A married dad of two dealing with chronic pain and life with two terrorist princesses. Life is good. But sometimes it's not. Trying to reconcile faith, family, church, chronic pain and telling you about it til you learn something or your ears bleed. Welcome to the conversation.
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Unmaking Saskatchewan is a proudly anticapitalist and anticolonial podcast series on how the province of Saskatchewan was made - and how it can be unmade. This series examines how this province's history impacts its present, and how we might be able to change its future. Hosted by alex birrell (@abirlios), a queer settler, sometimes journalist, writer, and anti-capitalist from southern Saskatchewan. Support the show and find transcripts at https://www.patreon.com/unmakingsaskatchewan.
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Settler Supremacy Revival: Saskatchewan Under Scott Moe
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Scott Moe became leader of the Saskatchewan Party (and premier of the province) in 2018, after a hotly contested (and often unpleasant) leadership race. Considered "centre right" and someone who was likely to keep close to the party's status quo, Moe has instead marched the party (and the province) steadily rightward. Read more: https://breachmedia…
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The Fall of Saskatchewan: The Sask Party Under Brad Wall
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In 1999 Brad wall was elected for the first time as a Sask Party MLA. Within 8 years, Wall would be premier. A free market capitalist and charismatic salesman, over the next decade Wall would weave a new narrative for saskatchewan to understand itself, changing the province's political culture forever.…
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Bad Trees Bear Bad Fruit: How the Liberals, PCs, and NDP Sowed the Sask Party
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In the 1990s Saskatchewan was in almost as dire a position as it had been during the Great Depression. The province was on the verge of bankruptcy, people were leaving in droves, the PC party was collapsing under the weight of the fraud scandal, the Liberals were in freefall, and the NDP, led by Roy Romanow, was slashing services to the bone. The c…
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Devine Punishment: The Cost of Electing Conservatives (w/ Simon Enoch)
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In 1982 Saskatchewan elected the second Conservative government in the province's history. By the time the dust settled nine years later the province is $12 billion in debt, 12 members of the Devine government are convicted of fraud, and the Progressive Conservatives cease to exist as a political force in Saskatchewan ever again. Alex talks with th…
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The Church Must Gather: Anticipating the Rise of the Canadian Christian Right
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Evangelical Christians have impacted the social and political fabric of Saskatchewan for over a century, from fur-trade era missionaries to the temperance movement to the anti-trans "parent's rights" legislation. At the same time, the movement in Canada has tended towards moderation in comparison to their counterparts in the U.S. This episode exami…
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Inside Saskatchewan's Evangelical Movement (w/ Dallas Verity)
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The evangelical movement is becoming increasingly salient in Saskatchewan politics, most recently with the passage of the anti-trans "parents' rights" legislation passed in fall 2023, legislation that had substantial backing from evangelical churches and organizations. Alex talks with Dallas Verity, a Regina resident who was raised in the church an…
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The Sask United Party was registered as a political party in Saskatchewan in November 2022 and since then they've espoused a deeply fascist politic. SUP leader, Nadine Wilson, left the Sask Party caucus in September 2021 after lying about being vaccinated. The party ran its first candidate, oil executive and Evangelical Christian Jon Hromek, in the…
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John Gormley is a Hack (w/ Jeremy Davis)
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More like GONE Gormley. On November 24th conservative hack and area goblin John Gormley will go off the airwaves for good after a quarter century of bloviating from the Rawlco studio. Jeremy Davis joins Alex to talk about Gormley’s legacy. Rest in piss, John!By Harbinger Media Network
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LIVE AT BRIARPATCH'S 50TH - Is Fascism on the Rise in Saskatchewan?
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From the anti-trans "parents' rights" bill to the rise of the Sask United Party, the province is moving aggressively to the right. People are increasingly using the term fascism to describe what they're seeing. But fascism is a specific type of right wing politics, and it's not a term to be used lightly. So Alex dug in to the political philosophy o…
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In 1944 the CCF was elected on a platform of implementing medicare. It would take 18 years for that promise to be realized...but the dream realized was a shadow of what had been proposed. How did we get here, what was the vision, and what did we lose? Find us on Patreon at patreon.com/unmakingsaskatchewan.…
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Lean in: Healthcare on the assembly line w/ Dr. Justin Leifso
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Hoshins? Check. Kaizens? Check. The support of actual healthcare professionals? No check. Lean management has been with the Saskatchewan health care system for over a decade and if we know one thing for sure, it's that health care workers hate it. This episode hears from University of Victoria professor Justin Leifso about how and why the governmen…
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For better or for worse, Tommy Douglas is the figure most closely associated with Medicare in Canada. But long before the CCF was first elected in 1944, Saskatchewan people were organizing and strategizing to ensure their communities had access to doctors, nurses, hospitals, and infectious disease treatment. This episode looks at the evolution of p…
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On November 29, 1990, the body of Neil Christopher Stonechild, a 17-year-old Saulteaux high school student, was found frozen in a field on the outskirts of Saskatoon. Despite his family's suspicions of foul play, less than a week after he was found, the Saskatoon Police closed the investigation into his death. It would take another 10 years - and t…
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Eugenics and Disability Confinement (w/ Megan Linton)
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Saskatchewan has a long history of incarcerating physically and intellectually disabled people. Megan Linton of Invisible Institutions comes on the show to talk about the history and present of disability confinement in the province. Find Megan on Twitter at @invinstitutions and find Unmaking Saskatchewan on Patreon at patreon.com/unmakingsaskatche…
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(Un)hidden History - Chinese Restaurants in Saskatchewan (w/ Julie Yu)
