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The AIH Transcript for June 8, 2018

Hosts: Carol Off and Jeff Douglas

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: Selling their souls. The United Nations hit six human traffickers in Libya with unprecedented sanctions — thanks to a CNN reporter who went undercover at a slave auction.

JD: He believed you are what, where, and how you eat. The late Anthony Bourdain expanded the palettes and the hearts of everyone who read or watched him. Tonight, an old friend says goodbye to a generous soul.

CO: Doug of war. With a battle cry of lower taxes for the middle class and businesses, Doug Ford led Ontario's P.C. party to a resounding victory last night. A cabinet hopeful Christine Elliott tells us she's eager to get to work.

JD: An unbelievable refusal to believe. Authorities ignored his reports of sexual assaults and issued him an “other than honourable discharge”. But decades later, the U.S. Navy has finally accepted our guest’s story.

CO: Binge winking. A South African beer company promotes its new products with a depressingly sexist ad campaign. Our guest is among those demanding it put the end in innuendo.

JD: And…. Dron warfare. Imagine a cascade of melted butter, cream, and stock gushing endlessly for you to dip your lobster in. It's the butter fountain — and it's not a Father's Day gag, even if you are gagging.

JD: “As It Happens”, the Friday edition. Radio that's butterly disappointed.

[Music: Theme]

Part one: Libya slaves: latest, Anthony Bourdain obit, sexist beer

Libya slaves: latest

Guest: Nima Elbagir

JD: They're rich. And according to allegations, they got rich by buying and selling people. "They" are six men accused of leading human-trafficking networks, operating out of Libya. And now, all six have been slapped with unprecedented sanctions by the United Nations. It's the first time individual traffickers have been put on an international sanctions list. And the UN Security Council credited reporting by CNN International with bringing the Libyan slave trade to the fore: In 2017, CNN correspondent Nima Elbagir went undercover at a slave auction in Libya where Nigerian men were being sold for as little as five hundred dollars. We reached Nima Elbagir in London, England.

CO: Nima, what does this mean that these six men have been put on an international sanctions list?

NIMA ELBAGIR: Well, in practical terms, it means a travel ban and an asset freeze. And although there had been some concern that because news of the potential for sanctions had leaked, perhaps they could move some of their assets. But as we understand it, some of it extraordinarily is actually bricks and mortar homes within the European Union in fact. So hopefully it will bite them. And the travel ban is really where this is going to hit home because when you have as much money as these men do — and they've been described to us as essentially multimillionaires of human trafficking — they don't want to be stuck inside Libya. They want to be out there on the beaches of Tunisia, and Malta, and the United Arab Emirates. So this will hit them. This will hurt them.

CO: And all of this wealth — this enormous wealth that these men have accumulated — is through human smuggling. It’s through these refugees we see on these boats. It's these humans that you reported on that were being trafficked and sold as slaves in Libya. This is the profits that these men have accumulated, is that right?

NE: Yes. And actually, when you look at the evidence what they are accused of having done, it's horrifying. All obviously under the umbrella of human trafficking, but slavery, sex slavery — one of them, Abd Al Rahman Al Milad, who is a commander in the Libyan coast guard. He is believed to have actually sunk ships full of would be migrants because they were being run by his competition.

CO: And this commander I mean this is a very senior person in the Libyan coastguard. We've been watching these boats, these rickety little rafts carrying people across the Mediterranean believing somehow the Coast Guard is involved in trying to help them. But this commander was actually part of that problem.

NE: It's incredibly illustrative of the deal with the devil that the European Union — and specifically the Italian government have done. In their desperation to stop African migrants coming to European shores, they have partnered up with the Libyan coast guard in spite of really wide ranging concerns put forward by aid organizations that the Libyan coast guard were implicated. People have been worried about this for a while. So it's telling that Europe was willing to train and fund the Libyan coast guard — that they were willing to put their hands in the hands of these men. Such was their desperation to stop African migrants making it to their shores.

CO: Can you tell us a bit about some of the other men who are on the sanctions list?

NE: Ahmad Al Dabbashi is particularly interesting. He's very young. But this is someone who is believed to not only have ISIS members in his ranks, but to be related to both family and business dealings with ISIS. So you have ISIS setting off the chain of events that resulted in the Syrian refugee catastrophe — the Syrian migrants flooding into Europe. And then benefiting from it on the Libyan side a few militias like Ahmad Al Dabbashi’s. And two of the men are Eritrean citizens, and they were very much part of the African end of the smuggling networks — the refugees coming out of Eritrea. And when you speak to these migrants, that often was what was the most painful for them to take on board. That so often the men not only capitalizing from their misery, but also enforcing the slave auctions that the men selling them off. The men selling women into prostitution were their own countrymen. And this is where there is this awful body of testimony from East African refugees around what it is they have done.

CO: What we're reading in this you UN reporters that all these activities they weren't sort of ad-hoc or accidental. These are business models. These were very sophisticated operations. And one of them you just touched on it that as it became more difficult for all of these refugees and these people flooding through Libya to try to get to Europe. As it became more difficult to cross the sea, they were caught in a backlog of would be passengers who then became the products of the slave trade that you reported on — and this was a key part of this investigation at the UN — that this slave trade was another business that started up. Can you tell us about who is involved in that?

NE: All of these men as we understand it were involved in that. They capitalized on what could have been a business setback. Where they saw what they called the commodities, the merchandise, the migrants, sitting in their warehouses eating into their profit margin because they needed shelter, they needed to be guarded. Occasionally they were fed. So the slave auctions became a way to make money off the commodities of the people — even when they weren't able to move them to Europe. And then what we saw when we went back post our original reporting to Nigeria is that then it became actually an end in and of itself, where people were still being told that they could make it to Europe even when the Libyan Coast Guard or the European boat patrols were making it difficult so that they could be gotten to Libya. And then in Libya, they were sold off, and money was made from them.

CO: You, as much as anybody else, you've put a human face on those who suffered. These are human beings, not commodities. And you've shown us these people and what they're going through and what they're fleeing. Will these sanctions change anything for them?

NE: I hope so. I mean that really is the toughest question because what you can't battle often is just the depth of human optimism. So many of these people that we meet and speak to in the countries of origin even when we describe to them what happens in Libya — what happens just in the boats crossing to Europe — people don't believe it will happen to them. And that's the heartbreak because it's their optimism and their hopes and their dreams that are being exploited by these people. You know you will be okay you'll be fine. You're going to get that. You just need to do this. And I hope at least seeing these people named and shamed will have an impact on whether or not some 17 year-old-kid in Niger chooses to undertake this journey.

