Future Mending Radio

No Knives Allowed

To celebrate spring, Matt visits Toronto's brand new billion dollar park.  Biidaasige Park is beautiful, it's got birds, but it also solves a lot of long-standing problems. Diverting flooding?  Providing housing?  Surfacing Indigenous histories?  We'll be talking about all those things in this episode about an absurdly well-designed public park.  Oh, and we'll also be time-travelling.  And books. Books in this Episode: Reclaiming the Don: An Environmental History of Toronto’s Don River Valley [https://jenniferbonnell.com/books-publications/reclaiming-the-don/] Kayanerenkó:wa -- The Great Law of Peace [https://uofmpress.ca/books/kayanerenkowa] Indigenous Toronto: Stories that Carry this Place  [https://chbooks.com/Books/I/Indigenous-Toronto3] Toronto in 1810 [https://www.amazon.ca/Toronto-1810-Eric-Wilfrid-Hounsom/dp/0770003117] Other Sources:  https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/parks-recreation/places-spaces/beaches-gardens-attractions/biidaasige-park/history-biidaasige-park/ [https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/parks-recreation/places-spaces/beaches-gardens-attractions/biidaasige-park/history-biidaasige-park/] https://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/news/what-jelly-blob-tells-us-about-water-quality [https://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/news/what-jelly-blob-tells-us-about-water-quality] Lytwyn, Victor P. (1997). "A Dish with One Spoon: The Shared Hunting Grounds Agreement in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Valley Region". Papers of the Twenty-eighth Algonquian Conference. 28: 210–227. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dish_With_One_Spoon] Plus the great and glorious Wikipedia. Music Credits: 'Epilogue' and 'Lights' by The Slow Motions. Used with permission of the artist. ‘Opening’ by Phillip Glass. Arr. by Karl Michelson.  Performed by The Union Guitar Trio.  Used with permission of the artists. Union Guitar Trio on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD [https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD] Union Guitar Trio on Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833 [https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833] 'In Time Like This' by DJ Kensei and DJ Quietstorm. (The full set is amazing! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv_21XPrCIg&list=RDnv_21XPrCIg&start_radio=1]) Sounds and Samples: Naming the Island and Park in the Port Lands: Ookwemin Minising and Biidaasige Park. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ_5A-IIqeA&t=1s]  City of Toronto. Pigeons taking off.wav by Glaneur de sons -- https://freesound.org/s/104954/  DVP Traffic Under Bridge.WAV by jakobthiesen -- https://freesound.org/s/97933/  Plus the same samples from our birds episode 'Swoop There it is"

Art is For Everyone

Matt speaks to Dan Chapman-Smith from Project Humanity. Project Humanity's work is complex and their elevator pitch doesn't easily fit into our 10-second 2026 attention spans. They do Verbatim Theatre – I didn’t know what that was a few weeks ago – and they work in youth shelters, and they also do mentorship programs in any art form you can think of.  I didn’t understand how any of that fit together when I first started researching this episode, but a thirty minute interview with Dan was enough to convince me that not only did the vision make sense, it was solving tons of different problems in Toronto!   You can and should Donate or Learn More at: https://www.projecthumanity.ca/ [https://www.projecthumanity.ca/] Music Credits: 'Epilogue' and 'Lights' by The Slow Motions. Used with permission of the artist. 'The Moment You Heal' by participants in the Project Humanity mentorship program. Full recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmbEDhGvi58 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmbEDhGvi58] ‘Opening’ by Phillip Glass. Arr. by Karl Michelson.  Performed by The Union Guitar Trio.  Used with permission of the artists. Union Guitar Trio on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD [https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD] Union Guitar Trio on Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833 [https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833] This episode also includes audio recordings from Freesound.org

