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________________________________________________

We call it the gift of life and that gift is given to someone in need.The giver will never know who received his/her gift but knew before hand that their act of gift giving would benefit someone in need.They say that at any given time in Canada 4000 people wait for suitable donors and for over 200 the gift never comes.Thousands of people here on the Southwest coast of Newfoundland at this minute know of someone in need and have donated,prayed and helped in everyway possible.Today she is having her transplant and thousands of us from southwestern Newfoundland are waiting to hear the news that it was successful.Good luck Amanda.

Here's today sport column from Bill Lankhof,Toronto Sun.

Sat, February 25, 2006
'Incredibly big thing'
Transplanted Newfoundlanders in T.O. add their voices to the cheers from the island
By BILL LANKHOF, TORONTO SUN

Rocks make 'em rock on Rock
To the people in the rest of Canada it might have been just another Olympic medal but to Newfoundlanders the victory in Turin by the Brad Gushue rink goes closer to the heart and holds a meaning that runs deep.
"When they close all the schools in Newfoundland it shows how big this is. A lot of people here (Toronto) say what's all the fuss about," Cal Head said, watching the TV screen at the Eton Pub on Danforth Ave. "But this day is as important to Newfoundlanders as 1972 and the hockey is to the rest of Canada."
Head, like many other transplanted Newfoundlanders, gathered in pubs across Canada.
"But I'd like to be in Newfoundland tonight," Fred Layden, watching the game with friends at Noah's Ark on Dawes Rd., said. "There'll be a three-day hangover after this back home. This is the big time for Newfoundland."
Yes, this was more than just about curling. It's about vindication for a people and a province that are isolated from the rest of Canada geographically -- and often politically and socially.

Tom Adams left Concepcion Bay 40 years ago. But his soul never left The Rock. "We've never won anything before. This is the first time I think someone from Newfoundland has even made it to the Olympics.
"We always seem to get the raw deals. Quebec gave us a raw deal on the hydro. We've got offshore oil, but instead of us getting benefits, it all goes to the U.S. None is refined in Newfoundland. They took away the fisheries but nobody can take this away from us," Adams said, watching Gushue raise his arms on the podium.
Gushue has given the province validation, Newfoundlanders in Toronto said. It shows that, given an opportunity, they can compete with the best in the world. So when Gushue put up a six-spot, Layden, who left Lewisport, Nfld., 25 years ago whooped: "We're kickin' ass now."
Fortunately for a black-hearted columnist who dared use dark humour in praise of Gushue when he won the Canadian championship -- raising the ire of Newfoundlanders -- it wasn't his own.
But many e-mails and telephone messages -- suggesting I should die of AIDS, deserve to be shot and fired, and am a racist who must be the spawn of Hitler -- indicate that others are not about to forget this without a colourfully written letter or a telephone message that would make a sailor blush.
But at the bars, there was only one discouraging word amid the jubilation. It came as the TV screens showed Gushue taking the podium for the national anthems. "They should burn the Canadian flag now and jump on it. Then we should join the United States," said Adams' fellow patron, jamming a hat over his head and heading for the pub door -- leaving his invective without his name.
Probably best that way for everyone.
A DAY OF JOY
Mostly, though, this was a day of joy, happiness and pride.
"This is a big day for Newfoundland. Maybe you have to be (a Newfoundlander) to understand how big," Layden said. "I can't think of any other Newfoundland athletes who've made it this big.
"The thing with Newfoundland is that it's pretty isolated and there isn't a lot of sponsorship, which makes it difficult for any athlete. What's the point in training for something only to reach a point and have to quit and get nothing out of it?"
Cal Head skipped work to watch this final. "I was talking to my sister back home and watching the CBC and all the crazed curling fans at the stadium in St. John's."
He grew up in Glenwood, hard by the Gander River, and knows how starved his home province has been for international heroes. "I hope this makes everyone feel proud. We have Rick Mercer, who is the greatest since sliced bread, and Harry Hibbs was famous -- but he just played the accordion. For anyone to make it internationally or at the Olympics as an athlete is an incredibly big thing for us.
"You've got to remember the whole population of Newfoundland is less than half a million, less than Scarborough," Head said. "We don't get many chances and because of that we probably appreciate it more than other parts of Canada."
Not that we'd be able to comment on that, considering the next medal someone from Toronto wins at these games would be the first.
Not that that's likely to happen.

Bill ol buddy,your off the hook. After that little piece, i don't wish to kick your ass and would have a drink with you anyday. Preferably beer,because despite what you or other mainlanders may still believe, we don't sit around drinking Screech all day.

Brad Gushue Wins Gold February 24, 2006
Brad Gushue has won an Olympic Gold Medal! Gushue beat Finland 10-4 this afternoon in Italy. Team Gushue played hard throughout the game picking up 6 in the 6th end to push ahead 10-3. Finland picked up one in the 8th end, but soon conceeded the game. This is truly an historic day for Newfoundland and Labrador and the entire country. It's Canada's first Olympic Gold in men's curling and the first gold medal in any sport for Newfoundland and Labrador. Cheers rang out at locations around the province including Mile One Stadium, the St. John's Curling Club, and O'Donel High School in Mount Pearl. The Brad Gushue Rink will be bringing home an Olympic Gold Medal!!!!!

