NinjaRadio

On Christmas day 2024, Special K and I took a stroll around the bay in Wellington Ontario in the beautiful County of Prince Edward. The only people around were the two of us, so my soundscape is pure Canadian Anatidae. … Continue reading →

Listen : 3m14s I cut my finger, accidentally, at lunch. It was against our very sharp, never used, vegetable peeler, in the drawer. I was reaching for the meat thermometer. Seems like the protective cover came off or one of … Continue reading →

The CNE, otherwise known as the Canadian National Exhibition, runs for a little over two weeks at the end of the summer.   The grounds are very near the northern shore of Lake Ontario in Toronto, about one to two kilometres … Continue reading →

The garden tour is finally done. Peaceful, but not quiet, the bullfrogs, insects, and birds are settling in for the night on June 13, 2023, 9:00 pm. Listen Here: After The Garden Show (13mb 5m34s) Hardware and Software: iPhone 12, … Continue reading →

Ninja defends Buck Angel and Madge defends Dave Chapelle . Madge doesn't see the point of fanning the flames of the culture wars.  Ninja frets about her powerlessness over the existential threats facing humanity. Those threats include AI, climate change, … Continue reading →

At the end of January, Special K and I went to the Toronto Tea Festival.    The last time we were there was February 2020.   It's the first time it has been held since the pandemic started.    Speaking of the pandemic, … Continue reading →

When Special K and I stepped into the AGO in Sep 2022,  the dulcet tones of Jónsi, the Icelandic artist and singer/guitarist for the band Sigur Rós, reverberated in the hall. Drawn onward by the music I listened and poked … Continue reading →

On October 17, 2021 an International Drumming Festival was held at the Wychwood Barns in heart of what we now call midtown Toronto. Mostly, a cool and windy day, later in the afternoon, it rained which ultimately drove Special K … Continue reading →

Distracting myself from the end of the world, I do some gardening.  Famous anti-semitic poets mentioned:  T.S. Eliot. Apparently his anti-semitism is a matter of debate so I can no longer say for sure that it is so. Other subjects broached: … Continue reading →

More depressing discussion about the end of the world. The beautiful people of Tik Tok. Boostagrams. Premptive Strikes. Abortion. Building love into robots. Deep talk about the consciousness of biological beings. Trying to simulate life on earth. The impossibility of … Continue reading →

Today I have another conversation with Madge Weinstein of Yeast Radio.   The conversation will be cross-posted there.   And will be slightly different so listen there too.  Things don't start well for me.  I have numerous technical problems despite the fact … Continue reading →

Today I have another conversation with Madge Weinstein of Yeast Radio.   The conversation will be cross-posted there.   And will be slightly different so listen there too.  Things don't start well for me.  I have numerous technical problems despite the fact … Continue reading →

In this episode it's  Sunday June 27, 2020.   In the absence of a 2020 Pride celebration, some of our neighbours organized our very own pandemic Pride street party.   Several streets were invited.   Complete with floats, music, face painting, and a … Continue reading →

In this episode it’s  Sunday June 27, 2020.   In the absence of a 2020 Pride celebration, some of our neighbours organized our very own pandemic Pride street party.   Several streets were invited.   Complete with floats, music, face painting, and a … Continue reading →

My guest today is Dragon, a dear friend and Uber Fan of the British television Series Gentleman Jack.  The series is based on the actual diaries of the landowner Anne Lister, who lived in early 19th century in Halifax, England.   … Continue reading →

My guest today is Dragon, a dear friend and Uber Fan of the British television Series Gentleman Jack.  The series is based on the actual diaries of the landowner Anne Lister, who lived in early 19th century in Halifax, England.   … Continue reading →

Listen here: HotFRM 233 (133MB 58m21s) Today, I have a conversation with one of the bravest people I know.   Buck Angel is a transman who began his transition from a woman to a man twenty-five years ago amid personal turmoil, … Continue reading →

Listen here: HotFRM 233 (133MB 58m21s) Today, I have a conversation with one of the bravest people I know.   Buck Angel is a transman who began his transition from a woman to a man twenty-five years ago amid personal turmoil, … Continue reading →

