Special Guests

  • William P. Young — Author of The Shack & Crossroads
    Award winning and bestselling author Paul Young joins the show today to discuss gender disparity and why we need to have our thinking turned upside down when it comes to the role/s of women in today's society. Stephen Lewis said that, “There is no more important issue than women’s rights.” White, rich men still rule the world to a large degree and we need to keep processing the implications as we teach and raise our children to think otherwise. “UN Women” say that, “Gender equality is not only a basic human right, but its achievement has enormous socio-economic ramifications. Empowering women fuels thriving economies, spurring productivity and growth. Yet gender inequalities remain deeply entrenched in every society. Women lack access to decent work and face occupational segregation and gender wage gaps. They are too often denied access to basic education and health care.…”
    www.unwomen.org
    Listen ← 35m:12s – 16.12 MB → Download

  • Ian Smillie — Foreign Aid Critic, Author of Blood on the Stone: Greed, Corrunption and War in the Global Diamond Trade
    Ian Smillie has lived and worked in Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Bangladesh. He was a founder of the Canadian NGO, Inter Pares, was Executive Director of CUSO and is a long-time foreign aid watcher and critic. He is the author of several books, including: Freedom from Want; The Remarkable Success Story of BRAC & Blood on the Stone: Greed, Corruption and War in the Global Diamond Trade. Ian served on a UN Security Council Expert Panel examining the relationship between diamonds and weapons in West Africa, and helped develop the 48-government ‘Kimberley Process. He was the first witness at Charles Taylor’s war crimes trial in The Hague and he chairs the Diamond Development Initiative. Ian Smillie was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2003. Why does caring about extreme poverty matter and what is the Canadian government NOT doing about it?
    *Ian will be speaking at BeyondGDP in Toronto on May 1st 2015 www.beyondgdp.org Read his article on The Rise of Poverty Porn

  • Dr. Peter Singer — The Most Good You Can Do: How Effective Altruism Is Changing Ideas About Living Ethically
    Peter Singer’s books and ideas have been disturbing our complacency ever since the appearance of Animal Liberation. Now he directs our attention to a new movement in which his own ideas have played a crucial role: effective altruism. Effective altruism is built upon the simple but profound idea that living a fully ethical life involves doing the "most good you can do. Such a life requires an unsentimental view of charitable giving: to be a worthy recipient of our support, an organization must be able to demonstrate that it will do more good with our money or our time than other options open to us." Singer introduces us to an array of remarkable people who are restructuring their lives in accordance with these ideas, and shows how living altruistically often leads to greater personal fulfillment than living for oneself. The Most Good You Can Do develops the challenges Singer has made, in the New York Times and Washington Post, to those who donate to the arts, and to charities focused on helping our fellow citizens, rather than those for whom we can do the most good. Effective altruists are extending our knowledge of the possibilities of living less selfishly, and of allowing reason, rather than emotion, to determine how we live. The Most Good You Can Do offers new hope for our ability to tackle the world’s most pressing problems.
    *Peter Singer is Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics, Princeton University, and Laureate Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Studies, University of Melbourne. The most prominent ethicist of our time, he is the author of more than twenty books including Animal Liberation, Practical Ethics, and The Life You Can Save. He divides his time between New York City and Melbourne, Australia.
    www.princeton.edu/~psinger

  • David Peck — Today's Host, Executive Director of SoChange

    David is a professional public speaker, university lecturer, and social entrepreneur. He began his professional life as an electrician more than 18 years ago, and has since developed a wide range of skills and interests, ranging from magic to poetry. Since earning his Master's degree in Philosophy from the University of Guelph in 2006, David has developed a reputation as an innovative and engaging public speaker. He has been employed by various actors & international development organizations, to address topics ranging from personal motivation to social justice causes. In 2008, he founded SoChange, a groundbreaking organization which works alongside members of the non-governmental community in areas such as fundraising, advocacy, and capacity building.
    www.sochange.ca