Education Minister Joan Burke is shutting down schools in Newfoundland and Labrador this afternoon!Team Canada's curling team is going for Gold in Torino at one o'clock island time.Team Canada is made up of four from our province,Brad Gushue,Mark Nichols,Jamie Korab,Mike Adamand Coach Toby Mcdonald.Russ Howard from New Brunswick makes up the other member and im sure now is considered part of our province. It's been a bitter sweet battle for our curlers since they got selected to travel to Torino to represent our country.A story in The Toronto Sun,Dec.14/2005 caused quite a stir and was considered by many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians as hate literature against us. Its opening line says it all,"It's the biggest thing to happen in The Land Cod Forgot since the inventionof the pogey cheque -- Newfoundland's native son Brad Gushue will represent Canada in curling at the 2006Olympics in Turin."Hopefully after tommorow the editor of that piece of hate literature will apologise publically to the whole province. Good luck Brad,Mark,Russ,Jamie,Mike and Toby.

todays story on VOCM NEWS:

Brad Gushue Rink Playing for GoldFebruary 24, 2006
It is already being described as a defining moment in the province's history. Brad Gushue and Team Canada go for the Olympic Gold in curling today at 1 p.m. Newfoundland time, and everyone wants a part of it. Schools, including the College of the North Atlantic, will close at lunchtime so students can witness the event. Education Minister Joan Burke declared the half holiday, saying she wants students to remember exactly where they were when Brad and his team played for the gold. Not everyone is happy with government's decision. Callers to VOCM Niteline with Linda Swain agreed to a one that they back Brad, but some lashed out a the holiday idea. Teachers president Kevin Foley fully supports the decision and feels students will get a lot out of it. He feels it will increase students' pride in the province and their interest in sports.
Brad's high school alma mater is O'Donel in Mount Pearl. The game will be showed on a big screen in the gym and principal Mike Sutton says it will be a great afternoon. Student Council President Kathy Balsom says Brad is a big inspiration.
The St. John's Curling Club will be the backdrop of one of many big parties for Team Gushue today. Manager Peter Russell told VOCM Niteline he is confident the team will make us proud. Fans in the metro area can view a live feed of Gushue's gold medal game today at Mile One Stadium but, due to the World Curling Tour, organizers advise there will be no sound available. Masters of Curling chairman Gary Stamp says the top curlers here for that event, are pleased they'll be able to show Brad their support too. The Memorial University Alumni Association and The Works have also arranged for the game to be shown on a big screen at the Field House. The event is free and open for students, alumni and the university community. Several members of the Gushue team are MUN alumni. Harbour Grace mayor Don Coombs says all are welcome to their town for a big celebration during the game. Coombs says many residents will gather together and enjoy fish and brews while watching the game and he says anyone is invited to share in the excitement.
Labrador City Mayor Graham Letto says residents in Labrador City and Wabush are invited to the local curling club to watch the game on a big screen.
Sport Newfoundland and Labrador president Tom Godden says win or lose, the Gushue rink has made the province proud. Godden says the fact that amateur sport can bring the entire province together in such a manner, is true testament to the impact sports have in our lives.

One kilometer East of Cape Ray you enter The Big Pond area and the beginning of the Wreckhouse area. At that point you may notice a natural occuring phenomenon called the Wave forest on the side of a mountain. A wave forest occurs when alternating strips of live and dead trees extend across some of the higher forested ridges and mountainside. If you take the time to notice you can see why the term "wave" is used. In front of each dead wave of trees you will find fir trees and the scatter spruce tree. When the mature trees die off at the front of the wave the light starved balsam fir seedlings finally start to grow and become the next mature trees and continuing the cycle. It occurs in this area because of the Wreckhouse winds that can gust as high as 200 kilometers per hour.The wave of each new forest moves no more then 100 yards every half century.

Today i decided to add a link about my province for visitors who would like to get a better idea of what it's all about. Probably the best way for me to do that would be to give you the URL to Lady Newfoundlands website. It's a site by a lady called Jean Lane who has won several awards for her work in promoting our province. So for those who would like to know a little more about my province, check out Lady Newfoundland at http://www.geocities.com/lady_newfoundland/.

Ocean temperatures in the North Atlantic hit an all-time high the past few years and the sea ice off the coast of Newfoundland below normal compared to data taken years ago. We have called it global warming and no one seems to question it anymore. It's not a question about whether these changes are happening anymore, it's a question of the speed at which these things are changing. The photo is of a Ruby Throated Hummingbird i shot through my window last summer. We started seeing them a few years ago and now they reappear every summer here in Cape Ray like clockwork. On the way to work each morning during summer i slow and watch Great Blue Herons feeding in the industrial park region of Port Aux Basques and their numbers increase yearly. Over the pass few years i have captured photos of Snowy Egrets in my community. The Humming birds,Herons and Egrets where not part of my fathers world here nor mine until a few years ago. I can only wonder what mother nature has in store for my grandchildren as they grow here in Newfoundland?

