That was one question asked to Santa Claus during by a little boy named Cameron. Yvonne and I nearly died listening to all the kids during hour number 2 - it was so cute! I love the innocence and kids and their utter honesty. Santa asked one little girl what she was doing and she said "I'm licking a popsicle". Another kids asked for some "vampire things", it was awesome. Another honest moment was this:
Santa: Do you like school?
Kid: Not really.
He did like gym class though!
It was a great hour and big props to Santa for taking time out of his busy schedule to come talk to the great kids in Halifax. I asked Yvonne to ask Santa how I stood in his book this year and he says I had a couple of dicey moments, but if I'm good for the new few days, I could be in line for a present on December 25th. Thanks, Santa!! I have to definitely echo what Yvonne said when she was asked what she wanted for Christmas. We are so lucky to be able to give and receive gifts that, honestly, we don't even really need. Gratitude is everything and what a great lesson for kids to remember how lucky we really are, with or without the presents.
Despite that - one of the toys mentioned a couple of times was "Butterscotch". You've got to check this thing out:
http://www.amazon.com/Hasbro-76471-FurReal-Friends-Butterscotch/dp/B000F2JZKO
My brother and sister-in-law bought it for my niece and she's going to love it. You don't even want to know how many batteries this thing takes. You can actually feed this horse real carrots!!
On a completely unrelated topic, great call from Mohammed today about Muslims in the media. That is something that is definitely an issue. Rick was thinking about doing a show on the topic in the new year, Yvonne says she's going to mention it to him. I think Mohammed definitely had a good point, even though if an Evangelical Christian murdered his daughter because she got pregnant underage or something, religion would definitely be an issue there too. Another issue is reporters always come at something from an angle. They ask why, because their listeners and viewers ask the very same questions. It's an interesting debate and thanks to Mohammed for calling and bringing it up. He sounded incredibly frustrated, it's not hard to see why he would feel that way.
Well, this is going to be my last blog for 2007. It is an honour to work on the Hotline and I'm flattered that anyone wants to read my thoughts after the show. I want to thank you so much for listening, reading the blog, taking the poll and overall being a part of the best call-in talk show in Metro.
I want to wish you the happiest of holidays - whatever you celebrate!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Amber
Friday, December 21, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
It is really snowing right now, but it's not bugging me. Snow around Christmas is pretty much the only time it's acceptable. Yes, I know, I live in the wrong province! Cindy Day absolutely loves snow and I think her love it might be rubbing off on me! It does look kind of pretty outside, it would look prettier if I were at home with my Christmas tree and not at work!
Yvonne had a great show today! I wasn't surprised - she's such a pro! A huge line-up to start at 10 to speak to her - if you got a busy signal that's why. We had an interesting political discussion with Mike Savage and Alexa McDonough during hour number 2. Alexa's disdain for Brian Mulroney was kind of obvious, wasn't it? We totally switched gears and spoke about what Mike Savage had wanted to talk about - Christmas!! We heard lots of Christmas stories during the third hour which was really nice. We gave away three copies of Bruce Nunn's latest book called Buddy the Bluenose Reindeer and the Boston Christmas Tree Adventure. It looks like a really great book, here is the link:
http://www.nimbus.ns.ca/Store/CatalogItem/tabid/904/ProductID/4873/Default.aspx
Here is his website if you want to check it out:
http://www.geocities.com/mrnsknowitall/main.htm
It was a fun hour and in the newsroom after the Hotline, Bruce's mom called and wanted to speak with Yvonne. She wanted to tell her how much she enjoyed the hour! Thanks, Bruce's mom!
Tomorrow is going to be so great. Santa Claus will be our special guest during the second hour of the show. It is always so great to hear the kids talking to Santa and giving their Christmas lists, etc. I can't wait! That starts at 11...it's sure to be busy, so just keep trying if you get a busy signal.
Be sure to tune in - it's the last Hotline show of 2007! I don't even think I could put into words how fast this year has gone by. It's been an absolute blast though, big thanks to Rick and Yvonne for lots of fun times this year!
Talk to you tomorrow!
Merry Christmas!