  • Wendy Gritter — Executive Director of New Direction (Advocates for LGBTQ+ Christians)
    New Direction works to foster hospitable space for those navigating questions of faith and sexuality and seeking to explore and grow in faith in Christ. It's their desire to build bridges where there has been division and hostility, nurturing safe and spacious places for sexual minority persons to explore and grow in faith in Jesus Christ. New Direction has a desire to see sexual minorities encounter and grow in Christ-centered discipleship marked by radical trust, robust hope, and fearless love.
    *Wendy Gritter is a passionate advocate for those who have been hurt or marginalized by the church. She believes that the church is impoverished if any voices are missing from the conversation. She is grateful to have learned so much from the courage, capacity for grace, and tenacious faith of the many gay Christians she has come to know. Wendy is an internationally recognized contributor in the conversations around faith and sexuality. As an avid student of the church, she is committed to equipping the local congregation to nurture radical hospitality.
    www.newdirection.ca

  • Smita Singh — Director of The Mahima Care Home
    Smita Singh grew up in a Christian home where she was inspired to help others. She knew at a young age that she would pursue a degree in clinical psychology. Once she graduated, she worked as a counsellor for a drug and rehabilitation clinic. Then continuing to follow her heart, she made the transition into an international justice organization that rescued young girls who were sold into the sex trade in Kolkata. As she participated in this work, helping to rescue over 171 girls, Smita noticed that many times they were rescuing the same girls and realized the need for good aftercare to prevent re-trafficking. She set out to start a holistic aftercare home that was dramatically different than the existing institutions that were like “processing warehouses” for rescued girls. In 2010 her vision became a reality when Mahima opened its doors to their first aftercare home.
    www.partnersinternatinal.ca

LIVE! on TDMS - Devoted Souly to the Art of Music

  • Noah Thrall — Recording Artist
    CHECK THIS VIDEO OUT!
    A guy with no bio - just a new EP! HOWEVER – Noah will be performing at LymeAid4Grace on Saturday April 18 at 7:00 PM in Hamilton. LymeAid4Grace is a fundraiser for Drew's friend's daughter - Grace McWaters. Grace is a grade 9 student who is in Florida receiving very expensive treatment for Lyme disease which was diagnosed about 2 years ago but has progressed significantly. She may be in Florida for 3 - 6 months, each week costing approx. $4500 US. The fundraiser will be at the Lincoln Alexander Centre on King St. in Hamilton and will include performances by Jim Witter, Jaclyn Kenyon, Joel Auge and yes, Noah Thrall! Please support Grace and her family! Read Grace's Story Here
    www.facebook.com/NoahThrallOfficial
    Listen ← 37m:33s – 21.49 MB → Download

Pub Crawl

  • Drew & His Mates Crack Open A Few!
    Current affairs, pop culture, even touchy-feely-relational stuff! Listen in OR call and join us, as we crawl from topic to topic!
    Got a topic you want the gang from the pub to crack open? (Click here)

    This week on The Pub Crawl: Trevor Brisbin & Wendy Gritter

    TOPICS:

    1/ What exactly is “The New Atheism” and why does Conrad Black despise them so much?
    Conrad Black recently posted two articles in response to the new atheist movement and said “his atheist friends protest too much.” English comedian, actor, writer, presenter, and activist Stephen Fry lets loose with a tirade against God. Which one do you side with more? How do we know God really exists and why does it matter? Isn’t it all just about story anyway?
    Conrad Black - The Shabby Shallow World of the Militant Athiest
    Conrad Black - A Reply to my Athiest Critics: They Protest TOO Much
    Stephen Fry's Tirade

    2/ Do you worry that Canada's Bill C-51 will take away your rights or do you feel it's about time this country got tougher on terrorists?
    Bill C-51 provides a sweeping range of measures that would allow suspects to be detained based on less evidence and lets CSIS actively interfere with suspects' travel plans and finances. This new bill has caused quite a stir. Is it really about our security here in Canada or are we talking about something darker at its core? What are the implications? Are we becoming too much like the US? Are you concerned that we are becoming more and more of a “police state” with fewer and fewer freedoms? Is Bill C-51 actually just an extension of the growing anti-muslim rhetoric in this country?

    LAST CALL ON THE PUB CRAWL
    Got something to say about today's Pub Crawl topics? Call 877-569-1250 (toll free in Canada & The States) OR Tweet us your thoughts on @tdms OR post your thoughts on our Drew Marshall Show Facebook page OR send us a message or voicemail through our website www.drewmarshall.ca OR just mutter to yourself like an angry octogenarian!