In this episode I talk with long-time friend and pod-colleague Madge Weinstein, of Yeast Radio, who happens to be my cousin about 30 times removed.   After all,  we are both descended from the same 350 people that may have originated from the middle east and settled in eastern Europe around the fourteenth century.    Hotfrm […]

In this episode I talk with long-time friend and pod-colleague Madge Weinstein, of Yeast Radio, who happens to be my cousin about 30 times removed.   After all,  we are both descended from the same 350 people that may have originated … Continue reading →

  Last week a friend sent me a link to a removed YouTube video and the question, “Censorship?”  That sent me on a search for the video by Drs. Erickson and Massihi, two Californian physicians who want sheltering-in-place ended in … Continue reading →

  Last week a friend sent me a link to a removed YouTube video and the question, “Censorship?”  That sent me on a search for the video by Drs. Erickson and Massihi, two Californian physicians who want sheltering-in-place ended in their state.   The doctors provide unsubstantiated claims about the virus SARS-COV-2 and one even goes […]

  Special K and Ninja meet Charlie at the St. Lawrence Market.  Ninja waits for the balalaika player to begin and it seems like it will never happen. Special K and Charlie entreat Ninja to spare you this visit but … Continue reading →

  Special K and Ninja meet Charlie at the St. Lawrence Market.  Ninja waits for the balalaika player to begin and it seems like it will never happen. Special K and Charlie entreat Ninja to spare you this visit but Ninja maintains that every moment is a podcast moment.  They help Charlie choose hors d’oeurves […]

Listen to this episode (25mb 10m38s)   I read Life Hacks by Keith Brandon so that you don’t have to. There are 1000 so-called life hacks in this book. I share my review that is more of a rant against misinformation that … Continue reading →

Listen to this episode (25mb 10m38s)   I read Life Hacks by Keith Brandon so that you don’t have to. There are 1000 so-called life hacks in this book. I share my review that is more of a rant against misinformation that Brandon is guilty of shamelessly spreading. Extra Info you may want to know: Link for […]

This week Special K and I, by chance, happened upon an apartment building that was top to bottom inside and out done up with colourful and original Halloween decorations.   Debbie Andrews and Gary Smith have been doing up the building … Continue reading →

This week Special K and I, by chance, happened upon an apartment building that was top to bottom inside and out done up with colourful and original Halloween decorations.   Debbie Andrews and Gary Smith have been doing up the building at 88 Bernard Avenue in Toronto for thirty-five years. This year was the last time […]

  On Friday, September 27, 2019, Special K and I participated in the Climate Strike.   We headed down to Queen’s Park, home of the Ontario legislature, to take part in the rally and march.    I spoke to a number … Continue reading →

  On Friday, September 27, 2019, Special K and I participated in the Climate Strike.   We headed down to Queen’s Park, home of the Ontario legislature, to take part in the rally and march.    I spoke to a number of interesting people about their thoughts on the Climate Crisis.   Jagmeet Singh, leader of the […]

      November 11, 2018 was the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, the war dubbed as the war to end all wars.   In honour of the Armistice, Special K and I went down to … Continue reading →

      November 11, 2018 was the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, the war dubbed as the war to end all wars.   In honour of the Armistice, Special K and I went down to what we, in Toronto, call the old city hall, where the Cenotaph, one of our […]

  In 2008 Rebecca Belmore created piece of art called Fringe.    It's a photograph of a woman, reclining, her back to us.   Sown into her back are fringes, hanging down, some red, some white.  You might see these on the … Continue reading →

  In 2008 Rebecca Belmore created piece of art called Fringe.    It’s a photograph of a woman, reclining, her back to us.   Sown into her back are fringes, hanging down, some red, some white.  You might see these on the bottom of a skirt for instance.  The scar running the length of her back is […]

Rebel Matters 225 (47mb 25:42) I am an avid and passionate art appreciator.  If there is a genre or artist I like that's being shown in my city (or anywhere I'm visiting), I'm in.   But I should have known better … Continue reading →

