Flu shot blues

I got a flu shot this morning and I haven't felt right since!

My head is pounding...and no amount of medication is helping!

Nothing happened last year when I got it, but this year, yikes. Rick was very comforting. He said something like, "I told you not to get a flu shot!"

Anyway....it's Halloween. Bill Jessome was in with some creepy stories during the last half hour of the show. I enjoy his stories so much, I should go buy his book. He's a really nice man and it was great to see him again. He was in this summer for an hour with Yvonne.

So, we're monitoring this tropical storm that could be headed our way. It's Noel and at the least, it's going to give us a wet, windy weekend.

John Boileau was in during hour number 2 talking about Afghanistan. He's got a new book called "Historic Eastern Passage". His article in the Daily News is quite gripping today too...check it out! John agreed with Delores and very candidly admitted he has no respect for politicians. Join the club!

As I was coming in this morning, I go up the stairs and I see this stranger come towards me. It took me a minute, but it was Dave Rodenhiser. He sits in on another radio show on Wednesday mornings, but he was pretty unrecognizable. He said Rick walked by right him and didn't even know it was him! I'm not exactly sure what his costume was though. At first I thought he was a German guy from Bavaria, because he had on a felt hat and had this Lanny MacDonald type moustache. Then he took his coat off and he had on a pinstriped suit and a bow tie. So, I'm not sure if he was a gangster or a carnival barker. I'm sure he'll explain on Friday. A few people on the show, including John Boileau, told Rick they liked his costume. Problem was, he wasn't wearing one!

I also laughed when Rick was talking about when he used to frequent the downtown area for cheap drinks. He affectionately refered to that time as his "stud years".

I'm going to try and get rid of this headache!!

Happy Halloween!

Amber

150th post

Wow, time flies. I started the blog in April and now we're staring at Christmas. Thank you so much for reading the blog and taking our daily Hotline poll. I keep meaning to bring my camera to work so I can post some pics of our guests on the blog to spice it up! It's always nice to put a face to a voice you hear on the radio too, right?



I know some people are going to rail against me for this, but I actually kind of felt bad for Dave McCusker today. He's a nice guy, it's not like he's trying to deliberately create unsafe roads for people to smash their cars. Remember, it's not like he has a final say, he has to work with a team too, deal with council etc., so my point is, not all the wrath should be directed at him. However, it is a good place to start! I'm glad I got to share some of my own concerns too! As Ray said, we could have gone another hour with him, because traffic is really one of the banes of everyone's existence!



We're going to delve into the topic of Afghanistan tomorrow. I finished this book last week called "The Kite Runner", which is set in Afghanistan. It's fiction, but I would highly recommend it. Our Afghanistan panel will be in during hour number 2. Hey, we heard Stephane Dion on our show last week promising to bring down the government over the Afghanistan issue. It certainly wouldn't be a good idea to bring down the government over tax cuts - something most Canadians are clamouring for! Speaking of, the Conservatives are mad at the NDP today because the NDP isn't allowing the Conservatives to release the economic update in the House of Commons. Didn't you love the story about Elizabeth May bidding on the dinner with Jack Layton!!!! LOVE IT!!

If you are female and want to attend Titz n' Glitz event: http://www.titznglitz.com/.

My computer just crashed, so I'm on a new computer and now I have to start writing my news!! More tomorrow!

Cheers,

Amber

Mabou, we have a problem.

Thanks to Richard for the blog's title today!

You've got to check out this Planet Space website:

http://www.planetspace.org/lo/index.htm


Here is the link to an article from last August about the company's plans for Cape Breton:

http://www.planetspace.org/pdf/thestar081606.pdf

What do you think about this? Is this some "cockamamie scheme" as Rick sees it, or do you think this is going to be a major, long-term investment for Cape Breton? I'm kind of agreeing with Rick, but I guess I'll have to see it to believe it! I laughed so hard about the giant cucumbers today! Hilarious. Who would you put on the space shuttle first? Rick? The Mayor? Fougere? The Premier? Would you ride on the "Silver Dart" yourself when this company has, according to Rick, yet to even put a rocket up in the air?

Lots of things to shake your head at today. Weren't you sickened to hear about the dad who gave his son pot at the age of 8 and taught him how to steal? Unbelievable and sad, but it sounds like the kid really wants to put his life back together! I hope he's serious...and wasn't just sweet talking the judge in order to be free.

I forget who mentioned the story about FEMA and its pretend news conference held last week in relation to the California wildfires. They used some of their own employees to pose as journalists and lob softball questions at officials in terms of how they handled the disaster! Way to go, guys, way to go.

Someone from the Ecology Action Centre called today telling us about a petition to stop the Chebucto road widening. You can access it at: http://keepitlivable.org. They have almost 15-hundred signatures so far.

Gloria and Brad Johns were in during hour number 2 and it was a good hour. There were a couple of funny exchanges, because Rick is so funny and Gloria is so blunt.

Rick: Gloria, is Brad Johns out to lunch on this? (talking about the cat by-law)
Gloria: Yeah, he is. Sorry, Brad.

It is very cold in our studio, so Brad ran out to grab a coat. He grabbed this plaid padded coat that made Rick retort: "I'm sorry, I thought we were interviewing Brad Johns, not Elmer Fudd!" If you saw the coat, this statement would be very funny to you.

So, the N.S. Supreme Court says the fired school board members will not be getting their jobs back. I wonder what's going to happen if the same crew runs next year and are all re-elected and have the same amount of bickering? Will Casey have to disband them again? Honestly, even since the board was disbanded, I haven't heard a lot of people lamenting the loss. It seems like Howard Windsor is going a good job, at least that's what I'm deducing from the lack of calls on the topic!

