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The AIH Transcript for September 3, 2020

Hosts: Helen Mann and Chris Howden

Prologue

HELEN MANN: Hello. I'm Helen Mann, sitting in for Carol off.

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

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CH: Tonight:

HM: Signs of life. A team of Chilean rescuers in Beirut detected a heartbeat today under one of the buildings destroyed in last month's explosion. We reached the charity worker who brought the rescuers to his city to find out more.

CH: Distress call. An ally of Daniel Prude's family tells us how a 911 call for help ended in the black man's death, and why the family has chosen to release footage of his arrest months after it happened.

HM: Sleepless in September. An Alberta mother says she's been losing sleep, grappling with the decision to send her children to school, mostly because she's still in the dark about what that will look like.

CH: Snake and enter. An Australian man comes home from a night out and discovers a huge hole in his ceiling and then discovers the massive pythons that caused the damage.

HM: He gave them something to chew on. A Virginia man is relieved after a candy company grants one of his final requests: to be buried in a casket painted to look like a pack of Juicy Fruit.

CH: And the bait you give. A British magazines advice for being "U" in a pandemic taught us a lot this week like that the uppercase letter "U" is a short form for "upper class" and that many people don't like "U." As It Happens. The Thursday Edition. Radio that doesn't suffer jewels gladly.

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Part 1: Beirut charity worker hails Chilean 'heroes' who may have found signs of life beneath the rubble

Beirut Chilean Rescuers

Guest: Akram Nehme

CH: Tonight, the people of Beirut are hoping for a miracle. All eyes are on a destroyed building in the city, 400 metres from where the devastating explosion took place 29 days ago. A search and rescue team from Chile is sifting through the rubble there, looking for any signs of life, which sounds impossible. But today, the Chilean team says it detected signs of a pulse and breathing. Team members are working late into the night to see if they can still save a life. It's a small glimmer of hope a month after a huge quantity of ammonium nitrate exploded at the Beirut port, leaving nearly 200 people dead, 6000 injured, and a city in ruins. Akram Nehme runs a charity in Beirut and helped bring the Chilean rescuers to his city. We reached him in Beirut.

HM: Mr. Nehme describe for us just how dramatic this scene is in Beirut tonight as this rescue team digs through the rubble.

AKRAM NEHME: Tonight we were with the rescue team from Chile composed by 14 persons and a dog. There is a collapsed building. They said that under this building there are two people. One of them is still alive and the other one has been confirmed dead. And they have a life detector that finds like a pulse -- and this detector detected that this body was having 18 pulses per minute, which means he is alive, near him (there's a) dead body. And they are trying to make like a tunnel to arrive to the body who is making 18 pulse per minute and to give him the chance. It's very very difficult. We think that this guy, those two guys are not from the building, but were passing by during the explosion.

HM: So tell me how it was that it was first determined. I gather a dog was involved?

AN: Exactly. They have a dog who is specially of this kind of rescue. And more of this they have a machine, a life detector and it can find the pulse, human pulse, till 15 metres. What I understood from the Chilean team, it's a really big machine, an impressive machine.

HM: Now, you mentioned that this is a group of Chilean rescuers. What are they doing in Beirut? Why were they brought in?

AN: My NGO, Achrafieh 2020, have a relation with the Lebanese community in Chile. And it happens that in Chile they have one of the best rescue team in the world. In Chile those guys are heroes and they are volunteers. Our ambassador that made the fundraising and they make this trip possible to Beirut -- and they arrived in Beirut on Sunday.

HM: I understand there is a large Lebanese population in Chile, is that right?

AN: Exactly. But the nice thing there is that community immigrated in the 19th century. So maybe more than 95 percent of the Lebanese people there, have never been in Lebanon, don't know Lebanon, but they have such a big solidarity.

HM: We have seen, you know, just even from the images here we can see how wide the area of damage is. This particular building that's collapsed, where this person has been found is about 400 metres from the explosion. Why were they working in this particular spot?

AN: They were in the area and by chance they were passing in front of the building and the dog made them an alert. So they tried to go more. And this is how they discovered that into that building, there are two bodies.

HM: So it was by chance that they were walking past and the dog detected life.

AN: Yeah, the dog detected it.

HM: There are videos showing thousands of people in that greater area as the life detector machine was activated and they're falling silent. Can you tell us a bit about that?

AN: So we were like 300 people. And when the machine works, it is very sensitive to the cellular phones. So they ask everybody to close the cellular phones and everybody to be silent in order to check if there is any life, anything, and not to interfere with the frequency of the machine. But it was like two minutes of total silence with a very big emotion. And people were praying that a miracle can happen. It was a very big emotional minute.

