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The AIH Transcript for March 31, 2017

Hosts: Carol Off and Jeff Douglas

STORIES FROM THIS EPISODE

Prologue

CAROL OFF: Hello, I'm Carol Off.

JEFF DOUGLAS: Good evening, I'm Jeff Douglas. This is As It Happens.

[Music: Theme]

JD: Tonight:

CO: Captive's sentence. A Nova Scotia man receives seven years for forcing a 14-year-old girl into prostitution. It marks the first ever conviction for human trafficking in the province.

JD: Talk to the hand. After Ottawa police officers sport wristbands in support of a colleague charged with manslaughter. A former firefighter launches a counter campaign acknowledging the alleged victim.

CO: Degrees of darkness. Earlene Campbell-Coleman got a phone call. Then an e-mail and a photo — the first she'd ever seen of her great-great-great-grandfather, one of several slaves sold by Georgetown University to pay its debts.

JD: Recipes for disaster. As an angry youth, the late William Powell celebrated the release of his anarchist cookbook. But he came to regret it after fearing it was used to carry out some of America's most violent attacks.

CO: D.I.Y. not? Canadian farmers resorting to hacked software to fix their so-called “smart tractors” may have an ally in an American association that's fighting for the right to repair.

JD: And… fool's gold. Due to April 1st falling on a weekend this year, we cannot in good faith air a spoof story before its time. So instead we are going to take a look back at some highlight hoaxes from April Fool's past. As It Happens the Friday edition, radio that brings you all the news that's fit to prank.

[Music: Theme]

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Part 1: Halifax human trafficking, Ottawa wristbands, William Powell obit

Halifax human trafficking

Guests: GUEST

JD: Today, a sentence was handed down in Nova Scotia’s first ever conviction for human trafficking. Owen Gibson-Skeir was given seven years in prison. He pleaded guilty to trafficking a minor receiving material benefit from trafficking and sexual assault. Mr. Gibson-Skeir may face even more prison time after allegedly threatening his victim in the courtroom. She was just 14-years-old when she was forced into prostitution. We reached her mother in Halifax and to protect her daughter's identity, we're not using her name.

CO: Can ask you, first of all, how are you and how is your daughter holding up after today's sentencing?

GUEST: Better. Emotionally draining for sure, glad that it's over, but happy. Happy that we got the conviction. Happy that we paved the way for other girls to come forward. And my daughter couldn't be happier.

CO: I want to ask you a bit more about that later on what you've paved the way for. But just to stay with in court today and seeing this man, Owen Gibson-Skeir, what effect does it have on you and especially your daughter to see him in court?

GUEST: Lots of tears, especially when you're hearing the details of what he did. Just lots of tears. I’d look back at my daughter and she would cry and I'd cry. And very, very emotional. Lots of anger as well when you're hearing details of some of the things that were done as they’re read out in court. But just sadness that you know your daughter had to live through this. She'll be scarred for the rest of her life. You know no matter how much she goes on to do good things; this will always have some kind of effect on her.

CO: In the course of this the court case what did you learn about what happened to your daughter when she was 14?

GUEST: When she was 14, she started to have you know some issues. She started hanging with some friends that you know weren't good characters, which in turn led her to Owen. She was actually involved in a relationship that wasn't good and Owen promised to protect her when he came down from Ontario. And she believed him. And once he came down, they decided to start a relationship. And then we started hearing rumors that she was involved in the sex trade. And then she had gotten into a car accident with him and a couple of his friends and was pretty bad and we were called to the hospital. And I think we knew then for sure that yes, she's definitely involved. And then about three weeks after that, she was actually at home and we got a report from somebody that they showed us pictures of a back page ad, which is where they solicit their goods…

CO: Where pimps put people's faces of the girls.

GUEST: Yes, just their bodies. The faces usually aren't there. Once we'd seen the picture I knew it was her. And then another couple of days after that, she was sitting on the couch crying. She was texting someone who turned out to be him. And she ran upstairs and said I didn't understand because I was asking her why she was crying. I ran after her and said make me understand. And that's when she showed me the texts. And they were texts from Owen threatening her. Telling her that she owed them $10,000 as an exit fee. He threatened her and showed her pictures of a gun — a handgun — with him holding it and just a lot of threats.

CO: And threats that he would kill not just her, but all of you.

GUEST: That's what made her tell us. Yeah.

CO: So this is the final moment when you could have this conversation. But when was your first inclination? You said that you were hearing rumors and you had clues?

GUEST: Yes, she wouldn't come home for days at a time. When she would come home, you know we checked her room and there would be a lot of new makeup, nails, bras and underwear and stuff that would be related to human trafficking. At that time we still didn't click in. I thought that she was actually stealing and selling the stuff and making money that way. But then you know you kind of look at the items that they had and it just, like I said, lingerie makeup and that kind of stuff. So then between that and the rumors, we knew. In our gut we knew.

CO: The charge they brought of human trafficking was a very difficult one. What did the police say to you about the chances that they could actually get a conviction on that?

GUEST: That’s the first thing they tell you is that if you do decide to press charges that it's very difficult to get a human trafficking conviction because there hasn't been one. And when you hear that as a parent then you almost wonder if it's worth it? You know is it worth it to go through all this to maybe not even get anywhere? But there was no doubt we had to do it.

CO: Why was there no doubt? What persuaded you to go through what you knew is going to be difficult and painful?

GUEST: Because there was other girls because of our daughter to show her that you know that there is justice out there. We wanted to send our daughter a message to do this the right way. To go through the law and hopefully justice would be served. Also we went through a lot of difficulties through this. You know there's not a lot of resources out there. There's not a lot of programs for girls like this. And we were hoping that if we went through with charging him that maybe that would change if we got a conviction.

CO: Now what happened though he pled guilty — OwenGibson-Skeir — pled guilty. But he still threatened your daughter. What is he alleged to have done in the courtroom?

GUEST: Unbeknownst to all of us sitting on the bench that we're there for support for her, which she had tons of. I guess he mouthed the words “I’ll be out” to her five minutes before he walked out of the courtroom as they went out to take him back to the correctional center. He turned back and made the gun motion. He put his hands like a gun and fired it three times as if to say like you know to my daughter everybody saw it. We all jumped up actually. It was like so quiet in the courtroom and then all you heard when he did that was gasps and then everybody jumped up. And we got it on tape as well.

CO: He's being charged for that now?

GUEST: Yes. They're looking for two to three years for that as well. So the seven years that he got today, plus whatever he gets for that.

CO: Your daughter, she’s obviously been through a lot for a teenager. She's almost 16 now. Now that this is behind her what are her plans?

GUEST: She has a lot of them. She wants to be a paramedic. She is, first and foremost, in counseling, which is extremely important right now for her. And she just wants to be an advocate for other girls she wants to help other girls so that you know they don't have to go through what we went through. She's an amazing girl. She's an amazing girl. She's a strong, strong, strong girl. And the fact she wants to help other girls after everything she's been through speaks volumes.

CO: I admire her courage.

GUEST: Me too. She’s my hero.

CO: I think you're probably hers as well.