Amber
Yvonne had a great show today! I wasn't surprised - she's such a pro! A huge line-up to start at 10 to speak to her - if you got a busy signal that's why. We had an interesting political discussion with Mike Savage and Alexa McDonough during hour number 2. Alexa's disdain for Brian Mulroney was kind of obvious, wasn't it? We totally switched gears and spoke about what Mike Savage had wanted to talk about - Christmas!! We heard lots of Christmas stories during the third hour which was really nice. We gave away three copies of Bruce Nunn's latest book called Buddy the Bluenose Reindeer and the Boston Christmas Tree Adventure. It looks like a really great book, here is the link:
http://www.nimbus.ns.ca/Store/CatalogItem/tabid/904/ProductID/4873/Default.aspx
Here is his website if you want to check it out:
http://www.geocities.com/mrnsknowitall/main.htm
It was a fun hour and in the newsroom after the Hotline, Bruce's mom called and wanted to speak with Yvonne. She wanted to tell her how much she enjoyed the hour! Thanks, Bruce's mom!
Tomorrow is going to be so great. Santa Claus will be our special guest during the second hour of the show. It is always so great to hear the kids talking to Santa and giving their Christmas lists, etc. I can't wait! That starts at 11...it's sure to be busy, so just keep trying if you get a busy signal.
Be sure to tune in - it's the last Hotline show of 2007! I don't even think I could put into words how fast this year has gone by. It's been an absolute blast though, big thanks to Rick and Yvonne for lots of fun times this year!
Talk to you tomorrow!
Merry Christmas!
Amber
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
It really felt good
That's quote from Bill Casey who was very honoured to win Hotline Nova Scotian of the Year. A huge congrats to Bill and to our runners up Travis Price and David Shepard, the two students who launched the Pink Protest at Central Kings Rural High School. Both of them told Rick they want to do degrees in criminology and then become RCMP officers. I think they are great kids and I wish them the best of luck. However, I voted for Bill Casey who did the right thing, stood up for Nova Scotia and did it for us, not for himself. His motives were pure; when is the last time you said that about a politician. A big congratulations goes out Tina Chaulk (who had a very strong following on the internet) and Jim Connors. We have so many great people in this province - can't wait until next year.
I want to wish one of our listeners our condolences. Joan Murphy lost her husband on Monday after a battle with cancer. The obit is in the Chronicle-Herald today. Despite her fierce battles with Cecil, Joan is one of the sweetest ladies and she was so devoted to her husband. She is devestated and it's so sad. We care about you Joan, and we're keeping you in our thoughts.
So, it was Rick's last show of 2007 and Yvonne will be in for the next two days. It's been another crazy year, my second full year of working with Rick on the show. I don't even want to add up how many phone calls I answered this year, it would be in the thousands. The Fage issue kept us busy during the dog days of winter in January, so we can only hope there will be another juicy scandal to keep the phone lines lit up through those long winter months!
Thank you so much for all the Christmas greetings and calls today and thanks for your participating in the Hotliner of the year contest. We wouldn't have a show without the listeners, so THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Merry Christmas, and I'll chat with you tomorrow during Yvonne's show!
Cheers,
Amber
P.S. Ben, Rick is going to PEI!!!! HA! Now that he's on vacation he can't strangle me for telling you!!!!!!
I want to wish one of our listeners our condolences. Joan Murphy lost her husband on Monday after a battle with cancer. The obit is in the Chronicle-Herald today. Despite her fierce battles with Cecil, Joan is one of the sweetest ladies and she was so devoted to her husband. She is devestated and it's so sad. We care about you Joan, and we're keeping you in our thoughts.
So, it was Rick's last show of 2007 and Yvonne will be in for the next two days. It's been another crazy year, my second full year of working with Rick on the show. I don't even want to add up how many phone calls I answered this year, it would be in the thousands. The Fage issue kept us busy during the dog days of winter in January, so we can only hope there will be another juicy scandal to keep the phone lines lit up through those long winter months!
Thank you so much for all the Christmas greetings and calls today and thanks for your participating in the Hotliner of the year contest. We wouldn't have a show without the listeners, so THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Merry Christmas, and I'll chat with you tomorrow during Yvonne's show!
