I forgot to write about it earlier, but it's Bruce Devenne's 62nd birthday today!
Have a good one, Bruce!!!
Monday, March 31, 2008
No cell, no cigs
Good afternoon!
We had a busy day today, I always like to start Mondays on the right note. This fast ferry business at council is about so much more than a fast boat. You see the council divided very clearly between the pro-Kelly faction and the anti-Kelly faction. Tomorrow night's meeting is going to be a gong show, bet on it. It was hilarious today as we had an interview with Debbie Hum who had called last week wanting to get on, and today Hendsbee and Linda Mosher both tried to get on! I wonder if this is the way it's going to be until October!!! Hey, makes my job easier, not having to track people down. Keep it coming, councillors!!!
Okay, I have to do something rarely seen in this blog. I have to give kudos to the Rodney MacDonald government. They're freezing university tuition for 3 years and startinga bursary program that will help both Nova Scotian and out of province students. Great job, seriously. It's so desperately needed and appreciated. Well done!
That was weird.
Anyway, a caller took issue with Dave McCusker today about the lack of bus service in the Lawrencetown area. Then a woman off the air told me they had petitions signed for a bus and everything. She says people are "marooned" out there. I don't know....I mean, if you're outside of the city you can't really expect to have all the services of the city, that's just reality. I kind of agree with D.M. who said the houses are spaced so far away, it would be a very odd route and he's just not sure of the ridership. I know I couldn't move outside of the peninsula before I had my car because I knew I wouldn't be able to get to work. Now that I have a car I still don't want to live outside of the area because I don't want to drive everywhere, I do take the bus when I need to get downtown etc. Anyway, if you want city services, it's easy, move into the city!!
It seems as though Earth hour was a success on Saturday night. Rick says NS Power says 150-thousand light bulbs were turned off, so if people have 10 in their homes, that's 15-thousand homes. That's not bad! Did the read the story in the paper about Calgary? Their energy grid actually went UP during Earth hour and they're blaming the Calgary-Edmonton hockey game! I know a couple of people who were vehemently against Earth Hour citing the fact it seems citizens are the ones who are making the sacrifices and doing everything, when industry needs to come to the table and start doing things. If business started being a little more "green", that would make a hell of lot more difference than just shutting off the lights for one hour.
The federal Liberals are in so much trouble. Rick pointed out a new poll today that puts them in 4th place behind the NDP in Quebec!!! Yikes!! I wish Dion would pick up a paper and resign! They can't wait until the next election, it's going to be a total and complete disaster, a la Kim Campbell's PCs winning a whopping 2 seats. You better believe I'm going to be tuning into QP today to see Bob Rae. A woman made a comment kind of castigating me for liking Bob Rae. Well, when he was Premier of Ontario, I was 8, so I didn't directly feel the influence of his government. I definitely think he got a bad rap though, I mean, he inherited a lot of problems from the previous government. Ah, the famous line of all new Premiers when they can't uphold their election promises - blame the past governments, works every time!
Well, I had a great weekend. I went to White Point for the first time, it's so great there! It was so nice getting out of the city and closer to the ocean.
Have a wonderful day and get your calls ready for Health Promotion Minister Barry Barnet tomorrow!
Cheers,
Amber
We had a busy day today, I always like to start Mondays on the right note. This fast ferry business at council is about so much more than a fast boat. You see the council divided very clearly between the pro-Kelly faction and the anti-Kelly faction. Tomorrow night's meeting is going to be a gong show, bet on it. It was hilarious today as we had an interview with Debbie Hum who had called last week wanting to get on, and today Hendsbee and Linda Mosher both tried to get on! I wonder if this is the way it's going to be until October!!! Hey, makes my job easier, not having to track people down. Keep it coming, councillors!!!
Okay, I have to do something rarely seen in this blog. I have to give kudos to the Rodney MacDonald government. They're freezing university tuition for 3 years and startinga bursary program that will help both Nova Scotian and out of province students. Great job, seriously. It's so desperately needed and appreciated. Well done!
That was weird.
Anyway, a caller took issue with Dave McCusker today about the lack of bus service in the Lawrencetown area. Then a woman off the air told me they had petitions signed for a bus and everything. She says people are "marooned" out there. I don't know....I mean, if you're outside of the city you can't really expect to have all the services of the city, that's just reality. I kind of agree with D.M. who said the houses are spaced so far away, it would be a very odd route and he's just not sure of the ridership. I know I couldn't move outside of the peninsula before I had my car because I knew I wouldn't be able to get to work. Now that I have a car I still don't want to live outside of the area because I don't want to drive everywhere, I do take the bus when I need to get downtown etc. Anyway, if you want city services, it's easy, move into the city!!
It seems as though Earth hour was a success on Saturday night. Rick says NS Power says 150-thousand light bulbs were turned off, so if people have 10 in their homes, that's 15-thousand homes. That's not bad! Did the read the story in the paper about Calgary? Their energy grid actually went UP during Earth hour and they're blaming the Calgary-Edmonton hockey game! I know a couple of people who were vehemently against Earth Hour citing the fact it seems citizens are the ones who are making the sacrifices and doing everything, when industry needs to come to the table and start doing things. If business started being a little more "green", that would make a hell of lot more difference than just shutting off the lights for one hour.
The federal Liberals are in so much trouble. Rick pointed out a new poll today that puts them in 4th place behind the NDP in Quebec!!! Yikes!! I wish Dion would pick up a paper and resign! They can't wait until the next election, it's going to be a total and complete disaster, a la Kim Campbell's PCs winning a whopping 2 seats. You better believe I'm going to be tuning into QP today to see Bob Rae. A woman made a comment kind of castigating me for liking Bob Rae. Well, when he was Premier of Ontario, I was 8, so I didn't directly feel the influence of his government. I definitely think he got a bad rap though, I mean, he inherited a lot of problems from the previous government. Ah, the famous line of all new Premiers when they can't uphold their election promises - blame the past governments, works every time!
Well, I had a great weekend. I went to White Point for the first time, it's so great there! It was so nice getting out of the city and closer to the ocean.
Have a wonderful day and get your calls ready for Health Promotion Minister Barry Barnet tomorrow!
Cheers,
Amber
Friday, March 28, 2008
The pink dinosaur
That's apparently a nickname someone gave Stephen Kimber once after reading one of his columns! Ha! Another e-mailer to Rick called him a left-wing yanger. Whatever you say about Kimber, you can't deny he is an incredible writer and a top notch journalist. This Friday media hour is great, I think the guests we've had so far have been great. Someone called today and told us they missed the Rodenhiser though. We miss him too!! Now I want Rodenhiser back so we can play the song over and over again, if only to bug Roger Taylor!
Well, it sure was good of Councillor Hendsbee to call up and remind us that on April 4th Martin Luther King Jr. was viciously asassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. And it's sure coincidental that all these spending projects are coming up now at a dizzying rate. Hmmm....are there elections around the corner??
Call me cynical, but c'mon! We're not stupid!! The election is coming up and now all of a sudden all three levels of government are best friends and announcing things left, right and centre? So what? We'll forget that there hasn't been a provincial legislature sitting since December and that the last one lasted all of 16 days?? So we'll forget that council dithers and dathers and can't make a decision to save its life? So we forget the feds always ignore Atlantic Canada because we have a culture of defeat? I'm incredibly glad things are moving forward, but why were they at a standstill before it was an election year?
I'm glad to hear Rick Bennett and his daughter have a little bit of peace. His daughter was the one tortured by 18-year old Brittany MacNeil, who has been sent to prison for almost 6 years. It's bad enough for the families having to deal with stuff like that, but then when your name gets out into the public domain and everyone knows your business, that's got to be hard to deal with. I hope Kathie Lee can put it behind her and move on. Her dad says she has a hard time going anywhere by herself and has some trust issues. That's understandable, don't you think??
Do you think the drug war has flared up again? I mean, there have been quite a few incidents of shots being fired in HRM over the past couple of weeks and a few incidents of people actually being shot. Police have said all of them were drug related. Let's hope police are trying to crack these cases from the lowest levels, ie drug charges. You can lock up the shooter, there will always be another one moving up the ranks. Oh, I wanted to wish Chief Frank Beazley a speedy recovery. Apparently he had a fall and is in a lot of pain and off work right now. Feel better, Chief!
You know who is a funny guy? Chris Mills. I love the little jokes he makes at the end of his newscast, today's at 10 o' clock was very funny, poked a little fun at the lack of technological advances at CJCH. A couple of people have called this week wondering when Philly is coming back, well, as far as we know he continues to recuperate and hopefully he'll be back soon! I saw him a couple of weeks ago, he popped in for a few minutes. He's actually taller because of his new knees!! It's pretty funny.
Well, time for me to jet. Thanks for the calls today!
Have a great weekend,
Amber
Well, it sure was good of Councillor Hendsbee to call up and remind us that on April 4th Martin Luther King Jr. was viciously asassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. And it's sure coincidental that all these spending projects are coming up now at a dizzying rate. Hmmm....are there elections around the corner??
Call me cynical, but c'mon! We're not stupid!! The election is coming up and now all of a sudden all three levels of government are best friends and announcing things left, right and centre? So what? We'll forget that there hasn't been a provincial legislature sitting since December and that the last one lasted all of 16 days?? So we'll forget that council dithers and dathers and can't make a decision to save its life? So we forget the feds always ignore Atlantic Canada because we have a culture of defeat? I'm incredibly glad things are moving forward, but why were they at a standstill before it was an election year?
