Breakfast Club
Meeting the Mr Bigs of Afghanistan's opium trade.
3 July 2009
Australian writer Gregor Salmon went to the Helmand area of Afghanistan to investigate how opium poppies are grown, distributed and sold. What he found was that the illicit industry survives because of corruption at all levels of power in the country. He tells us here of meeting warlords, politicians and gunrunners.
- Listen:
- MP3
Senator Steve Fielding and why he doesn't think we're warming the plan
2 July 2009
Senator Steve Fielding made the Australian environmental movement apoplectic when he said he wouldn't vote for the government's Emissions Trading Scheme. His vote was crucial, because he holds the balance of power in the Senate. He explains to Radio Australia's Phil Kafcaloudes why he made the controversial decision.. and why a meeting with Australia's Chief Scientist failed to change his mind.
- Listen:
- MP3
The U.S. withdraws from Iraq, and the violence goes on.
1 July 2009
On this day that U.S. troops begin to pull out of Iraq, violence has continued, with another fatal market bombing. Dr Glen Barclay from the Australian National University explains to Radio Australia's Phil Kafcaloudes that sectarian violence will not be quelled by the American withdrawal, predicting that quite the opposite will happen until a new strong leader takes over.
- Listen:
- MP3
Bob Gaudio of New Jersey superstars The 4 Seasons
30 June 2009
Bob Gaudio was still a teen when he wrote some of the biggest pop songs of the early 1960's for Frank Valli's The 4 Seasons, songs like Sherry, Rag Doll and Silence is Golden. His story, and that of his bandmates, is about to hit the stage in Australia in the musical Jersey Boys. He speaks here to Radio Australia about his life and being a child prodigy.
- Listen:
- MP3
Saving the street dogs in Phuket
29 June 2009
Gill and Jon Dalley retired to Phuket, intending on having a quiet autumn of their lives. But when they saw how street dogs were being abused and neglected, they decided to start a rescue project that has consumed their lives. Jon Dalley tells Radio Australia here that the dogs are caught in a cultural clinch.
- Listen:
- MP3
Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing.
26 June 2009
Next month it will be forty years since man set foot on the moon. In anticipation, this weekend people are getting the chance to bounce their voice off the moon. The driver behind the idea is Robert Brand from Echoes of Apollo, who himself was involved in the Apollo 11 landing. He tells his story to Radio Australia.
- Listen:
- MP3
One man's journey to find his Muslim self
25 June 2009
Aatish Taseer was born into a powerful Pakistani family, but he always had difficulty understanding what it meant to be a Muslim. So he decided to do a trip through the historic centres of Islam, from Istanbul to Lahore. He tells the Breakfast Club what he discovered.
- Listen:
- MP3
Iran. Some conflicting views
24 June 2009
In yesterday's podcast, Australian academic Dr Glen Barclay predicted that Israel could take advantage of the unrest in Iran to launch an invasion. Today we sought reaction from Shahram Akbarzadeh from the University of Melbourne, and Iranian musican Davood Tabrizi who now calls Australia home.
- Listen:
- MP3
Iran admits electoral problems, but what of the future?
23 June 2009
Dr Glen Barclay of the Australian National University says that the future is not so bright for the Iranians protesting against the election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, because electoral iregularities aside, Ahmadinejad has support of the majority of Iranians. Dr Barclay says we should now be watching Israel, which he says could be in a position to invade Iran.
- Listen:
- MP3
Iran: The violence and deaths escalate
22 June 2009
With the latest news out of Iran indicating an increased brutality by security forces trying to stop protestors rallying about electoral irregularities, the Iranian Mullahs are faced with the biggest challenge of their rein. Professor Felix Patrikeeff is a Middle East expert from the University of Adelaide. He says here that we're getting to a flashpoint in Iran, but the Mullahs are very unlikely to concede power.
- Listen:
- MP3