  Rebel Matters 225 (47mb 25:42)   I am an avid and passionate art appreciator.  If there is a genre or artist I like that’s being shown in my city (or anywhere I’m visiting), I’m in.   But I should have known better in this case.   I should have realized and read the fine print. I […]

A Plea to my American Cousins   Listen Up (36:53):   Transcript: There are so many things happening in the news every day, that I can't keep up.  I'm not even going to try.  But what I can do is … Continue reading →

A Plea to my American Cousins   Listen Up (36:53):   Transcript: There are so many things happening in the news every day, that I can’t keep up.  I’m not even going to try.  But what I can do is explore how the big picture is shaping up, because it will unfold regardless of the […]

On Sunday September 21 2014, Special K and I attended the first international People's Climate March. It was an event held around the world with a special focus on New York City two days before the U.N. Climate Summit was … Continue reading →

On Sunday September 21 2014, Special K and I attended the first international People’s Climate March. It was an event held around the world with a special focus on New York City two days before the U.N. Climate Summit was set to begin. It was organized by 350.org an environmental group founded by writer and […]

I am not an expert on these matters.   I merely know what I like and what I don’t like.   And though there were movies of his that I absolutely did not like, I cannot ignore the profound impact his movies have had on me.   I don’t know anyone who will deny, if they have […]

  This week I caught up with a Brazilian drumming troupe practicing in the park for their summer season.   They call themselves MaracaTall. This is a play on the word maractu, a type of drumming, song and performance genre popular in Brazil. The twist on this Toronto troupe is that they perform on stilts. Their […]

I was very saddened to hear about Mark Peacock’s passing. He was known in the podcasting world as Special Delivery Mark.   He was someone I met early in podcasting and up until a few years ago, enjoyed lively and interesting dialogues with him across the internet.   He was a troubled but very sweet soul. I […]

On January 26, Special K and I were scheduled to participate in an event at the Royal Ontario Museum called Carbon 14 – A Day of Dialogue – The Changing Arctic Landscape.  The Arctic government and policy makers are very concerned about the changes they anticpate in the arctic latitudes and have seen over the […]

I’ve been away now for quite a few months, and I am sorry for that.  Life has been busy.  But today I am back with some more soundscene audio, this time from our travels in Scandinavia last spring. As Molly Oldfield says in her new book The Secret Museum, “As a work of art, it […]

“Why can’t we just do everything we can while we’re here for one another?” – Pearl Goodman, 2013 On today’s show I interview Pearl Goodman who has written Peril: From Jack Boots to Jack Benny.  In 300 pages, Pearl gives us portraits and vignettes of what it was like growing up in the nineteen-sixties and seventies.  […]

Listen up: Or Download HotFRM 216 (43:20 80mb) In today’s show we once again visit the Art Gallery of Ontario.  First to see the art and life of the famous artistic pair Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.  Among the things we discuss are Frida Kahlo’s cause of death.  Drag-on and I speculate that Frida died […]

If you don’t know what Nuit Blanche is, it’s a sunset to sunrise festival of art held in cities across the globe.  In Toronto,  it is normally held the last weekend of September.  Originally conceived in Paris in 2002, the name has come to mean “Sleepless Night”.  There are far too many art events and […]

Late spring in Chicago.  It’s hot.  It’s humid.  Though we did quite a lot of walking around and hanging out in the warm downtown core, the highlight of our trip were the exhibits we saw at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Chicago Cultural Centre.  I share those highlights with you in today’s podcast.  […]

Ed Champion is the creator and producer and correspondent for the Bat Segundo Show, a cultural and literary podcast that in no way intentionally tries to imitate the conventional interview format.   He has been podcasting for over 6 years and has produced an impressive 500 shows.  On the occasion of editing his last show I […]

My neighbour, a Vietnam vet, has always watched American politics very carefully. This year he is especially interested in the upcoming American Election and wonders how the Republican party got to what he thinks is a very sorry state.   He and I have a conversation about the debates,  Democrats, Republicans, the Tea Party, Romney, Reagan, […]