The Halifax Hotline on 92 CJCH

Mornings, vacations

2008-05-22T08:10:00.001-04:00

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

My absence!

2008-05-13T07:54:00.002-04:00

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

A small victory

2008-05-06T12:22:00.003-04:00

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

A better day

2008-05-05T13:47:00.002-04:00

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

Only in Nova Scotia

2008-05-02T13:40:00.003-04:00

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

Hi, Stephen MacNeil!

2008-05-01T12:08:00.003-04:00

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

Bring it down!

2008-04-30T13:16:00.002-04:00

I'm serious. DD and Stephen MacNeil - BRING IT DOWN!

This budget is an absolute disaster!!! When the highlight is a tax credit for people who join gym that might save them all of 10 dollars on their taxes, that's pretty pathetic.

BRING.IT.DOWN.

I can't believe I agree with something Michael from Cape Breton said today. He said "Bring it down". There must be an election. Bring it down!

The only winners: Nova Scotia post-secondary students and people living with colorectal cancer. I chatted with Cathy Connors yesterday, Jim Connors' wife, and she thought Jim would have been very pleased about the government's decision. It's too bad Judy Young and Jim Connors had to die before it happened. The government even admitted it was a political decision. Rick did a great interview with Pat Connors today, Jim's son, who is pleased his dad made a difference. We're happy too, and he is sadly missed.

As for the electricity thing, it's just so shocking I can't even believe it actually happened. I don't know how long they think the middle class can prop everyone up. The middle class is quickly becoming the lower class with tax hikes, the price of food, gas, etc. It's, as we say in today's Hotline poll, it's Armageddon, baby!

I'm actually kind of in a better mood today, because everyone else was depressed on the show today. One caller even went as far as to tell me he was sad, sad Bob, in fact! Knowing I'm not alone in my utter and complete frustration with what we have to deal with here makes me feel a little better anyway. Thanks!

I don't know if you caught what went down at the end of the show. First of all, I think Rick and Sue Uteck have called a truce. They were very friendly, even agreeing with one another!! I think they were both shocked since they've been kind of nemeses for so long. Secondly, Jim at the very end called Rick "Rickster", which made me grimace because Rick thinks I put everyone up to it and I do not! Then he told me he loves Ben from PEI! Obviously I do too...so we had a moment. Jim Smith and I united over our admiration for the crazy dude from the Island.

The world has officially changed: Ontario is a have not province, and Newfoundland doesn't need equalization anymore. Wow. You have got to hand it to Danny Williams, that province is only going up! Where's N.S. going? God, the answer is too depressing. Despite that, I definitely want to wish Michael Baker well. He's fighting cancer and obviously we wish him the best. For a N.S. Conservative, I've always thought he was a pretty good guy.

Well, that's my rant for today. It's getting sunny outside too, so the day is looking up.

Can you believe Fred MacGillivary? I don't know what to say.

Cheers!

Amber

Paid political mafia

2008-04-29T13:37:00.002-04:00

Everyone on the Hotline was fired up today! Maybe they were inflamed by the Premier constantly hovering over our studio with his helicopter! You may have heard him a few times today during the show!

Today's title comes from a caller, simply fed up with the current state of everything. Add me to that list as well. Everyone's concerned about BPA, etc. I'm not. I really feel doom about the future. Food prices skyrocketing, hoarding of food, high fuel prices, taxes. I think it was the story about the dirt cookies in Haiti that affected me so much, I can't shake the feeling it gave me. Yeah, it's doom and gloom week on the Hotline! I agree with the statement you shouldn't just complain, because that's empty unless you do something about it. That being said, I don't think I would want to run for office because the problems are too great! Where do you start? How do you circumvent the bureaucratic system in place that is designed to take (waste) time because it gives people good paying government jobs? We're in a lose-lose situation, I'm so sorry to be so morose!

One thing amused me today. I realized when Rick does his Rodney MacDonald impersonation about telling Nova Scotians to "take the bus", all of a sudden Rodney turns into a French Canadian! It's hilarious!

So, how do you feel about the government taking back its electricity rebate? We were kind of confused about it this morning, but now from what I can tell, the electricity portion of your heat will still be rebated, but not the TV/lights part. I sense a rent increase coming on....
Looks like another ploy to keep people addicted to oil, which is totally the best.idea.ever.

Well, this grey day is not improving my dismal outlook on the future of Nova Scotia. I just read some of the snapshots of the provincial budget - that's not helping either! More on that tomorrow!

Cheers,

Amber

His hypocrisy

2008-04-28T12:49:00.002-04:00

That's the reason I don't like Stephen Harper. Plain and simple.

One of our callers coined a new term for Rodney MacDonald today. "Premier Marie Antoinette" has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

For those who have heard the expression "Let them eat cake!", here's a little background on it. You can see how fitting it is! (Except there is doubt that Marie Antoinette actually said it)

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/227600.html

Rick had Peter Duffy on to close the show talking about a fascinating Nova Scotia connection to one of the most famous Nazis in history. Here's the link:

http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/Columnists/1052104.html

Did you read the Globe and Mail this weekend? Overall, it was an incredibly depressing experience for me. Not that it was poorly written, but there were so many incredibly depressing stories, including one about wild salmon stocks in B.C. becoming almost extinct and this story, which I plan to keep talking about because it's so shocking. I think I can realize what is ethnocentric and what isn't, and I'm sorry, this must be stopped!!

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080424.wbrides04262/BNStory/Front/

I hope Rick reads this and is as shocked as I was. I had never heard of this practice and it MUST be stopped!

Back to Nova Scotia, this Bill Gillis character sounds like he was someone truly dedicated to protecting the public purse. Buses, bagged lunches, etc. Wow, it's sad how we're shocked by something like that nowadays.

Hey, one of my friends here at work told me a pretty disturbing story. She says she she went to a local sporting goods store looking for a new, non-number 7 plastic water bottle. She went into the store and found a huge display of #7 bottles. She asked the clerk about it, referring to the fact a lot of the big guys had taken the bottles off the shelves. She said they weren't doing that and they were going to let the customer make the choice. My friend made the very valid retort that that move helps customers who haven't heard about Bisphenol A use the offending products! She says the clerk seemed disinterested in the whole issue, so she took her business elsewhere.

I'm jumping around a lot here, but there were so many issues today! Caller Don, a South-end resident, brought up the South End truck traffic issue to Dave McCusker today. Then he wrote an e-mail to Rick comparing that to Africville. I thought that was a wee bit of a stretch, did you?

Well, enjoy the day. It looks like it's clouding over, sadly and we've got more rain on the way this week.

Cheers!

Amber

Jeeves, ready the chopper

2008-04-25T12:43:00.002-04:00

Seriously.

How can the Premier or any members of cabinet really take our gas concerns seriously when they don't even pay their own gas!?!

We had an all-open Friday free for all today, but I kind of messed up the first hour as I mistakenly thought we were talking about sports! Oops. Sorry for the couple of people I told to call back after 11. My bad.

I was also a bad girl during the 11 o' clock news when Chris started his story about the monkey in New Brunswick and the fact the monkey's name is "April" just really struck me as funny, so I started laughing and then Chris started laughing on the air too. Sorry!

Onto something more serious - did you hear this story today?

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080425/nypd_verdict_080425/20080425?hub=TopStories

50 shots! This story is absolutely outrageous, I hope someone raises it on Monday.

Too bad about the Mooseheads, eh? That is so strange that Brad Marchand was benched. Someone called me off the air to say he heard something going down in the dressing room prior to the game and that's why he was a healthy scratch. Rick asked Marcel Patenaude about it though and he denied anything like that, although he was very vague. Maybe John Moore can shed some light onto this...

Well, it looks like it's trying to become sunnier outside! When I got off the air there were flurries!!! I'm glad I didn't take my snow tires off yet. The weekend looks kind of crappy, but let's make the best of it, okay?

Have a great weekend!

Amber

The Mayor's reality check

2008-04-24T13:42:00.003-04:00

Again, I get a reality check from the Hotline, this one from Mayor Kelly himself.

I usually chat with the Mayor for a few seconds before he gets on and I start droning on about how depressing the weather was. I had no idea what Rick was talking to him about, I thought it was just city business. The Mayor told me it was better than snow and that I had to change my perspective. I told him he was the most optimistic person I've ever known and he said, "You have to be". Little did I know why. His brother has leukemia and he's donating his stem cells to his brother to hopefully get him better.

I'm not depressed about the weather anymore.

If you want to check out the program Mayor Kelly told us about, here's the link:

www.onematch.com

So, we played trivia today and well, I sucked! I could barely answer any questions as the lifeline. It was not my best lifeline performance, I'm sorry!!! I did get a question right about Lorne Green and brought up the fact he hosted my favourite show when I was a kid called "Lorne Green's New Wildnerness". Rick hadn't heard of it, so I promised him I'd post a link. Here it is:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorne_Greene's_New_Wilderness

Does anyone remember this show, or is it just me? Congrats to Paul, our new champion today!
Now I know that Mud Creek is now called Wolfville. My life is complete. You might have heard Ben doesn't call Rick "Rickster" anymore. He calls him "Me favourite addiction". Nice one!

Anyway, time to write some news, talk to you tomorrow!

Cheers!

Amber

The truth is the truth.

2008-04-23T12:16:00.002-04:00

So says Rick Simpson.

He was in today and he's very convincing. Although I'd have to test it on myself to see if hemp oil works to cure diseases, I am with him on the fact that cancer is a business and there's no business in cures. Pharmaceutical companies make billions of dollars off disease, disease prevention and pain mitigation, bottom line.

If you want to chat with Rick, his phone number is: 902-545-2285 or you can reach him by e-mail: admin@phoenixtears.ca.

Or you can see him in person tomorrow at the Universalist Unitarian Church at 5500 Inglis St. from 11-2. Rick says he's going to show his film "Run from the Cure" and then tell you how to make hemp oil. Rick (Howe) and I were talking about how it's natural to be skeptical, but then how do you explain all these people coming out of the woodwork saying they were cured?? Anyway, if you go to the meeting call us on Friday and tell us about it!

Here's the other website talked about: www.mumm.ca, that's the group "Maritmers Unite for Medical Marijuana".

Hey, some good news for Home Depot! They've pulled pesticides that are banned under the HRM by-law off the shelves of their stores! It's nice to hear about a business being a good corporate citizen for a change.

An interesting tidbit that I checked after someone called me off air to ask: Moncton has 1 mayor and 10 councillors!!! 10! Granted, their population is only 117-thousand. But I was thinking about Windsor, Ontario aka my hometown where the population is nearing 300-thousand - and they have 1 mayor and 10 councillors! It's actually a good set up in Windsor. They have city council and then they have county council which governs the rest of Essex County. Smart people, those Windsorites!!! Moncton has a pretty cool website too - it's www.moncton.ca.

So, are you a Rick Simpson believer? Let us know tomorrow. Plus, we're playing trivia!! I'm so excited!

Cheers,

Amber

The sleaze runs thick

2008-04-22T12:16:00.002-04:00

Rick came up with another great title today! Thanks, boss! (I'm being very careful not to call him "Rickster")

My second choice for today's title was "Panacea of joy" which is something Lee Cohen spoke about during hour number two. Cohen was in talking about the perceptions and challenges facing immigrants and Canadians today and it was interesting to hear the immigrant side of things and how Canada is perceived by others. Indeed although Canada is a great country, it's not the be all and end all, the land of milk and honey as some may think. Although I think immigrants can get a raw deal in this country, I kind of had to agree a little with Ross who says it does seem a bit unfair that immigrants come over and then are entitled to all the services we are overtaxed for. A couple of people called me off the air to express support for the position caller Fred took today, talking about how immigrants are ruining our way of life. I wished they would have gone on the air, it's an interesting debate and one people don't really talk about much for fear of being labelled "racist".

If the Liberals had a strong leader, the Conservatives would sooooo be going down right now. Good for Stephen Dion for saying the Conservatives won the election by cheating, but he's just not strong enough! I think it's going to be a long time before there is another majority government in this country.

Well, I'm going to get some lunch and get out in this sunshine before it disappears for the week.

Have a good day!

Ambe r

You're in prison, you idiot

2008-04-21T12:37:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Rick for the title today!

I wanted to find a link to the Jim Carrey film "Liar, Liar". There's a scene that perfectly encapsulates my feelings towards the prisoners in Burnside feeling hard done by. I'll try to summarize here. I forget how, but in the film Jim Carrey cannot tell a lie and he's a lawyer. He gets a call from a client and his secretary passes over the phone and says "So and so is on the phone for you. He's been arrested again" Jim Carrey grabs the phone and says:

"QUIT BREAKING THE LAW (EXPLETIVE)!!!"

That pretty much sums up my stance on the whole thing.

We heard a pretty memorable quote from Fall River area councillor Krista Snow today on her love for Elton John. When asked about the possibility of the singer coming to Halifax she said, "I'd walk over broken glass and catpoop to drink his bathwater." Um, okay!! I'm a fan too, but I'm not sure if I'd go that far. Pretty crappy about Paul McCartney, eh? That did kind of seem too good to be true. That concert would have been amazing and fantastic advertising for HRM. Do you get the impression that Mayor Kelly is really trying to get a concert as a feather in his cap for the election in October?

Lee Cohen, Halifax's best known immigration lawyer, will be in the studio tomorrow and I was telling Rick I'm really curious to get an update certain cases like the Bondarenkos and Sonja Petjzel (probably not spelled correctly).

Barry Barnet called after Rick talked about a story involving the Health Promotion Minister today. Apparently, BB locked his keys in his car and then submitted the receipt for the taxpayer to pick up! Rick didn't think that was kosher and made that clear on the air and BB ended up calling and telling us it was an oversight, it was submitted in error and he's definitely paying for that little mistake himself. Good to know, thanks for the call!

Jeez, do you think if the federal Conservatives were actually as transparent as they make themselves out to be, they would have invited all the media to a news conference over the weekend, not just a select friendly few?? If they have nothing to hide and didn't do anything wrong, why are they working so hard to spin this story? Sickening, it truly is.

Well, that's it for me. I'm trying to open www.youtube.com to put a link to that Jim Carrey clip. It's a classic and if I get it, I'll post it later.

Have a good Monday!

Cheers,

Amber

Paul

2008-04-18T13:53:00.003-04:00

That's the angel of Genelle Guzman-McMillan.

I hope you heard her story today, it was riveting. She was the last person to be rescued from the World Trade Centre after 9-11. She spent 27 hours buried under rubble. The part that made me get goosebumps is when she said someone named Paul came to her and held her hand until she was rescued. Welll, she has tried to find Paul for the last 6 years and it turns out, no one named Paul was on any of the rescue teams during 9-11. She says she had an angel, Paul, who helped save her life. Chills.

You can read more here in this fascinating article from Time:

http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101020909/asurvivor.html

We also had a chance to speak to Gloria McCluskey today who is hoping to be released from the hospital tomorrow after knee surgery. As per usual, Gloria is on it, calling it like is, being the real, awesome person she is. Nothing fazes her, not even pain! Feel better, Gloria!!

A few people have called me to tell me about the number 7 plastics in their houses. One man says his big 1 litre ketchup is a #7 and Sandy told us today her deoderant is a #7. I think it's kind of crazy that although the government has said it's a dangerous chemical....nothing is going to be done about it right away! It's dangerous - deal with it is the message the government is sending. Uh, thanks!

I liked what Barry had to say about a 10 cent surcharge for coffee at Tim's. As much as I love Roll up the Rim to Win, it must change. They need to give people an incentive not to use the cups. It's a great promotion, but I'm so sick of seeing Tim Hortons cups on the ground. It is absolutely gross out there with all the litter. Right outside of our building on Russell Street, it's an absolute sty. Seriously, I might bring a garbage bag and some gloves and go pick-up the trash next week. I mean, the city is at fault if they aren't emptying their garbage bins that are overflowing. However, people are at fault for being lazy pigs and not taking their garbage with them and throwing it away! Plus, there's the issue of throwing stuff in the public garbages that should be recycled! People need to look at the fiscal realities of littering. Taxes just went up....just think of the better uses there are for that 2-million dollars alloted to picking up your trash! Think about it.

Well, that's my rant for today. It looks like a great weekend ahead, I'm excited for it.

Oh, we heard some sad news today, but we're all confident it's going to be okay. Al Hollingsworth announced he has prostate cancer and he told us so that other men would go get a check-up! Al says they've caught it early enough that he's confident he's going to be okay. I think Bill Casey would agree - get it checked before it's too late! We love you, Uncle Al, good luck with the surgery in May and we can't wait until you're back on the air with us, eviserating the government with your good sense!!!

Have a great one and we'll chat with you on Monday. We'll have a couple of councillors in, so have your questions/concerns/rants ready!

Cheers,

Amber

Poor Spelling

2008-04-17T12:22:00.002-04:00

I have to get this off my chest before I forget! Two crazy spelling errors yesterday that made me stop in my tracks.

The first was spotted at a restaurant near work. I was about to go in but was stopped in my tracks by this sign:

sorry we are out of olote of veggies

That's exactly how it was written! Then I was walking home and I saw at another restaurant:

Wednesday
Chicken Solvlaki

What is Solvlaki, exactly?

Anyway, it was just so funny/sad yesterday seeing these spelling errors at every turn. I misspell sometimes too...but who can't spell "a lot"?

Peter Duffy was in during hour number 2 today and he made an incredibly interesting point right at the very end. He thinks there may be a slight chance people are depending on the government too much for things. My generation is bombarded with saving for the future, getting RRSPs, investing, etc. Maybe seniors now are the last generation that weren't taught that? Peter says he knew he had to work hard and save and he's still working. Obviously there are going to be instances where people fall through the cracks, people who have been injured on the job, death, divorce, etc. But are there people who just lived recklessly, didn't save and now are crying for the government to help? Peter was wondering and I'm wondering that too. Are there people out there who don't think they are responsible for themselves? There's also a rule I'm living by - until I can afford it, I'm not having kids.

Budget drama continues at city hall. As Steve Streatch said to us today: "The rhetoric is so thick you can cut it with a knife". Ha. Apparently they're going to wrap it up today too with a tax increase. Let's just hope they got rid of that fog machine.

It is another stunning day! Rain on the way tonight and tomorrow though, so enjoy this! Paul Hollingsworth will be in the studio for our "media open hour" tomorrow at 10. Talk to you then!

Cheers!

Amber

Sad

2008-04-16T13:26:00.003-04:00

It's just so frustrating and sad the way seniors are treated in this province. Agree with it or not, we had Evelyn Oakley on the show today and it was heartbreaking. She lost her husband on Monday, is having heart surgery this afternoon and because she's ailing, faces losing her bed at Northwood. Her attitude is awesome though, she says she's a "feisty, Irish lady" who's not going out without a fight.

Then after hearing about these ingrate prisoners complain about conditions it dawned on me:

PRISONERS ARE TREATED BETTER THAN SENIORS!