A few years back we discovered some plants growing wild along the roadside and wondered if we could transplant them in our garden at Cape Ray. The next summer and every following summer they flourished and even spread to our neighbours properties. After asking around and looking on the internet we discovered that this Perennial that grew to heights of three feet are called Musk Mallows. They flower from late June to September here and really give the garden a wild look.(Photo: my granddaughter standing by a bed of them) They seem to only come in pink or white but never seem to blend together.Over the years we have dug up quite a few wild flowers while travelling along the highways including lupins,foxgloves and the wild dog roses. none seem to prosper as well as the musk flower. We have found other flowers growing wild and still have not found the proper name for them.

Recently got my hands on a program called Photographic Edges and i was looking forward to using the darn thing. This morning i decided to give it a try and started producing great results but could save none of the images i created. I now discover that i can't use my Adobe Photoshop and i figure there may be a conflict somewhere. Im hoping my kid can take control of my computer and fix it without me having to uninstall/reinstalling both programs. The edge program takes up to 20 minutes to install and that's about the limits of my patience here lately.
Lately i have been going online and looking at some great tutorials. If anyone is interested, this site, seems to be the better of what i have found so far.

Looks like the winter is half over here and if the second half is anything like the first part, then spring will come early.Time once again for the Weekend Warriors to get out and around.Here in Newfoundland thousands of small cabins dot the country side and at the first arrival of spring the weekend warriors appear. ATV's are loaded aboard trucks,trailers or simply drove along a trail to the cabins. Thousands of kilometers of wood roads have opened the island up and it's now easier then ever to build a cabin in the back country and get the building materials there. Most of the expeditions for the weekend warriors start Friday afternoons and last until Sundays or longer in case of a holiday weekend. In Newfoundland, the Victoria Day long weekend is known as The May 24th Weekend. Traditionally, people celebrate the long weekend by camping, but due to the unpredictable, and even spiteful nature of Newfoundland's "Spring", the weekend is referred to as always having particularly bad weather such as rain, fog, or even snow. It is a recurring phenomenon, and this stigma is implanted into Newfoundland culture. This weather does not bother the ordinary guy who runs off to his cabin on that weekend and you seldom ever hear a complaint when he does return home from the trip. Beer is the official beverage of the Victoria Day weekend and i have never known of a Newfoundlander who went out that weekend and forgot to take it. Very seldom is it heard that any was left over from the weekend warriors expedition and if so it's always left at the cabin for the following weekend. A lot that make the exodus to the wood roads try their hand at trouting or just riding the ATV to see if they can spot a moose or two. Im sure if Newfoundlanders had to delete a holiday from their calendar and the choice of Canada day or Victoria day was one then the majority would prefer to observe the queens birthday. Bless you Victoria from all the weekend warriors! You would be amused.

Just saw the preview to a film called "Looking for comedy in the Muslim World." I don't know any Muslims so i have never been able to see for myself what they are like. Most of my views into the Muslim World comes from my television screen and those images don't exactly show me humor. All i get to see is rampaging ones burning flags,doing the scatter beheading and beating the living hell out of women who don't cover their heads. Surly there has to be more then this! Muslim kids must be learning something besides the three R's in school there. Readin,Rittin and Rioting can't be all they teach them kids.
OK,all jokes aside.There are some Muslim comedians and the guy posted here is Azhar Usman who sports a a bushy beard and black skullcap and his first joke on stage is usually "I'm Osama bin Laden's cousin," he says. "They call me 'Bin Laughin.' "Thank God or that Allah fellow for at least having one Muslim comedian,but im sure he won't be getting any bookings in the Middle East anytime soon. A few days ago i blogged and i guess Bin Ladens other cousin Bin Plottin must of Bin Googling and found my blog with the kid full of explosives. Ben Plottin told me Satan was urinating in my ears and a few other things. I guess i must of peed in Bin Plottins corn flakes because he went on a bit more and now i moderate my comments before publishing. Bin Plottins IP addy was from Cyprus and i must say it's great having the world view the comments of a little guy from Cape Ray. Sorry guys,we don't have a flag of Cape Ray so you'll have to burn the Canadian one i guess. Click here for a movie preview.

Forgive me father for I have not Blogged. It's been a few days since my last post.
OK, forget that,besides im not Catholic so i don't have to confess.Been doing a bit of painting and other things lately.My self esteem was down a quart, but yesterday i received some advice on something and today i feel on top of the world.
Watched a bit of rodeo riding on tv last night and saw a few cowboys land on their ass and a few others land on their head. I know one of those cowboy hats look great but right now im figuring El Kabong here is wishing he wore a helmet.
Anyway back on the Catholic thing......someone is offering $1,000.00 for anyone who can prove the Earth revolves around the sun. They claim that good Catholics really do have to believe that the earth is the center of the universe. Im not making this up!Even my mind works better then this.Click here to see.