I'm glad to hear Rick Bennett and his daughter have a little bit of peace. His daughter was the one tortured by 18-year old Brittany MacNeil, who has been sent to prison for almost 6 years. It's bad enough for the families having to deal with stuff like that, but then when your name gets out into the public domain and everyone knows your business, that's got to be hard to deal with. I hope Kathie Lee can put it behind her and move on. Her dad says she has a hard time going anywhere by herself and has some trust issues. That's understandable, don't you think??
Do you think the drug war has flared up again? I mean, there have been quite a few incidents of shots being fired in HRM over the past couple of weeks and a few incidents of people actually being shot. Police have said all of them were drug related. Let's hope police are trying to crack these cases from the lowest levels, ie drug charges. You can lock up the shooter, there will always be another one moving up the ranks. Oh, I wanted to wish Chief Frank Beazley a speedy recovery. Apparently he had a fall and is in a lot of pain and off work right now. Feel better, Chief!
You know who is a funny guy? Chris Mills. I love the little jokes he makes at the end of his newscast, today's at 10 o' clock was very funny, poked a little fun at the lack of technological advances at CJCH. A couple of people have called this week wondering when Philly is coming back, well, as far as we know he continues to recuperate and hopefully he'll be back soon! I saw him a couple of weeks ago, he popped in for a few minutes. He's actually taller because of his new knees!! It's pretty funny.
Well, time for me to jet. Thanks for the calls today!
Have a great weekend,
Amber
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Ferry or bus?
Well, it's certainly been an exciting week, project wise. We've heard potential plans for a new bridge or tunnel, the fast ferry and a new convention centre. Wait, is there an election coming?
I think the bridge idea is, interesting. I heard Steve Snider on the show yesterday, I tuned in for a little bit while I was dying at home. I don't really think he answered the question really about what's going to happen to the cars when they get off this new bridge. I know he talked about his models and such, but do you think the Bridge Commission is just trying to stay relevant? Couldn't the city just as easily sell MacPasses to commuters? We have all this bureaucracy in this city, that if you cut back, would free up so much money!!
I've said it before, but I believe more Metro Link buses are the way to ease the traffic congestion. I think the fast ferry is a really neat idea, but buses are a little more practical, right? The Link buses have proven ridership, it may be good to get them throughout the city and go from there.
Anyway, I cringed today every time Rick talked about the guy who squeezed the baby. So disgusting. What did he think? Breaking the baby's ribs would make it cry less?? That's the brain cells of the moron we're dealing with. So sad.
Well, I have a backlog of stories to write here, so I'll keep it short. Thanks for the well-wishes to get better yesterday! They seemed to have worked because I feel alive again!
Have a great day!
Amber
I think the bridge idea is, interesting. I heard Steve Snider on the show yesterday, I tuned in for a little bit while I was dying at home. I don't really think he answered the question really about what's going to happen to the cars when they get off this new bridge. I know he talked about his models and such, but do you think the Bridge Commission is just trying to stay relevant? Couldn't the city just as easily sell MacPasses to commuters? We have all this bureaucracy in this city, that if you cut back, would free up so much money!!
I've said it before, but I believe more Metro Link buses are the way to ease the traffic congestion. I think the fast ferry is a really neat idea, but buses are a little more practical, right? The Link buses have proven ridership, it may be good to get them throughout the city and go from there.
Anyway, I cringed today every time Rick talked about the guy who squeezed the baby. So disgusting. What did he think? Breaking the baby's ribs would make it cry less?? That's the brain cells of the moron we're dealing with. So sad.
Well, I have a backlog of stories to write here, so I'll keep it short. Thanks for the well-wishes to get better yesterday! They seemed to have worked because I feel alive again!
Have a great day!
Amber
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Bernie's world
We got a sneak peek into Bernie's world today during the second hour of the show. It's a world we don't see often - a world with vision, determination and new, fresh ideas. Bernie Smith for President of the World!
Sorry for the lack of blog yesterday, I was sick! In fact, I was sick from Thursday night and still am, but I have regained my will to live. (Sorry, just wanted to make Rick roll his eyes there!) It was a memorable long weekend, but for all the wrong reasons. This strain of cold that's going around is just deadly.
Anyway, a couple of busy days to catch up on. Kudos to Bill Casey for his fight to help Brenda Martin. You know, we talk about politicians in Canada being corrupt, but then you've got to give thanks for what we have here when putting into the context of Mexico. It turns out Brenda Martin is being held as collateral until a couple of officials in Mexico get paid off. Sickening! Here is the address to mail the Ambassador to Mexico:
His Excellency Emilio Rafael José Goicoechea Luna
Ambassador, Embassy of Mexico
45 O'Connor Street, Suite 1000
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 1A4
Good luck - if you hear back, let us know!
These child arsonists are kind of disturbing!! Honestly, parents should have to pay for their child's damage! I just can't believe that a 10 year old hasn't been taught about fire safety? Even if they aren't taught by the parents, don't they have those videos in school that teach you about fire, water and electrical safety? To all adults out there of procreating ability - if you don't want to raise a child, use protection! It's that easy! These kids don't ask to be born, you could as least pretend to care about raising them and not turning them into criminals. I mean, there was a 7 year old involved! 7! He probably can't read, but he knows how to burn down campers. Great work, guys.
Now to the other ridiculous story of the day - a new bridge? Yikes! We can't even afford to plow snow anymore, but somehow we're going to finance a new bridge from Woodside to the South End? Hendsbee says if it were built it would be the 7th longest bridge in the world, that's how far the span is. I agree with Blair and Bernie Smith who say we need to do what we HAVE to do first, then go for the extras. There aren't even lines on the roads, and they want to dump millions into a new bridge? We'll ask Steve Snider this tomorrow, but I swear he said the last time he was here that the debt on the new bridge will never be paid off! I forget who mentioned it, but doesn't it seem like council busies themselves with these pie in the sky ideas while totally ignoring the real needs of the community? Maybe it's the media that only focuses on these huge ideas, while ignoring the real issues? I'm just interested in hearing council's reaction to this bridge idea tomorrow. I just think it would be crazy for a town that pleads poverty at every opportunity to get behind something of this magnitude.
What's up with Jim Flaherty? God, don't tick off a federal Conservative...unless you want them on you like white on rice. Flaherty had the temerity to hold a news conference yesterday outlining what he wants to see in the Ontario budget coming down today!! Dalton McGuinty is totally stuck in his craw and it's just so typical for the feds to be so petty. The feds continually prove to us who they really are. But in the next election - will we remember?
Anyway, I'm going to keep drinking tonnes of fluids and overdosing on cough drops.
Have a good one!
Amber
Sorry for the lack of blog yesterday, I was sick! In fact, I was sick from Thursday night and still am, but I have regained my will to live. (Sorry, just wanted to make Rick roll his eyes there!) It was a memorable long weekend, but for all the wrong reasons. This strain of cold that's going around is just deadly.
Anyway, a couple of busy days to catch up on. Kudos to Bill Casey for his fight to help Brenda Martin. You know, we talk about politicians in Canada being corrupt, but then you've got to give thanks for what we have here when putting into the context of Mexico. It turns out Brenda Martin is being held as collateral until a couple of officials in Mexico get paid off. Sickening! Here is the address to mail the Ambassador to Mexico:
His Excellency Emilio Rafael José Goicoechea Luna
Ambassador, Embassy of Mexico
45 O'Connor Street, Suite 1000
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 1A4
Good luck - if you hear back, let us know!
These child arsonists are kind of disturbing!! Honestly, parents should have to pay for their child's damage! I just can't believe that a 10 year old hasn't been taught about fire safety? Even if they aren't taught by the parents, don't they have those videos in school that teach you about fire, water and electrical safety? To all adults out there of procreating ability - if you don't want to raise a child, use protection! It's that easy! These kids don't ask to be born, you could as least pretend to care about raising them and not turning them into criminals. I mean, there was a 7 year old involved! 7! He probably can't read, but he knows how to burn down campers. Great work, guys.
Now to the other ridiculous story of the day - a new bridge? Yikes! We can't even afford to plow snow anymore, but somehow we're going to finance a new bridge from Woodside to the South End? Hendsbee says if it were built it would be the 7th longest bridge in the world, that's how far the span is. I agree with Blair and Bernie Smith who say we need to do what we HAVE to do first, then go for the extras. There aren't even lines on the roads, and they want to dump millions into a new bridge? We'll ask Steve Snider this tomorrow, but I swear he said the last time he was here that the debt on the new bridge will never be paid off! I forget who mentioned it, but doesn't it seem like council busies themselves with these pie in the sky ideas while totally ignoring the real needs of the community? Maybe it's the media that only focuses on these huge ideas, while ignoring the real issues? I'm just interested in hearing council's reaction to this bridge idea tomorrow. I just think it would be crazy for a town that pleads poverty at every opportunity to get behind something of this magnitude.
What's up with Jim Flaherty? God, don't tick off a federal Conservative...unless you want them on you like white on rice. Flaherty had the temerity to hold a news conference yesterday outlining what he wants to see in the Ontario budget coming down today!! Dalton McGuinty is totally stuck in his craw and it's just so typical for the feds to be so petty. The feds continually prove to us who they really are. But in the next election - will we remember?