HM: Have doctors explained how it's possible that someone could be alive for 29 days under that pile of rubble?

AN: I asked this question to the team leader, Francesco. And he told me that once in their life, they find somebody alive after 31 days. What they are saying is that this guy or a lady, I don't know, is in a coma -- maybe. But I'm not a doctor and I don't have any explanation.

HM: Since they found the sign of life, they have been trying to get the person out. What's involved in doing that? How are they getting the rubble out of the way?

AN: They are trying to work without any machine. They are grabbing with their hands, trying to make a tunnel in order not to put in danger if this body has a chance to survive.

HM: And I guess, of course, they have to look out for their own safety too, the members of the team.

AN: Look, where they are working is a very very dangerous site. But they are big professionals. Those people are passionate people. I told you before, there are volunteers -- they don't take any money. Those are people passionate -- by rescuing people all over the world.

HM: Your charity has been doing a lot of work since the explosion. Besides bringing this team in, tell us what kind of assistance you're offering right now. What do people still need?

AN: Now we are in charge of 1100 people -- 1100 families excuse me, which makes like five thousand people. We are providing for them food boxes, medicines, urgent cases, any emergency. Those people have no financial resources, have lost their homes. And we are working really seven days a week, 21 hours over 24 every day, to be able to make a little difference. But the catastrophe is very big. And the damage is on a radius of twenty four kilometres.

HM: The Border Collie on this team, he's the dog who found the person in the rubble. Is he being touted as a hero tonight?

AN: You cannot even imagine that this dog is a rescue dog, he is a very small and cute dog. His name is Flash. I understood from the team that he smells dead bodies and is trained to smell the lithium of the mobile phones -- the battery of the mobile phone.

HM: That's extraordinary. It's an amazing story that he did that. You have so much work to do, and I do appreciate you sharing this story with us. We're as helpful as everyone that someone will come out of there alive. Thank you.

AN: Thank you very much. And hope that tomorrow morning I can give you good news. Thank you very much.

CH: Akram Nehme runs a charity in Beirut called Achrafieh 2020. We reached him in Beirut. To see photos of this remarkable rescue mission go to our website: cbc.ca/aih.

[Music]

Alberta School Openings

Guest: Maya Shedrick

CH: Alberta's school year is off to a rocky start. Students returned to classrooms this week for the first time since COVID-19 shut schools down in March. But already the pandemic is causing problems. One school in the Calgary area couldn't open because a staff member was diagnosed with the coronavirus. A principal, assistant principal, and administrative secretary at another school are in quarantine, and an entire school district northwest of Edmonton says it's putting off its start until after Labor Day. This is all concerning for parents, including Maya Shedrick. Her 11 year old daughter is set to start school next week and her five year old son soon after that. We reached Ms. Shedrick in Calgary.

HM: Ms. Shedrick, how are your children handling the thought of going back to school?

MAYA SHEDRICK: Well, I have an 11 year old and a five year old, so they're both taking it a little bit differently. My daughter has a little bit more anxiety with going back to school, just, you know, living in it for six months and being so aware of, you know, the changes and a lot of the precautions to our new normal, it's hit her pretty different. My son is five, so he's still very confused as to what's going on and why we still have to wear mask.

HM: And how are you doing as a parent?

MS: I don't know. Really back and forth. You know, I'm really losing sleep over it. You know, it's really hard because there's so many unknowns. You know, things are changing. It feels like hour by hour, there's always something new coming out. So I'm worried. But, you know, thinking about what the risk would be if we didn't send them right now, I just feel it would be greater than not.

HM: So what kind of communication have you had with the school?

MS: A lot of emails. They sent out a survey back in June just proposing the three options of what it would look like going back to school and parents got to vote on that. And we didn't hear really the results or anything until later July. After that, it's really been very last minute. You know, we're trying to monitor the situation. We're trying to come up with a plan. You know, they just keep saying, don't worry, we'll have hand sanitizer and masks and whatnot. But it's just been really email. So not a whole lot. And it's been pretty inconsistent.

HM: What more would you like to hear beyond what you've heard so far?

MS: Really, I want to know more about what their contingency plan is. Should they have to shut down, what happens? You know, do they have a plan with addressing anxiety for children? You know what happens if our children go and they're really uncomfortable? Who do they go to, to talk about this? You know, like, our daughter is really fluctuating back and forth. She's excited to go back to school, but she's terrified of, you know, being around her friends or, you know, she wants to give them a hug but can't. And so what happens if she doesn't feel good? Is it possible to go to someone, you know, at the school who really will take that seriously for her or anybody that would feel that way? There's nothing that's mentioned that.