So far over 30 foreign journalist have been kidnapped in Iraq and more in other Middle Eastern nations.I often wondered why Christiane Amanpour has not made it to that list.I first caught my view of her in the 1991 Gulf War and have been quite the fan since then. Without Christiane a guy like me just wouldn't be able to sitdown and watch a war.I just love that British-educated accent of hers and the way she controls those who are asking her questions. This girl looks great even without sleep and i wonder sometimes does she go over and party with the rebels all night. It was rumoured recently that Bush had her wiretapped and i can see why if he did. George and i probably have a lot in common. We both have our fantasies about Christiane. Mine is curled up in a fox hole somewhere with her and George's is about...?? will! i dunno,can't speak for George,hell he can't even speak for himself. I do hope however, if the Iran thing escalates my Christiane will be over there covering the story of the mushroom cloud from a safe distance. Keep safe honey!No one can do a war justice like you can.

It's high time to realize were in the mists of a cultural war on this planet which is growing into a violent stuggle with Islam? Canada is no different and not immune. Here we can even put a name to it,"Suicide via multiculturalism."Recently we saw a cartoon controversy in Denmark which seemed to portray the prophet Muhammad as a terrorist.The Muslims deem images of prophets disrespectful and caricatures blasphemous but yet consider public beheadings of those who drew the cartoons ok and justified. Some Danish cartoonists have gone in hiding,fearing for their lives and Islamic groups have place bounties on them. Freedom of the press those days seem to be only for the editors who bash the U.S.A. and Bush. Dalil Boubakeur,The imam of the Mosque of Paris and president of the French Muslim Council said "The prophet did not found a terrorist religion, but on the contrary a religion of peace."I think it's high time for that guy to tell it to the Muslims. Convince them first,then come tell the rest of us in the civilized world. The photo above is that of a Muslim child with explosives attached.Ready to do Allahs work!I don't know what that little guy is going to do with his 72 virgins in Heaven.

YABBA,DABBA DO! Most people who hear that cry associate it with Fred Flintstone, but a lot of open line radio listeners here in Newfoundland & Labrador know it's the call of the Moon Man! Bill Sweeney brings joy to quite a few listeners of talk show radio here in the province and im sure VOCM radio wouldn't deny it if asked.Billy has been phoning up openline radio for many years and having his say on many topics and by the time our Moon Man finishes his say, the producers usually take a break for a commercial and to come back to earth.
Billy not only has the talent to amuse us nightly but he has made a few musical accomplishments as well. Many Moons ago(pardon the pun) Billy wrote the song "Newfie Girl." That song was made popular here by Dick Nolan and we have Bily to thank for that one. Billy has had quite a few jam sessions with other popular Newfoundland and Labrador artists over the years including Nolan,Harry Hibbs,Eddie Coffee and others. I got the chance to chat with Billy a few years back. Billy use to phone VOCM Niteline and tell the late George MacLaren that he had a bubble for Premier Roger Grimes. I became quite amused at the going ons that night between them both and photoshopped the premier in a bubble and added a poem about Billy giving it to him. I emailed it to Mr. MacLaren who told Billy.Billy then asked for a copy so i mailed one to him. Sitting at home one evening with a few friends the phone rang. It was no other then the MOON MAN wanting to talk to me. After thanking me for the photo he said goodbye and signed off with his YABBA DABBA DO. My wife asked who it was and i said that was the Moon Man! She replied and said she thought it was Santa Clause by the way i was acting and grinning. I told her,"my dear woman there is no Santa,but there is a Moon Man!" YABBA DABBA DO!

It's Groundhog day.Groundhog day came from an ancient belief that hibernating creatures were able to predict the arrival of springtime by their emergence. We don't have Groundhogs here in Newfoundland but i predict events by watching slime molds. Today, my two favorite slime molds popped up again and those slimey bastards are trying to see what the spring will be like. Will slime molds, your in for a rough year.

On the drive to work this morning i observed a coyote near the intersection to my community.I can still count on one hand the number of coyotes i have seen. Biologist here have it termed the eastern coyote (Canis latrans) and it most likely arrived in Newfoundland by crossing pack ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The first coyote sighting occurred on March of 1985 and were reported back then as wolves and spotte at the Port au Port Peninsula. Additional sightings on pack ice were made in 1989 and 2000 but by then they were will established on our island. My next door neighbour who has a farm near the community has already lost livestock(young lambs) to the coyote. He's had problems before with Black Bears and mooose but the new kid on the block will be the worst he can encounter.

