Thursday, May 22, 2008

Mornings, vacations

Hello again!

Good news: my morning run is coming to an end. Bad news: I'm going on vacation come Saturday. But I'll be back blogging and back to normal (relatively speaking) on Wednesday June 4th!

I'll be filled with lots of stories, I'm headed to Italy!

Have fun, be nice to Rick and I'll chat with you soon.

Cheers,

Amber

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

My absence!

Hey!

Although I'm still talking to you on the phone, I've just taken a wee break from blogging. I'm working a morning shift and it's restricting my blogging time!

Great show with Jerbear last Friday though, eh? It was great to see him.

Conspiracies yesterday and probably lots of political talk today with the NDP not supporting the budget, but the Liberals propping up the government for another year.

I am so ticked about that, you have no idea.

Anyway...I'll be back soon, I promise!

Cheers!

Amber

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

A small victory

We accomplished something today.

It's so nice to come out of the studio and feel happy instead of feeling the typical sense of impending doom. Our phone assault worked!! Even though the Premier claimed Judy Streatch said she was going to pay for the damages yesterday, we know our boiled over anger today played a role in the contrite news release. How could it not? I mean, a Minister gives her son the keys to her government-leased S-U-V, her work car, go to down the street and get some ice cream? Hey, I like a delicious dairy treat as much as the next person, but come on! Here's what I haven't heard: I haven't heard Judy Streatch say it was wrong for her son to be driving the car in the first place. That is why this is a small victory. She'll pay for the damages, but it still doesn't sound like her government-leased car is going to be for business only.

You know it's serious when Wade Keller calls the newsroom and wants to get the Premier on the Hotline. To me, that's the number one sign it's damage control time! The Premier tried to speak very clearly and utilized some very good spinning techniques. Putting the potential injuries of the 17-year old out there - very clever. However, ever caller who phoned in after the Premier was not impressed. Clearly Rick struck a nerve with his "Take the Bus" comments over the past 2 weeks. What made me laugh was caller Tony railing against the Premier while having no clue the Premier was waiting on the line to come on next. It was awesome. The Premier tried to be clever at the end by twisting the bottom line of why he won't come on the show. The bottom line is - all the Premiers have always come in for an hour. It's the way it has always been because there's not enough time to deal with the amount of problems in this province in 30 minutes. 1 hour isn't enough time either! Rick said an hour or nothing and they said no, that's why the Premier hasn't been on the show. Don't let them spin you otherwise. Another thing that struck me as incredibly hilarious was the though of Wade Keller and the Premier being chauffered around listening to the Hotline and grimacing and making notes and grinding their teeth. Overall, it was just a stellar day on the show.

As Rick says: the Tories are toast. That's his prediction, and I'm going to have to agree.

On a totally different note: GO CANADA!!! Huge game this afternoon, should be a great one. It's so cool to see the foreign fans walking downtown, faces painted, wearing crazy costumes. This is a great tournament and it makes Halifax look so good. I'm wondering how it's going over in Quebec City.

Well, it's a sunny warm day today. I kind of have a hankering for a big ol' ice cream. Maybe I'll take a station vehicle to Dairy Queen. Wait a second, not a good idea. If I got in an accident and wasn't doing something for work, I'd probably be fired. Why is that different in the government ranks?

Thank you so much for the calls today and the participation in the phone assault. Next up, the election. Let's make a difference!

Cheers!

Amber

Monday, May 5, 2008

A better day

I'm really trying to keep it positive, but it's hard after hearing about more food riots, this time in Somalia and this devestating cyclone that's hit Myanmar killing up to 10-thousand people there.

Okay, it is hard to keep it upbeat. I was going to complain about my parking ticket I got yesterday downtown, but not it doesn't seem like that big a deal in comparison to what some are going through right now. What I will say is, instead of penalizing people for going downtown for big events, why not loosen it up a bit and only ticket people who are in handicapped spots or who are blocking driveways, etc. I park in the same spot every Sunday morning and this was the first time I got a ticket. It's a cash grab and it's sick. Made me feel happier when I went to Bayers Lake and didn't have to risk getting a ticket and I'm a huge supporter of the downtown!! Anyway, that's my rant about that!