Cheers,
Amber
P.S. Ben, Rick is going to PEI!!!! HA! Now that he's on vacation he can't strangle me for telling you!!!!!!
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Good for your blood circulation!
God love the mayor.
He purposely comes in just in the nick of time for every in studio interview. He does it because he knows it drives Rick crazy. Rick paces around the hallway, orders me to call the Mayor on his cell and tell him to "get his butt in here" and it's just hilarious because Rick normally pretty unfazed by everything. So, the Mayor comes in with this mischievious smile and Rick is freaking out and the Mayor says, "Rick, it's good for your blood circulation". Ha ha! It was great. Plus, the Mayor brought us some truffles, so he can't be all that bad!
Caller Kim made a pretty valid point today about elections. It is pretty sad that the newest member of city council received 600 votes of a possible 12-thousand! Something about that doesn't seem right, does it? I think Jackie Barkhouse took some unfair hits on the show today, but hey, welcome to politics - it's a dirty business.
Here is some breaking news for ya - Ernie Fage will NOT be allowed to run as a Conservative in the next election. Rodney is not sticking by his man for a third time, which I think is the smart thing to do.
In other political news, I've got to give the Liberals some props. I've come down pretty hard on Stephen MacNeil in this blog, but with the help of the Tories, the Liberals got a lot of good ink this very short session and are trumpeting their accomplishments with a very effective ad in the Daily News today.
Very exciting - we will be announcing our 2007 Hotline Nova Scotian of the Year tomorrow! It's Rick's last show, Yvonne will be filling in on Thursday and Friday. So...scroll down a bit on the blog and cast your vote! Apparently Rick will be on the CTV news tonight with Steve Murphy - check it out!
Well, that's it from me today. Be sure to tune in for Rick's last show of 2007!!
Cheers and MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Amber
He purposely comes in just in the nick of time for every in studio interview. He does it because he knows it drives Rick crazy. Rick paces around the hallway, orders me to call the Mayor on his cell and tell him to "get his butt in here" and it's just hilarious because Rick normally pretty unfazed by everything. So, the Mayor comes in with this mischievious smile and Rick is freaking out and the Mayor says, "Rick, it's good for your blood circulation". Ha ha! It was great. Plus, the Mayor brought us some truffles, so he can't be all that bad!
Caller Kim made a pretty valid point today about elections. It is pretty sad that the newest member of city council received 600 votes of a possible 12-thousand! Something about that doesn't seem right, does it? I think Jackie Barkhouse took some unfair hits on the show today, but hey, welcome to politics - it's a dirty business.
Here is some breaking news for ya - Ernie Fage will NOT be allowed to run as a Conservative in the next election. Rodney is not sticking by his man for a third time, which I think is the smart thing to do.
In other political news, I've got to give the Liberals some props. I've come down pretty hard on Stephen MacNeil in this blog, but with the help of the Tories, the Liberals got a lot of good ink this very short session and are trumpeting their accomplishments with a very effective ad in the Daily News today.
Very exciting - we will be announcing our 2007 Hotline Nova Scotian of the Year tomorrow! It's Rick's last show, Yvonne will be filling in on Thursday and Friday. So...scroll down a bit on the blog and cast your vote! Apparently Rick will be on the CTV news tonight with Steve Murphy - check it out!
Well, that's it from me today. Be sure to tune in for Rick's last show of 2007!!
Cheers and MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Amber
Monday, December 17, 2007
They came in, they breathed
That was the word from the always entertaining Curtis Sliwa today about his new Halifax Guardian Angels recruits! There were about 20 people there interested in becoming members, but they still have to undergo background checks and the like. Some of the callers echoed my position today on the show - that the Angels are here to help Halifax. As Sliwa said, they will be going out and patrolling, it's not going to be Deathwish with Charles Bronson, they are walking around and will report crimes if they see them, they aren't another dangerous gang who will willfully incite trouble. How about we appreciate people trying to help and stop coddling the criminals?
How about that storm last night? The winds were so strong, my house was shaking around all night long! I think it was a good decision to cancel school because I walked today and was slipping and sliding all the way to work. Plus, what wasn't frozen was just puddles so I got 2 major soakers and had to go buy new socks at Shoppers! The laces on my boots broke as I was putting them on at home...yes it was that kind of morning. Luckily, things got better at work when we played trivia during hour number 2! That is my absolute favourite thing to do on the show. Anyway, thanks for your calls, it was a lot of fun and congrats to our winners: Shirley and Craig.
