The Newfoundland & Labrador 2006 - 2007 Hunting and Trapping guide has arrived! On the island this year we have 26,255 moose licences available. A decrease of 205 from last year. For the Caribou hunt,there are 4,635 available and that's a decrease of 907 from last season. This year for the first time we'll see Sunday hunting beginning on November 5 and continuing until the closing of the season. Area 10,Port Aux Basques,my hunting area, has 375 either sex licences and 275 bul only,or calf licences available.(no change from last year) The moose and caribou permits are $52.00 plus the HST for Premier Danny. Anyone wanting to know more about our wildlife and plant species in the province ,can click here to find out more.

Checking out the blogs today and visited whiskersadies journal. I ran across this pic and here's an article from the National Inuit Youth Council on the above poster. I think Murray Angus who created the poster sums it up well with just two words, "cultural arrogance !"

This is taken from the VOCM News site.

Seal Hunt UnderwayMarch 25, 2006
Canada's East Coast seal hunt is officially under way on unusually thin ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.A mild winter and warmer-than-normal water temperatures will make it more difficult this year for hunters to find and kill the 91,000 seals they are allowed to take in the Gulf hunt.There is no ice in the southern part of the Gulf, around Prince Edward Island, so hunters and protesters alike are heading north into the Cabot Strait and the Strait of Belle Isle off Newfoundland and Labrador.Tensions are higher than usual this year thanks to an aggressive, anti-hunt campaign launched by animal rights groups such as the Humane Society of the United States.The society has enlisted the support of such high-profile celebrities as Paul McCartney to appeal for an end to the annual slaughter.Fed up sealers on the Iles de la Madeleine are trying to get their own boycott going against the protesters. They're urging suppliers to stop providing protesters with boats, fuel and helicopters.
Fisheries Minister Tom Rideout says some thought is being given as to the best way of getting out the truth.
Fisheries and Oceans Minister Loyola Hearn says an animal rights campaign targeting the seal hunt, that claims to have cut into Canadian seafood exports, is clearly bogus. Hearn says during a recent trip to the Boston Seafood show his department did some checking among companies that have reportedly joined the boycott. Hearn says they discovered the true picture.
Cheryl Fink of the International Fund for Animal Welfare says there are poor ice conditions in the Gulf this year and there aren't a lot of seals around. Fink says they are concerned about the changing climate and its impact on the breeding habitat of seals. She says the seal hunt is cruel and they want it shut down completely.
Fink says each year they continue to document and report on violations of the marine mammal regulations and instances of unacceptable cruelty to animals. She says there is more enforcement in the Gulf this year, but time will tell what comes of that.

Just read a bit of info on Bridget Bardot and she ain't no Bono! Apparently the old sex kitten loves furry critters much more then her fellow human beings. She seems much like our Vanessa in my March 17/06 blog. Would rather see harm come to a human then an animal. Strange critters those animal rights activists. She seems to oppose so many things besides the seal hunt those days. Bridget opposes interracial marriage and also presents Muslims as barbaric and cruel invaders, responsible for terrorist acts and eager to dominate the French to the extent of wanting to exterminate them. Bridget has been fined several times over the pass few years for her attacks on gays, immigrants and the jobless. She also dislikes the idea of women in government! Im happy the PM Stephen Harper didn't give her the time of day and wonder what the hell even an asshole like Paul Watson would want her to come to multicultural Canada for. I know some reading my blog lately must think "what the hell is that guy picking on poor Bridget for?" Well,thinking back to my youth, all those day dreams, nights of nocturnal emissions,and after all that dreaming of her,i expected better.

World's greatest tool. No it's not me!I didn't even place in the top 20. Forbes.com compiled its list of the 20 most important tools of all time and it looks like Duct Tape has made it to the top. Red Green must be smiling today. Anyone who hung around with me knows of my love for this great invention.It's my Mastercard, i don't leave home without it. It's in the trunk of my car, aboard my ATV and found in several places around my house. For some reason i caught on real early to the value of this product and always had a few handy.

