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"A hundred children, a hundred individuals who are people - not people to be, not people of tomorrow, but people now, right now -- today." - Janusz Korczak On Tuesday, July 30th at 5 pm, Irwin Elman and I sat down to have a schmooze on Hatradio! I have always been intrigued by Irwin, the former Provincial (Ontario) Advocate for Children and Youth, because of his self-professed nutty professor character, his passion for Janusz Korczak (director of an orphanage in Warsaw Ghetto, who went to his death with 'his' orphans), and his deeply authentic, and unusually passionate commitment to children and youth of Ontario, especially those on Native Reserves, in group homes and foster care. Throughout out talk, Irwin told stories about his decade as 'the' chief advocate of Canada's most populated province, Ontario. At around the 9:40 minute mark of the show, Irwin, a Jew from Quebec, discussed his visit to Japan to see group-homes which house up to 100 children. A staff member there said to him, "oh, you're Jewish? You must know Janusz Korczak?". Irwin had never heard of Korczak despite having been ensconced in the world of teaching, learning and child care. Immediately he set about learning about this man,considered by Europeans as the 'Father of children's rights'. As his career progressed, Irwin recognized he was doing similar things with the children of Ontario as Korczak had done in Poland with his orphans. As an example Irwin launched a newsletter run by the kids for the kids, just as Korczak had done. He encouraged the children on Reserves and those in group-homes (who saw themselves as being in 'storage') to speak loudly, to manage their own voice, to make adults hear them, just as Korczak had done. Eventually, he printed up well over 1000 books written by a 'Korczak orphan' and distribute it to all his staff and those affiliated with his work. At the 16:20 mark of our schmooze, Irwin tells about his upbringing, by parents who believed in the concept of repairing the world. Irwin's Mom told him, "you are not allowed to hate anyone". Even when he talks about his the Federal Minister who was responsible for closing the 'Advocacy office without explanation', Irwin expressed without hesitancy, "I am angry at her", but he never hated her (despite the fact he heard about the office closing through his staff who had heard a report on CBC radio). Nor does he hate adults who are responsible for the suffering of children. At 1:42:50 of the interview, Irwin continued his story-telling answers to my questions. He said, "I've struggled to figure out why does it (the situation of the children he deals with) not make me sad." He answered his own question stating, "I'm an actor in the world so I'm doing my part.......I also believe in them (the children). They're okay. And if they're not okay, they can be okay....and I know that all the thousands of children who worked through our office, including children on the Native reserves, had created change to the province of Ontario...they had influenced the way children's voices are thought about." In Episode 30, Irwin Elman repeated over and over, just like Korczak did, that it's not possible to legislate love however "you can legislate the condition in which love can flourish". This was told to him by one of his youth. Irwin added, if Korczak could give the children a voice in a ghetto in Poland during the war, why can't we do the same in an industrialized nation like Canada, in peace time. This is a dynamic interview with a regular guy, who is challenged by doing laundry at home (he didn't know there were rules). Irwin would go where the children were if they wanted to meet him. He stayed on the Attawapiskat Reserve for a week, where child/youth suicide had become a crisis. And Irwin knows first hand, better than anyone, the needs of children and youth in our Ontario. Listen to: The thimble story at a group-home in Coboconk, Ontario, at 57:30 Mr. Kleky story, and how one person can make a difference in a person's life, at 1:08:27 Irwin's reference to himself as 'a kite', at 1:48:55 The Korczak story, 'the cake tasted like love', at 1:54:00 Once again, I was deeply honored to share this time with Irwin Elman, who has accomplished a lot to date, in his lifetime. He told me he doesn't experience self-pride when he reviews his career at the provinces number one advocate, but instead looks at the kids and what they have done. That's impressive. Have a listen to episode 30 and be inspired, deeply. If you're not, let me know and we'll return the hour and a fifty minutes to you. Hatradio! The show that schmoozes! "We Can do this" - Irwin Elman _________________________________________________________________________________ Credit to Howard Pasternack for his post-producation work as well as to David Nefesh, for the Hatradio! song. Hear David's musical genius at: https://www.reverbnation.com/davidnefesh Credit for music in commercial:Slow Burn Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
As shorter days give way to longer nights, the summer cottaging season draws to an end. This episode we’ll take a look back at summer 2017 and a look ahead to the fall and winter seasons. We’ll also talk about winding things down – putting stuff away, turning stuff off and all the other rituals associated with the end of the season. Friend of the podcast Ron Tite returns to share his thoughts on the season and his plans to celebrate his first Thanksgiving at the cottage.
