Wednesday, November 25, 2009

This is my last blog post ever. Here, anyway.

I have been asked by the bosses at CHEZ to move my blog from the "blogger" website to the corporate blog website. This way they can add it to the main-page blogroll, and find another picture of me in my underwear to put beside it. Also, this way they get credits for the page hits. The new location of my blog is here:

http://blog.rogersbroadcasting.com/erictheintern/

I will eventually figure out how to make it work like this one did. Until then, please be patient!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Fundraiser! Help support the humane society...here are the details

The Ottawa Humane Society's "Breaking Ground" campaign is holding a fundraiser at the Ukranian Hall (1000 Byron Avenue) in Westboro on Hallowe'en night, October 31st. I will be hosting the event, which stars Les Emerson and the Hitmen. Les, as you may well know, is the biggest name in music in Ottawa, having formed the Five Man Electrical Band in the 60s. That alone should sell you on this event. But if you need more incentive, here are more details...

Cover charge is $25, proceeds going toward the Ottawa Humane Society. There will be a myriad of door prizes, including a hot air balloon ride with champagne, tickets to Mamma Mia, a stay at the Wakefield Spa, a weekend cottage getaway including a day of fishing with a guide, and much more. Even prizes of dog food and cat food. There will be a 50/50 draw, which should entice Doc and his ilk to attend, and prizes for animal costumes and non-animal costumes as well (it IS on Hallowe'en).

The doors to the Ukranian Hall open at 7:30 that evening. For tickets, call Sharon at 613-792-3481. Come one come all, for a good time and a great cause! And of course, the best music you'll hear in the Ukranian Hall all year. I have also created a group on facebook...or an event...or something. Click here to find it.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

This is the best nature video of all time.

It's not just the parrot having sex with the camera guy's head. It's British actor Stephen Fry, who is a terrific actor, staying entirely composed during the whole thing, and doing the subtly hilarious running commentary. "You are being shagged by a rare parrot."



Best. Video. Ever. My dog has never humped my leg with this level of viciousness.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Not qualified for Breaking Rock News...but qualified to be news

For geeks like me, this is big news. And I thought I should put it somewhere. But I can't put it on Breaking Rock News, because it is not classic rock in the CHEZ vein. Besides, I am continually under assault for Breaking Rock News, where people say "how come you post Motley Crue news? We barely even play them!" And such and such. But anyway, this is pretty darn cool for Madchester Brit-pop fans. All nine of us. From the BBC:

Former Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown is planning to write and record an album with The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, the singer has revealed. The Mancunian rock legends are hoping to form a supergroup to write the soundtrack for a friend's TV dramas. "The idea is that Johnny writes the music and I write the words and the melodies," Brown told BBC News. Brown also wants to bring in former Stone Roses bandmate Mani or Happy Mondays bassist Paul Ryder, he said.

Many of you may not know what the hell I'm talking about. For those who don't, go listen to the Stone Roses. Or Ian Brown solo. Or the Happy Mondays. Or the Smiths. Preferably, all of the above.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

My favourite stat right now

Yes, I am geeky enough to have a favourite statistic. And I am also geeky enough to be a student of baseball history, which is why this statistic excites me so much. Albert Pujols is in the running for baseball's triple crown this season. He won't get it, of course. It's nearly impossible now to win a batting triple crown (although a few pitchers still have a shot). After all, the last guy to do it was Yastrzemski in 1967. But Jayson Stark of ESPN has pointed out something far more amazing than winning a triple crown in a single year. Pujols is on pace to win baseball's triple crown - for the entire decade. He's currently first in homers, first in RBIs and second in batting average this season in the NL.


But over the past decade, from 2000-2009, he is far and away first in homers (366 to Barry Bonds' 317). He is also first in RBIs (1,101) and first in batting average (.334 to Todd Helton's .331). There is no way he'll be overtaken in any of those categories before the end of this season, and by extension the decade. Read the full ESPN article here, it's fascinating.