I cannot believe Hotline listeners were dumping on pregnant women today! The pink spots are courtesy spots for someone who may be pregnant or a mom with small kids. At our big malls, what are there like 4 out of 7-thousand parking spots? I found it kind of ironic that Hotline listeners would pitch in to help someone with 5 kids pay their power bill, but would disagree with a mom like Heather being able to park close to the grocery store while managing her brood? It was a good debate though - you just never know what's going to be a hot button topic on the Hotline! Big thanks for Jerbear for raising the issue of handicapped parking with us on the pre-show with Rick, Deb and Caroline.
One week until Christmas eve...are you excited? I managed to get my tree up on Saturday, wrote out my Christmas cards yesterday and now the countdown is on! Rick will be taking Thursday and Friday off, and Yvonne will be back so I'm really looking forward to that. Santa will pay us a visit on Friday, so make sure you call in so your kids can chat with the big man himself.
Have a good one!
Merry Christmas,
Amber
How about that storm last night? The winds were so strong, my house was shaking around all night long! I think it was a good decision to cancel school because I walked today and was slipping and sliding all the way to work. Plus, what wasn't frozen was just puddles so I got 2 major soakers and had to go buy new socks at Shoppers! The laces on my boots broke as I was putting them on at home...yes it was that kind of morning. Luckily, things got better at work when we played trivia during hour number 2! That is my absolute favourite thing to do on the show. Anyway, thanks for your calls, it was a lot of fun and congrats to our winners: Shirley and Craig.
I cannot believe Hotline listeners were dumping on pregnant women today! The pink spots are courtesy spots for someone who may be pregnant or a mom with small kids. At our big malls, what are there like 4 out of 7-thousand parking spots? I found it kind of ironic that Hotline listeners would pitch in to help someone with 5 kids pay their power bill, but would disagree with a mom like Heather being able to park close to the grocery store while managing her brood? It was a good debate though - you just never know what's going to be a hot button topic on the Hotline! Big thanks for Jerbear for raising the issue of handicapped parking with us on the pre-show with Rick, Deb and Caroline.
One week until Christmas eve...are you excited? I managed to get my tree up on Saturday, wrote out my Christmas cards yesterday and now the countdown is on! Rick will be taking Thursday and Friday off, and Yvonne will be back so I'm really looking forward to that. Santa will pay us a visit on Friday, so make sure you call in so your kids can chat with the big man himself.
Have a good one!
Merry Christmas,
Amber
Friday, December 14, 2007
I missed it!
I can't believe it. After plugging Rick's appearance on Cecil's show yesterday - I completely forgot to tune in!! Apparently, Rick did well and I'll definitely have to catch part two next week on Eastlink.
Cecil made an appearance on our show during hour number 2 and it was a fun hour. It's always great having Cecil in - he loves giving it to Rick and I love hearing it! He threw out the ultimate insult to Rick - bringing up his beloved Montreal Expos. I had to play the feral cat sound effect for that one. Touche!
A pretty good day today, lots of different issues from an elderly man losing his Santa garb to the closing of the MacTara mill. How horrible...finding out you're losing your job with 2 weeks before Christmas. Yikes. Another caller talked to us about pet stores and the fact one local stores had dead fish floating in the tank. When he pointed this out to an employee, the guy told him that's how that particular breed swims! Uh, okay. As Rick called them, the "upside down floating dead fish" variety.
A big congrats to Keith LeBlanc who was the winner of legislature poll. He guessed 16 days and a short 16 days it was. Looks like Nova Scotia is well on its way to being the province where the MLAs serve the least amount of time in the legislature! Congrats to us!
Anyway, it's Friday! When Rick wrapped up the show and started talking about having a good weekend, I was stunned - this week went by so fast!!
Have a great weekend - be patient out there. There is some snow on the way for tonight and we're getting a Nor'easter starting Sunday afternoon - could see up to 30 centimetres according to my friend Cindy Day!