Anyway, I'm going to keep drinking tonnes of fluids and overdosing on cough drops.
Have a good one!
Amber
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Spring Awakening
Hmmm. First day of spring. Mother Nature certainly has a sadistic sense of humour, doesn't she?
You know what I hope for spring? I hope they start painting bloody lines on the road!!! At night when it's raining, I can't see the lines to save my life. We've complained about the potholes all winter, now this spring and summer is going to be roadwork central!! Oh well, gas will probably be so expensive we won't be able to afford gas anyway!
Great show today, but not going to lie, I'm really looking forward to the long weekend. You know, it's that stretch between Christmas and New Year's where there are no holidays (Thanks, Rodney). The winter starts to really drag, so this weekend is hopefully going to be peaceful and relaxing. As for the bars being open on Good Friday, that doesn't bother me. Rick and I got into another heated discussion about that topic during one of the breaks. It's the same as Sunday shopping for me. Bars and stores don't have to open on Sundays, but they should have the choice and now bars do - end of story.
Good hour with Peter Stoffer and Mike Savage during hour 2. One caller phoned to tell Peter he should switch parties where he could easily become leader of the Liberals! Ha! I think the fact Bob Rae got elected is great, I'm a huge Bob Rae fan (and lived in Ontario when he was Premier!) He and Michael Ignatieff seem to have this ongoing feud, so it's going to be very interesting! Apparently Dion doesn't have a leadership review for a while, so he's lucky in that regard...and it seems in that regard only. I mean, I want Harper out of office too, but I don't think Dion has what it takes to be Prime Minister.
Well, call me crazy but it looks like the sky is brightening, maybe this storm will end earlier than expected? Let's pray for some spring type weather for this weekend!
Oh, some backstage drama about Roger Taylor from yesterday's show. He told us he didn't like the Rodenhiser song!! Can you believe that? Are there others that didn't love the best song ever? Rick and I used to play that 4 times an hour when Rodenhiser was on because it amused us all so much - we thought everyone liked it. It was a shock to hear it was unloved by someone else - I am really questioning Roger Taylor's judgement now!! Speaking of the Rodenhiser, I miss him on Fridays - hope you're well, Dave!
So, we're off tomorrow, but back on Monday. Hope to chat with you then!
Happy Easter,
Amber
You know what I hope for spring? I hope they start painting bloody lines on the road!!! At night when it's raining, I can't see the lines to save my life. We've complained about the potholes all winter, now this spring and summer is going to be roadwork central!! Oh well, gas will probably be so expensive we won't be able to afford gas anyway!
Great show today, but not going to lie, I'm really looking forward to the long weekend. You know, it's that stretch between Christmas and New Year's where there are no holidays (Thanks, Rodney). The winter starts to really drag, so this weekend is hopefully going to be peaceful and relaxing. As for the bars being open on Good Friday, that doesn't bother me. Rick and I got into another heated discussion about that topic during one of the breaks. It's the same as Sunday shopping for me. Bars and stores don't have to open on Sundays, but they should have the choice and now bars do - end of story.
Good hour with Peter Stoffer and Mike Savage during hour 2. One caller phoned to tell Peter he should switch parties where he could easily become leader of the Liberals! Ha! I think the fact Bob Rae got elected is great, I'm a huge Bob Rae fan (and lived in Ontario when he was Premier!) He and Michael Ignatieff seem to have this ongoing feud, so it's going to be very interesting! Apparently Dion doesn't have a leadership review for a while, so he's lucky in that regard...and it seems in that regard only. I mean, I want Harper out of office too, but I don't think Dion has what it takes to be Prime Minister.
Well, call me crazy but it looks like the sky is brightening, maybe this storm will end earlier than expected? Let's pray for some spring type weather for this weekend!
Oh, some backstage drama about Roger Taylor from yesterday's show. He told us he didn't like the Rodenhiser song!! Can you believe that? Are there others that didn't love the best song ever? Rick and I used to play that 4 times an hour when Rodenhiser was on because it amused us all so much - we thought everyone liked it. It was a shock to hear it was unloved by someone else - I am really questioning Roger Taylor's judgement now!! Speaking of the Rodenhiser, I miss him on Fridays - hope you're well, Dave!
So, we're off tomorrow, but back on Monday. Hope to chat with you then!
Happy Easter,
Amber
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Brown eyes, blue eyes
Wow.
Jane Elliott blew me away today. Talk about dynamic, focused, intense! Here is her website, I can't find where you can watch the clips, but I'd try www.youtube.com.
http://janeelliott.com/index.htm
Here's a page from Oprah's website on the exercise they conducted:
http://www.oprah.com/presents/2005/20anniv/oprah/oprah_moments_284_106.jhtml
We got a couple of calls off the air too with people tell me how much they enjoyed listening to her speak. It was thought-provoking and incredibly interesting, I'm definitely going to pass on the website to my teacher friends and get their thoughts on it. It's so true - we judge all the time, but you really don't have any idea what someone goes through unless you've walked in their shoes. Plus, I agree, you have to be taught to be racist and what an interesting point - there is such a difference between "growing up" and "growing older". Even if you're 60, it doesn't necessarily mean you're mature!
Lots of news coming out of council last night. I'm really shocked about this O' Connell drive business. I cannot believe the residents have to pay! It's like a Kafka-esque nightmare for these people. I hope they keep fighting, because this is not right! See, it continues, politicians seemingly taking care of their own.
Council also got a look at a proposed new taxation system which seems a little wonky to me. Taxes should absolutely be based on how much your house is worth. If your house costs a million dollars, you should have to pay a little more than someone that owns a mini home. Honestly, I don't get the taxation system out here. In Ontario, the tax rate is based on the value of your home, but they've passed legislation that makes it market value, not these crazy out there provincial assessments that don't seem to recognize the actual market, saleable value of your home. Plus, Ontario uses property taxes to fund education. You have to pick your school board, public or Catholic. I agree that Rick shouldn't have to pay for water and sidewalks, but at the same time I think it's crazy that there are places that don't have city water and sidewalks!! That's why amalgamation is crazy and we need to get out of it. The Councillors say we can't do that though, so we're stuck with it. It's hard to create a level playing field when there's not a common standard of living.
Don Mills and I agree on something! I've said it before, we need fewer councillors. Absolutely nothing can get done now with the amount we have. Cut it in half, raise the salary, make it a full-time job. It must happen.
Well, get ready for a horrible day tomorrow! It looks treacherous with ice pellets overnight and freezing rain tomorrow morning! Should make for an interesting walk to work...
Enjoy the sunshine...and I'll chat with you tomorrow...
Amber
Jane Elliott blew me away today. Talk about dynamic, focused, intense! Here is her website, I can't find where you can watch the clips, but I'd try www.youtube.com.
http://janeelliott.com/index.htm
Here's a page from Oprah's website on the exercise they conducted:
http://www.oprah.com/presents/2005/20anniv/oprah/oprah_moments_284_106.jhtml
We got a couple of calls off the air too with people tell me how much they enjoyed listening to her speak. It was thought-provoking and incredibly interesting, I'm definitely going to pass on the website to my teacher friends and get their thoughts on it. It's so true - we judge all the time, but you really don't have any idea what someone goes through unless you've walked in their shoes. Plus, I agree, you have to be taught to be racist and what an interesting point - there is such a difference between "growing up" and "growing older". Even if you're 60, it doesn't necessarily mean you're mature!
Lots of news coming out of council last night. I'm really shocked about this O' Connell drive business. I cannot believe the residents have to pay! It's like a Kafka-esque nightmare for these people. I hope they keep fighting, because this is not right! See, it continues, politicians seemingly taking care of their own.
Council also got a look at a proposed new taxation system which seems a little wonky to me. Taxes should absolutely be based on how much your house is worth. If your house costs a million dollars, you should have to pay a little more than someone that owns a mini home. Honestly, I don't get the taxation system out here. In Ontario, the tax rate is based on the value of your home, but they've passed legislation that makes it market value, not these crazy out there provincial assessments that don't seem to recognize the actual market, saleable value of your home. Plus, Ontario uses property taxes to fund education. You have to pick your school board, public or Catholic. I agree that Rick shouldn't have to pay for water and sidewalks, but at the same time I think it's crazy that there are places that don't have city water and sidewalks!! That's why amalgamation is crazy and we need to get out of it. The Councillors say we can't do that though, so we're stuck with it. It's hard to create a level playing field when there's not a common standard of living.
Don Mills and I agree on something! I've said it before, we need fewer councillors. Absolutely nothing can get done now with the amount we have. Cut it in half, raise the salary, make it a full-time job. It must happen.
Well, get ready for a horrible day tomorrow! It looks treacherous with ice pellets overnight and freezing rain tomorrow morning! Should make for an interesting walk to work...
Enjoy the sunshine...and I'll chat with you tomorrow...
Amber
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
The party ended too early.
So, the Commonwealth Games Committee had about a million dollars left in the pot. No wonder they were embittered about the par-tay coming to an end. A great hour with Tim Bousquet from The Coast during hour number 2. A good discussion, but frustrating at the same time when you think there may be no recourse to punish these people for Commonwealth Party Time 2014. Parker was on to something today - what is it with people when they start having access to the public purse? Why does it always have to be abused? It's disgusting, it really is. Gloria McCluskey says there's a chance someone is going to recommend it go before the city's audit committee. What that might do is anyone's guess, but at least it's something, right? Gloria says she's disturbed by the fact there were city reps there who seemingly stood by and watched this go on. We need the public accounts committee on this!! Some of the media outlets that you would have thought would have jumped on this haven't, politicains aren't speaking out like I thought they would - why? Because it's a game of you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours and people are afraid to anger people because everyone has something on everyone. It's sick. If you want to watch a show that deals very realistically with society including politics, police, drugs etc, you've got to watch The Wire on HBO. It is the best show in the history of television - I promise you! (Sopranos - 2nd best!)
