Ross speaks....not really!

From the VOCM News site:

Province Will Talk Wages With Nurses
August 18, 2007

Health Minister Ross Wiseman says they can't increase nursing wages until the current collective agreement is up for renewal. Nurses Union President Debbie Forward has said nurses in this province are the lowest paid in the country and that's a challenge when it comes to recruiting. Minister Wiseman indicates government will be willing to talk money when negotiations start.

What about the Home Care workers in NL Mr. Wiseman? We have no collective agreement with anyone. How about it Mr. Premier? You control the purse strings along with the puppet strings. How about wage increases for those of us who have no one to represent us?

Looks like even a Wheel-chair bound Cuban can scare the U.S.A. So it's no wonder an aged dictator still makes them tremble after all those years.

Mary McCarthy, was born in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1900 and met a businessman Pedro Gomez Cueto at the opera in Boston. At the age of 24 she became a widow but has lived in the same house for 61 years. Her jewelry and fortune she inherited when she was widowed in 1951 have been frozen in a Boston bank since the United States placed Cuba under sanctions after Fidel Castro's leftist revolution in 1959.

Since January this year the U.S. government has let her withdraw a $96 a month allowance from her U.S. Bank after Canadian diplomats interceded on her behalf.

McCarthy is asking U.S. President George W. Bush to free her money so that she can live her remaining days with dignity. She would also like to have her family's "trinkets" released.

"They said they couldn't give it to me because I live in Cuba. That's the only money that I have left. It is in Boston, but I live in Cuba, that's the great terrible, terrible thing," she said during a recent visit to her home.

Responding to U.S. officials who suggested McCarthy leave Cuba and return to Canada, Keyes said she was no longer able to withstand a harsh Canadian winter.

McCarthy has been confined to a wheelchair since she fell and broke her hip in 2002.

A devout Catholic, she prays after tea every day. Her godson Elio Garcia wheels her to a darkened lobby where, under the gaze of a marble statue of Salome, she prays with a rosary to Cuba's spiritual patron, the Virgin of Charity.

60 days until Election Day!
Newfoundland and Labrador will go to the polls on Tuesday, October 9, 2007.
On that day i can be an equal with all the other bloggers i see here. I'm allowed to cast a vote and they in turn are allowed one. That is if i decide to take the time to go out and vote. It might sound a bit foolish on my part but this is the first time since i have been eligible to vote that i actually don't feel like taking the time to do so. The way i see it, the present government like the one before it has not benefited my family and were no better off now than a decade ago. Letters & e-mails to my MHA and other government officials seem to have been a waste of time on my part. Seems like the only satisfaction im getting recently is from the auditor general and the RCMP investigations into the misuse of our tax dollars. My wife and i have been working in the Home Support System of this province for the pass 18 years and each year have hoped for a few benefits from our hard work in forms of a pay raise, few sick days or other benefits that other government employees take for granted. Each year we tend to be disappointed but hopefully soon we'll receive a slight bit of satisfaction when some who have reaped so called benefits get their just reward. So on October 9/2007 rather than take the time to write a x on a ballot for a candidate who i suspect is less likely to steal from me. I'll drive on by the polling station and i won't have a thing to be disappointed about. Sounds fair enough!

A Cape Ray Evening

Yesterdays mystery of the missing headstones have been solved. I made another trip to the area this evening and after moving back some tall grass i found them once more. The storm of the previous night had flattened everything all in one direction. The local paper had emailed me earlier in the day asking if i knew a Tornado had touched down. I have never witnessed that weather phenomenon before so i really didn't know. Some of my neighbors did have a lot of property damages. I do know that i must try and seek a bit of help in preserving those old stone markers or one day they will be gone forever. Hopefully with plant workers in the area seeking hours of employment elsewhere, some hours from a grant may be used in fixing that site up.

