Little known facts

My favourite thing about the Hotline is the spontaneity. It's so interesting to see what the callers bring up for topics, because you truly never know what you're going to hear. For example, Lilly called near the end of the show to share how she used to play softball way back in 1943!! This 84-year old spitfire was the pitcher and she told us her batting average was .689! She says she played baseball with Peter Coade's mother and that her team won everything around and even travelled to P.E.I. to play!

What did you think about Gerald Keddy's performance? I thought caller Will asked some excellent questions and really had the politician on the ropes. He was started to get pretty upset, but composed himself. It was definitely a knock down, drag out between those two. Wade was fired up too. I can imagine it would have been a lot worse for the member from South Shore-St. Margaret's had he appeared on the show in the couple of weeks following the vote. People have mellowed a bit, it being summer and all. I'm not sure if we heard the full story about whether he was misquoted or not in the article about there being a new deal coming a few weeks ago.

Keddy did fill me in on something that, strangely, gives me so much joy. Question Period resumes September 17th!! Peter Stoffer and Mike Savage make fun of me for loving QP so much, but I watch it religiously every single day. It's part of my routine. It is political theatre and I find it beyond enjoyable. Rick watches it too! When I was in New Brunswick, I was in the riding of Tobique-Mactaquac, which is one of my favourites to hear pronounced by the Speaker Peter Milliken. Yes, I should go out and get another hobby!

It will be interesting during the next election to see what a difference Facebook makes. A lot of my friends are using it and joining groups to support candidates already nominated. I've mentioned there are so many different Facebook groups, both for and against politicians. If you type in Peter Mackay, there are a few to choose from!

Yvonne Colbert is coming in the studio for an hour on Friday in advance of her starting her Summer Hotline run next Tuesday after the Natal Day holiday. I'm really looking forward to that, as she did some absolutely captivating hours of radio last year. She did an hour about organ donation with Theresa Brien from Halifax Regional Police last year that was so great, I still remember it vividly. I'm sure this year's run will be equally as great, so please - tune in!!

Thanks to everyone for their calls today. Your support means everything.

Have a great day,

Amber

Back from Holidays

I really lucked out with the weather on my holiday....complete sunshine and warm temperatures, it was truly awesome.

New Brunswick was great too and we did a little shopping in Maine. You know everyone talks about obesity as a problem? Well, I think I might have figued out why. At this restaurant called "Governor's" in Maine, you can get unlimited FRENCH FRIES!! I was shocked! Also, you can get this sundae for a group of people for 17.99 that includes 6 sundaes, a couple of banana splits and a bunch of other desserts thrown in for good measure!! It was a little over the top, to say the least.

Did you hear the good news about Jim Connors today? He's the man we've had on the Hotline talking about his battle with colo-rectal cancer and how he wants Avastin covered by the province. We know a week and a half ago, the province said "No"once again to covering it. Well, Jim pays the exorbitant cost on his own and he credits it and his doctors and nurses for extending his life. Originally, he was given 6 months to live. Now the doctors say they are looking into surgery to get the remaining cancer out of his liver! He says he believes in the power of prayer and I do too! Our best to Jim and his wife and I'm sure we will be talking to them this fall as the fight to get the province to pay for that drug continues.


Well, it is supposed to clear up this afternoon...so let's hope that actually happens!

Have a great one!

Take care,

Amber

Rain, rain go away

I know rain is a very necessary part of the cycle of life. That being said, doesn't it seem like we've had so much of it lately? This has been a pretty miserable July, with the exception of the beginning of the week. Next week, I don't really care about N.S. weather because I'll be in New Brunswick! I'm not going to Moncton (Rick would disown me), but I'm going to a very small place outside of Fredericton to visit my Grandma who summers there. But for your sake - I hope the weather is great here!

One of the callers who commented on the Gay Pride hour today used a line that Rodenhiser used in his column a couple of days ago: "I'm not against gays, but..." and "they should keep it to themselves". To me, that doesn't even make sense. How horrible would it be if someone said, I'm not against women in the workplace, but I don't want to have it around me. I'm sorry, but it's discrimination. It's a super touchy subject and I don't want to alienate anyone, but I agree with Raymond. One day, hopefully, there won't have to be a Gay Pride parade because it won't be an issue. I think people are people. There are good ones, bad ones and okay ones. I don't believe in sub-categories. I've written before how infuriated I get when Rick says "bad female drivers". Anyway...kind of heavy for a Friday, so I apologize.