What the heck is going on with this wind? It's out of control! I had to get gas this morning and it was bad enough as I was getting barely anything for the spiralling out of control monetary figure on the pump, but almost being blown away was the cherry on top, that's for sure.
Rick and I disagree slightly on Robert Latimer and if he should have served jail time for what he did, but we agree on something now - he needs to go away. He says he wants a trial to be vindicated by his peers. Um, he already had one and he was found guilty. It's over, you lost every appeal, just serve your day parole and go back to Saskatchewan. I wrote in this blog I didn't think he was going to become an advocate for assisted suicide, but I guess I was wrong.
Well, I'm going to write up this Gloria McCluskey story for my C100 news this afternoon.
Stay warm and on the ground!
Cheers,
Amber
What the heck is going on with this wind? It's out of control! I had to get gas this morning and it was bad enough as I was getting barely anything for the spiralling out of control monetary figure on the pump, but almost being blown away was the cherry on top, that's for sure.
Rick and I disagree slightly on Robert Latimer and if he should have served jail time for what he did, but we agree on something now - he needs to go away. He says he wants a trial to be vindicated by his peers. Um, he already had one and he was found guilty. It's over, you lost every appeal, just serve your day parole and go back to Saskatchewan. I wrote in this blog I didn't think he was going to become an advocate for assisted suicide, but I guess I was wrong.
Well, I'm going to write up this Gloria McCluskey story for my C100 news this afternoon.
Stay warm and on the ground!
Cheers,
Amber
Monday, March 17, 2008
Getting to the bottom of things.
Do you think the people who seemingly recklessly spent our money around the world will ever be punished? Do you think they'll lose their jobs?
Nah, I didn't either.
I thought politicians would be outraged by this and would be speaking out. They're not. I think it's because they've all been guilty at one time or another of using public money for travelling etc. and maybe think it's hypocritical to speak out now. It makes me really sad. You can't trust anyone, that's the bottom line and they've further undermined how we look at people who have access to the public purse. It was already a bleak outlook and now it's worse. Thanks, guys!
More on this with Tim Bousquet on Tuesday, I am looking forward to it, but dreading it at the same time. No matter what we say and how much we hate what happened, the people who spent the money aren't elected officials and so they're untouchable. Sad, but freakin' true.
Anyway....we had a great debate today about health care with 2 very game participants. Even though Charles Cirtwell of AIMS had the flu he still came out firing! Kyle Buott held his ground very well though, I thought it was an interesting, entertaining debate.
We had another guest in for the last half hour of the show - Liberal leader Stephen MacNeil. Sounds like he is anxious to start putting some new ideas forward, says he doesn't want an election, but has all the players in place. I think the key to determining if there's an election before an actual budget vote will be to monitor the facial hair of the leaders. If we see the Premier grow a beard and then shave it - we know the government is going to fall because he's probably looking for a few more points!
If you wanted more information on the group examining Canada's place in the world, here's the website: http://www.canadasworld.ca/
Here's Bruce Devenne's hospital website: http://www.nshospitals.com/
Nah, I didn't either.
I thought politicians would be outraged by this and would be speaking out. They're not. I think it's because they've all been guilty at one time or another of using public money for travelling etc. and maybe think it's hypocritical to speak out now. It makes me really sad. You can't trust anyone, that's the bottom line and they've further undermined how we look at people who have access to the public purse. It was already a bleak outlook and now it's worse. Thanks, guys!
More on this with Tim Bousquet on Tuesday, I am looking forward to it, but dreading it at the same time. No matter what we say and how much we hate what happened, the people who spent the money aren't elected officials and so they're untouchable. Sad, but freakin' true.
Anyway....we had a great debate today about health care with 2 very game participants. Even though Charles Cirtwell of AIMS had the flu he still came out firing! Kyle Buott held his ground very well though, I thought it was an interesting, entertaining debate.
We had another guest in for the last half hour of the show - Liberal leader Stephen MacNeil. Sounds like he is anxious to start putting some new ideas forward, says he doesn't want an election, but has all the players in place. I think the key to determining if there's an election before an actual budget vote will be to monitor the facial hair of the leaders. If we see the Premier grow a beard and then shave it - we know the government is going to fall because he's probably looking for a few more points!
If you wanted more information on the group examining Canada's place in the world, here's the website: http://www.canadasworld.ca/
Here's Bruce Devenne's hospital website: http://www.nshospitals.com/
Friday, March 14, 2008
Tim Bousquet
Rick gave him a Hotline round of applause and I have to echo that tenfold. Yes, Yes, Yes! Thank you, Tim Bousquet! I read the article yesterday and felt physically ill. Tim will be here with us on Tuesday, and although I love sinking my teeth into a news issue, this is seriously out of control! The allegations in this article are damning and I agree with Rick - heads have to roll over this. March break is over next week, you can rest assured a lot of politicians are going to want to have a save over this. I feel so disgusted, cheated and furious over the money spent. It's called excess, it's called greed, it's called karma and it better come back and bite these people you know where. I'm nominating Tim Bousquet for Hotline Nova Scotian of the year for his dogged reporting on this issue. The gravy train needs to stop and it needs to stop NOW.
I'm also with Rick on this Michelin issue. Caller Don clearly stated Everett Smith had a case today. First the judge is making Smith pay 300-thosuand dollars in legal fees? Rick's so right - if Michelin does pursue this and tries to take his house or something, it's going to be like Robin Hood. It will start with the Hotline, phone assaults, boycotts, you name it, it will be on.
I'm in awe of Al Hollingsworth. He came out firing today (you should have heard him off the air!!!) and it was amazing. Shooting from the hip, no nonsense, straight goods from Uncle Al. I love this "media hour" every Friday. People who share their opinions, well at least most of them have shared their opinions, I'm thinking of one notable exception....
Having Al host the Summer Hotline would be incredible, I really hope that happens! Al gave us a great snippet today...apparently John Baird is loathed in his home riding of Ottawa-West-Nepean.
Will brought up something very interesting - the changes at the Herald. Since the Daily News folded, I find it unreadable. It's so dull, filled with piped-in news. The Metro is breaking more stories than the Chronicle-Herald! It sucks! I miss the Daily News so much, miss Rodenhiser, HFX, Martello Tower etc. It was a great little newspaper and now we're stuck with the Chronically-Horrid. Now I'm using that term because it's true.
Anyway, got some stuff to do here so I'm going to wrap it up. Tune in Monday, we're not going to let this Commonwealth Games thing die. The funny part was, Rick was trying to get Don Mills to come in and talk about Citizens for Halifax next week. I guess that's not going to happen anymore!
Cheers,
Amber
I'm also with Rick on this Michelin issue. Caller Don clearly stated Everett Smith had a case today. First the judge is making Smith pay 300-thosuand dollars in legal fees? Rick's so right - if Michelin does pursue this and tries to take his house or something, it's going to be like Robin Hood. It will start with the Hotline, phone assaults, boycotts, you name it, it will be on.
I'm in awe of Al Hollingsworth. He came out firing today (you should have heard him off the air!!!) and it was amazing. Shooting from the hip, no nonsense, straight goods from Uncle Al. I love this "media hour" every Friday. People who share their opinions, well at least most of them have shared their opinions, I'm thinking of one notable exception....
Having Al host the Summer Hotline would be incredible, I really hope that happens! Al gave us a great snippet today...apparently John Baird is loathed in his home riding of Ottawa-West-Nepean.
Will brought up something very interesting - the changes at the Herald. Since the Daily News folded, I find it unreadable. It's so dull, filled with piped-in news. The Metro is breaking more stories than the Chronicle-Herald! It sucks! I miss the Daily News so much, miss Rodenhiser, HFX, Martello Tower etc. It was a great little newspaper and now we're stuck with the Chronically-Horrid. Now I'm using that term because it's true.
Anyway, got some stuff to do here so I'm going to wrap it up. Tune in Monday, we're not going to let this Commonwealth Games thing die. The funny part was, Rick was trying to get Don Mills to come in and talk about Citizens for Halifax next week. I guess that's not going to happen anymore!
Cheers,
Amber
Thursday, March 13, 2008
My wacky thoughts
Apparently Rick thinks some of my thoughts in the blog are "wacky". Well, okay. This is a man who drank some bottled water on the air and then pretended he had overdosed on estrogen and started speaking in a female voice. So, yes, if Rick labels it "wacky", he definitely knows what he's talking about!
I'm disappointed we only had Scott Taylor in for about 25 minutes. He's incredibly facscinating, knowledgeable and has gone to Afghanistan and Iraq - unembedded. He didn't do the sleeping with the miltary, rolling up the rim with Tim Hortons. He had to attire himself in cultural dress and he carried a machine gun. That is Scott Taylor. If you're interested, he'll be speaking at the Dal Law School Library tonight @ 7:30. I love how he calls Rick Hillier, "The Big Cod". Great nickname. The cost of this war is still boggling my mind - 7.5 billion dollars since 2002. Unreal.
