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The AIH Transcript For December 6, 2021

[hosts]Nil Koksal, Talia Schlanger[/hosts]

NIL KOKSAL: Hello, I'm Nil Köksal, in for Carol Off.

TALIA SCHLANGER: Good evening, I'm Talia Schlanger sitting in for Chris Howden. This is As It Happens.

[music: theme]

Prologue

TS: Tonight:

NK: No more sorry excuses. The former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations met with one pope. But as he gets ready for another face-to-face with a new Pope in a new moment -- he says he's hoping for a different result.

TS: Judges in their own cause. Female judges from Afghanistan who've escaped death threats found temporary refuge in Greece. But with a deadline looming, a lawyer who's helping them tells us she's "begging" Canada to step up.

NK: Air sickness. Six negative COVID tests and tens of thousands of dollars later, a Manitoba couple is back in Canada after the Omicron variant turned a trip to South Africa into a travel nightmare.

TS: A whole other kettle of fish. The owner of a brewery in Merritt, B.C., is using his equipment to help provide safe drinking water as his community enters its third week under a boil-water advisory.

NK: Here comes the Sun. A band in Columbus, Ohio, staged a marathon concert -- playing the entire Beatles catalogue from start to finish. One musician describes the gruelling gig and the beautiful hurt he's left with.

TS: And... spill-gotten gains. Eight years after a French mountain climber handed over jewels he had found hiking high on a glacier, authorities reward his honesty by gifting him half the spoils.

TS: As It Happens, the Monday edition. Radio that believes he's learned a valuables lesson.

[music: theme]

Part 1: AFN Pope Meeting, B.C. Boil Water, Manitoba South Africa Journey

AFN Pope Meeting

Guest: Phil Fontaine

TS: Phil Fontaine is hoping an upcoming trip to the Vatican won't provide a case of deja-vu. In 2009, the then-national chief of the Assembly of First Nations met with Pope Benedict and asked for an apology to the survivors of residential schools run by the Catholic Church -- including himself. At the time, he didn't receive that apology. But with pressure building after the discovery of unmarked graves at former residential schools across the country, Mr. Fontaine is trying again. On December 20th, Mr. Fontaine will meet with Pope Francis, along 30 other First Nations, Metis and Inuit delegates. We reached him in Calgary.

NK: Mr. Fontaine, this is going to be your second visit to the Vatican. How might this time be different?

PHIL FONTAINE: Well, the circumstances are really quite different. In... in 2009, we had just signed the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. Prime Minister Harper apologized in the House of Commons to survivors and... and so that precipitated the invitation from, at least that's what I believe, the invitation to the Vatican to meet in a private audience with the... with Benedict the 16th. A lot of the discussions were... were discreet. We weren't even expecting an invitation then. Today, 12 years since the discussions leading up to the invitation and including the commitment by the Pope to come to visit Canada have been pretty, pretty much public. And then we've had these incredible situations. We had the PRC and the 94 calls to action. We've had the... the unmarked graves, Kamloops and other communities. We've had the United... the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. And there's been a lot going on around us. And so, I believe there is a lot of pressure on the Catholic Church entities here through the... through the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, urging the Pope to... to apologize. And the commitment that has been made as far as I'm concerned.

NK: I sense hope in your voice. Is that fair to say?

PF: Yes, I'm really quite hopeful. It would... I mean, I wasn't disappointed that we didn't get a full apology in 2009. But as I've just said, I think the circumstances are so much different. And there is such high expectations that the Pope will apologize and follow through with his commitment to come to Canada and deliver the apology on our lands.

NK: In your 2009 meeting with Pope Benedict, he expressed, quote, personal anguish over residential schools and what happened at them. Why is "I'm sorry", so much more powerful than personal anguish?

PF: Well, verse and language is what it is. It's something that's really personal. An apology is as much more broadly based. And in this case, an apology would be to the survivors and our people generally. And so there is a real big difference. And... but in both cases, I mean, you... one decides whether to accept the apology or not and then carry on. But in our view, and there have been very strong arguments made over some considerable period of time, to have an apology. An apology is necessary so that we can begin the... the... the important work of reconciliation. And this is a matter that affects not just the survivors of the residential school experience but all Canadians because reconciliation impacts the entire country, all Canadians.

NK: Other Indigenous leaders that I've spoken to and heard from have all stressed how important it is to them to have that apology come from the Pope, but come, as you said here in Canada, where these residential schools were, where these atrocities occurred. What would it mean to you personally to have that happen here?

PF: Well, it would be a significant moment. I'm sure, not just for myself, but for... for all of the survivors of the residential school experience. And, indeed, all Indigenous peoples. And hopefully, it would impact positively on Canadians. As I said, we need an apology to begin the... taking the important steps leading to reconciliation.

NK: What will you say to Pope Francis to help him understand that?

PF: Well, we, of course, want to focus on the 94 calls to action, the 10 principles of reconciliation, the unmarked graves, the access to records, the Doctrine of Discovery that used to be called the Doctrine of Christian Discovery should be and ought to be set aside forever. And we... we are calling on him, the most important figure with Catholics and... and many other people, to... to say we are sorry. We apologize. And so, let's commit to work together to bring about reconciliation.

NK: You've been part of laying the groundwork for this moment and this apology that could come for quite a long time. You mentioned all the steps leading up to 2009 and then leading up to now. There's been such a dramatic and necessary and far too late shift in the way Canadians understand and recognize and remember residential schools. How does it feel to you to be at this moment?

PF: I think it's all of us on the... on this trip have very high expectations. We're excited. We're honoured. We believe that this... this is a moment for all of us that will help us turn the corner on this issue. It's been a long time coming. So we're very, very hopeful that it'll all come to pass in the way that we... we've been hoping for for a long time.

NK: We'll be following your trip, certainly, and everything that comes out of it. And we'll talk again then, I hope. Mr. Fontaine, thanks so much.

PF: Thank you.

TS: Phil Fontaine is the former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations. We reached him in Calgary.

[Music: Ambient]

B.C. Boil Water

Guest: Kyle Hall

CH: Merritt, B.C. isn't anywhere near out of the woods yet. As more people return to their homes or at least to their community, they're coming home to damaged property and a lingering boil water advisory. Kyle Hall is doing his best to help. Mr. Hall owns the Empty Keg Brew House in Merritt. After reopening last week, he's been boiling water at his brewery to give away to his neighbours. We reached him in Merritt, B.C.

NK: So, Kyle, how much boiled water is sitting in your brewery right now ready to be given out?

KYLE HALL: Right now, a little over 700 litres. And I'll be brewing... well, not brewing… [chuckle] I'll be boiling another 700, probably tomorrow, to make sure that we have enough for all the residents.

NK: How did you get the idea to do this?