Here's the court decision if you want to give it a read:

http://www.courts.ns.ca/decisions_recent/decisions_weekly_list.htm


Freakin' cold today, but it's going to warm up later this week, according to Cindy Day!

Have a great Monday,

Amber

Good bye to Woody

It's official - Woody is gone. Click here to read the Chronicle-Herald story about it.
http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/Metro/974616.html

Free free to let me know why he will be missed? Is the familiarity or the fascination with something so random - a talking Christmas tree? It's so bizarre.

Busy show today! The animal control by-law continues to delight some and enrage others. A guy called me off air and says his garden is an outdoor litter box for at least 7 neighbourhood cats! Some are actually excited to trap their neighbours cats, but there are others who feel this by-law is unenforeable, asinine and a waste of money. Apparently Steve Adams has lost the vote of one constituent, Wayne, who had a really bad day yesterday when he stepped in animal doo-doo, not once, but twice. Yikes. He's upset Adams may try to block any funding for the new shelter in next year's budget deliberations. As I stated before, we haven't heard the last about this by-law, in fact, I agree with Rick - the worst is yet to come!

It was kind of strange to not have our good buddy "The Rodenhiser" in today! We missed hearing the song!!

The hole seems to be getting deeper and deeper for the Conservative government over this Immigration program. Why can't the Premier (who was immigration minister at the time) step forward and tell the truth??? Len Goucher is pleading "newbie" to the whole proceedings. They have this news conference that promises accountability, when it would be easy for Rodney to step forward and make this right. I cannot wait for the leg. to get back in session.

Anyway, I'm beat! What a week - thank you for all the calls and I'll be chatting with you next week!

Cheers,

Amber

Total exhaustion

I don't know what it is, but I think I may have answered more phone calls today than I have since the new season began. David Phillips is like the Elvis of the weather world and everyone wanted to talk to him and win his calendar! For those who didn't win, it is available at most bookstores and it is awesome. The pics are stunning and it makes you realize how lucky we are to live in Canada! (If you didn't already!) Dave is a great guy and he's from Windsor, Ontario, so obviously he's cool! Although I agree with caller Sandy that this fall weather we've been having is awesome, I am looking forward to the first "killing frost" so that my allergies stop acting up! I'm sure you've probably heard me sneezing or blowing my nose during the show. My allergies are out of control and I know I'm not alone.

How about that police chase yesterday? I'm so glad no one was hurt, except the suspect, of course. What total drama! It certainly made for a busy afternoon, that's for sure. Apparently, multiple charges are pending. Lots of other news today too - Deep Panuke is going ahead, the Stock bus driver who left the kids on the side of the road has resigned his position - before they could fire him.

Gene mis-spoke slightly today which was kind of funny. He said a video of something should be posted on "Facetube". It was also kind of strange, as Rick agreed with Gene, not once, but twice in a 30 second time frame. Is it a full moon??? Gene was also shocked Delores agreed with him during the Rick, Brian and Deb preamble.

I know I may get some calls/comments on this, but that Woody thing at Mic Mac Mall was horrific. It was terrifying, yet oddly mesmerizing. I understand how some could be upset, if they had been seeing it since childhood and all, but it's really creepy and I'm not all that bothered that I don't have to see it this winter. Sorry!

I have some really sad news to share with you. You know Joan, who always spars with Cecil? Well, she called today and her husband is really, really sick. I told her I would pray for him and so I would ask you to keep them in your thoughts. Joan is a sweet, sweet lady and was really upset today, so I certainly hope he gets better. Good luck, we love you Joan.

Have a good one,

Amber

Seriously. Seriously?

Most of this blog will be dedicated to something I've proclaimed to be sick of - the animal control by-law. It's not over. It's not even close to being over!!!

Here are some of the "highlights" of this budget:

-cat owners will pay 10-30 dollars to register their cats of as April 1, 2008
- a shelter will be built, at a cost of 1.6 million dollars; the total cost of the by-law is 3.3 million
-no dog or cat can run at large
-excessive barking is defined as when it goes on for 20 minutes or more


I can tell you right now I'm not paying anything to register my cat! My cat is an indoor cat. If it got outside, it would be a fluke and if he was lost I would be devestated. However, why would I pay the money if, as of now, there is no shelter for him to be taken to for someone to call me to come pick him up? Maybe when the shelter is built I would register him, but it's just absolutely ridiculous! 3.3 million dollars for this by-law? As staff says, no money has been allotted to this and that will be part of the budget debate next year. As if there are some streets in Metro where residents foot the bill to pave their own street - and this by-law is going forward? Even the SPCA is shaking its head over this issue - saying there is not enough room at its facility to handle an influx of licenced cats. As for trapping cats - there are so many sickos out there, god knows what will happen to a poor cat if it's in the wrong hands of someone whose garden has been compromised. I don't even want to think about it. I actually said "hear hear" to myself reading Sue Uteck's comments today in the paper. Kudos to the 9 who voted against it including Sloan, Mayor Kelly, Uteck and Fougere. I felt a little bit relieved when I spoke to Tony Rodgers during the commercial break. I asked him (as a hunting expert) if he thought rats would start overrunning the city if feral cats were taken on the streets and he said no. So, we'll see.

Now, Will suggests council start working to make the by-law workable. I agree, great idea in theory. In practice, trying to get some of these councillors to look at the greater good instead of their personality conflicts is next to impossible. A lot of people, I think, will be sharing the opinion of Wade, who said after Rick asked him about it: "Hell will freeze over before I register them". Okay then!