Unreal! This province (but admittedly it's not just N.S.) drives me nuts!

What is going on at the Burnside jail?? Seriously - everyone gets take-out? Prisoners are being transferred in taxis? I'm with Bill Estabrooks on this one - there are some serious issues relating to the leadership down there. Plus, where is Jermaine Carvery?? He's still missing and it's just a matter of time before he turns up again. There's going to be another heist where people's lives are ruined because I'm sure he needs money. Just wait - it's coming.

Another maddening day on the Hotline - give us a call tomorrow! Let it out, it feels good!

Take care,

Amber

Guttersnipe

2008-04-15T12:39:00.002-04:00

From www.thefreedictionary.com:

gut·ter·snipe

n.
1. A street urchin.
2. A person of the lowest class.

From www.yourdictionary.com:

gutter·snipe (-snīp′)
noun
a child of the slums who spends most of his or her time in the streets: contemptuous term applied to anyone regarded as having the manners, morals, etc. of the gutter

From www.urbandictionary.com: (my personal favourite)

Gutter Snipe

A dirty, hairy homeless man who lives in alleys and survives on cats, banana peels and puddle water.

The war of words continues between Paul Watson, Danny Williams, and Loyola Hearn. Hmmm, not to be cynical but do you think Danny maybe called Paul Watson a "terrorist" to maybe change the headlines in the paper that are beating him up for this botched breast cancer test scandal in NFLD? Just asking.

I do think it's kind of funny that Farley Mowat is in on this debacle as well, throwing out the word "Guttersnipe" and paying the bonds for the crew in jail yesterday.

http://www.randomhouse.ca/author/results.pperl?authorid=21473

Today was really interesting. I'll go back to something I said last week. If you're against something, that's great - it's better for the show that way! However, I wish people would come at issues without resorting to personal attacks. Make an intelligent argument for yourself and people will probably concede on some level. Both sides in the seal debate come at each other with such incivility - why go personal? I want to come out and say I'm against the seal hunt but I can't. It's my own personal hatred of hypocrisy. I'm not a vegan or a vegetarian, so how can I be against the slaughter of seals and be for the slaughter of chickens?? It's speciesism, so I can't go there.

I heard something so sad today that made me forget this seal business for a while. Rick mentioned the food riots in Haiti and how some of the people were eating dirt cookies. That hit me like a tonne of bricks. We have so much food here!!! Even if you're poor, there are a lot more options than eating dirt. That gives you some perspective about the difference between poor people in Canada and poor people in Haiti.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2008/01/31/haitians_trick_empty_bellies_with_dirt_cookies/

It does suck that seals are being killed. But maybe we have to focus on the plight of fellow human beings once in a while too.

I feel guilty for breaking for lunch. This is why I love the Hotline; it gives me some much needed perspective from time to time.

Take care,

Amber

Eco Goons

2008-04-14T12:15:00.004-04:00

Thanks to Grumpy Barry for the title today!

It was either going to be "Eco Goons" or "Black Ops". If you look at it from the government side, the Sea Sheperd Conservation Society are definitely goons. If you look at it from the Society's standpoint - this Black Ops, Tom Clancy style takedown that Rick talked about today was completely out of control. I'm going to have to agree with the Globe and Mail and Rick on this one - sub-machine guns? Black clad Mounties? The government is cool with the Coast Guard illegally boarding a foreign-registered ship in international waters, but hasn't said boo about the Coast Guard's botched tow job that killed 4 sealers? What's the priority besides Loyola Hearn's personal beef with Paul Watson? Can you believe Hearn's quote this morning "Welcome to the new Dodge. " This guy needs to get a grip. I can't wait for Question Period today!

So, thanks to caller Bernard for alerting us to changes to the government's Pharmacare plan. As of April 1st, there is no 30 dollars flat rate co-pay. As of April 1st, seniors have to pay 33% of the cost to a maximum of $382. It says right on the website that seniors are paying more and that's a shame. Here's a link to read more and there's also a FAQ for the changes that happened on April 1.

http://www.gov.ns.ca/health/pharmacare/info_ns/seniors_pharmacare/seniors_pharmacare.asp

Here's a link to Russell Wangersky's website. We had him in the studio during hour number 2 talking about his book "Burning Down the House" about his days as a volunteer firefighter. Riveting hour, let's hope his bad dreams start to abate soon.

http://www.russellwangersky.com/

Tomorrow, an hour about the seal hunt! Bridget Curran, an anti-sealing activist will be in taking your calls during hour number 2.

Cheers!

Amber

Where are you Captain Corky??

2008-04-11T13:21:00.002-04:00

Apparently, Captain Corky had his own show on CJCH television.

We had a TONNE of calls about the golden age of TV, to kind of coincide with what CTV is doing on its supperhour newscasts this week, airing some old clips of some of the stars of yore. The best part about today was that I was able to speak with Jerbear and we had him on for a few minutes with Steve Murphy. If it's not clear - I HEART JERBEAR!!! He's so funny, gracious and awesome. Love him! That would be awesome if Rick could track down some Hello Metro clips. I haven't heard any either, I've just heard the premise of some of them and it's absolutely hysterical. One caller brought up Another World, which I didn't think was that big of a deal, but turns out Atlantic Canadians adored that soap opera! Steve Murphy said the day Another World was cancelled was the busiest day on the Hotline!!! Hilarious! It was a good soap opera though. I loved the villianous Carl!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Another_World_(TV_series)

Rick pointed out today that Calgary got 25 centimetres of snow yesterday and they didn't cancel school! I think Rick definitely has a point. It seems like 6 days cancelled this year is a little much. I lived in Calgary from the age of 4-9 and I remember really having to bundle up when I walked to school. In fact, it was so cold we had to put heat packs in our mittens and our boots to stay warm!

So, are you going to take a "Staycation" this year? Makes sense, with the price of gas. It also makes sense because sometimes you go on vacation and you're go, go, go and then you come back and you need a vacation from your vacation! I think I'm going to go to Ontario for a few days this summer and then spend the rest of the time chillin' on my deck, looking at some water, maybe enjoying a brew or 2. I'm happy with the weather we've had this week, it has been incredible.

Well, a rainy weekend ahead, but try to enjoy it anyway!

Cheers!

Amber

What is the matter with Nova Scotia?

2008-04-10T12:12:00.002-04:00

Someone posed that question and I wish I had the answer.

But, if that little query was solved, we wouldn't have a show. So, let's just leave it alone!

That being said, any negativity about this Paul McCartney concert could really backfire on us! People were so happy about it yesterday and then today talking about boycotts and things? Unreal! Rick thinks it's great that everyone complains constantly (well, his job does depend on it), but I think sometimes we take it a little too far.

These personal attacks are a little much. If you're going to criticize someone, at least come at it intellectually. A couple of people called me off the air talking about Dawn Sloane, and the basis of their argument, to me, was that they don't like her because she's an opinionated woman. I know Dawn. She's a hard working, intelligent person and if you're going to dislike her, back it up with some rationale, a council decision, something. Going at it at such a base level is so disconcerting.

Back to Paul McCartney, has he commented on the seal hunt lately? He's a vegetarian, so obviously an animal lover. But, I don't remember him speaking out about the seal hunt lately. That kind of seemed like Heather Mills' issue and he was just supporting his wife. I'll try to google it and find out if he's still vehemently against it. I do know he was for the sealers receiving some sort of compensation if they did ban the seal hunt. He was pretty reasonable on Larry King that time, unlike his wife who appeared to be "difficult".

Totally off topic - the Masters starts today! Any chance Mike Weir can do it again or is it all Tiger? I love watching golf. There's something meditative about it, or as some would say "boring".

So, Curtis Sliwa is coming to town in early May to graduate some recruits, and the new Guardian Angels will be patrolling in the middle of May. Very interesting. We'll have to wait and see what kind of effect they're going to have. I really hope Curtis comes into the studio, that will be interesting!!!!

Anyway, that's it for me. Have a good day!

Amber

I'd like to be alive

2008-04-09T12:15:00.002-04:00

That's what caller Ross said when requesting that Darrell Dexter bring down the government during this session of the House of Assembly. He says he's a senior and he's been waiting for years! As per usual, DD's response was measured and intelligent, but sometimes people just want to hear someone lose it, I know I do. Not just because it's great radio (because it is), but because it denotes some passion. I know DD is in the game for the right reasons, but he's so damn smart he could just tear the Premier apart. I know that's not his style, but it sure would be fun to hear!!!

Dr. Peter McKenna from UPEI certainly didn't hold back, did he. He railed against the governments of Atlantic Canada for being complicit in ruining people's lives by keeping VLTs around. He unleased some damning evidence on the show today about how there are no records of how many people might take their own lives because of addictions to VLTs and indicated in one province, they don't even ask the question even though it's required. It's far too damaging to governments. We actually heard from one caller who told DD 2 of his friends lives have been ruined by VLTs. It is extremely sad, and for those of us who aren't currently battling the addiction, hard to relate. But at the same time, we must know the addiction has to be intensely strong if people are losing their homes, etc. To me it's one of those things like smoking - we know it's dangerous, it kills, but the government continues to profit from it. Even if the government banned VLTs, the casinos are still open and gamblers could go there. We've got to be stronger than the traps the government sets for us. Cigarettes, junk food, gambling, alcohol - we know this things are dangerous, they aren't going to be banned anytime soon, so we have to empower ourselves. If we don't buy these things or partake, the government won't make any profit and maybe then they will be banned.

Everything's related to money - isn't it sad?

On a lighter note, I think this Paul McCartney concert is going to be AWESOME! Big thanks to Will for the tip!!! I can't wait to see who's going to open for him.

Well, it's a beautiful, sunny, spring day, which is something quite rare for Halifax. Enjoy it, as there's a little rain on the way for tomorrow.

Take care,

Amber

Two faces

2008-04-08T13:45:00.003-04:00

Here's a picture of the 2-faced baby Rick was talking about today.

Here's the link to the story:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,337492,00.html

Bruce Devenne had a pretty good line when Rick told the story and then said "Hi, Bruce!" Bruce came back with "Talk about a born politician". Ha!

Hey, I wanted to give you the link to George Murphy's blog - I didn't know he had one!

It's: http://www.gasandoil.blogspot.com/ I was shaking my head listening to George say home heating oil is going to be MORE expensive next year! That's unreal, and scary for those who have had tonnes of issues this year keeping their homes warm.

Rick was getting a little frustrated today because everyone kept calling him "Rickster". It's one of my favourite nicknames for him, but I didn't start it - that credit goes to Ben from PEI who starts every call with the obligatory "Whoo-hoo", then follows it up with "Ricksteeeeeeeerr". So, blame Ben.

Will called up and he wants credit for breaking the story about Paul McCartney! Trust me, Will, Rick says you told him, he's giving you tonnes of credit. Full credit can't be gleaned though, unless it comes true! Let's hope it does, that will be an incredible concert for Atlantic Canada - thanks for the scoop, Will!

So, promoting 250 years of democracy costs 9-million dollars a year. Hmmm. Maybe we should promote 100 years of paved roads and put some money into fixing our bloody potholes. Just a thought.

Anyway, thanks for tuning in! Talk to you tomorrow!

Cheers,

Amber

A fresh breath of democracy and Bob Eubanks

2008-04-07T12:37:00.003-04:00

Caller Ray told us today that apparently the Democracy 250 movement is handing out breathmints. Rick tried to find the correlation today, but couldn't. Maybe it's the bad taste left in our mouths after this public relations exercise ends and we're still left with a goverment that thinks sitting for 16 days every year is cool.

It was pretty shocking to hear about caller Tina's experience with getting stitches for her dog over the weekend...paying 600 dollars for a few stitches!! Yikes! Even more shocking was that Rick spent close to 6-thousand dollars keeping his dog alive. See, he's actually a softie!

How about everyone's favourite magician: Jermaine "Houdini" Carvery? He somehow gets out of his leg irons, gets out of handcuffs and disappears? Okay, so one guard gave chase, what was the other one doing?? There are so many questions that can't be answered with the head of corrections' explanation of "I'm baffled". Really, well maybe you need a new job. This guy terrorized people all across the country and if he needs money, he'll do it again, I'm sure he still has a few connections around the country. Now, the Justice Department has referred all media inquiries to Halifax Regional Police. I'm going to hazard a guess that they're not down with that particular decision! Someone messed up, let's let someone else deal with the aftermath.

Our tax hour was actually interesting!! I think the majority of people agree that tax dollars should be based on the services provided, but I don't think anyone wants to see someone who owns a mansion pay as much as someone who owns a mini-home. Maybe there can be some sort of differential, a flat rate for a home over 500-thousand dollars or something? I don't know, just thinking aloud.

Between my news and my weather at noon, Rick strolls in and says "Bob Eubanks is going to be calling on the private line". In turn, I started screaming my head off, because I'm a huge fan of Bob Eubanks!!! I used to watch him all the time, because when I was little I wanted to be a game show host, LOL. He used to host this show that no one saw called "Infatuation". It was on overnights and I had insomnia for a while when I was a teenager and I used to watch it. Bob's awesome and I can't believe I'm going to miss his extravaganza at the casino tonight. If you go, call us tomorrow and tell us how it went!! Bob freakin' Eubanks. That was so cool.

Anyway, Charles Cirtwell will be in tomorrow to talk about the school rankings in Nova Scotia, so hope you tune in!

Enjoy this spring-like weather - FINALLY!

Cheers!

Amber

Jim Connors' Obituary

2008-04-05T07:50:00.000-04:00

CONNORS, James L., Q.C.CONNORS, James L., Q.C. - 52, Dartmouth.

Following a life of service and advocacy, Jim passed away at home with his immediate family with him on Thursday, April 3, 2008. He was the loving and attentive husband of Cathy (Cunningham) and the father of his treasured children, Paul, Lunenburg; Lauren, Dartmouth, and Patrick, Dartmouth. Born on December 8, 1955 in Dartmouth, he was the son of the late John Thomas Connors, Q.C. and Doris Elizabeth (Esson) Connors. He was the brother of Charlene Connors, Chilliwack; Nicole Connors and Camille Stokoe (Tim), Edmonton; Charles Connors (Melissa), Fort Saskatchewan. He is also loved and remembered by parents-in-law, Ron and Marg Cunningham, and sisters-in-law, JoAnn Cunningham (Gordon Page), Mary Barron, Carol Cunningham and Clare (Shawn) O'Brien, and nieces and nephews, Laura, Nigel, Kelsie, Andrew, Nicholas, Dennis, Sarah, Mitchell, Emma and Jack. A lifelong resident of Dartmouth, Jim was educated at Dartmouth High School, Memorial University of Newfoundland (BA '76), and the University of British Columbia, (LL.B '79). He was called to the Nova Scotia Bar in April 1980 and was named Queen's Counsel in 1997. His professional career was of one of leadership and integrity. He was, at the time of his passing, the Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, Emera and had been the Vice President, Legal and External Affairs, Sempra. Prior to moving to the energy business, he had been a respected and admired Partner with Boyne Clarke. He had also served as a special constable with the RCMP in the Yukon and British Columbia during law school. During his legal career, he appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada, Federal Court of Canada, Nova Scotia Court of Appeal, Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, Court Martial Appeal Board of Canada, National Energy Board, Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board, Nova Scotia Labour Board, along with other commissions and panels. His appearances before all such bodies were marked by thoroughness and well-prepared and thoughtful arguments. His successful appearance before the Supreme Court of Canada resulted in cameras being permitted in the Nova Scotia Legislature. His commitment to his fellow citizens is reflected in his extensive civic involvement to make our community a better place. Among these are: Alderman, City of Dartmouth 1985-91 (did not re offer); Commissioner, Dartmouth District School Board, 1985-1990, including a term as Chair. Other organizations with which he enjoyed a relationship include the Wee Care Child Care Centre, Chair of the Board; Dartmouth Whalers Minor Hockey Association, Registrar and Board member; Columbarium Business Plan Committee, Christ Church; Alderney Landing, Board member; Dartmouth North Community Centre, Honorary Trustee; Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative Party, President; Metro United Way, Vice President and Board Member; Dartmouth Senior Citizens Capital Campaign, Chair; Canadian Diabetes Association, Annual Campaign, Chair; the Christ Church Restoration Campaign, Chair; Habitat for Humanity - Halifax-Dartmouth as a founding Board Member; Dartmouth Heritage Museum, Board member, and Discovery Centre, Board Member. He provided his time and expertise to many other groups including court training for social workers, fundraising projects for other groups including Legal Aid and assisted REACH Nova Scotia's Volunteer Lawyer program for persons with disabilities. He spoke at conferences, events and at schools on topics ranging from employment law to drug testing. He continued to serve the law by regularly presenting in support of legal education from laws schools to high schools. More recently he was asked to serve on the national boards of the Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada, the Cancer Advocacy Coalition of Canada and the Canadian Cancer Society-Nova Scotia Division. His focus with these groups was on helping others. He had been widely recognized with numerous awards for his insight, expertise, and charitable work all combined with a brilliant intellect and a quick wit and sense of humour. He enjoyed a special relationship with St. Nicholas during the Christmas holidays at Christ Church services for children. Jim was a keen supporter of hockey, soccer, baseball games and the musical pursuits of his children. He will be remembered by many as perhaps the most successful ice cream seller at the Highland Games in Halifax and in Antigonish, which he did in support of the Dartmouth and District Pipe and Drum Band. Jim was an avid and voracious reader and enjoyed camping and travel with family and friends. He conducted himself always with passion, compassion, commitment and humour. This great husband, father, and friend will be missed, and his life is an example for us to follow. Visitation will be in Christ Church Parish Hall, 21 Dundas St., Dartmouth, on Sunday, April 6, from 2-5 p.m. Services will be in Christ Church, Ochterloney and Wentworth Streets, Dartmouth, at 2 p.m., Monday, April 7, Archdeacon Paul Smith will officiate. Arrangements have been entrusted to Dartmouth Funeral Home. Jim's ashes will be interred at the Christ Church Columbarium immediately following the service with a reception to follow in the parish hall. In lieu of flowers, donations in Jim's memory can be made to Christ Church, Wee Care Developmental Centre or Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada. On-line condolences should be sent to: jimconnors@ns.sympatico.ca

For Jim

2008-04-04T14:03:00.003-04:00

What incredibly sad news to wake up to today.

Jim Connors died yesterday after a long battle with colorectal cancer.

I didn't know Jim well, I just knew him as well as I know anyone who regularly comes on the Hotline. We had a rapport, he was a really nice man who was dealt a hand I'm sure he probably wasn't expecting.

I feel like he might have had a few epiphanies later in life, buoyed by his fight against the government and he came out hard against them. I don't know what his political affiliations were, but I'm convinced he was shocked when the government didn't listen to him and approve Avastin.

