The Tower of Babble: Sins, Secrets, and Successes Inside the CBC by Richard Stursberg (Douglas & MacIntyre, 2012). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Tower of Babble

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

That the CBC is Canada’s largest and most important cultural institution is without question. Whether it’s relevant and subsequently useful is something that’s always debated by Canadians wherever they are on the political spectrum. A new book has put the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation into focus, The Tower of Babble: Sins, Secrets, and Successes Inside the CBC. In a way this book validates how one feels about the CBC, whether you wish its demise, or whether you will its survival. Richard Stursberg is the book’s author. He is the former head of CBC’s English services, overseeing television and radio. He was once executive director of Telefilm Canada. He chaired the Canadian Television Fund, was CEO of Star Choice, and was president of the Canadian Cable Television Association. He was in government too, serving as assistant deputy minister for culture and broadcasting. He was at the CBC from 2004 until 2010. We’ll ask him about his experience at the CBC, his successes and some of the failures. It’s a great view onto this institution we either love or loath. The book is published by Douglas & McIntyre. It’s candid and telling. The website for more is at www.towerofbabble.ca. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, in Vancouver today, Richard Stursberg; Mr. Stursberg, good morning.

No Sailing Waits and Other Ferry Tales: 30 Years of BC Ferries Cartoons by Adrian Raeside (Harbour Publishing, 2012). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: No Sailing Waits and Other Ferry Tales

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

Adrian Raeside joins me now. He’s a veteran editorial cartoonist, and we’ll talk about his new book, No Sailing Waits and Other Ferry Tales: 30 Years of BC Ferries Cartoons. These cartoons have appeared in numerous publications, chiefly the Victoria Times Colonist. The book is already a bestseller, and it’s humorous and a great piece of social history about British Columbia, our ferries, and the distance bridged between Vancouver Island and the Mainland. Harbour Publishing publishes the book. The website for more is at www.raesidecartoon.com. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Adrian Raeside; Mr. Raeside, good morning.

Bring Me One of Everything by Leslie Hall Pinder. (Grey Swan, 2012) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Bring Me One of Everything

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

Described by Margaret Atwood as ‘a writer of great talent and sensitivity,’ Leslie Hall Pinder joins me now to talk about her latest novel, her third, Bring Me One of Everything. The novel takes Native history in this part of the world, and Ms. Pinder’s experience in law, and she weaves a story that’s described as an eloquent tale of suspense and intrigue. We’ll get Ms. Pinder to tell us about the book, who the characters are, and what drew her to write this book. An anthropologist, Austin Hart, who salvages the artistic remains of the Haida people in British Columbia, kills himself. Years later, another character, Alicia Purcell is commissioned to write the libretto for an opera based on Hart’s life. She’s got her own issues and those are borne out in the book, including her relationship with her mother Sophie. Leslie Hall Pender is a retired attorney, who practiced in her own firm, pursuing land claims on behalf of Native clients. She previously wrote two novels, Under the House, and On Double Tracks, which was nominated for a Governor General’s Literary Award in 1990. The websites for more are at www.lesliehallpinder.com, and www.bringmeoneofeverything.com. The book is published by Grey Swan Press. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Leslie Hall Pinder; Ms. Pinder, good morning.

Why Men Lie by Linden MacIntyre. (Random House, 2012) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Why Men Lie

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

The newest book from Linden MacIntyre is called Why Men Lie. It’s the conclusion to his Cape Breton trilogy which began with The Long Stretch in 1999, and was followed by The Bishop’s Man, which won the 2009 Scotiabank Giller Prize. In this novel we see men through the eyes of Effie MacAskill Gillis, she’s the sister to the bishop, Duncan MacAskill of the last book. We’ll get Mr. MacIntyre, who joins me now, to tell us about the book, we’ll ask him why men lie, and more. Linden MacIntyre is the co-host of the fifth estate, and the winner of at least nine Gemini Awards for broadcast journalism. The book is published by Random House. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Linden MacIntyre; Mr. MacIntyre, good morning.

A Roller-Coaster Ride: Thoughts on Aging by Naomi Beth Wakan. (Poplar Press, 2012) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: A Roller-Coaster Ride

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

The prolific author Naomi Beth Wakan joins me now. She’s just published a highly readable, charming book A Roller-Coaster Ride: Thoughts on Aging. It is a collection of essays written with Ms. Wakan’s thoughtful style, looking at her own concerns about growing older, as well as tips on how to do it gracefully. She joins me to talk about the book, her observations on being a woman of a certain age. Having past her eightieth birthday, she’s gained some knowledge, some expertise, and she shares that in this book. People growing older whether they’re in their eighties or just hitting their thirties can gain much from this book. Roller coasters might not be for everyone; then again growing older isn’t for sissies as Bette Davis once said. Naomi Beth Wakan has written over thirty books. Her essays, haiku and tanka have appeared in many magazines and anthologies, and have been broadcast on the CBC. Among her previous books include one that I liked a great deal, Book Ends: A Year Between the Covers. The website for more is at www.naomiwakan.com. She joins me from her home on Gabriola Island. This book is published by Poplar Press. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Naomi Wakan; Ms. Wakan, good morning.