Our oldest granddaughter accompanied us this evening to the seashore and we spent a half hour or so picking some wild berries there. Her great grandmother will probably drop by soon and show her that with a few more ingredients those wild berries can be transformed into a pie. It's great to live in rural NL at times. Hopefully she'll remember those moments when she grows older and the photographs we take now will turn into treasures.

After the Storm

I don't usually write about the weather but the last 12 -16 hours it has been a bit peculiar even for here. Nature gave us a great light show throughout the night and early morning with a few power outages thrown in to irritate. Heavy winds, rain and hail at times sounding like a passing freight train made everyone in the community take notice. This evening it started to clear so i decided to take a walk to the area called the gut to see if the barhoisway had opened to the sea again. Saw a few rabbits and a scurrying weasel that i don't usually see in the area and had to jump across a few babbling brooks i never encountered on that trail before. I decided to go in the woods and check out the old grave site of lighthouse keeper and his family buried in the early 1900's. After searching around and getting quite wet from the high grass i gave up the search.With the land grabs at that site im hoping that the fallen grass has covered the stones and they have not been removed by someone who would like to have a great view from a new summer cabin rather than let it be a final resting place. I'll go back in the next few days and check it out again.

NEWS REPORT..............
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is in Dunville assessing the aftermath of tropical disturbance Chantal. Harper arrived at St. John’s International Airport aboard a Challanger jet at 10 a.m., boarding a Cormorant helicopter to head to the flooded area.

Will!!! i be a SOB!!! Invited Steve to our Come Home Year Celebrations in Cape Ray and he didn't show! We had beer,dancing,lot of young half naked girls and we could of Screeched him in. Instead he comes flying in to look at a few big pot holes that some tropical storm caused. I hope Danny pushes him in the friggin ditch.

Rubus Chamaemorus
Bakeapples



Today i decided to introduce my granddaughter to the world of wild berries. Along the Cape Ray seashore Bakeapples are ripening and on a hot day you can actually smell the aroma in the air. They ripen here in July but on the Table Mountains near our community it might take a week or two extra because of the elevation. I can remember as a child going out with the family on a Sunday afternoon and filling buckets with the berries.
Bakeapples/Cloudberry are native to most of the northern circumpolar areas. They are also found in Scandinavia, Siberia/Russia, Canada and the USA (Alaska and New Hampshire). It has also been observed in Greenland and Spitzbergen. Hopefully in the next few days i'll be able to go out and pick a few gallons. Today however i will post a few photos i shot this morning of them here.

Down to the Wire.



Just over 16 months ago a group of us decided to plan a Come Home Year Celebration for our community,Cape Ray. Our population is just 343 with hundreds of former residents living elsewhere around the globe. The invitations went out, replies came back and tomorrow we'll see the results of 16 months of hard work by a small group. The only obstacle we had no control over was the weather. In more primitive times i suspect a group such as ours could sacrifice some poor animal to the Gods of weather and hope for a good outcome. Since it's 2007 we decided to ask a guy who might be able to influence the Weather Gods. The only one we knew who might just have connections was that Great Weather Icon Karl Wells so we sent him a card asking him to use his influence and snag us a few days of great weather. During the next week or so i'll try and post photos of our community celebrations in my Blog. I suspect it's our first and last big celebration because of our dwindling population but for now we'll just take it one day at a time.

NF Interactive

A Blog today to thank the NF Interactive crew for posting a story of my community Cape Ray about to have its first Come Home Year Celebration. The NF Interactive web site has been on the go since 1996 and have received several web awards during that time. The site has many features including an online store and years of archived photo galleries dating back to 1998. A few of the other features that i particularly like are the Daily photo gallery where a contributor can send a snapshot and hope to have it displayed. Another is the Puffin Post Online Pub where members can post daily and keep in touch with fellow Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. Here posters can start threads showing off their own little section of the province or engage in a friendly chat. So click on the links today and view NF Interactive website. Who knows?You may just want to stick around and be part of it. I'm glad i did!

Today marks the 91st anniversary of Beaumont Hamel.