The coyote is proving to be an effective predator on caribou and many small game animals as well. They say very little biological data has been collected on coyotes on the island so far and im sure by the time they do so,the coyote is here to stay. They also say if funds become available, focussed studies of coyote home range size, densities, food habits, and their effects on native species will be conducted.In the meantime we'll just sit and wait and watch it spread. Some roadkill coyotes have been analyzed and their stomach contents and faecal material of the examined animals indicated that they fed on snowshoe hare, moose, beaver, red fox, red squirrel, masked shrew, ruffed grouse, various passerine bird species, and fruits such as blueberries, mountain holly, and choke cherry. Body measurements have been taken fromthe road-killed and all were shown in very good physical condition with moderate to abundant fat stores. Unidentified tapeworms were recovered from one animal and i wonder what that may do to other species here if passed on?I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

Where do you go to milk a Moose? You go to Mooseland near Cape Spear,on Newfoundlands Avalon peninsula.OK, question number two,why the hell would you milk a Moose?You would milk a Moose in order to get cheese!Question number three, Who's going to do the milking? Why a Dentist of course. OK, about now you think your halfway into a Newfie joke, but your wrong! It appears that a St. John’s dentist Zachary Pan who holds a master’s degree in biology wants to establish a reserve here on the island and produce a tonne of moose cheese annually. Moose cheese it seems fetches up to $500 U.S. per lb. and the place he figures would make a tourist attraction also. It's already a proven success in Sweden and Zachary Pan wants to try it here.The guy needs some moose calfs to start off and with 150,000 animals here im sure he shouldn't have no trouble getting a few after months and months of government red tape.I found this quite amusing after seeing it on the local news but now i say good luck Mr. Pan! Im also looking forward to seeing the want ad in the local paper: Wanted,Moose Milker,must love animals and have warm hands.

(Few tidbits here showing it can be done:
Stockholm , Sweden – It's healthy and tasty, for those with expensive tastes! Farmers in northern Sweden are milking moose and making cheese, which they then sell for nearly $500 a pound. The demand is high from buyers such as upscale hotels and restaurants.
Christer Johansson and his wife, Ulla, started their 59 – acre dairy farm seven years ago in Bjursholm, 404 miles north of Stockholm . It's called “Moose House” and has the status of being the only moose dairy farm in Europe . As a result, about 25,000 people visit each year.
The Johanssons currently have 14 moose in the fields but only three can be milked.
The moose only produce milk between May and September. It takes up to two hours to milk a moose and they produce up to a gallon of milk a day. The farm produces around 660 pounds of cheese each year. )

Looks like Our Lord Brian might be taking a shot at the big one! I saw on CBC last evening that he might be considering it and the reaction from the NL public was less then enthusiastic. Most replied very negatively when asked if they wanted him to run. Im figuring if he decides to do so he'll seek some safe seat in Ontario to try and get his foot back in the Commons door. The photo of him above is the one i shot when he left Ottawa and the federal party to return to NL to take the position of Premier here. It was shot on his walk across the Cabot Strait when he entered Port Aux Basques harbour.

For a while i thought winter had forgotten us here on the southwest coast of Newfoundland but the pass 24 hours have shown otherwise. Northeast winds are ripping down from the Table Mountains and causing white out conditions. People are being advised to stay off the highways here and things may be back to normal tommorow. Im bored and even surfing to different blogs today can't seem to please me. My Adobe photoshop would usually keep me busy on a winters day but even that don't seem to stimulate me this evening. Sometimes when im bored i make up wallpapers for my PC screen or for a few friends. This is one boring day!

Years ago when backpacking i use to have trouble finding or buying a good topographic map for that purpose. I remember sending a money order out to some government office and weeks later receiving a map of the area i needed. Sometimes i ended up with a map from another area of Newfoundland, a hundred miles away from the one i ordered. If only the resources of today could be found back then! Today i can download a program called Google Earth and have the world at a mouse click.I can zoom pass the lakes and mountains that i backpacked across and actually see details greater then one could ever imagine back then.With the movement of a mouse i can leave the Table Mountains of Cape Ray and view an Iranian nuclear powerplant under construction near the city of Bushehr. These two plants are one of the reasons that Iran and the west don’t get along and it's all available for me to view from a PC screen in Cape Ray.

Not only is big brother watching you, im watching you also!

It's the big day! I dropped in the polling station on the way to work this morning to cast my vote. In Cape Ray.NL,we have 263 eligible voters.That might not make a great impact on the 39th general election in Canada but hopefully most of the residents will take the time to go to the poll. I doubt if any of the four candidates even dropped in the community during the pass eight weeks of campaigning. Im sure no matter which one we elect in our district to represent us, they will not mention Cape Ray, or thank its people for having confidence enough to vote for them in their victory speech tonight. We are probably the poorest community in all of the riding of Random-Burin-St. Georges and if anyone disagrees with that, they can click here to find out why i think so. I doubt after another four years of representation in Ottawa by tonights winner my community will be any better off. One can only vote and hope.

I placed the photo of the Arab woman here to show how proudly they hold their stained fingers aloft after the success of being able to vote in an election for democracy. I didn't hear bombs exploding, mortars falling, and machine gun fire on the way to the polling booth this morning in Cape Ray.I didn't hear it because no matter who wins this one, we'll still have a democracy tommorow morning.

So many movies out there with messages and what one influences our elected officials? Cool Runnings a Disney flick starring that great Canadian John Candy. Just saw the news and it looks like Canada is going to get a Gold in Italy!We have managed to get a Jamaican for our olympic bobsled team.

