On August 4, 2011, CHUO 89.1 FM (Ottawa) The Train's Denis Rancourt read an introductory essay about the theory and practice of racism in society before interviewing spoken word artist and politician (Marijuana Party of Canada) John Akpata on the topic of police misbehaviour in Ottawa, Canada's capital.
John explained how citizens can participate to make police accountable. He also described his recent conflict with police (reported by the national media) over his constitutional right to not let a cop take his cell phone using the sole pretext that it contains witness evidence.
On July 28, 2011, CHUO 89.1 FM Ottawa (Canada) The Train's Denis Rancourt interviewed Sakura Saunders by phone from Toronto.
The themes were Canadian mining crimes in the world, blood money paths from Canadian mining, and community radio activism in communities affected by mining colonialism.
The keynote characteristics of a Canadian mining "operation" are: (1) Corruption, (2) living environment destruction, and (3) repressive militarization. For background information see protestbarrick.net.
On July 21, 2011, CHUO 89.1 FM Ottawa The Train's Denis Rancourt interviewed senior lecturer of philosophy and political activist Anat Matar by phone from Israel.
We explored "Who Profits" from the Israeli occupation of Palestine, Israel's grotesque system of political prisoners and their judicial treatments, and the origins of the societal pathology of Israel's Zionism.
On July 14, 2011, CHUO 89.1 FM Ottawa, Canada, The Train's Denis Rancourt interviewed Hilla Dayan by phone to Amsterdam to talk about Israel and her activism for Palestinian justice.
"Hilla Dayan teaches International Comparative Democracy and International Relations Theory and Practice at Amsterdam University College. She studied comparative and English literature at Tel Aviv University in Israel, and completed her graduate studies in the United States, obtaining an MA in Social Sciences at the University of Chicago, and a Ph.D in political sociology at the New School for Social Research in New York."
A main topic was the Israel Knesset's passing of a boycott prohibition law on July 11, 2011. We also covered the psychology of widespread Jewish hysterical victim-hood arising from systemic indoctrination, the need for world citizens to choose a side in the occupation of Palestine, genocides as a feature of "democracies", Hilla's personal development, and more...
On July 7, 2011, CHUO 89.1 FM The Train's Denis Rancourt interviewed Professor Richard Lindzen (Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, MIT) on the broad question of the practice of global warming science.
Why would a warming even as large as 5 degrees C be of concern?
On June 30, 2011, CHUO 89.1 FM The Train's Denis Rancourt interviewed Raymond Pierrehumbert, Louis Block Professor, Department of the Geophysical Sciences, The University of Chicago. Professor Pierrehumbert is an internationally recognized expert on the physics of global warming.
After introductions and (dis)agreeing on some basics, get ready for a heated (so to speak) debate between the two Ph.D. physicists having different perspectives. It becomes clear that climate physics is not apolitical, at least not between these two...
One music break is beautiful accordion music arranged and played by Professor Pierrehumbert.
On June 23, 2011, CHUO 89.1 FM The Train's Denis Rancourt went solo in a critique of "critical race theory", including select readings and music to accompany the developing theme.
Word policing... SFUO student union... Ann Coulter... calculus... recycling cult... discourse... anti-oppression as oppression... groupthink... opinion mobbing... hate speech... personal agency... political reform vs freedom of inquiry... Golden Rule of institutional preservation...
On June 16, 2011, CHUO 89.1 FM The Train's Denis Rancourt interviewed teacher and performing artist Barbara Todish based in Newark, NJ; by phone about her banishment from academia and from her professional associations for being honest and real.
Barbara is an eclectic original, a Freirian educator, a criminology researcher, a certified performing artist, a stand up comic, a survivor of economic apartheid, and a former prostitute (for three months).
This is an interview you do not want to miss.
DR:What is one key thing you learned from being a prostitute in that three-month period? BT:Well... I learned I could enjoy sex... (explained in the interview).
On June 9, 2011, CHUO 89.1 FM (Ottawa, Canada) The Train's Denis Rancourt interviewed film makers Noah Bingham (Producer) and Amar Wala (Co-Producer, Director) of the new documentary film project: The Secret Trial 5.
Crazy stuff. Difficult to not conclude that Canada is a pseudo-democratic dictatorship bent on aggressive ideological targeting of Muslim men, with barely a pretence of due process.
This was followed by an interview with Christian Leger, spokesperson for the Justice for Mohamed Harkat Committee. "Canadian justice" is starting to resonant more and more as an oxymoron...
On June 2, 2011, CHUO 89.1 FM (Ottawa, Canada) The Train's Denis Rancourt first explained the efforts he has been making to secure pro-Israel (Israel Lobby) radio guests to balance the show's critical reports against the ongoing war crimes of Israel. The show had been reserved for representatives of the Israel Lobby organization B'nai Brith but they did not reply or show up (see invitation here).
Three prominent Canadian contacts for the Israel Lobby group B'nai Brith were contacted (see email below) to be interviewed on June 2, 2011, but did not acknowledge the invitation or show up for the show.
This is in sharp contrast to the Lobby's (now apparently disingenuous?) repeated and vehement calls for media "balance".
The invitation remains open.
From: Denis Rancourt Date: Fri, May 20, 2011 at 6:59 PM Subject: request for media interview To: ParliamentHill@bnaibrith.ca, bnb@bnaibrith.ca, hoppen@bnaibrith.ca Cc: "CHUO 89.1 FM Train"
Dear contacts for B'nai Brith Canada,
I seek to radio interview representatives or executives of B'nai Brith Canada on my radio show: The Train, CHUO 89.1 FM Ottawa.
My show has been very critical of Israel policies and Israel state behaviour and I want to provide the other side for my listeners. I tried to invite several members of Hillel but all declined.
