becomeabroadcaster.com :weblog

An “I Miss You” for the elections.

Elections are over here in Canada and WOW WHAT A RELIEF. Thank you Stephen Harper we can finally rest easy knowing that  Canadians now have what they want. Exactly what we had!!!After hours upon hours of grueling campaign talks, press conferences and hundreds of thousands of dollars, we still have a minority government and guess what? Harper you are still top dog. I am going to miss the campaigns, kissing of babies, the debates, the slander . . . “OH NO no more election cat fights but I can’t live without them!” Don’t worry we will still have cat fights, slander, conspiracy, betrayal and the like but now you can find it all in one place. It’s political heaven . . . The House of Commons. TADAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! Now as hard as I might be on Harper and the Conservative party I have to admit there was an even better flop in the mix. HE’S SHORT, HE’S CLUELESS, AND HE’S DONE MORE FOR “THIS HOUR HAS 22 MINUTES” AND “ROYAL CANADIAN AIRFARCE” THAN FOR HIS PARTY. PLEASE WELCOME STEPHAN DIIIIIION. Kudos to the Liberal Party your sense of humor is impeccable. But a Slapstick funny man for Prime Minister, NOPE!!! We decided to stick with the man whose smile would make a chair feel uncomfortable. OK well so he can’t smile but he stole votes from the “clown” and came out better than last election, what more can you ask for?Well now that the elections are over and the fasten seatbelt sign is not lit we have to ask. What is this new government going to do for us? And hope for a safe flight. Oh well everything with a grain of salt. Breathe deep and throw on auto pilot because with a great government, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, 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can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong, nothing can go wrong……. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Jordan McQuaid

I hate myself for loving you

Joan Jett sings “I hate myself for loving you”, similarly I sing this line all winter every winter. Not in the same context though, I’m not singing about some failing relationship with a guy, more a relationship with several guys. I’ll ask you to put your eyes back into your sockets after reading that last line because it’s not what you’re thinking. When I sing “I hate myself for loving you”, I’m singing about my favourite NHL team, the Toronto Maple Leafs. I am a Leaf fan, I have been this way since the Winnipeg Jets became the Phoenix Coyotes. It’s quite the ordeal being a Leaf fan. You have to put up with the same old terrible jokes year after year. Jokes like “How do you know when it’s hockey season? When the Leafs are falling”. I thought I had heard them all until my boss through this one at me, “Did you hear about the new listeria recall in Toronto? All Toronto Maple Leafs apparel”. The jokes I can put up with, it’s some of the decisions by Leafs management that make me wonder why I put myself through this. Initially when they brought in Cliff Fletcher to be the General Manager I thought “Why?” I mean the guy couldn’t run the team in the 90’s why do they think he can do it now. I slowly began to approve of the decision as Cliff began revamping the roster getting rid of over paid veterans Darcy Tucker, Bryan McCabe, and Andrew Raycroft. Then he goes out and signs Jeff Finger to a four year 14 million dollar contract. I still don’t understand that move. Finger hasn’t even been in the NHL for more then 100 games. Then he offers a first round draft pick for 39 year old Mathieu Schneider. That’s not what you’re supposed to do if you’re rebuilding. Fortunately the trade for Schneider didn’t end up happening. It’s moves like those that drive the fans nuts. Either commit to rebuilding or don’t, don’t say you are and then try to acquire old washed up players. It could be a long year for my fellow Leafs fans and I. Then again it’s been a long 41 going on 42 years for Leafs Nation, as in case you were unaware the Leafs haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1967. For the latest on the National Hockey League, I’m Alex Howe

CBC Radio One… Live in Winnipeg to record “GO”

Bronwyn Page has contacted ABC to let you know that CBC Radio One’s program “GO”  are coming to Winnipeg and would love to get some radio enthusiasts in their audience!The show is happening Halloween night from about 6:30pm to 8:30pm at the
Gas Station Theatre. They will have live music from the band Nathan, prizes
for best and worst costume, and the usual GO tricks and treats!For FREE tickets go to cbc.ca/go and click on Tickets!This is a great opportunity to see how live radio is made! It’s very creative, fun and exciting!

Bronwyn Page works for CBC Radio in Toronto on a national show called GO (with Brent
Bambury) that airs Saturday mornings at
10am on CBC Radio 1.

.

It was Colonel Mustard under the desk with a Teddy Bear.