CO: Nima, thank you for your reporting that has helped lead to these sanctions and the United Nations response. And thank you for speaking with us again.

NE: Thank you.

JD: Nima Elbagir is a CNN International correspondent. We reached her in London, England. We have more on this story on the modern-day slave trade in Libya on our website: www.cbc.ca/aih.

[Music: Violin or fiddle]

Anthony Bourdain obit

Guest: Joel Rose

JD: In his book "Kitchen Confidential," chef and writer Anthony Bourdain recalls the first moment he really appreciated food. He was 10 years old, on family vacation in France. He writes: "It was the soup," "It was cold." That first sip of Vichyssoise would eventually send him on a wild ride. From misfit line cook, to best-selling author, to host of food shows on CNN. By now you've likely heard the news, that Anthony Bourdain has died. He was 61 years old. In 2009, Mr. Bourdain dropped by a Korean restaurant in Queens, New York, with Momofuku chef David Chang. Here's a clip of that, from his old show, "No Reservations."

SOUNDCLIP

ANTHONY BOURDAIN: After the formalities are out of the way, and as I understand from David, I never have to pour another drink in my life. It's time for the good stuff: fresh — very fresh octopus.

AB IN BACKGROUND: Awe, it’s cute!

AB: wriggly, squeaky, and so fresh it's practically crawling off the plate. Actually, it is kind of crawling off the plate. Delightful! Once you overcome your quaint provincial preconceptions about whether your food should move or not, it’s delicious.

AB: Chang and I tear through a tasty and multi-layered strata of crab legs, scallops, sea snails and shrimp like Bob Lape at a free buffet. Paris Hilton at a swag shop. It’s a veritable excavation of ancient Troy, with each layer exposing untold glories. And yet, there was more.

JD: While most of the world will remember Mr. Bourdain from television, Joel Rose remembers him as a dear friend and a brilliant writer. We reached Mr. Rose in New York.

CO: Joel, first of all, I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend.

JOEL ROSE: Thank you.

CO: How did you react when you learned the news?

JR: I was in shock. You know everything that's ever run through my mind this was not one of them.

CO: When was the last time that you spoke with your friend?

JR: We were in communications this week — two days ago.

CO: Was in France then when he spoke to him?

JR: We emailed, so I don't know where in the world he was; I rarely know where he is. He’s gone you know 250 days a year or more.

CO: Good heavens! We know him as a public person on TV, and books, and just absolutely a larger than life character. What was he like as a friend?

JR: Just as you observe him. That’s who he was. He was he was not playing a part, or trying to please anybody. He was a fine, inquisitive, very bright person, a great storyteller, a loyal friend, a fighter, a believer. But he was he was just a down-to-earth person. I mean I've learned so much from him. He really had a steel trap mind that took in amazing details and facts. And could bring it all back to you, and make you see in different ways, and make you see things in different ways. I mean I can't tell you how many movies he had me watch, and bands, and books. He wanted to bring you along on his journey with him. I've known him for 30 years, and he was that way the day I met him.

CO: How did you meet? How did you become friends?

JR: I had a little, crazy literary magazine on the Lower East Side in the early 1980s. And then one day, I got a comic book submission in the mail. And the art was less than a great, but the writing was really good. So I wrote a little note to the guy. And the next thing I know, about a week, later somebody rang the buzzer in my apartment downstairs. And I went down to let him in, and it was Bourdain. And we’ve just been friends ever since. It’s 30 years ago already. He was always asked me to do a comic book with him because I'd worked at DC Comics for a while. He was like oh you know we have to do a graphic novel together, I want to do it, he sort of pitched me on it, and I said OK. And it's turned into “Get Jiro” — this thing we did. I mean we've been working ever since doing this because it's just been so much fun for both of us, and sort of pain-free.

CO: When did he realize, or when did you both realize that he has this way with words. I mean look at “Kitchen Confidential”, which came out. It was an extraordinary hit. What made him into the writer he was?

JR: “Kitchen Confidential” came out of an email he sent me from Japan. He was cooking at Les Halles, and they were opening a place in Japan. And he went there first time. And he was in his hotel room overlooking some super parkway — whatever they are in Japan. And he wrote me this incredible, funny email. My wife's publisher and editor, and I came in, and I said you have to read this; this is so funny. Finally I got her to read it, and she called his agent, and she asked me does Tony have more stories? And yeah, he’s got lots and lots of stories. And she's called his agent and that became “Kitchen Confidential”.

CO: Wow!

JR: I knew right away that he was a really good writer. I knew it just in my heart and soul, and you know just over our kitchen table. The problem was that he was terrified about writing. But he could write and access that genuine voice of his. He just needed to have some confidence in himself because he was a real person. He wasn't trying to be anyone but who he was. And you know all those feelings that you see when he's so inquisitive on the television set, that’s all genuine. He would he would rather go to your mom's house and have dinner with her you know if she made a meat loaf. He would rather eat there than at the finest restaurant in Toronto, you know? Or anywhere.

CO: It's so astonishing when you say that he was shy about this because everyone who has ever seen him, it's like you're dining with him. He's just got all this energy and confidence, and you feel like you're sitting on a plastic stool with him in a market, eating something you've never seen before, and he's taking you there.

JR: That’s his great gift. But I mean you know who knows whatever you know darkness we all keep inside of us you know he had some of that as well.

CO: You must have shared a lot of meals together. I just wonder if there's any meal that you just remember you savour of having had with Tony Bourdain?

JR: The funniest remembrance that I have is just in our backyard down in New Jersey on the Jersey Shore. And he went and got clams one day, and he made it, and a bunch of people were over, and everything was great. And one person had a bad clam and got really, really sick. Tony was really apologetic, and the guy was like no need to apologize; it was like the best day of his life. You know he got sick from a clam that Tony Bourdain had made.

CO: Joel, how will you remember your friend?

JR: I don't even know right now. You know just with sadness right now. I'm confused and shocked, and so saddened. He was a good guy. He was an important person. He reached a lot of people. His politics were on the side of people. And that is a rare person. And he did not allow ego to blind him to anything. He understood that. He worked hard. But he understood he reached a lot of people. And he wanted to tell stories that brought us closer together in the world. He wanted us to understand people who might have been forgotten or just swept under the rug. And I totally loved and respect him, and I will miss him with all my heart and all my soul and all my might.

CO: Joel, I want to thank you for bringing us close to Tony Bourdain. You have taken this into his life, and I really appreciate that. Thank you so much.

JR: Thank you.

CO: Bye.

JR: Goodbye.

