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The AIH transcript for July 25, 2025

For more episodes of this podcast, please click this link.

MEGAN WILLIAMS: Hello, I'm Megan Williams, sitting in for Nil Köksal.

ACEY ROWE: And I’m Acey Rowe, sitting in for Chris Howden. This is As It Happens.

[theme]

AR: Tonight:

MW: Unsafe space. Hundreds of current and former NASA employees -- including our guest -- are warning the agency’s leadership against budget cuts they say will compromise human safety and undermine NASA’s core mission.

AR: A big ask. An Inuit leader tells us Prime Minister Mark Carney has reassured him the government will consult Indigenous communities about projects governed by the controversial "Building Canada Act." But not everyone's as convinced.

MW: Worth a shot. Amid a rise in measles in Alberta, the province’s former head doctor tells us why he wants to see more parents vaccinate their kids early -- and why he thinks the Province should be doing more to tackle the outbreak.

AR: Top Brass. We pay tribute to Chuck Mangione -- the American flugelhorn player who won over fans with his smooth fashion sense…and his talent for smooth jazz.

MW: The picture of fashion. New York Times photographer Bill Cunningham dedicated his life to documenting fashion trends on the city's streets. Now, his archives will soon be available for others to look through the many looks he captured.

AR: High roller. A Canadian woman retakes her world record title after racing a Victorian-era bicycle, known as the penny farthing, at speeds of more than 41 kilometres an hour.

AR: As It Happens, the Friday Edition. Radio that’s glad her story came full circle.

[theme]

Part 1: NASA letter, Early Measles Vax, Penny Farthing Record

NASA letter

Guest: Kyle Helson

AR: Launched in 1977, the Voyager spacecraft has gone deeper into space than any other human-made object -- and it continues its travels to this day, transmitting data back to Earth despite a dwindling power supply. Which, to some, might make it the perfect metaphor for NASA itself right now. This week employees of the space agency released what they call "The Voyager Declaration" -- a formal letter of dissent signed by 287 current and former NASA workers and many prominent supporters -- including 20 Nobel Prize winners. The letter warns against the budget cuts pursued by the Trump administration -- and describes its leadership as putting politics ahead of safety, science, and efficiency. Only a handful of those who've signed the letter have been willing to go on the record by name about their decision. Kyle Helson is one of them -- he's a co-op research scientist working for NASA through the University of Maryland. We reached him in Washington D.C.

MW: Kyle, you were one of the few willing to go on record by name to talk about signing the Voyager Declaration. Why have you decided to speak out?

KYLE HELSON: Let me first start off by saying that I'm speaking to you as a private citizen. I don't represent the agency, I don’t represent the federal government or my employer. And so, everything I'm saying is my opinion and mine alone. I wanted to publicly speak out and sign this declaration publicly because there are many, many civil servant scientists who feel afraid to say anything, and feel afraid to speak out about the radical changes that are happening right now. And there have already been instances of retribution, like the EPA and things like that. And so, because I am not a federal civil servant, I feel like I have a little bit more flexibility in my role.

MW: One hundred and forty-four employees of the Environmental Protection Agency were placed on leave after they sent out a letter of dissent. Are you concerned that you and your colleagues could face something similar?

KH: I think there's definitely concern. I think that generally speaking, since January, everyone who has been involved with work with the federal government has concern about losing a job. I think it's been made very clear that there is substantial animus towards federal workers and public civil servants. So, yes, I think people are afraid that they're going to lose their job, and I think that's why a lot of people did not sign publicly.

MW: What have you seen and heard from your colleagues at NASA that contributed to this fearful atmosphere you describe?

KH: You have wholesale chunks of the federal government that are being closed and shut down, and you have mass firings at other agencies, like the USAID, the National Science Foundation, the Department of State, the Department Education, things like that, as well as just the multiple rounds of offering of this deferred retirement or deferred resignation programme that was first offered in February as a part of the DOGE and, like, Elon Musk cuts. But, generally speaking, it seems like everyone at the top is trying to encourage civil servants and government employees to leave. And the director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought, has been interviewed saying that he wants to put federal workers in trauma everyday when they go to work. So, I think that's definitely happening, you can see the effects of this.

MW: And I understand, even sort of on a personal level, some employees are afraid to have photos of loved ones on desks and that sort of thing. Can you tell me a bit about that?

