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The AIH Transcript for February 20, 2018

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: “The most dangerous place on the planet”. That's how a doctor in Syria describes his hospital in eastern Ghouta, as bombs rained down on patients and caregivers alike.

JD: His word is his dishonor. A Newfoundland TV reporter says she hoped for more after a judge finds the man who yelled a sexist slur at her not guilty of disturbing the peace.

CO: Responsible adults. A Stoneman Douglas student says she won't let law makers forget the classmates she lost in last week's mass shooting. She's joining fellow students at the Florida state legislature to push for stronger gun control.

JD: Snow problem. A Hopi activist says snow itself is sacred to his desert tribe. So they're in court to stop a ski hill from turning treated sewage into snow on their traditional mountains.

CO: On a wing and a prayer. Hungry customers beat their breasts after poor poultry planning forces hundreds of KFC’s outlets in the UK to close their finger licking doors.

JD And light years. Our photo of a man smoking while curling goes viral. So we track him down to learn about the era when you could skip Team Canada to glory with a cigarette dangling between your lips.

JD: As It Happens the Tuesday edition. Radio with smoldering ambitions.

[Music: Theme]

Back To Top »

Part one: Eastern Ghouta, FHRITP reporter, Orest Meleschuk

Eastern Ghouta

Guest: Hamza Hassan

JD: Eastern Ghouta has faced shelling, chemical attacks, and starvation since the Syrian war began. But Monday marked a particularly horrible day in the Damascus suburb. Here is what it sounded like in one neighbourhood, moments after airstrikes hit. A warning: some listeners may find this disturbing.

SOUNDCLIP

[Sound: Much chaos]

JD: That audio comes from body camera footage taken by the Syria Civil Defence group — also known as the White Helmets. Syrian opposition activists and paramedics say that airstrikes and shelling have killed more than 200 people since Monday in rebel-held Eastern Ghouta. Syrian medical groups say at least 12 hospitals have been bombed in that time. Dr. Hamza Hassan lives in Eastern Ghouta. That is where we reached him.

CO: Dr. Hassan, this has been a very difficult few days in East Ghouta. Can you tell us the conditions there? What does it look like right now?

HAMZA HASSAN: Yes, these past two days in Ghouta was a very difficult situation. There is a massacre in East Ghouta. There is a genocide in East Ghouta

CO: It’s a massacre. You're saying a massacre.

HH: Massacre. Regime jets and Russian jets are hitting everything. Hitting the civilian buildings; hitting markets. Today and yesterday, targeted about 12 medical facilities in East Ghouta.

CO: You say that you're what you're seeing is that both Syrian and Russian military planes are attacking, and I guess they're also saying there have been helicopters with barrel bombs. This is a horrible weapon that you've not seen in Eastern Ghouta before. Have you seen the evidence of that as well?

HH: Yes, I see the helicopter from the regime forces drop bomb barrels on medical facilities. Today, I am in Erbin Hospital. A helicopter dropped about four bombs on our medical facility. Our medical facilities in Erbin stopped today. I and the patients, injured, and neighbourhood people trapped inside the hospital for five hours because the severe shelling on the hospital. The Russian jets and the regime jets tracked the ambulance to the hospital, and hitted the ambulance and the hospital.

CO: Good heavens. And you said you were stuck in Erbin Hospital for five hours. Are you still there now, Dr. Hassan?

HH: No, I came now in a safer place. The most dangerous place on the planet now is the medical facilities in East Ghouta.

CO: You believe that they are being targeted.

HH: Yes, yes, to make sure people in East Ghouta surrender. I believe the goal of this military operation to evacuate the civilian people from East Ghouta.

CO: But is it possible to evacuate? What we're hearing is that it's surrounded; it's difficult to go anywhere. The aid agencies are trying to bring in medical supplies or food. They're trying to help civilians. What can people actually do at this point to make themselves safe from these attacks?

HH: The people now are waiting. We have siege for more than five years.

CO: Under siege for five years. There's no end in sight; there’s no peace talks now that could end this. So how are people dealing with that, Dr. Hassan?

HH: I want to say that the situation is very bad. The people haven’t any possible way to escape — no way to escape now. We are waiting for death. We haven't any hope to survive.

CO: You say you're waiting for death. But what do you want to say to us — people in the international community, people outside of Syria?

HH: I want to say to the international community that history is repeated. Srebrenitsa massacre is repeated.

CO: Srebrenitsa in Bosnia.

HH: Yes, so I ask international community to save as a human being. Who will define the rights and justice and free life?

CO: When you mention Srebrenitsa in Bosnia, which was another massacre of 8,000 men and boys, and thousands of others who were injured and driven from there. The United Nations said that they had made a big mistake not stopping that massacre — that they would never do it again. That it was a crime — a war crime — and yet, today, the United Nations says they have no words. They have no words that will do justice to the children killed. They’ve run out of words.

HH: The United Nations must make an action to save these people inside Ghouta. These people are in dire need for help.

CO: Dr. Hassan, may I ask how are you doing? How is your family?

HH: That is a difficult question for me. I fear for them.

CO: You fear for them.

HH: I fear for them. I take them to some shelter cellar to be underground or to be in safe because I hate to see anyone of them in the hospital.

CO: Dr. Hassan, I'm so sorry for what you're going through. And I wish I could say something encouraging. I know you're very tired, and I admire your courage.

HH: Yes. Thank you. Thank you very, very much.

CO: Goodnight doctor.

HH: Goodnight for you.