JD: Joel Rose was a creative collaborator and a close friend of chef, author, and TV personality Anthony Bourdain. Mr. Bourdain died today. He was 61 years old. And to hear more of Mr. Rose's memories and stories of his old friend, go to our website: www.cbc.ca/aih.

[Music: Very sad guitar]

Sexist beer

Guest: Thandi Guilherme

JD: The beer might be easy to drink. But its tagline will make you choke. The beer is called "Easy Blonde". The tagline: "All your friends have had her." And that's one of the tamer slogans in a recent campaign by the South African beer company Vale Bru. Thandi Guilherme spends her free time reviewing craft beers on her blog "Craft Geek". We reached Ms. Guilherme in Edenvale, South Africa.

CO: Thandi, what did you think when you first saw how these beers were being marketed?

THANDI GUILHERME: Carol, I was horrified. I think I was dumbfounded, speechless, shocked.

CO: We're going to have to go through them, unfortunately, so people get a sense of this. But can you just give us the three kinds of beer, and a sense of how they were describing them?

TG: So there were four they started out with a blonde bear awhile back already, but they rebranded on the day that they were launching these three new beers at a family market. So the blonde beer — which used to be called “Vale Brew” — was now renamed “Easy Blonde”. The second one it's called “The Raven Porra”. If you don’t know, Porra is a slur term for people of Portuguese heritage. Then there's the “Ripe Readhead. This “little lady,” apparently, “was previously a Ginger Pikey,” which is also a slur term for Irish Travellers. “Since changing her ways and maturing, she's become our Ripe Redhead. The Irish Red was our first move to another beer style. But don't be fooled, she'll steal your soul, one sip at a time.”

CO: Good heavens.

TG: Which is really an awful play on words for people with read or ginger heads; it’s awful. And the last one called “The Filthy Brunette.” And the description is “When gushing and moist are used to describe something, then you know. Number three is by no means anything less than delicious we present you our Filthy Brunette. An Indian Pale Ale from the Vale,” which is also a really silly way of describing an India pale ale, which is an actual beer style.

CO: Now, what were they thinking? I mean did anyone think this was a good idea?

TG: I've been in two minds about this. On the one hand, they claim — post their first apology — this sort of sorry, not sorry apology. They claim that they wanted their marketing and their branding and their labels to make people think — make people talk. But I think that's fairly convenient. I don't actually think that that was their intention at all. They thought that they were being clever, and they thought that people would respond to it, that they'd hit their target markets on the head. And well, clearly, they didn't. But there was some support, so they weren’t maybe totally off.

CO: But it's 2018, we’re just in the middle still of the whole #MeToo movement. I mean have they been under a rock?

TG: They must have been. But you know it's really funny because this is a beer brand. You they don't actually even make the beer. And for a company that focus on branding, they really missed the mark. They've got worldwide issues that they're clearly ignorant to them. I could not believe it.

CO: Now, you say they don't make this beer. Their company is called Vale Bru. Tell us about the company itself?

TG: So Vale Bru comes from Edenvale, which is the town that they're located in, which I'm also located in. So we're a town just east of Johannesburg, and they started out with clothing and caps. And I think what they wanted to do was try and revive the name of Edenvale, although I can't imagine why; it’s a great place. But now they are friends with brewers at a brewery down south of Jo'burg in a town called Alberton called Swagger. But Swagger make the beer, they've got their own range, and it also conveniently matches up to Vale’s now new supposed line. And what happens with Vale is that they just re-label them and sell them. My suspicion is that they don't actually know much about beer.

CO: And is it any good?

TG: It's debatable. Swagger has I think a very specific market. But I don't particularly like the beer. I don't find it's got much flavour.

CO: You wrote in your blog you wrote: “MeToo, rape culture, and Trump's locker room misogyny are not funny. These are real problems that society is trying to deal with. Don't go there.” But you say that this company did have its supporters for what they did. How much response have you had to what you’re trying to point out about this?

TG: The response has been overwhelming. I can't even tell you, Carol. It's been amazing. It seems like probably 80 or 90 per cent of people were absolutely aghast at this messaging and this branding. But there were a whole bunch of Vale Bru supporters who I suppose tried to point out other things like the good that they do in society, or in the community. So there was quite a lot of support. We were called all sorts of things: oversensitive lesbians, we were called special snowflakes. But I tell you what, if the response that we've not gotten in action has now been taken as the result of being snowflake, I’ll be a snowflake.

CO: And these are issues very sensitive issues in South Africa, aren't they?

TG: Hugely sensitive. We have got a real, real rape culture problem. Femicide is a massive issue. Rape, the last estimate that I found was one woman every 26 seconds, which is appalling. And it is said that that 40 per cent of South African woman will either be or have been raped.

CO: Good heavens! The company itself, Vale Bru, as you say, has apologized. They say they've taken full responsibility, promised to remove the labeling. Is that enough for you?

TG: Yes. You know it's all we've got right now. The first apology that they issued was kind of a sorry, not sorry apology. Two days later, it was a complete reversal — seemingly written by somebody totally different. Hopefully, a hired PR person, but I think that you know our intention as the woman in beer and woman in the country was not to close the business down. It was to change the labeling.

CO: Well, Thandi, I appreciate you telling it to us, and take care. Bye bye.

TG: I really, really appreciate it. Cheers!

CO: Bye.

JD: Thandi Gilherme is a craft beer critic. We reached her in Edenvale, South Africa. We have more on this on our website.

[Music: Industrial]

Butter fountain

JD: The golden shimmer of a creamy melted butter sauce. The majesty of a fountain. Your father loves them separately. But now — if he's lucky, and doesn't have a pre-existing heart condition — he can love them together. When you first see it, the thing looks like a potter's wheel on which someone is creating a vase out of some kind of pallid clay. Then you see that it's called the Butter Fountain. And you realize that the clay is actually a sauce of melted butter, fish stock, and cream, flowing over the smooth contours of a converted chocolate fountain. The Butter Fountain is not for sale at Longo's supermarkets. It's the grand prize in a Father's Day-related Lobsterfest contest. If you win, you get five hundred bucks' worth of lobsters, and this… thing — this glorious wellspring of luscious ambrosia, or this grotesque hell-mouth of oleaginous heart-attack juice. Depends. Anyway, if that sounds like the perfect prize for a Dad you want to honour — or punish — go ahead, enter the contest. And if you don't win, well, butter luck next time.

