The Swan Song

The disease

swansongradio — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 18:18:13 +0000

Karen Magill was diagnosed with Multiple sclerosis (MS),when she was 35. She woke up one day and one entire side of her body was numb.

In this interview you’ll hear Magill talk about the emotional and physical stress this disease put on her life, how she dealt with that stress and how she overcame it.

She wrote a book about her struggle. It’s called On The Right Side: My Story of Survival and Success. You can download it from Amazon.

Judy Rebick on gender politics

swansongradio — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 19:55:25 +0000

The Swan Song - Judy Rebick on gender politics

In this episode, David Swanson speaks with Judy Rebick, former CBC host and founder of rabble.ca, about feminism in the age of Occupy, the evolution of gender rights and the importance of International Women's Day.

www.davidswansonmedia.com

World Radio Day: Human rights radio stories

swansongradio — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 22:05:33 +0000

The Swan Song - World Radio Day

It’s World Radio Day on February 13, so, to celebrate, you’ll going to hear some powerful stories that showcase the impact of radio in developing communities. In this episode, I speak with Journalists for Human Rights' (jhr) Executive Director Danny Glenwright about jhr's radio training work in post-conflict Sub-Saharan countries in Africa. Danny shares five stories about five different people that highlight their radio work and the positive change that resulted.

The poet

swansongradio — Wed, 28 Jan 2015 23:25:42 +0000

The Swan Song - The Poet

Timothy Shay was born in Hamilton Ontario in 1952. He was raised in White Rock, B.C. and Keno City, Yukon and graduated from high school in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Timothy started writing poetry at 12 years old. His work has been published in a plethora of literary magazines and publications some of which include Fiddlehead, Quarry, Scrivener, Horsefly, West Coast Review, CV2, Writing, This Magazine, Canadian Dimension, Canadian Forum, CBC Radio Anthology and Rolling Stone. He has been the recipient of three Canada Council Awards.

In this feature, Timothy reads a few of his pieces, discusses the story behind each and shares some of his thoughts on poetry.

www.swansongradio.com

The courtship: Part 2

swansongradio — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 19:43:56 +0000

The Swan Song - The Courtship Part 2

In the second half of this interview, dating coach Deanna Cobden discusses having sex on the first date, benefits and drawbacks of online dating, and why love seems to be so elusive for so many people.

The courtship: Part 1

swansongradio — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 18:44:00 +0000

The Swan Song - The Courtship Part 1

Dating is a dance. It's fun, difficult and nerve racking. This week I speak with dating coach Deanna Cobden, the founder of a dating assistance company Dateworks.

In this interview Deanna and I discuss dating gender roles, the difference between a dating coach and a pick up artist, the biology and psychology of gender and the approach anxiety people feel when they talk to a potential partner.

This is part one of a two part interview.

www.swansongradio.com

www.dateworks.ca

The Latvian art diaries

swansongradio — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 16:35:43 +0000

The Latvian Art Diaries

I think Canadians have a tendency to romanticize Europe. I know I do. We have this mental image of Europe that has this almost fairy-tale like quality. When I was a kid, I remember thinking that a great battle had happened on every street and every city was home to a handful of Gothic castles and a limitless number of famous painters, poets and philosophers.

This is probably not the case but it's hard to deny Europe's contribution to the Western art world. In late March 2014, I went to Latvia to collect content for a radio documentary. Riga, Latvia's capital, was chosen as the 2014 European Capital of Cultural. A part of this campaign is inviting media people from around the world to Riga to create cultural stories about Riga.

Prenatal testing: What are the ethical issues?

swansongradio — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 19:59:52 +0000

The Swan Song - Prenatal Testing

Simon Fraser University's Dr. Ivona Mladinovic discusses the ethical issues involved with prenatal genetic and gender testing.

www.swansongradio.com

The activist: Greenpeace co-founder Rod Marining shares his story

swansongradio — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 20:13:54 +0000

The Swan Song - The Activist

Rod Marining is the co-founder of Greenpeace. He started Greenpeace in the early 1970s when we was 22 and has spent nearly his entire adult life advocating for different environmental initiatives.

In this interview, Rod talks about his early activist years before Greenpeace, establishing the now world-renowned organization, fighting nuclear testing and Arctic oil drilling and the dangers he faced as a radical activist.

We also find out how Rod and other members of Greenpeace identified government moles that infiltrated their organization. I'll give you a hint. It involved LSD.

www.swansongradio.com

www.greenpeace.org/

The phobia

swansongradio — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 22:30:06 +0000

The Swan Song - The Phobia

In this interview psychologist Dr. Randy Paterson and I discuss the personal and social forces sources behind phobias, different types of phobias people can develop, and how he tries to help people overcome their debilitating fears.

www.swansongradio.com

The bullied

swansongradio — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 21:11:48 +0000

The Swan Song - The Bullied

In this interview, I speak with Makenna Ruddy, a survivor of bullying and social exclusion. Makenna grew up with severe anxiety and depression which intensified after she started being bullied at the age of eight.

The bullying followed her throughout her elementary school career into high school. Makenna even transferred between multiple schools in an attempt to escape her bullies but when she succeeded in losing one bully, another always seemed to materialize.

This interview highlights Makenna’s struggle to find her sense of self-worth, the anguish she experienced at the hands of her school-yard tormentors and the emotional trauma that resulted.

The funeral

swansongradio — Mon, 25 Aug 2014 19:34:13 +0000

The Swan Song - The Funeral

Death is paradoxical. Its certainty makes life purposeful and lively. In this interview, I speak with Michelle Vizena, the Funeral Director at Kirney Funeral Services in Vancouver, B.C.

Michelle and I discuss her experience as a Funeral Director which often involves having difficult conversations with people who have lost a loved one.

She also shares her knowledge of the embalming process, coping with death, the social value of cemeteries and why the ritualistic nature of funerals is important for grieving.

www.swansongradio.com

The street artist

swansongradio — Tue, 10 Jun 2014 18:31:58 +0000

The Swan Song - The Street Artist

In late March 2014, I went to Latvia to collect content for a radio documentary. Riga, Latvia's capital, was chosen as the 2014 European Cultural Capital. A part of this campaign is inviting media people from around the world to Riga to create stories on Riga's creative communities.

One interview from my upcoming documentary is with Dainis Rudens AKA Rudens Stencil. Dainis is a pioneer of the Latvian street art community. In this interview, we discuss his experience as a street artist, the Latvian government and public's perspective on street art and how his craft differs from more traditional art forms.

Rudens Stencil: vimeo.com/83452204

The god particle

swansongradio — Wed, 13 Aug 2014 22:18:53 +0000

The Swan Song - The God Particle

Lindsey Joseph is a Reform Rabbi, graduate from Simon Fraser University's Philosophy program and post secondary school professor. I spoke with her about the theological implications of the discovery of the Higgs-Boson Particle also, referred to as the "God" Particle.

www.swansongradio.com

Youth suicide in Canada

swansongradio — Tue, 29 Jul 2014 23:19:21 +0000

The Swan Song - Youth Suicide

Since 2008, youth suicide has tripled in B.C.'s North Shore. Dr. Michael Markwick, a North Shore resident, discusses how insufficient clinical services funding for youth has impacted youth suicide rates and the need for systemic change to better support youth with mental health issues.