JD: Hamza Hassan is a doctor in Erbin, in Eastern Ghouta. That is where we reached him.

[Music: Indie]

FHRITP reporter

Guest: Heather Gillis

JD: "F her right in the P." That's the closest we’re going to get to describing what was yelled at Heather Gillis — without saying something we shouldn't on the radio, nor any place quite frankly. Ms Gillis is a reporter with NTV in Newfoundland. She isn't the only woman, by far, who's been on the receiving end of this sexist insult. It's become a vulgar meme — or some kind of juvenile game — to yell that at female reporters on the job. The man who yelled it at Ms. Gillis was actually charged with disturbing the peace after the incident last year. But today, a judge in Newfoundland ruled that, while Justin Penton's behaviour was rude, it was not criminal. We reached Heather Gillis in St. John's.

CO: Heather, when you heard the judge dismissed your case, how did you react?

HEATHER GILLIS: Well, Carol, I was very disappointed. We just waited for the judge to head out a written decision, and that’s all we could really do.

CO: And what was his reasons? Tell us about what the judge had to say in dismissing Justin Penton?

HG: He was basically saying that the ordinary and customary use of the landfill area was not disturbed, so that there was no causing a disturbance. On the stand, I talked about the emotional disturbance that it caused having this yelled at me in front of the person who is now the mayor. So I found that pretty humiliating. And he basically said that an emotional disturbance isn’t a part of the charge. So it basically came down to a legal argument because Mr. Penton had admitted that he did yell the words and the obscenity at me.

CO: I want to ask you what happened, and to go through that. But just for people if they don't recall this is really a disgusting and disturbing trend we've seen in other places. Women who are journalists — television reporters — out on the street, they're doing something, someone drives by, and they say the words — I’ll just sort of vaguely say them: “F her right in the P”. But this is something that has happened to a lot of reporters. What happened to you on that day?

HG: Well on that day, I had lined up an interview with Danny Breen, who was a Ward One city councilor at the time; now he's the mayor after the election in September. We were talking about an issue at the landfill in St. John's. So that's where we set up. And we’re highly visible because we have a camera and a tripod. I had just finished my interview with Mr. Breen, and a truck drove by, and we heard “F her in the P”, yelled at both of us. And it kind of just derailed my whole day, and the whole interview with Mr. Breen. Although that we were done, you know I mean we completely changed topics. Mr. Breen was like you know that guy has to come out of there, right? There’s one way in, and there’s one way out. So I got a picture of this truck, and I put it on Twitter, and I'm shocked that it exploded in the way that it did. So it had quite an impact I think.

CO: But you didn't call the police yourself. It was the police who called you, right?

HG: Well, I put it on Twitter, and the police responded on Twitter saying being a loser in a criminal code offence, but section I think it's 175 I believe under the criminal code call us if you'd like to make a complaint. And at this point in my career, I had this phrase yelled at me a number of times, so I was like yeah, maybe it is time to file a complaint. So I called the police, and I filed a complaint, and they ran the guy’s plates, and they found him, he admitted to it, and they charged him.

CO: He apologized, right?

HG: He apologized to the officer, not to me directly because I think when he was charged; he had a no contact order, so he was not able to contact me directly.

CO: Now, he said that he admitted he had done it — he had said that to you — yelled it out. He apologized to the police. Then he pleaded not guilty when he was in court. What was his defense?

HG: I know. I wasn't there that day, but I was quite shocked to hear that he had pled not guilty. During the trial, his lawyer was basically said that this isn't much of a disturbance. He's kind of suffered enough already by being dragged through the media and social media. And she argued that there was no disturbance because the ordinary and customary use of the landfill wasn't impacted because it was only Mr. Breen and I there because that day the landfill was closed; it was a Monday I believe.

CO: But it interrupted your work, right? You say you were finished the interview, but this was something you were finishing up with some questions. That wasn't a disturbance of your piece?

HG: I feel like it was. When I usually finish my interviews, I like to talk to people to make sure I've got the gist of it. And then I put that tweet out there, and my phone exploded. So it kind of did derail my whole day. And then, of course, I wasn't really paying as much attention to my story as I should of.

CO: You said at the time when you were in the court; you said that you felt humiliated and embarrassed and disgusted. What response to the judge have to that?

HG: I don't really think he had much of a response. I haven't read his written decision yet; I'm going to do that tomorrow. I just kind of want to leave it for today. But I couldn't really tell.

CO: This practice — this business — of yelling this at female reporters on the street. We saw the first cases of them I think a few years ago. Some guys have lost their jobs because a lot of them end up on video. They're actually doing this with the cameras rolling when they're doing that. And some of them have had serious consequences for their jobs. Did anything happen with Justin Penton that you know?

HG: Not that I'm aware of. It just didn't work out in my favour. And really, Carol, this is not about me. This is about all of us. And I was really hoping for the court to send a message that this isn't OK and that it won't be tolerated. But the judge did say that in this case, it's not causing a disturbance, but it may be in other cases. So I guess this will just have to be a case-by-case basis I suppose for the courts.

CO: And do you think in the meantime that it’s going to continue — that you're going to have this hurled at you again?

HG: Absolutely, it’s already been yelled at me I think twice since this original incident. And I'm really worried that this is going to continue to be yelled at reporters across the country, and I feel really not responsible for that, but I just wish that this case had had a better outcome, so that we could have I guess some recourse. Just a chilling effect, you know?

CO: The women who say this happens, they're in the middle of doing their pieces to camera, they're on camera, they're speaking on lives whatever, and they have spoken about how profoundly humiliating it is, and disturbing and distracting it is. What would send a message to these jerks to stop yelling this?