Merry Christmas,
Amber
Cecil made an appearance on our show during hour number 2 and it was a fun hour. It's always great having Cecil in - he loves giving it to Rick and I love hearing it! He threw out the ultimate insult to Rick - bringing up his beloved Montreal Expos. I had to play the feral cat sound effect for that one. Touche!
A pretty good day today, lots of different issues from an elderly man losing his Santa garb to the closing of the MacTara mill. How horrible...finding out you're losing your job with 2 weeks before Christmas. Yikes. Another caller talked to us about pet stores and the fact one local stores had dead fish floating in the tank. When he pointed this out to an employee, the guy told him that's how that particular breed swims! Uh, okay. As Rick called them, the "upside down floating dead fish" variety.
A big congrats to Keith LeBlanc who was the winner of legislature poll. He guessed 16 days and a short 16 days it was. Looks like Nova Scotia is well on its way to being the province where the MLAs serve the least amount of time in the legislature! Congrats to us!
Anyway, it's Friday! When Rick wrapped up the show and started talking about having a good weekend, I was stunned - this week went by so fast!!
Have a great weekend - be patient out there. There is some snow on the way for tonight and we're getting a Nor'easter starting Sunday afternoon - could see up to 30 centimetres according to my friend Cindy Day!
Merry Christmas,
Amber
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Anti-obesity pasta
Seriously.
Brian Mulroney just read a letter from Karlheinz Schreiber about this "pasta business". They were apparently going to cure obesity in the United States by introducing an "anti-obesity pasta" to school cafeterias in the U.S.! I nearly fell out of my chair when I heard that! 300-thousand dollars...for that?
This testimony is incredibly fascinating! B.M. is kind of funny, he just made a pretty funny joke about the Liberals supporting the GST. He's very smooth too, I'll give him that. But, would K.H.S. put himself through this simply to stay in Canada? Is that his only motive? Who to believe? They are both equally unsavoury.
Peter Duffy paid us a very entertaining visit during hour number 2 today. He became very sarcastic with the Deputy Mayor of Wolfville who called to defend their no smoking in cars with kids by-law. Peter says we live in a "Nanny State" where citizens are so laden with laws, one isn't encouraged to accept any personal responsibility for individual actions at all. I'm definitely with Peter on this one. Although I definitely think it's wrong to smoke in the car with kids, do we need to legislate that? I've written it before - I don't think one level of government should be able to legislate on something that is legal and that other governments are profiting from. That's hypocrisy. In turn, municipalities get some of the taxes on cigarettes from the other levels of government. Hypocrisy, anyone?
Another topic was P.D.'s hate-on for blue Christmas lights. As Rick was wrapping up the show I glanced around the studio. Everyone Christmas decoration in the room is blue! I can't believe I didn't notice that as Peter was going on his rant! Rick and I had a good laugh after the show about that! I'll try to remember to take a pic of the studio and post it. Remember, you can catch Duffy's columns in the Chronicle-Herald every Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday/Sunday.
Hey - tune in to Eastlink @ 8pm tonight. Cecil Wright has his own show and guess who is his guest of honour tonight - THE RICKSTER! Our buddy Cecil will be on for sports during hour number 2 tomorrow.
Still dealing with this cold! Blah!!
Joan (Cecil's nemesis) called and gave us an update on her husband. He's not doing too well and she needs us - keep them in your thoughts, okay?
Thanks...have a good one!
Amber
Brian Mulroney just read a letter from Karlheinz Schreiber about this "pasta business". They were apparently going to cure obesity in the United States by introducing an "anti-obesity pasta" to school cafeterias in the U.S.! I nearly fell out of my chair when I heard that! 300-thousand dollars...for that?
This testimony is incredibly fascinating! B.M. is kind of funny, he just made a pretty funny joke about the Liberals supporting the GST. He's very smooth too, I'll give him that. But, would K.H.S. put himself through this simply to stay in Canada? Is that his only motive? Who to believe? They are both equally unsavoury.