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4492671&name=stark_jayson&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fespn%2fblog%2findex%3fentryID%3d4492671%26name%3dstark_jayson

Friday, June 12, 2009

Operation Go Home graduation and...a plea for funds!

To all Ottawa business owners - there is an opportunity for a free breakfast! Operation Go Home is hosting their annual Breakfast On The Rideau at the Courtyard restaurant 7:30 next Thursday. Dave Smith is involved, serving up a terrific breakfast, and there will be guest speakers and a few of the success stories to come out of Operation Go Home in recent years. I'll be there too - not that my presence sweetens the breakfast any - doing the show live from the Courtyard. We have had some success this year convincing potential donors to attend the event, but less than in previous years. Which means we're taking late registrations, and you can do so through me at eric.bollman@ottawaradio.rogers.com

The event will be two things - first, a fundraiser. And second, a big media event where the new direction of Operation Go Home will be unveiled. I believe that's all I can say about that for now. The funds raised will go toward programs like the Achievement Centre, which provides the homeless kids of Ottawa a place to take courses, learn skills, and in many cases graduate. I just attended, yesterday, a graduation ceremony at St. Brigid's church downtown, beside OGH. About ten kids were there, receiving diplomas and certificates for the completion of courses and some for graduating high school. School officials from Lester B. Pearson and elsewhere were in attendance, creating a celebratory atmosphere.

And it really is a celebration - first of all, these kids don't get a prom when they graduate from high school. They just get the satisfaction of having done so, and a leg up in life. But for someone in these circumstances - no family support, no money whatsoever, sometimes abject poverty and sometimes substance abuse problems - to actually graduate high school is no small feat. It really is a bigger deal than it was for, say, me to graduate high school. All I had to do was show up in order to graduate. These kids have to fight just to show up at all. But with the help of the dedicated volunteers, and teachers, and tutors who work in the Operation Go Home classroom, many youth are able to succeed in this daunting task. And it's through donations from the community that such things are able to be done. So come on out for a free breakfast next Thursday! You know, if you're one of those corporate types.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Anvil: The Story of Anvil

This looks like one of the funniest, yet most touching documentaries in a long time. I have only seen the trailer, and yet I will still go ahead and recommend going to see Anvil: The Story of Anvil (best title for a movie - ever?) this weekend. It opens at the Mayfair Theatre here in Ottawa tonight. In case you missed the trailer when I had it up before, here it is again:

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Fogerty!

Once again, John Fogerty put on one of the best shows in Ottawa last night at Scotiabank Place. Just like the last time he was here, he ran through a ton of hits, barely talked, and looked like a gleeful schoolboy as he rocked the place. Kicking things off with "Travellin' Band" and firing off a series of huge singles, the crowd was singing along and rocking out to every single tune.

Until about eleven songs in, when he switched things up to play several songs I didn't recognize. I wasn't the only one who was impatient. A guy behind me kept yelling "play Cotton Fields!" during the five-or-six song downtime. And it really is downtime. I hate to say it, because I'm not normally a Greatest-Hits concert guy. I don't want to go see Springsteen play "Glory Days" and "Dancing In The Dark" and all his big ones. I like to hear some obscure album tracks in there, and even some stuff I don't know. It adds to the show.

But it doesn't really work with Fogerty. Here's a guy who might be the greatest singles writer in music history, and that means he has about sixty truly classic tunes he can turn to when he wants to get the crowd up and going. And I can't fault the guy for wanting to play something different every now and then. But you get so keyed up when you're hearing "Bad Moon Rising" and then "Looking Out My Back Door" and then "Suzie Q" and one hit after another that not recognizing the songs, and not being able to sing along really takes the wind out of the sails of the crowd.

Then, of course, Fogerty brought them back roaring when he pulled out the baseball-bat guitar to do "Centerfield", followed that up with "Old Man Down The Road" and tore through several more giant hits before closing the show with "Fortunate Son". By that point the entire crowd seemed to be on their feet, singing along and swaying to the classic tune, and when Fogerty left the stage immediately following that song, it almost seemed like the perfect end to the show, leaving on an incredibly high note. But of course, he had yet to do "Proud Mary" and a couple of other songs, so he came back for the obilgatory encore.