A group of us in the community have organized a Come Home Year celebration for 2007. Our CHY Celebration is set to run from July 2O/ 2007 - July28/2007 and a great number of events are being scheduled for that time span. Cape Ray has a population of 343 and it's been difficult at times getting things into place. With just a few weeks to go everyone is wondering how it'll all turn out. We expect our community population to double, maybe triple during the event and with the out migration suspect it'll be our first and last event organized at home on such a scale. The community is already showing positive signs with flags and banners hanging from poles and fences along the roads. So for my Blog readers a message."If your in the area at this time please drop in and witness the wonders of a little NL community and all its beauty. Someday it might be gone forever."

Glacier Girl

Here's an interesting one! 65 years after taking off a P-38 Lightning aircraft might just completes its mission. The P38 was one of eight aircraft forced to land in Greenland after encountering weather while en route to Britain in July 1942. The 8 aircraft became buried under 80 meters of ice and snow but 15 years ago the remains of one, renamed Glacier Girl, were dug up. Bob Cardin, led an American expedition that dug the plane out and after a decade using 80% of its original parts got it airborne again. The plane had previously flown at air shows in the United States and is now in Happy Valley,Goose Bay,NL where its ill-fated mission started out in 1942.

Youtube video of GlacierGirl.

Schools out for the summer....and longer.

An isolated community on our South Coast will take one step closer to oblivion. The tiny community of Grand Bruit will see the end of their school when Nicole Billard and Andrew Billard leave to continue their education in other communities. The word resettlement will once again be heard and i no doubt suspect within five years it'll happen. I watched here in my community of Cape Ray when the school closed and kids where bused to nearby Port Aux Basques how it took a toll on our population. I can only imagine how those that live there at this time feel. Some might think me crazy for wondering but i doubt those two school kids will ever experience the family or friendship of another place such as the one they left. I wish them both well and hope to hear about them sometime in the future.

Sorry for not blogging much recently and thanks to those who sent an email or two wondering if i left the Planet. I recently had to get an excavator come in and dig up some land because of a drain line problem. What i thought was a small problem turned out to be a much bigger one. Flowers,Shrubs and trees that i had planted for years suddenly ended up in the bucket of an excavator. Bit of landscape i took pride in over the years simply vanished and now i have to start all over. Now we get to start all over and soon we'll be trying to replace it all. To bad all things in life couldn't be that simple! Im just a little speck on that Pale Blue Dot in the video i posted and tonight the little speck is taking sometime off to go out and party.Enjoy the weekend!

After a stressful day i like to go to bed and listen to VOCM Night Line. Something about those nice relaxing funeral home advertisements always put to me to sleep. Of course in between i have to listen to the callers each taking a turn to call in. It usually starts with a call saying "the sky is falling."It's usually followed up a few minutes later by another caller claiming the sky is not falling and not only is it not falling,the sky was never there to begin with! It's difficult for the average Joe like myself to sort out the Bull foisted upon the airwaves. Some of the callers have such a soothing voice they should actually look into doing those funeral home advertisements for those of us who need our rest. The top Bull story of last evening came from a guy called Paul who claimed to of seen 352 Moose on the Northern Peninsula near the St. Anthony Airport. The last caller to the show claimed Paul was over doing it on the Bull and once again the sky was not falling. Some nights an ordinary Joe like myself can only take the word of Billy the Moon Man when he tries to drift off into his nights rest. RIP.

One for Nova Scotia MP Bill Casey. I wish we had a few Hero's like him in NL representing our best interests but i guess that's to much to ask for. Newfoundland dogs use to be heroic but lapdogs never did amount to much.

Where have all the good men gone indeed?