GUEST I think she's the brave one. You know if it wasn't for her coming forward you know I find this a collective effort. You know between the police and the crown and the parents and the child. But at the end of the day, if she didn't come forward, none of this would have been possible.

CO: Thank you very much for speaking with us.

GUEST: You're welcome.

CO: Bye bye.

GUEST: See you.

JD: That was the mother of a girl whose abuser was sentenced today in Halifax. Owen Gibson-Skeir is the first person in Nova Scotia to be convicted of human trafficking. He was sentenced to seven years in prison.

[Music: Piano]

Ottawa wristbands

Guest: Greg Birtch

JD: The wristbands are black and blue. They read, “United We Stand, Divided We Fall.” And they have been making the rounds among Ottawa police officers this week in support of Constable Daniel Montsion. Constable Montsion is charged with manslaughter, aggravated assault and assault with a weapon in connection with the death of a Somali Canadian man. Abdirahman Abdi. Mr. Abdi’s case sent shock waves through Ottawa. In July of 2016, he was allegedly pepper sprayed, beaten with a baton and punched in the head by police officers before dying in hospital. While the wristbands rather were meant to promote solidarity among police they have been harshly criticized in the community. Greg Bitrch is a former firefighter and he has decided to create his own set of wristbands in support of Mr. Abdi. We reached Mr. Birtch in Ottawa.

CO: Mr. Birtch, why are you producing these wristbands?

GREG BIRTCH: I guess it stems from the news article that came out on Wednesday. And I took a little bit of offense to the police association and the police department. I totally get the standing in support of everybody, but it just seems to be something that they took something that is typically reserved for you know Lance Armstrong had made it famous and people that are going through tough times, through charities or are sick. And they took a wristband and going to be wearing it in support of one of their members, which I just thought there was other ways to do this.

CO: We said in the introduction, but this is black and blue wristbands that police in Ottawa are wearing and they say in solidarity with the constable Daniel Montsion, who is charged with manslaughter. And so what do your wristbands look like then?

GB: they are blue with Mr. Abdi’s name on them and the Somali flag color is the same color and a star on either side of his name, which is on their flag as well. And it basically says, Stand with Abdirahman Abdi.”

CO: And what is the message you want to put out with these wristbands?

GB: You know it just in solidarity with his family. I think they've endured a lot over the last little while and it’s obviously a high profile case that's about to come to court. But you know I just thought this was the person that's being forgotten about here and by selling wristbands his family would you know maybe be able to get some money to offset the costs of their expenses over the last little while. You know I don't think they're wealthy folks by any stretch. And you know facing difficult times over the next the while and having all this stuff being brought back up again. And I think it would maybe be a way to you know bring to light a few different things.

CO: How much are you selling your bracelets for?

GB: $2 each and my wife Mary I, we actually ordered 500 more a couple of hours ago because this is getting more and more popular.

CO: What was the original order?

GB: 500 so we ordered another 500 and I think I'm going to have to order more than that.

CO: And people are wanting to get them?

GB: It's crazy what's taken off you know social media I guess has a lot to do with this these days and the media in itself. I woke up this morning with a hundred e-mail messages and a hundred Facebook requests and you know I think it can do a lot of good in the sense of bridging community gaps. Maybe training comes out of this. Better ways to deal with people with mental health issues in these situations.

CO: For people who may have forgotten about the story of Abdirahman Abdi, an Ottawa man who was from the Somali community and had mental health issues and died in the course of being arrested by police. It was a lot of attention in Ottawa about this.

GB: Absolutely because there was a lot of holes and a lot of questions and there was video that was put out to the public. I just think the way that you know someone dying from an incident that I believe started at Bridgehead, which is a coffee shop here in Ottawa. Police were called in and he ran away and was chased on foot by the officers that were involved in this. And ended up dying and people are going to get their day in court. But I think the issue that I took with be the end result was that somebody with mental health issues was dead at the end of an arrest, which you know there's allegations of having his head slammed on the pavement and you know while he was handcuffed, there's allegations of inappropriate dress. There are a lot of holes and a lot of people waiting to get these answers.

CO: And as you point out these are these are allegations not yet proven in court and will come out in the court and will come out in a trial. And some other things from eyewitness accounts that he was pepper sprayed and beaten with a baton. That was part of the weapons charge this was leveled against constable Montsion.

GB: And I totally get the solidarity and how you know my father was on the police department and it's probably the most difficult job. I can’t imagine a more difficult job these days because of the public backlash and different minority groups that don't have a lot of trust in them. And you know maybe some of this helps to bridge that gap a little bit, I don't know.

CO: That is what they what they're saying the police union had Matt Skof said that it's a way of he says a way of expressing support for colleague. Policing is in a very difficult environment now.

GB: And it sure is.

CO: Your father was a policeman. You're a former firefighter. You understand that sentiment I would think?

GB: Exactly. And I just think there could have been other ways to do this. You know they have a police club and there would be lots of ways if they needed to raise funds or support or whatever. I don't think it needs to be an add on to a uniform that hasn't been improved by you know I don't think the chief is too impressed with it as well. And I get Matt’s argument with this as well that these are providing solidarity with a member that is about to enter into a horrific sort of point in the guy's life you know. You know it's always the way it's the victims as well as the people involved that their lives get messed up along the way because of something that took place.

CO: Have you been in touch with the Abdi family about your campaign?

GB: I have been in touch indirectly with them.

CO: How have they responded?

GB: Well, they're a very private family. I think everybody is coming to the same conclusion. You know that it's drawing positive attention to this really negative situation. And the hope is that something good will come from all of this. So by providing a bracelet for Mr. Abdi the thought was you know maybe he needs to be recognized in this situation. It seems to be forgotten about.

CO: All right. We'll leave it there. Mr. Birtch, we'll be following this story. I appreciate you speaking with us. Thank you.

GB: OK. Thanks for taking the time out. Have a nice day.

JD: Greg Burch is a former Ottawa firefighter and we reached him in Ottawa.

[Music: Ambient rock]

Via Rail talkback

JD: You know once in a while when you're feeling a little railroaded perhaps by circumstances. A kindly stranger turns up and puts you back on track and that is what happened to Carly Crawford. Crawford was a guest on As It Happens last night. She is one of many young Canadians who missed out on an exclusive summer rail pass deal offered by Via Rail. The passes cost only $150 and they grant youth between 12 and 25 unlimited rides aboard Via Rail trains anywhere in Canada throughout the month of July. Now, needless to say, demand for those passes was huge. Via’s website crashed forcing the company to temporarily suspend sales of the passes. Nevertheless, they did sell out within two days leaving Miss Crawford and many, many, many others empty handed. Well enter Richard Prupas of Toronto. He heard Ms. Crawford’s story. He was especially moved by her dashed hope to cross the country by rail, so he called our talk back to say this.

[Sound: Loud beep]

RICHARD PRUPAS: I mean taking that train across Canada it's a beautiful experience. However, understanding her circumstances I have eight hundred dollars’ worth of travel certificates that are good on Via Rail up until July 28, 2017. And if she would like to avail herself of them I am happy to pass them along. And maybe just as a side note. The reason why I have these gift certificates is because unfortunately, Via never did make it to the Rockies in daylight. And after three days on a train, we ended up going to the mountains after midnight and after much cajoling Via came through with this as compensation. So happy to pass along to someone who obviously enjoyed the experience. Take care and please let me know if there's some interest.

