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Get your arts fix with ‘I Don’t Get It’

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What do you do when something you value isn’t getting much media coverage? For the team behind I Don’t Get It, you make a podcast to fill the gap.

Fawnda Mithrush and Paul Blinov met at Vue Weekly, an alt-weekly arts publication in Edmonton. Dance was getting short shrift in the local media, so in 2013 they started a podcast in which Mithrush, a dance critic, would introduce Blinov, a dance newbie, to the art. With production help from Andrew Paul, I Don’t Get It was born.

In 2017, the podcast expanded to cover theatre and news on the arts community in general. They mostly cover Edmonton, but will take the occasional road trip, such as their excursion to the Badlands Amphitheatre to catch a production of Carmen, or their trip to the Banff Centre to see Orphée+.

Let’s learn a little more about the team behind I Don’t Get It:

 

Q. Why should people listen to your show?

A. Listeners will learn about what’s happening on Edmonton stages, and also get a taste of theatre and dance history. Through light and fun conversation, we hope to lift the “I don’t get it” veil from contemporary performance for both new and experienced audiences.  

Q. What’s the most interesting comment you’ve received from a listener?

A. We often receive comments from the arts community that say, “Thanks for saying that, I thought the same thing,” when we point out problematic aspects of a performance. One such example was a listener who sent that same message after our review of Shakespeare’s R&J, when we discussed whether or not an all-male production of Romeo & Juliet was tone deaf in the post-#MeToo era.

Q. What podcasts do you listen to?

A. We’re media people, so mostly media and storytelling podcasts: On the Media, Longform, New Yorker Radio Hour, Canadaland, Invisibilia.

Q. Do you have any unusual hobbies or talents that may surprise your listeners?

A. All three of us love to cook. Paul is particularly good at bread-making, Andrew is an apprentice butcher, and Fawnda has memorized all seasons of Julia Child’s The French Chef.

Q. Write your own epitaph — what would it say and why?

A. “Wherever there’s magic and make-believe and an audience, there’s Theatre.” It’s a quote from ‘All About Eve’, in a longer speech about democratizing theatre for all audiences (it’s not only for the elite). It’s one of the greatest films to discuss theatre and the challenges of being an artist within it – and also features one of the best critic characters of all time, Addison DeWitt.

Q. What has been your favourite episode so far and why?

A. Season 1 Episode 1 still stands out as a classic example of what we were trying to do with the show, and also why it was important for the growth of arts media in Edmonton. We reviewed one of the city’s most storied dancers and his company, and were terrified. And we nailed it on the first take (for real). Click the link below to listen.

 

Be sure to connect with I Don’t Get It on Twitter and Facebook.

Over the next several weeks, Todayville will introduce you to members of the Alberta Podcast Network, so you can invite even more Alberta-made podcasts into your ears! You can find I Don’t Get It and dozens of other shows at albertapodcastnetwork.com.

About Alberta Podcast Network

The Alberta Podcast Network, powered by ATB, is on a mission to:

-Help Alberta-based podcasters create podcasts of high quality and reach larger audiences;

-Foster connections among Alberta-based podcasters.

-Provide a powerful marketing opportunity for local businesses and organizations.

Alberta Podcast Network Ltd. is pursuing this mission with funding from ATB Financial and support from other sponsors.

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Alberta

Alberta official reveals ‘almost all’ wildfires in province this year have been started by humans

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From LifeSiteNews

By Clare Marie Merkowsky

Alberta Minister of Forestry and Parks Todd Loewen said his department estimates that most of the province’s wildfires this year are man-made and not caused by ‘climate change.’

Alberta officials have announced that almost all fires in 2024 are believed to have been caused by humans despite ongoing claims that “climate change” is to blame.

On April 24, Alberta Minister of Forestry and Parks Todd Loewen revealed that his department estimates that most of the province’s wildfires this year are man-made and not caused by “climate change” as claimed by mainstream media and politicians.

“We expect that almost all of the wildfires we’ve experienced so far this year are human caused, given the point we’re at in the season and the types of weather we’re seeing,” Loewen stated.