Lascelles Brown, a key member of the Canadian bobsleigh team, will likely be granted citizenship in time to compete at the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy next month, said a CBC report.
Sources close to the immigration minister have confirmed to CBC that Brown, a native of Jamaica, will receive his citizenship next week.Brown is expected to hear from Canadian officials on Friday morning.

"I can tell you that the minister made a call last night to some representatives of Mr. Brown and it's our belief that they will be happy with the news," Stephen Heckbert, a spokesman for Citizenship and Immigration Minister Joe Volpe, said Friday."

The 31-year-old is the brakeman for Olympic champion Pierre Lueders and had been waiting to hear back on his situation since his citizenship application was submitted July 28, 2005.

A gold medal contender in the two-man and four-man events, Brown said he has one thing in mind when it comes to becoming Canadian.

"Canada is more competitive than Jamaica and my goal was to prove to the world that I could be good at something," said Brown, who competed for Jamaica at the Salt Lake City Olympics four years ago.

Brown has been competing with Lueders on the World Cup circuit for two seasons.

Lueders, a 35-year-old Edmonton native, was emphatic when he told CBC Sports Online during the Christmas break that it would take a "miracle" for Canada to win a medal in either the two- or four-man events if Brown was ineligible to compete in the Olympics.

Brown is married to a Canadian and has two children who are both Canadian citizens.

Dudley Stokes, the president of the Jamaican Bobsled Association and one of Brown's former teammates, says he isn't impressed with Brown's addition to Team Canada.

Stokes says the association discovered Brown working as a butcher in Jamaica. He says they spent hundreds of thousand of dollars developing him and should be compensated for their loss.

"They are going to be sucked out of your program if you are a poor nation. That is the reality of life as it is today," said Stokes.

Lueders and Brown, who both admitted the uncertainty concerning the immigration case affected their performance earlier in the season, broke through in a big way last weekend in Koenigssee, Germany.

On Saturday, the pair won the two-man event for their first win of the season. A day later, Lueders and Brown, who were joined by Ken Kotyk of Canora, Sask., and Calgary's Morgan Alexander, won the four-man competition.

It was the first time in Lueders' illustrious career that he swept both events on the same weekend.

Lueders and Brown had a memorable 2004-05 season that included a world title, four World Cup victories and several other podium finishes.

Brown is so revered for his speed and power that Bobsleigh Canada coach Gerd Grimme calls him one of the top-three brakemen in the world. Grimme, a former East German bobsleigh pilot, puts Brown at the same level with Switzerland's Beat Hefti and Kevin Kuske of Germany.

Brown and Lueders are training in St. Moritz, Switzerland, for two World Cup events this weekend.

(Unable to play hockey or any other winter sport Alexi Portnoy is recently deported and finds himself in Mexico.His wife and children still seeking sanctuary in a Roman Catholic church in Marystown, NL. A man who makes pizza's for a living and supports his family simply just can't make it on the Canadian Olympic team. Joe Volpe minister of citizenship and immigration wants Gold for Canada in the 2006 Olympics in Turin,Italy rather then a united family in Marystown Newfoundland. Im sure Joe will get to view our bobsledding team at the winter games because he's going to have a lot of time on his hands after January 23rd. Joe,your going to be unemployed!BUT!not to fret Joe, cause Canada might bring home two Golds. One on monday with a change of government and one from Turin,Italy.)

>My interview<
I recently had the luck to be interviewed by our local newspaper,"The Gulf News"about my blog and the blogging world.The Gulf News is part of Transcontinental which publishes nine daily papers and twenty six weekly community newspapers in Atlantic Canada alone.To check out their list CLICK HERE.When checking out the Atlantic Canada map i became aware of the fact that Northern Labrador communities have no weekly paper. The only local coverage is from the Okalakatiget Society by radio and TV.(info from a blogger,Nain Bay) I know here that if the paper is a day late because of the weather, residents start to get upset. Looking at the vast coastline of Northern Labrador it would be difficult at times to have weekly and delivery services and the cost probably to high to justify one. With todays internet access in all the northern communities im wondering why an online one is not available? I myself would like to see news out of places such as Hopedale, Makkovik, Nain, Postville and Rigolet to keep up with what is happening in my province. Im sure there is good news happening there besides the doom and gloom CBC shows us on our evening telecast!

Release Date: January 23/2006
Shot on location,Random—Burin—St. George's, 2005 - 2006
The story of a young immigrant family who came to an island in the north atlantic to seek a new life. After years of hard work and raising a family they are approached by a corrupt government and asked to leave.The young family take refuge in a church with the help of a fine community called Marystown. One night the man "Alex Portnoy"helping a friend to do charity work is arrested and thrown in jail on Christmas. His pregnant wife and four children in sanctuary at a church in Marystown dares not venture out for fear of been jailed also. The MP Bill Matthews stands idly by oblivous to the real world and the plight of the family.An election in which he and his corrupt government is trying to win unfolds and the people of Random-Burin-St. Georges have no control over the fate of the young family but can kill Bill's chances and his whole political party on January 23/2006.
Thriller,down to the wire
Rated "S" for sickening.