Part two: Ontario election: Christine Elliot, dishonorable discharge

Ontario election: Christine Elliot

Guest: Christine Elliot

JD: Ontarians are adjusting to a new status tonight: They are residents of Ford Nation, after Doug Ford and his Progressive Conservatives' victory last night. It's a big step up for the former Toronto City councillor. He had to overcome not only the strongest NDP showing in a generation, but was also hit by a late campaign lawsuit from the widow of his brother — Rob Ford, the late Toronto mayor. Now Doug Ford is responsible for challenges of a whole different order. His first question at this morning's press conference was about the international trade war launched by the U.S. President. Here's some of what the premier-designate had to say.

SOUNDCLIP

DOUG FORD: Well, I talked to the prime minister yesterday. I said we’ll stand united against our neighbours to the south. And I’m very sincere when I say that. You know united we stand as a country. And I’ll work hand-in-hand with the prime minister. And I was very clear on that last night when I spoke to him.

REPORTER: And what do you think of people who say that you might cause chaos and turmoil in Ontario?

DF: The only people I've heard that from the press. The people out there have given me a clear mandate. A very clear mandate to govern, we're going to govern, we have a team ready. We have the best team that I've ever seen compiled in 30 years of politics — and from a wide range of backgrounds, diversities. We'll be putting together a group of all-star cabinet ministers, and that's going to be the toughest thing because, in my opinion, we had 123 all-stars, 75 of them got elected. And we're going to move forward and get this province back on track and tell the world as I say Ontario is open for business.

JD: That was Ontario's premier-designate, Doug Ford. Christine Elliott is on a lot of people shortlists for that all-star Ford cabinet. We reached Ms. Elliot in Newmarket, Ontario.

CO: Christine Elliot, big congratulations.

CHRISTINE ELLIOT: Thank you very much.

CO: You know a lot of people have been musing — and many of them are conservatives — that it should have been you up there giving that acceptance speech; that you were the person that everyone expected to be leading the Conservatives to this victory. What do you say to that?

CE: Well, I would say that I am very happy to have been a member of Doug's team. It wasn't meant for me to be the leader, but I'm very proud to be a member of the team, and very proud to have won my seat. And to form part of Doug’s government.

CO: I guess they're saying that because you did during that leadership race, you did win most of the popular vote, but different factors brought Mr. Ford there. And also I think people were saying that because they had an idea where you would take the province, and they don't know where Mr. Ford is going to take it. What do you say to that?

CE: No, I think Doug has been very clear in the election policies that we put out there. He's very sincere in wanting to make life more affordable for Ontarians, to bring jobs back to our province, to straighten out the mess that Hydro is in right now, and to make sure that we have excellent quality healthcare. So those are all things that he talked about that I talked about during the course of the election campaign. And voters responded to that positively.

CO: We just don't know where Mr. Ford is going to find the efficiencies he says he needs to find to cover the tax cuts he says he's going to make. And that's a bit alarming, don't you think?

CE: No, no. What we're going to do is to bring in independent auditors to take a look at the state of finances in Ontario. We know that the situation is bad. That we have, according to the auditor general, a deficit of close to twelve-billion dollars. And I know that many studies using health as an example, many international studies say that we're not getting the best value for the taxpayer dollars spent. So we need to take a look at each and every program to see what does provide value, what doesn't, and to make the investments that we need to make by discontinuing programs that don't help people, and put them into programs to help people.

CO: And we heard Doug Ford talk about his all-star cabinet he is expecting; everyone anticipates you will be key to that, and that the health portfolio may be the one you're going to get. What do you want to see change in Ontario's healthcare system in order to cut some of those costs?

CE: Well, you know the selection ministers, of course, is up to Doug to decide. But I think in health care, there are things like electronic medical records. We need to have them — sooner the better — for patient safety, and for our best use of our healthcare resources. But we've already spent eight-billion dollars on developing them. So I think that is one area that we need to take a look at to understand how long it's going to take until we have a system that works, and how much more money is it going to cost?

CO: Are you an advocate of two-tier healthcare?

CE: No, no, I advocate for our universal system. And what we want to do is to make sure that our system works better for all Ontarians, and that's within the one system that we have.

CO: We heard Mr. Ford say in the campaign let me be clear; no one will be laid off. CUPE says one-hundred-sixty-three-thousand people will be laid off. Who's right?

CE: Mr. Ford; CUPE is wrong. Doug Ford has said on many, many occasions that no one is going to lose their job.

CO: So no layoffs, but will there be job losses? Will their jobs be cut through attrition?

CE: Well, attrition will happen, absolutely. But no one is going to be laid off.

CO: How much money do you have to find through these various efficiencies and priorities and whatever — how much money do you have to find in order to pay for what Mr. Ford and what the Conservatives have promised during this campaign?

CE: Well, we have already costed our programs that are on our website. But again, it's necessary for us to actually get in there and see the books and understand what money do we have? What is the deficiency for this year? And to figure out where we go from here, how we can prioritize issues, and start working on the debt once we get to a balanced budget. So this is an ongoing process, but we are certain that the auditor general, for example, looked at 14 programs in the government, and she found a billion dollars just in that. So I am sure we will be able to find that money.

CO: When you say you're sure you can find that money. That's the question. How much money?

CE: We will need to find several billion dollars to cover the cost of the promises that we have made in our policies. But we know that we will find that money. I don't have the exact dollar figure in front of me right at the moment, but we will find the money to make sure that we can fulfill our promises. Our promises are modest and affordable. And we are not going to go out and make promises to people that we cannot keep.

CO: Is it possible when you get in and you can look at the books, you're going to say — as has happened many times with governments who have come — in oh my gosh, now that we can open the books and take a look, we didn't know how bad this was. We're not going to be able to do what we promised.

CE: No, we were very clear and deliberate in that from the very beginning. And that is why we have said that we can't be very specific about much more than what we already did promise because we don't want to be the government that comes in and says oh well, we didn't know how bad it was. We know it's probably worse than we expect. And so we're going to wait until we've had the auditors take a look at the books to understand exactly where things are.

CO: We just heard in that brief clip with Mr. Ford, he was asked the question about whether there’d be chaos and turmoil. The question comes out of what many of the reporters and people in Toronto saw during the time when his brother was the mayor — for many people a very chaotic time. Do you understand why people are concerned that Doug Ford is going to bring that to the premier's office?

CE: Well no, I don't accept that. Doug is a very different person from his brother. And he has been very careful in the campaign in listening to people, in accepting advice and people, in understanding the situation that he's dealing with. And I have no doubt that he is going to bring actual order to the chaos that's financially happening in this province right now.

CO: Ms. Elliot, we will be watching. And I appreciate speaking with you. Thank you.

CE: Thank you very much, Carol.

