Today marks Gorilla Radio's tenth FunDrive. Every one of those ten years, the station met its fundraising goals thanks to you. This year we've set our sights high, but we've got a few more days to go...we'll leave the usual format, etc... Janine Bandcroft is with me in the studio, and Chris Genovali of the Raincoast Conservation Society will be here to discuss the B.C. Liberal's budget and its rich diggings for B.C.'s oil and gas industry, and trade unionist and social activist, Roger Annis on the upcoming Parliamentary vote on Canada's involvement in Afghanistan. And there'll be music and more for Gorilla Radio's 2008 FunDrive show today.

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File Download (60:15 min / 55 MB)

Elections and rumours of elections are happening everywhere: Tony Blair despatched to a virtual Suzerainty in the Middle East, to make room for his successor, the Claudius-like Gordon Brown, currently drooling over the tribes of Britain; John Howard, stalwart Washington emissary in the Pacific, gone to be replaced by Howard-Lite "liberal" Labour Party leader, Kevin Rudd in Australia; the sycophantic Conservative Party's Stephen Harper, whose minority government tongue for now replaces "Liberal" party predecessor, Paul Martin's on the emperor's boot; and of course 'Le Grand Spectacle' U.S. presidential pageant, running already interminably over-long, and not due to conclude for another eight months time. Add to these the marginal races of Russia, Africa, South America, Kosovo, et cetera, and it begins to seem we Earthlings are truly living in Democracy's Golden Age. But, how true the glitter of this gilded cage? Laura Flanders is a journalist and author whose book titles include: 'Bush Women: Tales of a Cynical Species,' 'Real Majority, Media Minority: The Costs of Sidelining Women in Reporting' and contributed an essay on Hillary Clinton included in 'The Contenders;' she also served as editor of the anthology, 'The W. Effect: Bush's War on Women,' and her latest book is, 'Blue Grit: Making Impossible, Improbable, and Inspirational Political Change in America.' Laura Flanders is also the host of Air America Radio's, Radio Nation, heard around America on the Air America network, and around the world over XM Satellite. Laura Flanders and getting on your political grit for Mission Improbable in the first half. And; though they seldom vote, 'The Homeless' are the fastest growing constituency in Canada. More than a quarter of a million Canadian citizens are estimated to now have no fixed address. Many thousands occupy shelters, sofas, cars, jails and out-buildings, while thousands more call the cold streets and alleys of the nation home. It's a crisis across the country, though besides occassional lip service, and half-assed ameliorative measures, all levels of government are so far failing to adequately come to grips with this crisis. Jack Layton is a long-time political scholar and social activist, leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada, and author, whose titles include: 'Speaking Out: Ideas That Work For Canadians,' 'Speaking Out Louder,' and his latest, 'Homelessness: The Making and Unmaking of a Crisis.' Jack Layton and addressing Canada's unaddressed in the second half. And; Janine Bandcroft will be here at the bottom of the hour to bring us up to speed with all that's good to do in and around Victoria in the coming week. But first, Laura Flanders and blue grit for a rum, red America.

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File Download (55:54 min / 51 MB)

On this week's show: Ingmar Lee and the first Battle of Bear Mountain; Kevin Pina and Haiti's stolen democracy; and Janine Bandcroft brings us up to speed with good goings-on in and around Victoria in the coming week. Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing live every Monday, 5-6pm Pacific Time. In Victoria at 101.9FM, 104.3 cable, and on the internet at: http://cfuv.uvic.ca . He also serves as a contributing editor to the web news site, www.pacificfreepress.com. You can check out the GR blog at: http://GorillaRadioBlog.blogspot.com

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File Download (60:38 min / 56 MB)

With Kosovo again in the news, a look back to one of Gorilla Radio's first programs. In May of 1999, while the bombs were still falling on Belgrade and other places constituting the Former Republic of Yugoslavia. I recorded this interview with professor Oliver Schmidke, then of the University of Victoria. The interview was meant to be intercut with a live discussion, the tape of which has gone missing. - lex

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Word came early this morning: Royal Canadian Mounted Police tactical teams and support officers from the Westshore detachment, moved in on a half-dozen protesters occupying a tree-sit in a small forested area slated for destruction to make way for a highway overpass. Three arrests were made and there are, as yet unconfirmed, reports of injuries sustained by the arrestees. The tree-sit has been continuously occupied since April of last year in efforts to raise public awareness and bring pressure to bear against what the activists say is the needless destruction of an area of unique geological and environmental importance and cultural significance to First Nations.

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File Download (5:22 min / 5 MB)