Still a fantastic show, Fogerty leaps around the stage with an incredibly intense energy and infectious enthusiasm that can't help but drag people into the show with him. Many times, he stopped to thank the crowd for singing along. He also, in a rather strange moment, pulled out a picture of Scooby-Doo that his seven-year-old daughter had drawn. He was very proud that she had been able to do such a good job drawing a cartoon dog free-hand. I'm sure it was exciting, for the eleven people close enough to the stage to actually see the 8 1/2" by 11" piece of paper. Bu for me, in the first row of the 100 level, it was kind of useless. No big screens, either, to show us ALL the Scooby-Doo drawing. But even that was presented with such infectious energy that I thought to myself "I bet that is an excellent drawing for a 7-year-old". No big screens, no explosions or crazy light show. Just boundless energy, great musicians, classic tunes and a great show. Come back soon, John Fogerty!

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Roller derby? Roller derby!

Roller derby is back in Ottawa! Apparently! I had no idea this was going on, but when an old friend sent me this information I thought I just had to mention it. The Rideau Valley Roller Girls are an all-female roller derby team whose next bout/match/race/fight/whatever is going to be at Barbara Ann Scott arena on May 30th. I'm not sure from reading the press release whether the team name is the Rideau Valley Roller Girls or the Slaughter Daughters. I certainly hope it's the latter. I thought I would put up some portions of the press release here, to whip up some interest in what will likely be an awfully good time on May 30th. Not only that, but some money from every ticket sold is being donated to iSisters technology mentoring.

What is Roller Derby?
Roller Derby is a full-contact sport involving competitive roller skating on four-wheeled skates around an oval track in a counter clockwise direction.

Isn’t Roller Derby fake?
No, Roller derby is a real sport, with real contact. This is NOT pro-wrestling on skates. Our girls train hard and learn how to make effective contact within the rules of the game (no elbowing, back blocking, grabbing, tripping, etc); our skaters learn to give AND to take hard hits. We follow rules set forth by the WFTDA. There is no pre-determined outcome, and there are no staged antics or fake hits.

Well then, isn't it just fighting on roller skates?
No! Though there are bound to be some bad falls and some accidental contact, there are strict rules. Legal blocks allow contact of the hitter’s arm, from shoulder to forearm, to make contact with only the front of her opponent's body, from her neck to her waist. Blockers may also use their bodies to block other skaters. Illegal moves include grabbing, tripping, blocking from behind, elbows to the face and fighting.

And of course, the girls have some colourful names - Semi Precious, Screaming Meanie Massacre, Scotch Minx, Sister Disaster, et al. Lots of fun, I'm sure! Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door, and can be purchased at Barbara Ann Scott, The Candy Store, Five Cents Tattoo, Artguise, Fabgear 64, Spaceman Music and Sounds Unlikely.

Friday, May 15, 2009

I think I can do better than that.

A respected British music journalist, Johnny Sharp, has come up with a book called Crap Lyrics, due out June 1st. In it, he lists the worst offenders against music lyrics of all time. Here are his top five:

#4: Def Leppard - Pour Some Sugar On Me - "you got the peaches, I got the cream"
#3: Bob Dylan - Ballad Of A Thin Man - "Now you see this one-eyed midget shouting the word 'now'And you say, for what reason? And he says, 'how?'And you say, what does this mean? And he screams back, 'you're a cow'Give me some milk or else go home."
#2: America - Horse With No Name - "After nine days, I let the horse run free 'cos the desert had turned to sea. There were plants and birds and rocks and things ..."
#1: Steve Miller Band - The Joker - "Really love your peaches wanna shake your tree. Lovey dovey lovey dovey lovey dovey all the time. Ooh yeah baby I'll sure show you a good time"

With all due respect, I think I can do better. Frankly, being a British journalist, there is a good chance that Sharp has not heard a lot of Canadian music, therefore I don't expect him to include stuff like this:

Trooper - "who do they think they are? And where did they get that car" - The Boys In The Bright White Sports Car (Woody's favourite bad lyric ever)
Kim Mitchell - "Might as well go for soda, it's better than slander" - Go For Soda
Terry Jacks - "But the stars we could reach were just starfish on the beach" - Seasons In The Sun
The Tragically Hip - "And when the sunlight hits the olive oil, don't hesitate" - My Music At Work
Loverboy - "I'm even on my knees, makin love to whoever I please" - Turn Me Loose

I will also excuse Mr. Sharp for excluding, for the most part, rap lyrics (although I do see that he has an unidentified Black Eyed Peas tune in his top ten, which I can only assume is "My Humps" - good). But here are a few worth mentioning:

50 Cent - "If I went back to a hoopty from a Benz, would you poof and disappear like some of my friends?" - 21 Questions
Sisqo - "Dumps like a truck truck truck, thighs like what what what" - The Thong Song
Dr. Dre - "Never let me slip, 'cause if I slip, then I'm slippin'" - Nothin' But A G Thang
Mase - "Young black and famous, with money hangin' out the anus" - Can't Nobody Hold Me Down

And finally, I will excuse Mr. Sharp for exclusing novelty albums by celebrities. Although it's tough to touch some of these lyrics for sheer idiocy:

The Macho Man Randy Savage - "They call you Hollywood (hugh hugh) don't make me laugh, Cuz your movies and your actin' skills are both trash, your movies straight to video the box office can't stand, while I got myself a feature role in Spider Man" - Be A Man (does anyone remember Macho Man's "feature role" in Spider Man?)
Steven Seagal - "Woke up this morning. I looked to the left." - Gunfire At The Juke Joint
The Macho Man Randy Savage - "Are y'all ready, are y'all ready, are y'all ready, are y'all ready (yeah)Are y'all ready, are y'all readyI don't think they're ready (uh uh) (nah) (no, uh uh)You all ain't ready for this (huh)" - R U Ready
Steven Seagal - "She want the buddy, him want the poonani, and me know it nice" - Strut
The Macho Man Randy Savage - "Don't make me mad dude the Macho Man's about to explode, You bad and bold (hugh) you're travelin on a rocky road" - Get Back

Okay. That's it for now. Gotta go, Go For Soda is on the radio!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Ten acts to see at Bluesfest

I am going to assume that everyone, by now, knows the Bluesfest lineup. If not, you can click here for a full rundown:

http://www.chez106.com/more.jsp?content=20090422_061813_8256

And further, I am going to assume that everyone will want to go see the big ones - Jeff Beck, Joe Cocker, KISS (by the way - I have now taken down that vote-for-KISS link because they are already coming to town - well done, Ottawa, we finished ninth), Styx, Jackson Browne. And I would be loathe to recommend all of those artists, since I don't plan to go see Styx or KISS myself. But here are some lesser-known acts worth checking out:

8. Local acts: JW Jones might be the most fun of all the local acts, but Jeff Rogers, Becky Abbott, Tara Holloway, Steve Mariner and Ken Workman & the Union promise to be terrific shows as well. There is a ton of great local music out there, and Bluesfest is a great chance to see some of it before the headliners come on.

7. LeE HARVeY OsMOND: Tom Wilson's band. You know, Tom Wilson of Blackie And The Rodeo Kings? It should also be noted that Colin Linden, Wilson's Blackie bandmate, will be playing Bluesfest too. Here's a video:

LeE HARVeY OsMOND-Queen Bee


6. Brian Setzer Orchestra: I don't know if Setzer is better known for his work solo or with the Stray Cats. Either way, a huge talent, an awful lot of fun, and an influential player who has inspired, among others, Trevor Finlay. Here is a video:



5. Divine Brown: My girlfriend is into all kinds of pop music R&B nonsense, which mostly drives me crazy. But when she picked up Divine Brown's CD, I was amazed. Old-school style, beats and melodies that could have come straight from the early 60s, and a fantastic voice. This Canadian singer is worth seeing.