JD: There was most definitely interest. We put Carly Crawford in touch with Richard purpose. And thanks to him, it looks like she's got a ticket to ride. She plans to board that cross-Canada train this summer.

[Music: Instrumental]

William Powell obit

Guest: Charlie Siskel

JD: He died feeling remorse over his best known achievement. William Powell wrote his infamous work “The Anarchist's Cookbook” at the height of the Vietnam War. At a time when he found himself frustrated by what he called, “symbolic protests”. Published in 1971, the book provided a step by step guide to sabotage and bomb making. But after his book was linked to people like Oklahoma bomber Timothy McVeigh and the Columbine High School killers, he came to feel conflicted about the book. Bill Powell died in Nova Scotia last summer at the age of 66. Although his death was only widely reported this week. Filmmaker Charlie Siskel got to know Mr. Powell during the making of his 2016 documentary film “American Anarchist”. We reached Charlie Siskel in Los Angeles.

CO: Charlie, I know you're aware there are not many people who ever got a chance to speak with William Powell and to find out what he thought of his own work. So what were your impressions of him?

CHARLIE SISKEL: Well, I think he had a real conflicted sense of his legacy. The book was you know a manual for how to build bombs and create other explosive devices. It was a kind of a manifesto that was written in 1970, when he was only 19-years-old. When I met him, he was 65 and had a lifetime to reflect on it. And I think that book continued to plague him during his lifetime. I think he had very mixed feelings about it. There was some element of a sense of ownership of the book. He was not willing to renounce it fully in the sense that he would say that he didn't regret writing the book because I think it came to define him in many ways. And yet he felt remorse about the book because it had been connected with episodes of violence in the ‘70s ‘80s all the way up until today.

CO: I want to get to that legacy in a moment because it was very controversial when it came out. For years, people were conscious of this — “The Anarchist Cookbook”. Maybe just describe its contents?

CS: It was kind of a how to guide for creating a revolution I guess is what Bill Powell — the author — thought he had created. It gave instructions on how to create Molotov cocktails or improvised detonators and create other explosive devices and also had other elicit instructions on how to you know make drugs and that sort of thing. It had a cult status when it first came out and it was written in 1970. In the midst of you know social and political upheaval in the United States and also it came out of a lot of anger at the time. Anger about Vietnam, anger about the crackdown on civil liberties here in the United States and for Bill, it was a chance to be a published author. That was something that he wanted to do. He had the arrogance of youth I guess and thought that he had ideas for how to change the world and make it a better place.

CO: He wrote in a very controversial statement in 1971, “I detest symbolic protest as it is an outcry of weak, middle of the road, liberals. If an individual feels strongly enough about something to do something about it then he shouldn't prostitute himself by doing something symbolic he should get out and do something real.” Did he talk about that philosophy when you interviewed him?

CS: Yes. You know I think that sentiment really captures the way a lot of a lot of people felt on the new left in the late ‘60s. There was a sense of disillusionment with the peace movement. You know you start to get divisions within the left. And you know I think that there are echoes in today's political climate. There's always been a strain in American politics of anti-authoritarianism, obviously. And I think Bill is in many ways tapping into that. He quotes Thomas Jefferson and he quotes Abraham Lincoln and he also quotes really from Che Guevara. So he dared to step out publicly and philosophize on the direction that the country might go and try to encourage others to essentially you know start a revolution.

CO: There were many incidents of extreme violence that trace their origins or their inspiration back to this book “The Anarchist Cookbook”. And in your film there are even authorities who say that they would find the manual or evidence of it in a number of horrible crime scenes. When did William Powell come to regret having written it? What did he tell you?

CS: Well, publicly Bill has made a couple of statements about the book and he has disavowed it. But in telling his story I discovered that Bill claims to have regretted or at least had trouble justifying the book almost from the moment it was published. In the film he talks about the very first press conference for the book and he was asked just the simple question. What if people injure themselves or others as a result of this book? And he says that he had trouble answering it. So I imagine that Bill had a very difficult time justifying the book to himself and to others almost from the inception.

CO: He told you that the incident that that got him the most was the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, which was apparently inspired by the book. The Oklahoma bombing Timothy McVeigh was also considered to have been inspired by it. So these are the incidents that he points to. And so what did he do with his life? What did what did he go on to do?

CS: Well, after writing the book Bill eventually went to college. He went through and got a high school degree and a college degree after a rough beginning as a student. When he was young, Bill had some difficult experiences in in school and was alienated I think as a result. But eventually he became a teacher, traveling world and specializing in helping kids with emotional and learning needs. He worked with kids with ADD and ADHD troubled kids. Who if they don't get the attention they need are the very sort of kids who, in the case of Columbine and other school shootings, have lashed out. And so there is certainly an irony there or a poetic significance to the fact that Bill has you know he devoted his life really to helping other kids. He says this himself that he is he sees himself in the kids that he has gone on to help. And so I think there is a sort of redemption in that he has in some ways atoned for the book without putting too fine a point on it by helping the kinds of kids who might lash out violently if they didn't get that sort of help.

CO: It's a remarkable story and I appreciate the film you made of him so we know the story. And thank you for speaking with us.

CS: Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

JD: Charlie Siskel is the filmmaker who knew Bill Powell. The author of “The Anarchist Cookbook.” He died last summer although his death was only reported this week. We reached Mr. Siskel in Los Angeles.

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Part 2: Tractor hacking update, Georgetown slavery

Tractor hacking update

Guest: Gay Gordon-Byrne

JD: It has been a week of Tractor talk on As It Happens and that is because farmers can no longer repair their tractors on their own. That's something they've done for generations. But now, they have to go to see a dealer. Due to the sophisticated technologies the machines now run on. Unless, that is, they go online and they find hacks software instead potentially risking a manufacturer going after them. On Monday, we interviewed a Saskatchewan farmer who has resorted to using the hacked software. On Wednesday, we spoke with a rep from John Deere and Gay Gordon-Byrne is the executive director of the Repair Association, which is fighting for the right to repair. We reached Ms. Gordon-Byrne in North Haledon, New Jersey.

CO: Ms. Gordon-Byrne, when we spoke with the representative from John Deere, Chuck Studer, he said that the problem is that John Deere hasn't done a good enough job of communicating with their customers that they absolutely have the right to repair their tractors. Does that satisfy you?

GAY GORDON-BYRNE: Oh not at all. Do you want to ask a question or shall I explain it?

CO: Well, he says that the manuals are available, that most repairs are mechanical anyways and that they are able to fix their tractors.

GGB: Well, the mechanical parts have never been a problem. Nobody is demanding the right to repair a wheel. But what the difficulty is and remains is that the digital electronics within any of these devices be it a tractor or a refrigerator or a cell phone. If you don't have the cooperation of the manufacturer, you cannot repair them and you are stuck. And so I don't care what the percentage is. But when your equipment is down in the field and you can't get it to restart it's still a very serious problem.