I don't know about you, but Joyce Carter blew my mind today. Her strength, her class...when she said she couldn't make the trip to Ottawa, not going to lie, I cried. How can Stephen Harper look at himself in the mirror? It's one thing if he didn't promise, but he did! He promised! He looked her right in the eye as Prime Minister and promised!
If you want to e-mail the Prime Minister, here's his contact info direct from the web site:
Contact the PM
The Prime Minister appreciates receiving comments from visitors to his site. Simply choose one of the options below. Your views will be carefully considered, and when appropriate your comments may also be forwarded to a minister.
You can send your comments by e-mail to pm@pm.gc.ca or write or fax the Prime Minister’s office at:Office of the Prime Minister80 Wellington StreetOttawaK1A 0A2Fax: 613-941-6900
See, he appreciates your comments! He doesn't listen to you, but he sure does appreciate them. Ah, thanks Steve!
(insert gagging sound here)
All right...enough wackiness from me!
Enjoy your day!
Amber
I'm disappointed we only had Scott Taylor in for about 25 minutes. He's incredibly facscinating, knowledgeable and has gone to Afghanistan and Iraq - unembedded. He didn't do the sleeping with the miltary, rolling up the rim with Tim Hortons. He had to attire himself in cultural dress and he carried a machine gun. That is Scott Taylor. If you're interested, he'll be speaking at the Dal Law School Library tonight @ 7:30. I love how he calls Rick Hillier, "The Big Cod". Great nickname. The cost of this war is still boggling my mind - 7.5 billion dollars since 2002. Unreal.
I don't know about you, but Joyce Carter blew my mind today. Her strength, her class...when she said she couldn't make the trip to Ottawa, not going to lie, I cried. How can Stephen Harper look at himself in the mirror? It's one thing if he didn't promise, but he did! He promised! He looked her right in the eye as Prime Minister and promised!
If you want to e-mail the Prime Minister, here's his contact info direct from the web site:
Contact the PM
The Prime Minister appreciates receiving comments from visitors to his site. Simply choose one of the options below. Your views will be carefully considered, and when appropriate your comments may also be forwarded to a minister.
You can send your comments by e-mail to pm@pm.gc.ca or write or fax the Prime Minister’s office at:Office of the Prime Minister80 Wellington StreetOttawaK1A 0A2Fax: 613-941-6900
See, he appreciates your comments! He doesn't listen to you, but he sure does appreciate them. Ah, thanks Steve!
(insert gagging sound here)
All right...enough wackiness from me!
Enjoy your day!
Amber
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
The Atlantica Party
Very interesting...check out this link someone just sent me:
http://www.atlanticaparty.ca/index.html
Hmmmm....what do you think? Maybe Rick will try go get one of the members on the show this week.
That's one of a couple of things that might spark some debate tomorrow. Another is the government decision to pay a million dollars to a private company to use its facility to do orthopedic surgeries. The Nova Scotia Nurses Union has come out hard against it, so tomorrow should be pretty interesting!
What's in our drinking water, kind of scary to think about it isn't it!! Someone called off the air and wanted to know Helen's credentials. Good question! She's incredibly knowledgable yes, but is she a scientist? I'm going to google her right now and see what I can find. Well, I'm back and apparently Helen has a Masters in Science and a Doctorate in Education. So, there you go, informed, intelligent with the degrees to back it up! I completely agree with her though - how can the Halifax Water Commission say there aren't dangerous levels of pharmaceuticals in the water when they've never tested them? I told Rick it must be a money issue. The Water Commission can't even afford to replace ancient dying pipes in the ground, let along start a new pharaceutical testing program. So, it looks like we're just going to have to swallow what they're giving us, for now anyway.
Chickens. I thought 2008 was supposed to be the year of the rat, not the bloody chicken! Another chicken caper, this one in Upper Tantallon. This city is so backwards sometimes, it drives me nuts.
Ben called off the air today, he didn't want to get on, but wanted to gloat because apparently there's an article in the Guardian today about Bon Jovi coming to Charlottetown this summer. He also told me he doesn't want to be called Ben anymore, he wants to be called "Loverboy"! Ha!! Ben rules.
Jerbear called in with a good one today too - what do you get when you spell "evian" backwards? Exactly!! Always a pleasure to talk to Jerbear!
So, the mission in Afghanistan has cost 7.5 billion dollars? Maybe we should look at the debt in the U.S. and take a sober second look at this.
Great cartoon from Bruce MacKinnon in the Chronicle-Herald today! All the major late night shows were on it last night too, it was hilarious. These are from people.com:
On that note, I will chat with you tomorrow!
Cheers,
Amber
http://www.atlanticaparty.ca/index.html
Hmmmm....what do you think? Maybe Rick will try go get one of the members on the show this week.
That's one of a couple of things that might spark some debate tomorrow. Another is the government decision to pay a million dollars to a private company to use its facility to do orthopedic surgeries. The Nova Scotia Nurses Union has come out hard against it, so tomorrow should be pretty interesting!
What's in our drinking water, kind of scary to think about it isn't it!! Someone called off the air and wanted to know Helen's credentials. Good question! She's incredibly knowledgable yes, but is she a scientist? I'm going to google her right now and see what I can find. Well, I'm back and apparently Helen has a Masters in Science and a Doctorate in Education. So, there you go, informed, intelligent with the degrees to back it up! I completely agree with her though - how can the Halifax Water Commission say there aren't dangerous levels of pharmaceuticals in the water when they've never tested them? I told Rick it must be a money issue. The Water Commission can't even afford to replace ancient dying pipes in the ground, let along start a new pharaceutical testing program. So, it looks like we're just going to have to swallow what they're giving us, for now anyway.
Chickens. I thought 2008 was supposed to be the year of the rat, not the bloody chicken! Another chicken caper, this one in Upper Tantallon. This city is so backwards sometimes, it drives me nuts.
Ben called off the air today, he didn't want to get on, but wanted to gloat because apparently there's an article in the Guardian today about Bon Jovi coming to Charlottetown this summer. He also told me he doesn't want to be called Ben anymore, he wants to be called "Loverboy"! Ha!! Ben rules.
Jerbear called in with a good one today too - what do you get when you spell "evian" backwards? Exactly!! Always a pleasure to talk to Jerbear!
So, the mission in Afghanistan has cost 7.5 billion dollars? Maybe we should look at the debt in the U.S. and take a sober second look at this.
Great cartoon from Bruce MacKinnon in the Chronicle-Herald today! All the major late night shows were on it last night too, it was hilarious. These are from people.com:
- Stephen Colbert remained deadpan on his Comedy Central Colbert Report, saying of Spitzer, "I sat next to the guy three times and I didn't pick up on any of this, and I usually have excellent whore-dar."
- "They're talking about impeaching Eliot Spitzer if he doesn't step down," said Late Show's David Letterman, "and I'm thinking, 'Whoa, a Democrat being impeached for extramarital sex. Well, happy days are here again!' "
- Spitzer, who was accused of being Client 9 for the call-girl ring, was even topic one with Late Night host Conan O'Brien, who joked, "Not surprisingly, clients 1 through 8 were Charlie Sheen."
- Finally, The View co-host Joy Behar opined, "Aren't you sick of men? Viagra is destroying our government."
On that note, I will chat with you tomorrow!
Cheers,
Amber
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Why even bother?
Let me just point out this blog might be slightly embittered today because despite the brilliant sunshine I started my day off by seeing a man barfing on the street, then spitting a few times and then lighting up a cigarette.
I am totally disgusted by this Eliot Spitzer thing. I was a big fan of this guy, Mr. Clean, who took on things people didn't take on, like the Mafia!! He seemed too good to be true - and he was. I guess I shouldn't be surprised by this scandals. There was the prodigy mayor of Detroit, Kwame Kilpatrick. A man of faith and ideals, who lied about having an affair with his Chief of Staff. They hyopocrisy of these people is just gross. Who can you trust?
Well, one person I do trust (and I pray he doesn't let me down) is Bill Casey. He popped in our studio today to ask for Rick's help in trying to reverse this asinine decision to do maintenance on the subs in Victoria! It's so true what they were saying, I wouldn't drive to Windsor, Ontario for an oil change! We'll do what we can Bill, we're so with you on this one. Oh, Bill says he's doing well health wise and I can report he looked great, very healthy.
As for Spitzer's wife, I got a couple of calls from people off air wondering why the hell she would have stood there with him as he made this "apology" to the people. I was wondering the same thing myself. I don't know if you ever watched "The Sopranos", but it's a wicked show! Anyway, it kind of reminded me of Carmela Soprano. Tony did horrendous things, but despite that she stuck around. There was love there. You can love someone even if they do terrible things, no matter how crazy we might think it is. Another important aspect is to always have your own money. If you're not dependent on someone financially, it's easier to leave when someone mistreats you. I'm not sure what his wife does, but hopefully she's doing what's best for her.
The Chief was in during hour number 2 and it really does seem like crime is down. I like this strategy to be right on top, surveillance wise, of repeat offenders. Good job! The Chief did throw out some crazy stats, for example, the Traffic Unit is on track to hand out over 50-thousand tickets this year, that's a new record. He says about half of them are speeding tickets! I agree that we need photo radar, the thing I don't agree with is red light cameras. I've talked about it before. There are barely any advance greens for left hand turns in this province, sometimes in order to get through a major intersection you've got to go on the yellow or red!! That's a lot of idling if people have to wait for 3 or 4 lights, not to mention the traffic back-up on a street where there are not even dedicated left hand turning lanes.