Plus, this whole registering bikes thing? How much money needs to be raised to paint some lines on the roads? What else needs to be licenced? As Pat told me off the air - stuffed animals?

Scream!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, other than that everything is okay!

David Phillips will be in tomorrow to talk about the weather and his new calendar - a calendar which you have a chance to win!!! Listen to the Hotline for all the details tomorrow!!!!

Talk to you then,

Amber

Pretty lame

That can be applied to a lot of different topics today on the show.

First of all - the MacDonald government cabinet shuffle. What gives? Is he doing it because DD changed some of his critic assignments last week? On October 1st, Rodney MacDonald said he's heard from cops and people on the street that Murray Scott was perhaps the best justice minister in the history of Nova Scotia. Now, he is being shuffled to the newly titled "Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal". I think this is a mistake because it was something I actually agreed with the Premier about - Murray Scott was a good minister and a good performer for the government. Very suprising.


Also pretty lame - this immigration scheme the government cooked up and is now paying millions of dollars to correct. Rodenhiser has a great column today about it today in the Daily News.


The "no candy" policy at the Holiday Parade of Lights can also be summed up as "pretty lame". It was a complete fluke that the boy was hit with the piece of candy that actually cut his face. That was a shame, no doubt, but the odds of it happening again are probably pretty low! Maybe with things like childhood obesity and the rising cost of health care - maybe they should be throwing out things like vegetables, toothbrushes or just save the money and put it towards buying students textbooks!

During the Brian, Deb and Rick half hour, a caller referred to Rick as a "left-wing softie". Thoughts?

Rick took a little heat today for playing the cat sounds when he was referring to Marilla Stephenson. As Rick said, he played it to show Marilla came back with her first column with her claws out for Mayor Kelly. It was a joke!! No one complained when we played the dog sounds effects and baby crying effects for Peter Mackay, or the chickens for the Premier.

Richard Gywn was amazing to listen to during hour number 2. It could have been the information or the fact I love the British accent! Ha! It was interesting to hear his take on the current political climate and I completely agreed with his statement that watching Harper take on Dion is like watching a chess player take on a checkers player. That is so, so true.

I was taking names to win a copy of his book about Sir John A. MacDonald (Gwyn will be at the book room tonight @ 7PM for those interested) and Victoria called and told me she was getting boxes ready for Operation Christmas Child, something I mentioned on the blog yesterday. It doesn't suprise me that Victoria is doing something like that, she is probably one of the sweetest people I've ever spoken with.

Anyway, breezy, but sunny today - no complaints here!!

Have a great day and don't forget to tune in your favourite left-wing softie in tomorrow - Rick Clarke and Joan Jessome will be taking your calls during hour number 2.

Cheers!

Amber

Euthanize it!

That was Rick's advice for council in regards to the animal control by-law coming before council, yet again, tomorrow. I don't even know what to say about it. Even though it provides endless amounts of talk on the Hotline, I'm just so sick of hearing about it. I'm totally with Dawn when she talks about the sane plan of trapping cats, fixing them, and then letting them go. I'm kind of scared about a city overrun with rats, aren't you?

I think I may head out to one of the meetings for the Mayor's roundtable on violence. Peter Kelly is calling on us to come out and talk about the issues. It will be interesting to see what the turnout is like, but more importantly, what is being done about crime after the fact.

So, Rick and Linda Mosher got their wires crossed and Linda couldn't come into the studio today with Pat Murphy. We made a quick call to the very accessible Dawn Sloane who got to the studio from City Hall and spent the hour with us talking about mainly traffic issues. It was a good hour, I'm just so glad Patrick didn't come wearing his spandex like he did last time. He's in pretty good shape, but seriously, spandex is appropriate for the gym only!!!!

I've driven on the new Windsor street exchange and I agree with Patrick - it's very dangerous as people are speeding down 4 lanes of traffic into 2. I just don't get this city. Why aren't there more advance greens and road signs??

I heard a commercial during the Hotline today and it really grabbed me. It's something called "Operation Christmas Child" and you get a shoe box and they send it overseas to a needy child for Christmas. I think I'm definitely going to do it!

For more information click on: http://www.samaritanspurse.ca/

Well, how about this weather?? I'M LOVING IT! What a cost savings not to have to turn on your heat - which is something I'm refusing to do until at least November 1st.

Have an excellent Monday!

Amber

Rick versus Rodenhiser

Rick and Dave went head to head this morning on the issue of health care workers' right to strike. Dave supports the Premier fully, but Rick thinks the Premier is only doing this for political gain and thinks it's leading the province down a slippery slope. I was listening to them both all hour and agreeing with one and then agreeing with the other and then going back again! I guess it's pretty much a non-issue until Stephen MacNeil changes his mind and decides to support it. It's actually pretty much a non-issue until the legislature is called back!!! They need 30 days notice, so hmm...who's taking bets that the leg won't sit until 2008?

Did you see the picture of the minivan on top of the car on the front of the Mail-Star this morning? I was reading the police report in shock. Here is what it says:

At 11:57 AM A 57 year old male was backing out the parking lot at 5 Dentith Road in Halifax when his foot got stuck under the accelerator of his vehicle. He went backwards across four lanes of traffic, jumped a curb, which sent him air born into the South Center Mall parking lot. The vehicle came to rest on top of an empty vehicle in front of Canadian Tire. A second vehicle also had some minor damage. The driver of the run away vehicle was taken to hospital for treatment of non life threatening injuries. The matter remains under investigation but charges are not likely.