The show plays every Thursday in prime time (5pm EST) on the entire Ottawa metro area and has a good following. It is also live streamed and podcast.
Past guests have included a very broad range of societal actors, from a Canadian Senator to law experts to media leaders to film makers and musicians to politicians to homeless people to medical doctors to criminalized activists to civil rights and human rights leaders and many more.
You and your work would be featured for the full hour, 5pm to 6pm, preferably live in the U of O campus studio but phone interviews are also possible.
We can also do more than one show if you feel the issue needs more time.
In addition, I would welcome your suggestions for other contacts who would be recommended representatives of the Canadian Jewish community.
Jewish members of such groups as the Canada Boat to Gaza and Faculty for Palestine have been interviewed in the recent past but I would like the Jewish pro-Israel side to be represented.
I am personally openly critical of Israel but I would make a strong effort to be as objective and fair as possible while allowing the guest all the needed time for responses and explanations. I am an open minded person who is prepared to re-examine all his positions.
The topics would also largely be up to the guests who can direct their contributions as they wish.
I'm hoping we can schedule a first show on Thursday June 2nd (5pm to 6pm) for this?
Is this possible?
Sincerely, Dr. Denis Rancourt Host, The Train, CHUO 89.1 FM
COMMENT AT YOUTUBE (accessed today): "A once great organization is in shambles. Frank Dimant is not just an embarresment to Bnai Brith, but shames our community in front of all of Canada. With his partisan hackery, his baseless accusations of antisemitism where there are none, his willingness to ignore REAL antisemitism on the right when it comes from antisemites who cloak themselves in the shield of being pro-Israel, his ongoing attempt to caste out anyone who disagrees with him - Frank has destroyed Bnai Brith"
On May 26, 2011, CHUO 89.1 FM The Train's Denis Rancourt hosted a two-part show.
Part-1: Local activist Victori discussed her efforts coordinating a continuous free democracy event.
Part-2: Long-time investigative journalist and professor of journalism (State University of New York College at Old Westbury) Karl Grossman discusses the one million deaths from Chernobyl and the risks and politics of nuclear power.
On May 19, 2011, CHUO 89.1 FM Ottawa The Train's Denis Rancourt interviewed Ali Mallah by phone to Toronto. Mr. Mallah is VP of the Canadian Arab Federation (CAF) and is a longtime unionist (CUPE, Ontario).
We talked about the Israel Lobby in Canada, the corporate fascism in which the state attempts to limit discussions about its moral malfeasance, the lack of firm principled positions of the NDP, war crimes in Gaza, Congo and Sudan, NATO interference in Libya, the grotesque "duty to protect" neo-liberal doctrine, the farce of mainstream media on Israel, the ideological mindset of Harper's party, and more...
By ANDY LEVY-AJZENKOPF Staff Reporter Thursday, June 24, 2010
It might be an offer he can’t refuse. Late last week, NDP Leader Jack Layton held discussions with Canada- Israel Committee CEO Shimon Fogel on the possibility of visiting Israel on a CIC-facilitated trip for the NDP’s caucus and various party members. It would be Layton’s first visit to Israel. The talk between the two men came after comments by deputy NDP leader Libby Davies at a June 5 anti-Israel rally in Vancouver, in which she said Israel’s occupation of Palestine began in 1948.
Davies’ remarks led to ongoing calls on Layton during question period in the House of Commons to either kick her out of the NDP caucus or replace her as deputy leader. The situation has also created some discord within the party, with the NDP MP for Outremont, Thomas Mulcair, criticizing his colleague for “grossly unacceptable” remarks. Fogel told The CJN late last week that he was “very encouraged” by Layton’s response to the trip proposal, which would allow the party leader to assemble a delegation of his choosing.
An invitation was also extended to Davies through Layton, Fogel added “It would be a dedicated NDP trip that would provide them with exposure to, and engagement of, the multiple stakeholders in the questions of the day,” Fogel said. There’s no set date for the trip, and the invitation is open-ended. Fogel said he’s now waiting to hear back from Layton, who indicated that he needed to give “logistical considerations” to the trip.
More importantly, Layton told Fogel that as long as he could “remain faithful” to his medical regimen while in Israel – Layton was diagnosed with prostate cancer in February – chances are good the trip will happen. “We’re pretty optimistic we will be able to help facilitate for [Layton] and his party a trip that will give them a more fulsome appreciation of the challenges facing Israel and the complexity of the issues that draw everybody’s attention there,” Fogel said. “My sense is we’ll find a window in the current calendar year for him to go and benefit from that direct [Israel] experience.”
With Parliament now shut down for the summer months, freeing up parliamentarians’ time, Fogel guessed the trip could happen sooner rather than later. In an e-mail response to queries about the trip proposal, Karl Bélanger, the NDP’s senior press secretary, wrote that Layton “appreciates” the invitation, but the NDP won’t comment on the subject until an actual trip is planned. He added: “Many New Democrats have been to the Middle East over the years, some of them at the initiative of the Canada-Israel Committee.”
On May 12, 2011, CHUO 89.1 FM Ottawa The Train host Denis Rancourt runs a funding drive effort with music by Nina Simone, a Corbett Report interview about the global warming myth, and an exploration of U of O president Allan Rock's image-management fetish, etc.
On May 5, 2011, CHUO 89.1 FM (Ottawa) The Train's Denis Rancourt interviewed Queen's University philosophy professor Adele Mercier, live in-studio, on philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, Chomsky's foundational contributions to linguistics, gender legality and gender politics, the state of academia, gender discrimination and mistreatment at Queen's University and more... including her recently filed Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) complaint on behalf of twelve female students and junior academics in the Department of Philosophy at Queen's University.
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