HM: Do you know what her Grade Six class will look like -- just in terms of layout and class size, that sort of thing?

MS: We haven't been told. The only thing we know so far is that there are going to be two classes. She is in a five-six split. And then there's another classroom that's a full grade six.

HM: You know, there has been some criticism of your chief public health officer perhaps sending a mixed message, you know, when it comes to the issue of distancing and whether kids would indeed have to be spaced as far apart as maybe has been anticipated. What do you think of what's going on?

MS: Yeah, it's really frustrating, especially because you know us as parents, I don't want to speak for every parent, but I know for myself, you know, we're trying to prep children mentally and physically and literally with, you know, what our protocols look like now and going back to school and, you know, reminding them why we can't run and give our teachers a hug anymore and we can't do this and that. And then, you know, we're trying to do examples at home of this is what two metres would look like, this is how we keep our distance, this is how we do this and that. And then all of a sudden in the news, it's like, oh, you know, we're removing the masks inside of the desks like, when you're sitting down or, oh we're removing the two metre distance away. So it's super confusing because, you know, you're trying to get your kids into this routine and all of a sudden it's 'Well, what do we do then? Is that true?' Or what happens if some other kids are, you know, taking that new rule, let's say, and they're not following the two metre -- that shows the other ones that have been, you know, are maybe more anxious about it, that throws their routine off for what they've, you know, are trying to learn and respect.

HM: You know, we're hearing a lot of concern expressed not just by parents such as yourself, but from teachers as well about class sizes. And that's coming up really all across the country. Premier Kenney said this week that it is unrealistic to talk about significant cuts to class sizes because it would be too expensive. What do you say to that?

MS: It's annoying because when I heard the announcement about the budget on equipping schools with hand sanitizer and masks, to me, it's almost offensive because this is something that, you know, everyone across the world would and definitely Alberta, we've been listening to for the past six months. But use that money where the major concern is, which is finding that space and splitting up classrooms, bringing in mental health specialists let's say for those kids with anxiety or maybe will have anxiety.

HM: Already in your province there have been cases of COVID-19 which have delayed the start of one school. There's also another in which a principal and a couple other staffers have had to quarantine. Premier Kenney has said this week that COVID-19 in schools is inevitable. And, you know, when you think about getting your kids back to school, getting them mentally prepared, do you also have concerns that, you know, shortly thereafter there may be an outbreak and things will have to pull back again?

MS: Absolutely. That's what I'm losing sleep over, right, is what happens. Then what -- what is our plan if we have to stay home for 14 days or longer? What does that look like? And to be honest, that's kind of what's boiled down to our decision to send them back was because would it be easier for our kids to have a spot in the classroom, you know, from the beginning of school? And then the transition might be easier to just go online versus starting online and then trying to transition them into a spot in the classroom. One of the things we talked to our kids too, is, you know, yes, this could happen at school, but it could also happen anywhere. We go and get groceries, we can contract it from there, you know, so we have to just be really aware and really follow, you know, clean protocols as much as we can.

HM: Well, Ms. Shedrick I appreciate you talking with us. A lot of parents across the country playing similar scenarios through their minds. I appreciate it. Thank you.

MS: Thank you very much.

CH: Maya Shedrick's two children are heading to school in the next few weeks. We reached her in Calgary.

[Music]

Aussie Snakes

Guest: Steve Brown

CH: When David Tate returned home recently from a night out, he got a surprise. The kitchen ceiling of his house in Queensland, Australia had caved in. It was a small shock, but a bigger one and another bigger one were lurking elsewhere. Soon after, Mr. Tate was on the phone with snake wrangler Steve Brown. We reached Mr. Brown in Brisbane, Australia.

HM: Mr. Brown, after discovering the hole in his ceiling, what did this homeowner, David Tate, find?

STEVE BROWN: He walked in to his house just to find a big hole in his ceiling. But then realized there was obviously no rain and didn't have any storms for anything to cause that. And he just knew straight away these couple of snakes that he'd seen previously hanging around. He knew they'd be in his house. So he went on the search to find them and found two of the biggest snakes that I've seen in a while.

HM: So he knew that these were snakes that had crashed through the ceiling and he casually goes looking for them.

SB: Yeah. He's seen these couple carpet pythons up on the roof sunbaking over the last year or so -- just didn't faze him. It's just part of nature around here. But, yeah, he just put it straight down to that -- that is the only thing that would have caused it. So I knew they were harmless, non-venomous, so they weren't going to hurt him in any way.

HM: Where did he find them?

SB: One was under a cupboard at the front door and the other was in a back bedroom.

