue because of the water that they are using for that. And especially for children, you know? And also, we are starting seeing seeing diarrhoea cases in the region. So that's why one of the things that we are doing, we are starting, we just started today doing the testing of the water.

CO: And is cOVID-19 an issue in that region?

VU: Again, unfortunately for these people, c+COVID-19 is their secondary problem. You know, people lost some of their homes, their crops. It's an agricultural area of the country. So people are growing in that region their corn and beans, that has been destroyed by the storm. And, you know, they are honestly not really thinking much about the COVID.

CO: These two hurricanes that hit in November. It’s so unusual to be blasted twice like that in the same region. I know you have seen more disaster areas than you probably care to remember, but have you ever seen anything like what you're witnessing there?

VU: I've been to tsunamis, to earthquakes and other hurricanes, but never been a place that has been struck twice in two weeks by major hurricanes. So a lot of the infrastructure was damaged during the first hurricane, during Eta, and when people started in a way recovering, then it came the second one. And whatever was not destroyed got destroyed by the second one. So it is really a dire situation for the people here. I mean, it's visible not only in this field visit that we had yesterday, but I am here already for over three weeks, almost a month. And we were visiting other places. And you can see this destruction of the water system everywhere. You see landslides, missing bridges completely wiped out. So, yeah, it's easy to to to see that this was something really big.

CO: We spoke with a pastor just in November after the hurricanes and asked him how it compared with after Hurricane Mitch when there was just a huge international response to try and help at that time. He said that there had been very little international support, that it’s just not the same assistance from outside as people need. Is it getting any better since then? Is the international community responding to the needs of Hondurans?

VU: Unfortunately, I have to say I'll have to say that it's not even close enough to what it's needed. Again, I will say, unfortunately, and I'm talking to local people here as well, trying to compare with Mitch. And everyone says that this was way bigger storms, both combined together than, you know, Mitch. And the disaster is much bigger. Fortunately, there is better coordination. So the number of deaths, at least, is lower than at that time. But the damage, it's bigger. And, again, I don't know how this will sound, but I don't think that the response and the attention that it's getting this disaster, it's on the level that the disaster itself, it is here in Honduras. Vlatko, I know you've had a very long day, and you've got many more long days ahead of you.

CO: I appreciate that you’d find time for us. Thank you.

VU: Thank you. I hope this will create some attention to people.

CO: I hope so, too. Bye-bye.

VU: Thank you. Bye.

CH: Vlatko Uzevski is a doctor with Project Hope. He was in Santa Barbara, Honduras.

CH: When you picture a classic Scottish tartan, hot pink and lime green probably aren't the first two colours that come to mind. Or the 400th and 401st. But that could change if Marj Knive gets her way. The master-weaver-in-training has applied to have her design recognized as the official district tartan for Sun Peaks, British Columbia. And she didn't choose those bold colours at random.

MARJ KNIVE: During the summer, I was taking pictures of the wildflowers and everything up on the mountain. And I thought I'm going to do something with this. I'm going to pick some colours, and I'm going to do something with this for the art auction. I kind of had the picture, and had the yarn, and the colours and everything. And I thought, well, now what am I going to do with this? And I was watching “The Marilyn Dennis Show” one day, and this woman came out in a plaid jacket. And I went, there! That's what I can do! I can do a some kind of a plaid! And then the more I played with the plaid and the colours and everything, it turned into a tartan. And so it's a kind of a yellowy-green and a black and a fuchsia in colours that are kind of the staple colours. And then there's just a splash of white and a splash of yellow in it. And it all represents some of the flowers and everything that were on the mountain that day. And at the art auction, Nancy Green Rain said to me, So have you registered this? And I went registered? [chuckling] I had no idea. And so I thought, oh, well, that's kind of a good idea. And so here I am registering it at the Scottish Registry of Tartans. And my design has been passed on to the keeper, and the keeper is the person who registers the tartans. And so I should hear next week that it has been officially registered.

CH: That is Marj Knive speaking with the CBC's Shelley Joyce in Kamloops.

Encore: Jerk cat

AMBER LOWERY: I think she is silently judging us all. She looks at you in this way that you just have to look away sometimes.

CO: She's staring into your soul until you feel as if you may never be cheerful again. You actually put that in your ad. [Chuckles]

AL: Yes. Yes, we did. We did. We thought that was an important part of her personality was the stare that she does.

CO: Okay. You say in the ad "world's worst cat" and that "we thought she was sick, turns out she's just a jerk." How did you determine that?

AL: Well, she loves to get scratches on her head, on her forehead, and in between the ears -- you're good. But if you move to touch her anywhere else, she gets really angry and strikes out or slaps you or starts growling. So we were concerned that she was possibly in pain or she had something, you know, underlying there that we weren't seeing. So we did have her taken to the vet. The vet that we worked with had done some tests and looked at some things and said, no, we can't find anything physically wrong with her. We think you're right. She's maybe just a jerk. [Laughter]

CO: Have you ever had a vet that said anything like that before about one of your animals?