HG: The judge finding someone guilty I suppose. Or find a charge that fits because this today was also kind about the charge, so I guess that.

CO: All right. Well, we'll see if anybody else takes it as far as you are. Maybe something will come of it. And, Heather, I appreciate speaking with you. Thank you.

HG: Thank you for your time, Carol.

CO: Who’s your friend there?

HG: That’s Marty.

CO: OK, Hi Marty. Little cameo role for your dog.

HG: Yes, yes.

CO: Thanks so much Heather.

HG: Thank you.

JD: Heather Gillis is a reporter with NTV . We reached her — and Marty — in St. John's.

[Music: Ambient electronic]

Orest Meleschuk

Guest: Orest Meleschuk

JD: If you've caught any Olympic curling this week, you'll have seen displays of athleticism, strategy, and high emotion. What you will not have seen are any of the competitors puffing on a smoke, or nailing a beer between ends. But if you watched international-level curling in the 1970's, the sport looked so very different. Yesterday, we shared a photograph on Twitter of an infamous match-up between the Canadian national team and the U.S in the 1972 Silver Broom. And in that photograph, you can see Canadian skip Orest Meleschuk expertly throwing a rock in competition. And, if you look closely, you can see Canadian skip Orest Meleschuk expertly balancing a cigarette between his lips as he slides down the ice. We reached Orest Meleschuk in Selkirk, Manitoba.

CO: Orest, are we seeing this right in this video? Are you actually smoking a cigarette while you're curling?

OREST MELESCHUK: Smoking. That was quite calm common then. A lot of curlers smoked; ashtrays on the boards at the pack of the ends — ashtrays all over the place.

CO: Yeah, but that's at the ends. That's when you're not on the ice. When you actually when you're actually heaving the rock, you're going to be puffing on a cigarette in the 70s?

OM: Well you know if it sits in an ashtray, it's going to burn out. I was quite frugal in those days; I didn't want to waste it. Some smoked when they were throwing, some didn't, and that’s the way it was.

CO: Are you still a smoker?

OM: No, I quit after a year because I was watching a few films, and I thought it was so disgusting that I thought I’d better quit.

CO: So you thought it was disgusting when you saw yourself smoking?

OM: Yeah, I was a little bit embarrassed actually too and disgusted about it.

CO: We've had so many people since we posted the picture of you throwing the rock in that in that contest. We've had so many people tell us their memories of that time, and smoking, and the ashtrays, and drinking beer, smoking and joking, and it was a complete culture of that nature. That was what curling was like, right?

OM: Well, it wasn't so much drinking beers as mostly whiskey.

CO: Canadian Club, right?

OM: Well, whatever. Probably the cheapest whiskey you could find. You usually drank it straight or with water.

CO: Well, you were hardcore.

OM: Yup, you got it.

CO: You know the other part of the story is, of course, that match itself —what we're seeing in there. Because that was an infamous moment in curling history, wasn't it? What happened there: you were up against the United States, the Canadian team had done very well. And what happened in that end? Tell us what happened in that last stretch?

OM: We needed two at least to tie, and, of course, three to win. And as the game progressed, we were having difficulty finding places to place the rock. And he came alone with his last rock and made a double, and rolled for shot rock. I had to come around the partial cover and hit and stick. As the rock was coming down, it looked good and no problem; we were sweeping. It hit, and it started rolling, and it was rolling into a situation where it might not be shot rock, it might be third shot. So anyway, long story short, it hit and rolled, and it came to a stop. Before my third, Dave had a chance to even look at it to see who is shot rock because it was pretty close, the American Skip came off the back boards. But as he was coming off onto the boards onto the ice, he slipped and fell. As the film shows — I didn't see it myself — but as the film shows, he moved the rock.

CO: You're talking about Bob LaBonte, the U.S. guy. He's celebrating; you see in the video he's cheering, he slips, he lands on his back.

OM: Well, he got a signal from the back. So he came off the backboard onto the ice and slipped and fell, and the bottom of his heel caught the rock as the film shows and moved it about a foot, six inches, whatever.

CO: So then you played another end, is that right?

OM: Well, then they measured, and we were shot rock. And that tied the game, and we went to an extra end.

CO: And then you won?

OM: And we won the extra end, yeah. But nobody sees those shots.

CO: This is curling history. How do you think Bob LaBonte felt about that — the American skip who fell on his back celebrating and moved the rock?

OM: They were pretty young; they were pretty novice curlers.

CO: The other thing people who have been looking… because everyone's getting really nostalgic looking at this video. And the brooms, of course, those are what the brooms look like too; not the things they use now. And the sound of that clack, clack, clack that you have in the brooms in those days. Quite different, eh?

OM: It was very different. And in those days, a lot of the curlers are farmers, and they're in pretty good shape. I don't think any of the brushes now could flop that broom around from one end to the other for 12 end, which you used to play 12 end. You know you ended up a game with just blisters all over your hands.

CO: Are you watching the curling on TV?

OM: I watched bits and pieces here and there. I don’t sit there and watch whole games.

CO: What do you think of it?

OM: Well, there's a lot of good shot-making there. The conditions are so much different than they used to be. The chaff from the straw of the brooms was all over the ice, so you had to be very careful.

CO: Wait a second here, Orest, there is cigarette ashes all over the ice too!

OM: Well, that's why we used to have burnt rocks because of the hot ashes.