KH: Yeah, so back early, you know, sort of late winter, there were crackdowns about folks having things displayed at their desk that the executive branch may find to be objectionable. A big concern was if folks had any LGBTQ Pride flags or things like that displayed on their desks, or pins on their jacket or anything like that. And, you know, it went so far as folks were worried, like, can I have this picture of me and my spouse, or me and my family on my desk? Or is that going to get me in trouble? You know, people worried that people were coming, that there were going to be people coming around to their desk, like, inspecting their workstations for any sort of material that someone might find objectionable in that way. And I think that generally speaking, that's not the way or the culture, in my experience, that NASA has been. NASA has always, in my experience, been a very welcoming and warm place that feels a lot like a family, and to have that be disrupted is scary.

MW: We received a statement from NASA Spokesperson Bethany Stevens, which disputes the substance of the Voyager Declaration. It says in part, quote, the reality is that President Trump has proposed billions of dollars for NASA science, demonstrating an ongoing commitment to communicating our scientific achievements. To ensure NASA delivers for the American people, we are continually evaluating mission life cycles. Not on sustaining outdated or lower priority missions. End of quote. What do you make of that?

KH: I would just like to say that while the president's budget request does allocate, quote, billions of dollars for science, it is a roughly 50 per cent cut. So, what, that's like saying your bicycle is missing one wheel, but don't worry, you've still got another wheel. Like, the, [chuckle] you know, it's sort of a little disingenuous to suggest that this 50 per cent cut is still okay, because it's not 100 per cent cut, right? And furthermore, NASA operates a whole fleet of missions, all of which are in space right now and returning invaluable data. And while satellites are in orbit and just operating and continually taking data, they're relatively inexpensive to keep operating. Like, all of the R&D costs and the cost to actually build and launch that satellite have already been spent. So, by turning them off, firstly, there's no way to turn them back on once you turn them off. So, turning them up means you lose that thing forever. And secondly, the data that are generated by many of these satellites are publicly available. So, these satellites provide a public service where anyone worldwide can go on and use these data, and it is freely available. So, it is not just a benefit for the American people, but a lot of these provide a benefit to the entire world. And these data are not available from anywhere else. So, it is not like you can turn off one of these satellites and just rely on another one. In some cases, these are the only satellites that collect this data.

MW: Kyle, thank you very much for speaking with us today.

KH: No, thank you.

AR: Kyle Helson is a co-op research scientist who works for NASA through the University of Maryland. We reached him in Washington, D.C.

[hip-hop]

Early Measles Vax

Guest: James Talbot

AR: Doctors in Alberta are desperately trying to call attention to a crisis they weren't expecting to face: measles. Alberta currently has more cases of measles per capita than anywhere else in Canada -- and the entirety of the U.S. As of Thursday, the province had logged a total of 1,511 cases since the outbreak began. And this week, the Alberta Medical Association hosted a special panel highlighting the severity of the situation. Dr. James Talbot was one of the panel's experts. He's an adjunct professor at the University of Alberta's school of public health -- and a former chief medical officer for the province. We reached him today in Toronto.

MW: Dr. Talbot, at this week's panel, you called the current measles outbreak an epidemic. Why is now the time to use that language in your view?

JAMES TALBOT: Well, first of all, we have more cases than we've ever had in total in the last 20 years. It's affecting all five zones. There's been continuing transmission for more than four months. The provinces to the east and west of us have one-tenth the number of cases, and some of them were exposed when they came to Alberta. And right now, we have more cases in a population of five million than the United States does for 340 million. So, we need to get to a sense of urgency that the word epidemic and those kinds of numbers justify.

MW: In hard-hit areas now, the province is offering the vaccine to children as young as six months old. What do you make of their approach with this earlier vaccine schedule?

JT: Well, in some sense, it's an admission of failure of their strategy. The reason that we don't ordinarily immunize six-month-olds to 11-month-olds is that we have had high immunization rates, over 95 per cent. So, if the virus did show up, the child was surrounded by people who were protective, that you wouldn't transmit the disease on. And secondly, we didn't have measles being transmitted throughout the entire province. The reason, though, that you might wanna think about immunizing them if those conditions no longer apply is that six-month-olds to 11-month-olds have very, very serious effects from the measles virus. So, they're amongst the worst affected of any of the population. So, if you fail to keep your immunization rates up, and you've allowed the virus to go through the province the way the government has, you have to offer that vaccine to six-month-olds to 11-month olds. And they're continuing to be lax on this because even though it's now available in north, south, and central zones, it's still not available in Edmonton and Calgary.