JD: Christine Elliott is the Progressive Conservative Member of the Provincial Parliament for the Ontario riding of Newmarket-Aurora. And that is where we reached her. While the Progressive Conservatives prepare to assume the responsibilities of office, the Liberals are reluctantly moving out. The party did not just lose power last night; they also lost official party status. Their leader Kathleen Wynne was the first woman to run Ontario. Last night, she announced her resignation. And the emotions were still running strong as she spoke to reporters this afternoon.

SOUNDCLIP

KATHLEEN WYNNE: I can't speak for the whole world. It feels like it's the best job in the whole world. It's certainly one of the best jobs in this country. I mean the privilege of being in a position where I have been able to work with so many amazing people. I tried to talk about those people last night — people across this province who are doing amazing things, and believe so strongly in their communities, and in their future. I mean being here at Queen's Park can sometimes give one a bit of a jaded view of the world. But once you get out into a factory, or a hospital, or a school, there are people every single day who are working so hard to make their part of the world better. So there is nothing more inspiring. And so I recommend it. I hope it's not too long before we have another woman as premier. You know I hope it's not another 150 years. I think it would be better if it weren't. But we have young girls who come here as pages, and I just say to them — and to the young boys too — but to all of them you know look for those doors that open. You don't plan when you're 12 year old to be the premier. But you can look for the doors that open. And if you have an image of someone who might be your role model, go for it, you know? I'll just tell you there's this whole discussion about when I would get my portrait done, and it is not out of ego that I want to get my portrait done. But it is that I want all those school tours that come in I want them to see a woman up there, you know? And so I want to get that done as fast as I can, so that that becomes part of the narrative at Queen's Park that there has been a woman in that role. I also don't want to be six years older when they do it.

JD: That was outgoing Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne speaking in Toronto this afternoon.

[Music: World music]

Dishonourable discharge

Guest: Heath Phillips

JD: When Heath Phillips was 17 years old, he joined the U.S. Navy. He was assigned to the USS Butte ammunition ship. And on that ship, Mr. Phillips was sexually and physically abused by a group of six attackers — repeatedly and brutally — every day, for 49 days. And on every one of those days, he reported the abuse. But the Navy did nothing to intervene. And after Mr. Phillips attempted suicide, and later went AWOL, he was issued an, quote, "other than honourable" discharge. Now — three decades later — Mr. Phillips' discharge has been changed to "honourable". We reached Heath Phillips in Cincinnatus, near Syracuse, New York. And a warning: this story contains disturbing and graphic details.

CO: Mr. Phillips, what went through your mind when you found out your discharge from the U.S. Navy had been changed to honourable?

HEATH PHILLIPS: The first thing was for my mind was oh my God. I probably said that 150 times. It was like a sense of relief, a sense of validation, knowing that almost 29 years later, the Navy finally — in so many words — admitted that they were wrong. I think one of the biggest parts was actually reading where the contention of me having MST — Military Sexual Trauma — was validated.

CO: We’re going back in 1988 here. And this is your time with the USS Butte, which is the ship you were on in the Navy. I hate asking you this, but I know you've talked about it. And just when did it start? When did this abuse begin?

HP: The abuse started actually the very first day of reporting to my ship. Due to the fact that there is nobody to process me in, six shipmates offered to help me get processed in. And, unfortunately, my first assault happened in New York City. We were at the Army Navy hotel. I had two Dixie cups of beer, and somehow I was groggy, and I ended up falling asleep, passing out, whatever you call it, to waking up to my very first assault.

CO: You were 17 years old?

HP: Yes, ma'am. My birthday is April 27. I was in boot camp on May 3rd.

CO: And this is was with the other people on this ship with you. These are your colleagues who are doing this to you?

HP: Yes, ma'am. They were six fellow shipmates, who I had the unfortunate experience of finding out later on that several of them were right in the same berthing, which berthing is like your room where a whole bunch of us sleep. It was 49 days some form of an assault, whether it was via sexual rape, and just bullying tactics of beating me up. I reported this for 49 days with no resolution, no help, and being called basically a liar. And my favorite was I was a momma's boy. I would explain to them what had happened to me, some of the mean things that they would do. Imagine using your pointer finger, sticking them in the outer edges of your eye socket, and pushing and pushing in. They would do this on each side of my face with their fingers, one on each eye, and so I would open my mouth and do things with them. And they would do it the whole time. Over the years, I've heard people say well if it was me, I would have fought back. I was 17; I weighed 130 pounds. Anywhere from two to six guys, and each person outweighed me. And people saw this happening, and nobody ever lended a hand to help me or a voice.

CO: What did you eventually do to get out of this?

HP: On the 49^th day, I tried committing suicide. Somebody had found me, brought me down, and I called home. My dad, being pro-military, actually told me to go AWOL, so they could try helping me to figure this out. My only reprieve was when I would go AWOL. That was when I had my escapes. It was nothing I would even wish upon my attackers. I would never wish this anybody.

CO: It really ruined your life for many years, didn't it? What happened to you.

HP: Yes, ma'am. When I went home, I was already drinking heavily at 18. So I spent a better part of 20 years as an alcoholic. I used pills to sleep. I couldn’t get close to my children. I constantly beat myself up over was I straight, was I gay? Why did they do this to me? What did I do to make them think that they could do this? And the why, why, why just made me spiral down further and further. And I was really ashamed with myself. A lot of this is actually the first time I’ve ever said that. I was ashamed of myself. I was ashamed of my life. I was ashamed of what I was, and high I had become.

CO: What turned things around for you? Because you survived all of that, and you became an advocate for victims of sexual assault in the military, you fought for this discharge. What turned around for you?

HP: Googling. I had never really Googled anything, and I found out I wasn’t alone, which was huge for me because for 20 years, I thought I was the only person that had ever been raped like this. And when I first met a group of survivors in 2011, there was no looking down upon each other. Like, I had gotten over the years from other people where they looked down on me. We treated each other with dignity, and respect, and like we were brothers and sisters. And it was amazing to me. It made like this drive in me of I don't want anybody being like me. I don't want nobody to go through what I went through. And I was getting tired of hearing about the chain of command ignoring things. You know my case all over again. I do now want one other person to suffer like I did.

CO: You had your attempts to get the record changed were rejected several times before you got this letter finally. And that's just extraordinary that this simple line: “The board finds that the petitioner's periods of unauthorized absence after reporting to the USS Butte were mitigated by the abuse, harassment, and assault he suffered. What do you think finally made the board recognize what had happened to you?