Starring : The Portnoy family,MP Bill matthews and the ones who decide to vote on January 23/2006.

to sign petition click here The Portnoy children

The Tablelands are found between Woody Point and Trout River and the first thing you notice about them is the color and lack of plant life. The rock formation is very low in calcium, very high in magnesium, and has toxic amounts of heavy metals and is referred to as Perodite. Many tourist comment and say it reminds them of Arizona,my first impression was it must be similiar to Mars!
The Tablelands plateau is a 500-million year old slice through the earth's crust and upper mantle and a natural textbook for the study of plate tectonics. The sedimentary rocks of the coastal lowlands show remains of long-extinct sea creatures, while the exposed barrens of the Long Range reveal rocks more than 1 billion years old. These features of Gros Morne have been carved by glaciers to create massive cliffs and valleys. The presence of this feature as well as others, was the reason behind the designation of Gros Morne National Park as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. We have driven through the area many times but the best time to enjoy the color is during the summer months.However trips in May or June will allow you to see it with snow on its higher elevations such as this photo.

After passing through the Tablelands the road descends down to sea level and the tiny community of Trout River.I particulary like this place because of the sea side boardwalk & great sea food at the local restaurant there. To view more photos of the
Tablelands click here for some photography by K. Bruce Lane.

Decided to post a few photos of our trips to the Great Northern Peninsula of our province in my next few blog posts.

Each year my wife and i make at least one trip to the Gros Morne National Park in our province.UNESCO (the United Nations' Educational, Scientific andCultural Organization) made it a World Heritage Site in 1987, this area of great natural beauty also has the greatest population density of moose recorded anywhere in the world.(the park has an area of 1,805 square kilometres and a moose population between 8,000 and 8,500).Moose were introduced to the Island of Newfoundland about 100 years ago and the population has now increased to an estimated 140,000 animals.{Check out NL-EXPATRIATES blog on the introduction of the moose to Newfoundland}This is what fasinates me the most about the area.We have driven through the park some mornings and saw over 50 in just a 30kilometer stretch of highway.

Locals have told me they have counted as high as 80 some mornings on the way to work on the same stretch.Moose have always fascinated me for some reason and for many years my close up viewing of them came through a rifle scope or when they lay dead on the ground shortly afterwards. Gros Morne lets me view them close up and now im enjoying them far better then when hunting. Vehicle-moose accidents are not uncommon on the island and a sign placed in the park reports the total and updates frequently.We usually visit Gros Morne in early May for moose photos and find dozens just posing along the roadside.They seem to have no fear and just ignore us as we shoot our photos.

My riding,Random - Burin - St. George's, has a population of 76,090,all not qualified to vote but all will be represented by the MP we send to Ottawa on January 23. It has an unemployment rate of 28.2%. Four candidates are vying for the job of MP this time around. Im sure a lot of other voters besides myself are waiting for the last minute to decide who to vote for.I sent all four Candidates an email of invite to comment here.My question is simple."Why should i vote for you?"I do hope they take the time to answer me. My blog is followed by hundreds and many of them are voters of the riding they seek. (Source: Statistics Canada, 2001 Census)

Brennan, Mark Green Party of Canada
Downey Cynthia Conservative Party of Canada
MatthewsBill Liberal Party of Canada (incumbent)
Will, Amanda New Democratic Party

Highest voter turn-out in a general election - 93.91%The politically active voters in the Quebec riding of Iles-de-la-Madeleine set this record in the general election of 1965. They broke their own record of 93.69% that they had set in 1949.

Lowest voter turn-out in a general election - 23.71%The voters of Toronto South set this record for apathy in the general election of 1921.

Lowest number of candidates running in a single constituency - 1 Over the years, several candidates have won federal seats by acclamation. But the last one to do it in a general election was a Liberal, Chelsey William Carter, who was all alone in the Newfoundland riding of Burin-Burgeo in 1957.

I had 16 years with the railway in Newfoundland.I started at age 16 while still in high school and at that time over 800 people in my community alone had employment there.I gradually watched it fade away and now ATV's,snowmobiles and hikers travel across an abandoned railbed.Just a scatter railway spike can be found laying on the gravel today as proof that once we had a band of steel connecting Port Aux Basques to St. Johns.
During my last years with the railway then know as Terra Transport i spent time travelling and living in different communities. Howley,Badger,Gander,Arnolds cove,Deer Lake and Clarenville became my home for months at a time. During that time i worked with men from many Newfoundland communities. Some have since passed away and a few i still keep in contact with.
I'll list a few here just in case someone might see and tell them.I remember four from the community of Embree,Ivan Potter,Bert Hoddinott,Jim Snow and Earl Purchase.Two brothers from Gambo,Calvin and Edgar Payne.From Howley,Dany Saunders,Bruce Blundon.Gerald Canning,passadena.A father and son from Corner Brook,Ed and Les Hann.Bill Benett from Bellview .Several from the Bonavista peninsula,Stan Button,Cyril Keough,and Lyold Woodman.George Chatman,Winston Greening from Charlottetown.Roy Moore from the Whitbourne area.Hopefully some will see this blog and get in touch.

