Playing God with the Weather

Canada’s Role in Supplying Lab Animals for Testing

Canada’s role in supplying specially-bred animals for laboratory testing both in Canada and abroad remains a tightly-knit secret. Recently, an article in The Gazette appeared and exposed how passengers on a flight to Paris became aware of a shipment of beagles on their Air Canada jet when they heard the dogs screaming from the belly of the plane. Canada does laboratory testing on up to 2 million animals each year. It also supplies an unspecified amount of animals to Europe for this same purpose.

“We were shocked to hear some flight attendants say this goes on regularly – dogs get shipped to Paris for experiments.” Because Quebec’s animal protection law is vague and weakly enforced, the province provides a steady source of dogs for laboratories both here and abroad, animal rights activists said.

Liz White, a Director at the Animal Alliance of Canada, joined Joe Broadhurst of CKUT Radio in Montreal to discuss some of the issues surrounding this practice and the efforts of animal activist groups to learn the truth. (11:30)

mp3 of Interview is HERE

Beck – “Strange Apparition”

Playlist May 25th

ALAMO RACE TRACK Summer Holiday
ALBERT HAMMOND, Jr. Holiday
BABY EAGLE Some Things We Lose
BEASTIE BOYS Check, Check It Out
BECK Strange Apparition (The Information)
BEN’S SYMPHONIC ORCHESTRA Rockets
BUSDRIVER Casting Agents and Cowgirls
DAVID AND THE CITIZENS The End
DJ CYBER RAP I Remember What It Was to Be Twenty-One

Menu Foods Harassed Pet Owners

Court: Menu Foods harassed pet owners

By Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY

 

The pet food company that recalled 60 million cans of contaminated dog and cat food repeatedly made harassing phone calls to pet owners who had lawyers and said they didn’t want to talk, even after a judge ordered the firm to leave them alone, court records show.

Lawyers from six firms representing clients who claim their pets were harmed by Menu’s pet food asked a federal judge in New Jersey Wednesday to stop Menu from “bullying” people who had called the company since the recall was announced March 16, according to their court filing.

U.S. District Judge Noel Hillman in Camden, N.J., agreed with the plaintiffs, describing the calls as “aggressive,” according to a transcript of the hearing obtained by USA TODAY.

“It’s one thing for two people to sit down at the table and voluntarily agree to settle their case. It’s another thing to harass people on weekends through automated phone calls,” Hillman said to Edward Ruff of Pretzel & Stouffer, Menu’s lawyer.

Hillman ordered Menu Foods to have no contact with anyone who believes their animal was injured by its product unless a lawyer representing them is involved.

Ontario, Canada-based Menu Foods has hired Crawford & Co., an insurance adjustor in Atlanta, to contact pet owners who called the company to report animal illnesses or deaths, according to the hearing transcript.

At a previous hearing on Friday, May 18, the judge had cautioned Menu and Crawford that they should not contact people who had joined one of the lawsuits against the company. Legally, Menu cannot contact those plaintiffs directly but must go through their lawyers.

But in affidavits presented in court Wednesday, pet owners said they received calls that weekend from Crawford representatives who pressed them to answer questions even after being told the owners had hired lawyers. In some cases, the pet owners also received multiple calls from Crawford’s computerized phone banks after telling representatives they were represented by attorneys, according to the affidavits.

“Menu’s representatives asked owners to sign releases which waived their right to get advice from a lawyer,” said attorney Jay Edelson in an interview.

His Chicago-based firm Blim & Edelson represents more than 600 pet owners.

“It appears that the company was engaging in a cynical strategy, designed to settle some of the strongest claims cheaply and induce pet owners to give up information it might be able to use to defend against others,” Blim & Edelson said in a letter Friday that was sent to clients and posted on Internet blogs for pet owners.

FULL ARTICLE

COVER-UP: Behind the Iran-Contra Affair

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Akido Discusses His New Album “Blink”

Interview with electronic musician and composer AKIDO
who’s just released his new album “BLINK” by Stephane Bougeant of CKUT Radio’s “Friday Morning After”.

mp3 of Interview is HERE

Bush Rollback Will Hide Data on 600,000 lbs of Toxic Chemicals in California

The Bush Administration has adopted regulations that will dramatically roll back Americans’ right to know about chemical hazards in their neighborhoods, allowing California industries to handle almost 600,000 pounds of toxic chemicals a year without telling the public, according to an investigation of federal data by Environmental Working Group (EWG).

Bill Walker is Vice President at the Environmental Working Group and he joined Joe Broadhurst of CKUT Radio to discuss the effects this dicision will have on local communities’ right-to-know what Industry is doing.

Listen to mp3 of Interview HERE

Exclusive Footage of Nahr al-Bared Camp in Northern Lebanon

Playlist May 18th

FAIRPORT CONVENTION If
SHAPES AND SIZES Alone, alive (Split lips, winning hips, a shiner)
BOBBY CONN Love let me down (King for a day)
THE HIGH STRUNG The baddest ship (Get the guests)
WOODEN STARS Orphans (People are different)
METERMAIDS Don’t sleep (EP)
AKIDO Mikado (Blink)

Human Trafficking at W’s Palace (US Embassy in Baghdad)

Illegal immigration and human trafficking have been the subject of many political debates in the past few years. The US State Dept created the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (http://www.state.gov/g/tip/) and creates a yearly report on this subject.

David Phinney, journalist and broadcaster, and Rory Mayberry, ex-Kellogg, Brown & Root employee, joined Joe Broadhurst of CKUT Radio to detail facts surrounding human trafficking at the construction site of the new US Embassy in Baghdad. Planeloads of South Asian persons have been basically kidnapped and forced to work in dangerous and fatal conditions to build the new 104 acre complex.

mp3 of Interview is HERE

Jason Camlot and Todd Swift Interviewed by Jeffrey Mackie

Jeffrey Mackie interviewed poets and academics Jason Camlot and Todd Swift at The Blue Metropolis Literary Festival. Camlot and Swift are the editors of ‘Language Acts: Anglo Quebec Poetry, 1976 to the 21st Century’. ‘Language Acts’ is a critical collection of essays by many noted writers on the pertinent issues concerning contemporary Anglo-Quebec poetry.

mp3 of Interview is HERE

Arctic Monkeys – “Teddy Picker” (live at Later… )

Mr. President, what is your job?

Playlist May 11th

DAVID BOWIE Friday on my mind (Pin ups)
THE ARCTIC MONKEYS Teddy Picker (Favorite worst nightmare)
ELLIOT SMITH New Monkey (New Moon)
FUJIYA & MIYAGI Collarbone (Transparent things)
SOULJAZZ ORCHESTRA Insurrection (Freedom no go die)
LAURA VEIRS Saltbreakers (Saltbreakers)
THE ELECTRIC SOFT PARADE Cold world (No need to be downhearted)
SAGE FRANCIS Got up this morning (Human the death dance)
THE PANDA BAND Sleepy little deathtoll town (The vital chapter)

The Noisettes – “Scratch Your Name”

Patrick Wolf – “The Magic Position”

The Beatles – “Money (That’s What I Want)”

Nora, The Piano-Playing Cat

Playlist May 4th

THE LITTLE RABBITS Lady Money (Radio)
PATRICK WOLF The magic position
THE BEATLES Money, that’s what i want (With the Beatles)
PEEL Oxford
NOISETTES Scratch your name (What’s the time Mr Wolf ?)
BUDDY EBSEN & IRENE RYAN Love of money (The Beverly Hillbilies)
THE ARCTIC MONKEYS Fluorescent adolescent (Favorite worst nightmare)