Totally random: I learned something kind of interesting from the Chief during one of the commercial breaks today. He had mentioned how there were a lot of rifles on the street and most of them were "sawed-off". I have always heard the term "sawed-off shotgun", but was never clear on why people sawed them off. Well, turns out it's for concealment purposes. Rick though it might have made for a more emphatic shot or something, but no, it's just so criminals can hide their guns when they're toting them around on the street. Good to know.
Man, I can always count on Ben to lift my spirits. His animal-esque wail, while disturbing, was also hilarious! Ben's singing leaves a little to be desired, but he's just so funny. Thanks for the laughs, Ben, keep 'em coming.
Anyway...I think I need to Roll up the Rim, still feeling the effects of the time change!
Have a good one and we'll chat with you tomorrow!
Cheers,
Amber
I am totally disgusted by this Eliot Spitzer thing. I was a big fan of this guy, Mr. Clean, who took on things people didn't take on, like the Mafia!! He seemed too good to be true - and he was. I guess I shouldn't be surprised by this scandals. There was the prodigy mayor of Detroit, Kwame Kilpatrick. A man of faith and ideals, who lied about having an affair with his Chief of Staff. They hyopocrisy of these people is just gross. Who can you trust?
Well, one person I do trust (and I pray he doesn't let me down) is Bill Casey. He popped in our studio today to ask for Rick's help in trying to reverse this asinine decision to do maintenance on the subs in Victoria! It's so true what they were saying, I wouldn't drive to Windsor, Ontario for an oil change! We'll do what we can Bill, we're so with you on this one. Oh, Bill says he's doing well health wise and I can report he looked great, very healthy.
As for Spitzer's wife, I got a couple of calls from people off air wondering why the hell she would have stood there with him as he made this "apology" to the people. I was wondering the same thing myself. I don't know if you ever watched "The Sopranos", but it's a wicked show! Anyway, it kind of reminded me of Carmela Soprano. Tony did horrendous things, but despite that she stuck around. There was love there. You can love someone even if they do terrible things, no matter how crazy we might think it is. Another important aspect is to always have your own money. If you're not dependent on someone financially, it's easier to leave when someone mistreats you. I'm not sure what his wife does, but hopefully she's doing what's best for her.
The Chief was in during hour number 2 and it really does seem like crime is down. I like this strategy to be right on top, surveillance wise, of repeat offenders. Good job! The Chief did throw out some crazy stats, for example, the Traffic Unit is on track to hand out over 50-thousand tickets this year, that's a new record. He says about half of them are speeding tickets! I agree that we need photo radar, the thing I don't agree with is red light cameras. I've talked about it before. There are barely any advance greens for left hand turns in this province, sometimes in order to get through a major intersection you've got to go on the yellow or red!! That's a lot of idling if people have to wait for 3 or 4 lights, not to mention the traffic back-up on a street where there are not even dedicated left hand turning lanes.
Totally random: I learned something kind of interesting from the Chief during one of the commercial breaks today. He had mentioned how there were a lot of rifles on the street and most of them were "sawed-off". I have always heard the term "sawed-off shotgun", but was never clear on why people sawed them off. Well, turns out it's for concealment purposes. Rick though it might have made for a more emphatic shot or something, but no, it's just so criminals can hide their guns when they're toting them around on the street. Good to know.
Man, I can always count on Ben to lift my spirits. His animal-esque wail, while disturbing, was also hilarious! Ben's singing leaves a little to be desired, but he's just so funny. Thanks for the laughs, Ben, keep 'em coming.
Anyway...I think I need to Roll up the Rim, still feeling the effects of the time change!
Have a good one and we'll chat with you tomorrow!
Cheers,
Amber
Monday, March 10, 2008
Most cantankerous people around
Grumpy Barry can really turn a phrase, can't he? He coined today's title and thanks for it! If people weren't cantankerous, then we wouldn't have a show, so big thanks go to the grumpy people of Nova Scotia for making our show the #1 talk show in Nova Scotia!
I think people do have a reason to be grumpy though. This O' Connell Drive thing is such a mess and I really think it's being exacerbated by Hendsbee attitude. I believe his intentions were good. I also think he just needs to say "I'm sorry I didn't consult you". That's it! Man, what a battle today between Hendsbee and Rose Mosher! I was just sitting back thinking - "Yikes". It was kind of funny, I came into the studio during Deb's news and saw the empty chair and thought, "Crap, Hendsbee's not here yet". I walk in and go left and in front of me stands the most behemoth man wearing a ball cap and sunglasses. Seriously, he looked like the Terminator!!! It was Hendsbee, trying to dress like the Rickster! Anyway, it was a little levity in what was a contentious hour dealing with issues that make people grumpy. I think Hendsbee might have been a little grumpy when he was leaving too. Gloria was chipper though - no one attacked her!
So, the Police Chief is in tomorrow and we're going to be talking about the newly released crime stats. Violent crime was down 10 per cent in 2007, which is good news, but as Jim Hoskins points out - we need the stats broken down community by community. Crime could actually be up in some neighbourhoods, but down overall! Stats are so tricky; they can be manipulated so many ways, you've got to really take a close look at them. I really hope the stats are the way they are being presented. I'm constantly worried that I'm going to get jumped when I'm on the street, every day I come home I'm grateful my house wasn't broken into and I always pray that nothing happens to my car!!!! I am kind of a paranoid person when it comes to crime. I should ask Debbie Young if I was a victim of crime in a past life or something! Another interesting stat is this 30% of all crime in HRM is solved. On the other hand 70% of crime is unsolved. This sounds really out of wack and kind of scary, so Rick will get the chief to expand on that tomorrow.
Man, I was at Bayer's Lake yesterday and it was incredibly busy!!! Traffic jams, long line ups, it's was craziness, reminded me of Christmas shopping! I was telling Rick this as we got into a screaming match during one of the commercial breaks about Sunday shopping. Well, I guess "screaming match" is a little strong, but we "discussed" the issue for 2 minutes. It was pretty funny. Sorry, Tony. I think Nova Scotians have taken to Sunday shopping and it was pretty apparent yesterday.
Have a good one!
Amber
I think people do have a reason to be grumpy though. This O' Connell Drive thing is such a mess and I really think it's being exacerbated by Hendsbee attitude. I believe his intentions were good. I also think he just needs to say "I'm sorry I didn't consult you". That's it! Man, what a battle today between Hendsbee and Rose Mosher! I was just sitting back thinking - "Yikes". It was kind of funny, I came into the studio during Deb's news and saw the empty chair and thought, "Crap, Hendsbee's not here yet". I walk in and go left and in front of me stands the most behemoth man wearing a ball cap and sunglasses. Seriously, he looked like the Terminator!!! It was Hendsbee, trying to dress like the Rickster! Anyway, it was a little levity in what was a contentious hour dealing with issues that make people grumpy. I think Hendsbee might have been a little grumpy when he was leaving too. Gloria was chipper though - no one attacked her!
So, the Police Chief is in tomorrow and we're going to be talking about the newly released crime stats. Violent crime was down 10 per cent in 2007, which is good news, but as Jim Hoskins points out - we need the stats broken down community by community. Crime could actually be up in some neighbourhoods, but down overall! Stats are so tricky; they can be manipulated so many ways, you've got to really take a close look at them. I really hope the stats are the way they are being presented. I'm constantly worried that I'm going to get jumped when I'm on the street, every day I come home I'm grateful my house wasn't broken into and I always pray that nothing happens to my car!!!! I am kind of a paranoid person when it comes to crime. I should ask Debbie Young if I was a victim of crime in a past life or something! Another interesting stat is this 30% of all crime in HRM is solved. On the other hand 70% of crime is unsolved. This sounds really out of wack and kind of scary, so Rick will get the chief to expand on that tomorrow.
Man, I was at Bayer's Lake yesterday and it was incredibly busy!!! Traffic jams, long line ups, it's was craziness, reminded me of Christmas shopping! I was telling Rick this as we got into a screaming match during one of the commercial breaks about Sunday shopping. Well, I guess "screaming match" is a little strong, but we "discussed" the issue for 2 minutes. It was pretty funny. Sorry, Tony. I think Nova Scotians have taken to Sunday shopping and it was pretty apparent yesterday.
Have a good one!
Amber
Friday, March 7, 2008
Beer and bread
Two staples that have been around forever, are now seemingly affected by this rising cost of wheat.
Here's a link to the story in the Chronicle-Herald today:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/1042331.html
Here's a link about how it is affecting and other North American staples:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23415510/
Man, I think I can live without bread, but not beer! LOL.
What I heard today about Gerald Keddy really ticked me off. He heckles someone mercilessly in the House of Commons who is talking about a serious issue and then gets angry when the person loses it! Heckling has a place, no doubt, in the "Romper Room for Grown-ups". It is a game. But, there are the odd times when it becomes serious and people pour their heart into an issue. I don't believe heckling was appropriate in that instance, and he should apologize to Thomas Mulcair.
So, another storm for Ontario? It has been pretty bad this year. Usually Windsor gets about 5 centimetres all winter long and they've had storms pretty much once a week like us. We're getting off lucky - just some rain tomorrow, and then rain on Sunday.
