Happy New Year from the centre of the Universe,Cape Ray,NL.

VOCM News is giving advice on purchasing an ATV for Christmas.

Buying an ATV for Christmas?
December 23, 2007

Many families in the province will be treating themselves to ATV's as gifts this Christmas. But knowing and following the regulations will perhaps make your ATV experience much more enjoyable.

ATV tragedies, especially those involving children, have led to stricter enforcement of provincial regulations. Several people have been fatally injured in accidents this year. Adult-sized ATV's are limited to drivers 16 or over. Younger drivers must be supervised and on a smaller vehicle and children under 14 are not allowed to drive regardless of the ATV's size. Helmets are mandatory for all users and operating an ATV while impaired is not an option. Vehicles are restricted in environmentally sensitive areas and are not allowed on the public highways except to cross and the operator must be insured. Law enforcement officials stress a common sense approach to enjoying ATV's and urge parental supervision to make sure the regulations are followed.

Great advice! The above photo was taken this morning by the seashore near my community. I spend every spare moment i can riding my ATV and snapping dozens of digital shots on each outing. I live just yards from the Trans Canada Trailway and within minutes i can be enjoying the greatest scenery on the West coast of the island.

Here are a few shots from my outing this morning.

Inappropriate letters from Santa

Canada Post has had to halt letters from Santa to kids for a few days because some are inappropriate. Hopefully they'll catch the culprit behind this and have everything running smoothly again. The letters to Santa program started 26 years ago and until now things have made thousands of kids happy. More here from a CBC News article on the matter.

Mary Walsh is looking for bold volunteers

Mary needs at least 500 volunteers to show up on the St. Johns waterfront to take part in something called "Flesh Architecture." Here's the story at the CBC news site on her project. You would think that being from NL , she could of picked a warmer time of year! Mary will not be baring her bum in this one and here's a quote from her on the subject.."I'm a 55-year-old woman, let's face it, I don't want people to be frightened," Mary,Mary.Mary! Don't you talk so foolish girl. My dear girl, a fellow like myself would jump you in a heartbeat! Especially if you dressed up in that Marg,Princess Warrior outfit.Best of luck on your project.

PEACE BY CHRISTMAS ?
Sort of reminds me of the above photo.

Premier to Meet With Prime Minister
November 29, 2007

Premier Danny Williams has agreed to sit down with the Prime Minister when he visits this province tomorrow. Williams says his office confirmed the meeting, set for 4:30 tomorrow afternoon in St. John's, two days ago. Williams says he's pleased to have a face-to-face discussion with the PM on issues of importance to the province. Stephen Harper is making several stops in this province over the weekend; including making an announcement in Stephenville, then attending MP Fabian Manning's official nomination ceremony in Holyrood tomorrow evening. Saturday, a visit to Port de Grave is the main event. A ceremony is planned to recognize those who rescued six crab fishermen from the freezing Atlantic last May when the Nautical Legacy caught fire. Premier Williams says on the agenda will be non-renewable resource revenue, 5-Wing Goose Bay, the fishery and the strong Canadian dollar.

An historic agreement concerning Mi'kmaq in this province is expected to be formally signed in Stephenville tomorrow. It is one of the items on the prime minister's tentative agenda, for a two day visit to the island. Liberal MP Gerry Byrne expects Stephen Harper will officially recognize the aboriginal status of the Federation of Newfoundland Indians, and says this recognition will mean alot to the Mi'kmaq people. There are 45 hundred Mi'Kmaqs in nine bands, primarily in western and central regions of the province.

The Teddy Bear of peace has spoken again!

KHARTOUM, Sudan — Sudan on Wednesday charged a British teacher with insulting religion and inciting hatred, a crime punishable by up to 40 lashes, six months in prison or a fine, after she named a class teddy bear "Muhammad."

The charges come a day after a 7-year-old Sudanese boy said Gilliam Gibbons, 54, asked him as part of a school assignment what he wanted to call the stuffed animal and he said, 'Muhammad,' after his name.

Art Linkletter once said "Kids say the darnedest things" but those 7 year old kids there really said a mouthful! An innocent mistake by a 54 year old lady who went to a third world country to try and do a little good has taken the CIVILIZED world by storm. Sudanese clerics have already stated “What has happened was not haphazard or carried out of ignorance, but rather a calculated action and another ring in the circles of plotting against Islam. It is part of the campaign of the so-called war against terrorism and the intense media campaign against Islam,"

What a screwed up culture!Where are the so called moderate Muslims we sometimes hear about? I only know of one or two fictional ones but they're busy acting.