June 6/1986

The photo above was taken June 6/1986 when we still had a railway running across our island. I was stationed in Howley at the time and each morning our work crew would leave at 6 am to travel to the Gaff Topsails area to repair the railbed. The days prior to June 6th had been terrible weather wise and each day we returned sore and cold.The trips by speeder to the Gaff usually took a hour and we got blasted by the winds on the open trolley. On the morning of June 6th we awoke to see the community covered in snow and one of the senior guys said we could expect much more on the way up to the Summit. The trip that usually took one hour turned into several before we got stuck in the snow at Kittys Brook far below the Gaff. Our Speeder had its ice wheels removed weeks before and it simply could not tow our Trolleys. Nine of us stayed at Kittys Brook while the speeder made the attempt to go ahead.We spent the remaing hours of that morning viewing the Moose and Caribou that wandered around near by or simply chatted.After that day the weather changed and each morning seemed to be better than the last. 21 years have gone by,but i seem to remember that day in June very clear.Strange how some days always remain fresh in our minds.

Photo: (front roll.) Ed Saunders,Jim Snow,Wayne Osmond,Fred Boone,Charlie Riles.
(back roll) Gary Gilliam,Jim Bragg,Larry AuCoin....photo taken by Elias Osmond.

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?"

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.

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

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.

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.

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!!

Danny said " They’re special staff." I often hear the word "special" in my line of work. Home Support Workers in NL sometimes use it to describe their clients. I guess over the years most of us have heard the term used when describing the mentally challenged. The Premier describes himself as very demanding and i can describe a few of my clients as such. The Premier describes himself as a workaholic and i have worked with clients in a workplace who could be described the same! Your probably thinking after a few lines im comparing the premier to my clients but your wrong. You see the way i look at it Danny Williams will never be special in my books. The special people i know and work with can show love and compassion and on the end of a day think the Home Support worker who help them through life are a bit special. Were proud to be special like our clients, but i doubt if we'll see a pay raise in the annual range of 8.1 - 16.8 percent like Danny's special people.

Premier’s staffers get big pay hikes ROB ANTLE The Telegram he province’s wage-restraint program ends at the premier’s office this year. Six senior staffers received salary increases of between 8.1 and 16.8 per cent in 2007, according to details tabled with Thursday’s raft of budget documents. But Premier Danny Williams says the wage hikes were necessary to recognize both the amount, and quality, of their work. Another staffer in the premier’s office had previously been reclassified into a newly created, top-level job. “These are the kind of salaries I have to pay in order to keep these people,” Williams said Friday. The province’s unionized workers, in contrast, will get a three-per-cent wage hike this year. That follows two years of wage freezes in 2004 and 2005, and a three-per-cent hike in 2006. The Williams government legislated a four-year package on most public servants in 2004, ending a bitter month-long strike. The province’s nurses and teachers later accepted similar deals. Provincial government managers will also get the same three-per-cent raise this year, Williams said. He defended the additional cash for his senior staff, saying the bigger amounts reflect the actual responsibility of the positions. “I’m very demanding,” Williams said. “I’m not easy to work for, in the sense that I’m a workaholic. So you can’t pay people enough to work for me, I suppose, for want of a better term.” He noted that the staff are political appointments, with little job security. But the premier acknowledged that public servants — who got just a six-per-cent hike over four years — may not greet with enthusiasm the news that his key staff got up to 16.8 per cent raises in one year. “I know. And they can make that argument, then, if that’s the case. But these are political staffers. They’re special staff. They’re a staff that are my senior advisers, that are running a $5-billion corporation, from my perspective.” Most contracts between the province and its unionized workers elapse in 2008. Williams pledged that workers will get raises this time around. “You can quote me on that, and take that to the bank.” He acknowledged those raises would not be in the annual range of 8.1 to 16.8 per cent, however.

Hot Air Balloon Crossing Planned
April 30, 2007

Another Atlantic crossing could begin from St.John's this summer, this one, a hot air balloon. British adventurer David Hempleman-Adams has a hot-air balloon team assembled, ready to cross the Atlantic. They want to do it from St.John's this summer. Last year, they used Calgary as a base to set an altitude record in a hot air balloon. One of his crew, Nigel Mitchell, says Adams is one of the world's greatest living adventurers and was the first person to achieve the Explorers Grand Slam, having climbed the highest mountains on each of the world's seven continents, including Mount Everest. The team has written St.John's City Council asking for information on the city.