Anyway...are you watching the British Open? Did you see Tiger's 90 foot put yesterday at Carnoustie?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnRZv2z39Ps

Anyway...Austin will be taking your calls next week! The blog and poll question will also be on holiday too, so watch for a new blog and question on Monday July 30th.

Have a great weekend!

Cheers,

Amber

Who is right?

I cannot believe this Atlantic Accord business.

First of all, we sign a deal. That deal is changed in the last federal budget, according to Bill Casey. Gerald Keddy says on our show that nothing has changed. Then on Tuesday, Keddy says a new deal is close to being reached. Yesterday, Premier Rodney MacDonald openly questioned that statement. Who is lying? What the heck is going on? I'm very confused, but I would have to say I'm behind the Premier on this one. What do you think? Take the Hotline poll and let me know!!

Apparently, Gerald Keddy has agreed to be a guest on the Hotline next Tuesday. I'll be on holidays, but it will be interesting to see if he shows up!

So...the Rodenhiser thinks gas prices will drop tomorrow. Gas is at 97 cents a litre in Toronto today, but DR thinks we'll be paying 1.10-1.12 come tomorrow. Any drop is welcome, as I'm renting a car and driving to New Brunswick on Sunday! Finally, I get to feel everday motorists' pain at the pumps.

I went out to Dartmouth Crossing yesterday for the first time. Have you checked it out? It looks pretty similar to Bayers Lake, but there is one strip of stores with neat facades. There are more sidewalks than at Bayers Lake, which is good for pedestrians! It was really foggy last night, so the atmosphere was a little creepy! The amount of development is astonishing out there. It's so nice to see brand new sidewalks and roads though...and Metro Transit comes and goes every half hour, which is great. Warning - if you do take the bus you may want to check out a map first. We didn't really know where we were going and got off at a stop and had quite the trek to get our destination!

Anyway....I have seen sunny breaks today, so it doesn't look like it's going to be pouring rain at least.

Talk to you tomorrow!

Cheers,

Amber

The Daily News

Jack Romanelli, the editor of the Daily News was in the studio with AJ for the first hour. Now, I've only been reading the Daily News for 7 years (as long as I've been here) and I think it's a great read. Caller Robert was the only one to bring up anything negative about the paper, in terms of its news coverage. The other calls had to deal with the status of the comic section and a possible column on chess!! Breaking news: Jack said they're going to be doing a comic survey in the fall and then possibly re-vamping the section! That tidbit came after caller Tim told Jack he hated Doonesbury! You truly never know what someone is going to say on the Hotline. I politely requested to Jack to spare my favourite comic: For better or for worse! Ha!

I really liked what he had to say though, in terms of thinking about your coverage in advance so that the reporter has a better grip on what he or she will be getting out of the story for the reader's benefit...and not just re-printing the media release giving out by the P.R. person at the event. A thoughtful and meaningful approach to news is very necessary nowadays in these times of constant media bombardment.

During the second hour AJ brought up the Sheriff who apparently led some sort of tough boot camp for young offenders. Well, near the end of the show a lady called with his name: Joe Arpaio. As everyone does these days, he has a website. You can learn more by clicking here:

http://www.mcso.org/

He is controversial though - here is an anti-Arpaio website.

http://www.arpaio.com/

I'll have to do a little reading before I form an opinion on the Sheriff. I definitely think some fresh ideas are needed though in the punishment arena...since very little seems to be deterring repeat criminals and if you mention the Youth Criminal Justice Act on the Hotline and the phone lines will light up. It's a mess.

AJ posed a question today on the show: "Does anyone like the Senate?" I have an answer - YES!! I love the Senate, mainly because it would be a dream job. I mean, you are pretty much answerable to no one. You get to investigate topics that are of interest to you and travel anyplace in the world to find the answers, you make big money and you only have to work a handful of days a year. SIGN ME UP! It's like being the Vanna White of the political scene. Sounds like a dream. Amber LeBlanc for Senate!

Anyway....that being said, I do think it's an incredible waste of money.

So, enjoy the last day of sunshine!

Cheers,

Amber

P.S. Did you hear Jack confirm what Hotline listeners already know - Dave Rodenhiser is a star!!