HM: You've said they're big. How big?

SB: The biggest one was 2.9 metres. It weighed approximately about 10 kilograms. The other one was a bit smaller -- just over 2.5 metres, and it was about eight kilograms.

HM: And you said they were not dangerous. Are they at all aggressive?

SB: The only time they can be a little bit aggressive -- well, I call it defensive is if they've got a stomach full of food. Other than that, they're just a placid harmless python that just continues doing what it does and it doesn't really matter if people are watching it or seeing it. They just casually cruise along.

HM: Now they have blue tongues I understand.

SB: Yep, certainly do.

HM: And they're fairly calm you say around there. What kind of python are they?

SB: They are coastal carpet python. So they're extremely common. Statistically, one in three houses in Queensland, Australia has one in their roof. So they are an extremely common snake in our area.

HM: Oh my. Now, what were these two doing at the time that made them crash through?

SB: My bet was, because just entered the breeding season, my bet was there was two males in combat. So it's when two males will fight over a female in close proximity to win the right to breed with her. Unfortunately, I couldn't check the ceiling for the female because there was no room to actually get in the ceiling.

HM: The female may still be up there in the house -- in the roof or somewhere in the house?

SB: Possibly. It could be in the roof or it could even be outside in the garden because his house is surrounded by bushland. It could be out in the bush somewhere also. So it may not exactly be in the roofs.

HM: So Mr. Tate is able, it sounds like, to sleep at night. But what do you do in a situation where someone is phobic and you can't find a snake?

SB: If someone is phobic, they take things a little bit further. They'll probably end up wanting to rip the sheet, roof sheet, up to actually see in there. David, he doesn't have a phobia. He's not keen on them. But he knows they are not going to go out of their way to hurt you in any way. They're just as scared as we are. So they're not going to deliberately go and hurt anyone.

HM: How did you capture the male snakes? Is it difficult to wrangle them now?

SB: I simply just pick them up, let them know that you're there so they know that you're not a threat to them. I just pick them up and just place them into a bag and they go into the bag themselves, in a dark black bag. Yeah. And then just take the bag, take the snakes to a new habitat and relocate them.

HM: How far do you relocate them from where you found them?

SB: These ones are about one kilometre away. David had an area where he wanted me to take them, so I took about them about a kilometre up the road into the state forest and released them.

HM: You say one in three homes in that area has them. So you must be pretty busy.

SB: This time of the year, we're starting to get very busy. It's just not carpet pythons. A lot of carpet pythons that I have seen people like to have around their house, they don't mind that they're in their ceilings or anything like that because it's the nature's rodent trap. Rather than using poison they'd rather a snake in there. But it's all the other snakes also. So there's the dangerously venomous snakes and all that, that will start to get active now. And people aren't too fond of having them around the home.

HM: You know, we have snakes in Canada, of course, but nothing quite like these. You know, you look at the photos on Facebook and they really are enough to freak some people out. I say some people. Is that unusual, do you think? I mean, are there many of us who might have trouble even just looking at the picture of the snakes? [Chuckles]

SB: Yeah. Before I became a snake catcher I didn't realize the tops of phobias people actually had towards snakes. I've got customers like one, they can't speak. They've got to text their partners to call me. Or there are customers that are just in absolute tears, crying. Some are just shaking or are a nervous wreck. Others just can't even look, they can't even be there when I get there to relocate it. So there's many people that are petrified of them that just goes down to education and all that.

HM: Maybe they shouldn't live in Queensland.

SB: [Chuckles] Look, in Australia, we've got the top ten most venomous snakes in the world. So whatever state you live in, there's going to be snakes and big snakes too.

HM: Okay, well, listen, good luck finding that female. Thank you for telling us the story.

SB: No, that's no problem at all. Thanks for calling.

CH: Steve Brown runs Brisbane North Snake Catchers and Relocation. He was in Brisbane, Australia. For more on this story, if you want it, go to our website: cbc.ca/aih.

[Music]

Juicy Fruit

MAN SINGING: [Man singing about Juicy Fruit Gum]

CH: A commercial for Juicy Fruit Gum that's been playing on a loop in my head since about 1989. Now, the gum is not actually juicy. That is your saliva. And it doesn't taste like any particular fruit so much as the idea of fruit. But it is true that at least in the case of this story, Juicy Fruit is probably going to move you. Suttie Economy -- yes, his name is Suttie Economy -- is a Second World War veteran in his 90s who lives in Virginia. His life has been long and juicy fruitful. For years, his trademark move has been handing out packs of that exact gum wherever he goes. Now, Mr. Economy is sick in a V.A. hospital in Salem, Virginia. He's getting his affairs in order just in case. And he's decided that when he packs it in, he wants to be in a pack -- a pack of juicy fruit. To be clear, Suttie Economy wants to be buried in a casket made to look like a giant yellow pack of his favourite gun. So his friend, Sammy Oakey, a local funeral director, tried to make the arrangements. But his first attempts were fruitless. Mars Rigley, which owns the Juicy Fruit brand, said no dice. But then someone gave Sammy Oakey the email for the president of Wriggly. Mr. Oakey told Virginia TV station WDBJ what happened next.