( Maybe a launch from the eight floor window of the Confederation Building would give Adams the necessary lift with the hot air he needs )

Thanks Tom, you gave a 14% wage increase to help the minimum wage go up to $8.00 per hour in NL but no sign of giving an increase to thousands of home support workers whose wages are mostly $8.04 per hour.That slap in the face is of course compensated for by giving us free Death Certificates.

From the VOCM News SITE:

Ontario Must Work With Metis on Lower Chruchill Project; Montague
April 17, 2007

Labrador Metis Nation President Chris Montague says Ontario will see no power from the Lower Churchill without the involvement of the Labrador Metis. Montague issued the warning at the Opportunities to Develop Renewable Energy Projects with First Nations, Industry, and Government Partnerships conference in Toronto yesterday. He told the delegates Labrador Metis have to be "meaningfully included" in the project before it can proceed. Montague also spoke about what he called Premier Danny Williams' failure to honour commitments to the Metis in Labrador. He says Williams promised to honour harvesting rights and to work with the group to promote communities and culture. Montague also provided an overview of the proposed Height of Land Wind Park. The $2.5 billion proposed project involves a partnership between the LMN and Ventus Energy.

Recently Tom Rideout said Newfoundland and Labrador cannot deal with Labrador Metis Nation claims until Ottawa moves forward first. Im sure the majority of us here in the province don't really know what to make of it all at times. Most don't really know if the Metis have a legitimate claim on the lands or not. I do think in the pass the NL Government have negotiated with them on forestry and harvesting agreements along with certain rights to hunt on Crown lands.I guess if that was the case,they must of been recognized as a group with legitimate claims to the land in order to do that. Maybe if the province pushed the issue then Ottawa would step in and finally give them the status they want. Who would gain from this? We all would!

Finally a little Ray of light but don't forget a lot of us are still not unionized.

VOCM NEWS SITE
NAPE Presidential Candidate Seeks Help for Home Care Workers
April 10, 2007

A candidate in the running for the presidency of NAPE has some suggestions for government as they put the finishing touches on the provincial budget. Chris Henley told VOCM Back Talk with Bill Rowe, home care workers need some attention. Henley says they are the lowest paid group of unionized workers in the province, making barely above minimum wage.

Bill Matthews Calls It Quits
April 3, 2007
from the VOCM website:

After 25 years in public life, Random-Burin-St. George's MP Bill Matthews is calling it quits. Matthews announced this morning he will not be seeking a seat in the next next federal election. Matthews was first elected in 1982 in the provincial district of Grand Bank, and later switched to federal politics in 1997. He said following eight elections it's time for him to leave politics. Conservative MP Norm Doyle has already announced he won't be running again either.

Cynthia Downey who ran against Mr.Matthews in the lastFederal election has recently withdrawn from the Conservative nomination process here in the riding. Ms. Downey said she could not ask the people of her riding to support the Harper Government after he failed to live up to his promises on NL equalization. Maybe Cynthia Downey should seek the Liberal nomination here in Random-Burin-St. Georges.

New Provincial Motor vehicle plate.



The provincial government unveiled Newfoundland and Labrador's new motor vehicle license plates today. Government Services Minister Dianne Whalen and Business Minister Kevin O'Brien launched the new plates, featuring a design done by our own premier. The province's new brand signature since March 19/2007. The Premier said the new plates can be purchased for twenty bucks far less expensive than a vote bought in Quebec or Ontario.

Canadian Seal hunt. FACTS ..........

Made a short walk along the seashore this morning and shot a few dozen photos of the seal pups along the way. No sign of ice in the gulf near our community and it appears that the seals have pupped on the marshs here. They are gradually loosing their white coats and staying near the water. I doubt very much if there will be a hunt in our area this year. The mortality rate of seal pups will surely be higher then normal this year. A Helicopter swooped down to check me out then sped along the coastline probably counting seals. Some photos of this mornings walk.