MW: Now, the Alberta government has said that more than 82,000 measles vaccines were administered across Alberta from mid-March to mid-July, which is a significant increase compared to the same time last year. Does that not show that there's been some successful messaging?

JT: Absolutely. And we celebrate every one of those people who get immunized because their children will not get measles, and they don't have to lie awake worrying about what other people have or haven't done. But it's not enough. The coverage rates for vaccine in the province for under two-year-olds are 75 per cent in the region that for Edmonton and Calgary. The target is 95 per cent, so those two are the best areas in the province. They're five times what the optimum level would be. The parts that are experiencing the worst outbreaks now, they have the immunization rates as low as 50 per cent. And in some places, 30 per cent, 20 per cent, which is what you'd expect to see in an impoverished third world country.

MW: Now, you mentioned the severe impact on babies under the age of six months. Earlier this week, we spoke to a mother whose four-month-old baby was sick with measles this year. Here's some of what she told us.

SOUNDCLIP

MOTHER: She was very swollen. Her eyes were pretty much swollen shut. She was in pain. She's a very happy baby. She rarely cries, but when this was going on, her cry was, it was, like, a heartbreaking cry.

MW: Now, this was clearly a very scary moment for her family. Do you think there's a strong public awareness or understanding of the risks?

JT: No, I don't think there is. I think our grandparents remember exactly how bad these childhood diseases were. They remember kids who'd survived polio, who were in iron lungs, or who needed braces to walk. Measles, as the paediatrician who was part of our panel earlier in the week pointed out, is not a benign disease. In fact, the kids who get it are frankly miserable. They have high temperatures. They're exactly what that woman was describing about with her child. And I, you know, I don't think, if parents knew how bad it is and how bad it can be once your child gets measles, they would do anything to keep them out of hospital. And obviously, the anything in this case is a very effective and very safe vaccine.

MW: Now, if the vaccine is available but the rates aren't high enough, what can the province do to compel people to get their children vaccinated?

JT: Well, there are a number of things that they could look at. I mean, the first is, declare it an epidemic, and make people aware of the kinds of things we've just been talking about. The second thing they could do is to open up the immunization in Edmonton and Calgary to include the very young. That by itself would give a message of how serious this is. They should be running a campaign right now. Because it's almost certainly spreading at summer camps, Bible camps, baseball tournaments, family gatherings, to make sure that people are aware that they need to get everyone in their family who's at risk immunized before the school year starts.

MW: Well, we're headed into a new school year in just a few weeks. I mean, do you see this situation getting worse before it gets better?

JT: Oh absolutely. You know, measles, it's been estimated that if you have a person with measles in a place in which there are uninfected people that there can be as many as 19 cases. You can get measles after someone has left a room but has breathed in it for a period of time. And you can measles an hour after they've left the room. So, once they get to the schools, the immunization rates are low enough in this province that it's virtually guaranteed that there'll be even more spread once that happens.

MW: Dr. Talbot, thanks so much for speaking.

JT: My pleasure, thank you.

AR: Dr. James Talbot is an adjunct professor at the University of Alberta's school of public health, and a former Chief Medical Officer of Health for the province of Alberta. We reached him in Toronto. In a statement, a spokesperson for Alberta's Ministry of Primary and Preventative Health Services said the Province takes the outbreak very seriously -- but that the term "epidemic", quote, "does not reflect the current data." The ministry also pointed to measures such as expanded vaccination clinics and targeted outreach -- including a call-out campaign focused on parents of 6 -to–11-month-olds in hot spot areas. But they say that in Calgary and Edmonton, the risk remains relatively low.

[elevator music]

LR: Jasper Correction

SOUNDCLIP

[swing music]

SINGERS: Mr. PG. Oh, Mr. PG.

MAIN SINGER: In Prince George British Columbia, tourists dot the city.