He could afford the drug himself, but he continually fought for others to have it, in order to have their own lives extended. He deserves a lot of credit for that. Mike Savage pointed this out today - most people aren't activists when they are healthy, let alone when they are dying and that's what kind of strength Jim Connors had. We spoke to him a few weeks back and he had just finished taking 3 trips with each of his kids, in my heart I knew he was close to the end.

I admired Jim, I prayed for him and I know he fought as hard as he could. To Jim's family: we are so sorry for your loss.

We'll miss you, Jim.

Thank you for all your appearances on our show and let's hope the government honours your memory by doing the right thing.

It's a little windy

2008-04-03T13:23:00.002-04:00

Seriously. I was on the MacDonald bridge this morning and I was stopped in traffic and my car was blowing side to side because of the wind. It was nuts.

Another busy show today with lots of calls about this disturbing debit scam. One caller had an excellent suggestion, change your pin number! It sucks though, I really don't want to do that, but I guess it's better than being robbed! I checked my account this morning just to make sure no one was taking anything from me! We heard from two women today who were robbed, one of a thousand dollars, the other 500. It's a really sophistocated scam using Bluetooth technology, and I just hope police get these guys quickly!!!!

I have to agree with Rick today - Paul Watson crossed the line. He says the real tragedy is the baby seals dying and not the four sealers who died in the towing accident with the Coast Guard. What??? I'm not a huge supporter of the seal hunt, but these men weren't even sealing at the time, they thought they were in safe hands. They were being rescued!! It's a horrible tragedy, much, much worse than the seal hunt. I admired Paul Watson and his efforts to stop illegal shark and whale killings, but this was a little much. It's pretty shocking when I'm in agreement with Loyola Hearn on something.

So, the councillors were in during hour number 2 and man oh man, the poop is going down at city hall right now! I wish I could tell you what's up, but let's just say, jeez, I don't even know what to say. It's drama-licious, let's put it that way. Younger and Johns came out hard against the city staff, which I think is great! I mean, putting it on the taxpayer. Talk about phoning it in. Do you think the staffers hate the councillors and gave them an option that would make them unpopular with the voters?? I think that's what it's come to. I said it last week, this ferry thing is so much bigger than a fast boat. The drama is going to hit the fan on Tuesday. I think I'll follow suit with caller David, have a beer in my hand and I'll sit back and giggle. When you think about it though, it's actually not funny at all that these councillors are fighting so badly between each other and the staff. These people are controlling our tax money, God help us all.

Well, don't blow away today!

Cheers,

Amber

Dude, we're tapped out

2008-04-02T12:56:00.002-04:00

You know what's a day ruiner? Nearly getting hit by a car as you're enjoying a walk to work on a spring morning. I drive too, I get impatient, but jeez, people need to slow down and just chill, especially when they see a pedestrian. Speeding to try and get past them on a side street is just so stupid, so thanks for nearly hitting me, lady in the silver Volkswagen!!!!

Luckily, the day started to look up when I got to work and was extremely busy fielding all sorts of calls today. We had a great call from a lady named Frances who was armed with tonnes of stats on the police service suggested we may have too many police officers in Halifax. It's an argument I've never heard, but it's interesting! Rick got an e-mail suggesting Frances does more research than most city councillors. Ha!

Very interesting at council last night. A tax hike! Yikes. You know it's a serious situation if they're looking at a tax hike in an election year. I kind of just want them to start from scratch. Gloria McCluskey has been calling for an audit of every department for years. It just seems like nothing's ever cut, we just have to always pay more. You know what would come in handy right now? The millions of dollars we let go to the Commonwealth Games Bid Committee. That would eliminate the snow removal debt and give us a little something else to play with. But, hindsight's 20/20 right?

So, the Mayor broke some news yesterday. He says Nova Scotia Power is applying for a 13.8% rate hike! Unbelievable!! Of course, Nova Scotia Power denies it. Well, the proof will be in the UARB application, which Margaret Murphy says they are in the process of filling out for "future hikes". I honestly don't know how people who make minimum wage get by, life is so incredibly expensive just getting the basics, let alone the luxuries. That's why Joan Alexander spent this winter in the cold, along with many others who couldn't afford to heat their homes this year. Yet, we're potentially looking at another increase. Again, streamline your operation, show us you're making cuts too and then ask the taxpayers to pitch in. I don't mind paying more if the service levels go up or there is a superior product to pay for (like Natural gas!), but the taxpayers' trough is dry! We're tapped out, seriously.

Well, enough tax talk. We'll get our fill tomorrow when Rick has a couple of councillors in during the second hour tomorrow.

Enjoy this beautiful day!

Amber

HRM - Problem Capital of Canada!

2008-04-01T12:51:00.002-04:00

Seriously, does any other city have our many issues? Maybe my opinion is skewed as I hear complaint after complaint during the Hotline. You have no idea - you hear what gets on the air, you have no idea what people say to me off the air. It's a complaint bonanza, sometimes they just start firing and hang up and I haven't said a word!!! Others want me to pass stuff on to Rick and I try to pass on as much as I can that's topical, but honestly, I get at least 10 calls a day from people who don't want to go on, they just want me to pass on the comment. I've also been getting calls lately from a drunk guy, which is, ummm...interesting. I have to kind of filter it for Rick, so it's not information overload. You have to remember too, Rick and I have essentially 4 minutes to talk during the hour, so I've really got to prioritize what I tell him. Anyway, just a little sneak peek into my fascinating life as Hotline producer. Ha!

You might have heard Rick rant against one of our engineers today. Here is what started it all, an April Fool's prank from Will at Halifax Live.

http://www.halifaxlive.com/content/view/1032/2/

Caller Don was talking to Rick about it and Kenny was sitting beside me doing something with the computer. I asked Kenny if he would vote for Rick and he was like, "Uh, no", so I started laughing and Rick asked me what I was laughing at. I told him Kenny wouldn't vote for him and then Rick said he was sending his storm troopers after Kenny, it was very funny as I think Rick may have convinced 6 people to vote for him today! Caller Dave was especially rough on the Rickster, calling him "Mike Duffy" in his treatment of Peter Kelly. Ouch! That stung, since Mike Duffy is not on Rick's list of favourite people, let's put it that way. He also kept referring to him as a lazy hippie.

So, will you go the Eagles concert? That's a great line-up they've put together, that's for sure. Tickets are over a hundred bucks, which is kind of expected. I'm not going. I'm not a huge fan of being in large groups of annoying people, baking in the sun all day drinking 8 dollar gross beer. What I will go see is Elton John if he comes to the Metro Centre. I love Elton John, I really hope the rumours are true (and we hear from excellent sources that they are).

Ernie brought up the issue of a pizza joint charging 1.25 if you get cash back. I'm so surprised places like Sobey's and the Superstore haven't started charging a fee. I'm surprised the banks haven't pressured them to as it's one of the last vestiges to get "free" money. I mean, it's free if you use your own bank machine, but if you're at the grocery store, you can get 20, 40 bucks out for free. It's almost too good to be true, which means it will probably soon come to an end.

Hey, if you want help quitting smoking, here are a couple of numbers for you. 1-877-513-5333 or 424-2025. Good luck!

Well, it's above 0 today, but I could do without the rain. Oh well, we'll survive, right?

Have a great day!

Amber

Happy Birthday, Bruce!

2008-03-31T15:48:00.001-04:00

I forgot to write about it earlier, but it's Bruce Devenne's 62nd birthday today!

Have a good one, Bruce!!!

No cell, no cigs

2008-03-31T12:53:00.002-04:00

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

The pink dinosaur

2008-03-28T13:29:00.002-04:00

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

Ferry or bus?

2008-03-27T13:41:00.002-04:00

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

Bernie's world

2008-03-25T12:17:00.002-04:00

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

Spring Awakening

2008-03-20T13:00:00.003-04:00

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

Brown eyes, blue eyes

2008-03-19T12:28:00.002-04:00

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

The party ended too early.

2008-03-18T12:29:00.003-04:00

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

Getting to the bottom of things.

2008-03-17T13:14:00.002-04:00

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/

Tim Bousquet

2008-03-14T13:30:00.004-04:00

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

My wacky thoughts

2008-03-13T12:42:00.002-04:00

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

The Atlantica Party

2008-03-12T12:52:00.002-04:00

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:

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

Why even bother?

2008-03-11T12:29:00.002-04:00

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

Most cantankerous people around

2008-03-10T12:16:00.002-04:00

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

Beer and bread

2008-03-07T14:38:00.002-04:00

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

Conspiracy pills are tasty!

2008-03-06T13:48:00.002-04:00

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

Yes, plus lessons and apologies.

2008-03-05T13:10:00.003-04:00

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

A crock of you know what

2008-03-04T13:19:00.002-04:00

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

Naked cowboys & gender re-assignment

2008-03-03T13:14:00.003-04:00

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

Racist, Sexist, Homophobic

2008-02-28T14:21:00.002-04:00

To me, there's not a lot of difference. Some people accused Rick of being a little more forgiving towards the hockey team at Lockview for their sexist and homophobic comments, plus he knew some of the boys involved. I asked Rick after the show if he thought it might be different if the students came from Dartmouth High or someplace different. I agree that I've heard much more offensive things, but I'm in agreement with everyone that it should have never been published. Whose head that falls on, well, that's another thing. I guess whoever saw the program last, if that was the coach, well, okay. From what Rick said about his conservation with Kevin Brown's wife this morning, they sound ticked enough to seem like Brown may be taking a fall for another person??

This Chuck Cadman story really sickens me. I respected him so much when he stood up the Liberals 3 years ago. I actually cried because there was this pause, and then he stood up. I swear, I'll probably name my kid Cadman or something because in that moment, he was a star. Anyway, the allegations that the Conservatives tried to bribe him with a million dollar life insurance policy when he was dying of cancer is insane. But then Rick said Cadman's wife was running as a Conservative in the next federal election. Then I started thinking, is she backing the claim in this book to get her name out there, generate some sympathy for votes for her campaign? See, this is what the Hotline does to you. Nothing is black and white, there is a conspiracy behind everything! Life used to be simple before the Hotline!

I received a call from a new listener off the air today. She says she loves the show and says Rick does such a good job stirring up a hornet's nest sometimes that she just sits back and "giggles". Not going to lie - I do the same thing! You guys hear me though because I don't giggle, I full out guffaw.

Hey, if you want to check out an Op-Ed piece written by Duff Conacher of Democracy Watch on the prevalence of vote buying - click here: www.dwatch.ca.

About Robert Latimer - I'm happy he received day parole. He's a simple farmer, I bet he'll want to be out of the spotlight, I highly doubt he's going to go Kevorkian on us and advocate mercy killing.

Anyway.....gotta write some news!

Have a good one...Friday tomorrow - yee haw, as the Rickster likes to say!

Take care,

Amber

Sick of lunch

2008-02-27T13:33:00.002-04:00

I'm really looking forward to getting this lunch issue sorted once and for all tonight. Well, I guess it's naive of me to think it will actually be settled tonight by Howard Windsor, more like it's going to create more fodder for the show, which is a good thing. I'm with Rick on this one. When I went to school, the teachers took turns supervising recesses and lunch hours. Honestly, I don't see the issue with this. Bottom line.

The McNab's Island hour was very interesting! It definitely made me want to check it out. I'll have to go this summer. You probably can't swim there though, because it's in the Harbour, right? Or is it far enough out that it's safe? Nah, I wouldn't risk it anyway! One of my friends fell into the Detroit River once and got ecoli poisoning which has weakened him immune system for life. Best not to risk it!

Peter Stoffer was on fire today! I love it when politicians come out blazing. I can't stand the political speak, ie the Premier talking about "We've got to do what's right for Nova Scotians...."
Obviously! Gah! I love fiery politicial speak and Peter cares so much about veterans, it's so cheap to think about the Veteran Affairs minister slamming him.

What do you think about the federal budget yesterday? I'm still shaking my head about this one. It's so incredibly weak I think Stephane Dion could have had a chance to get back into power. Of course, Dion isn't exploiting the many weaknesses of the budget, he's just saying, no there won't be an election. Who do we call to get a coup d'etat around here? The federal budget includes 300-million dollars to explore nuclear energy!!! 50-million dollars for a pig cull!! They've decreased the money being paid down on the debt and creating a glorified savings account for Canadians. I was chatting with the Mayor about this savings thing. Is it for GICs? What's the diff if I put 5 Gs in my bank account or this special account - my bank account is tax free too! Where are the details? Hey, at least thanks to the GST reduction I'm saving 3 dollars a month on my car payment. Unreal. We need an election! We need a leader who can inspire Canadians. I actually woke up this morning and was missing Paul Martin - he actually cared about Canadians, I'm not sure what the federal government cares about, except, being smug.

God, all this hating is making me hungry.

Have a great day - we're going to talk trash, literally, during hour number 2 tomorrow.

Cheers!

Amber

P.S. Giddy up!

Show me the Ameros!!

2008-02-26T13:39:00.002-04:00

The Deagle landed today and it was an...umm...interesting hour!

He talked about the Amero - the currency the governments of the United States, Canada and Mexico want to create - according to him. He talked about a lot of other conspiracies, including Princess Diana. Apparently, she was killed because there was a chance she could have a Muslim baby. He also talked about a group that controlled the weather and so on. Actually it was kind of funny because one of our engineers was in doing maintenance on the computer during the 1st segment and kept looking at me in disbelief. He's sort of a genius, so he just told me he did some research on something Dr. Deagle said and totally contradicted it. Deagle said Cape Breton has enough coal to heat for 10-thousand more years. Well, Kenny looked into it and says the entire country only has enough coal to heat for another 46 years! Honestly, I think I trust Kenny a wee bit more. You can listen to the Deagle on his radio show from 4-6 our time weekdays by clicking on www.nutrimedical.com. You can also join his Halifax 9-11 group and learn the "truth" about 9-11. Deagle says check it out and believe it yourself, and then try to change the system. Even if I did check it out and everything Deagle said was true, I'm sure not going to do anything about it. I don't want to get shot in the head 3 times by the CIA!!!!! Whatever you say about him, he's interesting to listen to and he generates a lot of calls, so that's why Rick has him on once a month or so.

It was interesting to hear Barbara Walters is a member of something called the "Council on Foreign Relations". Jeez, I wish she'd pursue this full-time and stop asking people asinine questions with that annoying dream-like filter she puts on the cameras. So irritating!

Lots of news coming tomorrow with what happened at the Taxi public meeting tonight and Howard Windsor's decision on Excel. Should be a busy one!!

Well, enjoy another spring-like day! Snow on the way overnight changing to lots of rain tomorrow.

Cheers!

Amber

P.S. Caller Dawn was so funny today. She talked about the school program and then she started gushing about Rick's voice and how much she loved it and Rick couldn't stop laughing and I think he may have blushed a little bit too! It was hilarious! I agree - Rick's voice is great, but one voice I love hearing on the airwaves is Pat Connelly. We love you, Pat!

Back to the ol' farm

2008-02-25T13:19:00.002-04:00

It's a sad day for Louise Hanavan. She has to say good-bye to her chickens today. They are heading to a farm in Hants County. We want to wish Captain Crochet, Bernadette and Chicken a fond Hotline farewell. Who would have though 3 hens could have generated so much chatter on the Hotline in '08.

Total shocker for me today listening to Jim Bauld. Apparently we can recycle all plastic bags - from bread bags to cereal bags and the city recycles those and sells them to make plastic plant holders! Although I think that's great, I think we need to curb the use of plastic. I think it would be better if the city encouraged people to use more cloth bags and then maybe added different numbered plastic as stuff that can be recycled, like 5 or 7. But it's great - I always used to throw out cereal bags, etc.

How in awe are you of Ellen Page? I think she is awesome. Barbara Walters is so tired, needs to hang it out, but Ellen handled her asinine questions with considerable aplomb. When she played the Moldy Peaches song at the end of the interview I felt so proud. She's just awesome. One thing is for sure - Ellen Page did not lose last night.

So...no Rodney. The Premier won't come on our show because he's too busy "running the province", so says his new media guy, Wade Keller. Well, I guess it is kind of hard squeezing in the "running of the province" in 5 days since every weekend is "personal time". Whatever. His loss. I think we may have to resurrect our chicken sound effects for future use!!

I heard something really cool today. Apparently, some members of the Turkey Club heard Rick's interview with Mel Boutilier from the Parker Street Food and Furniture Bank and donated 8-thousand dollars to the shelters Emergency Fund! That is just so amazing! The caller pointed out to me that the government gave the Salvation Army 200-thousand dollars for its emergency program last week. That's all well and good, but you can only get help from the Sally Ann every 5 years!!! So, you can be warm one winter and freeze those other 4. That makes a whole bunch of sense, doesn't it? The short-sightedness of this government kills me. Let's not attack the root cause of poverty - let's put a band-aid on and pat ourselves on the back. Yay! Sorry, feeling slightly embittered today!!! I share Garfield's disdain for Mondays!

Anyway....I have to run and get some lunch, then write some news...then back at it tomorrow!!

Thanks for the calls - chat with you then.

Amber

Eating crow

2008-02-22T15:08:00.002-04:00

Harv brought in a fake crow today for Cecil and Rick to eat after picking the Pats to win the Super Bowl! Ha! It was great to have the boys on during hour number 1 - it is always so entertaining, I loved it. They were so loud at some points, I had a hard time monitoring their levels!!! Fisticuffs nearly broke out a couple of times, I just sat back ane enjoyed the show. Sadly, Cecil wouldn't sing Purple Rain again, but he did do a line from O Canada, which he sang at that charity hockey game last night. He also was gloating about the fact he knows Ellen Page, having worked with her on the Trailer Park Boys.

Okay, on to one of my favourite blog topics - Rodney MacDonald!! The Premier says he's not ruling out raising the gas tax in the province. Yeah, that must be an easy decision considering you don't actually pay for your own gas. Apparently the Premier wants to do the show, but only wants to do a half hour and you know what that means - it means unless he commits to an hour, NO DICE.

Some startling stats today from the woman from Clean Nova Scotia. She says it take 12 million barrels of oil go into making plastic bags in the United States. That to me, made me even more determined to stop using plastic and to continue to use my cloth bags. I don't understand why you can't just put your garbage in a can and have the garbage people dump that into their truck!!! I think Rick may try to get Jim Bauld, the city's waste guy to come on and talk about these things. I mean, nothing's going to change until after October. Remember they couldn't even agree to use clear garbage bags because Sue Uteck was afraid of what they may find?

I want to congratulate Gary, who is my weekly winner of my "Sarcasm Award". Gary very chipperly (and sarcastically) said he was so thrilled gas prices were so high because he knew the province would be putting all that extra gas tax revenue right back into the roads and Nova Scotia was going to have the best roads in the world!! Expert delivery - Gary, congrats, that the most sarcastic line of the week!

Did anyone else notice the line Colin uttered that should strike fear into the hearts of every decision maker in the province: "Gloria's on the warpath".

