Ep62: What does "home" mean to you?

Ep63: A conversation with musician Geoff Younghusband

Geoff Younghusband has been around the Canadian/Newfoundland music scenes for well over three decades now. He's played with some of the most well-known Newfoundland alternative bands including Potbelly [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4_YEPH6xXE], Fur Packed Action [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/how-do-you-like-your-action-1.4698927], and these days with Jigger [https://www.facebook.com/jiggerrocks/]. Even if you don't know him from the bands, if you are in Europe, you might recognize the TV show that he's done the sound editing for Hudson and Rex [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_%26_Rex]. In this conversation with musician Johnny Nolan and I, Geoff relives some of the stories from his past and we discuss some of the lost greats of the Newfoundland music scene: Fred Gamberg and Johnny Fisher. With permission we also have the following tracks: 1. Employee of the Month, Fur Packed Action 2. Silver Bullet, Jigger 3. Gatekeeper, Darshiva Check out more details at https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep63-a-conversation-with-musician

Ep62: What does "home" mean to you?

What's your definition for "home"? Is it a place, a country, a feeling? Today's episode features an original short story titled "Going Home" and a conversation between the host, Duleepa Wijayawardhana and Dr. Erwin Warkentin, on the concept of their respective "homes". Read the original short story: More on this episode and related episodes: https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep62-what-does-home-mean-to-you

Ep61: A Very Finnish Midsummer (Updated)

This updated episode for A Finnish Midsummer includes the original short story "The cottage on the shores of Yli-Kitka" in both Finnish and English, and a description of celebrating midsummer in the Finnish Archipelago. You can read the original story: 1. English: https://tales.dups.ca/p/the-cottage-on-yli-kitka [https://tales.dups.ca/p/the-cottage-on-yli-kitka] 2. Finnish: https://tales.dups.ca/p/mokki-yli-kitkan-rannalla [https://tales.dups.ca/p/mokki-yli-kitkan-rannalla] The sound of the Kuikka: Kuikka: Kuikka / Black-Throated Loon / Arctic Diver by YleArkisto -- https://freesound.org/s/242110/ [https://freesound.org/s/242110/] -- License: Attribution 4.0 Thanks to Suvi Salmilampi (translation) and Kaj Makela (translation and reading)

Ep60: A special Canada Day for 2026

Please note, the podcast will take a break and return July 13, 2026 Welcome to my Canada Day special episode. Canada Day 2026 is special for me because twenty-five years ago on 1 July 2001, surrounded by many dear friends, I became a proud Canadian. That story comes towards the end of the episode. First, I want to celebrate a fellow Canadian and a fellow Newfoundlander. I've known Joe Teo [https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephteols/] for more than a decade. A long time ago, my alma mater, Memorial University called me up and asked me whether I could meet with two young entrepreneurs, Joe Teo and Sahand Seifi [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sahandseifi/], who had just started a company in St. John's called HeyOrca [https://www.heyorca.com/]. Over the years I've watched Joe navigate life and entrepreneurship and I am incredibly proud to call him a friend. On the day I interviewed Joe, Joe had just received his Canadian citizenship and taken the oath. This episode also contains the original audio created by my friend and then journalist Craig Welsh [https://towniebastard.blogspot.com/] for CBC featuring my Canadian citizenship ceremony. Hearing my friends voices from twenty-five years ago is surreal and touching. I hope I have done you all proud. I would like to thank the many Supermetrics colleagues who contributed to this episode: Dave [https://www.linkedin.com/in/davepuype/], Bartosz [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bartosz-schneider-133955102/], Kamal [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kamalmemon/], Darius [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariusmatulionis/], Toli [https://www.linkedin.com/in/volganian/], Irina [https://www.linkedin.com/in/irina-pozniakova/], Pavel [https://www.linkedin.com/in/pavel-selitskas/], Anssi [https://www.linkedin.com/in/anssirusi/], Lee [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-dor/] and Jaz [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jazibnaeem/]. I'm sorry for those that I could not include. The Canadian National Anthem, O Canada, is performed by Julie Nesrallah and Nathalie Paulin, accompanied by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Peter Oundjian [https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/anthem-canada.html]. Instrumental versions of O Canada are public domain recordings [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Audio_files_of_national_anthems_of_Canada]. For more show notes and pictures: https://tales.dups.ca/p/ep60-a-special-canada-day-broadcast

Ep59: A conversation about a changing Canada

This is part two of my series on Canada. Today, we will explore what it means to be Canadian in 2026 by looking back at the last 50 years of Canada through the eyes of two of my best friends. On a beautifully sunny day in a small tea garden in Berlin, Germany, I met up with Sylvia and Erwin Warkentin, fellow Canadians observing our country from afar. Together, we discuss the changes they have witnessed over the last half-century, the evolution of Canada’s cultural landscape, and what we can learn as we look to its future. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS * The Cultural Mosaic: Sylvia discusses growing up on the prairies and how she appreciates Canada’s shift towards diversity and tolerance over the last 50 years. She highlights the value of maintaining one’s heritage as a hyphenated Canadian, celebrating a cultural mosaic rather than a melting pot. * Borders and Identity: Erwin shares his unique upbringing in a Mennonite community in Manitoba, with the US border running right past his schoolyard. He notes how the once-fluid border has hardened since 9/11, but believes Canadians are now developing a stronger backbone to reaffirm their own values. * First Nations and Systemic Struggles: We delve into the difficult history and ongoing challenges faced by First Nations and Métis communities, including the enduring legacy of colonisation. Erwin suggests creating physical memorials, akin to Germany’s Stolpersteine (tripping stones), to ensure those lost through violence are never forgotten.