Start Here

We're back! This episode combines some thoughts on the current moment (including Mark Carney's recent speech in Davos) with a quick look back on Season 1 and the Future Mending Project so far. Mark Carney is right that the old world order is crumbling. 'Middle Powers' must build new alliances to avoid being bullied by global superpowers, but why doesn't Prime Minister Carney see that ordinary people also need to build new alliances to avoid being bullied by banks, grocery giants and tech companies and all sorts of other toxic super-powers? If you're new to Future Mending Radio, this is a great place to start.  If you're a long-time listener, think of this as an extended trailer for Season 2. Links: Never Too Small: https://www.youtube.com/c/NEVERTOOSMALL [https://www.youtube.com/c/NEVERTOOSMALL] Imperfect Eats: https://imperfecteats.ca/ [https://imperfecteats.ca/] She Grows Coffee: https://shegrowscoffee.com/ [https://shegrowscoffee.com/] Music Credits: 'Epilogue' by The Slow Motions. Used with permission of the artist. Bela Bartok. 'String Quartet 1' recorded by the Borromeo quartet. https://musopen.org/music/43254-string-quartet-no-1-op-7-sz-40/ [https://musopen.org/music/43254-string-quartet-no-1-op-7-sz-40/] J.S. Bach. Concerto for Violin and Oboe in C Minor recorded by the Alsace Baroque Orchestra: https://musopen.org/music/3515-concerto-for-violin-and-oboe-in-c-minor-bwv-1060r/ [https://musopen.org/music/3515-concerto-for-violin-and-oboe-in-c-minor-bwv-1060r/]  ‘Opening’ by Phillip Glass. Arr. by Karl Michelson.  Performed by The Union Guitar Trio.  Used with permission of the artists. Union Guitar Trio on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD [https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD] Union Guitar Trio on Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833 [https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833]

Slow Saturdays

Do grown-ups also need a 90s kid summer? Matt delves into nostalgia for a world before the internet, a world that felt more uncertain and open, but also more full and resonant. The internet isn't all bad of course -- that's how I share these episodes -- but turning off the wifi for 24 hours every Saturday has been a luxurious indulgence. This episode explores why and how we've been appreciating Slow Saturdays for the past few months and includes plenty of space to think and feel and breathe... I'm taking August, and probably September, off and will be back with Season 2 of Future Mending Radio in the fall.  In the meantime, I urge you to slow your summer down by participating in Slow Saturdays. Slow Saturdays Resources: I'm so into this new ritual that I went so far as to put up a blogpost and some shareable graphics [https://www.futuremending.com/blog/sllooooooww-saturdays] in case you want to spread the word.  Or just post on your own social media in your own style to give your mutuals a gentle nudge. Credits and Notes: The 90s kid summer audio clip is from tiktoker and youtuber 'The Nomad Dream.'  The full clip is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkojK_HLssk [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkojK_HLssk] The term 'Great Mystery' is one proposed translation for the Lakota phrase 'Wakan Tanka', which is also translated as the 'Great Spirit.'  Other North American Indigenous groups refer to a similar all-powerful creator, such as the Objibwe 'Gitchi Manitou.' Music Credits: Nothing gives me nostalgia for a 90s summer quite like 'Fluffy Little Clouds' by the Orb. I only used a few seconds, but please go Listen to the full song on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/track/0yHKFQNwiCzpjR312MJsb0] or whatever music provider you prefer. 'Epilogue' by The Slow Motions. Used with permission of the artist. ‘Opening’ by Phillip Glass. Arr. by Karl Michelson.  Performed by The Union Guitar Trio.  Used with permission of the artists. Union Guitar Trio on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD [https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD] Union Guitar Trio on Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833 [https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833]

Bike Party

Find out how and why hundreds of people are cycling around Toronto on mystery routes with big, booming beats. Matt attends Bike Party Toronto and interviews one of the co-founders and they discuss the difference between attending an event and being the event, something we have nearly forgotten how to do in our culture of consumption. Bike Party Toronto Links: https://linktr.ee/bikepartytoronto [https://linktr.ee/bikepartytoronto] Drum and Bass on the Bike: https://www.youtube.com/@DomWhiting [https://www.youtube.com/@DomWhiting] Toronto Cruisers: https://linktr.ee/torontocruisers [https://linktr.ee/torontocruisers] Bike Pirates: https://bikepirates.com/ [https://bikepirates.com/] Hamilton Glow Riders: https://www.instagram.com/hamiltonglowriders/ [https://www.instagram.com/hamiltonglowriders/] Denver Cruisers: https://denvercruiserride.com/ [https://denvercruiserride.com/] Music Credits: 'Epilogue' by The Slow Motions. Used with permission of the artist. 'Everyday' by Ripple. Released under a creative commons license. ‘Opening’ by Phillip Glass. Arr. by Karl Michelson.  Performed by The Union Guitar Trio.  Used with permission of the artists. Union Guitar Trio on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD [https://open.spotify.com/track/2E0NidLjIzBAO7t0BBPFUD] Union Guitar Trio on Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833 [https://music.apple.com/us/artist/the-union-guitar-trio/1592543833] If you're looking for our secret episode, it's here: https://www.futuremending.com/topsecret [https://www.futuremending.com/topsecret]