November Hunt
The great thing about waiting until November to hunt in Newfoundland is that most hunters have already completed their hunt and you will not be eaten alive by the Mosquitoes. The Newfoundland moose population is estimated between 120,000 to 150,000 animals. Enough that approximately 30,000 are harvested annually.Here are a few shots of my recent hunt.

cutting a small path to the kill.







loading the kill in a wagon to transport.







transporting it to the truck.








some of the scenery today.

Petition Growing for Soldier Stamp
November 16, 2007

The petition to get a stamp dedicated to Canada's soldiers in Afghanistan has grown again. Organizer David Murphy told VOCM Nightline with Linda Swain over 3,000 people have signed so far. Murphy says Canada Post has issued stamps depicting past wars but has not released one yet recognizing soldiers currently serving overseas in Afghanistan.

Canada Post has issued stamps over the years to celebrate our NHL hockey players and some of our Canadian Recording Artists. I think it's time to issue a commemorative stamp to our Canadian soldiers and their families. Please take the time to show your support by signing this petition from Dave Murphy.

Black Tickle
A town on Death Row

At times here i actually wonder if my community will survive another decade and at least several times a year i ask my wife should we at least consider moving to Port Aux Basques, a nearby larger town. The 15 minute commute irritates me at times and i am sure it does to others here as well. We have just over 300 residents and i suspect almost 100% employment because of work in nearby communities. Outside the daily commuting we do and no real clean source of drinking water, life here is pretty good compared to how the people of Black Tickle,Labrador have it today. A recent article and video in the Globe & Mail shows how the people of this small island community in my province are trying to survive each day. So today i ask all my Blog viewers to click on the link and look at the situation the people of Black Tickle face daily.

Lest We Forget

Far-called, our navies melt away;

On dune and headland sinks the fire:

Lo, all our pomp of yesterday

Is one with Nineveh and Tyre!

Judge of the Nations, spare us yet.

Lest we forget—lest we forget.

SO,who gets custody of a foreskin?

November 6, 2007 ·
The Oregon Supreme Court hears oral arguments Tuesday from this case in which a father who wants his 12-year-old son to be circumcised. His ex-wife — the boy's mother — is fighting the request. Oregon Public Broadcasting's Colin Fogarty reports.

Four national Jewish groups have filed a joint amicus briefs supporting the father's right as custodial parent to make the decision for his son. The boys father is an attorney and will argue the case himself. The boys mother has appealed to the Oregon Supreme Court, arguing against the circumcision. She claims that their son really does not want to undergo the procedure, but is afraid to defy his father. Dad claims the boy wants his weiner sliced and diced. Some crazy friggin book written thousands of years ago sure causes a lot of problems. Hopefully in this case the courts will make the kid wait until he's 18. At that time he can have the procedure if he wishs and get a cool tattoo and a few piercings in the same area. Problem solved, next case please.

VOCM News
Recount Begins in Isles of Notre Dame
November 7, 2007

A judicial recount into the election results in the district of the Isles of Notre Dame begins today in Grand Falls - Windsor. Derrick Dalley of the Progressive Conservatives was declared the winner on election night, defeating Liberal leader Gerry Reid by seven votes. According to the Elections Act, a judicial recount is automatic when the margin of victory is ten votes or less. Madam Justice Kendra Goulding will preside over the recount proceedings in the Supreme Court. Two days have been set aside for the procedure.

I wonder will this recount bring an end to our 2007 General Election? This has been a strange one and who knows? Maybe the people of that district will be back to the voting booth in December!

The Newfoundland Trailway
Out and about every spare chance i have been getting lately.Yesterday a friend and i finally coordinated a few hours off together and made a short ATV excursion along a section of the Newfoundland Trailway known as the Wreckhouse Trail. This section of the trail extends for 24 kilometers from Port Aux Basques to the Wreckhouse area and passes through the salt water lagoons and sandy beaches before almost coming in contact with the Table Mountains north of Cape Ray.
A few shots of yesterdays Trailway Scenery.