AL: We are a shelter so we get animals of all different kinds. Some are happy. Some are not. Some are stressed. And we have to deal with all kinds of animals with the most compassionate way that we can. So, yes, we have heard this before that some of our animals can be jerks. But it's okay, we find them homes anyway.

CO: You have a list of likes and dislikes for Perdita. And so along with likes, "she likes to stare into your soul until you will never be cheerful again." What were some of the other things that she likes?

AL: She liked the movie Pet Cemetery. Church is her hero -- the cat from Pet Cemetery.

CO: The evil cat?! [Laughs]

AL: Yeah. The evil cat. I mean, I think that they could be friends somewhere. I think they could do some damage together. She also likes the song Cat Scratch Fever. That's kind of her motto. She's so spirited and funny. We have really enjoyed our time with Perdita.

CO: Okay. Jump scares, this is something cats do. But that's her specialty. How does she do her jump scares?

AL: [Chuckles] Well, it's not that she jump scares. When you go to pet her, she will growl and kind of strike. And it makes you jump. I think she gets a kick out of it. [Laughter] She knows she's going to scare you. So that's her specialty: making her people scared.

CO: Lurks in dark corners.

AL: [Chuckles] She likes to hide. Definitely that makes her happy. She likes to hide. She gets a little bit uncomfortable if she's out in the open and she'll jump back in her little space and get in the back corner and settle down.

CO: And she likes to be the queen of her domicile, which is...I mean how many cats don't? I mean, is she even more exceptionally queen of a domicile?

AL: Well, I think that that's a trait that almost any cat could have. Cats love to be in control. And that's just their personalities. I think that she could give pretty much any cat a run for their money in as far as wanting to be queen.

CO: And does she give other cats, at the shelter, a run for their money?

AL: Oh, she certainly does. She keeps everyone in line. She has been known to slap a kitten or two if they're out of hands and trying to befriend her in a way that she does not appreciate. So...

CO: Kittens? She doesn't like kittens.

AL: No. Who doesn't like kittens? Perdita, I guess. [Laughter]

CO: Okay. Now, this is the killer. She doesn't like the Dixie Chicks. How did you learn that?

AL: [Laughter] Well, everyone is asking about that. And honestly, it was kind of a joke. When we clean in the cat areas in the morning and throughout the day, we like to play music for the cats because it does seem to soothe the cats and kind of keep them happy. And when we clean, we usually play the Dixie Chicks CD. And while the staff is enjoying it, Perdita just kind of gives you that look like she's not happy with us over that.

CO: I understand she has actually hissed during a Dixie Chicks song.

AL: [Laughs] Probably has hissed. Definitely growled. Maybe she's just singing along and I'm reading it wrong. I don't know.

CO: You know, the Dixie Chicks actually retweeted the tweet about your ad.

AL: Oh, no. Do they really? [Laughter]

CO: Yes. So they are onto it.

AL: I might be in trouble then. [Laughs]

CO: Okay. In fairness to Perdita, do you think that she is just a jerk by nature or do you think that something happened to make her this way?

AL: Both. I mean, honestly, Perdita's story is sad. Her owner passed away. And she was left alone for quite some time. And we had some neighbours that were feeding her and trying to take care of her. And they realized that she needed to be rescued and find a good home. So we went out and did that. And she has absolutely earned every right to be a jerk. I'm sure that she's stressed. A lot of cats just don't do well in the shelter environment. And that's okay, because we're not a home and we understand that. But I do think that her personality is strong. But it's our hope that somebody is going to prove us very wrong by adopting her and make her the sweetest cat in world.

CO: Your ad said that she's single and ready to be socially awkward with a socially awkward human who understands personal space. You might have a lot of people lining up for this cat.

AL: [Laughs] We do actually. We do. We have had probably 60 applications at this point, and phone calls all day with people being interested in her unique personality. So I feel that we're going to find her a really great home.

CO: It's very very likely. I actually know people who would adopt this cat if they could. [Laughs] Amber give a little stroke just dust between the ears to Perdita for us. And thank you. [Chuckles]

AL: We sure will. Yes. Thank you. [Chuckles]

CH: That was the executive director of Mitchell County Animal Rescue, Amber Lowery, speaking with Carol back in January of this year. Well, it didn't take long for Perdita to find a home. And the following month, we spoke with one of the people who'd been fascinated by her "unique personality" — Betty Genovese of Tennessee, who adopted Perdita and renamed her Noel Ms. Genovese spoke about what life was like with her new pet.

CO: And what is the evil side like?

BG: Oh, she'll show you her teeth and she'll stare at you and she will freeze and look at you. It's like, okay, what is she contemplating now? [Laughs]

CO: And now the shelter that we spoke with -- Amber Lowery, who was the one who put the ad out for anyone who wanted to take to adopt what she called the world's worst cat. Did you know you were getting the world's worst cat when you took her in?