KH: Well, it's just… [sigh] you know, back when... when COVID hit, we were actually able to... we're not a distillery, but we were given the go-ahead by... by the government to create sanitizer. And so we did that -- hand sanitizer -- and gave that away free for donations. And the idea kind of came up out of the blue. We thought you know what? We got a couple of these kettles sitting here empty. And they got 5,400 watt heaters in them. Let's boil some water!

NK: And what's the response been like?

KH: It's been wonderful! I mean, [chuckle] it's... people are so thankful that... that... that... that can happen. And we're... we're so happy we can do it. I mean, it's just a small thing, but if we can do it, we'll do it. I actually got some messages on Facebook, people from Ontario and people that, you know, I've never... have never even known about me, and just... just giving us the, you know, the rah-rahs. And it's like, yeah, well, you know what? I'm just a little tiny cog, but you know, we'll do what we can. So pretty cool!

NK: That must feel great? What kinds of things are they saying?

KH: Just, you know... just keep... keep up the good work. And... and it's amazing what we're doing. It's like, well, it's really not that amazing. But you know what? It's sometimes these little ideas come out, and it's just like, do it! And... and that's what we do.

NK: So, Kyle, as I understand it, you reopened last week. So what kind of stories are you hearing from people?

KH: Well, lots of varied stories. Ones that are coming in and just getting water fill ups. And some that are getting their containers filled and then having a beer to, you know, a bit of a relax after digging out basements and everything. And... and it's good to see the community pulling together because even the ones that weren't heavily infected... or affected with the flooding have... you know, are helping their friends and neighbours to... to get them back on their feet as soon as possible.

NK: You live just a few minutes away from Merritt. Your home, as I understand it, was not harmed. But you did... actually, you helped in another way as well. You took in people for several weeks. Are they still with you? Where are things at with that?

KH: Yeah. Well, we had a couple of families that we were able to... to billet, which was... which was great because it wasn't too many months ago when we were evacuated, and it was from friends and family in... in Merritt that billeted us. So... so it's kind of a, you know, tit-for-tat deal.

NK: Have you always been this generous?

KH: Well, you know this, this community has done so much for us, starting with, you know, we…. we started… we opened business in May 2019. And ten months in, COVID hit. Well, absolutely not in the business plan. But, you know, the community really supported us through lockdowns and... and no indoor dining and all those types of things that you know what? If we can do something to support those who support us, why wouldn't we?

NK: The mayor of Merritt has said that the hope is to get that boil water advisory lifted soon; within a few days, the hope is there. When do you think life might actually start to feel normal again in Merritt?

KH: [chuckle] What is normal these days? [laughing]

NK: Good point!

KH: It's... I don't know. You know, I was able to do a little bit of volunteering with some... some contractors to help with the... the infrastructure rebuilding with the city and so on for about a week. And I was... I was right down in ground zero, and there is... I'm sure everybody's seen, you know, the pictures and videos on the news. And it's... it is really a war zone out there, and it's going to take a lot of time. It brings a tear to my eyes every time I think about it and drive down the street and see what people have to deal with on a daily basis. So, it's going to be a while, but this community is strong. And I know we'll get through it.

NK: Given the depth of the impact and how long it will take to recover, how are you and others keeping that hope going?

KH: Well, I think the main part is helping each other out. I mean, when you see ones coming in and their... to our business, and they're... they're covered in mud, and they've been, you know, three or four hours helping out people that they don't even know. Like, I think that's part of the healing process, too. And that really helps us come together as a... as a community. And… and hopefully, there won't be another thing, too, that we have to overcome. But you know what? I guess the old cliche is what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, right?

NK: So everything you've told us says a lot about the people in Merritt. Lots of good people there.

KH: Yeah! It's... you know, we've been here for 20 years, and... and a lot of people, perhaps, you know, from the Lower Mainland, from Vancouver area, just kind of have stopped here and, you know, grab a… fill up their vehicle and have a hamburger. But there's much more that... that this community... community can offer. Not only the people here but so many things to do in town. It doesn't matter what season. So hopefully, when the... the highways open up, people can enjoy this little piece of heaven we have here.

NK: Kyle, I really appreciate your time.

KH: Hey, it was a pleasure.

NK: Take care.

KH: Bye-bye now.

CH: That was Kyle Hall, owner of the Empty Keg Brew House in Merritt, B.C.

[Music: Ambient]

Manitoba South Africa Journey

Guest: Lennard Skead

TS: Lennard and Charlotte Skead are finally home. The Manitoba couple are quarantining in Brandon, after a travel odyssey from South Africa that no one would envy. It cost them thousands of dollars and took them six days. And they had to take numerous COVID tests along the way. They are among the many Canadians who found themselves stranded in South Africa

[tape jumps]

LENNARD SKEAD: We've been Canadian citizens for a long time. We've done this journey over and over many, many times and never have we had this kind of trouble before. As it happens, last year, when the borders were shut, we were also in South Africa. My wife goes there for cancer treatment. But at that time, the Canadian government gave us an advanced warning. And we had enough time to get out of there. This time, however, the government just closed the gate after the horse had bolted.

NK: So you left South Africa on Wednesday. You'd been trying to leave for days before that. And testing yourselves each morning, trying to book a flight. Eventually, you got a flight to Frankfurt, so then you had to get tested there as well, right? What was that like?

LS: Correct. That is the new requirement of the Canadian government. Citizens and permanent residents, if they come from South Africa, must get a PCR test in a third country. My wife and I flew from South Africa virtually, shall I say blindly to Frankfurt, just hoping we would be able to source a test. As it happens, they are three flights to China from Frankfurt where Lufthansa and provides PCR testing. And we were able to convince them to test us.

NK: You had to get this... this test because you couldn't use the one, the result, you had from South Africa. How does that sit with you?

LS: Not well at all. If you think about this scientifically, South Africa is very advanced. In fact, it’s so advanced, it was the first country in the world to identify and report this variant. And now, Canada is turning its back on South Africa and say, we don't recognise your test anymore. We want somebody else to test the passengers and tell us they are really negative. That sounds like discrimination to me. It really is not going down well in South Africa, I can tell you that. If you look at the WHO reports recently in the past week, this variant has been found elsewhere as well. Before it was identified in South Africa.

NK: Transport Minister Omar Alghabra was on this program on Friday. He said the federal government is just trying its best to keep everyone safe, and that Canadians need to accept that travel measures may change. What's your response to that?

LS: I think this is a knee-jerk reaction from the Canadian government on South Africa's discovery of this variant. They do not want anybody, Canadian citizen or not, to come here from South Africa, and this is the government's way to keep us out of here. Once we reach the borders, they cannot deny us entry. Sure. But this is their way of making sure we can't reach the border of Canada and demand to be let in. And there are hundreds left. We’ve got the Canadian field hockey team there. We have businessmen there. We have people that went there for family visits or family support. There are lots of them.

NK: You landed in Toronto on Thursday. Why is it only now, Monday, that you're actually back in Manitoba?