CO: Well, Orest, you're playing the video, and your efforts to win and your success brought back a lot of memories for people. So thanks for that.

OM: Oh, well you're welcome.

CO: It's good to talk to you.

OM: Yeah, nice talking to you.

CO: Bye Orest

OM: Okay. Bye bye.

JD: We reached former Team Canada curler Orest Meleschuk in Selkirk, Manitoba. You can see that video that Carol and he mentioned in there, and some other photographs of curling back in the heady days of the 1970's, on our website: www.cbc.ca/aih.

Back To Top »

Part two: Florida: Student protester, sewage snow

Florida: Student protester

Guest: Lorena Sanabria

JD: Another funeral was held today for one of the victims of the mass shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. But the teenagers who survived last week's massacre are not simply grieving. They are taking action. This afternoon, dozens of them boarded buses to Tallahassee to meet with politicians, and push them to make change. Lorena Sanabria is one of them. We reached her on her way to Tallahassee.

CO: Lorena, what is the mood on this bus as you head to Tallahassee?

LORENA SANBRIA: Well, after last week's tragedy, you know it's been a very grieving mood. Losing 17 of our own you, know it impacted us. But right now, in this moment, I think most of us feel empowered, and we feel encouraged to bring justice for them.

CO: And what do you think you can do? You're going to meet with politicians tomorrow. What do you want them to understand about what you and the others went through? What your school went through, what young people are going through when you have shootings like this in your schools?

LS: I want them to understand that this cannot keep happening — that we cannot keep losing innocent lives thanks to them for not changing the gun policies and other things. Since the year 2000, we had over 200 school shootings, and I don't think there should be another one.

CO: But what could you possibly say to convince them to change the laws? You’re in the state of Florida, which has — even after the Pulse Nightclub killing — they asked for expanded rights to have guns to carry. And they're talking about having concealed carry weapons for teachers. This is not a state that's easy to persuade in this direction.

LS: Well, with the whole argument about giving teachers guns, we cannot fight violence with more violence. I think enough is enough, and we're not going to stop until they hear us. We're not going to keep quiet. We're not going to let this pass on as a memory. We're not going to forget about this. And we're definitely not forgetting about the previous shootings you know anywhere, at Columbine, at Sandy Hook. We're not we're not just fighting for MSD shooting; we're fighting for the other school shootings, and other shootings and other places that have happened.

CO: I don't want to discourage you. I know what you're doing is very important. But even as you have been on this bus, the Florida House legislature has just voted to defeat a motion to consider a ban on assault weapons. They voted against it 71 to 36. That's happened today, while you've been on this bus, traveling to Tallahassee. They seem to be already disposed to say no; they will not consider a ban on assault rifles or large capacity magazines.

LS: To be completely honest, you know we're expecting a lot of backlash. We're expecting a lot of opposition. But even though they might say no to us, we're not going to stop. Because once you've been in the massacre, you know it's extremely hard to just move on. And we understand that n the Constitution there is an amendment that allows them to have guns. But we're not asking for a radical change. We're asking for us to feel secure at school. Where we shouldn't be afraid to go to school; we shouldn't be afraid to get an education. So we simply ask to get a gun — to get a hold of a gun — is much more difficult than it is. Even if they keep saying no, there's going to be more school shootings and there's going to be more opposition. And eventually, I believe that will be changed.

CO: I don't know who you're going to meet when you're at the legislature, but there was one politician who has said — this is Republican Senator Dennis Baxley — I don't know if you meeting him. But this is what he had to say to gun control advocates, he says: “I really don't want to see this politicized into a gun debate.” Meaning the massacre in your school. “Sometimes, I wish they were right that this would fix it, but it won't. We have a terrible problem with obesity, but we're not banning forks and spoons.” What do you say to Senator Baxley?

LS: No, you can't compare something like that to this. I mean this has a psychological effect on us. And not just us, but you know all the families. And we should not be afraid to get an education. We shouldn't be having thoughts like this that we might have a school shooting today. So us as teenagers, we're assuming the roles of the adults, we’re asking for a change, we're literally being the adults in this situation. And I don't think that’s what we should be doing. In fact, we shouldn't even be here; we shouldn't be on the bus, we should be in school right now, we should be getting an education.

CO: But you're on this bus because you think you've got something larger to do right now?

LS: I think we are here to stand for those 17 families that have had their families torn apart. We owe it to them to fight for this. We owe it to them because it's not fair that their families were torn apart because this man had the chance to buy a rifle so easily and so available.

CO: How old were you when the Sandy Hook massacre happened?

LS: I’m sorry, what year was that?

CO: It was 2012.

LS: 2012, I was 11.

CO: So you were just a little kid. Could you ever imagine that when that was happening I'm sure it affected a lot of kids who watched that? That you would be standing up for those kids after a massacre in your own school?

LS: I remember so clearly that we were having moments of silence, we were writing letters and cards, and just little notes for them to you know liven their spirits. And the fact that seven years later, I have to go to our capital and talk to them straight it’s just something I still can't wrap my head around.

CO: I've heard before in other shootings that the strategy of the NRA — the National Rifle Association — their strategy is to just be quiet, just don't say anything for ten days — a couple of weeks — then everyone will forget, and life will go on as it always has. Do you think that's what's going to happen after the massacre at your school?

LS: Unfortunately, this year, a school shooting or just a shooting, in general, has become so normal, and that's what we've become. You know I think that that's another reason why we're here; that's another reason to fight for it. Because the fact that it's getting to a normal thing, that should be raising a red flag in us; that should be raising warnings in us because so many lives are going to keep being lost to this. The survivors will keep uniting together. And if there are more shootings, we will unite together until eventually, something is changed.