CO: The farmer we spoke with said that he is repairing it. He's using hacked software to do that. Is that common?

GGB: That was news to me. It was news to a lot of people I think. But it's very obvious that people are repairing their equipment and they are repairing it with whatever means they can get. Just because John Deere doesn't feel like cooperating doesn't mean that the customers themselves aren't demanding and figuring out ways of doing workarounds to repair their own equipment.

CO: Well, apparently you can get it if you are willing to go into the sort of gray zone of the Internet. It appears to be coming from Russia or Ukraine and so that's where they're getting the material they need. So the farmers you spoke with are not doing that?

GGB: Well, I don't speak mostly directly with farmers. I speak mostly directly with legislators who are trying to work on right to repair legislation so that farmers can more easily fix their equipment and not have to go around and do these semi-gray-area kind of patches and fixes. We're trying to make it legal. We're trying to make sure it remains legal and that nobody is in violation of any contracts or laws when they do fix their own equipment.

CO: In the meantime, in Canada, the farmer we spoke with said he's not alone doing this. John Deere's response to him when we spoke with Chuck Studer is that this is something that he shouldn't be doing. He doesn't need to be doing it because he can contact a John Deere rep, who will do the work and they're available. And also he warns that there are safety issues and maybe even viability issues mucking with software that they don't know anything about. What do you say to that?

GGB: The idea that they can do it as long as they do it only with John Deere is really the monopoly. And that's the goal of the legislation is to make sure that there are options other than the manufacturer for any kind of repair.

CO: We're speaking with you in the United States, where you have persuaded legislators in eight different states to introduce what they call “Right to Repair” laws or bills. What do those do?

GGB: They follow on what I believe is also the case in Canada where you have an automotive right to repair. So we simply took that concept, which as a manufacturer it needs to provide fair and reasonable access to the same diagnostics, the same service documentation the same firmware along with all the safety and security patches and fixes that are important and whatever service tools are necessary in order to make a repair on the equipment. The only thing that we added — because we knew it was a problem in consumer electronics — was a requirement to provide fair and reasonable access to service parts. Meaning things like the various parts assemblies to come inside a computer or a cell phone, or in the case of cell phones, the glass. Things that are otherwise hard to acquire in volume if the manufacturer doesn't sell them. So some legislation that's in the works —none of it has been passed yet. We got some parts of some legislatures to actually see this thing through. We've had no objections from within legislators. They all are consumers like everybody else. They all intuitively understand that there's something pretty wrong when you can't fix your TV or your cell phone or God knows all of these other accessories that are now digitized. Everybody understands the need and everybody's just having a little trouble understanding how to do it. Not that it should be done.

CO: But the companies don't agree. Everyone agrees it is not the companies who make the gizmos or the tractors or whatever that you're wanting to have. I'm just going back to going back to John Deere. Their argument is that while the software is licensed to the farmer, he or she can own the machine, but the software is a license agreement and that's intellectual property. They have copyright over it and that's something when you're developing intellectual property it's very costly. It takes a lot of a lot of money a lot of investment a lot of research. And they want to see a return on that investment. That's the argument for having control having copyright over your intellectual property. Isn't that fair?

GGB: It's a little unfair and very disingenuous because they've already sold it. You don't have a line item on your John Deere contract saying I'm paying $100,000 for the software. The software is coming free with the tractor. So their now saying it's highly valuable when initially they say it's not. Furthermore, in a traditional licensing agreement you have a license for the software. The software license is between you and the licensor. So that agreement doesn't transfer as property. Whereas when you buy a car or a tractor or a clock, it is property. And you as the owner should have the right to resell that property without any complications due to a license agreement. So the contracts themselves were all wrong when they make those claims. It is legal under U.S. copyright law to back up and restore all your copyrighted materials for purposes of repair. And, in fact, repair doesn't need to change anything that's copyrighted. It just needs to be able to restore it. So yeah, I think they're playing a little bit coy with the wording. I disagree with the idea that they need protection of this particular software. Because it's already on the machine, it's already been sold and all the farmer or the user needs to do is simply restore it.

CO: All right, we'll leave it there. Ms Gordon-Byrne, thank you.

GGB: You're very welcome.

JD: Gay Gordon-Byrne is the executive director of the Repair Association, a group fighting for “Right to Repair” legislation in eight states across the United States.

[Music: Ambient]

CBC series follow up

JD: There's a bit of controversy surrounding the CBC's series “Canada: The Story of Us”. We covered it on As It Happens yesterday. See after last weekend's episode, some people were not too happy. Because in that episode, a site near what is now Quebec City was referred to as the first permanent European settlement in Canada. However, as you would have heard if you were listening to the program yesterday, some people in Nova Scotia — in particular the mayor of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia —disagree with that. The mayor says the Port Royal, Nova Scotia should have been so featured. And now, New Brunswick’s Green Party leader David Coon has weighed in. Here's what he told the NB legislature yesterday.

SOUNDCLIP

DAVID COON: Mr. Speaker, on Monday night, I sat down to watch the first episode of CBC's new series “Canada: The Story of Us” with barely a cursory nod to the hundreds of Indigenous nations that had flourished for millennia before European contact. We were told that Samuel Champlain built the first European settlement in Canada in 1608, near the site of Quebec City. Mr. Speaker, every Nirvanas or not was the first European habitation was called on St. Croix Island just off the shore from Bayside, New Brunswick and Charlotte County. Representing the founding of and the foundation of L'Acadie and the origination of the French in North America. The CBC is supposed to reflect the region's to national audiences. I hope our Minister of Culture and Heritage will request a meeting with the president of the CBC and the Federal Minister of Canadian heritage to discuss the need for the CBC to better reflect the Brunswick to Canadians.

JD: That was the leader of the New Brunswick Green Party David Kane speaking at the provincial legislature. The Minister of Local Government and Environment also said yesterday that the province will be getting in touch with the CBC about the episode. Now, as we told you yesterday, CBC has responded to the controversy by saying that they chose to feature the site near Quebec City over sites in Atlantic Canada because of the Quebec site's permanence. In addition, a spokesperson has said the show is quote, “not meant to be a comprehensive and linear account of Canada’s history. It highlights the stories of just a few of the extraordinary people and events that helped shape our nation.” unquote.

[Music: Folk]

Georgetown slavery

Guest: Earlene Campbell-Coleman

JD: Earlene Campbell-Coleman first received a phone call. Then she got an email and when she opened a photograph attached to that e-mail, she found herself looking at her great-great-great-grandfather, Frank Campbell, for the very first time. It turns out “Grandpa Frank” was one of the slaves who was sold by Georgetown University in 1838 in order to pay the school's debts. We reached Earlene Campbell-Coleman in Charlotte, North Carolina earlier.

CO: Earlene, can you take us back to this phone call you got from Georgetown University. What did they say to you?

EARLENE CAMPBELL-COLEMAN: Well, the phone call that I got was actually from Richard Cellini, who is the Georgetown Memory Project. And the phone call was to talk about this picture that I had been sent just 30 minutes prior.

CO: And what was the photograph?