That was a pretty interesting poll put out by Corporate Research. See, I felt the Liberals were breaking through and poll does show an improvement for the Liberals after their successful fall sitting of the legislature. I don't think it has to do with S.M's beard - even though I do like the new look!!
What's up with people calling you when you dial a number, it happens to be a wrong one, but you didn't get an answer, so you think "No harm, no foul". Rick had written one number incorrectly, so I called a number for Phil Currie and didn't get him. I got the voicemail for the wrong number and hung up, got the right number and got Phil Currie on the line. Five minutes later I get a phone call from the woman who says "I just got a call from this number, who are you?" Why do people care? Maybe if the phone said "FBI", I might be curious by the FBI is calling me. So, I had to apologize for dialing her wrong number and bothering her. My motto is if they don't leave a message, it wasn't important in the first place.
So, Jim Nunn was in this afternoon. I loved Rick's description of "caustic". Loved that. I think he turned caustic when Rick out and out called him old.
Rick: Did you go to school in a one room schoolhouse?
Jim: I did not!!!!
Hilarious.
It was interesting to listen to, but you all know how I feel about hypocrisy and I just thought it was kind of hypocritical to be known as the person who "asks the tough questions" not to answer a few pretty general questions like, "What was one of your embarrassing moments on air?". It's not like Rick asked him to out some co-workers or something.
Did you go to school in a one room schoolhouse - I'll be giggling about that all weekend.
Anyway, I hope you have an excellent weekend!!! Oh, do you remember Barg Stegemann? We had her in in October and she said she has a book coming out this March? Well, it's obviously March and the book comes out today!
http://the7virtues.com/
Apparently, there's a quote from this blog on the cover of the book! How exciting! I told Rick and he said, yeah, didn't I tell you that? Um, no, but congrats to Barb. Can't wait to read it!
So, have a great weekend and we'll chat with you Monday. The venerable iron lady from Dartmouth and Mr. Hendsbee will be in for a very interesting political chat during hour number 2. Hope you can join us!
Cheers,
Amber
Here's a link to the story in the Chronicle-Herald today:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/1042331.html
Here's a link about how it is affecting and other North American staples:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23415510/
Man, I think I can live without bread, but not beer! LOL.
What I heard today about Gerald Keddy really ticked me off. He heckles someone mercilessly in the House of Commons who is talking about a serious issue and then gets angry when the person loses it! Heckling has a place, no doubt, in the "Romper Room for Grown-ups". It is a game. But, there are the odd times when it becomes serious and people pour their heart into an issue. I don't believe heckling was appropriate in that instance, and he should apologize to Thomas Mulcair.
So, another storm for Ontario? It has been pretty bad this year. Usually Windsor gets about 5 centimetres all winter long and they've had storms pretty much once a week like us. We're getting off lucky - just some rain tomorrow, and then rain on Sunday.
That was a pretty interesting poll put out by Corporate Research. See, I felt the Liberals were breaking through and poll does show an improvement for the Liberals after their successful fall sitting of the legislature. I don't think it has to do with S.M's beard - even though I do like the new look!!
What's up with people calling you when you dial a number, it happens to be a wrong one, but you didn't get an answer, so you think "No harm, no foul". Rick had written one number incorrectly, so I called a number for Phil Currie and didn't get him. I got the voicemail for the wrong number and hung up, got the right number and got Phil Currie on the line. Five minutes later I get a phone call from the woman who says "I just got a call from this number, who are you?" Why do people care? Maybe if the phone said "FBI", I might be curious by the FBI is calling me. So, I had to apologize for dialing her wrong number and bothering her. My motto is if they don't leave a message, it wasn't important in the first place.
So, Jim Nunn was in this afternoon. I loved Rick's description of "caustic". Loved that. I think he turned caustic when Rick out and out called him old.
Rick: Did you go to school in a one room schoolhouse?
Jim: I did not!!!!
Hilarious.
It was interesting to listen to, but you all know how I feel about hypocrisy and I just thought it was kind of hypocritical to be known as the person who "asks the tough questions" not to answer a few pretty general questions like, "What was one of your embarrassing moments on air?". It's not like Rick asked him to out some co-workers or something.
Did you go to school in a one room schoolhouse - I'll be giggling about that all weekend.
Anyway, I hope you have an excellent weekend!!! Oh, do you remember Barg Stegemann? We had her in in October and she said she has a book coming out this March? Well, it's obviously March and the book comes out today!
http://the7virtues.com/
Apparently, there's a quote from this blog on the cover of the book! How exciting! I told Rick and he said, yeah, didn't I tell you that? Um, no, but congrats to Barb. Can't wait to read it!
So, have a great weekend and we'll chat with you Monday. The venerable iron lady from Dartmouth and Mr. Hendsbee will be in for a very interesting political chat during hour number 2. Hope you can join us!
Cheers,
Amber
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Conspiracy pills are tasty!
Well, apparently, because it seems like everyone overdosed today!
It's not a complaint by any stretch - without conspiracies we wouldn't have the entertaining show that we do. It was just funny because it seemed like every caller in the first hour was just banging out all these conspiracies for everything and it was awesome. Dr. Deagle would be proud! Gary had the best one though. He says our schools are horrible so politicians can keep us only semi-literate in order to control us and continue to take our money. Hmmm...he might be onto something there!
That's too bad to hear from Sue Uteck about the South End container terminal and the fact council looked at moving it and it was too expensive. I really think it's a blight! I agree, the South End doesn't need truck traffic, just like the downtown doesn't need truck traffic. Do I have the answers though? Nope! If you do, give us a call, or better yet - run for municipal office! Turns out the election date is October 18th. Anyone else feel turnout might be quite high this time around? On a sad note, the Bedford by-election will be held May 3rd to replace Gary Martin, as if that could actually be done.
The strength of humans always surprises me. I got a call from Joan today who lost her husband in December. She called a little too late to get on with the old timers, but she said she was going to have a burial at sea for her husband in May on HMCS Sackville. Joan's doing well, perservering, it's good to hear.
The old timer hour was a lot of fun. Bill Mont brought in a lot of pictures, which as Al mentioned, might be better suited for a TV format! Lots of calls, lot of memories, it was a lot of fun.
Anyway, it's STUNNING outside today! I love spring! It's also Friday tomorrow, which is totally crazy as it's another week that has passed at the speed of light.
So, we'll chat with you then!
Cheers,
Amber
It's not a complaint by any stretch - without conspiracies we wouldn't have the entertaining show that we do. It was just funny because it seemed like every caller in the first hour was just banging out all these conspiracies for everything and it was awesome. Dr. Deagle would be proud! Gary had the best one though. He says our schools are horrible so politicians can keep us only semi-literate in order to control us and continue to take our money. Hmmm...he might be onto something there!
That's too bad to hear from Sue Uteck about the South End container terminal and the fact council looked at moving it and it was too expensive. I really think it's a blight! I agree, the South End doesn't need truck traffic, just like the downtown doesn't need truck traffic. Do I have the answers though? Nope! If you do, give us a call, or better yet - run for municipal office! Turns out the election date is October 18th. Anyone else feel turnout might be quite high this time around? On a sad note, the Bedford by-election will be held May 3rd to replace Gary Martin, as if that could actually be done.
The strength of humans always surprises me. I got a call from Joan today who lost her husband in December. She called a little too late to get on with the old timers, but she said she was going to have a burial at sea for her husband in May on HMCS Sackville. Joan's doing well, perservering, it's good to hear.
The old timer hour was a lot of fun. Bill Mont brought in a lot of pictures, which as Al mentioned, might be better suited for a TV format! Lots of calls, lot of memories, it was a lot of fun.
Anyway, it's STUNNING outside today! I love spring! It's also Friday tomorrow, which is totally crazy as it's another week that has passed at the speed of light.
So, we'll chat with you then!
Cheers,
Amber
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Yes, plus lessons and apologies.
First of all, about Hillary Clinton - YES, YES, YES!!!!! I know I said it yesterday but I believe it is her DESTINY to win the Democratic presidential nomination. It's not Obama's turn yet.
Now, the lessons. I must listen to CJCH. Normally I catch a few casts in the morning, but didn't have a chance this morning. I was driving to work today so I stepped out on my front porch and was stunned by the slipperiness. I knew there was supported to be freezing rain, but I looked outside and it looked kind of normal. Then I start walking down the driveway, nearly wiping out like 7 times. Plus, it was a lot colder than what I thought it was going to be! So, I have no gloves, my light winter coat is open and I finally slide my way to my car and it's totally frozen over It looks like an old pack of fish sticks you find in your freezer that have been there for 5 years. I get the scraper and try to scrape it off. No, that's accomplishing nothing. I turn on the car and crank the heat, while I'm desperately trying to chip away the ice, looking at the time realizing I might be late for work! Anyway, I get the car scraped and I'm on the road at 9:53...sweating since the Hotline starts at 10!!! So yes, it was an exceedingly pleasant start to my day and my arms are still exhausted from all the scraping! So, do I think schools should have been closed? HELL YEAH! Marlene really gave it to Rick today "You better give it up!"
So, I already wanted to cry when I was dealing with my icemobile this morning and then I really did cry when Rick read the letter from Francine today. She has cancer and it's pretty much meant the end of all the good things in her life. It's such a lesson to be grateful for what you have and try to enjoy each day, no matter what life throws at you. I'll definitely be praying for Francine. Stay strong!