CO: Lorena, I know you've got a few more miles to go, so it to carry on with your journey on the bus. And I appreciate speaking with you. Thank you.

LS: Thank you so much.

CO: Bye bye.

LS: Bye.

JD: Lorena Sanabria is a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. We reached her on a bus on her way to Tallahassee to meet with state politicians.

[Music: Ambient]

Ping-pong concert

JD: Two US table tennis champions will be taking centre stage with the New York Philharmonic tonight. They're performing in the North American premiere of 'Ricochet' — a ping-pong concerto. The athletes will be separated from the musicians by a high net. It's meant to protect the tuba and, one would presume, other instruments from swallowing up flying balls. And the balls will be flying. The score calls for dozens of them to be fired back-and-forth across a regulation table tennis table. But the paddles, however, that the players will be using won't all be reg-issue. They will also switch to smashing down balls with wine glasses, and beating bad angles with drums. Now, if you're finding this a bit hard to imagine, we've a recording made by the New York Times. This is the New York Philharmonic and U.S. table tennis champs Ariel Sing and Michael Landers.

SOUNDCLIP

[Music: A concerto]

JD: Bravo. Our sound of the day — U.S. table tennis champions Ariel Sing and Michael Landers accompanied by the New York Philharmonic with a performance of Andy Akiho's 'Ricochet', the ping-pong concerto.

[Music: Instrumental]

Sewage snow

Guest: Ed Kabotie

JD: A U.S. appeals court has told the Hopi tribal nation that it can proceed with its bid to block a local ski hill from making artificial snow. The Arizona Snowbowl resort has been using reclaimed wastewater from nearby Flagstaff to spray the San Franciscan mountains with artificial snow. The resort says without the fake snow, the conditions of the Arizona desert would shut them down. But both the mountains and the snow itself are important in the Hopi’s system of beliefs. Ed Kabotie is a Hopi artist and activist. We reached him in Flagstaff.

CO: Mr. Kabotie, why is snow so important to you?

ED KABOTIE: In our culture, we have a saying which means water is life. Or we have a proverb that says with one raindrop; the entire universe is renewed. We are a desert culture, so our ancestors have lived on this land for centuries you know learning to live within the cycle of the sun and the moon, and the water cycles in a desert landscape. We're also farming people, we don't have irrigation systems, so we're dry farmers dependent upon the answers for our prayers for rain and moisture. So, therefore, water is essential to our lives.

CO: Do you think you could possibly ever persuade the City of Flagstaff to shut down that operation?

EK: The lawsuit is not against the Snowbowl. The lawsuit is actually against the City for maintaining a public nuisance by selling reclaimed water to the Snowbowl. But recently, the City of Flagstaff has made a resolution to oppose uranium mining in the Grand Canyon area. The only operating mine in the state of Arizona currently threatens the water supply of the Havasupai people who live in the canyon. There's been a recent proposal to haul radioactive waste from the Havasupai, through the city of Flagstaff, and then through the impoverished communities of the Navajo, and then up to the White Mesa Mill, which is the only existing mill in the United States. And that's also threatening the water systems of the Mountain Ute people. The city council recently took a trip down into Havasupai and adopted a resolution to oppose uranium mining. And my hope is that this conscious awareness that is taking place among the council will also prompt through the lawsuit a better reaction to what's taken place already.

CO: We will be watching. Mr. Kabotie, thank you.

EK: Thank you so much.

JD: Ed Kabotie is a member of the Hopi tribal nation. We reached him in Flagstaff, Arizona.

[Music: Ambient]

UK KFC

JD: If you've ever eaten at KFC, there's a high probability that you ordered something involving chicken. Maybe it was popcorn chicken, perhaps some chicken strips, perhaps you went old school and got fried chicken. No matter what form though, chicken is kind of Kentucky Fried Chicken's thing. But in the UK, hundreds of KFC locations have been forced to close their doors because they've run out of that thing. In a statement, KFC said, quote, "We've brought a new delivery partner on board, but they've had a couple of teething problems getting fresh chicken out to 900 restaurants across the country is pretty complex." Unquote. According to The Guardian, the problems reached a peak on Sunday night. That's when 646 of those 900 locations had to close. Some of those stores have opened again. But in The Independent today, a spokesperson for the company said that disruptions at some locations will "continue over the remainder of the week." And so people have, as we do, taken to social media to react, including one YouTube user known as The BIGPAC, here's some of what The BIGPAC live-streamed outside a KFC after finding several locations closed.

SOUNDCLIP

BIGPAC: What is happening? It’s your boy, BIGPAC. So we are live and direct at KFC. And you are seeing it is closed. So little be known that KFC is not open today. We all love a bit of KFC. I cannot believe KFC, so we're going to have to hit a McDonald’s. This is what BIGPAC Missing out on. He's missing out on them southern bites boneless feast. Oh my god! Look at them. Oh my God. Looking at me is wounding out. Like, literally I am proper wounded that no KFC is open. Not one though — I’m talking not one KFC is literally open.

JD: YouTuber BIGPAC.