SAMMY OAKEY: So I emailed him and got a reply back within a couple of days saying that they would change their policy and allow this to be done and actually even give some juicy fruit product for the visitation.

CH: So Suttie Economy is still with us, but he's secure in the knowledge that his coffin will be a pack of Juicy Fruit. Seems only right he was able to choose what he'd choose. And I guess for him, it's a dream gum true.

[Music]

Part 2: Why this Canadian is watching Christopher Nolan's Tenet in theatres 120 times

Daniel Prude Video

Guest: Iman Abid

CH: When Joe Prude called 911 on his brother, it was because Daniel Prude needed help. He'd left Joe's house on a snowy March evening in nothing but long johns and a tank top. By the time Rochester Police reached him, he was naked and in severe distress. Now, body camera footage released by the family shows police handcuffing the Black man, placing a so-called "spit hood" over his head and pressing his face into the ground for two minutes before he loses consciousness. He was removed from life support a week later. At a press conference today, Mr. Prude's daughter, Tashyra, spoke about how she's remembering her dad.

TASHYRA PRUDE: This has taken a terrible toll on me and my siblings because we all loved our father. I love my father dearly. So to see him in that state was just...it was heartbreaking. And I never thought I would be seeing my father that way. And to this day, I'm still waiting for him to call me and say I'm coming home, I'm on my way back to see you, I'm coming to get you. That's all that's crossing my mind. And to know that I will never get that, it is breaking my heart.

CH: Tashyra Prude's father, Daniel Prude, died seven days after he was arrested by police in Rochester, New York, in March. Today, the city's mayor suspended the officers involved with pay. And the family says it plans to file a wrongful death suit. Iman Abid is the regional director of the ACLU of New York and is in touch with the Prude family. We reached her in Rochester.

HM: Ms. Abid, what went through your mind when you first saw the video of Daniel Prude's March 23rd arrest?

IMAN ABID: I think the first thing is my body reacted with some nausea. I couldn't believe what I had just watched. You know, when you're watching these incidents, you are always hoping that they don't hit home, but this one definitely hit home.

HM: It is extremely disturbing to watch it. What stands out to you most about what happens in this video?

IA: I think the case that this was, you know, Joe Prude, the brother of Daniel Prude, had called on the police to answer to a mental health crises. And so as soon as that you're aware of something like that and as soon as the police officers are generally or at least should be aware of something like that, they should have treated this man with more kindness and compassion. But instead they escalated the situation and it led to this murder. And so I'm just deeply disappointed to know that our police officers in this city decided to act that the way they did. But I'm not surprised -- I mean, the entire institution of policing right now is being put to question. And the Rochester Police Department is no stranger to this conversation.

HM: This incident happened some months ago before the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Why is the Prude family releasing this video now?

IA: So I think that question is being asked a lot, and I think one of the things that's popping up is around the timing of the family actually receiving the video footage. And so they had only received it a couple weeks ago. And so with litigation efforts that they're pursuing, as well as just receiving advice from their attorneys, it was through that combination of response that they decided to release it, you know, just yesterday. And they actually had only obtained it a couple, again, about a week ago or so at this point. But it definitely took time because there were denials in the body worn camera on requests of those officers that took months in the making to even receive.

HM: The Rochester police chief La'Ron Singletary has been asked about that. He said it was already being investigated. His direct quote to reporters was, "This is not a cover up. Let me be clear when I say this, there was no cover up." What do you think?

IA: I think at this point, we're far beyond having anything heard from the police chief. This community still strongly believes that this was a cover up. There could have been some sort of response even far before the family, you know, issued this to say that there was some sort of wrongdoing that was made by the Rochester Police Department. But instead, what we had was silence. So we're still, you know, uncovering a lot of the truth, trying to determine what has been happening, trying to communicate with the family on what is best and how to move forward. But I think especially in the fact that, yes, the attorney general had an ongoing investigation for a couple of months now. But there is a reason behind why the body-worn camera footage was taking so long to be released out to the family. And so, you know, as time goes on, I hope that we figure out more of those answers. But it wasn't easy for the family to obtain that body-worn camera footage. And that's why we're here today.