That being said, there is a very cool vibe downtown with all the tourists here for the games. It's really fun and the weather really co-operated. It was a lovely weekend.


So, Jim Meek thinks we're too hard on Fred. Here's a link to his Sunday column:

http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/Opinion/1053823.html

What it seems like to me and I've heard this from men too - the boys' club protecting the boys' club. Bottom line.

Well, that's about it for me. All I can say is Go Team Canada and Go Sidney Crosby!!!

Have a solid Monday,

Amber

Friday, May 2, 2008

Only in Nova Scotia

Only in Nova Scotia would you not attach a performance clause to bonuses or extra pensions.

I think a board of directions might be a little upset if the CEO of the company received any extras when the company posts a loss. However, we're the board of directors and we get no say whatsoever.

An election can't come soon enough. Bring it down, please D.D. and Stephen MacNeil! PLEASE!

Funny hour with Bill Spurr during hour number 1. Rick and Bill chatted about issues and about restaurants as Bill is the "Bourgeouis Gourmet" in the Chronicle-Herald. I adore Bill's column, it's so droll and bang on. I really love the fact he dines with his family and his son B.J. is a little foodie in training. He brought his son to the studio today along with his friend Bruce from Ontario. We all sat back and laughed at the banter between the two boys. They traded insults, like Rick Bill about his weight, while Bill told Rick he could never be the Lieutenant-Governor because "he's not regal enough". Ouch!

Speaking of, this lady is out of freakin' control!! Master Chef? This is Nova Scotia! Land of fish and chips - if you want to be treated to something a master chef would cook, use your allowance and go to one of the many fine dining establishments we have in HRM. Bodyguards? I'm pretty sure the Premier doesn't have a bodyguard. I bet if I asked 10 people on the street right now who Mayann Francis is they wouldn't have a sweet clue. Seriously, get over yourself! I'm not sure who she's hanging out with, but it certainly sounds like they've convinced Francis she's next in line to be the actual Queen of England. In a time where the government just released a shoddy budget where we're getting no tax breaks whatsoever (those piddly tax credits don't add up to much), we're going to fund Mayann Francis' Buckingham Palace fantasies? See the title, only in Nova Scotia.

Well, this kid has to go write some news and then get ready for the weekend!

The weather looks like it's going to hold - have a great weekend and we'll chat with you on Monday.

Cheers!

Amber

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Hi, Stephen MacNeil!

The Liberals have launched a new ad campaign to introduce the leader to Nova Scotians. I haven't seen them, but we kept saying "Hi, Stephen MacNeil" all day long!

We ended the show talking to two lovely ladies, Andree Gracie and Suzanne Morrison about the Family Expo. It was good hour, talking about issues which affect families. Not having any kids, it's not really something I really think about, but it's interesting. Something Andre said really grabbed me. She said it's important to take time to laugh and not get bogged down in the heavy media stuff. I completely agree, but it's difficult, when you're sitting behind the board listening intently to the world's woes every day. It's hard to turn off. You can stick your head in the sand, but I'm definitely going to try to get out and do the things I enjoy before the world ends. (See, I can't turn it off completely).


Edwin Black was a fascinating interview! I want to get his books right away! His thoughts and feelings on corporate criminality, along with his facts, were terrifying but enlightening. He warned us that Islamic extremism is the number 1 most dangerous thing facing our world, along with "petro-terrorism". He warns us about the dangers of believing "pseudo-science" and, he was just so compelling. I must get his books! Here are his 2 websites to check out:

http://www.edwinblack.com/

http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com/

It is Holocaust Memorial Day and it's just overwhelming to really think about the Holocaust and the number of people who suffered because of Hitler and his "final solution". To hear about these companies that worked with the Nazis, very scary stuff. In my travels to Germany, I've been to Buchenwald and Dachau and they were incredibly difficult experiences, you're really put in a position where you can start to get into the mindset of what the people went through. Actually seeing ovens where people were burned is something so shocking, it turns information that seems too horrific to be real into stark, cold reality. Both trips were on sunny days and the contrast between the bright sunshine and the grey, uniformity of the place where these atrocities occurred was such a contradiction. It's impossible not to feel the gravity of these places. It is hard to see, but important at the same time not to forget what happened.

Take care,

Amber