LS: [clears throat] That's another interesting rule of the government. You have to stay in the quarantine facility until your COVID test result is out. That sounds pretty straightforward. But what they don't tell you is that once the result is known and you are actually negative, you're not allowed to leave until at some time a quarantine officer phones you and tell you you are ready to leave. And the eight-page instruction sheet that you were issued when you entered the quarantine facility clearly state that can take another 24 to 48 hours. It just seems absolutely ridiculous.

NK: As a frequent traveller, and someone who's who's travelled during this pandemic, what would you suggest would work better?

LS: First of all, communication. So communication on their website would be number one. And implement rules that people can actually abide by. It is ludicrous to make rules that nobody can follow.

NK: Since our colleagues, our CBC colleagues in Manitoba, first shared your story, there's been a lot of online criticism directed at you. What do you say to people who say this is just the price the travellers have to pay if they choose to travel during a pandemic?

LS: Well, this was not a travel for an African safari. This was for cancer treatment that was not available to my wife. And I am not afraid to say that I love my wife dearly and I will do anything to help her. And this is part of that. My wife feels very bad about all the comments on the article. I’m happy I did the best for her that I could. And we will go back next year and finish what we couldn't finish last week.

NK: Mr. Skead, thank you so much for your time. And we wish you and your wife well. I hope... I hope she gets better.

LS: OK, thank you. Goodnight.

TS: Lennard Skead has just returned home to Manitoba from South Africa. He was in Brandon.

[Music: Slow standup bass]

Mountain Jewels

TS: French authorities have made a startling booty call. Maybe I should rephrase that… what I mean is that French authorities have made a startling call on what will happen to some booty that was discovered several years ago by a climber on Mont Blanc. During a climb back in 2013, the mountaineer stumbled upon a mysterious metal box. That box contained nearly 500,000 dollars’ worth of emeralds, sapphires and rubies. The climber promptly turned the find over to police which -- looked at one way -- he had to do because ... the law. But looked at another way -- did he really have to? The subsequent investigation determined that the jewels likely belonged to one of the victims of a 1966 plane crash. But after a long and fruitless search for the rightful owners, the finder now gets to be a keeper. At least, partially. French authorities praised the man's honesty and integrity as they let it be known that half of the valuable stones will now be his. Which I think serves as a good reminder that while you can’t have everything, often you can halve it.

[Music: Ambient]

Part 2: Afghan Judges, Beatles Catalogue Performed

Afghan Judges

Guest: Baroness Helena Kennedy

TS: For a group of female judges from Afghanistan, the most harrowing part of their escape from their home country is behind them. But their future is still in limbo. And some of them hope Canada will help. Dozens of judges and their families were airlifted out of Afghanistan after the Taliban took over -- thanks to an effort organized out of Britain to arrange private charter flights. The women are now in Greece on temporary visas. But those visas expire on December 24th. Baroness Helena Kennedy helped get the judges out. She's pushing several countries, including Canada, to resettle them. We reached her in London.

NK: Baroness Kennedy, how would you describe what these women, what these judges, were facing in Afghanistan?

BARONESS HELENA KENNEDY: It was so shocking to me, Nil, when I started receiving text messages and then phone calls from women judges. It was in the period immediately before and then just after the military evacuation at the end of August. And so suddenly, I got all these calls, and they were they were so desperate, Nil. So, they were women who were in terror for their lives, and they had good reason to be because the prisons had been emptied. The Taliban had, first of all, been capturing the provinces. And then once Kabul fell, then they knew that there was a target on their backs. They knew that war had been declared on them.

NK: Can you tell me about the process to try to get them to safety in Greece? Because there are things you have to do when crossing a border, especially in a circumstance like this?

BHK: I decided that there were two ways. One was that you could try to get one or two out at a time across borders, and people were doing that. But the urgency of it became so great that I felt that we had to try and get them out in larger numbers on air flights. And then, I realized that it was going to be very costly, and I had to try and raise the money, and I scampered around phoning everybody I knew who might have any money. And I started a GoFundMe site. Some of these women were really… you know, they were in their basements hiding because they'd had threats made on their own phones. But also, members of their family had received threats and conveying messages to tell the women that they were to meet Allah shortly. And so they were absolutely terrified. They were hiding in basements. They moved to relatives homes and were hiding there. And the first flight was on the 30th of September, a month after the military evacuation. We got 26 women judges or their families out. And so, we then asked Greece if they could help us because the president of Greece was herself a judge and a lawyer. And so we got her to intercede with her government for us. And her prime minister said, yes, we'll let this plane land with these 26 women judges and their children and their husbands. And so we got that first group in, and it was just wonderful. And the, we were inundated with calls from other judges. And the International Association of Women Judges were saying, you know, there are these other women. Can you help them? And the stories were so terrible. I mean, Nil, these are women who became judges in the aftermath of the last ousting of the Taliban, and they were running the courts that were dealing with violence against women. They were jailing people who were violent towards women and forcing marriages. They were jailing the people who were running the narcotics trade. You know, the people who were basically selling heroin in order to fund terrorism.

NK: They were helping turn the country around?

BHK: They were absolutely, really helping to stabilize the country and to create the rule of law. We then did a second flight and got 77 judges out. So in total, we've got out 104 women judges and their husbands and their children.

NK: Just... well, it's a staggering accomplishment, to be sure. But just some of the --

BHK: I know. It is, isn't it? If anybody needs to do this, it's, you know, it's the rest of the legal profession and legal community. But I think we all owe it to these women that they were trying to make the world a safer place for all of us because terrorism, the exporting of heroin, all that stuff is so destructive in our world.

NK: How are they doing in Greece now?

BHK: Nil, It's... it's so hard for them because at the moment, there's still that level of uncertainty because they don't know what happens next? Because, you know, the government has allowed them to come in on that second flight. But we're having to meet the expenses of their daily living. They're living in hostels. We're getting them vouchers from supermarkets. Any so any help we can get is... is gratefully received. But we also need to get them resettlement. And I'm hoping that Canada will make offers. But we've got 10 into Ireland. We've got two into Iceland, we got eight into Brazil. You know, we're slowly, slowly getting the numbers down. But I am hoping that Canada will make an offer to more women judges because, like the women MPs, these are women who were playing a leadership role, therefore, became more visible. As a result, their lives are now in such danger. And they've got out, but the insecurity of it, it's so painful and so and so emotionally hard.

NK: Their visas, we should say, in Greece expire on December 24th. You mentioned Canada. What kind of response have you had so far from Ottawa?

BHK: Well, I mean, listen, you were having an election when all of this was taking place. I mean, just as the evacuations were happening at the end of August, I think you were about to start the process for having an election. So your immigration minister, Sean Fraser, has not that long been in place. And I'm hoping that he will make some humanitarian visas available to these wonderful women. And their husbands are wonderful people because they're man who... who were happy to be in marriages with women who were playing their public service roles too. And so their men are lawyers and judges and professional people. But they're also men who played important roles in their own society. These are people who will add, you know, to any society that they come to. And will retrain and will do other things and might teach whatever. They're very fine people. So I hope that Canada will make special arrangements for them because we desperately need to get them placed before Christmas.