HM: You mentioned the Joe Prude had called 911 about his brother because he was clearly in distress, he was behaving erratically. How do you think it should have been handled? How should this have ended?

IA: So I think we're in a situation right now where we're questioning whether or not the police should be the ones to first respond to mental health crises. They receive such limited training in mental health. They are not mental health experts. They don't necessarily know how to respond to these sorts of incidents. And based on data, very often what we see is that most, you know, mental health cases themselves aren't even resolved by the police. And so why is it that we continuously call on the police to do so? But, you know, Joe Prude didn't know any different. That's what we're taught. That's what we're told to believe. And so he did what he knew was best or at least thought was best. And so there should have been some sort of care and compassion. They kept him out there naked and defenseless and he wasn't even armed. So to see the way that they had responded. The entire country and entire world has now been witness to this video, have seen the inhumanity that they treated Daniel Prude with. And there should have been some sort of de-escalation that happened. And we didn't see any of that in the video. So that's why we.

Demand justice.

HM: Now, of course, Rochester joins a list of cities that have recently been addressing this issue, coping with alleged police brutality, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Kenosha. How are people in the city responding to this right now?

IA: They are so upset right now. I mean, we just had a number of reports come out repeatedly showing us that the city itself was actually awful for African-Americans to be living in. So yet again, we find some sort of institution that isn't necessarily doing right by African-Americans in this city. And so, again, as the conversation on police continues to pop up and we continue to move forward through the Black Lives Matter movement, this is just one more reason to be able to showcase just exactly what inequity exists for African-Americans in the city. And what we need to actually be doing here in Rochester.

HM: You yourself were arrested yesterday trying to get into a closed press conference that was being held by the mayor and the police chief. Will you be back on the streets tonight?

IA: Absolutely. I was out within the moment that I was released.

HM: Were you charged after your arrest?

IA: I was with criminal trespassing.

HM: And do you know why that press conference was closed to the public?

IA: From what we understand, the first instance was that we actually were trying to get the Prude family to stand in front of the mayor at the press conference, which she originally intended to have at the city hall, which was then moved, you know, very abruptly into the public safety building where the police station is. And so with that shift in transition, we knew that it must have been because she did not want to be bombarded or ambushed by activists and the Prude family. So at that point, that's when things began to escalate.

HM: What else are you and the ACLU trying to do right now?

IA: So I think right now we are actually putting the entire policing institution to question. We're asking ourselves, do we need policing the way it is now? Can we change it? Can we think about possibly divesting from the police and investing in community based services like housing, education? To be able to benefit Black and Brown communities that have been so brutalized and harmed by the police. So those are the sorts of questions and conversations we're having in the city of Rochester so that we can try to pursue a completely different society and maybe one that doesn't exist with policing the way we see it today.

HM: The Prude family have been grieving their loss for months now. But now that this is public, it's getting attention, they're getting attention. How are they holding up?

IA: I think they're hurting. This is incredibly traumatizing to them. But they want people to know their story. And so all we're trying to do is uplift that story and continue to educate people on what police brutality actually looks like for us here.

HM: Ms. Abid thank you very much for talking with us.

IA: Thank you so much. I appreciate your time.

CH: Iman Abid is the regional director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New York. We reached her in Rochester earlier today.

[Music]

Donna Sharpe

CH: Donna Sharpe has been living in her cliffside house for 18 years. She has a great view of the valley and mountains in B.C.. But since the spring, the ground beneath her Lumby home has been slowly sliding down. Ms. Sharpe is not eligible for disaster financial assistance. According to emergency management in B.C., the landslide is a long term situation and not a catastrophic event. She was surprised because the land was deemed stable and suitable for development just two decades ago. Here's Donna Sharpe speaking with the CBC.

DONNA SHARPE: It started as a hairline crack, is all I saw. And that was closer to the house, is all I noticed. And then the crack dropped six inches and then a foot, and then it kept dropping. So I watched it continuously. I'd be in the house at night time and I could hear it cracking. And the Ministry of Transportation and the geotech there said that what could happen is because there's so much moisture in the land is my house could do a big swoop in one motion. And at that time, I explained to them, as I have nowhere to go, I have no finances to rent another place. So I remained in the house for about two weeks before a state of emergency was placed on my house. I guess I'm selling furniture so I can afford rent. And again, [chokes up] I am choking up on this one. I don't know how long that's going to last for. I have to still pay my mortgage. I don't want to go bankrupt. You know, I'm at least trying to fight for something, so at 64 years old, as I go bankrupt, I have absolutely nothing then.