            Three cheers for politics. Cat fights are in the air, while it rains cats and dogs of verbal trash in the terrifying chaos we call . . . Debates. For weeks on end we’ve been bombarded with commercials from each and every political party. Propaganda. Oooooooh what is it? Well lets just say it’s a party degrading or inflating a persons character through the media to gain votes or support. “Don’t take a gamble on Stephane Dion” Says the Conservative Party, “Harper not a strong leader” states the NDP, “Harper ashamed of his country” says the Liberals, “Plants for Prime Minister” Green Party, “Lets get the Hell out of this here country!” Bloc.  But seriously. In a political race like this the pressure to choose one party over another because of past mistakes by the party or its leader is immense. How can we choose any of these candidates? I guess we just have to take the one with no wrongdoings choose th one who has never had a blemish on their record. This is the the beauty of politics. THEY ALL HAVE SKELETONS IN THEIR CLOSETS. Debates here in Canada aren’t about which policy is better or how each party can help Canada. We debate on who did what in 1912 and why they should NOT be elected. Does this make sense to you? How can a political figure have any credibility whatsoever if something bad was done by his(or her) party before their birth? Simply because it wasn’t them. What we need is a filter, it takes out the trash and leaves us with what concerns us, our future. Sadly no one has yet discovered that sometimes a lack of controversy a lack of the good old “Monkey throwing poo” ideology is sometimes what we look for in leaders.  I suppose the only thing to do would be to let the meaningful information sink in and then toss the rest.  But seriously folks aren’t we asking too much for a leader whose integrity outweighs their need to undermine their competition. Honestly we aren’t asking ENOUGH. So choose your poison with care because no matter which one you choose (or in some cases don’t) you may find it has a bitter aftertaste. Don’t you just love politics. : )  Jordan McQuaid 

WHO ARE YOU, AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY COUNTRY ? ? ?

As election time looms closer and closer one of the biggest issues for voters is: Who in the world are these Parties. Before you lock yourself in a voting booth and try to pick which box you check with the age old professional strategy of E-nee-mee-nee-my-nee-mo. I want to say; there is a better way. 

1. Step One: Take a look at what key points you value most. Write them down if you have to.(These would include things like health care, family support, lowering taxes, etc.)

2. Step Two: Stroll down to your computer and take a look at the parties that interest you AKA learn about them! (Remember each party is biased towards other parties and towards themselves.)

3. Step Three: Decide which party best suits you and you values or vision for the future. (A vision of the future could be; poverty free Canada. Not flying Delorians.)

4. Step Four: Research, Research, Research. Learn all you can about your party. (You don’t want to put them in office and then find out later that they have a major policy you don’t agree with.)

5. Step Five: Get out there and VOTE. (Otherwise you just wasted a ton of time reading this and doing steps One through Four.)

  Repeat as needed. (Disclaimer: Not all parties follow through on promises, this guide to voting does not apply in totalitarian governments, bathtub, and or Evil Overlord elections. Warning voting can cause social and economic changes and may improve the living quality of the average person. If any problems occur contact your local MP and or remove your government from office through the use of a confidence vote.) Remember: Learn, Listen then Vote It’s not like we’re asking you to change the world . . .  Or are we ? ? ?     Jordan J. McQuaid   Party Websites: Conservative: www.conservative.ca Liberal: www.liberal.ca NDP: www.ndp.ca Bloc: www.presentpourlequebec.org Green Party: www.greenparty.ca

Have you got your Vote on ? ? ?

•   What is the purpose of insignificance, have we realized that just one persons opinion is trivial to the whole, one persons stand is inconsequential. Each moment there are a couple billion other people making decisions in the world. But really it doesn’t make a difference does it. It’s Election time again and there are almost no youth voting. Why? Because they don’t think they matter. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent during an election to encourage young people to vote but to what end. We aren’t voting because we believe it won’t change a thing. What the politicians know that we don’t is that EVERY vote COUNTS. Every one opinion can be part of a larger group of like minded opinions. These are the groups with the ideologies that have, are, and will shape our country. Why leave your future in the hands of everyone else? Because only you know what you want and what you need in a responsible government. Why not vote and shape our Nation. YOUR Nation. Voting is how we are part of our democracy. This is how we make a stand for what we believe in.If we don’t vote how can we complain about the state our country is in? If there is no effort to change we’ve doomed ourselves.        
• Vote
• It’s not an obligation.
• It’s not an inconvenience
• It’s a duty, and an honor. 

• Canada, Shape it.  
• Federal Election
• October 2008 

Jordan J. McQuaid

Playoffs?

