Filed under: Radio-Video | Tags: American Tourists, Belfast, Black Taxi, Loyalism, Michael Leonard, Northern Ireland, Paramilitaries, Politics, Religion, Republicanism, The Troubles, Titanic, Tourism, Violence, West Belfast
done
a film by Michael Leonard
Filed under: Radio | Tags: Amsterdam, Austin Brown, Belfast, Belfast Bicycle Workshop, Bicycle Repair Man, Bicylces, Bike Pirates, Bike Tours, Blind Bicycling, Botanic Avenue, Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival, City Planning, Community Bicycle Workshop, Critical Mass, Cuba, Derry, Drunk Cycling, Environment, Flann O'Brien, Foreigners, Funny Hats, Glenchain Pass, Holland, Holylands, Hooliganism, I Fix Bikes, I Think Bikes, Lifecycles, Monty Python, Mother Teresa, North Belfast, Northern Ireland, Paddy Bloomer, Pedestrians, Queen's University Belfast, Recycling, Sam Ruscica, Sammy the Seal, Smithfield Markets, South Belfast, Stag Parties, Students, Sustrans, Tandem Bikes, The Third Policeman, The Workshops, Toronto, Tourism, Unprovoked Abuse, Vandalism, Vegetarian Chili, Yellow Bike Project
Sam, at I Fix Bikes
This week, bicycling in Belfast.
Sam Ruscica, the ‘Mother Teresa of Broken Bikes’ in Belfast, talks about his shop “I Fix Bikes” in the Smithfield Market, as well as his plans for the future. He’d like to move from rescuing all the abandoned and abused bikes in town to managing a community bike shop, teaching people how to build and fix bikes for themselves. Sam also talks about Bike Pirates of Toronto, the abuse and flying objects he encounters while riding through the city, and the DIY Wednesdays he hosts at his shop.
Austin, at Belfast Bicycle Workshop
Then Austin Brown of Belfast Bicycle Workshop talks about his work repairing and selling bicycles, as well as leading bike tours of the city. He is located in ‘The Workshops’ on Lawrence Street in the Holylands, after having run Lifecycles down in the Smithfield Markets for many years. Austin explains why there’s not a critical mass in Belfast & how he’s trying to generate a bike culture here. He can be reached at 028 9043 9959, or at info@lifecycles.co.uk.
The ‘Bicycle Repair Man’ skit from Monty Python, from which Sam derives his job title.
Filed under: Radio | Tags: Abraham Lincoln, Belfast, Bipolar Disorder, Black Taxi, Britney Spears, Falls Road, Health, Hospital, Hostage, Johns Hopkins, Loyalists, Manic Depression, Mental Illness, North Belfast, Obesity, Politics, Race, Schizophrenia, The Troubles, Tourism, USA, Vivien Leigh
Peace Walls of Belfast
This week, the program goes to the Falls Road for an interview with a black taxi driver about his experiences giving tours and being taken hostage.
In the second half, Claire Hagan discusses her work with people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder at Johns Hopkins medical center in Baltimore.
Filed under: Radio | Tags: Ethnic Minorities, Pittsburgh, Politics, Social Problems, The Troubles, Tourism, Orange Order, Election, Campaign, City Council, Race, Parades, Superheroes, Baltimore, John Hopkins, Northern Ireland, Rust Belt, Gentrification, Community Redevelopment, Orangefest, David Hume, Patrick Dowd, Cronyism, Lawrenceville
Orangefest
Episode 9 considers local politics: of the Orange Order in Northern Ireland and the City Council of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In the first half, David Hume talks about the future of the Orange Order, including its new superhero figure and tourism initiatives. Mid-July has been rechristened as ‘Orangefest’ and the Orange Order has big plans for brining more foreigners and locals together for the parades and activities around the 12th. Hume also discusses the Order’s international links, in Canada, the US, and Africa, along with its concerns for attracting young Northern Irish men to join its ranks.
In the second half, Patrick Dowd explains how he won a seat on Pittsburgh’s City Council and his plans for the city. He went from graduate student to teacher to politician, but his victory was not an easy one. Winning a seat as a Democrat but initially without the endorsement of Pittsburgh’s Democratic Party, Dowd had to mobilize the grassroots of the community, going from door to door to door and fount out a tremendous amount about the Pittsburgh neighborhoods he now represents.