NK: The situation is still so urgent. Canada has made big promises, but these other countries that you've mentioned are already making it happen. Why do you think it's... it's not happening more quickly in Canada?

BHK: Well, I can only imagine that they're having to filter through different systems, but also you have to... every country that does this has to do security checks. And so, I'm just hoping that Canada will come up very quickly with an offer to my women judges. I just had the good news that Australia has taken in the first 20. And hopefully, they will take in more. So they're taking in 20 families. But I do need this to be settled in the next weeks before our deadline comes. Otherwise, they'll have to end up applying, possibly for asylum in Greece. And I don't know if you know the camps there that exist. They're squalid. I need to get them out, and I'm begging Canada to be a friend to these women and to give them this opportunity of having another life.

NK: Baroness Kennedy, thank you so much for your time.

BHK: You're welcome.

TS: Baroness Helena Kennedy is the director of the International Bar Association Human Rights Institute. She was in London. You can find more on this story on our webpage at: www.cbc.ca/aih. A spokesperson for the immigration minister, Alexander Cohen, sent us this statement: "As requests to support persecuted groups have increased dramatically since the fall of Kabul, Canada is working hard to assist as many vulnerable people as possible… IRCC has been in contact with advocates representing a wide variety of Afghan refugees, including judges ... Unfortunately, we cannot comment on specific cases."

[Music: International]

Winnipeg ‘Down’ Drug Overdoses

CH: It's been a brutal few months for William Whitford. The Winnipeg man lost his cousin... and then his girlfriend of 13 years. Whitford says both died after consuming a combination of heroin and fentanyl sometimes known as "down". Police say that mix of drugs isn't new... but its use is on the rise in Winnipeg. With deadly consequences. Here is Wililam Whitford.

SOUNDCLIP

WILLIAM: Drug’s called “Down”. There's two types. The new one going out is carfentanil it’s called. And it's mixed with this synthetic heroin base. And that one’s been having... killing a lot more people off. I don't know exactly what happened, but I had to break into the room. Like, and she's there, she's unconscious. Her heart rate was low, but she was still breathing. So, I monitored for about 10 minutes, but it started getting worse, and that's when I called 9-1-1, because then I started to hear gurgling in her chest. Her pulse got really weak, so I turned her to her side, drained her lungs out. Brownish liquid kept coming out. Then I started administering CPR while waiting for the paramedics to come. I sat on the floor with her body, her head on my lap, rubbing her hair for five and a half hours, talking to her, [beginning to cry] waiting for the coroners and the cops. And the other one was my cousin, Danny. I guess he did a couple of lines, kind of went like this, went down. We thought he was sleeping. I was outside keeping the sacred fire because his mum just died two a week earlier, and I didn't know that he did that. I found out afterwards that he did. Again, I pulled him off... I pulled him off the bed once I found out his pulse dropped. Next thing, I administered CPR. I kept the pulse going. But I guess when paramedics got there, he gave up. The Down killed him. Basically, him too drown in his own lungs. It's killing people left and right. I just want people to be more aware of it. And I'd like to, you know, people to sell that poison. I wouldn't mind it if they would be like... you going up shooting someone, they should be face the same... the same punishment for that. Let them do the jail time. Let’s just consider it like murder. They know what they're selling.

CH: William Whitford spoke to our colleagues at CBC Winnipeg. The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service says the amount of naloxone needed to save lives has risen lately -- meaning that street drugs might be getting more lethal. Based on numbers for the first six months of this year, Manitoba is now on track to set a new record for overdose deaths.

[Music: Sombre instrumental]

Cross-Country Dog Walk

TS: Nine months ago, Scotland's Michael Yellowlees and his Alaskan husky Luna set out on a fundraising walk across Canada. The pair began their trek in Tofino, B.C., and 8,000 kilometres later, they reached Cape Spear in Newfoundland and Labrador. The 32-year-old and his dog braved snowstorms and rain to raise more than 60,000 dollars for a charity that is planting trees in the Scottish Highlands. But what might be equally impressive is that Mr. Yellowlees wore a kilt the whole time. Here are some of his thoughts as he was reaching his final destination yesterday.

SOUNDCLIP

[Sound: Crisp footsteps on snow]

MICHAEL YELLOWLEES: Obviously, it feels amazing; thinking about a state of going, I can't believe it's almost over. You know, I've been at this for over nine months, so it's a bit strange that it's all coming to an end. I think I'm feeling a huge range of different emotions.

GAVIN SIMMS: Yeah.

MY: Yeah, It'll be funny tomorrow waking up and not having to move, you know? [laughing]

GS: Do you think you'll be able to do that?

MY: Yes. I think the reality is that we're both looking forward to the rest.

GS: Yeah.

MY: I think part of the reason it's a strange feeling today is I know I'm exhausted, you know, my body's... I feel... feel sore in my body. And I know it's gonna be a strange feeling, but I'm very much looking forward to a few days off and rest and recuperate afterwards.

GS: Right. Fair enough. So you're raising money for Trees for Life? Is that right?

MY: That's correct, yeah, yeah. And although this is really giving back to the Highlands in Scotland, it really is a global issue. We're facing a global climate crisis. Especially to walk across Canada. You know, I've been really lucky, you know, I'm missing huge wildfires out west. There's also been flash flooding even on Newfoundland as we cross here. You know, we're walking in November, and I could almost be wearing a shirt.

GS: Right.

MY: You know, so the signs of global warming are here. So it's very, very absolute sort of... yeah, raising awareness of that. That we need to be doing more. It's beautiful to be in Canada. You know, the wilderness you guys have here is amazing, you know? Which is part of the reason for choosing it as well, you know, coming to Canada to enjoy the wilderness that you have, you know, enjoy the wildlife, enjoy that... you know, all the encounters with bears and all the things in the wild and all that. So that's been amazing. So it's really been really nice to sort of reinforce that with Canadians. And say what you guys have here is amazing. So really look after it.

TS: Michael Yellowlees speaking with CBC reporter Gavin Simms. Mr. Yellowlees finished an 8,000-kilometre charity walk across Canada yesterday.

[Music: Banjo]

Beatles Catalogue Performed

Guest: Joe Peppercorn

TS: Musician Joe Peppercorn is still recuperating from A Hard Day's Night. On the weekend, he and his bandmates played every single Beatles' song at a concert in Columbus, Ohio. And this year, the annual event got a little more attention than usual. Listen to this.

SOUNDCLIP

RINGO STARR: Joe Peppercorn, peace and love to you and all the musicians! All of you out there doing the Beatles catalogue, every song! And you know what? I'm sure you're going to do a really great job on Octopus's Garden. Peace and love, and we do all live in a yellow submarine. Thank you, goodnight!

