The return of Rick

You'll be excited to know the Rickster was in his office today making a few phone calls to book some guests when he's back on Monday!

The summer Hotline continues until August 31th. Then we have the long weekend and then September 4th - the 10th season of the Rick Howe Hotline. Thank you so much for listening and I hope you tune in, it's going to be another roller coaster until Christmas!

It was a great show with Yvonne today! It was so ironic that Joe Di Penta was in the studio with both of us, probably two of the biggest non-hockey fans on the planet!! He was a super nice guy and not being a hockey fan, I found the questions about his life more interesting to listen to than a detailed examination of the game of hockey. That's just me though. One of the best calls came from David, the dad of Devon who was featured in the Chronicle-Herald last Friday. He thanked Joe for bringing the Stanley cup to the IWK and brightening the spirits of many sick children. Our prayers go out to David, Devon and their family and we hope he feels better soon! Joe doesn't just think about hockey - he's such a realist when it comes to pro sports. He says he wants to finish his degree and maybe become a pharmacist one day. Like Yvonne said, he is a total level-headed, good person and it was a pleasure to welcome him into the studio.


The second hour was a little more serious with 2 women talking about the issue of domestic abuse. I was shocked by the police officer's statistic that at least 1 call per shift is a domestic dispute! I think it's great domestic violence cases are treated with zero tolerance now. That means, if there is an incident and there is evidence, one of the parties will be charged by police. It takes the onus off the victim to press charges, and possibly face more violence when the person is released from custody. We heard two really gripping and sad stories today on the air. If you want to get more information on the Silent Witness program, click on: www.silentwitnessnovascotia.org.

What did you think about the cabinet shuffle yesterday? It's being slammed by all parties, no suprise there. I bet the Premier is regretting making the comments about Jim Flaherty now. He told reporters he wouldn't be totally upset if JF was gone from the Finance portfolio. Oops!
Take our newspoll question - is the Prime Minister just setting up Peter MacKay to fail...or is P.M. the right man for the job and on the receiving end of a a well-deserved promotion?

The Conserve Nova Scotia story in the paper today has me shaking my head. Unbelievable. Do as I say, not as I do, I guess. They're looking to rent some offices and get some new office furniture. As Yvonne pointed out, there has to be something used they can use. Are they not supposed to "conserve"? Don't even get me started on who has the contract for the furniture.

For those waiting to speak to the guests about domestic violence - sorry about that! Our power went out throwing everything into chaos around 10:45 and we lost the phone calls.

Anyway...enjoy this partly sunny day!

More tomorrow on the Hotline!

Cheers,

Amber