BRADY STRACHAN: And you've almost paid off your house?

DONNA SHARPE: Yes, I have. I've got another year and a half of payments left on it and then it is paid off. And there's nothing I can do to prevent it. There's nothing I could have done to have this not happened. And I just...just lost. This is kind of it for me on my house.

CH: Donna Sharpe speaking with CBC reporter Brady Strachan from Lumby, B.C..

[Music]

Tenet-Watching Record

Guest: Craig Sharpe

CH: Guys, what's Tenet about? I've seen the trailers where guys in suits fight and stuff goes backwards and they're shooting and everyone is too close together without masks. Is Tenet about everything? How many times will I have to see Tenet to even know what it's about? It may be too early to ask Craig Sharpe of Winnipeg any of those questions. But if anyone knows the answers, it's him. Mr. Sharpe is trying to break a Guinness World Record, the record for the most viewings of a single movie in theaters. It's a good thing he's a huge Christopher Nolan fan because he's going to have to watch the director's new film Tenet many, many, many times. We reached Craig Sharpe in Winnipeg today before he headed into another showing.

HM: Craig, how many times are you planning to watch Tenet to break the record?

CRAIG SHARPE: 120-plus. Like I need 109 to beat it, but I'm setting up a higher benchmark.

HM: How long is this going to take you altogether?

CS: Approximately 30 days, but I am going to be seeing it actually for six weeks straight.

HM: And how many showings a day?

CS: Either three or four. It just all depends on the theater.

HM: And is there a time limit on when you have to get the viewings done by?

CS: Yes. By Guinness World Records standards for this particular record your window is from the day the movie comes out in theaters until the day it is first released on video on demand or DVD.

HM: Do you have any concern that you might have a challenge because there's pressure to release it because of COVID?

CS: I have zero worries.

HM: Now, you had your first showing last Wednesday. How many times have you watched it to this point?

CS: Up to this point, I'm at 19.

HM: What's it like for you -- I mean, some people have given the movie great reviews -- what do you think?

CS: I love the movie right from the very first viewing. I've heard and read negative output towards the movie and I can understand. But as I just look at it, this is how Christopher Nolan makes movies. And I just love it. When the first trailer came out last year, I was like even saying to myself, "If I was going to go for a Guinness Book of World Record, it would be for that movie."

HM: So many people have been anticipating this movie because there have been so few releases. It sounds like you were maybe even more enthusiastic than everybody else. [Chuckles]

CS: Oh, it's just because movies in general helped me cope with the anxiety and depression that I live with.

HM: How is watching this movie -- how are these movies generally helping it?

CS: They help me as in I can take my mind off of what's causing my anxiety and depression, to help me calm down. And then when the movie is over, it resets me where I can go back to what I was doing that was stressful or anything else like that and to be able to help me go at it again, fresh and not have to worry.

HM: You know, even people who don't generally deal with difficult anxiety have been facing a lot of trouble because of COVID-19. Has that worsened things for you?

CS: I was initially worried with going back to theaters and all that but I looked on Cineplex's website, I inquired with the theater, I'd even seen a movie prior to Tenet coming out to see what it was like. And when I got there and saw the measures that they were taken, I had nothing but complete confidence in the location that I'm going to right now.

HM: I understand you have a Tenet mask.

CS: I did. And unfortunately, it snapped. [Chuckles]

HM: Oh no.

CS: Yeah, I'm wearing normal nursing disposable masks for the moment.

HM: You know, I've not seen this movie, but I know that no one likes to play with timelines in the movies I have seen. Some people can find that confusing. Have you been able to make sense of the plot?

CS: Yes. The first two times I was there for the sheer entertainment value of it, and I was granted totally confused after the very first time. [Chuckles] But as I watch it more and more, it being at 19, I have had crystal clear sense of this movie since the fifth time. Now I'm just enjoying it.

HM: Have you figured out how much breaking the record is going to cost?

CS: [Chuckles] This is just a ballpark estimate -- the movie prices for just a regular cinema in my movie theater is 12 dollars. So if times 12 by 120 that's like...1,400 dollars plus.

HM: But it's worth it to you.

CS: Oh, it's worth it to me. I do have a GoFundMe up in that as well for it because over and above donations that help for the record besides me paying out of pocket, I'm going to be donating to an organization in the area of my city. It's called 1JustCity -- they help the impoverished and homeless people in the area with food, supports. They also helped me with overcoming general depression issues to be able to get back into the workforce.

HM: Oh nice.

CS: It's just a way of me giving back.

HM: You know, sitting in the theater for hours can be uncomfortable at times. Are there any hazards involved here?