AR: Ah, Mr. Prince George...or Mr. PG as he's affectionately called...the towering figure that welcomes visitors to Prince George, B.C. He's a icon...not just of the city, of course, but of British Columbia as well. As we told you last night on the program, Mr. PG was one of several BC hallmarks competing a new CBC bracket, which hopes to determine the symbol that best represents the province. Other contenders include the Ogopogo lake monster, sockeye salmon, and totem poles. Now it may be the end of the road for Mr. PG.. who lost his matchup against The Terry Fox Statue. But with 16 contenders left -- and tens of thousands of votes cast -- the enthusiasm is building. We can faithfully report, however, one candidate spoken about last night will NOT be named B.C.'s top symbol... Jasper, Alberta. Last night on the program, we wrongly referred to Jasper as being located in B.C...an oversight we deeply regret. But while we somehow, gobsmackingly, overlooked that error, you did not. Deb Billwiller of Grand Forks, B.C., wrote in to ask us, "Has Jasper moved?" We also heard from Heather Cole of Saskatoon, who writes, "I went to Jasper the first time in 1974. I was in Jasper in 1998 and again in 2013. Each time, Jasper was in Alberta." Thanks to Heather and Deb, and everyone else who wrote in to put us in our place…

[elevator music]

Penny Farthing Record

Guest: Lizanne Wilmot

AR: The world has a new penny farthing queen. If you didn't understand any of the words that just came out of my mouth, I'll explain. Lizanne Wilmot, who's from Brampton, Ontario, holds two new Guinness World Records: fastest speed on a penny farthing (female), and fastest 1-kilometre on a penny farthing (female). If you need further explanation, a penny farthing is one of those old-timey, high-wheeled bicycles -- the kind that has a tiny little back wheel and a massive front wheel. Guinness recently confirmed the records from Ms. Wilmot's attempts at the Tasmanian Christmas Carnivals in Australia on New Years Eve. Here's some of what that race excitement sounded like.

SOUNDCLIP

ANNOUNCER: She's not only on track, she's gonna smash the world record, ladies and gentlemen. We are witnessing the fastest penny farthing over a kilometre for a female ever, Xavier. She's gonna do it. Let's make some noise. [noise is made] Let's see if she can smash the World Record, ladies and gentlemen, Lizanne Wilmot. The official time is one minute, 52.75; [woman cheers] we have a new World Record, ladies and gentlemen.

AR: We reached Lizanne Wilmot in Sydney, Australia.

MW: Lizanne, we just heard a bit of your reaction to finding out you'd broken the one kilometre world record by 30 whole seconds. While you were in the race, did it feel like you were breaking a record?

LIZANNE WILMOT: When I was in the race, everything was a bit of a blur, so I was head down, butt up, just pedalling the legs as fast as I could. And the Tasmanian Christmas Carnivals, they're special. There's such a big crowd, there's a huge atmosphere, so, I had those guys pushing me along. So, I knew that I was going fast, but I didn't know I was breaking the record by that much.

MW: Now, you have to pedal a lot [chuckling] with a penny farthing. How did your quads feel during that race?

LW: Not so much the quads, it's actually the hamstrings. I'm on really short pedals, so instead of being like a full pedal stroke, it's almost like a leg twitch. And completely different muscles than riding my regular track bike. And finished that, and the legs were blown. Like, it was a big burn.

MW: Now, I understand you've also done the one-hour race. How does that compare in terms of burn on your leg muscles?

LW: Yeah, completely different muscle system. So, the kilo and the max speed are just, like, really short bursts, where the one-hour is just sustained. So, when I did the one-hour record, like, I was wrecked. It's one of the reasons why I did this sprint stuff because there's no way I'm doing an hour again. Yeah, my legs after that, I was probably about two, three months recovering just to get the muscles to function properly again.

MW: Now the other record you won is the fastest, or the other record you broke is the fasted speed on a penny farthing. You averaged a top speed of 41.709 kilometres per hour. And that's the fastest for men and women. You must be feeling pretty good about that?

LW: Oh, that was a big one too. Um, the track that we're doing on is right next to the Bass Strait. So, it was blowing a gale that day. Uh, so my first effort that I did, I was into a headwind and broke the women's record. And I was just like, okay, here we go. And I still had to do a second run. Uh, so Paul Kraft -- the announcer -- actually did the calculations for me and set me a time. He's like, if he can break that time, you've got the women's record and he's gone faster than the men's. So, it gave me a target. And having a bit of a tailwind, I was able to do that second run and just absolutely blow it out of the park.