HP: My persistence, having a phenomenal attorney, also some of the laws have changed in Congress. And I had a hand in some of that. SO seeing a conclusion and a light up like this for the decision it's still overwhelming. It's amazing that after all the years, people are starting to listen

CO: Mr. Phillips, I am very happy to know that people are starting to listen, and that you finally have some results from all your efforts to get this recognized. And I appreciate your candor, and that you would speak with us about this. Thank you.

HP: I appreciate it. I appreciate this tremendously.

CO: All right. Bye bye.

HP: Bye.

JD: Heath Phillips is a former Navy seaman, whose decades-old charge was recently amended to “honourable”. We reached him in Cincinnatus, New York. We have more on the story on our website.

[Music: Soft guitar]

T.J. Oshie

JD: T.J. Oshie had the right to be emotional last night. His team, the Washington Capitals, won their first Stanley Cup in their history. His dad was in the crowd to watch him hoist the cup above his head. Mr. Oshie's dad, Tim, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in 2012. The Washington Capitals forward spoke with Sportsnet's Scott Oake about what it meant for his dad to be there. Here is part of that emotional conversation, starting with Mr. Oshie reacting to the win.

[sc]

T.J. OSHIE: Oh man, I don’t know. It's hard to describe. Besides my wedding day and birth of my two girls, this is the most amazing, most amazing feeling I've ever had.

SCOTT OAKE: T.J., let's just talk for a second about life's turns. In 2002. you moved to Warroad — your father's hometown. You lead Warroad to two state high school hockey championships — UND after that. And now you're a Stanley Cup champion. Where’s your father Tim figure in this win tonight?

TO: Oh, you're making me cry really now. My dad's here in the crowd. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and he doesn't he doesn't remember a lot of stuff. But you bet your ass he’s going to remember this one.

JD: That was Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie speaking with Sportsnet’s Scott Oake last night, after the Capitals won their first ever Stanley Cup.

Part three: Ontario election: Green Party, Gumshoe

Griffin prize

JD: The winner of this year's Griffin Poetry Prize will take it home to the Driftpile Cree Nation in Alberta. 23-year-old Billy-Rae Belcourt won the 65-thousand-dollar prize for his debut collection, "The Wound is a World" He describes the collection as an invitation to, quote, "cut a hole in the sky to world inside." The award-winning poet began working on the collection when he was just 19 years old. And in an emotional acceptance speech last night, he said it's all thanks to the women in his life.

SOUNDCLIP

BILLY-RAE BELCOURT: I didn't prepare speech because I physically could not bring myself to do that. I would like to firstly thank the Cree women in my life, who have indelibly shaped me as a poet, a thinker, someone who desires love at all costs, and who has to document that in any which way that he can. To Theresa, I know she’s watching right now. For her love, and care, and the desire to defy the odds to bring me into being. To my mom, Roberta, my sisters, Courtney, Brittney, my grandmother Geraldine, my cousins, Zara, Jasmine, my aunt Patty for all that you've done to support me, and to love and to know that loving me would make sure that our lives would be richer. This book was written not to be a book; it was written between the ages of 19 and 21 to allow me to figure out how to be in the world, a world that I did not want, a world that many of us who are Indigenous did not want. It was written also to try to bring about the world that we do want collectively. And to judges, Ben, Ian, Sarah for noticing in this book something worthy of a readership. Thank you.

JD: 23-year-old Billy-Rae Belcourt of Alberta's Driftpile Cree Nation, accepting the sixty-five-thousand dollar Griffin Poetry Prize last night for his debut collection “The Wound is a World”.

[Music: Jazz]

Ontario election: Green Party

Guest: Mike Schreiner

JD: Mike Schreiner's birthday is tomorrow. But he's celebrating today too. Last night, the Ontario Green Party leader won a seat in Guelph — making him the Party's first Member of Provincial Parliament in the history of Ontario. Now, after a decade of failed attempts, he's heading to Queen's Park — lonely, but triumphant. We reached Mike Schreiner in Guelph, Ontario.

CO: Mr. Schreiner, first of all, big congratulations to you.

MIKE SCHREINER: Well, thank you so much. You know it’s just wonderful to be part of making history in Guelph.

CO: You ran for office what in 2009, and 2011, 2014, but this time you were victorious. Why do you think that's the case? What accounts for your win last night do you think?

MS: Well, I think, first of all, I had a very strong showing in the 2014 election. And I had so many people come up to me and say Mike, we believe in you. We believe in the Green Party. We like your platform, but we were worried that you weren't going to win, and so we decided not to vote for you, and yet you still did so well. And so I think when this election came around four years later, people were like you know we're going to vote for you. And then I think also there were just so many people really dissatisfied — particularly with the Liberals and Conservatives in Guelph. Who said they wanted to see politics done differently. And the fact that we ran a really positive campaign, we’re honest with people, we said this is what we're going to do, this is how we're going to do it, this is how we're going to pay for it. People really appreciated that, and the momentum just took over from there.

CO: You took twenty-nine-thousand votes last night — quite a landslide. Where did that come from? Where do you think your biggest constituencies were?

MS: All across the city. You saw voter turnout go up significantly, so we inspired a number of people who had never voted before to vote Green. I had one gentleman who came up to me yesterday afternoon and he said you know I'm 68 years old, I've never voted in my life, and you inspired me to vote. You know I was so excited to see so many young voters in particular volunteering on the campaign. I think so many young voters here in Guelph were like wow! Not only is this person talking about issues that we care about, but he also has a lot of young people in leadership positions in the campaign playing important roles. And I think that inspired more and more young people to get involved in the campaign. And then they talked their friends into going out and voting.

CO: You said yesterday that a green wave has come to Ontario. But you have a caucus of one. How big of a wave is that?

MS: Well, Carol, You know that's how it starts. So you know you look at British Columbia, one MLA is now three MLAs holding the balance of responsibility in a minority government. PEI last fall doubled their caucus with two MLAs now, and polling neck-and-neck for first place in PEI. I firmly believe looking at the numbers that the New Brunswick Greens are going to elect additional MLAs in the next election. And so it starts with that one seat. And I think what's so important about it is sometimes people don't believe you can do politics differently. And elected Greens are proving that it can be done. You can actually go to the legislature, work with other parties, figure out ways to get legislation passed that puts people first, that addresses some of the big challenges we face, and do it in a less adversarial way. And I think that's the kind of politics people want.

CO: You talk about two Greens here, three there, one federally, then you in Ontario as being evidence of a change. But you look at Europe; you look at where the Greens have been able to really make headway. Why do you think it's not happening in Canada?