Ya sneaky Bastard !



According to popular belief, a leprechaun possesses a treasure (usually a pot of gold) which a human may obtain if he succeeds in capturing one, which is extremely difficult. Even after capture, a person may not take his eyes off of him for an instant, for then he will vanish. Leprechauns are mainly found in Irish folklore or Canadian Parliament where their cheery smiles can deceive up to 500,000 people at any given time.

Andy Visiting Taiwan
March 18, 2007

St. John's Mayor Andy Wells arrives in Taiwan today as part of a delegation of big city Canadian mayors. They've been invited for a series of meetings with municipal and government officials to discuss urban issues. Wells says he's planning to promote the capital city and the province whenever he gets the opportunity. Wells says he's also prepared to talking about urban planning, ocean technology and environmental issues, which are a big concern in that country.

Big city Canadian mayors? Population wise or physical size of the mayors? Just kidding today. I remember Premier Zhu from China a few years back inviting Andy to China at the time because he protested China's occupation of Tibet since the 1950's. Andy tried to fly the Tibetan flag over city hall at the time. Premier Tobin at the time accused him of showboating but quite a few of us here in NL actually respected him for the act. Maybe the government of Taiwan might actually thank him for that during his visit.

On March 13/2007 we'll find out just what out migration and a declining birthrate have done to NL population. Population and dwelling counts statistics will be released from the 2006 census.
Will the information released show we have gone below the 500,000 mark? In the small community i live we'll stay just above the 300 plus mark. I'm sure since the 2006 count we have fallen below it. A few days ago on our community forum someone congratulated an expectant birth mother and it was something to be proud of community wise.We rarely see many and by the time they're of school age the family usually leaves. Our first Come Home Year event is scheduled for July and crowds are expected. Somehow i suspect this will be the first and last of its kind here. Declining population in the community causes removal of street lights because no one wants to pay higher fees for services. Services such as fire protection here may someday stop when the volunteers reach retirement age.Today if you want a position on the local council you just show up and tell them your interested. No need to get elected.We just can't see to find enough to have an election. Thankfully we still have a few volunteers here.

I noticed a new seal hunt forum has started. Some person comes in claiming to be a sealer from Bonavista and wants newfoundlanders to talk about the annual hunt. one visitor claiming to be a member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Defense League has already endorsed it. The whole setup looks fishy to me. Anyone else run across this forum or see any links to it?

Posted March 6th, 2007 01:58 PM IP -New post- Hi all, I''m glad to see you have started a forum for this discussion. Hopefully it won't get bombarded by the anti-sealing crowd. I am with the Newfoundland and Labrador Defense League, (nldl.org) a member organization fighting for the future of our province. The seal hunt is a major concern for us and we congradulate you on your efforts in getting the truth out. I thought I'd make you aware that there is currently an online poll being conducted that asks the question, "Should the seal hunt be banned?" The Newfoundland and Labrador Defense League has been asking its members to go to the web site and vote NO on the issue. So far it's been working and the poll is swinging in our favour. I thought you and your members might also like to vote on the issue. Here is the link to the site:

oh drat ! Townies upset

Lunar Eclipse Difficult to See for Many
March 5, 2007

The lunar eclipse on the weekend was a mixed occasion for the island. In the St.John's area, skies were overcast Saturday night until just after the opportunity for viewing expired. Chris Stevenson of the Astronomical Society says it was frustrating, not being able to watch the eclipse and then see the skies clear up just after it was over. However, on other parts of the island residents were able to watch the first total eclipse in two-and-a-half years. Stevenson says the next lunar eclipse friendly for viewing in Newfoundland takes place February 21st next year.

Relax townies, you still have your very own moon man.

It's Sunday,the start of another week. First of all i would like to thank Mr. Lono for the nice award he gave me yesterday. Thank you! To the Nazi who put the filth in the blog, thank you, great post, really shows the true side of you. If you visit the province be sure to visit your friend in St. Johns.

