There was a time not so long ago that having internet at home was considered a bit of a luxury. For all of those of us who remember the pings and howls of the modem dialing up the very slow window on the world things have changed considerably. In the major centres of this country high speed internet is just what is available.

I was a bit shocked to find out relatives of mine living near Amherst have no high speed. I discovered this when I was asked where they could find a dial-up modem cheap. Wow there’s something I haven’t heard about in a very long time. I guess on a positive note… at least they have access to the internet.

Millions of people around the world don’t. The BBC has just published the results of a survey they commissioned. They asked 27,000 people in 26 countries one question: Is internet access a fundamental human right? Now there’s a complex issue right there I tell you what. They discovered a number that surprised me…. 79 percent of people said yes it is a fundamental human right.

Here’s the breakdown according to www.engadget.com:

Mexico, Korea and Brazil lead the way here with all having greater than 90 percent agreement, while Pakistan, India and Kenya -- countries with a slightly different perception of what fundamental needs are -- offer the least support, though they're all still above 50 percent in agreement. Other interesting stats include the claim by 85 percent of Japanese internet users and 81 percent in Mexico that they would not be able to "cope without the internet," while 55 percent of Brits and most other European nations believe that the internet should be regulated by governments in at least some way. Ghana and Nigeria are most worried about fraud (ha!), while people in the Philippines see explicit content as the web's biggest threat.”

What do you think? IS internet access a FUNDAMENTAL human right?

shane@z103halifax.com

Speaking of internet access. There’s great news today for Nova Scotia libraries. The government has decided to continue to fund free internet at all public libraries in the province to the tune of 300 thousand bucks a year. Yay!!!!

JUNO FAN CHOICE AWARD (PRESENTED BY PEPSI)
• Ginette Reno Melon-Miel*Select
• Johnny Reid Open Road*Universal
• Maxime Landry Productions J*Select
• Michael Bublé Reprise*Warner
• Nickelback EMI

SINGLE OF THE YEAR
• Rusted From The Rain Billy Talent WEA*Warner
• Anybody Listening Classified HalfLife*Sony
• Best I Ever Had Drake Aspire*Universal
• Haven’t Met You Yet Michael Bublé Reprise*Warner
• Love Is A First The Tragically Hip Universal

INTERNATIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR
• The E.N.D. Black Eyed Peas Interscope*Universal
• Circus Britney Spears Zomba*Sony
• Only By The Night Kings Of Leon RCA*Sony
• I Dreamed A Dream Susan Boyle Simcoe*Sony
• Fearless Taylor Swift Big Machine/Open Road*Universal

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
• III Billy Talent WEA*Warner
• Quiet Nights Diana Krall Verve*Universal
• Dance With Me Johnny Reid Open Road*Universal
• My World Justin Bieber Island Def Jam*Universal
• Crazy Love Michael Bublé Reprise*Warner

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
• Diana Krall Verve*Universal
• Jann Arden Universal
• Johnny Reid Open Road*Universal
• K’Naan A&M/Octone*Universal
• Michael Bublé Reprise*Warner

GROUP OF THE YEAR
• Billy Talent WEA*Warner
• Blue Rodeo WEA*Warner
• Hedley Universal
• Metric Last Gang*Universal
• The Tragically Hip Universal

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
• Carly Rae Jepsen MapleMusic*Fontana North
• Danny Fernandes CP*Fontana North
• Drake Aspire*Universal
• Justin Bieber Island Def Jam*Universal
• Shiloh Universal

NEW GROUP OF THE YEAR
• Arkells Dine Alone*Universal
• Down With Webster Universal Motown*Universal
• Stereos Universal
• Ten Second Epic Black Box*Fontana North
• The New Cities Sony

ADULT ALTERNATIVE ALBUM OF THE YEAR
• Nineteen Seventy-Seven 1977 Independent
• Masters Of The Burial Amy Millan Arts & Crafts*EMI
• Way Down Here Cuff The Duke Noble*Universal
• How To Fall Down In Public Howie Beck 13 Clouds*Fontana North
• Three Joel Plaskett MapleMusic*Universal

ALTERNATIVE ALBUM OF THE YEAR
• Face Control Handsome Furs Sub Pop*Outside
• Post-Nothing Japandroids Polyvinyl*Sonic Unyon
• I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day Julie Doiron Endearing*Fontana North
• Fantasies Metric Last Gang*Universal
• Sainthood Tegan & Sara Warner Bros.*Warner

POP ALBUM OF THE YEAR
• The Show Must Go Hedley Universal
• My World Justin Bieber Island Def Jam*Universal
• The Listening LIGHTS Underground Operations*Universal
• Crazy Love Michael Bublé Reprise*Warner
• Stereos Stereos Universal

ROCK ALBUM OF THE YEAR
• Old Crows/Young Cardinals Alexisonfire Dine Alone*Universal
• III Billy Talent WEA*Warner
• Dark Horse Nickelback EMI
• We Are The Same The Tragically Hip Universal
• Life Starts Now Three Days Grace Jive*Sony

INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR
• Beats On Canvas Beats On Canvas BOC Records
• As Seen Through The Windows Bell Orchestre Arts & Crafts*EMI
• Trifecta Pavlo, Rik Emmett, Oscar Lopez PRO*Fontana North
• Yalla Yalla! Sultans Of String Independent*Outside
• L’ile de Sept Villes The Hylozoists Independent*Outside