Now, I asked Rick about this, being new to having a car and all. Last time I checked, if I were to put my foot under the gas pedal, my car wouldn't start accelerating. And, since I have two legs, I would probably take the other leg and put it on the brake. Is it just me? What a bizarre story and thank goodness no one was hurt.

I'm in shock over this Sobey's day-old thing. Rick thought it would have been a bigger issue on the show today! The stuff that is a day old is now getting thrown out instead of being marked down. That's a shame. I know seniors buy a lot of this product, along with students and I've even bought day old bread. It's great for croutons or even to make some garlic bread or something. Who doesn't like a deal? Given the fact the grocery store competition is so fierce here, hopefully Sobeys will change its mind on this issue.

So, Rick loves the Ryan Duffy's caesar salad! He raved so much about it, I'll have to check it out myself. Bill Spurr and Rick go way back, it was fun to listen to them razz each other and talk about one of my favourite things - food!!! Rick was over the moon when he heard about not one, but two places in N.S. to get goulash soup! He says he's planning to go to the Colby Alehouse this weekend, so a big "danke" to the man who called with that information.

Rain tomorrow....but then Cindy Day tells me Sunday looks a bit better, so don't despair!

Have an excellent weekend!!

Talk to you Monday,

Amber

Rick's not running for mayor

During the half hour run-up to the Hotline with Brian and Deb yesterday, Deb jokingly stated Rick was going to, today, announce his candidacy for Mayor. I'm sorry to have to inform you - that was a joke. He's very happy doing his current job, but I agree, he would be an excellent candidate!

Big kudos to Bill Estabrooks. He was a great education critic, having worked as a principal for many years, but he wanted a new challenge. He is now the justice critic and one of his key reasons for wanting that job is to keep the Paula Gallant murder in the forefront of people's minds. Can you believe it's almost been 2 years since her body was found in the trunk of her car at the B-L-T school? The case is incredibly sad and kudos to Frank Magazine for keeping the issue in the spotlight as well. Good luck, Bill!

I went to send a huge Hotline hiss (I don't know what we usually say when we're disgusted by something) to Peter Mackay. We listened to his exchange with Bill Casey yesterday in the House. It was gross. Bill was asking reasonable questions and Peter Mackay, of course, takes it to the lowest level possible.


Trivia was so much fun during the second hour. We had tonnes of calls and Lloyd was our big winner! Congrats, Lloyd. I think was a decent lifeline today. I was on a roll, but then Andrew called and jinxed me!!! I love playing trivia, so I was happy when Rick said we would be playing it again sometime before Christmas. Seriously, who cares about Wilf Carter? (No offense to his family or anything).

A running gag that has me cracking up every time is when Rick says, "Gary Meade -who? Garry Meade - who?" It's just so incredibly hilarious because seriously - "Garry Meade - who?"

Just wondering: How many times is Sheila Fougere going to announce she's running for Mayor?

Oh yeah, before I forget, we don't ask for much on the show, but if you're half naked when you're calling us, could you keep it to yourself? Thanks, Ray!!!!!!

Friday tomorrow - can't wait! We're going to have Bill Spurr, who is the restaurant critic for the Chronicle-Herald in, so it's going to be fun. The only downside is that at noon, I'm going to be starving after talking about the delicious food Halifax has to offer! Plus, Rodenhiser in the first hour!

Take care,

Amber

Trading places

You know how someone can have such a fabulous life that you would give anything to trade places with them? I felt kind of the opposite feeling today. If someone forced me to trade places with Stephane Dion, well, that would be....hell. I feel kind of bad for the guy on a human level, but c'mon - he got seriously outplayed! Harper's team have crafted a scenario when he can't lose! Even if we do have an election, he'd probably win another minority - no harm, no foul. Stephane Dion brought this on himself with an inept team, weak positions and a general lack of anything even remotely resembling charisma. I believe it was caller Barry who today stated "Dion has the charima of a turnip". It's mean, but it's something you do have to have in order to lead and inspire a nation!

The only way the Liberals are going to get out of this is to accept the throne speech, Dion has to quit, get Ignatieff in there - stat - and then start getting him on the speaking circuit doing some major party fundraising. If Dion accepts the throne speech and stays - hello, Harper majority. You heard it hear first! Why do you think so many Liberals aren't re-offering in the next election? As soon as Dion came aboard, they started dropping like flies. Dion is old school Chretien - it's over. God, I love politics!!!!!!!! Oh, and you know things are going downhill if Denis Coderre, one of the biggest publicity piggies around, doesn't want a job that will guarantee him face time with the cameras.


Selfishly, I hope there is no election so there will be question period on every day again. I know, I'm crazy, Mike Savage tells me that every time he in!


Have you noticed this week that Rick is being a little saucier than usual? It makes it extra-fun for me to listen to! The mayor handled Rick's questions with the usual aplomb. Say what you want about the mayor, but he has a tonne of class and refuses to go in the gutter (no matter how blatantly Rick baits him). He says council would work better if people put their personal issues aside and focused on the issues. I agree!! I think if the Mayor had to work with a council that was a little less hostile and not gunning for his head, the city would work a lot smoother. Do you know how much restraint it must take not to start screaming at some of these council members, especially ones who are actively campaigning to take his job?