Peter Duffy paid us a very entertaining visit during hour number 2 today. He became very sarcastic with the Deputy Mayor of Wolfville who called to defend their no smoking in cars with kids by-law. Peter says we live in a "Nanny State" where citizens are so laden with laws, one isn't encouraged to accept any personal responsibility for individual actions at all. I'm definitely with Peter on this one. Although I definitely think it's wrong to smoke in the car with kids, do we need to legislate that? I've written it before - I don't think one level of government should be able to legislate on something that is legal and that other governments are profiting from. That's hypocrisy. In turn, municipalities get some of the taxes on cigarettes from the other levels of government. Hypocrisy, anyone?
Another topic was P.D.'s hate-on for blue Christmas lights. As Rick was wrapping up the show I glanced around the studio. Everyone Christmas decoration in the room is blue! I can't believe I didn't notice that as Peter was going on his rant! Rick and I had a good laugh after the show about that! I'll try to remember to take a pic of the studio and post it. Remember, you can catch Duffy's columns in the Chronicle-Herald every Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday/Sunday.
Hey - tune in to Eastlink @ 8pm tonight. Cecil Wright has his own show and guess who is his guest of honour tonight - THE RICKSTER! Our buddy Cecil will be on for sports during hour number 2 tomorrow.
Still dealing with this cold! Blah!!
Joan (Cecil's nemesis) called and gave us an update on her husband. He's not doing too well and she needs us - keep them in your thoughts, okay?
Thanks...have a good one!
Amber
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
It's going around
This stupid cold, I mean! Yesterday around 3:30, I started getting the sniffles. No problem. Then 2 hours later, it's a full on cold!! It's not so bad though, my head just feels very heavy. That could be, as I told Rick, on account of my huge brain. Ha!
Hey...you should check out this website that's up and running. Thanks to Will for the heads up today. It's www.citizensforhalifax.ca and it's the new website for the group with the hit list of city councillors in the next election. The website is very civilized though, and does not refer to any upcoming political massacre. Check it out - if you become a "citizen", give us a call on the Hotline and let us know why!
So...Keith Urban is one of the concerts on the Commons next summer. I ran it by my boyfriend who is in the music biz...and he thinks it's going to be a big draw. Rick says Deb thinks he's hot. He's okay, he's a little too pretty for me. Apparently one of the other performers has a hit called "Hold my beer". Harold MacKay told Rick he's working on more concerts for the summer. If the Eagles don't come this year - I fear for us. I fear that we will never hear the end of the Rick wanting to see the Eagles saga. Help us, Harold. It's for the greater good.
That was kind of a shocking statistic today from Doug Hadley that only 30 per cent of students showed up at Auburn Drive today. Is it students taking advantage of the situation or a real fear that there could be another outbreak of violence at the school?
I completely agree with the councillors last night who say forget the fast ferry - and bring on more Metro Link buses! They have proven popular with commuters. One of the most intelligent things I heard was from Chebucto Rd. widening opponent Kevin Moynihan a few weeks back. Why not do a Metro Link bus from Exhibition Park to downtown Halifax? And now they say Clayton Park won't get Metro Link until 2012? Insanity.
I just wanted to mention to anyone who didn't hear - Brian Phillips' surgery for his knees went well! We wish Brian a speedy recovery and cannot wait to hear his one liners on the air again!
Random moment from this year: (from Brian to Ben) "Green side up this time!"
Have a great day!
Amber
Hey...you should check out this website that's up and running. Thanks to Will for the heads up today. It's www.citizensforhalifax.ca and it's the new website for the group with the hit list of city councillors in the next election. The website is very civilized though, and does not refer to any upcoming political massacre. Check it out - if you become a "citizen", give us a call on the Hotline and let us know why!
So...Keith Urban is one of the concerts on the Commons next summer. I ran it by my boyfriend who is in the music biz...and he thinks it's going to be a big draw. Rick says Deb thinks he's hot. He's okay, he's a little too pretty for me. Apparently one of the other performers has a hit called "Hold my beer". Harold MacKay told Rick he's working on more concerts for the summer. If the Eagles don't come this year - I fear for us. I fear that we will never hear the end of the Rick wanting to see the Eagles saga. Help us, Harold. It's for the greater good.
That was kind of a shocking statistic today from Doug Hadley that only 30 per cent of students showed up at Auburn Drive today. Is it students taking advantage of the situation or a real fear that there could be another outbreak of violence at the school?