4. Gov't Mule: A band featuring the Allman Brothers' star guitarist Warren Haynes. Here they are on late night TV.



3. Hubert Sumlin: One of the all time true Blues legends, Sumlin was the guitar player for Howlin' Wolf. I have included an interview with the man, because I couldn't find any great playing videos:



2. Ornette Coleman: Because they don't come much more legendary than this man. One of the greatest free-jazz artists of all time. And to this day, one of my favourite concerts ever was Sonny Rollins at the Jazzfest about eight years ago.



1. Toots and the Maytals: And lastly, the one act at the Bluesfest for which I would gladly skip my own wedding (and, depending on the day they play, I may have to). The Otis Redding of Jamaica, Toots Hibbert still has an amazing voice, and the Maytals are perhaps the greatest of all backing vocalists. Absolutely legendary Jamaican reggae artists, and - perhaps even more importantly - a really, really fun time. Here is a clip of them in the studio from the legendary Jimmy Cliff Jamaican movie The Harder They Come.



There are, of course, other big acts. I might check out Green Day, Stone Temple Pilots, maybe even Ludacris. Ah, who am I kidding? I have a wedding that week. I won't be seeing anyone. Enjoy Ornette Coleman for me!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Best written smackdown...ever? Well, in a long time.

Not a lot of people know this, but Roger Ebert is an absolute master of the written smackdown. Not just the world's foremost movie critic, but also a scathing wit who has delivered some of the greatest jabs against those with inflated egos of all time. (The title of one of his books, Your Movie Sucks, is taken from perhaps the greatest of them all, his slam of Rob Schneider for Deuce Bigalow.) Now, he has come up with yet another brilliant smackdown of another inflated egomaniac, Bill O'Reilly. Love O'Reilly (and I hope you don't) or hate him, you must read this:


http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090407/COMMENTARY/904079997/-1/RSS


References to Conrad Black are nice and poignant, but Squeaky the Mouse? Fantastic.

Monday, April 6, 2009

More Genie photos. And exactly what is wrong with the Genies and the people covering them. Yes, I include myself among their number.





















This couple showed up on the red carpet. Immediately, people began talking to the guy in the fur coat - no one in Canada, and few in the media, know what any of the stars at the Genies actually look like, so they asked him who he was. His name is Biz, it turns out, and he is a rapper from Montreal. They said, of the woman beside him, "is this your girlfriend?" and he said no, she is just a friend, also from Montreal. And he then had his picture taken by everyone, with everyone, including Larry O'Brien. The girl patiently waited, off to the side, while Biz did his thing in his fur coat, then accompanied him down the red carpet until they reached the backstage area.

Here is "Biz"'s just-friend, not-girlfriend, Chloe Bourgeois. She is standing with Yves-Christian Fournier, who has just accepted the Claude Jutra award for directing his first feature film, the magnificent Tout Est Parfait. Which starred Chloe Bourgeois, in a fantastic performance. And no one interviewed her.
I must admit, I fell into the category of the rest of the media, who largely ignored Ms. Bourgeois. I saw her in the film, but she looked nothing like she did on the red carpet, and I did not recognize her. I am kicking myself now, because she is one of the few people there I would love to have interviewed. Then again, I clearly wasn't alone. Besides, the guy she was with was wearing a fur coat!

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Evil Dead: The Musical!

Normally, I would post this only on the Cynical Cinema website. But because that website is currently undergoing some kind of switchover that I don't really understand, I am posting it here. The link on this blog to Cynical Cinema works, but not the link on the CHEZ page. The new CC website has been updated, but not everything is there yet. Right now only the reviews up to January 29th of this year are available. It should be back to normal within a week, at which point there will be a huge amount of new content, since I have been saving reviews for a week already. But not knowing whether it will be up and running by the time the next series of shows for Evil Dead: The Musical are happening, I thought I would post this here.