Rick asked the Mayor briefly about the Windsor street exchange and the changes some people feel are quite dangerous. I haven't driven in the area yet, but I will because I got a new car! Whoo-hoo! I'm extremely happy about it, but something struck me when the Mayor was talking about how it is the traffic authority's responsibility to create a safe area in which Halifax residents can drive. How about putting up some roadsigns on actual poles? That is so frustrating to me, being a new driver in the city. It's kind of hard to see arrows on the road when my car or someone else's car is on top of it. Arrows on roads would be very complementary to actual signs people can see if their cars aren't see through.

Who is sick of this cat by-law? It's been deferred again, so....it will be deja vu next week...again.

Well, thank you so much for listening today and always! Talk to you tomorrow!

Cheers,

Amber

The dingo ate my baby!

We had so much fun with the 2 Aussies during hour number 2. Mark and Penny were so nice and hilarious, and they really appreciated your calls, suggestions and welcomes. If you missed it, his article was in the Halifax magazine in Sunday's Chronicle-Herald. Check out the magazine, it's really cool with some very interesting articles.

So....breaking news! The National Council of the Conservative Party of Canada has declared the nomination in Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley to be - wait for it - VACANT. So, Bill is out. I'm sure he'll still run as an independent, but can you believe this? I can't believe Harper would want to really lash out like this when he's starting an election in the face. He is so petty, it shocks me. It goes to show he doesn't give a crap about Atlantic Canada. I can't wait to hear your opinions on this tomorrow, should be a busy day!

This animal control by-law going before city council is the worst! We want to build a shelter to put the cats and there's no mention of a spay and neuter program or even how much the entire program is going to cost. City staffers are completely out of control. Dawn Sloane has promised to stand up to them tonight, let's see if she does! It's on Eastlink channel 10, for those interested.

Three cheers for Peggy Aikenhead. She's the Fall River mom who has taken a stand against the school that is charging her 200 dollars per child to watch them during the lunch hour. I think it's ridiculous!! When I was in school, like Rick, teachers supervised the cafeteria and the playground during recesses and lunch hours. As a teacher, I would want to do that. It's a way to socialize more with the students informally, to observe what's going on in the schoolyard and to be a part of the community that is the school. It's shocking to me that these duties were removed back in 1970!

Anyway, enough blathering from me for today. The Mayor is in during hour number 1 so get your questions ready!

Cheers!

Amber

National Grouch day

If you're not feeling all that jolly today - don't despair. It's National Grouch Day today, according to the Daily News. Pg. 43 - check it out!

If people are grouchy today, I certainly don't blame them. There are so many things to be grouchy about: Harper, this Excel lunch program at school, the apparent lack of anything written down for this "clarification agreement". Things are so utterly ridiculous, you have every right to be grouchy! I think the only people who should be grouchy are Harper and MacDonald when we boot them out of office! They can commiserate together.

So, city council is going to meet about an issue concerning public meetings in-camera. Huh? Hendsbee called to tell us it was a "non-issue" and something to do with the process, but we'll see. It's actually quite funny when Hendsbee calls because he says "Hendsbee here" in his bombastic Hendsbee voice. I wonder whatever happened with that road in Hendsbee's district where the people were charged for the paving work? Might have to try and get an update on that tomorrow.

Good for the residents of Chebucto road today! They are fighting this asinine plan to widen the road until the bitter end. This plan is so crazy, I can't believe it's going forward. This traffic department - people are complaining about the new roundabout, the Windsor st. exchange is apparently a death trap and now this plan. Anyone else think there needs to be a progressive change at the top?

Also...kudos to the riding association who stepped up and essentially refused to give in to the bully that is Stephen Harper! They're backing Bill Casey until the end. They should all start wearing pink, maybe that will neutralize Harper.

For anyone who wants to try that organic food that's delivered to your house, it's www.hgof.ns.ca. Like I said, I've been doing it for 3 weeks and I love it so far. The food tastes great and it's great to know it's mostly local.

Rick's interview with Leo Swinemar was so entertaining today - a nice, light-hearted way to end the show. Leo talked about his award winning "pit crew" who hollow out his pumpkin and create a seat and the centre of gravity. Leo chose our show to announce his retirement from professional pumpkin racing. After 5 wins in Windsor, he's calling it a career. Rick asked if ABC's Wide World of Sports might be far behind for this champion pumpkin racer! It was a great interview and what a cool event. Apparently, Scott Brison was racing a pumpkin, but he got a hole and it sank and he had to take a boat across the water! Metaphor for the Liberals or what?

We're going to have a great guest in tomorrow, it's going to hilarious and entertaining, you must tune in!!

Have a great (chilly) day,

Amber

BILL CASEY

Who would have thought, even in the spring, that backbench Conservative MP Bill Casey would be the polarizing figure in Nova Scotia politics that he is today?

If our ratings increase this year, I will send Bill Casey some flowers or something. Everyone wants to talk about Bill, listeners, politicians, everyone has something to say about Bill Casey. I think he's amazing. I think he did what the Premier asked him to do and now, like someone who doesn't stand for anything, the Premier is stabbing him in the back. I hope DD and SM pick up on this lack of moral fibre in the next election. Let me just say this: I knew I liked Murray Scott.

Besides Bill, there was an incredible story of strength in the Daily News today. The 44-year old victim who was beaten, raped and left for dead at the gas station in Dartmouth faced her attacker in court yesterday. She said: "He didn't beat me, and he'll never beat me". I was incredibly moved by that statement. I don't know if I would have the courage to even crawl out of bed after something so horrific, and yet this woman has the strongest spirit and isn't willing to give up on life, despite the fact it dealt her this blow. "I'm not dead. I'm very much alive". I want to tell this woman she is an inspiration, she's amazing and she gives me hope. I hope this guy rots and is never let out of jail again.