ECC: The photograph was of a very distinguished looking elderly gentleman with a white hair and familiar facial features. But I did not know who he was. I knew this picture had to be around sometime early 20th century. But all I could say was he looked like a Campbell.

CO: And you’re a Campbell. What did the phone call say?

ECC: The phone call said what do you think of that picture I sent you? And I said the same thing I don't know who this gentleman is, but I do know he is a Campbell. Then Richard told me who he was.

CO: And Richard is part of this Georgetown Memory Project. And he told you who he was. And who does it turn out to be?

ECC: He said that is your great-great-great-grandfather Frank Campbell.

CO: And what did you think when you learned that and you were looking at that photograph?

ECC: All I could do was cry. I had so many thoughts going through my head from shock, disbelief, anger and so many different emotions.

CO: This photograph of Frank Campbell, your great-great-great-grandfather, this was the first photo they found in these 272 slaves that the founders of Georgetown — Jesuit priests in Maryland — they had sold these people to pay the school's debts back in 1838. Did you know that that your great-great-grandpa had been sold by the Jesuits?

ECC: I had no idea.

CO: What do you now know about Frank Campbell and how he ended up being sold? What have you learned about “Grandpa Frank” as you call him?

ECC: I've learned that, my goodness, to survive what he did. First of all, to witness what he did as a teenager as far as him saying I saw the stars fall. That was an historic event in and of itself.

CO: And what was that reference to?

ECC: It was a meteor shower that was documented in 1833, so years later, as an elderly gentleman, enslaved on the plantations in South Louisiana and having survived the Civil War. I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of that.

CO: The year the stars fell is often used as a kind of as a benchmark to find out how old people are. And the caption of the photo is, “Frank Campbell, our old servant. 19 when the stars fell.” And so that's how we know how old he is. And so they sold him in order to pay debts so that Georgetown could survive as ta university. And so he went to Louisiana. What happened to Frank Campbell?

ECC: What we know so far, he was, along with 271 others, put on a ship in Virginia. And from what I understand, some of my ancestors on the Mahoney side hid or managed to not be captured to be put on the ship. Sent to New Orleans I believe initially, were some of them remained. And from New Orleans down to the bayou on a flatboat that included my great-great-great-grandfather Frank, his wife, Mary-Jane Mahoney-Campbell and his son. That was where they pretty much remained in that area for the rest of his life.

CO: And what was his life like? What do you know about his life as a slave in Louisiana?

ECC: Well, as far as I know, he worked one of two or perhaps two plantation: Roberta Grove Plantation or Residence Plantation owned by the Barrow family. Once he became a free man, after the war, he decided to continue to work as a servant for the Barrow family. But he did purchase a home from what I recall around 1882 from the tax records that I looked up. And one of our family members is still in a home. I'm not sure if it was the exact same home, but he lives in a home that is on that property right to this day.

CO: Now this is all things you were putting together since this extraordinary phone call. I mean some of this you knew and others pieces you're putting together. So what's it like for your whole family to be learning about this man?

ECC: It's really it's kind of miraculous. Because for him to be the first face of the Georgetown University 272 enslaved, that's overwhelming to me.

CO: Frank Campbell was sold according to the records for $420. And that was part of about $115,000 that the university raised with selling 272 people. And, so now, the university is trying to understand what its obligation is to those people. And that what do you think the University of Georgetown should do to recognize what happened?

ECC: Well, I do feel that the descendants should receive scholarships and assistance to prepare them to attend Georgetown as well as assistance while they're there.

CO: How many Campbell’s are there do you think that descend from Frank?

ECC: Oh my goodness, I think there's quite a few of us between the Campbell’s and Mahoney’s. That is something that I am sure I will be finding out soon. Just how many of us are.

CO: You should have a big family reunion.

ECC: Absolutely. We really need to have a big old family reunion. Meet and greet because so many of us don't know each other. I've just found out I have lots of cousins, who I'm anxious to meet. To cry with, to laugh with and it really brings a human face to the issue and pain of slavery for African-Americans in this country. People haven't had a chance to grasp it in its entirety and I think that great-great-great-grandpa Frank maybe can help with that by putting a human face on it.

CO: Earlene, it's just a remarkable story and I thank you so much for sharing it with us.

ECC: Absolutely, my pleasure.

C: All right. Bye bye.

ECC: Bye bye.

JD: We reached Earlene Campbell-Coleman in Charlotte, North Carolina. You can find lots more on this story on our website: www.cbc.ca/aih.

[Music: World music]

Crayola changes

JD: Dan D was never considered a leader of the pack. He just wasn't that bold a crayon. In any case that title had long been tightly held by Ol’ Blue. And besides there are a handful of colorful characters with more claim to top-drawer status than he did.

Red, Violet, Green, Carnation, Pink and Black just for starts. Still Dan D was who you went to when you were thinking a little outside the box. He was bright. Generally he was sharp. He could wax poetic on any number of things: the sun, the moon, the stars in the sky, the down of a chick, the yolk of an egg. He made you feel young again. Sure the sun will still rise without him, but it's not going to be the same. Not quite. And that is why so many people are dismayed and not a little shocked that after 27 years Dan D — full name Dandelion — is supposedly retiring according to the splashy campaign. Anyway the truth is he is being retired. The first crayon in Crayola’s classic 24-pack to get the boot. That's not according to the official schtick though. Here's part of Dan D’s announcement yesterday.

SOUNDCLIP

DAN D: Sure, I've done big things. Tracked down pirates treasure, discovered lost temples and tamed the world's most ferocious beasts. But I think with time it's going to be my wildest adventure yet.

JD: Of course, that's not his real voice because Dan D doesn't have a real voice because he's a crayon. “This is a mistake,” one fan tweeted out in response to the news. There are already speculations about Dan D’s replacement. One Twitter user suggested it might be the faux-scandal-plagued “Bowling Green”. Another one thinks he's being replaced by a millennial, “Facebook Blue.” But all the speculation is premature because first Dandelion has to complete a four week continental tour as he announced today in New York's Times Square. I guess you've got to hand it to Crayola though, they really know how to draw things out.

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Part 3: Best of As It Happens: April Fool’s

April Fool’s

JD: There's no shortage of so-called “fake news” these days. To the point that even the term itself seems to have lost credibility — if it an ever had any. So far be it from us to add to that confusion. The idea of disseminating false information has always been anathema to us here at As It Happens. Save on one day of the year where all bets are off. That day is not today. This year, of course, April Fool’s falls on Saturday — tomorrow — and that precludes us from justifiably indulging in any high jinks. So instead, we would like to revisit some of our favorite April Fool’s hoaxes from years gone by. So let us embark on our trip of fools beginning with this.

Three dollar coin

JD: On April 1st 2008, Carol spoke with a purported representative of the Royal Canadian Mint. Actually, it was As It Happens writer, Chris Howden. Who announced the crown corporation’s plans to phase out the five dollar bill in favor of a new three dollar coin. Here is part of her conversation with the fictitious Albert Bromear.

CO: Mr. Bromear, how did the mentor arrive at the conclusion that we needed a three dollar coin?