TS: That was Ringo Starr with a video message for Sgt. Peppercorn's Marathon - a yearly marathon event in Columbus, Ohio. We reached Mr. Peppercorn there today.

NK: So, Joe, be honest, how many times have you listened to that clip so far?

JOE PEPPERCORN: About 150. I can do it from memory now, so. [both chuckle]

NK: Nice! So what is it like, though, to hear a shout out like that straight from Ringo Starr?

JP: It's mind-blowing! To hear him say my name, Joe Peppercorn, you know, I'm just like, you know, a guy in the Midwest, in Ohio. And you know, I was at my kitchen table and thought... ten years ago and thought, like, oh, I should play every Beatles song! You know, never in my wildest dreams would I think I'd be hearing Ringo Starr say Joe Peppercorn. So to get that acknowledgement, I mean, I would say it's a dream come true, but that's beyond anything I would have dreamt.

NK: Absolutely. So have you and the band recovered at this point from... from the show?

JP: I don't know if you can hear I'm a little hoarse right now. [NK chuckles] My knees hurt. My heels hurt. My arms hurt. But you know, it's a kind of a... a beautiful hurt because it reminds me of everything I experienced just 48 hours ago. And, you know, it makes me want to do it all over again. Usually, this week's pretty rough. It'll probably be by the end of the week when I can start to feel normal again.

NK: There are a few ways of counting all of the Beatles songs. How many did you end up playing?

JP: We played 230 songs because there's like 212 songs in the catalogue, the albums and singles, and then we add on solo songs. And that way, every year, we can do... we can mix it up a little bit, so it's not the exact same show every year. We like to, you know, we did the Band on the Run album this year by Paul McCartney, and we did a few Ringo songs, few John songs, a few George songs.

NK: How many hours are we talking about to play that many songs?

JP: Fourteen with no break. There was no... other than stopping to make sure everything's in tune, which you have to do quick because you have so many songs to play. It was 14 hours long.

NK: No beverage or bathroom breaks?!

JP: Ah, you know, you can say... I would say... turn to my brother who's playing guitar and say, all right, take a little longer solo. I'm going to go use the restroom real quick.

NK: Right.

JP: And you know, run as fast as I can and come right back. I have, like, bananas... and, you know, some bananas and beers and water on stage. [NK chuckles] And, you know, you have to remind yourself to eat because if you don't, you get in trouble. You know, if you haven't ate for six hours and you're running around, and you're jumping, and you're singing, and these songs are really hard to play. And then all of a sudden, you hit a wall, and you're like, oh yeah! I forgot to eat!

NK: Yeah, so the potassium and the water, and just a little... little beer doesn't hurt, I guess?

JP: Just a little, yes.

NK: For that rockstar life.

JP: Just a little bit, yeah. Calm the nerves. Yes. [chuckling]

NK: How many people in the crowd were there the whole time? Lasted straight through?

JP: I think about... I would guess, around 300 based on… and, you know, it blows me away that they're along for the whole, you know, journey with us.

NK: Can we just go back for a second? How did you... how did you come up with this event? What inspired you to do it?

JP: My son was born; he's 12 now, and you know, he was about one, and it really made me reevaluate life. You know, I had some tough times growing up with, like, friends and stuff. And the music became, like, a consolation for me. It became something that I could rely on. And, you know, I got to know these records so well. And they just... you know, when things were hard, I would put on the headphones, and it's like, OK, everything's all right, everything's all right. And they gave me kind of a language with which I could speak to other people. And so when I was 30, and my son was born, and a friend of mine who loved the Beatles had passed away, as a tribute to my son and to this friend of mine named Andyman, he was a local news radio DJ from here in Columbus, Ohio. I thought I had this book of all the Beatles songs and like, oh, that'd be so cool to play every one! I wonder if that's possible? And so it was kind of like a bet, like, let's see if I'm able to do this. And it was mostly, you know, friends of mine who came out. It was in a small bar. There were 50 people there. And I finished the last notes of Her Majesty, and everybody was like, yeah, you did it! And, you know, I was like, I don't think anyone's done this before. And so then the next year I got a band and then it's... from there, it's grown and grown. Now we have a strange trio come out. I had a grand piano on the stage. And a lot of the Beatles tribute bands now, they they dress up, and they do the voices. And a lot of them, they look bored playing the music. And people get really into talking about Beatlemania and everything. And I just... for me, it's the music. And I just want to... the music's meant everything to me. And I want to share the music without necessarily getting into, like, recreating the historical moments the Beatles had.

NK: There's... there's also, I believe, a documentary right now. People are enjoying that as well.

JP: Oh yeah.

NK: What does that tell you about this band's ability to continue its connection with its fans, the endurance of that bond?

JP: Um, well, watching the documentary, it blew me away just how... you know, these are normal people. You know, they get made into these gods. And like, you know, when Ringo and... Paul McCartney sent me a video too. And it's like, it feels like you're getting a message from God, like, here's Moses coming down the mountain to you. But then you see this Get Back documentary. It's fascinating. You feel like you're in the room with them, and then they start to go into these songs, and you're like, oh my! Like, you're watching them make this music. You know, these things just got pulled out of the air, and you're watching them do it, and it's just so cool. I don't know. I've loved watching that documentary. I've already started my second pass through the whole thing.

NK: As much as you and so many millions of people around the world love the Beatles, have loved them for a long time. There are some out there I hear that don't. They don't like the Beatles.

JP: Right.

NK: But your... the FAQ page for your concert actually has notes on how to respond to people who don't feel as deeply about the Beatles as you do. [JP laughs] True? True story?

JP: Yeah. I mean, there's people who don't like sunshine and don't like puppies [NK chuckles] and don't like spaghetti and meatballs. I feel bad for them. It feels like they're missing out. You know, if you hear this music and you don't like it, I don't... I don't really know what to do for you. I think we'll probably stumble in our journey to becoming friends. But yeah, I don't understand that. This music is just so perfect to me. Like, all the parts, all the arrangements, all the lyrics, everything is there. It's like, I mean, it is part of being human is loving the Beatles.

NK: Joe, you've put a smile on all of our faces. Thank you so much.

JP: Oh, thank you so much for having me. It's been a pleasure. Thank you.

TS: That was musician Joe Peppercorn -- who is still recovering from the 14-hour marathon set he played this weekend -- covering the Beatles' entire catalogue.

[Music: Glassy guitar]

Part 3: Cyclone Helicopters, Reading: Zlateh the Goat

Polytechnique Anniversary

TS: Thirty-two years have passed since one of Canada's darkest days. On December 6th, 1989, a gunman shot and killed fourteen women, during an anti-feminist attack at Montreal's École Polytechnique. Most of the massacre victims were engineering students. This morning, CBC Montreal spoke with two women who are now engineering students at the school about what they are reflecting on today. Here's what biomedical engineering student Asmae Danouj had to say.