So sad about the guy who died on his bike yesterday. On the Daily News website, so many of the comments focused on the fact he was riding on the sidewalk. I'm sorry, but whenever I bike, there are certain roads I will not get on the road. One is Robie Street. With all the buses and huge trucks whipping by, I'm too scared! I don't care if get a ticket, I am too damn scared to bike on that road. We need more bike lanes, that is the understatement of the century.

Ah...Peter Mackay. Now he says since we've put this offshore mess behind us, there's a good chance this Atlantic Gateway will go through. Thanks for confirming what we already knew - the Prime Minister is petty, vindictive and you essentially have to breathlessly say "Yes, Prime Minister, you're so right Prime Minister" or else you are essentially S.O.L. Caller Dave was the epitome of sarcasm today when he was talking about MacKay and said absolutely dripping with sarcasm "He's soooo great". It was classic.

A caller wanted me to pass on that she had seen DRUM and that is was excellent and that it closes this Sunday! So, try to see it while you still have a chance!

Pamela Wallin? Pamela freakin' Wallin? I agree with John Manley, but shouldn't there be some sort of representative from the military on the panel? I'm against Pamela the same way I'm against even someone like Rick or Steve Murphy being on the panel. They are smart people with lots of opinions, but military tacticians they aren't! Is there not some female high-ranking official that could have rounded out the political hacks?? Unreal!!!!

Anyway.....sorry this is a little late today. Busy day!! Have a wonderful weekend and thank you for another amazing week on the Hotline!

Take care,

Amber

Well....

What can you say about today's show? It was one where there wasn't a moment to breathe, my head is spinning from everything that happened and all the opinions put forth! Thanks for everyone for their calls and major apologies for the long wait and even bigger apologies for those who tried to get on but couldn't.

So..what do you think about this "deal"? Is it a deal or what? I interview Geoff Regan yesterday afternoon and he had a great line: "Harper has killed the accord and MacDonald has agreed to be a pallbearer".

So many conflicting opinions about what went down yesterday, but not suprisingly, I'm getting a cynical vibe from the listeners. They are more on the side of Danny Williams than Rodney MacDonald on this one. I think the days of blindly trusting leaders are long over and Nova Scotians have really seen what Harper is made of on this issue. He claims we are getting what we asked for, but are we?

It was a good chat with John Hamm and Russell MacLellan today. The callers made so many good points though, in terms of both leaders not really practicing what they are now preaching when they were in power, especially Richard on Boularderie island. What a great e-mail, Richard!

When Rick was speaking to the reporter from VOCM about the fact Danny Williams was "enraged" over what went down with the Accord yesterday, I couldn't help but think when isn't Danny Williams outraged?

I know I might seem biased, but I love when Rick talks to Elizabeth May! She just speaks in common sense terms and makes sense! She was very complimentary towards Bill Casey.....I'm sure she would be thrilled if Bill decided to go with the Green party. What did you think about the Bill Casey-Gerald Keddy smackdown during hour number 1? I thought it was incredibly confusing! Michel Sampson had a good line at the end of the hour though. He said "As a Liberal I find it incredibly satisfying to see two Tories fighting." Bill will be running as an independent in the next election. Harper showed us something for sure yesterday - he is petty and petulant and you better believe if Nova Scotians don't embrace this deal, he will totally have it out for us, even more than he already does!

Hey..we have the Rodenhiser in hour number 1 tomorrow...and then we're going to do a little bit of SPORTSTALK in hour number 2 with Cecil! I'm so excited, I hope Joan calls to bug Cecil, it's been far too long.

Have a great Thursday!

Cheers,

Amber

The Rick Howe cool look

Mike Savage said Denis Coderre grew a "Rick Howe style" beard when he travelled to Afghanistan. Rick's response: "Well, at least he looked cool". How true!

So...some changes might be on the way to the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Hey, it's great to hear but who actually thinks these changes are coming? Minister Nicholson was short on specifics and if there is a federal election, this was just another empty promise. It's great that Murray Scott is pleased, I was pleased too when I heard it yesterday, but now I'm feeling utterly skeptical again.

A lot of the conversation during hour number 2 revolved around Stephane Dion and whether he has the support of caucus. Mike Savage and Geoff Regan pledged their support and Geoff pointed out Michael Ignatieff made a public pledge to support Dion as well. As soon as I heard that I thought about Brian Mulroney - didn't he made a similar pledge to Joe Clark? Nothing is sacred in politics. I do agree with the MPs though that Dion's english has vastly improved - I commented on that a few blogs back.

Hey - BREAKING NEWS!!

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071010/ns_equalization_071010/20071010?hub=TopStories

Very interesting - this should be a hot topic on the show tomorrow! Pretty shrewd. I guess "Steve" knows NFLD is a lost cause, so he might as well focus on retaining seats on NS, especially with the possibility of a provincial election. If Rodney does make the health care matter a confidence one, he could easily campaign on this and possibly win. Very, very interesting!!!!

Danny Williams won 70 per cent of the popular vote in his province yesterday. That is astounding! We'll have to see if NS voters will embrace this new deal or punish Harper for letting us "twist in the wind" (a la Joe Torre) all this time.

Anyway, more on these and other issues tomorrow on the HOTLINE!

Cheers,

Amber

Post Thanksgiving malaise

That's what I'm attributing the show 1st hour to - people fatigued from eating so much turkey over the weekend that no one had the strength to pick up the phone!

