Wednesday, May 30, 2007



End of an Era

After 31 year career with CBC,Karl Wells the Weather Man will be leaving on July 31/2007. Karl became more than a Weather Man to the evening news viewers in NL. Karl Wells became an icon. Karl took us beyond the weather at times by doing community segments and i for one never knew we had so much history or interesting stories tucked away in our province until i saw his short interviews. At times i actually hoped CBC would give him a full half hour series to go around the province and do road shows on the same subject. Maybe, just maybe it'll happen in the future. Best of luck Karl Wells and if you do stumble on my blog i would like for you to answer this question. "How many pairs of Mitts and Socks did you actually receive over the years?"

Friday, May 25, 2007




NAPE Wants Immediate Wage Hike for Home Care Workers

May 25, 2007

NAPE president Carol Furlong says the provincial government's failure to include a wage increase for home care workers in last month's budget needs to be addressed. She's calling for an immediate increase in the hourly wage. Furlong says while the provincial government is enjoying a previously unknown level of prosperity, home care workers are still working for poverty wages. She says they are an integral part of the health care system, and the services they provide ease the burden on hospitals and nursing homes, saving government millions of dollars. Furlong says most home care workers are women and it's an unfortunate fact that some female-dominated professions are still underpaid.


Cheers to you today Ms. Furlong. Please continue in the coming days to push this issue. I already know of two home care workers in my area who have quit since the budget was released.

Sunday, May 06, 2007



Interesting Editorial in The Telegram.

Desperate times make for desperate solutions indeed. I have had quite a few desperate times since 1989 and quite a few times i have found solutions. Sometimes they could be called desperate solutions. Maybe the author of the piece may have had a few in his life and had to do the same. I found it an interesting read and the ordinary little guy like myself can only read about such things because he really has no say in those matters daily. My only logical solution comes around very seldom and all i can do then is to mark an X.

How to hide resource revenues print this article

The Telegram

From a New York City classified ad: “I work at a very prestigious nail salon in New York, with an A-list clientele. I have a collection of nail clippings from various clients such as Cameron Diaz, Gwen Stefani, Beyonce and Scarlett Johansson. My son who is in seventh grade is in desperate need of a math tutor. I live in Manhattan and I would be willing to meet at a mutual location with my son. I will be willing to trade my collection for four one-hour sessions. Serious inquiries only, please.”

Desperate times make for desperate solutions, like bartering away your nail collection.

And talk about desperate times: Saskatchewan is facing the same bad news about resource revenues and the federal government’s new equalization program as Newfoundland and Labrador. So that province is now officially looking at a little bartering of its own.

In order to keep from having resource royalties drive down its equalization benefits, the prairie province is looking at foregoing royalties in exchange for having oil and gas companies, and other resource companies, build roads in the province.

The idea is a simple one: instead of having royalties go to the province’s general revenue fund where they’d be counted against equalization, get the companies to “contribute” infrastructure instead. The province is looking at a suggestion from equalization expert Thomas Corchene, who wrote about the concept in an essay for Policy Options magazine.

“Why would any province continue to collect any royalties,” the article suggested. “Why not reduce them to zero and require energy companies to make compensatory contributions to hospitals and universities?”

It’s not that far-fetched: already, Hydro Quebec undertakes projects like a 2001 $200-million effort to beautify communities by hiding electrical lines around historic sites and scenic views. The beautification process lets Hydro Quebec keep a little of its money off the profits side of the ledger, and, presumably, allows the province to hide the profits and protect its equalization payments.

Finance officials in Saskatchewan told the StarPhoenix that at least two provinces, Manitoba and Quebec, already use resource loopholes to hide hydroelectricity profits from the equalization equation.

It makes for fascinating, if not depressing, consideration. Imagine — our fellows in Confederation feel they have to find a way to short-circuit equalization calculations, simply because the federal government can’t seem to find a way to live up to pre-election commitments.

Who knows? Perhaps our provincial finance department is busy trying to figure out if it can do exactly the same thing. In fact, we got a whole Happy Valley-Goose Bay hospital out of Voisey’s Bay Nickel, and the money involved probably didn’t show up in any equalization accounting.

We all live in the same house, and we’re seriously considering hiding away money from each other while we battle about just what’s a fair share for our living expenses.

These are desperate times indeed, when we have to consider hanging on to money by our fingernails — or bartering those fingernails away to get a better deal.

Friday, May 04, 2007



Breaking News

Shane Doan has admitted to saying a slur in a 2005 NHL Game. Doan said he now recalls saying the words "Fuddle Duddle" to a ____________ Frenchman. Gilles Duceppe immediately responded on some __________ French Radio station saying he's happy Sloan came clean and he can now get on with the work of destroying Canada in some other form. For those who would like to tell the Canadian Government what you think of the whole situation,CLICK HERE TO SIGN A PETITION.


Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Foster Home Shortage
May 2, 2007

The NDP leader says the shortage of foster homes is nearing the crisis level. Lorraine Michael wants government to increase the amount people are paid to look after children who require such help. In the legislature yesterday, the minister responsible for child welfare, Ross Wiseman, said they are in year two of a three-phase increase in compensation paid to caregivers.


Will Ross,guess what? if year three is like years one and two,your not only in deep shit,your full of it!!