ALBERT BROMEAR: Well, Carol, we are at the mint are always trying to get costs down and the plain fact is that paper money costs money. It wears out very quickly as you know if you've carried a bill around for any length of time. And we find the 5s in particular are subject to — I'm not exactly sure why — I know that it has something to do with the face of Wilfred Laurier. They get defaced, which is illegal of course. So it's just about time we thought the one and two went very, very. We're very pleased with it.

CO: So the five goes, we get the three and we can combine the three and the two together and get a five?

AB: We brought mathematicians in. It's basically the combinations available to us with a one two and three dollar coin are infinitely greater. We found that if we were to have a five dollar coin. Believe me we've done our research on this.

CO: So three threes and a one would make a 10? And there's two threes make a six instead of the five dollar bill and the one?

AB: We've had some of the great minds in the country on this, but yes, that's the premise.

CO: But you know there's been almost no debate about this. We've heard almost nothing about this. Is that because Ottawa is worried how people will react to having yet another coin?

AB: We're not, Carol, overly worried about that. We find that the excitement of coin collectors balances out with people who were you know fed up with just another coin in their wallet. We think ultimately it's going to be beneficial.

CO: But you do know we had problems with the one and the two. People weren't happy with that. They resisted. This is going to be controversial — there’s no question.

AB: We've also heard of a lot of people who are tired of you know people have had their bills rejected if they're torn. It seems like it's maybe a kind of decision being handed down. But we have done a lot of research on this across the country over the last two months or so.

CO: Have you researched the name? I mean the “Three-ny”, are we really stuck with that?

AB: Well, of course, that's not the official name. But that's what we're calling it around the mint. We're certainly open to other suggestions. We do want to open the process up, having basically made the decision, we would like to open it up and make it kind of an interactive dialogue with the Canadian people.

CO: And so we can go to our audience and ask if they have names for this three dollar coin if they want to submit them?

AB: I would very much appreciate it if you would. I’m an avid listener; I'll certainly be listening closely.

CO: Well, on the subject of having an imagination what's going to be the image on the coin?

AB: It's been a challenge here. That, of course, is a big issue. We've already got most of the major Canadian animals covered on coins and bills and so we're thinking of going with the famous Canadian trinities. Again, I would welcome your listeners to contribute ideas on this. We're not by any means in the final stages of design yet.

CO: Well I hope that the mint understands that they should be giving them some sort of kickback in order to pay for repairing our pockets with all these coins.

AB: Well, I assure you that that's being taken into consideration on the design. I think you'll be very excited when you see what we've got. Very smooth edges, now they're sort of commensurately bigger just as the Toonie is bigger than the Loonie. It's a little bit bigger and I know people will initially complain about it, but we are we're also working with the tactile quality of the coin. There is a lot of work that goes on down here. It's a little heavier, but I guarantee you it feels terrific. It just feels natural in your hands.

CO; I'm sure we'll will have listeners who have something to say about this. anyway good to talk to you Mr. Bromear. Thank you.

AB: It's my pleasure, Carol. Thanks very much for calling.

CO: Bye bye.

AB: Bye bye.

Murray Judge

[Sound: A loud beep]

MURRY JUDGE: Yes, hi there, it's Mary Judge calling from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. My point is why are they making it bigger? In England aren't the more valuable coins smaller? I mean they get up to $10 coin it is be as big as a pizza pan to be carrying around in your pocket. They don't need to be so huge do they? I don't know? I'm just saying!

Marilyn Anthony

[Sound: Loud beep]

MARILYN ANTHONY: Hi, this is Marilyn Anthony, from Toronto. I grabbed the phone immediately that you gave the number after talking about this new three dollar coin that we are going to have inflicted on us. As our population is aging, this is getting to be a hardship just to carry money around. Between the loonie and Toonie and the quarters, you already have your shoulder falling off from coins. I'm sorry, I go to the gym to do my exercise. Not carrying coins.

Larry Shaffer

[Sound: A loud beep]

LARRY SHAFFER: My name is Larry Shaffer, in Sudbury. The three dollar coin: Hate it, hate it, hate it and the name is even more ridiculous.

Keer Brownstone

[Sound: A loud beep]

KEER BROWNSTONE: Oh hi, it’s Keer Brownstone, I'm calling from Toronto and I've got an idea for the triumvirate to put on the face of the coin. It should be Larry, Curly and Moe — The Three Stooges. They could be there to represent what did that fellow say? Oh yeah, the greatest minds in Canada, who have come up with this fantastic idea of a three dollar coin. Story I can't stick around to talk more about this. I'm just off to my lab to invent the metal pocket. Bye.

Paul Meyer

[Sound: A loud beep]

PAUL MEYER: Hello As It Happens, it’s Paul Meyer, calling from Montrose. Since you're looking for names for said coin I think it's important to recognize that the last two coins have received English names “Loonie” and “Toonie”. And so I think it's only appropriate that the three dollar coin receive a French name. And so I think the only appropriate name for it would be the coinage et toi. Oh, my wife wife's making faces at me. Anyway talk to you soon. Bye bye.

Matthew McLaughlin

[Sound: A loud Beep]

MATTHEW McLaughlin: Hi, this is Matthew McLaughlin calling from for Verdun, Quebec. You asked for suggestions as to who might be on the coin. I thought we should really continue the wildlife theme. It has worked so well for us. I think that what we should have would be a specimen of our aquatic wildlife. A fish you know fish are very important in Canadian culture. We could call it a “Fishie”. And, of course, in commemoration with the date that this coin was announced in French we would call it “poisson”.

Poutine fools

JD: That is some of the talk back elicited by our 2008 April Fool's story on the Royal Canadian Mint’s plan to introduce a new 3 dollar coin. Well three years later, we substituted the traditional serving of poisson for putine. According to our story, organizers of the royal brunch celebrating the marriage of Will and Kate had taken a page from an article by New Yorker staff writer Calvin Trillin in which he declared Poutine, “Canada's National Dish”. For comment, we went straight to the sources mouth: Mr. Trillin, who was, of course, in on the joke.

CO: Mr. Trillin, are you aware that the Office of Royal Protocol is designing this Canadian course for the wedding brunch based on your article?

CALVIN TRILLIN: Yeah I was very honored because I didn't know that the Queen — I assume it is the queen — Read the New Yorker, let alone my article. So yes, obviously, I was very pleased too of course.

CO: It’s doubtful the queen read it. I mean there are people — there is a Royal Protocol Office — probably it was a functionary within that office that…

CT: I prefer to think is the Queen, who at bed time switched on the Lamp and read the New Yorker with great anticipation. And gets to my article and says poutine, the national dish of Canada. Why of course.

CO: Well, it doesn't actually say that. The headline of your article is, “Funny Food! Is a National Joke Becoming a National Dish?”

CT: Well, I don't write the headlines.

CO: What exactly is the premise of your article?

CT: The premise of my article is that the poutine may have been becoming the national dish of Canada and I believe the statistics that I quoted from The Globe and Mail survey was that more Canadians had eaten poutine than had been in a canoe or seen a moose.

CO: But you write in this that, “As a punch-line poutine has a lot going for it.”

CT: That's true.