This parent bullying story is just crazy. I'm hoping the newspapers will be printing more info tomorrow after the Hotline broke the fact police consider this a sort of "reverse bullying" case. Here is the article from the Chronicle-Herald...so I'm sure we will be hearing more about this in the coming week.


http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/937195.html

We had Barb Stegemann in for the last half hour of the show and wow, what a dynamic person!! It was great to listen to her and she was so fresh and was a straight talker, I really enjoyed it. She was nice too, which is always a bonus! Here is the link to her new book coming out next March and if you click on "Meet the author" you will find her e-mail address in order to help her on her crusade to cure the world of the cancer that is bullying. Good luck, Barb!

I wonder if Scott Logan will ever come out with a book on his side of the Commonwealth games bid. Tim Bousquet, the Coast writer was in during hour number 2, and says he's been trying to track down Scott Logan. I think that would be an incredible interview, to see if he's become embittered by the process. I mean, he was just doing the job he was asked to do - bring the games to Halifax, and I think a lot of what went wrong was dumped on his shoulders. That's got to sting, even now.

Richard had a great line today when talking about water pollution and the fact there are munitions and chemical weapons buried in our oceans and even the Bras d'or lakes. He said no wonder whales beach themselves -- they want to get the hell out of there! Sad, but true.

So...you have your chance to ask 2 liberal MPs about their leader's crumbling support tomorrow! The very affable Mike Savage will be in with Geoff Regan during hour number 2.

Talk to you then!

Amber

Reeking of Ben Gay

First off, apologies for those we left waiting on the line at the end of the show...it was so busy and we desperately tried to squeeze everyone in!

I was trying to think about what to call the blog today.....then I had a flashback to something hysterical David Rodenhiser said during hour number one. He and Rick were talking about the new/old political panel on CBC with Jim Nunn and David said "you could smell the ben gay through the television". HA!!!!

I love how Rick and the Rodenhiser completely debunked everything Mike Eddy said after he lost the election. D-Rod (his new hip-hop name) pointed out that the provincial government handed out 4.5 million dollars yesterday in the riding of Halifax-Needham. Hmm.....that's an NDP riding. Mike Eddy is a sore loser, that's the bottom line. The government has been handing out cash to business left, right and centre this week. That's why it smarted so much when we heard Quebec will be funding Avastin. The government needs to do a better job of balancing the needs of the people with the needs of business. Some would argue those are the same things, but c'mon - throw the people a bone! Trust me, Jim Connors isn't going to give up. He's a lawyer, he's an executive, he's going to keep going with this. Perception is everything and the last thing the Tories need is to be painted as business-friendly non-life extenders. They've got an uphill battle in the next election already.

It was a pretty typical Friday - David Rodenhiser and Rick talking to the callers, making some jokes, pointing out the obvious. Then, hour number 2 was something completely new - Rick and his new hip hop friends! Classified and J-Bru were in talking to Rick and I thought it was so much fun! They were great, gregarious guys with lots to say on the topic and I think Rick learned a little somethin' somethin' about hip hop. Maybe I'll make him a mix CD this weekend! It's so true that hip hop with a positive message gets engulfed in the negative media attention gangsta rap gets. It's also true what Classified said about Norwegian Black Metal! Google Norwegian church burnings and you will see what some of these death metal artists are doing in Norway - they are truly frightening! Some are Satanists who believe it is their destiny to destroy Christianity. Seriously, check it out, it makes hip hop seem very passive in comparison.

Well, that's it for me this week. Have an excellent Thanksgiving!!

Talk to you Tuesday!

Cheers,

Amber

Again with the blunt!

Hotline callers do it best - talking bluntly, I mean.

I think it was Bart who called Mike Eddy a "sore loser" and said the Conservatives will "get what the deserve" in the next election! Ouch!

The Afghanistan boys, ie Chris Lambie and Christian Laforce, were so interesting in hour number 2. I really enjoy hearing the straight talk about what's going in Afghanistan from people who have no reason to lie. Their book looks awesome and all the proceeds are going directly back into a fund for military families, they aren't making a cent off it. They said they would go back in a heartbeat and they want to stay longer next time.

It's a great question and maybe one we should do a poll on the blog: Who would you rather see as Prime Minister in the next election? I'm with Rick on this one - Elizabeth May is the only one that has displayed the most common sense. Layton has some good ideas, but when he has a bad idea, it's horrendously bad. Dion is trying to figure out what the heck's going on, he's useless, but at least he's not a narcissistic dictator like what we have now. No wonder people don't vote!

"A rose between two thorns" is how Tim described the pic of Rick, Deb and myself in the Daily News' HFX today! Ha!

Don't forget - rapper Classified is on the show tomorrow, should be another great one!!

Have a great Thursday,

Amber

On being blunt

Most politicians are never accused of being blunt. They use political double speak to cover their behinds when they are challenged on a statement on a later date. Some people, like Hotline listeners, could never be accused of failing to say exactly what they mean.

For example today Rick heard a couple of things that cannot be twisted around:

"I love you with a passion" from caller Gloria in Dartmouth

"How are you, you lovely hunk, you" from caller Edna in Dartmouth

I should start an official Rick Howe fan club. I'm going to be rich!!!

Seriously though, a very busy day with talk during hour number 2 about this Commons Watch. For those who want more information the meeting will be held tonight @ the old Halifax Infirmary on Summer St. in the Royal bank auditorium @ 7pm.

Lots of Prime Ministers in the news today. Apparently, Jean Chretien is undergoing heart by-pass surgery today - I hope he's going to be okay. Also, Brian Mulroney is coming to town! He'll be speaking on Oct.22nd at the Lord Nelson Hotel. Wouldn't it be great to get Brian Mulroney in the studio? He was slightly before my time as a journalist, so I've never met him. That would an interesting experience.