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Part three: Attenborough rave, worst subway commute, Garbage Mountain

Attenborough rave

Guest: Louis Jadwat

JD: Sir David Attenboroug's voice is pretty much impossible to mistake. The UK broadcaster and naturalist has lent his voice to some of the most awe-inspiring nature documentaries of the last 40 years. But now, Sir David's voice is being used to inspire something else. A UK-based event planning company has created what they're calling 'Jungle Boogie nights'. They're raves dedicated to Sir David Attenborough. And here's how they sound:

SOUNDCLIP

[Sound: techno music with Sir David Attenborough clips]

JD: That was a bit of a David Attenborough mash up from DJ, Afterparty Musik. David Attenborough's Jungle Boogie nights are work of a company called Good Life. Louis Jadwat is one of Good Life's founders. We reached him in London.

CO: Louis, we just heard a music mix with David Attenborough's voice talking about penguins, and with the dance beat. So how do people react when they hear this?

LOUIS JADWAT: There's this sense of euphoria really when you hear his kind of dulcet tones over a house or a disco track. It's kind of that familiar voice from the programs that there isn't really a voice that's comparable. I mean every time we kind of cut the vocals into tracks, the crowd goes wild.

CO: I can't think of two things less alike than house music and David Attenborough's nature documentaries. How did you think to put them together?

LJ: Well, myself and my partner Will were at Leeds University, where we started our own events night called Good Life. And while we were there, we experienced how much people loved David Attenborough, Planet Earth, Blue Planet 1 was incredible. And, obviously, we had experience in putting on events. We thought why not tie the two together? He’s actually got a huge following amongst students and the 18-25 demographic. And to be honest, I think people are looking for something a bit different in a night out these days, and the reaction has been incredible.

CO: Why is David Attenborough so popular with that young generation? He’s been around for decades. I think he's in his 90s now. What is it about him that still has that appeal for young folks?

LJ: I think it's just incredible how he's been able to kind of keep the youth engaged with nature and what's going on in the world. I mean every week, people were looking forward to watching Blue Planet on a Sunday. It’s kind of that perfect Sunday watching. And I think he has a special appeal, despite the fact that, obviously, you know he's been on TV a long time before all these people were watching. He's kind of a timeless figure. He's a national treasure here in the UK certainly.

CO: You're not just running a voice track into the beat of the music; you're actually creating a whole event around it. Can you describe these events?

LJ: So we will we will choose a venue across the UK, and we'll bring a production team in to transform it into kind of a rainforest. So we're bringing in artificial vines, cameo netting, trees, so the theme Jungle Boogie is reflected in the way it looks. And alongside, obviously, house and disco, we have live cut-outs of David Attenborough for like a semi meet-and-greet, masks with his face on it, it’s a whole experience for the guests.

CO: So these are like raves?

LJ: Yeah, I mean they are kind of ranging from 600-1,000 people across the UK. And yeah, we’ll choose a club, and go in and transform it into a rainforest, and pick local deejays to play at the night.

CO: Were you surprised to see how well this took off — this idea? Did you think it was going to be so hugely successful?

LJ: I was very surprised to see how far it's going, to be honest. We had the phone not stop ringing the last few days. And after we launched the first one, everyone was like this is a great idea. But it has gone completely viral, and I'm really happy with how it’s gone. And it's amazing to see how much appeal Sir David has to the public.

CO: Have you had any contact with David Attenborough himself?

LJ: Not directly. We spoke to the charity World Land Trust today. Who are not speaking on his behalf, but kind of representing that side of his view. And yeah, it was great. They were really happy with what we were doing, and we were happy to work alongside them. We haven’t had any direct contact from him himself, but the BBC have been in touch several times about running stories on it. So it seems like everyone's supporting it.

CO: Has he responded or as he passed on his thoughts about your Jungle Boogie?

LJ: No, we're still awaiting to hear from him directly. I’d love to hear from him; he’s one of my idols. And I'm sure he'd support the cause. It just shows how much of an impact he’s had on youth culture. And it's great to be able to give something back to something that he represents to.

CO: And what do you think? What impact has he had on youth culture, besides people being fascinated with watching it? How has it affected young people and the way they see nature?

LJ: He's able to kind of bring nature to life. Some of the some of the camerawork in his shows is incredible. I mean I've seen it improve throughout the years. And he’s able to engage young people who otherwise probably wouldn't watch nature documentaries. They're very informative, and you know they’re points of discussion throughout the week. It’s great that he’s able to do that. And it's become a point of interest to the youth.

CO: And some of the proceeds from your events go to his foundation, is that right?

LJ: Yeah, to the World Land Trust. As I said, we spoke to them today. And we will be donating a portion of the proceeds from all the evens at the end to that cause. And it is a really important cause. Obviously, there’s been a lot in the news about Sir David and plastic. And, obviously, the environment is an issue that we all need to act where possible, so it’s great to be able to give something back through these events.

CO: All right. We'll leave it there. Louis, it sounds like a lot of fun. Thank you.

LJ: Thanks a lot.

JD: Louis Jadwat is one of the founders of Good Life, that's the company behind David Attenborough’s Jungle Boogie. We reached Mr. Jadwat in London, UK.

[Music: Rock]

Worst subway commute

Guest: Jennifer Tang

JD: Jennifer Tang has just won an award. And it's an award you might think you deserve if you live in a city with a struggling subway system, and frequently find yourself struggling with delays. But after you hear Ms. Tang's story, you'll probably understand why the New York public transit Riders Alliance has chosen her as the first-ever recipient of the "Worst Commute of the Week" award. We reached Jennifer Tang in the Bronx.

CO: Jennifer, how does it feel to win this particular award?

JENNIFER TANG: I feel excited that I have the opportunity to be heard. At the same time, you know I'm shocked that my commute was considered the worst.

CO: Just describe your horrible experience — what happened?