CS: Oddly enough, out of all 19 times, I've only gotten one leg cramp. [Chuckles] And that was way back on Sunday. And I had to fidget in my seat just to stay comfortable because I cannot leave the theater even to go to the washroom. I have to be there from when the movie starts to when all the credits end and the screen goes black.

HM: Do you get bored at any point of the movie?

CS: None. [Chuckles] Oh, no. Not even remotely bored.

HM: Are you starting to memorize dialogue? I mean, you know what's going to happen next.

CS: I do find myself at key points in the movie going through the dialogue. The movie as a whole is awesome.

HM: Do you think you might hear from Christopher Nolan?

CS: The thought is there. If he did contact me I would just want to thank him for fighting to get this movie released in the theater. I know how he is adamant on the movie theater experience. I am the same way. This way I can be like promote a movie theater that is properly doing social distancing measures and properly running a movie theater. And we can all have two and a half hours of amazing entertainment. I am blown away. And I honestly would probably be stumbling if I actually got into contact with him in any way, shape or form. [Chuckles] But it would be an honour.

HM: Well what you've told me has intrigued me, and I'm starting to look forward to seeing the film myself. Thank you. Good luck breaking the record.

CS: Thank you very much.

CH: Craig Sharpe is in Winnipeg. He plans to watch Tenet 120 times. You can find pictures and more on this story at: cbc.ca/aih.

[Music]

George Markow

CH: George Markow is following in the footsteps of 100 year old British veteran Captain Tom Moore, almost literally. Captain Tom did 100 laps of his garden to raise money for health care workers in the UK. So Mr. Markow set a goal to walk 100 kilometers by his 100th birthday next spring to raise funds for COVID-19 research. The 99 year old veteran has been walking every day doing laps around his senior's home in Newmarket, Ontario. George Markow and his daughter, Sylvia Perkins spoke with the CBC after completing the 100th kilometre yesterday.

GEORGE MARKOW: I feel terrific. I feel so proud that it brought tears to my eyes that I help some people to get rid of a disease. Hopefully we see a time when that comes.

GILL DEACON: Yes, your fundraising efforts will go into research for COVID-19 that will hopefully help eradicate it.

GEORGE MARKOW: That was the purpose of it.

GILL DEACON: Sylvia, remind me, we spoke a few weeks back, tell me a bit more about your father's motivation for this.

SYLVIA PERKINS: It all started when I saw Captain Tom walking in England. And I realized that my dad, who is an avid walker, would really do well with something like this. So I put the idea in his head for his 100th birthday and he said, "Well, how far?" And I said, you decide. He goes, "Well, I'm turning 100, so let me go 100 kilometres." Sure thing dad if you can do that. And he's proven you can.

GILL DEACON: Boy, there's no stopping you, George. What was it that kept you going?

GEORGE MARKOW: I used to walk before and I like to walk now too. Even now, I still walk -- it's for my own health and benefit, it's very beneficial.

SYLVIA PERKINS: You also mentioned to me in the past that the support of the Canadian people and everybody being so positive and sending him lovely emails and letters saying what an inspiration he is. He is overwhelmed with the response of Canada. And he is so thankful. And that motivation just kept him going.

CH: George Markow and his daughter, Sylvia Perkins, speaking with CBC host Gill Deacon. Mr. Markow walked 100 kilometres in 1,500 laps around his seniors residence in Newmarket, Ontario, with his walker raising nearly 47,000 dollars so far for COVID-19 research. And he plans to keep going.

[Music]

Upper Class

CH: Yes to live-in staff, a personal driver, bowing, air kisses, and gross: doing your own nails. Hard no to tapas, festivals in your garden, using a hankie, and weddings abroad -- I know catastrophe. But rules are rules. And if you want to be U, then you know what the U need to do. These helpful guidelines are courtesy of the British magazine Tatler. This week it provided clear guidance on, quote, "how to navigate the minefield of being upper class in the age of coronavirus." First one learns if one didn't already know that the upper case letter U is a short form of upper class and Tatler would know. It was first published in 1709. So it's seen its wealthy readers plagued by plagues before. It understands the travails that U suffer as well, struggling to adjust to the new normal. Oops, Tatler has deemed the phrase the new normal to be déclassé or in Tatler terminology, non-U post-COVID. Furthermore, members of the upper class are ill, not sick and formerly permissible activities: borrowing lipstick, complaining about travel and cheating are now verboten. Whereas owning a bike and paying for a new hospital wing are simply diriger Truth be told, the article is confusing. It's part knowing self-parody, part earnest news use can use. But seeing how privilege protects the rich from a pandemic is a real privilege.

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September 3, 2020 Episode Transcript

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