The Sunday Edition for March 31, 2019
Listen to this week's episode with host Michael Enright.
TV's arrival meant the demise of question period as the venue to call the government to account — Michael's essay: "Oct. 17, 1977 was the day television began broadcasting question period. 'Lights, camera, action,' crowed the CBC. Showbiz had arrived."
Trump, Russia, Mueller, and the mainstream media: The New York Times and the Washington Post won a Pulitzer; CNN and MSNBC devoted a huge percentage of their airtime to coverage of Trump and Russia. Yet the summary of Mueller's report shows "no collusion" — a major victory for Trump over his enemies. What went wrong, and how should the media change its approach as the 2020 presidential election looms? Jay Rosen is a New York University journalism professor and widely-read media critic.
Your reaction to: our panel discussion about the epidemic of violence against elementary school teachers, and what can be done about it.
Digital technology is coming to the rescue of sleep-deprived insomniacs - or so we're told: According to Statistics Canada, one in three Canadians say they don't get enough sleep. So sleep tech is very big business - between 30-40 billion dollars a year worldwide. Ira Basen's documentary takes a critical look at the high-tech response to the insomnia epidemic. It's called, "Have Data, Will Sleep." You'll want to stay awake for this one.
There is little evidence that standing desks make you healthier or help you lose weight: You know the drill. Sitting for too long is a major cause of chronic health problems like heart disease, diabetes and obesity. One beneficiary of this medical dictum is, of course, the standing desk industry. But is it based on fact? Dr. Aaron Carroll is director of the Center for Health Policy and Professionalism Research at the Indiana University School of Medicine.
Tony Luciani photographed his 91-year-old mother as her dementia progressed, and created art: This exhibition of black-and-white photographs chronicles the daily experience of living with dementia. The photos, taken by both Tony and his mother Elia, are funny, thought-provoking and heart-breaking. The collection, called "MAMMA in The Meantime," has travelled widely, resonating with viewers around the world.
Why does anti-Semitism — the "oldest hatred" — continue to flourish? Anti-Semitic myths stubbornly remain part of the public imagination, surfacing in the political discourse of the far right — and the far left. Anti-Semitic incidents are on the rise across Europe and in North America, making Deborah Lipstadt's latest book, Anti-Semitism: Here and Now, seem shockingly apt.
Music this week by: Dimitri Shostakovich, Esperanza Spalding, Marvin Gaye, Edvard Greig, Scott Walker, David Buchbinder, The Alcan Quartet, plus the music of Newfoundland from Joan Morrissey, Ron Hynes, Alan Doyle and new group Quote The Raven.