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Schedule
December 2007
For past program information please click on Past Shows.
 Click here for printer-friendly version of schedule
CD indicates the program is available on CD from IDEAS Transcripts or from the CBC Shop.
Monday, December 3
MEMEGWESHIWAG CD
Elves, leprechauns, trolls, faeries. The best known little people seem to be European, but Maureen Matthews introduces us to Canada's aboriginal little people. They taught the Cree and Ojibwe to make arrowheads, and even make elegant little stone canoes.
Tuesday, December 4
KLUSCAP’S PEOPLE CD
The rich oral tradition of the Mi’kmaq is highlighted in four fascinating stories – stories of power and magic that provide insight into the culture of this First Nation from Canada’s east coast.
Wednesday, December 5
HOW TO THINK ABOUT SCIENCE, Part 4 of 5 CD
Modern societies have tended to take science for granted as a way of knowing, ordering and controlling the world. Everything was subject to science, but science itself largely escaped scrutiny. This situation has changed dramatically in recent years. Historians, sociologists, philosophers and sometimes scientists themselves have begun to ask fundamental questions about how the institution of science is structured and how it knows what it knows. David Cayley talks to some of the leading lights of this new field of study.
Part 5 airs Wedneday, December 12.
Thursday, December 6
PASSAGES TO THE FUTURE, Part 4 of 4
 A journey into the subtle and provocative ideas of historian Jocelyn Létourneau. As a leader of a new wave of Quebec intellectuals, he rejects melancholic myths that portray Quebeckers as victims of their past, trapped by unfulfilled political dreams. His ideas on the resilience of Quebeckers and the complexity of their history breathe new life into old debates about Quebec's identity, distinctiveness and destiny. In this new series, Jocelyn Létourneau talks with IDEAS producer Sara Wolch about his vision of the past, the implications of his thinking for students of history, and his hopes for the future of Quebec and Canada.
Friday, December 7
TITO’S CHILDREN, Part 4 of 5 CD
 The Balkans, they say, sit on a great fault line of history, between Europe and Asia, between Christian and Muslim worlds. From far back in time, battles have raged there, leaving a legacy of tribalism and distrust. Out of the ruins of World War II, however, through a combination of brute force, charisma and innovative social policy, Josip Broz, better known as Marshall Tito, forged a unique state that almost worked – Yugoslavia. But on his death in 1980, the country rapidly fell apart in war and bloodshed. Today, the separate elements of Yugoslavia are rebuilding themselves. Philip Coulter looks at the ethnic and political fissures in the Balkans to see what forces are in play in the building of civil society.
Part 5 airs on Friday, December 14.
Monday, December 10
THE ENRIGHT FILES - Making Sense of Death CD
Two conversations about Death, the most universal of human experiences. Michael Enright, host of The Sunday Edition, talks with Douglas Davies about his book, A Brief History of Death and poet-funeral director Thomas Lynch about the way we say good-bye to those we love.
Tuesday, December 11
THE STORY OF IRON CD
If steam power was the brawn of the Industrial revolution, iron girders, bolts and rails made it all possible. Chris McGowan takes us to the English village of Coalbrookdale where the story of iron all began.
Wednesday, December 12
HOW TO THINK ABOUT SCIENCE, Part 5 of 5 CD
Modern societies have tended to take science for granted as a way of knowing, ordering and controlling the world. Everything was subject to science, but science itself largely escaped scrutiny. This situation has changed dramatically in recent years. Historians, sociologists, philosophers and sometimes scientists themselves have begun to ask fundamental questions about how the institution of science is structured and how it knows what it knows. David Cayley talks to some of the leading lights of this new field of study.
Thursday, December 13
THE SECRET VOICE OF NATURE, Part 1 of 3 CD
William Henry Hudson, author, wanderer, interpreter of Nature, was one of the fathers of modern environmentalism a hundred years before it became popular. Born and raised on an estancia in Argentina, he wrote passionately about Patagonia and Amazonia as well as Victorian England where he achieved fame and fortune with his romantic novels Green Mansions and The Crystal Age. Montreal writer George Tombs revisits the scientific and mythic world of
Hudson. Part 2 airs Thursday, December 20.
Friday, December 14
TITO’S CHILDREN, Part 5 of 5 CD
The Balkans, they say, sit on a great fault line of history, between Europe and Asia, between Christian and Muslim worlds. From far back in time, battles have raged there, leaving a legacy of tribalism and distrust. Out of the ruins of World War II, however, through a combination of brute force, charisma and innovative social policy, Josip Broz, better known as Marshall Tito, forged a unique state that almost worked – Yugoslavia. But on his death in 1980, the country rapidly fell apart in war and bloodshed. Today, the separate elements of Yugoslavia are rebuilding themselves. Philip Coulter looks at the ethnic and political fissures in the Balkans to see what forces are in play in the building of civil society.