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Guest Julie Yu calls it "the story everyone knows, but no one knows anything about." Chinese restaurants are a small-town Saskatchewan staple, especially along the rail lines. But who are the people behind them and what was life like for the first Chinese restaurateurs who made their home on the prairies? You can support the show (and find transcri…
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Colonial Violence in the Present (w/ Mylan Tootoosis)
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On July 17, 2022, Colby Tootoosis was attacked and beaten by settlers as he returned a trailer to a friend. The assault, which was caught on camera and happened not far from where settler farmer Gerald Stanley shot and killed Colten Boushie in August 2016, laid bare the juxtaposition between how colonial law is applied to Indigenous people and how …
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Colter Wall, Saskatchewan's Most Fortunate Son (w/ Jeremy Davis)
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(Warning: This episode contains strong language) Colter Wall is one of Saskatchewan's most popular musicians. But what is Brad Wall's son actually singing about? Jeremy Davis joins Alex to talk about pan-hickism, murder ballads, and whether Swift Current is a small town, as Colter often claims (spoiler: it's not). You can support the show (and find…
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In the first half of the 20th century, an Indian Agent named William Morris Graham decided to set in motion one of the largest human experiments in so-called Canada. Graham moved Indigenous graduates from residential schools onto the Peepeekisis First Nation, arranged their marriages, and set them to work farming. Graham's control over their lives …
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The Economy of Land Part 2 (Beating the Train)
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Although the train plays little part in the lives of most Saskatchewan residents today, there was a time when the rail line had almost unlimited power over the province's development. In this episode we'll talk about the legacy of the CP Rail. You can support the show (and find transcripts for episodes) on Patreon at patreon.com/unmakingsaskatchewa…
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Episode 4: Saskatchewan frames itself as a man's land - it's one of only three provinces that have never had a woman premier, and its capital city elected its first female mayor in 2020 - but the province couldn't exist without the free labour of women. This episode looks at women in the province. You can support the show (and find transcripts for …
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This episode is an interview about Land Back and Indigenous sovereignty with Mike Gouldehawke, a Cree and Métis writer whose family is from kistahpinanihk (City of Prince Albert) and nêwo-nâkîwin (Mont Nebo) in Treaty 6 territory in Saskatchewan. Mike currently lives in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Səl̓ílwətaʔ and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm territories (Vancouver, British Col…
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In Saskatchewan, governments and corporations have long used hunger as a strategy to save money, make money, and acquire land and resources. People are hungry in Saskatchewan today, because people have always been hungry in Saskatchewan. You can support the show on Patreon at patreon.com/unmakingsaskatchewan…
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In the 19th and 20th centuries, Saskatchewan was sold to settlers as empty space for men to carve up and own. We still live with the consequences of that lie today. Host Alex Birrell is a settler, sometimes journalist, writer, and anti-capitalist from southern Saskatchewan. Transcripts for episodes can be found at unmakingsaskatchewan.medium.com…
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I'm back, but not under the name chronic dad, but rather "One of the Branches". I'll still chat about my chronic pain, but also about much more! Check out my blog @ oneofthebranches.wordpress.com
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I break down what I think about the Nashville Statement. You can also read more at dallasverity.wordpress.com ... *spoiler alert* I think it's hot garbage and basically hate speech.
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I love the church and believe we are called as Christians to be a part of the church, but why and how do we get it wrong sooooo much?!? I've got a few ideas...
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I set my sights on Christian culture and why I cannot stand it. I of course talk about chronic pain and where it has me in the waiting game again! Naps are the best.
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Time to take down the dab once and for all, and discuss Harry Potter, brain freeze and CFL football. Smorgasbord indeed. Of course I talk about pain and hot peppers.
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Episode starts with some talk about my road trip with my brother. I share why I believe God can and does perform miracles. My healing journey has included a near miss with amputation, crohns disease.
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Real heroes in our world get a shoutout, and I talk a little about mental health in the workplace and shed some light on my own journey with depression.
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Basically my adoption story made into a jumbled mess of detailed stories! My adoption story is a rare one filled with reconciliation, hope and redemption! I'm one of the lucky ones!
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I hate country music, am allergic to everything, and face the consequences of eating spicy food. Who would sponsor this podcast? Are birthday presents for kids easy? Did I mention I hate country music
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Weather is cliche... I talk about it anyways. I also discuss my issues with... and love for dollar stores, my momma's boy guilt and the proper way to cook delicious tender meat. Random, I know.
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Why is nudity such a scary thing to us? What's more disrespectful... our nakedness, or being late? #theoriginalprincess weighs in on summer fun!
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Pro life talk... but not too much, and probably not what you think. Also, sugar, tantrums, great return policies and being a sacrificial giver.
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Super random episode including physio talk, the brutal nature of narcotics, and a whole plethora of things I love and hate. Also talk about a 60 year old rollerblading champ!
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Talk lots of podcast ideas, cold brew, football and being less busy.
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My struggle with chronic pain has required some crazy and sometimes controversial drugs, as well as a ton of prayer and waiting.
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Another couple days featuring CFL football, church, beer, and a ton of pain. I ask about solitude and share my love of growing hot peppers as well.
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Riders lose, but the day is a win! • Dall's Disability Garden 2.0
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