At Night With Dan Riendeau

In 2007 Kevin Patterson was deployed to Afghanistan as a civilian doctor for the Canadian forces.  His experience there provided the fodder for his new novel News from the Red Desert which depicts a confused, callous and often craven cast of characters enmeshed in the longest war in Canadian history. Kevin Patterson, writer   

Trump performed well enough at the debateon Sunday to prevent the total collapse of his campaign but his poll numbers appear to be in freefall.  Prominent members of the Republican Party have jumped ship and Trump hit back at them today raising the possibility of the GOP splitting over Trump’s leadership.   Scott Gilmore, Columnist for Maclean’s    

Six and a half years ago the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded off the coast of New Orleans – killing 11 people and spilling 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf Coast.  A new film directed by Peter Berg and starring Mark Wahlberg tells the story of one of the survivors Mike Williams, the Chief Electronics Technician who helped others to the lifeboats and ultimately had to jump 10 stories into the burning ocean below to save himself. Mike Williams         

  For more than 30 years Ziggy Marely has followed in his father’s footsteps releasing joyful reggae music.  His new record titled simply Ziggy Marely is his 18th release and it reveals an artist stretching beyond his reggae roots.  Ziggy will perform in Edmonton at Union Hall on Tuesday and in Calgary at the MRU Conservatory on Wednesday. Ziggy Marley

The media is currently completely melting down over the scourge of --- wait for it --- CLOWNS! Jesse Walker, books editor of Reason magazine, joins me to talk about the media hysteria. 

Archeologists in the UK made a stunning announcement last month – they claimed to have discovered two ethnic Chinese skeletons in England dating to two thousand years ago.  Previously it was believed that there was little contact between the ancient Chinese and Roman Empires.  Ben Thomas, author and journalist 

LED light bulbs are hugely more efficient than their incandescent predecessors but that presents a problem for the manufacturers – How do you make a profit off a product that rarely needs replacing? J.B. MacKinnon, Canadian independent journalist and author  

In his new book Just Around Midnight author Jack Hamilton tries to explain how Rock ‘n Roll became a highly segregated music dominated by white musicians despite its roots in the African American community. Jack Hamilton, Just Around Midnight: Rock and Roll and the Racial Imagination     

This week a new biography of soul legend Curtis Mayfield was published.  Travelling Soul was written by Mayfield's son Todd and it tracks the rise of his father from a poor neighbourhood in Chicago to his position as one of the preeminent musicians of the 1970's.  I'm going to be speaking with Todd on a future edition of @Night but first a history of the Superfly.    

The Federal Government has opened public consultations on Bill C-51, the anti-terror act that was passed into law shortly before the Conservatives were voted out of office last year.  Civil Libertarians says that among the many concerning aspects of that law is its attack on free speech. Micheal Vonn, Policy Director of the BC Civil Liberties Association    

In a new piece for the Globe and Mail longtime military historian Jack Granatstein questions the Liberals plan to contribute peacekeepers to a UN mission in Africa. Jack Grantstein, Fellow at the Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies University of Calgary    

The Assad regime continued to press their advantage today in Aleppo, hammering rebel targets while the United States broke off talks with the Russians on a ceasefire.  It is just the latest in a long line of failures by the Obama administration according to my next guest.  Kelly Macparland, columnist for the National Post       

In a new piece for Macleans reporters Jason Markusoff and Martin Patriquin tell the story of how pipeline developments in this country have effectively ground to a halt.  Jason Markusoff, Alberta reporter for Macleans Magazine  

Everyone thinks they knows what Ugly is from people to animals to even fruit and vegetables.  A new book argues that the definition of ugliness is highly subjective and has shifted dramatically over time.  Gretchen Henderson, Author of Ugliness: A cultural history 

For seventy years historians have struggle to explain why Adolf Hitler made such disastrously bad decisions in the latter half of World War II.  Now a German author has published a simple but convincing explanation: he was a drug addict. Norman Ohler, Author of High Hitler: How Nazi drug abuse steered the course of history

In 2007 millions of Iraqi had fled across the border to Syria, to escape the civil war that had broken out after the US invasion of that country.  It was there that Canadian journalist Deborah Campbell met a local translator and fixer named Ahlam.  Campbell’s new book a Disappearance in Damascus tells the story of Campbell trying to find Ahlam after her arrest by the Assad regime.  Deborah Cambell, Author A Disappearance in Damascus: A story of friendship and survival in the shadow of war                  

For decades a violent war against FARC rebels in Columbia killed hundreds of thousands of people.  For four years a peace deal between the government and the rebels was negotiated only to be voted down in a referendum over the weekend. Steven Cohen, Freelance reporter   

For months the Canadian government has come under intense criticism for the 15-nillion dollar sale of Light Armored Vehicles to Saudi Arabia.  The Globe and Mail has managed to get the Saudi side of the story. Steven Chase, Reporter for the Globe and Mail          

Karl Marx is a name synonymous with the regimes that purported to adopt his economic system but in a new book author Gareth Steadman Jones argues that his economic system was flawed and unfinished at the time of his death leaving his legacy, and myth,to be constructed by his followers.  Gareth Steadman Jones, author Karl Marx: Greatness and Illusion

Elon Musk has for years discussed his long term vision of a human colony on Mars – now he has released the details.  Fraser Cain, Publsiher Universe Today