JT: I was in Manhattan you know and I and I actually you know felt like I needed to use the bathroom, but I said to myself it can wait. I mean like my commute wasn't going to take that long. I got on the train innocently thinking all this. And that and the train actually moved fairly smoothly until it was you know in Queens at Roosevelt Avenue, and then it started slowing down. And then it picked up a little bit, but then I was about five minutes away from my stop, which is at 67th Avenue, and it stopped again at 63rd Drive — the stop just before it. And they said oh, we have some you know signal problems, and you know some issues; we’ll be moving shortly. And then it continued to move, but then it got stuck in the tunnel. It left 63^rd Drive; I was five minutes away from my stop, and it just went dead. And the conductor periodically said you know there’s signal problem. But I found out there was a power outage, as it turns out. So I was sitting there trying not to think about having to use a bathroom. Ten minutes go by, then 20 minutes, then you know 40 minutes, and then an hour. At which I managed to text my husband. And I said oh my God, I thought I was almost home and you know, and I can't get out of here. And then it became an-hour-and-20-minutes, and then an hour-and-50-minutes. And by this time, I felt like I want to you know crawl up the ceiling; I was crawling walls. And other people in the car were suffering along with me; everybody was complaining and cursing. But I was just jittery because I needed to go to the bathroom.

CO: Was it a crowded train?

JT: No, it was a weekend, so it wasn't as crowded as it would be at rush hour on a weekday. But you know everyone had a seat more-or-less; it wasn't too crowded. But you know everybody was antsy just like me. And I started feeling panicky. I was like am I going to be trapped here forever? And then you know an-hour-and-50-minutes, and then finally, the train started moving. I can tell you I wasn't the only one shaking when I left that subway car. I couldn't believe a five-minute commute became two hours. I stumbled home, I ran home because I had to relieve myself, I saw my husband, I just burst into tears when I saw him, and I could barely speak. It was like post-traumatic stress or something. You know I was shaking.

CO: Did you make it? I hate to ask you that.

JT: Yes, I did.

CO: This advocacy group — Riders Alliance — that's giving you this award, wich is looking for the “Worst Commute of the Week”. And people have sent in stories. Were there others who could say that — besides the bathroom part, which is another problem in itself, but others were stuck in tunnels for two hours?

JT: I mean I've heard stories of other people like mine — being stuck in two hours. I mean it sounds incredible, but is it any anything's possible with the MTA as far as I'm concerned. You know I mean I've had other instances where I was between you know Roosevelt Avenue and Forest Hills, and you know what should have been a ten-minute ride became half-an-hour. But this was unacceptable. This was so traumatic for me because I you know it was beyond my imagination.

CO: Now the whole point I guess of this giving this “Worst Commute of the Week” and giving it a lot of publicity is to try and shame the City into fixing the transit system. So what has to be done? It sounds like you need a lot?

JT: Yes, I can tell you there’s a delay almost every day now. It used to be now and then, but they keep things signal problems. And yet, nobody seems to be working on the so-called “signal problems”. They spent all this money on kiosks that are supposed to be you know like a giant cell phone with you know updates about when the train’s going to arrive and things like that. All these fancy doodads, but they really have to focus on fixing the tracks. And also, you know you know putting in place more emergency measures. And they need to you know provide funding because our infrastructure is crumbling. And the stress it takes and the toll it takes on the health of every New Yorker. It's you know it's unimaginable.

CO: Did you get a prize or anything for winning this award?

JT: I got a chocolate Metro card, which is not bad. I only wish it had been dipped in alcohol. I like chocolate you know, but I guess I'd rather just have a stress-free subway ride.

CO: Maybe you can carry that with you as an emergency food supply if you get stuck in a tunnel. You can keep the other commuters alive while they wait for to be rescued.

JT: Yeah, well definitely something sweet is nice — some form of candy or some consolation. I was joking with a friend that you know it too bad they don't have a club car on the subways. You know like people can retreat there and have a drink.

CO: Then they would definitely need a bathroom.

JT: Oh yes!

CO: And that would have solved your problem.

JT: Yes, that would have solved my problem.

CO: Jennifer, thanks for speaking with us.

JT: All right. Thank you.

CO: Bye.

JT: Bye.

JD: Jennifer Tang is a librarian who has been given the “Worst Commute of the Week Award” by the Public Transit Riders Alliance. We reached Ms. Tang in the Bronx.

[Music: Guitar]

BC Attorney General

JD: Last year alone, 11-hundred British Columbians died from fentanyl overdoses. And for many years, Chinese buyers have been snapping up million-dollar condos in British Columbia. Last week, those two West Coast stories collided, in an investigation by the Globe and Mail's Kathy Tomlinson. According to the paper, fentanyl dealers are allegedly hiding cash, by granting loans and mortgages to wealthy Chinese newcomers. The borrowers own property in British Columbia, but can't move their money out of China, and want cash in hand. The Globe's report suggested tens of millions of dollars has been laundered this way. Over the weekend, B.C. Attorney General David Eby said that the government will work to close all the loopholes that this money-laundering possible. And Mr. Eby told Stephen Quinn, the host of Vancouver's "Early Edition", that he's disturbed by the allegations.

SOUNDCLIP

DAID EBY: It’s incredibly disturbing. I mean this is very sophisticated. You know it's like level-five money laundering, allegedly, using builder’s leans to transfer loans of cash.

STEPHEN QUINN: And how could these debt disputes for so much money involving that same circle of private lenders how could that not raise flags when they kept coming through the courts?