MW: So, can you tell us a little bit about the bike that you're riding, your own penny farthing?

LW: Yeah, so I ride Tiny. Tiny is a 47-inch Penny Farthing Dan custom build. Penny Farthing Dan is the guy to go to. And it helps that he's in Australia.

MW: Oh, that's convenient. How did you get into riding the penny farthing? I mean, it's not, it is not a very common sport.

LW: Uh, no, not really. Um, although in the circle of friends I have, it actually was. Uh, so it's almost like I've de-evolved, so I've gone from the track bike to the penny farthing. And it was one day at the velodrome, a bunch of the guys were just like, hey, would you like to race penny? And I couldn't see a reason to say no. So, I was just like sure. And everything's kind of escalated from there.

MW: So, what appeals to you about riding it?

LW: Oh, it's definitely the community. So, when you're riding a regular bike, you're kind of out there, you are going fast, you are not really taking things in. But when you are on a penny, you almost have to slow down and interact with more people. And it just, it brings you joy. When you are in the penny farthing, you can't help but smile the entire time. I might be in pain, but I'm just loving the bike and really enjoying just the actual ride.

MW: Now, penny fartherers are kind of outliers, I think it's safe to say. Is there sort of a personality profile of a typical penny fartherer?

LW: Oh, we're bike weirdos. It's mildly crazy, but we're not all the same crazy. There's different levels of crazy, [MW chuckles] but just because you ride a Penny Farthing, everyone's just like, you're one of us. So, all you have to do is show interest and you're instantly welcomed, which that's another thing that just makes being around the penny community that much better than being around a regular bike community.

MW: As a World Record breaker, where do you put yourself on the level of weirdness?

LW: Ooooooo! [laughing] OhI'm definitely out there. [MW laughs] Not only do I ride pennies, but I ride fixies. I'm a single-speed mountain biker. I do human-powered vehicle stuff, so like the bullet bikes with periscopes. [MW chuckles] So, I tend to be normal, Monday to Friday, 9 till 5, but outside of that, yeah, definitely one of the bike weirdos.

MW: So Lizanne, can you tell us what you have your sights set on next? Are you going to have to, well, you're going to have to defend your titles at some point. What have you got in store in terms of competitions?

LW: Yeah. So, uh, the next one that I'm aiming for, because I've missed it last couple of years, is the Penny Farthing World Championships. Um, they've been over in Europe and, um, May next year, they're on this side of the world, so over in Indonesia. So, I'm actually hoping to meet a bunch of the other girls who also have records and see how we all stack up against each other, and see if I can get that.

MW: Well, we'll be watching out for that, and seeing how you fare. And best of luck.

LW: Yep, thank you very much for that.

MW: Take care.

LW: 'Kay

AR: Lizanne Wilmot is the world's fastest penny farthing rider. We reached her in Sydney, Australia.

[Feels So Good by Chuck Mangione/smooth jazz]

Chuck Mangione Obit

AR: The sound of Chuck Mangione, playing flugelhorn on the iconic 1977 jazz track, Feels So Good, which listening to his music pretty much always did. Mr. Mangione died Tuesday. He was 84 years old. A pioneer of "smooth jazz," he didn't just sound the part; he looked it too. He was known for his trademark fedora, which also appeared on the head of a cartoon version of the musician -- featured in King of the Hill and voiced by Mr. Mangione himself. In a testament to his good humour, every time that animated avatar began to play a song -- any song -- it was sure to evolve back into that forever most-successful single, Feels So Good. Fortunately, playing it felt good to him, too. He once told JazzTimes magazine, quote, "I didn’t want to record something I didn't like because if it became a hit, I wouldn't be happy playing it." But it was far from his only hit. He and his pianist brother, Gap Mangione, were raised at the feet of jazz greats like Dizzy Gillespie and Art Blakey -- who would come over to the home of the brothers' music-loving parents for spaghetti dinners and homemade wine. And that inheritance ultimately gave way to more than 30 albums, 14 Grammy nominations, and tracks that underscored two Olympic Games.

[banjo!!!]