Two weeks ago if you mentioned the word playoffs when talking about the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, people would think you’re crazy. Today making the playoffs for the Bombers is a realistic thought. The Bombers were 2-8 and fresh off a devastating loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. They then stormed into Toronto and destroyed the Argonauts 39-9 and followed that up with a dramatic 25-23 win in Hamilton. Heading into this week’s game the Bombers are 4-8 which in appearance isn’t very good, but in reality it has them tied for second with Toronto. With six games to go it’s a simple equation for the blue and gold, win and you’re in. In reality they likely won’t need to win all six, but they would definitely have to win at least four. Not to jump ahead of ourselves but Bomber fans should have October 10^th circled on the calendar. That is the date of the final regular season match up between Winnipeg and Toronto. The game will likely decide who will finish second in the east and get a home playoff game. This week, and next, the Bombers are focusing on the Edmonton Eskimos. The Eskies have at times looked like a Grey Cup contender, and at other times not so much. The latter showed up last week when the Eskimos were absolutely embarrassed in Montreal. The final score was a dismal 40-4 in favour of the Alouettes. It will be a huge test for the Bombers as Edmonton will be extremely fired up in hopes of rebounding from last weeks lost. The Bombers will hope to keep momentum on their side as the push for the playoffs continues. The Bombers and Eskimos face off Friday night at Canad Inns Stadium. Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m.

In sadder news, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers announced that they will be without defensive back Jovon Johnson for an indefinite period of time. Johnson has flown home to Pennsylvania following the murder of his younger brother.

For the Latest on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, I’m Alex Howe.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

The words of David Bowie are running through the minds of many Bomber fans these days “turn and face the strange ch-ch-changes”. Most Bomber fans were just getting used to the idea of not having Charles Roberts in the back field when another bomb was dropped. Then the Winnipeg Blue Bombers tried to trade CFL all star Tom Canada to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. That deal would have seen Bombers get an all star in return in middle linebacker Zeke Moreno. The trade was nullified when it was discovered that Canada has an erupted spleen and will be out for the year. The Bombers ended up with Moreno though when they agreed to send their first round pick and prospect Corey Mace to Hamilton. This is a good move for the Bombers because of the injury to middle linebacker Joe Lobendahn. Most fans, myself included, think the one guy who should be leaving town who isn’t is Doug Berry. Week after week Berry has said that he thought that the Bombers were getting better. Week after week another loss is added to the record. Berry’s inability to change his teams attack has cost the Bombers some wins this year. This was painfully obvious Sunday afternoon as the Bombers blew a 17 point lead in the fourth quarter to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Riders led by Michael Bishop put up 20 unanswered points to steal the Bombers third win away. It’s not like the Riders have a stable of all star receivers right now either name. There are no Matt Dominguez, Andy Fantuz, or DJ Flick only “household” names such as Westan Dressler, Vincent Marshall, and Gerran Walker. I think I just heard you ask yourself “who are these guys. I don’t know who they are either so don’t feel bad. The loss isn’t what hurts coming out of this week. It’s the way they lost it. It’s like being in a fight and your opponent gets in a late low blow as you are falling down. The most ridiculous thing about the 2008 CFL season is the fact that if the Bombers somehow manage to go in to Toronto next weekend and win, they will only be one win out of the playoffs. Here’s hoping that the football gods are on the Bombers side this week and bless them with some good fortune. We all know that after all they’ve gone through that they sure could use some good luck. Reporting on all the latest happenings in Blue Bomber camp, I’m Alex Howe.