 Already, Alberta has put out 172 wildfires this year, and 63 are actively burning. However, Loewen did not seem overly alarmed, instead warning Albertans to watch their local fire bans and restrictions to reduce the high number of man-made wildfires.  

“I urge you to assess your property for wildfire danger and take any preventive action you can to address these risks,” he said.

“This includes breaking up fuel sources that could ignite a structure, removing trees in close proximity to your home, and properly maintaining your gutters and roofs to rid the materials that could easily ignite such as leaves and dry needles,” Loewen added.

Loewen’s announcement comes just weeks after Alberta Premier Danielle Smith promised that arsonists who ignite wildfires in Alberta will be held accountable for their crimes.

“As we approach the wildfire season, it is important to understand that 67% of wildfires in Alberta are started by people,” she explained.

“If you start a wildfire, you can be charged, fined, and held liable for all costs associated with fighting the wildfire,” Smith added.

“All I know is in my province we have 650 fires and 500 of them were human caused,” she said, “so we have to make sure that when people know that when it’s dry out there and we get into forest fire season that they’re being a lot more careful because anytime you end up with an ignition that happens it can have devastating consequences.”

The Alberta government has also created an ad campaign highlighting the fact that most fires are caused by humans and not “climate change,” as many left-leaning politicians claim.

As reported by LifeSiteNews last year, Smith ordered arson investigators to look into why some of the wildfires that raged across the vast expanse of the province had “no known cause” shortly after they spread.

Indeed, despite claims that wildfires have drastically increased due to “climate change,” 2023 research revealed that wildfires have decreased globally while media coverage has spiked 400 percent.

Furthermore, many of the fires last spring and summer were discovered to be caused by arsonists and not “climate change.”

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have arrested arsonists who have been charged with lighting fires across the country, including in the YukonBritish Columbia, and Alberta.

In Quebec, satellite footage also showed the mysterious simultaneous eruption of several blazes across the province, sparking concerns that the fires were a coordinated effort by arsonists.

Despite the overwhelming evidence, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and mainstream media continue to claim that the fires are unprecedentedly dangerous and caused by “climate change” in an attempt to pass further regulations on natural resources.

The reduction and eventual elimination of the use of so-called “fossil fuels” and a transition to unreliable “green” energy has also been pushed by the World Economic Forum (WEF) – the globalist group behind the socialist “Great Reset” agenda – an organization with which Trudeau and some in his cabinet are involved.

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Alberta

Alberta rejects unconstitutional cap on plastic production

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Minister of Environment and Protected Areas Rebecca Schulz issued the following statement:

“Every modern convenience and necessity is either made from or contains plastic, from surgical gloves to your iPhone. Despite this, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada Steven Guilbeault has announced that he intends to cap the production of plastics in Canada.

“This unilateral announcement is a slap in the face to Alberta and our province’s petrochemical industry, and the thousands of Albertans who work in it.

“Plastics production is a growing part of Alberta’s economy, and we are positioned to lead the world for decades to come in the production of carbon neutral plastics.

“Minister Guilbeault’s proposal would throw all of that into jeopardy and risk billions of dollars in investments. This includes projects like Dow Chemical’s net-zero petrochemical plant in Fort Saskatchewan, a $9-billion dollar project that will create thousands of jobs.

“His proposal will also fail to reduce plastic production. If the federal government limits plastic production in Canada, other counties like China will just produce more. The only outcome that this federal government will achieve will be fewer jobs in Canada.

“Last year, the Federal Court ruled that Minister Guilbeault’s decision to classify plastics as ‘toxic’ was both ‘unconstitutional and unreasonable’.

“Minister Guilbeault’s decision to cap production is even more egregious and is equally unconstitutional. Under no circumstances will Alberta permit any limit on our ability to produce and export plastic products.

“Instead of wasting everyone’s time, the federal government would be better served by taking a page out of Alberta’s plan, which diverts plastics from landfills and turns used plastics into new products. This is the promise of Alberta’s plan to create a Plastics Circular Economy, a modern miracle in which, through chemistry, we can have all of life’s conveniences and necessities while protecting our environment and reducing plastic waste.

“If the federal government refuses to abide by the constitution, we will take them to court again to defend our jurisdiction and the thousands of Albertans who work in the petrochemical sector.”

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