Part 2: Natan Obed: Bill C5, Bill Cunningham Archive

Natan Obed: Bill C5

Guests: Natan Obed

AR: Natan Obed says he's feeling reassured. As president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatam, Mr. Obed represents Inuit in Canada -- and he spent yesterday co-chairing a meeting of the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee alongside Prime Minister Mark Carney. Top of mind for many of those present was Bill C5, which promises to fast-track approvals for projects deemed to be in the national interest. Amnesty International Canada has warned that the legislation poses a, quote, "troubling threat" to Indigenous rights. And a similar summit with the prime minister last week saw many First Nations leaders leave feeling frustrated. But the tone following yesterday's meetings in Inuvik seems to be considerably more optimistic. We reached Mr. Obed in Gatineau, Quebec to find out why.

MW: President Obed, what specifically did you hear yesterday that helped alleviate some of your concerns about Bill C5?

NATAN OBED: Well, we had been concerned about the listed projects and the ability for government, perhaps, to circumvent or not utilize the processes in our modern treaties, in our land claim agreements that speak to large-scale projects. The prime minister and his associated cabinet ministers all were crystal clear that there's no intention to utilize Bill C5 in that manner. And that our constitutionally-protected agreements and the provisions within them will be upheld. The other key alleviating factor was the purpose and tone of the conversation that this government wants to nation-build with Inuit. And we are fortunate as Inuit that we have homogeneity in our treaties. We all have modern treaties signed between 1975 and 2002. And we are able to then stand united in the way in which we would like to see our rights upheld within this, the implementation of the legislation.

MW: As you know, Prime Minister Carney held a similar meeting with other Indigenous leaders in Gatineau last week. After which, we spoke with Wet'suwet'en Hereditary Chief Na'Moks, who wasn't invited, but was able to attend. Here's some of what he told us.

SOUNDCLIP

CHIEF NA'MOKS: Basically, they were informing us that this is a done deal, and you will agree to it. Well, we don't agree to it, and many people who spoke on the floor in the open mic sessions had told them, this is not consultation. We were never ever asked to meet and talk about this. You made this decision, you made this law without us. And now you're trying to tell us that, hey, it's all about prosperity when you're actually taking everything off the environment, and there will be nothing left for our children and grandchildren to live on because industry will remove it.

MW: What do you say to people like Chief Na,moks who have not found their conversations with the prime minister as reassuring?

NO: This speaks to the complexity of the relationship between the federal government and First Nations, Inuit, and Métis. This isn't a complexity that we created, this is a complexity that has been foisted upon us by the federal governments, and provinces, and territories. In the end, it means that certain issues are dealt with in radically different ways. So, as you know, we have empathy and solidarity with other Indigenous peoples on the areas of environment, or healthcare, or education, or in this case, economic development. But we all have very different streams of interaction with the federal government and different ways in which we fit into legislative processes. That's why I can be more optimistic that the processes that we have negotiated over the last 40 years will be utilized in the decisions about the listed projects and the implementation of those projects in our homeland.

MW: Now, there's not a lot of specificity in Bill C5 about what constitutes a project in the national interest. Did you get any clarity from the prime minister or his cabinet members about what that might mean on Inuit land?

NO: We understand from the legislation that there are five central criteria, and if a project meets most or all of those criteria, they may be deemed to be listed projects. Through public discourse, we've heard quite a bit about four projects in Nunavut -- the Greys Bay Road and Port, the Kivalik Hydrofiber Link Project, the Iqaluit Hydro, and the Qikiqtarjuaq Port. We have done an exercise with the government of Canada to identify upwards to 80 infrastructure projects over the next 10 years that we deem to be essential for the sustainability of our 51 communities. We have another exercise to match those most likely to fit under Bill C5 and the five criteria. So, we have about 15 projects that we are in discussions with the federal government about. And, unfortunately, in our history, Inuit and Inuit Nunangat is not considered in regards to nation-building infrastructure very often. We have a massive infrastructure deficit across our 51 communities. We only have one deep water port. A lot of our runways for our strips are still gravel. We are just generations behind when it comes to other infrastructure in other parts of the country. We do hope that in this heightened security and defence and considerations of sovereignty for Canada, that a lot of the infrastructure projects that in the past were left to the United States in the Cold War era will now be deemed to be essential Canadian projects.