I completely agree with the councillors last night who say forget the fast ferry - and bring on more Metro Link buses! They have proven popular with commuters. One of the most intelligent things I heard was from Chebucto Rd. widening opponent Kevin Moynihan a few weeks back. Why not do a Metro Link bus from Exhibition Park to downtown Halifax? And now they say Clayton Park won't get Metro Link until 2012? Insanity.
I just wanted to mention to anyone who didn't hear - Brian Phillips' surgery for his knees went well! We wish Brian a speedy recovery and cannot wait to hear his one liners on the air again!
Random moment from this year: (from Brian to Ben) "Green side up this time!"
Have a great day!
Amber
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
I miss Jean Chretien
I stayed up late to watch an interview with Jean Chretien last night on TV. Watching I realized how much I missed him and what a great Prime Minister he was! He's tough, smart, yet affable. I really want to read his book. I had to give Rick back his copy of the Brian Mulroney book, honestly, I couldn't get through it. The guy is so incredibly pompous. There is a paragraph about something that happened, then a journal entry from the time. It.is.so.boring.
What do you think about this new crime strategy? I think it sounds okay, but what is with this government and the major delays on things that might actually do some good? Greenhouse gas reductions by 2020, the mental health court up and running by the end of 2009? We don't trust governments as it is, so it's a little hard for me to believe the programs will be up and running by the time they say - heck, they could be booted from office at that point!
For those interested in St. Patrick's Church on Brunswick St. here is the website Blair told us about:
http://www.givesaintpatrickahand.com/
I want to give a shout-out to my buddy Ben on PEI! Whoo-hoo!! I, like Ben, am a huge Gloria McCluskey fan. He's nominated her for Hotline Nova Scotian of the Year! We'll see if she makes the cut tomorrow. Rick will list the top 4 or 5 candidates and then we'll vote until next week. We'll have to see if they are shutting down the leg. too, and we'll have to count the days to see who won our leg. poll. If they just close for Christmas, we'll keep tallying the January numbers too, but Rick thinks they are going to shut it down soon! What a farce.
A big thank you to the Hotline listeners who opened their wallets to help a stranger. That speaks to the generosity and caring natures of the Hotline listeners and it's very touching. Thanks again!
Have a great day! Here's another thing I like to say: MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Amber
What do you think about this new crime strategy? I think it sounds okay, but what is with this government and the major delays on things that might actually do some good? Greenhouse gas reductions by 2020, the mental health court up and running by the end of 2009? We don't trust governments as it is, so it's a little hard for me to believe the programs will be up and running by the time they say - heck, they could be booted from office at that point!
For those interested in St. Patrick's Church on Brunswick St. here is the website Blair told us about:
http://www.givesaintpatrickahand.com/
I want to give a shout-out to my buddy Ben on PEI! Whoo-hoo!! I, like Ben, am a huge Gloria McCluskey fan. He's nominated her for Hotline Nova Scotian of the Year! We'll see if she makes the cut tomorrow. Rick will list the top 4 or 5 candidates and then we'll vote until next week. We'll have to see if they are shutting down the leg. too, and we'll have to count the days to see who won our leg. poll. If they just close for Christmas, we'll keep tallying the January numbers too, but Rick thinks they are going to shut it down soon! What a farce.
A big thank you to the Hotline listeners who opened their wallets to help a stranger. That speaks to the generosity and caring natures of the Hotline listeners and it's very touching. Thanks again!
Have a great day! Here's another thing I like to say: MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Amber
Monday, December 10, 2007
Maelstrom Monday
I didn't know what to expect today after being gone for a week, but I was tossed into things pretty quickly! We had a little bit of snow this morning, a story about a mom who couldn't pay her phone bill and an interview with Margaret Murphy. I nearly fell over when she agreed to speak to Rick because she hasn't been on the air with him since Hurricane Juan - that's right, 4 years ago! They had a good chat about the policy for cutting off people's power and we actually found out something new - they have an ombudsman named Mr. Farmer who helps people who have problems with the utility! Good to know - now that we know the information, I expect Mr. Farmer is going to be a busy man! The most hilarious thing was that as they were chatting - the power went out! We lost all of our phone lines and I had to call Margaret back to get her on the air. The power is back on in the central Halifax area now.