On February 10, 2003, with government intelligence agencies indicating a high risk of terrorist attacks, the Department of Homeland Security advised Americans to prepare by keeping emergency supplies on hand. The requisites included food and water, a first-aid kit, and, in case of a biological or chemical attack, plastic sheeting and duct tape. Now i know being far away from the good ol U.S. of A. should of made me feel safe, but the same day a Canadian Tire Flyer came out with a sale on Duct Tape. On the way home from work that day i picked up a 24 pack of Duct Tape just to be on the safe side. I printed off the article by the American Government agency and Duct Taped it to the refrigerator so my wife could read it. She still whined more then a cruise missle homing in on target but im sure i'll convince her this evening the importance of Duct Tape. I printed off the Forbes article and Duct Taped that to the fridge also. Sleep good tonight Red Green wherever you are!

**Warning to Canadian Sealers**

If sealing on the floes this spring and approached by this creature,do not panic!


This is just another over the hill star and now closely resembles an old Harp seal. Once so long ago it resembled another little creature called a White Coat Seal. Back then it could be used for photo ops by animal rights groups. Today however with its coat shedding and body decaying, it is wothless.* Please do not even mercy club it ,if approached by it. Just give the creature her final moments in the sun and remember it for what it was.

Here's a gal who wants to club Newfoundlanders. So sweet! Deletes any comments from people who don't agree with her.

http://vanessa-vy.livejournal.com/41115.html#comments

Vanessa loves German Videos so i guess that tells a lot about her wanting to bash a humans head in.

CBC NEWS ARTICLE:
Senator fires back at U.S. family upset with seal hunt
A Liberal senator has replied to a family in Minnesota upset about Canada's seal hunt with a letter denouncing the United States for executing prisoners at home and killing people in Iraq.


The McLellan family had written to Canadian senators to say they cancelled a vacation in Canada because of the hunt, which they called "horrible" and "inhumane," Montreal's La Presse reports.
In her response, Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette said that what she finds horrible is "the daily massacre of innocent people in Iraq, the execution of prisoners - mainly blacks - in American prisons, the massive sale of handguns to Americans, the destabilization of the entire world by the American government's aggressive foreign policy, etc."

She said Americans are not in a position to criticize others. "They must start to look at their own behaviour, the permanent heightening of the planet's insecurity since the election of Bush," she told La Presse.
"All senators received the letter from the McLellans and I was the only one to respond," she said.
The family "did not choose a good cause," she added.
In their letter, the McLellans said they love Canada and have Canadian ancestors but cancelled a trip to Canada last year because of the seal hunt and will scrap plans for one this year if the spring hunt goes ahead, La Presse said.

Hervieux-Payette, a lawyer and former Liberal MP, was appointed to the Senate in 1995 by then prime minister Jean Chrétien. She last drew public attention with a private member's bill in 2004 to outlaw spanking of children.

In defending the seal hunt, she called it a centuries-old practice and part of the livelihood of coastal residents both native and white.
She invited the McLellans to come to Canada to see a humane society that lives in safety and respects the traditions of its native people.
It is not clear whether she might pay a penalty for remarks that could be seen as anti-American. Once appointed, senators have a job until retirement at 75.

Senator Celine Hervieux-Payette,Thank you! Within the next few weeks our annual seal hunt will take place and im sure this is just the tip of the iceberg. More backlash to come im sure from both sides of the ice floes.

The fog burns away the snow on the Twin Mountains this morning overlooking the community. Below in the community the residents go about their daily lives and it's just another day not unlike the previous one. Each morning school children and residents travel this road and return at days end. It's a great place to live and its all worth the daily commute to have the comfort of living in a small community. Spring is just a day on the calendar here and we know that the date is just that. Spring has to claw and fight its way in and summer seems to come and go all to fast. They say climatically, Newfoundland is the most maritime of the Atlantic Provinces, and this is evident in all seasons, but especially in spring and summer, which are quite cool by Canadian standards. Were not noted for our sunshine here and many days we see the fog forming on the Twin Mountains as in todays photo. Statistics Canada,who i always like to quote says our total number of hours of bright sunshine for the island is usually less than 1600 hours a year.We experience an average of 187 hours of sunshine a month, about 42% of the total possible. The least sunshine is experienced in December, when the average daily duration is about 2 hours. To some that might sound a bit depressing today.To me that sounds ok about now because im ready for that few days ahead we call summer and so are the residents of that little community below those Twin Mountains.