FRANCOPHONE ALBUM OF THE YEAR
• Les sentinelles dormant Andrea Lindsay GSI*Select
• mille excuses milady Jean Leloup Grosse Boîte*Sélect
• Dans Mon Corps Les Trois Accords Indica*Outside
• Un toi dans ma tête Luc De Larochellière Les Disques Victoire*DEP
• Un serpent sous ses fleurs Yann Perreau Bonsound*Select

RAP RECORDING OF THE YEAR
• Still Fly Big Page, Drake & U.G.O. Crew Smoke & Mirrors*E1 Music
• Self Explanatory Classified HalfLife*Sony
• So Far Gone Drake Aspire*Universal
• Yes! k-os Crown Loyalist*Universal
• Troubadour K’Naan A&M/Octone*Universal

DANCE RECORDING OF THE YEAR
• Shine 4U Carmen and Camille TwinSpin Music
• For Lack Of A Better Name Deadmau5 Ultra*EMI
• Runnin Doman and Gooding ft. Dru & Lincoln Heaven Recordings
• I’m No Human Misstress Barbara MapleMusic*Universal
• Thunderheist Thunderheist Big Dada*Universal

R&B/SOUL RECORDING OF THE YEAR
• INTRO Danny Fernandes CP*Fontana North
• Lonesome Highway jacksoul Sony
• The Long Way Home Jarvis Church EMI
• The Black Book Jully Black Universal
• The Bridge Melanie Fiona Universal Motown/SRC*Universal

REGGAE RECORDING OF THE YEAR
• American Dream Carl Henry III Mosaic
• Gonna Be Alright Dubmatix ft. Prince Blanco 7 Arts
• Show Me The Way Kim Davis Independent
• Wha-La-La-Leng Poirier Ninja Tune*Outside
• Breaking Up Tanya Mullings MegaCity

It's brand new to Z103.5.....it is The Zone! Every Monday we play nothing but commercial free hit music for 24 hours and prizes every single hour at 10mins past the hour. Everyone who wins at 10 past the hour qualifies for one of our grand prizes that are drawn at 9:45 and 3:45. Yesterday, we gave away 2 iPads that you can't even buy yet.......not sure what an iPad is????? check it out here.... www.apple.com very cool. And then everyone that won yesterday were qualified to win a trip for 2 to Jamaica that we gave away this morning at 8:30, have a listen........jamaica trip winner clip..........this is how we're going to spend every single Monday and Tuesday on Z now........but there's something else, that's HUGE!!!! Find out what it is today at 3 on Z!!!!!!

The Olympics wrap up this weekend. While that’s not news it is news that I have become a fan.

All the hype leading up to the games really put me off. My main reaction to the hype was pffffft. I was sick of the damn Olympic Torch updates every single night during the news for what seemed like 125 years, sick of seeing those damn rings everywhere and sick of the constant athlete bios.

Then, mostly because I don’t have cable, I actually sat down and watched.

One of THE biggest mistakes of my life.

I am now an Olympics junkie and things got worse when I stumbled on this:




Ok so it’s not really the way they compete in Biathlon, but it is damn funny and would certainly draw a huge audience.

Seriously though… this is the sport that really got me hooked and it doesn’t hurt that gold medal winner Ashleigh McIvor is hot on soooo many levels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXW7BXtFix4

Ski Cross really is the winter sport for the 21st century Olympics. It’s fast, it’s TV friendly and the athletes seem to actually form a community. Maybe it’s because this is the first Olympics for the sport. They just seem to be closer than athletes in other sports.

Gotta go…. The men’s Nordic Combined - Individual LH/10 km CC - Competition Round is set to go.

Olympics… I BELIEVE… cause I’m hooked!!!

My alarm goes off at 8:30 on Saturday morning. I'm happy. That's sleeping in for us anyway AND it was the day of Z103.5's win a wedding challenge. Love it! The wedding challenge days are heart warming enough to even make self proclaimed "single for life" girls like me have a little hope that MAYBE marriage wouldn't be so bad someday. I didn't have to leave until eleven o'clock so I had a ton of time to relax with a coffee and then get ready for the day. WRONG!!! I WOULD have had plenty of time if I would have relaxed with a coffee for a bit and then got ready; but once again. YouTube pulled me in. It was ten 'oclock when I realized that I hadn't made a pot of coffee or begun getting ready. So I ended up rushing around, practically drinking my coffee in the shower (I kid) and I was ALMOST late. Know what's not cool? ALMOST being late when I had two and a half hours to get my crap in gear! Everything is on YouTube...I start with just wanting to watch a little India Arie to start my day and one video leads to another which leads to another. The next thing I know it's ten o'clock and I'm watching some girl from Louisiana cover a Lady Gaga song. I'd like to share with you some of the videos that I'm lovin'! Z103.5 is also sharing YouTube videos with you on Facebook! Make sure you join "The Z103.5 Morning Show With Jeff, Nikki and Shane" page and the "Z103.5 The Beat of Halifax" Page.
Enjoy, and don't worry. I've buckled down on my YouTube usage problem in a huge way. Because the first step in recovery is admitting I have a problem, right?

The new "We Are The World" Video for Haiti:




Miley Cyrus' new video:




I watched the movie "America the Beautiful" on the weekend. It was phenomenal, a total wake-up call (check it out if you can). I've been showing everyone I know the trailer:




Cheers,
I don't know about you but February is my least favorite month of the year, March feels like Spring is SO close!!! AND March is going to be even more ballin this year because THE ZONE is coming!!! MONDAY MORNING on Z103.5!!