Monday, December 17
WHERE HAVE ALL THE TENORS GONE? CD
The pitch of the human voice has been dropping for centuries. Partly physiological, partly cultural, men and women are pitching their voices lower. High (particularly male) voices are no longer considered desirable. Anne Mullens explores the physiological, musical and cultural influences that affect the way men speak and sing, focusing on changing perceptions of what is authoritative, attractive, persuasive and masculine.
Tuesday, December 18
WACHTEL ON THE ARTS CD
In this regular monthly feature, arts journalist and host of Writers & Company Eleanor Wachtel takes an in-depth look at ideas in the arts. Tonight, she looks at what’s involved in adapting a much-loved book for the silver screen. She’ll talk to English director Joe Wright about Ian McEwan’s Atonement, Canada’s Kari Skogland about Margaret Laurence’s classic The Stone Angel, and discuss Fugitive Pieces with novelist Anne Michaels and director Jeremy Podeswa. Plus, a special appearance by the great Swedish movie actor, Max von Sydow.
Wednesday, December 19
BEYOND WORDS: STILL IMAGES OF WAR AND CONFLICT CD
The still images from the world’s worst conflict zones can be horrifying. But for the photojournalists who took them, they are part of their mission to bring an end to what they have witnessed. For a list of photographers featured in the show, and to view their photographs, visit CBC Television's Beyond Words website.
Thursday, December 20
THE SECRET VOICE OF NATURE, Part 2 of 3 CD
William Henry Hudson, author, wanderer, interpreter of Nature, was one of the fathers of modern environmentalism a hundred years before it became popular. Born and raised on an estancia in Argentina, he wrote passionately about Patagonia and Amazonia as well as Victorian England where he achieved fame and fortune with his romantic novels Green Mansions and The Crystal Age. Montreal writer George Tombs revisits the scientific and mythic world of
Hudson. Part 3 airs Thursday, December 27.
Friday, December 21
THE KINGS OF PHILANTHROPY, Part 1 CD
Some have called it the natural fall-out of a hyper-capitalist society — billionaires who’ve made more money from media and technology enterprises than anyone in human history. There’s Bill Gates, the creator of Microsoft; Jeff Skoll, the founder of e-Bay; Larry Page, a partner in Google; and then, of course, Warren Buffet, who has been dubbed the “Oracle of Omaha.” Now, they’ve reinvented themselves as philanthropists, giving away billions to help the poor. Freelance broadcaster Richard Phinney asks: can they re-make the world? Part 2 airs Friday, December 28.
Monday, December 24
THE FIR TREE CD
Hans Christian Andersen’s Christmas story was both old-fashioned and environmentally ahead of its time. Paul Kennedy reads The Fir Tree.
Tuesday, December 25
TBA
Wednesday, December 26
ASHES AND BONES CD
 Are cemeteries dead? The shift in Western culture to cremation and the scattering or back-garden burial of ashes, means that cemeteries and what they have to tell us about our ancestors and history, are themselves becoming relics. Marian Botsford Fraser explores what happens to the identity of families and communities, when graveyards become anachronisms and the remains of individuals are thrown to the winds.
Thursday, December 27
THE SECRET VOICE OF NATURE, Part 3 of 3 CD
William Henry Hudson, author, wanderer, interpreter of Nature, was one of the fathers of modern environmentalism a hundred years before it became popular. Born and raised on an estancia in Argentina, he wrote passionately about Patagonia and Amazonia as well as Victorian England where he achieved fame and fortune with his romantic novels Green Mansions and The Crystal Age. Montreal writer George Tombs revisits the scientific and mythic world of
Hudson.
Friday, December 28
THE KINGS OF PHILANTHROPY, Part 2 of 2 CD
Some have called it the natural fall-out of a hyper-capitalist society — billionaires who’ve made more money from media and technology enterprises than anyone in human history. There’s Bill Gates, the creator of Microsoft; Jeff Skoll, the founder of e-Bay; Larry Page, a partner in Google; and then, of course, Warren Buffet, who has been dubbed the “Oracle of Omaha.” Now, they’ve reinvented themselves as philanthropists, giving away billions to help the poor. Freelance broadcaster Richard Phinney asks: can they re-make the world?
Monday, December 31
OUT-TAKES CD
To salute the end of another year, IDEAS host Paul Kennedy salvages material that got left on the editing room floor. He presents excerpts from the lively question-and-answer sessions that followed each of the 2007 Massey Lectures by Alberto Manguel, The City of Words, recorded in Halifax, Victoria, Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto.
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