MW: Before we let you go, yesterday, the prime minister also announced the appointment of Virginia Mearns as Canada's new Arctic ambassador. You've applauded her selection. What would you like her top priorities to be?

NO: There's a lot of work to do, and I have great faith in Virginia to be able to just get right to work. And I hope that Global Affairs will give her the necessary resources and team to be very effective. We have obvious positive ties with other countries where Inuit live, but then also in the circumpolar sense. And domestically, there's a lot work to do, I believe, in ensuring that the arctic voice is incorporated into the larger diplomatic function. So, I hope that she is able to provide perspectives that will help Canada assert itself as an Arctic state on the world stage in a way that is in keeping with respect for Arctic people.

MW: President Obed, thank you so much for speaking with me.

NO: Absolutely. It's always a pleasure.

AR: Natan Obed is president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatam. He was in Gatineau, Quebec.

[international]

Bill Cunningham Archive

Guest: Louise Mirrer

AR: "We all dress for Bill". Those were the words of Vogue editor Anna Wintour -- speaking of the long-time New York Times fashion photographer Bill Cunningham. Over half a century before Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube looked to the streets for cutting-edge fashionistas, Bill Cunningham was there -- riding his bicycle, wearing his trademark faded blue workman's jacket, and snapping photos of New Yorkers famous and unknown alike, in their natural habitat, all dressed to the nines. Since his death in 2016 -- there's been much speculation on what would happen to the Bill Cunningham archive of thousands upon thousands of photos, which have been stored in his studio space above Carnegie Hall for close to a decade. Well today, news broke that the museum and library known simply as the New York Historical will soon be the permanent home of the Cunningham archive. Louise Mirrer is the president of the New York Historical, we reached her in the town of Crillon-le-Brave in the South of France.

MW: Louise, you've actually been able to look at what is inside this archive. Can you give us a sense of what's in there?

LM: Really, I mean, he was a cultural anthropologist. He really, you know, interrogated with his lens, with his camera, and his incredible eye. He interrogated every nook and cranny of the city. So, you know, for example, he came to this marvellous party that we gave for him for his 85th birthday. And when the party was over, he got on his bicycle, drove downtown, and, you know, photographed parties that were really very, very different. You know, he was at it all the time. And he didn't miss, you know, he didn't t miss the Paris show, he did miss the Isabella Stewart Gardner gala that he photographed over the summer. I mean, he, you know, he knew, he had a sense of obligation of, um, being there to record with his camera these kinds of events and the street life of New York. And, you know, the high and the low. Really, really remarkable.

MW: Now, you've got this Bill Cunningham archive now. And, as I'm sure you know, he once famously -- and probably half-jokingly -- said that he'd rather see his archive burn than share it. [both chuckle] So, what do you think of what he'd make of you now having it and it being shared with others?

LM: I think he'd love it. You know, I was around him on some occasions when he said things like that, but then he'd go back to his apartment and he would take a photograph outside his window of, you know, a pigeon that was perched on a ledge somewhere, and I'd get a nice handwritten note from him that he would send in the mail or he'd drop off with us. You know, I mean, to do something like that, give something like that to someone who heads a museum, I mean, how reluctant can he really be to have anything preserved? I mean he's got to, you know, certainly got to know that I would send that straight to our archives to be preserved forever. So, I think he would quite like, really quite like, the fact that we are preserving his. And he didn't burn it. But, I mean, I think, he would say from time to time it was a mood. It was a mood, you know? It was a mood.

MW: So, Louise, what's your dream for this archive? I mean, what do you hope people take away from his body of work for years and years to come?

LM: My hope and dream is that it is used to push forward the frontiers of knowledge around New York City, and around social life and philanthropy, and around Bill Cunningham's own art, because there's really much in it that just tells his own story. And that will be a great use to put to it. And the ability for us to make that available for scholars and the wider public, I mean, that's just huge.

MW: Louise, thanks very much for speaking with us today.

LM: Well, you're very welcome. And I appreciate your interest, that's for sure.

CH: Louise Mirrer is the president of the New York Historical, we reached her in Crillon-le-Brave in France.