DE: Well, there are two pieces to that, Stephen. One is obviously in British Columbia, the infrastructure for detecting, preventing, and prosecuting money laundering has been woefully deficient. The province has been banking on garbage transactions that in our casino if I can use that language, where someone shows up with a duffel bag full of 20 dollar bills. And frankly, in my opinion, turning a blind eye to the implications of where that cash is coming from. And when they turned a blind eye that meant that they didn't respond to it. They didn't develop the infrastructure we needed to detect, prevent, and prosecute money laundering within the province. I will note that there are police investigations underway. And I don't know because the separation between the attorney general's office, obviously, and the activities of the police. I don't know what stage those investigations are at, so I can't comment about any particular police investigations related to this. But I do know that the police are engaged, and I am confident they're going to be able to do this. But we can't always rely on the police to detect this early on. They're dealing with gang violence; they’re dealing with various types of disorder and violence in our community. And so we do need that infrastructure within the provincial government and the federal government — our partners — to be able to deal with this, and we've actually been having meetings over the last several months with the federal government trying to enhance our ability to detect this before we get to it showing up on the front page of the Globe and Mail. So you know you start pulling on a small string, and it leads you to an entire sweater. And I really am concerned that what Ms. Tomlinson uncovered here in terms of the type of loan activity and registered loans against title may just be the beginning of a much larger piece.

JD: That was the attorney general of British Columbia David Eby, speaking with Stephen Quinn on CBC Vancouver's “The Early Edition”.

[Music: World music]

Garbage Mountain

Guest: Jose Tembe

JD: It is a pile of garbage that stands almost 15 metres high. Normally, it provides sustenance to the people who live nearby in Mozambique's capital of Maputo. But now, it has collapsed under heavy rains killing at least 17 people. Jose Tembe is a correspondent for the BBC. We reached him in Maputo.

CO: Jose, we've learned that 17 people at least have been killed in the collapse of this enormous garbage dump. What are they doing to recover bodies at this point?

JOSE TEMBE: Firefighters are still trying to dig into the rubble to see whether more bodies can be recovered. And the government promised the rescue efforts will continue at the rubbish dump until all survivors and missing people are accounted for.

CO: How many people do they believe were living in and around that dump before it collapsed?

JT: Well, they haven't advanced any number. But local residents think that the number of those who were recovered dead is smaller than the number of people who used to live there.

CO: And these were people who had no place else to go; they were living there in some kind of housing they made for themselves, is that right?

JT: Yeah, that’s true. Well, there are two groups. One group is of residents who actually built their houses in the vicinity. But several of the houses collapsed. The other group is of the street people who had nowhere to stay, had no way of survival, and they found the rubbish dump as a source of survival. So they made they made some makeshift camps to live there, and run behind trucks that carry garbage.

CO: This is the garbage that came from people in Maputo. We understand that the dump — the pile — was almost 50 feet high. Can you describe what it looked like before it collapsed?

JT: Well, it was just like a mountain because the dump itself is full. And the government has always promised to move it to a new location, but it never did.

CO: And the rain is the big factor here, isn't it? Can you describe how the garbage mountain collapsed — why it collapsed?

JT: It collapsed because the rainfall was too heavy. It wanted a way out; it wanted to go away from one place to another. So in each attempt to find a pathway, it moved away some of the garbage, and the garbage fell over the makeshift camp.

CO: What kind of rain are you getting these days?

JT: These past two weeks, and over the past three days, it’s raining heavily in the capital, Maputo. Now I'm talking to you it's raining.

CO: All that rain is finally just washed this pile of garbage down over those people who were living there.

JT: Yes. In fact, the government decided to move all the families living close to the area to make sure that they don't become the next victim of the current rainfall. And they are staying in a temporary shelter not far away from the garbage dump, awaiting to be given some plots to build in a safer ground.

CO: People have been given plots before, but they returned to the garbage dump. Why is that?

JT: Well, you know many people, particularly from the rural area, enjoy living near or inside the city. They want to be inside the city or close to the rubbish dump. It’s a source of their survival.

CO: They get food, they get things to sell, they get things to help them live from the garbage dump, is that the case?

JT: Yes, because this is the main garbage dump that we have in the city. Many of the supermarkets dump their outdated goods like sardines and meat. That’s one of the reasons why they don't want to be far away.

CO: You say a lot of children are there. Are they on their own; are they orphaned children, or are they with families, or are what?

JT: Most of them are street people; not necessarily all of them are orphans. Some of them travel all the way from the countryside and they don't have relatives here. Or they live with step-parents that mistreat them, and they decide to liv in the street. And some of them resort to going and living in the garbage dump.

CO: What do you think that the government will do now? Will they try to prevent people from living in that garbage dump after this horrible recovery is finished? After they've finished trying to find survivors or people buried in the rubble?

JT: Yes, I think one of the measures that will be maybe deploy some security people to prevent people from going there. Or, in fact, close the rubbish dump completely and they find a new place. But I think these poor guys are likely to go and stay in the new rubbish dump because you know they don't have any other form of survival. They cannot live without relying on what is dumped.

CO: Jose, it's a terribly sad story. I appreciate you giving us the details tonight. Thank you.

JT: You're welcome. Cheerio.

CO: Bye bye.

JD: Jose Tembe is a journalist who files for the BBC in Mozambique. We reach him in the capital of Maputo. You can see photographs of the site of the tragedy — that nearly 50-foot-high garbage dump — on our website: www.cbc.ca/aih.

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February 20, 2018 episode transcript

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