According to statistics Canada ,the population of my community Cape Ray fell - 19.7 percent from 1996 to 2001. The population in 1996 according to statistics Canada was 928 and down to 745 in 2001. ( i actually think those numbers are to high! I suspect a typo by the census there.) A few weeks ago we decided to start a Come Home Year event for July of 2007 and a head count held at that time showed just 288 people still in our community. That account was accurate and done by a lady who has worked for Census Canada in the past and also on our local service district. It looks like the downturn of the fishery and the governments decision to close the local school a few years back has sealed the fate of Cape Ray. Im wondering by 2007 how much more that number will drop? Each year in June we see a few more families leave,seeking employment elsewhere and at times their homes simply placed in mothballs because they're next to impossible to sell. Each year we see an American or two come, buy up the houses and land at a ridicously low price and speak of how wonderful it is to live in Newfoundland. 2007 will be our first attempt at a Come Home Year event and were the last community on the Southwest coast of the island to have one. I appreciate being a part of a committee to try and organize such an event and know it will be a success. I also wonder will this be the first and last Come Home Year for Cape Ray? What will the future hold for my community? Will it just be a retirement village for some of us who decide to stay and the occasional American who makes it his home? Only time will yield the answers.

Contrary to popular beliefs, this image is of a seal! A lot outside of Newfoundland and Labrador are probably saying "it can't be, it's not cute and cuddly!"Sorry to burst your bubble but it's true. I shot this photo New Years Day in Cape Ray at the seashore here. I dared not get closer because Mr. Contrary Face wanted to be left alone to bask in the January sun . I snapped a few pics and kept my distance knowing he would take a piece of me if i approached to close. This big ugly son of a bitch would never make a poster child for some animal rights group and i doubt if Sir Paul and ladyHeather Mills would want to adopt it. I would give my full years salary to see Lady Heather go and pet it.


Photos of this type will never show on sites seeking donations nor did they show up on last nights peace talks on CNN. A great deal of that show was taken up showing images of seals been clubbed and it's not a pretty site for anyone who has not seen a culling of animals. Im sure if they showed images of cattle, hogs and chickens been processed it would have the same effect on some as those images of the seals.
The McCartney couple said they came for information and i doubt if they got anymore then the mis-information they already brought with them. The premier did give them a Geography lesson when McCartney claimed to be in Newfoundland and was informed that he was actually in Prince Edward Island. I guess the lingering effects of LSD use takes decades to wear off. To me the highlight of the show was this statement by Danny Williams:

WILLIAMS: The other thing that's very relevant here, Larry, is that -- and I don't attribute this to the McCartneys, but this is where I think this is where they're being used. These organizations, the IFAW, Green Peace, PETA raise significant amounts of money. There are hundreds of millions of dollars that are being raised by these organizations. And let me tell you the FBI right now have a file opened in their terrorism division investigating organizations like this, including the PETA organization, from a terrorism perspective. So there are some huge issues here that if we had a couple of hours to go into, I would love to deal with. But what I would like to do...

hopefully we'll hear more of this part in the future and those that rob money from the bleeding hearts who don't know what actually goes on in my province get jail time. After last night im more proud to be from Newfoundland and Labrador then i have ever been before. Looking forward to later in the month or early April for my Seal Flipper meal more then ever!

** Here's an interesting blog on the subject... http://ctcthoughts.blogspot.com/ check it out.

Come on, i know you just can't resist!
Table Mountains dare ya!

In the 1950's, Premier J.R. Smallwood made an announcement that up to 200 settlements on the island of Newfoundland alone had no great future in store for them. The government would offer financial assistance to families who wanted to leave the isolated harbours and bays ofNewfoundland. At first, a maximum of $150 was offered but it later increasing to $600.The government however had a clause that stated all households in a community had to agree to relocate before the $600 was paid. It was estimated that over 7,000 abandoned their communities between 1954 - 1965 and a total of 110 settlements faded into history. With the success of Smallwoods resettlement scheme the federal-provincial resettlement program started in 1965 administered by the Department of Fisheries. This program asked for %90 of the settlers to agree to move and was later dropped to %80. Regulations stated each household was eligible for a grant of $1,000 plus $200 for each dependent. In addition, the program paid some moving costs, and up to $3,000 for serviced building lots. By 1975 ,148 more communities ceased to exist and 20,000 people resettled elsewhere.The program soon became unpopular because the promises of jobs never happened.The government dropped services to those who refused to move when the population of a community dropped below a certain level.The jobs never did materialize and today we have a different name for the resettlement program.We call it outward migration. However this time around no money is offered and the people simply board up their homes and migrate to Canada.

Photos of resettlement________________________________________________