[indie rock]

Encore: Vulture Puppet

AR: Playing with puppets, it’s a common technique in babysitting. But for staff at the Prague Zoo, it's become an essential part of the process. Three weeks ago, a lesser yellow-headed vulture chick hatched at the zoo -- to parents that seemed less than interested in rearing it. So, the hatchling is being cared for by the zoo's bird-keeping team. The chick is kept in a box -- and is fed using a puppet of an adult vulture. The technique is a tried-and-true method of keeping baby birds from imprinting -- or becoming bonded to their human handlers. Chuck Cerbini is the curator of ornithology at the Bronx Zoo. And earlier this year, he told Nil about using the technique with a baby king vulture. From Our Archives, here's a part of their conversation.

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NK: Chuck, this hand puppet is quite something. It's, I think it looks pretty realistic. Can you describe what it looks like?

CHUCK CERBINI: Yes, the puppet is designed to look just like an adult king vulture head. And that was the idea behind all this. We're very fortunate here at the Bronx Zoo for many reasons, but one reason in particular is certainly the artists that are on staff that work here. And they create beautiful things that range from some of the natural murals that you see in different enclosures to something like this king vulture puppet head. So, this puppet, even to the exact dimensions, anatomically, it's pretty much exactly like a living king vulture head.

NK: That's remarkable. And I think a lot of people would not know that artists are on staff at a zoo. I mean, it's not something that they would think about. So, that in and of itself is really interesting to learn from you as we speak, Chuck. What is this hand puppet made of?

CC: Well, it's sculpted out of, basically, a general sculpting material that's easy to use and then it's hand-painted. So, the artist actually hand-painted it. If you look at adult king vultures, a bit uncharacteristically compared to other vulture species, they have a beautiful, bright, vivid array of colours on their head. And not only that, it's not just a puppet that looks like a king vulture head, it's functional, too. So, the beak can be operated, and it could open and close so it could hold little morsels of food and feed it directly to the chick just like a living parent would.

NK: And how was it reacting in those early stages to this parent you've built for them?

CC: We were amazed at how quickly the chick took to the puppet in terms of taking food. So, the first feed that it had took place, you know, half a day or so after the chick hatched. And the chick almost immediately was taking morsels of food from the hand puppet. And even throughout the bird's development, we saw very good signs that the main intent behind the puppet and mitigating imprinting was effective.

NK: So, how do you transition, though, away from the very important charade you've all created so that it doesn't need that help?

CC: And that's a very good question. Because after the first month of age, the chick actually graduated from the brooder box to a larger brooder box. And, at this point, it had full visual and acoustic access to another adult king vulture. And it has the ability now 24 hours a day to view this adult king vulture, observe its behaviour, and we have actually witnessed the chick observing the adult king vulture and replicating some of the behaviors that it's observed. So, that was kind of the next step after the puppet rearing.

NK: We all need role models.

CC: Yeah, [NK chuckles] that's for sure.

CH: From Our Archives, that was Chuck Cerbini of the Bronx Zoo speaking to Nil earlier this year.

Seven Thousand Steps

AR: [out of breath] Nine thousand and ninety-seven; 9,098, 9,099...10,000! Phewf. That was exhausting. But it's worth it, not to break my six-year streak of hitting 10,000 steps a day. I know, it sounds like a lot of work. But hitting that number is just proof that I am not only healthier, but I’m morally superior to other people. And that makes it worth it. Because everyone knows that 10,000 steps a day is the single most important target for healthy living. Now, I'm just going to sit back down here at my core-strengthening yoga ball that I've totally never fallen off of, pour myself up an electrolyte beverage that tastes like licking my own palms...get back to the show. Sorry, wait, my producer is just handing me something… [papers shift] dah duah uh...A new study says...7,000 steps a day is enough! A mere SEVEN thousand!? Yes. New research published in Lancet Public Health suggests taking a step back from the 10,000-a-day target. Or really, a few thousand steps back. Because the common benchmark was a bit out of step. The goal of 10,000 steps per day has its roots not in health research -- but in a 1960s ad campaign for a Japanese pedometre. This week, Dr. Melody Ding, lead author of the new study, told the BBC that guidance was taken out of context -- and in reality, 7,000 steps a day can boost your brainpower and your overall health. So, we can all relax a little. Because as it turns out, 10,000 steps for man was one giant leap for medical advice.

The AIH Transcript For July 25, 2025

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