Some Gasping, Some Wheezing, Drop the Balloons

One of the most enjoyable election-year activities is watching the
“truth massagers” or “spin doctors” for the political parties (the well-
groomed & immaculately coiffed TV talking heads who blather on about
how morally, intellectually and Patriotically superior their candidate is,
while dispensing the least amount of actual factual information about
their candidate’s policies, opinions, and favourite focus group of the
moment). Check your spines and elemental brain function at the
door, ladies and gentlemen, should you one day aspire to fulfill this
turgid, self-important and ethically bankrupt position somewhere
near the low end of the political food chain. Personally, I’d rather
be Chuck Norris’ acting teacher, or the guy who hoses down Nelly’s
limo after he spends Mardi Gras weekend in New Orleans’ French
Quarter, but that’s just me. Merely one of the many issues or
challenges or fatal flaws I must wrestle with on a daily basis, los
banditos de los mi corazon. And I thought that Lying for Fun &
Profit was the name of a book on writing screenplays for Hollywood!
Ah, once again the Liberal (i.e. slimy traitorous Communists who
keep trying to confuse us by bringing up unimportant mind-clouding
matters like corruption, ineptitude and rampant parasitic cronyism)
media has led me astray. If only I’d paid more attention in Political
Science class at the U of M, I too could have been a “political
pundit”; and since Winnipeg is really close (if you squint hard, and
have recently suffered a major traumatic brain injury) to Russia, I
maybe possibly AM QUALIFIED TO BE NATIONAL SECURITY CHIEF
OF CANADA (or at least the head of the Canadian Navy). It’s just
common sense, people, and it’s your patriotic duty to use common
sense (unless we tell you to ignore all common sense, reason, and
all available facts we possess on the subject in question).
One other fun-filled political Cirque de Soleil for the senses is
the Republican National Convention, on this week, although it
seems to be crippled by Hurricane Gustav (and the memory of
that other hurricane a few years back that Bushie’s FEMA frat
buddy proved totally incompetent at dealing with–surprise,
surprise!). So, I have graciously come up with several ways
the GOPS could spice up their festival of pompous posing
Really Old White Guys. This is my Top Ten Ways the Republicans
Can Make Their Convention More Exciting.

10. Pin the tail on the Gingrich
9. McCain announces L’il Wayne as his Minister of da Funk
8. Put Dan Quayle in a bird costume, and have Dick Cheney
shoot him in the face
7. John Edwards, meet the Republican interns
6. Get Ozzy Osborne to bite the head off Pat Boone
5. Jennifer Love Hewitt from “Ghost Whisperer” talks to
Ronald Reagan, who shares words of hope from Bonzo
the chimp
4. Karl Rove demonstrates how to eat fire; Scooter Libby
later treated for third degree burns
3. Senator Larry Craig leads seminar at Minneapolis airport:
“Illegal Offshore Bathroom Drilling”
2. Bomb New Brunswick–just because you can
1. Exclusive footage of John McCain selling his soul in
glorious 3-D
Cheers. Don’t forget to vote.by Iain Cameron

Paint By Numbers

The universe is hanging by a thread. What prompts me to panic
at this late date, you might ask? The idea that anyone would be
excited (or even mildly interested, or would go without being
threatened with the discharge of a large-caliber weapon) by the
prospect of going to see Girlicious (the exclamation point is
essential in indicating just how Girlicious! these ladies really
are). These sad, cynical Flashdancing Barbies make the Monkees
or the Backstreet Boys look like the Rolling Stones or Led
Zeppelin by comparison (and that takes some doing). Even
scarier is that G! (even typing out their name makes me feel
like a sponge that’s been left to rot under Tommy Lee’s
bathroom sink for the last three years) is doing an under-14
show at Blush along with another show for older devotees.
It’s hard to know where to start. I’d rather pay for my kid to
fly to China to see the New Kids on the Block, or Bret Michaels,
at the cost of ten grand, than to pay twenty bucks for G!
tickets. Is there anything more brazenly contrived, calculated
and simply nasty than the Pussycat Dolls or their tarty step-
sisters, Girlicious! (Ew! There’s that feeling again). Any group
that compels you to perform in a leather bikini is probably
not aiming for the heavens when it comes to musical
achievement, peeps. Just a thought. If you want to be a
stripper, go be a stripper. At least strippers have more
integrity than the people behind these grimy, synthetic
exploitation bands. So, I thought of several alternative
activities, if your teenage girl announces she wants to go
see these trashy plastic poseurs in concert. Behold: the
Top Ten Alternatives to Giving Your Kid Cash to see
Girlicious! in Concert.

10. Change your will to leave everything to the church
of Scientology, start your car, and wrap your lips
around the tailpipe.
9. Join the church of Scientology, then stand back
and watch Tommy Cruise kick some Girlicious! ass
8. Set one of the Girlicious! teens up with Danny
Bonaduce; watch group disintegrate immediately
7. Google “Nunneries Deep in the English Countryside”,
& let your instincts take over
6. Swear to her you’ll take her to see Guns’n Roses
instead, as soon as “Chinese Democracy” comes
out. Sleep peacefully for the next ten years
5. Use fake passport to relocate to small village in
the Balkans where only entertainment is annual
Goatherders’ Cheese & Triscuit Festival
4. Threaten to start dating David Hasselhoff if she
goes to see Girlicious! Sleep peacefully for the
next ten years
3. Introduce her to the towering talent of Banana-
rama
2. Call Joan Jett & the Runaways; get them to come
over and kick her candy ass
1. Ask Madonna to explain to your daughter just how
intelligent, talented famale artists should act
by Iain Cameron