SOUNDCLIP

ASMAE DANOUJ: What I'm thinking about, I'm thinking about my duty to remember and honour what our best generation went through. And to remember to do better to... to... to take us as women today to take the place which is rightfully ours, and to extend a hand to the future generation to let them know what they have the right to, what the place they deserve is and to pave them a path for the future. I think it is for us, especially in the association, the image that we are giving, the message that we are giving by taking these places is to show the younger generations, the one who just entered to school, the ones who are dreaming of entering the school, that they also can do it. If we did it, they can do it. And seeing someone who looks like you, another... another woman doing it and taking bold decisions, et cetera, gives you the motivation and the courage to take that step. To take that one extra step to get out of your comfort zone and to take on the challenges that... that you're facing. And I think in Polytechnique, we are... we are... we have more and more women. It is just a warm feeling going into the school and seeing how many women we have around us.

JUSTINE PETRUCCI: Yeah, I think as Asmae said, it's just a question of representation. The more you'll see women in engineering or science and then the more... the more young girls will get inspired and interest in this profession. And this is what I'm trying to do by being involved. And also, I just want to mention that we are seeing a lot of women now and then. For example, in my research group we’re mainly feminine. And I think that's not the thing that we would not have seen at the time of the tragedy.

TS: That was École Polytechnique civil engineering student Justine Petrucci, and before her, biomedical engineering student Asmae Danouj, speaking with Sean Henry, host of Daybreak on the anniversary of the 1989 attack at Montreal's Ecole Polytechnique -- where fourteen women were killed.

[Music: Folk]

Cyclone Helicopters

Guest: Michael Byers

TS: They were supposed to be the latest and greatest military helicopter that would serve the Royal Canadian Air Force for decades to come. But only a few years into their service, almost the entire fleet of Cyclone helicopters has been grounded after cracks were found in the tails of the aircraft. Nineteen cyclones are now unfit to fly, pending repairs. And two more were already out of service because of other issues. That leaves only two of the state-of-the-art choppers ready to fly. Michael Byers is a defence policy analyst at the University of British Columbia. We reached him on Salt Spring Island in B.C.

NK: Professor Byers, these helicopters are expensive, they're important, and they're just a few years old. So how concerned are you about the condition they're in?

MICHAEL BYERS: I'm very concerned. The oldest of these helicopters is five years old. And they cost upwards of $150 million each. They're essential to the Canadian Navy. They're essentially the eyes and ears of the Canadian frigates. This is how we deploy force abroad. And while they're grounded, we essentially do not have a functional navy.

NK: So, what do we know so far about these cracks and how serious they are?

MB: Well, we don't know very much. We... we know that 19 of them have cracks. This is in the tail of the aircraft, which is subject to a lot of force during takeoff and landing. It's not unusual for helicopters to develop cracks in the tails, but only usually when they’re 20 or 25 years old. With such a young fleet, this is a real concern. And it adds to previous concerns about the safety, the construction of these aircraft.

NK: I think it's staggering for people who are listening when you think about it, the amount of money spent on these, how crucial they are, as you said, to... to the military. How... how does this happen, and what recourse does Canada have when you spend this kind of money on such key equipment?

MB: Well, you... you have to try to make it work. The predecessor of the Cyclone helicopter was the Sea King, and the Canadian Forces managed to keep them flying for more than half a century. I'm not sure that the Cyclones will be flying in 50 years, but I hope that they would be good enough to potentially do that. So the military has to sort out what's gone wrong. It has to work with Sikorsky, which is owned by Lockheed Martin, to try to figure out what the problem is and how to fix it. But the most important thing, of course, is that these aircraft must not fly until they've sorted out this problem because every time that a Cyclone helicopter goes into the sky, it's putting the lives of young men and women at risk. And that's not something that we should be doing in peacetime.

NMK: Do you have a sense at this early stage? Could we say that this maybe wasn't the right helicopter to buy, given what we know now?

MB: Well, I have been raising concerns about these helicopters for a decade now. And the... the biggest issue is that Canada is the only country that chose to buy this model of helicopter. There are no other cyclone helicopters in the world. And as a result, it's a developmental aircraft. We've been essentially testing the prototypes as we acquire and begin to fly them. And as anyone knows, if you buy a prototype, the chances of problems are much higher than if you buy something that's been used by others, that's been tested. So there was a big risk taken at the beginning of this procurement to go with this unique helicopter. And I think we're starting to see some of the consequences of that now.

NK: Why would they take that risk?

MB: I think it's because some generals in the Canadian military wanted to have a very advanced helicopter, perhaps better than anyone else had. And also, because the government at the time hoped that other countries would choose the same helicopter. That... that essentially, you know, Canada would be flying an ultra-modern helicopter that was being flown by our allies as well. But our allies chose not to make that choice. And here we are, left alone, the only operator of the Cyclone helicopter going through all of these teething pains.

NK: DND has said it hopes to have some of the helicopters back in the air within just a few days. So what does that signal to you? Could this issue be more minor than it sounds?

MB: Well, I hope it's minor. And I hope that they can fix it and fix it in a way that's safe and secure. I don't want to second guess the Canadian military on this. These are their helicopters. They're the professionals. But I do know that most Canadians would prefer these aircraft to stay on the ground until they are proven to be safe. As I said, we're in peacetime. We do not need to put the lives of young men and women at risk in peacetime. Let's do this properly. Let's sort this out.

NK: We're also in pandemic times, and there's also been severe weather emergencies, so we've seen the military called in to help on both those fronts. How does having only two of these helicopters limit that capability?

MB: Well, that's a very good question because here in British Columbia, we had massive floods just a little over a week ago. And the Cyclone helicopters on the West Coast were tasked with providing assistance and were unable to do so because of the cracks and the tails. And so that job had to be taken on by other military helicopters plus civilian helicopters. That's not optimal. The Canadian military was able to find enough helicopters to do the work necessary, but if it had been a much larger disaster, say a major earthquake, yeah, this could have been a real problem not having the Cyclones readily available to serve.

NK: A lot of us remember how long it took -- decades -- to replace the Sea King helicopters. What do you think back on those now? Those... those particular helicopters, given what we're learning about these ones?

MB: Well, the Sea Kings were amazing aircraft. They were built properly. They were widely used in other countries. So we had the support, for instance, of the U.S. military. You know, full credit to the mechanics and the Royal Canadian Air Force that kept them flying for more than half a century. I don't think the Cyclone is as good a helicopter. But, of course, these are different times, so there's a lot more in the way of electronics on the Cyclones than there was on the sturdy, old Sea Kings. So it is a different era. Yeah, we need these helicopters to be really good. We need them to last. We need them to be safe. And yet, at the same time, if it turns out that it's going to require another five or $10 billion to do that, maybe it's not too late to sit back and say, OK, what are the other options? Is it too late to pull the plug on the Cyclone? I don't think we're anywhere close to that. But if these problems continue to mount, that might be a really tough decision for a Canadian government in two or three or four years’ time.