Get a group of girls and guys together and for sure each of them will claim the title as to who has the best time on a getaway weekend. Manis, pedis and sangria or Seadoos, fireworks and a case of Amsterdam Pale Rider - what sounds like more fun? Join us this week and hear MEL interview the guys and Chris interview the ladies. This much we know. A girls weekend almost always involves some kind of avocado dip while a guys weekend almost always involves some sort of project!
Everybody has one...a favourite summer song and a book they want to read. This week we're talking music and books - two incredibly important elements for great cottaging. Vital in fact. Whether you're enjoying some uninterrupted solitude in the hammock or putting in a few hours sunbathing on the dock, you're gonna need a good book and some great tunes. Sharing their thoughts with us on this cottage critical topic are award winning author Terry Fallis and boom 97.3 radio host Jeff Spindel.
The heavens open and the debate begins. It's a rainy day. Do you reach for Monopoly, Scrabble or Canada's own Trivial Pursuit? Maybe cards are your thing. Do you deal a hand of poker? Or is your style more Euchre or Cribbage? When you get bored of all that, there's always that box of VHS movies. And let's be clear, The Great Outdoors may just be the best cottage movie of all time. Yes or no? Author, keynote speaker and ad agency owner Ron Tite joins us to help settle the debates!
Hmmmm....let me see. Will that be a glass of wine or a local craft beer? Entertaining outdoors is one of the great pleasures at the cottage. But what to serve? You don't want to be running in and out of the cottage all afternoon. Hear some great tips from our grill master Andy Elder, cottager and sommelier Meghan Sherwin and Heather Mundle from Amsterdam Brewery who shares beer pairing tips and more!
We are a country blessed with tremendous natural resources and lots and lots of fresh water. With thousands of lakes in Ontario alone, it's easy to see how a rainy spring could cause some issues! This week we hear from cottage friends Jeff Wood and Aaron Finlayson about some of those times when things went wrong. From missing docks to power outages, we've got stories!
How far is far? Did you know there's a movement afoot. A zeitgeist to escape larger urban centres has taken hold. This week we talk to Christine Sharp about the recreational property market across the country. Where are people buying? How far are they travelling to escape the city? Off grid but online - can it be done? We also chat with Brian Varner who practically crosses the country to escape the city and get to his cottage!
December 17, 1967. The skeletal remains of an unidentified male are found in Balsam Lake Provincial Park near Coboconk, Ontario, Canada. Five months later, the decomposing body of another unidentified male is discovered in a field near the village of Schomberg, and the similarities between the two scenes suggest that both victims were murdered by the same killer. The victims go unidentified for 40 years until clay busts of their heads are constructed and shown on television. They are both eventually recognized and identified by their families as Richard “Dickie” Hovey and Eric Jones. However, the exact circumstances of their murders are still unknown. This week, “The Trail Went Cold” will be venturing back to its native country for an episode about two young men who may have been victims of Canada’s first known serial killer. Additional Reading: "Unsolved: True Canadian Cold Cases" by Robert J. Hoshowsky http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/body-found-in-68-identified-as-new-brunswick-youth-1.615309 https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/a-shattering-conclusion-to-42-year-old-mystery/article17940176/ Listeners attending CrimeCon 2017 from June 9th-11th at the JW Marriott in Indianapolis can receive a 20% discount on their ticket purchase by using the code “TTWC20” Click here to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Click here to listen to the podcast on Stitcher. Click here to subscribe to the podcast on Google Play Music. The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote. All music is composed by Vince Nitro.
Steve and Tawny In this Episode, Steve and Tawny chat with author and pop culture expert Erica Negi. Tawny wants to use the Coboconk community’s distaste for her to try and get on a reality show. Plus, Tawny’s stalker scandal. Steve and Tawny -