Anyway...it's almost weekend time. Have a great one and we'll chat with you Monday!

Cheers,

Amber

Crazily Correct

2008-02-21T13:14:00.002-04:00

Trivia is so much fun. It's my absolute favourite thing to do on the Hotline, besides a good old fashioned phone assault. As I told Rick, he has totally been my mentor in how to be a poop disturber and I'm eternally grateful!

Congrats to Don for the big win today! Don is the son of another Hotline caller Frank - a little Hotline caller trivia for ya! I thought Frances was going to pull it out, but Don knew too much. Thanks to everyone for participating and again, I thought I had another stellar hour as the lifeline missing just one question about hockey, but since I hate hockey, I didn't really count that question!!! Ha!

So much to comment on today....first up, the cloth bags. A boycott of Superstore because they're trying to phase out plastic and maybe do a little something kind for the Earth? Give me a break!!! I'm just in shock about that insanity. But I agree - they should be doing a lot more! For example, the bags are made in China, which is ridiculous. Secondly, when Sobeys and Superstore package food from the deli or something, like feta cheese - it's a #5 recyclable - meaning it can't be recycled here in Halifax and must go in the garbage. Both grocery stores could switch to these biodegradable plastic bags, something I know they do at HMV @ Mic Mac Mall, or go back to paper. What happened to the paper bags? Not like I want more trees to be cut down, but again, there is more both stores can do, but boycotting them is so counter-productive and frankly, a little dumb. I'm not sure how long Ray is going to live surviving solely on nuts and spices from the Bulk Barn!

I'm all for this suggestion to get rid of Tim Hortons' cups. They are a plague!! It's so easy just to bring your own mug and it costs less! Or if you get a Tim Horton's paper cup, you should have to pay more! That was a great suggestion by a caller today. Rick is going to be speaking with someone tomorrow who he thought didn't like him on this issue. Stay tuned for that!

Happy Birthday to the person who is arguably the most famous person from Halifax right now - Ellen Page! She is turning 21 today and I can't wait to watch the Oscars on Sunday to see if she wins! She was so great in Juno!! I saw John Dunsworth talking about her today on CBC, too bad we already talked to him about Ellen, like, a month ago!

I cannot believe tomorrow is Friday already. This week has gone by unbelievably fast. I'm pretty sure I say that every week, but it's true. Busy day tomorrow, I'm sure the same is on tap for tomorrow.

Until then, take care!

Amber

Dante's pothole

2008-02-20T13:31:00.002-04:00

Big thanks to Andrew for the title today. Gee, Hotline listeners are so clever, I don't even have to think anymore. He's coined that after listening to Peter Stoffer say potholes cannot be blamed on just the municipality; the funding from all three levels of government contributes to potholes and crumbling infrastructure in general. He related that to the Divine Comedy, made of three parts, hell, purgatory and paradise! Nice correlation there, buddy!

Potholes were the big issue today and it's just insane driving around having to avoid these massive holes in the ground! I did a little Hotline experiment today. I called in a pothole, well, a series of potholes anyway, and in 14 days I'll let you know if they've been fixed! It's getting ridiculous and I think John O'Brien's attitude was just a little too cavalier. I loved cabbie Bob's call today. He really went off and really wants to see some changes in October during the municipal election. He mentioned something I've been wanting to talk about for a while. There are too many damn councillors! Although I like most of the councillors and think they are committed to their jobs blah, blah blah - there are too many of them. They should slice the number in half, raise the salary and make it a full-time job, bottom line. Nothing is accomplished at council because 24 people want to have their say! It's ridiculous. No wonder if takes staff so long to bring back reports, if they are working on requests from 24 people? Slice it down, make it full-time, let's get something done in this bloody city!

Mike Savage and Peter Stoffer were in during hour number 2, of course mocking me for my love of Question Period. I think they both do a great job in what Peter calls "Romper room for adults". I hate the MPs who are on the government side and ask a question and keep their eyes locked on a piece of paper and sound so stilted, "In 2006, 700 people received important assistance from the government to help them with their Multiple Sclerosis. Minister Clement, will this important assistance continue to flow to needy individuals in the spring budget?". Then they sit down nervously and anticipate the already prepared answer from the Minister. "I want to thank the honourable member for their question. In 2006......." Then they drone on and normal people tune out because it's such a game. They should give Mike more to do - he's an awesome MP, up on what's going on and fiery when he needs to be. I think he could take on John Baird no problem. Stephane Dion should do something right - give him a critic role at least!!!! A caller off the air thought there was too much of a lovefest going on between Mike and Peter. I don't feel that way - they disagree, but are respectful about it. It's the total opposite of what's happening in Ottawa now - deliberate unconcilliatory-ness. Wow, total George W. Bush there with the creation of that word. Anyway, it's a strategy the Premier is using now and it's not working. God, these boys and their love of drama!

Anyway, are you with Peter on creating an "M & S free zone" - standing for Mulroney and Schreiber? Go away and take your dirty money with you!

A little sunshine today - enjoy it!

Cheers,

Amber

We deserve better

2008-02-19T13:41:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Tim for the great title today!

We do, don't we? Governments plead poverty constantly, but that certainly doesn't stop some politicians from making fair salaries, getting generous car, apartment and food allowances and making tough decisions that don't affect them. It's not fair and we have to demand better treatment from these people! Good timing too, as 3 elections are on the horizon. Definitely the municipal one in October, plus the possibility of a federal election this spring and a provincial one. I told Rick, I think the provincial Liberals have a lot of momentum going into this sitting of the legislature. Here's my guess: NDP Minority, followed by the Liberals and then the demoralized PCs.

The funeral for Karissa Boudreau is being held in about 15 minutes time. I wonder if the suspects questioned by police will show up? I feel so badly for that poor little girl. I think it's going to be a huge relief when the real story comes out and people are charged.

So, I'm sure it's something Rick may mention tomorrow, since it's something right up Gary Carson's alley. The province sent out a news release today saying 67% of all Grade 3s in the province met expectations after a provincial math test administered last June. Here's the release, you can read it yourself and see how they try to spin it. It's hilarious.

http://www.gov.ns.ca/news/details.asp?id=20080219002

Here's a line that really stuck out for me:

"Students also did well in counting, interpreting data and probability tasks, scoring more than 80 per cent, on average."

Grade 3 students are still learning how to count?? I think we may have stumbled across the problem of why high school students are failing! Shouldn't they be moving at a slightly quicker pace - I mean, my niece can count to 10 - and she just turned 3!

So, 67 per cent of grade 3 students can count at a normal level.

Paging Gary Carson...we need your help!

Anyway....

A caller mentioned this drug for Multiple Sclerosis, so I wanted to pass on the website she gave us. It's www.tysabri.com.

Oh, and the number to report provincial potholes is 1-888-432-3233 or in Metro: 424-2297. Locally call 490-4000. Good luck avoiding potholes, your daily exercise in futility.

Well, I'm in a good mood today because it's sunny and warm! I'm off to get some lunch, so have a great day!

Cheers,

Amber

Terrified of life

2008-02-18T13:24:00.002-04:00

I told Rick I felt impending doom last night. Maybe it's the myriad of bad news stories we've been reporting lately. Karissa Boudreau, the Daily News, god, it's getting me down! A holiday today might have helped, but since every day is Family Day according to Rodney, I guess we'll have to wait until Good Friday in March for our stat.

Our condolences go out to Barry, whose wife passed away in Cuba. We are so sorry for your loss! Barry called me, quite frazzled, looking for help in how to get his wife's body home. If you missed the numbers for Foreign Affairs - here they are:

1-800-267-6788 or 613-944-6788. Good luck, Barry and again, we are so sorry.

Horrible news out of Afghanistan today too....suicide bombers attacked civilians watching a dog fight...taking over 100 lives. Then another suicide bombing attack today. Unbelievably sad.

How about Michelin getting these wicked terms for its loan from ACOA? It's nice to know the company has until 2041 to pay back its loan. Meantime, I have 10 years to pay back my student loan at 2 per cent past prime. Plus, after I graduated the government gave me a 6 months grace period - but at the same time I accrued interest on my principal - and had that tacked on after the 6 months. Thanks!

There was a little bit of levity today. Grumpy Barry called and he tried to make his point in a clever manner - but was foiled by a wee bit of poor spelling. He thought Christians started with a "Cr". This story about the Sikh man who is fighting the ticket he got for riding without a helmet has really piqued the interest of people. I was surprised Walter Thomson was actually against the guy, but I agree. Riding a motorcycle is not a right entrenched in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and although I applaud him for being a devout Sikh and believe that right is protected, I think it's a little much to ask that your right to being a devout motorcyclist is also entrenched. Sorry.

Well, it's a grey, rainy, miserable day. Let's hope for something good to happen tomorrow, okay?

Cheers,

Amber

Bye, Dave.

2008-02-15T15:43:00.002-04:00

I want to send a massive thank you to David Rodenhiser, who's been a regular on our show for a while now and who contributed so much to it. Dave, you're a class act, an amazing writer, so damn smart and as Rick said, as long as we're on the air, you have an open invitation to come back anytime. We'll miss you! Enjoy the whiskey! Ha!

A very, very busy day today with a bunch of different issues ranging from what's happening in Bridgewater to this Sikh man in Ontario who wants to ride his motorcycle without a helmet. That drew a lot of callers. I'm undecided about this one. I forget who made the point, but I liked that waiver idea. Sure, don't wear a helmet, but if you are injured, you have to pay for your treatment yourself. I realize though, a lawyer would love to take on the case and prove the waiver was invalid, etc. Essentially I'm still on the fence on this one.

I'm glad to hear they arrested 2 suspects in Bridgewater, even though they have been released. I pray it's not a case of they know who did it, but don't have the smoking gun, you know? You'd be surprised how often that happens. I mean, you look at all these unsolved murder cases and essentially, on paper, they are solved!! They just don't have that last piece of evidence that convinces the judge. It's incredibly frustrating and sad. Stephen Kimber did a piece for The Coast a couple of years back about a detective investigating the Jason McCollough murder and it was gut wrenching what he went through to try and solve the case. It cost him his health, as he's currently on disability because his heart can't take the stress. It was an amazing piece.

A couple of funny things today - I've discovered part of my role as producer is to give Rick compliments throughout the show. Today I had to tell him how youthful 53 was!! It's funny, my boss forces me to suck up to him!

Didn't you love the guy who called a motorcycle a "motor-sickle"?

Couldn't believe when Rodenhiser said one of the TransCon suits said Halifax was "overmediatized." Still bummed about the Daily News. I desperately missed my gas predictions yesterday.

Well, we survived another week.

More on Monday - have a great weekend.

Amber

A litany of woe

2008-02-14T14:42:00.002-04:00

That line was uttered in regards to condos by one of our guests during hour number 2, but I think it's applicable to all the news today.

People think journalists are just cold, unfeeling people whose motto is "If it bleeds it leads". I can tell you I'm not jumping for joy about the news this afternoon. Not only is the body they found last weekend Karissa Boudreau indeed her, police say she was murdered. They haven't released any details about how, when or why - saying they have no suspects. They say it was an "isolated incident", so that kind of makes me suspicious there too. I got chills when Jim Hoskins said it was suspicious when he talked to Rick before the end of the show. Sadly, he was right. This has been a very busy, but depressing week.

I would write more, but I feel really depressed about this story.

I'm sure this will be one of the big topics tomorrow.

More then,

Amber

Money matters

2008-02-13T13:56:00.003-04:00

Of course the Eagles are going to go where the money is. This is a band that's had how many reunion tours? I've lost count how many times hell has "frozen over". Let's just hope one of these other concerts pans out because some of the bands they're looking at blow the Eagles out of the water - and that's a fact.

No one else is really going to find this funny, but right after my news, I called Mayor Kelly and although he promised Rick he would be there, he wasn't there. Okay, I thought, I'll try Mayor Mitten. No, he wasn't there either. So, I had to write Rick a note on his screen breaking the news to him. It read:

Okay, bad news - both mayors are MIA.

Then, it was a face that will forever lift me out of bad moods - the shock on Rick's face that his 2 mayoral interviews weren't there. It was a look that I've become familiar with, since he made the same face when I had to write him a note on Monday when I heard from Chris that the Daily News had folded. Luckily, Mayor Kelly called us back. He was taping his show on Eastlink and he had Premier Rodney MacDonald as a guest, hence the reason he wasn't expecting our VIP call!

You know who is a breath of fresh air? Gary Carson. Rick spoke to him briefly during hour number 1. Although I don't have any qualms about Howard Windsor, I think Gary Carson should have been the one man school board. He would have been amazing and instead of keeping things status quo, would have tried to make some changes to make the system smarter, and better. Maybe he'll run for the school board? Carole Olsen's worst nightmare....

I think caller Charles had the best idea today. If there is an ice surface constructed in Bedford, it should be called the "Gary Martin Memorial Arena". The mayor thought that was a great idea as well.

It was a good discussion during hour number 2 with Stephen Kimber and Jack Romanelli. Jack is doing as well as can be expected, making some very funny quips about his marriage. Apparently his wife is going to be the editor of Metro and Rick asked how his marriage was and Jack replied, "She's bringing in the money, I love my wife very much!" It was pretty funny. It just sucks and it's sad and it's going to take away for people to believe it's really gone.

Well, another stormy day even though it doesn't seem like it's raining right now. I loved how Rick was baiting the listeners by calling everyone "weather wussies". It's true though, I was talking to Cindy Day about this, about how everytime there is snow in the forecast people start absolutely freaking out! We survived White Juan - aren't we tougher than this?

Anyway....that's it for me. I think we may be playing trivia tomorrow, I'm so excited!!

Have a good one!

Amber

Still in shock

2008-02-12T13:22:00.001-04:00

I'm still completely stunned that there is no more Daily News. Totally, utterly shocked. I cannot imagine what someone like David Rodenhiser is going through. 18 years at one place, going to work on Monday morning - and then - boom, you're done. I want to wish everyone who lost their jobs the best and I know it's not okay, but I hope it is soon. What a shame. I loved the paper, I miss it already. I agree, I love Peter Duffy (he had a great column today about Gary Martin), but other than that I found the Daily News columnists far superior. Blair claims he didn't like them, but I enjoyed hearing what "real people" thought, not these pompous stuffed shirts like at the Chronicle-Herald. Jim Meek slammed Hotline listeners before, don't you forget it! I'm going to miss the regular things I read, Rodenhiser, Martello Tower, some columns in the Sunday paper, HFX including Valerie Mansour's column on restaurants, Peter Rockwell's wine column (even though I definitely have some issues with how he works for the L-C, so is obviously going to push stock that they have too much of!!!) It's so incredibly sad, to think about the livelihood of so many people, the fact the C-H has no more competition and my own personal reading enjoyment. We'll chat about this more tomorrow with former editor Jack Romanelli and former columnist Stephen Kimber.

One other word about the Daily News and some of the fallout today: revelling in other people's misery is a recipe for karmic disaster. Remember that.

Speaking of Valerie, she was on today for an hour talking about restaurants. It's an hour that succeeds in making me feeling absolutely starving!!! As people were talking and between answering calls, I was making my own list of awesome places to eat.

These are in no particular order:

1. Rogi Orazio - Italian restaurant in the Hydrostone. Haven't been there for dinner, but the lunch is so delicious. Lots of delicious bread to eat beforehand with olive oil and balsamic vinegar....so tasty!

2. Keg. You cannot go wrong at the Keg! So delicious, I was just there on Friday night, have the twice baked potato - you'll be glad you did!

3. Rogue's Roost. My favourite pub. It's a craft brewery and they have cheap, tasty food. Great for people watching too - it's right on Spring Garden Rd. above the Second Cup.

4. Old Triangle. It's my second favourite pub. The Curry and Chips is amazing comfort food, and the sweet potato fries and dip are to die for.

5. Henry House. I love this place. Valerie mentioned it - they have the best fries in the city. Food/beer is delicious, and you can't beat the atmosphere. Plus, you can play darts! Servers are phenomenal, it's awesome.

6. Onyx. Very expensive, but soooo worth it for the food/service/ambience/wine. It's like one of those places you would only go once every couple of years.

7. Jane's on the Common. Great neighbourhood restaurant, high quality food, great atmosphere.

8. Hamachi House. My favourite place for sushi and all things Japanese.

9. Morris East. Great pizza, if you like thin crusts with gourmet toppings. The only issue is that it's borderline impossible to get a table.

10. Curry Village. I can't believe Valerie dissed CV. Never had a bad experience there, love the food, plus, it's cheap!! Can't beat it if you love Indian food.

I guess that's about it...I could go on!! A really affordable place in the neighbourhood that I tried for the first time the other day was Cousins. I had my doubts, but I had the most delicious lunch and it was a massive plate for 10 bucks. Totally awesome.

Okay, now I'm officially starving.

Is anyone else totally put off by this new run for cancer research being organized by the QE2 and the IWK? Someone called off the air and suggested it was taking away from the many other activities like Run for the Cure, Relay for Life, Terry Fox etc. As Rick mentioned, I went on the Terry Fox website and 87 per cent of funds raised go directly to cancer research, 3 per cent go to administration and 10 per cent to fundraising endeavors. This 50 per cent administration cost is, to me, scandalous.

God, I nearly lost it today listening to Moosehead Mike. How patronizing can you get? Gloria McCluskey is doing amazing things considering her age? What? No one would say that about Ron Russell, John McCain or someone like John Buchanan! How patronizing to say, wow, John Buchanan can still formulate a sentence at his age!! That just really bugged me, because it doesn't matter what age Gloria is, she's amazing!

I can't believe Rick hadn't heard the term "sea whistles" before. "Sea balloons" is another term that was introduced to me when I arrived in Halifax and was horrified that they dumped raw sewage directly into the Harbour. That's great that the "floatables" are few and far between and that the smell is improving. It's certainly a great achievement for which Mayor Kelly can base his re-election campaign, isn't it?

Well, lunchtime for me. Take care, be grateful for what you have and DON'T GLOAT.

Cheers,

Amber

Just when you think you've got it figured out...

2008-02-11T13:30:00.001-04:00

....several things happen to absolutely blindside you. We were faced with a barrage of news today, none of it any good. First of all, our condolences to the family of Gary Martin. I did not know Gary as well of some of us around here, but when I saw the name "Gary Martin" on my call sheet, I was extremely happy about it. He was a class act, a pleasure to deal with, very respectful and definitely got into politics for the right reasons. We will miss Gary so much, but admire his fighting spirit. Gary was on the show in early January, I gave him a hug as he left. R.I.P., Gary, you will not be forgotten.