NK: Professor Michael Byers, important questions. Thank you so much for your time.

MB: Oh, it's a pleasure. Thank you.

TS: Michael Byers is a defence policy analyst at UBC. We reached him on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia.

[Music: Instrumental]

Bob Dole Obit

TS: He was a World War 2 veteran, a long-time Senator, a U.S. Presidential candidate... and a Viagara pitchman. Bob Dole died yesterday, at the age of 98. The Kansas Republican was a determined and tough politician, perhaps best known for opposing Bill Clinton's run for a second term in 1996. Those and other defeats came to define him -- but he learned to laugh them off. After one loss in the Primaries, Mr. Dole said he slept like a baby... waking up every two hours to cry. He wrote two books on political humour, and was a regular guest on the late night circuit. After losing to Bill Clinton in 1996, Bob Dole gave a final speech before leaving Congress, where he'd served for over three decades.

SOUNDCLIP

BOB DOLE: None of us have a perfect solution, but there's got to be some solution here where we can come together, Republicans and Democrats. So I would close with... my hero's Dwight Eisenhower. He also came from Abilene, Kansas. Born in Texas, but quickly moved to Kansas. [laughing in the distance] I'd say the… he was only two years old. It took a while. [laughing] But in any event, this is his quote: We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow. And I think those words are just as good as they were 35 years ago when President Eisenhower spoke them. We can lead or we can mislead as the people's representative. But whatever we do, we will be held responsible. And I'm not talking about 1996. I'm talking about any time or the next century. So the Bible tells us to everything, there is a season. And I think my season in the Senate is about to come to an end. But, the new season before me makes this moment far less the closing of one chapter than the opening of another. And we all take pride in the past, but we all live for the future. And I agree with the prairie poet Carl Sandburg, who told us yesterday is a wind gone down, a sun dropped in the west. I tell you that there's nothing in the world, only an ocean of tomorrows, a sky of tomorrow. And like everybody here, I'm an optimist. I believe our best tomorrows are yet to be lived. So I again, thank you. God bless America, and God bless the United States Senate.

[clapping]

CH: Kansas Republican and former U.S. Presidential Candidate Bob Dole, speaking in 1996. He died yesterday at the age of 98.

[Music: Ambient]

Reading: Zlateh the Goat

TS: Last night, as the festival of lights came to end, there was a lot you could expect to happen. Namely, all eight candles on the menorah would be lit. But if there's one thing we've learned over the past couple of years, it's that predictions are hard. For example, say your family's fur business relies on a cold, snowy winter -- but it's mild. That was the case for the family in tonight's holiday reading. Their son, Aaron, goes to town to sell their goat to the butcher -- and save Hanukkah for the family. But, like all good stories, things do not turn out as expected. Here's the late As It Happens host Alan Maitland, reading "Zlateh the Goat", written by the late Nobel Prize-winning author Isaac Bashevis

Singer.

Reading:

ALAN MAITLAND: At Hanukkah time the road from the

village to the town is usually covered with snow, but this year the

winter had been a mild one. Hanukkah had

almost come, yet little snow had fallen. The

sun shone most of the time. the peasants

complained that because of the dry weather

there would be a poor harvest of winter

grain. New grass sprouted, and the peasants

sent their cattle out to pasture. For Reuven the furrier it was a bad

year, and after long hesitation he decided to sell Zlateh the goat. She was old and gave

little milk. Feyvel the town butcher had

offered eight gulden for her. Such a sum

would buy Hanukkah candles, potatoes

and oil for pancakes, gifts for the children,

and other holiday necessaries for the house.

Reuven told his oldest boy, Aaron, to take

the goat to town.

AH: Aaron understood what taking the

goat to Feyvel meant, but he had to obey

his father. Leah, his mother, wiped the

tears from her eyes when she heard the news.

Aaron’s younger sisters, Anna and Miriam, cried loudly. Aaron put on his quilted jacket and a cap with earmuffs, bound a rope around Zlateh’s neck, and took along two slices of bread with cheese to eat on the road. Aaron was supposed to deliver the goat by evening, spend the night at the butcher’s, and return the next day with the money. While the family said goodbye to the goat, and Aaron placed the rope around her neck, Zlateh stood as patiently and goodnaturedly as ever. She licked Reuven’s hand. She shook her small white beard.

AM: Zlateh trusted human beings. She knew that they

always fed her and never did her any harm.

When Aaron brought her out on the road to town, she seemed somewhat astonished. She’d never been led in that direction before.

She looked back at him questioningly, as if to say, “Where are you taking

me?” But after a while she seemed to come

to the conclusion that a goat shouldn’t ask

questions. Still, the road was different. They

passed new fields, pastures, and huts with

thatched roofs. Here and there a dog barked

and came running after them, but Aaron chased it away with his stick.

AM: The sun was shining when Aaron left

the village. Suddenly the weather changed.

A large black cloud with a bluish center

appeared in the east and spread itself rapidly over the sky. A cold wind blew in with

it. The crows flew low, croaking. At first

it looked as if it would rain, but instead it

began to hail as in summer. It was early in

the day, but it became dark as dusk. And after a

while the hail turned to snow.

AM: In his twelve years Aaron had seen all

kinds of weather, but he had never experienced a snow like this one. It was so dense

it shut out the light of the day. In a short

time their path was completely covered.

The wind became as cold as ice. The road to

town was narrow and winding. Aaron no

longer knew where he was. He could not see through the snow. The cold soon penetrated

his quilted jacket.

AM: At first, Zlateh didn’t seem to mind the

change in weather. She too was twelve years

old and knew what winter meant. But when

her legs sank deeper and deeper into the

snow, she began to turn her head and look

at Aaron in wonderment.

Her mild eyes seemed

to ask, “Why are we out

in such a storm?” Aaron

hoped that a peasant would

come along with his cart,

but no one passed by.

AM: The snow grew thicker,

falling to the ground in

large, whirling flakes.

Beneath it Aaron’s boots

touched the softness of a

plowed field. He realized

that he was no longer on

the road. He had gone

astray. He could no longer figure out which was east or west, which way was the village, the town.

The wind whistled, howled, whirled the snow about

in eddies. It looked as if white imps were

playing tag on the fields. A white dust

rose above the ground. Zlateh stopped.

She could walk no longer.

AM: Stubbornly she anchored her cleft hooves in the earth and

bleated as if pleading to be taken home.

Icicles hung from her white beard, and her

horns were glazed with frost.

Aaron did not want to admit the danger, but he knew just the same that if they

did not find shelter, they would freeze to death. This was no

ordinary storm.

It was a mighty blizzard. The snowfall had reached his knees.

His hands were numb, and he could no longer feel his toes.