Doc and I had a bit of a bet going. I said that Evil Dead: The Musical would be of more interest to more people than Spamalot. He thought that was ludicrous. The reason I said this was that more people know Monty Python than Evil Dead, certainly. But Monty Python fans are not ALL going to care about Spamalot. In fact, many casual Monty Python fans will not even make the connection between the few movies they know and the musical. However, there are no casual Evil Dead fans. If you know the movies, and love the movies, then you are in all the way. And you will (like me) rent My Name Is Bruce, the new movie starring Bruce Campbell as himself, and you will buy Bubba Ho-Tep, and you will read If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor, Campbell's autobiography. (Which, by the way, is absolutely hilarious, and kicks off with a brilliant forward that was supposed to be written by Sam and Ivan Raimi, and that in itself is worth the price of the book.)

At any rate, the bet was going to be paycheques. Doc's paycheque versus mine, on whether Spamalot or Evil Dead would be bigger. In the end I chickened out and didn't take the bet, because if I lost one of my paycheques I would lose my house. Never bet more than you can afford to lose, right? Well, I'm kicking myself now. I took my girlfriend and my sister to the showing of Evil Dead: The Musical at Carleton University's Kailash Mital Theatre on Saturday night. I called a few hours ahead, hoping to reserve tickets for the show. I was informed that for the first three nights of the procuction, there were no more reserve seats to be had. They had all been reserved. So we would have to take our chances at the door.

We figured we had better go early. Like, really early. If all the reserved seats were taken, the tickets available at the door were likely to be snapped up fast. So we got there at 7:00 for the 8:00 show. Judging by the pile of tickets on the table, there were about nine left at that time. And then we were directed to go downstairs, where the line began. And we followed the line of people through the lobby, and then down the stairs, and then around the corner, and then down the length of a very long hall to the outside door, and then back along the wall in the other direction, almost back to where we began. And this is an hour before show time. Everyone who had a ticket for this show had lined up an hour before show time. They all wanted to sit in the first few rows, where there WILL be some splashback. Of course, we ended up at the back of the theatre. It isn't a huge theatre, so that isn't a problem, but I would have liked to be in the splatter zone. And I wish I had taken that bet.

The show itself is just about what I expected. Terrifically campy, silly, and fun. Some of the funniest moments were the ones where the cast called attention to the low-budget nature of the production. The premise is great, the satire of horror movies and Evil Dead in general is funny, and the songs are absolutely terrific. The highlights are "Housewares Employee", with Ash and Linda, "It Won't Let Us Leave", with Cheryl, and "All The Men In My Life Keep Getting Killed By Candarian Demons", with Annie, Ash and Jake. Jake is the funniest character in the musical, perhaps because he reminds my of my buddy Trevor. And Cheryl gets most of the best lines - the cheesy, ludicrous and often terrifically stupid horror-movie puns that make movies like Evil Dead such campy fun.

There are some very funny references as well - for example, when Cheryl sits down to read a book, it's If Chins Could Kill. That made me laugh. The only problem I have with the musical is that it is catered almost entirely to fans of the movie. I guess that should have been obvious to me, but it really stood out that most of the big laugh lines were those taken directly from the movies - "this is my boom-stick", "well hello Mr. Fancy Pants", "gimme some sugar baby", and so forth. Just saying those things doesn't make me laugh. I get it, fine, but at least the guy playing Ash could have infused it with a little bit of Bruce Campbell's sardonic stone-faced humour. Instead, every time he delivered one of those lines, I felt like I was watching one of my not-funny friends who think they're being hilarious when they quote, at length, a funny passage from a movie. I tell those friends it was funny when it happened in that film, but not when it's coming out of their mouth. That's how I felt often.