BG: Not necessarily. We have other cats and they all have their moods. So we figured it was just, you know, she's just kind of being herself. So when we did first meet her, she was very lovable. But I did notice, I overstimulated her and she went to take a snap at me. But, you know, that was my fault. You just got to take it all in stride.

CO: When we talked to Amber, she said that they at one point had thought that Perdita wasn't well, that she might be sick. And they took her to the vet. And the vet said, no, she's fine...she's just a jerk.

BG: Yeah, I saw that. But I think she just likes to fool everybody. We're still learning her game.

CO: She's also, according to Amber and the ad she put out that she's a grumpy cat who doesn't like pink, doesn't like kittens or dogs or children, The Dixie Chicks, Disney movies, she doesn't like Christmas, and does not like hugs. So are you offering her any of the above?

BG: Not yet. She's currently in a transition area so that we can slowly get used to her surroundings. So as far as the hugs, we don't want to do anything where we end up getting scratched or bitten. So we're going to let her do that on her terms.

CO: Do you have other cats?

BG: We do. We are the crazy cat people. We do have six.

CO: You have six cats already?

BG: Yes. But, you know, we started with our first one who was abused and abandoned. And after that, it was just all about saving them and giving them a better life. We had no problem taking in one more.

CO: All your cats are rescue cats.

BG: All of them. Yes.

CO: And do you have enough space for them in your house?

BG: We have 4200 square feet in the house. We have a 240 square foot patio. We have 118 square foot deck that is made for them. And then they have a front area.

CO: You have a catio instead of a patio?

BG: Yes. It has artificial turf and it has a waterfall and it has lounging rocks for our cats that they can go and listen to the water.

CO: This sounds like cat paradise.

BG: [Chuckles] Well, I mean, we just love our animals. I mean, we're just trying to be a voice for them.

CO: And has Perdita been able to explore this new wonderland that she has?

BG: Not yet. We're letting her wrap her self around our legs and then we go out and interact with our other cats and then vise versa. That way they can get used to the sense. In about a week, we're going to put a screen up so that they can start see each other. We just don't want to cause trauma to either them or to her.

CO: Now you've changed Perdita's his name. Why is that?

BG: She was saved on Christmas Eve, so we thought it would be great to call her Noel -- which means Christmas, the NOEL. And we figured that would be a perfect name. But, I have to say, she's a sweet little girl.

CO: Well, it sounds like she's found a loving home. If there's a chance for Noel to adapt, it sounds like 4200 square feet of cat paradise. I think you can't do better than that.

BG: Yeah, she's a mess. But we love her.

CH: From our archives, that was Betty Genovese of Tennessee speaking with Carol back in February, after she brought home a pet described as "the world's worst cat."

CH: This Christmas season, diehard mummers are bracing themselves for a bit of a bummer. Mummering is, of course, a beloved and, honestly, kind of complex Newfoundland cultural tradition, full of nuance and mystery and maybe alcohol? I'm not clear on all the details. So let's allow this classic mummers song called, um, "The Mummers Song", to do the explaining.

[Music: The Mummers Song]

SINGER: I'm in lovely mummer. Don't bother the snow. We can wipe up the water. Sure after you go. Sit if you can on some mummers knee Sit on some farmers knee.

CH: OK, um... I might just need a bit more to fully grasp the...gist.

[Music: The Mummers Song]

SINGER: Now that one's a stranger. If there ever was one with his underwear stuffed down, his trapdoor undone, is he wearing his mother's big farty to ride my mummers? But I am not going to say.

CH: Ah, got it. It’s totally clear now. Of course, this year, COVID-19 is Grinching all over everything, mummering included. But, really, what is a huge disappointment if not an opportunity to overcome it — and have some fun. St. John's singer Sean Panting has updated "The Mummers Song" for CBC Radio's "St. John's Morning Show". Including new lyrics that better reflect this very special year.

[a knock on a door]

MAN: Any mummers [al]lowed in?

PEOPLE: [said together] No!

SEAN PANTING: [singing] Hark, what's that noise all to our chagrin. There's mummers outside, but they're not coming in, they're out in the yard and they'll have to stay there. ‘tils they filled out this questionnaire. Are you sneezing, or coughing, or feverish, my son? standing there till I get’s me thermometer gun. And stop posting photos, have ye crowd gone mad. You knows now the optics are bad. A scuff in the kitchen is all very nice, but we're heading Janice Fitzgerald's advice, they're cancelling gatherings all over town. The government says shut her down. John Hagiee has made it abundantly plain unless it helps finance a Liberal campaign. Your quaint outpoured antics are not worth the cost. So mummers, nice mummers get lost.

CH: Sean Panting with his updated version of "The Mummers Song".

December 17 Episode Transcript

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