I can't believe how Mike Eddy shot himself in the foot. I think he had a real chance in the next provincial election, especially if he could prove Becky Kent was ineffectual during her tenure as an MLA for the area. Now, no matter what Becky Kent does, Eddy doesn't have a chance because he essentially called the voters stupid for voting for him! It is nice to hear politicians talking bluntly, but this was a little much. Sour grapes, indeed, no matter what he says. It's a crappy way to end what looked to be a pretty promising political career.

It does kind of seem to me that Becky Kent is double dipping slightly. I'm not sure if she gets paid as an MLA when she gets sworn in or not or if the pay starts immediately. She says she continues to do municipal business and I sure hope she is - because she's getting paid for it! I totally understand wanting job security and all, but you really should have to resign from council if you want to make a run provincially or federally.

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's show. A Chronicle-Herald reporter and photographer who went to Afghanistan have a new book out and they're in during hour number 2. It's going to be great, so I hope you'll tune in!!!

Are you as sick of this cat by-law as I am?

Cheers!

Amber

The Deagle has landed - Brian Phillips

It happens all the time on the Hotline. Every day something so random happens, it's hard to believe. I experienced one of those moments today while in the midst of talking about these conspiracies about Gardasil and 9/11, Dr. Deagle referenced Pinky and the Brain!

From Wikipedia:

Pinky: "Gee Brain, what do you want to do tonight?"
The Brain: "The same thing we do every night, Pinky - Try to take over the world!"

Our resident conspiracy theorist Dr. Deagle was in during hour number two and no matter what you think about what he says he is completely fascinating to listen to! I might check out his radio show after work. You can check it out too by clicking on www.nutrimedical.com.

Here are some other websites Dr. Deagle recommended checking out:

http://www.halifax911truth.ca/ (They held their first meeting on my birthday!)

www.gcnlive.com

I'm sure we'll have the good doctor back in - he definitely gets you thinking! One thing that kind of shocked me today: Operation Iraqi Liberation - O.I.L.


The tainted blood decision is galling, wouldn't you say? I did an interview with Bruce Devenne last night and he so called it - no one was going to be held criminally responsible. Sadly, he was right. I don't like to believe in evil government complicity, but in this case is there any other excuse? Life is hard enough sometimes without living with some sort of medical affliction and most of us are lucky that we've been spared so far. Can you imagine the ordeal of the victims of the tainted blood scandal and how stunned and shocked you would be? I give full credit to Bruce and Janet and all the others out there for moving on with their lives. The strength they have is truly amazing.

A couple of people were angry at Rick for the Premier's interview yesterday. Do you really think Rick shouldn't have had the Premier on the show? Rick could have grilled the Premier for a half hour, but then we wouldn't have taken any calls. With the calls, Rick probably only got 10 of the 30 minutes. Will's right - 30 minutes isn't near enough time. Bruno complained as well, but I'd rebut by saying Bruno had a chance to speak to the Premier - without the Premier being on the show, would Bruno have that same opportunity? Sorry, it wasn't enough, but he did get to ask the Premier of the province a question and made several comments in his preface. Better than nothing! Rick said the next time will be for an hour - or not at all. After the tense relationship we've had with the Premier, I thought it was a good starting point for both parties. Tim left a comment on the blog asking if Rick and I feel used by the Premier for coming on, I guess, the day before the by-election. Well, not really! If the Premier thinks he could influence today's vote by coming on the Hotline show for 30 minutes, well, that's pretty flattering for the Hotline, don't you think? It's kind of funny that the Premier is finally taking a stance on something (the anti-strike legislation for health care workers) and that will be his downfall if he actually makes it a confidence motion. Do you think he will?

For something uplifting, I suggest you pick up the Chronicle-Herald today and read the story about 8-year old Hannah James. She won 5-thousand dollars by writing a little story about why her Grandma is her hero. If it doesn't bring a tear to your eye, well, you're too far gone! Attempting to turn "bad to good" is the only option we have in order to stay sane in this corrupt, angry world.

I'm sure we'll be talking to the winner of the Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage by-election tomorrow! Who will it be??

Have a great day,

Amber

Days of our lives

I was kind of nervous for the Premier's visit today, I mean, it was the first one in a very long time! I was expecting it to be high drama and completely tense. In actuality, it was quite pleasant. He came into the studio in good spirits and he and Rick were friendly, there were no staredowns or anything! It was great to meet his PR guy Joe Gillis and we're hoping the Premier comes back in to visit us and for an hour next time! He was a lot more relaxed than the last time and actually kind of seems to be settling into his role as Premier. He didn't use his typical amount of political rhetoric, I thought, and I thought he answered Rick's questions reasonably well. Thoughts?

So, it's true. Rick averted the Metro Transit strike! Head of the union Dan MacDonald called the Mayor after speaking to Rick on Friday and then got back to the table that night. Can you believe the power this man wields? Seriously, I am so happy there isn't going to be a work stoppage, it's great news.

Kathie-Lee Bennett is on the way to recovery. Rick spoke to the teen, who was the victim of that torture in Dartmouth. It's just a sickening incident which has the experts baffled as well. Prof. Stephen Parrot from the Mount was on and he said just that - he was baffled as to why this is happening!

Well, I could actually see my breath this morning when I left the house, but it looks sunny and warm for the rest of the week.

Enjoy your Monday!

Cheers,

Amber