My friend in the distance coming to meet up with me.



Cooking up a fry of Moose on an outdoor fire.

In your face Steve !

I think i know the reason why Danny will not open the House of Assembly until spring,2008! Danny recently appeared on "This Hour has 22 Minutes" and tonight he'll appear on the "Rick Mercer Report." It's obvious! Danny wants to win a Gemini Award! Rumor has it he'll appear in several more Canadian TV shows in December. Just watch the new RCMP Officer who guest stars in "Corner Gas." In January he'll guest star as a new Imam on "Little Moqsue on the Prairie." Come March in the house when questioned by the opposition, he'll just sit back with his award in front of him,spit polished by Tom and Ross and grin like a Cheshire cat saying under his breath "in your face Steve."

Fearing Crime, Japanese Wear the Hiding Place.

After reading a news article today about crime in Japan the first thing that came to mind was Wile E. Coyote. The news article said “Japanese society won’t just laugh, so inventors are not afraid to try new things." I can only imagine myself trying to insert a Loonie in to this Loonie! Check out the news article and some of the unusual inventions here>>>>>

Ritual Threats of Violence in Small Newfoundland Communities Are Method of Creating Trust, Researchers Say...

Apparently researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia are probably the same people who done the research for the invasion of Iraq claiming they had Weapons of Mass Destructions.
After reading this article about mummers in my home province by the University of Missouri-Columbia i can only shake my head in disbelief. Craig T. Palmer, assistant professor of anthropology in the College of Arts and Science. "It’s a way for community members to prove their trust and commitment to each other." NO Mr. Palmer! it's a fun time, trust, commitment has nothing to do with it. We usually have that before we go to our neighbors house dressed as mummers. "12 days after Christmas" NO! It's during Christmas! They threatened the hosts with physical and sexual violence. No! Nothing of the sort, it does not happen! Here's a blog i wrote sometime back. You will learn more from this piece then all the research you have done at your University.

VOCM NEWS ARTICLE.

Heavy Reading for MHAs
October 17, 2007

The new members of the House of Assembly have some heavy reading, a two volume handbook that spells out the rules for member's allowances. The Clerk of the House of Assembly, Bill MacKenzie, says the rules are laid out in such a manner as to eliminate interpretation and confusion. Under the new rules, constituency allowances will be made public. Chief Justice Derek Green recommended each member turn over their records every six months for review, but Speaker Harvey Hodder thinks that time frame is too long. He'd like to see the records examined on a more regular basis and will make that recommendation to the new House of Assembly Management Board.

Instead of the two volume handbook maybe it would of been much simpler if they just read commandment #8.

Today in NL History

October 14.1942,the German Submarine U 69 sank the S.S. Caribou. 137 passengers and crew die. On that day in my hometown Channel,Port Aux Basques we had 21 widows and 51 children without fathers. More on the tragedy here,click here ...........

The Premier quoting FDR.

During the premiers victory speech he quoted Franklin D. Roosevelt saying, "The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little." For the Home Support workers in NL and their clients i hope the Premier keeps his word. If the Premier does not keep his word on providing for those who have little i might remind him of another quote from Franklin Roosevelt. A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward.

From VOCM NEWS TODAY......
Womens' Group Calls for Female Lieutenant Governor
October 11, 2007

There are calls for Prime Minister Stephen Harper to appoint a woman as the next Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Provincial Advisory Council on the Status of Women says since 1949, 11 men have been named to the post. Council president Leslie MacLeod says that's almost 60 years of male leadership and it's time to open the door for the other half of the population.

I doubt if leadership comes to mind when most think of appointments such as the Lieutenant Governors to the province. I suspect if you ask 100 ordinary people on the streets of this province today to name the current one, the majority would not be able to do so. Maybe the CBC or NTV can actually try that and see. I do, however, agree with the status of women council that it's turn for a female role. On that thought i wonder who would be fitting for the position? Sister Kathrine Bellamy? Mary Walsh? Anyone think of a few who might make a good Lt. Governor?

Grief Counseling Provided to the Liberal Party just hours after the recent tragedy.

All the worlds a stage.

A sunny day in the community today. I expect a big turnout and long lines at our polling station here in Cape Ray. So im suggesting only those that are voting liberal go and cast a vote today. Anyone voting PC can go tomorrow. This will make it much easier for all.