The second story was the sudden shut down of the Daily News. It's an absolute bombshell and I feel so badly for the staff at the paper. I really liked the Daily News, I looked forward to reading it every day. My love of Rodenhiser's work is well-documented. I think he's a genius and it makes me so sad I may not read his column again. I loved HFX, looked forward to that every Thursday. This is truly frightening and I really hope we get Stephen Kimber or someone like that on to chat about this and the bigger implications of this. What a terrible start to the week for those employers. This Greg Lutes guy comes in an 2 weeks later, there is no Daily News? Plus, there's a news release trumpeting his new appointment to Publisher of this new Metro daily thing. Sickening. The employees were busy putting out a paper, while their bosses were undermining their firings. You'd be surpised by how often this happens.

The third thing that depressed the heck out of everyone today is the weekend discovery of the body of a young female on the South Shore. CKBW reporter Sheldon McLeod pretty much summed it up for us that if it's not Karissa Boudreau, everyone is going to be very surprised.

God, this is a lot of news, but like I said, none of it good.

Give us a call tomorrow...hopefully we'll have some answers for you on if you're getting back the money for your subscriptions, etc. Don't bother calling 444-4444 - they shut down that line this morning.

Talk to you tomorrow...(I hope)

Amber

Mutual admiration society

2008-02-08T16:35:00.000-04:00

I felt like I was at a meeting of it starting at 12:30 today when Rick and Elizabeth May were telling each other that they were each other's favourite people! I wanted to get in on it too...because they are both two of my favourite people! (Rick reads this, I have to suck up).

I love listening to Elizabeth May. No matter how her words get twisted by the Conservatives, she just makes so much sense, doesn't speak in the cliched jargon we've all become so familiar wish. She truly cares, it's obvious if you talk to her for 10 seconds. She's awesome and I hope she beats Benedict Mackay. I don't know if Rick remembers, but he made a bet with someone who e-mailed him, Earl, and promised to sing something if Elizabeth May loses. I can't remember the details though.....

We had two Tories on during hour number one, but after that, people just kept calling and talking about DD, Darrell Dexter, that is. They lauded his character, the job he's doing, how he does it, etc. There was an article in the paper today about the Premier being filled with confidence. Well, it's one thing to have your colleagues think you're doing a bang-up job, but that's not what counts. Rick thinks we have an election coming this spring, so we'll see what the people say about the Premier. What gets me is that the Premier never seems to be sincere. He is always photographed with this smirk/smile on his face that I find very disconcerting.

Can you believe this Karissa Boudreau story in Bridgewater? She's been gone for almost 2 weeks. Where is she? What happened to her? Apparently there's going to be a prayer vigil at the Salvation Army in Bridgewater on Sunday night. It's a devestating story, I pray that there will be a happy ending.

We spoke to Mel Boutilier again today from the Parker Street Food and Furniture Bank and he's at his wit's end. He cares so much, but doesn't have the means to help these people....and I'm talking seniors who can't afford to heat their homes. If you can help...give them a call:

453-2498 or 425-2125. Every little bit helps.

This has been a week for fired-up politicians. Yesterday the Mayor and today, Brooke Taylor. He was ready to rumble on all the issues today! I had to shake my head when he was talking about looking at lifting the moratorium on uranium mining though. After they left, and they are two pretty decent guys, someone called and asked me to tell them what those two guys were smokin'! It was pretty funny.

Well...the weekend is here. I was chatting with Cindy Day and she says we could get 15 cms or so.....and it may not change to rain on Sunday. 30-40 cms in New Brunswick! It seems one Maritime province gets it worse than the others each year and it's definitely NB's turn.

Have a great weekend...chat with you Monday.

Cheers,

Amber

I love sushi!

2008-02-07T13:57:00.000-04:00

Apparently, Rick doesn't. Rick took total issue with the fact some of us like to eat raw fish. Spicy tuna roll, Rick - you must try it, it's so unbelievably delicious. It's why we have to protect our oceans so that we can continue to eat delicious, fresh sushi for years to come! I'm jealous of Mayor Peter Kelly, who got to go to Japan and eat delicious sushi all day, every day! The Mayor was kind of losing it at the end of the show, I loved seeing him get a little fired up! He's always so calm and we all know, it's impossible to be calm and chipper 24-7! I don't think it's healthy, you have to blow off some steam once in a while.

I don't know about you, but I am so excited about the prospect of a new library in downtown Halifax! I think it's definitely something the city needs. Have you been downtown? It's so old and the bathrooms - I don't think I've ever had a worse bathroom experience than using the bathroom at the downtown library. Some of the suggestions are so interesting though - a wine bar! Wine and books - what a wonderful combination! Seriously, they could rent out space to a restaurant, cafe, art space, have the library there. The library in Seattle is so amazing, it's a tourist attraction - something our library could be too!

http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Seattle_Public_Library.html

You know, before I had my car I didn't care about potholes. I heard the complaints, but never thought twice about it. Now that I have my car - MY GOD! Potholes in this city are totally out of control!! In the past week it's seem like the number of them has quadrupled or something! The Mayor says they are patching them up, but you've got to call them in - 490-4000. I think I'm going to call one in after I'm done writing. North Street, right before Gottigen on the right hand side near the curb...it's a virtual festival of pot holes waiting to take down your car! Also on Mic Mac Blvd going to and from Mic Mac Mall - it's like you have to drive an obstacle course to avoid them!

Rick had a good suggestion today - you should be able to bring your own bags to the grocery store....or they should give you paper! I was reading in the paper too about biodegrable bags you can buy to pick up your dog crap too, so that solves one problem with no plastic bags. Also, caller Michelle suggested going back to garbage bins instead of bags, citing the fact we use green bins without issue. There are ways, we just have to think outside the box a little bit!

Well, it's lunchtime for me. I hope you have a great day and I'll chat with you tomorrow! I can't believe how quickly the week has gone by.

Cheers,

Amber

You're fired.

2008-02-06T13:14:00.000-04:00

That's what we may have the opportunity to say to Stephen Harper in just a short month. He's bringing the conditional extention of the mission in Afghanistan to Parliament for a confidence vote. Yikes! I'm remembering what Debbie Young said earlier this year. She said there would be an election this year and that there would be another minority government with Harper at the helm. Although I'm no fan of Stephen Harper, I'm especially not a fan of Stephane Dion. If I saw him at a coffee shop and just chatted with him as a person, I think he'd be exceedingly pleasant, but I just don't get that Prime-Ministerial vibe from him. I don't think Harper has it either - he's just a complete and utter megalomaniac! I do get it from Ignatieff, I so wish he would have won the Liberal leadership. I think the MPs here in Metro are pretty safe though, don't you? Anyone you want to see gone? Anyone you see think may call it a day?

That's a pretty crazy story about the Metro Transit driver going berserk, eh? I know the person it happened too, and trust me, it's not someone that goes out and looks for confrontation, that's for sure. I've had great experiences with bus drivers and horrible ones. I've had bus drivers stop while I made a mad dash for the bus - that is so much appreciated. However, when I used to live in Dartmouth, there was one driver who went for a bathroom break and a coffee at the Sportsplex every time we were about to get on the bus. In minus 20 degree weather, he wouldn't let us on the bus before he made his little sojourn. My boyfriend complained about it - never got any result. Today, I discovered why! A retired driver called me off the air telling me that if a supervisor called a driver about an incident, if you said "I don't recall that", it was pretty much over and the inspector would send an e-mail like, "Your concerns mean a lot to us, blah blah blah". I do empathize with drivers though. As Barry said, driving in Halifax is stressful enough without having to do it for 8-12 hours straight...and on a schedule!!

So, Rick's going to be a guest on Mayor Kelly's show on Eastlink TV today! It will air tomorrow, Rick thinks around 7 o' clock - check your local listings!! I can't wait to see how Mayor Kelly does as a talk show host! Depending on what happens tonight, tomorrow's show should be interesting - the Mayor will be taking your calls during hour number 2.

This story about the animal abuse in Cape Breton by a rescue group of all things, is so disturbing!!! I want to help the SPCA out - I think I may drop off some non-clumping cat litter tomorrow. They are in desperate need of it and money to buy more cat kennels. Can you imagine? They are already at capacity and now they have to find a way to care for 75 cats and 27 dogs? Apparently, they have 14 foster homes for the dogs, so that's cool, but these poor volunteers are trying to do the best they can. If you can help, call 835-4798.

Cindy Day must be happy - the snow continues to fall in Metro this hour! In fact, they're calling for snow this afternoon, tonight, tomorrow, flurries on Friday and then periods of snow for Sunday. Enjoy!

Well, have a great one....talk to you tomorrow!

Cheers,

Amber

Fat and Super Tuesday

2008-02-05T13:07:00.000-04:00

Yes, lots going on this Tuesday. Jim mentioned that we seem to know more about the American presidential race than what's going on in our country. I think that is definitely true, but I also agree with Rick when he was talking about how incredibly exciting and history making the race in the States is right now!

We know John McCain pretty much has it wrapped up for the Republicans. I like John McCain, I think he's pretty far left on a lot of topics - he's not a complete nutjob like Mike Huckabee. But on the Democratic side - look at the choices! A black man or a woman who could be president - it's absolutely incredible! I think whichever way it goes, a Clinton/Obama or an Obama/Clinton ticket would be outstanding. That is, if their fierce debates haven't gotten too personal and soured one against the other. I'm so excited - Norman Spector in front of the Commons Ethics Committee today and Super Tuesday results tonight - it's a great day to be a political junkie!!

Jeez, pretty scary advice from Gary McLeod today, one of the members of the Association for the Care of the Elderly: "Don't get old, don't die". The horror stories we've been hearing for the past couple of weeks have been totally disturbing. Nothing's going to change though unless the Health Minister and politicians actually admit there is a problem!!

This Natural Gas thing is bugging me! Delores called me off the air when Rick was speaking to the president of Heritage Gas and essentially said she would never get natural gas because her house will probably blow up and would even cause another Halifax Explosion. I calmly told her (or maybe not too calmly!) that there's a very good reason Ontario hasn't blown up yet, because it's a safe form of energy. I told Delores if you threw a match in an oil tank that would cause an explosion too.

http://www.uniongas.com/aboutus/safety/safefuel.asp

It's cheaper and more energy efficient - what's not to love? Plus, people heat their homes with propane for pete's sake - I'm no chemist, but I'm fairly certain propane is pretty high up there on the explosive meter!!!

Guess what? It's an all open show tomorrow, so you can talk about natural gas, litter, 4A and much more - it's all yours tomorrow from 10-1.

Thanks for the calls today - chat with you tomorrow!

Amber

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands

2008-02-04T13:21:00.000-04:00

Weird title, you might be saying.

Well, Bill Deagle claims she's one of the big players in the conspiracy world, so there you go! Who knew people in the Netherlands wielded so much power? It was an interesting hour with Dr. Deagle who brought his conspiracy talk and so much more into the studio today. Don't forget, you can listen to his show by clicking on his website: www.nutrimedical.com and I'm sure Rick will have the good doctor in again soon. His appearances generate so many different calls from Don who out and out said he was a nut job today, to Delores and Ray, who defended him and seem to be on the bandwagon. Delores keeps telling me I have to watch Loose Change, the 9-11 documentary on the internet. Deagle has a phone number too: 1-888-212-8871. Apparently there is a local group that gets together once a month to talk about this messed up world, watch movies, talk about new books etc. You can hang with the Deagle! Make it happen..and then call us and tell us about it!

I want to give kudos to someone Rick has slammed lately - Judge Pam Williams. I wonder if she heard Rick's promise last week to unleash the full power of the Hotline audience on her if she just gave the girls a slap on the wrist. Then, maybe she read Martello Tower in the Chronicle-Herald today and then decided to ignore what both lawyers wanted. Seriously, a year in jail for both these girls was the verdict handed down today. It may not seem like a lot, but it does go above and beyond what the lawyers were recommending and that's something. I'm so curious to see how these girls reacted. I have a feeling we'll get a glimpse into how "sincere" the letters of apology were which were read at last week's hearing. I hope this verdict gives the woman who was beaten a little piece of mind.

It's a topic that is one of Rick's favourites, but something that has been dormant lately - until today. The topic of litter came back! It doesn't surprise me that a lot of people in Halifax litter. I see so many people spitting all over the place. If you can spit without feeling any shame at all, of course you're going to litter! I was just walking behind someone on Bell Rd. yesterday afternoon heading downtown and this classy gentlemen alternated between taking drags on his cigarette and then spitting. It was delightful, let me tell you. Speaking of actual material litter, I remember last year walking behind an elderly couple and the lady biffed her coffee cup right on the front lawn of a house on Robie Street. Another time last summer, my boyfriend and I were walking by a coffee shop in our neighbourhood and this guy was sitting in his car (while it was idling) drinking his coffee. He was less than 3 feet away from a garbage can and he tossed it out the window. We just stopped and stared at him because we were in so much shock. He sighed, got out of the car and put in the bin. I mean, we're so incredibly lucky that we have garbage pick-up and we just put it in a bag and someone comes and takes it away for us! We're not in a third world country where you would have to burn it yourself or just throw in on the ground. It's unreal - I'm with Rick, when I see someone littering it really aggravates me. He's so right - why should we have to go cleaning up the community? If we didn't litter, there wouldn't be an issue. That being said, I don't know how many times I've gone to put garbage into a bin downtown or something and it's completely overflowing! So, in that respect, the city has a role to play too. Anyway, I wonder if that nun is still fighting the cause. Remember she got mad at Rick for blaming the Mayor for Halifax being a dirty city? It's pretty hard to make a nun mad at you, but hey, it's Rick Howe after all!

Anyway....it's a nice, bright, sunny Monday - let's keep that in mind given that we are getting snow tomorrow!

We're going to be talking health care during hour number 2 - specifically about the unit 4A in the VG.

Have a great day!

Cheers,

Amber

Rick's big spread

2008-02-01T14:37:00.000-04:00

That had many different connotations today...if you were listening!

It was great to have Harv Stewart on the show today for a sports hour. They wanted Cecil in as well, but he was headed to PEI. I love the banter between Rick, Harv and Cecil. I just sat back and chuckled to myself. As for what my prediction is on who will win? I don't have one - I could care less about football! I'll go for whatever team helps Rick win money. That way he'll be in a good mood and won't abuse me like he normally does. Ha! For those who do care, kickoff is at 7:17 Atlantic time and man, the commercial prices were even more out of control this year. I had a story earlier in the week that a 30 second spot cost 2.7 million dollars!

On to more serious topics, don't you find it disconcerting what caller Paul pointed out near the end of the show? The conditions in JAILS are better than at unit 4A of the V-G. Now, apparently Health Minister Chris D'Entremont went to the V-G yesterday to check it out and apparently said he would have no problem having his mom stay in the unit! Interesting. On a sadder not, Ruth Russell died. She's the woman who had brain cancer, whose daughters spoke out last week with Liberal MLA Keith Colwell. Our condolences to the family of Ruth Russell and thanks to them for bringing this issue forward. We won't drop it until something changes!

We spoke to Margaret again today about her husband. He's doing a bit better in the hospital after what went down on Tuesday at the Cobequid Health Centre. I was talking to Rick about this - Margaret gives us a rough estimate when she got there - between 9:45-9:55. She's estimating. But, 3 independent sources at the hospital say they got there at 10:25 exactly? Doesn't that just seem too perfect? I'm with Rick on this one. Either or, he should have been treated there. Reminds of the last Seinfeld episode. Jeez, the security guard probably would have been charged with violating the good samaritan law in the states had this occured there.

Well, time to wrap it up for another week. Thanks to the Rodenhiser for another wicked hour - he'll be away next week, but we'll welcome him back Feb 15th. Is it just me or is 2008 already flying by at warp speed? It frightens me.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Cheers,

Amber

Rats vs. Chickens

2008-01-31T14:12:00.000-04:00

I'll have to agree with Duffy on this one. Even though I have no issue with Louise Hanavan's chickens, if I did start seeing rats around on my property, I would definitely have to support the chickens going back to Old MacDonald's. Seriously, everyone says "this is a port city, we have rats"...it doesn't mean we have to help exacerbate the problem!

Great hour with Peter Duffy, or as Delores called him: "the old goat". Another hilarious moniker we heard today was from our first called, David, who called councillors "Pickleheads". I don't necessarily agree with that, but believe me, "picklehead" has been seared into the vernacular.

Lots of talk today about Duffy turning 65....and if he lives as long as the average Nova Scotian man, he has 18 point 3 more years to go. That really puts it into perspective, doesn't it? I think Rick is thinking a little more about this, and hopefully he will go to the doctor to get checked out. I can't say I blame him. Ignorance is bliss, but then as Duffy said, "What you don't know WILL kill you". It is scary to get older, no one wants to deal with all these ailments and diseases that could strike, it's so depressing!! Bill Casey urged everyone to get checked out yesterday because he didn't have any symptoms for his prostate cancer. That's a case where he was feeling fine and if he didn't have that test, chances are it could have spread and he might not have survived. He' having his surgery today, let's hope everything goes well!

On a lighter note, Sandy called to tell us about her husband, who kind of sounds like Mr. Bean! He lost his teeth (partials) and blamed Sandy for it, but now they think the dog might have taken his teeth and put them on the living room floor. It was the most hysterical call - good luck to your husband, Sandy! Life without teeth would be, well, interesting.

I meant to write about Bruce Devenne's new website yesterday. It's www.nshospitals.com. Bruce is on the warpath after his wife got some pretty shoddy treatment in the system for a wrist injury. Bruce is one of the most determined people I've ever met, so if he's going after the health care system, I really believe something could change. Go get 'em Bruce! (and call us more so we can play your special song!)

Have you noticed that it's always nice on Thursdays? I've noticed this since 2008 - Thursdays are guaranteed sunny days, and there's always some sort of disturbance on Friday - flurries and ice pellets are expected to accumulate tomorrow - fun!

Have a great one - Rodenhiser in tomorrow!

Cheers,

Amber

Good lord.

2008-01-30T14:33:00.000-04:00

Hearing all these stories from people in the hospital system here in Halifax was very disconcerting today. I was actually getting terrified to get sick! Poor Bill Casey! Here he is about to have surgery on Thursday and he gets slotted in between 2 nightmarish calls about the system. Bill, take care and we are praying for you to have a speedy recovery!!

If you have a hospital nightmare, please call us tomorrow and share it with us, as painful as it might be. A lady called us today, saying her mom took a fall, got checked out at Cobequid and died the next morning! I felt so sad for her and she's consulted a lawyer about that case! The case with Margaret and her husband having the heart attack - so sad. He's in critical condition in hospital. Now Margaret said she was there at quarter to 10, but apparently the security guard says she showed up at 10:25. I'm sure we will continue talking about this story right through the end of the week.

Good hour with the Ecology Action Centre today. You have to admire their drive and they cover every environmental issue known to man! It's funny that the chicken issue has mobilized Haligonians so much - and given the EAC some great publicity! You can log onto their website: www.ecologyaction.ca or give them a call at: 429-2202.

Speaking of Louise Hanavan, she gets to keep her chickens for another month. Sheila Fougere is taking the issue to community council on Feb. 11th, so stay tuned - more on the chickens still to come!