CO: You describe the cheese curds used on the poutine as, “cheddar before the taste is added”. And these are not exactly flattering things that should be in a national food…

CT: Well I meant it very nicely. Yeah, I think that the fact that the national food is poutine is something to be proud of. It’s a nice, hearty Canadian national dish. And you have to remember I didn't choose it as the national dish. I’m a simple reporter.

CO: Who did?

CT: The Canadians chose it as a national dish.

CO: The Royal Protocol chose it as national dish. The Canadian government had apparently a different idea of what should be there and this has been somewhat imposed on Canada. But just did go back to the article though. I mean you say about the taste of Poutine you say the best you can come up with is quote, “It's surprisingly inoffensive.” Is that, in fact, a comment on the Canadian character?

CT: The Canadian character is inoffensive, but not surprisingly. I mean it isn't any surprise that Canadian character is inoffensive.

CO: Well, I mean, I guess from a Canadian point of view, you know you are a well-respected writer and you’ve won many awards. But, as you point out, you're not Canadian despite the time you spend in Canada. And not only are you an American, you come from a country that rebelled against the monarchy. You went to war against this monarchy…

CT: Yeah, but we went to war against the monarchy for good reason. For things like mushy peas and spotted dick and bangers and mash — that's why we went to war. I thought it was a good decision.

CO: But now you have a Yankee suggesting the food that Canada will contribute to a royal wedding. I mean can you just appreciate how Canadians might be a bit ticked off by this?

CT: Well, I think you're blaming the messenger. It's not my fault that Canadians like Poutine more than they like food sophisticated people eat.

CO: So do you think that by virtue of this poutine being at the royal wedding that it will raise the profile? Even though it’s suggested by an American? Do you think they'll feel at one with the royals if they…

CT: [Sound: Laughing] at one with the royals. Yes, and you know the royals really know how to put on the dog, so if they serve Poutine I think it's going to elevate to dish.

Courtney Anne Rice

[Sound: A loud beep]

COURTNEY ANNE RICE: Hello, this is Courtney Anne Rice calling from Cleveland, Ohio. I had no idea what poutine and I consider myself a foodie. So I looked it up and looked it up and hello! Why wouldn't you want that to be your national dish? Gravy-covered fries with cheese and love all over them, oh my God, that's like our dream here in America. So I hope you're not offended because I don't think he meant to offend you. Because who does not love cheese-covered, gravy-covered French fries? I mean hello! God bless you guys, neighbors.

Nigel

[Sound: A loud beep]

NIGEL: Nigel from Edmonton, I know my accent betrays me. I am actually a Canadian. I was born here and I grew up here, but apparently more Canadians have eaten poutine than have seen a moose or been in a canoe. I’m not sure where that leaves me? I've never eaten poutine and have been in a canoe and on one occasion, in my canoe, I saw a moose. And I can't stand to eat poutine now because I imagine my doctor would say it’s impossible. But I do wish those royals well and I hope they enjoy they poutine, but somehow I don't know. I love your show. Goodnight,

JD: That was, of course, just a taste of the talk back generated by our April Fool’s story on Poutine representing Canada's national dish at the royal brunch for Will and Kate.

Growing hats

JD: Way back in 1980, As It Happens picked up on a prank devised by soldier magazine. The official monthly published by the British army. It had to do with the Bearskin — the fur hat worn by London's Royal Guards. The magazine story actually managed to fool the Daily Express, which ran with the news that the Canadian-sourced fur was causing problems for the guards due to the fact that it was continuing to grow. As It Happens perpetuated the prank by inviting two imaginary officers to offer their insight on the growing problem. One major general Charles Finley of the Irish Guards from London and from Winnipeg, a purported Canadian expert on the issue Colonel Cyril Frisbie — retired.

BARBRA FRUM: Major general,

CHARLES FINLEY: Hello mother.

BF: Perhaps, major general, you should say what's happening in Britain before we go to Colonel Frisbie for the Canadian experience.

CF: This first came to my attention from the press this morning. And they seem to have blown the whole thing out of proportion. Really all that it is seems to be that the hair on the Bearskin does appear to grow. I think it is only because of the contraction of this skin over the past few years. They do, in fact, need to be trimmed reach year for the first four or five years or so.

BF: Major General the reason we called Colonel Frisbie is because I gather these Bearskins are now coming from Canada?

CF: Yes, that is correct. They are all now from Lapland or Canadian.

BF: Colonel Frisbie do you have any experience of such a problem? It sounds farfetched to me?

CYRIL FRISBIE: I'm awfully interested in this because I was involved in 1947. I moved to Winnipeg after the war and having been with British intelligence. I suppose the local constabulary in Winnipeg got on to me for this reason because they were faced with quite a similar problem. That is the buffalo robes or the buffalo coats worn by the constabulary they were spouting small horny-like semblances. You talk about shrinkage of the skin. This was an actual rejuvenation of the bone marrow cells that was still in the hide.

BF: And the fur would grow?

CYF: No problem with fur at all. But these small, well I should say, not small they started off this way. I mean the immediate solution was to excise them, but this ruined the entire coat and fell to pieces. And the problem was getting quite embarrassing for the chaps because some of these horns were about six or seven inches. So hats were pushed off an in 20 below weather in the middle of winter. So there were frostbitten ears and that sort of thing. It was a question of and electrolysis we used.

BF: On the budding horns?

CYF: Sometimes the best solution is the simplest. Of course, it's not always obvious. It removed the horn problem and took all the hair out of the robes. But the chaps were then able to wear them as light a trench coat — just the hide.

From April 1st of 1980 make-believe Major General Charles Finley of the Irish Guards from London and his entirely ersatz cohort, Colonel Cyril Frisby of Winnipeg with Barbara Frum. and just for the record, it would take approximately one hundred fifty five thousand five hundred ninety four standard issue ongoing Bearskin hats laid end to end to reach Reading from London, England. Reading! You didn't think we'd forgotten about Reading did you? True we don't refer to it that often these days. And although the As It Happens tradition of measuring the distance to Reading from various locales in the UK using various pertinent standards of measure does not stem from an April Fool’s joke. It does bring us to our next April Fools hustle from years past. Back in the early spring of 2004, some listeners began to remark on the notable absence of As It Happens host Barbara Budd. Well, her co-host Mary Lou Finley and the team waited until April 1st to publicly address the growing mystery. I wonder why?

MARY LOU FINELY: Barbara.

BARBRA BUDD: Mary Lou, how are you?

MLF: I'm fine. How are you?

BB: It’s so nice to talk to you on the phone. I listen to you every night.

MLF: More to the point, where are you? Because you know people have been asking. I mean they think OK, so you went away on March Break. But that's been over for weeks and you know all I've been able to tell them since is we haven't seen you.

BB: Where do you think any As It Happens girl would be when you called her?

MLF: Well you'd be in Reading of course.

BB: That's exactly where I am.

MLF: You’re not!

BB: I am so.

MLF: What are you doing in Reading?

BB: Well you know this and I think it's great that the audience is interested in finding out. But you know I`m on a Canada Council Grant and I'm traveling around to all the places… Redding, of course, is very special and actually doesn't fit quite into my proposal with the Canada Council. But what they gave me license to do was to go to a lot of the places where I mispronounced the name.