He choked when he breathed.

His nose felt like wood, and he rubbed it with snow.

Zlateh’s bleating began to sound like crying.

Those humans in whom she had so much confidence had dragged her

into a trap. Aaron began to pray to God for himself and for the innocent animal.

AM: Suddenly he made out the shape of a hill.

He wondered what it could be. Who had

piled snow into such a huge heap? He moved

toward it, dragging Zlateh after him. When

he came near it, he realized that it was a large

haystack which the snow had blanketed.

AM: Aaron realized immediately that they

were saved. With great effort he dug his

way through the snow. He was a village

boy and knew what to do. When he

reached the hay, he hollowed out a nest

for himself and the goat. No matter

how cold it may be outside, in the hay

it is always warm. And hay was food

for Zlateh. The moment she smelled it,

she became contented and began to eat.

Outside, the snow continued to fall. It

quickly covered the passageway Aaron

had dug. But a boy and an animal need

to breathe, and there was hardly any air

in their hide-out. Aaron bored a kind of

a window through the hay and snow and

carefully kept the passage clear.

AM: Zlateh, having eaten her fill, sat down on

her hind legs and seemed to have regained

her confidence in man. Aaron ate his two

slices of bread and cheese, but after the difficult journey he was still hungry. He looked

at Zlateh and noticed her udders were full.

He lay down next to her, placing himself so

that when he milked her, he could squirt the

milk into his mouth. It was rich and sweet.

Zlateh was not accustomed to being milked

that way, but she didn’t resist. On the contrary, she seemed eager to reward Aaron for

bringing her to a shelter whose very walls, floor, and ceiling were made of food.

AM: Through the window Aaron could catch

a glimpse of the chaos outside. The wind

carried before it whole drifts of snow. It

was completely dark, and he did not know

whether night had already come or whether

it was the darkness of the storm. " Thank

God that in the hay it was not cold.

AM: The dried hay, grass, and field flowers exuded

the warmth of the summer sun. Zlateh ate

frequently; she nibbled from above, below,

from left and from right. Her body gave forth

an animal warmth, and Aaron cuddled

up to her. He had always loved Zlateh, but now she was like a sister. He was alone, cut off from his family, and wanted to talk.

He began to talk to Zlateh. “Zlateh, what do you think about what has happened to us?” he asked. “Maaaa,” Zlateh answered. “If we hadn’t found this stack of hay, we would both be frozen stiff by now,” Aaron said. “Maaaa,” was the goat’s reply. “If the snow keeps on falling like this, we may have to stay here for days,” Aaron explained.

AM: “Maaaa,” Zlateh bleated.

“What does ‘Maaaa’ mean?” Aaron

asked. “You’d better speak up clearly.”

“Maaaa. Maaaa,” Zlateh cried. “Well, let it be ‘Maaaa’ then,” Aaron said

patiently. “You can’t speak, but I know you

understand. I need you and you need me.

Isn’t that right?”

“Maaaa.”

AM: Aaron became sleepy. He made a pillow

out of some hay, leaned his head on it, and

dozed off . Zlateh too fell asleep.

When Aaron opened his eyes, he didn’t

know whether it was morning or night. The snow had blocked up his window. He tried

to clear it, but when he had bored through to

the length of his arm, he still hadn’t reached

the outside. Luckily he had his stick with him

and was able to break through to the open air.

AM: It was still dark outside. The snow continued to fall and the wind wailed, first with

one voice and then with many. Sometimes

it had the sound of devilish laughter. Zlateh

too awoke, and when Aaron greeted her, she

answered, “Maaaa.” Yes, Zlateh’s language

consisted of only one word, but it meant

many things. Now she was

saying, “We must accept all

that God gives us -- heat,

cold, hunger, satisfaction,

light, and darkness.”

Aaron had awakened

hungry. He had eaten up his

food, but Zlateh had plenty

of milk.

AM: For three days Aaron

and Zlateh stayed in the

haystack. Aaron had always

loved Zlateh, but in these

three days he loved her

more and more. She fed

him with her milk and

helped him keep warm. She comforted him

with her patience. He told her many stories,

and she always cocked her ears and listened.

When he patted her, she licked his hand

and his face. Then she said, “Maaaa,” and he

knew it meant, I love you too. The snow fell for three days. Though after the first day it was not as thick and the wind quieted down. Sometimes Aaron felt that there could never have been a

summer, that the snow had always fallen,

ever since he could remember. He, Aaron,

never had a father or mother or sisters. He

was a snow child, born of the snow, and so

was Zlateh. It was so quiet in the hay that

his ears rang in the stillness. Aaron and Zlateh

slept all night and a good

part of the day. As for

Aaron’s dreams, they were

all about warm weather.

He dreamed of green

fields, trees covered with

blossoms, clear brooks,

and singing birds. By the

third night the snow had

stopped, but Aaron did

not dare to find his way

home in the darkness. The sky became clear and

the moon shone, casting silvery nets on the snow.

AM: Aaron dug his way out and looked at the world. It was all

white, quiet, dreaming dreams of heavenly

splendor. The stars were large and close.

The moon swam in the sky as in a sea.

On the morning of the fourth day,

Aaron heard the ringing of sleigh bells. The

haystack was not far from the road. The peasant who drove the sleigh pointed out

the way to him -- not to the town and Feyvel

the butcher, but home to the village. Aaron

had decided in the haystack that he would

never part with Zlateh. Aaron’s family and their neighbors had

searched for the boy and the goat but had

found no trace of them during the storm. They feared

they were lost. Aaron’s

mother and sisters cried for

him; his father remained

silent and gloomy. Suddenly

one of the neighbors came

running to their house with

the news that Aaron and Zlateh were coming up the road.

AM: Aaron told them

how he had found the stack

of hay and how Zlateh had

fed him with her milk. Aaron’s sisters kissed

and hugged Zlateh and gave her a special

treat of chopped carrots and potato peels,

which Zlateh gobbled up hungrily.

Nobody ever again thought of selling Zlateh, and now that the cold weather

had finally set in, the villagers needed the services of Reuven the furrier once more.

When Hanukkah came, Aaron’s mother

was able to fry pancakes every evening, and

Zlateh got her portion too. Even though

Zlateh had her own pen, she often came to

the kitchen, knocking on the door with her

horns to indicate that she was ready to visit,

and she was always admitted. In the evening, Aaron,

Miriam, and Anna played

dreidel. Zlateh sat near the

stove, watching the children

and the flickering of the

Hanukkah candles. Once in a while Aaron

would ask her, “Zlateh,

do you remember the

three days we spent

together?”

And Zlateh would

scratch her neck with a

horn, shake her white

bearded head, and come out with the single

sound which expressed all her thoughts,

and all her love.

TS: That was the story "Zlateh the Goat" -- written by Isaac Bashevis Singer and read by Alan Maitland.

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December 06, 2021 Episode Transcript

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