Anyway, this afternoon is totally getting away from me. Have a good afternoon and stay safe!

Cheers,

Amber

Mortimer flies away

2008-01-29T13:32:00.000-04:00

Turns out Clifford the eagle wasn't even named Clifford! It was some sort of mix-up as the "Hope for Wildlife Society" has a bobcat named Clifford. Rick suggested we call the eagle "Mortimer", so there you go! Great picture on the front of the Chronicle-Herald today with Hope Swinimer. You can check out their website at: http://www.hopeforwildlife.net/ They have some neat events coming up, so check it out!

Hey, I want to wish Peter Duffy a very happy birthday today! On the opposite end of the spectrum, it's also my niece's birthday in Ontario. Happy Birthday Brooklyn! She's 3 years old today and I must say, the cutest kid in the world!

I'm certainly looking forward to Monday, when Pam Williams will release her decision about the 15-year old gir and the 16-year old girl involved in the beating of the women with the metal table legs. Rick has warned that Judge Pam Williams will face the full wrath of the Hotline audience if the girls are allowed to walk. I nearly cried listening to Rick reading the woman's victim impact statement. Will a long stay at Waterville rehabilitate these girls? I doubt it, that's the sad part - these girls are done. If they do manage to turn their lives around, it will be a miracle.

Hey, did you hear Bill Estabrooks slam his colleague Leonard Preyra today? Bill covered up for it pretty well though, but it was hilarious. Bill was talking about the very concilliatory relationship he had with John Hamm and with Jane Purves and admitted to missing working with Jane Purves. The only issue? Leonard, his fellow NDP-er, took her seat! Oops!! I have to give Bill props for a line that could go in for Sarcastic Line of the Week, when he said "I know Rodney MacDonald is a regular on your show". Very dry, Bill and well delivered.

This tax on funeral thing is something that comes up every now and again. It's one final slap in the face, isn't it? Your loved one dies and you're paying hundreds of dollars in tax on top of the funeral costs. Unreal!

Well, it was a fun show today, thank you so much for your calls!

Talk to you tomorrow!

Cheers,

Amber

Depressing.....

2008-01-28T13:27:00.000-04:00

I find the rain so depressing, along with talk about these deplorable conditions in the V-G's transitional unit - so sad and unnecessary.

We don't live in dirt shacks, so I don't know what the excuse is. I know the V-G is an old building, but some of what Sharon Dykeman told us about was just plain gross. She has no qualm with the level of her her mother is receiving, but she doesn't want her mom waiting for a nursing home bed in a dirty place where she has to swat flies away from her bed! That isn't sanitary! A restaurant that smelled like urine and had a fly infestation would be cited, and possibly closed until it was cleaned up (we hope). This is bloody ridiculous! A couple of callers suggested admistrative cutbacks to the cleaning staff could be to blame, making the workers clean more with less time. Certainly sounds like that could be an issue.

I'm going to listen back to the Chris D'Entremont interview from earlier this week. I'm going to put the clips in the audio list and maybe Rick will play them tomorrow. Then maybe we can launch a phone assault asking the minister to simply to what he promised...is that too much to ask?

The other big topic on the show was KFC not delivering to Uniacke Square. I appreciate Dawn's letter, she has to stick up for her constituents, that's what she's paid to do. I really want to believe things are improving over there and if they are, I give Dawn a lot of credit, along with the police and the residents. KFC shouldn't be singled out though, I'd like a list of who doesn't deliver to the area. It's very sad, that a few bad apples have to spoil it for the rest of the community. Good luck with this one, Dawn!

On that note, I should start writing and listening to that D' Entremont interview!

Stay dry!

Amber

P.S. Man, I miss Jerry Blumenthal.

It's cluckin' crazy

2008-01-25T13:53:00.000-04:00

Thanks for the Rodenhiser for today's title! This chicken thing has really taken on a life of its own, today was a great show, thanks for all the calls and apologies to those left on hold!

A lot of interesting callers off the air today too. One asked how the city can get away with having swans at the Public Gardens under this by-law? Hmm..good question! Another wanted me to tell Rick he'd be surprised by the number of people with chickens out in Fall River. Another said he lived outside of Dartmouth and went through hell living next to a lady with chickens, said he had chicken crap all over his property and he wasn't impressed at all. Turns out, the chickens were killed by other animals and now he has turkeys, so that guy can't win! Only Blair and Sheila Fougere have expressed opposition to it. Rick, or the "evil man" as Rodenhiser called him today, gave out Fougere's cell phone number to have people call to "save the chickens". Apparently, she was a good sport about it and answered most of the calls and was very friendly. I'll have to hear from Rick on Monday whether or not she left an angry message on his answering machine or not!

I meant to tell Rick this but two people, including Gail Rice, phoned to tell us the name of the street where the chickens live is exactly the way it's pronounced "Edinburgh" with a hard "g" at the end. I've called it Edinburgh, like the city in Scotland, Edin-borough. I'm not sure which is right, but since there were only 2 people who called in, I'm sticking with the way Rick and I pronounce it!

I want to give my weekly sarcasm award this week to Blair Beed. Blair called to talk about the chickens today and I just about fell out of my chair laughing when he was talking about the benefits of having chickens (sarcastically, of course) and ended with "It's just terrific!" Great inflection, great timing, Blair, you really cracked me up.

Not to end the week on a downer, but the conditions at the transitional unit at the VG sound absolutely abhorrent. Sewer flies? Chris D' Entremont better get his derriere there soon, or the Premier has yet another scandal on his hands.

Well, this week went by in a complete and total flash. Thanks for all the calls and your patience today, it is very much appreciated.

Have a great weekend!

Amber

It's 8:41

2008-01-24T13:24:00.000-04:00

Rick was having some issues with his time checks today....either he was 2 hours ahead or 2 hours behind! It was funny......one of many things that made me laugh today. I was just thinking about how lucky I am. They actually pay me to listen to the Hotline! It's the best job in the world and I'm so grateful to have it.

The chickens were a big topic on the ol' show today. Louise Hanavan says she will be sending her chickens to Bridgewater because she can't afford to shell out money for a fine that could reach up to 10, 000 dollars! So...she's going to say good bye to fresh omelettes and Bernadette, Captain Crochet and Chicken at the end of the month.

Caller David was kind of frothed up today, wasn't he? He was angry because a gas station on the Hammonds Plains road wouldn't take American money. Although I agreed with Rick that it was a bad business decision, I can't fault the business. We live in Canada and deal in Canadian currency. If they don't want the hassle of having to change the money over, it's their business, bottom line.

I was pleased to hear about an appeal being launched on behalf of Robert Latimer. He's served his time; it's time for him to be released. Someone called last week to put it in perspective. They let Michael Robichaud out of jail last summer, a man who TOLD the parole board he would reoffend. 10 days later, he raped a Dartmouth gas station attendant and left her to die with a slashed throat. Yet, Robert Latimer, who I'm sure we can all agree poses no harm to anyone, languishes in jail. It's wrong.

Rick mentioned today that the feds keep talking about how they "can't govern by polls" in terms of making decisions about tough issues like Afghanistan. But isn't this a government who spent 30 million dollars on polls alone last year? When it comes to being hypocritical, the Harper Conservatives are the absolute worst.

Thanks so much to e-mailer Michael for such an astute observation in regards to this battle about a traffic signal near the Mount. He wrote that we had no problem connecting Nova Scotia to PEI, can we not span the Bedford Highway? Great e-mail, Michael, loved it.

Question (said a la Dwight Schrute from The Office) - Since when is not tendering a contract an "innocent oversight"? Isn't a typo an innocent oversight? Richard had a great line looking at one of the bureaucrats on the front of the Mail-Star this morning: "I looked at that picture and I had put on a sweater!!" She looks very...um...no nonsense.

Rick threw out the question - how can we increase voter turnout? Well, I'll tell you what works around this radio station: free food.

On that note - enjoy this sunny Thursday!!

Rodenhiser is in tomorrow...looking forward to that!

Cheers!

Amber

Ahhh, Mr. Leahy

2008-01-23T14:12:00.000-04:00

I know Rick isn't a Trailer Park Boys fan, but I love the show and it was great when John Dunsworth got into his character a little bit during the last segment of the show. He's absolutely hysterical and I loved his line about how he's a member of the "Canadian iconography". Ha! He had some very nice things to say about Ellen Page, who is awesome in Juno - you've got to see it! Great film, her performance is so realistic and refreshing!

I shake my head sometimes at what mobilizes the listenership - it's your show though, so anything goes. We talked to the lady with chickens in her central Halifax home and only a couple of callers were really against it. Chickens are not mentioned specifiically in the by-law, so they are illegal, so say city staffers. Steve Adams is totally against it, whereas Krista Snow didn't really seem to care one way or the other. Something tells me the week will be filled with poultry-related talk. Stay tuned!

What the heck is up with Debbie Hum? You've got to read parts of this news release, it's out of control.

Here's a sample:

"Comments like this only serve to jeopardize the integrity of theprocess, as well as my personal integrity as Councillor for the Districtin which this intersection is located. I am deeply offended that theMayor would take this approach," Councillor Hum said. "The reason theTraffic Authority, who is appointed by the Province, approves crosswalksignalization and traffic signals-- and not Regional Council-- is to keep politics out of these decisions."

Her personal integrity is suffering because the Mayor joined her cause? If these are the kind of cheap shots Citizens for Halifax have been forced to take, it's not going to do much to sway the populace from voting for the Mayor - more like turn them into Kelly supporters, as they watch him take this useless political crap from people who obviously can't work as a team. Most people and politicians in this province work together to help make each other make money. Peter Kelly is taking heat from the people who would have stood to benefit from the Commonwealth Games. Kelly didn't play the game, so he's getting attacked by the very people who, for once, didn't get exactly what they wanted from the game. For that reason, Kelly deserves our votes because he truly did what was best for the common citizen and didn't line the pockets of those who thought they were "in". Too bad, so sad as Rick likes to say.

Keep up the political attacks; they are only helping Kelly take even more of the popular vote come this fall.

A very busy day today....we had some computer issues in the third hour which is why you didn't hear any music!! Everything should be back tomorrow. We're hoping Bruce calls again so we can play our "Don't bring me down" song! An hour on the democratic process tomorrow during hour number 2 - don't miss it!

Oh, before I go, can you believe this drama with the N.S. Green party? Ken McGowan, Beverly Woodfield and another guy stepped down because of an internal dispute and Elizabeth May is taking some heat for it! We'll get the scoop from her Friday - she's scheduled to be on the phone with Rick. Ah, the drama never stops does it? Makes for a good show!

R.I.P.Heath Ledger. Great actor, but obviously a troubled guy. Brokeback Mountain is an incredible movie, and the new Batman movie he's in this summer looks awesome as well. Only 28 years old....very, very sad. Although I think the story is sad, I can't believe some "news" organizations led with it! Give me a break!

Have an excellent day!

Cheers,

Amber

Bullfeathers

2008-01-22T13:04:00.001-04:00

That's the clever way e-mailer John tried to get across his point about Rick's anti-smoking stance today. We're getting a lot of callers taking umbrage with Rick's hardline stance. Keep the calls coming - it's great, I love it when Rick gets fired up!

Let me just say that for our Hotline Nova Scotian of the Year - I voted for Tina Chaulk. She has so much strength; she is so classy and I admire her so much. She's continuing to fight for safer crosswalks 2 years after her daughter's death. She's tired of the politicians studying studies and not taking definitive action. I agree with her 100% that the action of running someone down in a crosswalk needs to be further criminalized. A fine of 387.50 is absolutely ridiculous. I'm fairly certain during the last session of the legislature that they raised the fine for "failing to yield in a crosswalk" to a thousand dollars, but still no points, no insurance deductions - no criminal charges. I'm with Rick on this one too, in terms of having red lights at overhead crosswalks instead of amber lights. Red lights are ingrained into us to STOP! It makes so much sense, probably why the government isn't doing anything about it.

So, we had Health Minister Chris D'Entremont in the studio during hour number two today. It seems like we've had a lot of Tories on the show this year - I guess the directive for them not to come on the show has been lifted?? Anyway, we received a lot of calls, some about deplorable conditions in hospitals which is truly shocking to hear. D'Entremont says he's going to check it out himself, so we'll see what happens!

Were you shocked about the acquittal of the boy who was driving the S-U-V that struck and killed Demetrious Bravakis last year on Lacewood Drive? I'm stunned. I'm planning to do some hardcore googling this afternoon about Pam Williams decisions, hoping to find a pattern. Unbelievable. Another teen goes unpunished for his actions.

Anyway, it's snowing quite hard right now! Good luck surviving this latest winter storm!

Cheers,

Amber

Don't bring me down.....BRUCE!

2008-01-21T13:44:00.000-04:00

Hello!

It's always great to start off the week with a good show, I feel as though it bodes well for the week ahead!

Hey...you might get to catch a peek of Rick on CTV News tonight. A crew was in taking pictures of Steve Streach about his idea to take the 15-passenger vans off the road. Check it out!

So, a listener called me off the air that he nearly died laughing after we played our new song for Bruce - "Don't bring me down". I admit, it was classic and expertly timed on Rick's part. Rick keeps asking why he, the host, doesn't have a song. We'll have to work on one for him too!

Those of us without breathing problems sure take it for granted, don't we? You always think about cigarette smoke causing people to cough and aggravating breathing disorders, but I never thought about smoke from wood stoves.

Check out this link:

http://www.city.pg.bc.ca/city_services/utilities/airquality/woodstove/

You have to think about the particulate matter being released into the air as well - not pleasant. Someone else called about people wearing too much cologne or perfume - I agree...that is extremely aggravating. That being said, I would much rather smell cologne that B.O. I've always wondered why B.O. isn't mentioned in any scent free policy. Why do we ban good smells and we can't ban the bad ones? There's nothing worse than sitting on the bus next to someone who hasn't showered in 4 weeks. Disgusting.

Rick is very anti-smoker, isn't he? I agree with him to a point. It's just that smoking is legal, so to ban it in so many places doesn't deal with the real issue of the government being totally hypocritical.

Speaking of Rick, what a romantic. Bob calls us to tell us he and his wife Jean just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and he tells us he wants 50 more years with his wife and Rick openly questions his sanity?? Heart of gold, that one....

It's so deceiving outside, as it looks sunny and warm, but with the windchill it feels like minus 29!!!! Bundle up!

Talk to you tomorrow - Health Minister Chris D' Entremont will be in!

Cheers,

Amber

Love tap

2008-01-18T13:29:00.000-04:00

That's what Rick wanted to give to the Premier after a glib response about getting a stat holiday in February. The Premier said "Every day is family day". Whatever.

I really have to tip my hat to the Nova Scotia Liberals. They haven't had a misstep in a long time. Diana Whalen is so strong, says all the right things and they don't sound rehearsed, she's such an asset to the party. Steven MacNeil impressed me when he was in a couple of weeks ago, Dave Wilson, the health critic is strong, as is Leo Glavine, doing his best to get the head of the Atlantic Lottery Corp fired and sticking up for hog farmers at the same time! I think the NDP will have another minority government in the next provincial election with the Liberals as the opposition.

Another classic column from Rodenhiser today; to summarize, he says we paid a B-C based company a million dollars to tell us what we already knew. Another stellar move by the provincial government! As Rodenhiser said earlier this week, we did know what the problems were. Someone named "John Hamm" outlined them for us a few years ago. Hell, you could have listened to the Hotline for free and been schooled on what was up. Don't you just want to scream?

Next week should be interesting. Rick says the Manley report on Afghanistan will be out. I'll be interested in seeing how big a role Pamela Wallin played in deciding the future of the mission!

I have to give it up to Health Minister Chris D'Entremont for something he said today that was so bang on. He says we are a society of high expectations, we demand a pizza in 30 minutes, we don't have the patience for much anymore. It's so true. I'm the worst offender. If my internet doesn't load fast enough, I'm just like, screaming at my computer!!!!! That doesn't mean that 8 hour wait times in the ERs are okay, but I agree with him that we are an impatient lot.

Don't you love how Rick has started shortening "Benedict MacKay" to "Bennie MacKay"?

Caller Harvey made an interesting point to me off the air today. He says no one is talking about the driver of the transport truck in the Bathurst tragedy. He says he used to be a trucker and he had a fatal accident before and he went through hell. All we heard about the truck driver is that he "wasn't injured". I can only imagine how he must be feeling too - absolutely devestated.

Well, it looks like it's mainly raining outside right now....the snow, in Halifax, is over. I hope you have a great weekend! We have 2 city councillors in on Monday, it's always interesting when they come in!

Cheers!

Amber

Donations

2008-01-17T14:32:00.000-04:00

I forget to put this in my post today. If you want to make a donation to the Jennifer Horne trust fund, send it here:

(Cheque or Money order)

A. Mark David QC (noting it's for the Jennifer Horne Trust fund)
P.O. Box #51028
RPO Rockingham Ridge
Halifax, NS B3M 4R8

The full meal deal

2008-01-17T13:38:00.000-04:00

I told the doctors after the hour about organ donation that I'm glad I am a donor, or else I'd feel so guilty! Some startling stats came out of that hour.

In Nova Scotia there are:

25-50 people waiting for a new liver
200 people waiting for kidneys
15 people waiting for new hearts
7 people waiting for a new pancreas

It kind of makes you want to eat right and take care of yourself, doesn't it? Imagine how helpless it feels waiting for an organ? As the doctors clearly reiterated today, the amount of donors they get is so incredibly small because you have to essentially be brain dead before they could take your organs from you, given that you've said you wanted to be a donor. They said it's so important to make sure it's on your MSI card that you want to be a donor and that your loved ones know that is your desire. He says there have been times when the family members haven't known and made a bit of an issue about it. As he says, it's an unbelievable gift and they said it gives families great comfort to know their loved one is helping others live on. Here a list of myths the doctors helped us clear up today:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/organ-donation/FL00077

If you haven't signed your card - why not? Call us tomorrow or leave the comments at the end of the post, I'd love to know. The first part of the hour focused on Health Canada's decision to ban gay men from donating organs. I'm so glad the medical community is speaking out about this decision - it's purely homophobic, they would test a "gay" organ just like they would a "straight" one. Unreal.

Janet Hazelton from the Nova Scotia Nurses Union dropped a bombshell today - some nurses in Saskatchewan are getting 100-thousand dollar signing bonuses! I tried to find an article on the net to support that, but I couldn't. No wonder no one is staying in N.S.!

What the hell is Robert Gates smoking? I think he got "Southern Afghanistan" and "Iraq" confused. As if Peter MacKay and Stephen Harper are defending him after he stone cold slammed us. I freaked when I read what he said yesterday, it's untrue and coming from someone who has a much bigger mess on his hands, you just want to tell him to back off.

This week has gone by so fast, I cannot believe it's Freitag tomorrow. Anyway, the Rodenhiser will be in for another fun-filled hour!