An unfortunate aspect of Saturday's show was when Ash's microphone started cutting out, and we missed just about all of his final song. The chorus carried on loudly, and the song was still funny, but we didn't get half of it. But it certainly is a good time, it's campy and fun, and you can tell the actors really enjoy doing this show. There are three more dates for Evil Dead: The Musical at the Kailash Mital Theatre, at Carleton University - March 19th, 20th, and 21st. I recommend it to fans of the movies. And only to fans of the movies. But then, I know they are going anyway. Here's how to get there: http://www.carleton.ca/ims/alth05.html

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Springsteen's The Wrestler video

First, he was snubbed by the Oscars for what might be the very best song, ever, written for a movie. Then, that song was left off the soundtrack to The Wrestler in favour of some Whitesnake tune from 1986. But try watching this video and then shaking the song from your head. This is not only the best song ever written for a movie (having seen the movie puts it in much more poignant context), this video is also the best trailer for a movie, ever, and it's a really good promotional video for "Mickey Rourke as Best Actor".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK6smwWg8bc

Personally, I'm still pulling for Richard Jenkins for Best Actor. But nothing I've seen has made me think about changing my mind quite as much as that video. A reminder of what an amazing movie that is, and what an amazing songwriter Springsteen is. And now I have to pull for M.I.A. to win Best Song for "O Saya".

Monday, February 9, 2009

Operation Go Home.

OK, it's that time of year where I get preachy again, only this time I'm preachy with more of a purpose. For the past three years I have done Operation Go Home's 24 Hours of Homelessness challenge just off Rideau Street in that Sugar Mountain - Scotiabank mini-mall. I can't remember what it's called. We'll be back there this year, doing it again. In the past, we have solicited minor donations from passers-by, but it has mostly been an event to raise awareness of Operation Go Home as they kick off their fundraising drive for the year. This time, we want to raise as much money as we can on that first day, to get the ball rolling on what hopefully will be a major fundraising campaign. The event takes place from Thursday, February 19th at 4:00 p.m. to Friday, February 20th at 4:00 p.m. Hopefully this year won't be like last, where it was -25 and my sleeping bag came apart. With any luck it will be -10 and not snow.

This is the point of the event, however. It's supposed to be cold, it's supposed to be unpleasant. This is the life for many kids in the Ottawa area, kids who live on the streets. And there are lots of them, make no mistake, this is a problem in this region. There are no shelters for kids. There are just homeless shelters for adults. Kids are allowed to go there, but they never do. It's too dangerous for them, and the threat of violence and other horrible things is all too real. So if they can't find a warm place for the night, they are left with no recourse but to sleep outside. We'll be doing it for 24 hours, but this is a reality that could happen for these kids on any given night of the winter time.

Operation Go Home is a charitable organization, with no government funding whatsoever, that seeks to get these kids off the streets. Their mission statement is basically to help the homeless kids before they become homeless adults. Over the past three years, I've seen their operation in detail, and I have met many of these kids. They are out on the streets for a variety of reasons. Some of them just hated living at home, and the streets seemed glamorous. Others became addicted to drugs and wound up homeless and broke. But most seem to have fled from home to escape abuse. OGH tries to reunite kids with their families across Canada as much as possible. Those who can go home, hopefully will. And for those who can't, the drop-in centre provides them with some education, a few meals a day, and help getting back on their feet.

For a homeless kid, that is harder than it seems. Most don't have any ID of any kind, not even a birth certificate. Which means they can't become employed, which means they will never be able to afford an apartment. OGH helps them get the identification they require, helps them set up job interviews and helps them get apartments to get them off the streets before it's too late. This year, the fundraising season kicks off today, and I'm putting the link up here so people can make donations if they so choose. There are ads running on CHEZ right now, talking about the event, and they say to go to http://www.chez106.com/ to make a donation. I think that page will be up fairly soon, but until it actually exists, here is the link:

http://www.canadahelps.org/CharityProfilePage.aspx?CharityID=s24828

Here is the link to their website, which explains everything OGH does in the community:

http://www.operationgohome.ca/

Any amount helps, any amount is greatly appreciated. Last year, people came up to me for months after the event, giving me five dollars here, two dollars there. Including one very sweet little boy who brought me a loonie and some nickels at a concert event. Of course, I'm happy to take donations in that form and deliver them to Operation Go Home at the next event. But hopefully this pledge form will make it easier, and you can always stop by and see us at the William Street Mall. There - I remembered what it's called!