MS: Well, I think it is starting to happen in Canada. But if you look at European countries, because they have a proportional representation system, where the democratic will of the people is reflected in Parliament, we don't have that in Canada with the first past the post system. So oftentimes, here in Canada, individual Greens get a higher percentage of the vote than even European Greens. So I think if we moved to proportional representation, you would see a lot more Greens elected because that would reflect the democratic wishes of the people.

CO: Now we have a Progressive Conservative government in Ontario. One of the things that matters a lot to Greens though is taking climate change seriously. Do you hear anything out of the new government that Doug Ford is putting together that indicates that you will be satisfied with the answer about climate change?

MS: Well, you know, Carol. I've issued a challenge to our new premier last night in my speech. You know in the last leaders’ debate he said that climate change is real, and humans are causing it. And so I challenge him to reach out to you know Ontario's first Green MPP, and let's have a discussion about how we can address the climate crisis in a way that benefits our economy and creates jobs. The biggest job growth around the world right now is in the clean economy, clean innovation, advanced manufacturing, low carbon products and services. So we can create jobs while protecting our environment at the same time.

CO: You know that the Liberals were decimated — failed to even get the eight seats they need to have official party status. You took a Liberal seat. When you were taking a moment to thank Kathleen Wynne last night, were you also thinking about the fact that she didn't get her eight seats?

MS: You know I just thought it was important to take a moment last night to thank Kathleen Wynne for her service to Ontario, regardless of what you think of the Liberal government's record. But I also wanted to thank her because I went to the premier with some issues that were really important to me. The biggest one being getting big money out of politics, and you know the premier listened, and acted on some of the suggestions I brought forward. And so you know she deserves thanks for that. And you know I'm hoping that the incoming premier listens as well.

CO: What's your priority when you take your seat?

MS: The biggest priority is just being a real champion for Guelph, and a strong voice for change at Queen’s Park. And I will be emphasizing the transition to a clean economy because I think that's essential to our economic health and our environmental health. I've been a big champion for many years of protecting our water and farmland; I will continue to do that. And I also want to make sure that the new government doesn't come in and cut public services because so many people in my community have said you know we want more investment in healthcare, and education, and transit, and social services. We do not want cutbacks. And so you know I'm going to be fighting for my constituents.

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

MS: Thank you so much, Carol.

JD: Mike Schreiner is the leader of the Ontario Green Party, and the incoming MPP for Guelph.

[Music: Indie rock]

Lotto winner

JD: A couple in Newfoundland has big plans for their 2-point-5 million dollar lottery win. And conspicuous consumption isn't what they have in mind. Angela and Edward Lado came to Canada 14 years ago from South Sudan. Edward's mother wasn't with them. She is living in a refugee camp somewhere in Uganda. Now, the family has the means to track her down, and to hopefully bring her to Canada. Here is Angela Lado answering a question from an Atlantic Lottery Corporation employee, after picking up her lotto winnings today.

SOUNDCLIP

EMPLOYEE: So how are you feeling?

ANGELA LADO: Oh my God, I feel happy. I feel happy, and excited, and nervous together. I went to see my son in the hospital, and then when I came back, I went to the store and just buy the ticket. I came home, I was watching tennis on the TV, and I just scratched the ticket, it and I couldn't believe my eyes. I was just screaming oh my God. I was screaming, and then I say what can I do? Run to the store. I say no, I call my husband. And he say hello, I say oh my God. He was like what's going on. I said oh my God! He was like what happened? I said we win really real money. He was like bring ticket, and then I went there, we checked the ticket, and he’s like I think the numbers right, but we have to go to this store and check it again. And we went to the store, and the guy say congratulations. I think you guys win money. At that time, I was like Is it true? I'm still rubbing my eyes like it's not true.

JD: That was Newfoundland's Angela Lado. She and her husband just won two-and-a-half million dollars in the Atlantic Lottery. And they plan to use the winnings to track down her husband's mom in a Ugandan refugee camp.

[Music: Ambient]

Rappler journalism award

JD: Today, Philippine journalist Maria Ressa dedicated a global press freedom award to all Filipino journalists, quote, "just trying to do our jobs." That job has been tougher than normal for Ms. Ressa this year. Because security officials have ordered the closure of Rappler, the news outlet she founded, after accusing it of being "foreign-owned". And she's been under investigation for violating a cyber-libel law for a story published back in 2012. Now, the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers has awarded her the Golden Pen of Freedom Award, for her perseverance in the face of threats and intimidation by the government of the Philippines. Carol spoke with Maria Ressa on this program in January of this year. Here's part of that conversation, from our archives.

MARIA RESSA: Last July, during his second State of the Nation address, President Duterte singled Rappler out, along with the Philippines largest television network ABSCBN. This just caps a year-and-a-half of threats, of attacks. And President Duterte, after singling out Rappler, then went on to continue these numerous verbal attacks. You know I think trying to control the narrative, trying to harass a news organization. We're just not going to stand for it. We're going to face the charges. We're going to continue doing our jobs. And I'm so proud of our reporter at The Palace. She's a young reporter, but President Duterte berated our organization; he was cursing while she calmly and respectfully asked the tough questions.

CO: What kinds of stories have you reported that may have got the ire of President Duterte?

MR: We've won numerous awards for what we call our “impunity series”. This is focus specifically on the president's drug war. I mean the Philippine National Police own numbers from July 1 to January 31, they had reported at least 7,000 people killed. But then once international condemnation began, the police began to fudge the numbers. They began to introduce new definitions that obscured exactly what was going on. We were attacked by government agencies. We were attacked viciously online for trying to get to the bottom of this. What we're trying to do is check abuse of power. And we'll continue doing that.

JD: From our archives, that was Maria Ressa, founder and editor of Philipines news site Rappler. Today, she was awarded the Golden Pen of Freedom award by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers.

[Music: Island music]

Gumshoe

Guest: Jonathan Van Loon

JD: Let's get something straight: if you swallow chewing gum, it does not stay in your stomach for seven years. Now, I'm not advising you to swallow gum. I'm just saying you don't have to panic and spit it out immediately onto the ground immediately when you're done with it — because gum does stay on city streets. It doesn’t break down. And cleaning it up is expensive. Now, there are two novel solutions to this problem. One: people take two seconds out of their days to throw their gum in an actual garbage can. Or, since no one will do that, two: someone turns recycled gum into something you put on your feet, instead of under others. The city of Amsterdam's marketing group has partnered up with designers to create footwear they're calling "Gumshoe". The world's first shoes made from gum. Jonathan Van Loon is a spokesperson for the group. He's the artistic director at an advertising agency called Publicis One in Amsterdam. That's where we reached him.