Article from the Daily News

Here's an article written about the book on the Maritime Sex trade from the Daily News:

Maritime prostitutes call for legalization

CHARLES MANDEL
CanWest News Service

Prostitutes, escorts and others in the Maritime sex trade like the hours and the money their jobs offer, but worry about sexual and physical assaults, a new book notes.And while many Maritime hookers want prostitution legalized, they're not interested if it's state-regulated and with "a boss breathing down their neck," according to Leslie Ann Jeffrey, co-author of the book being launched in Saint John Friday that takes an intimate look at the region's sex industry.Jeffrey, and New Brunswick academic Gayle MacDonald, interviewed 60 sex-trade workers from Saint John, Moncton and Halifax to create a portrait of prostitutes' lives in their own words. Both men and women in such diverse walks of life as exotic dancers, escorts and street prostitutes spoke to the two academics.It's not known how many people work in the Canadian sex industry. A 2006 parliamentary sub-committee on solicitation reported that because the industry takes place behind closed doors, it is difficult to get an accurate estimate of its scope.In Sex Workers in the Maritimes Talk Back, prostitutes complain about being stereotyped as having "high-risk lifestyles," worry about the daily potential of violence they face, and praise the independence of their chosen profession.While legislators debate what should be done to control the sex trade, the workers themselves are explicit about what they want, says Jeffrey, an associate professor of history and politics at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John. The clearest answer is: "look, we just want a safe place to work," Jeffrey said.The independence and money are reasons why sex workers resist policy responses that argue they need to be rescued and trained in better jobs, according to Jeffrey. "The sex workers say, "Hold on. I've had those better jobs and what you people are missing is they're not so viable, either.'"Lisa Gibson, coordinator of Vancouver's Living in Community - a two-year project dealing with the sex trade and its impact on Vancouver neighborhoods - cautioned that despite their talk of independence that not all sex workers have great jobs. "There's lots of exploitation that happens. There are always people working in slave-like conditions."While some individuals may find sex work a healthy career choice, Gibson said others end up working on the street as a way to fund an addiction. "Serial killers tend to go look at those really vulnerable people because they're a kind of throw-away people in our society."The federal Report of the Subcommittee on Solicitation cited the disappearances and murders of prostitutes in Vancouver and Edmonton, but noted that such violence isn't new nor confined to just those cities. Between 1994 and 2003, at least 79 prostitutes were murdered, according to the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics.

A bunch of stuff

Good morning!

Rene Ross from Stepping Stone was the guest during the first hour and it was different to hear the other side of the sex trade worker debate. I remember there was this incredibly disturbing article about the sex trade in Halifax a few years in the Daily News. The drug issue wasn't mentioned today, but I asked Rene about it during the commercial. She says it most definitely is an issue, but they don't want to dwell on it in order to stave off negative stereotypes. I asked her though, as I saw some of the listeners' points about not possibly doing it for poverty reasons, but because you have this horrendous addiction. I don't think the issue of drug use should be so utterly discounted. I love what they do though - provide support at arm's length and when the workers want help, Stepping Stone is there for them. It's a non-profit group and you can check out their website at: www.stepping-stone.org. The book launch AJ was talking about is Thursday night at 7PM at FRED salon on Agricola Street.

On a completely lighter note, Lilly the lab pup that was found with 2 broken legs is doing well! She had two operations on her front legs and Trish Pittman, the lead volunteer with Lab Rescue N.S. says she's doing great. There have been hundreds of calls from people who wanted to help Lilly, so I have no doubt she will be in a new, loving home very soon.

Crazy story today about the Dal student who started the anti-croc blog. I read the blog today and I think it's hilarious. I don't want to judge anyone, but I'm not a croc fan. They are really ugly!! Everyone says they are "soooooo comfy", so what do I know? Anyway, it's a cute story and the girl behind it was interviewed in the New York Times! There are signs posted at the malls in Metro about the dangers of wearing Crocs on escalators! Caroline had the most disturbing story about a kid having an accident after their crocs got caught. EW! One of my closest friends has the new "Mary Jane" style of crocs and they are a little better, but again, not my preferable choice of footwear, but if people want to wear it, it's their business!!

The blog is funny though.

Well kids...more tomorrow! Enjoy the sunshine...Peter Coade says it's going to be a very wet ending to the week.

Talk to you then,

Amber