The Virtual Self: How Our Digital Lives Are Altering the World Around Us by Nora Young. (McClelland & Stewart, 2011) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Virtual Self

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

Nora Young joins me now. The CBC Radio personality has written a new book The Virtual Self: How Our Digital Lives Are Altering the World Around Us. It’s a fascinating book that looks at how we all knowingly and unknowingly generate data about ourselves online. How we feel, what we consume, where we go, are all things we keep track of online on one of the many social media sites we maintain. There are good things about it of course: we can see what we’re doing, looking at our habits, improving ourselves thanks to our own data whether it’s a loyalty program, a mood tracker, or a calorie counter. Businesses can use it to track their customers and their habits. And there are bad things. What about where this data resides? What if it’s misappropriated by criminals, say it gets in the hands of the wrong people? Ms. Young in this book does a fine job warning us of the pitfalls, and arms the reader with ideas on how to be more savvy. It’s a great chronicle of how our world has changed, for better and for worse. Nora Young is the host and creator of Spark, the weekly program on CBC Radio that looks at technology and culture. She was the founding host of Definitely Not the Opera. Her website is at www.norayoung.ca, and you can follow her on Twitter; her handle is @nora3000. The book is published by McClelland & Stewart. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Nora Young; Ms. Young, good morning.

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

Everything you wanted to know about the burqa can be gleaned from a new documentary Story of Burqa: Case of a Confused Afghan. The movie premieres this Thursday, May 10th at the DOXA Documentary Film Festival; 7.00pm at the Empire Granville 7 Cinema. Its director Brishkay Ahmed joins me now to talk about this movie, a personal journey she took to determine the origin and effect of the burqa on Afghan women, its society and culture, Islam at large, and her own sense of being. She travels to Afghanistan, talks to cultural and religious historians, makers of burqas and others to find out what they think of the burqa. She travels to Holland to a museum to find out what the history of the garment is; as well does a social experiment having someone wear the burqa on the corner of Davie and Thurlow here in Vancouver. Brishkay Ahmed has film and television programming here in Canada and in Afghanistan. Her film Reclaiming Rights premiered at DOXA in 2010. The website for more is at www.chitchatproductions.ca. You can get more info on DOXA at www.DOXAfestival.ca. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Brishkay Ahmed; Ms. Ahmed, good morning.

Falling Into Easy: Help For Those Who Can’t Meditate by Dee Willock. (O Books, 2012) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Falling Into Easy: Help For Those Who Can’t Meditate

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

We’re going to talk meditation now with Dee Willock. She’s a local instructor on meditation, and the author of a new book, Falling Into Easy: Help for Those Who Can’t Meditate. Meditation is something we hear a lot about, especially the benefits derived from it. There is a bit of a stigma, perhaps it’s seen as a waste of time, new age, or even mystical. But there’s a way it can work, and Ms. Willock in this book tells us what they are and how. We’ll ask her now what those are, how meditation has affected her life, and what are some of the tips she’s got as to how to go about clearing one’s mind, relaxing, and meditating for a better you. The book is accessible and practical. Dee Willock’s website is at www.fallingintoeasy.com and the book is published by O Books. She’s taught meditation and yoga for over 25 years. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Dee Willock; Ms. Willock, good morning.

The Headmaster’s Wager by Vincent Lam. (Doubleday, 2012) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Headmaster’s Wager

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

Vincent Lam joins me now. He’s got a new book out, his long awaited novel, The Headmaster’s Wager. It has already been described as epic, a masterpiece, superbly crafted, and deeply affecting. In the book, Percival Chen is the headmaster of a highly regarded English school in Vietnam. Set amidst the Vietnam War, we see Chen, who’s Chinese, navigate the culture and politics of Vietnam. He’s a gambling and womanising bon vivant, looking out for his son who he wants to retain a sense of his Chinese identity, and Chen has also fallen for a local, a half-Vietnamese, half-French woman. Vincent Lam is an emergency physician in Toronto, and he lectures at the University of Toronto. He received the 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize for his collection Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures. He’s also written a biography of Tommy Douglas, and co-written a book on influenza. The website for more is at www.vincentlam.ca. The book is published by Doubleday. He will be appearing with Linden MacIntyre next Wednesday night, the 9th of May at Incite, the series put on by the Vancouver International Writers Festival, which will be at the Central Branch of the Vancouver Public Library, Downtown. And next Thursday night, the 10th, he’ll be appearing at Bolen Books in Victoria. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, in Vancouver this day, Vincent Lam; Dr. Lam, Good morning.

419 by Will Ferguson (Viking, 2012) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: 419

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

The award-winning novelist, humorist, and travel writer Will Ferguson joins me again. He’s got a new novel out, 419. It is described as a novel ‘both epic in its sweep and intimate in its portrayal of human endurance.’ We’ll ask Mr. Ferguson, who joins me from here in Vancouver, what 419 means. My understanding is that it has something to do with those scam emails one gets, usually from someone in a land far away needing help getting money from a bank belonging to a dead relative. It’s an insidious phenomenon, and we’ll get Mr. Ferguson to tell us about the book and more. Apparently, a Canadian woman Laura Curtis goes overseas to investigate her father’s death, which happened because of one of these swindles. Will Ferguson is the author of several prize-winning memoirs including Beyond Belfast, Hitching Rides with Buddha, and Canadian Pie. His novels include Happiness™ and Spanish Fly, which he was on with last. He has won three Leacock medals, and has been nominated for the IMPAC Dublin Award and a Commonwealth Writers Prize. The website for more is at www.willferguson.ca. The book is published by Viking. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Will Ferguson; Mr. Ferguson, good morning.