During hour number 2, one of my favourite councillors stopped in for a visit - that is, of course, Gloria McCluskey. Jim told me off the air that he wanted to challenge Gloria, and I put him in the line-up, while at the same time saying a wee prayer for the nice man! I wouldn't want to meet Gloria in a dark alley, that's all I'm saying - she's the toughest lady I know. I know it's totally against my journalistic integrity to gush over a councillor, but I just think she is amazing. With her, Councillor Macaroni, as one caller referred to him as, aka Harry McInroy, who was in a bit of pain after hurting his back shovelling his snow! Feel better, councillor!
So, I visited my hometown of Windsor, Ontario last week and had a great visit with my family. I'm kind of sad today because I miss them so much, especially my niece who is about to turn 3 years old. Windsor is known for being the home of the big 3, which is why it is in recession right now because a lot of the plants are closing. My point is, most people have cars. However, since the last time I visited, the majority of streets have painted bike lanes on them! Halifax, a city with tonnes of cyclists has what - 1 lane that's in the middle of the Bedford Highway? It's really not that difficult, it's the issue of painting a solitary while line 2 feet from the curb. I drove a lot when I was home and it was just so awesome. It was awesome because when I was making a left hand turn, I wasn't fearing for my life. It's because on all major intersections, there is a dedicated left hand turn lane with its own light. It's so safe and makes SENSE. Yesterday, my friend and I almost died trying to turn left on Almon from Robie street, as there is no advance arrow and you have pressure from cars behind you trying to turn as well. Put a green arrow at least at major intersections like that - it will improve flow and improve safety.
But what do I know? Rick's accused me of changing from being in Ontario for one week because I wasn't feeling all that much sympathy for the plight of "Heather". I guess my point is everyone has a sad story, everyone has debt, but we all have to make choices that help us to manage it. I'm so excited for Heritage gas to be up and running - give NS Power a little competition, maybe then the rates will come down a bit.
Anyway....time to write some news! It was great to talk to you today - oh, and thanks again for making the Hotline the number 1 show in Halifax!!
Cheers!
Amber
During hour number 2, one of my favourite councillors stopped in for a visit - that is, of course, Gloria McCluskey. Jim told me off the air that he wanted to challenge Gloria, and I put him in the line-up, while at the same time saying a wee prayer for the nice man! I wouldn't want to meet Gloria in a dark alley, that's all I'm saying - she's the toughest lady I know. I know it's totally against my journalistic integrity to gush over a councillor, but I just think she is amazing. With her, Councillor Macaroni, as one caller referred to him as, aka Harry McInroy, who was in a bit of pain after hurting his back shovelling his snow! Feel better, councillor!
So, I visited my hometown of Windsor, Ontario last week and had a great visit with my family. I'm kind of sad today because I miss them so much, especially my niece who is about to turn 3 years old. Windsor is known for being the home of the big 3, which is why it is in recession right now because a lot of the plants are closing. My point is, most people have cars. However, since the last time I visited, the majority of streets have painted bike lanes on them! Halifax, a city with tonnes of cyclists has what - 1 lane that's in the middle of the Bedford Highway? It's really not that difficult, it's the issue of painting a solitary while line 2 feet from the curb. I drove a lot when I was home and it was just so awesome. It was awesome because when I was making a left hand turn, I wasn't fearing for my life. It's because on all major intersections, there is a dedicated left hand turn lane with its own light. It's so safe and makes SENSE. Yesterday, my friend and I almost died trying to turn left on Almon from Robie street, as there is no advance arrow and you have pressure from cars behind you trying to turn as well. Put a green arrow at least at major intersections like that - it will improve flow and improve safety.
But what do I know? Rick's accused me of changing from being in Ontario for one week because I wasn't feeling all that much sympathy for the plight of "Heather". I guess my point is everyone has a sad story, everyone has debt, but we all have to make choices that help us to manage it. I'm so excited for Heritage gas to be up and running - give NS Power a little competition, maybe then the rates will come down a bit.
Anyway....time to write some news! It was great to talk to you today - oh, and thanks again for making the Hotline the number 1 show in Halifax!!
Cheers!
Amber
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