CO: Jonathan, what do these shoes look like?

JONATHAN VAN LOON: Well, the shoes are a bubble gum pink. They have a design made by Explicit, which is an Amsterdam-based shoe brand. And a nice picture is that on the bottom, the map of Amsterdam is shown.

CO: Imprinted on the sole.

JVL: Yeah.

CO: So just describe the whole shoe isn't gum, right? So what part of the shoe is actually made from recycled gum?

JVL: The sole. So that's why we call it the “sole purpose of clean streets”. So the soles are made of this compound we've made. And a part of that is actually gum.

CO: And how much gum goes into that compound?

JVL: Well, we use one kilo of this compound for four soles, or for two pair of shoes. And 20 per cent of that is actually gum. We can’t make the soles from 100 per cent pure, so there's TEP which has 20 per cent of gum.

CO: So you mix up this compound with the gum in it?

JVL: Yeah.

CO: Where are you getting the gum?

JVL: So we actually collect the gum from the streets. And we're putting up these kind of small boxes where people can dispose of gum. And yeah, so there are actually two ways to collect it.

CO: And you go around and harvest all this gum?

JVL: Well, not me personally, but we have a team of people that do that.

CO: Isn’t that kind of gross?

JVL: Well, it depends on what you think of gross. I mean is it gross if something is recycled like a plastic bottle of water?

CO: But I'm just thinking this is something that's been someone's mouth, they've been chewing it for quite a while, and then they spit it out again. And that's what you're using to make shoes.

JVL: Yeah. So within the process it actually gets cleaned as well.

CO: Oh, I would hope so.

JVL: Yes. So you're not actually wearing a someone’s DNA on your shoe. But yeah, no, there’s an entire process that that cleans the gum that turns it into this new type of rubber. So yeah, it's not actually gross.

JVL: Yeah. And with this campaign, we're also trying to get people more involved. And trying to get people to actually find these boxes and dispose their gum in there, like you actually do with normal waste these days, which is quite normal because we've been taught to actually throw a plastic bottle into a bin instead of throwing it on the ground. That's what we're trying to do as well with that gum.

CO: And why do people do that? I mean why do people feel they can just toss their gum on the sidewalk?

JVL: Yeah, I don't know? It's actually really weird. I think it's the same with cigarettes. We haven't been educated yet that this is actually a waste. And we find it normal because people clean it up. But this is a big problem, like it cost governments millions of euros each year, and we don't really see the big problem when we just throw it on the ground.

CO: How did you come up with this idea?

JVL: Well, we're always looking for ways to kind of make the world a bit better, or look at problems that are around. And we find out that gum litter is a huge problem in Amsterdam, and a lot of major cities in the world actually. And from there we, actually start looking for you know what is it that yeah that gum is made of? And we find out that it's made from a synthetic rubber — and then the idea came quite fast that you can reverse this process.

CO: How many customers are you getting?

JVL: We're getting a lot of requests actually. I know that within the first week, we had around a couple of thousand pre-orders. And yet, it's getting bigger like every day new people are asking about the shoe, or wanting the shoes, so it's not stopping.

CO: So at some point do you think that you'll run out of gum?

JVL: Well we will run out of gum if people stop using gum. But I don't think that's going to happen.

CO: But your shoes are 190 euros a pair. Do you think that you'll get enough customers?

JVL: Well, at the moment, the price, of course, it's not a cheap shoe, but it's not a cheap process as well. But you can buy shoes from other brands that are way more expensive. So price wise, it’s not a big problem for most people.

CO: Do you think you can come up with an idea to recycle cigarette butts?

JVL: I'm actually thinking about it, but I haven't come up with something yet. But who knows.

CO: Well, if you can find some way to get those buts off the street, and the gum, then you might have a lot of cities wanting you to come.

JVL: Yeah, I think so. Well, that's the beauty of Gumshoe. There’s been other cities that are interested in the concept as well, which is great because the concept is scalable, so we could do New York, and we could do London, even cities like Tokyo have the same problem. So the sky's the limit on this one.

CO: Your work is cut out for you. Jonathan, it’s good to talk to you. Thanks. Bye.

JVL Thank you. Bye bye.

JD: Jonathan Van Loon is from the Gumshoe project. We reached him in Amsterdam.

[Music: Folk]

Geography kid

JD: Madden Landicho of Winnipeg has embarrassed me; he's about to embarrass you. Unless of course, you can name every single country in the world. In alphabetical order? I didn't think so. But you'll have guessed that Madden can. And if you're grumbling that you just never had time to memorize all the countries, that's not really an excuse. Madden's only six years old, and he managed it.

SOUNDCLIP

KRISTIEE LANDICHO: Do you want to show everybody you can do it without reading? That you know it by memorization?

MADDEN LANDICHO: Yeah!!

KL: OK, go.

MADDEN LANDICHO: [He just keeps naming countries]

JD: Don't worry. He keeps going. The original video his mom filmed and posted on Facebook is four full minutes. We'll fast-forward through the middle bit.

SOUNDCLIP

[Sound: He is the Energizer Bunny]

KL: Amazing, buddy! Good job.

JD: Good job indeed. Six-year-old Madden Landicho and his mom, Kristee Landicho, in Winnipeg. As you'll have guessed, Madden's got a thing for geography, which is why he can name every single country, in alphabetical order, from memory. And by naming all those places, I kind of feel like he's put me in mine.

[Music: Light rock]

Long flight study

JD: Dateline: London, England and Perth, Australia. And all 14 thousand, 498 kilometres in between.

[Music: Dateline theme]

JD: A week-and-a-half ago, Qantas Airlines set a speed record: its new direct flight from Perth to London took only 16-hours-29-minutes, which meant that passengers were whizzing through the sky at an average speed of 938 kilometres per hour. Except one passenger — who wasn't whizzing at all. To scientists, the long flight is ideal for studying jet lag. Volunteers on the flights are strapping on equipment that measures their physical activity: whether they sleep, for how long; how often they change their posture; and how frequently they get up and walk around. Because, you know, it's usually a 17-hour flight. Well, it's early days for the study, and it's still going. But what's weird is that one guy didn't. At first, the scientists assumed their equipment was faulty. But they double-checked the monitors they'd put on that passenger's wrists and ankles, and found they were functional. Which meant it was true: for the duration of that flight, he had barely moved, he hadn't taken a single step, which, of course, means he hadn't paid a single visit to the bathroom. For seventeen hours. Obviously, he was in business class, but that only explains so much. That record-setting flight was due to a strong jet stream. Which I can only assume that guy experienced after landing.

June 8, 2018 episode transcript

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