Talk to you then!

Amber

Moment of Silence

2008-01-16T13:32:00.000-04:00

I'm really glad we took that wee bit of time right after the 12 o' clock news to honour the victims of the Bathurst tragedy, thanks to David for the suggestion, it was a good one. It's a small gesture, but indicative of how everyone is feeling, helpless, in dealing with this difficult situation. It's nice to hear the town rallying behind the coach, and the support everyone is giving to the families of the boys who died. As Rick mentioned, there's a Beth Lord Memorial Scholarship Fund that has been set up. You can donate at any CIBC branch, if you're so inclined. Sad story all around, still pretty bummed about it.

It was great to have Steve Irving in studio with us during hour number 2. He's the acting spokesperson for the Guardian Angels in Halifax and says they will be starting their self-defence training this Saturday at Linda Mosher's dojo. I told Steve after the show he's like a Zen master, totally chill, totally calm. He's looking for similar people to be Guardian Angels, they aren't looking for people like Dexter (have you seen that show??) to patrol the streets, just normal people who if they spot trouble, will make themselves known, and will call the police! He says the Guardian Angels act as visual deterrents. If it can work in New York City, I say at least give it a chance here in Halifax. As for people put off by Curtis Sliwa's talk, good lord, he's an entertainer! He's New Yorker and a morning talk show host, it's a schtick. As Steve says, he's a nice guy, a smart guy with a good head on his shoulders. Yeah, he might talk tough about criminals, he was SHOT by the mafia and survived, I might be a little bitter about that too!!! Good luck to Steve and everyone else who signed up.

One of the e-mails Rick read aloud today was awesome - about the twinning of the highways. One of my friends spun out on the 101 (twinned part) over the Christmas holidays. If she wasn't on a divided highway, she would have died. Being on a highway with 2 lanes helped save her life. I am a nervous wreck whenever I am on a highway that isn't divided, I'm constantly looking at the other cars flying by praying that I don't get into a car accident. Debbie Young told me one day that I would never have to worry about car accidents, you think that would alleviate my fear, but it doesn't. Not speeding, having winter tires and not driving like a maniac all play roles in preventing accidents, but having a divided highway is another tool to keeping drivers safe.

Anyway....I'm off to eat my lunch and write some news!! I hope you have an excellent day!

Cheers,

Amber

Warms the cockles of my heart

2008-01-15T13:50:00.000-04:00

Check out this link for an in-depth treatise into the orgin of this saying of which Rick is so fond:

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-coc2.htm

I completely agreed with something Jean Leger told Rick today. He said, "you have to shock people to get change". Isn't that so true though? I give him a lot of credit for getting this issue out there again. He wants what is protected by law and he went out and got it - he wasn't intimidated by the airline god mentality that is so rampant nowadays.

We spent hour number two with the so-called "King of Conspiracy" - Dr. Bill Deagle today. It was a very entertaining hour, as it always is, talking about the end of the world and the conspiracies which underline everything we do. We heard again that Hillary will win the White House, that George Bush doesn't have an IQ (is that really a conspiracy theory or just fact??) and that Vladimir Putin is a black belt, who is a genius mastermind. We also heard about the dastardly plot behind the avian flu and other such musings. One thing Dr. Deagle said that wasn't a conspiracy theory is that everything is based on money - it's the root of every decision made in this crazy world of ours. The hour, overall, was great, I love listening to the Deagle, and apparently you guys do too, judging by the calls I got off the air and the slew of e-mails Rick received. You can listen to his show, 4-6pm by clicking on his website, it's www.nutrimedical.com. Trust me, the Deagle will land again in our studio very soon. We're not afraid of conspiracy theories!

I have news on near the TV near my work area in the studio and they flashed to live U.S. Congress hearings about steroids in baseball. I nearly spit out my water as I saw it. The U.S. Congress couldn't give a care in the world to the American cities, that are literally crumbling and being overrun with drugs, crime and gangs, but they're dedicating all these resources to steroids in baseball? Who cares? Why not let them take steroids - start a new league where everyone is on 'roids and let them hit like, a gazillion homeruns. I think it would be pretty entertaining, especially if they all had 'roid rage and were brawling all the time. In the meantime, can we help regular people dealing with real drug additions?

I can't believe the guy who got a ticket in the MetroLink parking lot in Sackville. Unreal!!! Although the city didn't seem wholly unsympathetic to the man's cause, they didn't really offer any solutions. Hopefully people can park in that nearby Wal-mart and then be shuttled over. In the meantime - carpools to the bus??

Anyway, it's sunny outside and the storm was pretty much a non-event last night, eh?

Have a good day!

Cheers,

Amber

Fate strikes again

2008-01-14T13:26:00.000-04:00

What a terrible story out of Bathurst, N.B. How do you even start to wrap your mind around something so tragic? 7 teenaged boys dead along with the coach's wife -- why? As Ray put it bluntly today, terrible things happen and it's true. It doesn't stop you from thinking about why they happen. I feel horrible for the coach, the man driving the van. His wife (Rick's cousin) is dead along with his players. A horrible, horrible accident for everyone involved and the town itself. As Rick says, you can't lock yourself in your house, it's irrational to think you can always protect yourself from harm. Again, it doesn't take away the sadness and the question about why fate strikes certain people and strikes them so hard.

Man, it's so sad I hardly feel like writing anything more today. Now it's starting to snow - this day gets better and better! What's even sadder about the N.B. story is looking at the pictures of the kids, smiling, with their entires lives ahead of them. They were good kids, it seems. With all the youth crime problems in Halifax, talking about teens beating women with table legs and playing golf with cats, it's even sadder to realize 7 good kids were taken away from us. 7 kids who could have made a difference, who were on the right track in life.

As Rick said, fate can deal you a dirty hand. Why can't it just go to people who deserve it?

That's all from me today...drive carefully, okay?

Amber

All business

2008-01-11T13:19:00.000-04:00

Wade Keller is right on. In regards to the Premier's plea to get David Letterman to come to N.S. in the form of a top 10 list, you can't be all business all the time. The issue I have is if the Premier is ever business. I think the video would have been funnier if he had been done by Danny Williams, someone who actually accomplishes things in his province, I think it would have been funnier. Since the Premier has a reputation of someone you can't take all that seriously (I actually giggle when he puts on his "serious voice"), I wasn't diggin' it too much. It's a neat thing to do, I would LOVE to see Letterman, he's amazing. I guess it could have been a little more clever and I don't know, maybe as someone said today, voiced by an actual comedian?? That's the suggestion one caller made off the air. On the upside, the Premier got a glowing endorsement from Rick, which I think is the first time that's happened, well, the history of the universe and Wade told us the Premier will be on the show. All very exciting.

Sir Edmund Hillary is dead at the age of 88. I feel really sad about this!! I've read quite a few books and seen a few documentaries about climbing Mount Everest and it's fascinating. It's sad to say good-bye to the very first person to climb Everest. Let's not forget his Sherpa Tenzing Norway!

So...another great hour with the Rodenhiser during hour number 1. I see in the Daily News they have taken out an ad promoting David on the air with another station in our building and then on our show on Fridays. I love the hour with the Rodenhiser, it takes a normal open hour and kicks it up a notch. The banter between the boys is always very funny, I just sit back and laugh. Funny story: David takes the bus down to the station and then usually walks or takes the bus back to work downtown. After the hour ended, I got a call from a cabbie willing to give David a ride downtown so he could talk to him about this deregulation issue and made it very clear with his statement: "I promise I won't kill him". Guess what? David walked.

Today's show was actually kind of different in that it was more on the light-hearted side with the Premier's top 10 list. No one blew a gasket today, which is very rare!!! Wait, I spoke too soon, Rick did blow a gasket when talking with Bert after Bert said he was friends with this judge, which was patently untrue.

What's also untrue is talk about politicians shutting down the Hotline! Seriously, working on the show has turned me into a cynical conspiracy theorist too, but trust me, if the Hotline does go, it's a format issue and a format issue only. Politicians don't control ANYTHING around here, seriously. I don't even want to say anything more about it because it's so incredibly WRONG.

Anyway, lunchtime for this kid. Have a great weekend and we'll chat with you about everything and anything on Monday.

Cheers!

Amber

John Baird is a useless tool

2008-01-10T14:31:00.000-04:00

That was Rick's quote of the day today - for sure. Totally true, as well. I think I might make that a daily blog feature: "Rick's quote of the day". I almost called the blog "these turkeys", caller Bill's description of politicians and how we have to keep an eye on "these turkeys" because they are slowly but surely stripping away our rights. Here, here!

So, don't you just love spring? It's my favourite time of year and I couldn't be more thrilled that it's happening in January! Walking over to get some lunch sans coat was awesome...the sunshine is great too. Just the thing to beat the winter blues - spring!

Hmmm...Brian Lee Crowley. Interesting...the guy is very smart, we'll see what happens in terms of this Crown share. In terms of the federal government's standpoint, I don't think they could have picked a better guy!

I spoke to Rick about this issue before the show; I am so disturbed that the Daily News published all the details about the Jennifer Horne murder. It's one thing for disturbing details to come out in court, it's another thing to put everything out there and destroy the family even further, not to mention taint the jury pool! Can you imagine if your daughter was murdered...and you picked up the newspaper and read every gory detail, down to the fact her throat was slashed? I was horrified when I read the story this morning and how convenient that they disabled the "comments" section on that particular story. It will be interesting to see what Rodenhiser thinks about that tomorrow. I felt sick...I always say "don't blame the media", but this was sensationalism, it was irresponsible and it was wrong. I'm seriously ticked off at the Daily News.

A highlight on the show today was Liberal leader Stephen MacNeil. I'm going to say it - he impressed me today. I liked the message, I liked the delivery, I think the NDP might have a little Liberal competition in the next election. Rick and I agreed - it was awesome! I told him he should lose it more often - it's nice to see some passion! Keep an eye out for next month - apparently S.M. will be playing a game with the Halifax Rainmen, something Darrell Dexter and Barry Barnett have done. He's got the height, let's see if he's got other skills on the court!

Well, I have to write some news....so I will talk to you tomorrow!

Cheers,

Amber

Where to start????

2008-01-09T13:20:00.000-04:00

I fear this blog might never end given the plethora of meaty topics today on the show. Judging by the amount of calls, you felt the same way.

There were two big issues, well 3 actually: taxis, organ donation and this new anti-gang strategy for youth. Oh yeah, and we had a big hockey star in too!

Let's get that out of the way first: Brad Marchand is all class. As Rick said, the kid has his head screwed on straight. He was shorter than I thought he would be, but he's strong. It was almost a Mayor Kelly like handshake, except Brad knows when to back off, unlike the Mayor who nearly broke every finger in my hand that one time I made the mistake of shaking his hand! I want to wish Brad the best of the luck with the Mooseheads and I want to wish all the Hotline listeners the best of luck in trying to procure a ticket! I have a feeling most of the games are definitely going to be sold out for the rest of the season!

This organ donation issue is truly appalling. I first read about it on Facebook this morning. One of my friends posted an article from the paper and mentioned how it was kind of funny this directive is coming out under the Harper government rule. Medical professionals, like Dr. Stephen Beed, think it's ridiculous and that lives will be lost because of it. I think it's homophobia, pure and simple. Speaking of, don't you love it when people say "I'm not homophobic, but..." and then utter something completely homophobic? Drives me nuts! I can't believe that I could get an organ from a single woman who has had sex with lots of different men, but I couldn't get one from a married gay man. Unreal.

The deregulation of taxis was another major issue with several taxi drivers calling in to voice their opinions today. I definitely agreed with Rick when he suggested different shifts for taxi drivers, most people have to work shifts, I don't think it's crossing the line to suggest taxi drivers do it too, especially when they claim their service is so important. Some people were really slamming taxi drivers today, but there are so many good ones out there. There was one guy who picked me up downtown one night and he was the funniest person I ever met - I was dying of laughter the whole way home. I've only had 2 negative experiences and they weren't really all that bad in the grand scheme of things. I swear, one driver was incredibly out of it and was really speeding and I actually was gripping the seat handle praying I wasn't going to die...and the ride was literally 4 minutes long. That was terrifying, but I talked to some other cabbies and they confirmed that guy was crazy. Another time, a cabbie tried to give me 3 dollars in change in all nickels and I didn't want that and he got ticked off...but that's about it. I would encourage everyone who takes a taxi to get the roof light number and remember it, just in case. Remember in the summer a woman was sexually assaulted by a driver....on the other hand, you can commend good service if you know the number. Steve Adams told us the public hearing on this issue will probably be in February and he'll be on the show on Monday, so this topic isn't going away anytime soon.

It doesn't look like this fog is going away either - the curse of warm January weather. It looks like it's causing more delays at the airport too, so if you're travelling - good luck to you!

Liberal leader Stephen MacNeil is in tomorrow....I offered up some praise of him in December, let's see if he impresses me tomorrow with some actual ideas for change!

Cheers!

Amber

BRAD MARCHAND

2008-01-08T16:42:00.001-04:00

FYI - Brad will be a guest on the Hotline tomorrow from 11:30-12!

Anti-wacko

2008-01-08T14:05:00.000-04:00

Rick and I were chatting about religion after the show and we agreed that if everyone followed the basics of any of the major world religions, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, etc, the world would probably be a nice place, with the whole "do unto others thing". We also agreed that we weren't anti-religion - just anti-wacko and there sure are a lot of wackos out, sullying the name of Islam especially. I thought the Dr. Jamal Badawi hour was incredible and so interesting to listen to. I mean, I admit, my mind gets tainted sometimes by the constant media reports about suicide bombers and all the conflict in the middle east. Thank God Dr. Badawi was here today to remind us of many important FACTS about the religion and not myths. I mean, we have to remember it is Christian Americans who invaded Iraq and that fundamentalists in any religion cannot be the spokespeople or hallmarks for those religions. He made these excellent points about associating criminals with a religion:

-people who killed doctors who perform abortions didn't taint all of Christiantiy
-the Crusades, hello!
-the conflict in Northern Ireland
-normal crime in Christian countries - are all Christians considered murderers because there is a high rate of murder in the U.S. - the answer is clearly no.

As Dr. Badawi stated in Chapter 5, verse 32 of the Qur'an, if you take someone else's life, you are essentially killing all of humanity, so Islam very clearly does not condone suicide bombers. I thought the translation or mistranslation of the word "infidel" was so fascinating. We hear the world infidel quite frequently, but Dr. Badawi says the concept of an "infidel" as reported in the media doesn't exit in the Qur'an, same with the concept of milk and honey and 72 virgins. He says righteous people get into heaven, not suicide bombers. I completely agreed with him when he said humans have the ability to justify wrongdoing - and it's so true, and very sad. In fact the root of Islam, the actual word, means to achieve peace! I want to thank the professor for coming in and really opening my eyes - hopefully you felt the same way! There are good seeds and bad seeds everywhere, it's so important not to paint everyone with the same brush.

Onto the other big topic of the day - taxis and possible deregulation. I totally agree with Rodenhiser!! Before the holidays we heard that Bob's and Bluebell had this thing where they would pick you and you could also get someone to drive your car home at the same time, you paid a double fare. Well, that's all well and good unless you're in Halifax and you can't call a Dartmouth taxi over to Halifax. I remember last summer filling in for Deb and calling a taxi @ 4am and they told me flat out - there's no one on the road. Well, that's just great isn't it? I agree, at some points in the day it is impossible to get a taxi. You also can't reserve taxis, trust me I've tried before I had my car and needed to get out of work right afterwards and get somewhere fast. I don't know what Councillor Pat Murphy was smoking today, but I really liked his idea of dropping the zones during certain times, but what was he going on about with the cache of secret secret squirrel numbers he has that he can get a cab at any time? Good for him, but most of us aren't VIP taxi passengers, we pretty much dial the number and have the reasonable expectation that a cab will be there in due course. I just thought that comment was out of line and didn't help contribute to the solution of the problem, you know what I mean? He talked about planning, but you can reserve a taxi, so what can you do???? I know you can reserve a town car or a limo in advance, so that's what my boyfriend does when he has to catch an early flight to travel on business. That's much to the chagrin of the taxi industry, that doesn't like the fact the fares are the same. The taxis can't have their cake and eat it too, it's getting out of hand and the customers are upset. I'd love to see Metro Transit expand service, I'd much rather take the bus than deal with the aggravation of getting a taxi in this town.

When Rick briefly chatted with the VP of Operations for the Boston Red Sox he says the marketing territory for all of Canada belongs to the Toronto Blue Jays. So, if you're a Red Sox fan, Tigers fan, or Mariners fan, you're going to have to search for deals to go to those games yourself! That's shocking - pushing the Jays on us just because we're Canadian?? I grew up in Windsor, Ontario - Tigers all the way!!!

Speaking of Windsor, a new high temperature yesterday - 14.2! We can't complain about the temps here though - a high of 10 today.

Have a good one!

Cheers,

Amber

$1 drinks

2008-01-07T14:06:00.000-04:00

After listening to the callers and to Superintendent Spicer today, I think I've changed my opinion about dollar drinks. The social cost of this really outweighs any benefit - the only benefit being to the drinker's bank account! It's time to end the dollar drinks, for entire nights, anyway. So, apparently the Palace had said they were opposed to dollar drinks but said they had to offer them to compete with the Dome. Now, the Palace is promoting its dollar drink nights on Facebook! Hypocritical much? I hope we get the manager of the Palace on the phone this week to see what's up. It so unfair that other bars can sell the drinks for a dollar and the Dome can't - there has got to be an even playing field.

Rick mentioned that one of the girls will be appearing in court this Friday to be sentenced for the beating of the lady on the Commons over the summer. As soon as Rick mentioned that she cried in court, I wrote "crocodile tears" and I believe it was caller Phillip who echoed that during his call. They might have had horrible childhoods, but I know a lot of people who have, but they didn't turn into criminals. How about getting some counselling, or here's a concept - SUCK IT UP. If we all acted out because bad things happened to us in our childhoods, there would be complete and total anarchy. I don't have any sympathy for the girls involved; let's just hope there is some sort of actual punishment and not house arrest when they can sit around and play X-box all day. If they truly are remorseful, that's a good thing - let's see if they prove it and make something of themselves.

Speaking of youth crime, Waterville sounds like a real treat, doesn't it? A swimming pool, video games? I'm thinking about booking something all-inclusive....I should check it out.

Anyway, enjoy your day and tune in tomorrow...during the second hour we're going to try to demystify Islam. You've been asking for an hour on the topic - so don't miss it!

Cheers!

Amber

Making Mr.Walker happy

2008-01-04T13:55:00.000-04:00

Urea.