We did hear some positive things today like the fact Pat's husband is cancer-free! That's good to hear.
Ummm...anyone else think David Hendsbee might have a hard time winning the upcoming municipal election? I hate when politicians don't admit when they messed up. People are quite forgiving when you own up to something and try to make it right. It's mea culpa time, in my humble opinion.
Well, tomorrow and Friday look like they are going to be 2 nice days, so we just have to survive today!
Good luck with that!
Cheers,
Amber
Now, the lessons. I must listen to CJCH. Normally I catch a few casts in the morning, but didn't have a chance this morning. I was driving to work today so I stepped out on my front porch and was stunned by the slipperiness. I knew there was supported to be freezing rain, but I looked outside and it looked kind of normal. Then I start walking down the driveway, nearly wiping out like 7 times. Plus, it was a lot colder than what I thought it was going to be! So, I have no gloves, my light winter coat is open and I finally slide my way to my car and it's totally frozen over It looks like an old pack of fish sticks you find in your freezer that have been there for 5 years. I get the scraper and try to scrape it off. No, that's accomplishing nothing. I turn on the car and crank the heat, while I'm desperately trying to chip away the ice, looking at the time realizing I might be late for work! Anyway, I get the car scraped and I'm on the road at 9:53...sweating since the Hotline starts at 10!!! So yes, it was an exceedingly pleasant start to my day and my arms are still exhausted from all the scraping! So, do I think schools should have been closed? HELL YEAH! Marlene really gave it to Rick today "You better give it up!"
So, I already wanted to cry when I was dealing with my icemobile this morning and then I really did cry when Rick read the letter from Francine today. She has cancer and it's pretty much meant the end of all the good things in her life. It's such a lesson to be grateful for what you have and try to enjoy each day, no matter what life throws at you. I'll definitely be praying for Francine. Stay strong!
We did hear some positive things today like the fact Pat's husband is cancer-free! That's good to hear.
Ummm...anyone else think David Hendsbee might have a hard time winning the upcoming municipal election? I hate when politicians don't admit when they messed up. People are quite forgiving when you own up to something and try to make it right. It's mea culpa time, in my humble opinion.
Well, tomorrow and Friday look like they are going to be 2 nice days, so we just have to survive today!
Good luck with that!
Cheers,
Amber
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
A crock of you know what
That's one what caller said today when talking about the new Enviro fee that must be paid on things like televisions and DVD players. I don't have a problem with it at all - provided it is going back to recycling these things. We've had a free ride for a long time, we can't just dump stuff and just forget about it, it's not realistic anymore! I like saving money as much as the next person, but sooner or later someone has to pay for the lack of environmental concern in the past - and apparently, that's us!
One thing that drives me nuts is oil heat. Honestly, I've lived in Calgary, Windsor, London and overseas in Hamburg, Germany and I had never seen or even heard of oil heat before I came to Halifax. Honestly, it strikes me as totally pioneer. The government has to give incentives to people to switch over to things like natural gas in order to really stick it to the oil companies that are gouging! People have to get over this fear of natural gas. Like I said before, if you put a match in an oil tank, that's going to blow too.
I can't wait to come to work tomorrow to see what happens with this O' Connell drive business. Hendsbee's nice and all, but he messed up royally. Simple solution - his slush fund (discretionary funding) should be put towards the final tally, end of story.
Gary Carson is so awesome, don't you think? I told him I love when he's on, but I get so angry listening to the state of the schools. No spelling? No times tables? It's scary. I mean, some of the kids are going to be doctors who will have to take care of me when I'm old and decrepit. Scary!!!!!!!!!
Something Rick and I were talking about after the show when we saw some exit polls from Ohio - GO HILLARY!!!! I'm not sure Barack Obama has the substance to be the president. I honestly believe it was Hillary's destiny to be the President. Go, Hillary, go!!!!
Alright....lunch time for this kid. I believe it's an all open show tomorrow, so I hope you all have horrible days so you can call and tell us about it on the show. I mean that in the best possible way!
Cheers,
Amber
One thing that drives me nuts is oil heat. Honestly, I've lived in Calgary, Windsor, London and overseas in Hamburg, Germany and I had never seen or even heard of oil heat before I came to Halifax. Honestly, it strikes me as totally pioneer. The government has to give incentives to people to switch over to things like natural gas in order to really stick it to the oil companies that are gouging! People have to get over this fear of natural gas. Like I said before, if you put a match in an oil tank, that's going to blow too.
I can't wait to come to work tomorrow to see what happens with this O' Connell drive business. Hendsbee's nice and all, but he messed up royally. Simple solution - his slush fund (discretionary funding) should be put towards the final tally, end of story.
Gary Carson is so awesome, don't you think? I told him I love when he's on, but I get so angry listening to the state of the schools. No spelling? No times tables? It's scary. I mean, some of the kids are going to be doctors who will have to take care of me when I'm old and decrepit. Scary!!!!!!!!!
Something Rick and I were talking about after the show when we saw some exit polls from Ohio - GO HILLARY!!!! I'm not sure Barack Obama has the substance to be the president. I honestly believe it was Hillary's destiny to be the President. Go, Hillary, go!!!!
Alright....lunch time for this kid. I believe it's an all open show tomorrow, so I hope you all have horrible days so you can call and tell us about it on the show. I mean that in the best possible way!
Cheers,
Amber
Monday, March 3, 2008
Naked cowboys & gender re-assignment
Yes, that's what kind of day it was on the Hotline.
Thanks to Ben for the winning title today, my second choice is a quote from one of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's lawyers, "devestatingly defamatory". Can you believe the PM has served notice to sue the Liberal Party over the Cadman affair? That was so astute of Wilf today to point out politicians are the first ones to throw out the line "I can't talk about it because it's before the courts". That would be convenient especially if there was an election campaign, wouldn't it? To me, this lawsuit solidifies what I already believed - it happened and the Conservatives are desperately trying to cover up their dastardly deeds. Harper is a master tactician though, this lawsuit thing is incredibly smart to get it out of the newspapers.
On TV today they kept showing the clip of Chuck Cadman standing up for Canada, nervously chewing his gum. What a great guy, that clip was just...I can't even describe it. Bill Casey is another stand-up guy. I swear, you could look up decent in the dictionary and you'd find a big ol' pic of Bill. Bill Casey rules and cares so much about this province. Rick's going to accuse me of gushing, but I don't care. Bill.Casey.rocks.
Speaking of someone who doesn't rock: Premier Rodney MacDonald. This whole Avastin thing really sickens me. I felt so sad during the commercial after we spoke to Jim Connors. He just got back from a trip with each one of his children. He's so strong and for him to fight this fight even though he can afford Avastin, well, I think he's incredible too. We're praying for you Jim...you stay strong. Judy Young was buried today, she's the nurse who was kind of the human face behind this fight to get Avastin funded. She leaves behind a young son, so sad to think she may have had a little more time if she was able to get this drug.
The school issue is incredibly serious too! It should have been called "Imagine our schools...closed". Or how can we even imagine the schools when they're planning to close so many? Funding at the school board is what needs to be examined - Carole Olsen and the crew just went to China at the end of last year, let's not forget that. Slash executives salaries and put that money back into the classroom and keep the schools open!
Jeez, apparently I've started Monday on an embittered streak!! Yikes!!!
It's just, life is so sad sometimes.
Anyway, talk to you tomorrow.
Cheers,
Amber
Thanks to Ben for the winning title today, my second choice is a quote from one of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's lawyers, "devestatingly defamatory". Can you believe the PM has served notice to sue the Liberal Party over the Cadman affair? That was so astute of Wilf today to point out politicians are the first ones to throw out the line "I can't talk about it because it's before the courts". That would be convenient especially if there was an election campaign, wouldn't it? To me, this lawsuit solidifies what I already believed - it happened and the Conservatives are desperately trying to cover up their dastardly deeds. Harper is a master tactician though, this lawsuit thing is incredibly smart to get it out of the newspapers.
On TV today they kept showing the clip of Chuck Cadman standing up for Canada, nervously chewing his gum. What a great guy, that clip was just...I can't even describe it. Bill Casey is another stand-up guy. I swear, you could look up decent in the dictionary and you'd find a big ol' pic of Bill. Bill Casey rules and cares so much about this province. Rick's going to accuse me of gushing, but I don't care. Bill.Casey.rocks.
Speaking of someone who doesn't rock: Premier Rodney MacDonald. This whole Avastin thing really sickens me. I felt so sad during the commercial after we spoke to Jim Connors. He just got back from a trip with each one of his children. He's so strong and for him to fight this fight even though he can afford Avastin, well, I think he's incredible too. We're praying for you Jim...you stay strong. Judy Young was buried today, she's the nurse who was kind of the human face behind this fight to get Avastin funded. She leaves behind a young son, so sad to think she may have had a little more time if she was able to get this drug.
The school issue is incredibly serious too! It should have been called "Imagine our schools...closed". Or how can we even imagine the schools when they're planning to close so many? Funding at the school board is what needs to be examined - Carole Olsen and the crew just went to China at the end of last year, let's not forget that. Slash executives salaries and put that money back into the classroom and keep the schools open!
Jeez, apparently I've started Monday on an embittered streak!! Yikes!!!
It's just, life is so sad sometimes.
Anyway, talk to you tomorrow.
Cheers,
Amber
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