TO THE LOW FORM OF LIFE THAT MADE THOSE THREATS. I HAVE IP #'S FROM MY SITE METER. YOU MAY BE BIG SHOT LAWYERS BUT THAT DOES NOT GIVE YOU THE RIGHTS TO SAY WHAT YOU SAID. YOUR SLIME AND I WILL REMEMBER IT!

Just ranting today.......

Surfing through the news today i saw that well-known theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking will take a weightless flight on April 26 aboard a modified Boeing 727. They call it the Vomit comet and i hope the man does not get sick. Hawkings April flight will be in preparation for a berth on Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic space tourist service when it launches in 2009. I have always admired the man and his work and here's one of my favorite Hawking's quote. Actually it's my only one. "I think computer viruses should count as life. I think it says something about human nature that the only form of life we have created so far is purely destructive. We've created life in our own image." The more you think about it,the more you agree.

Back on earth here in NL our government is taking a look at the banning of incandescent light bulbs. Our government will be reviewing all the info before they proceed. which brings me to the question, how many politicians does it take to change a light bulb? Please submit your answers in the comment section. I actually don't know the answer but figure a few of them would double bill the electrical bill to us.

Roger Grimes has been served for comments he made to Transportation minister John Hickey. Roger has requested Judge Larry Seidlin to officiate the trial and strangely enough, so has John Hickey! May they both decompose during the trail !

Sue Kelland Dyer's blog seems to be off limits lately to local yokels like myself. If your reading Sue,"how do i get to peep in again?" Of course i still have Ed hollett and his sauciness but i do need a balance in my life.

Still waiting for a reply from Carol Furlong and Chris Henley from NAPE to respond to my previous blog. Might even offer a prize to the first one with the most guts to do so! How about a 8 by 10 portrait of former NAPE president Fraser March taking a pee along the side of the TCH after driving over 1,000 kilometres in a day?

Looks like Carol's job could be up for grabs.

NAPE Presidential Battle Heating Up
February 22, 2007

The battle for the top job at NAPE will soon be heating up. Carol Furlong currently holds the president's seat at the province's largest union. Furlong is being challenged by Chris Henley, who told VOCM Back Talk with Bill Rowe the nomination process will begin next week. Hhenley says Monday is the call for nominations, mail-in ballots will be delivered March 26th, and returned by April 26th, and the winner will be announced April 30th.

What will it mean to the hundreds if not thousands of Home Support workers in NL who are still not represented by NAPE? I remember getting a call during the last few days of the last great NAPE presidential battle asking me to vote for LEO ! Leo's the guy to vote for. The caller went on telling me if Carol Furlong got in we would never see the Home Support workers unionized. Carol Furlong did not want us unionized. In my case, the caller was right. So far we have not been unionized, nor have we been informed of any progress. Maybe Carol and Chris can comment here on my blog informing home support workers such as myself their intentions. You both are getting emails with my blog link today. Looking forward to hearing from you both.

Safety First, Service Always

Safety First, Service Always says the motto of our Canadian Coast Guard. I don't know the level of service all the employees put out but apparently the top executives perform very well. The Coast Guard gave 43 of its 44 top executives performance bonuses worth a total of $296,232. I wonder who the unlucky one was? It must be great in a line of work to know your being evaluated and based upon your performance, rewarded. I certainly wish we all had that option in our line of work. I wonder how much a home support worker in NL would receive in bonuses if that was the case? how would you place a monetary value on the performance of some of us? How much would we receive for a slap in the face from a client who has a mental disability? How much for a head butt that knocks you to the floor? How much for the worker who is accused of stealing by a senior with Alzheimer’s disease. How much for waiting year after year hoping each new provincial budget will give you a bit of hope in the form of a pay raise or a benefit such as a sick day? In March the provincial budget will once again be released and the home support workers will see how they are evaluated. Hopefully it won't be another slap in the face,we have received enough to last us a lifetime. This coming October we'll get to evaluate our employees and we might not be handing out bonuses.