When it's all said and done

To me elections are not about choosing parties that you can trust but choosing individuals you can have respect for. Im 51 and have voted in every Provincial,federal and municipal election that i have been eligible to vote in. For a while i did not feel like voting at all because of the recent scandal in MHA spendings and it was disheartening to hear some of the things it was spent on. I suspect our voter turnout will be the lowest in years tomorrow because many in the province have become disillusioned with the whole democratic process here. I have followed the election process through the news online,tv,radio and blogs. When it's all said and done i can only come out of it with respect for a handful. Hopefully tomorrow Lorraine Michael and Simon Lono will be two candidates who are elected in the province. I also witnessed the worst display of arrogance by any MHA in our history when Tom Rideout declared he won't repay a controversial bonus of $2,875 until he retires or looses his seat. Hopefully that comment will follow him long after he leaves politics. Rideout will keep his seat tomorrow because the majority of voters will vote for the party and not the individual they could have respect for. Maybe its time for the people in this province to ask that all who are elected tomorrow attend a seminar in ethics at Memorial University before they take their seat at the legislature.

Irony on the eve of an election

Here's a shot of my community, Cape Ray, on the eve of a Provincial Election. Last population count,343. Elections come and go, governments change but for the most of it, Cape Ray remains the same. We know eventually it'll only consist of a few seniors and the retired American that drops by each summer after picking up a bit of cheap property. A few election posters dot the landscape, the two candidates took the time to go house to house to give their pitch to the few votes available here. I doubt if the turnout here this time around will be 50%. Most know it won't make a difference who forms the next government for our community. A few years back i took the time to serve on the community council and at that time we actually thought we would get a shot at clean drinking water for the community. Here most have a few wells and there is a local spring where residents fill buckets to use as drinking water. Back around 2002 under a Canada/NL Infrastructure Agreement where the governments would pay 2/3 of the cost we actually thought it was possible. Of course we hit a snag when $30,000 was needed for a study. We couldn't come up with $10,000 on our end. The irony of it all was at the time our country was giving Afghanistan $100,000,000.00 to help them develop, to give villagers clean drinking water. This past summer at our community celebrations several of our young people could not attend. They were serving their country in Afghanistan! Our young people of Cape Ray are helping to bring democracy to a foreign land and even better, a bit of clean drinking water while back on the home front their parents still go to streams to fill up buckets.

Can someone help the Tin Man find a Heart?

looks like the Tin Man is not impressed! I doubt Ross ol by'e if someone was out to impress you when they decided to take a stand to better the lives of Home Care Workers and the clients they serve. Actually,i'm not out to impress you as i post my Blog today. You see Ross, our world does not revolve around you but your world, where ever it is ,lets call it OZ, for the sake of an argument, Affects us! After reading todays VOCM news i can only shake my head at you and all those that live in OZ.
Health Minister Not Impressed
October 5, 2007

The Minister of Health isn't too impressed with what he calls the short notice given by some home care agencies that they can no longer take new clients. Home care providers say there is something wrong with the system when people can make more money and better benefits at a coffee shop. A group of fifteen agencies from across the province, part of the Employers' Council, have announced they are not taking any new clients because of a serious lack of staff, money and training. Health Minister Ross Wiseman says home care is still available for new clients as some agencies are not with this particular group. As well, people do not necessarily have to go through an agency. Sandra Noel of Compassion Home Care says there is a misconception that home care is nothing more than making tea and playing cards with the patients.

2 dollars an hour...that's what one personal care home operator in the province says he gets to care for each of its residents. Boyd told VOCM Open Line with Randy Simms, he's been corresponding with government for years about the situation, but has gotten nowhere.

CRISIS,CRISIS,CRISIS,CRISIS,CRISIS,CRISIS,CRISIS....

Once again a cry is given. Will anyone in government respond?
From the VOCM Newsite.

Crisis in Home Care Industry
October 4, 2007

The home care sector of the Employer's Council says the industry has reached a crisis situation. The 15 professionally managed care operators say they can't do it anymore and are no longer taking new clients. Ann Whelan says agencies are getting at least a half dozen calls each day for new service but no new applicants for positions. Whelan says the industry is undervalued by government. She says when people can make more money with benefits at a local coffee shop than providing a key role in the health care system, something is wrong.