Never heard of it before caller Elaine told us about its properties at an ice remover. After that we were flooded with calls about Urea and its benefits. Elaine told us she bought hers at Walker's Livestock and Feed on Cole Harbour road. I called them up because I wanted to see how much a bag of urea was and compare it to salt. Well, I couldn't get through when Rick was talking to Cecil and Jim. Then Ray calls - he called his friend Dale Walker, the owner, and asked if he'd talk to us and bam - he was on the air just like that. Thanks, Ray! I told Rick if he was ever in a position where he needed a new producer, I'd put in a good word for you!
Here is the Wikipedia page for urea if you want to check it out - I briefly scanned it, didn't see anything about it being used for snow removal though: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urea

Maybe we'll talk to the Mayor, a councillor or John O' Brien next week to see if it's something they've considered. It is more expensive than salt, roughly 3 times more expensive, but it's a sorry state that we're in - we've got to stop selling out the environment just because it's cheaper. Again, thanks for the all the calls on urea - wouldn't that be great if this urea trend caught on - the Hotline saves the environment - I like the sound of that!! I know everyone is talking about this salt shortage, but a few callers told me today that they're seeing it at places like Walkers, Superstore, so keep checking around.

Interesting conversation with Joel Miller from Miller Tire today. He says he drives with 4 winter tires and would encourage everyone to do the same. It is expensive though, no doubt. That's why I loved what Rodenhiser suggested - you should get a break on your insurance if you have winter tires on your car. Speaking of Rodenhiser, it was GREAT to have him back in the studio today. Fridays weren't the same without him! One of the funniest moments of the day - Rick stopping Moe before he could tell a potential (and probably) offensive joke about Tiger Woods and Stevie Wonder. Very wise move on Rick's part, I'd say. Moe's so funny - it wouldn't be the Hotline without characters like Moe. Another great call was Barry who was second up this morning. He's the one where we have the ongoing schtick where I say "How are you" and he says "Grumpy", but today he told me he wanted to give kudos to the provincial government. Well, I nearly fell out of my seat, but put him on hold. Rick was equally surprised, telling him, "You took your happy pills this morning!"

Anyway.....it was a lot of fun today, thanks for the calls, the support, the e-mails and the comments on this blog.

Have a great weekend - Cindy Day tells me it will warm up!!!

Cheers,

Amber

Thanks for your support!

2008-01-03T13:43:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone with their concerns about the Hotline. No decisions have been made, so let's just carry on as per usual and continue to create 3 hours of great radio every day!

What a crazy hour number 2 we had our Debbie Young. She's amazing!! We were joking during the commerical break about how when she's on the show it's like psychic bootcamp, it's just go go go! She told Rick that he needs to start writing his book and that if he did that it would be a huge success - something I've been telling him for a couple of years now! Debbie says in general for 2008, it's a year to re-evaluate things for everyone in terms of work and money. She says there will a federal election this year and that Stephen Harper will continue to lead, but that Premier MacDonald will get a bit of a reprieve and there won't be an election! Well, you'd actually have to have a session of the legislature in order to bring down the government and god knows when that's going to happen again. I mean, we just wrapped up 16 hard days, I can understand how the MLAs would be a bit fatigued. Not. Anyway, if you want to make a private appointment with Debbie Young, give her a call at425-4808.

I am so excited about today - the Iowa caucuses are happening and I'm so curious to see who will be coming out on top on both the Democratic and Republican sides. It's also great that it's 2008 and that the election will actually be happening. American presidential election campaigns go on for years....so there is an end in sight. No more George W. - do we still have time to turn this world around?

People were sure fired up about the winter tire discussion. I mean, I'm a new car owner, but as soon as the snow started, I didn't feel safe with my tires. I'm so glad I got snow tires!!! I can understand how some would find the cost prohibitive - it was 700 dollars for tires, rims, installation and balancing - and believe me, I shopped around. I look at it like it will save my other tires though and I definitely notice a difference with the winter tires. Trust me, one of my friends just flipped on the 101 last week driving a car with balding all season tires - not worth the risk. Should it be mandatory?? I don't know about that, I'm just saying it works for me.

Oh, not to end the blog on a down note, but jeez, what was with drivers this morning? I was crossing Almon Street on a green light with the walky guy still present and nearly got hit TWICE. Unreal!

Well, I hope you have a lovely day!

Cheers,

Amber

Shuttin' 'er down

2008-01-02T13:52:00.000-04:00

That's what Rick claims he wants to do with winter...and I must say I am with him 100%! I'm so sick of the white stuff already and it's just 2 weeks into the season - I feel like we're staring down a very long few months.....can we have the holidays back again?

Happy New Year to all the Hotline listeners. Chatting with a few of you today, it seems like Santa was nice to you and all is well, so I'm very glad about that. The holidays just went by so fast, at least at my house!

It's good to be back though and we had a busy show today with lots of complaints - which is a good thing. Keep them coming! Tomorrow, you can take a glance into the future with Debbie Young - the resident Hotline psychic. I think she's amazing, and so does everyone else given the amount of calls we get. If you get a busy signal - keep trying!

If you missed the show today, we had a Tory cabinet minister in. Huh - you might be saying, but it's true! Barry Barnet paid us a visit during hour number 2 to talk about the problem drinking issue at the Dome and at other bars too. One thing I'm not cool with is the Dome being ostracized for being the main place with the problem. Although I would never go there, you can't just stop them from selling the dollar drinks - that is so hypocritical!!! I think if they do serve cheaper shots, they should do it for a short period of time. I know there is power hour at the Split Crow and that's dollar drafts - but it's just for an hour. You cannot treat one bar one way and another differently - that's not fair. This Christmas Eve brawl was completely out of control though, there's no doubt about that. I think the bar owners and the patrons share the responsibility, but if someone is going to pre-game and then go out to the bar, well, besides not serving them, there's not a lot bar owners can do about people being morons.

The drug issue is also one I don't think B.B. is really taking a look at. I've been hearing lots of things about illegal drugs in some of the clubs, the main one being cocaine making a major comeback. Cocaine fuels rage and could very well be the cause of some of these issues....it must be looked at too when coming up with this new strategy.

Anyway, that's enough from me. Great to be back though - hope to talk to you guys soon!

Cheers,

Amber

Are you watching me up there?

2007-12-21T13:45:00.000-04:00

That was one question asked to Santa Claus during by a little boy named Cameron. Yvonne and I nearly died listening to all the kids during hour number 2 - it was so cute! I love the innocence and kids and their utter honesty. Santa asked one little girl what she was doing and she said "I'm licking a popsicle". Another kids asked for some "vampire things", it was awesome. Another honest moment was this:

Santa: Do you like school?
Kid: Not really.

He did like gym class though!

It was a great hour and big props to Santa for taking time out of his busy schedule to come talk to the great kids in Halifax. I asked Yvonne to ask Santa how I stood in his book this year and he says I had a couple of dicey moments, but if I'm good for the new few days, I could be in line for a present on December 25th. Thanks, Santa!! I have to definitely echo what Yvonne said when she was asked what she wanted for Christmas. We are so lucky to be able to give and receive gifts that, honestly, we don't even really need. Gratitude is everything and what a great lesson for kids to remember how lucky we really are, with or without the presents.

Despite that - one of the toys mentioned a couple of times was "Butterscotch". You've got to check this thing out:

http://www.amazon.com/Hasbro-76471-FurReal-Friends-Butterscotch/dp/B000F2JZKO

My brother and sister-in-law bought it for my niece and she's going to love it. You don't even want to know how many batteries this thing takes. You can actually feed this horse real carrots!!

On a completely unrelated topic, great call from Mohammed today about Muslims in the media. That is something that is definitely an issue. Rick was thinking about doing a show on the topic in the new year, Yvonne says she's going to mention it to him. I think Mohammed definitely had a good point, even though if an Evangelical Christian murdered his daughter because she got pregnant underage or something, religion would definitely be an issue there too. Another issue is reporters always come at something from an angle. They ask why, because their listeners and viewers ask the very same questions. It's an interesting debate and thanks to Mohammed for calling and bringing it up. He sounded incredibly frustrated, it's not hard to see why he would feel that way.

Well, this is going to be my last blog for 2007. It is an honour to work on the Hotline and I'm flattered that anyone wants to read my thoughts after the show. I want to thank you so much for listening, reading the blog, taking the poll and overall being a part of the best call-in talk show in Metro.

I want to wish you the happiest of holidays - whatever you celebrate!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Amber

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

2007-12-20T14:32:00.001-04:00

It is really snowing right now, but it's not bugging me. Snow around Christmas is pretty much the only time it's acceptable. Yes, I know, I live in the wrong province! Cindy Day absolutely loves snow and I think her love it might be rubbing off on me! It does look kind of pretty outside, it would look prettier if I were at home with my Christmas tree and not at work!

Yvonne had a great show today! I wasn't surprised - she's such a pro! A huge line-up to start at 10 to speak to her - if you got a busy signal that's why. We had an interesting political discussion with Mike Savage and Alexa McDonough during hour number 2. Alexa's disdain for Brian Mulroney was kind of obvious, wasn't it? We totally switched gears and spoke about what Mike Savage had wanted to talk about - Christmas!! We heard lots of Christmas stories during the third hour which was really nice. We gave away three copies of Bruce Nunn's latest book called Buddy the Bluenose Reindeer and the Boston Christmas Tree Adventure. It looks like a really great book, here is the link:

http://www.nimbus.ns.ca/Store/CatalogItem/tabid/904/ProductID/4873/Default.aspx

Here is his website if you want to check it out:

http://www.geocities.com/mrnsknowitall/main.htm

It was a fun hour and in the newsroom after the Hotline, Bruce's mom called and wanted to speak with Yvonne. She wanted to tell her how much she enjoyed the hour! Thanks, Bruce's mom!

Tomorrow is going to be so great. Santa Claus will be our special guest during the second hour of the show. It is always so great to hear the kids talking to Santa and giving their Christmas lists, etc. I can't wait! That starts at 11...it's sure to be busy, so just keep trying if you get a busy signal.

Be sure to tune in - it's the last Hotline show of 2007! I don't even think I could put into words how fast this year has gone by. It's been an absolute blast though, big thanks to Rick and Yvonne for lots of fun times this year!

Talk to you tomorrow!

Merry Christmas!

Amber

It really felt good

2007-12-19T13:51:00.000-04:00

That's quote from Bill Casey who was very honoured to win Hotline Nova Scotian of the Year. A huge congrats to Bill and to our runners up Travis Price and David Shepard, the two students who launched the Pink Protest at Central Kings Rural High School. Both of them told Rick they want to do degrees in criminology and then become RCMP officers. I think they are great kids and I wish them the best of luck. However, I voted for Bill Casey who did the right thing, stood up for Nova Scotia and did it for us, not for himself. His motives were pure; when is the last time you said that about a politician. A big congratulations goes out Tina Chaulk (who had a very strong following on the internet) and Jim Connors. We have so many great people in this province - can't wait until next year.

I want to wish one of our listeners our condolences. Joan Murphy lost her husband on Monday after a battle with cancer. The obit is in the Chronicle-Herald today. Despite her fierce battles with Cecil, Joan is one of the sweetest ladies and she was so devoted to her husband. She is devestated and it's so sad. We care about you Joan, and we're keeping you in our thoughts.

So, it was Rick's last show of 2007 and Yvonne will be in for the next two days. It's been another crazy year, my second full year of working with Rick on the show. I don't even want to add up how many phone calls I answered this year, it would be in the thousands. The Fage issue kept us busy during the dog days of winter in January, so we can only hope there will be another juicy scandal to keep the phone lines lit up through those long winter months!

Thank you so much for all the Christmas greetings and calls today and thanks for your participating in the Hotliner of the year contest. We wouldn't have a show without the listeners, so THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Merry Christmas, and I'll chat with you tomorrow during Yvonne's show!

Cheers,

Amber

P.S. Ben, Rick is going to PEI!!!! HA! Now that he's on vacation he can't strangle me for telling you!!!!!!

Good for your blood circulation!

2007-12-18T13:07:00.000-04:00

God love the mayor.

He purposely comes in just in the nick of time for every in studio interview. He does it because he knows it drives Rick crazy. Rick paces around the hallway, orders me to call the Mayor on his cell and tell him to "get his butt in here" and it's just hilarious because Rick normally pretty unfazed by everything. So, the Mayor comes in with this mischievious smile and Rick is freaking out and the Mayor says, "Rick, it's good for your blood circulation". Ha ha! It was great. Plus, the Mayor brought us some truffles, so he can't be all that bad!

Caller Kim made a pretty valid point today about elections. It is pretty sad that the newest member of city council received 600 votes of a possible 12-thousand! Something about that doesn't seem right, does it? I think Jackie Barkhouse took some unfair hits on the show today, but hey, welcome to politics - it's a dirty business.

Here is some breaking news for ya - Ernie Fage will NOT be allowed to run as a Conservative in the next election. Rodney is not sticking by his man for a third time, which I think is the smart thing to do.

In other political news, I've got to give the Liberals some props. I've come down pretty hard on Stephen MacNeil in this blog, but with the help of the Tories, the Liberals got a lot of good ink this very short session and are trumpeting their accomplishments with a very effective ad in the Daily News today.

Very exciting - we will be announcing our 2007 Hotline Nova Scotian of the Year tomorrow! It's Rick's last show, Yvonne will be filling in on Thursday and Friday. So...scroll down a bit on the blog and cast your vote! Apparently Rick will be on the CTV news tonight with Steve Murphy - check it out!

Well, that's it from me today. Be sure to tune in for Rick's last show of 2007!!

Cheers and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Amber

They came in, they breathed

2007-12-17T13:45:00.001-04:00

That was the word from the always entertaining Curtis Sliwa today about his new Halifax Guardian Angels recruits! There were about 20 people there interested in becoming members, but they still have to undergo background checks and the like. Some of the callers echoed my position today on the show - that the Angels are here to help Halifax. As Sliwa said, they will be going out and patrolling, it's not going to be Deathwish with Charles Bronson, they are walking around and will report crimes if they see them, they aren't another dangerous gang who will willfully incite trouble. How about we appreciate people trying to help and stop coddling the criminals?

How about that storm last night? The winds were so strong, my house was shaking around all night long! I think it was a good decision to cancel school because I walked today and was slipping and sliding all the way to work. Plus, what wasn't frozen was just puddles so I got 2 major soakers and had to go buy new socks at Shoppers! The laces on my boots broke as I was putting them on at home...yes it was that kind of morning. Luckily, things got better at work when we played trivia during hour number 2! That is my absolute favourite thing to do on the show. Anyway, thanks for your calls, it was a lot of fun and congrats to our winners: Shirley and Craig.

I cannot believe Hotline listeners were dumping on pregnant women today! The pink spots are courtesy spots for someone who may be pregnant or a mom with small kids. At our big malls, what are there like 4 out of 7-thousand parking spots? I found it kind of ironic that Hotline listeners would pitch in to help someone with 5 kids pay their power bill, but would disagree with a mom like Heather being able to park close to the grocery store while managing her brood? It was a good debate though - you just never know what's going to be a hot button topic on the Hotline! Big thanks for Jerbear for raising the issue of handicapped parking with us on the pre-show with Rick, Deb and Caroline.

One week until Christmas eve...are you excited? I managed to get my tree up on Saturday, wrote out my Christmas cards yesterday and now the countdown is on! Rick will be taking Thursday and Friday off, and Yvonne will be back so I'm really looking forward to that. Santa will pay us a visit on Friday, so make sure you call in so your kids can chat with the big man himself.

Have a good one!

Merry Christmas,

Amber

2007-12-17T13:45:00.000-04:00

I missed it!

2007-12-14T15:00:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it. After plugging Rick's appearance on Cecil's show yesterday - I completely forgot to tune in!! Apparently, Rick did well and I'll definitely have to catch part two next week on Eastlink.

Cecil made an appearance on our show during hour number 2 and it was a fun hour. It's always great having Cecil in - he loves giving it to Rick and I love hearing it! He threw out the ultimate insult to Rick - bringing up his beloved Montreal Expos. I had to play the feral cat sound effect for that one. Touche!

A pretty good day today, lots of different issues from an elderly man losing his Santa garb to the closing of the MacTara mill. How horrible...finding out you're losing your job with 2 weeks before Christmas. Yikes. Another caller talked to us about pet stores and the fact one local stores had dead fish floating in the tank. When he pointed this out to an employee, the guy told him that's how that particular breed swims! Uh, okay. As Rick called them, the "upside down floating dead fish" variety.

A big congrats to Keith LeBlanc who was the winner of legislature poll. He guessed 16 days and a short 16 days it was. Looks like Nova Scotia is well on its way to being the province where the MLAs serve the least amount of time in the legislature! Congrats to us!

Anyway, it's Friday! When Rick wrapped up the show and started talking about having a good weekend, I was stunned - this week went by so fast!!

Have a great weekend - be patient out there. There is some snow on the way for tonight and we're getting a Nor'easter starting Sunday afternoon - could see up to 30 centimetres according to my friend Cindy Day!

Merry Christmas,

Amber

Anti-obesity pasta

2007-12-13T13:30:00.000-04:00

Seriously.

Brian Mulroney just read a letter from Karlheinz Schreiber about this "pasta business". They were apparently going to cure obesity in the United States by introducing an "anti-obesity pasta" to school cafeterias in the U.S.! I nearly fell out of my chair when I heard that! 300-thousand dollars...for that?

This testimony is incredibly fascinating! B.M. is kind of funny, he just made a pretty funny joke about the Liberals supporting the GST. He's very smooth too, I'll give him that. But, would K.H.S. put himself through this simply to stay in Canada? Is that his only motive? Who to believe? They are both equally unsavoury.

Peter Duffy paid us a very entertaining visit during hour number 2 today. He became very sarcastic with the Deputy Mayor of Wolfville who called to defend their no smoking in cars with kids by-law. Peter says we live in a "Nanny State" where citizens are so laden with laws, one isn't encouraged to accept any personal responsibility for individual actions at all. I'm definitely with Peter on this one. Although I definitely think it's wrong to smoke in the car with kids, do we need to legislate that? I've written it before - I don't think one level of government should be able to legislate on something that is legal and that other governments are profiting from. That's hypocrisy. In turn, municipalities get some of the taxes on cigarettes from the other levels of government. Hypocrisy, anyone?

Another topic was P.D.'s hate-on for blue Christmas lights. As Rick was wrapping up the show I glanced around the studio. Everyone Christmas decoration in the room is blue! I can't believe I didn't notice that as Peter was going on his rant! Rick and I had a good laugh after the show about that! I'll try to remember to take a pic of the studio and post it. Remember, you can catch Duffy's columns in the Chronicle-Herald every Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday/Sunday.

Hey - tune in to Eastlink @ 8pm tonight. Cecil Wright has his own show and guess who is his guest of honour tonight - THE RICKSTER! Our buddy Cecil will be on for sports during hour number 2 tomorrow.

Still dealing with this cold! Blah!!

Joan (Cecil's nemesis) called and gave us an update on her husband. He's not doing too well and she needs us - keep them in your thoughts, okay?

Thanks...have a good one!

Amber