MLF: You never mispronounce a name.

BB: Yeah right.

MLF: There was Nyack, but you know?

BB: unfortunately, I have to end of my trip on Nyack. Because just before I went off on this, I called Nyack “Nack”. And it's really sort of like a Canadian goodwill thing you know. So I'm able to talk about it As It Happens because listeners hear it all over on the internet. So I started on the west coast and remember that time we did the interview about the whale songs?

MLF: Yeah.

BB: And I'm not from BC and I mispronounced Juan de Fuca.

MLF: What did you call it?

BB: Well I don't want to say it again. I'll just get into more trouble. But it was close to being very bad and I got letters from people upbraiding me for not knowing how to pronounce this. And so I you know I started out in Sydney, B.C. But then I had to go to Amarillo, Texas. now this was some time ago. Remember when we were actually interviewing the mayor of Amarillo, Texas. But I didn't know that and it wasn't really pertinent to the town and inadvertently the writer of the script had written Amorillock.

MLF: Had they? These things happen.

BB: I was handed it and you know just immediately read it. And I thought to myself I know there’s an Amarillo, Texas. I didn't know there was an Amorillock. So I read Amorillock and then everybody said why did you say Amorillock? And I said that that's what was written. Isn't it possible that there is also a town called Amorillock? But the people of Amarillo were very upset. So you know I stopped there too and the mayor of Amarillo was great. They had the Canadian flag. And, as a matter of fact, you know it's amazing how they love Canadians wherever I go. So anyway I was there and flew to New York and then out of New York I went to Redding and I'm here now, but I'm going on to Wales.

MLF: How do you get a Canada Council Grant to do this? I mean is it a sort of art thing? Are you going to put a CD when you're finished or weave the names into a tapestry or something?

BB: A quilt perhaps including the Welsh words. Remember that time that you know I had mispronounced the word gunnels, I read “gunwales”, which is so stupid. And there is a town in Wales called Gun Wales and it is spelled like Gun Wales, but I pronounced it gunnels. So I felt so foolish.

MLF: But nobody can pronounce any names in Wales except the Welsh. It's their revenge on the rest of the world.

BB: True enough. I'm just so I've never mispronounced the name Prague. I'd love to go to Prague, but I have no reason to.

MLF: Pray-gue

BB: Now you can get a Canada Council.

Barack Ridgeworth

[Sound A loud beep]

BARACK RIDGEWORTH: Hello, my name is Barack Ridgeworth. I'm about 50 kilometers west of Saskatoon. I've been a great fan of CBC for many decades as a fan of As It Happens for equally as many decades. But tonight I am just totally disillusioned and disappointed with Budd’s gloating over how she scored a Canada Council grant to visit many places around the world that she has mispronounced the name of. This smacks of similarity to our great Clarkson squandering our money around the world as well as the sponsorship support. I think you've got to be more responsible with the taxpayer’s money Ms. Budd. Please clean up your act. Bye bye.

Gary Vice

[Sound A loud beep]

GARY VICE: Gary Vice calling from High River, Alberta. I mispronounce names all the time, so I guess I should get a Canada Council Grant also. If there was ever a reason why we should disband the Canada Council only and severely restrict the funding the CBC gets.

Ken

[Sound A loud beep]

KEN: Hi, this is Ken calling from Vancouver. And I just want to say I'm really happy that Canada does things like this that they hand out grants for what many people in these days of fiscal conservatism would consider are very frivolous activities because well you know what? Why not!

Barbra Budd

[Sound A loud beep]

BBB: Well hello, it's Barbra Budd calling from Toronto. Yes I will come clean. I was an April Fool in March while showing my son around Sir Isaac Brock’s monument in Queenston Heights. I broke my leg in the snow. I am at home unable to be part of the show in any other way but to be a prankster on April Fools. Love your show. This was true by the way.

JD: Some of the talk back that followed former As It Happens host Barbara Budd's announcement on April Fool's Day 2004 that she had been awarded a Canada Council Grant to visit locations around the world whose names she had mispronounced. Now lest we start sounding too cozy with our own cleverness here I would like to return to the UK one more time where it seems not a few of our past pranks take place. From poutine to Barbra in Reading to hats worn by London guards. But this next prank is exceptional if only because it caught As It Happens completely off guard. Now you have to get up pretty early in the morning to pull one over on us. Actually, maybe not that early. Five hours, I guess that would be the difference between here and across the pond. As former As It Happens senior producer George Jamison recalled. Bernie Clark, a freelancer based in London, faked us out partly by timing the prank early. We ran an interview on March 31, 1976, about the windiest place in the UK. He described an island where sheep were known to be carried away by the wind. Well that was just the beginning, as you'll hear in this excerpt. There's even a passing reference to Reading. In hindsight, it should have been a dead giveaway. But as George admits, we were taken in completely. But we weren't alone. Maclean’s Magazine called to ask for the reporter's numbers so they could follow part of the story. All a croc, which Bernie and his conspirators in the CBC London bureau revealed to us on April 1st with much laughter. Here's part of Bernie Clarke's conversation with Barbara Frum.

BF: Barnard, I take it it's more than just breezy on this island.

BURNIE CLARK: Yes, I mean it really is windy. They have a gale force wind of eight, which is a very heavy gale force wind. One day it was 11 and by British standards this is the highest average wind anywhere in Britain. An average with a seventeen 17.04 knots of continuous wind. They have stories of sheep being blown away. They got two miles of rope along the coast so when you're walking you’ve got something to grip onto. You park your car with the front facing into the wind. Otherwise the car doors just fly off. There are all kinds of stories. The roof here are weighed down with boulders because they get blown off. They got a special kind of kilt —this island is really traditionally Scottish — That has kind of led round the bottom of the hem to keep the kilt from blowing up. It is and absolutely amazing place. It's not a large island, but it's a flat with just hills at one end. And they create a funnel effect so that the wind just comes right through it. It is really kind of nice, but very cold.

BF: Why do people stay?

BC: Well, I think it's traditional. Most of the people here are farmers. They sort of have about four or five cattle and maybe about 20 sheep. They grow potatoes and that kind of thing. The island had a population of about 3,000 some 20 years ago. Now it is 800, but they stay because their parents were brought up here. Yes. Now, of course, we're talking about this operation which is called “Operation Windfall” I think they're calling it in Whitehall. And it's led by an English professor and he’s been developing a sort of a special kind of horizontal windmill. Most windmills are vertical. They go vertically through the air. These are horizontal and they have been developed in a high priority area in Reading. They've got revolving tubes containing turbines in them. And the plan is to have several hundreds of these along the coast and connect them into a central grid. The power will go up to Glasgow and they're really talking and big things. If this works then they're going to have a multimillion dollar exercise that channels electricity into the industrial areas of Scotland.

JD: from March 31 of 1976, that was a London freelancer Bernie Clark hoodwinking As It Happens a day early with a story about an island so windy, people wore weights on the hem of their kilts to keep them from exposing their wedding tackle.

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March 31 episode transcript

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