A Touton Run...For those who didn't know. A Touton is only fried bread dough but somehow cooked outside it becomes much more then that. I doubt if you'll ever see Martha Stewart cooking this tasty little thing, and if so,she wouldn't do it justice. Such a simple little thing and each summer it brings us great pleasure just to make a Touton run. Years ago we would hike to the beach and cook them on a wood fire but in the past few years we seem to be using the ATV for the same purpose. Some evenings we have friends along and it could be to the mountain top for a late evening snack. It's those simple little pleasures and freedoms we have here in Newfoundland that makes our lives so enjoyable at times. We can leave our home in Cape Ray at 6pm in the evening on an ATV and within minutes be on a mountain top or on sandy beaches that stretch for miles. By 9 pm we can be back home and feeling like you had a mini holiday.In that same time frame we may of observed Moose,Caribou or many different species of waterfowl. It's January and for lunch today i fried up a pan of Toutons but somehow they just didn't taste the same as those cooked on our little evening runs.

A few images from our Touton runs.........

If you have a foul tasting Rum unfit for human consumption,what do you do with it? Most people would throw it away,most people! It's waste not,want not in Newfoundland. Not only do we use it,we get to torture the unsuspecting with it here.We make them screech,really!......But Wait,There's More! We extend the torture,we have become masters of it here on the island.We also force feed them bits of salt fish(capelin) small chunks of baloney(commonly known as bologna to the uneducated,newfoundland steak to the rest of us) and kiss a CODFISH ! Those that take the torture,do it willingly!About now your saying,your kidding,why would someone sit and take this torture?Why?......because after it's all over we present them with a certificate and tell the poor friggers they're now Honourable Newfies.We have even gave the dirty deed a name. We call it a Screech In.I have seen quite a few, photographed, videotaped and even made up certificates for the victims.The Newfoundland audience gets to laugh their ass off all the way through the ceremony. Those on the receiving end, after a gulp of the Screech become a bit light headed and actually think they're becoming Newfies due to that fact. The last thing we get them to do is stand and yell some phrase like "Long may your big jib draw." I assure that this is the only time that phrase is uttered here in Newfoundland. Rumor has it that the same procedure was adopted by The Church of Scientology and that's why Tom Cruise is still in it.Tom never got over the lightheadedness of the Screech effect. A SCREECH IN.

I prepared for winter and now i think i've been let down by it! We put our studded snow tires on back in December,purchased cases of -40 winter wiper fluid,new snow shovel for the trunk of the car and flash light for the glove compartment.Usually by now im compaining at work about the driving conditions on the TCH to my employer, but so far this year most mornings i can do the speed limit plus thingy to Port-Aux-Basques from Cape Ray. Will i guess while im waiting for winter i can find something else to complain about.
The federal election is just turning out friggin boring from my view here in NL. The premier has asked the three party leaders to outline their position on certain issues such as energy, the fishery, Marine Atlantic, Labrador and economic development but received no reply. First few days into the election Paul,Stephen and Jack all came down to talk turkey but lately must of consumed to much turkey to respond. I say,the hell with them and lets invite Gilles Duceppe down,give him a list of our concerns and he can past them on to the other guys.
The NDP recently announced they have officially nominated candidates in all 308 ridings across Canada. It's their best yet,out of the 308,only 168 have claimed to of seen UFO's. Less then half of them have claimed to be abducted and only Svend Robinson said he was anal probed while on aboard. Will that's the best selection since the formation of that party,congrats Jack! Will that's enough for today................but if your not to busy, click on my link and go to the Downehome web awards,scroll down to category communities and vote for "tablemountain.blogspot.com/

Made a short ATV run today with a friend around the community and to the seashore here. We saw a few seals and shot a few pics of them.Soon the ice will be entering the Gulf and the pans will bring many more seals to the area and once again the eyes of the world will be focused on my province and its people.Greenpeace will be raking in millions of dollars from contributions to stop the annual seal harvest that we have been doing for almost 500 years. Pretty little photos of White Coat Seal pups will be displayed to the public asking to stop the hunt.(the white coat hunt stopped decades ago) Paris Hilton will once again be out screaming "club sandwiches,not seals" and im sure a few more hollywood celebrities will be taking up the cause also. It's not pretty,clubbing seals on ice floes and no one does it for sport no more then the texas cattleman, ontario chicken producer does when they slaughter their animals. Ours is done in a pristine enviroment with a group of animal rights observers filming while its been done. The cattle farmer or chicken producer does not have that problem. A shot here of my community and the Table Mountains in the background.The old Hood Seal here wasn't to excited about me photographing him and at 7 feet or so in length i decided not to approach to close. I would give my next years wages to see some Hollywood chick try and rub this guys nose. I doubt if they would want to make him their poster child. Here's another one below that might be more likeable to them.That's my ATV and community in the background. Several families in that community depend on the seal fishery for some income and their family for many generations before them. In a few months we'll see their livelihood once again threatened by millionaires with a cause.